YOURSAY ‘Haram x haram = halal - ie, negative x negative = positive.’

MP questions RM77mil contract for Hisham's kin

Kim Quek: Incidentally, I wrote in an article in August 2006 that this same company Lembah Sari Sdn Bhd (then a RM2 company), owned by Haris Onn Hussein, was allegedly secretly awarded, without tender, a lucrative three-year monopoly worth RM70 million to RM100 million a year to provide security labelling to local manufacturers of cigarettes.

This contract, given to Haris during the tenure of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Lah), was in replacement of a previous concession held by Kod Efisien during Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s reign.

I commented then that Haris was grossly overpaid for playing the role of a virtual middle man by merely conveying the equipment and ink from the Swiss-owned Sicpa Holdings SA to the local cigarette manufacturers.

As expected, such security labelling has been totally ineffective in preventing cigarette smuggling and the hundreds of millions of ringgit in public funds spent is money down the drain. But then, it has allegedly made Haris On Hussein a multi-millionaire through the years.

This story was told in the last page of my banned book, ‘The March to Putrajaya’, which can be read here .

Retired Citizen: Profit derived from haram business is haram. Corruption is also haram. But in Umno logic, haram x haram = halal - ie, negative x negative = positive.

Ipohcrite: Haris Onn is obviously the most suitable candidate to be awarded the contract. He is a bumiputera, a member of Umno and possesses the "who you know" credentials. What else do you want, man?

Aziz Bin Kader: Isma and Perkasa will make a police report tonight against Haris Onn Hussein for insulting Islam. A Muslim cannot deal with liquor-related business. This is seriously insulting to Islam. We await the action to taken by Perkasa and Isma.

Sani Ismail: If my memory does not fail me, more than 25 years ago, an engineer attached to Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) Penang (could be holding be a senior position then) was suspended from his position and later on, fined and finally dismissed.

His offence? He sat in a decision-making committee that chose a company that won a tender to supply some equipment to TNB. His wife was a shareholder (could have been an active partner) in the said company. The cost of the project was an infinitesimal percentage of RM77 million.

The difference? 1. The engineer and a few friends of mine were congregates at a few mosques in the Dato Kramat constituency. He assuaged the problems of the needy and did not fail to share in the financial expenses of mosque-surau related programmes. 2. This brother of Hishammuddin Hussein is a stranger to me. 3. I wonder if this is an integral part of 1Malaysia, or is it the government's version of good governance?

CQ Muar: For those idiots who objected and protested against Oktoberfest just because it's haram to Muslims, you're in effect killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. The Chinese are main drinkers of alcohol and liquor, thus contributing to the high duties. Thus it is evident why Hisham's brother has been given the coveted contract.

If such a furore is made against a liquor outlet, will our Muslim minister's brother be exploiting the profit? What have they got to say now? Isn't benefitting from sale of products prohibited considered sinful to Muslims? I equate this to a Chinese saying: "I don't take the meat, but I only drink the soup".

That's not all. The 'dirtiest' money comes from the sale of babi (pigs). Don't you realise that somehow or other, the currency being circulated around is passed around and tainted? In that context, money is indeed dirty and considered haram to be associated with, nevertheless craved by all, regardless of race or religion.

I once suggested that Bank Negara contemplate issuing a separate currency for Muslims and non-Muslims, for the sake of those extremists who are so para-eccentric! What hypocrisy and madness is happening to our once liberal Malaysia, I just wonder?

Disbeliever: Welcome to Bolehland - land of endless possibilities! Cronyism and nepotism are the staple diet of many, if not all BN ministers. They are just adhering to what the PM has suggested: "You help me, I help you."

They throw crumbs at the rakyat but all ministers will get a hefty pay rise soon. They give out Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) at a maximum RM950 but impose the goods and services tax (GST). They go round in flashy limousines and get all kinds of perks while the rakyat ride motorcycles.

Has anyone realised that the insurance premium for motorcycles is more than 50 times the amount of road tax? A passenger car of 2,000cc pays a road tax of RM378.50 and a comprehensive insurance (first party) of about RM1,500 (with 55 percent no claim bonus or NCB), which means the insurance is about four times the amount of the road tax.

In the case of a 70cc motorcycle, the road tax fee is RM2 but the third party insurance is about RM110. So, isn't that more than 50 times?

Jstom: They keep on doing it and just show the middle finger to the rakyat! Malaysia boleh, mah?

Senior: I have no problem if he is a brother... I have the problem when it's a direct negotiation with a brother/relative of a minister.

Chapati: When drinking alcohol is haram, then printing labels for a haram product is also considered haram. How was a bumi company awarded such a contract deemed haram?

Siang Malam: I wonder how our third prime minister Hussein Onn would react if he were alive today and finds his sons doing such things?

Doc: See, drinking more liquor will make another Malay Muslim bumiputera entrepreneur rich. So, at the end of the day, if alcohol is banned in Malaysia, who is going to lose - the Malays.

A large portion of this type of sin tax will be used to fund mega projects that will benefit the Umnoputra, from the corruption, oops commission, that they will receive from these projects.

And today we have yet another reason for non-Muslims to drink more alcohol, which is to make Hishammuddin Hussein's Muslim entrepreneur brother super rich. Who knows; he can join the ranks in being another proud bumi billionaire.

So, Utusan Malaysia , don't be stupid and kill off the Malay bumi entrepreneurs by demanding an end to liquor drinking activities by the non-Muslims.

Negarawan: They should make labels with the word ‘Perompak’ on them and stick them on the foreheads of these Umno cronies.

TheSaint: In that case, I would not be surprised to find that the labelling of ‘babi’ with the red stamp of health checks certification would also belong to a crony businessman.

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