Malaysia's Submarines Deal To Go To Court In France

The following article came out in today's Merdeka Review. It is worthwhile to read through the report.


新突破：发现巨额佣金交易
潜艇采购案可望在法国开审
作者／本刊梁康 May 30, 2011 01:40:32 pm

【本刊梁康撰述/苏晓枫摄影】马来西亚人民之声去年将我国向法国采购潜水艇的军购案带上法国法庭，而今此案司法程序有进展，该案可望在法国公开法庭开审。该案涉及逾马币6亿元巨额佣金交易。

马来西亚人民之声（Suara Rakyat Malaysia）今天在隆雪华堂召开记者会，宣布上述消息。此案一旦在法国法庭开审，将可望揭露涉嫌我国和法国滥用公帑的内情和关于蒙古女子阿尔丹杜雅（右下图）炸尸案干案动机的真相。

这两宗具争议案件都是在我国时任首相纳吉担任副首相兼国防部长期间发生。

人民之声今日发表的文告指出，有关最新调查进展为，除了发现总值马币70亿元的鲉鱼（Scorpene）潜水艇军购涉及马币5亿元的佣金交易，还发现另两笔交易，分别是法国DCN军火制造公司支付给Thales公司的3000万欧元（约马币1亿3975万元）及后者支付给不知名人士的250万欧元（1075万元）。

文告点出，这笔250万欧元的佣金，是要说服马来西亚政府采购更多军购，而3000万欧元的用途是作为Thales公司的“谈判与执行合约的商业费用”。

案件的进展更促使我国国防部长阿末查希（Ahmad Zahid Hamidi）表态，一旦案件开审及传召他，只要获得内阁首肯，他愿意到法国出庭供证，有鉴于此，人民之声呼吁马来西亚反贪污委员会开档调查此案，因为将有更多事随着法国审讯浮上台面。

马来西亚人民之声（SUARAM）去年4月入禀法国法庭，以调查马来西亚和法国购买两艘“鲉鱼”（Scorpene）级及一艘“阿格斯塔”级（Agosta）潜水艇合约是否涉及贪污。【点击：调查潜水艇交易是否涉贪法国法庭独立能承受压力】

促纳吉亲自供证

人民之声董事柯嘉逊和辛西娅（Cynthia Gabriel）也呼吁，希望阿末查希能够代表我国国防部到法国法庭供证，或者由当时的国防部长纳吉亲自出庭供证。

辛西娅（左图）说：“很多人会问我们，为何要把案件带到法国，这是因为一些重要的人士可能涉案，但是却没有看到马来西亚反贪污委员会采取任何行动。”

“由于在我国有官方机密法令，以致我们的纳税人无法从国防部文件获悉公款如何使用，因此，我国有需要通过法国法庭厘清相关文件。”

她指出，尽管一些民联国会议员也通过国会发问关于潜水艇案的问题，但是，却只能获得简短和不完整的答案，有时候甚至会出现不一致的答案。

厘清阿尔丹杜雅命案动机

柯嘉逊（右下图）也指出，上述审讯也涉及调查阿尔丹杜雅命案的干案动机，并相信一旦案件开审，将会有更多的内情浮出台面。

阿尔丹杜雅于2006年10月杪失踪，并于一个月后在雪兰莪州莎亚南丛林发现其被炸毁的遗骸，根据其留下的书信指出，她是纳吉前幕僚萨巴金德（Abdul Razak Baginda）的情人，并遭抛弃后尝试勒索对方50万美元。

这宗命案曾轰动国内外，最终纳吉的两名保镖被控谋杀，使用军用炸弹炸死阿尔丹杜雅，而被控参与谋杀的拉萨巴金德则无罪释放，纳吉也曾严正否认他涉及此案。

人民之声文告也说，我国法庭审理阿尔丹杜雅命案不曾触及潜水艇军购舞弊案，检控官、辩护律师及法官都谨慎地避免纳吉的名字在审讯中出现，而两名保镖的杀人动机仍未厘清。

我国政府也曾在国会声明，我国政府不曾给Perimekar公司马币5亿元潜水艇军购佣金，反之佣金是由法国造舰局支出，作为该公司替相关潜水艇进行训练潜舰潜艇交易的“协调与支援服务”费用。

