M'sia charges trio over billion-dollar trade zone scandal

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia Thursday charged a former port chief and two other figures over their roles in a multi-billion-dollar cost blowout at a free-trade zone that has become a major financial scandal.

The Port Klang Free Trade Zone, a commercial and industrial project south of the capital, was conceived as a 1.82 billion ringgit (S$746 million) venture constructed over 1,000 acres (405 hectares).

However costs are now expected to balloon to 12.5 billion ringgit, making the affair one of the country's biggest financial scandals and a major embarrassment for the government.

A report by the Port Klang Free Trade Zone's external auditors has indicated it would be loss-making until 2029 because of debt servicing costs, and would only break even in 2051.

Prosecutor Manoj Kurup said that O.C. Phang, the former head of the Port Klang Authority which runs the zone, had been charged at the Klang Sessions Court with three counts of criminal breach of trust.

She pleaded not guilty to the allegations over payments worth 254 million ringgit to the project's developer. She faces 20 years in jail if convicted.

Two other individuals, the chief executive of the developer and a consultant architect, also denied charges of cheating in relation to an amount of 122 million ringgit, the prosecutor said.

"They were charged for basically certifying work done when that work had not been done, and as a result of their certification the port authority paid out the money," he said.

The pair face up to 10 years in jail as well as a whipping if found guilty.

In November, a parliamentary committee into the affair recommended the anti-corruption authorities investigate Phang and former transport minister Chan Kong Choy.

The committee said they had issued letters to help secure loans for the project developer, owned by a powerful lawmaker in the ruling coalition, that placed the government as guarantor without authorisation.

Committee member Tony Pua said the developer ran out of money and received loans from the government and letters from Chan to guarantee a 3.6 billion ringgit bank loan.

The government is now liable to bear that amount owed by the developer to the banks, he said.

Prime Minister Najib Razak, who set up a high-level taskforce to look into the affair, has pledged his government would not hinder the investigations.

Najib came to power in April with a pledge to tackle corruption which is endemic in Malaysian politics and society, and a key factor behind the government's disastrous performance in 2008 elections.

Mahathir’s big comeback

SEPT 11 — When Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad retired in 2003, everyone hailed him as a statesman; someone who did not choose the LKY-route. You know, in Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew maintained a direct line to the Singapore govt by keeping a cabinet post — first as Senior Minister and now Minister Mentor.

Nevertheless, less than two years after he stepped down, he began to attack his hand-picked successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, through his popular blog. The man who started the MSC and went after websites that attacked his administration suddenly discovered that the cyberspace worked both ways — he could use cyberspace to after Abdullah regardless of what the mainstream media says.

Mahathir played a major part in Abdullah’s downfall. It is almost certain that his son would have been appointed a full cabinet minister if he had won the Umno Youth’s post and it was the Mahathir name that gave the son the deputy minister’s post and his position in Umno Youth.

Mahathir’s influence has now gone further than the Malay vote — Subra is using Mahathir’s name to try to win MIC votes for the party’s deputy presidency. It does not matter that MIC blamed him for marginalising the Indians during his 22 year rule which directly lead to the rise of Hindraf. It does not matter that Samy Vellu said Mahathir “did nothing” for the Indians.

Here lies the supreme irony. Why is Mahathir —the main all Indian politicians attack as doing “nothing” to help the Indians — still able to draw support in MIC? The fact that Samy and the MIC Youth Wing had to ask Mahathir to stay out of the MIC contest suggests that Mahathir is still influential in BN politics, not just Umno politics. It also shows how shallow Malaysians, especially the non-Malays, are.

People forget easily, as Mahathir reminds us. How true. Here is the man who ruled Malaysia for 22 years with a big stick. And he was not afraid to use it. Operasi Lalang, Memali, BMF scandal, Lingam judge-fixing affair, sacking of Supreme Court judges, the Anwar black eye incident, executive dominance of parliament, human rights abuses, privatisation which lead to road tolls, and more all happened when Mahathir was in charge. Yet today many Malaysians look back at the “good old days”. If those days were the “good old days” then get me out of here!

