PLUS buyout: What is Jelas Ulung?

As the battle to buy out PLUS Expressways Bhd heats up with the sudden appearance of Jelas Ulung Sdn Bhd, all eyes are on this relatively unknown company.

According to Kuala Selangor MP Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who had checked with the Companies Commission of Malaysia, Jelas Ulung is a RM2 company that was registered only last month.

The company has two shareholders, Shaharuddin Abdullah and Sumami Kiman, who own one share each in Jelas Ulung, which also has two directors, Ibrahim Mohd Zain and lawyer Ghazali Mat Ariff.

Putting the spotlight on the company, Dzulkefly (right) raised more questions about Jelas Ulung that he said government investment holding arm Khazanah Nasional Bhd would also have to answer.

"Will Khazanah be obliged to accept, or will it have to match the offer? Will an unknown or no-track-record-of-financial-history entity again be allowed to own a strategic asset of the nation?

"More importantly, will a tax waiver be granted as a hand-out to business entities, thereby creating a bad precedent that can be costly to the government later?" Dzulkefly asked in a press statement today.

Jelas Ulung, with the support of Bank of China (BOC), on Tuesday offered RM26 billion to buy out PLUS and all its assets and liabilities, just before the highway concessionaire's extraordinary general meeting that was due to be held today.

The offer was a good RM3 billion more than the only other formal contender, a joint bid from the UEM Group Bhd and Employees Provident Fund, which offered RM23 billion.

Halim Saad behing Jelas Ulung?

It is speculated that former Renong chairman Halim Saad is behind Jelas Ulung, as well as Asas Serba Sdn Bhd, another company previously in the running for the PLUS buyout, which had made a whopping RM50 billion offer back in May.

The EGM today to decide on the buyout was postponed, and the deadline for offers to take over PLUS extended to Jan 10.

Dzulkefly also pointed out that the UEM-EPF's request for tax waiver for the rest of the concession period, which expires in 2030, to restructure the toll charges could be at the expense of the government.

Foolhardy to offer tax waivers

"It must be strongly reminded that should the exemption for a tax waiver be given, the government will have to give up on taxes that average RM430 million a year... this will amount to a whopping RM9 billion loss in tax revenue over the next 20 years of the concession.

"Of utmost concern is the fear that should a blanket tax waiver be given, it would set a dangerous precedent for others, with the likes of Tenaga Nasional Bhd and other utility concessionaires that are being deprived of passing their costs on to consumers.

"What would stop them from asking for tax waivers too? The precedence may encourage other major players in mega mergers and acquisitions in the property sector to ask for tax waivers as well. This may very well open-up floodgates for endless tax-waiver applications. Where would that lead to?" Dzulkefly asked.

"At a time when the government is on an 'austerity drive', selectively depriving the people of subsidies due to them, it would not be deemed as business-unfriendly to regard this exemption as really foolhardy!"

(Source: Malaysiakini)

My own take on this issue is that, seeing the name Halim Saad makes my blood shiver. He tried (but failed) to bid for QSR Brands (which owns KFC, Pizza Hut, Ayamas, etc...) early this month. And QSR Brands for your information is Kulim Berhad's subsidiary.

Also, I've never even heard of Jelas Ulung. How on earth can a RM2 company only registered last month bid for PLUS at an offer of RM26 billion??? Just imagine the headlines if that bid is eventually accepted...

14th by-election

Al-Fatihah kepada Allayarham Datuk Sulaiman Taha, ADUN Tenang yang meninggal dunia pada pukul 1.10 pagi hari ini. Semoga roh beliau dicucuri rahmat Allah.

2008:

Datuk Sulaiman Taha (UMNO) - 6,367 votes

Mohd Saim Siran (PAS) - 3,875 votes

Majority - 2,492 votes

2004:

Sulaiman Taha (UMNO) - 7,655 votes

Mohd Saim Siran (PAS) - 2,138 votes

Majority - 5,517 votes

Race breakdown: 49.66% (Malays); 38.13% (Chinese); 12.11% (Indian); 0.10% (Others)

Uni results

Alhamdulillah! Alhamdulillah! Alhamdulillah! I've finally achieved what I wanted. XD

Corporations Law & Trust (BTW2220)

Internal assessment: 23/30

Exam paper: 58/70

Total: 81/100 (HD)

Financial Management (AFW2631)

Internal assessment: 14/20

Exam paper: 75/80

Total: 89/100 (HD)

Managerial Economics (ECW2731)

Internal assessment: 26/30

Exam paper: 58/70

Total: 84/100 (HD)

Trade Finance & Foreign Exchange (ECW2721)

Internal assessment: 36/40

Exam paper: 52/60

Total: 88/100 (HD)

Bersederhana itu kekayaan yang nyata

"Mereka yang bersifat kesederhanaan dalam semua hal tidak akan menjadi miskin"

Jika perlu marah, marahlah tetapi usah terlupa dengan perkataan sabar;
jika perlu menangis, menangislah tetapi usah terlupa dengan perkataan tenang;
jika perlu patuh, patuhlah tetapi jangan sampai hilang kemerdekaan.

Jika mahu miskin, miskinlah tetapi jangan terlalu miskin, nanti mudah menjadi kufur;
kalau mahu kaya, kayalah tetapi jangan terlalu kaya sampai terlupa perkataan sedekah;
jika mahu menjadi warak, lakukanlah ibadah sebanyak-banyaknya tetapi jangan sampai terlupa keperluan dunia.

Kalau mahu sebuah kereta mewah, belilah selagi mampu dan menepati keperluan semasa;
kalau mahu dua buah rumah, belilah asal jangan sampai tak tahu makna perkataan puas;
kalau mahu menimbun harta, bekerja keraslah asal jangan sampai terlupa ibadah.

Kalau mahu berhibur, berhiburlah asal tidak terlalu sakan dan menyalahi syariat;
kalau mahu memperkatakan hal orang, berkatalah asal jangan sampai mengumpat;
kalau mahu cemburu dengan kejayaan orang, cemburulah asalkan anda pun berusaha kuat sepertinya.

Hidup sederhana akan memastikan anda tidak akan miskin selama-lamanya.
Bersederhana dalam segala hal adalah titik kejayaan dalam semua perkara.
Orang yang terlalu kaya kadang-kadang apabila miskin terus muflis;
orang yang terlalu pandai kadang-kadang apabila bodoh terus sasau;
orang yang terlalu kuat kadang-kadang apabila lemah terus tidak tidak berdaya.

Binalah harta sebanyak-banyaknya tetapi jangan sampai anda menjadi hamba kepada harta;
binalah ibadah banyak-banyak tetapi jangan sampai terlupa soal-soal dunia;
binalah kedudukan di tengah manusia tetapi jangan sampai hilang kepercayaan orang dan tercalar maruah diri.

Bukanlah seorang yang baik kalau beribadah sepanjang masa sedangkan untuk makan minumnya terpaksa meminta-minta. Seeloknya bersederhana dalam beribadah lantaran bekerja itu pun ibadah, membuang halangan di jalanan juga ibadah, menasihati orang juga ibadah.

Orang yang bersederhana sentiasa terpandang di mata dunia. Dia tidak akan hina oleh kemelaratan dan tidak terlalu tersohor oleh kepopularitian. Dia terpandang sepanjang masa baik oleh orang yang hina mahupun orang yang mulia. Berkuasanya bersederhana bagaikan pakaian yang menjadi penebat pada rasa dingin dan panas yang membakar.

Sayidina Ali r.a. berkata, "Berkhairatlah mengikut kemampuan dan janganlah menjadikan keluargamu hina dalam kemiskinan."

Hendak bersedekah jangan sampai jatuh miskin; menyimpan harta jangan sampai digelar si bakhil, beribadah jangan sampai semakin jahil.

Kata sayidina Ali r.a. lagi, "Insan tidak akan melihat kesalahan seseorang yang bersifat tawaduk dan lemah lembut."

Tawaduk dan lemah lembut adalah kesederhana yang nyata, membangkitkan kasih sayang dan menumbuhkan cinta tulus. Jika anda impikan penghormatan manusia maka bersederhanalah dalam berbicara, berbatas-batas tatkala bergurau senda dan menyimpan sebahagian kesukaan ketika terlalu gembira.

Bersederhana adalah jawapan kepada segala-galanya.

Link: http://aduntitiserong.blogspot.com/2009/04/bersederhana-itu-kekayaan-yang-nyata.html

Note to self: Aku ini insan yang lemah, bergantung kepada Allah s.w.t. Maka, janganlah aku melanggar perintahnya... Astargfirullahhalazim.

Exams so far...

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. All gone so quickly...

I'm done with Corporations Law & Trust. I'm done with Financial Management. I'm done with Managerial Economics. How do I find those papers?

BTW2220 - Corporations Law & Trust

I happened to practice a bit of past years for Corp Law, especially the Sem 2 ones, as Berwick do not offer the subject in Sem 1. And how fortunate for me to be doing past years, because half of the questions were exact from past years. All I need to do was just expand on what I write on that rough piece of paper. It felt like this is my day... I managed to finish attempting all the questions on time, thank God. But some of my friends couldn't finish in time, which is kind of sad...

AFW2631 - Financial Management

Doing past years prior to the exam was a big help in understanding the methodology. Of course, only a quarter of the questions were from past year, but I encountered almost no problems in answering them due to understanding of the methodology, not memorization. Memorizing never helps. It's practice, practice, practice. The questions in the exam brought out the best in me, but after the exam, I was mentally drained... Never had I used that much brain cells for an exam, especially for the likes of FM. The questions were challenging, and my mind seems to respond to it.

ECW2731 - Managerial Economics

It was a fun subject under Prof He-Ling Shi. And to make things better, he said that 90-95% of the final exam would be similar to the mock exams. Sounds too good to be true eh? I didn't really take the bait and as expected, only the 1st 3 questions are similar to the mock exams. The last 2 was completely bullshit. However, I did recall that Question 5 at the time was from the last tutorial question... Darn, I should have printed out the answers for it beforehand. Oh well, at least I still understand what is nonrival and nonexclusionary. But question 4 was bullshit all the way, and I don't think I did enough for it, haha. Oh well, see how it goes come December 3.

