Maybank Investment chief executive officer Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz added to the mounting pressure in the market on the appointment of former Negri Sembilan menteri besar Mohd Isa Abdul Samad as Felda chairpman, by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.He said, “There have been many GLCs that have ex-politicians appointed as chairpersons, but Felda is a rare case, where the market is concerned with such an appointment. It sends the wrong signals”.
National Economic Advisory Council member Zainal Aznam Mohd Yusof was more blunt and said Mohd Isa’s track record of graft had raised alarm bells. Zainal played a major role in the preparation of the Second, Fourth and Fifth Malaysia Plans.
He said, “It was a sad day when Isa was appointed chairperson of Felda.”
Zainal Aznam said real reform could be achieved if there was a blanket ban on the appointment of politicians to head GLCs: “Why not say politicians cannot be appointed, no matter which political divide you are from, or whether or not you are corrupt? Power corrupts, so the basic assumption is that (politicians) are stigmatised as corrupt”.
He believed that Isa Samad’s appointment was a blow to Felda's solid reputation in the developing world.
Former Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir expressed his regret at the shocking level of corruption and cronyism in the nation.
He said, “If the founding fathers could see what is happening now, they will turn in their graves. Corruption is everywhere, you have to bribe people to get things done. Cronyism is everywhere.”
The men were speaking at a forum organised by the think tank Institute of Democratic and Economic Affairs (Ideas), which was founded one year ago.
Former Prime minister Mahathir Mohamad once condemned Isa Samad’s links with corruption and warned the party that Isa Samad could tarnish Umno’s image.
His criticism of Isa Samad was evident when Isa was nominated as candidate for the Bagan Pinang state by-election, in 2009.
Mahathir believed that Umno’s image would be affected because people would think that the party was not serious about fighting money politics if it chose a corrupt candidate.
Isa was suspended for six years, reduced to three years on appeal, for money politics in the 2004 Umno elections.
Incredibly Najib ignored all our protestations and for reasons of his own, and against his better judgement, appointed Isa Samad.
The unfortunate thing is that the people whom Isa Samad is supposed to help are the ones who are oblivious about his past.
Najib’s refusal to address our concerns has prompted various remarks about why Isa Samad was elevated to Chairman of FELDA. The reasons put forward have suggested that the PM could have been compromised because of his past connection and dealings with Isa Samad.
Najib is part of the problem rather than the solution. Appointing Isa Samad is like telling Malaysians that corrupt practices will be rewarded. Najib should have come down hard on Isa Samad and others like him who are openly corrupt.
This betrayal of the Malaysian public is what causes mounting resentment in the rakyat. They feel as if their grievances are not being addressed.
The adverse publicity in terms of racism and corruption are bad for our image abroad.
It comes at a time when Najib’s racism was recently criticized by ex-US ambassador John Malott.
Malott’s article was published in the Asian Wall Street Journal and will be bad for our FDIs (foreign direct investments). It will be read by numerous Fortune 500 CEOs and Asian/European CEOs as well as countless bankers, equity managers and decision-makers around the world.
If Malaysia is known globally as a country that practises racism, Isa Samad’s appointment is an endorsement of corrupt practices.
The other tragedy is that Najib may be the one which causes the eventual downfall of FELDA, the organisation which was started by his father, to elevate the living standards and raise the hard-core poor, out of poverty.










Namun, senario politik telah berubah. Keputusan PRK Tenang menyaksikan pola pengundian di mana semakin tinggi kadar pengundi Cina, maka semakin tinggi kadar undi untuk PAS. Kini, kebanyakan pengundi Cina akan menyokong "orang Melayu Pakatan Rakyat" - ketika membuat pilihan antara "orang Cina UMNO (MCA)" dengan "orang Melayu Pakatan Rakyat (PAS dan PKR)".
Matlamat strategi DAP adalah supaya prestasi PAS mengatasi DAP. Keputusannya menyaksikan matlamat ini tercapai. Dalam pilihan raya yang lalu, DAP yang bertanding kerusi parlimen Labis memperolehi lebih undi Cina di kawasan DUN Tenang berbanding PAS, sementara PAS memperolehi undi yang lebih banyak daripada DAP di kawasan Melayu. Tidak sukar untuk menjelaskan fenomena ini - sesetengah penyokong DAP menolak calon PAS, manakala sesetengah penyokong PAS tidak yakin dengan calon DAP.
Sememangnya, terdapat sesetengah pemimpin dari golongan konservatif yang agak gelisah apabila PAS semakin bergerak ke tengah. Namun, PAS adalah sebuah parti yang pragmatik. Meskipun melihat kegagalan sebagai ujian daripada Tuhan, namun kemenangan tetap akan diiktiraf. Misalnya, Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin (gambar kanan) yang meraih sokongan bukan Melayu, meskipun kehilangan sedikit sokongan Melayu - tetap disanjung tinggi akar umbi partinya. Pemimpin yang popular di kalangan bukan Melayu seperti Dzulkefly Ahmad, Husam Musa, Khalid Samad, Siti Mariah dan sebagainya, juga tidak tersingkir dalam pergelutan kuasa yang sengit dalam parti.
Apakah akan wujud fenomena "Melayu sebagai pemerintah, Cina sebagai pembangkang" (sebagaimana yang dipropagandakan MCA sekarang)? Secara tepat, jawapannya tidak. Ini kerana seandainya kadar sokongan Cina terhadap PR cukup tinggi, maka ramai pemimpin Melayu PKR dan PAS bakal menang di kawasan campuran. Dengan kata lain, ramai calon MCA, Gerakan dan MIC akan kecundang, dan menjurus kepada senario "Pemerintah hampir semuanya Melayu, Pembangkang pula mencerminkan kemajmukan (sungguhpun lebih banyak wakil Cina)".
Namun, iktibar yang diperolehi selepas PRK Tenang adalah, "tembak kuda dulu untuk jatuhkan orang di atasnya". Seandainya MCA dan parti komponen BN yang menjadi tunggangan UMNO ditembak, maka UMNO perlu turun dari kuda dan berperang secara dekat - tanpa diselindungi mitos politik "perkongsian kuasa".












"Tiada seorang pun daripada kami yang memakai kopiah," katanya.
