KEPALA Batas’ MP could have spared herself and us a lot of grief by simply apologising for her blunder and moving on.

Instead, Dr Siti Mastura Muhammad faces an impending suit for claiming that DAP leader Lim Guan Eng is related to Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng and late Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

She remains resolutely defiant and is reportedly standing by her bizarre claim. Police have also begun an investigation on her.

It has also been reported that she has handed over “reference material” on her claim of a family conspiracy in DAP with her lawyer saying it’s up to the police to determine whether the material is authentic.

It really sounds like a shabby defence. Whether it’s a book, article, dossier or even a work by an academic or a political party if the material is faked or flawed, it doesn’t absolve a person for having used it against someone. Ultimately, that would simply make it fake news. The debutant PAS lawmaker should know better for someone with an impressive academic qualification, including possessing a doctorate.

She should have seen the red flags. No, not of the communist kind, but warning signs that these things can’t amount to the truth.

It’s simply too far-fetched. Why weren’t any of these “sepupu” links in any of our textbooks? I’m sure she didn’t fall asleep in history class, unlike many of us. She must have been a bright spark in school.

But it now appears otherwise. Malaysians would like to see her source of information to back her claims, if it’s even credible at all.

At the recent PAS convention, she said Chin Peng, real name Ong Boon Hua, was cousin, or sepupu, to Guan Eng’s father, Kit Siang.

She also erroneously referred to Kuan Yew’s surname as Lim instead of Lee in her haste to link Kit Siang to Kuan Yew.

This is even worse because she failed to get the surname of the first Singapore Prime Minister right.

She even insisted that Kuan Yew still lived in Singapore. Well, Elvis Presley must still be alive and living in Las Vegas if we go by her logic!

Siti appears to have a knack for conspiracy theories.

If this didn’t already tickle our funny bone, she insisted that Guan Eng’s wife, Betty, is related to other DAP leaders including Anthony Loke, Teresa Kok and Nga Kor Ming.

Conspiracy theories: They definitely don’t have a place in our Parliament.

Siti has instead tried to deflect attention on her by demanding updates from the police on the 3R (race, religion and royalty) investigation on Guan Eng, who is DAP’s chairman. Guan Eng has claimed that a news report on his speech in Mandarin was distorted.

Lim clarified that he had spoken about a 70-year-old Hindu temple which had been demolished by the Kedah government in 2020, and not what had been reported by the news portal.

This is a problem plaguing many politicians – lacking humility to admit fault. They always think they are infallible.

Whether it’s an ego problem or just plain stubbornness, many politicians think conceding to a mistake impacts their credibility. If only they realise that most of them don’t score well on trust ratings.

Amazingly, they also believe apologising can make them vulnerable, or compromise their power and status, which would make them look inadequate or incompetent in the eyes of their party members.

Dr Siti Mastura remains resolutely defiant and is reportedly standing by her bizarre claim. — Screencapture/RTM

It wouldn’t be surprising if her own party thinks that by saying sorry, it would make them appear meek, and a fight, even if it means a suit, would make PAS look better.

After all, defamation cases drag on for years, and by that time, no one will remember them anymore. A quick apology would, presumably, make Siti look weak.

Eventually, everyone gets tired and will likely settle for an amicable agreement by tendering an apology. By then, the entire nation would have lost interest and may not even recall the incident.

With the media though, we have become accustomed to being blamed for misquoting and getting our information wrong. Politicians often accuse us of reporting out of context or supposedly bad reporting.

Of course, there are sloppy as well as rogue reporters. Likewise, there are honest and forgiving politicians, too.

YB, the police have more important things to do than worry about your half-baked claims of Lims being related to Chin Peng, and the court’s time is certainly better served elsewhere than listening to you.

The Parliament has suffered enough ridicule with this latest episode. Spare Malaysians from further embarrassment, please.

I don’t know about “sepupu” or other familial ties, but this has made the MP for Kepala Batas the mother of all outrageous historical claimants.

IF the bottom of the barrel had already been scraped by some of our recalcitrant Members of Parliament spanning racist to sexist remarks, then Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Muhammad’s claim has bore a hole right through.