P/S My prediction for the 2 by-elections would be as follows: BN to win in Galas by 2,000 votes. Also, BN to win Batu Sapi by around 2,500 votes over SAPP. =P

All internal marks

AFW2631 - 14.2/20%

BTW2220 - 23/30%

ECW2721 - 35.7/40%

ECW2731 - 26.1/30%

Minimum targets for final exams:

AFW2631 - 65.8/80% (Total = 80/100%)

BTW2220 - 47/70% (Total = 70/100%)

ECW2721 - 44.3/60% (Total = 80/100%)

ECW2731 - 53.9/70% (Total = 80/100%)

Exam dates & times:

1/11 (9.30am) - BTW2220 (3 hours)

2/11 (9.30am) - AFW2631 (3 hours)

3/11 (2.30pm) - ECW2731 (2 hours)

9/11 (9.30am) - ECW2721 (2 hours)

Early morning trains on the 1st, 2nd & 9th. Just before noon train on the 3rd. 40 minute trips 1 way. It's all about making it to the destination.

Internal marks for this sem

I've finally known most of my marks for each subject this semester. They are listed as follows:

AFW2631 - Financial Management

Online test (5%) - 4.75%

Mid-semester test (15%) - 9.45%

Total internal marks (20%): 14.2%

I made some costly careless mistakes during the mid-semester, which cost me quite some % there, especially in the MCQ and True/False questions. The theory questions were a screw-up as well. Can't do anything about it. Well, luckily it's only 15%. Thus, I have another 80% to play for in the final exam.

Target (80%) - 65.8%

Total marks (100%) - 80% (HD)

BTW2220 - Corporations Law & Trust

Assignment (30%) - 23%

I was hoping for at least 21/30 to get myself a shot at D. Guess I did better than I expected, although it could have potentially be better had I not left out s 183 and common law remedies. Oh well, 70% in the final exam to play for.

Target (70%) - 47%

Total marks (100%) - 70% (D)

ECW2721 - Trade Finance & FOREX

Online test (30%) - 25.7%

Tutorial participation (10%) - To be known in 2 weeks' time

Well, I was hoping to get at least 28/35 for the online test. I'm glad it went better than it expected, as I thought I might have screwed up a bit. Another anxious wait as I will know how I fare in my tutorial participation come Week 13. Regardless, there's 60% to fight for in the final exam. Thus, I won't set any target yet until I know my participation marks.

ECW2731 - Managerial Economics

Mid-semester test (30%) - 26.1%

Based on the efforts I put in (plus tawakal to Allah), I was hoping to get at least 80/100 for that test. When I got my paper back, I was like shocked to get only 63/100. I checked, and I've seen horrendous mistakes in marking my MCQ. 12 of those answers marked wrong are supposed to be correct. I complained like hell to my tutor and she gave it to the other tutor for remarking. In the end, I got 87/100 after rectifying the marking mistakes in MCQ. Alhamdulillah. I can breathe easy for this subject. As they say, you reap what you sow.

Target (70%) - 53.9%

Total marks (100%) - 80%

And now... to get back to the issue of studying... Ciao!

Malaysian Aspiration Program

Tomorrow (Saturday), there will be a talk at the Elizabeth Murdoch Theatre in Melbourne University, organised by MASCA [Malaysian Students' Council of Australia] at noon (Australian time). A few speakers have been invited:

1. Tony Pua (MP for Petaling Jaya Utara)

2. Tunku Abidin (Founding President of IDEAS)

3. Prof Abdul Razak Ahmad (National Defence University Malaysia)

However, I'm not so sure about whether the Deputy Finance Minister, Awang Adek, will be coming or not for tomorrow.

The topic will be as follows:

THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHALLENGES IN ATTAINING VISION 2020

It's gonna be an interesting talk tomorrow. I'm so gonna bring my camera... And of course, not to forget, pen and book to write down questions to be asked, haha.

Who are I'DA World Group Sdn. Bhd?

Very recently, we heard of the news reported in Berita Harian that this one obscure company called I'DA World Group Sdn. Bhd had donated RM4 billion to PAS in Kelantan. Of course, it was reported that the representative of the Kelantan MB is there to receive the mock cheque. Is Nik Din Nik Mat (younger brother of TGNA) the so-called representative? Nik Din denies it and was there only on his personal capacity of being invited by the company to come to the event.

Ok, let's do a bit of background of this company:

Registration date: 3rd April 2007

Type of business: Investing

Capital allowed: RM1 million (RM1,000,000)

Capital paid: RM1 million (RM1,000,000)

Company status: 100% Bumiputera

Company's bank: Al-Rajhi Bank

Bank groups: Lloyds Bank (England); Standard Chartered (England); Barclays (England); UBS (Switzerland); BNP Paribas (France); Citi Bank (US)

Company groups: 167 giant companies in 117 countries

Group's assets: USD2.716 trillion (or equivalent to RM8.4 trillion)

Company's lawyers: Mr. Rimin b. Haji Maidin

Company secretary: KM Management & Corporate Services Sdn. Bhd

Planning consultant: AECOM South East Asia

Surveyor: Jurukur Teguh

Company's architects: Local (Arkitek Studio Sdn. Bhd); Overseas (Arcop & Partners [Middle East] Engineering Consultants LLC)

More or less, that is the company's profile as stated on its website here: http://idaworldgroup.com.my/Company-Profile.php

Ok, now let's analyse whether it's plausible that they gave the so-called RM4 billion to PAS as alleged by Berita Harian.

1st of all, it is a private limited company. It cannot raise shares from the public as it is a private company. Thus, it cannot have raised as much funds during their start-up back in April 2007.

2nd, it's allowed & paid-up capital is only RM1 million. This in itself raised suspicions about their financial viability to raise even that much money to donate to PAS and to Najib's 1Malaysia concept (as pledged by the company themselves, reported on Malaysiakini). By right, they are supposed to be making super-revenues in the billions of ringgit every year to be able to make that donation, if it ever happened.

3rd, it is 1 of the companies in the group of 167 giant companies with its group assets of up to USD2.7 trillion. What are assets made up of? Cash, cash at bank, debtors, stocks, unpaid revenues, prepaid liabilities, non-business revenues. Now, if any one of you studied business law or corporations law or company law for that matter can understand that a company is a separate entity on its own which can act as a legal person with a mind of its own. They are separate from management. Even being in the group of 167 doesn't mean that they will get billions of USD (or ringgit for that matter) within a space of few years. All the assets in the group are just combined in total. It doesn't mean that every company has USD16.2 billion (rounded) in assets on average. Those companies within the group are of different sizes and doesn't mean that all of them are doing as well as the numbers suggested.

Even within a group of companies, they are not of one company. They are a separate legal entity. Thus, I'DA World Group's assets are different from the other companies' assets within the group. As I've mentioned above, their start-up capital is only RM1 million, and that was only 3 years ago. Even being in a big group of companies such as these, it's not like mi casa es su casa (My house is your house). No, companies do not work like that in the 1st place. If joint venture, yes, maybe. But these are just the combination of the group's assets. If anyone of you ever taken or learned Company Reporting will understand that each of the company's assets are of their own.

So...coming back to the issue. Was it possible that I'DA World Group Sdn. Bhd have that much money to so-called donate RM4 billion to PAS, as alleged on the mock cheque? Being a private limited company, as I said, they are not obliged to publish their financial statements. For them to grow so quickly in a space of 3 years itself is questionable if we don't even know their financial position. Of course, some of you may argue that the group's assets are so much that this company may have been rich as well. But... they are just assets combined. They are not reflective of how much does each company in the group holds in terms of assets.

According to their objectives, they consist of off-shore reclamation, oil refineries, sea ports, development of new townships, etc... http://idaworldgroup.com.my/

Therefore, without any financial statements to show its profits, assets, liabilities, etc... How can we know whether I'DA World Group Sdn. Bhd is worth as much, or more than the donation in the 1st place? How did they obtain those profits in 3 years to make billions? Unless, they are compelled to publish financial statements by its shareholders, then only we can know their true financial position.

Just remember these 3 points people:

1. Their start-up capital is only RM1 million

2. They are only established 3 years ago as a PRIVATE LIMITED COMPANY, which means they cannot raise more equity from the public.

3. The group of assets are just the total assets of all the companies within the group. It does not state the asset holdings of each of the 167 mega companies & I'DA World Group Sdn. Bhd in this case. In conclusion, this issue will not go away as easy as it first came. However, we cannot come to the conclusion that PAS received RM4 billion, because a mock cheque does not necessarily lead to realisation of the cash. As they say: SHOW ME THE MONEY.

As of now, some UMNO people cry of corruption about this issue (they also have reported to the MACC) and PAS has blacklisted this company for ill-willed purposes in order to destroy their integrity as state government of Kelantan. It'll be interesting to see in the next few days about what comes out of this issue. GET THE POPCORN EVERYONE!

Internal assessment marks

Managerial Economics:

87/100 --> 26% out of 30%

Financial Management:

4.75% + [63/100 X 15%] = 14.2% out of 20%

That's 2 of my internal assessments known so far...

Suicidal exam timetable

1/11 BTW2220 (9.30am)

2/11 AFW2631 (9.30am)

3/11 ECW2731 (2.30pm)

9/11 ECW2721 (9.30am)

The 1st 3 days ares so close to each other. This is the 1st time my exam timetable has been this tight since university life started out for me. Not to mention I have to take the 7.37am train to Caulfield on the 1st, 2nd and 9th so that I can reach the racecourse by 8.18am, which is where my exam venue would be. I can take the later train for my Managerial Econs on the 3rd, probably around noon or something like that.

But in summary, I'M A DEAD MAN WALKING.

Week 7 nightmare is over

Week 7 nightmare was over. I'm done with my Managerial Economics test and the online Trade Finance test. Why is it a nightmare? Both carried 30% respectively towards the final marks. If I don't do well enough, I won't be doing myself any favours to score HD for the overall subject.

My expectations:
Managerial economics - 21/30 (minimum)
Trade Finance & FOREX - 24/30 (minimum)

Next up is Corporations Law assignment due this Thursday. 3,000 words of crap, and 30% of the final marks. The week after would be my Financial Management mid-semester test, carrying 15% on the occasion. Now I'm so bored doing Corp Law assignment. Sooner or later, I have to finish it.

What to expect in the next 2-3 weeks

This is already the end of week 6 for the semester. And it's been almost 2 months since I arrived in Berwick. It feels weird that time flies too fast in my opinion. It was as if I arrived only yesterday. Ah well, time waits for no man. Below is what to expect in the coming weeks:

Week 7 - Managerial Economics mid-semester test (30%, Monday, 12-2pm); Trade Finance & FOREX mid-semester (online) test (30%, Thursday, 7am-7pm).

Week 8 - Corporations Law & Trust assignment due (30%, Thursday, by 5pm)

Week 9 - Financial Management mid-semester test (15%, Tuesday, 11am - 1pm).

CRUCIAL TIMES AHEAD. I have to keep that in mind.

