Malaysia's Own 3M Lacks Direction with Perpetual Check???

POLITICS - Column: " from THE fringes "

F.T of Kuala Lumpur, Selangor & N.Sembilan, MALAYSIA

Tuesday, 22nd  September 2015 

( BLACK, to denote Mourning Period?)

( YELLOW, to denote ROYAL Help Required? "

Not many knows about the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. A company established in 1902 which celebrates its 113th anniversary this year. What was born as a small-scale mining venture back in 1902 has grown into a global powerhouse whose products improve the daily lives of people around the world. It is now known worldwide simply as 3M !

Malaysia has its own version of 3M. Malaysia's 3M consortium combined has more years of political experience put together compared to Minnesota's 3M. Similar to Minnesota's 3M, Malaysia's 3M consortium(if one can call it such) also aims to improve the lives of Malaysians politically by advocating transparency and improving the economic well being of the citizens of Malaysia.

The first 'M' in Malaysia's 3M consortium is none other than former premier Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, a statesman that needs no introduction whether one loves or hates him. The second 'M' in the alliance, if one can call it such is former DPM Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin and surprisingly still UMNO Deputy President and BN's Deputy Chairman in spite of what was rumoured should have happen in UMNO's first and often-delayed Supreme Council meeting on the 9th of September after Muhyiddin was dropped in July's reshuffle. Both Tan Sri Muhyiddin and Dr. Mahathir were seen together in Bosnia attending a few events.

Finally, the third 'M' in Malaysia's 3M is in itself a consortium of light-heavyweight politicians. They are 'light' former Terengganu MB Dato' Seri Ahmad Said aka "Mat Said" the existing Kijal state assemblyman, a man trying to carve his own name but will still be considered to be a shadow of Dr.M i.e. Kedah MB Dato' Seri Mukhriz Mahathir (who finished fourth in the UMNO VP elections) and second-ranked UMNO VP Dato' Seri Mohd.Shafie Apdal. Each of the 3 light-heavies would on their own struggle to command the allegiance of 2-5 divisions but their combined strength should be able to see them garner 10-15 UMNO divisions, if not more.

Combined, all 3Ms should be able to secure allegiance from 20 - 30 UMNO divisions, with a further upside potential of another 10 - 17 divisions. Impressive but not even good enough to threaten the standings of a graduate with a CGPA of 3.85 let alone an alumni of UK's Cambridge.

( The Late Kevin Anthony Morais, Deputy Public Prosecutor )

* picture courtesy of MStar

Well as I'd written earlier in August (read from THE fringes 2 August 2015, HERE ), and still writing now - the 3M consortium of Malaysia have been checking the Bugis warrior incessantly but to no avail. Political apathy is starting to set-in. The killings of DPP Kevin Anthony Morais and line-leader Arzurizan Abd. Rahman aka 'Zul Badak' though seemingly not related to the present shenanigan has sort of ensured a 'pause of sorts'.

As in chess, perpetual check seemed to be the pattern.
BERSIH 4.0 was partly negated by the Red Shirts of Himpunan Maruah Melayu. A leader who in 1998 was aghast at street demonstrations and called those attending rallies some colourful names was seen at a rally in KL. Another leader who branded a former colleague 'traitor' for accepting foreign funds is now a 'black pot'. Even PR 2.0 seemed to be in doubt...such are the machinations in pursuit of the throne at Putrajaya.

Perhaps, the time is ripe for a '3rd Force' to rise and ideally it should consists of those without any affiliations to either BN or PR (both PR 1.0 or the yet to be ascertained PR 2.0).



- More Story to Follow -

Malaysia Day on 16th September is also the day the "7 Wasiat Raja-raja Melayu" (7 'Wills' of the Malay Rulers) was swept aside for what can be said a "Nation forming" exercise. It is also the date the then terrorist empire of Italy hunged freedom fighter Umar Mukhtar in Libya in addition to it being the late Lee Kuan Yew's (Singapore PM) birthday.

Many had suggested that references to the economy should be made now and then. Taking heed of the suggestion made, I had already decided to make certain 'adjustments' to future articles

( This week's column is based on surveys conducted in KL, Selangor (Bangi, Kelana Jaya, Puchong, Subang & Shah Alam) and Negeri Sembilan (Seremban). The writer decided on a self-imposed exile on Wednesday to recuperate by signing up for a training programme conducted by a sports NGO despite numerous event invitations on Malaysia Day.)

HAZY DAYS Ahead - Malaysia Dealing with a TRIPLE WHAMMY!