The debutant PAS lawmaker ludicrously claimed that DAP leader Lim Guan Eng is related to deceased Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng and late Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Speaking at the recent PAS convention, she said Chin Peng – whose real name is Ong Boon Hua – was cousin, or sepupu, to Kit Siang, Guan Eng’s father.

She also erroneously referred to Kuan Yew’s surname as Lim instead of Lee in her outrageously ignorant attempt to link Kit Siang to Kuan Yew.

If that didn’t do enough to put us in stitches, she accused Guan Eng’s wife, Betty, of being related to other DAP leaders including Anthony Loke, Teresa Kok and Nga Kor Ming.

Well, the “Lim Dynasty” accusation on many DAP family members has been bandied about for a while, but the family tree certainly hasn’t extended to the CPM and People’s Action Party founder.

Thanks to social media, Malaysians now get to see the viral video of the MP parading her utter stupidity.

Her constituents must be cringing in embarrassment for voting this politician in who, for some miraculous reasons, has managed to wrest the Kepala Batas seat, once an Umno stronghold. It was long held by Tun Abdulllah Ahmad Badawi, our affable former premier.

It’s stunning how she could have made the claim, and with such bravado, too. No doubt she wanted to link Guan Eng to two historic figures unpopular among some Malay factions, but the logic or lack of is simply incomprehensible. It surely must take some talent to do that.

It’s obvious she has little to zero understanding of her fellow Malaysians. Yes, we may be ethnic Chinese, but we are Malaysians first.

The Chinese community comprises many dialect groups and most times, we don’t understand or try conversing with each other.

Likewise, there are Malays who come from Javanese, Bugis, Minang, Achehnese and even Thai descent.

Let’s clear her haze by starting with the three names Siti Mastura mentioned – Chin Peng was a Foochow born in Sitiawan.

Kit Siang was born in Batu Pahat and Guan Eng in Johor Baru. They are Hokkien, while Kuan Yew was Hakka.

If she’s reading this, I believe Siti Mastura is now even more confused. Since the video went viral, she has evaded the media at the Parliament House.

The outspoken one has opted for radio silence, believing it will be forgotten, and is likely hoping she can hide behind the age-old “the video was edited and taken out of context” spiel spewed by politicians.

Well, let’s educate her further since we’ve already begun. Surnames among the Chinese can be complicated. Most of us are not Lee or Nguyen, unlike Koreans and Vietnamese.

So, Wong, like my name, is Cantonese. The Hokkien equivalent is Ooi and among Mandarin speaking Chinese, it’s Huang. Both the common denominators are derived from the grassroot word “yellow”, where the genealogy begins.

In Indonesia, it’s spelt Oey, especially among the Chinese community in Kalimantan, while the Lim is altered to Liem.

Then, there’s Tan, which means magnificent in ancient Chinese. Most are Hokkien but among the Cantonese, it’s usually Romanised to Chan, exemplified in the popular Hong Kong movie star, Jackie Chan’s name. Some Teochew even spell it as Tang.

The Lim surname is certainly one of the most prevalent in the Chinese community with an estimated 20 million people worldwide with it, roughly 800,000 of whom are in Malaysia alone, reveal reports.

The Hakka, Hokkien, Teochew and Hainan communities Romanise it to Lim while the Cantonese speaking community, especially in Hong Kong, uses Lam.

By the way YB, not all Lees are Chinese. As is common knowledge, Lee is a popular surname in South Korea, too. But there are also many Caucasians with the Lee surname.

Kung fu star Bruce Lee is not related to Baywatch star Pamela Anderson’s ex-husband and rock band Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee, or Christopher Lee, who famously played the fanged vampire Dracula in many horror movies.

I can forgive Siti Mastura for this one since she wasn’t born yet and likely lacks exposure to popular culture. She unfortunately missed these Lees or else she wouldn’t have her Lees and Lims all mixed up.

For sure, these “Lees” can’t be “sepupu” of Kuan Yew.

As a Penangite, I’m grossly embarrassed by her blunder. We thought Doraemon, the MP, not the cartoon character, was comical, but this Kepala Batas MP has etched her name in the annals of Malaysian Parliament for the most absurd claim so far.

We may come in different colours and creeds, but ultimately, we’re one and the same, if that’s still news to our honorary voices of the people. And in Malaysia, we wish everyone for our festive seasons. So, Happy Deepavali to those celebrating and the rest of our great country. May the light shine upon us.

