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The Maharajah's gloves are off. Now the fight really begins. So far and as expected, Dollah-lah will get the support of his cabinet and Barisan MPs. But the back-stabbing will get more intense and the wounds will get deeper. Dollah-lah better watch out! Just becos so-and-so openly supports you doesn't mean he doesn't have a knife in his hand. The next few months will show how this sandiwara is going to work out. Until then.......

Malaysia.......macam macam ada!

no need to mention names..but we all know who so and so is..many years ago..he was backing razaleigh camp...last minute he switched to Mahathir camp..the rest is history..Abdullah need not fear Mahathir..it is the devil behind him....he must be folding his arms and watching...not only is mahathir back stabbed...soon AAB will be too.....we all knopw who gains id AAB have an early farewell....KJ must be very uneasy now,,cos if papa inlaw goes...so goes his dreams...it will be more excitng than the world cup...bring it on..and entertain us.

Jeff..the country gone to the dogs long ago..when the judiciary was raped.

The wholescale rape of the judiciary took place during the time of Dr M.

As did a large number of fiascos, ranging from Perwaja to the grossly unfair toll highway concession agreements to the infamous IPP agreements to Bakun to Proton to MAS to IWK to... None of which he seems to be able to recall or acknowledge.

But the man who must be asked to answer for much of that now goes around declaring that others have gone back on pacts and have stabbed him in the back.

Perhaps the alleged "back-stabbers" should have investigated Dr M and his cronies thoroughly, and bring charges against them where evidence is sufficient. Then hang them up to dry, inlcuding jail terms and recovery of ill-gotten gains if those are proven. Then no question of back-stabbing - better to have "shoot to kill" full frontal, eyes open wide.

With Ani Arope's recent revelations, perhaps the IPPs fiasco will be a good place to start.

For the sake of all Malaysians who had hope to see Malaysia prosper and grow, but who are now paying for 22 years of excesses perpetuated by Dr M.

Mr Art, please do mention names...many of us are novices when it comes to Malaysian politics... Please do enlighten us...
By the way a few days ago Badawi said in a speech that he'd "fixed" some people these past few years..Maybe that's what triggered this latest outburst by TDM? See link.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/6/7/nation/14465434&sec=nation

Aha! may be the time has come for Pak Lah to de-OSA files so that all the crooks can be exposed and brought to books.

From Ani Arope's statements in the newspapers and Samy Vellu's outbursts not so long ago, the boys at the EPU looks like the correct place for the ACA to visit first.

ACA? haha..they will wait for orders to start investigating..even if the country go to the dogs..they will wait.

First you must make a police report..then wait for AG to decide after reading the report..then wait for god knows what..then wait..and wait...don't we all know this after so many years,,,this is stale...

I would prefer to have more "news" of this backstabbing.....to keep me entertained..just in case the world cup games are boring..

Jeff,
So you are having a good time in Europe while we have to suffer Mahathir's crap.What does he mean by saying promises not kept.

JEFF OOI says: I am here in Holland for an international debate on Freedom of Expression and to grant interviews to several publications. Not holiday lah.

Does he mean to say that he made Badawi to promise that certain things will be continued?I have heard a lot of rubbish from for 22 years from Tun but this one takes the cake.Does he think that the country and taxpayers money is his property he inherited from his father, no doubt that was the way he was running the country.Then he should have left a will to be executed by Badawi, listing all his wishes! What part of the body does this man think with?
I do not mean my comments as a compliment to the present Govt.becauce it has no direction, no backbone and all the policies of the past govt. of 22 years which has taken the country in the wrong direction to disaster is being continued, if at all carried out more subtily.The PM's statement on the jihad of the 9MP is ample proof.And he claims he is the PM for all the people of the country!Where are we heading?

Seems like a case of the master being bitten by the dog.

Tun can say anything he want, who will go after him? But the rest of the gang have to align themselves with the side that provides the best protection for their interest. Hence, "we stand with the PM" talk.

Tun was right in saying they have not done what they promised. IPCMC, corruption? Where are the definitive actions to tackle all these things?

Expect in the next few days, statements upon statements showing where Tun has gone wrong. Interesting stuff to read - we already have someone in the news (TNB issue) saying that Tun forced them into making lope sided agreements. Is Tun worried? Who can touch him?

Its Tun's kaki (some still in the gomen) who will feel uneasy. So expect some fireworks this next few days.

happy holidays jeff!

From the 22yaers reign, we now see related events bing slowly but surely pursued~~

* Rashid Husain trial (pls don't comment on tghe case proper as it can be sub-judice!) where a ceratin company *Linksun is involved, this links to a certain aspiring MCA politician promoting Eat Drink& Be Merry ethos among our YoungOnes (God save us from these M era leaders of similar ilk!);
TNB's ex-chief Ani Arope's revelations must lead to investigations of EPU bigguns at THAT TIME, also links with IPPs like YTL and Malakoff etc;
* why Dr Ling Lion Sik was in such a "hurry" to get a tunship-ahead of even former DPM Musa Hitam! -- I wish to put to rest the MYTH perpetuated even at Jeff's that a Tunship provides "immunity" from the law. The last time I checked our Rukunegara to write for a u'espaper, I can afirm here "we are all equal" before the law, unless of course some1 tells me Animal Farm had been re-surrected, like the Omen, in NegaraKU, has IT?

Maybe just a parting shot --Anwar Ibrahim could provide an insight to Bailout of *MISC with Petronas billion dollar bills which was one factor leading to his "sacking"? *this has link to one of the "privileged sons" of MalSian politikus...ring a ding-ling a belle?

The great C&W Hank Williams said:

Came in last night at half past ten
That baby of mine wouldnt let me in
So move it on over (move it on over)
Move it on over (move it on over)
Move over little dog cause the big dogs moving in

Shes changed the lock on my front door
My door key dont fit no more
So get it on over (move it on over)
Scoot it on over (move it on over)
Move over skinny dog cause the fat dogs moving in

This dog house here is mighty small
But its better than no house at all
So ease it on over (move it on over)
Drag it on over (move it on over)
Move over old dog cause a new dogs moving in

She told me not to play around
But I done let the deal go down
So pack it on over (move it on over)
Tote it on over (move it on over)
Move over nice dog cause a mad dogs moving in

She warned me once, she warned me twice
But I dont take no ones advice
So scratch it on over (move it on over)
Shake it on over (move it on over)
Move over short dog cause the tall dogs moving in

Shell crawl back to me on her knees
Ill be busy scratching fleas
So slide it on over (move it on over)
Sneak it on over (move it on over)
Move over good dog cause a mad dogs moving in

Remember pup, before you whine
That sides yours and this sides mine
So shove it on over (move it on over)
Sweep it on over (move it on over)
Move over cold dog cause a hot dogs moving in

$$$ Doggone It, WHAT A SONG !!! $$$$$

Pak Lah doesn't have the intellectual capability and leadership skill to lead this country. Did you see how he struggled to answer the reasons behind Ringgit depegging from USD? Did you see how he answered critics to Malaysia-Japan FTA? Did you see how he handled the AP issue? Did you see how he silently dropped the campaign to send back the illegal immigrants? This country has moved beyond the management of petty kampung issues where the Prime Minister could hide his intellectual incompetence by talking about moral issues or rubbish things like 'Towering Malays' or 'Masyarakat Bermaruah Bermula Dengan Mu'. You need more substance than that. Malaysians are more educated and more aware of the real issues surrounding the country.

The Prime Minister needs to have grasps of modern, urban, global issues facing our economy. He must appear clever, talks fluently about what he wants to do for the nation, and more importantly, portrays that he is in control of his cabinet that is still full of jokers and bodek clowns.

Otherwise, please let go your position. Remember, he was not even elected as the UMNO President in the last party election. He inherited it from the previous PM.

We don't want a lame Prime Minister. Pak Lah, please go. You're not up to the mark. Don't disgrace the nation.

KJ must be worried that the knives are out, drawn out by the Tun. If AAB falls, he is out. This time, no reconciliation, a fight to the bitter end. Both the camps must be out counting their allies, I personally feel that the Tun is orchestrating the fall of AAB.

Tun Dr Mahathir should keep his big mouth shut and let the present PM to carry on with his vision.

During his time, he had his ways and dominated in the entire decision making process. His ministers out of deference to him as a leader kept the distance and respect his views and became “yes” men. Now that he is out of the way, they too would like to do things in their own way and in the process would be seen to be helping their own “gang” and cronies. This in a way is a trapping of power.

See the scathing remarks of PM Ahmad Abdullah at

http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/2006/06/dr-m-my-successor-not-firs_114975106048707467.html

This is my predictions

1. Arm-NO Politikus elite rush for more $$$$$
2. Arm-NO Politikus elite fight for limited slice of $$$$ cakes
3. To save the Arm-No family, Taiko will ask MCA to raise some racial related issue, or talk some stupid "provocating" stuff.
4. Arm-No-U will go protest in front of MCA building
5. Business as usual

Works since 1982.

Paklah should wage war on Mahathir right now! I think Mahathir must be having something planned meticulously.. and this will be executed no-matter-what.. if the past history is any indication. I think Mahathir must be saying this to himself.. 'enough is enough.. he has shown himself not being grateful'. If Pak Lah is not stopped, Pak Lah will slowly get to actualize what he said a few days ago.

I have to say that I like to give the benefit of doubt to Pak Lah - in which regarding his 'indecisiveness' - there is so much pressure from Mahathir and the gang to get it started (eg scenic bridge), and Abdullah has to carefully weigh the *pros* and *cons* before proceeeding with any decision.

Haha ridicule me please, for I like to see/guess what is behind curtain rather than seeing with our naked eyes.

And another.. KJ amassing the wealth is seen as something that will serve as backup/fund to Pak Lah's team, because like it or not politics cant get too far without $$$ behind.

multidimid

Please dont ask people to shut up. What if someone ask you to shut up here?

