Malaysia Property market for Business premises and housing set for a severe crash landing with few servivours

Public announcement for Malaysian Indian students - Scholarships from Indian Government

Now Mahathir dares Hishammuddin to stand in Langkawi

Adam Abu Bakar | July 24, 2017

Former PM responds to the Umno vice-president’s challenge for him to take on prime minister Najib Razak in Pekan in the next general election.

MahathirKUALA LUMPUR: Dr Mahathir Mohamad today challenged Hishammuddin Hussein to contest in Langkawi, a day after the Umno vice-president dared the PPBM chairman to take on the prime minister in Pekan.

“I dare him to stand in Langkawi,” Mahathir, who is also the PPBM Langkawi division chief, told reporters outside the Dewan Rakyat here.

Yesterday, Hishammuddin labelled the former prime minister’s announcement that he was open to contesting in Pekan against Najib Razak in the next general election as a populist statement.
Hishammuddin said Mahathir had deliberately issued the statement when the Umno divisional delegates’ meetings were being held to disrupt the focus of the party members.

“I see it as a populist statement. I challenge him to contest in Pekan.

“If he dares to, I myself, Datuk Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and the whole Barisan Nasional’s leadership will go down there to defend the prime minister’s position as party president … so go ahead, if you dare,” Bernama quoted him as saying.

Mahathir had also today alleged that there were phantom voters in Najib’s constituency, citing the increased number of voters to back up his claim.

“There’s something odd about that place.”

On a separate matter, Mahathir brushed aside Umno supreme council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi’s offer to debate him on issues surrounding 1MDB, saying that Puad wanted to help his “boss” Najib.
Mahathir said Puad, instead, should tell Najib not to fear him.
“This old man can’t do anything. He is young, I am 92. I can’t even say the right things. Why is he afraid?” he said, sarcastically.

Why Pakatan Harapan will win PRU 14

A U.S.-CHINA TRADE WAR ABOUT TO ERUPT- BUT THIS TIME, THE YANKEES CAN’T WIN!

Trump administration says the U.S. companies want more access to China’s economy. They wanted to rebalance what they say is an unfair trading relationship. During talks between the world’s two largest economies, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said China’s US$347 billion trade deficit with the United States was not the product of market forces.

“We must create more balance in our trade by increasing exports of made-in-America goods to China. There are significant opportunities to do this if we can work together to remove the significant barriers that continue to exist.” – Ross said at the Treasury Department. However, as predicted, the Chinese officials disagreed and practically told the Yankee to go fly kite.

So on Wednesday, the U.S. and China failed to agree on major new steps to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China. It was so screwed up that the annual economic dialogue session in Washington ended with cancelled news conferences, no joint statement and no new announcements on U.S. market access to China. It has failed spectacularly.


Essentially, the failure delivers a slap on President Donald Trump’s face as he had expected some form of success on his “U.S.-China Comprehensive Economic Dialogue” talks. Trump who prides himself as being the ultimate deal maker appears to have bumped into a greater deal maker – China – as the Chinese refuse to budge so that the U.S. could win with ease.

The two nations had a “frank exchange” but failed to agree on most major bilateral trade and economic issues that were important to the United States. Trump had hoped that after his first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Mar-A-Lago, Florida, estate earlier in April, the Chinese could be persuaded to open its market to the Americans.

It was revealed that Trump’s team has presented a tall demand, included demands for access to China’s financial services markets, reducing excess Chinese steel capacity, reductions in auto tariffs, cutting subsidies for state-owned enterprises, ending Chinese requirements for data localization and lifting ownership caps for foreign firms in China.



The Chinese, however, drove a hard bargain when it had only granted some minor victories to Donald Trump, which included the resumption of American beef sales in China – after 14 years hiatus – and pledged to grant limited U.S. access to some financial services sectors, such as card payment services. They also to buy U.S. liquefied natural gas.

Mixing business with politics also saw Trump threatening new sanctions on small Chinese banks and other firms doing business with Pyongyang after he got frustrated with China’s lack of pressure on North Korea. After the meltdown in trade talks between both parties, Trump was asked by a reporter at the White House whether he would impose steel tariffs, to which he said – “Could happen.”

Trump administration has blamed massive Chinese excess capacity for a global steel glut that is hurting U.S. producers. But China has taken the opportunity to cry, whine and bitch about the same thing – that Washington has refused to sell Beijing advanced technology products. Therefore, the Chinese argued that the Yankees have to give them something in return, not threats.



The trade talks were also attended by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a senior White House adviser. Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang said the two sides should maintain a healthy dialog and warned against starting down the path of confrontation over trade – “Dialog cannot immediately address all differences, but confrontation will immediately damage the interests of both.”

Investors interpreted the negative signals from the talks and lack of new trade announcements as making it more likely that Trump would forge ahead with broad steel tariffs or quotas. If Trump does that, either the China would be cowered or retaliated with its version of trade war. The burning question is: could Trump take more heat than he’s already facing now?

His plate is full of failures and scandals. The infamous Trump-Russia investigation is alive and kicking and even gaining steam, thanks to Trump’s idiot son. The infighting among Republicans saw Trump’s pledge to repeal and replace the Obamacare flops fantastically. Even Trump’s military threat against badass Kim Jong-un was met with more missile tests instead.


At this hour, could Trump really afford to launch a full-scale trade war with China? It would be a great diversion tactic to his domestic issues only if he is certain he could win the war. To be fair, Trump’s boys have picked the wrong timing to pressure China to open their markets, not that the Chinese would submit to the U.S. to begin with.

With the 19th Communist Party Congress around the corner, President Xi Jinping would be mad to meet Trump’s demands. If more American companies are allowed into the Chinese market through liberalization, it would be taken as a sign of an invasion of the Yankees – what more with the Americans wanting control on what they can and cannot do on Chinese soil.

If Trump still thinks that talking tough to China will produce positive results, clearly he doesn’t know the Chinese very well. From Beijing’s perspective, international trade takes a second seat to internal politics. President Xi Jinping’s top priority is to maintain political stability. He cannot lose face in his relations with President Trump and hope to retain power at home.


More importantly, Xi cannot deal with an American president who the Chinese feel fails to show proper respect for China itself, not after Trump sent some destroyer warships to South China Sea just to show off their military prowess. A trade war would not be a disaster for China, mainly because the U.S. needs China more than vice versa. The situation might have been different 20 years ago.

Even if companies like Apple agrees that America goes for a trade war with China, would American consumers agree to pay more for U.S.-made goods? Sure, on the surface they say they love U.S.-made products. But a research says otherwise. A latest Reuters/Ipsos poll found 70% of Americans think it is “very important” or “somewhat important” to buy U.S.-made products.

However, 37% said they would refuse to pay more for U.S.-made goods versus imports. About 26% said they would only pay up to 5% more to buy American, and 21% capped the premium at 10%. Hence, Trump’s promises of bringing back manufacturing jobs and boosting economic growth could backfire spectacularly.



