Remember the Grand Saga-Bandar Mahkota Cheras fiasco more than 6-years ago? It was a classic example of gangster concessionaires working together with thuggish policemen in beating up average Joes and Janes, ala Bollywood style. That was also the turning point which showed what type of Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim is. You can read the article here.
Of course when we wrote how Khalid Ibrahim was dragging his feet and tried to play dumb, leaving only Ronnie Liu on the battlefield, readers showed their displeasure for obvious reason. Opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PKR-DAP-PAS) had just taken over the most developed state Selangor, hence everybody was still rejoicing and throwing their support blindly behind Khalid.
In the incident about 20 thuggish policemen beat the hell out of a curiosity-seeker till soaked in blood, and there was no sight of Khalid who should have more reason to champion peoples’ right, considering he had just been made the first chief minister from opposition in Selangor. But that pretty much confirmed the management style of Khalid Ibrahim, a former PNB CEO from 1979 to 1994.
After PNB (Permodalan Nasional Berhad), he joined Guthrie as its CEO from 1995 to 2003. Needless to say, later he entered politics, joining PKR. As a CEO from 1979 to 2003, that speaks volume about his experience in the corporate world. That was the only reason why he was the preferred candidate to take over the most powerful position in Selangor. It wasn’t his Elvis Presley hairstyle that won him the admiration.
But there’s also a problem. He was so entrenched within UMNO management methodology that he could blend easily with the corrupt leaders. That’s right, just like Khazanah Nasional Berhad (KNB), PNB is another fund manager acting on behalf of the government, which means he was working for the UMNO. That was why only UMNO-friendly individuals can be made bosses in all government-controlled conglomerates or funds.
In fact, Khalid was so entrenched with UMNO DNA that during a political campaign, he mistakenly urged the audience to support BN (Barisan Nasional) when it should be PR (Pakatan Rakyat) instead. Hence, to say Khalid was as clean as Mother Theresa and as innocent as a newborn baby is freaking hilarious. The man also has an ego as huge as planet Mars because he thought he belongs to the 1% intelligent ethnic-Malays.
There’s no doubt he saves tons of money for Selangor. That’s good in corporate world because you need it for “capex”, “opex”, acquisition and what not. But it would be disastrous if money are not spent appropriately in administering a developed state such as Selangor. You may laugh but potholes and uncollected rubbish are serious problems if you don’t spend. Nobody likes to stay in such stinky and deplorable places.
But the straw that broke the camel’s back was his controversial RM66.67 million (US$21 million, £12.6 million) scandal. Actually, his party does not need to spend so much time and resources drafting 6-reasons in a 24-page report to sack him. The RM66.67 million scandal was enough to finish him off. First, Khalid owes Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad some RM66.67 million.
Then suddenly, Bank Islam dropped its loan settlement suit against Khalid, after a former UMNO lawyer Rashid Manaf brokered the deal between both parties. Amusingly, a month later two business deals worth hundreds of millions of ringgit were signed between Selangor state and Eco World Berhad, the same company owned by Rashid Manaf. Do you really need to be a rocket scientist to smell rats here?
In the real world where banks will sue you till your last underpants if you ever owe them pennies, what are the chances that Bank Islam would let Khalid walks away free without paying a single cent, when the amount in question is RM66,670,000? Just like other corporate guys working for a corrupt regime UMNO, Khalid can’t be that innocent to begin with. But can you blame him? After all, RM66.67 million is a lot of money, which will come handy for his retirement lifestyle.
The moment he rushed the deal which allows the construction of the long-opposed Langat 2 water treatment facility with the UMNO-led federal government, the writing was already on the wall which side he aligned to. It was an amazing working model though – disguises as a Pakatan Rakyat representative but works for UMNO. How he wishes he’s the UMNO Menteri Besar of Selangor.
And what did PAS say about Khalid Ibrahim’s suspicious dealings with Bank Islam? They support Khalid as Chief Minister but are willing to re-assess their stand on the issue if Khalid is prosecuted by the authorities such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) or the courts. Has PAS been smoking grass lately? PAS must have been too obsessed with hudud that they had increased their smoking intakes.
