STRIKE while the iron is HOT.

Najib should do exactly that. Here's why I think so:

1) The poll rating is at its all time high. Perhaps, this is the highest poll rating in the world and put Obama to shame.
2) His Mentor, Dr. M, also agree.

Here's why he should not delay:

1) Ibrahim "tongkat" Ali and Perkasa may destroy his 1Malaysia concept/implementation.
2) Political turmoil among BN parties e.g. MCA, MIC and PPP
3) To reinforce critics that slammed him because he inherited his PM post from Badawi.

LONG LIVE NAJIB!!! May he get into and retain his popularity record in the Guiness Book Of World Record.

=== supported article below===

Thursday June 17, 2010

Najib: Polls date will surprise everybody

TUMPAT: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says he will not dissolve Parliament to call for a general election in the near future just because a popularity survey favours him.

He said, however, the actual date of the election would be a surprise.

Without giving any indication, Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional chairman, said many factors had to be considered before the date was fixed.

“I cannot say one way or the other. If it (general election) happens, it will be a surprise.

Town buzz: Najib strolling with Datuk Mustapha Mohamed to Taxi Station in Kota Baru. — SAZUKI EMBONG/The Star

“What is important is to work hard in the spirit of 1Malaysia,” he told reporters after a meet-the-people session at the Machimmaram temple here yesterday.

Najib said this when asked to comment on a suggestion by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday that he should consider calling for a general election soon as he was currently enjoying the highest popularity survey ratings since assuming office in April last year.

Dr Mahathir had said that going by the latest survey carried out by the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research, Najib stood more than a good chance of leading the Barisan to victory.

The Merdeka Centre survey which was made public last week showed that 72% of Malay­sians were satisfied with Najib’s performance.

Divided into ethnic groups, the survey found 77% of Malays, 58% of Chinese and 80% of Indians were satisfied with the Prime Minister’s performance.

Najib said the Barisan must first concentrate on strengthening itself before calling for a general election.

The Barisan, he said, could not depend on one survey to decide when to call for the next general election.

source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/6/17/nation/6489049&sec=nation

Our Kings' new palace - my suggestion and dream.

With the ballooning of more than 100% of the original cost to build the palace within a 4 year period, here are some ideas for a WIN-WIN situation...

1) When completed, sell it to some super rich Malaysian man. A towering Malay! Perhaps, Najibs' brother? Afterall, he's a billionaire, wat. Say, the price to be RM861 million, a profit of RM50 million. I don't think the profit is too outrageous, right? I'm sure that the land cost is zero. Thus, the buyer will make more money when resold? Therefore, that profit is the bare minimum.

2) Return the RM811 million to the government and have His Majesty decree that it be passed on to the hardcore poor or use that money to provide water and electricity to the deprived. After all, the money is from His Majesty's subjects. BTW, I had toured most of Malaysia many times over and can provide the location and the people that are in dire need of this basic survival infrastructure. And, the majority are bumiputeras, too.

3) Use the RM50 million profit and build a palace, smack in the middle of the hardcore poor area. Again, I know of many such places. I'm very sure that with RM50 million profit, the palace can be very grandeur, perhaps close to the original design, if I appoint the contractor. If, there are any cost overruns, I'll personally take over this new palace project and get the funds to build it. I had "sold" myself in E-bay to get funds for the old folks' home in Ipoh before. So, I don't see any financial issue here. There are many billionaires in M'sia and I'm sure I can convince them to part with some to build a palace for our beloved King.

Here's the WIN-WIN part that I loved the most...

Our beloved King is now smack next to his subjects that are in dire straits. And, His Majesty will witness and feel their sufferings every time when he get to his palace. WHAT A PRECEDENT!!! I'm very sure that His Majesty, with his generosity in his decree, be the most loved King in the world. Now, finally, the King of Thailand is NOT the most loved in the world, liao. Record broken and National Geographic/History Channel will have to rewrite their documentary. Hehehehe...

LONG LIVE OUR KING!!! *bows 3 times...*

=== article as below===

New palace costs RM811mil, no open tender

S Pathmawathy
Jun 14, 10
12:22pm

The construction of the new national palace at Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur has doubled in a period of four years, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

During the Question session this morning, Deputy Works Minister Yong Khoon Seng said the palace was estimated to cost RM400 million in 2006 but now costs RM811 million.