– http://www.financetwitter.com

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Diplomatic Crisis With Jordan: Embassy Guard Who Killed Assailant Prevented From Returning to Israel

Israeli Embassy guard shoots and kills a Jordanian teen who tried to stab him, and another man; Israel decides to pull out its diplomats but halts the evacuation when Jordan insists on interrogating him

Barak Ravid, Jack Khoury and Gili Cohen  Jul 24, 2017 7:58 AM

Jordanian security forces stand guard outside the Israeli embassy in the residential Rabiyeh neighbourhood of the capital Amman following an incident on July 23, 2017. KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP

Analysis Israel and Jordan want to resolve the embassy crisis, but the Jordanian public complicates matters

Guard at Israeli embassy in Jordan lightly wounded in stabbing; assailant killed
An unusual security incident in which a Jordanian civilian tried to attack an Israeli embassy guard in Jordan on Sunday and was shot dead has become a diplomatic crisis. Jordan is barring the Israeli guard from leaving the country.
>> Analysis: Israel and Jordan Want to Resolve Crisis, but the Jordanian Public Complicates Matters >> Senior Israeli Defense Official Heading to Jordan to Solve Embassy Crisis
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Q&A: Haaretz analysts answer readers' questions on Temple Mount and Jordan crises

On Sunday evening, following an emergency meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, it was decided to immediately evacuate all the staff of the Israeli embassy in Amman for fear that the incident would lead to riots and attempts to attack the embassy. However, the Jordanian authorities have refused to allow the security guard to leave the country and have demanded an investigation.

Israel is currently refusing to allow an investigation of the security guard at this stage, claiming that the guard has diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention. The dispute over a possible investigation has led to the delay in the evacuation of the Israeli diplomatic team in Amman.


The Israeli security cabinet will convene at 2 P.M. to discuss the incident, as well as the crisis over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
The guard at the Israeli Embassy in Amman was stabbed on Sunday by a Jordanian carpenter who was installing furniture in his apartment near the embassy compound. The Israeli security officer, who was lightly wounded in the incident, shot and killed the attacker. His landlord, who was also present during the incident, was also wounded during the incident and later died of his wounds.

The assailant has been identified as Mohammed al-Juoda, 17. According to an Israeli security source, the attacker, who is of Palestinian origin, was motivated by the Temple Mount crisis. His father told Jordanian media that he considers his son a martyr. Protesters took to the streets of Amman on Sunday night and shouted slogans in support of the teen, before being dispersed by police.


The unusual incident began when a team of carpenters came to install furniture in one of the apartments where the Israeli security guards live, near the Amman embassy compound.
The Jordanian landlord and two other Palestinian workers were also in the apartment at the time of the incident. One of the workers crept behind the officer and began to stab him with a screwdriver - at which point the officer jumped back, cocked his weapon and fired. He was lightly wounded in the jump.

The assailant died from wounds sustained during the shooting. The landlord was also wounded during the incident, later succumbing to his wounds.
The guard arrived at the embassy immediately following the incident. A Foreign Ministry official noted that he is an accredited diplomat, immune from interrogation and arrest under the Vienna Convention.

A large contingent of Jordanian security forces arrived following the shooting, blocked all access routes to the area and launched an investigation. The background to the incident is still not clear, and the Jordanian General Security Administration issued a statement saying the circumstances surrounding the incident were still being investigated. The statement did not say that a Jordanian carpenter had attacked an Israeli.

Minutes after the incident, the Amman embassy and Foreign Ministry headquarters in Jerusalem declared a state of emergency. “The last thing we needed was a rerun of the attack on the embassy in Cairo,” said a senior Foreign Ministry official, referring to the September 2011 storming of the embassy in Egypt by hundreds of protesters.

Netanyahu spoke on the phone with Israeli Ambassador to Jordan Einat Schlein and the deputy chief of staff following the incident. The Foreign Ministry and security forces are working with the Jordanian government in various channels to bring the affair to a close.
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Trump commissions USS Gerald R. Ford, calls on Congress to boost defense spending

President Donald Trump speaks during the commissioning ceremony of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Saturday, July, 22, 2017. Seated behind the president are Former Vice President Dick Cheney, second from right, .

By Dave Boyer - The Washington Times - Saturday, July 22, 2017
President Trump commissioned the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Saturday, celebrating the newest symbol of American military might as he called on Congress to approve a budget with a big increase in defense spending.

Addressing an audience of dignitaries and sailors on the $12.9-billion nuclear-powered carrier at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Virginia, Mr. Trump said the new warship will deliver an unmistakable message to America’s allies and enemies.

“American steel and American hands have constructed a 100,000-ton message to the world: American might is second to none, and we’re getting bigger and better and stronger every day of my administration,” Mr. Trump said. “Everyone will know that America is coming, and America is coming strong.”

The warship is the largest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the world, and was emblazoned for the event with a banner proclaiming “Made in the USA.” It’s named for the 38th president, who rose to the rank of lieutenant commander in the Navy in World War II.
Mr. Trump used the occasion to call on Congress to complete the fiscal 2018 budget that would boost defense spending by about $54 billion, an increase of roughly 10 percent. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

“For years, our government has subjected the military to unpredictable funding, and a devastating defense ‘sequester,’” the president said. “This has led to deferred maintenance, a lack of investment in new equipment and technology and a shortfall in military readiness. It’s been a very, very bad period of time for our military.”


He added, “Now we need Congress to do its job and pass the budget that provides for higher, stable and predictable funding levels for our military needs that our fighting men and women deserve. And you will get it, believe me. But I don’t mind getting a little hand, so call that congressman, and call that senator, and make sure you get it.”

Referring to stalled Senate negotiations to repeal and replace Obamacare, the president also said in an aside, “By the way, you can also call those senators to make sure you get healthcare.”
He said the USS Ford demonstrates that “we will win, win, win — we will never lose.”
“When it comes to battle, we don’t want a fair fight,” Mr. Trump said. “We want just the opposite. We demand victory, and we will have total victory, believe me.”

Also attending the ceremony were Susan Ford Bales, daughter of the late president; former Vice President Dick Cheney, wearing a navy blazer and cowboy hat; former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld; Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe; Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and several lawmakers.

USS Gerald R. Ford

Aircraft carrier

USS Gerald R. Ford is the lead ship of her class of United States Navy supercarriers. The ship is named after the 38th President of the United States Gerald Ford, whose World War II naval service included ...Wikipedia

Length: 1,106′

Complement: Up to 5,000+

Sponsored by: Susan Ford

Aviation facilities: 1,092 ft × 256 ft (333 m × 78 m) flight deck

Armament: RIM-162 ESSM; RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile; Close-in weapon system (CIWS)

Installed power: Two A1B nuclear reactors

The president landed in Marine One on the 1,092-foot-long runway of the carrier, where he was greeted by Defense Secretary James Mattis.

In introducing the president at the ceremony, Mr. Mattis said, “Today a magnificent warship joins the best navy in the world. Mr. President, you will send this ship into harm’s way and it will happily sail into harm’s way for you.”

