tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65403418163279737092024-03-12T18:30:27.138-07:00Sabah: Ground ZeroAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15087375856188823460noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540341816327973709.post-8552970314341079832014-04-02T22:40:00.003-07:002014-04-02T22:40:40.537-07:00ESSCOM should be replaced with Border Patrol Unit
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="img-caption"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">THE fact that another intrusion took place in
Sabah on Wednesday only highlights the ineffectiveness of the Eastern Sabah
Security Command (ESSCOM).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="img-caption"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">A Chinese tourists and a Philippine hotel worker
were abducted by gunmen at the Singamata Reef Resort, which is an </span></span>authorized
PADI 5-star instructor development dive resort in Semporna.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This incident, which is the latest in the long
line of kidnappings targeting foreigners for large ransom, comes barely four
months after a Taiwanese tourist was kidnapped and her husband killed by gunmen
in the Pom Pomp island resort.</div>
<br />
<span class="img-caption"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Despite millions
poured into the setting up of ESSCOM, something is clearly not right in the East
Coast of Sabah.</span></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Set up in March 2013 following
the Lahad Datu incursion by armed Sulu militants, ESSCOM was aimed at strengthening
maritime security and to prevent terrorist activity in the waters off Sabah<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">This incident calls for an urgent
review of ESSCOM’s Standard Operating Procedure and perhaps, ESSCOM should be
replaced with a BORDER PATROL UNIT.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Sabah can learn from various countries that have effective Border Patrol units monitoring borders and seafront measuring thousands of kilometers.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2c5KOh87PxK2CoX5zGu6SMD16c-alI8w95IziD0T-zUpJvmEJVXnRyjjT07Ral3NZTsstGBvZNXd01MSGU2-vIzdm2vgCGED3Oc_eIlS8sv44V1n_QSEP1AcC85y5oAVjdv0knBuL_6t/s1600/border+pat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2c5KOh87PxK2CoX5zGu6SMD16c-alI8w95IziD0T-zUpJvmEJVXnRyjjT07Ral3NZTsstGBvZNXd01MSGU2-vIzdm2vgCGED3Oc_eIlS8sv44V1n_QSEP1AcC85y5oAVjdv0knBuL_6t/s1600/border+pat.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15087375856188823460noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540341816327973709.post-84311841829563740092014-01-18T03:10:00.001-08:002014-01-18T03:10:34.668-08:00Sabotage behind Sabah power blackout?
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBr5_vpxtkGMCr8nEvm7LZSEc7baf-bPtuWDdkcJLNmCo1lBMcGPnJf7Vb1_fmuRNf95Cdbd4xyV08ock3Rj197y3rN8VLBCh2sAKKs2GQL9wQnn-yNX8vrirTPjvvGBQjLWyJY7a95WO/s1600/powerplant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBr5_vpxtkGMCr8nEvm7LZSEc7baf-bPtuWDdkcJLNmCo1lBMcGPnJf7Vb1_fmuRNf95Cdbd4xyV08ock3Rj197y3rN8VLBCh2sAKKs2GQL9wQnn-yNX8vrirTPjvvGBQjLWyJY7a95WO/s1600/powerplant.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><span style="font-size: 16pt;">The recent power blackout
in Sabah raises several pertinent questions.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">First of all, this type of
power blackout is not uncommon in many parts of the world and is known as the
cascading failure of power grids or power cascading.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">For example, under certain
conditions a large power grid can collapse after the failure of a single
transformer.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Cascading failure causes
power outages and plunges many cities around the world into darkness from time
to time. </span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Some of the major
incidences occurred in:</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Northeast America in 1965</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Southern Brazil in 1999</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Italy in 2003</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Northeast America in 2003 (2nd major outage)</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">London in 2003</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Northern India in 2012</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><br />
<br />
S<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">o, this is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">not</b> a problem that happened only in
Sabah. </span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">But why is it happening
frequently? That’s the question that must be answered.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><i><u><span style="color: orange; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></u></i></b><b><u><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-themecolor: text1;">On 25 Jan 2012</span></u></b><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-themecolor: text1;">:</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-themecolor: text1;"> A massive blackout in Sabah
and Labuan when a main substation tripped in Beaufort. More than 100,000 people
affected.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-themecolor: text1;">On 1 May
2012</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-themecolor: text1;">: Pre-dawn fire by explosion at Penampang
power distribution centre. Some 500,000 people affected.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-themecolor: text1;"><u><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">On 5 Dec 2012</span></u>: Generator
Malfunction at power plant in Sepanggar. Factories and industrial outlets
affected.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-themecolor: text1;">On 25 Sept
2013</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-themecolor: text1;">: A series of incidents at 3 major power
stations cripple electricity supply. More than 500,000 people affected.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-themecolor: text1;">On 17 Jan
2014</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-themecolor: text1;">: Massive blackout occurs and affects more
than 500,000 people</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-themecolor: text1;">.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text1;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">The press today quoted
Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili as
saying that based on preliminary findings by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd
engineers, the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">blackout should not have
happened</b>.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">He has directed Tenaga
Nasional Berhad (TNB) and the Energy Commission (EC) to carry out an immediate
probe.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 16pt;">Now, could this possibly be an act of
sabotage?</span></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Since 2012, the State
Government has instructed Sabah Electricity to take all necessary precautionary
measures to prevent similar incidences.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There was a SOP that
determined ways in which power blackouts could be prevented.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">But despite all necessary
measures in place, the incident took place, leaving the state authorities and
