Malaysian Politician Gets Free Disney Trip

Ex-Mentri Besar of Selangor Dr Khir Toyo spent almost RM1 million of state's monies for a Disney trip for his family

While other country's politicians can only boast of spending their people's money on watching porn, Malaysian politicians are at the top of the game with free Euro Disney trips for their family and friends!

It was revealed yesterday that Dr Khir spent almost RM1mil for a trip to France and Morocco with money "funded" by the state's development authority PNSB.

PNSB chief executive officer Datin Khairiyah Abu Hassan re-vealed this at the Special Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) inquiry yesterday.

She said that among others, RM81,723 was spent on Dr Khir, RM366,000 on a recce team (sadly, no details here on who were on the recce team) which went earlier to prepare for the trip and RM2,300 for an economy class ticket for the maid.

PNSB also paid an additional RM9,000 for Dr Khir and his family’s accommodation during a four-day transit in Dubai.

The inquiry heard that PNSB paid RM750,000 for Dr Khir’s trip to the United Stated in December 2007, which included tickets to Orlando Disneyland.

An additional RM110,000 was spent on Dr Khir’s seven-night stay at a hotel suite in Honolulu, Hawaii.



Dr Khir's wife Datin Seri Zaharah Kechik was of course not to be outdone when she spent RM34,600 for a Hong Kong trip in March 2007 and RM88,388 for a trip to Tokyo in June 2007 all of which were also "funded" by PNSB.

Now is it any wonder why many are fighting tooth and nail for a position in the Supreme Council in UMNO? Once you are in all it takes is a bit more "luck" to be "selected" as the next Mentri Besar and then its LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!

If only we have an anti-corruption agency in Malaysia which not only go after the the cows. Sigh... MACC why are you so silent on this??

Mahathir loses his legacy

Mahathir a no-show at General Assembly

The results are in. Mahathir's final vestiges in UMNO have been booted out. His son Muhkriz lost in his fight for Youth presidency against Khairy. And his last surviving colleague, the Iron Lady Rafidah Aziz lost to Shahrizat for the post of Wanita President.



With all his influence gone what will Mahathir harp on now? More allegations of corruption? What would UMNO be without corruption? Why would anyone want to join UMNO if not for the money? To fight for the Malay race? Give me a break...

The new Chiefs in UMNO

Malaysia's next unwelcomed PM-to-be

A Tribute to Paul Harvey

I missed this somehow. My all-time favorite radio commentator Paul Harvey has passed away earlier this month on 1st of March, 2009.



I first discovered Paul Harvey in the early nineties when I was sent to Tokyo (of all places to discover him!) for an overseas assignment by my company I worked with at that time. Being a radio freak then I scoured the airwaves for an English station and soon chanced upon the US Army radio station based somewhere in Japan. It was THE only English station in Tokyo I could find and it was broadcasting in AM!

I soon found that I could catch the early morning news and some music just before I leave for work from my small hotel room. It was during that time that I keep hearing someone on the radio keep mentioning ... "this is Paul Harvey..." and it was always accompanied by some interesting news of the day. Now I am sure you would think that there can't be anything that interesting EVERY day that would warrant a special presenter to present. There wasn't. But it was Paul's style that captivated me from the moment I heard his voice. He could make something uninteresting sound so wonderful and would cheer up your day the way he presented it. It was a gift he had.

I managed to listen to him a few more times when I did returned to Tokyo but I never could find out much about this man since it wasn't the age of the internet yet then. Years later I have forgotten about thim and it was only recently I remembered about Paul Harvey (after really giving up on our pathetic local radio stations). I searched the internet and found that I could listen to Paul again now over the internet.

I can't believe he is dead now although he has lead a long and productive life. I wished our Malaysian radio presenters could learn something from this American radio icon but I know now that would be trying to expect the impossible to happen.

I guess no one else can pay a tribute to Paul Harvey as high as Larry King when he said:
"Paul Harvey could read the phonebook and you would pay attention" - Larry King

ABC's tribute to Paul Harvey

Sultan to clean up Najib's mess in Perak

Najib's quest for silver (Perak) is wrecking the nation

Excerpts from various newscast:

"If Sultan Azlan Shah wants to avoid a continued impasse, or worse, to have his appointments booted out through a vote in a special sitting, he would have to make a new decision on whether to allow a dissolution," Perak Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) legal adviser Mohamed Asri Othman said.

Even without the suspensions, Perak was likely heading for a showdown in elections anyway.