Chua Soi Lek bangang

Very recently, the MCA president criticised both UMNO and PAS for political Islam. At the same time, he's trying to scare the Chinese from supporting PAS. On what basis? What does PAS got anything to do with what Chua Soi Lek said as about Muslims countries being the worst dogged by corruption? Do we ever hear the PAS-led state government in Kelantan being prosecuted for corruption? NO is the answer.

So why the hell is this porn-star equating UMNO = PAS?

S-T-U-P-I-D statement. Seriously. He is still under the spell of Islam-o-phobia. What kind of Islamic teachings does he know to make this kind of statement on political Islam? What has he learned about Islam while being in BN all this while?

As far as I'm concerned, he is seeking for cheap publicity among the Chinese, where the majority is now leaning towards PAS and its coalition partners. I can tell you people that MCA is irrelevant. Even UMNO can survive without MCA (Mau Cari Angpau).

Classes so far

It's already the end of week 2 for me as my classes are held from only Monday - Wednesday. Thus, I will publish my list of tutors and lecturers for each subject, and comment a little bit on each of those subjects so far.

BTW2220 - Corporations Law & Trust

Lecturer - Shi Chenxia

Tutor - Samantha Taylor

This is a subject under the 'Professional Accounting Sequence'. It's quite an important subject as it will enable me to get exemptions from some exams when I eventually undertake professional accreditation in the field of accounting (ex. CPA, ACCA, etc...)

The lecturer has quite a funny accent. There are some words which sounds different from what it is supposed to be. For example, own = oin(k); angry = ungry; etc... The tutor on the other hand is Australian, and she's quite good.

AFW2631 - Financial Management

Lecturer - Nigel Morkel-Kingsbury

Tutor - Nigel Morkel-Kingsbury

This subject is under the major of Accounting. It's mostly a calculation subject, with some theory in it. They say it's like maths, but I'm not convinced as the failure rate for this subject is quite high. 40% in Sunway, and 57% here, in Berwick. Surely I'm not making a fool of this subject. It's practice, practice, practice, and understanding the concepts well enough. Nigel has a distinct behaviour from time to time, which is to squish a paper and throw it to the back (it's classic, seems normal to him). But of course, he's quite a decent lecturer and tutor.

ECW2721 - Trade Finance & FOREX

Lecturer - Jaai Parasnis

Tutor - Welikala Ruwangi

This subject is under the major of Economics. My passion for economics is a reason why I undertake economics as my 2nd major. The lecturer gives a very clear explanation about things, which is good for understanding this subject. The tutor on the other hand is awesome as she describes it in pictures and words, which tremendously improved understanding even further as we deal with case studies and whatnots.

ECW2731 - Managerial Economics

Lecturer - Shi He-Ling

Tutor - Shi Hui (couldn't remember the full name though)

This subject is also under the major of Economics. It's quite an interesting subject when the lecturer said this is not a continuation of Introductory Microeconomics. He said that it is time for us to put ourselves into the shoes of a company CEO and think only about one thing: PROFIT. This reminds me of Cost Information last time, one way or another. The tutor on the other hand also has quite a strong accent, but her voice is a bit too soft at times, and she doesn't seem to grasp the authority at hand (although I hope it improves with time).

And so, that is my life and classes in Berwick so far.

10 Devilish strategies to unlock a woman's "aurat"

Strategi Pertama – Menghilangkan hijab(penutup)

Perubahan zaman dan budaya manusia menyebabkan pakaian lebih berfesyen dan semakin banyak baju yang merendahkan aurat. Pada tahap ini syaitan berbisik kepada wanita dengan berkata bahawa pakaian hanyalah sekadar hiasan dan tiada berpengaruh dengan agama. Justeru itu, tidak mengapa sekiranya memakai pakaian yang membuka aurat. Namun, teknik ini tidak semestinya berkesan terutama kepada wanita yang berpendirian dan percaya bahwa memakai pakaian syar’i ialah satu ibadah dan bukan sekadar berfesyen. Jika hasutan ini gagal, syaitan akan beralih kepada strategi yang lebih licik seperti di bawah.

Strategi Kedua – Membuka bahagian tangan

Aurat wanita meliputi seluruhnya kecuali muka dan tapak tangan. Seharusnya menjadi kebiasaan tapak tangan tidak ditutup. Jadi, syaitan mengambil kesempatan ini untuk menghasut wanita dengan berkata {tak mengapa jika memakai baju lengan pendek….kamu masih pakai tudung..}. Di pasaran pula banyak pakaian berlengan pendek terutamanya fesyen baru. Wanita yang terpedaya pun memakai baju lengan pendek dan ternyata ia kelihatan biasa pada pandangannya maupun pandangan seorang lelaki, lalu syaitan berbisik lagi {tidak mengapa kan..?}

Strategi Ketiga – Membuka leher dan dada

Setelah menjadi kebiasaan merendahkan sebagian lengan, datang lagi syaitan dan berbisik {tak mengapa kan membuka lengan…sekarang ada fesyen baru yang merendahkan bagian dada..baju ini terbuka sedikit saja agar kamu tidak terasa panas…orang pasti berkata biasa saja…} Wanita itupun memakailah baju tersebut, daripada merendahkan sedikit, sehingga yang nampak lagi bahagian dadanya.

Strategi Keempat – Berpakaian tetapi bertelanjang

Tidak cukup dengan itu, syaitan membawa lagi idea baru. Kali ini syaitan berbisik {baju kamu itu dah biasa …dah ramai orang yg pakai…sekarang ini ada fesyen baru lagi…baju ini tipis dan ketat saja..boleh kamu tunjukkan bentuk badan kamu yang cantik itu..tidak apa-apa, sebab potongan baju ini masih panjang…} Maka wanita ini pun memakai baju berfesyen sebegitu sehingga menjadi kebiasaan malah baju yang dipakai semakin ketat dan jarang. Jadilah mereka wanita yang disebut oleh Nabi sebagai kasiyat ‘ariyat (berpakaian tetapi telanjang)

Strategi Kelima – Membuka sedikit

Setelah memakai pakaian ketat dan jarang, datang lagi syaitan dan berbisik {susah la kalau kamu pakaian ketat semacam ini…bergerak pun terasa terbatasi…apa kamu cuba kain yang telah dibelah sampai ke lutut…nanti lebih senang kamu untuk duduk..tidak mengapa kamu rendahkan sedikit saja yang penting kamu selesa…} Maka dipakailah pakaian wanita yang terbelah. Ternyata ia memberi keluasan dan memudahkan dlm bergerak

Strategi Keenam – Membuka telapak kaki dan tumit

Syaitan berbisik lagi {sudah tak sesuai lagi kamu berpakaian ini…kain ini masih bagus walaupun dibelah hingga lutut…kamu potong aja lagi hingga diatas tumit…kamu pendekan kain ini sehingga atas tumit akan memudahkan km berjalan..} Wanita terus mengikuti godaan syaitan ini dan memakai kain singkat serta ditambah pula dengan kasut tumit tinggi.

Strategi Ketujuh – Membuka separuh betis

Sekarang, wanita ini sudah biasa memakai kain singkat dan ternyata masih kelihatan biasa pada pandangan orang. Syaitan berbisik lagi {fesyen kamu ni masih biasa saja…orang macam tak kisahkan…apa kata kamu cuba fesyen lain yang lebih menonjol..di pasaran banyak kain skirt..tak perlu beli yang sangat pendek …yang separuh betis saja..} Sekarang ni syaitan sudah menjadi seperti penasihat peribadinya. Maka dituruti hasutan tersebut. Pada tahap ini tudung sudah tidak dipakai.

Strategi Kelapan – Membuka seluruh betis

Wanita ada terfikir { Betulkah tindakan aku ni? Apakah tidak berselisih dengan wanita zaman nabi dulu ? } Syaitan pula menggunakan muslihat dengan mengaitkan zaman dahulu dengan sekarang. Syaitan berkata {AH!! tidak…sekarang zaman dah berubah..dulu lelaki tak suka kalau perempuan menampakkan auratnya, tetapi lelaki sekarang banyak yang suka… yang seksi-seksi terutama, mesti tidak terlalu seksi tp terbuka sedikit…di pasaran banyak pakaian zaman sekarang yang menampakkan seluruh betis….kalau kamu tidak ikut kamu akan ketinggalan zaman..} Maka pakailah wanita tersebut pakaian yang menampakkan seluruh betis.

Strategi Kesembilan – Serba mini

Setelah pakaian menampakkan seluruh betis menjadi kebiasaan, datang lagi syaitan menghasut {pakaian kamu perlu ada variasi. Jangan pakai yang seperti itu saja..kamu perlu pakai skirt mini…kamu akan nampak lebih seksi dan menawan..} Maka pakailah wanita ini skirt mini malahan bukan skirt saja yang mini, bajunya, skirtnya, semuanya dah menjadi kecil dan seksi. Bajunya juga sudah bervariasi seperti berlengan pendek, merendahkan sebagian dada dan sebagian pehanya. Ada yang dikhaskan untuk berpesta, bersosial, pakaian kerja, pakaian rasmi, pakaian malam dan sebagainya.

Strategi Kesepuluh – Hampir semua terbuka

Muncul pula keinginan untuk mandi di kolam renang terbuka dan pantai. Syaitan berbisik {pakailah kamu bikini..semua di sana pakai baju itu…kamu tak perlu malu ..} Wanita ini pun tanpa segan lagi memakai bikini yang hanya menutup sebagian dada dan pahanya. Dia pun bersuka ria terutama apabila semua lelaki memandangnya. Pada tahap ini auratnya sudah tidak diendahkan lagi.

Source: http://www.isuhangat.net/2010/06/09/10-strategi-syaitan-membuka-aurat-wanita/

Jadi, kaum muslimat, apa kata anda?

My exam results

Exam results are out.

Macroeconomic Policy - 78% (D)

Cost Info for Decision Making - 74% (D)

Company Reporting - 72% (D)

Accounting Information System & Financial Modelling - 64% (C)

Wasn't that bad by any standards, but it was quite a disappointment by my standards. I felt that I could have done better. No matter, new semester is about to start next Monday. No time to mull over results anymore. It is time for me to bounce back with a bang. My resolve: GET ALL HD! NO EXCUSES!

Jiayou!

2nd part of life in Berwick

Last Friday, I went to my cousins' house and follow them for Friday prayers. After that, I went for lunch at 'Dapur Indo'. I ate rice and 3 dishes (rendang daging, and 2 other vegetable dishes), at a cost of AUD8.50; very nice. After that, I lepak-ed at my cousins' house. I'm a heavy gamer, so I played Command & Conquer on PS3 from 10pm until like around 6am in the morning. I got some sleep after that and woke up at 9am.

