Mahathir Mohamad Talkasia Transcript

AR: Anjali Rao
MM: Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad

Hello, I am Anjali Rao in Putrajaya, Malaysia. This is Talk Asia!

My guest today is the former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Dr. Mahathir ruled his country for 22 years, taking it on as a tropical backwater and transforming it into one of Asia's most industrialized nations.

Known for his outspoken ways, Dr. Mahathir has been scathing about the successor he hand-picked, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

By his own admission, Dr. Mahathir has a big mouth and he is not afraid to use it.

Block A

Dr. Mahathir welcome to the show. Let's first address the question that everybody has been asking recently. What on Earth is going on with you and the current Prime Minister?

MM Obviously we have differences, perceptions of things and all that differ, and there are some instances where I feel very strongly that he has let down Malaysia. So, I was forced to make some criticism.

AR In what way do you think that he has let down Malaysia?

MM I finally try to stop myself from getting involved, but over this bridge issue, he had said something that was not the true.

AR The bridge from Malaysia to Singapore?

MM In a way, it struck our sovereignty. We have the right to do the bridge on our side and there is no question of asking Singapore whether we should build or we shouldn't build a bridge. But he has apparently made the decision that even a bridge built on our side must have the approval of Singapore. This is our country, we are an independent, sovereign nation. There is no question of asking other people whether we can do something in our country.

AR He has told us that he felt that his decision was made with best interests of the country at heart. That must have been his decision to make though. Wouldn't you agree?

MM Yes, his decisions! But I disagree with him as to that being the best in the interests of Malaysia. We need to have this bridge which allows the water to go through. But the most important thing is that there is a huge traffic jam, because we have the CIQ in the wrong place at the end of the causeway is almost at the center at the heart of town of Johor Baru, and there is always a congestion there.

AR In the run up though, to Prime Minister Abdullah's appointment, one of the things that you were saying is that you are both two very different people and that you have two different approaches to taking the country forward. Is it really fair now to hold those differences against him?

MM Well, I made a promise not to interfere. But I did not think that he would do things which are in my view detrimental to the interests of the country. At that stage I thought I must come out and, well, be critical.

AR Yes, that is one of the things that I just going to quote back to you. Because last time that Talk Asia spoke you in 2002, I asked Whether you take on a behind the scene political role as Singapore founder father Lee Kuan has? And you said: No. I just don't think I should be interfering with things. Isn't this what you are doing now? The dictionary definition of interfering?

MM It is. I admit I am interfering now, because the atmosphere has changed completely. We now have a country where nobody is allowed to criticize the government and above all, not criticize the prime minister.

AR But criticism against the government was severely restricted when you were in power.

MM No. No. I disagree with your view. Certainly CNN has been a critical of me and I have allowed CNN to be seen by everybody. We have the Herald Tribune printed here, we have the Wall Street Journal, Asian Wall Street printed here. They have been critical. If you care to read the local papers in Malaysia you will find that they are always critical of the government.

AR Let me bring you back to the dispute at hand. Even your ruling party UMNO has asked you to pipe down a bit about your criticisms of Prime Minister Abdullah. Why is it so important to you to keep going with that opposition against him? Because there are now suggestions that UMNO itself could end up being deeply divided between those on your side and those on Prime Minister's side.

MM Well, this is not something new. It has happened in UMNO many times. In fact in 1986 the Prime Minister himself was on the side of a group which tried to challenge me, actually challenged me and there was contest for the leadership of the party and I managed to win. He lost. He and his friends lost. So, this has not ended up with UMNO being broken up completely.

AR Do you think that shows, then, that by your criticisms of him, it's actually reflecting more on you having a negative impact on yourself, rather than reflecting on him?

MM I think you will find out that it has a negative effect on him also. It is not always on me. I know what I am talking about.

AR When we spoke to Prime Minister Abdullah about exactly this, he said that, you know, politically speaking, the way that you speak out against him doesn't affect the way he runs the country or conducts his business affairs, but on a personal level, he still sees you as friend. (Mahathir smiles) How do you respond to that? Do you still see him as a friend?

