This is some of my personal thoughts that could put me in a very dangerous position in Malaysia. Please have some moment to reflect on the oppressed expression of a tiny individual who seems helpless in acting in other ways to improve things.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Poor retiring D-G!

This is the reflection of my tot's at Lim Kit Siang's blog on the RM5 million being spent on a retiring D-G. I commented it there.
***********************************
Dear Lim Kit Siang.
Firstly, congratulations for finally getting into the bloggers bandwagon.

On Custom's DG's farewell spending, I have only one simple answer. 'Bapak borek, anak rintik'.

Elaboration? This so-called extras being given out to this out-going master is a mere reflection of the practice which has found its way into the 'new' culture of giving 'respect' to the person in power. This 'new' un-desirable culture has crept into Malaysian way of life ever-since the former Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad came into power. People flock to get to be with those in power and be associated with them. Each and every attendees have their own personal agenda, what-ever it might be. Remember the flock of people sending-off and receiving Mahathir at the airport whenever he has to go or come back from trips?

I am not surprised at all.

On Civil Service personnel, they are also now at the beck and call of the ruling elites of BN component parties, as are all the institutions which are under the tyranic rule of them, e.g. universities, information ministry, police force, etc.

The solution to all the problems of the nation? A parliament and governance of country which is properly checked and balanced! Not forgetting, freedom of speech AND FREEDOM AFTER SPEECH

Lastly, did anyone recall this 'poor' DG's personal relationship with the former prime minister MM and of the same DG's personal record of being the first diplomatic/civil administrative officer being appointed to head the Royal Customs and Excise Department?

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Retirement age stays at 56

There are loads of arguments about making the Retirement age stays at 56. Pro and cons.

One thing for sure is, Cuepecs, or any labour oraganisation of the country, being lead by someone with no real academic qualification, but, more on as*-licking exercise, will continue licking as*, and keep failing all the blue collar workers, as well as all general citizen of the country.

Freedom of expression can be practiced very well at this level first, then we have a more empowered citizen of the country!

Nordin. Get good advice if you don't have good ideas to work on!
===============================
The Star Online > Nation

Tuesday September 6, 2005

Retirement age stays at 56

KUALA LUMPUR: The retirement age for civil servants will remain at 56. The Government has no plan to raise it to 58, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Samsudin Osman said.

He said the Government was not ready to accept the proposal by Cuepacs to increase the retirement age.

“Several years ago, Cuepacs proposed that it be raised to 58, but the Government has not made such a decision,” he told reporters after presenting the 2004 Excellent Service Awards for the Federal Territories Ministry and agencies under it.

He said this when asked to comment on a news report that the retirement age for some 850,000 civil servants might be raised to 58 from next month.

According to the report, the move was to address a burgeoning pension bill that had tripled over the last decade, with the number of pensioners and pension recipients rising from 305,000 to 513,689 in just a decade from 1994.

It said the Government had to fork out RM4.96bil in pension payments last year. – Bernama


© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Would any other guys be given the same privilage to express themselves in media?

Reading how this chap, Dr M speaks on Proton and APs, I am wondering whether this privilage could also be extended to anybody else? Being labeled as 'Quick-minded and sharp-tongued as ever' in this article, Tun M was also covered here, talking about this incomplete AP (Approve Permits 'for automotive imports') listing problem, and here on Mahaleel's retirement from Proton, in today's paper!

Opposition parties have always been expressing their disgust in not getting sufficient coverage by local media to express themselves, to deliver their take on matters of national interests as well as to present their parties stand to the nation!

I also have loads of things to be said to the media, but, alas, have no balls to say it without the cloud of anonymosity, yeah, with all the hypes of repercussion that might be posed due to my 'after-speech'.

This old-man is certainly one special-privilaged chap. If only he has done the correct things dusing his 22-year rule instead of now!

His full expression at The Star below:-

The Star Online > Nation



Dr M speaks on Proton and APs

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s response to issues raised in the letter by Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz to him and at the just-concluded Umno general assembly.

I WANT to make this explanation because newspapers and TV cannot possibly report all the facts to the public.

The Proton issue is not about differences in statements made by individuals or a quarrel between a minister and a retiree. It is about a national industry. At a time when many car companies have gone bankrupt and closed shop, Proton is still alive and healthy.

It has more than RM2bil in cash and does not depend on the Government or banks for the more than the RM2bil it paid for its new Tanjung Malim plant. Surely this success has at least a little to do with efficient management, especially considering the impact of so many foreign cars being imported at such low prices.

