As with all dictators, after being in power for so long, their sense of right and wrong and of morality will naturally become warped.
Here we have Abdul Taib Mahmud on Youtube trying to justify something so outright haram as somewhat halal with regards to his family's business empire, for which all sound-minded Malaysians are aware, was fuelled by his plundering of Sarawak over the past 30 years.
The other truly Malaysian dictator, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, had also once implied that his son is a billionaire out of his own business acumen, and that he as prime minister had not helped Mokhzani in any way. Believable or not?
Other renowned dictators in the Asean region - Marcos, Suharto and the Burmese junta - all have plundered their nation bone dry but on camera are ever willing to justify their actions as safeguarding national interests.
And Muammar Gaddafi says all Libyans love him.
Does Taib really think people are that stupid? I mean, come on, he is stooping so low as to create a clone website, 'Sarawak Reports'. This suggests that he is more than interested to try to hide the truth.
: As they say, crooks always have a way of explaining things. Umno crooks are experts at this. They have learnt the art of cheating and lying, and they have even attained doctorate degrees for it.
Taib, despite your enormous wealth and the immense political power that you wield, you have truly shown yourself as a gutless corrupt leader without principles, for when you were challenged by Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian to a public debate on native customary rights (NCR) land, your cowardice was clearly displayed and you had scurried away in haste with your tail between your legs.
The sheer absurdity and audacity of your present claims that your family had prospered and expanded their global empire worldwide solely through fair dealings and business acumen is a damnable and outright lie and a slap on the face of all decent and fair-minded Malaysians, especially the Sarawakians.
Malaysia should make Jamilah a trade and industry minister or perhaps a finance minister. And her husband too can be given a ministerial position. Surely our economy will shoot up beyond belief.Sudah lah Taib ... kita bukan bodoh.
The fact Taib chose to name his website 'Sarawak Reports' speaks volumes about his cunning and deceitful nature. This was done to confuse and mislead readers - that they may be deceived into logging on to his website rather than the whistleblower's site 'Sarawak Report'.
Had he been a truthful and courageous person, he would not have resorted to such manipulation and deceit. Another question that should come into the readers' minds, "Why now?" Is it because of the state election?
You know, the greatest tragedy is us, the people. We allow the same person to hold absolute power year after year. After a while, the consequence becomes fatal. Did we not see the whole Rajang river log-jammed, killing thousands of fish and causing untold environmental damage to the state?
The tragedy is we the people - the vast majority of us - can still be satisfied with a tin of Milo, some cheap biscuits and perhaps RM50 in the envelope.
What can we do? Either the majority of Sarawakians buy his story or he buys the majority of Sarawakians.
The fact Taib chose to name his website 'Sarawak Reports' speaks volumes about his cunning and deceitful nature. This was done to confuse and mislead readers - that they may be deceived into logging on to his website rather than the whistleblower's site 'Sarawak Report'.
Had he been a truthful and courageous person, he would not have resorted to such manipulation and deceit. Another question that should come into the readers' minds, "Why now?" Is it because of the state election?
You know, the greatest tragedy is us, the people. We allow the same person to hold absolute power year after year. After a while, the consequence becomes fatal. Did we not see the whole Rajang river log-jammed, killing thousands of fish and causing untold environmental damage to the state?
The tragedy is we the people - the vast majority of us - can still be satisfied with a tin of Milo, some cheap biscuits and perhaps RM50 in the envelope.
What can we do? Either the majority of Sarawakians buy his story or he buys the majority of Sarawakians.
Mid-November last year, M Karunanidhi started digging the DMK’s 2011 electoral grave when he told his partymen to profess A Raja’s innocence. Raja had just put in his papers as the Union telecom minister after the 2G spectrum controversy threatened to consume him.
On Thursday, a day after the Central Bureau of Investigations arrested Raja, Karunanidhi wrote the party’s 2011 electoral epitaph through a resolution endorsed by his party’s general council: ‘Merely because Raja is arrested, he cannot be considered guilty.’
How a leader considered a master strategist could commit such a double fault in quick succession beats me. Had it been from someone with principles, I could understand the suicidal tendency. For a leader who has dropped alliance partners and party lieutenants before one could spell d-h-a-r-m-a, principles cannot be the reason for the systematic hara-kiri.
The problem with such irrational acts of self-proclaimed rationalists is that you can’t make out if they are born out of fear or foolhardiness. But once you come to understand that foolhardiness is often the flip side of fear, you see things clearer. And the seemingly irrational acts suddenly have two legitimate parents!