power company executives scratching their heads.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">To leave no stones unturned,
one must look into the stories of the past concerning the issue of power
generation in Sabah. </span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In
2011, the State Government cancelled a RM1.3 billion coal-fired power plant in
Lahad Datu following widespread protests.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">The Government did this
after listening to various groups, residents, NGOs and all kinds of so-called
groups advocating environmental issues but actually backed by Opposition
parties.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Now, what is wrong with coal?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Coal has long been the biggest source of electricity
in the United States. As of to date, around 35% of electricity is generated in
United States using coal.</span></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">If coal was a terrible choice for generating power as
claimed by Malaysian Opposition-backed NGOs, then why would US, with its
stringent environmental policies, use coal?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">TNB generates
electricity at its Manjung power plant in Perak and a few other stations using
coal. It is also building two more coal-fired 1000MW power plants in Manjung to
meet increasing demands.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 16pt;">On one side, the NGOs linked to Opposition
parties are objecting the construction of a coal-power plant and on the other
hand, are condemning the authorities for power supply problems.</span></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">These NGOs are pushing for
natural gas powered power plants but that is also a non-renewable energy source
(fossil fuel) and in today’s market condition, gas prices are rising sharply
and cost significantly more than coal.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Sabah Chief Minister Datuk
Seri Musa Hj Aman was recently quoted as saying that the government was looking
into new renewable energy derived from wind, solar and geothermal as future
energy sources for Sabah.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">The state is already
building a RM500 million geothermal power plant in Apas Kiri, Tawau and is the
first of its kind in Malaysia.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">The State Government,
under Musa, has bend backwards to accommodate the requests of the people. </span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">But the world over, coal is still king in power
generation.</span></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It advantages include its reliability, affordability,
abundance, known technologies, safety, and efficiency.</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">One of the greatest advantages of coal fired plants is
reliability. </span></i></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Coal’s ability to supply power during peak power demand
either as base power or as off-peak power is greatly valued as a power plant
fuel. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It is with this fact that advanced pulverized coal fired
power plants are designed to support the grid system in avoiding blackouts.</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Energy produced from coal fired plants is cheaper and more
affordable than other energy sources.</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Since coal is abundant, it is definitely cheap to produce
power using this fuel. Moreover, it is not expensive to extract and mine from
coal deposits. </span></i></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Consequently, its price remains low compared to other fuel
and energy sources.</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">There are approximately over 300 years of economic coal
deposits still accessible. </span></i></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">With this great amount of coal available for use, coal
fired plants can be continuously fueled in many years to come.</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The production and use of coal as a fuel are well
understood, and the technology required in producing it is constantly
advancing. </span></i></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Moreover, coal-mining techniques are continuously enhanced
to ensure that there is a constant supply of coal for the production of power
and energy.</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Generally, coal fired plants are considered safer than
nuclear power plants. A coal power plant's failure is certainly not likely to
cause catastrophic events such as a nuclear meltdown would.</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">A coal power plant still
remains as a cheaper alternative for Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB).</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 16pt;">This brings us back to issues of sabotage
and ‘sly fox’ tactics deployed by the Opposition to whack the state government in the wake of this power blackout.</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">First, the Opposition
cried foul over the planned Lahad Datu coal power plant. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Then when Sabah is
struggling to find a solution for its energy problems, they run down the state
government for failing to find a solution to its power woes.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">WHAT IF THE FREQUENT BLACKOUTS ARE 'ENGINEERED'
WITH ‘INSIDE HELP’ TO DISCREDIT THE STATE GOVERNMENT?</span></b><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15087375856188823460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540341816327973709.post-75096187559010235002014-01-13T01:00:00.003-08:002014-01-13T01:00:47.589-08:00Diversion, trial run or act of mischief by street gangs?
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeCBhm22809-yhHOcKOopumms26b-Bn-nfWkl2PRUUwpQTjtBTx2seduVq7NNPHUb8Rad8kuiiKM8Gmuts-sdQOXkD77JptEcz-CF2IAl3y0Vyt4EX6ZMC9EQMj2jhzqjkYfbUZyAH9CM/s1600/kk+shooti.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeCBhm22809-yhHOcKOopumms26b-Bn-nfWkl2PRUUwpQTjtBTx2seduVq7NNPHUb8Rad8kuiiKM8Gmuts-sdQOXkD77JptEcz-CF2IAl3y0Vyt4EX6ZMC9EQMj2jhzqjkYfbUZyAH9CM/s1600/kk+shooti.png" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There seems to be a continuous attempt by some groups to create chaos in Sabah.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beginning with the attack by Sulu gunmen in February last year, things have somewhat never been the same when it comes to security.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then there was the kidnapping of a Taiwanese tourist and the killing of her husband in Pom Pom island resort end of last year.</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then in the wee hours of Saturday, a group of men which the police identified as 'youths' armed with airguns fired ball bearings, causing damages to glass panels and buildings around KK, Penampang, Luyang and Inanam.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Banks, fast food restaurants, a hotel and
other business offices were the target of the youths who shattered glass panels
and windows, spooking residents who feared it may be an attack by terrorists.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Police have so far ruled out acts of terrorism.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This begs the question…was Saturday’s
