Rocky brewing bout Malaysians' most expensive homes

 

Riza Aziz's condo worth RM110 million, so what?

 

• Famous blogger Rocky has recently brewing the Sarawak Report about a RM110 million condo in New York purchased by a 36-year old Malaysian that has been picked up by not only Malaysiakini but also by influential pro-establishment bloggers like Big Dog (Movie of the Week pick), The Scribe (Kesian Tun Abdul Razak) and Outside The Box (Umno Bloggers, Sekarang Kita Mampus).
• The story about Riza Aziz has gone viral because he happens to be Rosmah Mansor's son from an earlier marriage; therefore, Najib Razak's stepson. Potent ingredients for an explosive expose! If the story's true, Riza's property is just the latest in the list of hot homes overseas owned by Malaysians which have been covered in the Malaysian socio-political blogosphere.
• Just last month, Malaysians were reading about a home supposedly owned by Opposition politician Saifuddin Nasution (Bernarkah rumah Saifudin di Australia RM73.3 juta?). The PKR sec-gen had denied the story and purportedly told someone that it belonged to one Rahim Ghouse (Saifudin kata banglo di Australia milik Rahim Ghouse?). Not many of today's young Malaysians know who Mr Ghouse is. Ask Anwar Ibrahim, he'd probably remember who Ghouse is and how/where he got all that money.



 
• Back in March 2009, a blog posted From Perth to Ottawa about one of the most expensive homes in Ottawa belonging to a Jamilah, the daughter of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, and her Canadian husband.
• And then there's the famous home in Mosman Park overlooking the unforgettable bay in Perth. First thought to belong to former Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, it was later revealed by a close relative that the house, which was said to cost some A$10 million, actually belonged to Kamaluddin Abdullah, the son.
• PKR's Tian Chua wants MACC to investigate Riza's condo in New York. It is not certain whether MACC could, should or would do that, but a politician half as sleek as Tian Chua would know that the call itself is enough to build the perception that corruption is somehow involved in the purchase of the apartment. Never mind if Riza is not Najib's son; he is Rosmah's and that's more than enough to end 2013 on a juicy note for some people!
• Riza's condo had actually been exposed in December last year by celebrity photographer Kee Hua Chee, who even explained how Riza Aziz made his money. Nobody paid too much attention back then, for some reason.
• Kee Hua Chee even throws in an interview with Riza and his business partner Joey McFarland on the making of the US$100 million Wolf of Wall Street starring Leonardo DiCaprio and the duo's company Red Granite.
• Rocky’s blog received few interesting comments. Some said, the only issue that Riza faces is that a movie he helped finance was rated lower that X, and Rosmah said that Malaysian school children should see it. If not for that, Riza would be hailed as a Bumiputra businessman who made good in the U.S., without the benefit of affirmative action.
• What proof do they have that he (Riza) was able to buy that house with the proceeds of corruption in Malaysia. It's not that such things cannot and do not happen but where's the proof that Riza is guilty of such misdeed. So this is the gutter into which Malaysian politics has descended.
• Another reader said “ Yang sebenarnya orang Melayu tak boleh tengok orang Melayu kaya dan berjaya. Riza Aziz berusaha dangan daya usaha sendiri. Filemnya naik bukan kerana Najib dan Rosmah, tetapi diterima oleh masyarakat dunia. Industri filem di Amerika tidak ada ada kena mengena dengan politik Malaysia. Biarlah seorang anak Melayu menempah nama di persada antarabangsa.

