May 25, 2010
Politics is Money
Former and current BN leaders have admitted that UMNO and MCA have used money in questionable ways during internal and legislative elections, according to a new report on political financing.
“There can be no escaping from the fact that politics is money. You see, without money you just cannot move,” said former premier and UMNO president Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He was speaking in an interview last year with Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M), which published this in a report Reforming Political Financing in Malaysia, launched last Sunday.
Because of the inherent link between politics and money, Mahathir said UMNO has had to raise money from members of the public, resulting in rent-seeking behaviour.
“People in Malaysia don’t need much persuasion. They believe if they contribute, they might get some leverage,” said Mahathir, who headed UMNO for 22 years.
“So when election comes, people just come… and the money taken is sometimes without receipt. “So, it depends on whether you’re going to be honest or not.” Mahathir went on to claim that vote-buying has been prevalent during the party’s triennial elections and accused “practically everyone” elected into the supreme council of using such means.
“So you can say that UMNO central committee is actually made up of corrupt people,” he said. Mahathir then related his own experience in 2006, when his bid to become a delegate to the party AGM that year was allegedly thwarted due to vote-buying by his opponents.
He was referring to his failed attempt to be voted in as one of the seven delegates from the Kubang Pasu division, which he had led for more than three decades.
“I lost. Because UMNO headquarters sent money to pay all those people not to vote for me. The division leader got RM2,000, each member RM200. I was disgusted, you know? RM200, I’m so cheap?” Mahathir said tongue-in-cheek.
“How much can you buy with RM200, how much food, how many plates of mee? You sell the power to determine the leader for RM200?”
Warlord Contractors
The TI-M report includes excerpts of interview with former finance minister and UMNO treasurer Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who spoke on how the party has fed rent seekers through government contracts.
He argued that, because the contracts usually have to change a number of hands, profits would trickle down. This has led to shoddy work in infrastructure projects.
“All these hospitals cracking up, stadiums collapsing, are all the result of warlord contractors,” he said.
“It’s not always a result of corruption. They could be due to bad design, etc, because there’s little margin for contractors to make because the top has been creamed off by these greedy politicians. It breeds itself.
“If you just became a warlord, and you don’t give money, they are not interested in you. You want to amass funds, illegally, to feed your followers.”
MCA leader Dr Chua Soi Lek, when he was party No 2 last year, revealed that many BN candidates spend more during a general election than the ceiling stipulated in election laws.
“The limit on candidates’ election expenses is RM200,000, but the official accounting does not reflect the true spending,” he said.
“Usually a candidate spends between RM500,000 to RM1 million during campaigning.”
In the 234-page report,TI-M criticised UMNO and its BN allies for its business interests as well as its control of media organisations.
It also made 19 recommendations to stem corruption and improve transparency of political financing.
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 
whats new from this warped old man?
end justifies the means. when was he last remorseful for dragging this country down into the abyss?
Yes, it is the present and future generations of Malaysians’ money that you gasak. Is there anything else to say, Mamak Kutty??
Huh, did Mahathir say that the UMNO central committee is actually made up of corrupt people? if you ask him today, he will tell you he don’t remember saying that.
Yes, he forgot a lot of things when he appeared before Royal Commission on Lingam Tape. He is still the sly fox. I have said enough about him for the time being.
Mahathir should emulate Goh Keng Swee who folded his gloves when he felt that he was no longer relevant. In stead, he clings to his positions in PETRONAS and PROTON for the perks he can get. He has enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life. –Din Merican
Din,
Why are you giving this old plonker viewing space…the less coverage he gets, the less he will seem to matter. He is a tin pot dictator who’s screwed his country and people.
There is nothing he can say right now especially on the matter of politics and money thats going to make facinating or insightful reading. Rather, the reverse.
Wouldn’t it be seen as a perfect move to down-play the “help me help you” issue which is currently being under public and legal scrutiny. This sudden outburst from him is not just meant for something without an attachment or a purpose has it always been…….
I tend to agree with Maureen. Mahathir, whether he likes it or not, has an expired ‘use by date’.
Maureen is looking forward to comments about the personal life of the colorful politician Dr Chua Soi Lek and his deep throat companion who didn’t swallow.
To Che Det anything he does is OK but others can’t do the same. Che Det legalize corruption in Malaysia under the pretext of getting contributions for UMNO. Che Det uses the government coffers to give contracts to his cronies in return for a percentage for UMNO. Che Det uses EPU and MoF to secure projects for his cronies and even to hijack viable projects from others to be awarded to his cronies. All UMNO state liaison chief control substantial funds to be used for election.
UMNO is rotten to the core. Each and every UMNO supreme council member is splattered with the same shit. They stink to high heaven. Even Ku Li is splattered with the same shit. That is why he can’t break away from UMNO.
There’s also the trickle down effect affecting all Ketua Bahagian, including all the cawangan chiefs, secretary and treasurer. All are drinking from the same well.
Che Det, before you go meet your maker, make amends and repent. Reveal all the skeletons that are in your closet, and if you love Malaysia and UMNO this is your chance to clean Malaysia once and for all.
Let expose the true Mahathir who is increasingly seen as an irrelevant, self centered and bitter ex-politician. The more he tries to defend his record and legacy, the more ridiculous he sounds. No harm, Maureen. Those who grew up not knowing any other Prime Minister than Mahathir should know that our leaders before him were the men who built our country to see it degenerate into a nation where money is everything. Malaysian history did not begin in 1981.–Din Merican
This is the “But everyone is doing it” argument.
If everyone is doing it, how come
countries like New Zealand, Finland etc rank so high
when it comes to lack of corruption?
Mr Merican
I don’t think he stays on in Petronas and Proton for the money and perks.
More to do with feeling useful and needed. A place to air his views and not made him be forgotten.
