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Endorsed by the head honchos themselves.
Ahahahaha!
The Edge has been bringing us some really incisive, sizzling stories in the recent years, enough that I have no problem forking out RM5 per week to read some juicy findings.
This week’s lead story confirms what we know all this while. Here’s the dirt.
A recently completed audit on recipients of open APs (approved permits) revealed fraudulent transactions, forged documentation and ill-equipped entities supposedly importing cars. Apparently, 8 out of 10 recipients were found to have flouted the rules or undertaken fraudulent transactions with forged documents.
To curb the abuse, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), which oversees the allocation of open APs, had last month imposed new and more stringent conditions, as well as refined and introduced new guidelines on open AP allocation.
The audit, which was conducted recently by accounting firm Ernst and Young, MITI, Royal Malaysian Customs and the Road Transport Department, found that 70 out of the 89 open-AP recipients audited had breached the rules set by the government, failed to display proper financial accounts or did not have management teams to conduct their businesses.
Breaches include the forgery of documents for open AP application and cases of non-bumiputera owning shares or acting as financial controllers or signatories of cheques. The recipients also allegedly commissioned other companies to facilitate the sale of the imported vehicles using the open APs.
More dirt…
According to sources, the 70 entities which violated the rules have had their eligibility frozen. It is not known which are the entities that failed the audit. They have been given until March 31, 2009, to comply with the new conditions set for AP recipients.
Read the rest of the report here.
Another good rule gone bad. Something meant to elevate the Bumis, twisted into this sweetheart scheme for the Umnoputras and their cronies. Yes, I bravely say Umnoputeras cos, hey, tell me who else gained?
This has been going on for decades. Under the very eyes of Mz MITI Rafidah Aziz. Rafidah is no fool. But then she was a player, right down to her shoe-less leap to the podium when Dr M did that “I step down” tearful drama at an Umno general assembly not too long ago.
Much water and mud has flown under hat bridge since.
It looks like her successor Muhyiddin Yassin maybe doing something to clean up the rot. But then rather than kick them out or penalise these AP towkays, (this kinda blatant flouting of the rules must be at least a breach of agreement), MITI has given them until March 31 to clean up their act.
What about a real will to act? To do something to clear the Augean stables of these fat cats? Berani ke?
That date March 31 itself tells something, doesn’t it?
March is supposed to be Abdullah’s exit month. March is also supposed to be Umno general assembly. Now, many of those AP holders, (I am not talking about the Franchise AP or the likes of Naza Kia, which has actually used the govt crutch to become first a luxury car importer and later into local assembly) are those who gained by selling something. I suppose.
Yes, galadriel insinuates something here. This Umno GM is critical. You piss off some powerbrokers (some may conveniently be some AP towkays) and you might find them unwilling to vote you in the race for deputy president. Mat Tyson is waiting in the wings.
So, it could be very convenient to promise them that nothing will happen, everything will be status quo, and let the crackdown begin after all this Umno elections business is done with.
Or dangle the carrot or stick. You promise those who pledge allegiance that they will be “taken care of”. Nice. Business as Usual. So this whole audit business may just be cosmetics that benefitted no one except the auditors Ernst & Young, who get paid.
I am asking you readers if you know how many of these APs are held by Umno Division leaders or people connected to them. The nexus revolves around this behemoth.
This is the real reason why Malay businesses fail. Because more often than not, it is the wrong fellas who get the opportunities. They either fail or they Ali Baba their permits.
I’m sure most, if not all of Pekema members are somebodies in Umno. Umno membership has to be the biggest doorway to the trough.
If we are to progress as a nation, such leeches should be eliminated. In fact if Umno and BN wants to remain relevant, patronage and money politics must go. But I sound like a broken record already. But wait, how many people actually still think Umno works?
Can I ask further, how many Terengganu folks got Open APs btw? Think about it.
Happy Weekend folks and oh, read this bit. The writer asks if we are really surprised?
