This is good about Mahathir!!

This is good!  Now whose DNA in Mahathir's being? ;-)   Subject: : HARRIS IBRAHIM 'S COMMENT ON DR MAHATHIR MOHAMED - A MUST READ]

VERY INTERESTING READ....

Subject: HARRIS IBRAHIM 'S COMMENT ON DR MAHATHIR MOHAMED - A MUST READBy Harris Ibrahim.

Dear Mahathir,

Malaysian Insider reports that you had "defended the social contract, the so-called unwritten agreement between the Malays and the non-Malays during independence, by affirming that without the agreement, Malaysia would not have been formed".

They quoted you :

"If there was no social contract, the terms and conditions of allowing citizenship to non-Malays would have not taken place.One million outsiders were given citizenships at the time."

Now,  this quote from you got me curious. Let me tell you why.

I conferred with my aunt, who confirmed that my maternal great grandfather, Eliathamby, of whom I've written previously  in a posting entitled "The land that my forefathers helped build", would have left Ceylon and arrived in what is now West Malaysia, around 1870. He died well before the conclusion of that social contract that you spoke of, so my great grandfather would not have come within those 'one million outsiders' who acquired citizenship at the time of independence in 1957.

My maternal grandfather, Vellupillay T. Williams, never lived to see the formation of Malaya so he, too, did not make up the'one million outsiders'.

Enough of my family tree. Let's look at yours. I got this from a blog, Malaysiana:

Perhaps, the most famous Malayalee to land in George Town was Iskandar Kutty, a merchant who married a Johor-Riau wife Siti Hawa Iskandar. They became the proud parents of Alor Star's top public school Sultan Abdul Hamid College 's founder-principal and Kedah's royal educator Datuk Mohamad Iskandar.

Mohamad was the school teacher of Tunku Abdul Rahman. He and his wife Datin Wan Tempawan Wan Hanafi from the Kedah Bendahara's (Prime Minister's) clan, were the proud parents of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's Father of Modernisation and fourth Prime Minister.

And this from Malaysia Today: Born in December 20, 1925, Dr Mahathir hailed from the state of Kedah, at the capital of Alor Star, whose father was a school teacher. His father was Indian who migrated from Kerala, who married a malay lady and sold banana fritters during the second world war. His early education was through vernacular school and at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College in the city.

My question, then, Doc, firstly is whether your father was amongst the'one million outsiders'?

And when did you become 'Malay', Doc?

When did you move from being a son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala to a Malay?

Not that I care, but when?

Speaking of Malay, do you remember your "Malay Dilemma", Doc? Do you remember what you said about the problem of inbreeding amongst the Malay community, and that whole business of genes? Back then, who had heard of this thing called DNA?

Who had ever imagined that science would one day make it possible for all of us to trace our genealogy?

Guess what, Doc? It seems, based on all this new DNA scientific knowledge, that there's no such thing as a Malay race.

It would seem that you've gone from being a son of anIndian who migrated from Keralato a 'does not exist'.

Just like that! My cyber buddy, Michael Chick, has written extensively on this matter, in a three-parter in Malaysiakini. HERE,HERE, and HERE.

See what Michael writes in his final part :

"The people Malaysians call 'Malay', are actually only a tiny sub-component of the much larger Austronesian group. And all Austronesians are the end-product of extensive inter-breeding between the Taiwanese and Dravidic Indians. All this has finally been irrefutably proven by independent DNA testings from world-class faculties".

I've never been very good at all these sciences, Doc, but if you're any better, and you think Michael's cocked-up big time in his conclusions, why don't you take him on?

Damn, I digress.

So when and how did you become Malay? Because of the definition of 'Malay' in the Federal Constitution, Doc? Article 160 (2)? That right?

So, right up until the last moments before Tunku's declaration of independence, you were the son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala, and moments later you were magically transformed into a Malay?

And is not the definition of Malay in Article 160(2) stated to be for the limited purpose where the word 'Malay' appears in the Constitution?

But really, Doc, I don't give a toss whether you hold yourself out as Malay or the son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala.Whatever turns you on.

What pisses me off is this Bumi-non Bumi crap. November 19th, last year, The Star reported on Najib's balik kampung to Makassar in   South Sulawesi . You can read the report HERE.

