Friday, January 22, 2016

NO SUBSTITUTE TO NATIONAL SECURITY


1. From the first time I took the oath of office and since then, I have pressed on the importance of national security especially for Johoreans in my capacity as the State Representative for Kempas.

2. I've touched on a possible tie-up of a foreign company manning the security of a good part of Iskandar, drawing concerns about the tapping of classified details pertaining to the government and its officials.

3. I've raised concern on the special arrangement of bringing in foreign Chinese workers to the state. I've asked whether background checks were done on them and if secured bonds or guarantees were locked in from the supplying nation, which has imposed on us conditions for their companies to invest here. This was raised after reading about the possibility of Chinese investors shipping prison inmates as labourers for their projects abroad.

4. I've also touched on the increase in the crime rate involving foreigners, which was 2,291 cases in 2012 but shot up to a staggering 13,591 in 2014. And on the very day I made my speech about it in the State Assembly, there was a crime being committed that almost left the victim dead with a cracked head in Pasir Gudang involving a foreigner.

5. All these concerns, which should be high above in the list of priorities in our state and country, were either left unreported or unanswered.

6. Yesterday, The Star and Malay Mail reported of the "Silent Assassins" from Bangladesh being arrested in Singapore. They were allegedly to have "planned terror activities in other countries including their homeland."

7. With 1.5 million Bangladeshis in the works to be allowed in, not to mention the hundreds of thousands who are still here, I ask again, have we done and are we doing thorough screening on them?

8. I had the privilege of witnessing the special forces (police) in action manning the Senai airport on the first day of their operation upon arrival from the Capital a few days ago. And today, I saw four heavily armed personnel talking to each other and laughing instead of looking serious and being on a lookout for suspicious characters at the Subang Airport. 

9. The uniform and intimidating hardware looked impressive but may only work on placed explosive operatives unwilling to die with it, (like the ones during the IRA insurgency in UK). It will not intimidate suicide bombers who are already willing to die with their thumbs on the detonator. There's not much one can do when it's strapped to the body and has arrived at its target location.

10.  While the police intelligence have done an excellent job intercepting the operatives so far, the onus is on the federal government to ensure that the millions who will fly in to stay on for years on contract here are scrutinised before they are cleared to blend with Malaysians at large. 

11. With the limited number of uniformed personnel on the ground nationwide, I'm certain this would ease their burden and reduce some risk of terrorism in this country. With a potential RM4.5 billion to be made and shared by the authorities and various parties, I'm sure the least the authorities could do is to ensure that Malaysians are safe with the influx of these 1.5 million strangers from Bangladesh.

12. National Security Is Paramount And We Should Leave No Stones Unturned. Prevention Is Better Than Regret Because With Terrorism, There Is No Cure.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

TUN ABDUL RAZAK; HOW I REMEMBERED HIM

It Was Exactly Forty Years Ago Today That I Remember My Late Father Slumped On The Stairs Next To The Table Where The Dial Phone Was Placed.

It Was Dark In The Evening With The Sound Of Crickets In The Background While We Were On Standby For Our Daily Updates From My Sister Hasnah.

She Was Instructed By Our Late Father To Be At The Hospital In Between Classes To Report On The Tun's Condition In London. The Public Phone By The Clinic Was Almost Hers That Week As She Was The Only One Hogging It.

(Being An Outsider Having No Access Whatsoever To Anyone In The Entourage, "Reporting On The Tun's Condition" Meant To Inform Us Of Any Development Taking Place In Or Around The Clinic Regarding The PM At The Time, Not Relating To His Medical Records).


We All Sat In The Dark On The Stairs At The Residence For A Good While Crying After My Sister Delivered The Devastating News Via A Reverse Charged Telephone Call From London.

Radio Television Singapore (As It Was Known Then) Confirmed It On The Very Next Tv News Broadcast, Hours Before Dato' Hussein Onn Appeared On Radio Television Malaysia, With The Official Statement.

I Remember It Vividly Being A 12 Year Old Boy, I Guess I Cried More So That Night After Seeing My Father Cry For The First Time Ever In My Life.

We Were All Sad To Hear The Passing Of A Man Whom I Can Safely Describe Today As The Greatest Prime Minister Malaysia Has Ever Produced, Who Was Called To Return To Our Maker Way Before His Time In The Book Of Mortals.

In The Midst Of The Deafening Silence In The Next Hour After The Revelation Of His Passing, I Silently Remembered When My Father Received A Note From Him Cautioning The Former For Sending Him A Humidor With Cigars Inscribed With The Initials.   "TAR ", In Fear Of It Being Claimed By Tunku Abdul Rahman To Be His. It Brought A Brief Smile To My Face Thinking Of His Wit And Light Humour.



We Thank The Late Tun Abdul Razak For Appointing Our Late Father As Ambassador To The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark And Sweden While Offering Him United Kingdom As His Last Posting Which My Father Respectfully Declined After More Than A Decade Heading His Majesty's Mission Abroad.

But Most Of All, We Thank Him For Placing The Very Foundation On Which Malaysia Developed And Stands Solidly With Much Pride Today.

May The Soul Of Abdul Razak Bin Hussein Rest Peacefully Amongst The Truest Of Muslims By The Sight Of The Almighty, And Be Granted By Allah Swt, His Intercession On The Day Of Judgement.