'The Proton issue is not about differences in statements made by individuals or a quarrel between a minister and a retiree'.- Dr Mahathir
APs (Approved Permits) were first introduced in the 1970s before the existence of Proton.

At that time, not many Malays could enter the automotive business because the agents for Kah Motors (Honda), UMW (Toyota) and Cycle and Carriage (Mercedes-Benz) and others were non-bumiputras. They refused to give bumiputra businessmen a chance.

Cars assembled in the country or imported by agents, dealers or official importers could not be imported by anyone else without paying a commission to the official agent.

Therefore, APs were given to import recond cars. Although many bumiputras sold their APs, there were some who succeeded in this business. Among them is Tan Sri Nasimuddin S.M. Amin. Without APs and Proton, there would not have been any bumiputra automotive businessmen.

When Proton started, many bumiputras successfully became Proton agents to sell its cars.

Proton production has successfully reduced the import of foreign cars by non-bumiputra agents. Of course, if there was higher demand for Proton cars, there would be even more bumiputra agents and the cars would be selling like hotcakes.

On the other hand, if so many APs are given to a small number of bumiputras, and they make no preparations whatsoever to do business, then of course the number of bumiputra automotive businessmen will not increase and Proton sales by its agents, who are mostly bumiputras, too, will not sell so well.

It is clear that the giving of APs had only benefited a handful of bumiputras, caused losses to Proton agents, especially the bumiputras, and reduced the opportunity of other bumiputras to become Proton car dealers.

It is not true that giving out so many APs had increased the number of bumiputras in the car business, especially when only two or three people who have no showrooms have received thousands of APs.

In the past, open APs enabled the holder to import many car brands. When the franchise APs were introduced, the franchise holder could only import a particular car brand.

Those who in the past could bring in those cars through the open APs now can no longer import those cars. The ones who got the franchise APs are not automotive businessmen but former ministry officials.

They got thousands of APs although they did not have facilities to assemble or sell these cars. They only surrendered this (for a price) to others who had the capability to assemble and sell those cars.

The question of the quality of Proton does not arise because Proton has succeeded in penetrating sophisticated markets like Britain and Australia.

Even so, new models might still have some flaws. But even thousands of known car brands have been withdrawn. This includes Mitsubishi, Chevrolet, Ford and other brands.

She is currently accompanying Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on his visit to South Africa.

This explanation is done for the sake of the country’s dignity and interest and a national industry that has been a success. I do not hold any interest in Proton. As Proton adviser, I do not get paid even a sen. If my son received some APs (95 APs) to bring in Porsche, it was after fulfilling the conditions. To sell 50 of those cars is not easy. Please do not drag my family into this like before, when something that should not be done had been done.

I have to make a revelation in full because of the national interest of the industry, not because I did not get APs as alleged by a writer in an English newspaper.

I received the letter of explanation from the International Trade and Industry Minister. I find the contents of the letter and the annexes did not substantiate the claims the minister made:

  • APPROVAL for Naza Ria to become a national car;

  • THE number of APs that were issued from 2004-2005;

  • THE basis and conditions for the issuing of APs;

  • THE types of APs issued; and

  • THE names of those (whether company or individuals) who received APs and the number of APs they received.

    In the Umno general assembly, the minister made several claims that were not correct. During a television interview, she also alleged that I had forgotten this and that. Although I am already 80 years old, I am not senile yet.

    Initially, after replying to the minister’s letter with a copy sent to the Cabinet, I had not intended to make any more statements. It was up to the Cabinet to decide what was the truth and what was not.

    However, because the minister did not make statements that were true to the Umno delegates and the public, I feel compelled to give an explanation.

    When I was prime minister, there was no decision by the Government to not make public the names of AP holders. Maybe the present government had made this decision (not to make it public).

    The question is whether this decision was made before or after the minister made the statement that it was government policy not to reveal the names of AP holders.

    I was once trade and industry minister. The minister's explanation that there were many who were given APs without fulfilling the conditions when she took over as minister, and that her move to cancel the APs which were issued to them showed how strict she was. Who was the trade and industry minister before the current minister? If one did not mention it, one may think it was me.

    Although there is no official prohibition against government officers who had just retired (by option) from being given special opportunities by the Government, there are however questions why these former officers who did not fulfil conditions were given thousands of APs.

    We know many automotive businessmen, including members of the Malay Car Importers and Dealers Association of Malaysia (Pekema), had applied for APs but were not given any.

