2016 Sarawak Elections - Is Adenan Najib's proxy?

The Sarawak state elections is fixed for 7 May 2016. VIPS from the Peninsular has been making their rounds into the interior of Sarawak which you don’t normally see they do on other days. And it is interesting that Sarawak is the only state that still hold their elections on their own. But will the people really vote on their own for change or fallback to status quo?

I believe BN still holds the fort in Sarawak just like before. But what most Malaysians are hoping is the opposition will slightly better their performance than the last time. They need to achieve that in terms of the number of seats won and the popular votes as well. What is at stake for Sarawak and also for the rest of Malaysia if BN wins handsomely this time? There are several questionable activities that has been going on under Najib and also from the previous Chief Minister of Sarawak which needs correction but you cannot expect the crooks to correct their own wrongdoing!

Firstly, let us not forget Taib Mahmud the longest Chief Minister in Malaysia (1981-2014). He is famously known as the last white haired rajah in reference to the British Brooke family who ruled Sarawak before UMNO decided to colonize her again! Taib and his family has been regularly accused of corruption and siphoning off billions since the dawn of time and has personally benefited from Sarawak’s huge and rich natural and economic resources. You can say that Taib Mahmud is the Sarawak Marcos and his rule has been stained and tarnished by the many land acquisition of NCR lands of the indigenous groups. Taib Mahmud blatantly confiscates and steals from his own people without any regards for compensation. For all his ‘crime’ Putrajaya has awarded him to become the Governor of Sarawak in 2012. What sort of leader do we have at the top? Are Sarawakians just going to let this Pek Moh go away quietly or will the Sarawakians stand up and make a difference this time around?

Secondly, Sarawakians should not be fooled by Adenan Satem rhetoric of defending the indigenous and minority groups which has been marginalized by their own state and also Putrajaya. This two culprits has been doing a good job in depriving Sarawakians of a better life. As the majority in the state the Dayaks has been stripped from all types of benefits and rights that should have been accorded to them. The Dayaks are not recognized except to call themselves as ‘lain-lain’ in this country. If we remember well enough Pak Lah also used almost the same rhetorics to gain an upper hand in the 11^th GE in which he won 90% of Parliament seats. The same tactics is employed now to give a mandate to Adenan Satem to rule the resource rich Sarawak. But what all of us should be wary is does Adenan has the power to fulfill his election pledges to his people without any interference from outsiders?! I doubt he has that political will to do so. It will be back to status quo for Sarawakians and it is necessary for them to rise and give a knock out (KO) result against BN as a whole and send the correct message to him that enough is enough! What other means do we have to ensure Sarawakians rights are well protected from the power hungry ghost of BN and Putrajaya? Sarawakians should deny Adenan and Najib from ruling over them in 2016 AGAIN and the faster this is achieved the better it will be for the lives of all Sarawakians!

Thirdly,  Najib and his more than ‘40 thieves’ has been making money at the expense of the rakyat thru implementing GST, increase of tolls & utilitiy bills, embezzling Tabung Haji, SOCSO, KWAP and KWSP monies. The rakyat is being sucked high & dry in every aspect of their lives and the only way to put a stop to his evil ways for now is through this state elections. Najib has shown what he can do with 1MDB and just imagine if he were to have a similar company in Sarawak. It is already catastrophic today looking at the PAC report on this company. 1MDB as we understand it is a vehicle for Najib & Rosmah to fulfill their extravagant lifestyle that they have been dreaming off. A big BN win in this elections will send the wrong message to Najib and his cohorts in Putrajaya that the rakyat is ok with their shenanigans.

There are many voices attempting to use UMNO entering Sarawak as a scare tactic  to win this election. What is the difference between what UMNO has done from the time of Dr. Mahathir and what Taib Mahmud did against the Sarawakians in the past? Both have plundered and pillaged many Sarawakians of the many opportunities that they should receive as the rightful sons of the soil. ? Both parties do not represent the aspirations of the very people they are supposed to act for & protect. Do you think think Adenan Satem will bow to the needs of his people or will he kowtow to Putrajaya first?

This election is an important one in which all Sarawakians needs to show these unscrupulous politicians who are the real masters of their land! Sarawakians needs to regain that respect at least in the eyes of Malaysians in general. DO not give an inch and take none from these elected thieves this time around. Do that and you will see your state improved for your own betterment.

I always challenge my East Malaysian friends that Putrajaya has been siphoning off your oil right under your nose and has built 2 bridges in Penang and multiple highways in the whole of Peninsular. And only now has the government open their eyes for a need of a Pan Borneo highway for them. You will be cheated and be shortchanged if you allow this politicians to rule over you for another 5 years Don’t give them that luxury!!!