MM Yes. This is not a personal quarrel between him and me. This is about issues. You see? We can be friends, but on issues we can differ. And I am going to differ, but what I don't like is his attempts to muzzle me. I never muzzled him. I allowed him to speak. I allowed everybody to speak during my time. But here, he doesn't allow me to meet any UMNO people, he doesn't allow me to meet even academies, he doesn't allow me to meet civil servants. Invitations issued to me to go and speak have been cancelled.

AR This isn't though the first time you've had a dispute like this on such a higher level. You fired your deputy Anwar Ibrahim, who then served six years in jail. Yet he had once been your chosen successor for Prime Minister, as Mr. Abdullah then ended up being. How do you account for that? Because of the common threat in both of these is you.

MM In the case of Anwar, he looked to me like a good candidate and everything went well until we discovered certain moral deficiencies on his part, which to me does not qualify him to become a Prime Minister.

AR You believe that he was gay.

MM Yeah, well I believe that he has done something that is wrong. Now he is suing me of course about that. But, what happened is I didn't catch him by the scuff of his neck and throw him in jail. I expelled him from the government, which is my right. I expelled him from government, then the police then took action, proper action. He was charged in court and tried for nine months. He had nine lawyers defending him and he was found guilty, and he was sentenced. So that means that here in this country even if you are the highest official, you are not above the law.

AR So the only way you would support him is in the case he was compliant?

MM In the case of Anwar, he was tried. I didn't catch him by the neck and throw him into jail.

AR No, but you sacked him.

MM I sacked him, but that is my right. That is my right!

AR Dr. Mahathir, stay with us. We'll pick this up in a few minutes. Still to come on the program, we'll broach an always testy topic, religion. And we will find out whether Dr. Mahathir's stance has softened at all on the world's Jews. Stay tuned.

Block B:

AR Welcome back to Talk Asia, with my guest Dr. Mahathir Mohamed. Dr, it was in 2003 that you made those comments about Jews which are still being discussed today. Is this still the way you feel?

MM Yes. I still feel that way. Because I can't understand this. You cannot say anything against the Jews but they can say anything they like about Muslims, about other people. You know, we have been called terrorists and things like that, that is alright to everybody. But if you go to 4 countries in Europe and you say well actually it was not 6 million Jews who died in the holocaust but is was 5million,9 hundred and 99 thousand you are going to be thrown into jail!

AR Still though, when you make comments like that about Jews, as a Muslim yourself, are you not just helping to foster the deep animosity that already exist between Islam and the Jewish community?

MM Well they should stop saying things and they should stop killing Muslims. They have no right to invade Lebanon and destroy everything.

AR But we remember how all that started, of course, with Hezbollah going across the border and abducting two Jewish soldiers.

MM Before that, the Jews had already captured so many of these Lebanese in southern Lebanon. Why was that not reported? Why did not Hezbollah invade Israel to bring back some thousands of their people who have been captured by the Jews?

AR Is that what you would advocate?

MM Well I would not advocate that simply because Hezbollah is not capable of doing that. But the Jews make use of their military power to destroy everything, because two of their people have been captured. When thousands of Lebanese were captured, nothing happened.

AR Does that ever concern you that by being so vocal about those views you are creating an image of the whole country of Malaysia, which is known for being an accepting multi-faith society taking that image and turning it on its head?

MM No. I don't think so. We here are very rational. We live in a multi-racial, multi-religious country and we have no problem, because we don't have people who go around killing people, taking other people's land and when people try to get back their land you do all kinds of things to them. It doesn't happen in this country.

AR President George W. Bush issued a rather stern rebuke over those comments you made about the Jews. He has been trying to prove to the Muslim world for the past five years -- since the war on terror started -- that it is not a campaign of The West vs. Islams. How do you think that he is doing on that score?

MM I think it's a campaign of the West against the Muslims, as far as Bush is concerned. The first thing that came out of him: "we should have a crusade." You see, but of course, later on he amended that. But at heart, that is what he has in mind. And you know what disaster he has caused?

AR Still though, Malaysia is cooperating of course in the War on Terror, which was initiated whilst you were in office. How much of a challenge is it for a Muslim country, albeit moderate, to be seen as a close ally of Washington yet making sure not to tread on any religious Islamic sensitivities back home?