That Saturday, I went to meet an old friend in the form of Sabrina Teoh at Queen Victoria Market. I also hang out with 2 of her friends (Farina & Anusya). I didn't buy anything except for a toy gun (AUD12). It's quite a big market, not just about selling food, but also clothes and whatnots. I went back at around 3pm and they had a disruption in railway lines between Oakleigh and Springvale during the weekend. So I dropped off at Oakleigh and took the replacement rail bus to Springvale station. From there, I took the train back to Berwick, just in time to prepare myself for the 'Ice Breaker Night' for new Berwick residents like me. So we carried out a few activities during the night and dinner was provided.

On Sunday, I went bowling with the other new residents and the resident advisors. I haven't played bowling for a long, long time. I expected to score pretty lowly, but I didn't too bad. I got the 2nd highest score at 136/300. But of course, I couldn't beat one of the locals (Malcolm his name), who scored 164/300. He's already of a different class. But yeah, better than most. It was also World Cup night, so I slept around 2am and woke up at 6.30am. I kind of forgotten about the World Cup final, so I just checked my phone, only to discover 20 miss calls. Oh crap, I forgot to teman my friend to watch the World Cup with her. So I went to the Pavilion (mind you, not the big high-class Malaysian shopping centre) to watch the remaining 20 minutes of the match. Obviously we saw the winner scored by Barca's midfield maestro, Andres Iniesta, in which he dedicated it to his late friend Dani Jarque, who died of a heart attack last year while playing a match. So yeah, Spain won the World Cup for the 1st time ever. Bla bla bla, I prefer South Korea to win the World Cup. ;P

On Monday, I had orientation at Berwick campus, but it was pretty dull most of the day, except for the food, and some of its activities. So yeah, I do meet a lot of new people. We also had induction night at the Pavilion for us new residents, which is compulsory for us to come, haha. We were sorted out into houses (Green, Red, Black, Yellow). They already sorted out beforehand, so I go Green (which reminds me of the spill against the USA). So yeah, it was mostly boring talk until they asked questions in which we can get marks for our respective houses. That's the fun part. So yeah, it wasn't all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Yesterday was also orientation, but it was more dull than ever. So, I skipped the 2nd and 3rd part of the orientation. I just went for the 1st part, and then went for the morning tea break and lunch. After that I went back to the Flats. I played ping pong with one of the Berwick residents, Stanley Lam, later in the evening. It was a titanic battle, where I was defensive most of the way. As they say in Risk, if both sides are equally matched, the defender will be the victor. And so I was victorious in miraculous circumstances, withholding the attacking onslaught. 6 sets to 4 the final score. He was pretty good. Then my next opponent was Han, who Stanley considers better than him. So I won the 1st match miraculously as well, but I was on the verge of losing the 2nd match when the trip came calling. And so, we walked up High Street and had our dinner later at Moods restaurant. I ate the vegetarian pasta. I was full at first, and then my new friend (Nor Ashikin, or Ash in short) said she couldn't finish her Thai Green Curry (vegetarian) rice, so she offered me her dish, in which I glutinously ate until it's clean, LOL. My stomach felt like exploding anytime, but it was pretty nice, haha. At least I won't go hungry during the night.

I woke up today hoping to meet a few of my old IB friends somewhere in Melbourne, but there have been slight alterations in the plan. My friend will notify me later on how the plan goes, which explains why I am still at my house in Flats and blogging away my 2nd part of life in Berwick. Today is the 14th of July (Wednesday), check check check. Tomorrow night is obviously results. It will be a very anxious wait to see how I did for my subjects last semester. As they say, hope for the best, prepare for the worst. I just hope I'll do well, Insya-Allah (God willing).

My 1st week in Berwick (almost...)

This is my 5th day in Berwick. It's been very cold at an average of 10*C, regardless of day or night. However, 1st impression is that I like it here.

I live in the Flats, with 4 housemates. They're all from the same campus as I do, which is back in Sunway. I only knew one of them before, so it's like meeting new people in a way. They're Yi Fon (a.k.a. Evan), Vway Huan, Sabrina and Gabriena. That makes it 2 guys and 3 women in the house. ;P

Of course, each of us have our own rooms, which is large enough to fit in a bed, a multi-purpose table, a telephone, and a whiteboard. Of course, it can get very cold anytime, so I can never wear a single layer of clothes. That is a no-no in winter.

What I have done in the 1st 5 days is quite hard to recall almost everything. On the 1st day, my cousin and his future wife came to my residential, bringing some groceries unexpectedly, especially the kuey tiaw goreng he cooked himself. That was my lunch and dinner as he cooked a lot. And so, the 1st 2 days are quite dull before orientation (other than playing cards [Monopoly, UNO] in the middle of the night).

Come orientation day, my mom moved out of the residential to live in the hotel somewhere in Melbourne city, so me and my housemates went for orientation held at Clayton campus. Of course, I met a lot of new people, which is interesting. USA, China, France, UK, Malaysia, etc... It's 1World.

After the 1st day of orientation ended, Yi Fon, Vway Huan, Sabrina and I went to Chadstone shopping centre to do our groceries shopping. Of course, it's a 10-15 minute bus ride from Clayton campus. So, we planned to cook that day. Me and Sabrina are to cook fried rice, while Yi Fon will make salad (btw, I don't eat salad, haha).

We arrived home at 8pm and after laying back for a while, we started cooking. I cooked the rice and Sabrina does the rest (with me as helping hand). I also cut the vegetables to be used for both fried rice and salad. Vway Huan said that she doesn't really know how to cook, but she helps with the preparations as well. Yi Fon made the salad based on one of Jamie Oliver's recipe. And so, fried rice was cooked with some vegetables and egg and it tasted quite nice, not to mention I was hungry at the time. And soon after, the salad was ready to be served as well. And so, we ate and after we're done, we washed the dishes and utensils. After that, we decided to play cards again, but this time around we have extra 'kaki' (as in extra player in the form of Sabrina).

The next day (Wednesday), Yi Fon, Vway Huan and I went to the Fountain Gate shopping centre to do more grocery shopping. Sabrina was away that day to Dandenong to spend the night with her friend, so it was just the 3 of us in the house (Gabriena if I'm not mistaken was at her boyfriend's family house at the time). After shopping, I went to my mom's hotel on Southern Cross for the night. We had dinner at Little India in Crowne Plaza. It's so nice in this cold weather.

Yesterday, I went to my 2nd day of orientation as we have to register for the Australian ID card for Monash. I went straight to Clayton from Southern Cross by train. I can tell you that I like their public transport system here. It's very efficient, with few blips. You only have to buy a ticket and you can ride the train, bus and tram. It depends on what type of ticket you buy. It's a bit complicating to explain about the ticket system here, but if you try buying the Metcard yourself, it's quite easy to understand practically.

After my orientation for the day ended, me and my mom met at Clayton station, so that we can go visit my cousins' (Medic students) house on Clayton Road. At first, we were at a loss with the directions as we asked many people around us for directions. All the people we asked are unsure. And so, we came across a clinic and asked for directions. True enough to my instincts, I knew we went in the wrong direction. So we turned back. 20 minutes later, it was already nightfall and we managed to find my cousins' house. We were greeted by one of their housemates (Safuan is the name). At that time, my cousins weren't home yet. 1 went to play futsal and the other was on his way back. And so, Haris (one of my 2 cousins in the house) came home and was pleasantly surprised to see us. And so we talked until my other cousin (Azlan) got back home from futsal. I also got to meet the rest of the household (the other 2 housemates were Hashrul and Beh). So, me and my mom and my 2 cousins along with Hash went for dinner at Sarawan. After that, my mom went back to the station to get back to her hotel. And so, me and my cousins bid her farewell at the station.

I stayed at my cousins' house for the night since they got PS3, LOL. But of course, while waiting for Hash to be back so that we can play FIFA2010, I surfed the Internet on my cousin's desktop cum TV cum PS3 (I call it a multi-purpose TV). At around 11pm last night, Hash was back and we went to his big room downstairs to play PS3. 1st I teamed up with my cousin (Azlan) and we used America (Mexican club) against Hash and my other cousin (Haris), who used Arsenal (a.k.a. Gunners). They won the 1st match 3-2. But after that, we thrashed them 3-0, using the same team. ;P Next match, me and Hash teamed up and we used Arsenal. My 2 cousins used America. 1st they got thrashed 4-1, and we switched teams so that it's a more level playing field. Me and Hash lost 2-1 after that. LOL. And after that, it was time for sleep, although me and Haris are still wide awake. He was watching his TV series on his laptop, while I played his PS3 (Game: Split Second, a brutal racing car game). By 2am, both of us went to sleep. I slept in my cousin's room as his bed was double, fit for the both of us.

I woke up at around 6.30am as it was too cold to continue sleeping anyway. And so, after doing the necessary prayers, I continued playing that game. ;P At around 8.15am, I decided to go back to Berwick Residential, just to check on my room. I arrived at around 9.07am, but along the way, I ran into both Tsi Yin and Cynthia on the train, who are also living in Berwick residential, just 2 blocks away, so it's quite near. After I got home, I washed my face and have breakfast (cereal + milk). Standard saving breakfast procedure.

At around 11.30am, I'm going to go back to my cousins' house to follow them do our Friday prayers nearby at a mosque. And so, that is the end of my 5 day diary of life in Berwick (not to mention other places as well). I'll update further soon.

P/S We seriously need to revamp our public transport, or we will lag far behind other economies in the world and become stagnant.

My last post

This is gonna be my last post before I become part of the brain drain (temporarily). GOODBYE GOOD OLE MALAYSIA!

FINISHED EXAMS!!!

After today's Company Reporting paper, I am now free of this semester. XD Now, it's the right time to reflect upon how I felt during the papers and the subjects.

AFW2020 - Cost information for decision making

I love this subject. Its concepts are very easy to understand and it's very relevant to today's business world, especially in the world of management accountants. It's especially fun to imagine you're a CEO of a company and you have only 1 objective: PROFIT. So, how do we control our fixed and variable costs? Not all costs are controllable. Thus, we will look into which costs are within our control and how do we do it then? Cost vs benefit.

Come exam time however, it was an absolute disaster. Ms Aniza was already worried from the start of the semester that we, her students, are not worried enough about Cost Info. Sure enough, almost no student had come to see her for consultation, which is a far cry from previous batches, who are very active and always go to see Ms Aniza for consultation. Yeah, my batch was too cool to see her for consultation I guess. ;P But then again, RPK calls it: "Bodoh sombong." You don't know, and yet you think you know. As a result, she said that overall performance for Cost Info was an absolute disaster (or in other words, very bad). You know who you are (includes me). Of course, I felt that I didn't do too badly, but I might be wrong. I'll be crossing my fingers to get at least a D for it.

