A commentator on my blog remarked that I did not sit together with Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak at Friday prayers in the National Mosque just before the end of Ramadhan.

I must explain that since I became Minister of Education in 1974 I had always prayed outside the main prayer hall. When I became Prime Minister the ushers led me towards the place just behind the Imam. I declined because I still preferred praying outside. Even today I have been praying outside.

Only for Hari Raya prayers when the Agong would be present I would show respect for him by praying in the same row with him.

2. The startled party and party officials suddenly found Zaid appointed as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department responsible for law. They were puzzled by Abdullah’s choice. But then it is not so unexpected after all because he appointed another campaigner for PAS as Deputy Minister, and a man with dubious past as Senator and Minister.

3. The moment Zaid was appointed he went to town. Apparently without bothering to consult the Cabinet or the Prime Minister he publicly proposed so-called legal and judicial reforms. He proposed that judges should be appointed by a panel on which sit several members of the Bar Council. He did not think it odd that members of the bar would in the course of their work be facing the judges they appointed. I suppose he thinks that it will be alright because gratefulness is not a Malaysian value.

Pegging

The Bretton Woods System did not fail because the United States ran out of gold. It failed because Britain decided to devalue the pound. President Richard Nixon decided to go off the gold standard much later.

After that it was a free for all as currency traders fiddled with valueless paper money.

If we have a trading currency, it should be controlled by an international body unbeholden to the US or anyone else. Poor countries must be adequately represented.

Like all systems we need to study the pros and cons before we approve.

If during all these years we could use the US Dollar as a kind of standard, I don’t see why we cannot use gold. Gold prices do fluctuate but the range is far less than with paper currency. Besides there will always be a demand for gold so that you will not lose too much if gold depreciates.

1. I feel so sad about the plight of Khairi Jamaluddin, one of the candidates for head of UMNO Youth. He says that he is being prevented from meeting UMNO youths. This might result in his losing the race for the much coveted post.

2. I would advise him not to be disheartened. There are so many other ways of influencing Pemuda than meeting with them. I will not enumerate them as he will know how to use these other ways.

3. If I remember correctly he won the post of Deputy Chief of Pemuda without anyone casting any votes. He won it uncontested. Apart from UMNO Youth chief Hishamuddin Hussein who gave other possible candidates a tongue lashing – telling them in no uncertain terms that they must not contest the position because it was reserved for the Prime Minister’s son-in-law, others suspected of having ambitions to contest for the post received phone calls from family members of the PM and other influential supporters not to do anything to spoil the ambition of this first time UMNO member with absolutely no track record from winning uncontested.

2. This, I am told, is at the insistence of Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He is said to need this time in order to put the country right. This includes eradicating poverty, judicial and legal reforms, social reforms and something about Islam Hadhari.

3. He had had five years to do all these but everyone knows nothing has been accomplished by him. Now he says he will do all these in three months. Can we believe he can? Can we believe these are the real reasons why he will not go until March 2009, only three months after the originally scheduled General Assembly?

2. She has a remarkable memory for dates, not just her own or our special dates but she can remember the dates of birth of all her children, the dates of their marriage, the birthdays of all 17 of my grandchildren and even of her sisters and brothers and late parents.

3. So I can rely on her and sign the birthday cards she passed on to me. Unfortunately she cannot remember much of what she read when studying medicine. So I used to coach her. Thus we complement each other.

Malays and Chinese alike religiously practise this great tradition. The cities and towns would become very quiet, the streets almost empty and the air free of smoke and dust.

My regret is that many who take to the roads to balik kampung will never reach home. They would die in unfortunate road accidents. Instead of their relatives welcoming them with joy and love, their Hari Raya or Chinese New Year would be a sad one as they mourn their bereavements.

Alhamdulillah, sekali lagi dapat kita bersama-sama meraikan hari kebesaran ini setelah sebulan menjalankan ibadah puasa.

Disamping bergembira bersama keluarga, saya harap kita akan teruskan tradisi kunjung mengunjung ke rumah-rumah terbuka untuk mengeratkan lagi silaturrahim di antara kita, terutama sekali dengan rakan-rakan kita yang bukan beragama Islam.

Semoga di hari yang gembira ini hubungan kita sebagai rakyat yang berbilang kaum dan agama di negara yang tercinta ini akan bertambah erat.

Saya akan mengadakan majlis rumah terbuka bersempena dengan sambutan Hari Raya Aidilfitri seperti berikut;

Tarikh : Oktober 5, 2008

Kepada yang akan menyambut Aidilfitri di kampung, berhati-hatilah ketika memandu dan kami mendoakan perjalanan pulang yang selamat.

Sekali lagi saya dan isteri saya ucapkan Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir Batin.

Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad

Dr Siti Hasmah bt Mohd Ali

1 Syawal 1429 Hijrah

2. It set the forms and standards for everything; systems of Government, human rights, economic transparency etc etc. Now it seems to be breaking or ignoring its own rules, regulations and laws.

3. It had condemned the Internal Security Act as unjust and a violation of human rights. Following the shock and awe invasion of Iraq, it has detained alleged terrorists without trial and without rights and habeas corpus proceeings. Some detainees have been there for five years.

2. Pegging currencies is not as easy as it sounds. The whole thing must be studied very carefully. Even getting agreement by a select panel is not easy. A decision made on the spur of the moment that pegging is not possible cannot really reflect the assessment made together with experts in consultation.

3. Pegging need not be always with the US Dollar. But the fact that the US Dollar is currently not stable is no reason why the idea should be summarily dismissed.