Among the military brass in attendance were Navy Capt. Richard McCormack, commanding officer of the carrier; Navy Capt. Brent Gaut, prospective executive officer; Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations.

Referring to President Teddy Roosevelt, acting Navy Secretary Sean Stackley told Mr. Trump, “One of your predecessors famously said ‘Speak softly and carry a big stick.’ We offer you, sir, a big stick.”

Mr. Trump, who also spoke at a ceremony for the ship four months ago, has criticized the project for being billions of dollars over budget and late.

Construction on the USS Ford began in 2009, and was to be completed in 2015 at a cost initially projected at $10.5 billion.

The carrier completed sea trials in April, but still will go through more tests at sea before becoming ready for deployment. The work yet to be completed is expected to cost more than $775 million and take another four years.

The USS Ford eventually will accommodate about 2,600 sailors

WHY IS AZMIN PICKING ON WONG CHEN? KELANA JAYA MP MIGHT LOSE HIS SEAT OVER A FIGHT WITH S’GOR GOVT – WHY ARE THEY FEUDING?

It’s a situation that might be a recurring nightmare for some: You were lining up to pay for something. When it’s finally your turn, you hand over your credit card to the checkout guy behind the counter. He swipes it once, twice, but nothing happens. Behind you, you hear several impatient sighs. The checkout guy gave your card one more try, then handed it back to you.

“I’m sorry, but your card has been declined,” said the checkout guy.


“But this can’t be!” you desperately wailed. “This never happened before! How can my card be declined?”

Because in this scenario your dad was the one paying for your credit card, you whipped out your phone and called him. “Oh yeah, I kinda cancelled your card after looking at the bills. Kthnxbai,” was the reply.

So you fell to your knees right there in the checkout aisle, looked to the heavens, and let out a dramatic “NOOOOOO!”



NNNUUOOOOHHHHH!!! Source
Now imagine that you’re a member of the Parliament (MP), the card is funds for you to spend on your constituents, and your daddy is the state government. While the last line in that short story may or may not be true, that’s more or less what happened to the Kelana Jaya MP, PKR’s Wong Chen.

Wong Chen realized that something was amiss sometime in June after one of their contractors working on the renovation of a community hall notified him that they could not start the project as the funding for their officehad been frozen. After he sent a letter to Petaling’s District and Land Office (PDT Petaling) asking about whether or not his accounts had been frozen, he received a confirmation and the reason for the freezing.

“It is informed that the Selangor State Treasury (PNS) is in the process of auditing and adjusting the accounts for the Parliamentary District of Kelana Jaya, Petaling. Therefore, all usage of funds for Mesra Rakyat is immediately frozen effective on the 12th of July 2016 until a time that is to be informed later,” – (translated) excerpt from a letter from PDT Petaling, which is actually an excerpt from a letter by the State Economic Planning Unit, Secretary’s Office of the Selangor State Government.
But wait for a moment there, said a reader who actually reads the quotes. If the freezing is effective on the 12th of July last year, how come Wong Chen only discovered it last month? Well, dear reader, this might get a bit confusing, so let’s first look at what’s being frozen in the first place.



What are these community funds?

Close, but not quite. Source

Close, but not quite. Source
Each year, the Selangor government grants its six MPs funds totalling RM250,000. These funds are meant to aid the MPs in their duties, and they can be used to repair public facilities, start small construction projects, or even as funding for their speeches and feasts. Basically, if you’ve ever wondered where the money for all the stuff that MPs do come from, it’s probably from this funding.

Starting 2014, this fund was increased to RM300,000 per month. Along with the funding, the state treasury had laid out a set of guidelines on how this money should be spent. Simply put, it can (or should) be spent in five ways:

The management and running of the MP’s office, should not exceed RM50,000 per year.
Small development projects, but each project may not exceed RM50,000 per year. However, the total money spent on development projects can exceed half of the total funding.
Cash community contributions, not exceeding RM2,500 per contribution.
Mesra Rakyat programs, where MPs get close to their constituents. Not exceeding RM10,000 per program.
An allocation for emergency contributions, like to help a family who lost their house in a fire or something. Not exceeding RM2,000 at any given time.
Seems pretty straightforward, right? There shouldn’t be any probl-

Wong Chen gave alot of money to poor people

Wong Chen had protested the sudden freezing of the funds, saying that there’s no clear reason for it. According to an audit report on their accounts, here’s how the Kelana Jaya MP had spent the funds for the years 2014-2015, based on the audit report that he received on the 2nd of February 2017:

Office spending (A), Small development Projects (B), Mesra Rakyat (C), Monetary contributions (D), and Emergency contributions (E).

Office spending (A), Small development projects (B), Mesra Rakyat (C), Monetary contributions (D), and Emergency contributions (E). Source
One glance at the graph could tell you that one thing gets wayyy more money than others, and that’s cash contributions towards the less fortunate. While some may argue that there’s nothing wrong with spending the community funds on the people, it did not exactly fit the guidelines set forth by the treasury, and that was reflected in the audit findings.

There are six findings in all:

Too little attention given towards small developments, where there are none in 2014, and only 4% of the total funding in 2015.

Community cash contributions were the highest in both years, with most of the contributions going towards the disabled, poor, old, single mothers and orphans living at a place called Desa Mentari in Sunway.
68 people are repeat receivers of the cash contributions for the two years, receiving RM74,000 between them.

7 payment vouchers for community contributions did not follow the set guidelines

Only RM24,743 were spent within the two years for Mesra Rakyat programs.
Kelana Jaya never did set aside any funds for emergency contributions for the two years.
In his defense, Wong Chen had sent a letter explaining himself to PDT Petaling. The summary of his response was as follows:

There never was a guideline on how much MPs should spend on development projects, and the circular telling MPs to spend 30% on development was only circulated in early 2015.
Desa Mentari, Desa Ria and Kampung Lindungan are the hardcore poverty areas of Kelana Jaya. So there’s no pressing reason to help other areas such as Subang Jaya, which are populated with people in the middle-class income level.

They were not aware that helping the same people two years in a row was a breach of the guidelines. If it was, there’s no mention of it in the guidelines.
There were unavoidable reasons for them to not follow the guidelines.
No set percentage of the funds was explicitly allocated to throw events and feasts to promote his name.
There were neither clear guidelines for the emergency contributions nor the people who came forth to claim it for 2014 and 2015.

What followed next was a series of letters where the Petaling Jaya MP Office tried to clarify the problems stated in the audit report, as well as asking for a reply from the Selangor State Government. This lasted up until early June, when suddenly a contractor notified him of the community funds being frozen, as told earlier in the article. The freezing, effective July 2016, had been said to be due to the audit process (which was done in March 2016).



If you read the quote carefully, it said that what’s being frozen is ‘the funds for Mesra Rakyat‘, which sounded like one of the five uses of the community fund. However, on the 2nd of June, the PTD Petaling received a phone call from the Selangor State Treasury, saying that the freezing actually included ALL of the funds, not just for the Mesra Rakyat programs.

