Nik Aziz cancels sponsored Hajj trip

Its a wise decision, Tok Guru. Cancelling your fully-sponsored Hajj trip will not shoo-off the MACC officials from coming to your office but at least it reduces your political discomfort (read h e r e).

Some people say performing the Hajj must be done within your own budget capability, which means the Hajj will be worth it if the money comes from our 'kudrat' of effort.

I am not an ulama but suggestions that the Kelantan MB is on the take is not for me to comment. What I want to stress here is the talks that are taking place since the news was made known recently.

Some say it's OK while the rest describe it as not appropriate. The RM65,000 per person package offered to him and his family members was somehow 'overwhelming' when the actual cost to perform the Hajj is about RM10,000 per pax (read also what Big Dog says).

The billboard contractor have something indebted to the PAS leader for making such an offer. If just for the sake of sponsoring (should Nik Aziz doesnt have enough to fork out), just pay for him alone. However, taking the whole family is a bit unrealistic.

Now that he has cancelled it, let's see what happens next...

Obama is anti-Islam!

Is Barack Obama anti-Islam? Maybe, maybe not.

His decision to seal four mosques belong to Iranian organisation, Alavi Foundation has caused a stir in US and elsewhere. He also ordered a freeze on the Foundation asset of about US500 million.

Such a move has not only dampened effort to bridge a nuclear dialogue with Iranian authorities but has also smeared Obama's 'clean image' in the Muslim world.

I shot a question at a Western diplomat this morning as to whether Obama is anti-Islam.

"I dont think so. He acted on suspicion that Alavi could pose a threat to US security as they are so close to the Teheran regime."

I argued that as the Foundation is sponsored and fully-supported by Iranians in the US, they alway maintain contacts with their countrymen. Nothing's wrong with that.

Let's say if a Malaysian organisation establish such a foundation by getting contributions for its mosques in the US, will they fall under suspicion too?

"Malaysia and Iran are two different Muslim nations. Malaysia is known for its liberalism while in Iran, the anti-American and anti-Western sentiments run high. However, Obama got his own reason for imposing such an action.

"The only thing that he could have forgotten is the fact that Alavi has been established in the States for many years, without any problems. Even the non-Muslim community around them did not complaint," he said.

Deep inside, I still consider Obama as anti-Islam. Why must actions taken only on Muslim organisation when there are radicals Protestant and Catholic groups thriving in the US? They too are threats to internal security.

Double standard, perhaps but I dont see what he did was right. In fact, he incites hatred towards the White House and the West.

I hope this is not what Obama wants...

And in Kuala Lumpur, our leaders did not make any comment!

Unclaimed money everywhere

RM3 billion in unclaimed cash is a BIG sum. Whether the money is at the banks, the EPF or other depositories, the amount is quite alarming.

It either reflects of carelessness, unawareness or selfishness or depositors to name their next of kin or whoever as their inheritors (read h e r e).

Such an amount can finance quite a number of government projects like schools, hospitals and others for the rakyat.

Lets open up our eyes and mind on this.

However, there were cases where inheritors found it not easy to make claims on behalf of the deads. Some took a few years although their names really appeared on the documents.

The government should also look into this.

Money doesnt come that easy anymore...

MAYC - Syed Hamid and... and... and...

Former minister Syed Hamid Albar will handover his MAYC presidency to Suraya Yaacob at the Legend Hotel, Kuala Lumpur around 5pm today.

Nothing extraordinary about it as its a tradition to have a new and younger leader at the helm of the youth movement. Syed Hamid has been there for quite a while.

The only issue is the outstanding debt of more than RM10 million, according to someone who is inside the organisation. However, I believe the figure is double or triple. In 2004, the official figure was more than RM38 million.

Sources also say Sy Hamid and his team were actually a bit reluctant for the handover as it was postponed a few times but finally agreed that its time to let it go. They were said to have plans to retain MAYC assets via a new vehicle. Really?

Even one of its official was said to be earning more than RM10k per month. As a matter of fact, MAYC has dual registrations - with the ROS and ROY. How's that?!

I wish I'm around to shoot him with some questions but unfortunately I'm away.

In 2004, Sy Hamid offered Datuk Dr Azaran Kadir to buy Wisma Belia as one of the limited avenues to raise enough cash to settle MAYC debts which stood at more than RM38 million. Danaharta Urus Sdn Bhd also issue a warning letter for MAYC to set a date of settlement or Wisma Belia and Wisma Tunku go for auctions.

Please read what Dr Azaran wrote h e r e... He got all evidence of how he and Sr Hamid met over the plan. Also, related letters and documents to proof his article was totally correct and precise.

Its very interesting how Dr Azaran wrote about what actually took place throughout his deal with MAYC officials, including his meeting with Sy Hamid and other senior officers.

He even took loan to facilitate his plan to buy Wisma Beliau. However, something went wrong. Continue reading his blog, President...

United Nations is just HOPELESS!