MM We are against terrorism and it so happens that the US is also against terrorism, but we don't agree with the way the US goes about fighting against terrorism. But we will continue our fight against terrorism, where we are convinced that these are terrorists. We don't go around killing Muslims just because they are Muslims, therefore they are terrorists. We don't arrest them and exam their shoes or whatever.

AR Something which really did strike at the heart of Islamic sensitivities recently were those comments given by Pope Benedict. His address to an academic gathering. What he did, was that he came out with an ancient quote referring to Islam as evil and inhuman. What are your takes on those comments and the reaction of the Islamic world, given that the Pope had argued that these were not representative of his own views?

MM No. When you quote somebody, it's because you want to bolster your own arguments. So, he believes in what he quotes. He believes the Islam was spread by the sword. You know, the Catholics were very intolerant in the past they used to massacre Jews, they had the Inquisition. For 800 years, Spain was under Muslim rule. There were Christians, there were Jews living there, but when the re-conquest was completed by Ferdinand and Isabella, they were given three choices: either leave Spain, or convert to Christianity, or be put to death.

AR No one doubts that Christianity has an extremely bloody history, as do most religions, but the Pope may well have been looking at situation today, where when we see major attacks, such as 9/11. We see them being perpetrated by extremist Islamists.

MM No. It is not just them. They are defending themselves. That is the only way they can defend themselves.

AR How was September 11 defending oneself?

MM Well if they have fighter planes and all that, they would launch a conventional war. But this is the only thing that they can do. I don't agree with doing that, but when you push people to a corner they will do extraordinary things.

AR Stay with us Dr. Mahathir. We are going to take a short break at this point. Though in a moment, we will discuss Dr. Mahathir's hopes for his nation, plus we'll get personal with the man many here still see as Malaysia's most fearsome political persona

BLOCK C:

AR You are with Talk Asia. Our guest today is Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, the former Premier of Malaysia. Dr. during you time as premier one of yours most forward thinking projects was Vision 2020, in which you said you wanted to turn Malaysia into a 1st world, fully developed country by the year 2020. The current Prime Minister says it is on track. What are you thoughts?

MM Well I don't think we are going to achieve it with the rate of growth that we are seeing today. Everything has been slowed down, ostensibly because we have no money. But I don't believe we have no money. We have plenty of money!

AR What would their reasoning be for saying that, if you don't believe it?

MM They say that I've finished all the money when I was running this country. I spent so much money on mega-projects so that, when I left there was no money. That is why they couldn't continue with double tracking, they couldn't continue with the bridge, they couldn't continue with a whole lot of things.

AR You had such a great hand in turning Malaysia what it is today. How hard is it after 22 years at top to seat back and let somebody else take the reigns?

MM It is not hard if the person who takes the reigns were to do things that are beneficial for the growth of the country. But what is being done is actually to stifle growth. There is a lot of corruption in this country now, which is something I feel needs to be highlighted.

AR But the government under your rule was also accused of wide spread corruption.

MM Corruption, there was, but no to this degree. I mean, leaders, people like me are not corrupted. You may not believe it of course, but that doesn't matter. But today we see the family of the Prime Minister being involved in business, getting contracts and things like that. And, even in a small bi-election money was used. And even a case of my trying to become just a delegate in the convention, money was spent to make sure that I wouldn't be elected in my own division, which I headed for 22 years.

AR So, away from Dr. Mahathir the politician is Dr. Mahathir the man, who has 7 kids. When you were a Prime Minister did you feel that you were able to devote enough time to them?

MM No I didn't. I am not bothered by my family or about having to be close to them or anything or like that. They knew I have a job to do and they put up with it.

AR But having a father and a husband at home would obviously make for a better more tight knit and functional family, wouldn't it?

MM They were away studying most of the time. They were not at home. And when they come back home having completed their studies, they were doing business, they got married and they stayed away, they have their own family. I have 16 grandchildren.

AR You have time on your hand these days because you're retired. What do you do with it?

