Friday, November 17, 2006

It's Them vs Us

Will it boil down to "Them vs Us?

Wan Hamidi Hamid, NSTP
Nov 17th. 2006, Page 7, Prime news

Abstract & Comments.

From Monday till yesterday, most party delegates who took to the rostrum made it known publicly that the Malays would no more tolerate any form of threats.

How did "they" define threat? Have they been threatened? In what way? Or, put it in another way, Weren't they been threatening the "Us"?

It was a strong message: Don't test us or else...

What does this mean? Trying to threaten? Or, should it be taken to mean, let the "They" be corrupt, steal, rob and take everything and anything as they so wish, in accordance with their crave, their greed; don't voice up if you see or hear, for "They" were semi-god and the "Untouchables", and only "They" can be above the Law.

They blamed the Chinese community for 'taking more than what they needed." What did they take? They paid you handsomely and made you rich when you sold them projects and they paid upfront money. Is that what is taking? They paid.... you millions and you are so rich now; of course you had also squandered it off. Why blame others in this instance?

What did the Chinese take from them? All projects by the govt, all of them, are only awarded to Bumiputera contractors, except private financed initiatives. All Class F contractors are Bumiputeras, none, absolutely none are for other races. So, what was taken from them? 90% of govt servant are Bumis, 99.9999% of Mara students are Malays. 90% of the banks are Malays (if we exclude foreigners). GLCs are 100% controlled by Bumiputeras (and they claimed it should not be added to the % of Bumi holdings as it's owned by govt; yet they do what they like with it on the presumption ownership).

Hasnoor Sidang Hussein: "Datuk Hishamuddin has unsheathed his keris, waved his keris, kissed his keris. We want to ask Datuk Hisham when he is going to use it?"

Will it drive a wedge between Malays and non-Malays? The answer is YES (Commented Wan Hamidi Hamid).

Political analyst Amir Sari believes that UMNO delegates' anger towards non-Malays could help obscure Chinese organizations gain some prominence and push some Chinese chauvinists to the fore.

Datuk Reezal Merican Naina Merican said: 80% of govt contracts went to non-bumiputeras.

How? How can?

The govt awarded all contracts to Bumis. Only Bumiputera registered companies with PKK is allowed to participate in the tenders or negotiation. How is it possible to award to non-Bumis?

The only possibility is the fact that the Bumis wanted quick profit and sold their stakes to others. Then why blame the others who paid cash upfront? They got the project, sold it for quick profits and yet posed the issue that they no more owned the projects (of course the money is gone). Its not possible to have the cake and eat it. You have taken the money, spent it, bought luxury cars, married many wives, spent your honeymoon and holidays in Europe and US, and now, after the money is taken and wiped out, you said, the others owned your stake?

But, Pak Lah, their president still say:



Dear Prime Minister, are you sure UMNO and MCA are still good friends?

The Chinese are no more friends with MCA. MCA had betrayed them.

How is it that after being threatened, you still call them friends? Would the Chinese still consider UMNO as friends? Maybe, MCA, but not the Chinese. How is it that after being robbed, they could still be friends? How is it that after being threatened by the poser of the Keris: "when are they going to use it" (UMNO members asked Hishamuddin). It suggest a real criminal threat - in criminal law, it's criminal intimidation -yet in UMNO, it's considered their right to do so; if spoken in other functions by other political parties, UMNO may consider burning down the Selangor Chinese Assembly hall again.

Friends? Would you bed someone who may wield the Keris when you bed with him/her?

Even Khairy never consider him as friend - the writer of the book Hikayat Khairy - from Putera Oxford to Putrajaya.

Khairy said: "It is an attempt to smear my reputation. At the same time I feel flattered that someone is willing to spend so much time and money fantasizing and speculating about what I do. This shows that someone is obsessed with me."

Did Khairy showed his friendliness with the writer?

The writer is a Malay or Bumi. Who was the enemy?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

You said what I've been dying to say over the past 3-4 days but just didn't have the heart to say anymore.

Hishamuddin isn't stupid. He knows what the consequence of the views voiced will be.

I think he's looking forward to it. Very depressing.

Anonymous said...

True Spirit of CAKAP TAK SERUPA BIKIN!!!

Just look at these 2 report i) NST dated 17 Nov 2006 and ii) in The Star dated 1 November 2006 at the Nanning CHINA-ASEAN Summit

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Friday/National/20061117092329/Article/local1_html

At the Umno General Assembly '06: Author of Asli research comes under fire
17 Nov 2006


DELEGATE after delegate took to the stage and spoke against any move to question the social contract.

Many of them trained their guns on the Asian Strategic Leadership Institute — the think-tank behind the controversial study on Bumiputera equity ownership.

Several Umno representatives targeted Dr Lim Teck Ghee, the author of the report which suggested that Bumiputera corporate equity had reached 45 per cent.

Umno Youth representative Datuk Reezal Merican Naina Merican chided Lim for challenging the official figure of 18.9 per cent, prepared and later reconfirmed by the government’s Economic Planning Unit (EPU).

"This is tantamount to changing the social contract. Worse, a senior Cabinet minister and president of a component party insinuated that the government had lied about the corporate equity numbers. Our patience has limits."

Lim, a former World Bank senior official, submitted his original report on behalf of the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) to the government early this year.

The report became the centre of a controversy when it was brought up again at a forum several months ago.

Kedah delegate Datuk Dr Ku Abdul Rahman Ku Ismail, who also hit out at Lim’s report, accused Asli of conducting the research with ill intention.

"The research clearly included government-linked companies, which are not Bumiputera-owned but government-owned.