This problem is not unique to us — when Suharto died, many people praised him including the current president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono — all the thousands who died under his military dictatorship were forgotten instantly. I will not be surprise if one of his sons becomes the Indonesian president in the future.

Why is it that we cannot confront our history honestly? How can’t we look at our recent history and admit to ourselves that all of today’s political problems — from racial to deepening religious divide — are caused by policies implemented in the past one or two decade.

We let the leaders of the era off the hook so easily that it is as if we are a people doomed to repeat all the mistakes made in the recent past. We forgive easily because as Mahathir said famously “Melayu mudah lupa”.

Mahathir is the master of understanding the political psyche of the typical Malaysian. When he resigned back in 2003, all was instantly forgiven. All the mistakes and policies were instantly forgotten.

I don’t deny we need to look at the good and the bad. All I am saying is that Malaysians tend to look at the good and completely ignore the bad. Perhaps it’s human nature to forget the bad but by looking at the good and misreading the past, we are bound to repeat all the terrible mistakes of the recent past.

If Subra wins the deputy presidency tomorrow, Mahathir successfully deposed two BN leaders in “retirement”, i.e. Abdullah and Samy. In the meantime, I can’t wait for one of the two MCA camps to get his endorsement.

Battle between the old and new MCA

Sacked deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek must consider the interest of the party and back down from a destructive confrontation with president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat if he does not wish to see the party broken into pieces.

DATUK Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek is half right about the leadership conflict in MCA. It is not about him or Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

It is not even a “class conflict” as claimed by his supporters. Dr Chua, a medical doctor, is hardly a grassroots leader.

It is a tussle between the old and new MCA. It is a tussle between a group of party leaders and members who want to keep the old political and business nexus alive which can be used to shelter tainted leaders and their wrongdoings and those who want the party to regain its political potency.

Some of us had poked fun at a few ex-leaders of the party for not being able to stand up against the excesses and arrogance of its coalition partner.

They were seen as carrying too much baggage to be able to do much without being told to shut up or risk their own personal scandals being exposed.

Ironically, some of the party leaders and delegates are striving to do exactly the same — reinstating morally tainted leaders back to the leadership hierarchy.

More than a thousand delegates may be enough to challenge the power equilibrium of the party.

But can they help to restore the battered image of MCA which has been long associated with its deep interest in the old patronage system?

Can these delegates help the party recapture the seats it lost in the last general election by continuing to hold on to the old MCA?

The involvement of past MCA leaders in the PKFZ fiasco is a prime example. So far, none of them has volunteered enough information to help with the investigation.

Can these tainted leaders project a solid moral authority to help ensure that this Government remains clean, honest and responsible?

Hence, the sacking of Dr Chua has given a chance for some leaders and members of the old network who were uncomfortable with the recent PKFZ expose to unite and pool together their resources in trying to return MCA back to its status quo.

The old MCA would have been able to continue to shield them from any further expose and prosecution.

Dr Chua was a good leader who was involved in a career-ending sex scandal. He calls it unfortunate, we call it tragic.

He should have accepted that the final curtain of his political career had drawn down.

He should be grateful that the party was ready to groom his son and had even allowed him to take over Dr Chua’s former parliamentary seat.

A writer asks “Can a minority of individuals punish a duly elected leader proven to have been forgiven, reflected by the voting support given to him by MCA central delegates despite them knowing the full background of Dr Chua’s controversy incident?”

Calling it an incident is a joke. But a larger question which must be asked by the members is whether the people can accept Dr Chua’s stewardship of MCA?

In the last general election, a number of leaders who had enjoyed unsurpassed support from their party grassroots were easily defeated by less prominent opponents.

Public perception is most crucial in politics. Politicians often ignore this fact at their own peril.

