Not guilty, but not innocent ..

Anwar, you may be found not guilty, but you are certainly not innocent. Retribution will catch up with you someday and expose you for what you are. Remember Strauss-Kahn, Bill Clinton, Kennedy, Berlusconi .....

The Death of a Scientist ..

Obviously, Israel's Mossad is behind the assassination of Iran's nuclear scientist, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan. Witnesses said 2 masked men on a motorbike threw what later was described as a "magnetic" hand grenade at a car with the scientist in it. The scientist died on the spot. Israel stops at nothing to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, as though Israel's very existence depends on it.

While I believe what the US media says about US denials in the killing, I still find it incredulous that, not many weeks before, most of the Jewish media in the US raised such a frenzy of paranoid fervour over a mere "plot" to kill a useless Arab ambassador in US by Iranians, that the US reacted as though it's about to declare war with Iran.

Iran has to do something about this if it is to exact revenge against Israel. Of course, Iran need not look for Israel's nuclear scientists for Israel has already got the nuclear bombs; all Iran needs is to pick on any Israelis of some significance, say Israelis in the academia, and just simply assassinate them in a tit-for-tat response. Of course, the Israel will cry foul and scream that that's an act of terrorism when Mossad's work of killing is a benevolent act of mercy.

Meanwhile, Timothy Geithner of the US Treasury is in Beijing trying to plead with China to stop buying oil from Iran. China is not stupid to do this but will use the opportunity to squeeze a desperate Iran for more discounts on its oil prices. However, Japan is not keen to follow the footsteps of Europe to reduce or to stop purchasing oil from Iran. It has long term commitments with Iran for oil deliveries and it doesn't want to go through the difficulties it faced before when it was starved of oil, or had to cope with high prices, just to satisfy US and Israel interests, especially now when it cannot wholly rely on nuclear power plants. US is not worried about oil supplies since it has many suppliers from the Gulf of Mexico to Saudi Arabia while Israel is ever ready to receive oil from US aid shipments.

Like Vinnie Harold who is looking for a fight to tell the world that he's the fastest gun around, Israel's fingers are twitching to press the button to launch its missiles on Iran first. The Western media relish on the news of the possibility of an Israel-Iran war. The tone of voice of most news anchors like CNN, BBC, Fox and most Republicans seem to support Israel's pre-emptive strikes. They seem to enjoy Iran being struck first, just as Iraq was in the same predicament before. It's just like the Mormon that insisted the US cavalry attack a Sioux village when his cow was stolen for food by the Indians, ignoring the pleas from some Sioux chiefs to replace the cow with a couple of horses that were more valuable than the emaciated cow. On the Mormon's unreasonable and stubborn insistence, Shylock style, the US cavalry attacked the village and massacred innocent Indians. This occurred in the mid 19th century America.

Of late, there has been a build-up of US forces in Israel. It's no longer a military exercise in response to Iran's military exercise in the Persian Gulf about a week ago. The US is fully deploying its armaments, ships, jet fighters, and soldiers in Israel in anticipation of Iranians attacking Israel. Meanwhile, US is also mobilising their aircraft carriers and attack ships in the Arabian Sea waiting for the attack by Iran. The build-up is a show of naval and air power of the US to warn Iran that if it closes the Straits of Hormuz, US will come down hard on Iran.

But the funny thing is that Saudi Arabia has given permission for Israeli Air Force to use Saudi's air space. When it comes to their safety and well being, those fat Arab sheikhs in Saudi Arabia are willing to co-operate with their biblical enemies to pounce on Iran.

We are on the brink of another war in the Middle East.

Malaysia's debts ...

A report by USA Today says that "the US debts have reached a tipping point" - that it's now so large that the debt equals its GDP. The amount of debt is USD 15.23 trillion, that is, up to end of Sept 2011. Given another 3 months to the end of year 2011, the debt would grow way past its GDP for year 2011, unless it's growing at the rate of 6% - which is unlikely. US analysts are now worried that no way can the Obama administration contain the debt. It looks like the US will go the way Greece goes - that growth in GDP could never catch up with growing debts.

But that is the US. I am concerned with the burgeoning Malaysian debt. As an individual, I am not worried about my own debts over the next 10, 20 or 30 years since my "GDP" over the same periods would consistently be greater than my debts over the same periods. In other words, my debts can be easily controlled and are therefore manageable. But not so with Malaysia.

But the other day, to wit, when Najib announced the Malaysian budget for year 2012, he said that Malaysia's debts are still manageable. In its latest economic report, the Malaysian Treasury, said that Malaysia's debts went up 11.9% to RM 455.75 billion causing its interest payment alone, payable in 2012, to be RM 1.94 billion. The amount of debts represents 53.6% of GDP, meaning Malaysia's GDP is RM 850.2 billion (derived).

However, an enterprising blogger by the name of Pillay, showed a graphical representation of Malaysia's debts from 1970 to the present. The debt gradually increased from 1970 to 1998 and later took off at an alarming rate and, if remains unchecked, the debt, by 2030 (18 years hence), would reach 120% of GDP (i.e. RM 1.2 trillion or at about the level of Greece's debt now). Pillay went on to say that, by 2030, Malaysia's population would reach 40 million and that by that time the country's debt was equivalent to RM 40,000 owed by each Malaysian. He went on to say further that nowhere would Malaysia's revenue be able to catch up with its expenditure and therefore the country would run the risk of bankcruptcy. The interest alone would be RM 80-90 billion.