    They were also not told about the franchise AP category, which would have enabled them to be given many APs. There was no widespread awareness on franchise APs among car businessmen.

    This category was suddenly introduced and only certain people received many APs in this category. And AP holders who had earlier imported franchise brands were no longer allowed to import those brands.

    I am not envious of rich Malays but their wealth must be obtained through correct means. I have often told off those who had sold their APs to become rich quickly. It is obvious that the sale of APs is widespread now. It is the responsibility of the minister to monitor the situation to ensure foul play does not occur.

    A detailed explanation on the correspondence among the various parties will follow.

    Related Stories:
    Dr M: AP list incomplete
    Quick-minded and sharp-tongued as ever
    Powerful hands involved in ousting


    © 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)
  • Monday, July 04, 2005

    Transvestite flees in vain? What was his/her crime?

    Why did theTransvestite flees in the first place? What was his/her crime actually?

    At least somebody should come to his/her aid, not to leave the person crying in pain, without proper attendance. Pathetic on-lookers.

    Whatever the problem with the person, the least that each and every other person is to ensure that someone in pain be treated accordingly, and not left un-attended. Wht is the injury is life-treatening? Sheeeeeeeeehhhhh!

    Crime aside, humanities and compasion should prevailed!

    Poor the transvestite, and all Malaysians in need of help!

    The Star Online > Nation

    Monday July 4, 2005

    Transvestite flees in vain

    IPOH: A transvestite wept for half an hour after he injured his right ankle in a frantic bid to flee from the police but his cries fell on deaf ears.

    Passers-by just gawked at the 34-year-old man who had long, silky hair and was wearing a dazzling pink outfit.

    An ambulance called by the police eventually came to his aid.

    The transvestite cried while waiting for help after he hurt himself when he jumped from the first floor of a hotel yesterday during a spot check, which was part of an operation codenamed Ops Anaconda.

    INJURED: The transvestite crying in pain after jumping from the first floor of a hotel in Ipoh yesterday following a police raid.
    He was in such a hurry to escape that his bag was stuck on the window ledge of the hotel in Jalan C.M. Yussuf here.

    According to Perak CID chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Wan Mohamad Wan Abdullah, a woman in her 20s also injured herself when she jumped from the window of another hotel.

    He said Ops Anaconda was conducted by the state Anti-Vice, Gaming and Secret Societies Division at several hotels here.

    During the two-hour operation, a team of 36 personnel led by Asst Supt D. Subramaniam, Chief Insp Loo Thin Tien and Chief Insp Wong Poi Lin detained 33 Indonesian women in their 20s.

    “We also picked up four men whom we suspected to be their guardians,” he added.

    “The team also detained six suspected customers from Bangladesh and Nepal.

    “Eight others from Bangladesh, Nepal and Indonesia were found to be without valid documents.”

    SAC Wan Mohamad said the eight illegals would be charged under the Immigration Act.

    “The checks were conducted following tip-offs from the public.”



    © 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

    Sky Kingdom raided? Did the authorities use angels to help them?

    Reading about the Sky Kingdom (being) raided raised more questions rather than answers to me.

    What was the offence in the first place?

    Isn't freedom of religion and faith is guaranteed under the constitution? Isn't each and every individuals are free to conduct their own personal matters within their own compound?

    Being a non-muslim act, if it is indeed the reason who the raid, or propagating a different way of life, should never been a just cause for the raid!

    Ayah Pin should be free to lead his life the way he deemed fit, and nobody should force him into something else!

    By the way, how did they miss him during the raid? He claimed to be around, but, how did he managed to remain 'invisible'?




    The Star Online > Nation

    Monday July 4, 2005

    Sky Kingdom raided

    BY K. SUTHAKAR

    KUALA TERENGGANU: The controversial deviationist cult here known as “Sky Kingdom” was dealt a severe blow when 21 of its followers, including a police inspector and the drummer of a popular rock band, were arrested in a massive raid.

    However, sect leader Ariffin Mohamad, 65, better known as Ayah Pin, eluded arrest as he was missing during the raid by the state Islamic Religious Department on the sect’s commune on Saturday evening in Jertih.

    The authorities are investigating whether he escaped the dragnet as a result of a tip-off by his followers who include civil servants.

    Also picked up was a 33-year-old woman who is believed to be the fourth wife of Ayah Pin.