Contracts for the construction were awarded to three companies through direct negotiations instead of open tenders, said Yong.

Yong said that the contracts were awarded in such fashion because the national palace was “unique” and required additional security considerations.

His statement prompted a retort from Nga Kor Ming (DAP-Taiping), who had posed the question earlier, that direct negotiations run contrary to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's pledges under the New Economic Model.

Nga argued that Treasury instructions stipulate that all public procurements of more than RM200,000 must be through open tender, but this was not observed for the new palace.

Make sure it won't collapse

Earlier, Yong explained that the project was divided into three zones - royal, administrative and supporting buildings - hence the three contracts.

The construction of the main complex was awarded to Maya Maju Sdn Bhd at a sum of RM650 million, while a contract for a flyover from Jalan Duta to the palace would cost RM130 million was awarded to Ahmad Zaki Bhd.

The contract for the upgrading of an access road from Jalan Changkat Semantan to Jalan Istana costing RM32.5 million was awarded to Kejuruteraan Kenari Sdn Bhd.

The deputy minister said that the project is now 60 percent complete and is on schedule for completion by May 30 next year.

After Yong's explanation, Nga asked four supplementary questions. Among others, he sought a guarantee that the new palace will not collapse as was in the case of the RM270 million Gong Badak Stadium, Kuala Terengganu.

"How is that the estimated cost has increased by more than 100 percent within five years?" demanded Nga.

The deputy minister explained that the project was "special" because this is the first time the government is building a dedicated palace and that additional safety measures are required.

The new palace complex is expected to be completed by next February.

source: http://malaysiakini.com/news/134460

Sex education classes in kindergarden

Unfortunately, it's not in Malaysia but in the most populous muslim nation i.e. Indonesia. Here in M'sia, the education is about allowing legalized football betting and letting our children learn that it's ok to allow another new sin to be created. May God bless M'sia. Sigh...

LU TOLONG WA, WA TOLONG LU? KNNCCB!!!!


Quote...

Added On May 26, 2010

In the world's largest Muslim nation, kindergartners are learning about sex ed, breaking social taboos.



... unquote from source: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2010/05/26/damon.sex.education.cnn

Vietnamese come, dogs and cats missing
Bangladeshi come, Malays girls gone missing
Chinese girls come, husband gone missing
Politicians come, Mongolians girls gone missing,
Elections come, government funds missing
Police come, drugs gone missing
Elections lost, documents missing
Release true report, doctor missing
Tell the truth, whole family gone missing
Expand Air Force, jet engines missing
Pass on this, if you don't you will be missing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poof... RM8 billion dream.

Here's the deal, Einstein.

Why spend RM8 billion on defence when there's no threat. If there's one, bring back the the FREE defence pack e.g. Australia, NZ, UK, that was here before BN kicked them out. Not only it's FREE, but lots of M'sians and businesses can be generated from them. Ego and pride, huh?

Anyway, M'sia's external borrowing is RM9.9 billion and want to borrow another RM8 billion to buy 257 8x8 Armoured-Wheeled Vehicle from DRB Hicom? And, that's a cool RM31.1 million each!!!

If, there's really a need, why not buy the best of the best tanks i.e. M1Abrams at RM19.7 million. Cheaper and bestest in the world!!! Something is not right, don't you think?

Of course, the best deal is to forget about it and put this budget for basic amenities to all M'sians e.g. roads, water, electricity, health care and education.

May God save Malaysia.

