Cronyism: A Penny For Your Thoughts, Tun

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s advice last Sunday to prime minister-in-waiting, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to keep his cronies and family members at bay when he takes over the reins of leadership is worth pondering.

Dr Mahathir knows best. After all, he has ruled the nation for 22 years. In fact, Dr Mahathir came under virulent attacks by the western media, alleging him of practising cronyism during his term in office as prime minister.

In his website www.chedet.com, which is named after the pseudonym he used when he wrote articles for the newspapers, Dr Mahathir says that when the New Economic Policy began to show some results in the early 80s, the western media and local opponents of the government began to talk about cronyism.

“I came in for virulent attacks because some Malays actually did well in business. They were all labelled my cronies whether they were indeed my cronies or not. Anyone who succeeded was immediately defined as my crony. Many close friends, relatives and members of my family who failed in business would not be called cronies.

It is not the actual relation or association with the leader that qualifies one to be the crony of the Prime Minister. It is the success of the individual. Failures, no matter how close they may be to the Prime Minister would not be called cronies.

This left me in a quandary. As head of the Government, I had to ensure the success of the NEP objective of reducing the disparities between the bumiputeras and the non-bumis. This reduction must be achieved at all levels, not excluding the rich and the very rich. It wouldn't do to have parity among the low income and middle income only, while big businesses are all in the hands of the non-Bumiputera millionaires,” says Dr Mahathir.

But what is cronyism?

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia has defined cronyism as partiality to long-standing friends, especially by appointing them to positions of authority, regardless of their qualifications.

“Governments are particularly susceptible to accusations of cronyism, as they spend public money. Many democratic governments are encouraged to practice administrative transparency in accounting and contracting, however there often is no clear delineation of when an appointment to government office is "cronyism".

It is not unusual for a politician to surround him- or herself with highly-qualified subordinates, and to develop social, business, or political friendships leading to the appointment to office of friends, likewise in granting government contracts. In fact, the counsel of such friends is why the officeholder successfully obtained his or her powerful position — therefore, cronyism usually is easier to perceive than to demonstrate and prove.

In the private sector, cronyism exists in organisations, often termed ‘the old boys club’ or 'the golden circle', again the boundary between cronyism and 'networking' is difficult to delineate.”

According to Wikipedia, cronyism can exist anywhere, in both free and not-so-free states. Some notable situations and examples of cronyism in world history include:

George Washington was criticised for appointing Alexander Hamilton as the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury after Hamilton had served as Washington’s aide during the American
Revolutionary War.

Examples of cronyism can be found historically in a number of communist states. The cultural revolution in China was initially popular due to the perception that Mao Zedong was ridding the state of a number of officials who had obtained their positions by dint of friendship with communist authorities. One of the highest level cases of cronyism occurred during the Kennedy administration in the United States. Robert S. McNamara was appointed by President John F. Kennedy without any experience, a point that McNamara made clear in the 2003 documentary ‘The Fog of War.’ McNamara's role in the disastrous Vietnam War was crucial and he is often considered "the architect of the Vietnam War". Kennedy originally offered him a job as US Secretary of State and when McNamara admitted to having no experience he gave him Secretary of Defence. Even though McNamara confessed no experience in defence, Kennedy insisted he accept the position.

· US President George W. Bush was accused of cronyism after the nomination of Harriet Miers to the US Supreme Court. Miers had no previous judicial experience and demonstrated little knowledge of constitutional law, and her selection was rejected by many conservatives and liberals. The appointment of Michael D. Brown to the head of FEMA could also be considered a case of cronyism as Brown had no experience pertaining to his job. The administration has also been accused of cronyism for reducing Scooter Libby’s sentence in the Plame Affair.

Paul Wolfowitz was mentioned in connection with cronyism after the World Bank committee charged him with violation of ethical and governance rules as bank president by showing favouritism to his companion in 2005. The report noted that Mr Wolfowitz broke bank rules and the ethical obligations in his contract, and that he tried to hide the salary and promotion package awarded to Shaha Riza, his companion and a bank employee, from top legal and ethics officials in the months after he became bank president in 2005.

Sept 16, Anwar Hottest Menu At Break Fast Dos

Pakatan Rakyat adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his ambitious plan to take over the federal government on Sept 16 have been the favourite menu of each and everyone at breakfast gatherings during this Ramadan.

In fact, Anwar has been in the limelight since the last general election. He made his return to Parliament on Aug 28, two days after he had won the Permatang Pauh by-election.