Courtesy of The Star, Najib is reported to have said : "I feel like I am returning to my roots,"

and, when asked to comment on the possibility that some people might view the fact that he had roots here in a negative light, Najib said:

"I am not apologetic about it. This is my family history and I am proud of it."

According to the report, Najib said he was the direct descendant of Bugis royalty who migrated to Pahang in the 18th century.

Well, at least this Malaysian is not ashamed of his roots!

Now, you know that aunt I mentioned earlier? You know her. Aunty Rasammah.

I googled her name yesterday and this is what is written of her in Wikipedia.

"Rasammah Bhupalan, also known as Rasammah Naomi Navarednamor Mrs F.R. Bhupalan is a renowned Malaysian freedom fighter and social activist

Born in 1927, she has championed causes such as the anti-drug abuse movement, women's rights, education and social justice causes.

Rasammah was one of the earliest women involved in the fight for Malaysian (then Malaya ) independence. She joined the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, the women's wing of the Indian National Army, to fight the British. She served in Burma during World War II.

As founder president of the Women Teacher's Union , she fought for equal pay for women teachers and tried to bring disparate teachers' unions under an umbrella.

The former school principal was the first Asian representative of the World Confederation of Organisations of the Teaching Profess ion for two successive terms. She was also very active in the National Council of Women's Organisation (NCWO) and Pemadam. She was a teacher in the Methodist Boys' School, Kuala Lumpur from 1959 to 1964 and was the principal of the Methodist Girls School , Kuala Lumpur for 13 years from 1970 until she retired in 1982. On 11th November 2007, Mrs.Bhupalan was one of the few veteran teachers who were invited to attend MBSSKL's 110th Anniversary Celebration Dinner. The dinner was specially organized to honour all the former and current teachers of the school".

Quite frankly, I think the write-up in Wikipedia does little justice to all that Aunty Rasammah has done for this country. But that is another matter.

More importantly, Doc, why are you, the son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala, and Najib, the descendant of Bugis who migrated from Sulawesi ,are bumiputra, whilst Aunty Rasammah is not?

IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT MAHATHIR IS A RACIST.

READ HIS BLOG AND YOU WOULD BE REAFFIRMED.

WHILE RETIRED FORMER US PRESIDENT CLINTON IS DOING NOBLE SERVICES AROUND THE GLOBE, MAHATHIR IS BUSY INFUSING IN HIS BLOG WITH WORDS OF ANGER, RACISM (HE IS AN AVID PROPONENT OF "MALAY SUPREMACY" WHICH HE COINED, I BELIEVE) AND NEGATIVE VIBES.

NOTHING IN HIS BLOG CONTAINS WISDOM NOR NOBLE IDEOLOGY THAT WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO HELPING THE POOR;

NOR IN HELPING TO FOSTER A STRONGER BOND AMONG THE RACES IN MALAYSIA.

IS HE A GREAT LEADER?

YOUR VERDICT IS AS GOOD AS MINE.

Pakatan budget: what are in store for Sabah and Sarawak?

September 27, 2012

The Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak will have a better deal in the Pakatan Rakyat’s budget 2013 as it pledges that in the spirit of Kuching Declaration, it is committed to fulfilling any and all obligations on the part of the federal government.

The Declaration signed in Kuching recently affirms to honour the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement of 1963, which among others seeks to restore Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya as equal partners, fair representation in Parliament, citizenship, to restore native customary rights over land,  to appoint locals to head federal government departments in the states,  oil justice and equitable development.

“Pakatan Rakyat shall honour the pledge to increase petroleum royalty to the oil producing states to 20%. This is expected to bring additional RM12.5 billion to the states of Kelantan, Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu in the country so far.

“The disbursement of the petroleum royalty will come with a strict transparency and accountability procedure to ensure that every sen of the petroleum royalty goes to the people,” the Pakatan coalition said.

It said: “Pakatan Rakyat is critical of the favourable treatment given to well-connected corporations such as SapuraKenchana in benefitting from risk-sharing contracts (RCSs) for marginal fields when no similar effort was made to invest in the future of the rakyat from the oil producing states.