POLITICS - Column: " from THE fringes "

by Amirul HM

F.T of Kuala Lumpur, Selangor & PULAU PINANG, MALAYSIA

Tuesday, 15th September 2015 

HAZY DAYS Ahead for MALAYSIA !!!

TRIPLE WHAMMY 

of Political  INSTABILITY, Economic UNCERTAINTY 

& Environmentally UNHEALTHY

 ( "Hazy" komTAR - a Productive Asset, White Elephant or an Eyesore? )

* view from the Ferry in PP, looking back at the Pinang Island.

( Generations, Wondering what will happen to Malaysia. 

The picture though is much brighter and more positive if one is to look ahead )

* view from the Ferry in PP, looking ahead towards the Mainland.

This week's article is derived from a motley crew of;- 

- a Motor Club (whose members are predominantly based in KL and Selangor);
- a DBA/MBA preview (who had attendees coming not just from KL/Selangor, not only come from Johor and Pulau Pinang but also from Thailand, Myanmar and a few African countries);

- a Co-operative first AGM (whose members came from Perak, Pahang, NS, Melaka, Johor in addition to Selangor and the Federal Territories of KL and Putrajaya);

- agents and staff of a financial planning outfit;

Also, people met along the way from KL to Pulau Pinang and back, not forgetting the media corps who attended the 9/9 post-UMNO Supreme Council meeting PC.

(Article to follow)
...but first, a 25 seconds clip of the post-UMNO Supreme Council Meeting media conference attended by The ASEAN 500.

( Scrutinise the faces of the UMNO leaders on stage )

The "Muka Ketat" (Tight-faced) of those seated on the stage during the PC says it all.
It's obvious that nobody got what they wanted. When Ku Nan (UMNO's Secretary General) ended the PC after the third question, many looked at each other. Even before the PC begun, word filtered down an hour or so earlier that its status quo.

Despite many leaders being seen in Putrajaya in the run-up to the Supreme Council meeting and an alleged list of leaders being dropped, nobody significant was expelled. Thus, despite initial confidence of certain factions being able to push through their agenda it can be concluded that the President and forces aligned to him don't have the numbers, yet! An unofficial truce may have been called, respite for both sides to contemplate which card(s) is(are) to be used next and to retrieve casualties littered on many fronts. Things may definitely change though in the run up to December's UMNO assembly.

As for now, the only party growing stronger is PAS. The dissidents had voluntarily purged themselves save for Husam and a few insignificant others. Bersih 4.0 proved that newpolpat(new political party) PAN are unable to ensure a substantial turnout of Malays as opposed to a PAS' directive. As a result of this miscalculation, DAP and the majority Chinese crowd in Bersih 4.0 are again seen as power grabbers which PM Najib and his merrymakers will definitely capitalise on in the coming weeks if not days.

While the soon to be launched Parti Amanah Negara (PAN) may have some support in the Klang Valley, a survey done over the weekend in Pulau Pinang indicated a low exodus of members from PAS to the party much accused of being DAP-funded and evangelical (it was previously doing the rounds as Gerakan Harapan Baru(GHB) or,  translated means the evangelical sounding "New Hope Movement"). Even those who had joined PAN or Amanah in the initial euphoria are privately having doubts. A message I received from a PAS supporter working in the government says it all -

" Look at how long Ku Li and Semangat lasted;

and Sabu is not even half the man Ku Li was.

Go do the maths! "

One can call PKR a lot of things but they are no definitely no idiots in trying to maintain their grip on power in Selangor. The disastrous "Langkah Kajang" caused many neutrals to shy away from them having seen the terribly ugly side of PKR thirst for power at the expense of respected Tan Sri Khalid who also had backing from the palace. Many would have sounded the alarm bells of the existence of a purported Islamic and amicable PAN which is easier for DAP and its supporters to swallow but which in essence is actually a more Islamic PKR chasing after perhaps the same pool of supporters. When PKR's President Wan Azizah and MB Azmin announced they will still talk to PAS, the power preservation game is still in play.

Though a far-fetched scenario, a weakened UMNO and a stronger PAS could realistically form many state governments if snap elections were called. Then again in the "100 days of Madness" starting from the day an UMNO Deputy President and the second-ranked Vice-President being dropped in a cabinet reshuffle, stranger things have happenened and I dare say will continue to happen!

( This week's column is based on surveys conducted in KL(Bukit Kiara, PWTC and TTDI), Selangor (Kelana Jaya, R&R Awan Besar and Shah Alam) and Pulau Pinang (both Island and Mainland). The writer was totally exhausted after the trip to Pulau Pinang only finishing the column a few minutes before the publication dead-line.)

" To THE Point " Please, Mr. PM!