Improvements are apparent, but we must still brace ourselves for a turbulent year ahead.

WHEN the ringgit’s value continues to slip against the skyrocketing cost of living, not many Malaysians are interested in listening to complicated economic reasons for the depreciation.

The ordinary Malaysian worker who is struggling to put food on the table and pay his bills, only wants to know what the federal government is going to do about it.

For Opposition politicians, this offers an opportunity to score brownie points and blame the government for its purported failure to competently handle the country’s finances.

But that’s their job. The present government leaders did likewise when they were on the other side of the fence, too.

In fact, when the unity government came to power and the ringgit strengthened, they were quick to claim credit.

At the recent Conference of Rulers’ meeting, the Rulers also wanted to know why the ringgit is sliding and what the government had to say about it.

Malaysia, like many other countries, is facing the same predicament as our currency continues to free fall.

Other currencies have taken a beating but ours, unfortunately, has been dealt the severest blows in the region. That’s certainly bad for local politics.

But external factors, like the continuously high US interest rates to fend off its inflation and rising geopolitical uncertainties, have been big contributors to our weak ringgit, too.

The US doesn’t care how its actions impact the rest of the world. It only needs to stop its out-of-control inflation.

It’s the highest interest rates in 22 years as the US fights to stabilise prices in its economy.

But there are other reasons as well. For example, Ukraine, known as the “breadbasket of the world,” has been a top exporter of grains including wheat, barley, corn, soybeans and oilseeds, but the troubles there have affected the price of food worldwide.

A year on, and the war with Russia continues to rage.

Before the conflict, an estimated 70% of Ukraine was farmland, but the situation has since changed dramatically.

Global headwinds: The ringgit’s depreciation means food will be more expensive. By 2021, Malaysia had almost doubled its food import bill to RM78bil. — ZAZALI MUSA/The Star

Now, there’s another story unfolding in the Middle East as the world hopes the war between Israel and Palestine will be confined to just the Gaza Strip and won’t draw Lebanon and Syria into it, or worse, Iran, which backs Hamas and Hezbollah.

The ringgit’s depreciation means food will be more expensive. By 2021, Malaysia had almost doubled its food import bill to RM78bil.

According to reports, we bought more than 1.8 million tonnes or around 35% of rice, over 680,000 tonnes of fruits and 1.8 million tonnes of vegetables.

Juxtaposed with this, our exports have shrunk from 120% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2000 to about 70% today, as the world still struggles to navigate past the two-year Covid-19 pandemic.

China, for example, was Malaysia’s number one trading partner for the last 40 years but today, the republic is still sluggish and struggling to get back on its feet economically.

Its recovery has been much slower than expected. Obviously, that has had a big impact on Malaysia as we rely on China a lot.

But according to World Bank lead economist for Malaysia, Apurva Sanghi, the value of the ringgit shouldn’t be viewed as the only metric of the country’s economic strength.

“In fact, the Malaysian economy has many strong points, such as a low inflation rate of 2%, low unemployment, booming semiconductor exports, (some) move towards subsidy targeting and focused push to revive investments,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Other strong points include a deep domestic investor base, Malaysia’s position as global leader in Islamic finance, strong banking sector, low foreign denominated debt and an economy well insulated from disasters compared to the Philippines and Indonesia.

He said Malaysia had a reasonably sized domestic market and ample land, which gives Malaysia “a leg up against Singapore and can improve itself to be a net contributor to global food security.”

Sanghi noted that Malaysia has vast forest reserves and biodiversity, which if managed well, can vault our country to be a global leader.

And all this is now underpinned by a stable government, which seemingly has a clear, four-year runway.

He said the ringgit’s woes had to be viewed in the context of external and domestic factors, short and long-term issues and monetary and government policies, and “specifically how government policies can amplify existing strengths and unique fundamentals that Malaysia has.”

So, while external factors have affected our ringgit, domestic policies matter, too, which the government – and not Bank Negara Malaysia – must fix.

Growth of foreign direct investment inward stock into Malaysia has slowed down and all this lowers long run demand for the ringgit and affects its value.

