I like my press conferences best… You have asked me a lot of nasty questions which I try to answer and because I can’t answer any more, this press conference is over. Thank you.
Without further ado, he then left the podium, followed by his entourage sporting huge grins; some even giggled, as they walked away. | » WHAT DOES DR MAHATHIR LIKE BEST…
For two weeks, we reporters camped outside Perdana Leadership Foundation, taking down names of those who came to see the prime minister, trying to stop them when they left, by throwing ourselves in front of their moving vehicles. Most of them would give us a friendly wave, but decline to comment.
The weather was mostly hot and, without many shade trees available, most of us developed a good tan. Curious onlookers who dropped by the foundation would whip out their phones and take selfies and photos of reporters en camp. — Azura Abas, New Straits Times
Now that the ides of March have come and gone, with all the drama happening only in the days leading up to it and, pffft…, all relatively quiet on the day itself, Sunday, we seem to be back again at the old stalemate. Was it just bluff and buster, Ego v Superego? The game isn’t over yet, not by a long shot.
Here’s a quick pictorial summary:
On Friday, the old man wrote in his blog that the police should conduct a forensic audit of 1Malaysia Development Bhd. And he questioned how Riza Aziz (gasp!) son of Rosmah Mansor (gasp!) wife of Najib Razak (gasp!) became so filthy rich and has a Beverly Hills mansion. The blog got hit and blacked out for a while, before stuttering back on Saturday. A little bit like Wayne Rooney in the kitchen.
On Saturday, the younger old man went to the home state of the old man and hammered the old man and his son. Get rid of trouble-makers before we lose the next election, he thundered. This is more important than Kulim international airport (gasp!). This was in front of the old man’s son (gasp!). A couple of people dug up some old history about the old man and his projects and wastage (gasp!).
On Sunday the old old man and the younger old man sat together in public with a stiff young man beside them, the same young man sidelined for a while (gasp!) by the old man’s son (gasp!). Back in the old man’s home state, the old man’s son said, No, that younger old man and I are still the best of friends (gasp!).
Also on Sunday, a princely old man said “It’s all about money and projects, you know.” (Gasp!).
The story continues…
WHAT THEY SAID
» Mahathir: How did Riza Aziz get so rich?
» Purge Umno of trouble-makers, says Najib
» Salleh says Umno will fall – by Mahathir’s doing
» Ku Li: Umno chiefs get RM50,000 a month plus projects
» Mukhriz defends Kulim project as not crony job
UPDATE
Unusually high traffic at Dr Mahathir’s blog caused webmasters to temporarily suspended the site, according to an aide quoted by Malay Mail Online. Access to chedet.cc was disabled to prevent the servers from crashing, Sufi Yusof said. No details were given for what kind of “unusually high traffic” the site experienced, but it may a symptom of a DDOS attack, when a web site is deliberately flooded from robot computers.
“Account suspended” notice at Chedet.cc earlier today.
In the 29-paragraph, he called for a forensic audit of the company’s accounts and a police investigation into the company. He warned that the Barisan Nasional, headed by Najib Razak, would be in danger of losing the next general election if the many questions surrounding the company were not answered.
He noted that the ruling coalition had lost considerable support at the 2013 elections, and said the party was in danger of defeat in 2018. “Remember, elections are not won on votes of Umno supporters only,” he said, referring to the apparent unanimous support of 150-plus division heads at a meeting with Najib Razak last week.
What the “Just Down for Me?” service says
Dr Mahathir’s reaction, according to FakeMalaysiaNews
1MDB has been pummelled by opposition politicians, as well as supporters of Dr Mahathir, over the company’s finances, its investments in joint ventures with Middle Eastern interests, the use of offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands, and its links to controversial wheeler-dealer Penang businessman Jho Low.
It has also caused a storm over links to the apparent luxurious lifestyle of members of the prime minister’s wife and family.
Here is the text of Dr Mahathir’s article, as reproduced from Turtle Din’s blog: Continue reading
It’s not over, says Zam
MORE TO COME – ZAM
Zam had yesterday he was giving up political blogging, in the midst of a running battle of words and nerves between supporters of Mahathir Mohamad and his campaign to unseat Najib Razak, and Najib’s allies, into which supporters of his rival Anwar Ibrahim have been drawn.
Critics had said yesterday Zam had been pressured by Najib supporters to shut up.
But the former Utusan Malaysia editor and information minister said today the battle would carry on, in different ways.
To reinforce his commitment, he said: “End the Dynasty!” reiterating Mahathir’s call last week, in what most people take to be a reference to Najib, son of Malaysia’s second prime minister: Mahathir himself coyly said he had never mentioned Najib by name, leaving it open to interpretation. Continue reading
Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim tweaked Zainuddin Maidin today for announcing he was giving up political blogging, and not sticking by his mentor Mahathir Mohamad. At the same time, he took a sharp dig at Anwar Ibrahim (whose rivalry with Mahathir stretches back two decades), whom Zam had blamed for his being removed as Utusan Malaysia chief editor in 1998.
