This is bordering on the ludicrous! Are we engaging in a debate with Mahathir on how many millionaires or billionaires his government has created in its years of power? And astoundingly Mahathir has decided to join into the debate full tilt with names and ethnic ratios of these millionaires and billionaires!
He said when he was prime minister from 1981 to 2003, “other races also became millionaires and billionaires,” pointing to the likes of Berjaya’s recently retired chairman Tan Sri Vincent Tan, Hong Kong-based Robert Kuok and communications magnate Ananda Krishnan.
“You can count the number of non-Malays who became millionaires or even billionaires during my time. My good friend Vincent Tan became a billionaire. Robert Kuok became a multi-billionaire during my time when the NEP was being implemented – the monopoly of sugar and flour gave him the kickstart,” he told reporters here today.
Which government on the sane side of the civilized world measures its success or failures by the number of millionaires or billionaires that it created?
Do we not measure successes by the eradication of poverty amongst its people? In the measure of civil liberties it allows its people? In the ability of its people to not be discriminated upon by race or religion?
Only in Malaysia do we have a former Prime Minister taking credit for the number of millionaires and billionaires his government has created! And the fact that these millionaires and billionaires are members of his own family and his cronies seems to escape Mahathir! Only in Malaysia!
Tun are you telling us that you made Vincent Tan and Robert Kuok and Ananda Krishnan into billionaires? Tun let me tell you this. YOU did not make them into billionaires – they used YOU to make themselves billionaires. And there is a big difference here!
In one, you, and only you, was responsible for making them very rich by giving them money or opportunities to make money that will not fail. As good as some one who becomes wealthy through an inheritance or winning a lottery – no input from them necessary.
In the other instance these people sees and opportunity to make money through you. They play you for a fool and took you for an idiot and play you as an idiot and made money for themselves in the process! They will latch themselves on to you and become your cronies, your friend, your machai if that is what you want them to be – and after their work is done with you, after you are no longer Prime Minister, they move on to their next victim – who would most probably be the next BN Prime Minister! We see this happening with Mahathir, with Pak Lah and now Najib!
You think your children are in business? What fucking business? They are given billions and they ‘invest’ in ‘business’ to millions in profits each year! Any idiot can make more money by putting the money in FD earning interest! Huh! In business my foot! Your children are a disgrace to the word business!
So please…do not say that you made people rich. It would have made more sense if you had just gave them OUR money and ask them to just use the money to live as they like – they would have used less of OUR money and saved us the billions these people used to do ‘business’.
Let me tell you what I know. The late Tun Ismail Ali – Governor of Negara –your brother in law – forbid his wife to have any share in any of Robert Kuok’s company. If my memory serves me right, she was asked by her husband to divest herself of the shares that she had bought in one of Robert Kuok's PLC. That is integrity. Tun Ismail Ali made any conflict of interest impossible! You, my dear TUN, would have learn much from this brother-in-law of yours if you were so inclined!
And these Jaguh Kampong Malays that you made into millionaires and billionaires? What of them?
Every Malay crony company you had a hand in in has been bailout by the government and is dependent on the government for its survival. These companies have been shuffled from one GLC to another “waiting to be turned around or restructured” and ALL of them are bleeding copious amount of money at the Rakyat’s expense!
Kecana, Sapura.......to many to list! Naza? _ Naza profited from the APs. Naza’s showroom became bonded areas where there was no need for Naza to pay import tax on the vehicles they bring into the country until the vehicle were sold – so no money up front to pay taxes. Nazi cannot survive without political patronage.
MAS? Huh! This brilliant Prime Minister of ours paid RM4.32 a share over and above market value!
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 - Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad admitted today his administration's 2001 bailout of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) resulted in a loss of public funds but was necessary to turn the national carrier around. "People don't lose money for nothing but the takeover was very urgent because we had to turn the company around," the former Prime Minister said of the move to buy MAS back at more than twice the market value at a cost of RM1.8 billion.
The government took control of MAS after paying RM8 per share to Tajudin instead of the market value of RM3.68.
Rule of thumb: When you buy a company that needs to be rescued you buy it at a ‘DISCOUNT’ not at a ‘PREMIUM’ Any high school student studying economics in can tell you that!
And TUN, would you pay RM4.32 a share OVER market value if it were your grandfather’s, your father’s or your own money?
Almost RM1 billion paid to Tajudin over market value for MAS! Money that could have been used to ‘rehabilitate’ MAS – a company then already run to the ground by this ‘Jaguh Kampong’ chosen by this ‘brilliant’ Mahathir as one of the millionaires he had hoped to create! And today Mahathir’s has the audacity to claim that he did so ‘in the national interest!” – national interest my a@*e!
And what of MAS today? Has it been “turned around?” MAS is in the same s#*t that it has always been! Now we have Air Asia (a company bought for RM1-yes ONE RINGGIT plus debts) taking over MAS! Malu lah aku!
How many companies have had the same treatment? How many Jaguh Kampong, including Mahathir’s children, has had this ‘turning around and around and around’ -and every ‘turning around’ used OUR money to profit Mahathir’s compatriots! All this would have been par for the course in any Tin Pot Alley African Nation ruled by a Despotic Idiot – but this is in Malaysia! Hence his favourite catch phrase that covers all his doings: MALAYSIA BOLEH!
• Malaysia boleh award cronies and Mahathir’s family, projects by direct negotiation.
• Malaysia boleh grant a low interest grants and loans in the hundreds of millions. E.g. NFC
• Malaysia boleh allow that company to run up massive overheads in salaries and perks for these cronies and their families!
• Malaysia boleh understand why these companies cannot do well.
• Malaysia boleh bail them out and buy back the whole damm company or project at a premium!
• And in the process if they must compensate any cronies who has any long-term contract with the said business in order to ‘restructure’ the business, Malaysia boleh with OUR money!
All this sounds familiar? This is Mahathir’s modus operandi over and over and over again – all the time using not his grandfather’s money, not his father’s money, not his money but OUR money! And this Mahathir thinks that because these billions are being given to some UMNO or UMNO connected company this is money well spent?
Now that we have had the opportunity to look at the ‘achievements’ of this Mahathir do you not agree with me that he deserved to be placed amongst his peers in the annals of our history?
I herby propose that this Mahathir be placed on the same level as Pak Man Telo.
May I respectfully remind you all that while Pak Man Telo scammed individuals and only in the millions this Mahathir scammed on a national level and succeeded in the amounts of billions of ringgits! Pak Man Telo left his mark for one generation only. Maybe two at the most – this Mahathir has left his mark for many generations to come. Many generations will need to keep paying for the debts he has left out country with!
If anyone of you think that because the scale of Mahathir’s misdeeds we should really put him on the same level as Suharto or even Madoff i.e on a global level…then make your case for it. If not be forever silent and let this Tun Mahathir take his deserved place alongside Pak Man Telo. I rest my case!
