KFC - the real target is Ghani

Yesterday morning, I read this posting by senior pro-BN blogger A Voice -
Pak Lah's 4th Floor legacy to sell asset to foreigners continues with KFC

Apparently several other pro-BN bloggers had also took the initiative to write about the matter.

Honestly, I don't give a crap about what happened to the ex-Fourth Floor boy. if A Voice and the other bloggers wanted to lanyak him, I got no problem with it.

However, since my favorite Umno politician Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman was linked by the bloggers with the issue due to his posts as Johor MB and in JCorp, I felt that I need to do something to get a proper clarification.

I am quite sure Ghani is on top of things as far as this issue was concerned...well, that was the case when I left Johor a few months ago.

So, I made a few phone calls (very expensive liao) to my contacts in JB asking them to clear the air.

The feedbacks I got was that the issue was engineered by someone who was pissed off with Ghani for refusing to give him a contract.

This person then decided to use the whole thing to vilify Ghani in the blogs in the hope of tarnishing the MB's reputation with the election being just around the corner. Ghani was to be projected as failing in safeguarding Malay interests and as a person with no jati diri Melayu.

Of course the ex-fourth floor boy was conveniently there in the midst of things, so that those least familiar with it would thought that the target is just Zaki Zahid.

The actual fact is that, Ghani is the real target. And, the ultimate aim was to remove him from the MB post. They just can't wait for the election to be over to do that.

I was given the details of this person who engineered this campaign against Ghani but decided not to reveal it here because it may cause a stupid fight between us pro-BN bloggers. We don't need such thing as all our energy and time now need to be utilised for BN's preparations for the election.

Kalau nak gaduh-gaduh juga, says rasa baik tunggu lepas election sebab now we are facing the real enemy and could ill afford to fight among ourselves over issues such as this.

I however only managed to get the full explanation on the issue (without the juicy bits of course) two hours ago. Very slow to react la these people at JCorp. I was so frustrated waiting for it the whole day.

Ok, I am putting it here in full as how I received it. For those who can't read Bahasa Malaysia, please google translate. It's very late and I'm too tired to translate it for you all. I got class tomorrow, ok? And JCorp people, by right you all should pay my phone bill for this month. What? You think cheap ka want to call people in JB from Taipei. Eh, if not for Ghani, I wouldn't even be bothered with this issue la.

So, here it is -

PENGAMBILALIHAN QSR DAN KFCH OLEH JOHOR CORPORATION

Hampir kesemua pemegang saham KFC Holdings (Malaysia) Bhd dan QSR Brands Bhd telah bersetuju menerima tawaran yang dibuat oleh Massive Equity Sdn Bhd (MESB) untuk mengambil alih keseluruhan perniagaan KFCH dan QSR termasuk semua aset dan liabiliti kedua-dua syarikat itu. Kos pengambilalihan itu berjumlah RM5.2 bilion dengan pertimbangan RM4 bagi setiap unit saham KFCH dan RM6.80 bagi setiap unit saham QSR. Pengambilalihan tersebut telah selesai pada minggu lepas dan kesemua pemegang saham KFCH dan QSR telah menerima bayaran bagi saham-saham mereka pada 23 dan 25 Januari 2013 yang lalu.

Pengambilalihan ini adalah satu proses “corporate rationalization” atau pewajaran korporat yang membolehkan Johor Corporation mempunyai akses secara langsung kepada kedua-dua syarikat tersebut.

Melalui pengambilalihan ini, Johor Corporation memegang sebanyak 51% ekuiti di dalam bisnes-bisnes di bawah Massive Equity Sdn Bhd (MESB). Ini adalah peningkatan berbanding 32.8% kepentingan efektif dalam QSR dan 17.2% kepentingan dalam KFCH menerusi Kulim (Malaysia) Berhad sebelum ini.

MESB merupakan sebuah Syarikat Tujuan Khas (Special Purpose Vehicle) yang ditubuhkan bagi membolehkan Johor Corporation meningkatkan pegangan langsungnya dalam KFC dan QSR dengan kos pengambilalihan (privatisation) yang optimum.

