Since Brendan Pereira, the former Straits Times journalist who is now Group Editor of the NST, won't publish his letter in response to the commentary he wrote earlier this week, Sufi Yusoff has turned to this blog and several other blogs to get the content of the letter across to Malaysians:-
Dear Sir, While the right to publish remains yours, it is my sincere hope that it would be published as soon as possible i.e. in tomorrow's edition.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at the given mobile number should you need any clarification.
Kind regards,
Sufi Yusoff
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Editor
The New Straits Times Sdn Bhd
Balai Berita,
31, Jalan Riong,
59100 Kuala Lumpur
June 26, 2006
Dear Sir,
Re: Turning to what works best in dire situations
I refer to the above article by Brendan Pereira (NST, Monday June 26, 2006, Pg 10).
Mr Pereira has again chosen to pass comments on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad based on an event in which the New Straits Times did not report on, although a reporter was assigned to it.
This seems to be a new approach by NST and Mr Pereira. The first, neither an NST reporter nor Mr Pereira were present at Dr Mahathir’s press conference at the Perdana Leadership Foundation on June 7, 2006, yet the NST chose to publish a front page report of the event on its June 8, 2006, publication carrying Mr Pereira’s byline.
In that report, Mr Pereira’s introduction was filled with commentaries and was quite descriptive in Dr Mahathir’s so-called outburst, dramatising the whole press conference.
It is truly a surprise as Mr Pereira was not present and even if he had interviewed other reporters who were present, he would have at least had the journalistic ethics to attribute those findings.
Likewise in today’s report, I would suggest Mr Pereira, who was not present at the event to justify remarks like; “He stuck to a formula that he has used with mixed results during his political career – tossing half-truths and known facts into a mix and allowing the combination to emit its own stench”.
The NST as a mainstream newspaper had not reported on the event. It had therefore denied its readers an opportunity to independently assess the situation. How is it then that the group editor sees it fit to disparage the former Prime Minister by attacking him in a column based on an event that the NST did not even publish?
I am not in the habit of telling how Mr Pereira should write his commentary, but I do believe that if readers are not first given a fair chance to assess a fairly reported piece of news, then passing comments may just make it seem as if Mr Pereira is tossing half-truths and allowing it to emit its stench.
Sufi Yusoff
Good Work sufi!
ReplyDeleteRocky,
Dah baca tulisan terbaru Ron (Ruhanie Ahmad)di agendadaily? interesting article.
Kudos to you bro for publishing the letter. A coin has two sides, and I am happy to have read both views.
ReplyDeleteBru, it's a case of fairness on demand. NST, Berita Harian and TV3 which were once at Kadir's command, are today his worse nightmares. What goes around comes around. But he learnt his lesson well. To get action, use your voting rights and be audacious. Kadir went to NSTP agm prepared and rehearsed but not terribly composed when he read the NST and BH at his favourite kopitian somewhere in Damansara, I was reliably told.
ReplyDeleteHe sms-ed a friend that the NST article and BH report, both carrying his mugshot and picture, could have been planned to scare him off from attending the meeting.
Young Sufi did not learn from the pro. Had he, he would have asked kadir to name his a proxy and he could make the same demand to Hisham. This is what I call right of reply by demand. So I don't think Kadir will be selling his junk bond nst shares any time soon. Good to be minority shareholders these days. Ada power.
But Sufi is a cunning young fox. he's learning fast. he blog the letter that the NST rejected in the various blogs and websites. Even Kali could not resist broadcasting to the NST readers that kadir now has his own blog in addition to the "dwindling" malaysian business. NSTP barred kadir's ads from all its papers but kali happily gave him free advertisement via his NST column on June 27.
Seriously I think kadir should lay off the NST after lambasting poor Hisham. No point battling a tank when you are a secondhand kacil. But for Hisham if he hasn't a broken man by now, he has a hope of rising to become a true NSTP GEIC. there'll always be a pain in the rear like kadir, but with a power job like NSTP GEIC, the little discomfort is worth enduring. that's what make this god forsaken profession interesting. What say you Bru?
Bru, betul ka Md Nazri Aziz diberikan pendidikan akhlak oleh kabinet hari ini? Katanya ramai menteri piss-off sengan badut Perak ini. Md Najib pengerusikan meeting. PM ke luar negeri lagi. Ada masalah, PM belah. Agaknya inikah yang Shahrizat maksudkan dengan "segela-galanya bermula dengan mu". Adat Melayu, bising tak tentu hala kurang ajar. Diam membisu bila orang tanya pun kurang ajar juga, kecuali pekak, bisu atau sengau. Bapak Rais, teruskan mengajar budi bahasa dan sopan santun kepada Melayu celup macam, Md Nazri.
