PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s “Awakening, the Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Years in Malaysia”
It is such an irony that leader who brought Malaysia into the bleakest five and a half years period in post Merdeka times, written a book to tell his side of the story.
Riong Kali’s newsportal story:
If I listened to Mahathir, Malaysia would be bankrupt, says Abdullah
AUGUST 06, 2013
LATEST UPDATE: AUGUST 06, 2013 09:17 PM
Malaysia’s 4th and 5th prime ministers – Mahathir Mohamad (left) and Abdullah Badawi – in happier times. The Malaysian Insider pic, August 6, 2013.If Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had succumbed to the pressure applied by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to spend without a care and continue with some of his pet mega-projects, Malaysia would be bankrupt by now.
This frank assessment was offered by Abdullah in a book covering his years as the prime minister of Malaysia.
Titled, “Awakening: The Abdullah Badawi Years In Malaysia”, it was scheduled to come out earlier but there were some concerns in Putrajaya that the fifth prime minister’s comments and observations could spark a war of words between Abdullah and Mahathir and split Umno before the May 5 general election.
Putrajaya need not have worried. Abdullah lobbed a few barbs here and there, and threw a few zingers in the direction of his chief critic but did not reveal state secrets or offer juicy and humiliating anecdotes about the country’s longest-serving PM.
And he could have, he said. Referring to the constant attacks against him by Mahathir and other critics when he was in office, he recalled that some people asked why he did not clarify in detail the role of his young advisers, his son’s involvement in business and the influence of son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin.
“Perhaps I should have been more vehement in defending and explaining these issues. I could have retaliated by exposing Mahathir. But what good would have come out of this for the government and party?” he said.
He noted that Mahathir is very set in his ways and believed that his is the only way. And this fact is why Abdullah believes he has been on the receiving end of vitriol from mid-2006 till today.
After all the layers of biting comments from Mahathir are peeled away, it boiled down to just one thing: Mahathir’s inability to accept any other view except his own.
For example, Abdullah remembered that he went to see Mahathir and explain that he had to postpone several projects, including the double-tracking rail system that the latter had initiated because of the bulging budget deficit.
“He, however, disagreed with me as he felt the government should continue to spend. But how do we do it when the deficit was at such critical levels? It would be highly irresponsible for me to continue spending.
“So we had no choice but to reduce the deficit by postponing some of the mega-projects like double tracking and this made Mahathir furious. I suppose he viewed them as his pet projects.
“Can you imagine, if I had succumbed to Mahathir’s continued pressure to spend when the deficit was already so high, how could Malaysia have weathered the oil and financial crisis which subsequently came in 2008?
“The deficit which we brought down to 3.2 percent crept up again due to subsidies for oil and essentials and hovered again at the 5 percent level. If we had not been prudent then, continued to spend, I can tell you we would be bankrupt by now.”
In the book, edited by Bridget Welsh and James Chin, Abdullah also said that when he left office in 2009, he was determined not to be like Mahathir. He wanted Datuk Seri Najib Razak to establish himself as the prime minister.
“That is why I have remained silent all this time. I believe that once you retire, you are retired. You should not interfere with your successor. If there is anything you are unhappy with, you can always offer your views privately. Why bring it up in public and make life difficult for him?
Abdullah earned the biggest mandate from the electorate in 2004 but squandered the historic opportunity to reform the country and carry through many of his election pledges. As a result, in 2008 he led Barisan Nasional to a poor showing, losing its customary two-thirds control of Parliament.
In the book, he accepted blame for not meeting the expectations of the voters but said that Mahathir could not walk away from the 2008 results unscathed.
“When we did well in 2004, he said such a strong mandate was not good for the country. When we did not do so well in 2008, he heaped all the blame on me.
“He is doing it even today… Mahathir cannot deny that he contributed to the erosion of Barisan Nasional’s support in the 2008 elections through his open and unwarranted criticisms and attacks, calling my administration, which included a majority of people from his own Cabinet, as a ‘half-past six government’ and accusing us of corruption and all sorts of things,” said Abdullah. – August 6, 2013.
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The fact is that, the point of this book which is set to hit the newstand at the end of the month is hazy and so ambigous. What PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah Ahmad Badawi did in his tenure as the Fifth Prime Minister is almost politically and systemically disastrous, if not unspeakable.
The double-track railway system that runs from Johor all the way to Perlis along the existing railway line was designed to as a catalyst to the economy. Just like when the PLUS North-South Highway was built.
The Ipoh-Padang Besar EDTP system which passes through the lakes of Bukit Merah near Taiping
People and goods moved seamlessly. The economic cost benefit is termendous. The RM 14.5 billion was for the entire stretch. That include a by-pass system that circumvent Kuala Lumpur.
When Prime Minister Dato’ Srì Mohd. Najib Tun Razak took over in April 2009, the project was reinstated. It is because Prime Minister Najib saw the strategic benefit.
Unfortunately, the reinstatement cost much more money as compared to when it was halted in late 2003. Today, the Kuala Lumpur northbound to Megat Dewa cost RM 21 billion.
Prime Minister Najib actually continued Fourth Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s economic and strategic plans, such as ‘Vision 2020’ where Malaysia is targetted to be a developed nation status by 2020. The policy was reactivated and the nation is steamed ahead as part of the Economic Transformation Plan, where as PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah ignored it.