Therefore, even if they weren’t frozen before, the rest of the community funds were frozen starting the 2nd of June.

The whole auditing and freezing process is not exactly… transparent


As should be expected, Wong Chen isn’t entirely pleased with the audit process and the freezing, particularly because he felt that the auditors haven’t been using a proper process for the audit.

“If the findings were fair, we would not have minded as much. However, these findings were trivial, irrelevant, misdirected, and/or baseless. These findings could have been easily answered had the Selangor government auditors done a proper audit with due process.” – Wong Chen, Kelana Jaya MP in a Facebook post.
Some of the audit procedures seemed a little off. So an audit was done on Wong Chen’s office in early March last year. While the audit was stated in the report to take two days (1 & 2/03/16), Wong Chen noted that the report was only received some 11 months later, on the 2nd of February 2017.

The Selangor’s Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali had reportedly flayed Wong Chen for making the whole issue public…

“If there is any issue, he should come forward and talk to the state government rather than make it public, but I leave it to him… Even I myself have been audited before but I did not make it an a issue. This is because any parties including parliamentarians and state assemblymen have accepted well that this process ensures transparency.” – Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Selangor’s Mentri Besar for the Malay Mail Online.
However, Wong Chen did not see the statement as fair as YAB Azmin Ali was reported to have known about his own audit, whereas Wong Chen was not aware of his own audit process, which was claimed to have been done without any transparency or notice.

It should be known that after he received the audit reports, Wong Chen had written letters to the state government to address his concerns on the audit, but some of them went unanswered for three months. So technically he did try to talk, but the other party’s not picking up.



Another thing that Wong Chen noted was that in the audit report, it was said that the audit was done through two methods. One of them is checking the related documents and financial records against the spending account of the Kelana Jaya MP at Petaling’s District & Land Office. The other one is for the auditors to interview related officers on the matter. Wong Chen, however, had stated that the state did not seek his cooperationand did not clarify matters with his office before making their findings.

The matter of the fund freezing is also questionable. Since the report was received in February 2017 and the freezing was effective on July 2016, that would mean that the state government froze part of the funds before they even made any findings. And since the audit report in February did not recommend any freezing of funds,

“…to freeze our community spending four months later in June 2017 is absolutely perplexing, bordering on vindictive.” – Wong Chen, Kelana Jaya MP in a Facebook post.
Wong Chen had also stated that the freezing of the funds back in July is an unusual way of punishing his constituents before the report was even concluded. Furthermore, the freezing was done without so much as a notification letter. Wow.

And while he had been criticized by some for supposedly ‘washing dirty linen in public‘ by disclosing the issueto the general public instead of resolving it internally, Wong Chen had asserted that the fund freezing is not a political quarrel. Therefore, according to him, asking the party to intervene and resolving this quietly would not only be morally wrong, but also an abuse of power.

And Wong Chen is all too aware of the consequences of a public feud

Right up there with being caught having sex scandals and terrible life choices. Source

Right next to making terrible life choices and having the news covering it. Source
When your career puts you in the public eye, there are certain standards to keep. This is even more so when you’re representing a particular group or party. Wong Chen had expressed his concerns on how his issue with the Selangor State Government may hurt PKR’s chances in the next General Election.

“My predecessor won this seat with 5,000 majority votes. When I stood (in 2013), I took it to 26,000 majority. But if there is an innuendo of a scandal in my office, that will hurt me and it will hurt PKR’s chances in the 14th general election,” – Wong Chen, as reported by Free Malaysia Today.
In a press conference, he had stated that the Kelana Jaya seat, which is one of the safest PKR seats, may be threatened if the issue is left as it is.

Even if political seats weren’t at stake, to have something like this happen is not an experience anybody should have had to go through while doing their job, anyway.

“No MP or assemblyman should be made to feel they can be subjected to arbitrary executive decisions. No MP or assemblyman in Selangor should suffer the same hardship that my office had to go through in the last five months.” – Wong Chen, as reported by FMT.
Speaking of going through, apparently the funds aren’t the only thing that’s not going through. As it turns out, Wong Chen actually got himself a case of kidney stones on Saturday. On his Facebook wall, Wong Chen had been reported by his interns to be confined to a three-day bed rest and an extra diet of water.

“This is my third kidney stone episode in 4 years. I never ever had kidney stones until I became an MP; being in politics is definitely not good for [your] health!” –Wong Chen, in a Facebook post.
So here’s to wishing him a speedy recovery from all manner of blockages.

– https://cilisos.my

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World oil demand could peak in 2024 on higher vehicle efficiency, research finds

The global electric fleet is expected to grow more than 40-fold to 83 million vehicles by 2030, from 2 million in 2016. — AFP pic

SINGAPORE, July 24 — Global oil demand could peak as early as 2024 if there are more efficiency gains in vehicles, greater market penetration by electric cars, lower economic growth and higher fuel prices, Goldman Sachs said in a research note on refining today.

Economic expansion in emerging markets — led by India — may stave off reaching a peak until 2030, although demand growth will still slow over the next decade given improving mileage in cars and trucks and the greater use of electric vehicles, research analysts from the investment bank said.

The global electric fleet, for instance, is expected to grow more than 40-fold to 83 million vehicles by 2030, from 2 million in 2016, the researchers said in the note.

“In our extreme case, we project peak oil demand in 2024,” the Goldman analysts said.

Goldman Sachs projects annual oil demand growth between 2017 and 2022 at 1.2 per cent, slowing to 0.7 per cent by 2025 and to 0.4 per cent in 2030. Oil demand grew by an annual average rate of 1.6 per cent over 2011 to 2016.

Over the period to 2030, the transport sector will contribute less to oil demand growth. Petrochemicals will instead become more central, although with more feedstock coming from outside the refining system, such as from natural gas liquids, refiners’ share in oil demand will fall, they said.

The analysts also said there will likely be a surplus of refined oil products for the next five years due to higher capacity additions and slowing demand growth, implying lower global utilization rates and poorer margins.

“Refinery closures may occur in developed markets, with new capacity opening near demand centers (chiefly in Asia),” they said.

The impending 2020 global sulphur limit set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on high sulphur fuel oil is also expected to reshape the refining industry, the bank’s analysts said.

If fully implemented, the limit will boost diesel demand and widen the sweet-sour crude differential, which is positive for the profitability of complex refineries, they said.

Meanwhile, jet fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are gaining market share at the expense of products like fuel oil.

Demand growth for LPG, fastest among all oil products, is being driven by petrochemicals and use in India as a cooking fuel in homes, the analysts said.

The share held by gasoline and diesel in the overall oil demand mix between 2016 and 2030 will stagnate, they said. — Reuters

German automakers accused of collusion that drove up car prices and dumping cars in Malaysia which failed QA/QC and FAT

GERMAN carmakers faced a brewing scandal today as suspicions grew they colluded illegally for decades, further damaging the industry's image and exposing it to massive financial risks.