ReplyDeleteIn blogism, as in journalism, you say sorry for making the smallest of mistakes.
ReplyDeleteIt has been brought to my attention that I was wrong in saying that the NST did not send anyone to cover Dr M's lecture on Saturday at the Century Club, Melawati.
The NST did send a reporter to cover the event. I am sorry.
I am more sorry, however, that the "Butchers in the Newsroom" had decided not to publish the reporter's account truthfully and professionally.
Instead, they spun the reports into a commentary of stinking "half truths".
On another point, bro Kaliyuga, you are first-class motivator. Tank vs Kancil, eh? If AKJ was the Kancil, the "tank" you talked about was actually an unlucky dog that got ran over by that Kancil at the AGM yesterday.
Right of reply? What right of reply? You guys must be joking. When you don't even have the right type of people running the NST, how do you exepect them to respect your right of reply. Thank you Tun M for giving us ICT and MSC. Now we can blog to our hearts' content. You too must blog Tun. Start one. I am sure it's gonna be a hit.
ReplyDeletei apologise on behalf of nst to sufi for not publishing the letter. i feel wretched. i may not agree with sufi or dr mahathir. but not publishing the reply was stupid, to say the least.
ReplyDeleteSdra, that fellow Sufi is a bright young man, trained by the best and have his tutelage refined by master thinker and proven builder, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The Singapore Straits Times-trained group editor, Mr Brendan Pereira, is an embarassment to the profession. From his writng, one can only conclude that he hates Tun Mahathir and. Otherwise, how could expain the kind of journalism that he practices! This guy came from a newspaper which doesn't allow any form of hard-hitting journalism! Therefore, he now writes in the Umno-controlled newspaper and attack the Tun in a manner that no Malaysian journalist would do (except maybe his fellow non-ethical colleagues, NSTP GEIC included).
ReplyDeleteThe NST as a newspaper is now the benchmark of Malaysia's gutter journalism. What a shame!
Pujangga said (of clueless PM Pak Lah)...
ReplyDelete"If you dont believe me, test him on economics..."
Our Malaysian Estrada's reply will be "ENOUGH!!".
:):):)
nstman, i'm glad you have finally realised that small things like not publishing the letter or surpressing the reporters and even editing stories towards a certain liking (despite going against the reporter's liking) has devalued the integrity of the NST. I grew up with the NST, but sadly, it's not the same as it used to be.
ReplyDeleteAint it such a coincidence that our dear PM has gone to Australia for a holiday with anak2, menantu & cucu.
ReplyDeleteDidnt Kali-Mullah say he was gonna take a break from his Sunday Column to visit his crying daughter in Australia?
Thought I read the two Wrongs...oops Wongs of the Star (June 27) quoting the PM as saying he has "so much work to do.It may not be sentional, but there is a lot of work to do. The people want me to deliver..."
Ya lah tu...kunun cuti sambil bekerja!
It's more like running away from the heat after letting go Nazri to menyalak & Najib to take care of the consequences!!
Kha! kha! kha!
the moment kalimula stepped into Balai Berita in 2004, the campaign to discredit -- hence deconstruct Dr M and his legacy of success(es) -- began.
ReplyDelete"That old man is giving problems to Pak Lah's adminsitration", Kalimulah was quoted to have told senior NST editors. Dr M was giving his 2 sen worth to the media on some international political issue. A typical Dr M's remark on the West, I believe.
Truth be told. Dr M did not start his blistering attack on Pak Lah or his administration until it was VERY CLEAR and obvious that PakLah's boys were already way up high in their attack against the old man.
Initially it was blackout of all Dr M's functions. Of course, did they expect that Dr M's statements turned out to be newsworthy carried by other papers? (When amateurs run newspapers, that'swhat you get).
Dr M was too enduring. So, how to get rid of the old man. Spin more and more. The more they spun, the more they were exposed. Desperate situations demand desperate measures.
Actually Dr M began by just criticising the state of things, and Pak Lah's boys mucking about.
But Pak Lah's boys made it look like Dr M was attacking Pak Lah.
Pak Lah has said nothing except some vague remarks.BUT... just listen to his mouthpieces... The Nazris, the Syed Hamids, the Khaleds etc.... they are really saying what Pak Lah wants to say.
So, if they say Dr M should shut up..then it is really PakLah saying it to his former boss.If they say DrM should be expelled from Umno, it is actually Pak Lah giving a warning to Dr M.
Pak Lah cannot relinquish responsibility and accountability for what is said by his people.
the grandmaster of malaysian journalism once told me that producing a newspaper (the NST, at the time when it was the NUMBER ONE newspaper in the country....sigh) was not easy ---"ini bukan senang macam buat sabun".