I hope that the change we envision for the whole of Malaysia can start from the great Land of the Hornbills. This is your moment to make that change! The only person that can stop you from making that change is only YOU!

Sarawakians, can we count on YOU???

GTP: Real deal or a farce?

The Government Transformation Programme (GTP) has been an utter failure if we were to look at the way things has been for the last 3-4 years. The transformation mooted by Najib has indeed turn the tables against the very rakyat whom should have benefited from this programme but which it keeps getting worse by the day!

What does it take of this  ‘People First Performance Now’ government to ensure the success of their own GTP?? This is their own initiative and please know that we have moved onto the 3^rd and final phase of the many programmes launch by Najib and his cohorts in anticipation of Vision 2020.

And where are we now in terms of the 7 NKRA’s that Najib and PEMANDU has been extolling day in and out in the mainstream media? I strongly believe the rakyat knows better as they are feeling the real pinch than all the data that PEMANDU can spin or churn out.

Reducing Crime

The best measurement for this NKRA is to answer this question – “Do you feel safe nowadays?” Most Malaysians will not hesitate to say NO! Every now and then we are seeing or hearing in the news how are people getting involved with violent crime i.e. murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping etc. There are times we may even know the victims themselves.

The statistics may say that our crime rate has fallen by 40% the last 5 years but somehow we feel unsafe walking down our dark busy streets.

What  is the cause of all this? I firmly believe that the lawlessness at the top has crawl down and many are resorting to the same mindset of taking  an easy way out. Meaning that if you are not happy and want something just rob, maim or finish them. And this is what our country has become!

Unfortunately, if the powers responsible for keeping our lives safe wants to spend a big part of their resources monitoring the social media then we shall end up with an ever increasing crime rate and feeling unsafe most of the time. Whatever the reason of the crime in this country it needs to be addressed holistically and  speedily. Let’s not make Malaysia a haven for crime for anyone and there must be a concerted effort to tackle this challenge without fear or favor!

Fighting Corruption

This must be one of the best jokes of the year whichever year you care to pick!  How could this nation fight corruption when their leaders have the gumption to acknowledge and revise their definition of corruption to commission and then to donation!?? We should have named it as GRAND CORRUPTION!

A national leader which such tainted reputation is definitely not the best poster boy to tackle this menace in the country.

Many have long lamented that nothing gets done in this country unless it gets oiled by some undercut money and the root of this sickness can be traced back to Dr. Mahathir. Corruption has become rampant so much so it has become a way of life of some Malaysians. 

Come to think of it we are no better off than India, Indonesia, Phillipines or most of the African countries.

In addition, data from World Bank has shown that Malaysia is one of the top country in the world to have the biggest illicit money outflow in the world when our national population is just over 30 million! The amount of money just does not make sense if compared to the other top 4 countries such as China, Russia, Mexico and India where their population exceeds 100 million and more.

Which means that even if we are yet to reach the per capita income  of a develop country rest assured we could already be holding the World’s No. 1 of per capita income for black money! Isn’t this crazy?

Our so called “drive” against corruption has spewed more and more illicit money over the years and there are no signs of stopping at all in the near term.

Does this NKRA works? Below data shows  where we stand in the “underground” world!

Assuring Quality Education

Most parents aspire their children to high quality and affordable education. But how can our youngsters be given the chance to pursue that sort education in this country?

Many are questioning about it and there has been a lot of dissatisfaction such as the standard of our schools and universities are falling year by year. Just a simple English test will tell you where we are heading as a nation.

Does it take much for our government to provide proper education to our young people? We pride ourselves in preparing our youths for a steady job market but the question is what sort of job market are we creating for them when those in power are allowing our education standards to fall by the year?

A huge gap exist in the way we plan for our education on paper and the way we are pursuing this particular KPI to provide quality education for our students. We are  great in drawing plans and visions but hopeless when delivering these initiatives and it is being done at the expense of our children’s future!

Critical thinking is definitely  a  prized goal nowadays! The way our education is geared towards is meant to create 2 things:-

-          - To breed a generation of un-thinking Malaysians so that a particular political party could rule in perpetuity

-          - To be a yes man/women to their employers i.e. MNC’s, GLC’s others

I remember very well during my school days some of my best teachers were those who studied up to Standard 5 or 6 only.  But their classes were one of the most enjoyable and educational ones. That generation of teachers are hard to come by now. And come to think of it we don’t really need high flying plans on paper to provide a solid education; just competent and dedicated teachers with great pedagogy for our syllabus.