So, what does Kalaignar fear? Of being labelled guilty, apparently. When the spectrum issue was hotting up in November after the Comptroller & Auditor General put the loss of public money through 2G at Rs 1,76,000 crore, and pointed to several irregularities by Raja, Karunanidhi refused to remove him from the cabinet or the party post of propaganda secretary. His fear: Raja’s removal would amount to admission of guilt, which he had to share with his prodigy.
For not just the party, but part of Chennai’s first family too, Raja has been an obedient young man who earned more than just brownie points. That was a good reason to support him. But why did the leader not support him in private and disown him in public? Realpolitik, yes, wouldn’t that been a smart thing to do?
That would have silenced the political rivals and the media for a while, and even taken a bit of steam off the controversy and, probably, the probe. And the DMK would have got some time to devise new distractions before the poll bugle sounds in a couple of months.
Karunanidhi’s fears compounded when Raja was forced to quit as the telecom minister on November 15, 2010. It has now manifested as a reckless show of courage to move a resolution supporting Raja, though he was removed from the party post. This reverberated at an impressive DMK show at Saidapet in the evening. But lost in the din were some political realities-present and impending. The arrest has given more ammo to the Opposition, myriad stories for the media, and more than a migrane for the DMK.
Now, Congress, which never got to taste power since 1967, will become more demanding with the DMK. Karunanidhi’s other probable allies like PMK may try to put their feet down. When the poll bandwagons start rolling, DMK’s ousted propaganda secretary would be at the centre of the Opposition propaganda. And, if J Jayalalithaa has turned any wiser, Rs 1,76,000 crore could be the astronomical number that could be printed on placards and posters across the state.
However, it is still too early to say if DMK would go on to drive the last nail in its own coffin. For, Indian politics has shown that a foolish Opposition can bring back a foolhardy ruling party from brain death.
On Thursday, a day after the Central Bureau of Investigations arrested Raja, Karunanidhi wrote the party’s 2011 electoral epitaph through a resolution endorsed by his party’s general council: ‘Merely because Raja is arrested, he cannot be considered guilty.’
How a leader considered a master strategist could commit such a double fault in quick succession beats me. Had it been from someone with principles, I could understand the suicidal tendency. For a leader who has dropped alliance partners and party lieutenants before one could spell d-h-a-r-m-a, principles cannot be the reason for the systematic hara-kiri.
The problem with such irrational acts of self-proclaimed rationalists is that you can’t make out if they are born out of fear or foolhardiness. But once you come to understand that foolhardiness is often the flip side of fear, you see things clearer. And the seemingly irrational acts suddenly have two legitimate parents!
So, what does Kalaignar fear? Of being labelled guilty, apparently. When the spectrum issue was hotting up in November after the Comptroller & Auditor General put the loss of public money through 2G at Rs 1,76,000 crore, and pointed to several irregularities by Raja, Karunanidhi refused to remove him from the cabinet or the party post of propaganda secretary. His fear: Raja’s removal would amount to admission of guilt, which he had to share with his prodigy.
For not just the party, but part of Chennai’s first family too, Raja has been an obedient young man who earned more than just brownie points. That was a good reason to support him. But why did the leader not support him in private and disown him in public? Realpolitik, yes, wouldn’t that been a smart thing to do?
That would have silenced the political rivals and the media for a while, and even taken a bit of steam off the controversy and, probably, the probe. And the DMK would have got some time to devise new distractions before the poll bugle sounds in a couple of months.
Karunanidhi’s fears compounded when Raja was forced to quit as the telecom minister on November 15, 2010. It has now manifested as a reckless show of courage to move a resolution supporting Raja, though he was removed from the party post. This reverberated at an impressive DMK show at Saidapet in the evening. But lost in the din were some political realities-present and impending. The arrest has given more ammo to the Opposition, myriad stories for the media, and more than a migrane for the DMK.
Now, Congress, which never got to taste power since 1967, will become more demanding with the DMK. Karunanidhi’s other probable allies like PMK may try to put their feet down. When the poll bandwagons start rolling, DMK’s ousted propaganda secretary would be at the centre of the Opposition propaganda. And, if J Jayalalithaa has turned any wiser, Rs 1,76,000 crore could be the astronomical number that could be printed on placards and posters across the state.
However, it is still too early to say if DMK would go on to drive the last nail in its own coffin. For, Indian politics has shown that a foolish Opposition can bring back a foolhardy ruling party from brain death.
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