ReplyDeletesome people dont think so., however. some people really think producing a newspaper is that easy, like producing soap.
just put your friends there, use it to push the agenda of yr political and business masters and hey presto....viola!!! you have a newspaper.
Kalimulah will be remembered as the one who ruined the NST.
He would like to, of course, credit Datuk Kadir Jasin and Abdullah Ahmad Kok Lanas for that.
But, no. the award goes to Kalimulah.
Not the same shit. Worse.
to nstman,
ReplyDeletelooks like we have to make a lotof apologies.
tell you what. We just dont. We do a Kali. We just blame someone else..
Saudara Rocky,
ReplyDeleteSiapa kata Datuk Hishamudin pengecut? Siapa kata dia kadam Datuk Kalimullah?
Surat datuk Kadir jasin sudah pun di siarkan oleh NST.
Mungkin surat saudara Sufi dianggap tidak penting.
Itu pendapat professional Datuk Hisham. Dan dia berhak membuat keputusan sedemikian.
Dan siapa kata tiada kebebasan and transparency di dalam akhbar...? siapa kata?
Lihat lah betapa bebas akhbar kita menghentam Tun Dr Mahathir.
Hebat? Dan Syabbas! Itu lah di katakan freedom and transparency under the Abdullah administration.
We should all die in shame.
The dandiprat contempt against Dr M
ReplyDeletedandiprat (noun)
a. a diminutive person; a dwarf, pygmy, or midget.
b. a person of small or childish mind; a silly, finicky, or puerile person.
-- Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary
The New Straits Times is not dying but the newspaper is ill, diseased by the Umno politburo that flogs it like Pravda and stripped of what’s left of its fragile dignity by the mendacious mini-megalomaniacs manipulating the published word as flagellant as a fanatical Cold War Soviet propagandist (or a 21st century-styled public relations machine).
Like all serious illnesses, the NST’s decaying condition has the potential to turn terminal, if the newspaper keeps getting battered like an enslaved gladiator and whored like a red-light district harlot.
Harsh as it is, was it always like that? In some ways yes, in many ways no. Let’s acknowledge that the NST has committed pages of good and solid journalism over the decades but its legacy will infinitely be sickened by three defining eras – the Mahathir years, the Anwar Ibrahim saga, both hand-blown unapologetically by A. Kadir Jasin, and now, stricken by the Kalimullah–Brendan “my-daughter-cried”, alphabetic stew of spin.
Conversely, Kadir can breathe easier because his management of the NST had been re-appraised as “editorially tenuous but journalistically sound”, as incredulous as it sounds, compared to the meanderings of the short-lived but cash-rewarding Rahman Maidin tenancy and the vainglorious absurdity of Dollah Keok Lanas’ sleaze/fear factor tenure.
I write this with a painful pride only a veteran professional journalist would feel and I know many of my NST comrades, surviving or fallen, are induced with the same poignant distress. But make no mistake: the NST buttered my bread, deployed me to many ends of the Earth that shaped my global perspective, and helped finance my home and my kids to college. For that, I am grateful.
My indebtedness aside, here is my devil’s advocacy of the newspaper: that the NST is accursed with this illness is widely accepted and while the prognosis is clear and the cure simple, the medication is tougher to administer than convincing Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that his ineffectually elegant silence is as pounding as carpet bombing.
And this is merely the Umno political beast devouring the already feeble editorial integrity, which in turn soured readership, slashed circulation and stymied advertising/classifieds revenue. What about the plunging morale, dumped aside like old newspaper that gets fusty by the moment.
If that was bad enough, the advent of the Internet accessed through cheap PCs and PDA/mobile phone has turned the NST, like other struggling newspapers, into a near anachronism of the third millennium, which makes the mission to resuscitate the institution hopelessly hopeless, to quote Crosby, Stills and Nash’s enduring refrain.
And so it is with the scorn-filled muck that passed for journalism in the once-hallowed pages of the NST, blithely shovelled by Kali and Brendan into a seepage pit that is the Deconstruction of Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the flagrant fire sale of national assets and politico-economic submission to Singapore.
As a deflection tactic, the right-of-reply soap opera was devised but I’ll humour it for now.
The original speculation was, will Kali-Brendan publish Kadir/Dr Mahathir’s rebuttals or won’t they? It fell somewhere in between, like an irritatingly sticky crumb stuck between the front teeth.
After the hectoring he unloaded on Hishamuddin Aun during the NSTP’s AGM, Kadir secured his day in the court of opinion after his right-of-reply response was grudgingly published yesterday but Kadir appeared to have submitted a magnanimous missive. Perhaps he is saving the more trenchant denunciation in his Malaysian Business column or his blog. I wait in anticipation.
