Wednesday 14 January 2009

"Cleaning" up Umno ..... Corruption Lottery Anyone?

  • Karpal to CJ: Sue me for defamation
    Fauwaz Abdul Aziz | Jan 14, 09 1:48pm
  • breaking news Either the Chief Justice is lying when he clarified his purported act of bribery two decades ago, or Karpal Singh stands liable for defamation.
  • Zaki had been quoted in the New Straits Times on Nov 8 as saying: "It took me six months (as a practising lawyer) to be nice, to bribe each and every individual to get back into their good books before our files were attended to.
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At length corruption, like a general flood (So long by watchful ministers withstood), Shall deluge all; and avarice, creeping on, Spread like a low-born mist, and blot the sun.
-Alexander Pope
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"It will not do to cling to the cause and wish the result away.
Reality does not play mind games.
What is more, to anesthetize the mind in order to abort what comes to birth
when wrong ideas are conceived and borne in the womb of culture,
will only kill the very life-giving force of the nation that nurtures the idea."

- Ravi Zacharias

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I've been doing some light reading lately, and started going through my favourite comic - Calvin & Hobbes. The depth of some of the words the author of the comic is really amazing at times.
“The secret to happiness is short-term, stupid self-interest!” - So said Calvin in one the comic strips (besides those above) ... how true when you consider the events that transpire in Kuala Terengganu which is in the midst of a heated campaign.

Kim Quek, in his article Will the Kuala Terengganu electorate vote for change?, wrote about how contracts without tenders were dished out like candies.
"And, upon pressing the button, a contract would be awarded to the contractor, details of which -- nature of works and contract price -- would instantly appear in a big screen in the hall. Thus the contractor would walk home with his “prize”, a contract with a pre-determined price, with no questions asked on his track record or suitability for the works assigned."
"All these financial bonanzas, handed out within the few days sincenominations on Jan 5, are clearly intended to induce voters to vote in favour of the BN candidate. It therefore constitute “bribery” as defined in paragraph 10 of the Election Offences Act 1954, for which the culprits are punishable as prescribed in paragraph 11 of the same Act."

MalaysiaKini also had an article asking if KT will "bite the hands that feeds" them. The question however, which Malaysiakini didn't ask was - just what is it that is being fed to them?
Maybe they would - I do believe they would, when they realize that it's poison that they are being fed.

They are being fed the poison of corruption- where people are induced to sell their souls to those who intend to exploit them. The beneficiaries of these "contracts" know it themselves, but choose to make hay while the sun shines.

Never before has such blatant corruption on such a scale been advertised so shamelessly as the "virtues" of those in the corridors of power - that too, with the EC ignoring the fact that it is done during a campaign period. It probably qualifies as the "treats" which it claims are "halal" (from a legal standpoint).
In response to a statement that the KT by-election has been the most "peaceful" with the presence of 7000 policemen for the (+/-) 100,000 population, here is a comment (quoting Kim Quek?) found on MT -
written by cahaya, January 14, 2009 08:51:22
But one of most corrupt!
Has the Election Commission not read the newpaper reports of 583 government contracts given out to Class F contractors in Kuala Terengganu on 10 Jan. 2009? The contracts (valued between RM30,000 to RM200,000 each) for infrastructure works were awarded contractors with no question asked on contractor track record or suitability for the works assigned.

During the presentation of contracts, the Umno leader added that if Barisan Nasional wins in the coming Kuala Terengganu by-election, there would be more and bigger such contracts, so that the Class F contractors (confined to Malays, for small contracts) would “continue to make money and the country’s economy would continue to grow”.

What will the Election Commission and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) do about corruption (RM millions of bribes) being given out by Umno leaders for voter support of the Umno candidate?


What was it that might have prodded Najib to play money politics in KT?
The answer, IMHO, is desperation for "approval" of his "leadership qualities". This manifestation stems from the corruption of ethics and morality (which is now second nature) that took place in Umno under the visionary leadership of Mahathir Mohamed. The "values" held dear to hearts of the victims of this corruption can illustrated by the mnemonic "SALIGIA" based on the first letters in Latin of the seven deadly sins: superbia, avaritia, luxuria, invidia, gula, ira, acedia.[1]
One might ask - "Why bother or concern ourselves with these "sins"?" ....
All politicians/philosophers/saints/prophets of old have spoken of these things in the past in one way or other. In fact, so have even the very ones who indulge in these sins - so as to give the impression of their "righteousness".
Not that I'm a saint, "religious" or for that matter, dogmatic - but the following (something I chanced upon) may give us an idea of its corrupting and pervasive nature.
"Sin creates [an inclination to] sin; it engenders vice by repetition of the same acts.
This results in perverse inclinations which cloud conscience and corrupt the concrete judgment of good and evil. Thus sin tends to reproduce itself and reinforce itself, ......"

-Para. 1865, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994

The audacity of the Umno warlords & their underlings, in blatantly advertising their perverse inclinations through these shameful deeds of corruption and vote buying with pride, is mind-boggling. Forget about Pak Lah's attempts at "reforms" thru the MACC - What this does is a mockery of rule of law, democracy and justice!

When the leadership indulges in these deeds so openly, is it any wonder that the civil service, judiciary and the corridors of power are riddled with corruption? Is it any wonder that the people were ecstatic with the contract "lottery" which Najib unveiled in KT lately?
Is it any wonder that the whole nation's administration (& being the majority, the Malay community more than others) are enslaved by their desire/ greed for riches?
Is it any wonder that Malaysians have sacrificed their conscience and morality at the altar of Mammon's "progress"?
Is it any wonder that the nation is falling apart under the rule of Mahathir's Umno Baru?
Is it any wonder that the "fat lady" has been singing in KT lately?

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Hobbes : "What do you think is the secret to happiness? Is it money, power or fame?"
Calvin : "I'd choose money. If you have enough money, you can buy fame and power. That way you'll have it all and be really happy. Happiness is being famous for your financial ability to indulge in every kind of excess."
"The part I think I'd like best is crushing people who get in my way."
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