Speakers' Corner

Occasional contributions from readers, which do not necessarily reflect the views of Sarawak Report but may be published at the discretion of the site

Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks

Reports indicate that PAS boss Hadi has failed to impress diplomats in the countries in which he is due to represent Malaysia because of his negative attitudes. It appears that they are trying to make him fit for his new role, if only not to further tarnish Malaysia’s reputation; already damaged by the antics of […]

Negative Photograph

Malaysia’s most senior police officer, the Inspector General, is  warning the public not to photograph his officers while they are checking motorists!  Why not? Surely publicity that the PDRM are doing what they, including the IGP, are paid to to should be positive evidence of police efficiency; a matter about which there are more than

Beer Wars

Reports indicate that a decision to allow a brewery to continue operating during the Covid crisis has been overturned by the “Cabinet” (Inverted commas intentional as this body lacks any legitimacy). Since the “decision” has seemingly been overturned the question must arise who made it originally and why? In a Muslim majority country with a

Murder Most Foul

Before the Covid epidemic reached Malaysia, and before the Agong ignored the result of his personal polling of MLAs as to who enjoyed majority support to be Prime Minister, the Sarawak State government was notorious for misapplication of public funds and permitting its cronies to strip the State of its precious timber resources. In fact,

Where Are They?

In other countries, around the world, leaders, national and political, are showing themselves publicly. Their example and their acknowledgment that they are in their places because their people want and respect them, or because they hold elected positions or even, in fewer cases, because they are recognised as national leaders whose words and actions must

‘Winner Their Hearts’

A PAS official is reported as denying that the appointment of PAS boss Hadi as a “special envoy” was requested by PAS. We are led to believe that it was down to the special experience and capabilities of the PAS bigwig. He and his fellows certainly recently demonstrated their “capabilities” by buying a number of

Charm Offensive

It is interesting to see what appears as a possibly concerted effort in the local Press to burnish the image of the present Agong. Pictures show him, informally dressed, standing next to a group of women  outside the Istana Negara. If this photo opportunity was intended to show him in a good light what it

Senior Ministers

It now appears that inflated self esteem among the coup Cabinet Ministers is not, after all, limited to the coup author Azmin.  Now the Minister of Defence is being so described though it is not clear if he is personally claiming the title. The real point is that  “coup” Ministers appear to be more interested

Lack Of Data

Self described Senior Minister (a new category of Minister? Muyhiddin watch out) Azmin has announced a “lack of data” as his excuse for failing to make emergency aid available. Not very comforting for an electorate now ruled by an unelected administration in the midst of a national emergency. Still Malaysians must be grateful to the

Thieves Ask For ‘Their’ Money Back

Press reports quote a Minister in the puppet PN government as saying that its request to the United States for return of money stolen by Najib and co from 1MDB would soon be acceded to. Did he, one is bound to ask, consult with fellow PN bigwig Najib about this? Assuming that the US did

Sticking To Lying In Court

Ex PM Najib is reported as claiming that the PH government spent far more than his did and cited some irrelevant statistics about government expenditures in an attempt to support his fancy claims. The REAL difference is that PH spent on public purposes while he simply used taxpayers money as his personal piggy bank Malaysians

Ministerial Donations

Two month’s pay? Quite a sacrifice for those few in the new Cabinet who are reliant on official salaries for their income. Since they are being so, publicly, generous could we know who they are? And at the same time who, among the mega rich “Ministers” are or intend to be a trifle more generous?

Shared Prosperity Vision

A Minister in the yet to be approved “government” has spoken publicly about what he called this vision. Unfortunately he omitted to detail who exactly will be “sharing” it; always assuming that the communal “government” remains in power and one Malaysian community is specially favoured at the expense of others. Not exactly democracy but a

Crooks Infighting

Reports indicate that Najib Razak, temporarily relieved from the pressure of defending his thefts of public funds, has warned that there are “limitations” to UMNO support for the backdoor, VIP supported, Perikatan government, headed by Muyhiddin. That is a very significant development since it shows that Najib, despite his arrest and trials for dishonesty offences,

Sink Together Or Sing Separately?

Press reports quote the Sultan of Selangor as claiming that the Agong “acted in accordance with the Constitution” in appointing Muyhiddin as Prime Minister. That, in itself, is an inaccurate statement. The power of the Agong is to ask his choice to form a government which can command a majority in the Assembly. Manifestly that

Wrong!

Press reports quote the Sultan of Selangor as saying that the King had used his discretion in the matter of appointing a new Prime Minister “as provided for by the law”.  It is not clear if this Ruler has any legal qualifications but in any case he is quite wrong in what he said. It

The Biter Bit

Criticism is growing within UMNO over the role of PH defector Azmin Ali. Having manipulated the accession to power of nonentity Muyhiddin, UMNO bosses, and possibly PAS leaders, have strengthened their criticism of Azmin, especially when Muyhiddin revealed that in his absence Azmin would chair Cabinet meetings. As the ailing Prime Minister seems increasingly likely

Anyone But Me

Former Prime Minister Mahathir seems to have embarked on a campaign aimed at placing the blame for the current political situation on anyone but himself. Quite how that jibes with the fact that his resignation as Prime Minister brought about the situation which allowed Malay supremacists at all levels to pervert the Constitution and put

Shahrizat’s nightmare scenario

In order to seek the RM253.6 million still owed to Malaysian taxpayers, on February 13 the Malaysian High Court summoned the former BN-led Minister of Women and Family Shahrizat Jalil and her family to court for trial. For those unfamiliar with Shahrizat’s infamous National Feedlot Centre (NFC) ‘Cowgate’ corruption scandal, leaked financial evidence indicates that

Murder Most Foul

The latest public revelations about the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya make one thing clear. The investigation was botched, the prosecution equally so, and the Court of Appeal was correct in annulling the High Court proceedings. The new evidence provided in his recent Statutory Declaration by one of the two murderers points the finger at

Holier Than You?

The PAS deputy leader just went public with a defence of his party’s administration in Kelantan, claiming that it took full account of the welfare of its people. After a deal of trumpet blowing on that subject he also had something to say about the recent purchase of “official cars” by the PAS State government. 

If You Steal It Spend It

A Malaysian High Court judge has dismissed an application by the Government to recover hundreds of millions of ringgit by ex Prime Minister Najib to UMNO and putatively derived from government funds in respect of which Najib is currently undergoing trial. The Court also observed that the money in question had long been spent. That

The Wheels Of Justice

Proverbially these are said to grind exceeding slowly but exceeding small. The first half of that saying is being publicly demonstrated in Malaysia today. Two years after the seizure of large quantities of valuable jewellery from Rosmah Mansor there are still arguments about it and a Court is allowing her to inspect the items in

Mega Criminals

In recent times Malaysians have been able to learn what other Malaysians have been doing, criminally, in connection with ruthless and destructive exploitation of tropical forests in other countries, specifically Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Their activities in both these countries are redolent of the very worst type of colonial exploitation. And not

Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied

This axiom, known to all in the legal profession, be they judges or advocates or officials concerned with the administration of justice in Malaysia. But, despite this universally honoured principle, in democracies at least, the facts seem to show that it is bring ignored in Malaysia. A prime example is the long drawn out criminal

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