News weekly Der Spiegel reported on Friday that German carmakers Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, BMW and Daimler had secretly worked together from the 1990s onwards on huge areas of car development, construction and logistics – including how to meet increasingly tough emissions criteria in diesel vehicles.

Both buyers and suppliers of the auto giants suffered from the under-the-table deals, the magazine alleged.

For the world's largest carmaker Volkswagen, the diesel emissions scandal alone has already cost tens of billions of euros since it admitted to cheating on regulatory tests in 2015.


That is likely why the Wolfsburg-based firm, along with Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler, was one of the first to hand over details of the alleged broader collusion between the five firms to competition authorities, reported Spiegel, saying it had seen a VW document submitted to the authorities.

Regulators often treat the first company to report such infringements more leniently than the rest.

And Daimler has experience: it suffered a billion-euro fine from Brussels last summer after agreeing on prices for its trucks with three European competitors.

In theory, the maximum fine from the European Commission or Germany's federal competition authority could reach 10% of a firm's revenue – or close to €50 billion (RM249 billion) across all five car companies, based on their 2016 sales.

On top of that would come individual claims from customers.

Many buyers could have paid "a price that was far too high" for their vehicles, Klaus Mueller of the VZBV consumer federation told newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung today.

No inquiry yet

It could be some time before the full details of the automakers' cooperation come to light.

Both Brussels and German authorities say they have received information on the possible agreements between the firms.

These are now "undergoing examination by the Commission," the EU's executive arm said on Saturday, while adding that it would not "speculate further" on the outcome.

Volkswagen has said nothing, although its supervisory board is set to meet on Wednesday, while Daimler insisted that it applies an internal competition law compliance programme.

Munich-based BMW yesterday denied any collusion with competitors, adding that none of its vehicles had been manipulated to meet diesel emissions norms.

Among the areas Spiegel reported manufacturers collaborated on in its report on Friday was the size of tanks for a liquid known as AdBlue, used to treat diesel exhaust fumes.

The fluid reacts with harmful nitrogen oxides found in the emissions and transforms them into water and nitrogen.

But carmakers agreed not to add large reserves of the additive to their vehicles, Spiegel reported, preferring to save space for customers' golf bags or profitable upgrades such as speaker systems.

Rather than call on drivers to refill the tiny AdBlue tanks every few thousand kilometres, Volkswagen built systems into millions of vehicles that reduced exhaust treatment unless software detected the car was undergoing a regulatory emissions test.

Other manufacturers, including Daimler, are suspected of doing the same.

"If this turns out to be true it would cost tens of billions of euros altogether, and single-digit billions for each manufacturer," analyst Frank Schwope of Nord/LB bank told AFP.

The reports have also spooked investors, with car industry stalwarts trailing on the DAX index of blue-chip German shares today.

Daimler was the worst performer on the table, with its stock losing 3.76% to trade at €60.23 euros by 1010 GMT (6.10pm Malaysian time).

"In the context of the diesel scandal, forbidden agreements are a kind of total meltdown for the credibility of the German car industry," said Professor Stefan Bratzel of the Centre of Automotive Management, which is located outside the western German city of Cologne.

In the political arena, lawmakers are gearing up for an election in late September and cannot leave the car industry theme untouched.

Carmakers must "clear the decks", said Volker Kauder, leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union in the lower house of Parliament.

"We have to say clearly: justice and the law apply even to the car industry."

Centre-left challenger for the Chancellery Martin Schulz warned that if the allegations prove true, "it would be a gigantic fraud at the expense of customers and suppliers, many of them small- and medium-sized businesses". – AFP, July 24, 2017.

OFF LIFE SUPPORT BUT THE SUN IS REALLY SETTING: BIG OIL TO DOUBLE DOWN ON COST CUTS AFTER FALSE DAWN

LONDON – After a brief respite at the start of the year, the world’s top oil and gas companies are set to double down on cost cutting as a recovery in crude prices after a three-year slump falters.

Corporate hopes were raised by a deal between members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other non-OPEC producers to cut production, which lifted oil prices above $58 a barrel in January, after they had slid to as low as $27 in 2016.

But Brent crude prices have since slipped back below $50 and banks have lowered price forecasts, amid surging output from the United States and other nations not bound by the global oil pact.

Investors are again focusing on the ability of top oil firms such as Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell and Total to live within their means and eke out profits when oil has failed to recover, as hoped, to $60.

The majors, often dubbed Big Oil, have already been through tough spending cuts since a collapse in crude prices since mid-2014 from above $100. They have shed thousands of jobs, scrapped projects, sold assets and squeezed service costs.

The painstaking effort has paid off.

Net income for Exxon, Chevron, Shell, BP, Total, Eni and Statoil is set to double on average in the quarter ending June 30 from a year earlier, even though oil prices are back as similar levels, according to analyst estimates compiled by Reuters.

By early 2017, management teams said their operations in 2017 would cover spending and dividend payouts at $60 a barrel, although for many firms this included using scrip programs, when investors can opt for dividend payouts in shares not cash.

More of the same



But earlier savings may not now be enough, with Brent crude averaging below $50 in the second quarter and forecasts that the 2017 average will be $54.

While net income for Q2 may climb year-on-year, the quarter-on-quarter picture is different. Compared to the first three months of the year, the second quarter will see net income fall by about 20 percent, according to analyst estimates.

“Given where oil prices are, 2017 is still a year of transition for these companies, and that is not necessarily supportive for investment,” said Jason Kenney, head of pan-European oil and gas equity research at Banco Santander.

“The sector needs to continue doing more of the same,” he said, referring to the ongoing need to reduce costs.

Dividend yield, the ratio between a firm’s dividend payout and share price, has risen in recent weeks to near recent highs as share prices have slipped, underscoring investor concerns.

Shell, Statoil and Total kick off the Q2 earnings reports on Thursday, followed by Exxon and Chevron on Friday. BP reports on Aug. 1.

Majors were targeting break even at $55 a barrel and could further cut spending by delaying investments, simplifying offshore and other project designs and selling assets, Kenney said.

About two thirds of the industry’s capital expenditure went to new projects, with the rest used to maintain existing output, Kenney added.

Off life support

Company boards have taken different approaches to deal with the bumpy oil price recovery.

Exxon and Chevron have invested in U.S. shale oil in recent months, seeking to benefit from the relatively low development cost and the short time it takes to extract commercial oil.

Across the Atlantic, Shell, BP and Total have focused more heavily on cutting costs of large, deepwater oil and gas projects to compete with the low-cost shale.

Analysts have rewarded some firms for their ongoing savings. Total holds 18 “strong buy” or “buy” recommendations, while Chevron has 17, among analysts polled by Reuters. Shell has 16.

Exxon holds the lowest number of “buy” recommendations at 8. Its high share price to earnings (P/E) ratio and a weaker production growth outlook make it less attractive, HSBC said.

Exxon shares are trading at a P/E ratio of 16.9, compared with Shell’s 11.9 and BP’s 10.3.