To be fair to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, he has been shuttling overseas, at a punishing pace, to bring more investment to Malaysia.

Many of the deals announced, of course, need to be translated into real implementation and not mere mind-boggling numbers for public announcement.

Sanghi disagreed with suggestions to peg the ringgit, saying the banking system was strong, well-capitalised, had much liquidity and faced reduced external vulnerabilities.

He questioned who would be responsible for setting the “right” rate, adding that Bank Negara would have to surrender its monetary policy.

Then there is the question – should Malaysia also impose higher interest rates?

Most experts say it would mean a higher cost of borrowing. So both businesses and consumers would cut back on investments and spending.

For example, higher interest rate payment for auto loans, mortgages would go up, causing consumers to spend less.

We don’t need to be economic experts to know that improving governance, boosting trade and increasing FDIs would be one way for Malaysia to improve its ringgit.

The fourth quarter beckons, which is the home stretch for the year end. Let’s not expect much to change overnight.

But we need to take stock of what’s looming in 2024 and be prepared for a bumpy ride with uncertainties aplenty.

WHILE it has finally dawned on PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang that no political coalition can hope to form the federal government without the support of non-Muslims, he has yet to realise why many of us aren’t consumed by the party.

The task of convincing non-Muslims voters to change their perception of the Islamist party isn’t its partner’s Gerakan, but his.

Until last week, PAS Members of Parliament were still haggling over the call by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul to stop using the word “kafir” on non-Muslims, particularly DAP MPs.

The point is, even Umno members, who are mostly Muslims, have been called kafir for working with MCA and MIC previously.

Those who watched the televised proceedings would have seen the Speaker clasping his hands and pleading to PAS MP Mohd Misbahul Munir Masduki to refrain from using the word as the latter continuously tried to justify its validity.

To the Parit Buntar MP, kafir simply means non-believer. If that’s the case, how does he justify his party having called Umno members kafir, too?

Johari said it had sensitive connotations and that “non-Muslims” would be a more pleasant word to the ears of those being addressed.

Just a few months ago, Hadi blamed non-Muslims for being corrupt, pendatang, anti-Islam and made other damning accusations, but now, he has woken up and realises he needs non-Muslim support.

It didn’t occur to him during the recent state elections, presumably because he was so sure the Green Wave would be sufficient.

But after failing to win in Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, and the by-elections in the Pulai parliamentary and Pelangai state constituencies, PAS has stopped dreaming and is now getting a dose of reality.

It doesn’t matter that the Opposition has experienced a vote count increase because ours is modelled after the first-past post system. So, even if a candidate wins by a single vote, it’s still a win.

By now, it must be obvious that no political coalition can form the federal government without the support of Sabah and Sarawak.

So, besides the non-Muslims, there are other bumiputra and Muslims, including those in major cities, who don’t find PAS palatable.

To its credit, PAS has recruited many professionals into its fold, but it’s still a party dominated by theologians. They call the shots, and they dictate the narratives and plans of the party, and the kind of government if they were to come into power.

It’s not merely about whether non-Muslims can still wear shorts in public, but the fear of losing our lifestyles, or what’s left of it.

Hadi has never distanced himself from statements issued by his party leaders calling for an end to all concerts and even cultural celebrations, for example. The two PAS-ruled states of Kelantan and Terengganu have even killed certain aspects of Malay culture, saying some elements were against Islam.

The first thing Hadi did as Terengganu Mentri Besar in 1999 was to demolish a replica of a giant turtle at a roundabout in Kuala Terengganu, saying it was akin to idol worshipping.

A year later, then Terengganu PAS state executive councillor Wan Hassan Mohd Ramli reportedly vowed to tear down every sculpture in the state, including those of prawns and squids in Marang.

The irony, if not hypocrisy, is that when PAS worked with DAP and PKR during the Barisan Alternatif era in 1998, the political actions were justified by the party. The DAP politicians then weren’t infidels yet somehow, they are viewed that way now.

Likewise, current PAS ally, Gerakan, isn’t kafir, presumably because they are seen as moderates in the eyes of PAS.

I’m certain Gerakan won’t subscribe to the formation of an Islamic state in Malaysia or endorse the full implementation of syariah laws, so where does that leave the party?