As far as this NKRA is concern I share with other Malaysians that we are yet to even reach half the level we would like to be. How do we move forward if we keep falling backward?

Raising Living Standards of Low-Income Households Overview & Addressing Cost of Living

Notice that the programmes under this NKRA targets the most vulnerable and poor amongst us which is what it’s supposed to do. Malaysian poverty rate which currently stands at 3.8%  hopes this NKRA will reduce further  down to 2%. I must say there are some good programmes in this KPI such as 1Azam, improving nutrition levels, enhancing healthcare and housing facilities and also business opportunities such as  micro sourcing etc.

The bottom line is what needs to accomplished to improve the standard of living amongst the low income households? If this NKRA wants to raise the standard of living of this group then it must first and foremost bring down the cost of living in this country!

There has been considerable discontentment regarding the rising price of goods and services in this country for a long time but this time around it’s just gotten worse and all complaints from the public seems to be falling on deaf ears!

Some may argue it’s due to yearly inflation problem but it’s been proven most of these the rising prices are cause by the very people who gave us the dreaded GST. On one hand this ‘People First’ government talks about raising the standard of living of the poor but at the same time it is raising the cost of goods and services in this country by cutting down subsidies and implementing GST. Isn’t this contradictory?  The poor has to fork out more now just to get by their necessities. SO, what does this NKRA does forthem?

If you really want to know the impact of these rising cost of living (toll, electricity, fuel, GST, etc) talk to the poor and they could give you a livid demonstration on how they are competing in the market place just like you and me! I hope the data to be produced by PEMANDU will not be a colorful one like in the past but just the plain TRUTH to inform where are we in terms of this critical KPI and what will the government of the day DO about it!

Improving Rural Development

The main tasks of this NKRA is to expand infrastructure access of gravel roads, treated water, electricity and providing housing facilities to the rural folks. The standards are set and implementation is in progress. 

The question we should ask is - As access to the above facilities is open to the rural population (Orang Asal, the Penan and other indigenious groups in East Malaysia) will these benefits trickle down to this group of people or will it open the floodgates to the influx of developers and greedy companies to rob and contaminate their land further?

We know of many incidences in Sarawak whereby the Penans and other rural people has been blocked to harvest the fruits from theirown jungle and land just because certain companies has begun to exploit the jungle resources for their own bottom line! 

This KPI should take into account the needs of the rural people and try to fulfill those needs first without imposing our city people thinking – “We Know Best mentality” on what is good or disastrous for them. The development brought about by this KPI has to be on rural folks terms.  It’s about time we city-folks take some time out and LISTEN to the rural folks on what their needs are. Surely this KPI will achieve its objectives but under whose terms?

Improving Urban Public Transport

It is quite Klang Valley centric but what it propose is to have a sustainable and integrate all public transportation by enhancing the capacity of buses, KTM Komuter, taxis, parking management etc.

But what about the rest of Malaysia? Doesn’t rest of the country needs a fully integrated public transportation as well? Generally, Malaysians are getting fed-up of getting stuck in traffic jams but what choice do we have? 

Many years ago, the government introduce car-pooling for those entering Klang Valley. I thought it was a good idea but somehow it did not take off at all. In fact car-pooling, don’t seem to take a liking for those in Penang island but working Mainland and vice-versa!!

But when the Penang state government introduced Park & Ride bus services between the two areas which feeds all the way to the industrialized zones the buses were almost full. The public is willing but are the authorities prepared to invest resources for a strong system that works for all??

Only a political will on the part of the federal & state government is able to solve this perennial problem for the rakyat.

And what about the ferry services in Penang which is almost in a pathetic state due to certain powers wanting to reduce its ferry to skeleton services - this has cause much unhappiness to its daily commuters as the current arrangement seems is plan to cater to the ferry owner’s wanting to minimize lost.

These grievances needs to be dealt with promptly and systematically in the national NKRA’s or this government is doomed to be known as a ‘Cronies First, Performance Later’ government!

The biggest question is can this government be relied upon to look into the well-being and transform the lives of the rakyat or will it use the NKRA to whitewash its own weaknesses?

MAS, Soros & Najib

Perlis Mufti Asri Zainul comment on MAS stewardess dress code has brought a frenzy response  in the social media. Many did voice out that MAS stewardess should be give the freedom to don their tudung while working on flight. Even some non-Muslims thought the same. 

Perhaps, they should be given the freedom to choose whether to clad a tudung or not. 

