The Great 1-Malaysia Sale - Comments

The following are comments from MalaysiaKini:-

'What else will go missing? The country?'

'Back in 1995, PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad was quoted as saying 'lama-lama kapalterbang pun hilang juga' when he was asked about a gold heist at the Subang airport.'

Missing jet engine: PM promises no cover-up

Raja Rajan: Back in 1995, prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was quoted as saying 'lama-lama kapalterbang pun hilang juga' when he was asked about a gold heist at the Subang airport. Well 14 years on, nothing much has improved in terms of national security. It has worsened.

Alright, it's only an aircraft engine, not a plane yet. But the government has always said it was thwarting an imminent threat to national security whenever it arrested its political opponents under the ISA, how come it missed these guys at the Sungai Besi RMAF airbase?

Aren't they traitors who betrayed the government, nation and the king? Remember an arms heist at a Mindef base a few years ago? Nothing happened to the culprits. Nothing will happen now either. What else would go missing? The country? Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should resign.

Tan Kian Khim: Najib says '...no cover-up in missing jet engine investigation'. Clearly he means that this 'investigation' will be just like the 'no cover-up investigation' over the submarine commissions, Sukhois and Altantuya Shaariibuu murder.

Has anyone checked whether the submarines still have their engines? Do the Sukhoi fighters still have wings? Do the soldiers actually have ammunition in their rifles or did someone sell that to Iran too?

Maybe I should go and pick up a few missiles to sell for extra pocket money, since it seems so easy to smuggle a jet engine off an RMAF base.

Sivakumar Subramaniam: Dear prime minister, let me see if I understand your statement correctly. What you're saying is that a few 'motivated' personnel are all it takes to smuggle our defence capabilities out of the country outside of the control of your Defence Ministry and the only measure you are taking is to let the armed forces discipline their own soldiers.

God help us if some country wages war on us, or if our weapons land in the wrong hands.

Doc: Thank goodness the perpetrators were kind enough to only steal one engine. I presume the jet can still fly with the other engine (assuming that the other engine is still around and in working order). In view of the '1Malaysia' concept; '1engine', also can fly la!

Knowing the current ruling government's trend; they will probably buy back the engine from the South Americans at double the cost they sold it to them.

Playfair: The military has had many cases of goods or/and money being stolen, lost, misplaced and misappropriated. But it has never faced such serious losses of sensitive items as under Najib Abdul Razak's watch as defence minister. The al-Ma'unah arms heist and the stolen C4 high explosives all involved loss of life.

The question is, should not the defence minister then be also responsible and accountable for such glaring thefts at his ministry? At least the moral responsibility to own up to it. It is this kind of evasion of responsibility that undermines the trust in the integrity of the nation's political leadership.

Saya Boleh: What does he mean 'no cover-up'? The whole damn episode has been covered up since 2007. It's shameful.

They roped in an innocent Sin Chew journalist and Seputeh member of parliament Teresa Kok under the ISA for being an alleged threat to national security, but let off a brigadier-general and his 40 thieves (with full pension) who have clearly breached national security. The minister in charge should have resigned or be sacked immediately.

Remember the defence minister's reaction on this issue when he said 'a group of low-ranking officers were in cahoots with civilians in the well-planned theft and sale of the RM50 million engine'?

Well, if the minister of defence considers a brigadier-general as a low-ranking officer, then he has no business being the minister of defence at all. This is another big lie from BN.

Abil: The jet engine was missing from 2007 and only now this has been revealed. Is this not complacency on the part of authorities? C4 explosives too have been lost in the past.

This is a very serious breach of national security and but everyone seems to be waiting for this and that report before bringing the culprits to justice. Great for Najib and his KPI.

AM Ayob: Why didn't Najib promise a 'no cover-up' in the Altantuya case? Is it because he was afraid the most undesirable would turn up? The stinkiest can of worms that can send some individuals to jail for a very long time?

However, in the missing plane engine case, the people implicated are not important to the PM; they are people that he can do without. Allah knows best.

SameSame: Let me get this right. He said there will be 'no cover-up'. Does that mean and that such issues are normally covered-up?

Frankie Tan: No wonder those Nuri helicopters have been crashing so often throughout their lifespans. Could be that some of their engines were stolen to be replaced by Proton car engines?

The Great Malaysia Sale!!

"Bongkersz Bong Hmm.. RT @nstonline:It's two engines stolen as Najib pledges no cover-up: KUALA LUMPUR: Not one but two http://bit.ly/6jOGnx"

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Hello Chief: Where are the skyhawks!