Internal marks - 28.5/30

Exam target (minimum) - 60/100 (@ 42/70)

Estimated marks = 28.5 + 42 = 70.5% (D)

ECW2730 - Macroeconomic Policy

Well, there are a lot of new things in this subject, as compared to the Macroeconomics that I took last year. IS-LM curve, Permanent Income Hypothesis (PIH) & Life-Cycle Hypothesis (LCH), etc... Those new things that we have to learn for this subject. But then again, it's simple to apply in reality, such as the 2 hypotheses of income. I had to admit I was quite a naughty boy for this subject as I had missed a few lectures for this subject because I woke up quite late, which isn't ideal at all. So yeah, I was lagging quite behind at the time.

The mid-term test was an almost complete nightmare. It forms 20% of our overall marks, but I only got 11 of it, which is not a good sign for the final exam I suppose. But then again, this test had it all. MCQ, open book, and yet, I was blank. Thank goodness I didn't fail my mid-term, or it would have been a lot harder for the finals. The final exam wasn't so bad after all, I was able to attempt all the questions possible within the limited timeframe of 2 hours. So yeah, I have a good hope of getting a D for this subject. I'll have my fingers crossed for that one.

Internal marks - 18.5/30

Exam target (minimum) - 51.5/70

Estimated marks = 18.5 + 51.5 = 70% (D)

AFW2851 - Accounting Information System & Financial Modelling

Well, it ain't spectacular and it ain't pretty. It was dry most of the way. Before the semester started, I talked to Dr Eu-gene (my Financial Accounting tutor last year) about this subject that he will be teaching for the 1st time. He was brought in from IT school a few years back to teach in Business school. I can tell you, he is a real IT expert. Of course, it's hard for him to interpret what he does into words, but I can tell you, he is an awesome teacher. Back to the subject, he reminded me that this subject is very dry, so he'll try to spice things up. He did his best, although it hasn't quite worked out according to plan during lecture. In the case of Financial Modelling, I've been given a brutal lesson of how important Microsoft Excel is. This is the world we live, which is in IT age. Almost everything is computerised nowadays. That means, even a future charted accountant like me have to deal with Excel. Of course, it's faster, and better. But it'll just put extra pressure on the accountant to do more work within the same time frame.

Come exam time, it wasn't as bad as I would expect. In fact, being down from the Cost Info hangover, this was the perfect paper to lift my spirits once more, and keep it that way for the rest of the exams. Of course, there is no guarantee of getting a D for this subject, but I am hopeful in the very least. I'll still be happy with a C, although by my standards, it was never enough.

Internal marks - 23/30

Exam target (minimum) - 68/100 (@ 47/70)

Estimated marks = 23 + 47 = 70%

AFW2491 - Company Reporting

I can say that the subject is interesting, when it comes to shares and income tax. I can now understand better how companies raise their funds to go about their businesses. That's where shareholders and lenders come in. Ordinary shares, preference shares, debentures, current and future tax consequences. But of course, the most complicating part is consolidation. It was at first easy to understand how consolidation works. However, as the consolidation topics went out, I became more confused than ever, especially about non-controlling interest. In the real business world, big companies take over/acquire small companies. However, it does not necessarily mean they will take over the whole company. Sometimes, it can be strategic to buy just part of the ownership within the company. So, we have to account for it, along with the transactions that will be affected by it.

Come exam time, I thought that I was well unprepared for this exam, especially when it comes to shares and consolidation. Looking at those questions, I smiled to myself. This must be my lucky day. The game plan was to leave the consolidation question for last. 15 MCQ questions was a breeze most of the way. Cash-generating units (in short, CGU) wasn't too good, but luckily it's only 5 marks. Disclosure of financial statements with accordance to AASB 101 wasn't so bad, even though I didn't manage to balance the books. However, I am hopeful that I may get marks for doing the right format. Accounting for deferred tax, thank goodness I practiced a lot on that until I understood the whole logic behind income tax. Consolidation, it was a bit tough, but some parts are doable. I tried not to leave an entry behind, even though it may sound illogical at times. Shares, forfeited shares, shareholders' redemption, suddenly all fresh in the mind. Thank goodness I understood its concepts well. Materiality was another favourite part. It's so much fun to explain and justify why it is material or immaterial when it comes to omissions and errors within the financial reports. Overall, it was a good paper for me to score, although most people wouldn't share the same sentiment as I do. People say I'm so smart and wanted my brain, they may be right, but I have always underestimated my own abilities, and I never consider myself smart. But, I am optimistic of doing well for company reporting.

Internal assessment - 32/40

Exam target (minimum) - (12+3+15+12+10+18+8)/100 (@ 47/60)

Estimated marks = 32 + 47 = 79% (D)

In conclusion, it's safe to say I survived this semester with damage control. There are some things that I regret, such as not having better time management to ensure it was solid within the head. However, taking 3 Accounting subjects in the same semester is suicidal for most people, in which they found out to their cost. For me, taking 3 Accounting subjects this semester was hard enough, which was a combination of Cost Info - AIS - Compy Rep, not as hard as taking Cost Info - AIS - Financial Management or even Cost Info - Compy Rep - Financial Management. So, this semester wasn't a disaster as I thought it would be. I thank God for everything that happened. July 15 will be the moment of truth, whether my sentiments are the same as those reflected in the results. Only God knows whether I've done well enough for this semester. Let's hope it turn out that way.

P/S Me leaving for Down Under on July 3 (Saturday). Goodbye ole' Malaysia. I'll only come back somewhere near the end of the year, which is after the end of Semester 2.

Exam progress

Cost Info was a screw-up.

Internal: 28.5/30

Expected exam marks: 41.5/70

Total = 70/100

AIS wasn't so bad like Cost Info.

Internal: 23/30 (assuming that participation is 6.5/7)

Expected exam marks: 47/70

Total = 70/100

Tomorrow would be my Macro Policy paper and next Monday is Company Reporting. I hope it wouldn't be too bad.

D-Day

Tomorrow is the start of my exams. Time flies too fast I have to admit. It only feels like yesterday that the semester started. 3 months on, oops, it's already the exams. =(

Tomorrow, my 1st face-off is against Cost Info. I felt mostly prepared for the subject until I had a dig at the past papers. I was wrong. It was one of the most brutal punishments that I suffered, just from attempting it. I didn't know where to start. Not to mention I still need to read up a bit on Chapter 12 and do the last 2 past year papers before 1.30pm tomorrow. It's gonna be an uphill battle.

The other 3 subjects that I'm taking will not be elaborated here. I just don't have the time to do so.

Latest internal assessment marks

Cost information for decision making:

1st assignment: 49/50 = 9.8%/10%

2nd assignment: 28.5/30 = 9.5%/10%

Presentation: 81/100 = 4.8%/6%

Participation: Don't know yet (out of 4%)

Total so far: 24.1%/26%

Company reporting:

1st assignment: 63/100 = 6.3%/10%

Online assessment: 22/25 = 13.2%/15%

2nd assignment: Don't know yet (out of 15%)

Total so far: 19.5%/25%

AIS & Financial Modelling:

Group assignment: 7%/10%

Online assessment: 14/20 = 7%/10%

Pilot test: 5/6 = 2.5%/3%

Participation: Don't know yet (Out of 7%)

Total so far: 16.5%/23%

Macroeconomic Policy:

Assignment: 45/60 = 7.5%/10%

Mid-semester test: 22/40 = 11%/20%

Total: 18.5%/30%

My 1st assignment for company reporting was really difficult, as most students either pass or fail. Only a few students got D for the assignment, and only a handful (including me) got C for the assignment.

Mid-semester test for Macroecons Policy was a screw-up. It was MCQ and open book. I didn't manage to squeeze in everything in time for the test. I was fearing that I would fail the test, but lucky for me, I passed in the very least. Now, the redemption is to excel in the final exam for this unit. NO BUTS.

7 days to go. IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN...

Sibu by-election

1st of all, congratulations to DAP candidate, Wong Ho Leng, for winning this crucial by-election in East Malaysia. This victory is not possible without the solid vote of the Chinese Foochows, who had made it clear that they want Taib Mahmud to go, as he had been around for far too long, ripping apart Sarawak's natural resources for his own family's gains.

But of course, it is good to note that there is no personal attacks involved in this campaign by either side, which is a good thing for Malaysian politics, unlike the Hulu Selangor by-election. However, we are treated to a customary $$$ offers by BN to voters to ensure that victory is in their hands. Alas, the voters didn't fall for the bait. So what does this tell BN on a whole? $$$ does not buy everything. I hope they learn from that.

Last of all, I hope that whatever promises made by either side (especially BN), will be fulfilled. We don't want to hear of any unfulfilled promises ringing to our ears.

On another note, the Melanau and Iban votes are still solidly behind BN, which is still a good indicator for the Sarawak state elections, expected to be called by next year. This loss may be just a blip, but I have to admit it was a shocker out of the wildest dreams. It was DAP's 1st by-election contest, and they won it against all odds, including the postal votes and the onslaught by Melanau and Iban voters. Not to forget the $$$ splashed.

Also, this win means that BN is still a bit far away from regaining its 2/3 majority in Parliament, although it is still possible if we hear of further defections from PR (especially from PKR) in the near future.

That's all I have to say. Congratulations to both sides for undertaking a good campaign in Sibu. To the winner, I say congratulations and continue to work hard to serve the people. To the loser, do not despair as there is still time to repair mistakes/damages.

Till then, CIAO. XD

My uni life and current marks

Uni life is tough. It's like jumping off from a cliff.

Company reporting:

Marks so far: 19.6/25% (Assignment 1 & Online test)

Assignment 2 is due next Monday. I'm glad I'm done with that before the due date.

AIS & Financial Modelling:

Marks so far: 9.5/13% (2 online tests)

I haven't got back my assignment yet. Damn, it's a long wait.

Cost info for decision making:

Marks so far: 13.9/15% (Assignment 1 & presentation)

My 2nd assignment is due this Friday, and I haven't started on it.

Macroecons policy:

Marks so far: None so far

My assignment is not returned yet, and my test is on this Wednesday (6.30-7.30pm). Gotta study for that.

15 year old kid who got shot by police officer

Another death at the hands of a few police officers. Poor kid. He was only 15, and his offences are quite minor according to the traffic laws. But does it warrant a killing that is unjustified? I mean, the procedure should have been to shoot the 4 tyres first, and after that the kid couldn't do anything after that. He had no choice but to stop. But instead, he got shot in the head.