"If the House is in constant deadlock, if bills cannot be passed, it would be bad for the state. Investors would not come, the state budget cannot be passed, the administration would grind to a halt. Ultimately, elections would be required," says Asri, a former DAP deputy secretary-general, and the Dermawan assemblyperson in 1990.

All scenarios hinge on Speaker Sivakumar who holds wide-ranging powers and whose position gives him the authority of a High Court judge, Asri notes.

Law lecturer Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari of the International Islamic University adds that the Speaker ' s decisions, if reached according to the House ' s standing orders, are final and difficult to challenge in court.

"This was BN (and Najib's) biggest mistake. They overlooked the problem with the Speaker," he says.

Malaysiakini: Ball now in Sultan's court

The Star: Nation looking towards the palace to break this impasse


The Star: BN humiliated by "boy speaker" who is now the pride of the nation

The Edge: Disgruntled UMNO members planning to block transfer of PMship to Najib

Malaysiakini: More allegations of corruption against Najib surfaces

The Sun: Najib threatens those who report him to MACC

Help Save Perak from BN: Sign an online petition to the Sultan

UMNO Youth's Mat Rempit Behaviour

UMNO Youth blames their gangsterism show in Parliament on wheelchair bound Karpal Singh

Outgoing Umno Youth vice-head Khairy Jamaludin has blamed the incident whereby his members stormed into the august Parliament and tried to assault MP Karpal Singh on Karpal himself. The wheelchair bound Karpal was said to have intimidated his members and they therefore had the right to assault him in Parliament.

He said the movement had never encouraged or condoned such acts by its members "but a the same time, I wish to stress that all this cropped because of Karpal Singh's abrasive remarks in the Dewan Rakyat".

Again this goes to show that if your father or father-in-law is the PM in this country you can get away with almost anything.

As usual no action will be taken on the infamous son-in-law nor his goons since he IS PM's son-in-law!



IGP: We cannot take any action

NST: Condemn UMNO Youth

The Star: UMNO thugs a big shame in the Parliament

Khairy interviewed: "I know my image is bad"

UMNO Youth: No comment. Our blog has not been updated since July 2008!

JR: I guess this is what happens when only Mat Rempits want to join your club!

Perak, BN and Gamuda

Still wondering why the Sultan of Perak was so swift in putting BN back in business?

Malaysia Today has the dirty details...

"Malaysian politics is perhaps the dirtiest but you can’t blame the public to have a perception that the federal government was twisting the arms of the Sultan (silly assumption, is it not?). However on the business perspective you do not need to wake Einstein up from his grave to tell you that Gamuda is basically at the mercy of the Federal government. With water taps closed by the federal government to three of the most developed states, Selangor, Perak and Penang, Gamuda is screaming for projects. Certainly the nation has the money. In fact the country is flushed with more money than before the Mar 2008 general election simply because the federal government does not know where to pump the money to since the most developed states such as Selangor, Perak (was) and Penang are controlled by opposition parties.

The largest shareholder of Gamuda is also the second richest woman on the 2008 Forbes 40 Richest Malaysians at #35 spot is Raja Datuk Seri Eleena Raja Azlan Shah, the daughter of the Sultan of Perak, Raja Azlan Shah.


Gamuda Directors (seated L-R) Mr. Ng Kee Leen, YAM Raja Dato’ Seri Eleena binti Raja Azlan Shah, YBhg Dato’ Ir. Haji Azmi bin Mat Nor, with the 20 recipients of Gamuda Scholarship 2007.

She was worth RM773 Million ($228 Million) at #25 spot in 2007’s 40 Richest Malaysians but this figure dropped to RM510 Million ($150 Million) in 2008 at #35 spot. Based on today’s stock price of RM1.91 a share her fortune is only at RM287.46 million based on her remaining stake of 7.5% in Gamuda via Generasi Setia (M) Sdn Berhad. Naturally when his father refused to dissolve the state assembly for a fresh election various rumors and speculations began its circulation."

Looking at Gamuda's 2006 Financial Report, the biggest shareholder is Generasi Setia (8.71%) and YAM Raja Dato’ Seri Eleena Azlan Shah also indirectly holds 76,710,000 shares as of 31 July 2006.

Victory for Najib At Last

BN reclaims Perak from Pakatan Rakyat

Barely hours after Perak MB claims his government was "stable" BN with Najib at the helm scored an unprecedetented victory which would put Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to shame.