MM Well, actually I am very busy now because I come to office everyday almost as if I were not retired. I spend a lot of time meeting people who want to call on me and want to see me for advice or whatever. And then I have to spend my time writing. I am trying to write my memoirs and not doing well at all. And then I have to write speeches I get invited to many countries to give talks on various subjects, so I am very busy.

AR What are the difficulties of writing your memoirs?

MM Well, it has been a long time and I am trying to do research to make sure I get all the dates right and that kind of thing takes a long time.

AR You are very famous figure around the world. What is it that you want people to know about you through these memoirs that you don't think we already do?

MM Some people told me that they would be interested to find out how is it that Malaysia, which was an agricultural country could be converted in an industrialized country. How does a third world country manage to prosper? These are the questions I get asked. Then of course, Malaysia is a multi racial, multi-religious country. How do we manage them? Lots of questions about Malaysia and whenever I go abroad people ask me about these questions and ask me about leadership and things like that. So I talk on these subjects.

AR We wish you the very best of luck on all these memoirs and thank you very much indeed for speaking to us today. (You're welcome) And that is it for this edition of Talk Asia. My guest for today as Malaysia former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamed. I'm Anjiali Rao, see you next week.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/11/23/talkasia.mohamad.script/index.html

Pawang mahu santau Bush

Ki Gendeng jadi buah mulut apabila bersumpah akan sihir Presiden AS

BOGOR: Jika ada orang yang dikatakan dapat meraih keuntungan dari lawatan Presiden Amerika Syarikat George W. Bush ke kota ini esok, beliau ialah Pawang Ki Gendeng Pamungkas.

Tindakan dukun ini paling menarik dari kalangan banyak pihak termasuk sejumlah besar pertubuhan bukan kerajaan yang mengadakan bantahan di seluruh negara sejak dua minggu lalu membantah lawatan Bush ke Indonesia selama 10-jam.

Ki Gendeng menjadi buah mulut penduduk kota ini selepas beliau bersumpah dan menyatakan akan mengenakan santau ke atas Bush di Medan Kujang.

Perbuatannya itu mendapat liputan utama akhbar tempatan yang menyertakan gambar beliau sedang melakukan jampi serapah.

Dukun itu yang mendakwa menggunakan gabungan darah kambing, ular dan gagak berkata beliau melakukan sumpahan itu bukan kerana beliau tidak sukakan rakyat Amerika tetapi bencikan Bush.

Mengulas secara on-line tindakan Ki Gendeng, ramai orang berpendapat ia tidak lebih daripada satu pertunjukan menghiburkan sementara yang lain berkata ia menjatuhkan imej negara.

Seorang daripada mereka secara berjenaka berkata, jika sumpahan itu terbukti mendatangkan kesan ke atas Bush dan rombongannya, yang dikata akan kerasukan ketika memasuki Istana Bogor untuk mengadakan pertemuan dengan Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, maka Ki Gendeng akan ketawa besar menuju ke bank.

Beliau akan jadi rebutan di seantero dunia dan akan diambil bertugas oleh CIA (Agensi Perisikan Pusat) AS atau Arab untuk menghapuskan musuh masing-masing.
Tetapi jika beliau gagal, Indonesia akan jadi bahan ketawa dunia, kata seorang pengulas.

Sementara itu, bantahan anti-Amerika semakin memuncak semalam menjelang lawatan Bush ke negara yang mempunyai penduduk Islam paling ramai di
dunia itu. – Bernama/AP

Jom tunggu sampai esok. Jadi apa-apa tak pada Bush. heheh

While Malaysia fiddles, its opportunities are running dry

by Michael Backman

MALAYSIA'S been at it again, arguing about what proportion of the economy each of its two main races — the Malays and the Chinese — owns. It's an argument that's been running for 40 years. That wealth and race are not synonymous is important for national cohesion, but really it's time Malaysia grew up.

It's a tough world out there and there can be little sympathy for a country that prefers to argue about how to divide wealth rather than get on with the job of creating it.

The long-held aim is for 30 per cent of corporate equity to be in Malay hands, but the figure that the Government uses to justify handing over huge swathes of public companies to Malays but not to other races is absurd. It bases its figure on equity valued, not at market value, but at par value.