Tawaran pengambilalihan oleh MESB adalah tawaran yang terbaik dan termurah dapat dilakukan mengikut situasi semasa, sebagaimana yang dinyatakan oleh YAB Menteri Besar Johor merangkap Pengerusi Johor Corporation di dalam akhbar Utusan Malaysia bertarikh 6 Januari 2012.

CVC Capital Partners (CVC) hanya memegang 24% saham dalam MESB, dipilih melalui kriteria pemilihan yang ketat. Selain itu, CVC merupakan sebuah firma pelaburan ekuiti swasta antarabangsa yang mempunyai prestasi bisnes yang kukuh. Ia juga berpengalaman luas dalam “management buyout” dan peningkatan keberkesanan operasi perniagaan serta mempunyai pengalaman dalam pengurusan bisnes-bisnes dan pelaburan yang berkaitan.

Pegangan lebih besar, iaitu 25% lagi saham dalam MESB, dimiliki oleh Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP). Malah apabila pegangan saham Johor Corporation digabungkan dengan saham milik KWSP maka jumlah pegangan saham tempatan berjumlah 76% sekali gus CVC adalah pemegang saham minoriti dalam MESB.

Inilah tujuan asal pengambilalihan QSR & KFC oleh Johor Corporation yang mahu meningkatkan pegangan ekuiti efektif dalam kedua-dua syarikat tersebut sebagai pemegang saham majoriti dan jauh sekali bertujuan untuk menjual kedua-dua syarikat tersebut kepada pihak ketiga atau orang asing.

Oleh itu, kebimbangan orang ramai terhadap ketirisan kepentingan syarikat tempatan di QSR dan KFC oleh Johor Corporation adalah tidak berasas.

Sebaliknya, kita harus berbangga dengan pengiktirafan pemegang francais KFC dan Pizza Hut di Amerika iaitu Yum Brands terhadap kemampuan Johor Corporation dan KWSP dalam menerajui dan mengurus jenama antarabangsa itu sekali gus meneruskan perluasan cawangan khususnya ke India selain pembukaan ratusan cawangan baru KFC dan Pizza Hut yang akan dilakukan di Malaysia selain Singapura, Kemboja dan Brunei, tahun ini.

Pengendalian JCorp dan KWSP ini juga akan dapat terus melahirkan barisan pengurus yang berkemampuan dan berkaliber, termasuk di kalangan Bumiputera, dalam industri peruncitan serta Food & Beverage. Malah barisan pengurusan yang sedia ada dan baru dilantik mempunyai tanggungjawab besar untuk terus menjana nilai tambah dan memajukan bisnes, bukan untuk menjual atau menjejaskan kepentingan anak bangsa.

Teguhnya Johor Corporation di kedudukan teratas pemilik saham KFC dan QSR turut memayungi kepentingan puluhan syarikat Bumiputera yang terlibat dalam Contract Farming dengan kedua-dua syarikat itu serta lebih 1,700 usahawan kecil yang terlibat dalam Program Usahawan Bistari Sudut Ayamas di seluruh negara.

END

A debate over the handsome old man (Updated)

(Note - Updates at the end of this posting)

Bored to death and feel like writing something...but too groggy to think of anything proper to write. It's the medication I took for the day. Anyway, I better not go around rambling around aimlessly and get mushy mushy like in the last posting.

Therefore, I just want to reproduce here a little debate in the comment section of an earlier post which I found interesting. It's a debate over this handsome old man -

It's a contrast of style between an honest person who was trying to make his opponent see the truth and a cybertrooper who was not stopping at anything to promote an agenda. Ok, you all decide who is whom in this debate, and who is the good person between these two guys (I assume there were only two of them), ok?

Anonymous25 January 2013 07:58

Bigcat: very civilised of you to condemn Ibrahim Katak for his senseless remarks. Unfortunately the Umno leadership has chosen to remain silent and we all know why. Ibrahim katak is just a proxy for the evil mamakthir.