而该公司引起的争议点，包括被指是拉萨巴金德控制的公司，其股东是拉萨巴金德妻子马兹琳达（Mazlinda Makhzan），以及缺乏经营相关领域经验，并在获得潜艇合约的数个月前才成立。

拥有足够证据入禀开审

辛西娅说，人民之声的法国代表律师佐瑟布翰（Joseph Breham）通知他们，自去年开始入禀的第一阶段，案件已进入第二阶段，即将会决定是否委任法官在公开法庭承审此案，而他们有足够的证据将此案带上公开法庭。

文告指出，法国之前的调查也显示，我国政府的说法与该国出现矛盾，我国指称支付给我国Perimekar公司的5亿元款项来自法国方面，作为其进行潜水艇工程的“协调与支援服务”服务；有关军购合约是在2002年签署。

但是，法国检察署方面的消息则相反，鉴于要避开触犯自2000年成立的“经济合作与发展组织”（OECD）规定的国际商业交易舞弊公约，因此5亿元款项是由马来西亚政府支付。

文告说，法国方面目前也在调查，我国的潜水艇交易是否如同之前两宗同样涉及法国国有军火公司DCN的案件，即提供巴基斯坦的潜艇军购及提供台湾的军舰军购合约，也有法国高层涉案，以便获得“佣金回报”。

我国方面涉及的公司是DCN的子公司DCNS公司，文告说，一旦法国法庭批准开案开审，作为调查庭其中一方的人民之声将有权获取调查过程的细节，包括DCNS公司支付佣金给我国政府官员的证据。

法国律师亲自来马讲解案情

另外，人民之声今日发动以“鲉鱼行动”（Ops Scorpene）为名的筹款运动，呼吁我国人民支持诉讼行动，以便筹得马币10万元作为该团体针对上述案件入禀法国公开法庭的律师费。

该组织解释，佐瑟布翰目前暂时为人民之声提供免费法律服务，然而，一旦案件正式开庭则需要支付费用，因此，该组织恳求我国人民慷慨解囊协助筹足律师费。

辛西娅也坦言，即便马币10万元兑换为欧元仍然还是杯水车薪，只足够作为入禀案件的费用，因此，未来还需要筹募更多的法律基金。

辛西娅也指出，佐瑟布翰也预定会在七月份来到我国，届时该组织将举办活动，以便亲自讲解在法国的案情。

人权律师法蒂亚（Fadiah Nadwa Fikri，左图）补充说明，活动定于7月21日及23日，分别在槟城及吉隆坡举行下午餐宴会和筹款晚宴，并会进行售票。

接受支票的户口为丰隆银行（Hong Leong Bank）帐号0300-0065-200，并注明由Suara Inisiatif Sdn. Bhd.接收.

Homegrown Mango

Our homegrown mangoes freshly plucked from the tree. They really look good!

Global Currency Crisis Looming Large

My latest article came out in United Daily News (21st May, 2011 edition).

If you are Mandarin-literate, you may read through.

Have a wonderful weekend!

5 Easy Steps To Becoming A Millionaire

This article is reproduced herebelow by courtesy of Yahoo Finance.

Who wouldn't want to be worth a million dollars? Many of us dream of achieving this goal, more often than not for the sake of the freedom financial stability would bring. So how can we get there? The answers are actually much easier than you might expect. Here are several easy steps to get you into the millionaires' club. (With a little discipline and the help of some powerful savings vehicles, anyone can hit this mark.)

1. Only Marry Once
According to "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley, Ph.D and William D. Danko, Ph.D, the average millionaire is married with three children. The wives of these millionaires are good budgeters and most often described as even more frugal than their husbands. Interestingly, according to Stanley and Danko's survey, half of these wives do no work outside the home and of those who do, they are most likely teachers.

One upside of only marrying once is avoiding the costs of divorce and of subsequent weddings. The cost of a divorce depends on many factors including income, attorney fees, court fees, and the assets a couple has and how they are divided. The average wedding cost in the United States in 2010, according to The Wedding Report.com, was $24,070.

2. Live Off One Income
One of the advantages of having a life partner is the potential to pull in two incomes. If you are able, consider structuring your set expenses based on only one income, and save what comes in from the other income. Doing so strengthens your financial position in two ways: In case of an emergency or if one partner loses their job, you will not only have less set expenses to cover, but you will also have built up your net worth as a safety measure.