It is wrong if not sinister to state that “If we had not been prudent then, continued to spend, I can tell you we would be bankrupt by now”.
The fact is that when Tun Dr. Mahathir retired and hand over to PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah on 31 October 2003, the position of the Federal Government’s finances was very strong and sound. EPF had over RM 250 billion in reserves and the balance of payment was above six months of import.
During PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah’s five years tenure, Federal Government aggregated income from Petronas was RM 260 billion and actually RM 90 billion more than the entire 22 years under Tun Dr. Mahathir’s administration, which only recorded RM 170 billion. And yet no tangible physical development could be felt for the kind of money the Federal Government had.
Most of the so-called ‘Mega Projects’ developed during Tun Dr. Mahathir’s leadership were self reliant and/or paid of through operations. Such as the North-South Highway, Klang North Port, KLIA and Petronas Twin Towers.
However, it cannot be said for PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah’s babies such as the Moonsoon Cup and Taman Islam Hadhari. The roof of the stadium in Seberang Takir, Kuala Terengganu collapse. Amongst the five economic corridors planned by the ‘Level Four Boys’ and launched during PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah’s time, only Iskandar Malaysia proven to gain some progress. Even that is with the participation and concessions given to Singapore corporations, which include Temasek.
PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dozing off in the an international function
The abuse of power was blatant. Malaysians would not easily forget the corporate scandals planned and executed by the notorious ‘Level Four Boys’ and PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah’s closest friends. The hiving off MOF Inc.’s controlled Avenue Capital to ECM Libra engineered and executed Kalimullah “Riong Kali” Hassan and son-inl-law Khairy Jamaluddin in May 2006 is still fresh in so many people’s mind. So is the sale of Pantai Holdings to the Singaporeans and later the Khazanah buy back.
Other PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah half-baked policy on civilisation such as ‘Islam Hadhari’ died down of natural cause; poor understanding and unclear definition.
It is irony that PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah titled the book “Awakening” since he was very known for dozing off and falling asleep on the job. Even live on national TV and in the presence of His Majesty Seri Paduka Yang DiPertuan Agong in official functions and events.
Two of PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah’s notorious spending; the ACJ 219 jet and Moonsoon Cup. Both, combined in a poster by Kickdefella in 2007
PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah explained in the book that he suffered from a serious medical condition called ‘Sleep Apnea’. The interesting irony is that he should have had the sleep disorder fixed with the necessary ENT surgeries and treat nightly sleep with CPAP devices, so that his brain is not deprived of much needed oxygen.
This condition is believed to be one of the major factor that PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah had not have his eyes on the ball. As such, a new system known as ‘Level Four’ was created and his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin as the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister’s Office and his comrade-in-arms (who happens to be PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah’s aides) took over the roles previously played by agencies under Prime Minister’s Department such as EPU, ICU and MAMPU and Treasury in vetting and awarding of contracts, concessions and privatization projects.
This systematically dysfunctionalised the heart of the civil service and shot the pulse of administration into erratic rhythm. At the same time it provided a lot of opportunities for corrupt practices and nepotism.
One of the glaring example of this was the unprecedented overnight increase in retail price of petrol by 78 sen to RM 2.70, in June 2008. That shocked the whole nation.
Evidently, PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah reckless franchised-to-Level Four and weak leadership caused Barisan Nasional (BN) the largest majority desparity within one Parliamentary term. As the BN Chairman, he lost 58 seats in the Dewan Rakyat and 2/3 majority from the 198 seats for 11GE in April 2004 to 140 seats for 12GE in March 2008. That is not withstanding losing Selangor, Perak, Pulau Pinang and Kedah State Governments.
Sleeping on the Stage
Dubbed ‘Political Tsunami’, it was the worst and most humiliating political backlash and in a nutshell, BN still has not recovered even after a full five years Parliamentary term. Component parties such as MCA, Gerakan and SUPP in fact slide further downwards.
The book was edited by American academician Bridget Welsh. Singapore-based Welsh is very pro-Anwar Ibrahim and attended almost all Opposition party conventions. She was a fellow of DAP think-thank Penang Institute. She is also very close PAS strategists Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Her role is centred towards the use of her intellectual-academic prowess and extensive network, in the media influence and Western propaganda for the fall of BN in Malaysia and being replaced by a pro-Neo Con Jewish coalition parties.
The other co-editor is Prof James Chin who believed that if the Opposition comes in as the Federal Government, there would not be any cronyism practices and good governance. Just like the Opposition, Chin echoes the fallacy that the electoral role “Is not clean and one million of the registered voters cannot be traced”.
The book has a sinister agenda clearly written in bold on the front page.
The glaring fact is that no notable and charismatic Malaysians were chosen to be editors of the book is a demonstration that it has a dangerous political motive, trying to manipulate half-truths. Just like in the times when Riong Kali was at the helm of NST, Annuar Zaini in Bernama and Kamaruzaman in TV3.
In reality, what the book is trying to achieve is not about propping up PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah’s image or dismantling the low Malaysian public perception towards him. It is about connivingly using the man as an excuse for the Opposition to have added points to go against Prime Minister Najib. And conveniently take potshots against Tun Dr. Mahathir, whilst at it.
The timing to make public about this book is really interesting. It is ‘convenient’ few weeks before 20,000 plus UMNO branches hold their annual meeting and do their party post nominations.
