your say 'The V-sign by Mahathir is a surreptitious message to Najib - ‘One Malaysia, two prime ministers'.'

Stop flashing your wealth, Mahathir tells BN leaders

Ferdtan: What is the significance of the invitation of Dr Mahathir Mohamad to speak at a BN Selangor State Assembly Backbenchers Club event, when the chief of state Umno is none other than PM Najib Razak?

Is it that the BN has lost the confidence of the state Umno chief that Mahathir, holding no party post, had been 'recruited' to help in the wresting of state power from Pakatan Rakyat?

I can't help looking at the photograph where all the BN leaders are flashing PM's slogan '1Malaysia' with the exception of one man - Mahathir instead displays a 'V' sign.

A picture is worth a thousand words - is Mahathir showing that he doesn't want to be part of 1Malaysia; that it has failed? This may lend weight to the rumour of a split between the top leaders in Umno, between the deputy PM and PM with Mahathir in the thick of action.

PassiveResistance: So the 'grand' old man does agree that BN leaders or the like are rich. But he didn't explain how the riches come about. We know, of course.

The 'grand' old man did the V-sign while the rest had the one-finger-up sign. Najib, beware, Mahathir doesn't subscribe to your 1Malaysia.

Not Convinced: The V-sign by Mahathir is a surreptitious message to Najib - ‘One Malaysia, two prime ministers'.

Onyourtoes: Mahathir just didn't get it; corruption is not a perception problem in this country. Corruption is rampant, blatant and excessive.

I grew up always holding on to the belief that the police, the immigration, the judiciary and almost anybody in government uniform are people to be trusted to do the right thing for society. But not anymore, not because I am influenced by opposition politics, but by the reality I see everyday in my life.

The rot is right to the core and from the very top. It is the number one problem over and above the so-called national unity problem that the whole country is shouting and debating about.

Instead of 1Malaysia, the BN government should have arrested all corrupted politicians and civil servants and sent them to jail. That would have been a more effective reform.

Tell me, which country has anti-corruption officers extorting money from businessmen blatantly at the country's premier airport? I think even Indonesia is more subtle than this.

By the way, I am not just talking about corruption in government ministries/departments alone. What about our GLCs (government-linked companies) which operate like private businesses but are actually managing public money?

How can Sime Darby, after having suffered such colossal losses, acquire E&O in total defiance of logic and common sense? How can so many of our GLCs banks acquire banks in Indonesia and Pakistan that are never properly evaluated in terms of regulations and security of our investment?

I want to ask all these hot shots, if it is their own money, would they have done the same thing?

Bhajnik Singh: The ‘Father of Corruption' has not told his flock to stop their thievery but just not to flaunt it. He has effectively confirmed that all BN representatives and their loyal supporters are corrupt and only in politics to serve themselves by stealing from the rakyat.

As ( Malaysiakini commentator) Nik V said, if not for the hard-working rakyat, Malaysia would have been bankrupt by now.

Up2U: When one has garnered so much easy wealth through corrupt ways, how can anyone stop?

One should not flaunt their ill-gotten gains but then with so many colleagues blatantly flashing their wealth by building palaces (even in low-cost housing area), driving expensive imported luxury cars and constantly dishing out ‘kenduris' (feasts) at 6-star hotels, it is difficult for others not to follow.

Jeremy Ng: Good advice, Tun. Your Mercedes example is very apt. They should go to the ground in Proton Saga or motorcycle, or better still, bicycles.

But after they got elected, they can go back to their luxurious lifestyles. As for the money, they can park them in overseas accounts. Flashing can then be done outside the country. Don't do it here and allow the opposition to harp on it.

Surely, these small sacrifices are worth it. With this and the special mechanisms in recruiting new BN voters, plus the billions of ringgit that will be used, BN is sure to win.

Black Mamba: These days, Dr M is making umpteen statements and dishing out advice to Umno-BN members and seems to be the de facto premier. He has outwardly shown his presence and taking the bull by the horns so to speak on a wide range of issues, thus undermining Najib's position.

He certainly can't afford to see the BN falter by the wayside as he knows the consequences are way too dire for him and his descendants to shoulder. Indeed, he is aware of what happened to Suharto's family members after his fall from grace.

Armageddon: You are wrong, Tun, we never perceive BN leaders as corrupted. We are actually 100 percent sure they are corrupted. And they are getting more and more arrogantly corrupted by the day.

Ask young leaders, why they join Umno, and the instant common reply is to make money via cronysm.

Tell us, Tun, is there any poor Aduns (state representatives) or MPs in  the BN? If you really love this country, stop supporting  the BN, let Pakatan win in the next GE and let them clean up the mess.

Adelicia: Yes, they are corrupted to the core. And yes, this ex-PM was telling his people that it is alright for them to rob the nation so long they don't show off their ill-gotten wealth in this country, especially in front of the poor Malays.

Everyone knows that the whole cabinet has learnt from him how to be super hypocrites to weep in front of the cameras and his hand-picked disciple even go further to employ expensive foreign PR (public relation) firms to boost his image with taxpayers' money.

Everyone here knows they stack away their wealth overseas which can last them for generations. All this knowledge will not deter them as long as they stay in power.

Who can wake up the rural folks to such wicked deeds and the missed opportunities the nation has suffered?

Gandhi: Mahathir said 300 families took in Umno elected representatives during the event so that they could get closer to the people. This advice would not have dished out if BN had not lost a few states.

I would have never imagined such an appeal by this man if Selangor were under BN.

Josephine: TDM asked the BN to stop 'flashing' their wealth. Note that the BN leaders are not asked to stop corrupt practices, only they should not let the people see it.

This sums up the problem with BN. It is all about the 'packaging', but the core is completely rotten.

Teaching thieves how to be better thieves

 

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