Oil majors have underperformed so far this year relative to the broader stock market . For some, that makes current valuations attractive. (See graphic: reut.rs/2twyZvW)

“The fundamental environment is looking quite good because this is an environment where (companies) can cut costs and reduce headcount and they don’t have to develop anything,” said Jonathan Waghorn, co-manager of the energy fund at Guinness Asset Management, which holds shares in Shell, BP, Total and Chevron. “They are off life support at $55 a barrel.”

– Reuters

It’s Not A Laughing Matter! More Than 4,000 Malaysian Men Have Been Victims Of Wife Abuse

Why do people get upset when they see a man beating up a woman but tend to laugh or sneer at men who get beaten up by their female partners?

Since when did it become okay to make a joke about how the men are not ‘man enough’ hence why they get ‘bullied’ by their wife or girlfriends? Doesn’t that also mean you are saying that woman are weaker beings hence why they need to be ‘abused’?

Stop being in denial about this situation! It’s time to wake up and help each other out!

The Kuala Selangor MP Datuk Seri Dr Irmohizam Ibrahim just gave us an alarming note that the number of cases of husbands being physically abused by their wives is increasing rapidly.

More than 4,000 Malaysian men have been victims of wife abuse and finally, someone is doing something to help protect these victims. Based on a study of 33 cases where men were abused by women, 23 of them succeeded in getting a temporary protection order.


“Men are also affected, it is a serious issue that should be handled.”

It seems that sometimes not only their wives are beating them up even their male relatives often step in to assist in the assaults. Whether it is women assaulting men or men assaulting women, all the victims are entitled to protection and neither gender should be treated upon differently.



Source: The Star

Singapore: 60 Arrested In Geylang For Various Offences -- BEWARE AND STAY AWAY FROM GEYLANG

Just recently, 60 people were arrested in Geylang, Singapore for various offenses during a 3-day multi-agency joint operation that ended on July 21, 2017.

The operation covered streets and hotels in Geylang and was led by Bedok Police Division.

As reported by Stomp, 44 men aged between 17 and 65 were arrested for promoting public gaming and gaming in public, and one male subject aged 34 was arrested under the Secret Society Act.

Four males arrested for drug related offenses, another 4 men were arrested for peddling contraband cigarettes and illegal sale of cough mixtures and tablets.

Seven women were arrested for vice-related offenses committed in residential units. The street value of items seized amounted to over SGD 11,000 (RM34,570).

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, Criminal Investigation Department, Health Sciences Authority, and enforcement officers from the Singapore Customs were involved in the operation.

Commander of Bedok Police Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police Tan Tin Wee, expressed his appreciation to all the agencies involved for their strong support and commended the officers for their professionalism and excellent teamwork which led to a successful operation.

Investigations are currently ongoing against all suspects.

I still don’t understand why some people can’t live an honest life and earn money like the rest of us. you don’t have to resort to illegal businesses and frauds.

FROM AUNTIE ANNE’S HOT DOG TO MAHATHIR’S TOP DOG: WILL ‘BANKRUPT OF IDEAS’ NAJIB CAMP CALL ON JAKIM TO DECLARE DR M ‘HARAM’ OR ‘CONFUSING TO MUSLIMS’

The appointment of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as chairman of Pakatan Harapan is the mother of all U-turns but opposition leaders are looking to him to deliver the Malay heartland seats.

IT was only Day Four on his job as chairman of Pakatan Harapan but the signs are that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has overshadowed his counterparts in the coalition’s leadership triangle.


He has taken to his role of “top dog” – his own words – like a fish to water.

He called his first press conference as chairman on Tuesday, looking rather Prime Ministerial in a dark Nehru jacket and he described himself as the “unofficial equivalent” to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

His chairmanship of Pakatan seems to have given him a boost of energy and he took questions from the media with that typical blend of irony, wit and cynicism. It was hard to believe that he has just celebrated his 92nd birthday.

The former Premier is no stranger to the limelight but there was something a little different about him that day, a certain bon vivant that suggested this is where he wants to be – at the top and calling the shots.

The last one week has been an amazing moment in Malaysia’s politics – the man who ruled the country for 22 years is now heading the opposition coalition.

He is so single-minded about overthrowing the Barisan Nasional government that he has been bending over backwards for the Anwar family.

Amir: “Are Malaysians ready for another round of Mahathir?


He turned up at Nurul Izzah’s Hari Raya open house in Lembah Pantai, a sign that he sees Anwar’s eldest daughter as a conduit to winning over the family.

“It was a big political gesture for him to be there. It was an Izzah crowd but after he arrived, it became a Mahathir crowd,” said Unisel vice-chancellor Datuk Prof Redzuan Othman.

It is still a marriage of convenience at this point.

Many of the Pakatan leaders do not really trust him. But they can also see that he has brought leadership to the coalition in a way that Pakatan president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail could not.

“If KU (ketua umum or Anwar) can put aside his grievances, who are we to question? I am trying to be realistic about the situation. My circle of friends are actually quite relieved because there is now a definite chain of command,” said Kelana Jaya PKR division secretary Najwan Halimi.

It is an exciting time for Pakatan with Dr Mahathir at the top, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the de facto leader and Dr Wan Azizah as president.

The next general election will be about the Malay votes and they now have a big Malay name to bring the Pakatan brand to the Malay heartland, especially the Felda schemes which hold a total of 60 parliamentary seats.

The Umno side is not panicking as some Pakatan leaders have claimed, but they are not taking the new development lightly. Like everyone else, they are watching very closely.

Najwan: He is trying to be realistic about the political situation

Najwan: He is trying to be realistic about the political situation
Dr Mahathir is a lethal enemy because he knows the strengths and weaknesses of Umno.

Whether Pakatan under Dr Mahathir can shake up the Malay heartland should become clearer in the coming months.

The opposition coalition has shown that survival in politics is not only about moving forward, it is also about the ability to put the past behind them and, in the case of Dr Mahathir, to side-step the awkward bits and pieces.

Take, for example, his explanation of his newfound ties with Anwar: “Anwar was against me but I accepted him into Umno, we were together many years. Then certain things happened, we had to separate. Now certain other things happen, we have to come together again.”

It was quite incredulous the way he conveniently summed up Anwar’s sacking, the sodomy trial and years of condemnation as “certain things happened”.

Politics, as Dr Mahathir admitted, is full of surprises. It is also full of contradictions.

Just a few years ago, Lim Kit Siang had derided Najib’s Premiership as a new era of Mahathirism and during the 2013 general election, Lim’s wish was for Dr Mahathir to live to 100 so that he would see the fall of Mahathirism.

All that is history because the DAP leader is now a big advocate and defender of Dr Mahathir.

Saari: Struggling to contain the fallout in Otai Reformis group


DAP is still trying to explain why the party which has the most seats – 38 in Parliament and 95 in the state assemblies – is not at the “penthouse level” with Dr Mahathir, Anwar and Dr Wan Azizah.

The obvious answer is that Pakatan does not want to frighten off the Malay votes. It is trying to tell the Malays that DAP does not dominate the coalition.