incident a plain act of mischief by rowdy youths or was it a diversion (to make
security forces look the other way) or some kind of a trial run for a future
crime.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or
was it the work of a group of street thugs in a turf war over protection money
or illegal <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">business?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Judging from the effects of the Saturday incident, there was widespread panic among residents in KK and affected areas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The 'tremors' were felt throughout the state.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So what is it going to be next?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15087375856188823460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540341816327973709.post-22684746253708815352013-12-27T01:35:00.001-08:002013-12-27T11:15:35.297-08:00The Forest Keeper<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Despite whatever that has been said and written about Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman in the past, he certainly seems to have done some things right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Sometimes, you have to give credit to a man when he
deserves it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">A source disclosed to Sabah Ground Zero that a foreign-based
publishing house is coming up with a book on the CM and his efforts to preserve
nature.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The title of the book is 'The Forest Keeper' and it goes on to say 'an untold story of Musa Aman the conservationist'.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Nature lovers and conservationists might want to read it once its out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The pix below is the cover of the book. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">It seems that the publisher
is keeping mum on details of the book, which is believed to be over 100 pages and is due to be out early 2014.</span><br />
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBy873avK5ZNPmjNlsuiNtWKIo2ldQEwXRRKo2ZnWBkMauek4zlegS2XsapFRDBBcgvL0_6luOvhL6hS7mg2UQ7spbp9NVNHKVcgleklzJu3V8ayYr8CFA3dPCowOU_BpKvmRlUonBgr2i/s1600/img004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBy873avK5ZNPmjNlsuiNtWKIo2ldQEwXRRKo2ZnWBkMauek4zlegS2XsapFRDBBcgvL0_6luOvhL6hS7mg2UQ7spbp9NVNHKVcgleklzJu3V8ayYr8CFA3dPCowOU_BpKvmRlUonBgr2i/s320/img004.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15087375856188823460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540341816327973709.post-10932314601815399072013-11-24T13:41:00.002-08:002013-11-24T20:54:09.154-08:00From Pom Pom to Washington...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyeYcgjK5LMAVCJWzqoTY_UpsZQu3csh71E1bx8MEtlxPokuOHMnIM403ClIcV2P9cHrpOxL2DxwyvsBQ2Fa9W8wUCj3XlSlgIpkw39-a3wgXc-lVKL2srP3wn5xfv6ltGIcFkP-n63WuR/s1600/pom+pom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyeYcgjK5LMAVCJWzqoTY_UpsZQu3csh71E1bx8MEtlxPokuOHMnIM403ClIcV2P9cHrpOxL2DxwyvsBQ2Fa9W8wUCj3XlSlgIpkw39-a3wgXc-lVKL2srP3wn5xfv6ltGIcFkP-n63WuR/s320/pom+pom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
THE <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">sheer scale of America’s surveillance
capabilities is remarkable.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The U.S. and its allies Britain, Canada, Australia
and New Zealand jointly participate in a spy group called the "Five
Eyes" network.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Australia backs Washington by keeping tabs on Asian
countries.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Many dirty secrets of the Five Eyes’ spying
activities (some of it very crass in nature) have surfaced in the public,
thanks to the damning disclosures of whistleblower Edward Snowden.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Huffington Post has an article on the Five Eyes
network and its link is here: </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nikolas-kozloff/geopolitics-of-racism-nsa_b_4206263.html"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nikolas-kozloff/geopolitics-of-racism-nsa_b_4206263.html</span></span></b></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The murder of a Taiwanese businessman and the
kidnapping of his wife in the idyllic island of Pom Pom on Nov 15 is how the
story of Sabah gets from bad to worse.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Security breaches, kidnappings, killings and etc will
continue to occur in our shores.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbSWGwjHwQfFWLErXMfjGG_Dba8P9y99IMYs4vEJr_r3L-1Xzgp5-TK0vgaxJCUj2pvA80OYi2jcPxpx8Ar9-ORhUCjoxxaZ7fP1fvra9BHAOqGhoA-FBfIwRurJagYvUJuLQVXqSwg5g/s1600/abuu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbSWGwjHwQfFWLErXMfjGG_Dba8P9y99IMYs4vEJr_r3L-1Xzgp5-TK0vgaxJCUj2pvA80OYi2jcPxpx8Ar9-ORhUCjoxxaZ7fP1fvra9BHAOqGhoA-FBfIwRurJagYvUJuLQVXqSwg5g/s320/abuu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Unraveling this latest incident on the early hours
of Nov 15 could lead all the way to Washington.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This incident emphasizes a strong need for our security
forces to wake up and understand the game being played out by the world’s
superpower and its Five Eyes network.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There is a gross lack of intelligence on our side
and this has proved to be our Archilles’ heel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We lose a lot of ground when we do not know who we
are facing and what we are putting up with.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Despite setting up ESSCOM and ESSZONE with enhanced
security and advanced mechanism to combat terrorism, we suffer yet another serious
security breach similar to the Sulu Army intrusion last February.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">At
the crime scene at Pom Pom Island Resort and Spa, police found two 5.56mm and two
6.62mm spent casings and these are cartridges used in heavy assault rifles such
as M-16 and AR-66.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
5.56mm rounds are widely used by NATO safekeeping forces and also by the US
special force.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In
the U.S-led war against Iraq in 2003, 46 million 5.56 mm rounds, 30 million
6.62 mm and 60 million .50 caliber rounds were used, according to U.S. Army
records published by the National Defense Magazine.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Abu
Sayyaf, which is being blamed for the incident, has access to a large cache of
these assault rifles, rocket launchers and handguns.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Interestingly,
the Star newspaper first carried an article on a group of obnoxious and rude
Caucasians working as dive masters and managers of these resorts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
Star labeled them as White Rajahs and highlighted how they tried stopping journalists and policemen from entering the resorts, and one of them yelled
vulgarities at a female journalist who went near the resort in the aftermath of the incident.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A
lot of answers can be found if our security forces are brave enough to round up
every single of these Caucasians working in dozens of private resorts and
diving locations in Sabah and carry out background checks on each of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">By doing this, we might incur the wrath of the very nations spying on us but at least