No we are not. I just fear that we are becoming more desensitised each day since March 8 last year.
There are a lot of big news taking up prime space of most Malaysians’ consciousness these days.
There is the Gaza obscenity that has the entire world in an uproar, but with an emasculated United Nations, pretty much nothing could be done, apart from our innefectual calls for American product boycott and marches
Back home there is this Kuala Terengganu by-election that DPM Najib is at pains to tell us, doesn’t indicate the support BN enjoys in the country. He’s worried, that much we can see.
Worried enough to use their champion shit-stirrer Ezam, late of PKR, to start a smear campaign against Anwar. Hey man, it takes no rocket science to know that Anwar is neither an angel nor Malaysia’s salvation.
But that doesn’t make you smell very nice either. Nobody likes a snitch. Especially a snitch that comes out with dirt only during elections and by-elections.
It’s an insult to the people of Kuala Terengganu. And it ain’t helping the BN candidate either. It seems to me that the BN camp is botching their own efforts willfully. Either that or Najib is intellectually-challenged.
Neither hypothesis bodes well for BN.
The state’s decision to close down the DAP bilik gerakan is just stupid, whichever way you look at it. This, in a town where everybody is saying the Chinese may form the deciding block of voters.
The thousands of cops stationed at Kuala Terengganu now have logistics problems to settle. The city can’t really cope with their presence. I wonder at the strength necessary…and how those boys are housed. Those cops need a roof over their heads too, don’t they?
I always ask this question whenever I come across the SB types and riot cops, and usually am greeted with black looks. I ask the same question of KT-visiting cops now?
“Ada overtime ka?”
This race was persecuted in such a vile manner some 7 decades ago by the 20th century’s arguably most evil icon, Adolf Hitler.
You would think they would understand the depths of grief and suffering.
The rest of the world largely stood silent when it happened.
I’d like to think that the ensuing guilt by the very parties who stood silent, was responsible for Balfour Declaration and the creation of Israel as a nation state.
So it stupefies me that Israel continues to wage war after war against the natives of Palestine.
Oh yeah, it is against Hamas you say? I wouldn’t say that Hamas’ hands are clean.The rocket launchers that they sent into Israeli territory, achieved little, but provided the impetus for the murderous rampage of the Israeli army into Gaza.
And now, who pays the price? Innocent civilians, women, kids. Now imagine a child who spent his entire life growing in a place that’s little more than rubble due to endless bombings and strife.
Have his land taken, his parents killed, brothers maimed and livelihood lost by the war.
How small a step from there to becoming a suicide bomber?
These fuckers in the Israeli govt don’t seem to realise that invading Gaza will do nothing for them.
Hell, read this stuff.
Read about how these so called chosen folk have gotten it so wrong.
Karma being the bitch it’s often called, can Israel hold out forever against so much hatred?
What about those bastards in Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the entire Middle East? Some nations there are obviously complicit in intent or omission. Yeah, you too Mubarak!
Why is it that each time Israel whack Palestinians into pulp, the Middle East is curiously silent? Are those Arabs so compromised that they can sleep at night knowing their brethren are being massacred?
This, when even Europe and the rest of the world is shouting its outrage! And you wonder why Al Qaeda continues to to be supported.
And the Bush Administration? Hah! He and his likes can rot in hell.
Speaking of hell though, brings my attention to this curious phenomenon.
Jews slaughtering Muslims, cheered on by Christians. All three of them Abrahamanic, monotheistic religions with common prophets. Believers in God, apparently.
Excuse my french, but isn’t this like, thoroughly screwed up? You wonder why atheism is growing? I don’t. One less reason to kill each other, you see.
This classic satire piece by The Onion was written post-911. Still acutely spot on. It may be borderline blasphemy to you so-called believers out there. But read between the lines. God is probably asking the very thing.
I am thoroughly ashamed of being human today. Animals don’t kill gratuitiously like we do.
