SUPPORTING MH/AK

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on September 27, 2011

1. I have been asked why I support bringing MAS and Air Asia together. Don’t I know that it is a bad deal; that MAS has been cheated by Air Asia?

2. I support MAS/Air Asia cooperation because for years now I have been fed-up with the management of MAS. Government had supported MAS with funds and protection but MAS had never done well.

3. Air Asia is a newcomer but it has managed to sustain itself. Despite giving free seats and cheap fares it is still surviving. And it is apparently making some profits. By right it should close down by now. That it is still around must be because its management knows something that I don’t know.

4. I visited the head office of Air Asia and I flew Air Asia to London and I understand a little how Air Asia operates.

5. Let us take one example. Air Asia Airbus A340 flew into Stanstead, England, with a full load of passengers and I mean full load. The business class was full.

6. I will not mention the VIP treatment that I got. It is not standard and therefore it should not be cited as an example.

7. But what I noticed about the operation is that having flown for 13 hours non stop KL-London, the aircraft flew back to KL one-and-a-half hours later (with a different crew of course).

8. But MAS aircrafts stay on the ground in Heathrow for at least 12 hours. On some routes the air crew would stay in hotels for four days before flying back.

9. When airlines stay on the ground they will not help earn income for the company. Instead they have to pay ground parking charges. Commercial aircrafts should be flying most of the time. Then and then only will they earn money for airlines. And air crews should fly after the statutory rest requirement. Can it be that four days rest is required to certify that crews are fit to fly.

10. This is just one example of not so good management. MAS has a huge staff but Air Asia make-do with a very much smaller staff. They engage in multi-tasking. In fact Air Asia does everything possible to minimise overheads. It would be interesting to compare MAS’ overheads per aircraft against that of Air Asia.

11. Long ago I told a very senior man in MAS to learn from Air Asia its operations and how to cut cost. I don’t know whether he did.

12. When I was told by Azman Mokhtar that MAS was looking into ways of working together with Air Asia, I did not object. In fact I welcome the proposal.

13. How the co-operation is to be carried out was not told to me. That is up to the parties concerned. All I wanted to see is Air Asia’s management playing a role, indirectly or directly in the management of MAS. I believe Air Asia can contribute in this area i.e. unless MAS is not prepared to learn from a “cheap” airline. That would be a tragedy.

14. I hope I have made clear why I support MAS and Air Asia working together.

RADIATION

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on September 21, 2011

1. When X-Ray was first discovered it was used extensively in medicine. X-Rays were taken of the human body to detect diseases. Medical assistants and doctors operate X-Ray machines quite oblivious to the dangers from radiation.

2. After many years it was found that X-Rays cause certain diseases and affect fertility. Now when an X-Ray is taken, the radiologists stay outside the X-Ray room.

3. But we still use the X-Ray on patients because the effect of radiation is only felt when exposure is continuous or very frequent as with the staff in the X-Ray room. I was X-rayed many times during treatment for my heart and lungs.

4. I am against nuclear power plants because nuclear material once activated cannot be reversed. The nuclear wastes keep on radiating harmful rays for a million years. There is no really safe way to dispose them.

5. During the time when I was PM, we had problems with activated tin mining waste or amang, used for colour TV. We had to bury the waste in thick concrete deep in the ground. Now colour TV use plasma or LED and they produce practically no radiation.

6. However, there is now no more radiation at the site where the activated amang was buried. It is now safe to live on the site.

7. Chernobyl is near the Ukrainian capital Kiev.

8. Although the Chernobyl nuclear plant is still dangerous, Kiev is quite safe from the radiation emanating from the damaged nuclear power plant. The level of radiation is very low.

9. There was fear of Tokyo being affected by the accident to the Fukushima nuclear plant. But the radiation level in Tokyo is reported to be quite insignificant. Tokyo is safe.

10. Clearly the danger from radiation is dependant on the intensity of the rays and the duration of exposure. We are all exposed to some radiation from the sun, but it is not harmful.

11. The question is whether the Lynas plant for processing rare earth is a dangerous source of radiation. There are such plants in many countries where rare earth is processed for use in batteries and magnets. There have been no reports of radiation affecting the health of the workers or the people living in close proximity.

12. The proposed Lynas plant has been inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the world authority on nuclear material. They have not reported that Lynas is a dangerous project.