Hadi has stopped short of saying that those who are against him or the party are “anti-Islam” and “promoting Islamophobia.”

Of course, it has nothing to do with religion. The grouse is the political system that Hadi and PAS aspires to doesn’t sit well with many of us.

For a start, it’s important for emerging PAS leaders to have continuous engagement with non-governmental organisations, especially the media and even non-Muslim groups. After all, the party has more credibility than Gerakan.

Many media members have said that their calls to PAS leaders have been left unanswered with their aides privately revealing they don’t feel comfortable talking to the press.

The party had even imposed a ban on its candidates from speaking to the media during the recent state polls.

But an engagement must start. It holds 43 of the 222 seats at the Dewan Rakyat, which must surely be treated seriously and respected.

Like it or not, it’s a mainstream party, but it must act like one, too. If its leaders are still preoccupied with the dressing of women nurses, flight attendants, questioning the organising of concerts, calling people kafir and barring women gymnasts from Sukma2024 by citing non-syariah compliant attire, then PAS shouldn’t be surprised why it isn’t getting traction from non-Muslims and even many Muslims.

PAS must stop seeing those who disagree with it as enemies. All of us are stakeholders who want a better Malaysia. After all, this country belongs to all Malaysians.

GENOCIDE, holocaust or simply an annihilation of the Palestinians in the tiny Gaza Strip. At least one of those descriptions is certainly accurate about what’s happening in the Middle East.

It’s called a strip precisely because it’s just a narrow 360 sq km piece of land wedged between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.

The Gaza Strip, which has about two million people, is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

But humanity is now about to witness the comprehensive decimation of the community there.

Water and food supplies have been cut, with no power reaching the hospitals either. No one is spared as Israel has ordered everyone, including hospital patients, to get out before the ground offensive begins.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has aptly called it a “death sentence” by Israel.

Relatives attend the funeral of Christian and Muslim Palestinians who were sheltering at a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City, killed in Israeli airstrikes that hit it on Thursday. The Israeli military said it was targeting a Hamas command centre nearby. — AP

Basically, ordinary Palestinians who aren’t even Hamas members, will now lose what’s left of their race. The tiny enclave with no real government or army, stands to even lose its people’s dignity.

While many of us are outraged at the unravelling atrocities, we need to first understand certain fundamentals.

Presently, the Palestinians live in the Iran-backed Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, while in the nearby West Bank, it’s administered by Israel with some degree of autonomous rule by the Fatah- run Palestinian Authority.

No sane person could condone the kidnapping or killing of Israelis by Hamas. Violence isn’t right and it’s hard to justify such actions in any circumstance. Young people attending a music festival have been taken hostage and made into human shields.

But the ordinary people in Gaza are now paying the price for the attacks by Hamas.

It will be an assault by the Israelis that the people on the Gaza Strip can’t win, and it’s tragically disappointing that the United States doesn’t want to initiate a ceasefire or de-escalation.

The US has, instead, provided more fire power to its ally for complete destruction. It has just committed billions of dollars to strengthening Israel. Whether US President Joe Biden’s intentions are to broker a deal or appeal to Israel to provide routes out of the conflict zone, he will inevitably be going to Israel to support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The world isn’t going to believe that it was Hamas who bombed the crowded Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital that killed 3,000 people.

The hospital, built in 1882, is in the Zeitoun neighbourhood in the south of Gaza and managed by the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem. Before this, health authorities and medical organisations had reported Israel forces deliberately bombing ambulances and health facilities in Gaza, breaching international rules that catalogue such acts as war crimes.

There’s an abundance of reports documenting these systematic attacks and medical personnel being targeted and killed.

If the world does nothing except issue condemnations, that won’t be enough to end the conflict. Only the superpowers can pressure and stop Israel, and certainly not Malaysian forces, so let’s not kid ourselves.

The Arab world is in a similar bind because some nations have diplomatic ties with Israel, but they have appropriately decided not to meet Biden over a hastily called summit. It’s a strong signal to Biden and Israel of the great unhappiness of the Arab world even though some of these countries are not fans of Hamas.

I’m glad that Members of Parliament from all parties and ordinary Malaysians of all faiths have registered their outrage and joined in the noble protest.