MAS will not go bust if the stewardess dons a tudung or not. MAS is already on the verge of bankruptcy long before this issue came about!

The same goes for our country!

Do you think this is an issue that Malaysians should be grappling with right now? I mean the externals is taking precedence over other important matters in this country.

Did our society become morally better when we focus on the externals? The results has shown otherwise. For the last 5 years or more our society has become morally bankrupt in more ways than one! We have issues that stinks all the way up to our nostrils  i.e. 1MDB, $2.6 ‘donation’, massive high cost of living & GST, racism, bigotry, human rights violation etc.!

Why aren’t our leaders focusing on these? They can’t as they are the very culprits behind these alleged abuses and massive corruption practices in this country. And they have always been part of the problem and never the solution.

So, let’s not get carried away by the externals and conveniently forget what goes on inwardly in the minds of these people because what comes out of those in the corridors of power affects us the most!

Take the massive price increase of our goods in this country.  I don’t think the prices of goods in this country is affected by what people choose to wear or not to wear! As we have seen in 2015 it is the incompetency, moral degradation and grand corruption of our national leaders (and his spouse) that has almost brought our nation to its knees. 

People on the streets are suffering as they have to deal with these on a daily basis. Those in Klang Valley pay the toll moment they leave their doors.

And if we look at the actions, policies, laws that comes out of Putrajaya nothing of those has really benefitted the rakyat at all. Zilch. Nothing! 

It was never people centric to begin with and the very policies or actions has put more burden and I sense that people overall are just getting tired of all these. For e.g. we have fuel, electricity, toll increase which put additional and unnecessary burden on the man & women on the street. 

Why should the rakyat pay dearly for our leader’s incompetency? We should STOP electing people to high office just so that they could make our lives more miserable! 

Today, Putrajaya is filled with rotten dead woods churning out rotten dead policies & actions to the detriment of rakyat especially the low income earners. 

The multi-billion ringgit corruption which has been conveniently termed as “donation” and other brazen abuses of power at the highest level by our government is happening right in front of our eyes and yet most rakyat feel helpless to do anything about it. Is there a way out of this? The rakyat will not stomach this nonsense!

We have been through other crises before but I must say this is a self-made crisis induced by our very own leaders. In the late ’90 we had Soros as our scapegoat but today our very downfall was orchestrated by the highest leaders of our land working in collusion with his cohorts! And he still leads the country comfortably from the corridors of power.

But this time around Najib is no scapegoat. Is Najib the new Soros of the 21st century? You tell me!

2015 - The year under Najib!

This could have been a good year but thanks to Najib who has been doing a great job in defining this country for all the wrong reasons with his (and her) extravaganza.! So, how did Najib defined Malaysia in 2015?

Firstly, Najib started by defending his wealth all the way to his father's grave; that his wealth was an inheritance which of course all of his brothers promptly denied. Najib must have known that he could not justify all the gains in his hand and needed to come up with something! And apparently he did - using the very person who could not be around to defend himself.

Secondly, Najib defined corruption to a totally new level. From corruption to commission (Scorpene case) and now to donation (RM2.6B) what else can you expect from Najib the Prime Minister of Malaysia? Can you guess what this means? He could be re-defining this 'donation' to something new again in 2016. Already there are some signs from WSJ reports recently. I guess you can be charged for corruption in Malaysia but if you re-defined it as a commission or donation you are off the hook from the long arm of the law. Lets wait and see for 2016 and hopefully its a just a false alarm!

Another interesting moment was the celebration of corruption in this year's UMNO AGM. We saw how certain leaders were ostracized for speaking up against corruption but the majority was blindly giving tacit approval and blessing to Najib to carry on with his so-called "donation" activities!

And thirdly, the return of oppressive laws and using Parliment as Najib's rubber stamp. Even without a 2/3 majority Najib has been able to bulldoze these laws to be passed without much hassle or let alone a proper debate. Not that he needs the 2/3 but imagine if he has one. We definitely have another Idi Amin or worse in the making and this is something all Malaysians should remember well during the next poll.

Fourthly, Najib has done a great job by breaking Pakatan and getting PAS to sleep with his party UMNO. Even Dr. Mahathir could not touch PAS but credit must be given to Najib for being able to do that. In fact, Musa Hitam was right when he said Najib is Dr. Mahathir best student. He is making 'great strides' in the way of his guru and now his own guru is having a really tough time to keep up with him! Personally, I hope PAS joins UMNO formally and I shall thank UMNO for burying PAS once and for all once it happens!