============================================

Pua slams decision to buy 256 AWV for RM8 bil by Hemananthani Sivanandam KUALA LUMPUR (April 22, 2010): Opposition leaders are urging the government to review and cancel the contract to purchase 257 8x8 Armoured-Wheeled Vehicle (8x8 AWV) for an "astronomical" amount of RM8 billion. Tony Pua "We would like to state upfront that we are disgusted by the transaction. The amount is shocking as each of these non-combat vehicles is priced at a ridiculous RM31.1 million," said Tony Pua (DAP-PJ Utara). On Tuesday, DRB-Hicom Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd (Deftech)’s chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Khamil Jamil announced at a press conference during the 12th Defence Services Asia 2010 Exhibition that the government has given Deftech a letter of intent, entrusting it to develop the 8x8 AWV programme with the support of the Defence Ministry, Malaysian Army and the Malaysian Defence Industry Council. "We have an order for 257 8x8 AWV units but right now, we are going to come up with the prototypes meant for testing purposes by the army before we develop the whole range of armoured vehicles," Mohd Khamil was quoted saying. Pua said the amount was shocking as other armoured vehicles in other countries cost far less. "The Portugese army bought 353 Pandur II 8x8 armoured vehicles for the amout of 364 million euros (RM1.56billion) or an average of 1.03 million euros or only RM4.41 million each. "In 2009, the U.S Army has awarded a US$2.2 billion contract to General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, one of the best military vehicle and equipment manufacturer in the world for 724 Light Armoured vehicles (LAV) equivalent of USD$3.04 million or only RM9.9million each meant for Saudi Arabia. "Even the best-in-class main battle tank produced in the United States, M1Abrams M1A2 deployed extensively in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Australia cost only US$6.1 million or approximately RM19.7 million. "Despite the price-tag, Deftech admits that they are only at the stage of developing a prototype. The prototype hasn’t been tested but the contract is already out" Pua told reporters at Parliament lobby today. Pua also said the Barisan Nasional government is "clearly missing the woods for the trees" in the financial management of the country. "At the same time when the Ministry of Finance has issued strict treasury circulars for all ministries to reduce their operational expenditure by as much as 20%, the Ministry (of Defence) commits to a purchase that completely mocks the attempt by the government to be thrifty," said Pua. "We hope the Ministry of Defence will now inform us that this is another decimal point error in the contract value," said Pua jokingly. -- theSun

Updated: 01:22PM Thu, 22 Apr 2010

source: http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=45889

================================================

Government debt at RM362b as at Dec 31, 2009

KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — The government’s overall debt as at Dec 31 last year was RM362.4 billion or 53.7 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP).

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (picture), who is also Finance Minister, said a major portion of the debt was domestic debts amounting to RM348.6 billion or 96.2 per cent while the remaining RM13.9 billion (3.8 per cent) was external debts.

“The small amount of external debt is in line with the government’s current policy which prioritises domestic borrowings to finance the country’s development projects as the cost is cheaper and there is less exposure to foreign exchange risk,” he said in a written reply to a question from Liew Chin Tong (DAP-Bikut Bendera) at the Dewan Rakyat sitting here today.

Liew had asked on the direct financial obligations of the government in the form of financial guarantee for debt instruments.

Najib said the debt instruments were subscribed by financial institutions, insurance companies and social security institutions.

On the borrowings for projects, he said the financiers were multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank while the bilateral institutions included Japan For International Cooperation (JBIC).

He said the interest rates varied and depended on the tenure of the loan and the prevailing market conditions when the bonds were issued.

Najib said the government’s contingent liabilities meanwhile were in the form of guarantees for the borrowings of statutory bodies and government companies.

As of Dec 31, 2008, the contingent liabilities of the government stood at RM69.2 billion comprising domestic borrowings of RM59.3 billion (86 per cent) and external borrowings of RM9.9 billion (14 per cent),” he said.

He said the guarantees involved two statutory bodies and 16 government-linked companies. — Bernama

RM77 million dream for the hardcore poor?

Now, now... is this how taxpayers' monies are spent? Wouldn't this money be more than enough to provide water and electricity to all Malaysians that are still using well water and kerosene light?

Singapore don't have APCO and yet I'm very sure they'll be welcomed to meet Obama for FREE. I remember Mahathir administration paid RM2 million to meet Bush.

KNNCCB!!!


================================

Apco contract cost RM77 mil a year

Christine Chan and Hazlan Zakaria
Apr 13, 10
5:52pm

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz today revealed in Parliament that the contract signed between the government and the controversial communication consultant giant Apco Worldwide amounted to a whopping RM77 million.

In a written reply to Tian Chua (PKR-Batu) to his query on the fees paid to Apco, the amount provided by Nazri is more than twice what was earlier reported.

Chua referred to a newspaper report which quoted Nazri as saying that the amount paid to Apco was RM28 million.