Many shares have a par value of say $1 but a market value of $12. And so the Government figure (18.9 per cent is the most recent figure) is a gross underestimate. Last month a paper by a researcher at a local think-tank came up with a figure of 45 per cent based on actual stock prices. All hell broke loose. The paper was withdrawn and the researcher resigned in protest. Part of the problem is that he is Chinese.

"Malaysia boleh!" is Malaysia's national catch cry. It translates to "Malaysia can!" and Malaysia certainly can. Few countries are as good at wasting money. It is richly endowed with natural resources and the national obsession seems to be to extract these, sell them off and then collectively spray the proceeds up against the wall.

This all happens in the context of Malaysia's grossly inflated sense of its place in the world.
Most Malaysians are convinced that the eyes of the world are on their country and that their leaders are world figures. This is thanks to Malaysia's tame media and the bravado of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. The truth is, few people on the streets of London or New York could point to Malaysia on a map much less name its prime minister or capital city.

As if to make this point, a recent episode of The Simpsons features a newsreader trying to announce that a tidal wave had hit some place called Kuala Lumpur. He couldn't pronounce the city's name and so made up one, as if no-one cared anyway. But the joke was on the script writers — Kuala Lumpur is inland.

Petronas, the national oil company is well run, particularly when compared to the disaster that passes for a national oil company in neighbouring Indonesia. But in some respects, this is Malaysia's problem. The very success of Petronas means that it is used to underwrite all manner of excess.

The KLCC development in central Kuala Lumpur is an example. It includes the Twin Towers, the tallest buildings in the world when they were built, which was their point.
It certainly wasn't that there was an office shortage in Kuala Lumpur — there wasn't.
Malaysians are very proud of these towers. Goodness knows why. They had little to do with them. The money for them came out of the ground and the engineering was contracted out to South Korean companies.

They don't even run the shopping centre that's beneath them. That's handled by Australia's Westfield.

Next year, a Malaysian astronaut will go into space aboard a Russian rocket — the first Malay in space. And the cost? $RM95 million ($A34.3 million), to be footed by Malaysian taxpayers. The Science and Technology Minister has said that a moon landing in 2020 is the next target, aboard a US flight. There's no indication of what the Americans will charge for this, assuming there's even a chance that they will consider it. But what is Malaysia getting by using the space programs of others as a taxi service? There are no obvious technical benefits, but no doubt Malaysians will be told once again, that they are "boleh". The trouble is, they're not. It's not their space program.

Back in July, the Government announced that it would spend $RM490 million on a sports complex near the London Olympics site so that Malaysian athletes can train there and "get used to cold weather".

But the summer Olympics are held in the summer.

So what is the complex's real purpose? The dozens of goodwill missions by ministers and bureaucrats to London to check on the centre's construction and then on the athletes while they train might provide a clue.

Bank bale outs, a formula one racing track, an entire new capital city — Petronas has paid for them all. It's been an orgy of nonsense that Malaysia can ill afford.

Why? Because Malaysia's oil will run out in about 19 years. As it is, Malaysia will become a net oil importer in 2011 — that's just five years away.

So it's in this context that the latest debate about race and wealth is so sad.

It is time to move on, time to prepare the economy for life after oil. But, like Nero fiddling while Rome burned, the Malaysian Government is more interested in stunts like sending a Malaysian into space when Malaysia's inadequate schools could have done with the cash, and arguing about wealth distribution using transparently ridiculous statistics.

That's not Malaysia "boleh", that's Malaysia "bodoh" (stupid).

http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/while-malaysia-fiddles-its-opportunities-are-running-dry/2006/11/14/1163266550487.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

Penang's second bridge

..Penang bridge model (source: Agendadaily.com)

As a Malaysian, looking at the new bridge design model, I can say that I'm quite impress with it. It also has a pelantar pemandangan at the middle of the bridge. Cool eh?

Quoting a news report from Agendadaily;

"..empat tahun dari sekarang jika tiada yang tergendala dan semua berjalan lancar orang ramai akan mula dapat menyeberang dari Batu Kawan di Seberang Perai ke Batu Maung di bahagian pulau Pulau Pinang diatas jambatan sepanjang 24 kilomiter yang lengkap dengan pelantar pemandangan.."