When was the last time MACC had send anyone who is UMNO-friendly behind bars? Going by their fabulous logic, PAS should dissolve their party, hug and kiss Mahathir before joining UMNO in a big wave. That’s because MACC has never prosecute Mahathir so the former prime minister must be an angel (*grin*). Well, perhaps that was the intention of PAS after all – to join UMNO, again.
We had written numerous time that PAS’s Hadi Awang cannot be trusted. Between Anwar’s PKR and Najib’s UMNO, he likes the latter the most. In fact, the moment UMNO is being mentioned, he gets multiple orgasms. His only problem is the split within PAS – the conservatives and the progressives. Anyway, Hadi is not a smart person to start with. He was given the chance to rule Terengganu between 1999 to 2004 but he screwed up and booted out. Then, they ruled Kedah but screwed up equally bad and booted out.
PAS can only excel in rural area with more than 80% ethnic Malay where they could talk and sing song about hudud till kingdom comes. Amusingly, PAS thinks they’re invincible and adorable, with tons of fanatic fans as if they’re more popular than Justin Bieber. And that’s precisely the consequences if Pakatan Rakyat continues to allow PAS to act as if the Islamic party is kingmaker – the loss of Teluk Intan seat recently.
On one hand, PAS wants to act as “taikor” and wanted his representative to become Selangor Menteri Besar. But on the other hand, PAS realizes they will most likely screw up again, the same way they did it in Terengganu and Kedah. They’re just purely village champion without partnering with PKR and DAP. It’s mind-boggling they still think they won 15 Selangor seats because of their Islamic philosophy.
History doesn’t lie, if PAS could spend some minutes looking at the chart below, perhaps the senses could get into their thick skull that they cannot survive alone. But does it matter whether PAS decides to pull out from their 6-year-old alliance and fight a lone ranger battle, or simply to join UMNO once again? Actually if Selangor Sultan decides to dissolve the state assembly for election, it’s better if PAS pull out.
After the water, hudud and bible crisis, Selangorians are ever ready to punish Pakatan Rakyat. Like it or not, UMNO will win more seats, if there’s a new state election, but not enough to recapture the wealthy state. And here’s the dilemma if PAS remains in PR after this Sunday’s meeting – how many seats should be allocated to PAS, knowing the non-Malay would cast their protest votes, the same way Teluk Intan people shown their displeasure.
While PAS is dragging its feet over whether they should support its allies or Khalid-UMNO coalition, Najib administration is grinning from ear to ear. Have you realize how quiet UMNO and its outsourced extreme group Perkasa have been, ever since Khalid’s sacking? Hmm, perhaps something is indeed cooking between UMNO, Khalid and PAS after all. PKR and DAP should get ready and prepare for a state election with the assumption PAS is no longer with them.
Talking about state election, it would be another interesting chapter to test the integrity of two Sultans – Perak and Selangor. During Perak’s fiasco, the Sultan didn’t allow a request by PR’s Menteri Besar to dissolve the state assembly, thus giving advantage to UMNO. The Sultan also didn’t bother to let the assembly decides if the then PR state government have indeed lost the confidence of the assemblymen.
So, using the same scenario, if Selangor Sultan allows Khalid to drag till November before a confidence vote and subsequently dissolve the state assembly, which will give advantage to UMNO, that would paint a picture of double standard. But of course, Selangor Sultan is a “wise man” who would act fairly, no (*tongue-in-cheek*)? Will Khalid join UMNO? Will PAS join UMNO? Good riddance then. It’s better to clean up the house now than wait till the next general election.
Other Articles That May Interest You …
- Why DAP Lost Teluk Intan? What Has Gone Wrong?
- Hudud Game – Why PAS So Dumb One?
- Kajang by-Election – UMNO’s Grand Plan Backfires?
- Psst !!! Remember Your Bread And Butter Issues?
- Fuel Prices Hike – Can You Blame PM Najib Alone?
- PR Have To Do Nothing Because BN Is Self-Destructing
- Pakatan Rakyat May Not Last till 14th General Election
- Greed & Corruption turn the country into Gangster-State?
|
|
August 15th, 2014 by financetwitter
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tan Sri Khalid good?
1. On Selangor water restructuring and the offer to SPLASH
fz.com quoted Selangor Menteri Besar who said Gamuda’s MD’s concern on the invocation of Section 114 of WSIA to facilitate the Selangor water restructuring was more due to the fact that it was trying to rake in as much money as possible…. The MB added that “the water restructuring was only based on fair pricing. It is not based on maximum pricing. Don’t undermine the logic of the Klang Valley community.