It is flippant and ungreatful for Dr.Mahathir to have described Pak Lah as not being the best choice for his successor at the point of his exit from power.He was riding a tiger when Anwar was his deputy and he could hardly contain him towards the end .As the chinese proverb goes,the problem of riding a tiger is when you need to dismount-it would try to swallow you up.It was the appointment of Pak Lah as his deputy and subsequently as his successor that gave Mahatir a safe and soft descend from power.Pak Lah was indeed Mahathir 's savior then. He too had helped UMNO to emerged from a major crisis without much damage.

Pak Lah being what he is , is good only in the heat of the moment and would not be able to sustain for long as a prime minister. He may now be overstaying his usefulness and relevance now that the bitterness of Anwar Ibrahim's case has sunk and faded away from the minds of the public.Indeed many voters now began to be disenchanted with Pak Lah who is seen as a man of empty words and broken promises than a man of resolute action .However his strong conscience and totally unassuming personality ,though would not necessarily make him a great leader ,would certainly win him many sympathisers.

It is probably the right time for Pak Lah to exit graciously with his own sense of pride and achievements as a leader.At the same time Mahathir should also learn how to retire peacefully and move out of public scene honorably as a great statesman of our timer.Let the batten then be passed to the incumbent.

Folks

What is the wayang kulit in this sordid affair?

Dr. M is actually gunning down the famouse son-in-law, the spoiler in UMNO politics for his own personal gains. The famous son in law is the one who asked his father in law to dismantle Dr M's legacy.

For Dr M to go after the young punk is below his status as a Tun and a PM of 21 years.

Najib, as a son of the illustrious former PM hates the idea of being sidelined by the upstart, despite being the PM. And it is a fact, Dr. M owes Najib for the latter support when Dr M was almost thrown out of power in UMNO.

There is a saying: When you want to kill a snake, you aim for its head, not the other end of it.

By depending too much on the advice of his son in law, still wet in his ears in local politics, Pak Lah had unwittingly exposed his weak underbelly. And for a wily political predator like Dr M, who could even send the grassroot powerhouse like Anwar into oblivion, Pak Lah is easy meat.

We are entering into a circus in which PAS is having a ringside seat.

Ha ha ha! Does any one realise that it is actually Mahathir’s fault that no one in the current cabinet is able to lead the country? If you think about it, which BN politician can make you say “Wow, this person really can do the country proud.” Let’s face it. Besides the medical industry, we have a brain drain in our political industry too.

And why is this so? It is because the people who are passionate about politics are not able voice their opinions freely. So why become a politician when one cannot speak his/her mind? That’s why we’re left with people who become politicians for all the wrong reasons such as money, fame, power etc.

I have seen with my own eyes the son of a major politician driving a Ferrari. How can a minister who earns about RM 12k/month (correct me if I’m wrong) afford to buy a million ringgit car? That alone is evidence of corruption. The irony is that a lot of people know about these things, but the majority of them are still voting for the party that encourages the “close-one-eye” attitude.

Maybe its because we lack politicians that we would like to support. Someone who is truly benevolent. If someone wants to do good, that person is better off contributing to charity because the that person will not see the fruits of his/her labour amidst so much of corruption and mismanagement in cabinet.

Think about it. Who’s fault is it Dr. M when there is no one worthy enough to be your successor?

Why such reaction? I'm least concern with the content and do not claim to know the right/wrong in the debate and neither do anyone of you. It might just be a difference of opinion ? Conspiracy theories is not my cup of tea. Whats wrong with the 2 just disagreeing with one another. Being suprised, imagining/ predicting all sorts of BS at times shows why there's an impression from the politicians that the people is not ready for free expression of thought and ideas. None of us know the issues of conflict. I sense we M'sians bend towards conspiracies and all sort of personal politics as cornerstone of every issue / debate. Which goes back to the book that some of you have read and commented. I repeat its such rubbish and if one wants to agree with it, fine. No big deal. Anyone interested to chat on the news today that Zarqawi is dead and oil prices fell below 70 bucks ? I guess not! if tehre is I believe it will be back to the idea that Bush is an idiot, war wrong, Americam imperialism and all sorts of emotional half baked ideas will surface again. Thats Malaysia.

Det's or Lah's gang? Which lesser evil would you choose? Do we have the third choice?

Hey Jeff!

I´m in Europe too! Currently in Vienna and flying into Frankfurt tomorrow! Whereabouts are you?

The world is mostly dogs eat dogs, notably in politics. It's funny actually to see who support who, and so and so. Both prime ministers have their own goods and bads during their time. If you intend to pick bone in anyone on them, both are easily vulnerable.

They are our picks in our own election. Who should you blame if you want to blame? Even if you want to vote for a better person, is there any better candidate who is more qualified in term of integrity?

I lost my confidence to politicians long long time ago. As long as they don't screw big times and let my family stay in peace and harmony, I have no other words for them.

For that, I thank Tun Mahathir and the Malays preferential policy when riots happened in Indonesia.

Appropriate and sufficient knowledge is enough. Not excessive and instigative knowledge is required for the sake of peaceful life for Malaysian.

In a country like China, I agreed that press freedom should be limited given the fact that the level of education/mentality of most of the Chinese is not ready. Press freedom should be limited in order to prevent society structural breakdown. However, on the other hand, effective governing agency should be in place to prevent abuse of power by the higher authorities.

That's Utopia.

Please consider.

MikeC...

What are you trying to say ah? Can make it simpler? After reading your post I blur blur lah....

Better go to sleep..

Howsy..

third choice?..how about Najib gang..KJ gang, Toyo gang.......

Wait for the free for all..bet you...it will be more interestiing than World Cup soccer.

Jeff,

Whether or not this country goes to the dogs, there is NOTHING you or I or anyone can do about it.

New or old, discrimination or corruption abound...

I was just reading that the SG Gov's agencies saved over S$600mn last year due to efficiences, etc.

I think we wasted more than that on Bakun, MAS, Cynic Bridge, Metramac, need I go on?

Dogs (Waters, Gilmour) 17:06

You gotta be crazy, you gotta have a real need.
You gotta sleep on your toes, and when you're on the street,
You gotta be able to pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed.
And then moving in silently, down wind and out of sight,
You gotta strike when the moment is right without thinking.

And after a while, you can work on points for style.
Like the club tie, and the firm handshake,
A certain look in the eye and an easy smile.
You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to,
So that when they turn their backs on you,
You'll get the chance to put the knife in.

You gotta keep one eye looking over your shoulder.
You know it's going to get harder, and harder, and harder as you
get older.
And in the end you'll pack up and fly down south,
Hide your head in the sand,
Just another sad old man,
All alone and dying of cancer.

And when you loose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown.
And as the fear grows, the bad blood slows and turns to stone.
And it's too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw
around.
So have a good drown, as you go down, all alone,
Dragged down by the stone.

I gotta admit that I'm a little bit confused.
Sometimes it seems to me as if I'm just being used.
Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake off this creeping malaise.
If I don't stand my own ground, how can I find my way out of this
maze?

Deaf, dumb, and blind, you just keep on pretending
That everyone's expendable and no-one has a real friend.
And it seems to you the thing to do would be to isolate the winner
And everything's done under the sun,
And you believe at heart, everyone's a killer.

Who was born in a house full of pain.
Who was trained not to spit in the fan.
Who was told what to do by the man.
Who was broken by trained personnel.
Who was fitted with collar and chain.
Who was given a pat on the back.
Who was breaking away from the pack.
Who was only a stranger at home.
Who was ground down in the end.
Who was found dead on the phone.
Who was dragged down by the stone.

AAB need not worry about dr. M's latest salvos. It was Dr. m who introduced a no contest rule for the post of party president in umno.
AAB's commitment to streamline the government, more money in education, research and development (under the guise of human resource development), eradicating corruption and a more open press are policies I support. Somebody should question the validity of UiTM, AP's given to Bumi majority companies only and other race discriminating practices under the law. AAB cannot do this. Maybe we should seek anwar if he would.

first of all...love the floyd post there Gunnfan.

i genuinely think this little battle going on in UMNO at the moment between the major players (Dr M, AAB, KJ, Najib etc) and even Anwar, has the potential to be the biggest thing in Msian politics since 98. Echoing the sentiments of the rest on this board all I can say is it'll be mightily interesting to see how this chess game turns out. Noone is innocent, noone is a saint in politics, and definitely not Msian politics.

What cards would each party play?

Does anyone know of any (illegal) gambling scheme involving these powerhouse players? Would love to see the odds :D

AAB and/or ABB's cabinet is on the way to become one of the most indecisive, incompetent and ineffective PM/cabinet that this nation has ever seen.

Moments of indecisiveness: Inability to follow through with decisions made (publicly) on sending back of immigrants, building of bridge, etc.

Moments of incompetence: Banning a film that no one else has seen, Jasin MP openly defied the Customs officers and got a deffered decision, etc.

Moments of ineffectiveness: The fight against corruption fizzled out with the non-removal of certain cabinet members who seems to corrupt, etc.

Atleast with TDM, you either hated his policies or his guts. But you never doubted that he is decisive, competent or effective.

What is even more frightening is that our current beloved PM had to justify why he seems aloof in the local press recently.

Its sad that AAB despite his persona and noble intentions he looks certainly out of place as a PM when matters that needs to be done is left hanging !
On the other hand TM have now openly admitted that when he 'retired'he did so conditionally with regards to the 'projects' that the subsequent administration MUST continue . It reeks of the 'final' pay off that TM wants his 'supporters' to have as a goodbye present.
Guess thats nothing new like most smart CEOs on retirement makes sure he buys the company car and stocks on the cheap !
I dunno maybe Malaysia with the poor level of openess is not ready for a 'open/slow/kampung ' leadership yet!
For the average Joe its not much of a choice between these 2 old guys because they two have surrounded themselves with people of poor intellect and vision because our country is too steeped in racial/religious taboo !

TDM decisive? Have you read the exposure by Ani Arope and see how *decisive* was EPU on TNB? Ani Arope's is just one of the many, and indeed I am not surprised by his revelation. And see how decisive he is in protecting Proton and also his-all-you-know mentee.

