Category Archives: Uncategorized

DEMOCRACY IN POLITICAL PARTIES

1. All praise for democracy, the best system for politics ever invented by man. But being invented by man, it is not free from imperfections. It works only if you know these imperfections and their limitations.

2. It is fine to determine everything by majority vote and not by consensus. It is fine only if the loser accepts the winner. But when the loser refuses to accept the decision of the majority and launches a campaign to undermine the party, the only result would be a split and therefore a weakening of the party.

3. With UMNO the loser took the case to court and the party was made illegal. When revived it lost a huge chunk of the members.

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ANWAR AS ECONOMIC ADVISER

1. I would like to thank everyone for their comments on the above. I appreciate very much the positive comments and I accept the negative ones also. I am not perfect. I make mistakes. But some of the wrongdoings attributed to me are just not true or correct.

2. We see what we want to see. Everyone is like that. So do I. But I try my best to be factual.

3. My greatest mistake is in the choice of people. I seem to be picking the wrong people all the time. They not only did not live up to my expectations but they went all out to do all the wrong things, including abusing me.

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ANWAR SEBAGAI PENASIHAT EKONOMI

1. Saya ucap taniah kepada Kerajaan Negeri Selangor kerana berjaya menganugerahkan Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim dengan jawatan penasihat ekonomi dengan bayaran hanya RM1 setahun.

2. Mungkin kepimpinan Kerajaan Selangor tidak tahu akan prestasi Dato Seri Anwar sebagai Menteri Kewangan Kerajaan Pusat diwaktu krisis kewangan melanda Malaysia.

3. Dia begitu taksub dengan Dana Kewangan Antarabangsa (IMF – International Monetary Fund) dan Bank Dunia sehingga menerima bulat-bulat nasihat Michel Camdessus (pengarah urusan IMF) dan James Wolfensohn (presiden Bank Dunia dan sahabat karibnya) supaya negara ini mengurangkan perbelanjaan Kerajaan untuk mencapai surplus, menaikkan faedah pinjaman bank dengan tinggi supaya peniaga kekeringan modal dan tidak dapat berniaga, memendekkan masa untuk membayar hutang bank daripada enam bulan kepada tiga bulan untuk menjadikan yang berhutang muflis dan bank dibeban dengan hutang tak berbayar (non-performing loans), supaya bank tidak dapat berfungsi dan memerlukan suntikan modal dan bermacam lagi tindakan yang melemahkan dan memburukkan lagi ekonomi negara ini supaya terpaksa mendapat bantuan IMF dan Bank Dunia dengan syarat ekonomi Malaysia diserahkan kepada institusi-institusi ini.

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Sound Bites

The
al-Aqsa Mosque

 

The
Malaysian media is totally dependent on the so-called wire services (Reuters,
AP, AFP, etc) for foreign news. As a result there has been no report on the
Israeli desecration of the al-Aqsa mosque and the beating up of Palestinian
Muslims who wanted to pray there.

 

I don’t
think the Malaysian media is deliberately blacking out news which are not in
favour of Israel
but if they depend solely on the wire services they would always be unfair to the
victims of Israeli brutalities.

 

We read very little about the blockade of Gaza and the sufferings
of the people there.

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Water

1. Pahang will soon
be selling water to Selangor/KL. I don’t think Pahang would be happy to receive
3 sen per thousand gallons.

 

2. Melaka has been
paying Johore 30 sen per thousand gallons and is still doing so and will
continue to do so I suppose. Would Johore be asking for more than 30 sen in the
future? God knows.

 

3. In 2011 the first
agreement with Singapore
to sell 350 million gallons of raw water daily at 3 sen per thousand gallons will
end. What would we do then? I suspect despite Singapore‘s famous Newater, it
would still need the 350 million gallons daily.

 

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Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah

1. Saya baru-baru ini telah tulis sedikit
dibawah tajuk “Hukum Allah” berkenaan apabila sesuatu yang didakwa adalah hukum
Allah samada benar ia adalah hukum Allah. Saya dikecam hebat oleh orang yang
mungkin lebih terpelajar dalam agama. Nampaknya agama Islam di Malaysia ini
tidak boleh disoal barang sedikit pun, walaupun untuk mendapat penjelasan.

 

2. Saya berdebar hati apabila membaca yang
Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin bekas mufti Perlis ditangkap dan dibawa ke balai
polis. Dia dilepas dengan ikat jamin polis.

 

3. Seramai 30 anggota polis dan 20 lebih
anggota Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS) telah melakukan tangkapan ini. Ternampak
seolah-olah Dr Asri ini seorang penjenayah besar yang mungkin mengganas apabila
ditangkap. Tetapi beliau tidak pula memberontak. Sebaliknya beliau turut sahaja
tanpa bantahan yang keras.

 

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SOUND BITES – PROTON

Dear Ir. Syahrizan,

1. I am not going to deny that in my time Proton was protected. All countries including Britain, Germany, Japan and Korea protect their car market. Britain had Imperial Preference, Japan and Korea ensured no foreign cars could be imported, even America insists on Japanese, Korean and Germans producing their cars in America, employing Americans and paying high salaries.

2. The protection for Proton cars had been there all along. Without protection we would have no car industry. Proton gained 80 per cent of the market at one time benefiting from protectionism.

3. Because of the APs (Approved Permits) for cars from countries which Proton cannot penetrate (Korea and Japan) sales of Proton went down. Proton lost money, the foreigners made a lot of money with the lower price of their cars sold in Malaysia. Their lower price is due to volume i.e. economies of scale. We could not achieve this because of their protected car market.

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CRIMINALISING WAR

1. The conference on criminalizing war (making war a crime) was held for two days (28 – 29 Oct) at the PWTC and was followed by a sitting of the Kuala Lumpur Commission on War Crimes and the Tribunal’s sitting on 31st October to decide on whether it was competent to hear the complaints of the victims of Guantanamo and other places of detention as well as to decide on whether Heads of State and Heads of Government are liable for war crimes committed under their rule.

2. Many have asked what can this conference and the hearings by the commission and tribunal do.

3. If I may be allowed to explain there are many things which were common, normal and accepted in the past which the whole world rejects now. The rejection was achieved actually by the people gradually realizing that these practices were wrong and unacceptable.

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THE PROTON SAGA

1. Proton is gradually returning to profitability. I notice that the new Proton Saga is often seen on the streets of Kuala Lumpur. I know that a new car would not be noticed on the road until a certain volume of sales is achieved.

2. Other Proton models are also more frequently seen – a sign of good sales. Before this the new cars most often seen were from the Perodua stables.

3. Since Proton acquired a new chairman in the person of Datuk Nadzmi Salleh, I find it easier to perform the work of Proton adviser. The Prime Minister has also indicated that Proton affairs should be referred to me. Accordingly I have been busy on a plan to resuscitate the company. I have been talking to potential technology partners for Proton.

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