Securities Commission Mek Nah & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence

"Hello darkness, my old friend; I've come to talk with you again." -- Simon & Garfunkel in The Sound of Silence

"You still wake up sometimes, don't you? You wake up in the dark and hear the screaming of the lambs." -- Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs

Do you long for silence when the Wangsa Maju MP, newspapers and bloggers scream abuse of power, sham and conflict of interest? -- Mat Cendana in Batang Kali (Perhatian - ini bukan filem atau lagu, ye.. `Batang KaliMULLAH Hassan'? Heheh!)

Then there's also `Silence is Golden'... (Makan besar diam-diam...isteri kan orang top. Hmm, `top..duduk di atas?') -- Securities Commission chairman Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar... the main beneficiary and current wielder of Joe Don Baker's Big Stick aka Securities Commission Act 1993. Especially of Section 134, which the SC had used against a few journalists last month in an effort to force them to reveal their source at the commission.

CAPTION: "Go on; make your best hit, Mek Nah... It's probably your last."

 

The Centre for Independent Journalism, Malaysia (CIJ) , through Executive Officer Masjaliza Hamzah, had issued this statement on June 29 about the SC's high-handedness brought about by old-fashioned `mabuk kuasa'.

Jangan main-main dengan SC ni! If you come across a SC officer, just do what your grandfather had done in 1942 when `someone with a red like-PAS flag' is encountered - stop and bow... to the Japanese and now SC Shorty (`short' refers to his height only, and hopefully not `anything else'). 

Pendek bukan sebarang pendek ni... Shorty can put you in Kajang Prison where you'll eat nasi kawah for 5 years, and also fine you one million ringgit! Unless you're friends with Bill Gates of Microsoft or the Sultan of Brunei, just answer when a SC officer asks you something. This includes (for women) "Are you a virgin...anak dara ke? Atau dah diperlucutkan taraf; expire, bukan hakmilik kekal? HAHAHA!"

But despite legitimate allegations against her - including `pilih bulu' (tak payah tanya `apa') relating to possible misconduct by her husband,  Datuk Azizan Abdul Rahman - Zarinah keeps silent. WHY??

Dignified silence against `false accusations'?... This stance isn't appropriate in this instance. Look WHO are making these claims -- Wee Choo Keong is a Member of Parliament; someone who was elected by the people! Apparently, neither Wee  nor his Wangsa Maju voters - plus supporters nationwide, including Mat Cendana - are important enough, in Mek Na's eyes and mind. "Serfs, pariahs!"

And neither is Ahirudin Attan aka Rocky's Bru, who is a veteran journalist, the editor-in-chief of a newspaper plus a widely read and respected blogger. Even those who had  raised pertinent questions and presented their claims in a reasonable manner , like A Voice, Big Dog etc were ignored by the Simon & Garfunkel-inspired Zarinah.

And then one mamat in the SC - Corporate Affairs Department head Abdul Jalil Hamid - tried to copy Mat Cendana (Ahem!) and be `a knight in shiny armour' for his boss, Mek Na. Unfortunately, it was pathetic!
 
The Securities Commission "menafikan sekeras-kerasnya"... So their denial of the allegations made by Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong is of diamonds and lutetium; the hardest substances on Earth. And what does that show and prove? NOTHING. And this is by the head aka ketua aka kepala! Hallo, boss -- outsource and seek the help of others lah. [Hint, hint... Batang Kali]

To Zarinah Anwar and the kaki ampu in the SC, plus to the relevant minister and mandarins -- We are totally fed up with this. Can we see something positive NOW, pretty please!?

Price Increase of Sugar, LPG & Fuel - A Good Move

Let's see the pseudo-socialists come out of the woodwork today with their tired "Kenaikan harga barang-barang ini akan membebankan rakyat!"

In a perfect world, we wouldn't see price increases. Heck, in this kind of world, they should be available without cost to everyone. But we're living in a world where this is the reality. And in this particular round of increases, they are justified.

The Malay Mail reports that subsidies for petrol, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and sugar will be reduced as a first step to the gradual subsidy rationalisation programme. Subsidies for RON 95 petrol and diesel will be reduced by five sen a litre and LPG by 10 sen a kilogramme.

This means RON 95 grade petrol will cost RM1.85 a litre while LPG will be sold at RM1.85 per kilogramme. And sugar, which is now RM1.65, will now cost RM1.95.

"But this will result in other things that use this to go up too!", some would lament. Yes, if these aren't absorbed by the producers/providers. But these increases should be in proportion to how much they add to the cost.
As The Malay Mail says it, a cup or glass of Teh Tarik should be increased by only 1.25 sen... unless if a glass uses 1kg of sugar. So, if the increase is more than that, then the seller is taking you for a ride... which means you should stop drinking at his shop. If you still do, then you're just a sucker.

CAPTION: Sugar at Giant Kota Damansara last month. After facing empty shelves for months in Kelantan, this was a pleasant sight for me.

The price of sugar will still be cheaper than in Thailand. However, it will be less profitable for irresponsible traders to divert their stock to there; which has been the case in Kelantan especially for so long. I can personally attest to the severe difficulty in obtaining sugar for months. From today, you can bet that sugar will make a reappearance on the shelves.