No point barking at the US and Israel, UN! Whatever resolution you pass, it will have to go to the 15-member Security Council as it is the only body with full authority to act.

Members like the United States and Britain will veto the move, as usual. So admit it that you people at the world body is a group of non-relevant officials who only talk and talk but with not action. Afraid Washington and its allies would cut or reduce their financial aids?

The UN yesterday passed a resolution urging the Jewish state and Palestinians to investigate war crimes charges leveled in a controversial report on the Gaza war. This has angered Israel, which however chided the world body that the SC would not dare to sanction it.

Following a two-day debate, 114 countries voted for the resolution with 18 opposed including Israel and its ally the United States while 44 abstained. No country has veto power in the assembly.

The resolution responded to a 575-page report on the Gaza war commissioned by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council, written by a panel led by South African jurist Richard Goldstone and published in September.

The report blasted both sides in the conflict, which killed over 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis, but was harsher toward Israel, which refused to cooperate with Goldstone.

Diplomats said all five veto-wielding permanent Security Council members opposed council involvement, so it was unlikely the 15-nation body - the only UN entity with powers of enforcement - would take action.

Despite European Union aspirations to a common foreign policy, the 27-nation bloc was badly split over the assembly resolution. Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia voted against it.

Ireland, Portugal, Malta, Slovenia and Cyprus voted in favor while others, including Britain and France, abstained.

Most developing countries voted in favor, reflecting sympathy for the Palestinian cause. Muslim states backed the Goldstone report during the assembly debate and called for an end to what they termed Israel's impunity in the Middle East.

Bro, is your manhood OK?

An article in Bernama written by Zulkiple Ibrahim excites me. Not that I am one of those mentioned but I do know some friends who have such a problem.

'Manhood Down', Many Still Reluctant To Seek Help' is an analysis on impotency in men, mostly those ageing. However, it also reveals the problem hits many 'youngs' too.

Why? Please read it h e r e. There are solutions to overcome it. Dont be shy. Our manhood is not for 'cari makan' but for happiness.

Najib's 1MALAYSIA and Hatoyama's 'A NEW NATION'

In Malaysia, our Dewan Rakyat is in session. In Japan, the Diet is seating under its new government. While Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's '1Malaysia' is gaining so much attention, Hatoyama's 'Build A New Nation' does not differ much.

Read Hatoyama's e-mail here:

The new Diet session has begun under the new government. The 173rd session of the Diet, which began on October 26, is the first Diet session since the change of government.

In delivering the policy speech at the beginning of this extraordinary session of the Diet and answering subsequent questions from representatives of political parties, I strove to ensure that the message and answers are prepared by us, politicians, and are conveyed to the people in
as clear language as possible.

This is because in thinking how to give an answer that would reach out to the people, each minister and, of course I myself, thought it important that our wishes become one with those of the people.

If it were just a matter of reading off a script prepared by excellent bureaucrats, as was the tradition with former governments, it would be possible to go through a plenary session no matter who the prime minister or ministers were.

To be honest, as my diplomatic schedule continued, there were times when I felt physically drained in writing from scratch the first and most important policy speech after the inauguration of the new government.

Then, whenever I felt so, I recalled the images of the people who have great expectations of us and entrusted the hope for the future of Japan to us by voting for us. This strengthened my belief that I must express my determination in my own words no matter what; what I want to do in this new government and what kind of nation I want to create.

I am sure that each minister felt the same way. I believe that our Cabinet pushing Diet affairs forward in this manner is one representation of politics of political leadership.

In terms of nation building, the nation that I aim for is a society of "yu-ai," or fraternity, a society of self-support and co-existence in which each individual exerts their capabilities and mutually supports one another.

This applies to the relationships between politics and the people, the public and private sectors, and national and local governments. In order for each individual, each company, and each community to fully exert their capabilities, we must reform laws, regulations, and bad customs that hamper this.

It was only natural for the people and communities, having lost their strengths in the devastation following the defeat in the war, to first look for a government-led rebuilding of the nation.

However, more than 60 years have passed since then and Japan has changed greatly. I want the people to break away from their dependency on others to do something, to think instead what they can do for themselves, and to show their strengths to their full extent.

To this end, I want to value the origin of my politics of fraternity -- to ensure that the perspectives of the disadvantaged in society and minorities are respected. Society must extend a helping hand to the people and places that sincerely need it. The role of politics, I believe, is to create a framework for this.

For the new government, everything is a challenge at this Diet session. The entire Cabinet and all the Diet members will do our utmost to always face the people and conduct Diet affairs for the people, so that the people can feel that politics have changed and anticipate the change that Japan is about to undergo.

I invite you all to actively participate in politics. Let us create our new Japan together!

NOTE: I think Najib and Hatoyama should reciprocate a visit. During Dr Mahathir's 'Look East' policy, Malaysia-Japan relation was at its best, and so were we with the Koreans. We could improve it further.