ReplyDelete

Replies

Anonymous25 January 2013 10:27
You are putting all the blame at the feet of Umno, but you are blind to the fact that DAP leadership has been very freely and openly provoking and fanning negative sentiments all over the place. This is typical of the kind of bigots who are not only biased but also blinkered and arrogant in their stupidity that they think everyone else can be duped and manipulated to think how you people wanted us to think.
Delete

Anonymous25 January 2013 10:48
Anon 10:27

There are laws in this country. If someone has fanned racial sentiments, then charge them. Don't hesitate. Two wrongs don't make a right. If there are two wrongs, charge both. Don't charge one and not the other. Mamakthir managed to con the Malays for 30 years by making the Malays look small, while he and his kind made themselves look indispensable. He fanned racial sentiments just to win votes at the appropriate time. He walks on water because he has convinced the Malays that he is smarter than everyone else. He is just a common criminal.
Delete

Anonymous25 January 2013 15:37
Mahathir did not con anyone. Did he con the chinese? In what way? Did he con the malays? Did he con the indians? You call him a racist just because he is defending the rights of the malays? Did he dismantle the rights of the non malays? Do you know how many chinese became rich when he was PM? And you dont want malays to be rich?
Delete

Anonymous25 January 2013 15:44
None of you condemned lge when he started this issue. Why? because he is chinese.
Delete

Anonymous25 January 2013 15:56
Anon 10:48

Your usage of the term "mamak" in ascribing Mahathir speaks volume of your racist tendencies. The problem with bigots like you is that racism is so ingrained in your being, that in your arrogance, you reveal your own bigotry without even realising it. You think you are smarter than everyone else, when in fact you are just a small-minded racist.
Delete

Anonymous25 January 2013 21:28
What is your problem with Tun Mahathir? Did you not eat during his time? No food to feed your kids? No money to go to kfc or pizza hut during his time? No car to drive? No house to live in? Did you and family sleep under a bridge during his time? You had to eat gabbage from dustbins? Could not send your kids to school? Could not celebrate your new year? No clinic or hospital to go to when you and family were sick? Could not watch tv? Could not travel freely during his time? WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT? THIS COUNTRY NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU? ANYONE FORCING YOU TO STAY HERE?
Delete

Anonymous26 January 2013 07:17
Yes, I have food but not caviar I have a car but it's not a BMW. I have a house but it's not in damansara heights. I have an office but not near KLCC. I go on holidays but it's not first class. I am angry because I could have all these if mamakthir had not squandered all our money. We live an average life but our country's riches meant we could have lived a better life. These crooks led by mamakthir live in guarded mansions with holiday homes in Perth, London, Ottawa, Paris. They drive Lamborghinis and Ferrari s. They have private helicopters and planes.

Yes, after 40 years of paying taxes, I am angry.
Delete

Anonymous26 January 2013 07:31
Eh, mahathir not a mamak meh ? Oh I forgot, he is the real king of the poor Malays.
Delete

Anonymous26 January 2013 07:33
Anon 21:28

Mamakthir invented the crutch system. Those like you who get the crutches are happy. Those who pay for the crutches are not happy. Faham tak ?
Delete

Anonymous26 January 2013 14:17
anon7:17 What money did he squander? Which coffee shop did you hear this? Why are you jealous of the rich? NOBODY was given a pot of gold. Everyone of those rich guys took advantage of the many business opportunities offered by the govt. Did you? From your comment it is obvious that you didnt. Did you work hard? I didnt myself because age is catching up. But I showed my children how to succeed and they are all doing well in business . AND none of them knows any govt big guns. They have not pulled any strings because they dont have any string to pull. They all had to apply for loans and had to repay them. This is the crutch system which people like you misinterprete. The govt merely offered opportunities, not free cash.Those who failed still had to repay loans. No such thing as 'no need to pay'. These guys who became rich became richer because they continued scouting for new businesses. Sitting in front of the computer whacking the govt will not get you any where. For those who took up those offers and made it, then why cant they have caviar for breakfast, lunch and dinner? COME ON, THINK HARD.In Malaysia ANYONE can become rich. If you call all rich men crooks, then I feel sorry for you.
Delete

Anonymous26 January 2013 18:37
Not all rich men are crooks. In bolehland, many rich men got their opportunities through the abuse of the system engineered by mamakthir. The system of nepotism and cronyism perfected by the mamak. How hard did these people work : Daim, Syed Mokhtar, Syed Azman, Mirzan , Mokhzani, Vincent Tan, Nasimuddin, Taib Mahmud, Mike Tyson. The list goes on and on.
Delete

