By KINIBIZ
Amid the interesting soundbites coming out of the Umno general assembly this week, an amusing twist has revolved around the RM2.6 billion donation that went into the prime minister’s personal bank accounts in 2013.
Specifically, the question that arose was whether the donation came from a single individual or multiple individuals or a foreign government entity.
When The Wall Street Journal reported the transfer of funds on July 2 this year, the prevailing impression was that there was one donor. On Dec 10, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said it should be plural – donors – a day after noting in another interview that the donation came from a foreign nation’s government.
Amid all this, a source close to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) investigation into the matter told Malaysiakini on Dec 10 that the commission only met one individual and that there was only one individual donor.
Minister Azalina Othman Said seemed to dodge the question on whether it is “donor” or “donors” – was she uncertain herself? And then Zahid came forward on the same day to say that he said “plural” because he had met several representatives of that individual donor, claiming there is no inconsistency with what MACC had officially said before after all.
That there seems some confusion remaining among the higher echelons of Umno vis-a-vis this matter is strange, as surely party president cum prime minister, who received the donation on the party’s behalf in his personal bank accounts, would have clarified the matter.
In any case, none of this addresses the elephant that is still in the room: were the donations, allegedly to support Umno in championing Islam, given with strings attached?
Again, the MACC Act 2009 is clear in stating that any public officer who uses his public office to receive any sort of gratification – whether bribe, gift or donation – must be considered to have received a bribe unless proven otherwise.
So far there has been much talk about an absence of law prohibiting political donations but not much in terms of reassuring the public that the donation was not received to the detriment or compromise of the Malaysian public’s own interests. This should be the topmost priority in the current climate of trust deficit against the ruling political coalition led by Umno.
Anyway, here’s some of our best news, analyses and commentary this week for your weekend reading pleasure:
Seeing gold in recycled plastics. Heng Hiap Industries, an integrated recycled plastics manufacturer, is the first in the industry to integrate the six processes of scrap plastics recycling under one roof. How did this family business start and how did it grow to where it is today? Read all about it here.
TPP won’t impact Bumi agenda, says Teraju. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement will not have any significant impact on Malaysia’s bumiputera agenda, said Unit Peneraju Agenda Bumiputera (Teraju) chief executive officer Husni Salleh, who adds that the issue is more of whether Bumiputeras can get more competitive. Read here.
1MDB owes IPIC RM2 bil, says financial statement. Self-styled strategic development company 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) still owes International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC) some US$481.3 million (RM2 billion at today’s exchange rates) to extinguish options initially granted to the latter’s subsidiary, said IPIC. Read here.
Partnerships between airlines usually good, says IATA chief. International Air Transportation Association (IATA) director-general and chief executive officer Tony Tyler said that partnerships between airlines such as the one Malaysia Airlines and Emirates recently entered into are generally good. Read further here.
Airline sector to see positive return on capital in 2015? The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the airline industry will deliver a positive return on capital for the first time in 2015, tipped to come in at at least 8.3% compared to cost of capital of just under 7% at present. Read on here.
Stepping into Zeti’s shoes. Ever since Bank Negara Malaysia governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz indicated that she will be retiring come the end of her term as governor in April next year, several names have cropped up as potential replacements. But picking a suitable replacement is no simple matter. Read further here.
SC revokes licences of asset management firm, trader. The Securities Commission of Malaysia (SC) said this week that it has revoked the Capital Markets Services Licence (CMSL) of Mercury Asset Management Sdn Bhd (MAM) for the regulated activity of fund management. Read here.
Another fare hike, more unanswered questions. From January 2016, using the KLIA Express or Transit will be more expensive. More precisely, some 57% more expensive for some. But the justification for the hike was poor, argues our resident cat. Is the operator simply taking advantage? Read here.
Punctuality no reason to hike KTM Komuter fares. While we’re on the subject of fare hikes, Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) president Sarbini Tijan has attempted to justify the recent hikes in KTM Komuter fares by citing increased punctuality and safety. But our resident cat disagrees. Read why here.
Why Proton should not raise prices. While the public is upset over fare hikes in public transport, national carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd said this week that it is mulling increasing its car prices effective January 2016, citing the weak ringgit which has inflated prices of its imported raw materials. But should it really? Read here.
Hopefully, everyone can take a taxi… or Uber. Change can be tough to take, especially when it is disruptive. But progress will happen, just as entropy happens, and those who stand in the way of progress tend to get run over. And that is why we must persist in finding a win-win resolution to the taxi-Uber issue. Read here.
Are abandoned jets a security risk? Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd issues an unusual public announcement to find the owners of three Boeing 747s mysteriously stranded in KLIA. Other than costs incurred, could abandoned planes pose dangers to national security? Our resident cat ponders the question here.
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— by Khairie Hisyam Aliman, News Editor
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