It’s not merely a conflict between Palestinian Muslims who are further oppressed by the Jews from Israel. It’s much more complex than that.

Palestinian Christians have seen their land robbed from them and they get the same treatment as their Muslim brothers when they enter Israeli-occupied areas.

I’ve witnessed personally the humiliation suffered by the Palestinians. Yes, there are Christian Arabs and Christian Palestinians.

Tragically disappointing: Protesters rallying against the Israeli military operations in Gaza in Washington DC. Only the superpowers can pressure and stop Israel but the United States doesn’t seem to want to initiate a ceasefire or de-escalation. — AFP

Likewise, there are Muslim Arabs who have Israeli citizenship and live in the country. Jews, by the way, are not Christians, and not all Israelis or Jews are Zionists. There are many secular Jews who don’t subscribe to the religious practices of their community.

The danger here in Malaysia is that many Malaysians lump all Israelis under the category of the hated “Orang Yahudi” like how some evangelical Christians typecast all Israelis as God-fearing and righteous “God’s chosen people.”

In fact, in 2021, church leaders in Jerusalem condemned attacks on Christians across Jerusalem and the Holy Land. “Fringe radical groups” with strong Jewish links were responsible for physical assaults and vandalising churches.

There are many video-clips on YouTube which clearly depict Christian pilgrims being spat at and abused.

As the anger festers and grows in an unending cycle over the conflict area, memories of my pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 2005 have come flooding back. I had wanted to travel to the Holy Land again in 2022, but the Malaysian general election put paid to those plans.

Malaysians aren’t allowed to travel to Israel since we have no diplomatic ties, but thanks to the Malaysian government’s flexibility, restricted trips to Jerusalem are allowed for religious purposes.

I remember my guides were a Muslim driver, Ahmad Badawi, and an Arab Christian, Jerries Farra. The latter spoke excellent Bahasa Indonesia because he often had to chaperone Indonesian pilgrims, the most visitors from South-East Asia to Jerusalem.

Farra, who could quote Bible verses in Bahasa Indonesia, was often emotional when he spoke about the unfair practices, alerting us to the wall being constructed on the West Bank then.

I lost count of security checkpoints manned by Israeli soldiers outside towns such as Bethlehem, Jericho and Nazareth, all biblical sites, but under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

Palestinians were often stopped randomly at roadsides and the simple act of entering their hometowns could become six-hour ordeals, affecting their productivity and hampering their movements.

How would you feel if occupiers did this to you and your family for 60 years?

How many Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces just this year? The answer: a staggering 4,200 people including over a thousand children and 800 women, with more than 15,000 injured. This figure is likely out-dated by now.

Do I believe that the Israelis didn’t bomb the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital? Not at all, and it’s even sadder to hear Biden, and especially CNN, trying valiantly to defend the Israelis.

When Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American reporter and acclaimed correspondent for Al Jazeera, was shot dead on May 12, 2022, the world was served the same denial.

She was killed by a sniper while performing her duty reporting on Israel’s raid in the Jenin refugee camp despite wearing distinctive identification as a journalist.

Unfortunately, the West has refused to acknowledge the root causes of the problem.

In the coming weeks, maybe even days, the Israeli tanks will roll into the streets of Gaza. If they think they’ve finally won the war, they’re grossly mistaken because after 60 years of conflict, little has changed despite their huge arsenal of modern weapons and financial backing.

As children watching the old Hollywood westerns and TV shows, we naively believed the cowboys were the good guys while the Red Indians were savages. Not anymore because we all now know that the cowboys were pilfering the native Americans’ land and slaughtering them.

The world has become better-informed. We don’t have to rely only on CNN to understand what’s transpiring in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinians have been provoked, attacked, killed and trampled upon for over 60 years, doesn’t the West get it?

With Palestine we stand.

IT’S unprecedented to hear about a top police officer admonishing a room full of the most senior cops from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), and then uploading a video of the shelling online.

When these CID officers from around the country gathered for a closed-door meeting, they surely would have expected some tough words from Bukit Aman CID chief Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain.

He had already built a reputation for his commitment towards cleaning up the force and getting rid of rogue policemen.

Mohd Shuhaily has received the backing of Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain and his deputy, Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.

The CID officers, who hold sensitive positions, were told that they had to declare their assets.