Father-in-Law and Head Honcho of the ‘Level Four Boys’, the Son-in-Law
Another irony is that Tun Dr. Mahathir had gone to meet up with PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah about his ’20 points complain’, the exact end of Ramadan seven years ago. Until present day, many Malaysians still strongly speak of the exact points that Tun Dr. Mahathir told PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah off in that two hours late afternoon meeting in Seri Perdana.
It is doubtful that this book would make them “awakened” and change their perspective on the man they fondly call, ‘The Slumberjack’.
*Updated 7 August 2100hrs
Please read Another Brick in the Wall’s detailed analysis of the Electrification Double Tracking Project which PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah cancelled a few weeks after taking over from Tun Dr. Mahathir as Prime Minister.
*Updated 8 August 0001hrs
PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah’s close network with the Opposition via Singapore elements such as Bridget Welsh is very clear. It has announced that PKR Vice President and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar will launch the book in Singapore on 30 August 2013.
Nurul Izzah to launch Pak Lah’s book in Singapore
Posted on 7 August 2013 – 10:02pmDorothy Cheng
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA (Aug 7, 2013): Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar will launch former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s book “Awakening, the Abdullah Badawi years in Malaysia” in Singapore later this month.
She said she has accepted an invitation to launch the book on Aug 30.
“I believe the Malaysian launch will be presided over by Abdullah himself and (former deputy prime minister) Tun Musa Hitam,” she told theSun.
In Abdullah’s tell-all book, which will contain more than 35 essays, he defends his tenure as prime minister and accusations that he slept on the job by revealing that he had been suffering from sleep apnea.
During that time, photos were circulated ridiculing him, and even his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had criticised him.
However, in an excerpt from the book, Abdullah claimed Mahathir had known about his condition all along.
“I did tell Mahathir of my condition so for him to say I doze off because I am not interested in the job is most unkind.
“He knew the problem and yet he chose to say all these things,” he said.
He has since undergone surgery and no longer suffers from the condition.
Abdullah, 73, was prime minister from 2003 to 2009. He resigned from his post as Umno president and as prime minister after the BN’s lacklustre performance in the 2008 election.
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The book with contain manipulated half truths and lies is designed to hit at Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak’s administration, which is following through some of the policies and strategic economic plans formed and started to be executed during Fourth Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s leadership.
To demonise the latter should be seen as indirectly attacking the Federal Government and party policies.
Expect Malaysians would now question PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah’s nationalism and patriotism.
The "thirteen million plus Ringgit" guy rambles.... 
He has no credibility to say anything. Mr Flip Flop wants to call Mahathir contradictory???
Better wear his CPAP machinese and enjoy the cipap he had always yearned for till story broke out of the Australian tryst.
Makes me wonder, did DOlah really wrote the book?
He is merely campaigning for his son and men ….
It’s utterly ridiculous to believe in much of what Tun Dol says, as stated above and elsewhere. But “believe” many people would, especially when they get benefits and promises, like many did during the last UMNO party elections and many will in the coming party elections.
It’s just unrealistic to believe that money politics has disappeared in UMNO. Tun Dol’s Son-in-Law Khairy was found by Tengku Ahmad Rithauddin’s UMNO Disciplinary Committee to be guilty of money politics but managed to get away with just a warning, not disbarred from contesting the last party elections like Ali Rustam was. Those were the facts and the perception of such happening again at the coming party elections is obvious.
But Tun Dol cannot hope to get much in terms of the book showing the party voters the worth of the SIL. No doubt many copies of the book would have been and will continue to be distributed free to the 150,000 voting members to the coming PAU. Those who had received benefits since the first time the money politics SIL won the UMNO Youth Chief position would already have started to scurry around all nooks and corners of the country with bags of goodies (and no kid stuff, those goodies) canvassing support. This has been the trend for some time – money politics is not a new phenomenon – and many a FELDA settler’s son with no known occupation and averse to field work in the plantation, but living comfortably, extremely busy on outstation trips before, and buying new cars after party/ national elections.
We need to keep on talking against the evils of the wrong doings by politicos of all sorts and on both sides of the political divide. They cannot be allowed to go on unhindered and not clobbered.
There is a higher court than the courts of justice; and that is the court of conscience which supercedes all other courts. A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks he becomes.
– Mahatma Gandhi
Man proposes. God disposes. The good deeds of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as compared with the good deeds of Tun Abdullah Badawi and Lee Kuan Yew are engraved in stone in the Pantheon of History for all to see. We are blessed to have them still with us. Thanks to the advances in modern medicines !
Lee Kuan Yew? How come he is in the picture? You a Singaporean?
What good deeds of LKY? What I know is that he has been a nasty trouble maker. So said the stupid Tengku A Rahman who allowed his temper to rule and gave Singapore to LKY FOC. Damn the dead old man. History must damn him.
Throughout history, countries went to war to protect and preserve their national sovereignty and territorial integrity. But the damn stupid old man so-called kicked LKY and Spore out of Malaysia, effectively giving one prized bit of my country to the Maha Chauvinist LKY.
Good deeds of LKY my foot.
And I won’t mind if “the advances in modern medicines” don’t cover LKY.
One good deed. One good beneficiary. The PAP cadre who became the Chief Editor of the UMNO OWNED NSTP and had a luscious SIME DARBY CONTRACT PLACED ON HIS LAP. Is’nt this a good, good deed. Mr Zen ?