However, Dr Mahathir’s riposte, actually a downgraded reaction forwarded by his devoted press aide Sufi Yusoff, is still trapped in Kali-Brendan’s ethically-challenged minefield but as predicted, it was softened somewhat by the contrived chorus of disapprovals solicited from Umno leaders/hacks begging Dr Mahathir to stand down. Dr Mahathir’s stinging retort though against that self-appointed Rottweiler from Hell Nazri Aziz was still published.
What was so difficult about publishing Sufi’s letter? It’s polite, respectful, even banal, now that it is blogged in Rocky’s Bru, Screenshots and carried in Malaysia Today, but it’s not difficult as it is easy to ignore if one’s mind is bloated with the dandiprat contempt Brendan adduces in his larcenous purple prose against Dr Mahathir.
COMING SOON: How the dandiprat was jacked
Rocky!
ReplyDeleteIni lah akibat nya jika Bangsa Moron (dibaca Melayu) memberikan kuasa kepada bangsa bukan Moron. Sejarah sudan banyak menunjukan bahawa perkara tersebut pernah dan sudah banyak berlaku namun kaum Moron (dibaca Melayu) masih tidak sedar sedar lagi bahawa kelakuan mereka ini akan menjejaskan peng-ujudan mereka di bumi Allah ini!
Bangsa Melayu (di baca Moron sebengap bengap Moron) memang tidak patut di kasihani jika mereka sendiri tidak boleh menyedarkan diri mereka bahawa kementrian kementrian dan ajensi ajensi yang terpenting, badan badan berkanun yang mengshorkan supaya hak hak mutlak bangsa Moron in di jaga, akhbar akhbar yang di punyai oleh bangsa Melayu telah pun di kompromikan!
Kini konon nya ada pula cubaan bagi segelintir budak budak Melayu (jugak di baca Moron) yang belum kering hingus, yang di adu domba, di hasut dan di kipas kipas oleh bangsa bukan Melayu saperti Pathan keturunan penjual permaidani, dan budak Hindu yang berasal dari Seremban yang mempunyai taraf penduduk tetap Singapura yang menguasai NST yang menyakinkan kepada budak budak Melayu yang belum kering hingus ini bahawa matlamat mereka ini boleh di chapai! Aduh bangang heh, Moron moron ini.
Alang kah enak nya jika ada di kalangan kita ini yang boleh berani menunjukan jalan bahawa keadaan Melayu boleh di tebus di di perbaiki! Waduh!Dong! Maafya saya rupa nya bermimpi siang. Kesimpulan nya Melayu (di baca Moron) ada lah bangsa yang bangsat yang tidak mungkin keadaan dan perbuatan mereka boleh di perbetulkan!
Selamat berAkademi Fantasia! kalut betul jika Sufi Yusof masih perchaya bahawa Brendan dan keturunan penjual permadani ini boleh memberi kan perasaan kasih sayang kepada bangsa Moron ya!
Terima Kasih
(Maafkan saya ya bahawa Bahasa Moron saya masih btidak lengkap, masih chapik lagi)
nobody is perfect. we can only hope that the leaders elected will take care of all malaysians and not just a segment of the population.
ReplyDeleteIn all reality, it is the poor families which need to be helped, regardless of background.
unfortunately, this is not happening.
both past and present leaders have their good virtues. But...
one has no choice but to see the reality that the past 2 1/2 years has been challenging, economically and in terms of relationships between 'friends'
we do not need incompetent 'leader'. we need someone more that just harping RMK9. MALAYSIA is more than RMK9. The list ie. our needs are endless.
Rocky! Sorry to intrude again!
ReplyDeleteJust read a news item about Israeli government arrested almost an entire Hamas government, that had Saeb Erakat, a Palestinian spokesman, fuming mad.
I admire the Israelis though,they alleged Hamas had kidnapped two of their soldiers, and they in turn over run the Gaza strip that they have handed over to the Palestinians. Gaza is this tiny cesspool inhabited by another species of Morons who cannot get their shit together.
Meanwhile, here in Malaysia, Umno members, like Hamas, are helplessly being over run by their enemies, but the difference is they did not even resist or to fight but just to allow their enemies to take over the country, the newspapers, and the decision making apparatus of the country. Well you Morons, you deserve what you get!
Meanwhile back on ranch!
Intanbaiduri, I think we should excuse Sufi for not addressing his letter to Dato' Hisham. He sent his to Brendan.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, his letter was send before the NSTP AGM on June 27 when Kadir gave Hisham the lesson in journalism.