His political future hinged on this by-election which he won by a landslide victory. The crucial vote returned him to parliament after a decade long absence.

The March elections handed the opposition control of five states and a third of parliamentary seats. The former deputy prime minister has to persuade 30 lawmakers to switch sides from the ruling coalition in order to gain the majority needed to form a new government.

In the run up to Sept 16, Anwar and his “dream” of forming a new government, topped the list of topics at these breakfast events, with every corporate executive hosting these functions, fishing for the latest juicy piece of news from the media.

This was despite some other developments such as the controversial remarks by Umno Vice-President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to reconsider the 2010 transition plan.

Muhyiddin who is Minister of International Trade and Industry has since said that he will not resign from his ministerial post as demanded by some of his Cabinet colleagues.

Following this, the arrests of Malaysia Today news portal editor Raja Petra Kamarudin, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng under the Internal Security Act (ISA) also drew mix reactions from the public.

The latest to hog the limelight was the outburst from Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim on the use of the ISA on the three individuals last week.

Prior to the controversial remarks by Muhyiddin, the ISA detentions and Zaid’s criticism of the ISA, the study tour by 41 Barisan Nasional MPs to Taipei recently was also the entrée at these breaking fast dinners.

Many had speculated that the trip was planned to derail the Pakatan Rakyat adviser’s plan to topple the government on Sept 16 by getting Barisan MPs to jump ship, although many quarters have denied this. Most of them will return on Sept 17.

Terengganu state PAS commissioner Datuk Mustafa Ali said PKR had not officially consulted PAS on the proposed takeover of the government.

“Anwar seems to be controlling our lives, even when we break our fast, we are still talking about him,” says one top corporate executive at a breaking fast event sponsored by Scomi Group Bhd for Bernama staff at Wisma Bernama last night.

Whichever side of the fence you are in, the debate on Anwar’s dream of forming a new government continues, with each and every individual at these dining tables giving their own interpretation and comments.

At one of these functions last week, some journalists from Suara Keadilan were at the same table with me, and they were of course confident the Sept 16 plan would materialize.

But in the spirit of Ramadan, discussions were under control, with no “untoward incidents.” Most Muslims, after nearly 13 hours of fasting, prefer to enjoy the lavish buffer spreads at the hotel.

Buy Malaysian, Say No To Imported Chocolates

“Chemically speaking, chocolate really is the world's perfect food”. --Michael Levine, nutrition researcher, as quoted in The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars

Say No to imported chocolates and Yes to Malaysia’s home-grown ‘food from the gods’. If you have not tasted the goodness and the pure heavenly bliss from Malaysian-made chocolates, then you are missing the best things in life!

My trip to the Malaysian Cocoa Board in Bangi recently resulted in a 360-degree change in my perception of locally-made chocolates. Not only are they tastier, these chocolates are also cheaper and halal too. I have eaten some of these local chocolates in the market many years ago, but they tasted more cocoa with less chocolate.

But with Research and Development (R&D) in place at the MCB’s Cocoa Downstream Research Centre, Malaysian made chocolates are of superior quality and taste as good, if not better than imported ones, with a good number of local chocolate companies making forays abroad.

I had a taste of these chocolates after delivering a talk on journalism at a two-day workshop organised by Bernama for a group of officers, mostly researchers at the centre end of last month.

A no-frills box of chocolates at the centre costs RM20 each, and for my colleague Rohana Mustafa, editor of the Features Desk, who was also one of the speakers, she had her hands full with orders from some 10 people from the Editorial Department.

At the closing of the workshop on Aug 27, Bernama Editor-in-Chief Yong Soo Heong offered MCB to send their personnel for journalism exposure at Bernama Economic Service.

On the commercial front, Malaysian chocolates are also gaining popularity among locals and foreign tourists. One example is the Cocoa Boutique, billed as Malaysia’s largest chocolate paradise at the Malaysia Tourism Centre (MTC) in Jalan Ampang.

The boutique was officially opened by Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said on April 8 2008, held in tandem with the pre-launch of the ministry’s Colours and Flavours of Malaysia campaign.

Having opened its first outlet back in August 2003, the latest flagship Cocoa Boutique is the sixth in line to open. According to its managing director Teng Sze Choong, four of his outlets can be found in Imbi, the National Monument and MTC in Kuala Lumpur.

“Other existing outlets are in GohTong Jaya, Genting Highlands and Penang. We have since welcomed about 4 million visitors from over 80 countries in total and the numbers are increasing by the day.”