Anonymous26 January 2013 18:39
Give me 200 APs a year , and I'll be a rich man without having to work very hard. Give me a tollroad or IPP concession, can ? Which rich UMNO guy is not a rent-seeker ?
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Anonymous26 January 2013 23:25
Oh! These people just goyang kaki and money came flooding in? Are you stupid?
Delete

Anonymous26 January 2013 23:34
Hey man.Why so foolish? Take the old road. Dont have to pay any toll.
Delete

UPDATES 

Pointed by Rocky's posting to this brilliant write up at OutSyed the Box blog about an ungrateful bastard - 

Saturday Lite : Ungrateful _$#@_d Has Two Porsches And Two Thoroughbred Horses?

A bit of rest

Been awake since two hours ago. Last night, came home feeling so tired that I went straight to sleep. Busy the whole of yesterday. Now I'm awake too early as usual.

The weather has become colder again. Today I planned to have a proper rest as I have developed a bit of a flu. Going to just clean up my room, do the laundry, finish some readings and then catch up on my sleep.

I'm trying not to think too much about missing home....and my Chinaman. Well, I know he doesn't miss me at all...three days since he last emailed me anything. What to do, men are like that la. Never mind.

Since today I'm having my rest day, I decided to switch off my mind from the happenings back in Malaysia. It's tiring reading about the silliness of my countrymen trying to tear apart our beautiful country just because some irresponsible politicians instigated them to do so for the benefit of their vested interest. Hopefully common sense prevails and things will turn out for the better.

Guess that's all I want to say for today.....need to try to go back to sleep for awhile...the flu is giving me a quite bad head ache too, I think.

Oh, okay, a bit of music may do good....take care everyone.

Opportunist monkeys back home and a Johor commentary

Checked the political stories from home and was not happy at all with what is happening there.

The most depressing was that the fire which was reignited by DAP sec-gen Lim Guan Eng over the kalimah Allah issue last month has spread. Now we have the irritatingly loud mouth opportunist Ibrahim Ali reportedly calling for the burning of bibles with the word Allah in it.

When this fire going to stop spreading is anyone's guess. This is why I always caution everyone to control their mouth. All those liberals talking about how matured Malaysians are nowadays are so full of crap.

Well, now we know that we got an opportunist Chinese kiasu brat as a chief minister stirring up religious sentiments for political mileage on one side and on the other side we have an equally opportunist Malay clown who will stop at nothing to gain popularity. The end result is indeed combustible for our multi-racial and multi-religious society.

With the general election around the corner, I am hoping that PM DS Najib Razak will calm things down once he come back from his overseas trip. I don't really fancy his job though. Previous PMs had the ISA. They simply throw these troublemaking crap heads into the slammer. Now Najib has to really use all of his persuasive power to handle the monkeys and their bananas.

Eh, enough lah about that depressing stuff. You can read the details of that nonsense all over the net, anyway. No need for me to elaborate on it.

Actually, I woke up this morning and realized that I have not written anything about my home state Johor for a long time. My plan to get my contacts in Johor to write in this blog has not worked out. With the GE13 coming soon, they simply got no time for it.

So, for this posting, I'm cutting and pasting this commentary from Johor written by the outgoing NST bureau chief Ahmad Fairuz Othman who has been promoted and transfeered to KL. I was informed that this was the last piece by him in the NST's On the Frontline column.

Ahmad Fairuz is being replaced by Ben Tan as the NST Johor bureau chief.

Johor's political veterans work behind the scenes

AS a state with a formidable track record under Barisan Nasional's component parties, it is natural for Johor to have many experienced leaders who have been around long enough to be well-versed with the highs and lows of politics.

These seasoned politicians, ranging from incumbent policy-makers to former assemblymen and candidates, are a testament to the ruling coalition's wealth of experience.

Five-term state assemblyman Tan Kok Hong, for one, always holds on to the concept of serving the party above all else.

The state executive councillor for international trade and industry, energy, water, communication and environment is approaching 60. He is quite honest about his intention to pass the baton to younger leaders in the coming general election.

But as the convention of BN stalwarts goes, Tan continuously works behind the scenes to ensure an election victory for the coalition under state BN chief Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.

