Confession from the ex-PM on the toll concession agreement,
In the midst of the furor over the toll charge hike, Dr Mahathir admitted that toll concession agreements were not well-conceived during his tenure as prime minister.
Obviously the toll price saga has heated up to supernova magnitude that Dr Mahathir is distancing himself from the dodgy agreements, but effecting self-humility - calling himself a 'stupid' politician - and blaming the government officers for not checking the fine print of the agreement with the toll concessionaires.
The former Prime Minister today said that highway concessionaires should reveal how much they have collected in toll todate so as to address people's dissatisfaction over the recent toll hike, he said the volume of traffic might have increased five-fold since toll agreements were inked.
"By right, the income of highway concessionaires should have gone up. So I think it is best that information on the collection is revealed," he said at a news conference to announce the convening of an international conference next month to make war a crime.
Dr Mahathir, who helmed the country for 22 years before stepping down in 2003, suggested a renegotiation of agreements with highway concessionaires, saying that such companies could be reasonable provided they did not lose money.
"Toll could be increased but the rates shouldn't be too high", he said when asked about a protest mounted by members of opposition parties and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Sunday against the recent toll hike by five highway concessionaires.
On the downward trend of crude oil prices, Dr Mahathir said that if prices stayed low, then the government might consider reducing the prices of petroleum products in the country.
"I think we should always look at the price and see what we can do to provide relief for the people," he said as he kept on reminding the Press that he was no longer the Prime Minister.
The news conference saw Dr Mahathir, armed with his trademark no-nonsense style, tackling all sorts of questions ranging from his criticism of the government to the situation in southern Thailand.
Vowing to stick to his ways, he said: "I will criticise anything that is wrong whether it is done by our government or other governments. That has been my principle even when I was Prime Minister.
"I will never hesitate. If the most powerful country in the world do something wrong, I will say it.
"And they are welcome to say when I am wrong. Of course they say I've been wrong all this while, 22 years of bad government," he added.
Dr Mahathir was also asked to comment on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's remark in an interview with the Bangkok Post that criticism against Khairy Jamaluddin had smashed his son-in-law's pot of rice.
"It is a very big rice bowl, running into hundreds of millions of dollars (ringgit). How much rice can you eat," the former Prime Minister said.
Proton must ditch entire management: Mahathir
Malaysia's loss-making auto manufacturer Proton needs to dump its entire management or risk deteriorating even further, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said Monday.
The government is currently negotiating a partnership deal aimed at providing Proton with the expertise it needs to arrest a sharp decline in market share in a newly competitive market.
"They need to have a change of management. It is quite obvious that this management has destroyed Proton completely," said Mahathir, an adviser to the automaker which he helped found in the 1980s.
"If it stays under the present management, it is going to go downhill," he told a press conference, adding that he had no objections to a foreign partner coming on board.
"Foreign, local, whatever. Whatever the government thinks is best," he said.
Mahathir said Proton's manufacturing facilities were running well below capacity.
"It bothers me because today, Proton sales are very poor, the vendors are suffering, some have folded up, the dealers are suffering because they cannot sell," he said.
The government owns 59 percent of Proton, including a 43 percent stake held by its investment arm, Khazanah Nasional.
Three Malaysian automotive companies -- DRB-HICOM, the Naza group and the Mofaz group -- have expressed interest in acquiring all or part of the government's stake.
However, The Edge financial weekly reported Sunday that the government will instead choose either Germany's Volkswagen AG or PSA Peugeot Citroen of France to take a stake in Proton.
The Edge said Volkswagen intended to acquire a controlling stake in Proton's manufacturing division, which could see Proton turn into a manufacturing hub for the German firm.
Peugeot was more inclined towards a relationship which would preserve Proton's identity while collaborating on cheaper models for export regionally and with a controlling stake less of a priority, it said.
Other matters he touched on included Khairy Jamaluddin, Scomi and allegation that the Turkish-built yacht that was reported by a Turkish newspaper to have been bought by Abdullah was actually a gift for him (Mahathir) by a Malaysian tycoon.