From now on Sufi should send his letters direct to Hisham even if they are intended for the NST and Malay Mail.
As Kadir said in his response to this blog, he held Hisham (and only Hisham) responsible for what was published and not published in all newspapers in the NSTP Group.
I think that is a sound argument because Hisham is the GEIC. He is the boss to Brendan and Dato' Manja. He can even reject Kalimullah's advice.
In the case of Sufi's letter that Brendan did not publish, it is possible that Brendan had kept it away from Hisham's knowledge.
If Hisham has learnt his lesson, he should have ordered Manja and Brendan to refer all senstive letters and articles to him. This in important because Brendan's contract has been extended by another six months and Manja is professional.
Rocky! I had no choice but to answer to anonymous.But let me reiterate! Malays are not, and cannot be by nature racist. They have acomodate enough shit in their lifetime to last them for many more( if there will be any)generations to come having to put up with bad Malay leaders and cheating Chinese capitalists and double-toungey Indians who will spin where ever the wind blows.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I do not realy care about the well being of other races in this country. In a pluralistic society like this cesspool called Malaysia the Malays, Chinese and Indians lok afte themselves. the Malays (read Umnoputra)no doubt are doing well. We ask them to create more rich Melayu middle class, but the likes of Tajuddin Ramli, Halim Saad, Rashid Hussein and many more "pagar yang memakan padi" have failed to deliver their promises to help more Malays to be economicaly steady under the NEP under Dr M regime. So in a pluralistic, the Chinese are only looking after their own, never after the Malays, although they were forced once by Dr M to take in Melayus (read Morons) into their companies for quota purposes.
Back to pluralistic society anonymous, when I talk about Malays or Morons I am talking within the sphere of my pluralistisc society.
So lets forget about this delusional, or illusional Bangsa Malaysia, it does and cannot exist under the present claptrap called the proverbial Pluralistic Society of Malaysia. No we are not racist, we merely want what belongs to us, including the NST. Cheers!
And for the rest of the Malays, Bob is your uncle! You cannot begin to think that you all can now become a bleeding hearts liberal, you have not and will never reach that stage under the present pluralistic set up!
Bro,
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how, so many of your respondants to these posts that you blog, retort with such frustration and anger and in the process hurl unwanted or unwarranted remarks at each other.
In reality people like amlg,twolooks,nstman,pasquale,mjbond,kaliyuga,pujangga and even the ever famous Mr.anonymous may be good friends and would probably be having a pint together in some dingy pub exchanging dirty jokes!
That's why to get too riled-up in these open discussion is creating unhealthy hatred among bloggers.We gotta learn to stick together. Take for e.g. nstman & lazarus rokk. We all know rokk but nstman...?hmmm...he could be his peer or novice..but nstman knows rokk...right ??)
Come on guys, get you act together, if you want to hurl insults and treats on any blog, the least you can do is to do it like a man. Show yourself!
As for me.......I shall remain anonymously Shanghaistephen...checkitout...man!
nasiberingin,
ReplyDeletesaya bukan wartawan. But I know some NST people. I was told that Hishamudin ni tak ada .. apa tu...(you know-lah). Diorang kata he is,in the first place, an unqualified candidate for GEIC. Kalimulah put him there sebab Kalimulah tak boleh trust sesiapa pun,kecuali Brendan. Tapi tidak bisa memberi jawatan tu kepada brendan. Sebab GEIC tu kan mesti melayu. Kalimulah kata nya memang has no love for the Malays. He is not a Malay, you see. And that is not the reason that he has no love for the Malays. Sebab nya, saya tak tahu. Sebab saya bukan wartawan. Tapi saya kenal nama Kalimulah ni. Orang putih kata, I know of him. And I dont which to know him at all.
Saya di beritahu, bila Kalimulah di beri mandat menjahanamkan NST, dia dapati,NST ni ada dua factions -- pro Mahathir and pro Anwar.. Sebab Pak Lah bukan berpower, tak ada sesiapa yang pro-Pak Lah. Tapi, dia dapati Hishamudin ni tak pro-sesiapa. Sebab nya Hishamudin was never anywhere in the NST. Not a player. And Kalimulah, being the schemer that he is, found that Hishamudin could be used... the quintissential YESman. Waduh. Bullseye and Jackpot. Dia boleh use and abuse Hishamudin. And Hishamudin willing to be that.(Maruah diri mana, Hishamudin?) Dia pun groom Hishamudin.
Nak pendekkan cerita.. Hishamudin, sebenar nya, DOES NOT run the NST. It is Kali thru and thru... direct or melalui Brendan.. Hishamudin lame duck saja. Walaupun dia memang lah boleh memberi arahan kepada Brendan.... tanya lah budak2 NST, Brendan has a choice -- mengikut atau tidak arahan Hishamudin. Selalu nya, dia tak layan Hishamudin.