21/12/2009 by drrafick

1. My conversation with a retired Air Force General about the missing F5E jet engine led to me to an interesting story. I was intrigue when he cajole told me that there is nothing to be shocked about a missing engine when an entire fleet of aircraft went missing from the TUDM inventory. Entire fleet of aircraft! What was he talking about? I thought he was kidding and making his usual jokes about aircraft missing from the radar screen but when he said that it was missing from the TUDM inventory that led me to place few more calls.

2. It appears that via a special G to G arrangement, the Malaysian government bought 80 A4 Skyhawks from the USAF in the 80’s. It was delivered to us at the beginning of 1984. These are working aircraft with plenty of mileage to go. Thirty five aircraft was brought back to Malaysia and was used in the service. A few dropped from the sky, one went missing over South China Sea (Lt. Wahi) and the rest was used until it could not be used again. Some became spare parts. The balance (45 jets) was left in the California dessert parked under the scorching sun. It was never brought back.

3. The 45 aircraft that was left in the Californian dessert was never brought back. It was place under the management of a company in the US. This company ends paying the parking chargers for years. Sometime between the years 2000 to 2003, RMAF decided to take back the aircraft and sell them off. Our TUDM officers from KL were sent to look for the aircraft in the dessert. They found it but the shocking part is that they no longer legally own the aircrafts.

4. As it turns out, the paperwork involving the purchase went missing and the Air Force were not able to show proof of ownership. Therefore they could not take out the Skyhawks from the open air parking area. The haggling and tussle over the ownership continued for several years until it became clear that the aircraft ownership cannot be ascertained. The Malaysian government paid for it but did not kept the receipt.

5. I remember the matter was raised in parliament several years back and unverified reports indicates that the aircraft was sold to an American company for pittance. Maybe our MP’s should revisit this matter again. My friend was right when he said entire fleet of 45 aircraft disappeared from TUDM Inventory. In actual fact it was not even recorded in the TUDM inventory. Since it did not go into our books despite paying for it and having no receipt to show proof of payment, then no aircraft actually went missing. The only thing missing is the money for the 55 aircraft!

6. Coming back to the missing RM50 mill engine which is fixed on a USD 2 mill aircraft, I am perplex to read in the papers today that a Brigadier General and his 40 man was asked to leave service early. (Sounds like Ali Baba and the 40 thieves).They was not charged. There was no court martial. It appears the General and several others lose their pension but upon appeals got it back. What the heck is wrong with the system? No one even realized that the General was asked to leave until the story came to limelight in today’s news. I am sure we all can predict on why the story was released to the MSM today. It wanted to show that the government did something.

7. I am not sure whether taking administrative action is sufficient in this case. We are talking about CBT. We are talking about a missing RM50 mill jet engine that was supposed to be fitted on a USD 2 mill aircraft. Knowing the Malaysian way of wanting to settle problems, it was managed quietly the wrong way. In the meantime, everyone had forgot about the 55 aircraft that Malaysian Government paid but not admitted into TUDM inventory. Maybe they went into the army or navy inventory. Who knows mixed up can happen.

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It’s a conspiracy, lawyer Rosli tells court

Mon, Dec 21, 2009

National

KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyer Rosli Dahlan told the Sessions Court here today that he was the a victim of conspiracy by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

He said the then Anti-Corruption Agency wanted to fix him up as he was representing former Commercial Crime Director Ramli Yusuff, who was accused of various offences in 2007.

Rosli, of Lee Hishamuddin Allen & Gledhill, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of ignoring a notice to declare his assets before Sessions Court judge Abu Bakar Katar and was testifying on the first day of the hearing.

He said the MACC claimed it gave him the notice because he was regarded as an accomplice to Ramli.

“I told them I am a lawyer,” he said. “How can a lawyer become an accomplice? Of course, in line with the law, I told them as a lawyer I am bound by client-lawyer confidentiality.

“But I was prepared to declare that I never owned any such assets.”

The hearing continues tomorrow.

Rosli is defended by K. Kumarendran.

MOJO

As you may have noticed, I haven't been posting much these days - and the reason was/is Mojo, my Beagle. It was a big decision for me, as I deem it a cruelty should I not be able to give it due love & attention.

After much deliberation (and initially chickening-out), I decided to take up the responsibility - and I have no regrets, despite being tired out by this bundle of joy, at the end of every day.