we would have passed them the message that we know what they are up to in our
backyards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In
Bali, the U.S. has agents just lazing around as beach bums; in Philippines,
there are a dozen agents living in Manila and Angeles City, and in Thailand,
you will be surprised to find them running a bar in downtown Bangkok and living
with a Thai wife.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
U.S also has a team of highly skilled soldiers in Southern Philippines to help
train local troops in their ongoing fight against Abu Sayyaf. This matter has
been widely reported in the press so a simple Google search will point one to
the right articles.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
truth is often overlooked in a sea of lies and mischaracterizations.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
truth is that the United States comes up with a lot of bullshit to cover up the only activity it intends to pursue - spying.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">How
effectively could the U.S, which lost the Vietnam War, train local troops in
Philippines to fight Abu Sayyaf? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Or
is the Abu Sayyaf group being manipulated to carry out attacks on countries
such as Malaysia?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
One can never t<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">rust what the U.S is up to.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And
why all this is happening?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLQ2Vita_xeDcaSiwUxd4aATnifuc-vEZ2mH31ZeT7Bx_M-RqRpS7JnUn4dK0eGkXGzJkX3tucwrJPM18wAm_Ns9hSE5zdR3cU8Gh5oLNDPCBsH6BAAX_0iqLjJ-XBu_SbTzuHU8_0anX/s1600/china.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLQ2Vita_xeDcaSiwUxd4aATnifuc-vEZ2mH31ZeT7Bx_M-RqRpS7JnUn4dK0eGkXGzJkX3tucwrJPM18wAm_Ns9hSE5zdR3cU8Gh5oLNDPCBsH6BAAX_0iqLjJ-XBu_SbTzuHU8_0anX/s320/china.jpeg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
U.S. Energy Information Administration said in a 2008 report that the South
China Sea has potential oil reserves of more than 213 billion barrels, larger
than all the oil left in the Middle East.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And
China is spoiling the party by claiming exclusive rights to virtually all of
the South China Sea, including its vast reserves of oil, gas and ocean
resources.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">You
can read more here: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://nation.time.com/2012/07/15/the-south-china-sea-from-bad-to-worse/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="color: blue;">http://nation.time.com/2012/07/15/the-south-china-sea-from-bad-to-worse/</span></span></b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4f81bd; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: accent1;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15087375856188823460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540341816327973709.post-6920335747451476522013-10-16T02:31:00.001-07:002013-10-16T02:50:42.506-07:00Is Salleh Said Keruak eyeing a comeback as Sabah CM?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhsmZwLbgpLAVEeSihAruzch4_udjwuXRsfy3LhB4ndl3Y_XBvdR2TQq-od607pjmmwv-a2S5VpgYTi4-cvu0byas0BEDjj55WXV9n-YfH_wf4Vbj9YmylpO3lJYDg_tVTtx2bUWgxB8d/s1600/sa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhsmZwLbgpLAVEeSihAruzch4_udjwuXRsfy3LhB4ndl3Y_XBvdR2TQq-od607pjmmwv-a2S5VpgYTi4-cvu0byas0BEDjj55WXV9n-YfH_wf4Vbj9YmylpO3lJYDg_tVTtx2bUWgxB8d/s200/sa.jpg" width="130" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Salleh Said Keruak, the son
of former Sabah Chief Minister Tun Mohd Said Keruak, is certainly up to
something judging from the way he talks and moves in recent weeks.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Salleh was the 9<sup>th</sup>
Chief Minister of Sabah between 1994 and 1996, and had to vacate his post to
Yong Teck Lee under the CM rotation system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The 56-year-old Salleh is currently the Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly and Sabah
Umno liaison deputy chairman.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In a critical time when he
is supposed to help strengthen and solidify his party, especially with the
looming polls, Salleh’s actions is seen by many as going on the contrary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">First, Salleh suggested that
CM Musa Aman should contest the Vice-President’s post knowing very well that
incumbent VP Shafie Apdal is going to defend his post.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This is because Shafie first
announced his decision on July 21. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Read
here: <span style="color: #548dd4; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153;">http://www.thesundaily.my/news/775806</span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Knowing very well that
Shafie is going for the candidacy, Salleh tried to cajole Musa into the ring by
openly voicing his support for Musa on Aug 3.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Read here<span style="color: #4f81bd; mso-themecolor: accent1;">: <a href="http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/08/03/musa-an-ideal-candidate-says-salleh/">http</a></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"></a><span style="color: #548dd4; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null">://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/08/03/musa-an-ideal-candidate-says-salleh/</a></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Not only that, Salleh was
alleged to have mobilized several divisions to voice their open support for
Musa in a hope that Musa might get into the fray.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Salleh was
reported to have said: </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #9bbb59; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent3;">"Musa is a committed party worker and
delivers what he promises unlike some leaders who just play politics and create
his own grouping”.</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Then when Musa dropped a
bomb by refusing to contest the VP’s post, let alone defend his supreme council
post, Salleh was caught off guard because Musa did not even disclose his decision to Salleh.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Now that Musa was out of the race, Salleh should have, as a good leader, rallied behind Shafie, especially when Shafie had supported him many times in the past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But Salleh had this to day</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #9bbb59; mso-themecolor: accent3;">“<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">T</b></span></i></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #9bbb59; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-themecolor: accent3;">here is no quota for
any leader or state for the posts of vice-president and supreme council members
in the coming party election</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #9bbb59; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-themecolor: accent3;">.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #9bbb59; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent3;"><o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In other words, Salleh’s
words can be interpreted as telling candidates that there is no incentive to vote for Shafie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In fact, Salleh's actions can be seen as contradicting Musa who