Teng says, “Our aim is to offer chocolate connoisseurs a wide selection of the finest locally produced chocolates. The overwhelming response and popular demand by customers from locally and abroad have resulted in the opening of another outlet nearby known as Chocolate Gallery Malaysia to accommodate the increasing influx of visitors.”

“It is our hope that visitors will bring home sweet memories of Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia in the form of our premium and distinctive Cocoa Boutique chocolates with them. We have 300 varieties of fine chocolates specially formulated and made from original Belgian recipes, using 100 percent pure cocoa butter and other quality ingredients.

Meanwhile, to promote cocoa and its related products, the Malaysian International Cocoa Fair 2009 (MICF ’09) will be held on 8 – 12 May 2009 in Kuala Lumpur.

The fair consists of three events - The Malaysian International Cocoa Conference (MICC ’09), The Malaysian International Cocoa Exposition (MICE ’09) and The Malaysian International Cocoa Dinner (MICD ’09). All three events will be held in The Berjaya Times Square.

The MICC ’09 will enable participants to obtain latest information on cocoa research, new technologies, products and other aspect of cocoa.

At the same time, traders, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and business people in cocoa are able to display, market and establish business contacts on their cocoa products, equipment, machinery and other related cocoa products.

Bernama Gets Brand Laureate’s Best News Agency Award

(Bernama Photos By Mustaza Yusoff)

At 40, Bernama is a force to be reckoned with. It has under its stable a full-fledged editorial team, and to strengthen its position in the region, it has also launched Web TV.

As an established news and information provider, the Malaysian national news agency has also under its wings a radio channel and a television channel.

Bernama Radio 24 is Malaysia´s first news radio channel which is available on 93.9FM and via audio streaming, while Bernama TV is a 24-hour news and current affairs channel, offering news and information in Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil on Astro Channel 502.

With offices in all states in Malaysia and correspondents in Beijing, Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok and New Delhi, Bernama is poised for greater heights.

On June 30, Brand Laureate Award, which honours brand icons and statesmen in Malaysia and Asia Pacific region, named Bernama the Best News Agency Brand Award.

Last Wednesday, Chief Executive Officer of The Brand Laureate Datuk K.K. Johan personally delivered the award to Bernama. There was no representative from Bernama at the auspicious ceremony to accept the award.

At the Brand Laureate Awards 2007/2008 Gala Dinner, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad led the list of those honoured with the Brand Laureate Hall of Fame Award.

He received a Lifetime Achievement Award as an acknowledgment of his works as Malaysia's master brand builder.

In his speech, Dr Johan said Dr Mahathir, during his tenure as Prime Minister, has positioned Malaysia as a respectable nation and a force to be reckoned with in the international arena.

The other recipients were Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, chairman of Permodalan Nasional Bhd, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chairman of Genting and Tan Sri Azman Hashim, chairman of Ambank group.

They were honoured as Brand Laureate's Brand Personality Award 2008.

Johan said the three personalities, had successfully guided the growth of the respective organisations under them.

The Brand Laureate award was conceptualised to honour brand excellences in Malaysia and in the world, and awarded to deserving brands from multinationals, public-listed and government-linked companies that have shown best practices in branding and meet stringent selection criteria.

Breaking Fast With Dates

Muslims around the world break their fast with dates, an essential part of Ramadan, which is historically linked to the Islamic culture.

This Muslim ritual is said to have begun with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) around the seventh century.

That tradition has transformed the date into a massive industry in the Middle East. In Saudi Arabia alone, more than 21 million palm trees produce 884,000 tons of dates a year, making the kingdom one of the largest date producers.

Science has proven that dates are an essential part of a healthy diet, as they contain sugar, fat and proteins as well as important vitamins and are also rich in natural fibres.

Modern medicine has shown that dates are effective in preventing abdominal cancer. They also surpass other fruits in the sheer variety of their constituents that include oil, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium.

Dates are also popular in Malaysia, with the fruit easily available at wet markets as well as the shelves of local supermarkets. Date baskets are also common gifts during the Ramadan.

At hotels where buka puasa events for the media are held, plates of dates are placed on dining tables, with more of the fruits at the buffet section. At most of these gatherings, each guest is given a door gift containing a package of dates.

This date ritual reminds me of an advertisement on Ramadan in 2006. It simply shows a plate with three dates on it. Just a sober but cutting reminder to Muslims to reflect on how they observe their fasting month.

It’s main message over a plate containing three dates reads: “Somewhere out there, this is all someone can afford for buka puasa today. If he’s lucky enough.”

The community service advertisement calls on those fasting not to forget the true spirit of fasting and spare a thought before indulging in lavish buka puasa spreads.

