Friday, 8 August 2014

How does one become the head of a government? And when one does, does one forget the people who supported you and voted you into public office?

COMMENTARY BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

Published: 8 August 2014

Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (pic), the beleaguered incumbent Selangor Menteri Besar, believes that state government matters are separate from the party and he does not need to explain his actions to the party or rather, he is beyond the party's scrutiny.

So, who is he answerable to? To the state ruler? To the people who elected him directly in Port Klang or to the people who voted for his Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition or to those who had confidence in him as menteri besar?

When he was the prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had always stressed that he was only in that office because he was the Umno president. He owed his position as PM to his his party and that was why he had to take cognisance of the party's views in running the country.

Obviously, Khalid does not think the same way.

In a three-page reply addressed to the PKR disciplinary board chairman Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong, which was posted on the Selangorku website, Khalid said the board's show cause letter had asked him to give detailed explanations on five issues.

They include the water restructuring deal in Selangor, MB's new allowance, tax increase on business licenses, the proposed Kidex expressway and the Bank Islam out-of-court settlement issue.

"The five additional issues which have been raised were discussed by the state government committee which has the executive power to administer Selangor.

"The PKR disciplinary board only has the authority to decide on any transgressions related to the party and not state administrative issues," Khalid said in his reply, which his political secretary submitted to the party this morning.

This is where Khalid is wrong.

He is answerable to his party because he is the MB by virtue of the support and confidence of his party. The party leadership now has no confidence in him, hence the crisis enveloping the state government.

As a public official, he is also answerable to the voters and that is why he has to make public the out-of-court settlement with Bank Islam. If he had lost the case, Khalid could be a bankrupt and lose his Port Klang state seat and be out of the Selangor Menteri Besar's job in a flash.

He obviously does not view the situation that way. What would his options be if PKR goes ahead and sacks him? What would his options be if his executive councillors resign?

And, who put him where he is today? At the very least, he should listen to those who put him in public office, supported his job, and end this sorry spectacle of a leader ignoring his own people. – August 8, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/what-is-a-leader-without-his-followers-or-supporters#sthash.5ZnQGj79.dpuf

Malaysian Airline System Berhad.

Malaysia Air Faces Likely Delisting After Second Disaster

By Elffie Chew and Kyunghee Park Jul 22, 2014 7:25 PM ET

July 21 (Bloomberg) –- Two unspeakable tragedies in less than six months. The loss of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 over the Indian Ocean and now, this... the murder of 298 innocent lives aboard MH 17. It is unprecedented and many now wonder whether Malaysia's flag carrier can survive it. Bloomberg's Zeb Eckert filed this report on Malaysia's rise to glory and its downfall. (Source: Bloomberg)

Malaysian Airline System Bhd., reeling from its second disaster in four months, is likely near the end of its days as a publicly traded company.

The company plans to present a revival plan to its state-run parent Khazanah Nasional Bhd. this week, people familiar with the matter said yesterday, asking not to be identified because the talks are private. The options range from Khazanah taking Malaysian Air private to bankruptcy, according to one of the people, with both routes involving a delisting.

Malaysian Air says its focus is on the victims and families of Flight 17, while the loss of 537 lives and two planes since March is straining the carrier’s ability to stay in business. Even a month before the latest disaster, Khazanah was estimating that the unprofitable airline only had enough funds to last it about a year.

“They don’t have the luxury of time,” said Mohshin Aziz, an analyst at Malayan Banking Bhd. in Kuala Lumpur. “Malaysian Air doesn’t have a huge balance sheet, it’s still struggling from perception issues. We will probably see drastic measures.”

Flight 17 was en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam carrying 298 passengers and crew on July 17, when it was shot down over eastern Ukraine. The disaster occurred four months after Malaysian Air Flight 370 disappeared with 239 people aboard, leading to the longest search for a missing plane in modern aviation history.

‘Emergency Responders’

Asuki Abas, a spokesman for Khazanah, couldn’t be reached on his mobile phone for comment. The Wall Street Journal reported July 20 that Khazanah was increasingly leaning toward taking the carrier private, citing unidentified people.

