TK Chua: Let’s not be ridiculous in our 1MDB defence

'Since the seizure of assets and the filing of lawsuits by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on some individuals said to have stolen money from 1MDB, numerous quarters have put up defences on behalf of these individuals and 1MDB.

Are the defences put up worthy of consideration? Or are these desperate measures due to desperate circumstances?

Foreign interference in Malaysian affairs is now a favourite defend theme. Various reasons are attributed to this: jealousy, a domineering superpower with bad intention, and the fact that Malaysia is a Muslim country.

This is just odd to me. When Obama came to Malaysia as United States president more than four decades after Lyndon B Johnson, when our PM played golf with Obama, and when our VVIPs made numerous trips to the US officially and “clandestinely”, how come there was no scream of foreign interference?

To me it is simple; I wouldn’t say that the US is for Malaysia or against Malaysia. I think they are indifferent, acting within their jurisdiction and authority.

The next defence is money purportedly stolen and invested in the US was from IPIC, not 1MDB. They used the current arbitration in London between 1MDB and IPIC over money paid to a “wrong” subsidiary in IPIC as the reason for this defence.

I have one simple question on this argument: if indeed the ill-gotten money was from IPIC, may I know how Jho Low, Riza Aziz and Malaysian Official 1 were deemed to have benefited from it?

Are we saying those Arabs from IPIC stole the money and then handed it over to Jho Low and companies to squander it? Those two Arabs may be stupid, but definitely not that stupid.

Finally, why argue whether the case filed by the US DOJ is civil or criminal? Why argue that those named in the suits have yet been found culpable? To me this is splitting hair and carrying an argument to a ridiculous level.

I believe most of us would have no problem appraising DOJ’s action - if only the sources of wealth of those high profile individuals are made known, the origins and destinations of flows of funds are disclosed, the testimonies and whereabouts of Jho Low (and other related individuals) are gathered and disclosed, the contents of the auditor-general’s report on 1MDB declassified and the dossiers in Bank Negara Malaysia and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) tabulated and disclosed.

I think the people of this country have been on a wild goose chase for far too long already. Please don’t ask us to peel more onions.'

Source: https://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/349797#ixzz4FOyBjix7 Link

Need patience as patient at general hospital

It is inevitable that as a result of big disparity between charges at government hospitals and private medical centres, that the continually increasing number of patients in GH is causing long queues and waiting time.

Last Thursday was a record for me: left house in BG at 7.15 am and reaching home at 4.30 pm. It takes half an hour to reach Ipoh and the first task was to provide blood sample at Unit Pengambilan Darah. Had to tell the nurse at the counter that I should be given a number beginning with 2 because I needed to take the sample myself to the laboratory and to wait for the result before seeing the doctor. But the computer system was down on that day. It didn't affect me initially as I managed to provide the sample at 8.20 am and was told it would take an hour. Handed in my appointment card at SOPD counter at 8.30 am and was given number 4014, which meant there were 13 patients ahead of me. The queue system for this particular room started only at 9.15 am. By the time I got to see the surgeon, it was already 12.30 pm! Leaving out the time between 8.30 and 9.15, it still took 3 and a quarter hours of waiting time. But to be fair, it took an average of only 15 minutes of consultation per patient. There are 9 rooms, each with at least 2 doctors on duty. But the sheer number of patients makes waiting a necessity. The surgeon told me that she normally skip lunch on busy Thursdays. It is admirable and commendable for her dedication to her profession.

As a result of the system down, the assisting doctor could not access my latest blood test result. I was told to provide another sample and she would accompany me to the lab. But the idea of another blood sample (which would mean my effort for being early would have been wasted) put me off. I asked to try myself at the lab. The nurse, already harassed by the manual tasks, could not find my report. She willingly let me go through the small pile, probably only 30 sheets of paper. I managed to find my own report almost at the bottom of the pile. So that saved a needless blood sample and another hour of waiting.