As a prominent leader, Dr Chua has to be fully aware of the power of perception and he must be brave enough to put his party’s interest before his.

His sex scandal does not dilute his political contribution to his state and country. But it has created a blot on his credibility which makes it detrimental for him to continue leading his party, especially in a country where some moral guardians cannot even tolerate a beer drinking model.

The current dispute between Dr Chua and Ong is very destructive to the party. However, the fault does not lie with the two leaders alone.

The disciplinary committee should not have allowed Dr Chua to contest in the last party election until he was fully cleared. They did not act in his best interest.

It would have been better for Dr Chua to be fully cleared of his offence before being allowed to make a political comeback. For this, we call it unfortunate. It was a comeback made too early.

After his election as the deputy president of MCA, only Dr Chua can confirm if he had put undue pressure on his president to consider making him one of the four ministers or be given other prominent positions.

If Dr Chua was aware of the power of public perception, he should have exercised more restraint and understanding that his request would have put the party president in a very difficult position.

The ball is now in Dr Chua’s court. His next action will determine if he has reached a point of no return. He has to choose between mediation and confrontation.

The latter, supported by those who are rallying behind the call to “Save Chua – Knock out Ong” may end up seeing MCA break into pieces and vanish into a permanent political oblivion.

This is a sad episode for the second biggest party in Barisan.

The party leadership should have focused on redeeming its political image by helping and supporting its new president to tackle the biggest financial scandal in the history of Malaysia, and not distracting him with an internal uprising and threats to displace him from his party position.

Ong must be given a chance to prove his worth in the PKFZ investigation.

Panel wants limit to political involvement in PKFZ, PKA

PUTRAJAYA, July 29 — An ad-hoc committee set up to improve corporate governance in the scandal-hit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) has recommended greater board independence with fewer political or even ministerial appointees.

The panel also wants the appointment of the general manager of the Port Klang Authority (PKA) to be approved by the board to prevent the holder of the position from being beholden only to the transport minister.

But the PKA was non-committal when its chairman was asked if it would adopt the long list of recommendations given by the committee which consists of members of Transparency International Malaysia, the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, the Malaysian Institute of Corporate Governance and National Audit Department.

The committee’s findings and proposals comes a month after it was set up to look into ensuring that weak practices of the past were not repeated.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat had announced last month the formation of the committee as part of the government’s efforts to turn around the PKFZ project which has escalated from an initial cost of RM2 billion.

A report from auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) released on May 28 showed the project’s cost may ultimately spiral to as much as RM12.5 billion.

Speaking at a press conference here today, the committee chairman Datuk Paul Low said the structure of PKA did not make it possible for the body to be involved in business.

“The regulator cannot go into business enterprise,” said Low who presented the committee’s 38-page report today.

As such, Low said that among the recommendations were that board members of PKA and PKFZ be independent of each other and at least one-third of both board members be independent non-executive directors.

The committee also defined independent board members as those who are not political appointees and also not a nominee of the transport minister.

The committee also wants the appointment of the general manager of PKA to be approved by the board.

“The general manager in PKA who by virtue of the powers in the Act is appointed by the minister and therefore, may erroneously assume that he is only accountable to the minister and not the board,” said the report.

But the committee blamed past board members for negligence which resulted in violations of governance.

The committee also recommended the strengthening of the internal audit mechanism by not having the chief executive or the general manager as the head of the audit department.

“It is apparent that the former general manager being the CEO also chairs the audit committee and the staff of the internal audit department were accountable to her directly,” said the report.

The committee also suggested the formation of various internal committees on ethics and corporate governance.

The report of the committee has been submitted to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

PKA chairman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng who was also present at the press conference refused to say whether the body would adopt the recommendations saying that it would be discussed at the board meeting on Friday.

100 days hence: A destroyer has emerged, not a builder

Not only did he alienate the non-Malays with a power grab in Perak, he fractured his own community with his proposals of “unity” with PAS, the second biggest Malay party after Umno.