But of course, we shouldn't generalise that all police officers are bad. Some did their duty well with dignity. We can't simply prosecute them with a machine gun. We have to be more careful in our aiming by using a sniper. Only target the police officers involved in the incident. Leave out the rest of them who had nothing to do with it. So, let's zoom in on those police officers with direct connections to the accident, especially the police officer who shot Aminulrasyid. May the truth prevail, one way or another. For 100% absolute truth, tunggulah sampai di depan mahkamah Allah kelak.

Al-Fatihah...

What happens when MCA leaves BN?

Perlis:

2 MCA seats within the 15-man state assembly would presumably shift the balance from 13-2 to 11-4 in favour of BN.

Kedah:

The Alor Setar parliamentary seat would make BN 1 seat weaker in Parliament.

Gurun and Bakar Arang state seat would fall back to PR, making them stronger in the state assembly from 20-16 to 22-14 once more, making up for the 2 defections.

Perak:

Tanjong Malim, Lumut, and Kampar parliamentary seat would be lost by BN. Make that 4 seats weaker in total.

Chenderiang and Jelapang state seat would fall to PR. From 31-28 in favour of BN, it will swing to become 30-29 in favour of PR. Perak retaken yeah!

Selangor:

Pandan parliamentary seat would be lost by BN. Getting weaker and weaker in Parliament.

Kuala Kubu Bahru and Sungai Pelek state seats taken, making PR more secured and entrenched in Selangor.

Negeri Sembilan:

Chennah state seat would fall to PR, making BN's position precarious. From 21-15 to 20-16 in favour of BN.

Melaka:

Alor Gajah parliamentary seat lost by BN.

Machap, Kelebang, Duyong, and Bemban state seats go to PR. Opposition in Melaka would be stronger now. From 23-5 in favour of BN to 19-9 in favour of BN.

Johor:

Labis, Ayer Hitam, Kluang, Tebrau, Gelang Patah, Kulai, and Tanjung Piai parliamentary seats would be lost by BN. Make that 13 parliamentary seats in PR hands. (BN 138 - 82 PR. After defections and by-election, make that BN 143 - 77 PR. However, if MCA leaves, then it would be BN 130 - 90 PR at this point)

Jementah, Bekok, Tangkak, Yong Peng, Parit Yaani, Penggaram, Paloh, Johor Jaya, Stulang, Pengkalan Rinting, Pulai Sebatang, and Pekan Nenas state seats would be lost by BN. From a very comfortable position in the DUN of 50-6, now BN is only leading by 38-18 in their favour, just barely holding their 2/3 majority in the State Assembly.

Pahang:

Raub and Bentong parliamentary seats lost. Make that 15 seats lost in total at parliament level. (BN 128 - 92 PR)

Tanah Rata, Cheka, Damak, Semambu, Teruntum, Mentakab, and Bilut state seats lost by BN. From a score of 38-4, their majority is reduced to 31-11 in the State Assembly, making the opposition more vociferous.

Terengganu:

Bandar state seat lost by BN. Not much difference as the score would be 23-9 rather than 24-8.

MCA never stepped foot in Penang and Kelantan. I'm lazy to cover Sabah and Sarawak, as they are mostly local BN components.


So, what happens when MCA leaves? Only 1 clear conlusion, which is PR will regain Perak if MCA indeed leaves BN, that is, if they ever do of course. ;P

Hulu Selangor by-election results

First of all, congratulations to BN for winning the Hulu Selangor by-election with a majority of 1,725 votes. You had the advantage from the start. However, we did gave you all a good fight, considering that Hulu Selangor is your own fortress. Thus, we will live to fight another day. Watch out for Sibu by-election on May 16. And one last thing, please ensure you fulfill all your by-election promises. If you don't, those voters who voted for you would easily abandon you. Thus, one lesson to be learned, never mess with the rakyat's power.

MIC - 24,997 votes
PKR - 23,272 votes
Majority - 1,725 votes

My prediction for Sibu:
BN to win by a majority of 2,000 votes.
Any takers?

Why BN will win Hulu Selangor tomorrow

1. Personal involvement of the PM, DPM and Tun Mahathir
2. Goodies being splashed out all over the place
3. It's a semi-rural area
4. Extensive personal attacks on Zaid Ibrahim
5. It's an UMNO fortress among the Malay voters there
6. 13,000 voters have been moved
7. Possible midnight raid to splash even more goodies tonight.

Enough said. I'll eat humble pie if BN loses tomorrow.

By-elections galore

Today, we received news of another death of a politician. This time it's in Sibu, Sarawak. Condolences to the late Sibu MP who died after a prolonged battle with cancer.

Not too long ago, we heard about the death of Hulu Selangor MP, causing another by-election this year. We already know when the by-election would be, which is April 25. This by-election would be a good indication of whether support is coming back to BN or support for change remains status quo.

If BN wins Hulu Selangor, that means people's support for BN is on the rise again, with a recovering economy and an unemployment rate of only 3.6%; which means good times of the economy is coming back. The rule of economics about a strong economy is that, the incumbent party would hold firm. And there's no prizes for guessing that one.

However, if BN failed to regain the Hulu Selangor seat that it lost 2 years ago, what are the implications? For me, I am lazy to think of the implications, but I know one of them is a signal to BN that retaking Selangor is never an easy task. Of course, there were rumours that the PR state government of Selangor was about to fall during the month of January 2010, with sabotage works under the alleged orders of former MB, Khir Toyo (UMNO), was already in place. There were backlogs all over the place. Thus, the stage was set.

However, it didn't really go according to plan as the death of Teoh Beng Hock at the MACC premise was hot news in Selangor, and all over Peninsula Malaysia. Almost everyone was talking about that. Thus, taking over 3 months ago wasn't a good idea at all. So they postpone it and said they will win back Selangor in the elections. We'll see about that. If majority of Selangorians are happy with PR's governance, they might give them another term in office, and vice versa.

For me, I plan to register as a voter as soon as I turn 21 this October. 1 vote can make a load of difference. Being a former BN supporter in secondary school, I was ignorant about some of the lies that the mainstream media spinned. Yup, I read newspapers, considering most of them the truth. I didn't check and balance. I don't know blogs, I don't know Malaysia-Today, I don't know Malaysiakini, I don't know Malaysian Insider, etc...

In pre-U, a friend of mine, son of ADUN Batu Buruk, was reading those blogs that I was never exposed to. So, I became curious, and I read it as well. I find that so many things that the mainstream media is hiding from us. They had almost nothing but praise for BN, which sounds one-sided in any case. But of course, the same thing happens when you read only opposition blogs without its balances. It's also one-sided. So, who do I turn to for balanced coverage of both BN and PR, and of course, not to forget, Independents? MALAYSIAKINI. Another friend of mine also gave me his username and password so that I can access Malaysiakini and read the whole news. Yes, weaknesses of BN and PR exposed well in this section. Some do their jobs well, some are sleeping on it. Malaysiakini is the best thing that can happen in politics, because they bring that check and balance to either federal or state governments alike. Letters posted on Malaysiakini were from both sides of the divide, and those fence sitters. It's enjoying to read those letters of both sides so that we can evaluate for ourselves.

Of course, there are 2 newspapers I know that are also quite balanced in their coverage of both BN and PR. "The Sun" and "Sinar Harian". I rarely read The Sun, but one of my pre-U friends worked there part-time before he went off to RMIT in Australia for studies. He said The Sun was quite balanced, and I can vindicate his statement when I read it for myself. Even sometimes I bought Sinar Harian. It's quite heartening to see people's problems being highlighted. So both sides of the political divide had their fair share of weaknesses. It's good that these daily life problems are reported so that people have a voice to those responsible, whether be it PR or BN. So, I can only wish that the rest of the mainstream media (Star, Utusan, NST, etc...) can be like Sinar Harian and The Sun. Fat chance I guess. ;P

Anyway, back to the by-elections. We all know Sibu was under Sarawak United People's Party, a component under Barisan Nasional. They won it with a majority of 3,000 last time around. Therefore, I can't see Pakatan Rakyat winning this seat, with Sabah and Sarawak are BN strongholds, except for Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. But, but... they do have a chance in the very least to slash the majority from last time, provided with the right tactics.

So, here's my 2 predictions for Hulu Selangor and Sibu:
Hulu Selangor - BN to win by a majority of 5,000 - 7,000 votes
Sibu - BN to win by a majority of 3,000 votes

Why I say Hulu Selangor is the case? This is because, it has long been a BN fortress. Back in 2004, they won this seat by a majority of 14,000+. For them to extraordinarily lose this seat is unbelievable. But since then, I can bet they have learned their lesson. Never ever take votes for granted. Serve the people, and you will be courageously rewarded with self-satisfaction.

So here's to April 25 and the other date I don't know for Sibu until EC decides. It's gonna be fireworks. Cheers.

P/S I still remember my vow that I will play ping pong left handed all day if PR wins in Hulu Selangor. Man... do I love to be a pessimist. ;P

Who's APCO?

Laman web APCO sendiri menunjukkan siapa sebenarnya yang terlibat dengan syarikat ini yang dibayar RM 23 million duit rakyat oleh Perdana Menteri Najib Razak untuk mengendalikan "strategi komunikasi" dan "membina imej" negara.

Ahli lembaga APCO termasuk dua bekas duta Israel - Shimon Stein (bekas duta kepada Jerman), dan Itamar Rabinovich (bekas duta kepada Amerika Syarikat) - serta Doron Bergerbest-Eilon, bekas ketua keselamatan Agensi Keselamatan Israel (Israeli Security Agency, ISA) yang lebih dikenali sebagai Shabak atau Shin Bet. Jawatan ini adalah bersamaan dengan pangkat Mejar Jeneral dalam tentera Israel.

Shin Bet bertanggungjawab menjaga keselamatan dalam negeri Israel, termasuk menghadapi intifada Palestin. Semasa intifada al-Aqsa, Shin Bet memainkan peranan untuk mengenalpasti identiti dan lokasi pemimpin-pemimpin Palestin yang dijadikan mangsa pembunuhan oleh serangan udara tentera Israel.

Shin Bet turut terkenal dengan kaedah-kaedah menyeksa tahanan mereka semasa soal-siasat. Seorang wartawan Palestin, Mohammed Omer, mendakwa beliau ditahan oleh Shin Bet pada tahun 2008 dan dibogelkan, dibelasah oleh lapan pegawai Shin Bet yang bersenjata - mengakibatkan beliau terpaksa dirawat seminggu di hospital. Makhamah Tertinggi Israel sendiri memutuskan bahawa kaedah-kaedah soalsiasat Shin Bet berketerlaluan, melanggar hak asasi manusia, dan bersifat menyeksa.