“Our focus during this very challenging time is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilize full support to provide all possible care to the family members of those onboard MH17,” Malaysian Air said in an e-mailed response to queries about the revival plan. “This is not the right time to address this question.”

Shares of Malaysian Air surged 15 percent, the most since October 2007, to close at 23 sen, above the level before the downing of Flight 17. Still, the stock has fallen 26 percent in Kuala Lumpur trading this year and is rated sell by 13 of 15 analysts tracked by Bloomberg. Khazanah, Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, owns 69.4 percent of the carrier.

Rebels Deny

On the political front, President Vladimir Putin has defied international anger over Russia’s alleged role in the shooting down of MH17 as the U.S. and Europe threaten further sanctions against his increasingly isolated country. Putin has blamed the Ukrainian government, saying the crash wouldn’t have happened had it not fomented the conflict in the east.

President Barack Obama urged Putin to rein in the rebels, who he said were “Russia-backed.” Bodies gathered from the crash site have been released and the “black box” flight and data recorders handed over to Malaysian specialists. The separatists have denied they downed the plane.

For Khazanah, privatizing Malaysian Air could mean the fund would need to buy the 31 percent it doesn’t own in the company, a stake valued at about 1 billion ringgit ($315 million) based on the stock’s latest closing price.

“If they do go through with this privatization, they will be killing a few birds with one stone,” said Terence Fan, an assistant professor at Singapore Management University, who researches the aviation business. “They can make the cash flow, maybe have some thorough strategic change and use this as a chance to rebrand themselves.”

Mounting Losses

Should Malaysian Air choose bankruptcy, it could be the biggest for an airline in terms of assets sinceAMR Corp. in 2011, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Malaysian Air’s Hugh Dunleavy, the airline’s director of commercial operations, had in May ruled out a bankruptcy.

The carrier’s options also include renegotiations with the labor union, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Malaysian Air employees generated an average $220,000 of revenue in the last three years, compared with $524,800 at Singapore Airlines Ltd. and $245,000 at Thai Airways International Pcl, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Still, taking the company private remains the preferred option, rather than a bankruptcy, with a decision coming as soon as next month, the people familiar with the matter said. Khazanah said last month the carrier had funds to last about a year.

Even before Flight 370’s disappearance, Malaysian Air had racked up 4.13 billion ringgit in losses over the previous three years. The incident put the carrier under global scrutiny, jeopardizing its reputation and prompting boycotts in China, whose nationals accounted for most of the passengers in the March flight that vanished.

Capital Raising?

Losses at the Subang-based airline widened to 443.4 million ringgit in the January-to-March period, the most in nine quarters, as travel agents in China stopped selling the carrier’s tickets after the disappearance of MH370 and as competition intensified.

Analysts are projecting losses to persist at least through 2016, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Malaysian Air had cash and cash equivalents of 3.25 billion ringgit at the end of March, down 13 percent from three months earlier. The company may need to raise funds by selling new shares to stay in business, according to Daniel Wong, an analyst at Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd. in Kuala Lumpur.

Under Review

The airline carried 3.1 percent fewer passengers in June from a year earlier, and filled 77 percent of its seats, down from 84 percent a year earlier, Malaysian Air reported.

Malaysian Air may also modify plans for future plane orders after the disappearance of Flight 370 tarnished its reputation.

The airline had anticipated ordering as many as 100 jets and was considering a range of models from both Airbus Group NV and Boeing Co., a person familiar with the purchase strategy said in February. The carrier needs fuel-efficient jets to cut costs amid rising competition from discount airlines such as AirAsia Bhd.

Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in an interview last month the carrier’s fleet plan was under review.