Dont be blurred by this heroic act, but please look at the content. '

Jangan menang bersorak, kampung tergadai'

Check out:
Mahathir's outbursts " were related to parties unable to undertake huge construction projects in the country" ... He "made many decisions which had brought hardships to the people" by Mohd Taib, UMNO Info Chief at a link given at the end of
http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/2006/06/dr-m-my-successor-not-firs_114975106048707467.html
& other updates

1. TDM greatest regret was he did not create a dynasty.

2. I like the last paragraph of Rehman Rashid Open letter to TDM in NST today:
"But you of all men should know there are only three choices for the rare few: Lead, follow, or step aside."

Tun Dr Mahathir's criticism of his OWN "wrong" choice of a successor is good on hindsight; also he admits if he had opted for the other candiadte with higher votes, Najib, it's unpredictable what the consequences would be. My guess; Would have been WORSE for Malaysians...

So now the dilemma (Dr M must be quite besotted with tis word) or conundrum (I learnt this BIG word recently!) facing us Rakyat, as Howsy puts it, is there a THIRD option.

I say Yes, on condition
*1. Pas abandons its "Islam" core tenet to enable cooperation with DAP
(Its half baked compromise to allow non-Muslims to contest under its MOON banner is good for a laff! but there will be stewpid non-Muslims eating the bait, non-stewed:)
**2. Anwar Ibrahim makes up his mind quickly to lead the Barisan Alternative, viable ONLY if #1 is attainable;
otherWISE, BN will again sweep the next GE with a landslide (not 92% but still above 70%!) by DEFUALT, because you Masochistic Malaysians (majority-lah) definitely ARS(k)ED FOR IT!:(

hi jeff, do we malaysians will accept this (re)definitions for Bumiputera :-
http://www.rehda.com/bulletin/R0306.pdf (Page 8)

What does Dr M mean when he spoke about present govt being capable of doing a good job if they want to... means are there but if they come under the influence of people who have other agendas?

Perhaps if we take the classic example of the IPPs, especially in the light of what Ani Arope revealed recently, we may see some of the truth. Ani Arope stated that Tenaga, with its 250 engineers, already had plans in place to increase capacity, but the EPU bulldozed aside all that, and in the end, the Malaysian public is saddled with a burden which in large part may be due to the questionable IPP contracts. And Ani Arope pointed his fingers at Dr M when asked how the Malaysian model of IPPs was created.

The means were there according to Ani for TNB to have handled the electricity generating capacity problem, but "the EPU said it had its own plans and we were told to surrender the land. Then it surfaced that it wanted to privatise the power plants". Is there cause to question why the EPU did so? Was there any matter of coming "under the influence of people who have other agendas". Who did the EPU report to?

And then it came to the pricing and terms of the contracts with the IPPs, Ani stated that "It was all fixed up. (They said) this is the price, this is the capacity charge and this is the number of years. They said you just take it and I refused to sign the contracts. And then, I was put out to pasture."

Could the EPU have done a good job if it wanted to?. Were the means are there? Any question about any influence of people who have other agendas?

With the Ani Arope revelations made openly, I think there is ample cause for the present govt to start a thorough investigation and look into getting the answers.

The future of Malaysia and our children depends on the people in positions of influence doing the right thing. The increasing rot of the last rot of the last 22 years must stop. It is a legacy we can do without.

TDM is suffering from a “retired husband syndrome “. In Japan, this “retired husband syndrome” is creating havoc to housewives whose husbands have just retired. When these husbands retire, they have nothing better to do but rather transfer their office power to the kitchen, the lounge and really creating troubles to the wives.

Similarly, TDM was a big man having big power once, and naturally when he retired, his retired husband syndrome is giving the present PM and his cabinet and so the rakyat a big havoc. At times, it is good to look East to pick up something good, but definitely not RHS.

He should follow Karpal Singh’s advice: Retire gracefully with dignity. He should be wise enough to learn from his ex apprentice, Tun Ling, retired quietly and enjoying his accumulated wealth.

He should thank his lucky star that no one queries his accumulated wealth. Malaysians are very forgetful and forgiving such that he is not likely to face the fate like that of Suhato. He should not make anymore mistake and forget about his cronies who should by now standing on their own feet and not relying on Old Pa’s handouts. Once the baton was passed over, there was no return. The government of the day has to manage according to their ways depending on the current situation. There is no such thing as owing a favor or gratefulness. The country belongs to the people and not one’s private property. That Petronas and the government have money is a different issue. We need not necessarily spend it again on mega projects. There are more poor people who need food, clothing, good education and living space and those are a priority.

Years ago, the then prime minister of Australia, Paul Keating described TDM as “recalcitrant “.
Thinking about it, it is quite an appropriate term!

What good is transparency if there is no accountability? With so much of improper deals being highlighted here and there, the authorities must take the appropriate actions otherwise transparent for all to see and no action...what for? Make people frustrated only. So Pak Lah, you have started something good by pushing for transparency, please push for accoutability.

Tun Musa Hitam has come out with his own explanation which he calls Post-Prime Ministerial Syndrome

I don't think TDM is suffering from your so-called “retired husband syndrome “. He just want to show that he is still the "MAN" behind the scence.

He wants to flex his muscles from time to time to show people that he is still alive and kicking!

Thereare lots of good things that he can contribute to the world. But he chose not too. Like the world AIDS campaign in Africa, peace in middle east, raise fund for helping the Indonesia Earth Quake victims. But no, he wanted to do this kind of silly thing.

This is a clear evident that he is certainly a narrow hearted person. No style and no dignity.

Of course everyone knows that TDM is not a 'retired husband syndrome'. That is just a politically correct response from a well know figure in country. Do you expect Tun Musa to utter things like we do right now? Haha..

well, since the opposition is unable to provide the check and balances in the political climate, Tun M comes in handy this time around :)

Competition is always healthy... keep it going. GOOD PROBLEM! THis will only make the next election more interesting :)

If TDM really wants to help the rakyat ask him to release all the names and files of all the crooked deals so that all the money they stole can be returned to the rakyat.

confuze....

by the time the next election comes around....whatever Tun says will be forgotten..Malaysians have short memory.And will AAB last till the next election.??????

Why is Mahathir versus AAB issue given so much coverage when BN practically own all the mainstream media..Think.!!!!News of protests of fuel hikes in the city are blacked out.....i don't think the govt has gone liberal with the media. AAB has failed miserably in the since he assumed prime ministership (or given it by PM).....bridge issue, IPCMC..APs, retaining useless ministers when in his cabinet.He is under the microscope..and it is getting hotter...so the best thing to do is deflect the issue and and divert attention to make Tun as the subject of the day and villify Tun,.Tun is not an angel either..(but he is history)....,and hope that AAB will breathe easy.

AAB says PM can say anything becos this is a free country. Fair, AAB should not respond to the peronal attacks on him...but as PM he has to answer questions on the many issues that Tun highlighted....he cannot keep quiet.

A commenter here said that former Australian PM Paul Keating once called TDM "recalcitrant" and said it was an appropriate description.

Well, to update you, H.E. Paul Keating visited Malaysia last year and praised TDM as a great leader.

Mr Keating also participated actively at the Global Peace Forum.

I admire Mr Keating for his leadership, humility and dignity.

Folks

As you may know now, the subplot to this Mahathir-Badawai Drama ( MBD)is about the Crooked Bridge, among others, the straw that broke the camel's back, or the last straw that broke the Old Man's patience.

As I said, the Pak Lah had put too much faith on his son in law, whose's self-interest and self-grandisement,led to Pak Lah taking the approach he is doing now. Pak Lah is not a politician, nor his son in law. In politics, it is not just trying to to the right thing, but to do it politically right.

Here is an article that might shed light on why MAHATHIR wanted the Crooked Bridge. If the logic is correct, then Mahathir's interest to build the Crooked Half Bridge is simply BRILLIANT, a national interest strategy with long term implications. And credit must go to the Old Man, whatever you and I, with limited inside knowledge might say about Dr. M.

READ BELOW AND DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS

Not Worth The Paper It Is Written On

By

Raja Petra Kamarudin

They say in legal circles that a verbal agreement is not worth the
paper it is written on. Islam says, if a man breaks his word up to
three times, then do not take him as a friend or comrade. Islamic
scholar or ulamak Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, also currently Prime
Minister of Malaysia, gave his word and he broke it more than three
times. Abdullah, therefore, cannot be taken as a friend either in the
western or Islamic perspective.

And who did Abdullah give his word to? He gave it to previous Prime
Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad -- and of course to all Malaysians
in his 2004 Election Manifesto, which he has also broken. And what
did he promise Dr Mahathir? Many things, amongst which are that the
Scenic or `Crooked' Bridge would not be abandoned, the double
tracking railway line would be pursued, and the national car, Proton,
would be supported -- just to mention but three.

After Dr Mahathir announced his resignation to a shocked Umno General
Assembly in mid-2002, Abdullah and Dr Mahathir spent 15 months in
countless conferences to discuss what the former should and would do
when he finally takes over as Prime Minister in November 2003. Dr
Mahathir went into great detail and explained at length why he did
what he did in his 22 years as Malaysia's Prime Minister. Dr Mahathir
had a reason for his many perceived lunatic moves. Even Abdullah, who
was his deputy soon after Anwar Ibrahim's exit in September 1998,
could not understand everything that Dr Mahathir did. Now he does.

Abdullah sat there taking pages after pages of notes as Dr Mahathir
gave him a 15-month crash course in Mahanomics (synonymous with
Reaganomics). By the end of the 15-month training and orientation
programme, Abdullah understood fully what was in the head of that
strange animal called Mahathir. More importantly, Abdullah now saw
the logic in Dr Mahathir's every move and agreed that, though
sometimes somewhat devious, many of these moves were actually quite
necessary in the pursuit of the bigger objective.