had this to say: </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #c0504d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-themecolor: accent2;">"View the election as a family matter”. </span></b><span lang="EN" style="color: #4f81bd; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-themecolor: accent1;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(htttp://bernama.com/bernama/v7/po/newspolitics.php?id=984980)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Many of Sabah Umno members are now asking this question – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What is Salleh up to?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Since Musa is not going to contest in the elections, why not support
Shafie and get the entire state party machinery to throw their support
for the Rural and Regional Development Minister.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Or is there a hidden agenda?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">And since a few strong indicators point that this is Musa’s last term as CM, is
Salleh eyeing the state’s top post?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">After all, he did not get to enjoy a prolonged stint in 1994-1996 due to
the rotation system that cut short his tenure as CM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">So, is this comeback time for Salleh?</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsTK6M-eZ1wkTJqWOXFawDmBkRJFqS3goOi7cK7VKQ1nlar6Fde3NTFuHgEG3-UhsDMDvJih6sucNOwDagi1lYkq3-QSVye2ujGKsx0PNeurlBH60IXJO_rftBHYZzfrJbPikQwUZmbhP/s1600/salle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsTK6M-eZ1wkTJqWOXFawDmBkRJFqS3goOi7cK7VKQ1nlar6Fde3NTFuHgEG3-UhsDMDvJih6sucNOwDagi1lYkq3-QSVye2ujGKsx0PNeurlBH60IXJO_rftBHYZzfrJbPikQwUZmbhP/s320/salle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15087375856188823460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540341816327973709.post-39349217744617090792013-10-13T00:30:00.001-07:002013-10-13T02:19:21.730-07:00The story of Sabah’s two most powerful politicians and their gentleman’s agreement that screwed the plans of a third force...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajMO0fA6qPcspCUwIIp0zEkkCAMMv-S1zLPEf_8qCSrgl_RoLFd8TWwItg0XGWRmx7kPXfHtpZtgQG09xx9wJPHfOxoXsVbQzq8YpDxxVufQlnDYZPwccmQ-sLI3CC7Kp0yE4TDkCVNM0/s1600/musa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajMO0fA6qPcspCUwIIp0zEkkCAMMv-S1zLPEf_8qCSrgl_RoLFd8TWwItg0XGWRmx7kPXfHtpZtgQG09xx9wJPHfOxoXsVbQzq8YpDxxVufQlnDYZPwccmQ-sLI3CC7Kp0yE4TDkCVNM0/s1600/musa.jpg" /></a><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4f81bd; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent1;">The current political landscape in Sabah is dominated by two
heavyweights – Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Federal Minister for
Rural and Regional Development Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It is a fact that
Musa Aman and Shafie Apdal are currently the two most powerful politicians in
Sabah, each with their own supporters and detractors.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4f81bd; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent1;">But it is also no secret that Musa Aman and Shafie Apdal don’t see eye to
eye, let alone talk to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Even if their paths do cross
inadvertently, be it at official functions or party gatherings, they quickly
shake hands, mumble greetings and turn the other way around.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">But more than a decade ago,
both men were good friends.</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5vJUGeD6iCMl-IfJd7q8xr2C_fMdFazncxaPe6_VX906Qqwioa4c7B2WWRYDoY9looFD2FSrso6OlVUInedUnngBVUI-3_vW4SlUHZGF7ZLoUAAJO7uRloezaaH_sRM4zeHPr8B0cxpX/s1600/musa+shafie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5vJUGeD6iCMl-IfJd7q8xr2C_fMdFazncxaPe6_VX906Qqwioa4c7B2WWRYDoY9looFD2FSrso6OlVUInedUnngBVUI-3_vW4SlUHZGF7ZLoUAAJO7uRloezaaH_sRM4zeHPr8B0cxpX/s320/musa+shafie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Situation, circumstances
and the people surrounding them is certainly to be blamed for the animosity between
these two astute, intelligent and shrewd politicians. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;">There is also a third force active in Sabah politics
that want to see both men removed from their respective positions and this was
the group that initially started to pit Musa with Shafie, and vice-versa.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This third force comprises
few shadowy characters within Sabah Umno itself and from component parties in
Sabah, not to mention those who have a beef with either Musa or Shafie.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Some party veterans in
Sabah claim the political rift between Musa and Shafie is beyond repair, but
others believe they will readily bury their hatchet if the situation warrants
the need for them to work together for a greater cause.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Shafie hails
from a family with deep political ties with Umno.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">His uncle (mother’s
brother) is Tun Sakaran Dandai, Sabah’s first Chief Minister from Umno.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: orange;">For more than three decades, the families of Sakaran Dandai
and Shafie Apdal have worked and struggled for Umno.</span></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: orange;"></span></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">There is no question on their loyalty to the party.</span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sakaran Dandai and his colleagues
prepared the framework that played a pivotal role in Sabah Umno becoming a
dominant party in the state in the 90s.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Shafie is a close
confidant of Prime Minister Najib Razak and served as Deputy Defence Minister
when Najib was Defence Minister between 1999 and 2004.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #4f81bd; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Over the years, Shafie has earned Najib’s trust and their relationship
has grown beyond politics.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;">Najib feels secure when he is with Shafie. He never
has to second guess or doubt Shafie’s loyalty unlike a few other politicians
within the party.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Musa on the other hand,
never had that kind of relationship with Najib.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">But he made efforts to
become close with the First Family and eventually earned the trust of First
Lady Rosmah Mansor.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2;">It is a known fact amongst senior Sabah politicians that Musa has
Rosmah’s ears.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #76923c; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191;">And in his own way, Musa has proved his loyalty to
Najib and takes great effort to maintain strong ties with Putrajaya.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Much of the bad blood
between Musa and Shafie started more than a decade ago when both politicians’
careers started to rise.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2;">Shafie rose to prominence in the Federal scene while Musa took the top