Mojo is now 3 mths old, and has never been trained - and yet, it has learned in a few short days, simple commands like "No", "Sit", "Come", "Bad Girl" .... and she can play non-stop!!

She is especially a "good girl" when she wants us to take it out of the play pen to run around freely - it sits quietly with its pleading eyes. (A friend told me that we shouldn't melt, as they're cleverer than Umno guys, who know who the boss is instinctively, know whom/when to bodek, how to plead, bribe and then misbehave when they can get away with it!)

Despite Beagles being known to be "barky" dogs, Mojo has been very well behaved - it never barked unnecessarily to disturb the neighbors (which is I suppose more than I can claim about our Umno/BN politicians!! Ha Ha!!). It of course barks (beagles actually "bay", rather than bark) when it wants some attention & manja/pampering when it sees people- which is quite understandable for a pup.
Mojo is probably the best decision I've made in a long time - and I'm glad I got her for Christmas. Hope I'll have many more years with Mojo .....

RPK - On Anak Bangsa Malaysia.

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Stop the HOGWASH & deliver the 3rd vote, PR!!

PR- You will lose all that you gained,
if you fail to deliver on a signed agreement with the people.
Don't even think of using Racism as an excuse not to deliver - EVER!!!
Now PR - stop the racist hogwash & Listen up!!
The following from Haris couldn't have said it better....

Pakatan Rakyat akan mengukuhkan demokrasi kerajaan tempatan? Is that it?

December 18, 2009

“Genuine democracy must provide meaningful space for the people to express their views and to participate in various processes of daily administration and not merely to voting once in five years. All interest groups must be allowed to present and debate their views. Information will be freely available subject to strictly defined restrictions. To this end, we will pass the necessary legislation to provide for local council elections“ - Item 1 of Part B, entitled ‘Build A Genuine Democracy’, of The People’s Declaration.

The People’s Declaration was formally endorsed by DAP, PKR and PAS on 23rd February, 2008, just before the 12th General Elections, without any reservation. The 3 parties must therefore be taken to have agreed to the aspiration of the rakyat to restore local council elections. You can view the video evidence of this endorsement HERE.

“The other key electoral reform that PR pledges to implement relates to the revival of local elections. Local government forms the underpinning of democratic values and public accountability at the grassroots. On March 2, 1965, the then government suspended local government elections in the nation. Since then, it has consistently refused to restore local elections, knowing full well the anti-BN mood of the urban electorate. In the meantime, the present unelected form of local government established under BN rule has engaged in systemic wastage, mismanagement and corruption. PR pledges to reintroduce local government elections as a major step forward in curtailing the inefficiency, power abuse, mismanagement and corruption that is presently endemic in local governments” - as provided in the draft Common Policy Platform for Pakatan Rakyat, prepared by Zaid Ibrahim and presented to the leadership of DAP, PKR and PAS for their consideration.

You will note that the pledge incorporated into the Zaid draft is consistent with the declared aspiration of the rakyat as contained in The People’s Declaration.

“Keberkesanan amalan sistem demokrasi bergantung kepada keutuhan pelaksanaan doktrin pemisahan kuasa. Integriti sesebuah kerajaan bergantung kepada kebebasan, kebolehpercayaan dan kewibawaan institusi-institusi yang diamanahkan untuk menjamin keseimbangan antara cabang eksekutif, kehakiman dan legislatif. Pakatan Rakyat akan mengukuhkan demokrasi kerajaan tempatan dan meningkatkan kecekapan serta keberkesanan sistem penyampaian dan menjamin ketelusan di semua peringkat secara demokratik” – draft Common Policy Platform for Pakatan Rakyat, finalised by the drafting committee of the Pakatan Rakyat secretariat, for deliberation at the Pakatan Rakyat Convention on 19th December, 2009.

I shall be attending the Convention to hear first hand the rationale why the drafting committee of the Pakatan Rakyat secretariat has dropped the pledge, as proposed in the Zaid draft, to restore local council elections, from the Common Policy Platform for Pakatan Rakyat.

I also want to see for myself whether Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives who have assured me that they will be rasing the matter of the restoration of local council elections at the Convention, in fact walk their talk.

Second Class?!! They Shed Blood, So That You Could Eat!!

"Its proven historically that this is Tanah Melayu.

Others are categorised as second-class citizens."
~Ahmad Mahayuddin Abd Manaf (of the Cowhead Dirty Dozen).

'Keling' - they helped make this country great
(Letter from MalaysiaKini)

Lt Col (Rtd) Mohd Idris Hassan
Dec 11, 09
5:23pm

I refer to the Malaysiakini report Of noisy Indians and 'keling' blood: Utusan strikes again.