By Wong Choon Mei, Suara Keadilan

As his supporters busied themselves showering and shielding him with praises, Prime Minister Najib Razak is actually sitting neither pretty nor securely at all despite the massive outpourings of sycophancy.

Sycophants may be voters but not all voters are sycophants. No amount of contrivance can hide the under-performance nor the fact that he will go down in history as the PM who caused the greatest disunity amongst the people in his first 100 days in office.

Not only did he alienate the non-Malays with a power grab in Perak, he fractured his own community with his proposals of “unity” with PAS, the second biggest Malay party after Umno.

Najib also shattered the integrity of the country’s judiciary with pressure on the courts to dish out extraordinary rulings that have been condemned by the legal fraternity.

While this helped him cling to power in Perak, the seriousness of the loss of confidence in the country and its system has dealt a death-blow that has yet to be fully felt by Malaysians. The repercussions cannot be under-estimated and will reverberate on the economy for years to come.

As for his 1Malaysia slogan, it is better known as 1BlackMalaysia and wearing black has become de rigeur amongst the young and the professional despite a nationwide scare campaign he launched with the help of his cousin, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

We know what he has destroyed, but what has he built?

So in the past 100 days, what has Najib done? The pattern that has emerged is one of destruction, not construction. Ask yourselves, what has Najib built?

On the economic front, he has tried to create an image of change by liberalizing the economy but whether the headline announcements will do anything to bring back investments to the country is doubtful. Again TRUST is the all important word and once broken, it may be forever lost.

Confidence in the rule of law is vital, not just to foreigners but also to Malaysians. And this must be as per international standards, not according to his warped views nor those of his Chief Justice Zaki Azmi!

But sadly, what people see when they look at the country these days is the corruption, which has not changed, the police brutality, which has also not changed, the sham trials in the Perak crisis, which are new, and the overt manipulation in the sodomy case against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, which has recurred.

Is it surprising then that they see in Malaysia a country that can no longer be TRUSTED? For this deterioration, Najib will have to take the blame.

Even in the dismantling of the PPSMI, the policy of teaching Math and Science in English, his government looks insincere by setting a far-off 2012 implementation deadline instead of 2010. After wasting six years and at least RM4 billion of taxpayers’ money, will Najib really make the switch or will he find a new excuse later on?

A preference for form rather than substance

It has also become obvious in the past 100 days that ‘face’ is important to Najib. A vain personality, he has shown ruthlessness in standing his ground even when he is in the wrong.

Flashy overseas trips, including to China and South Korea, plus incessant talk of his “late father” were his reality. All these while ordinary Malaysians were struggling with a fast-sinking economy, job losses, gross abuse of power by the police, rising tensions in Perak and merciless crackdowns on democracy.

In his first 100 days, Najib also arrested more people than even ex-PM Mahathir Mohamad did during the infamous Operasi Lalang in 1980s.

Ask yourselves, which other Malaysian PM has ever resorted to banning people from wearing black shirts? Indeed, this triviality is the real revelation of his calibre, not the massive public relations nor obligatory round of cheers ringing through the Umno-BN media. That is merely sham praise for a sham PM.

For a true PM would listen to the people and try to correct the wrongs and reinforce the rights. He would build, not destroy.

The Pakatan Rakyat did not have to do anything to whittle down his 1Malaysia concept, he did it all himself with his doublespeak. It is on record for Malaysians to assess for themselves if he is indeed a leader whom they can and should trust.

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Suara Keadilan appends below comments from across the political divide sourced from various media and leaves it to Malaysians to tell the PM and his coalition what they really think about him through the ballot box.

Lim Kit Siang, DAP adviser
Can Najib’s upsurge in popularity on his 100th day be sustained with a Barisan Nasional victory in Manek Urai by-election in Kelantan next Tuesday and is he confident enough of his national popularity to seek a motion of confidence when Parliament reconvenes on Oct 19, something he had not dared to do in the recent three-week meeting of Parliament?