Many of Dr Mahathir's moves would certainly appear loony to the
uninitiated. They would appear even stranger when viewed in the
backdrop of what was perceived as a failed plan. Dr Mahathir was a
blunderer and the many disasters he left as a legacy to Abdullah in
November 2003 laid testimony to this. But Abdullah knew they were no
disasters. He did not know earlier of course. But 15 months of
sitting in front of Dr Mahathir and taking notes as the Prime
Minister imparted his innermost thoughts left Abdullah with no doubts
that this old man knew what he was up to and these moves could only
be labelled as brilliant.

Take the Scenic or `Crooked' Bridge as one example. No one would
disagree if we were to say that this is the most stupid idea yet to
come out of Dr Mahathir's mind. Why build half a bridge? Why build
such a silly looking bridge that would wind its way around because it
had to join the Causeway halfway across the Straits of Johor or
Tebrau Straits?

If they built a full bridge, then the bridge could be built straight,
lower and shorter at maybe almost the same cost as half a bridge. But
now they are building half a bridge, so it has to be crooked and
higher -- and the cost for half a bridge is not half the cost of a
full, straight bridge. But they can't build a straight or full bridge
because Singapore will not allow their half of the Causeway to be
demolished and they are not interested in building the other half of

the bridge on their side or within their territorial waters.

Singapore could of course agree to join Malaysia in this bridge
project and agree to the Causeway being demolished and a full,
straight bridge be built to replace the Causeway. But Singapore
wanted the bridge to be packaged with a lot of other goodies, all in
Singapore's favour. These goodies would be like throwing in the
supply of sand, allowing Singapore Air Force planes more flights over
Malaysian air space, plus a re-look at the water agreement.

Dr Mahathir did not agree to this. He would not package the bridge
with all these other issues and he wanted each issue to be an issue
by itself and to be negotiated separately and on its own merits. Dr
Mahathir was no fool. He knew if he rejected Singapore's demand for a
packaged deal, then Singapore would not agree to the bridge. Malaysia
could go on with the bridge if it wanted, but it can only build a
bridge on Malaysia's side, not on Singapore's side. Therefore it
would have to be a silly-looking half-bridge that would need to be
highly elevated and winding.

That was exactly what Dr Mahathir wanted. He wanted Singapore to
reject the full, straight bridge idea and stipulate that Malaysia can
only build half a bridge if it still insisted on proceeding with the
plan. Dr Mahathir did not want a full bridge. He wanted a half-
bridge. A full bridge would mean it would have to be straight and
therefore low. A half-bridge would force the bridge to curve and
therefore it would have to be built highly elevated.

What Dr Mahathir really wanted is the space beneath the bridge which
a full bridge would not offer while a half-bridge would. And why did
he want this space? He wanted it because he wanted large container
ships and oil tankers to be able to sail under the bridge.

The Straits of Melaka is one of the busiest sea lanes in the world.
But ships plying the Straits cannot reach Johor Port unless they sail
around Singapore. So they would rather stop at the Port of Singapore
instead of coming to Johor. Even ships carrying goods bound for
Malaysia would rather stop at Singapore for transhipment to Malaysia
rather than sail to Malaysia. Once there is a highly elevated bridge,
then the ships can bypass Singapore and come straight to Malaysia.

In short, a highly elevated `crooked' bridge would boost the
viability of Johor Port and pose a serious threat to the Port of
Singapore. To be more dramatic, the bridge could actually kill the
Port of Singapore and make Johor Port the new centre for imports to
and exports from Malaysia -- plus for those Indonesian importers and
exporters as well who currently would rather use Singapore than sail
the extra distance around Singapore to come to Johor.

That was what Dr Mahathir really wanted. He was not actually
interested in the bridge. He was more interested in Malaysia
overtaking Singapore in the port business. And the crooked, high,
half-bridge would be able to achieve this. A straight, low, full
bridge would not. Dr Mahathir very cleverly manoeuvred so that
Singapore would disagree with the full bridge and would instead ask
Malaysia to proceed with half a bridge. Once they said that, Dr
Mahathir got them exactly where he wanted them. The half-bridge is
Singapore's idea, not Dr Mahathir's, so Singapore cannot now turn
around and say that they had been tricked and the bridge was merely a
Red Herring and that the real motive was to outdo the Port of
Singapore.

Somehow, along the way, Malaysia's Foreign Minister packaged the
supply of sand and more SAF flights over Malaysian air space in the
bridge deal. Dr Mahathir never agreed to this. But Abdullah did for
reasons known only to himself and his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin.
The sand would of course come from Johor and those individuals who
will be awarded the contract to supply sand to Singapore are family
members of those involved in the decision-making process at the very
top echelons of power -- those walking in the corridors of power. The
supply of sand is not a government effort but a private arrangement.
What is even more perturbing to Dr Mahathir is that Singapore did not

demand that the supply of sand be included in the deal. This idea
came from Malaysia. It was Malaysia that proposed it, not Singapore
that demanded it.

When the Johor Menteri Besar found out about the supply of sand
arrangement he was outraged. Dr Mahathir had banned the export of
sand back in 1997 and Johor was quite happy with this as the sand was
coming from Johor and it is the politicians and their cronies who are
making hundreds of millions out of it. For the first time in his life
this very polished man who always has a sweet smile for anyone he
encounters lost his cool. He never raises his voice, especially to
the Prime Minister. But that day he did and he told the Prime
Minister that Umno Johor will strongly oppose any Johor sand being
sold to Singapore. Even the palace got into the act and there was a
danger of another Constitutional Crisis erupting.

In short, there was a mutiny and Johor was in revolt. A crisis never
before seen in Malaysian history was about to explode. This was a
state-federal conflict in the making. Abdullah had blundered big
time. He had agreed that the bridge would include the supply of sand
to Singapore. Now Johor, the source of the sand, put its foot down
and threatened to resist at whatever cost, and Johor can be as
independent as Kelantan if it so wishes. They would also reveal the
names of all those who stand to benefit from this supply of sand;
family members of those at the very top of the Abdullah
administration. If you think the Mahathir-Anwar crisis was exciting,
the supply of sand to Singapore would dwarf this by far.

Two days later, Abdullah announced that the bridge project would be
aborted, after starting work on it (and incurring a liability of
RM100 million). Three weeks before that, Parliament had reiterated
the bridge project would go on and the Minister of Works himself
assured Parliament that this would be so. But now it was off. They
would not be proceeding with the bridge. They could not proceed with
it. To proceed with it would mean they have to supply sand to
Singapore. And this would create a massive crisis between the federal
government and the Johor state government. The only way out of the
supply of sand commitment would be to abort the bridge project. No
bridge, no sand, and no federal government-Johor state government
crisis, plain and simple.

But it is out of the frying pan, into the fire. Without the bridge,
there would be no way ships could sail to Johor Port through the
Straits and the Port of Singapore would continue to dominate this
region. Dr Mahathir's plan to build up Johor Port and challenge
Singapore's dominance was thwarted. And it was thwarted by no other
than his successor who had promised him that the bridge would go on.
And it was thwarted because some greedy people in the decision-making
team had tried to get rich quick through selling sand to Singapore by
packaging the sand supply deal in the bridge proposal.

Dr Mahathir was hopping mad. Abdullah had made a big booboo, and to
get out of this booboo he cancelled the bridge project. Abdullah was
trying to save his arse. But in doing so he sacrificed Malaysia.
Johor Port would now have to remain as pathetic as it has always
been. And the Port of Singapore would remain the big wheel of this
region. Flushed down the toilet is Dr Mahathir's plan for overtaking
Singapore. And, to make it worse, Abdullah had promised Dr Mahathir
the bridge would go on. And he understood fully well why it must. And
he realised that the bridge was for the good of Malaysia's commerce.
But saving his arse was his first priority. Saving Johor Port has to
come second.

That is the story of the `Crooked' Bridge. There are many other
stories such as about the double tracking railway line, the national
car, and more. Suffice to say, the double tracking railway line had
the same objective as the `Crooked' Bridge; in that Malaysia's
commerce would improve and Singapore's dominance in the region would
be given a serious challenge. But Abdullah aborted this as well.

The double tracking railway line was actually the first move. Once

the double tracking was done, then the high speed train was supposed
to follow. Imagine the day when one could live in a cheaper town like
Ipoh where property prices are half those in the big city, yet work
in Kuala Lumpur -- and the time it takes to get to work from Ipoh
would be faster than driving from Subang Jaya to Kuala Lumpur today.
The small towns would boom and development would be spread out
throughout the country instead of concentrated in a few key areas
like it is today. But that too now remains just a dream.

The MV Agusta matter is another issue. Dr Mahathir was going to use
MV Agusta to develop a peoples' car (volks wagen) that could be
marketed for as low as RM10,000, or less. MV Agusta had the
technology to do this and the cost to buy MV Agusta, in spite of it
debts, was still lower than embarking on this project doing your own
R&D from scratch. R&D costs billions of Ringgit and to develop a car
from scratch would not only cost more but would be time consuming as
well. Even if you are prepared to pay the higher cost, the time would
take too long. MV Agusta was a short cut and at a cheaper price on
top of that.

But MV Agusta was sold off for RM4 and Dr Mahathir's RM10,000
peoples' car went down the toilet, just like all the others. In fact,
the sale of MV Agusta itself raises other questions. How did they
decide who to sell it to and do those in the decision-making process
have an interest in the company that bought MV Agusta? (Which raises
the issue of conflict of interest.) Dr Mahathir knows the real story,
as he does about who those sand suppliers are, but he is not
revealing all, at least not just yet.

It is not that Abdullah is ignorant about all this. He knows the
agenda behind the `Crooked' Bridge, double tracking railway line, MV
Agusta, and much more. He knows that all these are mere catalysts for
bigger things. And he agreed that these are necessary for the future
of the country. Yet he dismantled them one by one just to make it
appear like Dr Mahathir is stupid and that all his ideas are stupid.
It is all about politics and of trying to undermine Dr Mahathir. And
what better way to do this than to dismantle what Dr Mahathir started
and give the impression that the previous Prime Minister was a nut
case. So the country suffers. So what? That is the small picture. The
big picture is: Dr Mahathir is embarrassed.