job of running the state.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5-TFXqijPAPiumeR-RZqRKyT71RNT5lhU1h3O89TnSOs2Yq9-N1Quc7yHxRdcOuhRShXTF4WAneHfSEI7khrFKiBiUt66AYNqVqTTCKzfsraP_wSO9Lw2cMEqRcsRlyFaVwP3R17pQ6p/s1600/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5-TFXqijPAPiumeR-RZqRKyT71RNT5lhU1h3O89TnSOs2Yq9-N1Quc7yHxRdcOuhRShXTF4WAneHfSEI7khrFKiBiUt66AYNqVqTTCKzfsraP_wSO9Lw2cMEqRcsRlyFaVwP3R17pQ6p/s320/20.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">While it is not really
possible to pinpoint the one single cause that led to the cracks in their
relationship, many believe it was over the way Shafie and Musa handled the
state’s coffers.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Shafie was known to be
generous while Musa was very selective about spending, to a point that prudence
was the keyword.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Camps
aligned to Shafie become unhappy with Musa’s management of the state while
camps aligned with Musa became unhappy with Shafie’s way of doing things in the
state as well as federal level.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4S9gOLCTT1VR-v6dA0389-rOMXsojiOrpSVnStsP3oeKKCDGW9OSDH4Tu5b0ndJF6uUuMz6Z5jDQJCwO7s3nhZtkRdOb3vXdHeD7Tsv7zTbo7hyphenhyphenmRZTboP0vbzAiPKyYfhxBV1RlnUT8C/s1600/cockfight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4S9gOLCTT1VR-v6dA0389-rOMXsojiOrpSVnStsP3oeKKCDGW9OSDH4Tu5b0ndJF6uUuMz6Z5jDQJCwO7s3nhZtkRdOb3vXdHeD7Tsv7zTbo7hyphenhyphenmRZTboP0vbzAiPKyYfhxBV1RlnUT8C/s1600/cockfight.jpg" /></a><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2;">All this infighting gave a splendid opportunity for the third force
within Sabah’s political echelons to further aggravate the situation between Musa
and Shafie.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">There are also stories on
how Shafie’s powerful Rural Ministry with billions under allocation refused to
hand over it funds for Sabah to Musa because of the people associated with
Musa.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It is learned that
Shafie’s camp was concerned that the funds might not reach the intended people
but end up in the wrong hands. <o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Musa’s camp, on the
other hand, was angry that only people deemed aligned to Shafie were getting
lucrative infrastructure contracts.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2;">Each time the rift became wider, and more controversies surfaced, the
third force was smiling gleefully.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">But unknown to Shafie or
Musa, the third force was actually monitoring their each and every move, and were
secretly hatching more plans to topple them.</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It will
not be wrong to say that the controversies involving Musa (over the Michael
Chia money laundering scandal) and Shafie (for his alleged affair with an
actress) were linked to the third force.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;">But controversies alone were not sufficient to
bring down any of the two.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2;">In fact, both Musa and Shafie walked away unscathed from their scandals.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Shafie continued to enjoy support as Umno vice-president while Musa gave Barisan Nasional its two-third
majority in the State during the May 5 General Elections. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">As the nominations for
the Umno elections drew closer, elements of the third force at work surfaced
again.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Musa was being pushed by 'some' quarters to contest for the VP’s post and several divisions immediately threw
their support for Musa.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This
started to give PM Najib a headache.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHN_0H5KpZzx7gFBo4Evl45FfqFzs7-zM9EkuD8p8_bwGQU2ETkyI-I1zCbclZ32W_zB3tkqK22BhVsWtzw1G1ttO6obmvaWxJjnDBqGvniCc00lDBysflaDADFJIK0QW0tI9K3kDIfUR/s1600/najib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHN_0H5KpZzx7gFBo4Evl45FfqFzs7-zM9EkuD8p8_bwGQU2ETkyI-I1zCbclZ32W_zB3tkqK22BhVsWtzw1G1ttO6obmvaWxJjnDBqGvniCc00lDBysflaDADFJIK0QW0tI9K3kDIfUR/s320/najib.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Not wanting to take
sides, Najib picked up the phone, called Shafie and Musa and told them both to
sort things out amicably and revert to him on their decisions.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Some insiders say Najib
told Musa to concentrate on the state as he was doing a great job but
nevertheless, did not force Musa to stay
away from the contest.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2;">On the morning of Sept 15, Musa called Najib to inform his decision and
then later the same day, broke his silence to the media by announcing that he
is not contesting the VP’s post, let alone defend his post in the Umno Supreme
council.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Musa made his intentions
clear that he is just going to concentrate on developing the state.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2;">Shafie heaved a huge sigh of relief at this news and immediately thanked
Musa for the decision – albeit not personally but through the media.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">All this was done in a
gentlemanly manner by both Musa and Shafie. <o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;">Shafie went on to say in an article which appreared
in the Star on 23<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup> September 2013 (page 7): “I do not have any
personal conflict or ill-feeling towards Musa. Maybe we have some differences
in our approach but that is normal. To say that we cannot work together at all
is not right”.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2;">Suddenly, those who made noises from the background became silent and
retracted to their hiding.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2;">The third force was caught off guard. Their plans backfired.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2;">For the first time, Shafie and Musa nailed them at their own game.</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2;"></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2;"><o:p> - / -</o:p></span></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15087375856188823460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540341816327973709.post-79427860154652317842013-07-08T11:50:00.000-07:002013-07-14T01:19:37.669-07:00Uncovering the plot to topple Musa Aman<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">It all began with oil…</span></i></b></div>
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhss-Ky9CNH2Fn3KnLmELnm0mgA7FkdMBXGOaQZD6gpLGlqFWoxS3bn1wQU-PtbXYJFsTz71dX_YEtzkLRoNs34AyLg3JAvDPHtxffWGlwCDGmSe84P4ecD2U1LpEg-cVwPwHYmGHokRQ/s1600/oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhss-Ky9CNH2Fn3KnLmELnm0mgA7FkdMBXGOaQZD6gpLGlqFWoxS3bn1wQU-PtbXYJFsTz71dX_YEtzkLRoNs34AyLg3JAvDPHtxffWGlwCDGmSe84P4ecD2U1LpEg-cVwPwHYmGHokRQ/s320/oil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Sometime in 2007, a group of businessmen approached Sabah CM Musa Aman to discuss ways they could explore and benefit from the state’s lucrative oil & gas industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br />Now, these are the same group of people who benefitted greatly from the state’s timber resources via Yayasan Sabah and other channels for many, many years under previous Sabah Chief Ministers.<br />
<br />
They became very wealthy over the years, so much so they could afford to blow a few millions a night in casinos.