3. Choose the Right Career
According to The Millionaire Next Door, "self-employed people make up less than 20% of the workers in America but account for two-thirds of the millionaires." The book goes on to list an average of 45 to 55 hours spent working per week, so by no means is this the self-employed fantasy of playing golf while your business grows.

The idea of the "right" career can encompass a myriad of factors. Ideally, this would be a career you enjoy, otherwise you likely won't be putting in the dedication required to be successful. The right career would also coincide with overall working trends, or at least not work directly against them. For example, starting a career in typewriter manufacturing may be something you are passionate about, but it would likely suffer due to the current technological trends.

4. Put Your Money in Appreciating Assets
According to Stanley and Danko, the millionaires in their survey invested nearly 20% of their realized household income each year. Nearly 20% of the household's wealth is held in "transaction securities such as publicly traded stocks and mutual funds" and the millionaires tended to rarely sell their equities. Only a very small number of the millionaires surveyed had ever leased a car; few even drove the current year model. Half of those surveyed had lived in their homes for more than 20 years, which, as the authors point out, means they have likely enjoyed "significant increases in the value of their homes."

The end result? These people put a financial priority on assets that will make them money, from their homes to their businesses.

5. Don't Live the Millionaire Lifestyle
Warren Buffett's frugal lifestyle (especially relative to his net worth) is the go-to example for this point. The average value of the surveyed millionaires' homes was $320,000. The bottom line is, those who spend their money on non-appreciating assets cannot put that same money in an asset that will net them a return and increase their wealth. If it is important to you to build your financial worth, stop spending it on new cars, toys and clothes. (The Oracle of Omaha has a net worth in the billions, but his lifestyle is not as rich as you may think.)

The Bottom Line
Becoming a millionaire is easier than ever. While this is a dream that will take work and discipline to achieve, it isn't as far out of reach as you might think. Be smart with your money and before you know it, you'll be able to count yourself among the world's wealthier citizens.

This article is part of a series related to being Financially Fit.

Scrapping Fuel Subsidy A Painful Reality

The full text of my interview is reproduced herebelow:

‘Scrapping fuel subsidy a painful reality’

by Raymond Tan. Posted on May 18, 2011, Wednesday

SIBU: Hotel manager Tony Hii, a holder in Bachelor in Economics, agreed with the prime minister that diesel subsidy is like opium.

He said Malaysians had indeed been “addicted” to cheap commodity prices for too long, and this had been made possible at the expense of nation building.

He said people around the globe were paying much higher prices, and Malaysians had to learn to break free from this “addiction” for the country to grow.

“It might be painful, and the people might fume, but we have to take the lessons like in Indonesia, where the people and the government have recently gone through the same painful process to break free.”

He said Malaysians had been relying on subsidies, not only in fuel, but also in commodities like sugar and others.

“When we keep enjoying the low prices, the government has to keep on pumping in more and more money in the wake of the global price hike.

“So, instead of channeling the money to build the nation, the government is sacrificing it for the enjoyment of the people.”

Hii said whenever the government tried to lessen the burden in slashing the subsidies, the people would fume.

“This is not how the economies in Singapore, Hong Kong and many other countries are working.

“Even Indonesia has awakened from this, and when the government announced the lifting of the oil subsidies three years

ago, the people also protested.”

He said in the end, the Indonesians had to face the reality and get used to it.

Hii was aware Malaysians had been giving the excuse that ours was an oil-producing country, and the people were entitled to enjoy the right to cheap oil.

“The truth is, we might be the net exporter of oil now, enjoying the revenue from it, but, if we do not make discoveries of new oil sites, our oil might run out in another three years; by then, we shall be the net importer of oil.”

He said this was what the Indonesians were experiencing, and the government had no other alternative but to announce the cut in oil subsidies to save the country.

He said it was the correct approach to lift the subsidies so that the people and the government shared the burden, like in so many rich and poor nations.

“But, this should be done on the condition that the Malaysian government will use the money wisely saved from the subsidy cut, like channeling it to eradicate poverty, build more infrastructure to improve the living standard, etc.”

He said Idris Jala had recently made the shocking statement about Malaysia going bankrupt in another decade if we did not cut back on subsidies.

“Idris was speaking the truth. No country can afford going on with the subsidies in the wake of the global price hikes.”

He said in oil importing countries like Japan and Germany, the government was instead teaching their people about oil efficiency.

“More countries are doing that not only for economics handling, but also for saving Planet Earth from global warming and for creating a cleaner and greener environment.”