The officers include those in the Intelligence and Operations Division, Anti-Vice, Gambling and Secret Societies Division (D7), and head of the CID Division at district police headquarters.

While many Malaysians perceive cops as corrupt, Mohd Shuhaily went a step further by revealing that some officers were willing to risk their comrades’ lives for payment from syndicates by providing false information during operations.

Stern warning: Comm Mohd Shuhaily has put his CID officers on notice that he’s very serious about cleaning up corruption in their ranks – and his message is still reverberating on social media and among the public. — LOW LAY PHON/The Star

So operations end up failing, but more gravely, the lives of policemen are compromised.

Even informants could be exposed, if such dangerous liaisons exist.

Basically, some in the team are willing to kill each other for money.

This happens because there’s no supervision at the lower levels (contingent and district levels) to monitor the lifestyles of officers and their subordinates.

It’s a chilling revelation. To be corrupt is one thing, but to hear of cops who are prepared to let their colleagues be wiped out is another thing entirely.

Corruption has long been entrenched in the police force, but its extent is beyond the imagination of most Malaysians.

It has been a week since Mohd Shuhaily’s warning during the CID Director’s Mandate Ceremony at Universiti Sains Malaysia.

But the message is still reverberating on social media, with the public talking about it and anticipating what could happen next.

File photo of 14 individuals, including a police station chief and two officers, arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission over a protection racket. The public knows there are corrupt cops but perhaps we don’t realise the extent of the rot. — Filepic/The Star

“How can a sergeant afford an Alphard, Vellfire, or Mercedes? Have their superiors or supervisors ever asked how they can afford luxury vehicles or declared their assets?” Mohd Shuhaily asked.

For Malaysians reading this, we’d be wondering how these policemen could be so brazen as to flaunt their wealth and flashy lifestyles with no fear of retribution?

How can their supervisors be oblivious to their inexplicable wealth unless they close an eye or, worse, are part of the cartel?

A month will be up soon when CID officers hand in their declarations about their assets, and it will be interesting to see what ensues.

The demand is simple – just explain how they can afford luxury vehicles and other items. Their wives have also been ordered to issue separate declarations.

A new order is growing at Bukit Aman as the new team of top officers takes command.

State police officers who have provided false information have found Bukit Aman teams descending upon them and their turf.

These top officers bent on cleaning up are aware that their mission is not going to be easy.

It won’t happen overnight either, and they will face hurdles and sabotage, which could be costly to their careers and even their lives, as their enthusiasm for rehabilitating the force could lead to loneliness and frustration.

They will have to deal with powerful figures who are well-connected and viewed as untouchable. They can only succeed if they, too, have the backing of the top political leadership.

Mohd Shuhaily, who just started work in August, has earned the respect and support of Malaysians.

His directive was officially uploaded by the police for another reason – for the warning to reach every level of the police force and not just the CID.

Without doubt, there are many clean, decent and good cops at all levels.

Mohd Shuhaily seems to have always taken a slightly unusual path – here he is (left) when he was Kuala Lumpur police chief discovering the problems of being blind in the city. — Filepic/Sin Chew

But Mohd Shuhaily also shared about the daily struggles of policemen, saying a constable’s take home pay is merely RM1,500 a month.

He said the moment someone signs up to be a constable, the person would automatically be in the B40 (low income) category.

Urging his CID officers to be more caring, he lambasted some for not even knowing about the welfare of their team members, saying some officers don’t even turn up for work. Some stop going out on operations, claiming to be specialists.

Our cops certainly deserve a better pay structure and perks if we want them to be more financially secure and able to fight corruption and its temptations.

May the force be with you Tuan Razarudin, Ayob Khan and Mohd Shuhaily! God has put you there for a reason.

Be afraid of God because we’re only answerable to Him and not man.

THE local rice supply shortage has rudely rattled most of us. Naturally, it’s been followed by the traditional finger pointing.

The grain has inexplicably vanished from supermarket shelves, while the price of imported rice has spiked.

The facts indicate that we’ve neglected food production – including rice farming – for decades. How many of us, especially our politicians, are truly concerned about the matter or have provided sound solutions?

The country spent about RM76bil on food imports last year, an increase from 2021’s RM64bil.