Pemborong kemaruk naikkan harga tanpa rasa bersalah

Rakyat semakin gelisah apabila semua pihak mahu naikkan harga barangan dan perkhidmatan

• Bagi mereka yang kerap ke pasar membeli keperluan dapur, perubahan harga pasti dapat dirasakan. Biarpun KPDNKK menyatakan harga tidak banyak berubah, hakikatnya pengguna terpaksa berbelanja lebih dengan nilai wang semakin kecil.
• Secara mudah, pengguna boleh menyalahkan kerajaan kerana masalah berkenaan. Namun bagi mereka yang berfikiran waras dan sedar bahawa kerajaan bukannya penentu harga, pasti akan melihat masalah sebenar berakar umbi daripada golongan pemborong.
• Mereka antara golongan yang tidak tersentuh dek undang-undang, begitu berkuasa dalam menentukan harga dan memberi tekanan ke atas rakyat namun mereka tidak pernah dipersalahkan.
• Beberapa bulan kebelakangan ini, kita melihat sendiri bagaimana persatuan pemborong, termasuk mereka yang menyediakan perkhidmatan seperti persatuan pengusaha bas sekolah, melakukan tekanan kepada pihak kerajaan untuk menaikkan kadar bayaran.
• Sekalipun kerajaan memberi amaran akan bertindak tegas, mereka langsung tidak takut. Malah mewujudkan persepsi umum bahawa kerajaan tidak mampu berbuat apa-apa melainkan hanya memberi amaran kosong.
• Persatuan perniagaan yang berasaskan makanan juga turut menggunakan alasan pertambahan kos untuk menaikkan harga barangan makanan. Malah antara alasan yang digunakan ialah, negeri China sedang dilanda banjir dan negara berkenaan telah mengurangkan eksport gandum. Semuanya semata-mata untuk mewajarkan kenaikan harga dilakukan oleh mereka.
• Sekalipun industri perikanan di bawah kuasa LKIM namun kegiatan pemborong seolah-olah tidak tertakluk di bawah Kementerian Pertanian, LKIM dan KPDNKK. Seringkali kegiatan menaikkan harga dilakukan oleh pemborong-pemborong yang berlindung di belakang persatuan dengan menggunakan alasan-alasan yang ada kalanya tidak masuk akal seperti penggunaan kotak bercip.
• Penghujung 2013 menyaksikan pemborong terus menaikkan harga berasaskan makanan tanpa sebarang rasa bersalah. Yang menjadi mangsa adalah pengguna. Apabila ditanya, para pekedai dan peruncit menyatakan pemborong telah menaikkan harga.
• Menariknya, apabila ditanya pemborong, mereka menuding jari ke arah kerajaan. Kononnya, kerajaan yang menaikkan harga dan ramai percaya dengan tohmahan pemborong yang kebanyakannya bermata sepet.
• Kerajaan dipersalah kerana membuat keputusan berhubung tarif elektrik, harga diesel dan petrol bersubsidi selain membuat penentuan harga terhadap barangan kawalan seperti beras, gula dan sebagainya.
• Seringkali keputusan kerajaan tertakluk kepada tekanan daripada para pemborong. Bagi mengelak kekurangan barangan di pasaran, kerajaan akhirnya terpaksa berlembut hati dan menaikkan harga. Selain itu terdapat juga faktor perjanjian seperti dalam kes tarif elektrik yang menyebabkan kerajaan terpaksa akur.
• Kebanyakan rakyat, khususnya yang terpengaruh dengan perangkap pemborong yang berselindung di belakang parti-parti politik tertentu. Yang jelas DAP yang mendukung perjuangan bangsa Cina segera menyalahkan kerajaan bagi sebarang kenaikan harga.
• Mereka melihat Kerajaan Malaysia seperti kerajaan komunis dan kerajaan sosialis yang membuat penentuan bagi segala harga, kawalan bekalan dan pengedaran. Kekurangan barangan segera dipersalahkan kepada kerajaan walaupun pemborong sebenarnya yang menyorok barangan bagi membolehkan tekanan kepada permintaan dan harga dinaikkan.
• Itu yang sedang berlaku di Malaysia. Kuasa sebenar di Malaysia bukanlah kerajaan sebaliknya pemborong. Pemborong melakukan tekanan  dan pemborong membiayai sekumpulan orang untuk mempercepatkan tekanan menerusi demonstrasi dan kerja huru-hara yang lain, tetapi sebahagian rakyat tetap melihat Kerajaan yang bersalah. Pemborong mencetuskan krisis harga, tetapi kerajaan yang dituduh dan dipersalahkan.
• Ramai berkata, pemecahan monopoli merupakan satu-satunya jalan terbaik untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini. Namun pemecahan monopoli seperti yang dilakukan oleh kerajaan dalam industri gula dan tepung serta minyak masak, tetap tidak menyelesaikan masalah, bahkan keadaan pasaran terus huru-hara apabila pihak yang monopolinya telah dipecahkan, bertindak membiayai pembangkang dan menyalahkan kerajaan selain mengurangkan bekalan bagi meningkatkan harga.
• Amat malang bagi sebuah negara seperti Malaysia yang rakyatnya seringkali berfikiran secara singkat dan gagal mempraktikkan ilmu pengetahuan asas yang mereka pelajari dari bangku persekolahan, sebaliknya menganggap jalan termudah untuk mengatasi segala masalah kenaikan harga di dalam negara adalah dengan menukar kerajaan atau berdemonstrasi di jalanraya.
• Yang pasti, semua yang dilakukan oleh segelintir rakyat Malaysia yang mahu menunjuk-nunjuk tentangan mereka kepada kerajaan, tidak akan mencapai matlamat menurunkan harga seperti yang diuar-uarkan, bahkan para pemborong akan terus menaikkan harga secara tidak terkawal kerana kerajaan pastinya tidak mahu negara kucar-kacir dan pada masa yang sama, tidak mahu pula bekalan makanan serta keperluan asas lain terjejas kerana permainan politik para pemborong. -- MyKMU