Tan is almost certain of the support of the Chinese community in his state constituency of Bekok and in other parts of Johor due to the community's positive response to transformation initiatives under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

"The Chinese community would be stupid not to vote for him (Najib)," he says. "Even though there are grumblings from certain sections of the Chinese community, particularly businessmen, when it comes to voting time, they will likely favour the BN."

Tan's optimism may be due to the fact that MCA, as with Umno, continues to regard Johor as a large vote bank.

In the 2008 general election, MCA won seven out of the eight parliamentary seats it contested, and 12 of the 15 state seats it contested.

Tan says BN component party members sing praises of Ghani's leadership for always ensuring the welfare of all the races are being taken care of.

"Even the menteri besar's wife, Prof Datin Paduka Jamilah Ariffin, touches base with many Chinese non-governmental organisations in the state," he adds.

State MIC chief and former state executive councillor Datuk K.S. Balakrishnan concurs with Tan on the uniting factor that exists under Ghani's leadership.

The Indian community in Johor, who comprise the Tamil, Malayalee and Urdu-speaking people, represent about 6.5 per cent of the 1.58 million registered voters in Johor.

But despite their miniscule numbers, Balakarishnan, 65, knows too well that even the smallest group of voters could tip the scale in any direction.

"There are almost 105,000 voters from the Indian community in Johor now, which is a more than 100 per cent jump as compared with the figures from 2008. Back then, there were only 82,000 Indian voters," he notes.

Out of the 26 parliamentary seats in Johor, 10 seats have between 9 and 15 per cent of their electorate comprising those from the Indian community.

These seats are Labis (15.2 per cent Indian voters), Tebrau (13.4 per cent), Gelang Patah (12.4 per cent), Pasir Gudang (11.1 per cent), Segamat (10 per cent) and Kluang (9.8 per cent).

Balakrishnan says much of Johor's Indian community are generally known to be staunch supporters of the BN, and this was particularly evident during the Tenang by-election almost two years ago.

Observers have noted how ballot boxes at Indian-majority areas in Tenang recorded almost 100 per cent support for BN's candidate, Azhar Ibrahim, who eventually won the seat.

Balakrishnan says such support was not based on mere political loyalty, but BN's efficiency in handling bread-and-butter issues, in cluding that of Tamil schools, temples and welfare.

Balakrishnan did not seek re-election as Permas assemblyman in 2008 but remains a regular figure at many party and state functions.

He is most proud of the Gelang Patah MIC-initiated Pongal gathering, which is now in its 17th year.

The festival began as a way to mark the harvesting of crops and sees the boiling of rice, milk and sugar in earthen pots to symbolise good fortune.

"This year's event at the Taman Ungku Tun Aminah stadium attracted more than 1,000 people and it is becoming a more multiracial gathering than ever before," he says.

Meanwhile, state Gerakan chairman Datuk Teo Kok Chee says the party has 60,000 members statewide and despite having one parliamentary and three state seats under BN's seat allocation quota, it was a force to be reckoned with.

"Even if there were no Gerakan candidates in any one seat, we would help the machinery as all of us work under the BN banner."

ahmadfairuz@nst.com.my

Pas' ass bitten again...this time by Anwar

This is what I wrote on Christmas eve, exactly a month ago when DAP sec-gen Lim Guan Eng reignited the kalimah Allah issue -

Of course the reason why Guan Eng raised the issue on the eve of Christmas was political. There was no two ways about that. It's to appear that Christians in this country were being oppressed and denied their rights.

The target audience of that issue in my opinion were actually Christians in Sabah and Sarawak , especially the bumiputera of that faith who had for years been using the word Allah in reference to their God. Guan Eng message was made, so that they will see the evil Barisan Nasional government as suppressing their co-religionists in the Peninsular. It's all for their votes, of course.

As if the ordinary Christians in the Peninsular really care about using the word "Allah" to refer to their God.

It appeared that Guan Eng doesn't even seems to care about the consequences of his bait for the Christians in Sabah and Sarawak to DAP's Muslim allies in PKR and Pas.

Muslims in PKR and Pas should know that raising the "Allah in the Bible" issue so close to the general election could prove fatal for them who will mostly contest in Malay Muslim dominated constituencies in the Peninsular.