The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is another thing that Dr Mahathir was
and still is against. All those years he was prime minister he
resisted the FTA. Then, late last year, Abdullah secretly signed the
FTA with Japan whereby Japanese automobiles would have free access to
the Malaysian market while Malaysian vegetables would have free
access to the Japanese market. Malaysian vegetables? What vegetables
do we have that we can export to Japan? We do not even grow enough
for our own consumption and almost everything we eat needs to be
supplemented with imports. Anyway, do the Japanese eat our
vegetables? Abdullah might as well have signed an FTA with Canada
whereby we export ice cubes to the Eskimos.

The FTA Abdullah signed with Japan was so confidential that even the
Cabinet did not know about it until Abdullah informed its members
later, after it had been signed. The Cabinet members were shocked,
but by then it was too late to do anything about it. And how is
Proton going to survive once Japanese cars get free access to the
Malaysian market when even Europe and the United States can't compete
with them?

Proton is a dead man walking. Its days are numbered and it will be
just a matter of time when the national car folds. As the Malays
would say: siap kain kapan (prepare the funeral shroud).

Now the United States also wants the FTA with Malaysia signed and the
US-Malaysia FTA would open all government contracts and procurement
to US companies. That is the end of the New Economic Policy. The days
of the Bumiputera businessmen are numbered. Malays will have to
revert to becoming clerks and drivers again.

Dr Mahathir is beginning to doubt whether Abdullah knows what he is
doing. As far as Dr Mahathir is concerned, whatever he did, he did

with the interest of the nation at heart. But Abdullah's moves, the
way Dr Mahathir sees it, are moves of a traitor who does not care
about the country's interest. Dr Mahathir is quite prepared to allow
Abdullah to run this country the way he, as Prime Minister, sees fit.
But Dr Mahathir will not remain silent and allow this state of
affairs to continue if, as he put it, Malaysia's sovereignty is
jeopardised. Dr Mahathir would rather take on Abdullah than allow the
man to destroy this country. Not just Dr Mahathir, but many Umno
veterans as well believe that power in the hands of Abdullah is like
giving a flower to a monkey. Monkeys do not appreciate the beauty of
flowers.

COMMENT: Gratitude cannot serve as a criterion By Yeo Yang Poh, president of the Malaysian Bar

NST Letter: Gratitude
By H.S.Kuala Lumpur

10 June, 2006

WHEN one chooses a successor, one does not do so in the hope that that person will show gratitude. He should be chosen for his leadership qualities. The rakyat want a leader who can lead, create harmony, promote peace and bring progress so that our children inherit a Malaysia that is democratic, peaceful and developed by 2020.

Like Dr Mahathir, we also voted for Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, but we don’t want him to be grateful.

We just want him to be a good leader for all Malaysians. So far, he has been just that.

Please carry on Prime Minister: Don’t be distracted by discordant voices.

In business, we have to invest to create wealth. This is an ongoing process. No business no jobs. No jobs no livelihoods.

Projects undertaken by TDM when he was PM are considered national investments creating national wealth. Unfortunately, there are selfish people with hidden agenda who hijack part of the wealth from the rakyat. They are still doing it today. Some people say it is now happening on a larger scale. It makes me want to howl to the tune “Work with me, not for me”.

There are people in the cabinet who are either the mastermind hijacker or the “demonised” (seduced and converted by the greedy and cunning).

The AP scandal hit me like a bolt of lightning. The AAB government has not taken action, has swept it under the carpet, has directly condoned it, and has directly encouraged corruption and abuse of power.

Of course, AAB government wants TDM to shut up.

Looks like DAP also wants TDM to shut up. It is DAP that stirred up the infamous nude squat case that made PM Abdullah apologize to China in error. For an error committed by the PM and his advisers and his cabinet, we the rakyat have to bear national embarrassment.

I have this urge to go to the PM's Office and bang on the door. When TDM appointed him as PM, I supported, my family supported. He was dubbed "Mr Clean", "Mr Nice Guy", religious, good son, good husband, good father.

Today I wish to add:
1. "Good son-in-law" to the Datuk Mahmood family
2. "Good friend" to YB Rafidah Aziz who is a good friend of the Mahmood family
3. "Good father-in-law" to KJ

The Star (10 June) Musa: Dr M's criticism improper

Q: Did you expect this to happen?

A: Yes I did. I am not surprised because I used to joke that Dr Mahathir was suffering post-prime ministerial syndrome. Now I have the impression that he is suffering from severe post-prime ministerial syndrome. That only he is right. You cannot go on doing this. Let the others take over. They have been given the full support of the party and the people.

Q: Among the points raised by Tun Dr Mahathir was that his successor has turned back on his promises to him. Is it wrong for a succeeding government to make adjustments and invoke changes to policies or plans set by the previous government?

A: I don't know what was promised or had been said, or happened between the two leaders. Assuming that Pak Lah had made a promise to him, to me, what is important is not what he had promised the former Prime Minister, but what was promised to the people. Whatever promises and pledges made when they took the reins of power, were done in the interest of the people, nation, race and religion. When he first became the prime minister, he probably did not know then. Now he knows in depth. He says this is wrong, this is not suitable, in the national interest, this is not good. What's wrong in making changes? In my opinion, Dr Mahathir is supremely confident of himself, of his capability, to the extent that he could not find anybody who could be better than him. The fact that he had four deputy prime ministers, and each one whom he claimed had stabbed him in the back, speaks quite a lot about this man.

Q: Assuming this scenario, if you were in the Prime Minister's chair today, what would you do?

A: If I were the prime minister, I can tell you I would not be as polite as Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Enough is enough. Don't say you don't want to interfere and the next moment keep making statements to the contrary. Habit of choosing the wrong people. Had it ever occurred to him that he had been wrong, rather the people wrong? The people cannot be wrong. The boss was wrong. Petronas money is not government money. Petronas money is the people's money and the government should know it must be used. The people's money should not be abused. In this matter, surely Dr Mahathir will say Putrajaya is a very good project. OK, he was the prime minister, he built it. If the current prime minister says no, then it should not be. He can't start condemning Abdullah for that.

Thanks to a commenter here for pointing us to:

COMMENT: Gratitude cannot serve as a criterion (published in NST). By Yeo Yang Poh, president of the Malaysian Bar

I have a few questions:
1. Who are his clients?
2. What are his business connections?
3. What is his connection with AAB government?

Folks

Yeo Yang Poh, president of the Malaysian Bar is speaking in a political vacuum.

We voted Pak Lah in because Dr M nominated him as his successor.That is UMNO politics.

Malaysian voters don't vote with their brains, they vote with their hands. They vote whoever UMNO proposes as PM. That include the nonMaLay voters since 1957.

The President of Bar Council is speaking from the other end of his alimentary canal inasfar as Malay/Malaysian politics.

In the Malay culture tradition, when you give your word, you live up to it, especially a word given to your mentor. There is a Malay saying that your word is as good as your life.

Did Pak Lah talk to Dr M before breaking his word to explain why he chose a path against his word?

If Dr M had nominated Najib, Malaysians would have voted for Najib.

The President of Bar Council is spending too much of his time looking at the political culture of the West, UK and Australia etc.

He should put his legal brains into sorting out the labyrinth of Malay politics first, before trying to be a smart-alec in this political affair between two Malay leaders.

Sorry, the questions in my last comment are directed at Yeo Yang Poh, President of the Malaysian Bar.

Tun Musa Hitam got his Tunship at the recommendation of PM Abdullah (as reported in the papers). So, I guess he has no choice but to reciprocate. Not sure though if some kind of negotiation had been done between Musa Hitam and AAB people prior to the recommendation of his Tunship.

TDM has rubbed Tun Musa Hitam the wrong way when he said he had a habit of choosing the wrong people. You can’t blame Musa Hitam for feeling insulted. He had been chosen as a Deputy Prime Minister in the good old days.

A few years ago, I appreciated Musa Hitam’s comments that I found enlightening. He made comments in reference to DS Anwar Ibrahim. He said something like “If you are the number 2, you must behave like the number 2. You must not behave like you are the number 1.”

He gave me the impression that when he was the number 2, he tried to be the number 1.

SPEAK UP! :: theSun Says (9 June) Fulfilling promises made to rakyat more important

As a citizen and an ex-PM, Mahathir who is a lot more privy to state matters than the average person on the street, is entitled to speak his mind, and in the manner he chooses.

We will not question his right to speak up. And as a newspaper we will give him the appropriate space to be heard. Nonetheless, where we disagree with him we will say so. This is the editorial stance we have taken with not just Mahathir but other newsmakers and opinion shapers as well.

So let us scrutinise the salient points of what he said in his most direct attack on his successor to date

* Pak Lah was not the first in line to be his deputy as Datuk Seri Najib Razak had won more votes as Umno vice-president and it was only thanks to Mahathir that he got picked over Najib. This argument does not hold water and Mahathir of all people should know. When the late Tun Hussein Onn became PM in 1976, he picked Mahathir as his deputy over two others who had won more votes as vice-presidents - the late Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Indeed, Ghafar was so angry he refused to join Hussein's cabinet. Seniority as vice-president is not the ultimate factor in such a situation. And what Mahathir did in picking Abdullah was not unprecedented.

* Pak Lah should be grateful and keep his promises to maintain all Mahathir's policies and implement all projects approved previously. We disagree. While we may not be privy to what transpired between the two men at the time of the handover, the only promises Abdullah has to keep are the promises he made to the people when he sought their mandate in the 2004 general elections. He pledged to be a PM for ALL Malaysians although he himself is a Malay and a Muslim, and will promote an open and tolerant society. He promised that his adminstration would work hard to wipe out corruption and improve the public delivery system. He said he would pay attention to the people's well-being and human resource development, rather than erect any more towering monuments.

Mahathir may have picked Abdullah as his successor but in winning the 2004 elections, the PM's mandate came from the people and not from a power broker no matter how powerful. We are after all a parliamentary democracy and have put our feudalistic past behind us.