Sorry, never heard of that, Mr AK47. Unless you provide a link to a reliable source of the info, it’ll remain Greek to me. And LKY a persona non grata.
That PAP cadre guy was in the Chief Editor UMNO owned NSTP in 2006 or thereabouts. As big as life wtih his arms around the luscious Sime Darby contract.
Mr Zen
After 2003, Malaysia lost territories, money, assets in peacetime than by embarking on a War. Pulau Batu Puteh, 2 blocks of oil exploration properties, the Saddam Hussein sanction re-arrangement, TNB shares were sold and repurchased, Maybank bought the International Bank of Indonesia in 2008 from Temasek when we lost Pulau Baut Puteh, and now alleged to lose billions of ringgits from this deal, the 25 miles of steel rails which rightlfully belonging to KTM etc.etc. What we do not know, we do not know !
Mr AK47,
Still not clear who that “PAP cadre guy was in the Chief Editor UMNO owned NSTP in 2006” is. If you mean Kalimullah, who has been called Riong Kali and who Tun Dr Mahathir referred to as Indian God Kali and Muslim God Allah, I have never heard him being a DAP cadre. If so, it’s such a huge stupidity and naivity of high proportions on the part of Tun Dol and a stinking operation by Maha Chauvinist Lee Kuan Yew who would have planted him here.
Tun Dol had the bad influence of the Son-in-Law who he allowed to dip a hand into the political and the economic pie by placing him as Head of the Fourth Floor of PMO. A lot has been said about the inconsistencies and strange deals arranged by the erratic and brash young man, one of unsound mind politically, judging from the fact that he declared his intention to be PM by 40. Never a politician doing that anywhere in the world and Najib should be shivering in his pants now that the man is 1-2 years to 40!
Tun Dol causing loss of territories etc places him in the category of the stupid Tengku A Rahman, both being “Mister Nice”, naively assuming everybody to be good until proven bad, and realize people are bad only when they are proven bad. People like Tun Dol may not even realize that those he befriended are indeed bad. Yes, TDM did admit that he made a mistake in appointing Tun Dol as No.2 and to whom he handed over power when he resigned.
But you need to convince me – and perhaps others here as well – that Riong Kali was/ is a DAP Cadre. That’s a very serious charge. It will mean that Tun Dol really stupidly allowed a Trojan Horse planted in this country by the son of a gun LKY. In that case, Tun Dol should go down in History like Tengku A Rahman did – a traitor to this country.
Mr Zen. It was the guy who was the Chief Editor who was only a side-kick back in the newsroom of Straits Times. He also figured on the Net somewhere being involved with PAP politics. I am very surprised you do not know. A PAP CADRE WAS APPOINTED THE CHIEF EDITOR OF THE UMNO OWNED NEW STRAITS TIMES IN 2006 !
Mr Zen. See http://www.tangtalk.com/index-eng.htm
Mr Zen, Before I could say Mr Zen, the brilliant Lee Kuan Yew with his 9 failed Policies for Singapore has parachuted right into the middle of the boiling cauldron of Malaysian Politics with his book, just before Hari Raya for the gossip circuit and after the 13th General Elections to be sure which side wins. He now jumps onto the winning side with his cogent advice for the Singaporean Trojan Horse DAP to join the BN as led by the UMNO with the 13 component parties. Who says Lee Kuan Yew is not obsessed with Malaysia and his life-long ambition to control, conquer or influence it ?
I was blessed to serve under 2 Pm during my stint in PMO. All i can say right now about Dr M & Pak Lah is that … Pak Lah has really messed up our country with his SiL’s bad advice & influence.
The book will backfire on KJ.
Glad to hear your views, my friend. Do come in and say more. We’d love to hear your perspectives based on your “in situ experience”.
We’ll appreciate your need no to protect yourself from the Official Secrets Act, but even just your opinions without the hard facts will perhaps provide some useful insight.
The title “Awake. …ning” is indeed paradoxical, when the man is caught sleeping once too often !
Well he remained silent after retirement was because he had nothing to offer in terms of ideas and vision. Just like when he was PM. And he forgot that Tun M gave him the foreign minister post which he held for more than 10 years. Opportunity like this given to him seemed to be forgotten by him and instead raking old coal on Tun M. Hmm..more ungrateful Malays around. No amount of book about Tun Dollah can alter the history of misery Malaysia went through during his premiership. He didn’t have to pin blame on Tun M for his own shortcomings and faux pas.
He was silent because he knew he was unpopular. Even among the Malays. He was popular only to that female film star Yeoh what’s the name, photographed above endearingly, almost khalwat posture.
Thank God he didn’t do much campaigning at PRU13. Otherwise it would not have been a tsunami but an apocalypse.
Sounding bad mood, eh? Sure, what. Early in the morning had to read about so-called good deeds of LKY nonsense.
I think there is one good deed LKY can do,
Donate his corpse to medicine tomorrow.
Hahaha, bloody good one, VARUNA. Wonder if they’ll accept it.
Anyway, the Awakening should awake Tun Dol from his long siesta. The problem is that the train has left the station, and our friend doesn’t even know that coz he thought he already shelved double trackking. He may still be caught in a sleep warp haha..which he’d probably wish it was a perpetual state of REM. The question is does he really know the contents of his Awakening ‘masterpiece’?
