VOXPOP 'We the rakyat need to know if what PJ Utara MP Tony Pua says is true or whether he is making it up. Give us facts and figures.'

DAP: Minister 'fooling public' on sugar subsidies

Swipenter: So they are now not so subtly stealing from the rakyat through subsidies of essential goods.

On one hand, the government trumpets how caring Umno-BN is about the welfare of the poor by giving or increasing subsidies, but on closer examination they are in fact stealing the wealth and taxes of the rakyat through such means.

How cunning and devilish these Umnoputras and their cronies are in the art of stealing. The robbed is thanking the robbers for the robbery. Malaysians wake up before we find ourselves bankrupt before 2019.

Pemerhati: This looks like a new way of stealing the people's money.

We all are familiar with BN's usual method of stealing money by giving a highly overpriced contract to a crony and then getting a kickback from the crony; or by purchasing items at exorbitant prices and then getting huge kickbacks or commissions from the seller; or by negotiating the Mahathir-style IPP deals with cronies for which he is reported to have got about 30 percent in kickbacks; or by just giving away hundreds of millions of NFC type of loans to cronies who then use the money freely and purchase assets for themselves.

Now some smart Umnoputra has come up with the idea of increasing the subsidy even when the price of the raw material has come down.

This money obviously is going to go to some crony, who will then channel most of it back to the top Umnoputras, who will then laugh all the way to the bank.

Unspin: I have a hypothesis that the extra subsidy of RM198 million is to repay loans that was taken by Felda to buy over ‘sugar king' Robert Kuok's stake in MSM.

Considering that the price of sugar has risen about a ringgit per kilogram since the sale of MSM in 2009 - despite steady raw material cost - one should not be surprised if Felda acquired MSM ‘free of charge' by ‘taxing' the rakyat.

Appum: Hey minister, the onus is on you to reply. We the rakyat need to know if what Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua says is true or whether he is making it up. Give us facts and figures. You owe it to us.

Samuel Ng: Another minister caught with his pants down - an illicit outflow of ringgit through an unnecessary subsidy. So now, where is the subsidy actually going?

Joe Lee: Well done, Tony. Please keep it up. Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary is one crony whose cash register 'tings' every time a Malaysian eats or drinks something with sugar.

Just like the toll concessionaires whenever a car enters a tolled road. Or when any Malaysian switches on a light/appliance - that's when the independent power providers who sells power to Tenaga sucks a little more blood from him or her.

Of course, sometimes many Malaysian citizens don't even realise that they are being screwed - such as the Sabahans/Sarawakians or the Kelantanese who have been treated abysmally because their oil/timber royalties are being robbed by all the Umno cronies.

The government claims they are giving goodies to the people, but we all know that they are doing that by 'taxing' future citizens by increasing government borrowings - soon it shall be RM500 billion - which will have to be borne by the next generation of Malaysians.

V-Change: How a can minister make a public claim without checking the facts. Pua has given him a good shake-up.

Malaysia's deficit will continue to grow worse year after year with so many ministers of such similar calibre. We want see a real change in government if ever the country is to survive well in a time of such global competitiveness.

Changeagent: Roses are red, violets are blue; sugar is sweet, but not as sweet as Umno's over-inflated subsidies.

PKR supremo urges Hadi to contest next GE

Wanderer: PAS recently have experienced a few ripples in the party caused by their ‘undesirable' hypocrites of Islam.

Party president Abdul Hadi Awang must be trying to test his popularity within the party. The voices of support from those pro-Hadi, if heard loud and clear, will be easy for him to make a decision to contest in the next GE.

Smart leaders will always test the water every now and then to gauge their popularity especially, among their grassroots supporters.

Onyourtoes: There are many things that we can learn from Hadi's gesture (although I have no information or knowledge to confirm his desire to quit is genuine).

First, politics is not about money, position and power. It is about serving and contributing one's leadership and ability to the country. If one has attitude like Hadi, it is not difficult to quit because it was never about personal ambition.

Second, when a person is not hard-up of position and power, we the people must try to give him/her more. It is simple logic; people not wanting power and position for themselves will be less corrupted.

Hence Hadi should be persuaded to continue the struggle.

AnakMalaysia: We surely need leaders like PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat and Hadi, who are not at all interested in wealth or position, unlike many others especially in Umno-BN.

That is why they can simply go, because they are not attached to worldly things at all.

Most politicians, even many in Pakatan Rakyat, are working for their self-interest, self-gratification and satisfaction.

We need leaders who are God-fearing, not boss-fearing. Anwar need these God-fearing people to advise and guide him if he were to lead this nation.

Get Hadi to contest just for a parliamentary seat only, not a state seat, as he need to focus on the national agenda, while Nik Aziz should just continue to serve and manage Kelantan, beside guiding the party and Pakatan on religious matters at the national level.

Isa@1penyu: Don't worry, this is all ‘sandiwara' (a drama) from Hadi. Later, Anwar will see him and a new statement will be issued.

Anwar will get brownie points for his efforts and Hadi will come out a hero too. "I wanted to resign but Pakatan needs me" - that will be his song. Look at DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang how many times he has resigned, but he is still around.

These leaders just say they want to resign but never will as they are there for the money, especially DAP leaders who are full of cronyism and nepotism.

Multi Racial: Just read the transcript released by Harakah daily. It is clear that Hadi did not say he does not want to contest in the next GE. He said he left it to the party to decide.

See how Utusan Malaysia and Umno twisted the whole thing. They have been doing that for decades so much so they have lost the ability to tell the truth.

Syabas, Hadi, for respecting the democratic process. Yes, it is not up to Hadi, but his party to decide. I am sure his party would love him to contest in a parliamentary seat so that when Pakatan takes over the federal government, Hadi can contribute at the federal level.

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