Penglibatan Shin Bet dengan APCO tidak terhad kepada satu individu. ASERO merupakan sebuah syarikat adik-beradik kepada APCO yang berkait rapat secara terbuka dengan APCO dan mempunyai pengkhususan dalam hal-hal keselamatan dalaman negara. Selain Doron Bergerbest-Elion, tiga lagi pemimpin utama ASERO adalah bekas pegawai berpangkat tinggi Shin Bet - David Harel, Oded Raz, dan Gadi Kalai.

Selain itu, Naib Presiden ASERO Carl Truscott, dan penasihat ASERO, Don Riegle Jr, adalah bekas ahli kerajaan Amerika Syarikat yang didapati bersalah menyalahgunakan kuasa mereka semasa berkhidmat.

APCO dan ASERO seumpama satu keluarga, dengan pemimpin-pemimpin yang sama. Doron Bergerbest-Eilon adalah presiden ASERO, manakala Mara Hedgecoth - anak kepada Margery Kraus, Presiden APCO - merupakan Naib Presiden di kedua-dua APCO dan ASERO. Denise Teeling pula, adalah Ketua Kewangan (CFO) bagi kedua-dua APCO dan ASERO juga. Menurut laporan Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia, Denise Teeling dan Margery Kraus adalah direktor APCO Worldwide Sdn Bhd, yang ditubuhkan di Malaysia.

Mengapakah sebuah syarikat dengan kaitan yang amat rapat dengan elemen-elemen Zionis dan dipimpin oleh individu yang terlibat dengan organisasi yang terkenal kerana menyeksa orang Palestin diberi peluang membentuk dasar-dasar sensitif Malaysia?

Dengan pengupahan APCO, pengaruh Zionis, penyeksa serta mereka yang handal menyalahgunakan kuasa kerajaan kini telah dibenarkan menentukan hala tuju negara, serta kini mempunyai akses kepada semua peringkat kerajaan - termasuk maklumat yang berpotensi menjejaskan keselamatan dan kepentingan negara. Tidak membimbangkan ke, Ketua Kewangan ASERO, Denise Teeling, yang bekerja untuk bekas pegawai Shin Bet, terlibat secara terus dengan operasi APCO di Malaysia?

Selain daripada Israel dan Amerika Syarikat, kepada pengaruh siapakah Malaysia kini dibukakan? Di antara pemimpin ASERO satu-satu individu yang bukan warganegara Amerika, UK atau Israel adalah Kelvin Tan Wee Peng - seorang bekas polis Singapura.

Apakah Perdana Menteri Najib sanggup menggadai masa depan dan kedaulatan negara hanya demi mereliasasikan cita-cita politiknya?

APCO tidak hanya terlibat dengan aktiviti Zionis dan pencabulan hak asasi sahaja, malah juga dengan aktivisme anti-Islam.

Jonathan Winer merupakan Naib Presiden APCO di Washington DC. Pada 2003, Winer memberi keterangan di Jawatankuasa Senat Amerika Syarikat di mana dia menuduh gerakan Ikhwan Muslimin (Muslim Brotherhood) serta beberapa badan kebajikan Islam sebagai pengganas, dan berusaha untuk menghentikan segala aktiviti kewangan badan-badan ini.

Marc Ginsberg pula, ahli lembaga APCO dan bekas duta Amerika Syarikat, memanggil tokoh pemikir Islam Sayyid Qutb (inspirasi kepada Ikhwan Muslimin dan penulis karya Ma'alim fil Tariq dan Fi Zilal al-Qur'an) seorang "musuh" dan membandingkan beliau dengan Adolf Hitler.

Siapa sebenarnya di merata dunia yang sanggup mengupah syarikat yang dipimpin oleh mereka yang berusaha menentang Islam dan menyemai kebencian?

Klien-klien dan bekas klien APCO termasuk beberapa 'tokoh' yang cukup terkenal. Di antaranya adalah Jeneral Sani Abacha, yang mencuri hampir RM 10 billion duit rakyatnya semasa presiden Nigeria. Jeneral Abacha turut dikenali kerana pencabulan hak asasi manusia yang cukup parah, termasuk penahanan dan pembunuhan aktivis-aktivis.

Nursultan Nazarbayev, diktator Kazakhstan yang didakwa bersama keluarganya terlibat dalam rasuah yang cukup besar serta beberapa pembunuhan, turut merupkan seorang klien APCO. Di antara strategi APCO adalah untuk "membeli" beberapa laporan dari institusi pengajian tinggi untuk mengharumkan nama Kazakhstan di Barat.

Narenda Modi pula, Ketua Menteri Gujarat di India yang dikatakan membiarkan rusuhan kaum berlaku antara rakyat Hindu dan Muslim, mengakibatkan hampir 2,000 kematian - kebanyakannya Muslim - juga pernah mengupah APCO untuk mengharumkan balik imejnya.

Beginilah senarai pemimpin yang kini disertai oleh Perdana Menteri Najib, yang seandainya tidak mengenal malu.

Adakah ini sebuah pengakuan diam bahawa Perdana Menteri mempunyai beberapa kesamaan dengan pemimpin-pemimpin yang dituduh berasuah dalam negara kaya dengan minyak, gagal menghentikan konflik perkauman, serta mengakibatkan kematian?

Keputusan Perdana Menteri untuk membuka Malaysia kepada pengaruh Zionis dan anti-Islam serta berganding bahu dengan para perasuah yang paling parah di dunia harus dipertikai oleh setiap rakyat yang cintakan Malaysia.

Sekiranya Perdana Menteri masih berdegil dengan mengekalkan kontrak APCO ini, maka tergadailah negara dan terjejas keselamatan serta maruah kita semua. Kita hanya boleh harap kita masih belum terlambat.

Source: http://tukartiub.blogspot.com/2010/04/mari-berkenalan-dengan-apco.html

History and reality

Negara kita, Malaysia merupakan sebuah tanah subur, dimana banyak Negara ingin menaklukinya. Sejak zaman dulu lagi, tanah ini sering dikunjungi pelawat asing yang selepas itu mula merancang serangan keatas tanah kita. Kita bermula dengan Srivijaya, Portugis, Perancis and Belanda; kemudian Jepun. Negara kita sebelum merdeka memang penuh dengan pelawat-pelawat yang berkenan dengan tanah kita. Namun, kita tidak pernah tunduk kepada apa-apa kuasa asing tanpa melawan, kecuali kepada Negara Cina dimana bunga emas dihantar sebagai tanda persahabatan dan juga ufti perlindungan. Ini bermaksud, Cina telah lama memberi perlindungan kepada kita pada masa itu.


Semasa dalam jajahan, ramai rakyat asing dibawa masuk ke Negara kita untuk berkerja. Semasa Negara kita berunding untuk mencapai kemerdekaan pula, Philipina dan Indonesia pula berhasrat hendak bergabung. Ini bererti, Negara kita maju, makmur dan popular sebagai tempat untuk mancari nafkah hidup yang lebih baik.

Parti UMNO lama, dengan bantuan beberapa individu yang berbangsa Cina dan India, sememangnya telah berusaha dan berjaya mencapai kemerdekaan Negara; dan jasa mereka tidak patut kita lupai. Malaysia, selepas kemerdekaan menjadi semakin stabil. Rakyat kita, yang dilantik sebagai wakil rakyat, telah berusaha mempelajari cara-cara penyelengaraan institusi dan berjaya membawa Negara kita ke tahap baru sosial and ekonomi. Perubahan ini tidak mudah diterima oleh rakyat. Sesetengah rakyat kita dapat mengharungi perubahan dengan perubahan diri dan dapat meyesuaikan diri mereka secara beransuran. Bagi yang lain, mereka mendapati diri mereka terpinggir dan diabaikan.

Pada masa itulah rakyat kita mula terbawa dengan situasi ketidakseimbangan sosial itu dan mula berkomplot menjatuhkan kerajaan dengan dalih bahawa rakyat mereka diabaikan. Terjadilah perbalahan May 13. Akan tetapi, selepas kemerdekaan, dan selama 52 tahun selepas kemerdekaan, perbalahan dan pengambilalihan puncak pengurusan negara hanya berlaku diantara rakyat Negara kita sendiri. Selepas kemerdekaan, tidak ada lagi kuasa asing yang dapat menawan Negara kita. Namun kita mungkin tidak dapat menhayati semua itu lagi.

Pada zaman sebelum Merdeka, rakyat asing beria-ia hendak datang tinggal dan berkerja di negara kita. Sekarang, rakyat kita cuba sedaya upaya untuk keluar dari sini. Kalau negara kita dulu maju dan makmur, sekarang ia semakin mundur. Tetapi, yang peliknya, negara kita masih penuh dengan hasil-hasil semula jadi; masih penuh dengan kayu-kayan; masih ada petroleum. Kalau dibezakan dengan Singapura, negara kita jauh lebih “kaya” dengan tanah, dan sumber semulajadi. Kenapa kita mundur?

Dengan munculnya APCO dalam pengurusan hal-ehwal negara kita, ia bermaksud kita sudah tidak berkebolehan untuk mengurus negara sendiri. Pada zaman sebelum kemerdekaan, sebab yang sama juga kita tidak dianugerahkan dengan kemerdekaan walaupun wakil kita telah banyak kali berulang alik ke negara asing untuk berbincang mengenainya. Dalih mereka: Kita masih tidak berkebolehan mengurus negara sendiri.

Sekarang, wakil rakyat kita meminta campur tangan asing. Kalau dulu, pendekar kita tidak menyerah kalah dan terpaksa mati bertahan serangan asing; sekarang wakil kita menyerahkannya secara suka-rela. Tidak mampukah kita mengurus Negara sendiri sehingga memerlukan campur tangan asing secara langsung? Dengan itu, adakah ia bermaksud wakil kita tidak berkebolehan mengurus Negara? Dengan itu juga, adakah ia bermaksud kita bakal hilang kemerdekaan kita? Nasib masa hadapan Negara diletakkan keatas tangan wakil kita, dan inilah yang dibuat mereka – menyerahkannya kepada kuasa asing. Dengan kekejaman dan tindasan yang dilihat di Israel, adakah Negara kita akan menjadi sebuah tanah jajahan mereka di masa depan kelak? Adakah kita akan kembali ke zaman sebelum Merdeka, dimana kita dijajah sana dan sini.

Nasib Negara diletakkan di tangan wakil rakyat. Pilihan wakil rakyat diletak di tangan kita. Pilihlah wakil yang boleh membantu negara kita, dan kita untuk maju, manangkis serangan dan hasrat kuasa asing untuk menjajah secara langsung dan tidak langsung. Negara kita diambang kemerosotan dengan keputusan wakil rakyat kita untuk membenarkan campur tangan kuasa asing; dengan melarang dan memanipulasi kuasa ketua Negara iaitu Raja kita. Kita tidak akan dapat melepaskan diri sehingga kita menukar wakil-wakil yang menjual maruah negara. Untuk masa depan yang lebih selamat, aman dan makmur, buatlah pilihan yang wajar.