13. But protests are still going on. The only conclusion one can make is that the protests are political. No matter how many investigations and studies are made the protest will go on. It is not about danger to health. It is about defeating the Government in the coming election.

14. We should be careful with radioactive material. But we should not allow political activists and non-genuine environmentalists deprive us of the economic benefits rare-earth offer through unsubstantiated scare stories.

15. Although I am still not in favour of nuclear power plants, I have nothing against the Lynas project. The Government should not be afraid to let the project to go ahead.

ADVICE UNSOLICITED

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on September 15, 2011

1. An online news portal recently reported the Mufti of Perak, Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria, said in a forum that he advised me not to take action against Anwar Ibrahim because I had no witness and I might lose the case.

2. I am sorry but I cannot recall him giving me such advise, not personally or even in public occasions when I met him.

3. I had been convinced by witnesses, but, if by witness the good Mufti meant four sinless people actually seeing the deed, as required in Shariah court, I admit I did not have.

4. The court case was initiated by the officers responsible, not by me. But supposing no court action was taken, how do I explain why Anwar had to be sacked because he was unsuitable to succeed me as Prime Minister?

5. If I drop him, and I had no choice but to drop him because of his immorality, how do I explain to people? The accusation against me would be that it was political.

6. If I said that he was immoral and therefore I had to drop him, people would want to know about the case. Anwar would certainly sue me if I said that be committed sodomy. He would hold rallies all over the country to claim that it was all a conspiracy, a plot to stop him from becoming Prime Minister. Even when the court decided that he was guilty he was still able to convince people that it was all a conspiracy.

7. Even if the Mufti did advise me, and I deny that he did, I would not be able to take that kind of advice. I would be covering up. Let the court decide. Even the special hearing for his appeal after he was found guilty by the courts concluded that he did indulge in sodomy, but not on the day and date alleged by the prosecution.

8. The third judge in that hearing validated the findings of the three courts which heard his case.

9. The learned Mufti may be prepared to accept an immoral person to become the Prime Minister of Malaysia. I am sorry but I hold my responsibility as an amanah, a trust, and I never can be prepared to accept an immoral Prime Minister.

10. I would have ignored the claim by the Mufti that he advised me. But the report is in in the online news portal and that has political implications unfavourable towards me.

9/11 2001

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on September 08, 2011

1. I had written in this blog that the attack against the New York World Trade Centre and the Pentagon on 9/11 2001 was not by Muslim terrorist. It could have been by other groups.

2. In the Star of Friday 2nd September, a report by AFP, date-lined New York has this to say:
“For some Americans, the deaths of nearly 3000 people was not the scariest thing about 9/11. It was realising who carried out the attack: yes, the American Government.”

3. I believe Arab Muslims are angry enough to sacrifice their lives and become suicide bombers. But they or their handlers do not strike me as capable of planning and strategising such attacks so as to maximise the damage to the enemy.

4. More often they would kill other Arabs who may be quite innocent. Frequent targets are mosques at prayer time.

5. But consider the attack on 9/11. The planning must have taken a considerable length of time. The candidates had to learn to fly in tiny aircrafts. Unless they were already airline pilots familiar with big passenger aircraft, their pupil pilot licenses would not be of much help to fly the four aircrafts to their targets which were not an the route of the planes.

6. Planning to hijack four aircrafts simultaneously would require great precision in timing and logistics. One aircraft maybe. But four simultaneously!! I don’t think Arab terrorists from Saudi Arabia can carry out this highly sophisticated operation with such success.

7. Then there was the collapse of the two towers hit by the aircrafts. They came down nicely upon themselves without toppling against the other buildings close by. It looks more like planned demolition of buildings than collapse consequent upon being hit by aircrafts.

8. But a third building also collapsed in the same fashion although it was not hit by any aircraft or by the collapsing twin towers. What is the explanation for this untouched building collapsing upon itself and not damaging other buildings nearby?

9. Then there is the total disappearance of the aircraft which hit the Pentagon building. There was no debris of any kind, no broken parts of the aircraft, no black box, and no human bodies flung into the surroundings. Is it possible for an aircraft to vaporise totally after a crash?

10. And the fourth aircraft which was supposed to have crashed in an open field. Again no sign of any debris. No big crater. Did it vaporise into nothingness also. Did the innocent passengers also vaporise?