"Actually I am quite interested if I could buy, but I don't have the money," he said. "Turkish wooden yachts are beautiful and I thought we could bring them here to Langkawi (so) I asked someone who has the money to bring the yacht to Langkawi as it will look nice, (but) he said no (because) wooden boats won't last in Langkawi."
He added: "If anybody wants to bring a wooden yacht to Langkawi, I am for it but don't ask me for the money, I don't have that kind of money."
BN mungkin akan tewas - Dr M
Sambil memberi amaran Barisan Nasional (BN) mungkin cuba menggunakan politik wang untuk memenangi pilihanraya kecil Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Batu Talam hujung bulan ini, bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad membayangkan calon BN mungkin akan tewas jika pengundi amat tidak gembira dengan kerajaan BN sekarang.
Menurut laporan Bernama, Dr Mahathir menyifatkan 'mood' rakyat sudah berbeza dan tidak sama seperti dahulu.
Jika pengundi gembira, katanya, majoriti BN mungkin meningkat, tetapi jika mereka tidak gembira, maka majoritnya mungkin merosot.
Tetapi katanya, jika pengundi amat tidak gembira dengan kerajaan BN sekarang, maka calonnya mungkin tewas.
Bercakap dalam sidang akhbar bagi mengumumkan Sidang Damai Global bagi tahun ini, Dr Mahathir berkata, pilihanraya kecil Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Batu Talam hujung bulan ini menjadi pengukur kepada populariti kerajaan BN sekarang.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad membayangkan adalah sukar bagi penggantinya Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi untuk mengulangi kejayaan cemerlangnya dalam pilihanraya umum yang lalu.
Dalam pilihanraya umum 2004, sejurus selepas menggantikan Dr Mahathir sebagai Perdana Menteri, Abdullah memenangi 90 peratus kerusi Parlimen.
Bekas Perdana Menteri itu berkata, Abdullah akan terpaksa menanggung kesan daripada dasar-dasar yang dilaksanakan oleh pentadbirannya dalam pilihanraya umum yang dijangka diadakan pada 2008 atau lebih awal.
Politik wang
Dr Mahathir berkata, pilihanraya kecil itu akan mencerminkan ‘mood’ rakyat terhadap kerajaan serta mengingatkan, BN mungkin cuba menggunakan politik wang untuk memenangi pilihanraya kecil tersebut.
Katanya, beliau telah mengalami sendiri pengalaman tersebut apabila ada pihak yang menggunakan wang untuk menewaskannya.
Oleh itu, katanya, rakyat mesti menolak dan melaporkannya jika berlaku politik wang dalam pilihanraya kecil itu nanti.
Dr Mahathir merujuk kepada pertandingan jawatan perwakilan Umno bahagian Kubang Pasu pada 9 September lalu di mana beliau gagal dipilih mewakili bahagian itu ke perhimpunan agung Umno di Kuala Lumpur.
Bekas Perdana Menteri itu mendakwa berlaku politik wang yang mengakibatkan beliau tewas dalam pertandingan tersebut. Lembaga Disiplin Umno masih lagi belum mengumumkan hasil penyiasatannya mengenai perkara itu.
Abdullah gagal penuhi janji
Dr Mahathir juga menyifatkan Abdullah telah gagal memenuhi janji-janji yang dibuatnya sewaktu pilihanraya umum 2004.
Beliau turut mengkritik peruntukan RM600 juta untuk kontraktor Kelas F. Pada 13 November lalu, sehari sebelum perhimpunan agung Umno, Abdullah mengumumkan peruntukan itu sebagai tambahan kepada peruntukan RM1.5 bilion bagi pembangunan luar bandar di bawah Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMK9).
Dr Mahathir berkata, adalah salah untuk kerajaan memberi peruntukan kepada parti, terutama parti kerajaan.
Sebaliknya, kata beliau, peruntukan itu mesti diberikan kepada semua orang dan jika ia tidak dilakukan melalui saluran rasmi, dan terhad kepada satu parti politik sahaja, maka ia melanggar undang-undang.
Bekas Perdana itu yang mengkritik hebat pentadbiran Abdullah sebelum ini, turut menyentuh pelbagai isu dalam sidang akhbar selama 45 minit itu.
