TK Chua

Samuel Johnson said a long time ago, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”. Of course common sense would tell us that Johnson was not indicting patriotism in general, only fake patriotism.

I had thought that extreme pomp and pageantry and outrageous luxurious living were synonymous with the bygone era of the imperial past. Apparently this is not so. Flaunting of wealth and obscene opulent living are still very much alive among the rich and the powerful today.

For goodness sake, can we stop comparing Malaysia with other countries?

I remember years ago many sat for the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) to seek admission to the more prestigious MBA programmes in the United States. For some reason, many Malaysian students failed to perform well in this exam. They then argued that the test was irrelevant to their intended course of study.

Unless the poor are helped, the hungry fed, and the unemployed given jobs, it is always controversial to dish out heavy punishments for those who committed petty crimes and personal sins. Whatever the polemics, one can always argue some crimes may be committed out of necessity or circumstances.

Sorry for my harsh words; the more I read of the events unfolding on Selva Kumar Subbiah, the more I feel we are a nation of clueless souls.

Donald J Trump may be the president of the world’s most powerful country. But whether he likes it or not, he must remember the United State (US) is still very much a country based on the constitution, the separation of powers, the rule of law and the 4th estate.

In conjunction with Federal Territories Day, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has made a few suggestions and allegations which if not rebutted, could cause unease and ill-will among the people.

It is common in Malaysia for children of politicians to participate in politics. Many children of past leaders have become leaders today.

Tragedy has struck again, this time on a catamaran boat off Sabah.

There are just too many incongruous arguments now going on in Malaysia today. I consider all these deliberate distractions and diversions from the more fundamental problems confronting us.

It seems to me a hallmark of many third world countries is to constantly talk about grand designs like national missions, visions, and transformations. It does not matter in the process they have achieved anything meaningful. All they need is to keep talking about it and if necessary, to replace one vision with another.

Can we see the baloney of these statements - (i) “I do not deny that leakages occurred and many complained that Felda made decisions to engage in unprofitable ventures. It impacted our finances and that is why we are selling our shares in Maybank,” and (ii) “We are not using the proceeds from the Maybank share sale to pay for the EHP purchase. The monies will be used to pay for management costs which will benefit the settlers, other than to balance out the cash flow of Felda and its subsidiaries.”

I think we shouldn’t let go of the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) debate yet. The issue is just too controversial to be allowed to continue on its present course. This nation cannot let this monster grow further.

Lately there have been too many “noises” on China lending us money and we borrowing from them.

I find this perplexing - that even a VVIP’s allegations, purportedly made with documentary evidence, can be summarily ignored or cast aside. What has this country come to, really?

Lately, Felda Global Ventures Berhad (FGV) has attracted lots of attention. Mainly it is centred on its less than satisfactory performance since listing. Some significant shareholders have expressed their displeasure and some have even ceased to remain as the shareholders.

Suddenly Dr Mahathir Mohamad was accused of not being able to understand the difference between foreigners owning lands in Malaysia and Malaysia’s sovereignty. The prime minister of 22 years has become “stupid” in the eyes of many bootlickers who at one time have never failed to queue up to kiss his hand.

I learn that our economy is being affected by ‘negative noise’ fed by alternative media. As a result, it is the wrong perception that weighs down our economy.