[…] The “thirteen million plus Ringgit” guy rambles…. […]
Didn’t Mr Abdullah Badawi initiate Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia? It remains as a very sound and productive project to this day. I can’t imagine the radio air waves without the presence of IKIM FM.
On the reverse side, we’d have to say that Trengganu’s Taman Hadhari which cost hundreds of million ringgit is money that could have been better spent in the cause of Islamic understanding for Malaysians and foreigners alike. Despite the hundreds of thousands of tourists that visit Trengganu each year it is sad to see the absence of any center for the Islamic dakwah or outreach; Westerners come in to the state with their stereotypes of Islam and leave the state in very much the same frame of mind, ….. except for the beaches, the keropok lekor and the beautiful songket. Hmmm, Darul Iman kite.
I’m afraid but I think you’re clearly mistaken. IKIM was Tun M’s brainchild and formed in 1992 under Co’s Act 1965.
Tun M also gave the first endowment of RM 10 million to start the company and the plot where IKIM complex is constructed. Go ahead and pls do the necessary checks.
There is an Islam Hadhari Chair in the Islamic Faculty, UKM though. I’m dead sure Tun M is not involved in setting up nor funding of the chair. I think that is the last remaining active legacy is Islam Hadhari (on the intellectual level).
Members of the public do contribute towards
the making of government policies and projects.
Over the years when I was iin the government
and after I left the government , I continue to
provide ideas/suggestions that would improve the country.
I am inspired by what Lord Denning wrote of ‘Re: Blackstone´
cases which helped improve the administration of London.
I am proud to point out to my nephews/nieces whenever
a a precursor to a movie on tv , a certification
grading by the Film Licensing Board that would warn viewers
what to expect from the movie [be iit 18sx, pg13, or a U]
The RTM bosses took up the need to have a screening policy
after I raised the issue in a letter to the NST in 19931
Likewise I am sure there are others like me who lobbied for a
IKIM type radio stattiion as early as the 1970ś!
You may have noticed that the ´Salam 1 Malaysia ‘too have
been mooted by my goodself under one of my nome de plume-
kkk/notoktok/korok etc
Politicians get a good name when they implement the suggestions
that a member of the public put up. That is ok bekoz iit is in the
perk of the job description1 We get the satisfaction that our
ideas get materialised1 bloggers can also give a good hiding to belligerent
civil servants and their politiicians. Read wee choo keong of what I
wrote of Dolah Mat mata layu!
BD,
If most of development projects under Tun M were self funded or paid for, where did the RM 260b Petronas money go to?
You are implying it was squandered by TDM’s successor and I agree.
I think a lot of the mess the country is in now has been due to Tun Dol. On the political front, the lax control on seditious comments and the flip flopping government stand on many issues had emboldened the Opposition nasty tactics and eroded the people’s faith in UMNO/BN, Now made worse by Najib appearing to bow down to the Opposition “demands” for the removal of “archaic laws” like ISA, EO, RRA and the coming Sedition Act. Until many are now shouting for Najib’s removal.
Tun Dol won big in 2004 on a “Mr Clean” image and an anti-corruption platform which he didn’t fulfill but was instead made worse by the SIL Khairy and the Level Four blokes until the voters got fed up and expressed themselves by denying UMNO/BN the traditional 2/3 majority shocker in 2008. Najib had not been able to do better and in fact got worse results in 2013.
Tun Dol allowed the SIL to amass wealth and influence which the UMNO “money politics criminal” used to get the post of Ketua Pemuda and which Najib now has to depend on to stay as UMNO President in the coming party elections. Woe betide the fate of the Malay race.
At least the bumis got a few more millionaires. So we can have more third world minded individual, dressing up in first class developed nation style.
If you look at kj and his pals, they have no class. They only act the part thinking that their high taste in food, cars they drive, puts them on par with the westerners.
But i guess they didnt teach these kids a lesson. You look like brown apes, so cut it out with the white monkey attitude.
All the amount of money in the world, can buy you knowledge and wisdom. Only the Almighty may grant you that.
And how the fuck did kj become minsiter?
Thanks jibby
It is alleged that this guy was only the secretary to the NOC in 1970 !
“how the fuck did kj become minister”? He fucked himself in. The line up at PWTC shown on TV when BN win was declared had him standing in the back row beside Ketua Wanita Shahrizat who was smiling and beaming with jubilation together with the others. Except that KJ fellow.
That fellow was tense and tight in his face, his eyes going all over the place, looking for his key men, gesturing and signalling to them to come to the line up, then showing the fellows where to stand, all designed to show to Najib as if he and his men had done the job of winning PRU13 for BN. Gawd, it was such an uncouth, unbecoming and pathetic scene, by a man who should have stood there in a dignified manner, respecting and listening to what Najib had to say to the TV cameras.
It’s that sort of tak malu, tak ada tertib, adab sopan santun, of lacking in dignity and decorum that has made him push his way to an unprecedented yet unannounced and undeclared important position during the father-in-law’s rule. That had created so much havoc and made so many people disgusted with him, but can’t have him got rid of, because of money politics. The tons of money he and group must have made during Tun Dol’s tenure are that which binds the UMNO Youth cengkuriks to him, that, for example, had got a fake MBA holder Azeeeeez the CEOship of Tabung Haji, bringing a seven-figure annual income, with huge perks and allowances.
