Ah, what a coincidence! Hours after I published the original posting below, one of the corporations implicated by the Sarawak Report in its half-baked article lodged a police report in London for defamation. Here's hoping that 1MDB will have the courage to do the same to protect its integrity and pride.
PETROSAUDI LODGES POLICE REPORT AGAINST WEBSITE’S ALLEGATIONS
March 2, 2015 (Rakyat Post) – PetroSaudi Investments Limited has lodged a police report in connection with allegations made by a website on the firm’s relationship with Malaysia’s strategic development company, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
The report was lodged with the city of London Police Action Fraud Unit at the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre at 3.45pm UK time (March 1).
Sources close to the company told The Rakyat Post that the police report was filed in relation to a series of articles by the Sarawak Report website, including one entitled “Heist of the Century — How Jho Low Used PetroSaudi As ‘A Front’ To Siphon Billions Out Of 1MDB!”.
READ MORE H E R E
Original Article, March 2, before 9 am
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| Eating out of her hand, are we? A scene from Fifty Shades of Grey |
Half truths and "full e-mail". Clare Rewcastle Brown's anti-Taib Mahmud portal, the Sarawak Report, made its mark NOT because it was purportedly championing the cause against corruption and the Sarawak ex-Chief Minister but because of the hell-with-your-ethics way it was going about doing it. It relied a lot on half truths and dubious spins. That was the reason for its notoriety, and why most of us professional scribes didn't waste our time on its so-called exposes.
Now, however, the news portal seems to have found a new lease of life - and legion of fans - by dropping Taib Mahmud and focusing, instead, on the purported corruption of the Prime Minister Najib Razak, his wife and 1MDB.
Suddenly those who didn't give a damn about Sarawak Report are quoting from it, eating out from Ms Brown's hands.
Fortunately, a few still keep their sobriety. Read Life of Annie's 1MDB on the right track and Haresh Deol's All about 1MDB in one day. And Lim Sian See, the prolific Facebooker, has the FULL E-MAIL saying that,
"Sarawak Report just took parts of it and spin ...".
Wallahualam.
But I agree with Annie, there seems to be a bit more effort on the part of 1MDB to engage its critics since the arrival of new boss Arul Kanda. At the very least, the interested ordinary man and woman on the street are getting answers to their basic questions, too.
"They should do more though as the attack against them are not going to cease any time soon."
Me, I've found it hard to blog about the matter simply because the people at 1MDB have not been too forthcoming in engaging the bloggers. Or perhaps they don't trust us, in which case I can't blame them and I couldn't care less. But now that the Sarawak Report is the champion of this cause ...
Additional reading: STUNNING INDICTMENT OF SARAWAK REPORT
Check this out - http://blogtakes.com/2015/01/08/stunning-indictment-of-sarawak-report/
ReplyDeleteAt first, the Sarawak Report articke "Heist of the Century: How Jho Low Used PetroSaudi As a Front to siphon billions out of 1MDB" was certainly titillating reading until I wondered how the portal could have done better than Wikileaks in getting its hands on so many soft copies of company confidential e-mails, presentations and legal agreements embedded in the article for viewing and download, which to me is too good to be true.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sarawakreport.org/2015/02/heist-of-the-century-how-jho-low-used-petrosaudi-as-a-front-to-siphon-billions-out-of-1mdb-world-exclusive/
That said, I certainly do not trust any company with a Cayman Islands address, given the poor reputation of the place and I cannot give two damns for the extravagant lifestyle of this Jho Low guy.
However, Sarawak Report's focus on this 1MDB case raises questions as to its agenda.
Whilst I am no fan of former Sarawak chief minister Taib and regard him and his family as no angels, however logic tells me that if he was such a bad guy to the people of Sarawak, as his detractors claim, then why did the natives of Sarawak still vote him back in so convincingly?
Of course his detractors and various pro-opposition or dissident NGO-types will condescendingly and patronisingly denounce the Sarawak natives as "ignorant", "easily bought", "stupid" and other incomplimentary epithets whilst sitting astride their high horses, whilst it is these comfortable urban, middle class types who are the ignorant and stupid ones instead, who are unable to offer something more attractive to the Sarawak natives than Taib could.