3 defections (2 from PKR and 1 from DAP) by Members of Parliament left the ruling coalition crippled and without a strong majority. In comes Knight Rider Najib swooping them up and declaring them loyal to BN. Didn't take long for him to convince the Sultan (a fact which surprised many!) that the people of Perak were all for the BN government to return to its roost.



The people of Perak must now be very happy to return to their good old days and their good old ways where everything can now once again move smoothly with just some Najib "oil" added.




A constitutional crisis brewing in Perak

Mahathir: Anwar gets a taste of his own medicine

Pakatan MB Nizar booted out from office

Is the Sultan right in dismissing Perak MB Nizar?

Latest: Najib & Co gets a warm hot welcome at swearing-in ceremony as Perakians show their "love" for him

Latest: Royal city rocked by protests

Look at the mess Najib created:

Penang Hop On Bus Service (FREE!)

Visitors to Penang can now enjoy a bus ride within George Town, the UNESCO World Heritage City, for FREE.

The Hop On Free Central Area Transit (CAT) ply the route between Weld Quay Jetty and Komtar on 15-minute intervals from 6am-12midnight.

Exploring the grounds of the UNESCO World Heritage City has never been this convenient now with 19 CAT stops in between all the famous heritage landmarks of Penang!



Read more

44 places to go in 2009

Penang is ranked No.2 by NY Times readers!

Penang has been voted the 2nd best place to go in 2009 by New York Times readers! You can visit the site and see where are the other 41 places to go in 2009.

Its more discerning editors however placed Penang at the 22nd spot with the only other Asian destinations Phuket ranked at No. 12 while Boracay made it at 26. Needless to say Penang food was what tempted the readers to make it a must in your list of the most tempting places to visit in 2009.



What to eat and where to eat in Penang

BN Losing More Ground

BN Fails to Retain Kuala Terengganu

Despite the nationwide campaign to retain its seat BN found itself losing more ground this time deep in the Malay heartland when it failed to retain its Kuala Terengganu seat.



After all the empty promises, the bribes, the pathetic back-stabbing and the total media control (e.g. The Star featured an incredible amount of bad news about the Opposition in almost every other page in its print version, and almost every day) it looks like BN is really heading for the sunset this time.

Pakatan didn't even have to do anything except to let BN talk itself hoarse and still they won. I guess this speak volumes about how everyone sees BN now, except for those inside BN who still thinks they are still as popular as "nasi dagang" while they are actually more like "nasi semalam".

So while Najib thinks its just a minor setback and Muhyiddin thinks UMNO was not exciting enough, the people go back to being bored by BN MPs who try to be as insulting as possible to gain popularity. So let us all just wait for the next by-election and the next one until we get rid of all the BN rubbish.

MCA: When no one praises you, praise yourself

Bloomberg Video: Vote a major blow to Najib

Lim Guan Eng Has A Chance In A Lifetime

I envy him. Lim Guan Eng that is. He is free from any political encumbrance manifested by UMNO or MCA. And now he has this one chance in a lifetime.



To build Penang to be the next Singapore or Hong Kong.

Many have tried and failed. Lim Chong Eu. Koh Tsu Khoon. Is it that difficult?

Penang has everything...

- The seaside
- The hills
- A port
- The history and a multi racial culture
- The immensely good food
- The friendly local people, the expatriate community and good weather
- (what else do you want??)

It is a tourist magnet and a metropolitan city waiting to be born . Yet his predecessors have failed ...

Penang should think small to grow big says SOO EWE JIN

I say this...

Mr Lim, you really do not have to do much

1. Don't play politics
2. Keep Penang clean
3. Give us first class good roads.
4. Upkeep Penang properly (please strictly control MPPP/MPSP)
5. Give us good security (more traffic police and cops on the roads please)

And Penang will do the rest. You can't fail... unless you want to.

P/S: Don't worry too much about sore losers

Who's In and Who's Out in UMNO

You know how some things never change in this country

Who Is In?


Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN-Pasir Salak)

Why?

He managed to infuriate almost every one in Parliament and insult every other intelligent being on this planet.


Who Is Out?


Datuk Zaid Ibrahim (Former Law Minister)

Why?

He attended an opposition party's dinner function

Or is it because of this letter to our PM?

-Quote
"I believe the people of this country are mature and intelligent enough to distinguish actions that constitute a ‘real’ threat to the country from those that threaten political interests. Malaysians have come know that the ISA is used against political opponents and, it would seem, when the leadership is under challenge either from within the ruling party or from external elements."
-Unquote

Now you know how "very matured" and "developed" nation we have become!