Make no mistake about it, the man thinks he is on track as far as his PM-by-40 ambition is concerned. Maybe a few years off the mark, he must now be thinking one giant step made being appointed a Minister. And starting to comment on so many issues that are not his business. Including on issues that are under the purview of the Minister of Home Affairs. One can imagine the geram and baran those affected must be feeling but have to grin and bear them. They must be reminding themselves of the words of US General Collin Powell, “There’s a need to accept political realities and one must move on”, despite the utter shame and indignity of being goaded by the Iraq war hawks to show to the UN General Assembly the little test tube supposedly containing so-called Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction” that have not been found to this day.
Alas, the folly of mankind continues. It includes us, if we do not keep shouting at all these crazy and irresponsible politicians.
Tun Dol appointed as Secretary to the National Operations Council was nothing spectacular. He was a PTD Officer at that time, in a low Superscale or JUSA post, many others of higher ranking than him were around. Not likely he was personally picked by Tun A Razak like one relatively junior PTD Officer seen by the Tun wading in knee deep water etc during the floods evacuation in Kuala Kangsar at one time, the guy was later posted to head a rural development agency but messed things up and was heard no more after that.
The NOC Secretary post didn’t require a high level officer, merely to service a secretariat whose functions included liasion with the Police and the Military, which had assisted Tun A Razak to bring peace and order in the streets in the aftermath of the race riots of 1969. And liasion with the normal Government Ministries and Departments which were functioning as usual, except that there were no Ministers to give instructions or formulate policies. The Director of Operations Tun A Razak, decided on actions to be taken, with advice from the likes of Tun Dr Ismail, Tun Ghazali Shafie etc.
He didn’t leave any mark in that post. But the fact that his father was an UMNO grassroots leader known to Tun Razak might have helped him decide on leaving PTD to enter politics as there were prospects of getting an insurance – retirement benefits (termed “retired in the national interest”) which others who retire before due dates don’t get. Those days qualified Malays were not keen to enter politics – until Tun Dr Mahathir increased MPs’ allowances to RM4,500 pm.
There was nothing exceptional in Tun Dol, really. But his “Mr Clean” image and the anti-corruption platform for the 2004 elections did wonders to BN (a landslide was it?). Then the hanky panky of all sorts, done by the SIL and others while he was sleeping or half closing his eyes, brought disaster to BN in 2008. The rest, as they say, is history. And his book is an attempt to write history – according to his perspectives. But the timing, the intention etc have now become suspect.
Idris. How this guy from the sombre ranks of the Civil Service rose so high over and above Tengku Razaleigh and Tun Musa ?
mahathir is not always right, and so is paklah. had both of them joined hands during the last general election, the result could have been better.
actually most malays are blase with the open confrontation between the two.
mahathir has his own way, and so is paklah. both can boast their respective success story.
but you bigdog, you are always wrong when it comes to weighing politics!
No. Even if they joined hand, the result wouldnt have been better. Who cares about badawi?
Do you know that when he goes to function, people do fuck all and ignore him?
Even with Tun M campaigning like no tomorrow, its obvious that people are also not giving a fuck about jibby.
We just want him gone. Only i am afraid as who will take over. I jumped the gun when badawi went. Look how jibby is now?
Wat you talk one, roland smile. (Pssst, your name is after that stupid Rowland Atkinson, eh?)
Woi, Mista. You going completely against the drift of conversations in this blog, you no realize ka? OK, democratic bla bla, can give opposing views but Goodness, you have not given out one piece of fact, everything you put out is shit opinion, man. Just read again what you wrote, man, where is even just one fact that you stated there.
Kamon lah, welcome to the blog but, if you are giving views contradicting the general trend in here, you jolly well have to substantiate or justify them. Then it’ll be a discussion, not bring a verbal confrontation.
“always wrong when it comes to weighing politics!” wat talking you.
Tun Dol never had the so-called ‘my way’. He dozes off and can’t find his way. That way, the SIL paved the way. There was even a joke around town at that time ..’ Japan is known as the land of the rising sun, and Malaysia is known as the land of the rising son-in-law.’
If kelantan wasnt in the plan to be recaptured, i doubt badawi would have been promoted to be top dog by Tun M.
Kelantan is the silent factor on why malaysia is in the shitters now plus Tun M’s misjudgement on badawis character.
Badawi was clean because he was too stupid to act. He let others think and execute while he waits in the wings.
But who can blame Tun M. The state he left the nation, only an inbred ass could have forsaken it. Oops im wrong. An inbred ass and also an asshole named slaveofgod badawi (and maybe jibby).
He gave the wheels to a recently puberty hit chap named kj who wanted to impress the world with his grit and determination. He wanted to capture the girl, but he had no class. Only had a car his dad gave him. So he took the girl and crash the car into the shitters.
Now look where we are at.
Same problem. What we thought was an end off badawiness, is now a time of jibbiness.
Same shit, different ass produced. I dont think Tun M holds jibby in high esteem. He put badawi infront of jibby. So there must be a reason. Maybe he thought jibby would clean his act and be wise. But we all know where we are today.
[…] Big Dog Be Sociable, […]
In this month of Ramadan where mutual forgiveness is sought i find the timing of this book is rather off.
As a taxpayer without any stake beyond that of a normal citizen, i find Pak Lah is the epitome of a ‘kaduk naik junjung’ – essentially someone who has been elevated faaaar beyond his abilities, spirit and vision.