Petronas being hit again and again

Petronas in hot soup

• There are about 500 companies involved in Oil and Gas (OGA) industries in Malaysia. It is TRUE that few companies did not received projects from Petronas. Does it make Petronas a culprit? Why someone must use a non-governmental organization (NGO) who is not familiar with OGA to conclude the prestigious GLC neglecting the Malays? Lets check it out.
• BERNAMA writes, the Malaysian Oil and Gas Services Council (MOGSC) says accusations that Bumiputera companies are neglected by Petronas are baseless, describing them as provocation from those who do not understand the industry.
• MOGSC president Sofiyan Yahya said such a perception was insulting, as it downplayed Bumiputera participation in one of the largest contributors to the nation's revenue.
• He said Petronas had stated that a company had to meet Bumiputera stakeholding standards before any licence was approved. The stakeholding varies among the fields of work, with a minimum of 30 per cent Bumiputera participation.
• "The Bumiputera community has a healthy participation in the oil and gas (OG) industry. It is insulting to downplay Bumiputeras' contribution. There is no OG industry in Malaysia without Bumiputera players."
• Sofiyan said MOGSC, being the largest representative of OG players in the country, was called upon to be the voice of the industry, in light of negative reports that Bumiputera companies were being deprived of projects by Petronas.
• "MOGSC has 450 members, with 90 per cent being Bumiputera companies. All have contracts."
• He said apart from Bumiputera participation, companies applying for licences from Petronas must possess an understanding of the OG industry, skills, integrity, professionalism and competency.
• "Even after obtaining licences, companies seeking contracts from Petronas must enter the bidding process. There are some companies that do not want to bid, as they feel that securing licences is their right to contracts. They do not understand the process. Petronas is transparent with it."
• Sofiyan said for those interested in venturing into the industry, Petronas' "vendor development programme" platform helped Bumiputera companies gain expertise in their desired areas.
• "The council has received complaints from companies, which have licences from Petronas, that they were not invited to the bidding process, apart from those who did so and lost, although to other Bumiputera companies. But, when Petronas initiates the tender process, it considers the capabilities of the companies. So, sometimes, a company is not put on the vendor list as it is incapable."
• Commenting on the Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development in Pengerang, Johor, Sofiyan said there was no issue over contract distribution, as it was yet to be finalised by Petronas.
• He said the final investment decision was expected to be made at the end of March next year and Petronas was now doing preparatory works, such as channelling water to the work site. He said Bumiputera companies that were interested in being involved needed to prepare themselves as once the project was rolled out, Petronas planned to allocate portions to Bumiputera companies and Johor-based entities.
• Sofiyan said the construction of the main plants required billions of ringgit in investment and high technology, and that even non-Bumiputeras could not compete against foreign companies.
• "Bumiputera companies must look to maintenance and inspection projects and many more supporting jobs over the next 50 years."