Truth is Abdullah has fallen short in delivering some of the promises he made to the people in 2004. The grumblings are there among the rakyat. It is those grumblings that Pak Lah should focus on addressing rather than the outbursts of one angry man, even if that man is Mahathir.

dignity2u

You are right. Tun Musa Hitam when he was No.2, he did behave like No 1. and even showing he WANTS the No 1 job.

That is the reason Tun Dr. M kick him out into the political wilderness.

In Malay politics, loyalty is just at the surface of your skin. Today's politicians are still adopting the intrigues of the palace of the sultanates of the old days.

UMNO apparatchiks were close to kissing Dr. M's toes, and washing his underwears in the 21 years he was the PM. He was worshipped almost like a demi-god..businessmen learning hobbies that Dr M liked. Every project started by Dr M was praised beyond any decency.

When the old man is no more in power, they piss at him when he is down on the ground. That's UMNO politics. It is a culture of self-interest politics.

Do they care about the fate of the nation in years to come or even the sustainability of the socio-cultural heritage of the Malays? Forget it. UMNO is not interested in these matters. They will sell their soul to the devil. They will prostitute their principles, not for the survival of the nation, but the survival of UMNO, because UMNO is the golden goose to riches.

The Straits Times [10 June]: Did Mahathir spend too much?

....

Datuk Nazri pointed out that the ex-premier had exhausted the allocation for the Eighth Malaysia Plan, an economic blueprint for the period 2000-2005, by 2003.

'It is merely a fact, as one can check with the Treasury, that the money allocated under the Eighth Malaysia Plan was used up two years before the plan finished,' Datuk Nazri was quoted in the local media as saying.

His comment adds to what is evident to Malaysians: The government has been on a belt-tightening drive and is trying to balance the deficit ever since Datuk Seri Abdullah took over nearly three years ago.

......

The former premier's defence, as contained in his reply to an interviewer recently: 'When you want to build something, do not build for the present. Build for the future.'

He is known to proudly say that most of the projects were built with Petronas cash, not from money borrowed overseas.

He also points out that it is untrue that he had spent all the money as national oil company Petronas was flush with profits due to high global oil prices.

In his comments on Wednesday, he pointedly said: 'This year, Petronas made RM83 billion and spent RM13 billion to subsidise petrol prices of the public, and it still has about RM70 billion, of which it will pay taxes of RM30 billion.'

Analysts say that while some Mahathir projects had failed, like the RM10 billion lost in setting up a steel-making industry through Perwaja Steel, others helped catapult Malaysia from an agricultural economy to the world's 18th biggest trading nation.

Critics zoom in on the Eighth Malaysia Plan as an example of imprudence, but some analysts say Tun Dr Mahathir had good reason to dip into the government kitty, as he was trying to pump-prime a slowing economy.

The plan came in the wake of the Asian economic crisis of 1997-98, and the early years of the plan saw the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the US, the post-Iraq war slowdown and the Sars epidemic in 2003.

'These were special times when he had to pump-prime the economy or else the slowdown would have been sharper,' said a banking analyst in Singapore.

The extra allocation tilted the annual government budget into deficit.

'Yes, he spent a lot, but it was for infrastructure and development,' said Mr Amin Manap, senior research manager at SBB Securities. 'True, we have a deficit, but it is nothing compared to the US.'

Still, many agree with Tun Dr Mahathir's critics when they say that a lack of transparency when awarding tenders and poor accountability have blighted many mega projects, such as Perwaja Steel.

Abdullah lucky to escape jail: Anwar

MALAYSIA'S Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, who has been savagely criticised by former leader Mahathir Mohamad, is lucky not to have been stripped naked and jailed, one-time deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday.

Datuk Seri Anwar was sacked and imprisoned in 1998 after falling out of favour with Tun Dr Mahathir, who ruled Malaysia for 22 years before stepping down in 2003.

'My limited personal experience of course was severe. At least Abdullah has not been assaulted or stripped naked and thrown into jail,' Datuk Seri Anwar said at a press conference.

'He should be thankful for the fact that he is now the Prime Minister. Had he been still the Deputy Prime Minister...the entire instruments of government from the police, the judiciary and the media will be used to hammer him.

'We should not forget because if we forget, the whole episode (could be) repeated,' said Datuk Seri Anwar. -- AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Frank&Honest, thanks for your comment.

For over two decades as PM, TDM has received both good and bad publicity – locally and globally. He has been praised and put on a pedestal. He has also been subject to criticism, condemnation, character assassination, vilification, denunciation, humiliation, ridicule and whatnot.

Countless websites poured filth on him. Today, they are still doing it. The internet offers a no holds barred experience. Readers take liberty to vent their anger and bitterness. They swear at him, curse him, curse his family, curse his future generations, curse his health, curse his death, etc etc etc.

All this severe hammering has not destabilized the Tun, or his government, or this country when he was PM. Therefore, PM Abdullah and his advisers and his cabinet should not freak out.

Once upon a time, I used to fear that the Tun would ban the rebel websites. To my unbelievable amazement, he did not.

I used to wonder whether he read any of the filth. I used to wonder how he reacted to all the swearing and cursing. Today, I ask myself, “How would I react if people curse me and my family?”

I have always been an alternative person – holding alternative views, mixing with alternative people, having alternative ideals. I believe the internet is an important tool for the alternative generation. The internet will help to create communication, awareness, education and most importantly – check and balance.

It's true that internet can instil more thinking among our masochistic Malaysians.
Check and balance? On what soild platform can you make any difference to the government's policy. The government is ignorant and most politikus are lap-dogs to their masters who lusts for more and more dog food(including some bunch of monkey lawyers) !!!
AAB, please take off your pessary and stop lurking behind your Goddamn cabinet.
Being silent and act as if no big deal to the rakyat and TDM doen't not make you a wise PM in this country.
Ktak, I don't konw what's in your westernised-mind nor your connection with the AAB. One advice for you=Don't be too one-sided.

Folks

People like Tun Musa Hitam is just doing a payback time when DR M kicked him out of the No.2. Having Star to interview Tun Musa is asking Osama to give an opinion about George Bush's action. Knowing Star belongs to MCA, UMNO's lapdog in Malaysian politics since 1957, one should beware of the propaganda intent of Star or even NST.

You will notice, both UMNO-owned and MCA-owned mainstream papers will in the coming days, will demonise Dr M, slowly and surely.

And idiots like those whose consumption, for morning for breakfast and also for lunch, day in and day out, depend on Star and NST for their informational needs, falsely believe they are well-informed and educated in local news and politics from these two papers. Not realising these half-clever self-assured Malaysians are being made daily victims of media-propaganda machine of UMNO and MCA. Reading silly comments by people like Wong Chun Wai whose writings are biased at best,deliberately misleading at worst.

And these Malaysians then post their tampered views based on the propaganda.

Wake up folks! Every time you read local politics in UMNO-owned NST and MCA-owned Star, take with plenty of salt, with your breakfast every morning.

F & H, “Having Star to interview Tun Musa…”
Did you get it right? The 75miin exclusive interview was at Tun’s house and was done by Bernama news editor Mohd Fisol Jaafar and its senior journalist Jamaluddin Mohamad. The Star’s version was an excerpt and as usual as you have pointed out very correctly, only certain parts are extracted to give a certain image of the parties concerned. Moreover ALL print media have limited space and just cannot afford the full version and also limited photos. Without the internet, we all are given “bits and pieces” for our consumption.

For a full text of the interview with Tun Musa, check it out at
http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/2006/06/exclusive-bernama-interview-tun-musa.html
with links to Dr M: Cry for answers, Dr M youngest son Mukriz and Hishammuddin comments.

It is a legacy problem for Tun M and one who has a chance to stay on for so long who now feels that whatever he has done is always good for the country and that no part should be dismantled. I cannot blame him because someone who was the prima donna no longer plays the role as number one and who feels that whatever action the successor is doing is to undo what he had done. Tun M has been to China so often and should look at the legacy of Mao which has been dismantled one by one and what is left today is the CCP that's all. The Chinese are doing well beacuse, they see things coming and are prepared to change. Everything changes except the process of change. Why can't Tun M leave the people who inherited from him to do their job instead of chipping at everything that is being done.

It's not only Malaysian politicians that have questions they don't want to answer about their background or connections... http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/the-secret-howard-plantations/2006/06/10/1149815326249.html
Not exactly on topic, I know, but it may serve as some comfort to those who think the grass is greener elsewhere.

"You will notice, both UMNO-owned and MCA-owned mainstream papers will in the coming days, will demonise Dr M, slowly and surely"

______________

I for one have no sympathy for Dr M. You live by UMNO, you die by UMNO. I don't see why he suddenly expects the rakyat to rally behind him. And if the media treats him unkindly, well, what goes around comes around. It's time Dr M learns this and he should stop complaining.

multidimid

Thanks the pointer. I may have misread the reporting in Star as you rightly pointed out.

All the same, Bernama is Govt's media vehicle.The fact is that having Tun Musa to speak about Dr. M, and knowing the history of the two, that is implicit bias, however much Tun Musa wants to appear neutral. His interviews reflect that bias, in whichever way, one tries to look at it.

The media and Bernama might as well get an interview with Anwar on the same issue.

Did the media print Raja Petra Kamarudin's article as posted above? They should to provide the balance.

Tun Dr M has his faults, as we all had commented on this blog.

But certainly having the UMNO owned and MCA owned mass media subtlely and sublimely demonising him in the name of news, which of course is UMNO-inspired propaganda, Dr M deserves the same right, as much we had demanded our right to be heard.

Dr M raised the questions for answers, he deserved support to be heard. It does not matter of what he DID in the past.. that is for history to judge him.

The present UMNO-led Govt under Pak Lah should answer his 4 questions. We too want to know.

But the damn media is setting the news agenda for the breakfast-newspaper reading half smart Malaysians to think of other views, like why should Dr. M make nasty comments about Pak Lah. Leaving that aside, the questions still need to be answer.