Let Najib answer on his 100th Day – is he confident enough that his popularity is on the rise and public support for his policies and pledges, particularly his slogan of “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” and his slew of economic and educational reforms as to seek a motion of confidence from Parliament on the sixth month of his premiership in October?

Najib should know that his political, economic and educational reforms have feet of clay. For instance, what credibility could his 1Malaysia slogan command when Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is only prepared to say that “Umno will fight to the last drop of blood to protect Malay rights”, but not prepared to say that Umno will similarly fight to the last drop of blood to protect the rights of all Malaysians, regardless of race?

Najib said recently that the Chinese in Malaysia are most concerned about education, economy, religion and crime and he believes that if these four issues can be resolved, the Chinese will continue to support the Barisan Nasional government. It is not just the Chinese, but all Malaysians regardless of race, who are also concerned about these four issues of education, economy, religion and crime. What must be added are corruption and Malaysian citizenship rights.

Just on crime and corruption. Is Najib prepared, on the occasion of his 100th Day, take bold measures to send unmistakable messages that he hears and endorses the cries of Malaysian for change, viz:
- Ensure that the country has a new Inspector-General of Police to provide new police leadership to focus on the core functions of police, particularly to keep crime low and make Malaysians feel safe again in their own country; and
- An all-out battle against corruption and malpractices by establishing two Royal Commissions of Inquiry,
1. into the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone scandal and
2. into the RM24 million Istana Khir Toyo scandal of former Umno Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Khir Toyo?

M Kulasegaran, DAP MP for Ipoh Barat
So far his tenure has been filled with controversy and uncertainty. His dubious 1Malaysia is a copy of DAP’s Malaysian Malaysia. He should be the prime minister for all but he acts for one race but speaks and sounds as if he is representing everybody.

Tony Pua, DAP MP for Petaling Utara
Seems like he has been in power forever, fumbling from one crisis to another. His multiple stimulus packages have not worked, then we have the Perak crisis which is still not resolved. His 1 Malaysia message is at odds with what Umno stands for and we have his attempt to wash his hands of the country’s biggest financial scandal – the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone.

Anwar Ibrahim, Opposition Leader
Some of the liberalisation measures are needed at least for his own survival and the survival of this country’s economy. It is not whether he wants it or not. Look at the latest figures, both in terms of the recession and also the failure to attract foreign investment. It is disastrous.

We have not had the opportunity to look at the details, like Ekuinas, what it means and why the need for a new agency, how transparent will it be? These are the issues that needs to be resolved.

I think if you look at the way dissidents and opposition leaders have been treated, the issue of judicial independence, crime rate, the utter failure of the police force in trying to bring confidence and the brutal measures taken for dissent. These things are really worrying signs and this has not been communicated to the masses.

Jonson Chong, PKR director of communications
Najib’s administration, right from day one, has been all about hype and slogans with little substance. Indeed, some of what the Najib administration has done are actually contradictory; e.g. releasing ISA detainees and supposedly reviewing the Act but detaining more people under the Act.

Whatever it is, Najib should be judged by what he actually does rather than what he says; and, so far, he has done little except to use the mainstream media in an attempt to improve his public image. Particularly, the regular Malaysian on the street have yet to benefit from his so-called liberalisation efforts, and I doubt very much that what he says will be translated into reality by his administration.

Saifuddin Nasution, PKR MP for Machang
Najib has successfully hijacked the ideas of Pakatan to win back the support of the non-Malays. The liberalisation of the 27 sub-sectors of the services industry, the national scholarships based on merit and the lifting of the 30 per cent Bumiputera quotas, I see it as Najib ripping off the ideas originally from Pakatan. But he cannot go on copying our original ideas.

If it had been from us, the BN-controlled media would have said we are betraying the Malays. But when it is from Najib, he is hailed as a great leader.