And lastly, the suffering of silent Malaysians. Ordinary Malaysians are feeling the heat from the high cost of living and Najib has turned a blind eye towards it. I believe the silent majority will not just endure this anymore. The silent majority holds the key to change all these blunders of Najib by changing Najib himself. But do we dare to do so in the next poll?

These are the 5 very defining moments in 2015! Will we be defined by Najib again in 2016 or do we want to define it by ourselves? I think many of us has learnt our lesson pretty well. It's about time we do what it takes as the politicians has constantly failed us again and again!

Here we come 2016 and Happy New Year to all!!!

PAU 2015 - A celebration of corruption!

The whole PAU 2015 was celebration of corruption, hammering the whistleblowers and discrediting the opposition in whatever way possible!

The direction seems to be on just winning the next GE14 based on corruption. This is what UMNO is presumably offering; that if we win we will be more atrocious in the way we have been and making the illegal legal.

What was in the mind of these delegates? Didn’t none of them thought of questioning the RM2.6B or 1MDB?? Surely, as grassroots leaders they would know the thinking and feeling on the ground. But they chose not to voice up but to choke themselves with dirty money!

This is something unacceptable by any standards. Just think about it…Anwar went into prison the second time, PAS decided to go on its own with Najib prodding them to join UMNO again, opposition leaders are being haul up, repressive laws are being drawn and shoved hurriedly and now this!

Why are these leaders getting themselves elected is just mind boggling to many thinking Malaysians.

How long do you think Malaysians needs to put up with such blatant rhetoric and their evil action that stinks to the lowest hell? We’ve got to STAND up to this crap.

If not, we are creating another Idi Amin and the goons.

Boundaries in the Kingdom

Just before the Mass started yesterday I had this question in my mind on how long I have not attended Mass at my former parish (Cathedral of the Holy Spirit). I'm staying at the boundary of my former parish and my current parish (Church of Divine Mercy). But really, are there boundaries in the Kingdom of God that Jesus came to proclaim?

Nope, I believe there is none. Either I am are with God (close to God) or not! There are no boundaries or should I say fence sitters in the Kingdom. 

So, if that's the case where am I now? I would like to believe I'm on the side of God. 

And if that is so how close I am with Him now? 

I was also reading that weeks Herald and noticed that there has been a number of spiritual formations taking place in the Cathedral. They have just concluded their Parish Assembly and one of the highlights was the number of spiritual programmes that was organized in the past year. 

And knowing the leaders of the Cathedral they have done a really good job. 

Just a question: Has all the spiritual formation/ programmes help us to become closer with God? I believe it has and will continue to do so for all lay persons who attended. But this is the thing; that whatever spiritual formations we are organizing it has to bring us to the reality of God in our lives.

That it the ultimate goal of these programmes. In fact, that is what the Church that Christ established wants us to do. 

Spiritual programmes are not a substitute for God BUT to bring us closer to Him who is the source of all life! This what good spiritual formation do for us: it makes us teachable, open ourselves to God''s invitation and we in return respond to the  Great One unconditionally! Then the journey begins.

Still having boundaries between God and you??

Merdeka

We are in a mess and there seems to be no hope for any turnaround as long as UMNO-BN is in power. Be it politically, economically or socially we have failed as a nation under this ruling regime.

Till today we are yet to see any signs of UMNO-BN turning to a new leaf to turn this country around. They seem to be incapable of doing so. And that's the message they are rightfully sending to us!

Why is that so? I'm sure even those in the highest echelon of this regime knows the answer. But why aren't they doing anything about it? Why aren't changing or at least reforming?

Well, why should they as it has everything to do with Power & Money.

In Malaysia these 2 are very much interwined in almost every aspect of this country's management.

Without power there can be no money and without money there can be no power in Malaysia.

The ruling regime has been able to juggle this 2 necessary evil well especially in Dr. Mahathir time but they forgot the people has moved on and wanting more from their leaders.

In the past UMNO-BN has been able to blind fold the masses by promises of development, development and development.

We've been hood winked by UMNO-BN for the last 55 years and our standard of living has gone from bad to worse.

Today, the rakyat is asking back "Development for whom?"

Should we give them another 50 years? Never! Not even for another term.!!

As they say absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is the real mantra of the current regime. They have no shame or dignity left in them. Hence, it didn't take that long to bring down the PR Perak government.

In addition, UMNO-BN has at its disposal a string of kowtowing and a yes-man media to discredit the people's movement and the opposition. The Utusan, The Star, Berita Harian etc are all the tools they need just in case they need to create another riot!