“Even the strongest airlines would be falling on their knees on these two incidents,” Mohshin at Malayan Banking said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Elffie Chew in Kuala Lumpur at echew16@bloomberg.net; Kyunghee Park in Singapore at kpark3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Regan at jregan19@bloomberg.net; Philip Lagerkranser at lagerkranser@bloomberg.net; Dave McCombs at dmccombs@bloomberg.netYoung-Sam Cho

Malaysia Airlines requests de-listing from stock market

Yahoo7 Finance – 39 minutes ago

Malaysia Airlines will be delisted from the stock exchange, making it fully state-owned, the Associated Press reports.

The announcement comes hours after the deeply troubled airline suspended trading in its shares amid expectations of a corporate restructuring following the twin disasters of MH370 and MH17.

The struggling company announced that Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the Malaysian Government's investment fund, would undertake a review with plans to restructure.

It was the Khazanah Nasional's proposal to delist Malaysia Airlines, calling it the first stage of restructuring and will offer minority investors MYR0.27 per share.

Stronger rules needed on flight paths: Malaysia Airlines official

A notice posted on the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange said the airline, Malaysia's flag carrier, had requested the suspension as of 9 a.m. Friday "pending a material announcement."

Trading has now been suspended until 5pm today.

Twin tragedies push Malaysia Airlines to the brink

The airline, which was already in serious financial trouble, has been hit by two major tragedies this year.

In March, Flight 370 disappeared with 239 people on board after flying far of course during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The plane has still not been found, with a search in the southern Indian Ocean underway.

While the airline was dealing with that, in July 298 people were killed when Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine. It was heading to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam and was shot out of the sky over an area of eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatist rebels.

Is this the end for Malaysia Airlines?

Before the disasters the carrier's financial performance was among the worst in the industry, posing question marks over its future even before its brand was tied to two almost unfathomable tragedies.

Some analysts last month said the state-owned airline would not survive a year without a substantial cash injection from the Malaysian government.

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: Read Khazanah's statement

Inputs from AP.

There may be honor amongst thieves...but there is none within Anwar Ibrahim!

There may be honor amongst thieves but there is none within Anwar Ibrahim. How can there be when there has been no morality, no guilt, no empathy no remorse within him for the things that he does in the name of Umno, Reformasi, PKR and now Pakatan Rakyat! Anwar Ibrahim knows the difference between right and wrong but right or wrong are invariably his choice to make to justify the ends that he wants....and he has the intelligence and the skill to pull it all together and almost succeed...but you can fool some of the people some of the time,,,,but not all of the people all of the time.

He has a grandiose sense of self worth which his intelligence, cunning and manipulative self can almost keep pace with .,,,and I say almost here because invariably even those close to him, those most loyal to him and those prepared to die for him, will see through his failure to accept responsibility for his actions...be it his lifestyle or political ambitions.

Cast your mind back to his days in Umno when a personality cult grew around him at his instigation.

A personality cult born out of his own well cultivated supposedly religious zeal as a leader of all things Islamic...Pa Sheikh they call him!

His avowed championing of the Malay race without regard to what his policies as the education minister was doing to the future of our people and our nation,

And his rabid manipulation as Minister of Finance and DPM of politics and business to advance his own political agenda to the exclusion of any other consideration but his own!

All this Anwar Ibrahim did while he was still in Umno. Those of us who knew him before Umno and after Umno saw the beginning and the maturing of the Anwar Ibrahim that you all now see as the leader of Pakatan Rakyat, PKR and by default, the opposition.

Loyalty too has its limits. I for one will no longer be silent.

Everything that Anwar Ibrahim has done is about himself, for himself and of himself....and his family. Everyone else he uses as his pawns for these ends...and so why you may ask are there people still with him in PKR?

For these people their love for PKR transcends Anwar Ibrahim. Azmin Ali is one of them though his love for PKR has been sorely tested many a times by his own loyalty to Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar Ibrahim decided to remove Khalid way before GE13 and he told Azmin Ali that he will be the one to replace Khalid. Please note here....Anwar Ibrahim told Azmin Ali that Azmin Ali will replace Khalid. Even after appointing Khalid to a second term Anwar encouraged Azmin to think that his time as MB will come sooner rather than later and towards this end he encouraged Azmin to rock the PKR boat to unsettle and unseat Khalid.