    Ariffin Mohamad, 65, better known as Ayah Pin, was missing during the raid
    The 7½-hour raid on the sect’s commune in Kampung Batu 13 was carried out by 21 religious enforcement personnel and 40 policemen. It started at 5.30pm and ended only at 1am.

    State Islam Hadhari Development Committee deputy chairman Muhammad Ramli Nuh said those detained were aged between 30 and 60. Seven of them were women. He said the authorities also seized 20 VCDs pertaining to the sect's activities.

    They failed to detain the prime target – Ayah Pin – despite searching his three houses in the commune.

    “We will investigate whether there was a leak about the raid as we know that his followers include civil servants, uniformed personnel and even professionals,’ Muhammad Ramli said.

    He said the raid was conducted on a Saturday evening as it was the time when the group usually held large gatherings.

    Muhammad Ramli said the police inspector was based in Perak. He said four of the followers would be charged under Section 14 (B) of the Syariah Criminal Offence Enactment (Takzir) 2001 for possessing documents which humiliated Islamic teachings. If convicted, they could be fined up to RM3,000 or jailed up to two years, or both.

    Muhammad Ramli said the remaining 17 followers would be charged under Section 10 (B) of the enactment for not adhering to the state fatwa which has ruled the teachings as deviant.

    He said all the followers were released on a RM1,000 bond each with one surety. They will be charged in the Besut Syariah Court on Sept 23.

    Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Noh Omar said state governments should nip the problem of deviationist groups in the bud to avoid serious incidents in the future.

    Ariffin was jailed 11 months and fined RM2,900 in June 2001 for humiliating Islamic teachings.

    The Government had said the teachings of Ayah Pin were dangerous to the Muslim community since the group members declared themselves as apostates.

    About 120 people, including children, live at the commune in a secluded part of Jertih.

    Ariffin, who made a statutory declaration that he had left Islam in 1998, was declared a deviant by the national Islamic Affairs Department in the 1980s, which named his sect “the ideology of Ayah Pin.”

    Related story:
    Ayah Pin took part in unIslamic rituals, say sources



    © 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

    Tuesday, June 21, 2005

    Freedom to express oneself? Not afraid of after--effect, any?

    Who is dragging their leg now?

    This is what you get for voting in a parliament with almost zero opposition. Then again, some rumoured that the last election was rigged or made too difficult for the opposition to win anything.

    Start working for the new representative now, don't make the same mistake in 2008!

    More power to the people!

    Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)

    Original article...
    Enact Freedom of Information Act, says Suhakam

    6/21/2005

    Beh Lih Yi
    Malaysiakini.com

    The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has urged the government to enact a Freedom of Information Act.

    In its 2004 annual report, tabled in Parliament today, Suhakam said the government must recognise the rights to seek, receive and impart information.

    “Suhakam is of the view that transparency and accountability are the hallmarks of a truly democratic society. Freedom of information is necessary for such accountability to be guaranteed,” read the 334-page report.

    However, the commission also noted that such freedom must be balanced with the right to privacy.

    Under Malaysian law, freedom of expression is guaranteed under the Federal Constitution but laws such as the Printing Presses and Publications Act impinge on this.

    The annual report also compiled other Malaysian human rights records last year covering areas of child rights, women’s rights, refugee and asylum seekers, housing rights and native customary land rights.

    Suhakam said it had devoted much attention to issues relating to women, such as human trafficking, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discriminations Against Women and violence against women.

    Among the recommendations made with regards to this include calling for the establishment of more shelters for domestic violence survivors, greater awareness of human rights as well as a network of cooperation between the government and non-governmental organisations.

    Decision on Rohingya lauded

    On refugees and asylum seekers, Suhakam commended the government’s intention to provide protection for the Rohingya community in Malaysia.

    “Such protection will go a long way towards alleviating the situation of the de facto stateless Rohingya, many of whom have been residing illegally in the country for over 20 years,” it said.

    On another matter, the commission urged the government to first consider whether there is enough room in prisons before amending any law to provide for increase or mandatory jail sentences in respect of any offence.

    In addressing the issue of adequate housing, Suhakam reminded the authorities that adequate housing should encompass security of tenure, accessibility to essential services, affordability, accessibility to all including persons with disabilities, location and cultural adequacy.

    It is unlikely the report would be debated in the House as previous attempts to do so had been in vain.

    The Suhakam 2004 annual report was supposed to be tabled in Parliament in the last meeting from March 21 to April 28 as stipulated by law.

    Suhakam said it submitted the report to the Parliament’s secretariat on April 6 but was uncertain why it was not tabled in the House.

    Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazr Abdul Azizi, who oversees parliamentary affairs, refused to comment on this when asked today.

    Whereas Dewan Rakyat secretary Abdullah Abdul Wahab has yet to reply to a written request, dated June 6, by malaysiakini on the matter.

    Friday, June 10, 2005

    Kasihan mereka ... inilah perangai kawan baik Tun M

    What else can I say reading this, story?

    Absolute power corrupts!

    How helpless these folks must have felt, and I do appreciate the feeling, being one of the opposition to the ruling regime in Malaysia!

    The only solution to this issue in Malaysia as well as Zimbabwe is to have election monitors stationed before, during and after election in both country's next one. Hopefully things might change to the better.

    The common folks should exercise their right to have an increased number of opposition in parliament to check the abuses of the ruling executives.

    I pray, 'Help us Allah, after all our effort to save the land that we love'.



    Mugabe takes his revenge on poor by destroying thousands of homes
    By a Special Correspondent in Bulawayo
    10 June 2005


    It's sunrise on the outskirts of Bulawayo. In the orange half-light you can see the huts are little more than bare mud walls. Everything that can be salvaged has been stripped off. The contents of the meagre homes now lie a few feet away in a scrapheap of rusting sheet metal, plastic pots and broken furniture.

    Amid the wreckage, entire families huddle together under plastic sheets to get some shelter from the winter chill.

    Julius is the first to crawl out, his breath making clouds in the cold air. He explains that the police came on Monday and told them they were evicted and they would be back to burn their homes down. No reason was given. "We removed everything we have," he says, pointing to the plastic-covered pile where he had been sleeping. "We are scared and we can't afford to lose this."

    Julius's family is one of the poorest in Zimbabwe's already poverty-stricken second city, the capital of Matabeleland and the heartland of opposition to President Robert Mugabe. Yesterday, as Mr Mugabe travelled in an open-topped Rolls-Royce to the state opening of Parliament, Julius became the latest victim of what the government, dominated by Mugabe's Shona tribe, is calling "operation clean-up", aimed allegedly at beautifying cities.

    The mud huts of Julius's village lie on a disused plain, scattered among the dry husks of the failed maize crop, that has left them on the edge of starvation.

    A church worker, who preferred not to be named, hands out small sacks of porridge to the gathering crowd. "This is devastating. What are you cleaning? Nothing, you are cleaning nothing," he says. "This is a punishment, these people who have nothing are being punished for voting against Mugabe."

    Human rights activists, churches, unions and opposition groups have unanimously condemned the "clean-up" as a brutal crackdown on the urban poor to punish them for voting against the government in the 31 March elections. In a matter of days, the campaign has seen the destruction of street markets and the mass arrest of traders; the demolition of shanty towns and the collapse of the informal economy upon which millions of the country's poor rely.

    In the centre of Bulawayo, the once thriving 5th Street market is now a solemn stretch of twisted metal and charred wood.

    Last week, without warning, police trucks arrived and the demolition began. Tons of fruit and vegetables, cooking oil, salt, sugar and other basic supplies were confiscated and the stalls were torched. Those who avoided arrest sit listlessly on the pavements. The little that is left is hawked cautiously on street corners. Sweet potatoes are offered warily, as though they are drugs.

    Outside City Hall, faded white squares mark the spot where traders had laid out flowers, curios and carvings for the few remaining tourists who come to Bulawayo.

    Today sees the second day of a nationwide two-day strike called by the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in response to the crisis. But it is virtually impossible for the "stay away" action to work in a country where only 800,000 from a population of 12 million have formal employment. There has been concerted intimidation with police saying they would be "ruthless" with strikers and going from door to door to warn employers that they face arrest if their businesses shut.

    Military helicopters and fighter jets were running sorties yesterday over the poorer districts of the capital, Harare, while the police and troops were out in force on the streets of Bulawayo.

    At least three members of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions were arrested during dawn raids, accused of organising strike action.

    A human rights activist said, on condition of anonymity, that people were scared and memories of the 1980s massacres in the opposition stronghold of Matabeleland were still fresh.

    "They know that, as things stand, if they take to the streets the army or the police will shoot them," she said.

    People still refer in hushed tones to the pogrom of the so-called Gukurahundi - which means the rain that washes away the chaff. During that period, Mr Mugabe unleashed the North Korean-trained 5th Brigade in a killing spree to suppress opposition protests.

    Despite yesterday's protests, police continued to drive out residents of at least one of Harare's poorest townships and the mass arrests, said to top 30,000, continue unabated.