PM Abdullah Badawi : Tough decisions won't swing votes
Anwar:Toll Hike to Pay for Crooks and Bandits
The on-going protest over the hefty toll hike in the Klang Valley took on another twist when a former finance minister claimed last night that he was told a hike in 1997 was necessary as the concessionaire had to pay out ‘kickbacks’ to certain individuals.
Anwar Ibrahim, deputy premier and finance minister that year, revealed that a highway concessionaire sought an increase in toll charges in 1997 because the extra money was needed as inducements for unspecified individuals.
Speaking to about 200 National Union of Bank Employees delegates at their first extraordinary delegates conference in Port Dickson, Anwar said the matter was first raised by Works Minister S Samy Vellu.
Anwar said the Treasury later found that there were no justification for the toll increase sought.
“He (Samy) still said it was important to increase (the toll charges), and I told him that he should resign (from cabinet) and go work for the company (instead),” said Anwar.
Following this, a ‘Tan Sri’ from the company sought an appointment with Anwar to appeal against the refusal to allow the toll hike.
Anwar said he calculated the cost of running the highway with the ‘Tan Sri’ and realised that its operating cost included paying inducements to certain individuals.
“This ‘Tan Sri’ said he had to pay! Pay leaders and their families from Perlis to Johor,” he said.
“(So I said to the ‘Tan Sri’) you pay these rotten crooks and bandits, you give them million of ringgit. And you expect me [minister of finance] to sign (the documents), so that the poor workers, teachers, farmers fork out the money for you to pay those crooks?” Anwar added.
Controversial trial date
Anwar claimed he refused to sign the documents allowing the toll increase. Subsequently after his sacking a year later - in September 1998 - the documents were signed by the government and toll rates for the unspecified highway was increased a month later, he said.
He said he had made the matter public before, but there had been no investigations into the matter.
Anwar, who is Parti Keadilan Rakyat advisor, also condemned the decision to hold the murder trial of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu until March 2008.
“It’s to make sure that you don’t hear it until after the (next general) election. This is a murder case, not a political case. If Malaysians are condoning corruption to murder, then we are condemning ourselves to hell,” he said.
He warned that the world was watching the case closely, the Mongolian government and parliament in particular.
Malaysia Mahathir Abdullah Anwar toll hikes Proton politic
Obviously the toll price saga has heated up to supernova magnitude that Dr Mahathir is distancing himself from the dodgy agreements, but effecting self-humility - calling himself a 'stupid' politician - and blaming the government officers for not checking the fine print of the agreement with the toll concessionaires.
The former Prime Minister today said that highway concessionaires should reveal how much they have collected in toll todate so as to address people's dissatisfaction over the recent toll hike, he said the volume of traffic might have increased five-fold since toll agreements were inked.
"By right, the income of highway concessionaires should have gone up. So I think it is best that information on the collection is revealed," he said at a news conference to announce the convening of an international conference next month to make war a crime.
Dr Mahathir, who helmed the country for 22 years before stepping down in 2003, suggested a renegotiation of agreements with highway concessionaires, saying that such companies could be reasonable provided they did not lose money.
"Toll could be increased but the rates shouldn't be too high", he said when asked about a protest mounted by members of opposition parties and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Sunday against the recent toll hike by five highway concessionaires.
On the downward trend of crude oil prices, Dr Mahathir said that if prices stayed low, then the government might consider reducing the prices of petroleum products in the country.
"I think we should always look at the price and see what we can do to provide relief for the people," he said as he kept on reminding the Press that he was no longer the Prime Minister.
The news conference saw Dr Mahathir, armed with his trademark no-nonsense style, tackling all sorts of questions ranging from his criticism of the government to the situation in southern Thailand.
Vowing to stick to his ways, he said: "I will criticise anything that is wrong whether it is done by our government or other governments. That has been my principle even when I was Prime Minister.
"I will never hesitate. If the most powerful country in the world do something wrong, I will say it.
"And they are welcome to say when I am wrong. Of course they say I've been wrong all this while, 22 years of bad government," he added.
Dr Mahathir was also asked to comment on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's remark in an interview with the Bangkok Post that criticism against Khairy Jamaluddin had smashed his son-in-law's pot of rice.
"It is a very big rice bowl, running into hundreds of millions of dollars (ringgit). How much rice can you eat," the former Prime Minister said.