Basically, 60% of Malaysia’s food is imported. We are highly dependent on food and beverage products, especially raw materials for food processing such as wheat, dairy and other ingredients.

Crop crunch: Rice farmer Muhamad Syafiq Afandy Muhamad Sofi inspecting his padi after a flood in Kedah. Extreme weather events have threatened rice production in many countries including Malaysia. — Bernama

Malaysia doesn’t produce enough to feed us. Cameron Highlands can’t supply sufficient amounts of vegetables, and the result is us having to import them from China, Indonesia, Argentina, Thailand and India.

The price of rice spiked when India, which accounts for 40% of the world’s supply, decided to halt rice exports recently.

There was also an earlier report by Reuters saying Vietnam intends to cut its annual rice exports by 44% to four million tonnes by 2030.

But Vietnam has since denied the report, saying it will maintain the status quo.

There are many reasons why rice production has suffered. Climate change has led to erratic weather that has threatened production in India and other countries. Malaysia hasn’t been spared either.

Floods, droughts and heat stress have been contributing factors, with the agricultural sector’s share of the nation’s GDP declining from 43.7% to 7.1% between 1960 and 2021, reveal reports.

But the situation has worsened. The national rice average yield is low, at a little over three tonnes per hectare.

In most supermarkets, only imported rice is left on sale but its price has spiked. — Bernama

The country’s self-sufficiency rate was only 65% in 2021 compared with the set target of 75% in the 12th Malaysia Plan (2021-2025).

Even Bangladesh is self-sufficient in its rice production, fish, meat and eggs. And so is Myan-mar, with a self-sufficiency rate of 179.4%.

The debate may be raging over the local rice shortage, but no one seems to be able to give a definite reason for its absence from supermarkets.

There are many conspiracy theories, including blaming the present unity government and sole importer Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas), hoarding by wholesalers and millers, and suppliers repacking and mixing local rice with imported rice to make bigger profits.

Against this backdrop, many Malaysians have reduced rice consumption as the country becomes more affluent and health conscious.

But for the B40 (lower income) group, rice is a staple food, and the lack of local rice is detrimental, and predictably, the situation has been exploited politically.

According to reports, rice per capita consumption has declined over the years from 120kg in the 1970s to 77kg in 2022.

But rice imports have still risen, going from 1.06 million tonnes in 2021 to 1.11 million tonnes in 2022.

We are feeling the pinch, or pain, now because the ringgit’s value has diminished. Food production cost has also gone up because of the war in Ukraine, which has affected feed for animals as well as fertiliser.

There have been calls to end Bernas’ monopoly as the sole rice importer, but many analysts are doubtful others, if allowed, are prepared to meet the conditions imposed by the government on Bernas.

Few are aware that the caveat includes buying very bad quality padi from local farmers.

The Edge quoted Sarena Che Omar, Khazanah Research Institute deputy director of research, as saying, “When you buy low quality rice, you make a loss because there is a price floor”.

She has some advice: “If we want to get rid of Bernas because we think that monopolies are so bad, we must make sure we put in place [someone] who will take care of the stockpile.

“Until we settle all this, we had better be careful about what we want to kick out, as that entity may be the one keeping things going on as usual.”

Bernas is paying RM1,280 per tonne even for poor quality padi because that’s the price floor. Nothing less because that’s the deal.

So is there a shortage of local rice? According to The Edge, which quoted an Agriculture and Food Security senior official, at the current rice stockpile level, it would be sufficient under normal circumstances, excluding a war or a prolonged natural disaster.

The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry needs to be given plenty of support and attention if Malaysia is serious about wanting to be self-sufficient in food production and reducing our food import bills.

We need to address some serious issues, which are the reasons for the decline in local padi production.

The price of padi is low, it is difficult to source for labour, more padi fields are being converted into development land, especially in Kedah and northern Perak, farmers are mostly senior citizens, while its low price is not making it viable for commercial farming.

We need to improve rice production beyond Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis, Perak and Selangor. The risk is too high for Malaysia to be dependent on just these few states.

If diseases or climate change affect these states, production is undoubtedly hit, immediately. Certainly, we need help from China to improve our yield using modern technologies.

It’s serious food for thought for our leaders, policymakers and stakeholders.