Even as Khalid got stronger with the backing of Wan Azizah and her ally Faekah.

Even as Khalid started to ignore PKR.

Even as Khalid no longer entertain Anwar and snub party affairs and function's.

And through all this Anwar Ibrahim was intelligent enough to understand that everything was slipping away from him.....the falling of the domino's started.

Anwar Ibrahim had no intention of having Khalid continue as MB.

Anwar Ibrahim had no intention of making Azmin Ali MB.

Anwar Ibrahim had no intentions of making Azizah MB of Selangor.

It was always about Anwar Ibrahim....and everything else was an after thought.

And where PKR and Pakatan Rakyat now unhappily finds itself is invariably the result of what Anwar Ibrahim has done to further his own and his family political ambitions...ambitions that are short on morality, lacking in substance and certainly not deserving of any credence. We have seen this before when KJ fancied himself to be the defacto PM during Pak Lah's tenure as PM and later with Rosmah who proclaimed herself FLOM....all fools for whom the public had nothing but contempt for!

And now the end is near because all the people that have been fools and fooled by Anwar Ibrahim are saying enough.

There are enough of these people within PAS to ensure that it is PAS that will make the stand to say enough is enough to Anwar.

DAP is pragmatic to the point of eschewing everything else...better the devil you know than to have Pakatan Rakyat wreck asunder. It seems that Kit Siang and company may put their eggs in the same basket with Anwar Ibrahim. At what cost to their own credibility and future political worth is a risks Kit Siang seems prepared to take for immediate political gain...for Kit Siang seems to think that Pakatan Rakyat will survive this crisis in its present form.

What about those within PKR?

I think Azmin Ali loves PKR more than he loves Anwar Ibrahim and there are enough within PKR today who are prepared for what is to come.

And what is to come is that in Khalid Ibrahim, Anwar Ibrahim seems to have met his Nemesis.

In PAS Anwar Ibrahim has met a political party that puts an individual morality and credence above any political agendas.

And Anwar Ibrahim has run out of people he can fool......

Thursday, 7 August 2014

PKR...the heir presumptive patiently waits.

Anwar Ibrahim, Azizah, Nurrul, Nasution, Rafizi and gang are all on the warpath going hammer and tongs for Khalid’s scalp. All the reserves of goodwill and much depleted patience heaped upon them in abundance by a once adoring public are at empty.

Wither goes Azmin?

When the dust has settled within PKR in the not too distant future I will be so bold as to suggest that Azmin and those patiently biding their time with him, will be left standing within PKR.

What Azmin will make of what is left of PKR is for him to know and for us to find out.

For now bridges are being built, fortresses secured and loyalties reaffirmed within PKR and Pakatan Rakyat to ensure that when Azmin makes his move failure is not an option! Anwar be afraid...be very afraid!

Wednesday, 6 August 2014

KHALID REPLIES!

KHALID TELLS PKR TO GO JUMP INTO THE RIVER!

Boycott McDonalds? Not bloody likely!

Boycott McDonalds?

$1 Cheeseburgers for lunch!

With offers like this not bloody likely!

Cheeseburger

A legendary combo of 100% Aussie beef, onions, pickle, ketchup, mustard and cheese, all in a soft burger bun.

$1 Cheeseburgers available between 12pm and 1pm. Limit 4 per person per day at participating restaurants (excluding NSW/ACT) for a limited time.

Solat Hajat Perdana...What's me Worry?

Not to worry...they have done Solat Hajat for the Palestinians in Gaza...for victory in the 2014 general election...and for a number of other "hajat perdana". You and I know what the outcomes of previous Solat Hajat....so go do another Solat Hajat Perdana demi mempertahankan Kerajaan Selangor at kediaman rasmi Menteri Besar.....What's me Worry....I am sure the Almighty has got more sense than to get Himself involved in these Earthly goings on!

I just hope the people of Selangor do not get shafted with the expenses....

cakap cakap...a lifetime has almost passed between us.