Too far, that the vacuum in his mind gets immediately filled with hangers-on, opportunists, sundry fools and sly geniuses. Basically he abdicated his role as a leader and abandoned his solemn duties to the nation.What a let down.
The repercussions still reverberate today…the ‘new’ khazanah is one such place – its anti-mahathir stance bleeping like a beacon from one half of the tower that mahathir built. Irony..
Good bye pak lah…have a good rest. And hope you get treatment for the apnea. You are a nice man.
And Tun, if you are reading this, do carry on. This ‘awakening’ book should be like water off your back.
“…. If we had not been prudent then, continued to spend, I can tell you we would be bankrupt by now…..”
This must be son in law and tingkat 4 punya line… not happy, got only 4 years to fattened their tembolok, not enough time and still bitter about it.
AWAKENING? what an irony of a title. Sapa yang kejut dia ni? Geezz.. people should just leave him be, dozing off as usual.
BD,
Im convinced this book that Pak Lah the Sleeper Dozer so-called ‘wrote’ accusing Tun Mahathir of all sorts of things was written by Riong Kali in full consultation with KJ.
And edited by hardcore anti govt Malaysiakini Singapore-based columnist Bridget Welsh, who never had anything nice to say about Malaysia
Obviously backed by opposition to cause rift in UMNO. Otherwise why now, when PM Najib is at his lowest political ebb? Why not just after he stepped down?
I beg your pardon ‘…….Singapore paid and based columnist….’
Kasi chance la kat Pak Lah sikit.
4 tahun dok terpinggir, melukut di pinggiran (Taman Tun Dr Ismail, mind you!). Tak da sesiapa pun nak panggil bagi ucaptama atau rasmikan apa apa.
Tanam pokok atau batik fashion show pun dah tak panggil.
Dia kena la buat utk Tarik perhatian ….
Kesian silembab ni. Makin org benci lagi ada!
Not just TTDI. He got a big house in Taman Bandaraya, Bukit Bangsar. Also a big one in Perth. Can jet around any time he wants. A young wife and all, never lonely.
Unless he keeps remembering what he did and didn’t do during the 5 or so years as PM.
People say you are as good as the company you keep. He didn’t keep good company those years.
Mr Zen. Correct. Correct.
Assalammualaukum wbt RM13 Million Guy,
1. In the year 2000 I was given an opportunity to present to Tun M on a technology based subject. 45 minutes was the presentation and he was very attentive and 11 months after that the subject matter bear fruits.
2. In 2007 I was given an opportunity to present to Pak Lah also on a technology based subject. The presentation was for 25-30 minutes and he fall asleep TWICE ! Needless to say nothing fruitful was acheive….
3. Do I need to say more…..?
Thanks.
A Friend of Penarik Beca
syukur bkn bapak ku…..mcm bebudak idak dapat jajan…..caittt….
Big Dog,
Irony is the word I would hardly use to describe the pathetic prime minister or his sordid attempt to write this book.
It’s more of TRAGEDY!
I think everyone here is well versed with what this man could do and actually did.
Pak Lah menulis buku,untuk menjelaskan kedudukan perkara dari perspektifnya?
Tapi dari perancangan pelancaran buku ini nampak macam Pak Lah hanya digunakan untuk menghentam orang yang disebelah sana.
Kenapa perlu Nurul Izzah yang lancarkan?
Sekurang-kurangnya kalau Menteri Belia yang lancarkan tidak ketara sangat.
Riong Kali and the likes of him have crossed the bridge. He doesn’t even consider himself a Malay. He wrote somewhere of being cheesed off for being refused to have his child or somebody close to him be registered as a Malay.
So why should he care for UMNO and the Malays. His apparent support for them when in charge at New Straits Times was only for as long as it lasted. Pak Lah would trust him till death. Pak Lah is a noble man. So said Mark Antony of Julius Caesar.
And Najib, too, is a noble man. Am waiting for a lean and hungry Cassius to do his bit and and another Mark Antony to say that.
But aaah, William Shakespeare is not much read or remembered these days.
Aiyo this tua kutuk still alive?
All this caterwauling against LKY and Singapore…..reminds me guys pissing in the wind, where the piss comes back to drench their faces….
As for Pak Lah, according to reports in the Singapore papers, he did make one charge against Dr M – that Malaysia would have gone bankrupt if he had continued with Dr M’s free-spending ways.
Fast forward to the present and Fitch’s downgrade of Malaysia’s economic prospects, and what Pak Lah mentioned looks like perilously close to becoming reality.
Isn’t it instructive that no one in the government, the pro-government think tanks or the universities have rebutted or debunked the Fitch analysis?
One would have thought that the Cabinet, with it’s accumulated brain power, would have been able to do this authoritatively and convincingly.
This guy calling himself The Gooberman reminds me of the fellow standing in the wind always being pissed when he comes in here and the piss got into his face every time.
Now he is simply repeating the Tun Dol’s allegation on Tun Dr Mahathir – that which has been explained in BD’s post here. Of course, his purpose, as always, is to rub it in.
Like he is also trying to rub in Fitch’s rating. Saying “what Pak Lah mentioned looks like perilously close to becoming reality” is downright foolhardiness on his part. Just one caption in thestar.com report saying “The situation, however, is a temporary hiccup, say market observers” is enough to shit him.