11. The American press is great at reporting incidents. They will give full coverage, with great pictures sketches and detailed descriptions. For months they would publish stories with revealing photographs. They would interview the relatives of the passengers who died in the crashes. But the American press was strangely silent about 9/11.

12. It is now the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Bush lied about Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction. As a result hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, Afghans and a few thousand of young American soldiers died, thousands more are wounded, maimed for life, suffering mental breakdowns. Two countries have been devastated and fratricidal wars have become endemic. And still no democracy.

13. This is the legacy of George W. Bush. If they can lie so as to kill Iraqis, Afghans and American soldiers, it is not unthinkable for Bush & Co. to lie about who was responsible for 9/11. Human lives do not seem to mean much to Bush!!

KARPAL DAN MAT SABU

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on September 03, 2011

1. Akhbar melaporkan sesuatu yang pelik.

2. Sementara Mat Sabu memuji pengganas komunis, Karpal Singh pula mencuit perasaan Mat Sabu dan mempertahankan peranan yang dimainkan oleh anggota polis dan pasukan keselamatan Malaysia yang lain dalam menyelamatkan negara daripada pengganas.

3. Sungguh aneh sikap Karpal. Tetapi sebenarnya Karpal sebagai ahli politik amat cekap dan sedar akan kemarahan anggota keselamatan terhadap kenyataan Mat Sabu yang boleh mengurangkan sokongan mereka kepada Pakatan.

4. Sebab itu ia dengan pantas membuat kenyataan untuk mengurangkan kemarahan terhadap Mat Sabu dan seterusnya menyelamat Pakatan sedikit sebanyak.

5. Sesungguhnya di masa lampau terdapat satu usaha dikalangan pemimpin Pas untuk mempertahankan pengganas komunis. Sebabnya ialah kerana ingin mengurangkan rasa terhutang budi kepada pemimpin Umno dahulu yang telah dapat membatal rancangan Malayan Union British, menewaskan pengganas komunis dan memerdekakan negara.

6. Terdapat dikalangan murid sekolah yang diajar oleh entah siapa supaya berkata Tunku Abdul Rahman adalah pemimpin negara yang terburuk sekali.

7. Anwar Ibrahim pula pernah berjanji apabila sahaja ia menjadi Perdana Menteri ia akan benarkan Chin Peng kembali semula ke Malaysia.

8. Pas sekarang sudah gugur matlamat perjuangannya untuk menjadikan Malaysia negara Islam. Juga digugur ialah hasrat Pas untuk melaksanakan hukum hudud. Bersama dengan pembersihan pengganas komunis, Pas berharap kepercayaan DAP kepadanya akan memberi kemenangan kepada Pas apabila melawan Umno dalam PRU 13.

9. Aliran ini tidak sihat bagi Pakatan. Sedikit sebanyak sokongan rakyat, terutama dikalangan anggota pasukan keselamatan dan keluarga mereka akan terhakis. Saya percaya pemimpin yang lebih berpengalaman diantara mereka seperti Karpal Singh akan cuba mengurangkan kelancaran ke arah pembersihan komunis Malaysia untuk tidak terlalu memburukkan persepsi rakyat, khususnya mereka yang telah berkorban untuk menyelamatkan negara ini.

10. Walau apapun pendirian pemimpin Pas tidak akan menjejas kesetiaan pengikut mereka kerana fanatisme mereka tetapi janganlah pula orang lain juga membutakan mata akan kesanggupan Pas dan sudah tentu PKR, untuk menidakkan apa sahaja sumbangan pemimpin UMNO dahulu demi mendapat sokongan DAP dan orang Cina khususnya.

11. Pas sekarang tidak lagi Pas Ustaz Zulkifli, Burhanuddin Al-Helmi, Asri Muda. Pas sekarang sanggup membelakangkan Islam pun kerana gila kuasa dan Putrajaya. Na’uzubillah.

SALAM KEMERDEKAAN

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on August 30, 2011

Dikesempatan ini, saya ingin mengucapkan Selamat Menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan yang ke 54 kepada semua rakyat Malaysia. Semoga kemerdekaan yang telah kita kecapi selama ini akan terus kekal.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on August 29, 2011

Saya dan isteri saya ingin mengucapkan Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir Batin kepada semua rakyat Malaysia khususnya kepada muslimin dan muslimat. Kepada yang pulang beraya dikampung halaman, pandulah kenderaan dengan cermat dan kami berdoa agar sampai ke pangkuan keluarga tersayang dengan selamat.