Based on my blood test results on July 18 and 21, I was given the same prescription for the 3rd cycle of chemo treatment. The vitamin was dispensed at the SOPD pharmacy while the chemo drug at the Day Care Complex pharmacy. But before that, I had to book for a CT Scan appointment in September at the XRay department. Which meant another need for waiting which accounted for the length of time I had to be there.

So it was, like a day's 'work', which saved much in hospital charges, when compared with private medical centres.
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Problems faced by 'Bananas' ie. some Chinese, as in 'yellow on the outside and white inside'

From Cilisos:

'Happy Chinese New Year, ugaiz!!!

Now, if you didn’t already know, a coupla weeks ago, we ran a quick contest with the ONGSOME Smirnoff Ice to find out what are some of the problems faced by bananas during CNY.

As this is the Chinese New Year, we thought of talking about a part of the Chinese community that isn’t always acknowledged, the BANANAs – Chinese people who cannot speak the Chinese language.. Cos like, yellow on the outside and white on the inside, mah.'

Rest of the article:
http://cilisos.my/9-problems-faced-by-bananas-submitted-by-cilisos-readers/

Kinship terms in Chinese languages:

Words for family members and other relatives in Cantonese, Hakka, Mandarin and Taiwanese. Mandarin words are shown in simplified characters and traditional characters (where different), and the others are shown in traditional characters.

Key to abbreviations: frm = formal, inf = informal, m = male, f = female, + = elder, - = younger, pt-= paternal, mt-= maternal

Complete list:

http://www.omniglot.com/language/kinship/chinese.htm
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Advanced technology: old dog learning new tricks

Generally, seniors dislike new technology because they have to learn how to use the new tools like smartphone, notebook with latest Window and even smart television with features like internet connectivity and so on. I am no exception, and I learn only when I need to, especially with a new notebook recently. The problems I faced would not have been so to those who are IT savvy. In my case, even the simplest of things required seeking help from others. This has to do with old age as well as having been in a comfort zone for a few years using the same equipment without any problem.

As my daughter described it, I rant in Facebook. Some of my postings:

'As more and more transactions go paperless, a computer becomes a necessity. My Asus is found to need a new adaptor or charger (Rm89); suspected motherboard problem for its sudden cutoff (Rm380 to repair); while a new basic notebook with Windows 10 and 1 year warranty costs only Rm1200, it is a no brainer as to which is better. While the rich might think my present dilemma is 'sup sup sui' in terms money it would be presumptuous to assume everyone has the choice, esp. to those without the extra cash.'

'After repeated reminders to upgrade FB, immediate effect was slower response because of more displays... and Malaysia Chronicle cannot be viewed now. Also always running out of memory space. Sigh.'

'Just my bad luck, having bought a basic notebook only to find YES in process of maintenance. Cannot even find Network security key after several attempts. Called and was promised to call back. Waited since 2 pm. YES must be the most user-unfriendly internet service provider.'

'Problems with advanced technology. New notebook means a journey into the unknown: run around just to reconnect with internet service provider; old printer almost could not work with new computer; online share trading requires IE but notebook shows M Edge instead. But it was a pleasant surprise to meet a pretty young lady, at Maybank, Ipoh, also from BG. A small world indeed, turns out, she is younger sister of my younger daughter's classmate! She said had I knew, I did not have to come all the way to Ipoh to sort it out. But how would I know before that? In fact, it was by chance that I mentioned I had to come all the way from BG that the connection was known.'

'My mobile phone has limited RAM and phone memory space. As a result, a few apps, like Skype, Whatsapp, and Yahoo Mail, would not work after some time. I just discovered that by uninstalling Facebook updates, I am able to go into Malaysia Chronicle! So for that advantage, I rather not upgrade to latest FB. Seems like advanced technology means better government control.'

'No end to problems with advanced tech. Open account with MS but forgotten which password used. Sometimes, same email account but different passwords used for different purposes. This morning opened my notebook and greeted with Microsoft and my email address asking for password instead of my earlier automatic opening. After a few unsuccessful attempts with different passwords, only solution seems to be a site address shown where I can reset my password. But how to when I can't even open my computer? Sigh.'