Malaysian employees work too much too long

Malaysia employees work too much too long

• MANY did not realise they have been working days and nights till their health deriorated or even died. In the name of survival of the fittest, employees are forced to wok too much and too long.
• Cost of urban livings climbed gradually but not their salaries. Barking to the government won't help them much as life must go on and children need to be fed. Its time to do extra works for extra monies either in the same company or different.
• Some go OT, double jobs, sidelines and any names as long as it can generate extra cash for them. In some poor countries, lecturers get extra cash after office hours as taxi drivers. Lower scale employees did double or triple jobs and they worked 18 hours a day including weekends. Sorry to say that some even part timely prostitute themselves to survive among the fittest.
• Those situations happened in Malaysia even though we are no longer in the group of poor countries. We are slightly better than the Africans, Indonesians and the Mongolians. But we are far from USA, Europe, UK, Australia and other 1st world countries.   
• A recent survey in Malaysia found 70 per cent of employees spend between two and five hours working beyond their official work hours every day, with 63 per cent admitting to not spending enough time with their family due to long working hours.
• Jobstreet.com surveyed 954 employees across various industries in Malaysia two months ago, shockingly revealed that nearly 54 per cent of the respondents don't even get the chance to finish their annual leave entitlement.
• "More and more executives are staying back late in the office, due to the increasing demands of their work, particularly meetings. Many are forced to attend evening discussions, or clear their work after office hours because of meetings, crises or other interruptions during the day," said Corporate Coach Academy chief executive officer Michael Heah.
• "It's a critical time for both employers and employees to do something about this before they suffer burnout, develop health problems or put a strain on their relationships.
• "Although many employees are aware that they're spending too much time working, most are afraid to convey their unhappiness to their bosses.
• "Unfortunately, it's not in our culture to tell our superiors how we feel or what we want," he said.
• Nearly 75 per cent of the survey respondents stay late at the office to complete their heavy workload, with a majority stating that they're not paid for the extra hours they put in.
• Only 25 per cent of respondents don't get any interruptions from work during their holidays, while 78 per cent ensure their handphones are contactable by their bosses at all times. Almost all respondents get emergency texts from their bosses.
• Heah commented that Asian employers tend to be more demanding than Westerners because they themselves are workaholics.
• "The reasoning that 'If I can do it, why not you?" causes many employers to force these expectations and feelings of guilt onto their employees. Just like how they are afraid to tell their immediate bosses how they feel or what they want, these people inculcate the same behaviour in their subordinates. Hence, this syndrome perpetuates in the workplace like an ingrained work culture for all to follow.
• "Having said that, most organisations are doing a lot of 'fire-fighting' because business has become more challenging. This gives rise to many unnecessary activities, which affect lives, in and out of the workplace."
• The work-life balance survey also revealed that the top reasons respondents gave for working overtime were unreasonable deadlines and an overloading of work.
• The majority of respondents felt companies needed to provide flexi working hours, allowing them the option of choosing from a range of start and end times.
• Another suggestion was for companies to have a policy encouraging employees to work less than 40 hours a week, rather than making it compulsory to work from 9am to 6pm daily.
• About 60 per cent indicated that their company did not carry out any initiatives to promote work-life balance at all.