“There are enough skills, expertise and resources from the states to develop their own second-tier oil and gas companies that can use the RSCs for the marginal fields as a training ground before competing in the wider oil and gas market, not unlike the experience of Petronas in its formative years.

 “The legacy and benefit of oil and gas resources inn the states can be harvested well beyond the expiry life of the resources itself. The emergence of second-tier oil and gas companies owned by the states retains the skills and expertise in the company that can eventually compete elsewhere, even

when the hydrocarbon resources are fully depleted in Malaysia,” the coalition said.

Pakatan Rakyat will work with the state governments to establish state-owned second-tier oil and gas companies for Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu and Kelantan and other oil-producing states to benefit the financial investments made into marginal fields through risk-sharing contracts (RSCs).

In the budget, the construction of the Pan-Borneo Highway will be given top priority by the Pakatan Rakyat.

Under the present BN government the disparity of road coverage in the peninsula against Sabah and Sarawak is very glaring.

While the road network has reached 35,734 km in the peninsula by 2009, the combined road network in Sabah and Sarawak is only 10,171.

“Sabah and Sarawak are in dire need of a massive upgrade of its road networks, especially considering that its oil and gas resources have contributed largely to indirectly funding the infrastructure development in the rest of the country.

“Pakatan Rakyat undertakes to commence the design and construction of the Pan-Borneo Highway connecting Kuching to Kota Kinabalu and east coast of Sabah as part of its promise to bring development in Sabah and Sarawak to be at par with the rest of the country.

“A Pakatan Rakyat federal government will also undertake to assess the financial impact and viability of upgrading and extending the rail networks in Sabah and Sarawak which currently stands at 134 km.” It said. 

USD15 Billion! – Taib Is The Richest Man In Malaysia

Thief Minister! Taib’s abuse of his position in Sarawak over more than three decades has led to him becoming Malaysia’s richest individual, says BMF.

He is the man who cashed-in an entire jungle of valuable hard timber.  He is also the man who controls all the land titles for an area roughly the size of England, a position which he has systematically abused to enrich himself.

Sarawak Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud, is furthermore the gate-keeper for all the state and federal contracts handed out in Sarawak and he has privatised most of its key industries into his own family companies.

Taib family line up – once all poor now vastly rich, thanks to Taib’s illegal abuse of his position as Chief Minister

So it should come as little surprise that the latest audit on the Mahmud family, conducted by the Swiss NGO the Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), has estimated his wealth at a staggering USD15 billion.

It makes him Malaysia’s richest man, with his illegally gained assets topping those of the ‘sugar king’ Robert Kuok, who leads the Forbes Rich List for Malaysias with a mere USD12 billion.

BMF, which campaigns on environmental and indigenous issues in Sarawak, makes clear that this is a conservative estimate of the Chief Minister’s wealth, acquired through 30 years of systematic and documented plunder of Sarawak’s wealth and natural resources.

The audit, which forms part of a report entitled “The Taib Timber Mafia. Facts and Figures on Politically Exposed Persons from Sarawak, Malaysia” was released today in Brussels to mark the visit of the Malaysian Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Bernard Dompok, to the European Commission.

Environmental organisations have protested against any timber agreements with Malaysia until the corrupt and unrestrained logging practices are ended in Sarawak and in Sabah.

“More money than I could ever spend” 

The report describes Taib as “The Godfather of a family business empire” with illicit assets in excess of USD20billion, of which his personal worth forms at least USD15 billion and:

“..describes in detail the business activities and personal wealth of twenty members of the Taib family, one of South East Asia’s most notorious kleptocratic clans with business interests in Malaysia, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries”. [BMF release]

The charity declares its audit has been drawn up after a comprehensive analysis of the evidence now available relating to Taib and his family’s business assets, land grabs, concessions and contracts.

Altogether, the assets of 20 members of the Chief Minister’s family are analysed totalling a combined estimated wealth of USD21million. These members include Taib’s four children, his siblings, cousin Hamed Sepawi and also his two son-in-laws and brother-in-law, Robert Geneid, who have been absorbed into the family concerns.

The report lends substance to Taib’s own boasts on the campaign trail at last year’s state election that he has “more money than I could ever spend”!

Time Najib took action!