Mahfuz Omar, PAS vice-president
He has yet to clear his name on Altantuya’s case and dispel the perception that his wife has been interfering in the administration as admitted by Lee Kuan Yew who said that the duo work as a team. And Najib, in less than 100 days of taking over, has been criticised heavily by Tun Dr Mahathir for his liberalisation policy, for Petronas and his tainted Cabinet members. I foresee a major split in Umno.

Nasrudin Hassan, PAS Youth chief
I am not satisfied, there are still many unresolved issues like the petroleum royalty for Kelantan, the independence of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. And also other demands made by the people are yet to be fulfilled such as abolishing the ISA. I did not see positive development in the first 100 days.

Salahuddin Ayub, PAS vice-president
Many questions remain unanswered. He did not start well, there seems to be invisible hands. Dr Mahathir continues to criticise his policies and he has yet to show his strength.

Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, president of National Human Rights Society or Hakam
I think the lack of focus on issues of civil liberties is disappointing. His inaction is a tacit endorsement of what is widely perceived to be a violation of human rights which is not encouraging.

On that score, I would rate his first hundred days very low. It has been tainted by apparent abuses, which as a leader he has left unsettled. Key among them have been the politics in Perak, the lockdown of the assembly, which point to abusing greatly the police powers. Rather than dealing with abuses, he has endorsed them. He must remember that he is the Prime Minister; and that it is his problem.

Wong Chin Huat, civil rights activist
This Saturday will mark Najib Razak’s 100 days as prime minister. Be prepared for the swamp of praises for Malaysia’s sixth prime minister and for his 1Malaysia vision. Three months ago, upon his succession, even his pinkish skin complexion was a subject of compliment in a Sin Chew commentary.

To win back the non-Malay Malaysian vote at all cost, Najib seems willing to dismantle the ethnocracy his late father built with the New Economic Policy (NEP) and other pro-Malay policies after the 1969 post-election riots. The crude choice before Najib is abandoning Umno’s economic ethno-nationalism in the hope of saving the party, or risk having both Umno and its ethno-nationalism swept away by Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Rakyat come the next elections.

So are Najib’s reforms thus far about creating an “meritocratic ethno-theocracy”, where you are allowed to make money freely but must uphold Malay-Muslim (read: Umno-PAS) hegemony? I can’t speak for others, but this is definitely not good enough for me as a Malaysian citizen.

Mahathir Mohamad, former prime minister
Well, I’m sorry to say this but more negatives than positives. I saw somebody has made an assessment and almost nothing is positive. I’ve got this printout from the Internet – no freedom of the press, no information, OSA is still there, ISA is still there, everything is wrong. But that’s not my opinion lah.

There are a number of things. I said just now about the bridge. The third bridge appears to be suggested without any proper study. If you do that, I’m afraid you will not solve problem of traffic in Johor Baru. At the same time, you might create a problem for ships doing into Pasir Gudang. Things like that. And also, certain appointments of people who have been found to be corrupt by the party are still holding office in the government. And there are a lot of others.

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Umno MP for Gua Musang
Whether or not some of our leaders are ready for it, we are maturing as a democracy. We are beginning to evaluate our governments more by the results they deliver over time than by their rhetoric. As our increasingly well-educated and well-travelled citizens apply this standard, they force our politicians to think before they speak, and deliver before they speak again.

As thinking Malaysians we should look for the policies, if any, behind the slogans. What policies are still in place and which have we abandoned? What counts as policy and who is consulted when it is made? How is a proposal formulated and specified and approved before it becomes policy, and by whom? What are the roles of party, cabinet, King and Parliament in this process? Must we know what it means before it is instituted or do we have to piece it together with guesswork? Do we even have a policy process?