<br />
<br />
Well, the Sabah reforestation plan and conservation programme that was put in action by Musa since he became CM in 2003 was taking a toll on this group of businessmen.<o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">They could not make as much money as before and therefore, needed another cash cow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Unlike the millions they made in the timber industry, the petroleum industry has the potential to make them billions!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Sabah has Malaysia’s top oil reserves and the Sabah Basin is projected to produce oil for a much longer period than any other oil-producing states in Malaysia.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmJItrDh_VCGj1yPyX3baQsyzjX8Sn_ahms099_V3urSNuVULf_BgZn2a95RQ3XSy_v54UIV1RTq4N4Jrzbhk7Q2JvylZo6u71qsJmTE8Dc5ZfRNqe63f9-ngMhX9yjbd0lmkhhdoLLOk/s1600/sabah+oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmJItrDh_VCGj1yPyX3baQsyzjX8Sn_ahms099_V3urSNuVULf_BgZn2a95RQ3XSy_v54UIV1RTq4N4Jrzbhk7Q2JvylZo6u71qsJmTE8Dc5ZfRNqe63f9-ngMhX9yjbd0lmkhhdoLLOk/s200/sabah+oil.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">All they had to do was get Musa’s blessings and the money from the petroleum industry would start pouring into their coffers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">But the unimaginable happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Musa, despite being 'friendly’ to them, refused to entertain their demands and deemed it not right for them to put their hands in the petroleum ‘cookie jar’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Many attempts were made to smooth talk Musa, and numerous meetings and lobbying sessions took place – but Musa kept them at bay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Angry and bitter that Musa had cut them off the lucrative petroleum sector and denied them a chance to taste a slice of the billions in oil money, this group hatched a plan to get rid of Musa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6QW4kWp5lneL0F_qWghaaFc1ihz_FuUpdAnM729P-r3qEyWEI3RLEw4Pio7dWTUhxOllCRAOCwMk6re0Va8iE50XPglmZjkFA9jML8qxnQBElAfFSzAJh-OTNRJRUnrCcCCRGhijO716/s1600/musa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6QW4kWp5lneL0F_qWghaaFc1ihz_FuUpdAnM729P-r3qEyWEI3RLEw4Pio7dWTUhxOllCRAOCwMk6re0Va8iE50XPglmZjkFA9jML8qxnQBElAfFSzAJh-OTNRJRUnrCcCCRGhijO716/s200/musa.jpg" width="158" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">They vowed that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Musa must be removed at all cost</b>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Timber tycoons run out of trees to chop...</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Proceeds from the timber industry in Sabah were in the past used intensively to fund political activities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The forests of Sabah became the ATM machines for Sabah politicians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Musa Aman is the 14<sup>th</sup> CM of Sabah since Tun Fuad Stephens first took office in September 1963.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The other 13 CMs were Tun Fuad Stephens (1<sup>st</sup> term 1963-1964), Peter Lo Sui Yin (1965-1967), Mustapha Harun (1967-1975), Mohamad Said Keruak (1975-1976), Tun Fuad Stephens (2<sup>nd</sup> term 1976), Harris Salleh (1976-1985), Joseph Pairin Kitingan (1985-1994), Sakaran Dandai (1994), Salleh Said Keruak (1994-1996), Yong Teck Lee (1996-1998), Bernard Dompok (1998-1999), Osu Sukam (1999-2001) and Chong Kah Kiat (2001-2003).<br /><br />There are dozens of timber tycoons, or sometimes known as timber mafias in Sabah and they played instrumental roles as the political backbone and controlled the purse strings of the political elites.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">As a matter of fact, Sabah had the highest concentration of millionaires in the country during the 80s and 90s, all cultivated by the backwater political system backed by timber proceeds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">When Musa took office in 2003, the state’s timber resources were fast depleting and getting out of control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Illegal logging was terribly rampant and something had to be done fast, especially as the timber mafias were creating a lot of problems for Yayasan Sabah with their demands for more concessions/contracts/favors/etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The Yale’s School of Forestry and Environment Studies, in its <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Yale Environment 360</u></i></b> publication had this to say on their 12<sup>th</sup> June 2012 issue:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Forests not only became the state’s principal rainy day fund, but eventually came to be seen as a piggy bank for politicians. The biggest potential beneficiary was the chief minister, who controls both Yayasan Sabah and appoints the director of the forestry department, obliging the most senior forest official to abide by his orders. </span></i></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Soon, the push to generate more cash began to take a toll, and in the 1970s logging accelerated in forests across Borneo, including Sabah, due to rising global demand for timber products. The situation for forests outside the area designated as permanent forest estate was worse due to the emergence of a new and highly profitable crop: oil palm. Oil palm plantations in Sabah grew from almost nothing in the mid-1980s to covering nearly a fifth of Sabah’s landmass by 2010. </span></i></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Inside the Yayasan Sabah concession, logging was rampant, with companies cutting ever-smaller trees and using helicopters to harvest steep slopes. Yayasan Sabah’s revenue plunged with declining timber yields. The situation reached a crescendo in 1998 when the then-chief minister signed off on a massive pulp mill to be run as a Malaysian-Chinese joint venture. The mill would require nearly a third of Yayasan Sabah’s concession to be cleared and planted with fast-growing acacia. When Sam Mannan, then director of forestry, objected to the project, he was relieved of his post by Sabah’s chief minister.</span></i></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Parts of Yayasan Sabah were laid to waste, but it was all for naught, as the pulp project never materialized. Even with the official abandonment of the mill project in 2001, logging continued, eventually serving as a catalyst for early re-logging of nearly three-quarters of Yayasan Sabah. Logging generated a short upswing in revenue for Yayasan Sabah, but it wasn’t sustainable. The long-term economic outlook for Yayasan Sabah was bleak.</span></i></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">You can read more at:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://e360.yale.edu/feature/a_desperate_effort_to_save_the_rainforest_of_borneo/2540/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: x-small; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">http://e360.yale.edu/feature/a_desperate_effort_to_save_the_rainforest_of_borneo/2540/</span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Musa’s secret game plan to curb excessive logging…</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">When Musa assumed office in 2003, he set the wheels in motion that slowly and steadily dried up the money supply of these timber tycoons/mafias.