Itu sahaja.
shanghaistephen,
ReplyDeletethis is what blogging is about.It gives you an option whther you want to be identified or not. And there are many reasons for people to want to remain anonymous. Sometimes they use a pseudonym And usually the pseudonym, in a tiny miniscule way, tells something of/about the blogger.
For instance, me. I call myself journo. It tells you that I am a journalist. Or does it? Am I a journalist? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe I once was. Whatever.
Does it tell you whether I am a man or a woman. Some experts (and [pseudo-experts) can tell from the tone and intensity, from the rythmn, the style, the dynmamics, of the writing.
I can't. But does it mean I have no b...s for not identifying myself. Maybe. And I dont care.
But you are right.. we may not know it,,, we probably know each other. Had beers together..yadayadayada.. What about you?
Now take Rocky. One hell of a guy, huh.
Perhaps we should all be like him. But, not all of us are six foot two(three?), have been through battles with people bigger than Kalimulah, taken on people (bigger than Kalimulah)...
Oh well.. HIDUP Rocky.
Cheers, Shanghaistephen,whoever and wherever you are.
Saudara Amig,
ReplyDeletesaya rasa, kadang kadang, saudara Ron, sepatut nya jangan tulis meleret-leret..
Sebagai bekas (masih lagi?) wartawan, beliau sepatut nya, to the point. Lebih berkesan tulisan beliau kalau begitu.
Tapi, walaubagaimana pun, interesting article beliau.
I shall not be surprised one day that Sufi returns to NST as the head honcho.
ReplyDeleteIntelligent, well-read and an aviation enthusiast, Sufi is the grandson of Umno stalwart the late Datuk Senu.
Tun M and AKJ think highly of this lad. mark my words, he will return to NSTP one day. What say u Bru? Heard u are coming back to the Malay Mail??
What's your take on this issue bru?
ReplyDeleteWhen u were helming the Malay Mail, u went to town about the book.
But i was reliably told that the actual cost of the course was RM23k, there was no karaoke lounge, only voice or vocal throwing course for one hour...tuxedo belum approve...
so what's your take on this?
KUALA LUMPUR: Contrary to the New Straits Times report on Sunday, the "Corporate Grooming and Social Etiquette" course initiated by Datuk Bandar Datuk Ruslin Hasan didn’t cost RM94,000. The actual figure is RM102,593.
But, according to a statement released by the Federal Territories Ministry, the 31 guests only received RM1,200 for their tuxedoes instead of RM2,500.
The ministry said the course, which included lunch and dinner in fine dining restaurants and a karaoke session, was held in two stages.
The first was at the Equatorial Hotel Bangi from May 5 to 7 which cost City Hall RM78,730.
The second phase was held at Sheraton Imperial Hotel on June 19 and cost RM23,863.
The official statement said that Ruslin was solely responsible for approving the funds.
Asked about the suits, ministry secretary-general Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan said: "Each top official is entitled to claim RM750 every three years for a formal suit."
Asked to comment on the disparity in price between Ruslin’s initial statement and the ministry’s, Ab Hakim said: "This is the report given to the ministry by Ruslin. He stated RM1,200 for a tuxedo, but the allocation has not been approved."
According to the statement, senior staff of City Hall were entitled to attend a course on social etiquette. Ab Hakim explained that such courses are part of its basic human resource training.
Such training is usually held at the National Institute of Public Administration, but if a particular course is not available, a ministry, government department or agency can use a private consultant to organise one.
On Monday the Government ordered a full-scale probe, a day after Public Accounts Committee chairman Datuk Shahrir Samad described the course as a waste of public funds.
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Samsudin Othman asked City Hall to prepare a detailed report. Ab Hakim said the Ministry was happy with Ruslin’s detailed report and it considers the case closed.
Ini satu lagi loya (I mean lawyer) kabinet dapuk, Pak Lah.
ReplyDeleteBagi jawapan mengenai penjualan pasiq dahlah lambat, tapi banyak loop holes.
Nama aje loya, saperti Nazri mulut busuk macam taik.
Beri jawapan, tapi jawapan macam budak darjah 6. Aku kalu jadi cik gu, aku bagi depa F9 terui.
Syed Hamid Albar kata perundingan pasiq di buat masa pentadbiran Dr M.
Kalaulah betui, habaqlah sejak dulu. Why beat around the bush?
Why tak so long time, one? Ini mesti nak caghi alasan, nak pi tengok kalau bolih reka & bagi versi baru, copy & paste sebelum bagi jawapan.