BN was returned to power in the 12th General Elections on a manifesto promising Security, Peace and Prosperity. It is this manifesto against which the present administration undertook to be judged. The present government inherits projects and policies such as Islam Hadhari and Vision 2020. If these are still in place, how do they relate to each other and to 1 Malaysia? How do we evaluate the latest slogan against the fact of constitutional failure in Perak, the stench of corruption in the PKFZ project and reports of declining media freedom? What do we make of cynical political plays on racial unity against assurances that national unity is the priority? We need a Malaysian New Deal based on the same universal concerns on which the NEP was originally formulated, but designed for a new era.

Ong Tee Keat, MCA president
He has expounded the need to change the way we think and the way we act and do things. He rightly asked that we go beyond tolerance to acceptance of differences so that we can live and work together as one people to build a nation that can truly compete internationally on merits.

Some of the reform-centred changes may not be popular but Najib has taken the bull by the horns. The prerequisite for change is a strong leadership by one who is not only dynamic, innovative and creative but also open-minded.

Koh Tsu Koon, Gerakan president
By promoting 1Malaysia based on unity in diversity and implementing economic liberalisation, Najib has infused fresh air and new energy to Malaysian society and the economy. In his first 100 days, he has stayed focused and firm in underlining management performance. In three months, he has led Cabinet ministers in three workshops to work on KPIs, motivating and galvanising all of us to forge ahead.”

Samy Vellu, MIC president
Only a visionary leader could have such a desire to succeed and remain in touch with the people.

Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Umno Wanita chief
He is very proactive, effective and disciplined. His years of experience will stand him in good stead. Malaysians must give him a chance and he will steer the country out of the downturn.

Mustapha Ong, Umno veteran
On the political front, I believe that prime minister Najib has yet to make his mark in the political game of Malaysia, in order to recapture the BN governance state of Selangor, Penang and Kedah while the state of Perak is still being disputed by the previous PR government. I opined that the sudden take over of the Perak government based on the interpretations of the Federal Constitution and the State Regulated Constitution was legal, but rather hasty without having gone through the state political process in the State Legislative Assembly.

There is also an urgent need for Najib to consolidate his power within Barisan Nasional with absolute political will and transparency in time to face the coming 13th general election. We shall wait and see whether BN will remain the political force of this country after more than 52 years of its governance. Najib is seen as a political agent to consolidate and enhance the cooperation within BN as well to check the power of the opposition under the leadership of PAS, DAP and PKR which is at its lowest ebb.

May I ask you, Mr Khir

There are two notable figures in the Malaysian politics--one young and one old--who love to juggle with the issues and repeatedly stun the nation with their explosive remarks.

Even if I don't go any further, you might have got them right!

Exactly, that is our most revered former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

As for the younger chap; he is nowhere near Dr Mahathir in stature, just a dentist who has earned a multimillion mansion pulling out the teeth of his patients.

Although Tun Mahathir does not seem to like Datuk Seri Mohd Khir Toyo, the former Selangor menteri besar's gossipy style is beginning to look increasingly Mahathir-like, and perhaps much more annoying.

Pardon me for putting things so crude: to get these two big guns to shut their mouths is next to impossible!

These two old-and-young pair: one leaving his office on own accord, another thrown out of office by voters--have nevertheless something in common: they both have a strong lingering passion for their glorious past.

They even share an identical fate: directly or indirectly implicated in scandals after relinquishing their official duties.

The judicial scandal that has shocked the nation has invariably dented Tun Mahathir's reputation, eroding his seemingly formidable status in the nation's history.

Khir is similarly entwined in scandals involving the former state administration. A good deal of old sores have been dug out, and to top if off, a multimillion mansion that almost puts his glamour on par with that of the former prime minister.

Talking about strength and prowess, Khir is faintly comparable to Dr M, that kind of leader who glows with overpowering charms. Khir is but a distant backseater!

But talking about nonsensical remarks, Khir is by no means inferior. He seems to enjoy his old antics even though each time he opens his mouth, he has invited drones of negative responses and nothing else.

For instance, he openly accused Selangor menteri besar Khalid Ibrahim of absue of power and misappropriation of public funds.