Dam - Meen Erhabe

Check out this cool music video, 'Meen Erhabe' (Who's the terrorist?) by Palestinian rapper, DAM (Eternity).

The clip begins with a speech by former US Attorney General, Ramsey Clark saying;

"We've had 50 years of assault on Palestinian Rights. I think they are the most terrorized.. at least with the Iraqi people..

They're the most terrorized people on earth.. and have been for so many years

Practically every Palestinian lives in.. constant harrasment, threat of violence, humiliation

It's been that wat for a long long time.. "

you can download the videoclip here. (8.2mb)

Here's part of the English translated lyrics

Who's the terrorist?
I'm the terrorist?!
How am I the terrorist when you've taken my land?

Who's the terrorist?
You're the terrorist!
You've taken everything I own while I'm living in my homeland
You're killing us like you've killed our ancestors

You want me to go to the law?
What for?
You're the witness - the lawyer and the judge!
If you're my judge
I'll be sentenced to death
You want us to be the minority?
to end up this majority in the cemetery?
in your dreams!

You're a Democracy?
Actually it's more like the Nazis!
Your countless raping of the Arabs soul
Finally impregnated it
Gave birth to your child
His name: Suicide Bomber
And then you call him the terrorist?
You attack me but still you cry out

When I remind you it was you who attacked me
You silence me and shout:
"But you let small children throw stones!"
"Don't they have parents to keep them at home?"

WHAT?

You must have forgotten you buried out parents under the rubble of our homes.

And now while my agony is so immense
You call me the terrorist?!
Who's the terrorist?
I'm the terrorist?!
How am I the terrorist
when you've taken my land? ...

Other related song: Outlandish - Look Into My Eyes

Sultan of Johor, Quote of the Week, SJER etc

"Robohkan juga Tambak Johor... Datuk nenek aku (beta) dah kena tipu dengan Mat Salleh...
"Tu causeway tu bukakan, baru negeri Johor ini maju..." - Sultan Iskandar

Buat pertama kali aku mendengar sesuatu yang 'ada isi' daripada Sultan Johor ni. Petikan tersebut daripada ucapan Sultan Johor sewaktu pelancaran pembangunan South Johor Economic Region (SJER). Teringin nak dengar apa komen Pak Lah bila mendengarkan titah baginda Sultan macam tu.

Laporan di bawah pula petikan daripada AFP.

Speaking at the launch of ambitious plans to turn Johor into a thriving economic hub, the state's Sultan Iskandar al-Marhum said the 83-year-old causeway to neighbouring Singapore was undermining the state's economy and was a vestige of colonialism.

"The colonialists built it to develop Keppel Harbour in Singapore," Sultan Iskandar, 74, said in remarks broadcast live on television. "Many people think foreigners are great but I think they are dirty," he added.

"If the causeway is removed, then the economy will develop," he told a crowd of some 2,000 onlookers, who cheeered and clapped at his suggestion.

The causeway was completed in 1923 in pre-independence Malaysia and Singapore, then both under British colonial rule. Carrying piped water from Malaysia to Singapore, it also serves as a road, rail and pedestrian link from the state capital Johor Baru to the town of Woodlands in northern Singapore, and sees daily heavy traffic.

The causeway has been at the centre of a bitter dispute between Malaysia and Singapore, with Malaysia calling for its replacement with a new bridge until dropping those plans in April this year.

Malaysians complain the height of the causeway limits shipping traffic to Malaysian ports and argue a new bridge would allow ships easier access.
"Let ships go through," said Sultan Iskandar, who was flanked by
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at the launch.

Tengok pula berita daripada Channel News Asia;

Singapore stands to gain from Malaysia's South Johor Economic Region
Singapore's Changi Airport and sea ports will eventually be the major gateways for the movement of goods and passengers from Malaysia's South Johor Economic Region (SJER).

The SJER is a project by Malaysia to turn its southern Johor state into a prosperous metropolis similar to Hong Kong or Shenzhen.

When completed in 2025, the SJER will be 2.5 times the size of Singapore and it is set to become Malaysia's second metropolis after the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia plans to turn the SJER into not just a logistical hub but also a centre for medical, educational as well as financial services.