Proton must ditch entire management: Mahathir
Malaysia's loss-making auto manufacturer Proton needs to dump its entire management or risk deteriorating even further, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said Monday.
The government is currently negotiating a partnership deal aimed at providing Proton with the expertise it needs to arrest a sharp decline in market share in a newly competitive market.
"They need to have a change of management. It is quite obvious that this management has destroyed Proton completely," said Mahathir, an adviser to the automaker which he helped found in the 1980s.
"If it stays under the present management, it is going to go downhill," he told a press conference, adding that he had no objections to a foreign partner coming on board.
"Foreign, local, whatever. Whatever the government thinks is best," he said.
Mahathir said Proton's manufacturing facilities were running well below capacity.
"It bothers me because today, Proton sales are very poor, the vendors are suffering, some have folded up, the dealers are suffering because they cannot sell," he said.
The government owns 59 percent of Proton, including a 43 percent stake held by its investment arm, Khazanah Nasional.
Three Malaysian automotive companies -- DRB-HICOM, the Naza group and the Mofaz group -- have expressed interest in acquiring all or part of the government's stake.
However, The Edge financial weekly reported Sunday that the government will instead choose either Germany's Volkswagen AG or PSA Peugeot Citroen of France to take a stake in Proton.
The Edge said Volkswagen intended to acquire a controlling stake in Proton's manufacturing division, which could see Proton turn into a manufacturing hub for the German firm.
Peugeot was more inclined towards a relationship which would preserve Proton's identity while collaborating on cheaper models for export regionally and with a controlling stake less of a priority, it said.
Other matters he touched on included Khairy Jamaluddin, Scomi and allegation that the Turkish-built yacht that was reported by a Turkish newspaper to have been bought by Abdullah was actually a gift for him (Mahathir) by a Malaysian tycoon.
"Actually I am quite interested if I could buy, but I don't have the money," he said. "Turkish wooden yachts are beautiful and I thought we could bring them here to Langkawi (so) I asked someone who has the money to bring the yacht to Langkawi as it will look nice, (but) he said no (because) wooden boats won't last in Langkawi."
He added: "If anybody wants to bring a wooden yacht to Langkawi, I am for it but don't ask me for the money, I don't have that kind of money."
BN mungkin akan tewas - Dr M
Sambil memberi amaran Barisan Nasional (BN) mungkin cuba menggunakan politik wang untuk memenangi pilihanraya kecil Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Batu Talam hujung bulan ini, bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad membayangkan calon BN mungkin akan tewas jika pengundi amat tidak gembira dengan kerajaan BN sekarang.
Menurut laporan Bernama, Dr Mahathir menyifatkan 'mood' rakyat sudah berbeza dan tidak sama seperti dahulu.
Jika pengundi gembira, katanya, majoriti BN mungkin meningkat, tetapi jika mereka tidak gembira, maka majoritnya mungkin merosot.
Tetapi katanya, jika pengundi amat tidak gembira dengan kerajaan BN sekarang, maka calonnya mungkin tewas.
Bercakap dalam sidang akhbar bagi mengumumkan Sidang Damai Global bagi tahun ini, Dr Mahathir berkata, pilihanraya kecil Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Batu Talam hujung bulan ini menjadi pengukur kepada populariti kerajaan BN sekarang.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad membayangkan adalah sukar bagi penggantinya Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi untuk mengulangi kejayaan cemerlangnya dalam pilihanraya umum yang lalu.
Dalam pilihanraya umum 2004, sejurus selepas menggantikan Dr Mahathir sebagai Perdana Menteri, Abdullah memenangi 90 peratus kerusi Parlimen.
Bekas Perdana Menteri itu berkata, Abdullah akan terpaksa menanggung kesan daripada dasar-dasar yang dilaksanakan oleh pentadbirannya dalam pilihanraya umum yang dijangka diadakan pada 2008 atau lebih awal.
Politik wang
Dr Mahathir berkata, pilihanraya kecil itu akan mencerminkan ‘mood’ rakyat terhadap kerajaan serta mengingatkan, BN mungkin cuba menggunakan politik wang untuk memenangi pilihanraya kecil tersebut.
