Greed, greed and more greed !!

If there was one recurring though that was in my mind while doing business the “UMNO” way- it was this. When does the merry go round stop? How can the country afford to pay for all the money that was being siphoned out not for services rendered – but for ‘pure profit’.

Long before all these conglomerates and multi disciplined business entities came into being there was SPK and KUB. If you were to delve into the history of these two companies what you will see is a mirror of what has been happening in UMNO.

 

I am not to familiar with SPK but it is enough to say that many many years ago it was already the owner of the SPK building beside Hotel Equatorial in Jalan Sultan Ismail – in the heart of Kuala Lumpur Golden Triangle. Remember Sri Jaya buses? That was also SPK! It had interest across a diverse range of business activities and was tasked to uplift the economic well being of its shareholders – mostly ex Government Servants and Politicians. But the ‘help’ it was given by UMNO to do so was not used for the good of the Malays but for the personal gain of its major shareholders. Yes it now has a place in Malaysian business – but just think what a committed, focus and well intentioned businessman could do for SPK given the opportunities and business ‘advatages’ that SPK had? At the least he would have given Robert Kuok a run for his money ! 

Let me give you another example. KUB. I am not going to go into the manipulations by Hassan Harun - etc etc. Suffice to say this. This is an UMNO vehicle. When I first knew about KUB it had its headquarters at the old UMNO building in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. Hassan was putting in place his grand design to ‘build up’ this UMNO vehicle – borrow money (hundreds of millions) to take control of this conglomerate – play it up financially – and then cash out making as much as he can out of the whole transaction – leaving KUB bleeding and almost a shell of what it formerly was. This he did very well – so well that from that old UMNO building KUB landed up at their “OWN’ premises at Jalan Yap Kwan Seng. In buying that building a massive under the counter kick back payment of many many millions was made to persons unknown. Then over RM$10 million was spent renovating the premises – again quotations were padded up to ensure money was again siphoned out to persons unknown – unknown to you guys but known to me lah! 

Let us just look at one of KUB’s wholly owned interest. A&W – yes that fast food chain store belongs to KUB. A&W managed to go into a deficit of RM40 million dollars! How? This very established and lucrative fast food chain (the premier fast food chain in Malaysia – many of us will remember their outlet in PJ with affection) - well the management of this fast food chain was under a ‘management ‘ company that siphoned (again that word siphoned) out enough money to put that fast food chain under a RM30 million debt. Amazing. It must take considerable skills to lose money on a fast food chain that should rival KFC and MacDonald. But they did it. Hasssan Harun did it. Who is he? He was once one of Mahathir’s blue eyed guys and a member of the Supreme Council – the UMNO Supreme Council. Supreme enough to borrow hundreds of millions to buy over KUB and made it his own to plunder and pillage. He is from Kelantan. Smooth man – intelligent. Good talker. If only he had used his skills for good rather then evil. From what I know he still owes the bank a few hundred million dollars that he borrowed to buy over KUB. When he has milked KUB dry – UMNO comes in and revives it again – but who foots the bill for its ‘resurrection”? The Rakyat. 

Always, all the breathtaking ‘rescue’ of MAS, …..all these amazing silap mata – I always wonder who is paying? The Rakyat of course. 

Now after all those years of massive frauds, greed and avarice – it has now come to this. The country’s resources is almost bankrupt. The people are not able to earn decent wages. Cost of essentials we need to live on are too expensive. Houses, cars, road tolls, petrol costs…all these are slowly killing the Rakyat because not only do they have to work harder and longer to earn a decent wage – there is no decent wage to be earned and yet these plundering and pillaging goes on. We are not able to weather the global downturn. We buy Proton cars on the never never – take as many years as you need to pay. No deposit etc - anything to sell the car – but who pays for the interest – who pays for the mark up of each of the components supplied to Proton under it’s “Vendor programme so that UMNO cronies can make their money? The Rakyat! 

Look at the prices of these Proton Cars in Australia. Dollar for dollar even a guy working as a waiter can afford to buy a Proton in Australia because they are under AUD$20,000. A waiter can easily earns AUD$2400 a month and with that kind of money buying a Proton is too easy. Can you expect a waiter in Kuala Lumpur earning RM$600 a month to be able to afford to buy a Proton? You do not have to be a rocket scientist to work that out yourself!

                                          

Price Guide

2009 Proton Gen 2 GX CM   $17,990  (AUD Dollars)

                  5 door Hatchback

                  7.1L / 100km

                  5 speed, Manual transmission

                  4 cylinder, 1.6 litre engine

Price Guide

2009 Proton Persona GX CM  $16,990 (AUD Dollars)

                  4 door Sedan

                  6.6L / 100km

                  5 speed, Manual transmission

                  4 cylinder, 1.6 litre engine

I can go on and on and on….but I think we all know where I am going. And though all this UMNO has the audacity to trumpet out loud that they are the savoir of the Malays. That they and only they are the rightful rulers of this country of ours that they have ravaged raped and destroy? They have the audacity to put as OUR leader a Prime Minister tainted by corruption and sex scandals – and murder most foul? Possibly they were thinking that putting a leader which exactly mirrored what most other UMNO and Barisan leader are doing will make their wrongdoings right in our eyes? That if the Prime Minister is doing it all – they why not them? 

This is politics gone mad. Ten, twenty years from now our children will be taught in schools what “NOT” to expect from our leaders and what UMNO Barisan did will be paraded as an example of what should not be done. And questions will be asked by the students “ Were there not checks and balance in place to prevent theses things from happenings?” “NO” - there are no check and balances in place. The arrogance of power brooks no obstacles in its path. 

I am waiting for Petronas to collapse. For CIMB to collapse. Not possible? Would any of you thought it possible that Bank Bumiputra will fall. That Rolls Royce will be bankrupt? That Enron will fail? What UMNO is doing is just patching up holes – dig one hole to cover another one opening up – take from Petronas to cover up…take from Tabung Haji…take from EPF to….what happens when there is no more to take and the holes still keep opening up? 

Who pays for Putrajya, for Proton, for Suria KLCC, for KLIA,….the problem is that all these payments are not one off payments. We are still paying for it –through the tolls we pay daily, the massive cost of living…all siphoning the life out of the Rakyat. How can we stand this? We cannot! That is why my friends there must be change in our country. There must be changes in our thinking as a people. And we must, together, make this change happen. 

Oh my poor poor country how we have all suffered. How its people are bearing the brunt of the excesses of our leaders in whom we placed our trust and hope. Is there a way out of out predicament? As I have said time and time again – there is a way. The time will come when we can make a difference at the next GE – but for now we must keep the anger. Keep the anger so that we will not forget how these bastards have ruined out country. For the Malays you must not forget that we have been played out by UMNO the very people we trusted – harap kan pagar, pagar makan padi’…..and talking about padi I can write another three pages on Bernas alone – but this is enough for now. And so my friends I say it once again KEEP THE ANGER!