I think the greedy UMNO politicians are preventing the answers to be known. And the UMNO-owned NST, supported by its lapdog newspaper Star are in cahoots to demonise the old man.

banjaran

You said....It's time Dr M learns this and he should stop complaining.

But your statement does not solve the present issue.

The questions raised by Dr M are valid questions which every Malaysian, whatever his/her political persuasion or having likes and dislikes for Dr M, would like to have answers from Pak Lah for from those UMNO Ministers now in Cabinet.

Don't fall for the UMNO propaganda machine,very well played out in the UMNO owned NST and MCA-owned Star, on this particular issue. These papers set the agenda for you to think the way THEY WANT you to think for the day. Its called in journalism, agenda setting.

Read alternative news to give yourself a better balance of local politics you read in NST or STAR.

From TD Mahathir's quote, 'Every time I say something, the same people or members of the Cabinet will give their standard comments.'

Is that pathetic or an irony?
That frustrated old man has finally learned his lesson. Now that he realised the Cabinet is merely a playground for the dolts. Isn't that the case for many many events that happened throughout these years, in which brought the same fate? Whenever a question from the public is posted, the pegawai will reply us with the same, traditional, silly answers and acted in an unsincere manner. Eg. 'it is all in God's hands', 'kementerian akan menyiasat' etc. Ok that's pathetic.
Wasn't that the ministers were taught to speak those preliminary education's answers during TD Mahathir's regime? Wasn't he the one who nurtured them at first hand?
Now he is facing the dilemma of punching himself unknowingly.

Is now the right time to call for Independent Mahathir Corruption and Misconduct Commission (IMCMC)?
If TDM found not guilty,he has absolute right to say whatever he wants to.
But if he found guilty,recover all the people's monies regardless of where all the monies parked at.
Need not be sent to jail if convicted as too old and just set off with his past significant contribution to BolehLand.
TapaLah can advice the Agong to grant him amnesty.

Enough is enough for everybody.We all have lost enough energy and time in making our comments on some acrimonious remarks by TDM on Pak Lah and the government .If anything we ,perhaps , also have ourselves to blame as voters.

All said and done folks, let us now get back to work and at the same time those in the government should do likewise to ensure that the year's budget and the 9nth Malaysia Plan are achievable.There is a lot of hard work in front of all of us folks.

As regards TDM we take cognizance that he had already made tremendous contributions to the nation.These were achieved not without blunders and disasters.But that is the risk of growth,renovation and change;no pain no gain folks.

TDM has retired and his era is over.He should now learn how to take live easy and relax.His views and wisdom however should not be lost.He should be consulted and his communication with the government should be facilitated and not denied.Appropriate channels of communication should be created for him.Just let me and my colleague use the alternative public domain such as the Internet to air our views.

The quest for political correctness and the truth of the government's failure in some aspect must be pursuit by any means. Malaysian are forgetful and forgiving, but we have to retain the dignity to know what was happening right at the core of the decision-making Cabinet. You might thought those failure were made in the past and therefore in appropriate to recite them. The more secrecy hidden in the agenda, the more curious Malaysians can become. So it's better for the leaders to rectify 4 main issues as soon possible for the sake of national interest and to regain our trust on our PM.

Suria Kenchana

You said...
let us now get back to work and at the same time those in the government should do likewise to ensure that the year's budget and the 9nth Malaysia Plan are achievable.There is a lot of hard work in front of all of us folks.

True. But you can't move forward with this disturbing suspicion hanging on the Govt ministers making decisions not in the best interests of the nation. Corruption? Nepotism? Sheer Incompetence or Political maneuvrings at the expense of the rakyat.

That is why the 4 questions of Dr M should be answered by Pak Lah's Govt.

Leave aside our criticism of the old man, take te messenger out of the equation, and lets focus on the message.

UMNO's propaganda machine is trying to kill off the messenger, so that the message is lost, and we, of all people, should know better.

F&H
I appreciate your effort and your dedication for this issue.
Folks
Why did TDM have to take fuss to be in the media spotlight again after almost 3 years? Why did he have to work against all the odds when he can be a passive player in the UMNO?
The possible reason is that TD Mahathir cannot bear the misjudgement from Pak Lah anymore. He has inevitably(or on purpose) screwed up his meticulous plans one after another. Such plans involved a mammoth capita and a degree of preparation , but to the bitter dissapointment of TDM and the people, they were destined to be washed away to the gutters.
I believe such plans were strategic to the Malaysian economy at the expense of long-term investment. Whether it was the inability of the government or the government was undermined by some influence, we shouldn't have questioned the role TDM at first. This is a crucial momment for us to be able to differentiate professional and the foul journalism.

Of the 4 issues I accepted the explanation of the govt on the crooked bridge and MV Augusta.
I can't still fathom their explanation on the AP issue. Like TDM, I can't understand why we need to continue the issue of APs to profit certain UMNOputeras? Also the sacking of Tengku Mahaleel, why sack him when he is making money for Proton?

Since TDM is crying so loud for transparency,ABB should just open all the old files and let us see how the big money were allocated during his(TDM) glorious 22 years.

So folks some of us insist in getting obvious answers to the four loaded questions of TDM before going back to work again.

Ok let me attempt to provide them:-

1)On crooked bridge let me recite an old malay nursery rime:-

"coo kook kook ula dan Kura-Kura sudah mati;Apa itu jambatan Bongkok Kalau tidak tempat Kera meninti."

It really means that crooked bridge is really where monkeys fool around giving an opportunity for monkeying for some.We therefore should just cut it off.

2) MV AUGUSTA issur really relates to "cut loss" -remember it is not equivalent to "hair cut" it is more like "potong Kepala"

3)AP should not be an issue at all for it means " Aku Punya".

4)As regards the sacking of my old friend Tengku Mahaleel, he should do better in politics than in Business.

Now folks take it from me that those who continue to gabble with the past will certainly miss the future.Also remember no pain no gain;no risk no return.

Let us just move on then and make sure we are wiser when we go to the poll next time around.Let us go back to do serious work now.

“Retired husband syndrome” or “Post Prime Ministerial Syndrome” or whatever appropriate name deemed fit, what I was trying to say is some kind of a withdrawal symptom a retired person is likely to face. In fact most of the so called high power people like CEOs, senior managers, high ranking officers from the government, and heads of the families do suffer this kind of syndrome at times the moment they retire. When this kind of people is in power, many people surround them and try to get favor from them in terms of business or positions. The social status immediately drops once they retire. They could feel lost and lonely as people no longer listen to them. This is a reality. What TDM needs is to adjust his lifestyle, if not his life could be very miserable. After all, people at his age is already at the end of the line, he might as well retire peacefully and perhaps write some books like his own memoir, telling the experiences which could be more beneficial to the people.

To say Pak Lah was a second best choice is an insult to Pak Lah as well as to TDM himself. Don’t tell me that in his life TDM is always choosing the second best. It is no wonder that our education system, our graduates could be so substandard because he aims for the second best. All the people he chose were second best, that is why our projects fail one by one in cost as well as in completion. Semi value could only blame all the failure to a person with a clerk sitting at a table under the Ministry of Finance, led by TDM who invented the “Turnkey “to replace open tender system. That person had all the power to dictate who should get the job. I suppose second best people would be chosen.

TDM may be a brilliant thinker, but his management style was appalling. The whole country is a total messed up. Corruption becomes a culture, projects with inflated price fail miserably, graduates are unemployable, judicial system collapsed, police’s brutality used to protect his regime, but fail to cope with the rising crime rate, racial polarization, fail to train up properly the successors who only learn one skill; nodding head. That may be due to his habit of choosing second best. On the contrary, his contemporary, LKY of the tiny red dot down South gets the best from all over the world to help managing the country.

Perhaps, he thought Pak Lah, the second best is a lame duck and could be controlled easily. He fails to understand that the sword has two edges which could act to his disadvantage. Water could float the boat but could capsize it too. If Pak Lah could be manipulated, he could be as well manipulated by some smart arse too. TDM has been shooting eagles all his life but this time apparently it looks like his eyes have been pecked by a small sparrow.

Lastly, there is a degree of difference when Paul Keating remarked TDM as “recalcitrant “when both were prime ministers and a “good leader “later on when Paul is just an ordinary citizen. The latter is purely for politeness.

Suria Kenchana

Sweeping dirt under the carpet is one of the major problems in Malaysia.

Pretending the Elephant in the room does not exist.

And you tend to belong to that category of Malaysians. A typical mentality of the mass media in Malaysia, creating an amnesiac mentality of the current crop of Malaysians

Kingkong

Yes I am willing to accept that Dr M could have been more diplomatic or could have spiced his comments with less emotional outbursts.

But we all know that is not his style, whether when he took on the US and western powers, or the international Jewish lobby.

To do so otherwise would be out of character for the old man.

To me, the fact remains, the 4 questions he raised, still need to be answered.

We should not be too distracted by the character assassination, as much as we condemned him for insulting Pak Lah.

As rational Malaysians, don't you think we want those 4 questions answered not by Suria Kenchana (whose views here have no relevance or the slightest importance) but by Pak Lah's coterie of Ministers.

King kong

The right terminology for this melancholy is normally referred by corporate analysts as a "has been syndrome" ,as you have correctly observed the sufferers are most of the time those holding senior positions especially those who have been very passionate with their job and those who excel .Among the primates this syndrome is also observed among the alpha males as they began to loose their dominance over their females to the young upcoming challengers.

So what do we do next then folks ? Wait for the moon to fall ?Meanwhile go hungry ?

To Frank & Honest,

I absolutely agree with you that Pak Lah and his administration must give answers to the four questions raised.

However I also feel that a leader must walk the talk. TDM did not show a good report card in his 22 years of reign. In fact, much damage to the country was done in his era. Now he came back to slap on his own face and do you expect people would rally behind him. Training of competent successors is his responsibility and is important in the management game and he had also failed it miserably. Singapore is continuously training young people to receive batons and everybody could see it.