However, it is a letdown for the Chinese who used to mock MCA and Gerakan for playing second fiddle to Umno. The Chinese thought DAP would be different and that it would propel them to be on par with the Malay leaders but the party is still one floor below the Pakatan penthouse.

The thirst for power means that a lot of compromise and U-turns have to be made by all the parties involved. The sad thing is that they have lost the moral high ground amid all these twists and turns.

It is no small irony that the opposition’s agenda is now being led by Dr Mahathir. Until today, DAP and PKR are still explaining to their party members why they have to work with their former enemy.

But, said a DAP politician from Penang, Dr Mahathir is the most suitable person to fill the vacuum left by Anwar.

“He is the disrupter and terminator, no one else can do it better than him,” said the politician.

Apart from Dr Wan Azizah, the coalition’s presidential council comprises six ex-Umno leaders, three DAP leaders and two ex-PAS leaders.

Pakatan used to blame Umno for everything wrong with the country but it is now relying on former Umno leaders to win the general election. It means the opposition battle cry of ABU or “Anything But Umno” will have to be abandoned.

On the PKR side, the Otai Reformis (reformasi veterans) group of Anwar supporters are also divided over Anwar’s decision to work with the “Mahafiraun” or Pharoah, their term for Dr Mahathir.

Hulu Kelang assemblyman Saari Sungib, who heads the group, is expecting a fiery session when the group convenes for an emergency meeting this Sunday.

Teras president Azmi Hamid, who is an old friend of Anwar, admitted that he is less than convinced that this coalition of old enemies and new friends can form or run a government.

“Spell out your vision about things you are going to do to convince the people that you are a better alternative,” said Azmi.

Anwar is Pakatan’s eighth Prime Minister candidate and the understanding is that the Prime Minister will come from the party that wins the most seats. What if DAP, which is currently the most successful in the stable, ends up with the most seats?

Political commentator Khaw Veon Szu said the coalition needs to name their seventh PM in order to fire up the voters.

If he is someone that voters can accept, it could be the gamechanger. But if he is not, it could be game-over.

“The question that needs to be asked is whether Malaysians are ready for another round of Mahathir? Where is our Macron or Trudeau?” said KRA strategy director Amir Fareed Rahim, referring to French president Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who represented a generational change of leadership.

Dr Mahathir’s leadership of Pakatan may come at the expense of Chinese support. The Chinese dislike for and resentment against Umno began during the Mahathir years.

“He brings out a wide spectrum of emotions among many Chinese who blame him for the state of affairs in the country. The Chinese professional class blames Mahathir for almost everything. That kind of mindset is hard to change overnight.

“It doesn’t mean that the Chinese will turn to BN but with him there, Pakatan cannot carry as much Chinese support as in 2013, I am sure of that,” said Khaw.

Nevertheless, many Chinese still go gaga at the sight of Dr Mahathir rubbing shoulders with DAP’s Lim – two aged tigers at the sunset of their lives still stalking the political landscape. They whip out their handphones to record the moment that they never dreamt would happen.

Parti Pribumi held its Penang Hari Raya open house at the Lee Kongsi along Burmah Road. It drew a festive crowd but at the VIP table, the body language between the DAP and Parti Pribimi leaders was still quite awkward.

Just imagine this – what kind of social conversation can you really have with someone whom you have blasted for decades but whom you now have to work with? It was a table of strange bedfellows still getting used to each other.

Besides, it had been a long day for Dr Mahathir. He had come from another event in Kulim and he looked tired and sounded a bit short of breath.

But the sparkling wit came on the moment he stepped on stage. He knew that people out there viewed him and his new friends as strange bedfellows and he could sense the question in their minds and that was: Will this coalition go the same way as Pakatan Rakyat?

As such, he indulged in some friendly banter: “Kit Siang is not my friend, he is my enemy but the two enemies have to become friends to save the country.”

Pakatan’s challenge is not only having to face off Barisan Nasional, it also has to convince voters out there that their marriage is for real because Malaysian politics has seen too many strange bedfellows come and go.

– ANN

Why vote for the opposition in Malaysia?

Because this is the first Baby step Malaysia needs to take to changing Malaysia for the better . equality and rule of the law

“Where's your messiah now?”

- Billy Crystal

COMMENT | Two pieces on Malaysiakini caught my attention. The first by regular contributor Zan Azlee - ‘Will my daughter be a racist if she goes to national school?’ - and the second by Julian Tan - ‘Why I had to travel halfway across the globe for university’.

No, this piece is not about our education system, although it is interesting to note that the reason why Julian Tan felt he needed to pursue he dreams elsewhere is exactly the fear Zan Azlee has about what his child could turn into. This is about a system that has failed us, and at this point of time when the opposition and its supporters have embraced “pragmatism”, there seems to be no real change in sight.

In the current political climate, the one question I am asked most often is why bother voting? When people ask this question, what they really mean is why vote for the opposition?

I never answered this question before. I will attempt to do so now.

Here is the thing. When I started writing this column for Malaysiakini, I openly said that I was an opposition supporter. Over the years, after chronicling the opposition through its numerous vicissitudes, I qualified my original declaration and said I am opposition leaning.

I want to be clear on this because I think despite what some other political pundits say, there could be a case to be made for supporting the Umno establishment, even more so now that the opposition has realigned with establishment politics. I, of course because of my political sympathies, will not make that case for the Umno establishment.

I will also not make the case that if you want “real” changes on issues such as “race” and “religion”, you should vote for the opposition. The opposition has made it very difficult for people like me to make that case.

I will also not make the case that we have to choose between the lesser of two evils. I will not make this case because if you really look at this objectively the better option of the lesser of two evils is actually Umno.

This is because with all its corruption scandals, gerrymandering, systemic dysfunction, race and religious politics, Umno offers stability which historically has proven to be what is important to the vast majority of Malaysians and which is extremely important to regional and international hegemons with vested interests of their own. This is why despite all the court cases going on outside our borders with the 1MDB case; the Najib regime is relatively unaffected.

Okay, I lied. I could make an argument that the opposition was the lesser of the two evils. I was talking to an Umno personality recently and he said that he agreed with a few of my articles where I “bashed” BN and Pakatan Harapan as essentially having the same racial policy and ideology. It was part-acquiescence, part-backhanded acknowledgement and typical of how politicians talk.

Now, I would like to think my pieces on this issue are a lot more nuanced than what he was agreeing to but when I asked him, if indeed BN and Harapan were the same then why does he care if the latter wins. After all, the system would not change and his position would be secure.

But here is the thing, what he is really afraid of is that Harapan could be a little better when it comes to racial politics. They could be a little better when it comes to religious politics. They could be a little better when it comes to correcting systemic injustices. They could be a little better when it comes to transparency and rule of law.

This “little better” is a seismic event after decades of corrosive politics and social policy that happened during the Umno long watch and it definitely means that Harapan could do a whole lot better even if they did not do that much on the throne of Putrajaya. They could do this because the bar is set so low.