After the Elizabeth Wong incident came to light, he was the first to hop out and urge Eli to resign. In the more recent incident of Teoh Beng Hock's tragic death, where MACC was the obvious target of public wrath, Khir was among the very few to back the anti-corruption agency in totality.

Khir opened his mouth again several days ago. This time, he seemed to have developed a special passion for the gang issue. He "disclosed" that "a secret society was at the back controlling the sand quarry, massage parlour and illegal betting activities in the state, even helping some of the candidates win the elections last March so that they could go on their evil trades.

Corruption, immorality, secret society activities must indeed be weeded out. That said, many people in the street fail to understand why Khir has remained tight-lipped over the threats received by MCA president Ong Tee Keat from secret society people.

Scandal politics in Malaysia

Here's my bought about scandal politics in Malaysia

Malaysian sex scandals, especially Malaysian ministers in sex scandals, seems to be more scandalous than most.

Perhaps it is because Malaysia is a society distilled from it’s sexuality where sex is one of those things that people don’t talk about. Openly, at least. Unless, of course, it’s a sex scandal. That seems to be the only time when Malaysians talk openly about sex.

So it came with little surprise that with the revelation of the latest Malaysian sex scandal, that the entire world seems to have picked up on it. Of course, the fact that it features a minister in a sex scandal just makes it that much juicier.

As sex scandals in Malaysia go, the story was uncovered when VCDs of the minister having sex were circulated in a suburb in Johor (hmm, think he had any enemies then?). When will politicians, and I’m referring to politicians the world over, when will they stop recording their sexual exploits? Or find themselves in situations where it is recorded unknown to them.

This particular Malaysia sex scandal reeks of setup though. Apparently the right honorable MCA Vice President and Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek got caught doing sexually scandalous deeds with, of all people, a florist from Datu Pahat.

I searched online for “malaysian minister sex scandal video” and found this video clip. But don’t get too excited, it only serves to strengthen a little pet conspiracy theory of mine and has nothing exciting going for it. It shows the room in which this Malaysian sex scandal allegedly took place. Supposedly, the former Health Minister refered to the woman in question as his “close personal friend”.

In the little bit you can see in the sex scandal video clip, he doesn’t seem to act like a minister about to get it on with a close personal friend though. Is having an extra marital affair with a close personal friend less scandalous than admitting you had sex with a prostitute?
Also, the recording of the screen, which was showing the sex scandal video clip, shows the screen split into four, like surveillance equipment or CCTV, which means that either this room was frequently used for creating a varied variety of sex scandals (and thus, it is unlikely that it was his close personal friend and more like a paid friend of the fleeting kind), or the proprietors were expecting a certain Minister and his close personal florist friend for some scandalous, how shall we put this, carnal arrangements. It reeks of setup to me.

A speculative theory that I heard on the grapevine goes like this. Corruption in Malaysia is rife, as it is in many other countries. When the heat gets a bit much in the kitchen, some Malaysian political parties like to demonstrate how transparent they are, and how tightly their righteous members walk the rope – especially in the vicinity of an election.

Now, I’m not suggesting that this is what happened, but when an example needs to made of a member who might be rumoured to not be as righteous as the people would like, what better way to do it then set up a certain minister and his close personal friend. Just catch them in the act of scandalous sex, and bam, you have yourself a minister in a sex scandal ready to be made an example of.

All you do is, you out him in public by, lets say, distributing VCDs showing the minister having sex, set him up for public judgment and have him quit (ostensibly before you can publicly humiliate him by firing him). Suddenly your party is pure, white, righteous, for the people and for the family unit and high morals again.

Besides, we all know there no such thing as bad publicity – and what better way to get your struggling party’s name on the lips of the (soon to be voting) nation?

Oh, and don’t look too hard for video clips of the minister in the sex scandal. You can bet your ass that as fast as you are typing “malaysian minister sex scandal“, as fast the Special Branch guys are doing the same and having those sex scandal video clips removed.