Anwar Ibrahim

I need to make comments on the whole anwar ibrahim sodomy things. I just could not resists it.
I have no political affiliation. So I will try to see them objectively.

No need to comment on the case itself, on whether it is baseless or not. The political blogs are doing their part of this great blogging world by dissecting this matter. You could go to Malaysia-today or read in Malaysia Kini.
I think I would rather go on what had happened, based on what I have read on the web and the blogs.

1. Pictures.
The 'mole" was photographed with numerous BN ministers, and TPM's aide. But personally for me, it did not mean a thing. There are numerous persons in this world who are just want political and business mileage by taking photos with VIPs and brag about it. some just do it for fun, and to add to their collection.
Saiful Azlan probaly one of those person who love to take photos with VIPs. And he might got the opportunity when he was the student leader in UNITEN. Thousands, if not millions of people take photos with the VIPs everyday. And the picture was taken during an event, probably those involving university students.

Most of the minister pictures have to do with student or the youth. Mustapha Mohamad was Higher Education Minister, while Azalina was Youth and Sportes Minister.


Unless it is take while having vacation with the VIPs -- as alledged in the Lingam case, which still cannot link them. The travel document did --, then I don't think a picture or two with ministers would qualify you as a mole.
Then you might somehow went to the TPM's office to deliver documents, met one of his aides. snap.snap then you got a picture or two at the entrance of the office, and then you are now a BN's mole.
It just does not connect even if the picture is taken in Australia, since you just might bump into the VIP while you are vacationing.

2. The "mule".
Numerous PKR supporters website discussed on the mule. What makes me baffled was that no one had actually worked for the person to be kicked out of PKR. Information about Saiful was available even in the web, as he was one of the student leaders of Uniten. The picture of him with Khairil Anas was in the blog of RiwayatHayat
since February 2008. Surely Anwar senior aides should have had grilled him on the matter. One would speculate that there might be PKR's attempt to put in their own mule into TPM's office and Saiful might be the failed ones. It seems that he is not the smart ones in UNITEN, and also not the popular one.

3. The other motives.
While discussing on the issue with my office mates, one had came out with another interesting story: What is this whole matter was done by Anwar himself as an exit strategy if he failed to get the BN lawmakers to switch to PKR by September 2008 as he had promised.


My last word, is that while Anwar might see this case was aimed to kill his political career, he should have given better rebuttal rather than mere meaningless pictures.

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Petrol Subsidy - Reducing Car Import Tariff

Some people said that abolishing car tariff would help reduce the burden of fuel price hike.

I already put a thought through it.

However, my opinion is that abolishing car import tariff will not help the poor.
It will just give us more option on which car to buy.

Let me illustrate.

For new cars, we got Protons and Peroduas as the cheapest. For used card we have a lot of cars to choose.
We could get a pre-owned Proton Tiara from 2k and also some 20 year old corollas.

There are already options for the "not so rich" to own used cars. And I think the price is still reasonable. So since they already know that they are not so rich, they will not buy even a brand new Kancil.
Hence, even if we got a Vios at the price of a Persona, it is still out of their budget.

For those people who could afford a Saga or Persona, or Viva and Myvi, then it will be good for them. Now they have plenty of choices. Vios, City, Accent etc.
If with taxes, then they will have to choose between Saga, Persona, Kancil, Viva, Myvi or just get used car of other make. And if the tariff is gone, then they got others to choose. It will not make them any richer. It will not make them any poorer.


For the rich, abolishing these tariffs will not make any difference to them. If they like a Gallardo, they will buy a Gallardo. With or without tax.


Again, I would stresses that if we could afford a RM 50k vehicle now, then if the import tariff is abolished, we still could only afford a 50k car. It will not change. The only thing change would be the choices of new cars to to own.

So abolishing the car import tariff will not help the poor. Instead, it will reduce the money govt got (thru taxes) to help the poor. Whether the govt would wisely it for the poor is another question to ponder.


My 2 sen.

Government Scholarship to Bumi and Non-Bumiputra issue

I really feel annoyed when some top non-bumi students were denied scholearhip and government loans last tiem. And this has been on and on for too long a time. GPMS and MUAF had already made press statement on the issue.

While some would prefer more allorcation to bumi, we have to be realistic about it. While discarding the bumi allorcation would not be a good and popular idea for the government at this time, we still need to give some kind of meritocracy. It is also time that we commit less on the bumi, non-bumi matters. Thare are many bumis who can afford to buy houses in Australia, so they should even afford to send their kids overseas.

My ideas on the scholarship for undergraduates would be as follows.
40% - top scorers fro ordinary families (not the super rich ones)
60% - potential students from poor families with very good grades.

TOP SCORERS
40 percent of the scholarship will be offered to all top students regardless of their being bumi or not.
While I would like to see it as it is, the govt could divide this to bumi and non-bumi allorcation as well.
for example 60% of the top student allocation goes to bumi, and 40 percent to non-bumi.


POTENTIAL STUDENTS
The rest of the 60% from above would be based on potentially good student from poor families based on racial composition plus a little bit more for the bumis. I would illustrate it as below:
1) 60 of the potential student allocation will be given to potential students from poor bumi families.
2) the 40 percent balance would be to potential students from poor non-bumi families.

That seems good in the next few years. But after a while, we should give the top scorers allocation and potential students allocation based on true racial composition.


my 2 sen