How can we forget him Din? After seven years, he is still lauded or reviled.
You are also guilty of constantly portraying him, though in a bad light most times.
For my kids who are born and grow up during Mahathir era, they know of no other PM.
They cried when ‘grandpa’ left.
For far too long we have allowed leaders with the ‘crutches mentality’ to disfigure the nation.People who do need crutches have been forced to take it even if they were not lame to start with. Now the nation has to carry the burden of being in perpetual budget deficit. I do not have to tell you what happens to countries that are in perpetual budget deficit.
We need a new set of leaders and policies that will make us all proud Malaysians again.
Sorry for error. Second sentence should read, People who do ‘not’ need ……………………….
I dont normally wish for someone to die soon, but for this irrelevant old fool, the sooner he konks the better it is for the nation. We just want to get over with him, his monumental futility of his own self-delusional grandeur of himself.
Din
TDM is a crafty old politician. he never says anything without an agenda behind the statement. And he unses the most emotive elements which appeal to the rabid elements of the political society to achieve his ends.
Currently he wants to remain relevant because, in his view, the current leadership ( as well as the previous one) may want to abandon his policies and legacies which have brought Malaysia to its curent state. Second everything he does is indirectly to promote his son upwards in the political hierarchy of UMNO.
While good leadership tries to lay strong foundations for nation building, Mahathir destroyed brick by brick the moral, ethical and legal foundation of our nation so that he could hold power illegally for 22 years. We all know corruption became endemic under his rule. The corrupt links between business and politics was one of his cornerstones of his legacy. And the use of economic policies & strategies and related intellectual grounds like “privatrisation”, “Look East” and “GLCs” structures was his style. And the construct of legal power thru the variuos draconian laws like the ISA, the Universities Act, the Printing Press Act etc as the tools for physical and abusive control through real fear.
How do we move forward. There is only one way. We have to systematically deconstruct all that TDM did so that Malaysia and Malaysians can become respectable in the regional and international communities.
Haha barry.
Fat hopes. Looks like he will live a long, long time.
If he konks soon, you will also hear about him. Infact, the tales we will hear about him will last our life-time.
To play your tune, regard him as dirty dishes or dirty laundry. It cnstantly piles up, though you keep on washing until the day you die.
P,S. If it’s any consolation to you, the horroscope for the Chinese Lunar year predicts that a leader will die in June. You can pray for it to be true and the leader is Tun M.
In other words I was corrupt says the man and what can you do about it to all malaysians.
Dear Mr. Bean,
In between monogramming your paper bags, why dont you write about Dr. Chua. Most of us here do not need any more laxative or botty-burp inducing articles like the one written above.
We’ve had a long cloudy weekend here in Calgary, so with a nice cup of tea, I thought it would be rather refreshing to check out Din’s latest article. Only to discover that I too cant swallow. But thats a good thing, at least Im different from 100% of all the UMNO supporters who not only swallow but actually enjoy keeping the drivel down.
As you can see Mr. Bean, I’ve got very particular tastes, so I hope you are up to scratch.
Dear MACC Chief,
What are you g oing to do about it since TDM, SL Chua and Tengku Ku Li had stated so much irregularities in Elections of all kinds in Political parties and General Elections and awarding of Contracts ?
BTW these words are not spoken by just any Joe Blogg but ex-PM, Ex-Finance Minister and President of a major political party.
Should you not take their words seriously ?
Salut mon cher Din. Comment ca va?
I suggest the educational system has a lot to answer for this and other malaises [no pun intended!] woes.
What do you expect when students are taught to only memorise and regurgitate, whether it’s the Quran [of course in classical Arabic and not plain simple Malay!] or maths formulas or silly Latin phrases if they study law! Sad to relate, but I’ve often heard this in rural and not so rural societies: “Look, I am you mum / dad / ustaz / teacher and I know everything. So don’t ask silly questions and don’t answer back. No need to think. We will do it all for you, you idiots, you!” Call people idiots long enough and they become one. As I see it, all the education system does is to breed brainless unquestioning sycophants. And this makes it so much easier for the government to lead them up the garden path! And the government rewards them with a seat on the Boards of Directors!
“As you can see Mr. Bean, I’ve got very particular tastes, so I hope you are up to scratch.” Maureen
I am sure you do. However, that’s a lot of protein to swallow. It makes you a candidate for gout in your later years. I can still remember Clinton’s advice to Monica: “When smokin’ it is better not to inhale”.
As for itchiness, scratching can only provide temporary relief. But if you insist on scratching, among the well-heeled, the advice is “Don’t do for yourself what you can have others do for you”. The last time I get to read it was when they were displayed on the wall of a massage parlor in Bukit Bintang.
As Calgary is not too far, I’m hoping to catch the next Greyhound and start a relationship with you from scratch. What better way to start a relationship then for me to scratch your back and you scratch mine. Not necessarily at the same place or in the same order.
Bean, you were just meant to give us the lowdown on Dr. Chua.
What’s a lot of protein, arent you making assumptions about the quantity, given your age, your real age, not your cyber age
Inilah masalah utam dalam cara berpolitik UMNO….Mahathir kata apa nak beli dgn RM200? Memang betul bagi Mahathir sebab sekali dia ngap breakfast jer dah RM200!!!Tapi dia mesti ingat sape orang UMNO yg kat bawah….RM200 boleh beli makan 1/2 bulan!!! Itu baru satu calon yang nk di sekat! ADa banyak mana yg nak disekat? ada Banyak pulak yang nak dicalon pergi???? banyak gak seorang akan dapat!!itu sifir bodoh saya saja. Tapi signal yang disampaikan oleh mahathir ialah boleh rasuah politik tapi jgn lah RM 200 lebih la sikit….