Source: http://malaysia-today.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31064:tahun-2011-malaysia-tanah-jajahan-israel&catid=18:letterssurat&Itemid=100129

Why are M****s poor?

Of late, the pressure is building up to convey the impression that the Malays are poor because of the non-Malays. It is trumpeted that the non-Malays are enriching themselves at the expense of the Malays.

This erroneous and mischievous line of argument is deliberately pushed to achieve two objectives: one, to get the Malays riled up and to create hatred for the non-Malays as the source and cause of Malay poverty. Two, this is a ploy to consolidate the position of these hate-mongers so that they could be accepted as the defenders of the race and champions who would deliver the Malays from their wretched situation.

But these extremist elements do not reveal how they have benefitted from the policies of Umno that were supposed to be meant for the welfare of the majority poor Malays. They do not reveal how the benefits have gone to the crony corporate figures and the well-connected political elite irrespective of their ethnicity.

They do not disclose how billions of ringgit have been squandered to rescue failed ventures of their elite group. They do not disclose how billions were pumped into Bank Rakyat and Bank Bumiputera to sustain them. They do not disclose why Mirzan Mahathir's floundering and debt-laden shipping empire had to be bailed out with our national wealth. They do not disclose why Tajudin Ramli's stake in MAS was bought over for RM8 per MAS share when the market price was only RM3.62.

Likewise many other individual Malays have benefitted enormously. They don't lose out when their businesses fail but they gain in spite of their failure. Contracts, licences, approved permits, new shares and what-not are grabbed by these individuals for themselves and their families. The poor majority Malays do not benefit from these policies.

It was recently disclosed that out of RM54 billion in shares allocated for the bumiputera, only RM2 billion is still in their hands. What has happened to the RM52 billion that cannot be accounted for? RM54 billion is a colossal sum of wealth that have been dished out. How did the RM52 billion disappear into thin air?

After 40 years of the NEP, it is absolutely unacceptable that the deserving poor have not benefitted in the way it was intended. Sometimes we wonder if the Malays are kept poor simply and deliberately to get their votes by blaming the non-Malays for their abject situation.

During the last 40 years, the Umno president and deputy president were prime ministers and deputy prime ministers wielding great powers, influencing policies and determining the fate of the Malays. Every minister of education since Merdeka has come from Umno. Every finance minister after Tan Siew Sin was an Umno man.

Every rural development minister was an Umno man. The cabinet was dominated by Umno leaders. How come with this heavy representation of Umno leaders in the cabinet the vast majority of Malays remain deprived and desperately poor? How did Umno, ever ready to advance Malay interest, permit this neglect?

The Umno-dominated Barisan Nasional holds the purse strings of the national wealth. Why wasn't this wealth distributed to the poor as well? Why did the greedy grab everything? Was this done without the knowledge of the Umno leaders?

Don't blame the non-Malays who have no say in the policies of the government, blame it on Umno. Who squandered the national wealth on prestigious projects at the neglect of the poor? Who bailed out crony businessmen by writing off billions of ringgit?

It is Umno and nobody else. If the Malays are poor, it is because of Umno. Don't blame it on others. There is a serious lesson to be learnt from John F Kennedy's view: 'If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich'. Be warned.

Link: http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/128360

Pergilah sokong UMNO! Peduli apa aku!

Dengan keyakinan

Memang benar seperti yang diberitahu oleh Rasulullah SAW, pada akhir zaman orang yang hina (justeru jauhnya hubungan mereka dengan Allah) diangkat dan dimertbatkan ke darjat yang mulia.

Manakala orang yang mulia (kerana akrabnya dengan Allah serta sangat menjaga hukum-hakamNya) telah dianggap hina. Hanya jauhari mengenal manikam – orang yang beriman juga yang menghargai mujahid, syuhada’ dan para solehin.

Justeru, ketika nama dan harta mula melengkari hidupmu… mungkin ketika itu percikan-percikan api jahiliyah mula membakar jiwa mu. Cinta dunia itu kepala segala kejahatan. Bukan mudah untuk meletakan dunia di tangan, iman di hati. Dunia itu umpama gadis yang cantik, di samping kita menjaga agar orang lain tidak menodainya, kita sendiri harus menjaga diri ketika menjaganya.

Ya, berapa ramai orang yang lupa kita terlalu asyik mengingatkan? Berapa ramai yang lalai dengan Allah ketika begitu pantas dan tangkas mengucapkan kalimah cinta-Nya? Mereka hanya umpama tanah yang keras dan kering… mampu menakung air untuk memberi minum orang lain, tetapi hati sendiri gersang dan terbakar kerana kehausan!

Lalu aku ingin mengingatkan diriku dan dirimu… berhati-hatilah ketika berbicara tentang hati. Betapa banyak hati yang lalai kerana dihijab oleh limpahan peringatan. Umpama anak benih yang mati “kelemasan” kerana terlalu banyak disirami air! Atau lilin yang membakar diri… kononnya untuk menerangi orang lain!

Dunia yang diselubungi hedonisme dan materialisme ini tidak sudi berpaling kepada para muttaqin. Dan mereka yang berpegang pada sunnah, akan semakin dilihat asing. Terpinggir. Terpencil… malah dibenci oleh umat Islam sendiri. Para daie yang ikhlas, tidak bermuka-muka… terus bekerja tanpa menggamit nama dan biaya. Mereka hanya mendapat kebahagiaan ketika bekerja tanpa diketahui oleh yang lain. Marilah kita berdoa untuk para mujahidin di seluruh dunia, yang ketika ini sedang dihenyak, dibelasah dan disekat oleh pelbagai tribulasi dan mehnah.
Sesungguhnya, apa yang kita deritai kerana jalan Allah ini… tidak secubitpun jika dibandingkan dengan kesusahan mereka. Berdoalah untuk mereka… agar diberi taqwa, sabar dan kebijaksanaan serta keberanian dalam menghadapi pejuang syaitan (fisabilitthagut). Mudah-mudahan satu ketika nanti, kami yang kerdil ini mampu menyusul dan menyusur jalan-jalan mulia yang kau telah rentas itu.

Untuk mu pengunjung blog, izinkan aku menguruskan beberapa cabaran ketika ini. Insya-Allah, akan menyusul nanti entri yang lebih serius dan menjurus. Namun, sebelum berpisah terimalah dariku sekadar dua tulisan ini sebagai “selingan”.

Bagi mereka yang begitu beria-ria untuk ke hadapan… milikilah dulu jiwa yang kental. Sesungguhnya persediaan akan memantapkan bakat. Kesabaran akan meningkatkan minat. Menulis itu memerlukan keyakinan bukan hanya keringat!

i) PEDANG SAYIDINA ALI

Sayidina Ali punya pedang yang begitu digeruni oleh musuh-musuhnya. Pedang yang bernama Zulfaqar itu sentiasa dibawa bersamanya dalam peperangan-peperangan dengan orang kaum musyrikin. Dan setiap kali membawa pedang itu, Sayidina Ali berjaya mengalahkan musuhnya. Berita tentang kehebatan pedang itu sampai kepada seorang lelaki. Dia juga seorang pejuang Islam. Tertarik dengan berita kehebatan pedang itu, lelaki itu pun datang menemui Sayidina Ali dan berkata,” tolong pinjamkan aku pedang mu yang hebat itu.” Tanpa banyak bicara Sayidina Ali pun meminjamkan pedang itu kepada lelaki tersebut. Lelaki itu sangat gembira. Apabila sahaja terjadi peperangan, dia pun pergi dengan membawa pedang itu sekali. Dia ingin merasai sendiri kehebatan pedang Sayidina Ali itu.

Tidak lama kemudian perang pun tamat. Lelaki itu pulang dengan pedang yang dipinjamkan oleh Sayidina Ali itu. “Nah, ambillah kembali pedang ini,” katanya sebaik menemui Sayidina Ali. “Bagaimana, hebat tak pedang ini?” tanya Sayidina Ali. “Ah, biasa-biasa sahaja. Jika aku tahu begini, tak akan aku pinjam pedang ini daripada mu. Mengapa pedang ini tak sehebat yang diceritakan?” “Kau hanya meminjam pedang, tetapi kau tidak “meminjam” tangan yang memegang pedang itu!” kata Sayidina Ali.


Pengajaran:

Kekuatan utama manusia bukan kepada alat-alat yang digunakannya, tetapi pada dirinya sendiri. Teknologi yang canggih hanya akan membawa kebaikan jika manusia yang menggunakannya memiliki hati yang bersih dan fikiran yang bijak. Di tangan orang yang dungu, teknologi walau secanggih mana pun tidak akan dapat digunakan. Manakala di tangan orang yang jahat, teknologi hanya akan membawa seribu satu kejahatan dan kehancuran.

ii) MISKIN HARTA, MISKIN JIWA

Seorang pendakwah menasihati seorang pengemis yang kelihatan sihat dan kuat untuk kerja yang sangat mengaibkan itu. “Saudara ku, berhentilah daripada menjadi pengemis. Kau masih kuat dan sihat.” “Apa? Saudara rasa kerja mengemis tidak memerlukan tenaga? Dalam satu hari puas saya berjalan ke hulu, ke hilir untuk memohon simpati orang. Kalau saya tak kuat masakan saya dapat menahan panas, hujan dan pelbagai cabaran cuaca ini,” jawab pengemis. “Kerja mengemis ini hina. Hilang maruah diri.” “Siapa kata hina? Inilah kerja yang mulia. Saya menjadi sebab orang lain mendapat pahala. Kekadang saya juga mendapat pahala sabar bila orang caci saya. Pahala syukur bila orang memberi sedekah. Hinakah itu? Saya juga berdoa kepada orang memberi sedekah kepada saya. Hinakah?” Pendakwah terdiam. Dalam diam dia berdoa. Rupanya pengemis itu bukan hanya miskin harta tetapi miskin jiwanya. Alasan untuk malas sentiasa ada. Kreatif betul tipuan syaitan.

Pengajaran:

Malas adalah satu dosa. Ramai yang tidak nampak hakikat itu. Pelbagai alasan diberikan untuk malas termasuk atas hujah dan dalil agama. Kepalsuan yang bersalut kebenaran bukan sahaja mampu menipu orang lain, tetapi paling malang... menipu diri sendiri.

Sumber: http://genta-rasa.com/2010/04/05/dengan-keyakinan/
(Ustaz Pahrol Mohamad Juoi)