The attacking of fellow Malaysians by the mainstream media Utusan Malaysia because of their race is unwarranted and most uncalled for. I remember in the late forties when I was a little boy living in my hometown of Raub, Pahang.

I used to pass road gangs of Tamil labourers toiling in the midday's scorching sun from dawn till dusk. Armed with only picks and shovels, they would be hacking at solid rocks to carve out roads along the mountain side.

They had no proper attire, just a withered white towel tied in turban form on their heads. They would wrap rags around their spindly legs to prevent the hot molten tar from scalding them as they went about their chores.

Yet they had time to smile and wave at passing cars. They used to be referred to as 'coolies' and their slave-like living quarters as coolie lines. My late father used to tell us that most of the roads in Malaya at the turn of the century were built solely by Indian labour.

They toiled in the malaria-infested rubber estates, living with their families in filthy inhuman conditions. The white 'tuan' treated them like slaves and allowed them to indulge in drinking toddy to forget their woes .

Yet again it was the same coolies called 'toties' who serviced our bucket system latrines until the early sixties as there were no takers for this job from the other races. I have seen for myself these 'toties' cleaning the rubber tubs at a stream not far from my house with their bare hands.

In short, when there was any dirty, menial job to be done, it was this Tamil coolie, then often called by the derogatory term 'keling', that did it for us.

Now times have changed and their offsprings have made much progress in all fields and want to take their rightful place in our society .Let's not pour scorn on them and laugh away their pride.

As a soldier I know that many of my Indian/Tamil friends who fought and died for this country . They all are a part of those who stood by us during the good and bad times, they have helped make this country great.

A country which rightfully belongs to all Malaysians.

The Conflict is Between Religiosity & Spirituality - Not Secularism & Religiosity.

"If PAS wants to avoid falling into this trap it should have
very clear and very public objectives about how it wishes
to resolve this conflict between secularism and religiosity."
~Batsman, "So Where Do We Go From Here"

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The following is a comment I gave in reply to the above article (with minor editing):

Dear Batsman,
I must say that this is a nice piece - in fact, I myself had similar sentiments. However, I would like to suggest that you replace the word "religiosity" with "spirituality" and "conflict" with "balance", in the context of the following sentence above:-
"If PAS wants to avoid falling into this trap it should have very clear and very public objectives about how it wishes to resolve this conflict between secularism and religiosity."

Before I say any further, allow me to apologize, should any of the following be flawed from the perspective of Muslims - and I would welcome any criticism.
As I see it, Islam isn't about religiosity, which entails the observation of rituals - I believe that it is more of "good practices in the context of spirituality".

Having said that, spirituality requires enlightenment and reason, so as to bring about justice through good practices – and this precisely what the ideal of "secularism" is all about. Contrary to your opinion, it is my belief that "secularism" isn't necessarily in conflict with the tenets Islamic (or any other) spirituality, in the big picture – but it is definitely in conflict with religiosity, which PAS advocates in its politics, through the trappings of "cultural" practices and outdated opinions.

It is is also the opinion of quite a number of thinkers, that secularism does not necessarily mean "secularization of society" - wherein religious convictions are frowned upon. It only describes the polity which is required in achieving towards building a dynamic nation, which practices equality. It is a polity that requires reason as opposed to rules based on primordial Arab/Islamic/Roman/Christian societies which claimed to represent "Godly" motives.

Today, "secularism" has been demonized by the religious communities as being "evil", through ignorance and bigotry. They fail to understand that "secularism" not only protects the rights of individuals to freedom of religion, but also protects religion from the corruption of politics, and in fact even itself, by limiting the idiosyncrasies of power hungry "godmen".

Little do many a faithful see, that much of what has been touted as "god-ordained" in religious polity, is nothing but thinly veiled greed and envy. Having failed in its ability to reason, the advocates of this system (clamouring for issues and a new agenda to perpetuate their greed and envy) now choose to preach intolerance, “arabization”, and religiosity in the name of God, to further isolate, and “drug into a stupor” a beautiful people that was once open to change.

Even if we aren't too accurate in our assessment, much of what that has been passed off for Islamization by many of these "godmen", is nothing more than frothy God-talk - mindless, thoughtless, and in its exploitation of people, heartless.
(With some exceptions)The “one-upmanship” practiced by the various institutions that espouse religious chauvinism, is in fact a pathetic display of their failures and insecurities.