And that report provides arguments and views expressed by people who seem to be in the know. But this Goobermen bloke does not provide any facts or arguments, merely allegations. thestar.com provides the names, positions and organizations those quoted represent. This Goobermen bloke does not state his background and appears to represent just shitty him. His opinion is as good as mine. And mine at least quotes the Star.
Come to think of it, his opinion cannot be as good as mine. Because mine at least quotes the Star. And includes the opinions of those who are in the know, as quoted by the Star.
goob goob,
These agencies are mere humans playing god – why put misplaced faith in such volatile predictions?
CRAs such as S&P have been subject to criticism in the wake of large losses beginning in 2007 in the collateralized debt obligation (CDO) market that occurred despite being assigned top ratings by the CRAs.
Credit ratings of AAA (the highest rating available) were given to large portions of even the riskiest pools of loans. Investors trusting the low-risk profile that AAA implies, purchased large amounts of CDOs that later became unsaleable. Those that could be sold often took staggering losses. For instance, losses on $340.7 million worth of CDOs issued by Credit Suisse Group added up to about $125 million, despite being rated AAA by S&P.
Companies pay S&P to rate their debt issues. As a result, some critics have contended that S&P is beholden to these issuers and that its ratings are not as objective as they ought to be and that, in fact, this “pay to play” model makes their ratings meaningless at best and perhaps would more accurately be compared to the role of the “shill” in a game of three card monte.
McGraw Hill Financial Inc., Moody’s Corp. and Fitch Group Inc. have been sued by liquidators of two collapsed Bear Stearns hedge funds seeking more than $1 billion over allegedly faulty investment ratings, Bloomberg reports.
In a separate suit, the U.S. has been seeking more than $5 billion in civil penalties from McGraw Hill’s Standard & Poor’s unit over credit ratings on mortgage-backed securities. An effort to have the Justice Department’s fraud lawsuit thrown out was tentatively rejected by a federal judge in California this week.
Bloomberg reports that:
The liquidators accuse the companies of “improperly and fraudulently” rating securities and “intentionally and knowingly” misrepresenting information about their independence, the accuracy of the ratings, the quality of their models and their surveillance of collateralized debt obligations and residential mortgage-backed securities.’’
“Defendants, by omitting information they knew to be material from their credit rating analyses, including the then-deteriorating quality of the mortgages underlying the CDOs and RMBS at issue, offered a product and/or service, i.e., a rating, that was materially different from what they represented it would be,” the liquidators said in their filing.
http://www.bloombergcurrent.com/content/mcgraw-hill-moody-s-fitch-sued-fund-liquidators-1b
This just points to the kiasu isand’s long-term political agenda. Buttman and Slumberjack had failed to deliver results, much desired by Malaysia’s enemies.
So the next generation of Malay Muslim’s face for the propagation of Malaysian Malaysia will be “murtad” daughter and “passport bearer” sil.
UMNO/BN have to perpetually expect such political attempts to continue being planned and executed, through their proxies.
ray. Correct. Correct. As each day passes and more and more books come out to glorify the foolish misdeeds of you know whos. it seems to me Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will win hands down smelling of roses with his brilliant record !
Tun Dol was quoted as saying in his ‘Awakening’ that ” Najib is trying to do many good things. He is trying to transform the economy,the govt and make changes. But he faces the same thing I did – resistance.” He probably was referring to UMNO? If so, then he should know that any resistance from UMNO or some in UMNO must not be seen as something bad. After all, UMNO is larger and more important than him or Najib. And what does he mean by many good things? How does he know those things are good. Economic transformation ala neoliberalist approach is ain’t so good. It creates corporate supremacy whilst high income does not equal to high income for all. If there’s no consultation with UMNO but instead referring policies to a bunch of advisers, so he has to expect resistance. After all UMNO supporters and voters put him at the helm. Being carried away by power is a disease. It leads to one losing sight of how one gets that power. And also, what changes was Tun Dol referring to? Things that are not broken and have proved as successful in managing a nation should be changed? For whose interest? Change does not always equal to betterment. Change can also lead to discord and regression. See how peoples in some Arab countries enamoured with change, now see their lives turned upside down with no end in sight but conflict and more power struggles. It is indeed baffling when statements on resistance and change are made by these people without qualifying reasons for wanting such changes. Ah..perhaps it’s the being liberal wannabe kind of change? Not all are enamoured with the cloak of liberalism. The sooner the liberalists realise this, the better.
A striking analysis which pins down the leftist propaganda of “progressive democracy” which implicitly promises to go willy nilly. The liberal leftists are inept at providing a demonstrable methodology for the implementation of their principles of governance. And what mutation of wisdom might their principles consist of? Since they are obviously not anchored to justice and compassion, self-mastery and true courage?
postgrad. For centuries, the peace, harmony and prosperity of our beloved Malaysia were held together by the goodies which flowed down the slippery slope of an iron pyramid to us the proletariat below. From 2003 onwards to 2013, the goodies dried up and were seen to defy gravity by flowing to the apex. After 2003, most people were aware of the fun and games above their heads and they were not pleased especially with a slowing economy which they were used to before 2003. It is the wherewithal, the money which was the glue which held the whole beloved country together before 2003 and now someone, somehow and somewhere along the way, the secret key to replicate the successes of 4 Prime Ministers since 1957 seemed to have been lost, maybe somewhere in the Aladdin’s cave of treasures, the Treasury or Khazanah.
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