'The obstacles I faced is unbelievable for something which should be straightforward. I used my mobile phone to try and reset my password and when code sent to my email address, by the time I checked mail using the phone and getting back into Microsoft page, I was asked again to login! A really chicken and egg situation. So I used iPad to check mail instead. But recently, my wife's iPad had been giving problems too, with a few errors of Javascript shown on the debug console. So it was trial and error to get my email. Fortunately, by using earlier code, I was able to reset my password. Sigh.'

Having been through all the hassle, why not take it easy and make fun of advanced technology?

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Ambiga: Ask me again if Guan Eng should go on leave when PM does

'Ambiga conceded that in a true democracy, the principled position would be for the DAP secretary-general to go on leave pending his trial.

“Indeed in a true democracy, the PM would have been the first to take leave in the face of serious allegations of financial impropriety as it is would have been untenable that he continues to hold the finance minister's post and the post of PM in the circumstances.

“However, what we have here is not a democracy but a dictatorship/kleptocracy.

“The PM refuses to apply the rules to himself and instead breaks more rules by interfering directly with investigations against him,” she said.'

More:

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/347389

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Prof. David Sanders' Letter to David Cameron – split your party and start a new one to save Britain

"Dear Mr Cameron,

As you know, you are responsible for the most disastrous development in the UK’s political and economic history since 1945. Your error has been far more serious than Eden’s at Suez. His foray into latter-day gunboat diplomacy failed to achieve its own objectives and accelerated the loss of Empire, but it did not pose the existential threat to the UK’s future that your Brexit does.

Your error has been much more egregious. Eden failed in 1956 to understand how Britain’s strategic position had changed, but you were much better informed. You understood the strategic position very well. You knew that Britain’s continued membership of the EU was clearly the best way to maximise the country’s economic and political interests in Europe and the world.

You gambled that a referendum on EU membership would produce a Remain outcome, when any competent political analyst could have told you (and perhaps some did) that UK public support for the EU was moved strongly by external “shocks” such as Maastricht and the 2007-8 credit crunch.

Those analysts would also have told you that it was sheer folly to call a referendum, when the EU itself was suffering from the continuing effects of the euro crisis and the world’s worst refugee crisis since World War II.

They would have pointed out that leading politicians (including you on occasion) have been bad-mouthing the EU for more than 30 years, and that the popular press has show similar contempt. You should have realised that the probability of losing the referendum was much higher in 2016 than it had been in 1975 – and that far, far, more was at stake.

I will resist the temptation to ask you what on Earth you thought you were doing. I know that you were following through on a manifesto commitment to hold a referendum (designed to preserve Conservative Party unity). I appreciate that it’s possible you thought you would never have to deliver on that commitment because you believed the outcome of the 2015 general election would be a second Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government, which would allow you to jettison your pledge. I also understand why you felt obliged, as a good democrat responding to the will of the people, to follow through on a manifesto commitment once elected."

Rest of his letter:

http://theconversation.com/letter-to-david-cameron-split-your-party-and-start-a-new-one-to-save-britain-61893
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Lim Guan Eng's Bail of Rm1 million raised within 21 hours!

It is not the amount collected which has more significance but the swift response from the public. Those who contributed must have been disgusted with the high-handed arrest because of selective prosecution, as well as the unnecessarily big bail amount required. The way Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng was arrested clearly showed the intention of maximising publicity so as to shame him. He would have readily presented himself instead, even with just a couple of MACC officers having the warrant of arrest. High bail amount is usually required if the accused is likely to abscond, an action so unlikely by someone as proud of his integrity as Secretary General of DAP, Lim Guan Eng. Furthermore, the same Attorney General who cleared Najib without convincing proof, is now leading the prosecution against Lim. If this is not selective prosecution I don;t know what is.

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