I am 67 this year. That is a lot of living by any criteria.I have done a lot of things in my life... not all of them good. I know most of you would rather hear of the bad things that I have done rather than the good things but right at this very moment I am not in a "show and tell" mode...so tough titties to those who are waiting to hear what I have done in my life that I have lived to regret.

The one good thing I know I have done for myself was to marry my wife. Marry her when I was 21, with no money, no education and without too much sense in my head. You see if someone had sat down with me then and told me what was the sensible and responsible thing to do when you are 21 without enough education to even hold down any decent job I would have probably agreed that marrying a Greek Girl at 21 was not the best thing for me to do then. Thank God nobody talked to me!

My wife splendidly rugged up for a Winter evening!

Now a lifetime has almost passed between us...I say almost because we are both still here in the present. A bit torn and tattered for wear and tear but standing up to the rigors of life with a stoic determination and belief that this is the best times of our life....and why should it not be? Nothing comes between our life together now. Nothing!

Take now.....its almost 11 a.m on a cold Wednesday morning. I have been awake since 6 and have spent my time doing what I normally do - getting the house organized, taking what sustenance my body dictates and getting myself acquainted with what else is happening in the world outside my apartment. They are still killing people in Gaza though it seems that a ceasefire is holding...but only just. An earthquake in Yunan province in China has so far killed 400 and in Malaysia nothing eclipses the Selangor MB episode....and all this and many more I can learn more off or flick them away with a click of my mouse! And believe you me that I frequently chose to click them away rather than immerse myself into the troubles of the world.

I have decided to let my wife sleep in this morning. She was a bit tired last night and I have found it increasingly more difficult to motivate her to go for walks with me. I have begun to think of how many more years we might still have together. Who will leave first? And how will the other go on living without the other? These are not pleasant thoughts to think about but immortality are not stuff we can dream about. When my thoughts wander there it makes me more determined to make our times together more enjoyable....and nothing is more enjoyable them smiling at each other! We do not need to talk...just reach out and let our fingers touch and we give each other a smile....and we are both happy. No need to go for a holiday in Fiji or Bali...there is not need to dress up for a night out on the town or to visit the theatre...just sitting close to each other on the couch is enough.....life is good.

Me in the morning when I do not look like Brad Pitt.

Nudity....Malaysia Boleh!

Ahhhh a good news story that tickles more than just the ivory keys.....and the Malays, Muslims, Reduan Tee, Bung Mokhtar, Deepak or Ibrahim Ali has nothing to do with it at all!

The MIC may have some claim to be part of the story if that guy with the cap, third from the left, can be verified to be a card carrying member of that organization...... but all things considered we must take our hats off to the Chinese for giving us reason to smile and look closely at parts unverified for reasons best unexplained.

I am disappointed that the genders are not equally represented - three females against eight males but everybody seems happy enough and I will not speculate that there has been a deliberate attempt to exclude "senior citizens" of my genre from the festivities...but even if invited the only part of me that you will be privileged to see will be that hand to the extreme left of the picture. That and nothing more because at my age most parts of my body are NOT for public examination....and you know which part I am talking about.

For those of you who want to hantam any authorities or state government for allowing nudity anywhere in Malaysia.....come on lah.....steadylah.....have you ever since so many smiling faces in a picture before where the only thing on display is what the Good Lord has bestowed upon them? Nothing more and nothing less...though I am sure there are some guys out there with a bit less than what some of us have been granted by the same Good Lord....and where I stand in this is for me to know and for you to find out.

In closing I want to give my thanks to all those guys and girls in the above snap shot for making me smile on a drab, cold and wintry Winter morning in Melbourne. Malaysia boleh!

Every day in every way I am drawn back to think of Umno as being the party we Malays must go back to....how not to when we are confronted by the circus that is Pakatan Rakyat? The thought of PAS, DAP and PKR running amok in Putrajaya fills me with dread and confusion.....for surely a Pakatan Rakyat government, in the manner it is handling this "Selangor MB episode", has already demonstrated that its component parties will each do what it wants, how it wants and damm the Rakyat!

steadyaku47