POLITICS - Column: " from THE fringes "
Bandaraya Bersejarah-MELAKA & Damansara Utama-SELANGOR, MALAYSIA
Tuesday, 18th August 2015 

But Always, I Come back To THE Point.

And THE POINT is ?

What's YOUR Answer Dato' Seri Najib ???

I need to pre-empt readers and former viewers -  No, I am not referring to " To the POINT " a socio- political economy talk show which I once hosted for Capital TV on Hypp TV-UNIFI for a few seasons starting in 2013 and was also the Consultant Producer.
The POINT for me is a certain unmarked place in Melaka town, somewhere between Dataran Pahlawan and the row of shophouses on reclaimed land. Whenever I pass by "the POINT" in Melaka it echoes and re-echoes - " Duty, Country / Empire and ..."

When I was very young, my father ensured that I had a taste of Kampung (the Malay term for Village) life in Jasin, Melaka. Often, he would take me for a drive to Melaka town, passing by many historical sites and buildings (which tourists flocks to now) but were then in the 70s not really 'appreciated'  nor commercialised. My father will now and again take different routes but always we would end up at a row of food stalls just off to the right off Dataran Pahlawan if one were to be facing the Melaka Straits. Over a bowl of Ice-Kacang and him normally taking a coconut drink, he will start talking about the history of Melaka and of our family and of how Melaka achieved greatness and why it fell etc etc.

Well what did you expect from a 5 or 6-year old kid? Attention? When someone is going on and on about history!? I would like to think that I was a bit smarter though and gave the impression to my father that I was paying attention only because I can order my second bowl of Ice Kacang(nuts) littered with sweetcorn. Nowadays, time and again I can remember certain stories like Si Kitul, Si Tanggang, bloody fights or battles, the war to retake Melaka in 1517 and 1521 which have been relegated to just a line or brief footnote in Malaysian history books by 'unchecked' historians. At times, I was regaled over Ice Kacang and some finger food on the role the family played in WW2 and in the Communist Insurgency as well as the cowardly Brits labels hurled at the MPAJA in addition to the family sufferings at the hands of Japanese and Communists alike. A recurring theme in all stories seemed to be the role played by traitors.


Coming back, To THE Point:
Dato' Seri Najib bin TUN ABDUL RAZAK,
YOU've not and never answered YOURSELF whether a sizeable amount have been deposited into your personal account at AM Bank

Instead, the people have been served with this:-

SPRM 10 August 2015

(SPRM Media Statement on August 2015)

A statement by the SPRM or MACC which instead of ending the saga you've created, led to an unprecedented visit by the Police to the MACC office. Subsequently, MACC officials were given transfer orders presumably for "cold storage" purposes.

Perhaps, you should have taken heed of the visit by 17(or was it 19, I can't recall) UMNO Supreme Council Members during the holy month of Ramadhan instead of thinking it as a Hollywood script.


Coming back, To THE POINT:
Dato' Seri Najib bin TUN ABDUL RAZAK,
YOU've not and never answered YOURSELF which Country(ies) gave the RM2.6 Billion Political Donation stated by the MACC Media Statement in August 2015.


If its:-
PM Lee Hsien Loong or Singapore - What else have you given up or piece(s) of land surrendered?
President Obama or USA - Does that mean Malaysia will sign the TPPA?

If you claim it's a Middle East country, then if its:-
Iran - Does that mean Syiah is now allowed to be practiced in Malaysia?
Saudi Arabia - another version of Islam being consented ??
.......surely its not the Pariah Terrorist state of Israel???

Perhaps, you should have clarified the matter when it was raised during discussions between your Goodself, and UMNO's Deputy President, Treasurer and Secretary-General on GE13 funding instead of thinking of it as a Bollywood script.


Coming back, To THE POINT:
Dato' Seri Najib bin TUN ABDUL RAZAK,
YOU've not and never answered anything YOURSELF Mr.Prime Minister.
And, because of this there exists a lacuna(e) in the script.

Whatever your story, Please Come Clean or Forever Be Tainted !!!

Please come clean as there's still a glimmer of hope.
Based on last week's survey in Perak, Selangor and KL...there's still a glimmer,
...some Perakians are seeing it as nothing more than Johor making way for Perak;
Based on last weekend's poll in NS and Melaka...there's still some ember,
...a diminishing minority are saying you've been framed.

Whatever your story, Please Come Clean or Forever Be Tainted !!!

" To THE Point " Please, Mr. Prime Minister of Malaysia!

When 1 SEN Received is worse than 10 BILLION Taken.......and of RM2.6Billion being compared to Cows!