"Convert this to ringgit and you will get almost RM77 million," he said based on last year's currency exchange rate.

"I don't know whether he was mistaken or his conversion rate of ringgit to US dollars is different. Maybe he thinks that the Malaysian ringgit is still strong, almost on one to one with the dollar?"

Chua also expressed his disbelief that much money is being paid to a foreign contractor for a task which could have been performed by a local company.

He said that the RM77 million contract was for one year.

"Are Apco's services so special that we need to pay so much? Why wasn't a local company employed? I am sure there are local firms that can do the job."

Nazri: Apco a bridge between Malaysia and US

Nazri (below) explained later today that Apco was hired to help strengthen ties between Malaysia and US.

He said that the government hired the company to not only improve the government's image but also to "get close to the US".

Speaking in his office in Parliament, he refuted Tian Chua's claim that local firms could do the job.

"In US, there is the lobby culture. That is normal, every country who wants to be close to US has to resort to lobbying. You think a local company can do that for us?" he countered.

Nazri then said the Jewish Americans were the biggest lobbyists.

"So if we want to lobby for something in the US adminstration, do you think that we can succeed if we use an Islamic company?"

Nazri went on to illustrate what made Apco worth the millions that the government paid for its services.

"Our prime minister is meeting Obama and some prominent US leaders. (Making it happen) is no easy task," he said, adding that during his own trip to US in February he was able to see the people that he wanted.

Dictators use the best

Nazri also responded to the opposition's call for the government to terminate contracts with Apco as they were also engaged by countries ruled by "dictators".

"Dictators with money will only use the best," he explained, adding that the same applied to the services of veteran opposition strongman Karpal Singh, a lawyer who had represented murderers and drug traffickers.
“If you are using Karpal's legal service, it does not mean that you are also a murderer. It just means he is a good lawyer. Similarly we use Apco because it is good. So what is wrong with using Apco?"

Further, Nazri explained that it is time that Malaysia strengthened its ties with US now especially with the prime minister's recent support for economic liberalisation.

"The government is making more effort to make up for the 28 years of "not so good" foreign policies under the reign of the two former prime ministers."

source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/129066

3rd class kopitiam with 1st class chair

Amazing, amazing, amazing indeed. What is The Star and Mr Tan up to? Or, are there hidden hands and agenda at work here? Sorry, no money for your right guesses. Anyway, this is what happens when there's a "buy" erection. Oops, I mean election.

Here's the story...

Saturday April 10, 2010

Coffeeshop owner honours PM

By CHRISTINA TANZ
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

KUALA KUBU BARU: Coffeeshop owner Tan Sew Sewan, thrilled by the Prime Minister’s visit here last Saturday, will “preserve” the cup, plate, fork, spoon and chair used by him.

The 60-year-old grandfather said a souvenir shop was making a glass showcase to store the cutlery for display at his shop.

Tan said no one would be allowed to sit on the chair “as I am going to wrap it and display it in my coffeeshop.”

“This shop has been in business for over 70 years and it is hard to believe that the Prime Minister actually came here for tea,” he said.

Priceless memorabilia: Tan holding up the teacup which was used by Najib at his shop in Kuala Kubu Baru yesterday. Behind him is the chair that Najib sat on during his visit to the coffeeshop.

Tan said his father opened the Sun Sun Nam Cheong coffeeshop in the 1930s, adding that its specialty was Hailam mee and kopi-O.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, during his visit to Kuala Kubu Baru town, took a break at the coffeeshop in Jalan Mat Kilau, previously known as Stoner Street.

Tan said he felt excited when an MCA member told him on Friday that Najib would be dropping by, adding that his wife and children stayed up until 2am to help clean up the place.

“I was nervous because I was not sure about the PM’s likes and dislikes ... whether he likes the noodles to be salty or not,” said Tan, who served Najib a plate of Hailam mee and a cup of kopi-0.

Tan described his meeting with Najib as very pleasant.

“In person, he is really friendly. On TV, he looks serious,” he added.

The coffeeshop owner said following Najib’s visit, several people had offered to buy the cutlery.

“They asked me to just name a price but I declined. I want to keep it for my family,” added Tan, who met Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, Najib’s father, about 40 years ago in Kuala Lumpur at an outdoor event.