Hang fiqiak kita semua bodoh, macam kabinet dapur 6 1/2 Pak Lah, dan telan "hook, line & sinker" jawapan yg hang bagi?
Wooi Pak Hamid keturunan arab, hang tak leh kelentong kami.
Rakyat tak bodoh, tak buta & tak pekak. Kami ada mata & teliga & boleh bezakan antara fact & fiction.
Yang kami tau, semua oghang Pak Lah memang kaki ampu, kaki bodek & kaki kelentong - dari hang, Nazri si biadap tu, Kali-muthu, Brendan & gang, shahrir Samad yang suka buat u-turn & his budak suruhan, khalid nordin.
Apa hang semua cakap, tak leh pakai.
A true leader, particularly one who bases his principles on the teachings of Islam should know the difference between right and wrong. However, politics is a dirty game. As seen in other less credible political parties, many hide behind the disguise of religon. Pak Lah has become, or is becoming, such a politician.
ReplyDeleteTo be where he is today, he had to endure many hardships particularly his hardship between 1987-1990. From there, a learned man should be able guage his limitations by himself. He should know that without people like us telling him.
What we have now is a man who either has no idea what his limitations are or is completely clueless of his own limitations. That's the better side of it, the worse is having a leader who is aware of his limitations but pretends to be clueless for the benefit of himself and / or the ones around him. Which one is he?
As much as I think lowly of Pak Lah's intelligence as a leader and even as a person (this conclusion was based on the quality of the questions asked as well as the converstion we had during his visit to my company's booth at an exhibition in PWTC 2 years ago), I believe Dr.M was not so cruel as to dump such an oblivious person on us to be our leader. Hence the question why Pak lah is still clinging on to his job even though he knows he's not performing? Is it to secure a better platform for Khairy to take over UMNO in future? after all Pak Lah has made him Youth Vice-Chief practically out of thin air. Or is it to help sin son Kamal and his partner Shah to make as much money as they can via Scomi and their other outfits?
Let me be blunt by saying that IF (his intentions only he himself and god knows) he's doing this on purpose then he does not deserve to be the Imam at any prayer. He is a disgrace to the very policy he's set up, Islam Hadhari.
The ten points, or pillars, of the Islam Hadhari Policy is as follows:
1. Faith and piety in Allah
2. Just and trustworthy government
3. Freedom and independence to the people
4. Mastery of knowledge
5. Balanced and comprehensive economic development
6. Good quality of life for all
7. Protection of the rights of minority groups and women
8. Cultural and moral integrity
9. Protection of the environment
10. A strong defence policy
Of Pak Lah's 10 pillars of Islam Hadhari, he has cheated us in at least half of them by not adhering them himself, either as a person or as the head of our government.
We're definately short-changed on point 2. How just and trustworthy can you be if you can't even justify your actions. Points 2. and 3. when combined is not fulfilled as a just government, and it's media, would allow Dr.M's forum some coverage as well as Dr.M's freedom to question his (now) leaders. Point 2. is also in question when it comes to closed-door issuance of contracts like the LCCT at KLIA among others. Is that just to keep us in the dark?
We're also cheated in point 5. What is balanced or comprehensive about our economic development? Seems to cover only a select group of people.
Point 6. is has also turned out to be a joke. What better quality of life can we get when we have pay higher bills. In fact we even have to work harder now. I always though that quality of life is something one would enjoy with the family and not being stuck with the headache of "adjusting ones lifestyle".
Point 8. is an absolute no brainer when you look at his people, Nazri in particular. What moral integrity is there when you display such arrogance and rudeness.
And lastly, point 10. That is the worst of all. How can Pak Lah talk of a strong defence policy when he is, or rather his K's, are, with his knowledge if not his blessing, opening the doors to US allies like Singapore and even allowing enimies of Islam, the US, berth their attack vessel at our port.
Clearly, Pak Lah has overstayed his welcome. He should either shape up or ship out. People's tolerance at putting up with this hipocrasy, if one can term it as such, is wearing thin. Deos he need us to tell him the blunt way come General Election time or will he do the gentlemanly thing and leave. People will remember him with more respect if he stepped down rather than being kicked out. The choice is his and only his to make.
That Malaysian Arab, Syed Hamid Albar, was reported in the Sun today as saying that the negotiation with Singapore to sell our sand was carried out during Tun Dr Mahathir's time.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Syed Hamid isnt telling the whole truth.
If it was true, why did he come out with a belated response? I mean this is hell of an ammunition which the present government under Pak Lah could use to shoot back at TDM (knowing how desperate it is to discredit the Tun).
I mean surely the government will seize this chance. But why only now? Why did Syed Hamid take such a long time to answer.