Singapore stands to gain from this development.

Johor's Economic Planning Unit says Singapore's ports and Changi Airport will be the major outlets for SJER exports.

Singapore also stands to gain in another way.

Under the SJER, two zones in Johor Bahru and the Second Link will be known as Free Access Zones where Singaporeans can enter Malaysia without using their passports or going through the immigration.

This proposal, which is meant to attract tourists and foreign workers to the area, is in its preliminary stages.

And for the economic region to develop and grow, the Sultan of Johor has suggested demolishing the Causeway linking Johor and Singapore.

He said that without the Causeway, the Johor economy would prosper.

Responding to the call to demolish the 82-year-old Causeway, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it found the Sultan's remark curious.

Memang sudah jelas dapat dilihat pengaruh dan campur tangan Singapura dalam pentadbiran dan pembangunan negara. Daripada laporan CNA di atas, belum apa-apa lagi telah diberitakan Singapura telah mendapat keuntungan apabila Lapangan Terbang Changi dan pelabuhan Singapura akan menjadi hub masuk utama kepada pembangunan SJER. Apa ni. Pelik. Kita membangunkan negara tapi jiran sebelah yang mendapat lebih untung?

Mungkin sebab inilah agaknya MAS menghentikan operasi penerbangannya di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Senai, dengan alasan tidak menguntungkan, kononnya. Sebab nak beri laluan kepada Changi?? (!)

Di zaman Dr. Mahathir beliau berjaya membangunkan Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) sehinggakan berjaya memikat syarikat-syarikat gergasi dunia seperti Maersk untung berlabuh di PTP, tetapi di zaman Pak Lah, Airport Senai dah sunyi, apa pula agaknya jadi kepada PTP bila mana awal-awal lagi telah dikhabarkan pelabuhan dan lapangan terbang Singapura yang akan diutamakan.

Kemudian, berita seterusnya daripada Bernama;

Khazanah Tells Johoreans To Be Open Minded When Dealing With Singapore
JOHOR BAHARU, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- Khazanah Nasional today called on Johoreans to stop being narrowed minded when dealing with Singapore whose Changi Airport and sea ports will eventually be the major gateways for the movement of goods and passengers from the South Johor Economic Region (SJER).

Khazanah Nasional suruh agar rakyat Johor lebih terbuka dengan Singapura? Atau dengan kata lainnya, supaya kita lebih memberi, bertolak ansur dengan Singapura? Open minded? Jangankan sampai kepala kita dipijaknya pun dikatakan open minded! Soalnya, sejak bila Singapura pernah bertolak ansur dengan kita?

Asyik asyik kita saja yang 'bagi muka' kat depa nih. Asyik asyik kita saja yang bercakap pasal prosper thy neighbour lah, memakmurkan jiranlah kononnya, sikit-sikit terdengar komen daripada pemimpin negara mengatakan, oh, hubungan Malaysia-Singapura sudah bertambah baik, tapi kerajaan Singapura peduli apa pasal kita?! Kita je lebih-lebih. Agaknya kita ni memang suka menyusukan kera di hutan batu seberang tambak tu.

artikel menarik tentang isu SJER ni (BeritaKMU); Johor giving up sovereignity to Singapore?

Sayangnya kita mendapat pemimpin pelapis yang tak memahami, tak dapat membawa visi dan wawasan jauh pemimpin terdahulu. Seperti kata Dr Mahathir dalam interview beliau dengan majalah Time,

"Planning means looking ahead. When I do things, I think very far ahead, not 10 years, 20 years, [but] 100 years ahead."

Aku dah bosan dengan semua ni sebenarnya. Kalau boleh nak tulis pasal benda yang tak pening kepala otak sangat lepas ni.

Oh, sebelum terlupa, Selamat Pengantin Baru buat kakakku dan suami (Akmal). Semoga berbahagia ke akhir hayat. Amin.

Salam Eid ul-Fitr II

Pagi 30 Ramadhan 1427H.

KL dah lengang

Salam Eid ul-Fitr

Selamat menyambut kedatangan 1 Syawal.
Selamat Hari Raya.
Maaf Zahir dan Batin.