In a tweet on Twitter, Zaid said: “Come on Zam, be a man, don’t submit if you believe in the cause?” Zaid pointed out that “country was going down” (possibly a reference to current economic problems, a ballooning deficit, and political malaise).
But he also reminded Zam that “to be bold you have to be clean” — a point he was to repeat, about anti-Najib Umno rebels, but possibly also a dig at Anwar of whom it has been said that he had “too much baggage” to be a credible alternative. Continue reading
Zainuddin Maidin, in a surprise announcement today, said he was giving up political blogging, hinting it might be because of accusations that he was part of a Daim-Mahathir conspiracy to topple Najib Razak.
“It is so easy to jump to conclusions,” Zam said. “If I have tea with Daim, at his invitation, and meet Mahathir with one or two friends, it is immediately seen to be that I am part of the conspiracy to topple Najib.”
Then Zam asked:
“In that case, can I also conclude that TV3 airing Anwar’s threat to expose Daim is a conspiracy between Anwar and Najib to help Najib stay in power?”
Umno-controlled TV3’s coverage of events relating to Daim also figured in a rare public statement from Daim last week, in which he said:
“TV3 which would not give two minutes of air time to Pakatan, has aired the PKR press conference no less than three times. The NST and Utusan have also carried these news.”
Najib has been facing mounting attacks from Mahathir and allies questioning his handling of the economy, and particularly focusing on 1MDB, the government-owned investment agency.
Pro-Najib forces recently launched a counter-attack, throwing the spotlight on Daim, who was once finance minister in Mahathir’s government, and who is accused of having amassed billions which he parked overseas.
Last week, Kadir Jasin, former chief editor of New Straits Times Press, warned off Pakatan Rakyat supporters, saying that the campaign against Daim might backfire on Anwar Ibrahim.
SEE ALSO
Zaid Ibrahim sticks it to Zam (and Anwar)
» Daim and Anwar both ousted me as editor: Zam
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his sister-in-law “Noni”, as well as Najib Tun Razak, Mahathir Mohamad, Daim Zainuddin and others, are named in an Australian court order that censors the Australian press from reportng on a corruption case about printing of Malaysian bank notes, the whistleblower site WikiLeaks has revealed.
The order also bans the mention of the initials “PM”, “DPM”, and “FM” (for Finance Minister); and:
By implication the order could also ban any mention of Anwar Ibrahim, who was once deputy prime minister and finance minister in Mahathir Mohamad’s government, but the order itself does not name him. Continue reading
Every year at this time, many earnest-minded folk will organise “feel-good” parties, supposedly to help fellow Malaysians to “exorcise the ghost” of May 13, 1969. They’re doing the wrong thing. There is no ghost. It’s alive and kicking.
The Umno racism behind May 13 did not die in the blood of that day. It thrived, and grew. It is very much alive today, in the race-baiting flames fanned by the likes of Utusan Malaysia and the voices of Perkasa, the proxies of that other fear-monger, Mahathir Mohamad.
What can those earnest folk of the “feel-good” parties achieve? A whitewash of what Umno’s racists have done, and are still doing, by transferring guilt from the guilty to the innocent.
May 13 happened because Umno and its partners in the Alliance lost the popular vote at the general election. It lost Penang to the newly-formed multiracial Gerakan party and was deadlocked in Perak and Selangor without a majority.
Tales of the dark days – V
Recollections by some Star journalists of the Shutdown days.
By Jackson Ng Kee Seng
• The day of the dictator
• Those black days when the Star was shut down
• Playing the game of Risk in journalism
• Tunku’s lament, then off in search of jobs
• A personal silver lining
For the hundreds of workers in the three newspapers closed by the government, Operation Lallang was the darkest moment of their lives. With dependants to feed, and car, house or other monthly commitments to meet, their future suddenly became dark and full of anxiety.
After 25 years, those effects are still being felt by other Malaysians, not just those whose futures were severely jolted by a cruel government led by Mahathir Mohamad.
Only the Star and Sin Chew survived, regained their popularity and went on to new strengths. Watan did not. But the effect of Operation Lallang was that both leading publications are now reduced to being mere mouthpieces.
I remember vividly being told about the shutdown: it came as soon as I stepped into the newsroom at 9am on Oct 27 when I was told by assistant news editor NV Raman that our KDN had been revoked in what appeared to be a widespread government crackdown on dissenters. Many politicians and non-governmental organisation leaders were still being picked up.
As I was the crime reporter on duty, Raman told me to go for the press conference at Bukit Aman (federal police headquarters) scheduled for 11am. We would not be able to publish The Star the next day, Raman said, but otherwise we would carry on as usual. Continue reading
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