This latest revelation raises yet again the issue of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s failure to take action over this rogue Chief Minister, whose greed and corruption has now reached legendary status even in Malaysia, where political corruption is commonplace.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has acknowledged it has opened an investigation into Taib, following numerous denunciations and also numerous reports containing solid information on this site.

However, until it gets the political green light, it is sadly well-known that the MACC lacks the independence to act.

The PM did try to encourage the failing 75 year old to step down before the recent state election. However, Taib refused to quit out of a justifiable fear that once removed from office he could be prosecuted.

A public promise was extracted that Taib would move soon after that state election, but with a Federal Election, G13, now on the horizon there is little sign he plans to make good the promise.

Dunging class to begin in October

KUCHING:  Is there anyone interested to study the unique Dunging Alphabet?

Named after the inventor of the alphabet himself, Dunging Anak Gunggu, it will be a great privilege to learn it.

Being one of Dunging’s grand nephews, Assoc. Professor Dr. Bromeley Philip had gone some great distance in refining and promoting the only known Iban system of writing.

Dr Bromeley has agreed to work closely with Winstep Management Solutions to conduct classes not only to revive it but to ensure that it is widely studied and known among the Iban in particular.

Dr Bromeley is the authority on the subject and is among the few of his close relatives who have seriously researched on the Dunging alphabet.

Classes will begin on October 15, 2012. As there are limited places available, the intake will be based on a ‘first-come first-served’ basis.

To complete the course, you need to complete 28 hours of study, each session will last two hours. There will be three sessions per week.

To know more about the class, there will be a free talk/preview on Dunging alphabet on Saturday, September 22, 2012 at Kuching Park Hotel, Jalan Padungan starting from 10.00 am. 

If you are interested to attend the talk, contact the programme Secretariat, Edwin John at 019-8349790 to register and confirm your attendance as seats are limited.  

Ends.

PR leaders sign Kuching Declaration

September 16, 2012

KUCHING:  The leaders of Pakatan Rakyat signed the ‘Kuching Declaration’ in conjunction with Malaysia Day celebration to pledge and promise to the nation and the people of Malaysia that when they form the next government of Malaysia they will honour all its pledges and promises.

The de facto leader of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)  Anwar Ibrahim signed on behalf of his party, while Lim Kit Siang, DAP National adviser signed on behalf of DAP and  Haji Abdul Hadi Awang, PAS President signed on behalf of PAS.

Also affixing their signatures on the declaration were also state leaders.  Sarawak PKR Chief Baru Bian signed on behalf of PKR, while Wong Ho Leng, Sarawak DAP Chairman signed on behalf of DAP and Haji Adam Ahid, PAS Commissioner on behalf of his party.

The Declaration reads: “Lest we forget, and lest all the peoples of our great Nation of Malaysia forget, we the undersigned do once again firmly, resolutely and unequivocally pledge and promise before the whole Nation of Malaysia as our witness, on this historically day the 16^th of September, 2012, in the City of Kuching, and on behalf of our respective parties and Pakatan Rakyat will honour all its pledges and promises to the peoples of Malaysia.

“We will honourably execute all the policies set forth in the Buku Jingga so that Malaysia will once again be a great Nation, her peoples prosperous, her future secure and peaceful, and her name celebrated by all the nations of the world.

“We will honour the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement of 1963 which our founding fathers put their hands to, and as a sign of our deep commitment to the peoples of Sarawak and Sabah, consistent with democratic principles and justice for all Malaysians, in particular:

ARTICLE ONE: EQUAL PARTNERS

“We will restore the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement and the position of Sarawak and Sabah as equal partners within Malaysia by restoring autonomy to Sarawak and Sabah within the framework of the Federal Constitution.

ARTICLE TWO: FAIR REPRESENTATION

“We will increase national integration between Sarawak, Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia through a fair power-sharing arrangement that fully upholds the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement.

ARTICLE THREE: CITIZENSHIP

“We will set up a Royal Commission to solve the perennial national problem of illegal immigration and citizenship, particularly in Sarawak and Sabah.

ARTICLE FOUR: RESTORATION OF NATIVE CUSTOMARY RIGHTS OVER LAND

“We will endorse the authority already vested in the State Laws of Sarawak and Sabah to set up Land Commissions to investigate, resolve disputes, redress, survey and restore Native Customary Rights over Native Customary Lands.