This is the posting where I wrote the above -

DAP's Muslim allies in a fix on Christmas eve

True enough, what happened after that was the flipping and flopping of the Pakatan Muslims, especially those in Pas. 

First, Pas Dewan Ulama chief Harun Taib said only Muslims should use the word Allah. Then, a few days later, party president DS Abdul Hadi Awang said the non-Muslims can also use the word Allah and he was supported by the party's spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. Less than a week later, the all powerful Syura Council of the party decided that the word Allah must only exclusively be used by Muslims. With that Nik Aziz reversed his earlier stand in accordance with what was decided by the Syura Council. Hadi, however, had stayed quiet on the matter.

Opposition leader DS Anwar Ibrahim, meanwhile has from the start being  supportive of Guan Eng's incitement of the issue. I think he has no choice on the matter. PKR is dependent on DAP's election machinery in  states such as Selangor where their on-the-ground forces were rather weak, or Johor where it was almost non-existence. They also need the DAP's Chinese supporters to back them up in the marginal constituencies where their candidates will mostly contest. Furthermore, Anwar is likely of the opinion that an alliance with DAP is more valuable than its alliance with Pas. PKR is after all marketing itself as a party for especially the liberal urban Malays while Pas is a party for the Muslim conservatives in the rural areas.

So, with that in mind, after the Pas' Syura Council decided to prevent the non-Muslims from using the word Allah to describe their gods, Anwar's right hand man Azmin Ali came out with a statement saying that the Pakatan's stand remains the same - the non-Muslims may use the word Allah. Pas' opposite stand following its Syura Council's decision doesn't matter, insisted Azmin.

The question at that point was - how come Pas' decision on the matter could be irrelevant when Pakatan insisted on allowing the non-Muslims to use the word Allah? 

Yesterday, Anwar apparently gave an answer to that question during a Press conference. 

He said, as far as the rest of Pakatan were concerned, the decision by Pas' Syura Council doesn't carry any weight to the opposition coalition because all that matter to DAP and PKR was Hadi's initial statement which supports Guan Eng's call for the word Allah to be used in the Malay language Bible.

Now, this placed the ball at Hadi's feet. Let's wait for him to make a statement which will be recognized by Anwar and the rest of Pakatan as the official stand of Pas on the kalimah Allah issue. 

It is not going to be easy for Hadi as he knows he will be scoring an own goal no matter which direction he kicked the ball.

If Hadi is to follow what Guan Eng and Anwar want, he will face discontent within Pas which members mostly want the Muslims to have the exclusive right to use the word Allah. It will also cause irreparable damage to Pas' Islamists credential among Muslims in the Peninsular. But if he decides to uphold the Syura Council's decision, he will first be seen as a fool for initially supporting Guan Eng and Anwar on the issue and secondly, it will spell the beginning of the end for Pas as a member in Pakatan.

My bet is, Hadi will keep quiet on this issue at least until after the general election. 

But, the writings were clearly on the wall following Anwar's statement yesterday - Pas is slowly but surely being made known of their actual place in the probable new Malaysia under Pakatan rule. 

It's simple - Pas people will need to toe the line, failing which, DAP and PKR will once again unleash the likes of Patrick "motherfucker" Teo to bite their sorry kampung ass.

For perspective on the last part, read here - 

Extreme flipping and flopping (Updated - Patrick Teoh's insult)

A white bicycle and missing home

The weather is warming up here. Should be just above 20 degree Celsius during day time. It seems as if it will soon be spring...my favorite time of the year in a colder country like this. Yet, I think it is too early. Spring in Taiwan normally starts in late February or early March. Guess it's the global warming thing.

Anyway, I bought a bicycle yesterday. I gave it a name - Coral. Going to ride it whenever the weather permits.

Taipei is indeed a wonderful place. The people are also generally very friendly. But I do miss home sometimes, especially the food. My current vegetarian diet is okay, but I'm still getting used to it. Nothing like having the diversity of food back in Malaysia.

Overall, I'm now very fond of Taiwan, but it's nothing compared to Malaysia. Malaysia is after all my motherland, and no matter what, I will always love it.