"The intention is if the Bumiputera equity had reached more than 30 per cent or 45 per cent, then there would be no reason for the spirit of the national economic policy to be upheld.

"The irony is how could Asli endorse the findings of the research when we know that the Bumiputera equity ownership is only 18.9 per cent," he said.

Lim, who was the director of Asli’s Centre for Public Policy Studies, resigned recently after the institute withdrew support for his report.

Malacca representative Datuk Idris Haron said the government should monitor think-tanks and private organisations conducting research on Bumiputera corporate equity.

"The Asli findings are wrong. We do not want this to happen again.

"Government agencies like the EPU can assist and teach these organisations how to calculate equity."

But outside the hall, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar attempted to inject some moderation into the strong language employed by some Umno delegates.

For a start, he said that their views did not necessarily reflect the government’s position.

"Let us not rekindle very sensitive issues that can create dissension among Malaysians of different communities here. We cannot afford that."


http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/11/1/nation/15876980&sec=nation

Wednesday November 1, 2006


Open scrutiny of government plans will encourage investment, says PM

By LEONG SHEN-LI

NANNING: Malaysia has recommended its policy of transparency and open scrutiny of government plans and policies to China and other Asean countries as a means to increase investment in their countries.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said greater information flow and transparency, especially on economic and industrial development, was vital.

“Information of this nature, especially when they pertain to new opportunities and changes to rules and regulations, must be shared with and disseminated to the private sector in a systematic and effective manner,” he said.

In Malaysia, he said, it was a practice that government plans, such as the Third Industrial Master Plan and Ninth Malaysia Plan, were open to public scrutiny.

“I recommend this Malaysian example to China and to other Asean countries,” he said in his keynote address at the Third China-Asean Business and Investment Summit here yesterday.

The summit is being held in the capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in conjunction with a two-day commemorative summit marking the 15th anniversary of the Asean-China dialogue relations.

Pointing to the Chinese government’s decision to make the Bohai Rim region in northern China as the next focus for growth, Abdullah said more information about this venture should be made available.

“The private sector can then begin to plan their own strategies and establish priorities,” he said.

Abdullah said he would urge investment agencies in Asean and China to strengthen cooperation among themselves.

“They should conduct regular dialogue to provide the private sector with up-to-date information on investment opportunities in each of these areas,” he said, adding that the East Asia Business Council would be a good forum for interaction among business communities.

Abdullah said another area which needed attention was the early conclusion of the Asean-China agreement on investment.

“This agreement is an important pillar of the overall Asean-China Free Trade Area arrangement,” he said.

He added that the agreement would set out the parameters for creating a more transparent investment climate between Asean and China.

Abdullah said there was also a need for Asean and China to set up mechanisms to facilitate trade and investment.

“Such a mechanism will in fact become imperative once the Asean-China Free Trade Area arrangement becomes ready for full implementation,” he said.

Abdullah also called on Asean and Chinese businesses to continue providing feedback and proposals on how to overcome impediments and to enhance economic links.

“I have no doubt that trade and investment between Asean and China can be further enhanced,” he said.

Anonymous said...

The UMNO delegates are the ones threatening the non-Malays, from the looks of it.

O2Deprivation said...

You must understand the hidden agenda behind this whole soap opera. It is being telecasted live, to confuse the "rakyat".

You can question them on the 80% contract awarded to non-bumi after the whole assembly ended, but it is not going to mean anything, except Bumi's has been made to believe that Non-Bumis actually won the 80% of the contract. The damaged has been done.

I would like to quote a real-life scenario where one bumi contractor actually "won" a government tender. He quoted RM10,000 and passed it to a Chinese sub contractor which then worked day and night non-stop for 2 weeks to complete it at a mere profit of RM2,000. Upon completion, the bumi contractor actually asked the sub-con to invoice him an inflated amount of RM20,000!

The bumi contractor basically did nothing to earn that RM10,000 and yet can you imagine how our government is bleeding money with these exorbitant claims.

I am not against helping the needy but this is certainly not a way to do it. We are wasting resources, being extremely incompetitive and the corrupted practice has made its root way down our life.

seefei said...

the govt should acts in the best interest of the rakyat. Disbursement of money to cronies and kakis thru govt tenders is tantamount to corruption and a disservice to the rakyat, especially those on the receiving ends of these public projects.

all govt tenders should be open tender and all tender invitations should be placed on the internet for open bidding. tender results should also be open to ensure transparency.

only by having a competitive tender system, the local malay contractors can improve and upgrade themselves. middle east region is a big market and through the common bond in the faith of islam, malay contractors should be very active in this emerging market and may i say one of the biggest construction market in the world right now.

the govt must seize the opportunity now and do away with the patronage system of the public tender work. let prove for once malaysian's malay boleh!

sokong?

O2Deprivation said...

seefei, the problem with UMNO is for the sake of their gravy train, they sacrifice their own race and even to the extend of humiliating themselves when they mentioned repeatedly that Malay will be the losing party based on meritocracy system. I wonder how the majority of Malay look at their statement.

For me, I find it quite insulting.

Maverick SM said...

O2DEprivation, I agree with you that UMNO's statement on meritocracy is an insult to their own race and more so, for those many Malays who work hard to earn so little and the fact that they never had connections and political influence.

See Fei, your proposal of open tender was point blank rejected by UMNO and construed as a threat to them. Those who decry this will be called anti-Malay and an enemy of the Malays. I wouldn't dare call for this.

Xpyre, glad to read your comments. Hope to hear from you again. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

yes very well said. like xpyre, you echo my sentiments too. i'm sooooo angry!!! GRR!!