Do we have much choice now? We have only a bunch of brain dead leaders whose skill is nodding head in front of a tyrant. What happens to those Oxbridge elites? Aren’t they new blood to provide hope for the country? Just a question!

To Suria Kenchana,

There is one thing we call “work “and “survival “. In the 1997 economic crisis, the kampong folks in the remote area fare better than the city folks. They catch fish from the sea, they plough in their small plot of land, small acre of plantation, rearing cattle, chicken and goats, preparing cooking oil from the coconuts, and they survive better.

Work hard and smart and live a simple life, my dear friend you won’t go hungry in this land of plenty.

Kingkong

You said...Training of competent successors is his responsibility and is important in the management game and he had also failed it miserably.

In UMNO politics, traning successors is not a priority..it can even lead to a leader's downfall.

The only PM who ever honestly, sincerely and did a good job of training a successor was the Tunku himself. He trained Tun Razak very well, in fact made him do all the work (learn by doing).

Later Prime Ministers never got along with their Deputies.

Tun Razak pullled Hussein Onn out of the blue to be PM instead of Gaffar Baba, his Deupty. Hussein Onn did the same thing, choosing Mahathir over Gaffar Baba, the Deputy.

Mahathir did one better. He kicked out his Deputy, the now Tun Musa, who he saw was trying to outshine the PM, and then sent his second Deputy to jail, for being impatient to be PM.

Now after selecting his successor, Mahathir thinks he made a mistake. The question is why did Mahathir think he made a mistake after choosing Pak Lah as his successor.

Here's the secret: Mahathir blundered in his calculation. He did NOT factor in the role of Khairy, the famous son in law, who became over influential in Govt policies, not only in UMNO, when Pak Lah became PM.

Mahathir saw Pak Lah as too weak and too dependent on his son in law, whose latest adventures in business and in UMNO YOuth, which Dr M and many others in UMNO and UMNO Yout see, as are not of national interest or public interest, but more for his own personal interest.

The 4 issues raised by Dr Mahathir are the fronts to take the son in law out of the political equation in UMNO politics.

This is where Pak Lah is caught in the middle. Being a father in law or being a PM ? He has to make a choice. And the son in law's cronies, including the former MST GEIC Kalimullah, will force Pak Lah's hands, because too much rinngit are involved.

The Old Man is hopping mad because after thinking he got all the set pieces in placed, he misread the famous son in law, being seen by the Old Man as the ink in his milk, so to say.

Training successors is not part of the terms of reference of a PM. Training good cronies is main objective, from family members, better still.

F & H
Answers to the 4 questions have been given. It's just that TDM will never be satisfied until he gets the answers he wants to hear.What may they be? Let me make some guesses:
On the bridge - yes, we made mistakes in the negotiation process. Selling of sand and air-space rights were not on the negotiation table and should not have been included in the equation. Our chief negotiator is to be stripped of all government posts.
On AP's - Rafidah has too close a relationship with people who got a lion's share of AP's in the past few years and her impartiality is suspect. She is to be removed from MITI and ACA will be called to investigate.
On Tg Mahaleel - he will be re-instated in Proton.
On MV Augusta - We thought we were being smart in 'cutting loss' but now realise the folly. We will remove Azlan hashim and the rest of the proton Board responsible for the decision.
By the same token, TDM should also give similar responses to why the judges were removed in 1988, who is responsible for the IPP fiasco, what really happened with Perwaja etc.

F&H...It was interesting to read all your inside information on the greater objective of the crooked bridge and the sand issue which for joe public like me was indeed enlightening to say the least but the part of a 10k rakyatwagon is really puzzling ! Do we have the economies of scale and the marketing expetise to sell the 10k car overseas as just serving the locals would seem unviable due to our limited market of potentially what 25 miilion population and T Mahaleel's tenure is not critical to protons survival ! Keeping a protected proton seems to be the only way out so T Mahaleel can be any one of the 'croonies' maybe not one TM himself would have liked.
Would hope to hear more comments on the greater bridge objective from all of you out there !

say nothing, do nothing, know nothing...that's the creed some leaders live by.

To Frank & Honest,

If there is no honesty and integrity, a person does not fit even as a decent person, let alone a leader.

For his 22 years of ruling, by applying tricks, tyranny, manipulating racial sentiments, and covering butts, TDM has put his credibility at stake. Now, he comes out for the national interest, majority of the people don’t believe. It reflects in that there are more people rallying behind Pak Lah.

LKY of Singapore said he would jump out of the grave to nail those who commit corruption, I think people believe that. His credentials say so.

I think Tun Razak did not do a bad job. Capability was his choice rather than seniority which could be just a piece of dead wood. He made his choice and he supported it all the way.

Kicking Tun Musa was a bad deal FOR THE NATIONAL INTEREST just because Musa outshone him. Similarly, thousands of Malaysian talents were denied of further study opportunities during his era because of this kind of narrow mindedness. At the end of the day, you are short of competent people. The country needs to be supported and run by a team of many talented people, not by one egoistic and arrogant man who secretly thinks he is right all the time. If you don’t train, you don’t get the people, as simple as that, not every crony is trainable.

The Chinese has a saying: “Feng Sui keeps rotating “one day one has to eat his own humble pie. I think a small sparrow now is pecking his eyes.

We, as common people, honest taxpayers, are actually caught between the evil and the deep sea. Perhaps, this is a good opportunity for the opposition to do something to turn the table round provided they have competent people. (again training is important, even suicide bombers need to be trained)

Puddingamab’s comment makes sense that whether the ex tyrant would ever accept the answers or not is questionable.

Anyway, I like your name, Frank & Honest, especially the “ Honest” part. It is only through honesty one’s deeds could survive the testing of time. In the old days, honesty was a virtue ( Tunku, Tun Razak, Hussein Onn ), but now people seem to think otherwise.

richL

You said....By the same token, TDM should also give similar responses to why the judges were removed in 1988, who is responsible for the IPP fiasco, what really happened with Perwaja etc

Yes, I fully agree with you. Dr M got away with them, to our loss.

Even if he answers them now, he would say he is no more accountable.

What Pak Lah should do now is to re-instate the independence powers of the judiciary, which was stripped by Mahathir, abolish ISA, chop off the uncontrollable misbehaviour of UMNO Youth, for a start. If he does that, Dr M would not be that hopping mad.

This whole affair starting with the Semangat 46, Sacking of the Judges, Jailing of Anwar and now the Pak Lah leadership, shows that the chicken has come home to roost on UMNO... for all the untenable political maneuvrings at the expense of the rakyat.

While UMNO is unravelling today and in some ways imploding in spurts, it will mature as a political party ....

We are a looser now as our leaders end up quarreling and we were a looser before as we have signed a contract for 999 years for the supply of water to Singapore at 3sen per gallon with no clear terms for its revision.This issue appears to be the genesis of the the current altercation between the two UMNO gangs .It is basically an UMNO family feud which now threatens to engulf everyone of us.

This ridiculous contract have placed Singapore in a position of strength in any of its dealings and negotiations with us.The issue of the "scenic" or "crooked" bridge is just a ramification of this stupidity.The culprit that we must go after in the final analysis is actually the party that signed this contract.

Why no one raise this question now in the context of the current finger-pointing exercise ? As it was pointed out before some details of this contract were advertised by the Singapore government in our local papers when the issue was first debated some 4 years ago.

Some have speculated that we were lured into signing the agreement by the wishful hope for an "off-set package" from Singapore in the form of land concessions ( probably the KTM occupied land in Singapore)which could be "hived-off" ,by not tying it directly to the water supply contract.It was a stupid attempt driven by greed to get blood out of stone.The fact that KTM had finally been privatised to UMNO related companies and that of their cronies seems to give credibility to this.

The irony of the hole situation is that the whole country had been drawn into a fiery debate and finger-pointing exercise and in the process we have been fooling and deceiving each other as to the root of the problem.

Only Dr.M has the clue or could even be the person responsible for this imbroglio as the agreement was signed during his premiership .He therefore has a duty to enlighten all of us on this blunder.

puddingarnab

Here is something more on the sand issue that got Dr M's temperature rising to 110 F.

Here is an excerpt from an article by Raja Petra Kamaruddin. (read below)

"But what is Dr Mahathir’s beef?

What is he so hot and bothered about?

We have in fact addressed all this in the previous episode of The Corridors of Power. Anyway, in case you did not catch our drift then, let us take you through some of the issues again.

Dr Mahathir’s first beef is about the supply of sand to Singapore. He had banned the export of sand back in 1997 -- so, ‘legally’, sand cannot be exported to Singapore or anywhere else for that matter. Abdullah then announces the cancellation of the bridge three weeks after it is announced in Parliament that the bridge would go on at all costs.

And the reason given for the cancellation of the bridge is because Singapore wants the supply of sand thrown in as a package.

Dr Mahathir then discovers that it was not Singapore that demanded the supply of sand be included as a package in the bridge deal but Malaysia that offered it without Singapore even asking for it.

Then Dr Mahathir discovers that the sand suppliers are top guns in Umno Johor who stand to make billions from the deal.

The King of Sand Suppliers is an Umno Youth leader who contested the Muar Youth Head post but lost by one vote. Since he lost by only one vote they wanted a re-contest but the Umno Youth Chief offered him RM300,000 if he would agree to withdraw and not challenge the incumbent.

Needless to say, while the incumbent is Hishammuddin Hussein’s man, the challenger, the biggest sand supplier in Johor, is Khairy’s nominee.

The bridge was aborted not because Singapore wanted the supply of sand thrown in, as what they say.

It was aborted because the Johor State Government opposed the extraction of sand from its territory, especially if it was going to be supplied to Singapore.

Johor wants the bridge, but it does not agree to the supply of sand.

But then the supply of sand had already been packaged in the bridge.

So, the only way to get out from the supply of sand clause was to cancel the bridge. And they had to blame the cancellation of the bridge on Singapore, so they said that Singapore wanted the supply of sand thrown in; that is why they want to cancel the bridge.

That is Dr Mahathir’s first beef."