Is the accusation by the Selangor MB valid? I disagree.
SPLASH will only receive RM250.6m if it had accepted the latest offer for the 100% stake in SPLASH. The amount was below 10% of SPLASH’s NAV. The previous offer in February 2013, which Gamuda HAD ACCEPTED was close to the NAV of SPLASH. Accepting the latest offer would result in Gamuda suffering a disposal loss of RM920m.
Would any businessman including the MB who was a ex-businessman sells its assets below 10% of its NAV? Of course not but the main point I would like to highlight here is why the INCONSISTENCY? Both offers came from the same state government under the same MB but why the lastest offer was more than a staggering 90% lower than the offer made 1 year ago? Can the state government explain the huge difference in offer price and if the state government is sincere in resolving the water issue, I think explanation by the state government is needed. Who actually undermines the logic of the Klang Valley community?
Also, why the state government signed the MoU to allow Langat 2 to proceed when the state government earlier insisted it was unnecessary to construct Langat 2? Why the U-turn now? The treatment plant would have already completed if green light was given earlier and the current water rationing could have been avoided. With water reserve margin below 1%, growing population in the Klang Valley and hundreds of proposed property development projects being put on hold due to the water issue, the Selangor state government is indeed playing with fire and putting the rakyat’s interest after politics.
2. Sanctity of contracts has to be respected
It was reported that the Selangor government has asked Tropicana Corp Bhd to expedite the payment of RM844.2m for a huge tract of land it sold to the latter just before GE13.
It came after Tropicana signed a deal to sell a quarter of the said land to Eco World for RM470.6m cash, to be paid in one lump sum.
Under the agreement signed in April 2013, Tropicana was supposed to pay for the tract of land in instalments over 20 years. It was in the Bursa announcement that the developer is entitled at any time at its ABSOLUTE DISCRETION to accelerate payment of the purchase price by the payment of any or all of the instalments prior to the expiry of the completion period.
The announcement was silent on partial disposal of land to third party. Unless there is a clause provided in the agreement that entitles the state government to demand for expedition in payment, is the demand by the state government not TYRANNIC in a capitalist country? Besides, did the state government led by a MB well known for his business acumen overlook this in the land deal agreement with Tropicana?
3. Free 20cum of water a wrong way to gain popularity
It is a known fact that Malaysians use (waste) a lot more water than the recommended usage. Imagine a country with average annual rainfall of 250cm (versus 10cm a year in Saudi Arabia) is facing water supply disruption issue. This is compounded by high number of car ownership in the country and Malaysians generally wash cars too frequently.
Malaysians use more than 200 litres of water per day, way above Singaporeans (150 litres per day) and Thais (90 litres per day) and the recommended limit of 165 litres per day.
The move by the state government to give first 20cum of free water was seen as a popular move to gain political support. However, this does not help at all in reducing the excessive usage of the water by Malaysians but instead, having an opposite effect of encouraging more wastage of the precious resources since the water is so cheap, or even free to families with low monthly water usage.
Selangorians start to see the problem now as water emergency is just 2 weeks away if dry days continue. Water is not expensive in Malaysia. But how much can the people benefit from the first 20cum of free water that compounded the issue of serious water supply shortage in the state. All in, the disruption to business, inconvenience, hygiene issues and cost to distribute water to affected houses by water tankers probably costs more than the savings from the free water. If you do the math, 1 litre of drinking water/ mineral water is more than 1500 times more expensive than the tab water.
Why the state government implemented the first 20cum of free water when low water reserve margin in the state in not something new?
4. Raw water extraction license
The Selangor state government will not renew the raw water extraction licenses when they become expired end of May 14 and June 14. Why the non-renewal of the licenses? I think the state government owe us an explanation here.
Water is vital to the people and living things.Without the permission to extract raw water, the water players will not be able to treat and distribute water to the people. Where are we going to get water then?
Is this a move intended to “force” the water players to fail to supply water as agreed in their concession agreements and using the “non fulfilment” by the water players as reason (excuse) to take over the operation from the water concessionaires? I hope this is not how the state government works.