I dont buy it.
Geli hati pula bila baca report Bernama (Jun 29) yang Ketua pemuda Datuk Hishamuddin berkata :” My deputy Khairy Jamaluddin has asked me to stop the debate in the media. Enough is enough."
ReplyDeleteHe is referring, of course, to the “battle” between Tun Dr M and the clueless PM Pok Lah Badawi
Memang "konpom" & sah, Hishamuddin takut pada dan menerima perintah dpd Khairy, menantu Pok Lah, just as his namesake in NST turut perintah Kali & Brendan.
Kesimpulannya: Both Hishamuddins aint got no b.lls.
sweetsweetlady. :)
I wake up each morning, wondering if the vegetable and fish prices are going to go up further. As I get to work I wonder if the oil prices are going up again. At work, I wonder whose ### i should lick to make sure I get a good raise. I see retail shops at the mall either closing or having a huge sale. I see my savings dwindle as my old car keeps needing a mechanic's attention. I don't know how I am going to educate my children as my EPF, savings for retirement, is hardly making any money. There is no job prospect for me despite having completed specialised studies - and my option now is to go overseas.
ReplyDeleteI know I should be concerned about the war in the heavenlies between the former and present PMs - but I could not care less. I feel like a peasant during Louis XIV reign in France - starving with hardly a piece of bread to eat while the royal family gulps down cakes and pastries.
Gone are the scraps that used to trickle down to us peasants when lords of the country made their millions via road projects, white elephants, etc.
It bothers me that the economy is just not moving.
Right now, the rumblings of my tummy is much louder than the quabbles between Mahathir and Badawi.
Bru, read the latest Harakah? You must read Malay alternative papers sometimes bru. In this issue, 3k's are on page 1. These are the major K's in the Hadhari Government. The Cabinet is only a plastic stamp. (I don't want to insult the rubber tappers).
ReplyDeleteAccording to Harakah's rating, K, the SIL is number one. K, the media-cum-corporate operator, is number two and K, the TOS (the only son) is number three.
Let's see how NST and BH spin this modal insan business. Going by Abullah's actions, our human capital has very litte value. It cannot be trusted.
When the Old Man Mahathir got sick he went to see Malaysian doctors. They cut open his heart and fixed it up so well that he's stil alive and kicking past 80 years old.
God must have loved this man and our Malaysian doctors are as good as any in the orang putih land.
Thanks to him we now have world-class National Heart Centre and world-calss medical services. Medical tourism is a big money earner for the country.
But the promoter of modal insan has got to go to Australia to have a sinus fixed. What has happened to our ENT specialists?
Obviuosly they are not good enough to treat the present PM.
So, in a short three years, we have changed from "Malaysia Boleh" to "Malaysia Tak Boleh".
Bru and Kadir, please ask Hisham to spin one hawla rambut on this one for our Sunday entertainment. Not too late for his Sunday column.
Rokk, you're funny. I like that NST's transformation bit which you compared to Michael Jackson; from a cute black boy to an ungly while woman. Hahahahahaha.......
ReplyDeleteBut Rokk, MJ can still dance man. He still got the beat. Do you think our old paper still got the beat and can moonwalk like MJ?
See how they are running away from issues. They put AG on Pg1 talking about bringing back the jury. The man is yet to explain why he recommended to the Cabine to cancel the Johor bridge project.
Star talked about Mahathir-Abdullah peace talk, NST dragged out the tired Patel of the Anwar/Sukma fame to talk about jury trial. Whaaaaaaaa.....
Bro,. i totally agree with what anonymous said, and i quote him:"It bothers me that the economy is just not moving.
ReplyDeleteRight now, the rumblings of my tummy is much louder than the quabbles between Mahathir and Badawi."
Cos at the end of the day my fellow bloggers, Tun M and the PM will kiss and make up, the bridge over troubled waters will be built, the sand will make its way thru that same bridge, some people will benefit from all of this, while most of us will still be where we are -- suffering from the effects of raised tariffs, increased oil prices, and struggling to make much headway in life because we are not connected to the powers that be.
in politics, esp malaysian politics, there is no such thing as an ally or a foe simply because the virtue of allegiance is but an option. you can be an ally today, and so easily sleep with the enemy tomorrow, if the sex is better on the other side.
Bro, i am expecting soon, a nice touching front page picture in all the newspapers, of the former PM and the PM in a compromising hug that will dispel all fears of a nation disturbed and divided.
and then what after that?
choos!
well done sufi and u bro for giving us the opportunity to speak out our minds on this & other matters. atleast u both provided us with something that wasn't reported by the main papers.
ReplyDelete