He said many countries had turned to alternative power like in building wind and solar power sources of energy to minimise oil consumption.

He said Malaysia should follow suit; many drivers on the road were just too wasteful on petrol, and this had happened because Malaysia’s oil was cheap.

“Indeed, food and oil prices are rising. The people, or for that matter, the world must learn to live with it, with the government taking the leading role.”

Teleinterview By The Borneo Post

Raymond Tang of The Borneo Post interviewed me over the phone yesterday afternoon (May 17, Tuesday) on the subject of subsidy removal. This was in response to PM's remark that "subsidy is like opium".

I spoke in all honesty!

English Song Singing Competition Jointly By SAGA & IMEB

English Song Singing Competition Jointly By SAGA Central Region & IMEB - Rules & Entry Form

English Songs Singing Competition Jointly organized by SAGA and IMEBby Thomas Ling on Monday, 09 May 2011 at 11:02
SAGA - Sarawak Australian Graduates Association (Central Region)

...IMEB - International Music Examinations Board





Inter-school English Song Competition Entry Form



Date 2nd July 2011 Saturday

Venue Wei Kuo Hall (卫国礼堂), Sibu (Jalan Ling Wen Shun)

Time 7:00 pm

Closing Date 15th June 2011

Fntry fees RM 10



Name of Student: Age:

(capital letters)

School Name:



Home Address:



Date of Birth: I/C No.:

Gender: Male, Female





Telephone No.: (home) Mobile phone: Email:





Entry Category (please select one): A – Primary School (Below 13)

B – Secondary School/college (Below 20)



I hereby certify that the above information is true and correct. I have read and agreed to all contest rules.



Date:

Signature of Contestant







Please submit your entry form to:

IMEB Malaysian Representative Mr. Thomas Ling (0138101535) at 2A Lorong Suarah 1, Sibu 96000

Or by fax: 084 316773 by Email: imebmalaysia@gmail.com (Entry fees will be collected later for submissions

by fax or email.)

_________________________________________________________________________________

Purposes:

To give a platform for young people to show case their singing talent, especially those who can sing songs in English. 让爱好唱英文歌的年轻人有展示才华的平台。
To promote IMEB, the International Music Examination Board from Australia. 推介澳洲国际音乐考试学院。
To promote SAGA, the Sarawak Australian Graduates Association, the sponsor of this competition. 让更多人认识 留澳同学会。


Judges ：评审团

Dr. Timothy Smith (IMEB Syllabus Consultant, Examiner) (Australia) 音乐博士，音乐考监官。

PhD, MEd, BEd, DipTeach, ETC(Adv), PGDES, LAGMS, DipMus(Hon)



John Yong 杨礼宝(USA)

M.M in music education, Gainesville, University of Florida

M.M in Composition, Mankato, Minnesota State University

B.M in String Performance, Edmond, University of Central Oklahoma



Thomas Ling 林垂正(Sibu)

Bachelor of Music - Performing (Sydney Conservatorium of Music)

Licentiate of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (London)

IMEB Malaysia representative

悉尼音乐学院音乐学士, 英国皇家音乐学院教学专业文凭, 澳洲国际音乐考试学院马来西亚代表



Rules:

All songs must be in English, and the titles and lyrics must be submitted with the entries. The organisers reserve the rights to turn down any song deemed to be inappropriate in contents. (Love songs are accepted generally, but not songs with explicit immoral content)
An entry fee of RM 10 will be charged for each contestant. There will be no refund after submission. 报名费RM10
A preliminary audition round may be held if the entry number is too big for one night. 如人数太多将举行入围赛。
All contestants must prepare their own accompanying CDs or live accompanists. Only a piano is provided. Any other instruments must be prepared by contestants. The CDs must be handed in 2 days before the contest for testing with the system. 伴唱CD，伴奏者自备。
The judges’ decision is final. Disputes are not entertained. 裁判员的决定为标准及最终成绩。
The contestants will be judged on the vocal ability, musicianship, stage craft, entertainment value and outfit. 裁判制度：唱功，音乐感，台风， 娱乐性质，服装。


Prizes: 1st: RM 500, 2nd: RM 300, 3rd: RM 100 for Category 1 (plus trophies)

1st: RM 800, 2nd: RM 500, 3rd: RM 300 for Category 2 (Plus trophies)