If like some cruel feudal lord the Taib administration of Sarawak had been ruthlessly exploiting these natives, taking their land, appropriating their meagre wealth and so on, would these natives not have turned against Taib and even revolted against his administration?
Sure. Very few of these natives have the Internet access with which they can gain information independently so Radio Free Sarawak set up radio broadcasts to reach more of them who had radios but they still voted for Taib - WHY?
Can these condescending "saviours" explain why that is so.
When my uncle retired form government he got a good gratuity of RM35,000.00 in 1970. His wife and shildren were happy and as usual allowed the head of the hose to worry about the money. You will not believe this he was goaded into 3-Digits and you may not believe this he spent all that money on 3-Digits on the advice of a fried who claimed that he had insider information on how the numbers were drawn. Within 18months he lost all his gratuity. His family only came know about it when they found out that the house that he was supposed to book with that money by some magic rhymed with 3-Digit.
ReplyDeleteMy Dear Readers and Commenters,
ReplyDeleteI've had to delete several so-called comments from some usual "Anonymous" suspects as they lacked decency and class, only interested to call me names and expose their poor upbringing, both of which don't bother me but do take up a bit of precious space.
I hipe these Anons have the conviction to come back to my blog more focused than ever in promoting their views and defeating mine which they don't agree with.
Personal attacks are cowardly, even done anonymously. I used to publish them anyway but it's the month of March in the year 2015, so please grow up!
Yours Sincerely :-)
Thanks Anon.
ReplyDeleteThat article rather surprisingly is originally from Free Malaysia Today and if FMT can carry such refutations it must be something.
Sorry Anon,
ReplyDeleteMissed the URL
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2015/01/08/stunning-indictment-of-sarawak-report/
Alamak:
ReplyDeleteWhere will you, Latuk Locky, hide if this expose turns out to be true, and the rakyat suffers, and the Kangkung PM resigns in shame ?
Will you slink away to Bangsar again ? Will you apologise to the man on the street ?
Godfather
Don't be scared lah, if nothing wrong. Then the rakyat will see for themselves who is right and who is wrong. You have no evidence Sarawak Report is lying, so why not be transparent ? Show us the true 1MDB story. Show us where the fraud lies. Boleh ?
ReplyDeleteJangan ikut Kangkung sampai jadi buta. Orang ramai akan ingat.
Rocky, while I admit you are a good blogger but sometimes you swing too hard for your Masters lar.
ReplyDeleteIn your eagerness to promote this fella, https://www.facebook.com/lim.siansee/posts/1635071213378333 and convince your readers that 1MDB is above board, you forgot that supposedly credible long version email still shows Jho Low and gang names.
One only have to ask Why is Jho Low and gang representing 1MDB? Who appointed them in the first place? Why then is Jho denying all associations with 1MDB?
Salam Bro,
ReplyDeleteItu blogger bangang OSTB which now is fully trapped outside the car board box also made a lot of fuss about 1MDB based on this report.Nowadays dunno who's is financially and economically ass smarter, sotong boi Rapiji or him.
1Mbd is strong financially stable and yet can't make repayment of 2 bil to banks till bailed out by AK. Then this supposedly strong and competent company has to ask 3 bil from the Govt aka Rakyat to bail them out.
ReplyDeleteNote it's all in billion...millions no longer laku I suppose..
The passing of the buck has already started with the PM washing his hands off by saying that he is not involved in the day to dAY OPERATIONS....but he is the chairman of 1mbd and the finance minister.....I guess they are getting some goats ready to be sacrificed on the altar of greed and corruption.
And You find all of this kosher ??
Heard your friend apanama on ipp payroll. Outsyed failed in his ipp and blame everything on najib like pkr n pas.
ReplyDeleteIf najib turun by april, one will be new communication director for new pm to replace paul stadlen.
However shd anwar be new pm, they will be new coffee and tea boys. Don't forget to bring along ky jelly.