ARTICLE FIVE: COMPETENT SARAWAK AND SABAH

“We will endorse the appointment of Sarawak and Sabah citizens to head Government Departments in their own respective States and by the powers vested in the State Secretaries of both States as well as give first priority to the appointment of Sarawak and Sabah citizens at Federal Government level functioning within Sarawak and Sabah.

ARTICLE SIX: OIL JUSTICE

“We will raise the royalties paid on petroleum and hydrocarbon resources to Sarawak and Sabah to 20% from the present 5%.

ARTICLE SEVEN: EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT

“We will bring the level of infrastructure development in Sarawak and Sabah up to par with Peninsular Malaysia.

“We, the undersigned, make this declaration as an incontrovertible contract between the Pakatan Rakyat and the peoples of Malaysia, this historic day of 16^th September, 2012 on Malaysia Day, so that it may ring out resoundingly from Malaysia’s high forest hills down to the open sea; so that freedom may ever reign; and our peoples live in unity!” 

DAP Malaysia Day Message

DAP Malaysia Day Message By DAP Secretary-General And Member Of Parliament For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu On 15.9.2012.

Reclaiming Sabah And Sarawak’s Status In The Federal Constitution As Equal Partners With Peninsular Malaysia With Emphasis On 5 Critical Areas Of Political And Socio-Economic Development.

On 16.9.1963, both Sabah and Sarawak joined Peninsular Malaysia as equal partners to form Malaysia under the Federal Constitution. 49 years later, Sabah and Sarawak has emerged as unequal partners as compared with Peninsular Malaysia. This has caused widespread resentment and even disillusionment that Sabahans and Sarawakians have gone backwards and lost out in almost every aspect as compared to Peninsular Malaysia.

Despite huge natural resources, Sabah remains the poorest state in Malaysia and both states’ roads and infrastructure are nothing compared to Peninsular Malaysia. If PR wins power, PR will reclaim Sabah and Sarawak’s status in the Federal Constitution as equal partners with Peninsular Malaysia with emphasis on 6 critIcal areas of political and socio-economic development.

The choice for Sabah is clear whether they wish to remain as the poorest state in Malaysia or change and aspire to be the richest state in Malaysia with these 6 fundamental changes.

1.  Equitable share of oil and natural gas by increasing from 5% to 20% to resolve long-standing problems relating to economy, education and poverty eradication;

2.      Improve the disgraceful state of road infrastructure as well as upgrade existing ports and airports.

3.      Ensure adequate and uninterrupted supply of water and electricity. Install free wifi in public places to provide internet access and connectivity for all.

4.    Establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry to take action against those responsible and resolve the crisis of illegal citizens;

5.      Appoint wherever possible Sabahans for the government positions in Federal and state departments; and

6.    A people-centric land policy by ensuring that those holding public political posts are not qualified to apply for state land; no removal or degradation of 999 year land titles to 99 years; and automatic renewal of land leases upon expiry with payment of only 10% of land premium(90% discount).

Bian hits out at Dr M over ‘be patient’ remark

The former premier had reportedly said that the people of Sabah and Sarawak be patient for the implementation of development in their states.

KUCHING: The blatant statement by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad asking the people of Sarawak and Sabah to be patient for the implementation of development perfectly demonstrates to the people in the Borneo states what the Barisan Nasional government thinks of us, said Baru Bian, chairman of Sarawak PKR.

“We are regarded as the ignorant and unquestioning fixed deposit states that are in this country to be milked dry to fund the excessive spending crazes in Peninsular Malaysia.

“We have been patient for 49 years.  How many more years does this old man think he can fool us to wait?” asked Bian, who is Ba’Kelalan state assemblyman.

Mahathir was reported to have told reporters that the people of Sabah and Sarawak must be patient to wait for natural resources to be extracted and foreign investments to materialise before experiencing the same tempo of development as those in the peninsula.

He said: “In truth, I think the development of Sabah and Sarawak has outstripped the peninsula. Sarawak has the highest foreign direct investment and Sabah has the largest reserves of petroleum in the country.