Whenever I think of it, it makes me wonder why some fellow Malaysians think and talk so lowly of our own country. They liken it to countries such as Zimbabwe or Myanmar or all those other sad places. They said our government is as corrupt or as evil as those in that countries. Yes, Malaysia and its government are not perfect, but I believe they are not as bad as portrayed and that we can fix them without having to destroy what we already had built over the past half a century since Merdeka.

Some argued that we need to endure some hardship if we want Malaysia to have a better tomorrow. That we should take the huge risk of electing an unknown entity to replace the government perceived to be corrupt and inefficient despite its track record of successfully maintaining harmony and developing the country for several decades.

I disagree with such nonsense. I believe that we can achieve things better by being understanding, rationale and moderate. That's the approach taken by our forefathers when they founded Malaysia. We achieved what we have now without having to sacrifice too much blood and lives. An achievement admired by the rest of the world.

Soon, Malaysians will go through the most fiercely contested general election in the country's history. My prayers - for them not to tear the country apart to satisfy the greed and lust for power of a few politicians. Politicians come and go, but the country and the Malaysian way of life should remain. They should remember this as they cast their votes a few weeks from now. Once destroyed, we may never have back what we have and take for granted all these while.

It should be spring here in Taiwan by the time Malaysians have their election. Hopefully, Malaysia will still be as beautiful as Taiwan in spring after that.  Better Taiwan spring than Arab spring.

Searching for Wawa

So, the suspended Bank Islam chief economist has threatened to sue those whom he alleged had defamed him as being in cohort with the Pakatan gang.

Among the first to be sued (if ever) must be Rocky the Bru who broke the story about the guy making all sorts of weird noises while in Singapore. Here is Rocky's take on the latest development -

Chief Economist to sue bloggers,etc who slander him

I like this part very much - Still, Wawa has the right to seek redress if he thought he'd been maligned. This is a great democracy where you can instill a million doubts in the judiciary and link it to the ruling Government, and then file a multi-million ringgit lawsuit at the first opportunity you get. How many times have we witnessed that?

Well, I wouldn't worry about Rocky. I think the man had been sued so many times since his newspapers days, that he has probably lost count already. Yet, to my knowledge, I don't think Rocky is a bankrupt. So, that means he has not yet lost a substantial amount in any case which further means that the man normally writes the truth. From the tone of his posting, he seems confident that he can beat this one too if he has to.

Now, the thing that most interest me about this case is not so much about the economist Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajuddin being a Pakatan's mole in the country's financial sector. That is already very obvious indeed.

What honestly piqued my curiosity of all things about this case is that - How the hell the guy got that nickname Wawa??????

Sorry la, as it may seem trivial to most of you, but I'm just being forthright here...I was very curious about it.

So I googled for images with that name to find out what sort of person uses that name. The top page of my search was filled with pictures of Wawa Zainal, the up and coming actress from Sabah.

Well, not bad leh. Some predicted that Wawa Zainal may take over the number one spot as "Malaysia's sweetheart of the entertainment industry" from the currently popular actress Lisa Surihani.

Maybe the other Wawa can also become a good actor/actress on the side of being an economist. I think he had displayed quite an impressive theatrical talent so far.

Who knows, with such talents, maybe this Pakatan's Wawa could be some sorts of  a 'sweetheart ' too. Hmmmm...someone must have noticed that the dyed hair look sweet, isn't it?

Of armpits and thighs

In yet another U-turn by Pas, female performers are now allowed to take part in Chinese New Year stage shows in Kedah.

Initially, they were not allowed to do so by the Pas Kedah government, causing an uproar even among the pious guys of Pakatan such as the ultimately handsome DAP boy, the Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng.

The catch however, I was told by a journalist friend back home is that the female performers, were still not allowed to wear "inappropriate" attire, which according to the guideline issued include those which revealed the armpits and too much of the thighs of the performers.

Hmmm....that means, no cheogsam like this la -

Or like this -

Or even like this -

Well, maybe good also la. I'm always jealous whenever my Chinese friends wear cheongsam because I can never fit into one. My body shape got no curves leh. Macam papan only.

Anyway, what is it about the armpits thing.... Cannot show thighs, I can understand la....but armpits? Like that also can get aroused ka?

So teruk la you all men.