POLITICS - Column: " from THE fringes "
Bandaraya Bersejarah-MELAKA & Beruas-PERAK, MALAYSIA
Tuesday, 11th August 2015 

When 1 Sen RECEIVED is Worse Than RM10 Billion TAKEN,

.......and of RM2.6B explained away,
 using an analogy of 2 cows received in a Wedding!

Over the weekend and a bit more, my travels took me to Tapah-Perak passing by the Tronoh Mines, skirting a few tombs of previous Perak Sultans as well as the final resting place of Puteri Limau Purut before spending the night at a chalet in Kg.Bakar Bata, Beruas-Perak. The following day I was invited to give a "History and Economics" presentation at a history programme organised jointly by local organisers and a history NGO in Kg.Banjar before heading down south to Melaka in the afternoon. After a heavy downpour I finally secured a room in Bandaraya Melaka, near the "iconic and ironic" A-Famosa fort and Dataran Pahlawan at around 1am after being turned away at a few(around 6-7 hotels) 2-3star hotels as the hotels were fully occupied.

( History and Economics presentation in Kg.Banjar, Beruas-PERAK,

at an event titled "HIKMAH Beruas,XV- Jejak Batu Bersurat )
*Picture credit to hikmahmelayu blog*

I was dead-tired and could have chosen to stay in Ayer Keroh but opted for a place near the "iconic and ironic" places as I wanted to be reminded that the then Melaka Empire had been "taken" not only by the Potugese and Dutch but that they got assistance from vested parties or traitors for short!
A fact that I had wanted to reflect upon apart from some other sentimental reasons.
Between KL to Beruas to Melaka city and then back to KL, there were respites at a few places such as Tapah, Kg.Gajah. Beruas and Tronoh in Perak, Dengkil in Selangor, Pedas Linggi, Seremban and Bandar Enstek in Negeri Sembilan as well as Ayer Keroh in Melaka. All in a distance of around 1000 KM were covered... 977km to be precise for this article.

It's been said that during the time of Noah, God had wanted to clear the earth of impurities including the devil. However, the devil got an 'official' invitation into Noah's Ark when one of the animal (I can't recall which....perhaps a Jackass Donkey or Brainless Monkey or even the Elephant in the room...ooops Ark ) refused to budge and an invitation to treat in the form of "Get in You 'Damned' Thing" or something along those lines were uttered. Relate that to the present political calamity and hopefully readers will know where I am coming from and headed to. If not, TOO BAD!

During my travels, I came across many UMNO grassroots members and a few serving and retired elected politicians many of whom were from the ruling Barisan Nasional. A conversation that will remain in my mind indefinitely goes something like this translated version:-
.......after some mundane chit-chat,
Me:
What are your thoughts on people or grassroots members saying there's a disconnect between your party's leaders and the grassroots? What's with the RM3,000 shoes worn or, RM30-40,000 watches on the wrist where pictures have been publicised? And now, this RM2.6B issue.

VIP:
Where got!?
(...after some pause, he proceeded to lift the bottom part of his trousers to show the black shoes he's wearing)
...even I only wear RM300 shoes, where got RM3,000!
The RM30-40,000 watches worn by Ministers are all lies perpetrated by vested parties ("puak-puak berkepentingan" in Malay). The watches are actually imitations worth RM700-900, even I have one. If you give me some time, I can show it to you.

Now, "Poor" Me:
(...with raised eye-brows and trying very hard to remain nonchalant about what I heard......actually, was too shocked to move!)
...How about this RM2.6 billion political donation?

VIP:
All political parties receives donations.
It's like this lah - when I wanted to get married there were people offering gifts to me...even 2 cows.
Don't question their motives, you just take lah....most probably they want to get 'pahala' (in Malay, means something like good deeds for one's records in the herefter).

Now, and "Even Poorer" Me:
Oooohhhhhhhh.....Emmmmm......(what else can I say?)
( My Thoughts - Wow! RM1.3Billion per cow and What with these people and cows? ) 
 


Actually, I've no stomach to continue writing this article as it insults my god-given intelligence.
Hence, will let it be for now...My Apologies! 

"from THE fringes": A Political Commentary

POLITICS
MALAYSIA
1st August, 2015 

The ASEAN 500 have been receiving numerous suggestions and information on the present political landscape in Malaysia or whatever's left of it that we've decided to have a separate political column.

The political column will be called " from THE fringes " referring to how the masses look up (or down)!? on the shenanigans of politics. It will be published as and when until a more suitable modus operandi can be decided on.

Members of the public are welcomed to suggest and provide information on political matters for the  from THE fringes column which expects to make its debut soon.