Katanya, beliau telah mengalami sendiri pengalaman tersebut apabila ada pihak yang menggunakan wang untuk menewaskannya.
Oleh itu, katanya, rakyat mesti menolak dan melaporkannya jika berlaku politik wang dalam pilihanraya kecil itu nanti.
Dr Mahathir merujuk kepada pertandingan jawatan perwakilan Umno bahagian Kubang Pasu pada 9 September lalu di mana beliau gagal dipilih mewakili bahagian itu ke perhimpunan agung Umno di Kuala Lumpur.
Bekas Perdana Menteri itu mendakwa berlaku politik wang yang mengakibatkan beliau tewas dalam pertandingan tersebut. Lembaga Disiplin Umno masih lagi belum mengumumkan hasil penyiasatannya mengenai perkara itu.
Abdullah gagal penuhi janji
Dr Mahathir juga menyifatkan Abdullah telah gagal memenuhi janji-janji yang dibuatnya sewaktu pilihanraya umum 2004.
Beliau turut mengkritik peruntukan RM600 juta untuk kontraktor Kelas F. Pada 13 November lalu, sehari sebelum perhimpunan agung Umno, Abdullah mengumumkan peruntukan itu sebagai tambahan kepada peruntukan RM1.5 bilion bagi pembangunan luar bandar di bawah Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMK9).
Dr Mahathir berkata, adalah salah untuk kerajaan memberi peruntukan kepada parti, terutama parti kerajaan.
Sebaliknya, kata beliau, peruntukan itu mesti diberikan kepada semua orang dan jika ia tidak dilakukan melalui saluran rasmi, dan terhad kepada satu parti politik sahaja, maka ia melanggar undang-undang.
Bekas Perdana itu yang mengkritik hebat pentadbiran Abdullah sebelum ini, turut menyentuh pelbagai isu dalam sidang akhbar selama 45 minit itu.
PM Abdullah Badawi : Tough decisions won't swing votes
Anwar:Toll Hike to Pay for Crooks and Bandits
The on-going protest over the hefty toll hike in the Klang Valley took on another twist when a former finance minister claimed last night that he was told a hike in 1997 was necessary as the concessionaire had to pay out ‘kickbacks’ to certain individuals.
Anwar Ibrahim, deputy premier and finance minister that year, revealed that a highway concessionaire sought an increase in toll charges in 1997 because the extra money was needed as inducements for unspecified individuals.
Speaking to about 200 National Union of Bank Employees delegates at their first extraordinary delegates conference in Port Dickson, Anwar said the matter was first raised by Works Minister S Samy Vellu.
Anwar said the Treasury later found that there were no justification for the toll increase sought.
“He (Samy) still said it was important to increase (the toll charges), and I told him that he should resign (from cabinet) and go work for the company (instead),” said Anwar.
Following this, a ‘Tan Sri’ from the company sought an appointment with Anwar to appeal against the refusal to allow the toll hike.
Anwar said he calculated the cost of running the highway with the ‘Tan Sri’ and realised that its operating cost included paying inducements to certain individuals.
“This ‘Tan Sri’ said he had to pay! Pay leaders and their families from Perlis to Johor,” he said.
“(So I said to the ‘Tan Sri’) you pay these rotten crooks and bandits, you give them million of ringgit. And you expect me [minister of finance] to sign (the documents), so that the poor workers, teachers, farmers fork out the money for you to pay those crooks?” Anwar added.
Controversial trial date
Anwar claimed he refused to sign the documents allowing the toll increase. Subsequently after his sacking a year later - in September 1998 - the documents were signed by the government and toll rates for the unspecified highway was increased a month later, he said.
He said he had made the matter public before, but there had been no investigations into the matter.
Anwar, who is Parti Keadilan Rakyat advisor, also condemned the decision to hold the murder trial of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu until March 2008.
“It’s to make sure that you don’t hear it until after the (next general) election. This is a murder case, not a political case. If Malaysians are condoning corruption to murder, then we are condemning ourselves to hell,” he said.
He warned that the world was watching the case closely, the Mongolian government and parliament in particular.
Malaysia Mahathir Abdullah Anwar toll hikes Proton politic
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