This is a frightening prospect that our children and grandchildren are facing in the future.

In comparison, Pillay says that Indonesia's debt is about 24.7% of its GDP, while Singapore has no debts at all [no external debts, that is].

Another no prima facie case ...

The news of Anwar Ibrahim's acquittal in the so-called sodomy II trial must have given ecstatic joy to some people. While at the same time, the news is one big disappointment to some other people. To the neutrals, it doesn't make any difference.

My prediction, made long ago, about the 13th general election to be on March 2012 will not materialise now following the acquittal verdict because Najib will now think twice about having it in this March for the reason that should BN lose the election, why would he allow his party to lose power or to have less power one year earlier. I believe he would allow the current term to run its course to the point when the General Election must be held, in accordance with the Constitution.

After all was not Najib the one that initiated the second sodomy charge when victim Saiful met him ? And since then, we the public, have since witnessed the train of events - Anwar seeking refuge in the Turkish embassy's house and then being apprehended by the Police, witnesses and medical experts, local and foreign, called in to testify, the sex video scandal exposed, not to mention the comments from the international media - that finally led to Anwar being charged in court in a trial that dragged for 3 years

But the basis of the judge's delivery of the verdict was curious. It looks to me that he himself believe that Anwar is guilty but cannot render the guilty verdict because he says the prosecution arguments on DNA samples do not seem convincing (he wants 100%, 99.9% is not good enough) and that he cannot accept the testimony of Saiful because of lack of credible witnesses ("uncorroborated", he says). [The judge expected that when Saiful was buggered, there ought to be several witnesses in the room to witness the buggery. Saiful's words against Anwar, taken under oath, were unacceptable]. The verdict was even a surprise to Anwar himself.

But another curious thing are the responses by individual members of the government. Rais Yatim tells us that "this shows that the government is not interfering with the judiciary". Even Najib himself says that this verdict "will clear away the accusations that the government tends to meddle with the judiciary". But these are merely statements on technicalities. Don't they themselves believe that Anwar is guilty of buggering Saiful ? If they don't, then they should not have accused Anwar of buggery in the first place. But if they do, and are really convinced of the act of buggery committed by Anwar, then their responses made on the verdict are, by my book, cowardly.

This brings to my firm, long-held view of the Malaysian judges - that they are no bloody good. They can be easily swayed by long and unrelentless arguments, so much so that if one is to argue long enough until the judges get fed up, they quickly yield to the temptation to declare any prosecution as one that has no prima facie case, just to get it over with.

In this sodomy trial, the victor is Karpal Singh, Anwar's defense lawyer, even when Karpal Singh himself, some 12 years ago, brought up Anwar's weakness to the attention of the government and the general public when he complained that Anwar had a penchant for buggery. Karpal knows exactly the minds of most Malaysian judges and what makes them tick. By raising instances of loopholes in the legal system and court procedures, he can frustrate and exasperate judges to the point that they lose their focus - and deliver bad judgments. Now Karpal sits on his wheelchair smirking a wide grin on his face and with a glass of beer in his hand. Nalle !

Talking about no prima facie case here is what to expect from the outcome of the current trial in the Sosilawati murders. Sometime just before the Hari Raya Puasa celebration, a businesswoman by the name of Sosilawati and her 3 associates were murdered in Banting. Sosilawati, with 3 others who were her lawyer, her banker, and her driver went to Banting ostensibly to discuss some business deal with an Indian lawyer by the name of Pathmanathan. The four of them were taken or led by Pathmanathan to his isolated farm in Banting where a group of Indians under the employ of Pathmanathan were waiting. There, the unfortunate victims were bashed to death. The bodies were burned, completely incinerated by the intense heat in a fire created by fuel and cow dung. The remains were then scatterred in a nearby river.

When, on 12/09/2010 (Hari Raya Aidilfitri), the news of the dastardly act of murders perpetrated by a group of Indians on a helpless group of innocent Malays broke, it so shocked the nation, that for awhile the Indian community became the subject of hatred and revilement by the Malay community. The four victims have disappeared since 30/08/2010 i.e. from the day they went to see the Indian lawyer.

The trial held at the Shah Alam has dragged for so long that I fear it will be subject to postponement after postponement, which would work to the advantage of the team of defense councils. Now, it is bogged down in attempts to find DNA evidence from the ashes and bone samples that the police have recovered - which are quite difficult or even impossible since they may not be samples from the victims ashes since, apparently, they may be mixed with those of past victims of murders. Further, the bones have become so brittle that they broke into ashes the moment pathologists attempt to cut them. So said a medical doctor that it was difficult to distinguish whether they are human or animal bones. (A plus point for the defense lawyer, and well noted by the presiding judge).

When after months of trial, the presiding judge may become so exasperated that he would take the easy way out and declare that the prosecution has no prima facie case and let the murderers go scot free. The oxymoronic judge would base his dismissal on the fact the DNA samples provide no incontrovertible proofs that poor Sosilawati and her associates were not at the scene of the crime and that circumstantial evidence such as admission by other Pathmanathan workers not directly related to the murders, or Sosilawati belongings recovered by the police, were, according to the judge, leaves him with some reasonable doubt to conclude his NPFC judgment. It will come to this in the end. And poor Sosilawati and family have nothing else to do but cry.