In a world that has become a global village with a free market and a free economy, an increasing number of people are falling victim to wars, hunger, incurable diseases, internal strife, and human rights abuses.

The word "Ramadan" comes from the Arabic root word for "parched thirst" and "sun-baked ground." It is expressive of the hunger and thirst felt by those who spend the month in fasting. As opposed to other holidays, when people often indulge, Ramadan is by nature a time of sacrifice.

We know that all major battles in Islamic history were fought and won during the month of Ramadan. There are still battles to be fought and won --against poverty, intolerance, prejudice, racism and terror.

Let us pray for peace and security for the whole world.

Another Feather In Bernama’s Cap With Web TV

(Bernama Photo)

Bernama has added another feather in its cap with the launch of Bernama Web TV, Southeast Asia’s first live Internet news channel.

The new platform, which can be accessed from last Wednesday via www.bernama-tv.com provides for unrestricted access to Bernama TV over Astro’s Channel 502 from anywhere in the world via the Internet.

It is the latest product of Bernama TV, Malaysia’s first and number one 24-hour news channel. Bernama TV was launched on Feb 28 2008, delivering up to the minute news from all over Malaysia, Asia and around the world.

Bernama Web TV comes exactly a year after the launch of Bernama Radio24, the Malaysian national news agency’s 24-hour news and current affairs channel.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in his speech launching the service last Wednesday, expressed the hope that Bernama Web TV would become the top choice of the people wanting accurate news.

Abdullah believes the 40-year-old Bernama, is a mature and experienced media institution which has contributed much towards forging greater unity among the people and has served the nation well.

"I am happy with the pioneering effort of Bernama TV in providing for access to news via the Internet. This is definitely a meaningful step forward, “ says the premier.

Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Annuar Zaini says a world pivoted on knowledge requires answers accurately -- and fast. A delay in disseminating accurate information would give ample room for the spreading of false news, he adds.

Mohd Annuar says the false news would reach the target earlier and have the advantage of being the first news while the actual news, having arrived late, would be rated secondary and serve to rectify the damage already done.

"News on government successes requires a prudent approach in terms of marketing and communication methods so that the people are able to appreciate the efforts taken by the government and the world can understand what actually happens in the country."

The Uniqueness of Ramadan in Malaysia

Breaking Fast With Family
(Bernama Photo)

We have come to the fifth day of Ramadan in Malaysia, a special month of the year for over one billion Muslims throughout the world. It is also a time for inner reflection, devotion to Allah and self-control.

For Malaysia, Ramadan is unique in the sense that it is not just about abstaining from food and water for Muslims, it is also a celebration, with the Bazaar Ramadan a common feature during this month.

It is during this month in the Muslim calendar that Muslims and non-Muslims in Malaysia flood the Bazaar Ramadan, held in the evenings, with several mouth-watering dishes available.

And it is during this time that your favourite traditional delicacies, which are not commonly sold daily, are making their way into these hawker stalls, which are only in business (and brisk too!) during Ramadan.

In what is seen as a sign of difficult times for the people as a result of the steep fuel and food price hike, the number of stalls and the crowds at some of these Bazaars have somewhat diminished, as can be seen in Ulu Kelang area.

At Bukit Antarabangsa where I live, there is also a drop in the number of stalls, with little or no choice for the residents who have to find alternative locations, either in jalan Enggang or Taman Melawati.

For instance, a mamak stall selling popiah (mini spring rolls) at the jalan Enggang Bazaar Ramadan, which used to reject customers who come at 7 pm, now accepts orders, with only a handful of people in the queue.

I was one of these latecomers who had wanted this popiah so badly during the last Ramadan and every time I went there, I got a ‘sold out’ reply. Alas, I got my popiah on Tuesday, and I must say it was really worth it!

Ramadan is also a social networking for companies and organisations, with the media’s schedule packed with breaking fast invitations.

For these companies and organisations, the breaking fast do is a token of appreciation to the media for their support in promoting their past events, and some took the opportunity to treat and present Ramadan contributions to Muslim orphans.

Among others who have organised breaking fast events for the media are AmBank, Tesco, Samsung and MSC Malaysia. Malaysia Airports is having its gathering with the media today, while Petronas, Nestle, Bank Rakyat and Air Asia have lined up theirs next week.

Personally, I would rather be with my family when I can enjoy home cooked food, with extras like the murtabak, popiah, kuih badak berendam, tepung talam, roti jala, caramel pudding, etc, etc, etc, etc, from the Bazaar Ramadan.