“Just be patient and wait for the resources to be extracted and soon your earnings (and development) will increase,” Mahathir said.

Bian asked: “What does he mean by saying ‘Just be patient and wait for the resources to be extracted and soon your earnings (and development) will increase’?

“Umno and BN have been making huge ‘withdrawals’ from our oil and gas resources for over 30 years now, while giving the rakyat of Sarawak and Sabah crumbs to keep us quiet.

“I wish to ask him in his capacity as Petronas advisor what Petronas has been doing in Sabah and Sarawak all these years if not extracting our precious resources,” he said.- Free Malaysia Today

Did Taib ‘surrender’ oil right to BN?

Taib Mahmud was the federal-level Primary Industries Minister in charge of oil and gas when the Petroleum Act 1974 was passed by Parliament.

COMMENT

KUCHING: Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s turnaround on the oil royalty issue after 31 years in power and the fact that he preferred “private” and “amicable discussions” with the federal government have raised more questions.

Uppermost on the list is whether Taib and his predecessor and uncle, Abdul Rahman Yakub, had knowingly “surrendered” Sarawak’s rights over oil and gas to the federal government.

Sarawakians who have read Taib’s biography – “A Soul You Can See” – written by Douglas Bullis and who remember their history, would recall that Taib was the federal-level Primary Industries Minister who was in charge of the nation’s oil and gas resources.

This being the case, was Taib responsible for the lopsided oil agreement and the Petroleum Development Act passed in Parliament in 1974?

The Act was passed following a confrontation between Opec (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) and oil companies over oil price policies in 1973.

Expounding on the 1973 “crisis”, Taib was quoted by Bullis as saying: “By 1973 I realised Malaysia and the oil companies were headed for a confrontation over their purchase price policies.

“There was too much take and too little give, and Malaysia’s people have an ethic based on balance,” Taib had said in page 88 of the book.

“Eventually I came up with the idea that we should base Malaysia’s oil concession policy on shared production agreements.

“Naturally I was snubbed by oil companies who claimed the Malaysian government was moving towards nationalisation.”

Taib’s silence

Bullis said that it was obvious that Malaysia’s post-1974 policy on taking control of Malaysia’s petroleum interests from oil companies was largely Taib’s works.

It is well known in Sabah that its then chief minister Mustapha Harun and his successor Fuad (Donald) Stephens refused to sign the oil agreement giving 5% of oil royalty to Sabah, but Sarawak under Abdul Rahman was said to be “too willing” and signed the agreement.

But the question is: Did the nephew and the uncle “surrender” Sarawak’s rights over oil and gas to the federal government in order to please the then prime minister Abdul Razak in return for political and financial support?

Sarawak was at that time in turmoil following the sacking of its chief minister Stephen Kalong Ningkan in 1966.

At the time there were incessant allegations by the Parti Pesaka anak Sarawak president Temenggong Jugah anak Barieng that the Ibans were shabbily treated by Abdul Rahman and Taib.

Abdul Rahman was also facing an “internal rebellion” against his leadership from within Pesaka, which had by then (in 1973) merged with Parti Bumiputera to form Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB).

At the point of signing the oil agreement, Sarawak was said to be politically unstable and needed the support of the federal government.

Could history be the reason why Taib has been silent on the royalty issue during his 31-year tenure as chief minister? And why he has been compliant to Umno in the peninsula, having pumped millions into its coffers?

What off-the-table deal did Taib and Abdul Rahman eventually strike with the federal leadership that allowed them to sustain Sarawak’s “independence” as opposed to Sabah’s “colonialisation” by Kuala Lumpur?

What has now compelled Taib to call for re-negotiations on the oil royalty issue?

It certainly cannot be fear of losing his grip in Sarawak because he has already won the state election held in April last year.

If it is the parliamentary election, Sarawak BN coalition is unlikely to lose more than 10 of the 31 parliamentary seats. And that too the losses will come from Chinese-based Sarawak United People’s Party, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party and Parti Rakyat Sarawak. Less likely will it be from Taib’s own PBB.

So what then is compelling Taib to go to the “private” negotiation table? What cards will he pull and how will he keep “wanting” Umno away from Sarawak?- Free Malaysia Today