Hence Harapan is definitely the lesser of two evils even though many could make the argument that there really isn’t any major ideological differences between BN and Harapan, especially considering the racial rhetoric coming out from the “bumi” component of the newly improved alliance. However, I do not like this argument. It is too easy and generally encourages political pundits and opposition supporters to give the opposition a free pass on a whole range of issues.

Now, you could also argue that because of what the Najib regime is doing, that “stability” will not last but unfortunately time is on the regime’s side and there is no sense of urgency or immediacy to the troubles on the horizons, troubles which I consider the existential threat to Malaysians.

So, what have I got left?

Don’t abstain from voting

Well, it may not be “real” change but it is a start. The only valid reason for regime change and something that I sincerely believe in is that we need a two-party system. To understand my thinking on this please, dig up Wong Chin Huat’s piece a couple of years ago - ‘Questions on a two-party system’.

While I realise that Wong has claimed in a forum that Malaysia perhaps is not ready for such a system, I believe that it is the only morally and intellectually valid reason for regime change no matter how we get to that point. Even if we get to that point with Harapan not being very different from the BN, it would still be worthwhile.

So, you should not abstain from voting if this was even a consideration. You should vote the incumbent out not because of delusional ideas of saving Malaysia but because this could be the first real step to changing Malaysia for real.

Once the people of Malaysia, realise that they can change politicians, they may understand that they could change the system. When politicians, who should never be trusted, let alone venerated, understand that they could be ejected from power (either BN or Harapan), then perhaps we could get the “real” changes that some of us desperately want and which comes when politicians and the people who vote for them are held accountable for their actions.

Do not vote in frustration. Do not vote in anger. Do not vote in self-righteousness. Vote because you hope that regime change will make it possible, easier for actual change to happen, but most importantly, use social media and the alternative press to hold opposition politicians accountable.

Do not be cowed by apologists who would use “pragmatism” and all other types of intellectual, hypocritical legerdemain to justify their positions, and always support the positions of activists, politicians and writers who promote that much-maligned word - principles.

This may not be the endorsement for the opposition that some would like, but I think deep down inside we all know that this is probably closer to the truth than what opposition propagandists put out there. At least, I hope that this is closer to the truth.

The alternative is that people actually think that by any means necessary means continuing living with a system that makes folks like Julian Tan leave the country and Zan Azlee worry about his child acceptable as long as it means PM Najib Razak is removed from office.

In that case, there is a fine line between pragmatism and a suicide pact.

S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy.

Trafficked, beaten, abused: Life of a Nigerian house girl

ABUJA, July 24 — Handed over by her mother to an agent at the age of 10, Titi was crammed into a truck in the tiny West African nation of Benin and driven across the border into southwest Nigeria.

Titi feared the worst. She recalled how a previous employer in Nigeria had welcomed her with a thin mat and a leather whip.


“Sometimes, she beat us,” said Titi, recounting the businesswoman who had flogged the girls for the smallest mishaps, such as breaking a plate.

Bed had been the floor.

“Sometimes, she didn’t give us breakfast till after 1pm,” Titi, now 14, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation from Lagos, where she works for a “nicer” family — cleaning, cooking and caring for children for 18 hours a day.

Titi is one of countless young girls working as domestic servants in cities across the nation, far from their own homes in rural Nigeria or neighbouring countries such as Benin.

Many girls are sent away by their parents who cannot afford to feed or school them, while others provide for their families — sometimes acting as the main breadwinner.

Some girls, like Titi, are abused, cut off from their relatives, denied an education and left with nowhere to turn.

With Nigeria facing its first recession in 25 years, rampant unemployment and booming population growth, activists fear more and more girls may be forced into housework as families plunge deeper into poverty and so-called agents seek out profits.

Halting this phenomenon presents a huge challenge.

Little data exists on the number of girls working as maids, confusion surrounds the laws about their minimum age and the practice is deeply ingrained in Nigerian culture.

“These are under-the-radar crimes so there is no data on how many house help are trafficked through Nigeria’s borders,” said Arinze Orakwue of Nigeria’s anti-trafficking agency Naptip.

“These are usually done under the auspices of the family so it’s difficult to prosecute,” Orakwue added.

Taking a cut

House girls in Nigeria are usually employed by upper- and middle-class families with disposable income to spare, especially by working women who rely on these children to ease their domestic load while they focus on paid jobs.

“I decided to hire house help because of too many domestic responsibilities,” said Eucharia Anuligo, a banker and mother of two in Abuja, who employs three girls, the youngest aged 14.

“I believe the girls are better off with me than with their families,” added Anuligo, who sends her employees to school.

Many women who are in the market for house help turn to the agents, who source young girls from within Nigeria, as well as nearby countries, before transporting them to their new employers, taking a cut of the salary as commission.

Many agents demand that the young domestic workers provide a guarantor who knows their family, so that they can be held accountable if the children steal or commit other crimes.

One agent, a 50-year-old known as ‘Uncle’, said those in his ranks, as well as the families of the girls, like to move maids regularly from one household to another because of the fresh commission it generates, and the higher wages they can demand.

Despite the long days of domestic slog, Titi wants to stay with her current family. While they do not send her to school or teach her English like her previous employers, they are kind and provide her with a salary of 10,000 naira (US$33, RM136) per month.

Yet, despite her protests, Titi’s mother says she must move to a new family when her two-year contract expires in December.

“Some agents just collect the commission from the girl’s salary,” added the Lagos-based ‘Uncle’. “When she has worked just three months in a place, they want to move her again.

“They don’t care whether the girl is happy there or not.”

Crackdown

While police, Naptip officials and human rights activists are working to curb the trafficking and abuse of house girls, Nigeria’s laws regarding the minimum age of employment are inconsistent, according to a 2015 US Labour Department report.

The Child Rights Act prohibits those under 18 from working yet the Labour Act sets the minimum age of employment at 12, said the report, which detailed the world’s worst child labour.

However, Nigeria in 2015 amended its trafficking law to increase penalties for offenders and criminalise the employment of children under 12 in domestic labour, a move activists hope will give authorities greater power to crack down.

The National Human Rights Commission, a government rights watchdog, said it frequently received reports of house girls being abused, and worked with the police and Naptip to secure prosecutions as well as provide shelter and aid for the victims.

“There is one case... a girl of about 14 was serving this woman, who mistreated her to the extent of running a hot iron over her breasts,” said Lambert Onuoha from the commission.

The watchdog is striving to ensure abusers are prosecuted and challenge the norm of settling cases out of court, he added.

Civil society groups such as the Abuja-based Literacy and Skills Place are helping female domestic workers to leave a life of servitude by teaching them to read and write, and providing vocational training in skills such as baking and sewing.

“The house help industry can be a positive thing because you get to help other people who are less privileged, but it should be regulated,” said Chinelo Ezenwa, founder of the project, adding that there should be laws governing treatment of maids.

For house girls like Titi, such interventions from the authorities or activists may prove too little too late.

“My mummy told me I’m now too old to go to school,” said Titi, who hopes instead to learn tailoring. — Thomson Reuters Foundation