    "Police are now in Hatcliffe ... rounding everyone up and piling them on lorries. Their belongings are being put on separate lorries, so they fear they will lose everything," Trudy Stevenson, an opposition MP, said. "They are not being told where they are being taken, but they have the impression it is far away."

    An opposition statement urged all Zimbabweans to participate in the strike.

    According to UN estimates, at least 200,000 people have been made homeless and that follows a warning from the World Food Programme that Zimbabwe faces a "humanitarian crisis" with four million people at risk of famine.

    Six Roman Catholic bishops condemned the crackdown, saying: "A grave crime has been committed against poor and helpless people. We warn the perpetrators ... history will hold you individually accountable."

    Yesterday, Mr Mugabe quashed three days of rumours over the state of his health to appear at the opening of parliament, which he used as a platform to defend his decision to deprive tens of thousands of people of homes and livelihoods.

    "The current chaotic state of affairs where [small businesses] operated outside the regulatory framework and in undesignated and crime-ridden areas could not be countenanced for much longer," he told parliament.

    The 81-year-old President said the government would introduce mandatory penalties for illegal trade in foreign currency and precious metals, which official say has thrived in shanty towns.

    Mr Mugabe's critics say the real reason for the destruction is the President's desire to empty the cities to pre-empt a major uprising. By forcing hundreds of thousands of potential opposition supporters into rural areas where the government controls the food supply, hunger can be used to cement the government's grip on power. A civil rights activist said: "What we are going to see is selective starvation. What Mugabe wants is a Pol Pot-style depopulation of the cities, corralling people into the countryside. Once they are there, they will be hungry and anxious and therefore compliant. "

    The tactic is working in Julius's village. At the hut next door, Thenkiwe and her seven children are boiling some water but have nothing to put in it. Her husband has already left to find a day's work somewhere.

    Julius, like his neighbours, has no rural retreat to go to. So he stands around and squints in the direction of town, waiting for the police and the bulldozers to come. The children won't be going to school today, for fear of being separated from their families.

    The volunteers, who have run out of sacks of porridge, offer a prayer: "Lord, hide them from the police."

    Milestones

    * 1980: Robert Mugabe becomes Zimbabwe's Prime Minister after independence.

    * 1987: He changes the constitution and becomes executive president.

    * 1998: Economic crisis sets in; riots and strikes follow.

    * 2000: Zimbabweans seize hundreds of white-owned farms.

    * 2001: Donors cut aid in response.

    * 2002: Mugabe is re-elected. Observers declare the election flawed. Commonwealth suspends Zimbabwe for a year. State of disaster declared over worsening food shortages.

    * 2005: Mugabe's party, Zanu-PF, wins a parliamentary poll, enabling him to change the constitution. The opposition cries fraud.

    Legal | Contact us | Using our Content | © 2004 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd

    Thursday, June 09, 2005

    Is that a sub-concious admision of guilt of a senile old man?

    I was more interested at the staements at the end of the article, while reading about Dr M: PAS’ mindset may not have changed.

    He said, “I am not there. I cannot be used as a chopping block, the dictator thing, how I beat him up, threw him in jail, all these things are no longer available,”!

    Is he sub-conciously admitting to all the allegations? Hummmmm?

    I have always said that this silly old man is definitely as guilty as what was mentioned by any laymen all over the country!

    Poorah Cit!

    The Star Online > Nation

    Thursday June 9, 2005
    Dr M: PAS’ mindset may not have changed

    PETALING JAYA: Having a younger PAS leadership does not necessarily mean a change in terms of the party's mindset, said former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

    “I don't think there is any change; they may be younger but the thinking is still the same.

    “It is frozen thinking,'' he said when asked for his views on the new PAS leadership.

    On whether PAS' attempt to get Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to lead an opposition front might work, Dr Mahathir said he did not know.

    “Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. There are pros and cons; there may be some benefits, may be some downsides,’’ he added.

    Dr Mahathir said PAS would have to consider all that before roping Anwar in.

    “Well, the black eye (issue) is not there. It was a big asset before.

    “I am not there. I cannot be used as a chopping block, the dictator thing, how I beat him up, threw him in jail, all these things are no longer available,” Dr Mahathir said after the launch of Proton Holdings Bhd’s latest five-door compact hatchback, Savvy, here yesterday.

    On money politics and erosion of democracy within Umno, Dr Mahathir reiterated that he did not say it was Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s fault.


    � 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)