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Sustainable forestry was introduced and Sam Mannan, who got back his old job, was given more power to carry out the reforestation initiatives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yale Environment 360</i></b> article goes on to say this further:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: accent1;">In addition to trying to turn around the situation in Yayasan Sabah, Mannan has so far successfully protected some of the last remaining lowland primary forests in Sabah. </span></i></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Indeed, if you travel far enough in Sabah, some of Borneo’s most treasured forest still exists.</span></i></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: accent1;">“Sabah is still way ahead of Sarawak and Kalimantan: surviving primary forests areas are being conserved, reforestation and forest restoration is happening, and encroachers have moved out of forest reserves,” said John Payne, a conservation scientist with the Borneo Rhino Alliance.</span></i></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Musa Aman’s plans were slowly bearing fruits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He was slowly cutting off one timber tycoon after another in the food chain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">To enforce his plans, Sam Mannan came up with a set of stringent guidelines under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an eco-certification body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Various internationally recognised systems such as the Pan European Forest Scheme (PEFC) and the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) were introduced and put in place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The Sabah Forestry Department set 2014 for full certification of Sabah’s forest concessions. At the same time there is experimentation occurring in parts of the Yayasan Sabah concession, including the world’s first Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) project.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br />The forestry department’s strategy to enforce the FSC guidelines is to bind loggers to compliance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Even if a chief minister or a politician wishes to use the forest revenue as a personal ATM, it becomes very difficult and controversial because the areas are FSC-certified. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Short-term licences that cause tremendous damage to the environment are being drastically phased out and Sabah’s forest management credibility is at its highest — an open-book philosophy whereby logging and forest management areas are all open to third-party and NGO scrutiny.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br />Long-term logging licences have been subjected to third-party auditing (independent audit) since 2010 so independent auditors would detected any illegal felling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The size of forest reserves under the Totally Protected Areas (TPAS) category is now reaching 1.3 million hectares or about 20 per cent of Sabah’s total land area, exceeding international standards of 10 per cent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">By 2014 when all rules and regulations come into full effect, many timber tycoons/mafias still existing in Sabah will be out of business and the remaining players have to follow strict international guidelines. The party’s over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></i></b> </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Frugality and tight grip on purse strings created enemies for Musa…</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Musa entered politics as a wealthy but prudent businessman. Contrary to popular belief, he made hundreds of millions as a businessman <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">first</b> before becoming the CM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">When he assumed office in 2003, Musa’s asset declaration exceeded a whopping RM280 million.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">His company Musman Holdings started off with stevedoring and later diversified into construction, real estate, shipping, plantation and banking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He also made a sizeable fortune selling his stake in City Finance Berhad to EON Finance Berhad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">City Finance itself is an interesting story…</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJaBTXO1RRmwrG9Zyixe2zFvHDHLZ_bAm5RPACkz5EU1AIXH8JqnTrT2nU3lRtoke2e_HY1vwPSpy1vEIph8oBladXSz8QSVsqkRDD0-CdhZtmWO599hAps_Ay0zOOJjNxD9Br2l6GuoN/s1600/kuli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJaBTXO1RRmwrG9Zyixe2zFvHDHLZ_bAm5RPACkz5EU1AIXH8JqnTrT2nU3lRtoke2e_HY1vwPSpy1vEIph8oBladXSz8QSVsqkRDD0-CdhZtmWO599hAps_Ay0zOOJjNxD9Br2l6GuoN/s320/kuli.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">When Tengku Razaleigh was Finance Minister in 1976, he issued a banking license to the late Tun Said Keruak with the aim to establish a Bumiputera-based bank in Sabah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">To qualify for the license, Said Keruak gathered a few qualified and capable Bumi businessmen, including Musa Aman to become shareholders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Only one of the shareholders was a Chinese, a retired bank manager by the name of Thomas Chow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Besides Musa, other shareholders included Herman Luping, Ben Stephens, Lawrence Sinsua and Simon Jenkins – all of whom had equal shares except Said Keruak who had a higher amount of shares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">They used their own money and even borrowed heavily from banks to finance the venture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">As time went by, the dividends were not forthcoming and interests on bank loans obtained to purchase the shares were mounting and this became a heavy burden for the shareholders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">All shareholders, except Musa, agreed to sell their stakes when a Chinese property tycoon from Kuala Lumpur approached them to buy over City Finance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">One person who resisted the deal in the shareholders meeting was Musa – who was keen to ensure City Finance remains a Bumi company.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">After a series of negotiation, Musa agreed to buy over the shares held by the directors and shareholders, thus making him the major shareholder and chairman of City Finance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The company eventually started to grow and was on its way towards becoming a major finance company in the country until the new banking policy under Tun Daim saw it merging with EON Finance Berhad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Musa made a sizeable profit from the merger and eventually moved up the political ladder to become <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">numero uno</i> in the state’s administration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">However, he is known to be very frugal. He has very tight grip on money – his as well as the state’s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">This made some people very unhappy, even those in his inner circle – and this includes the timber tycoons aka timber mafias.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">It was becoming very hard for these timber tycoons to influence Musa because he was captain of his own ship and had his own money to do things as he pleases. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">While CMs of the past had to curry favour with these timber tycoons, with Musa it was the other way around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">There are close to 14 timber tycoons that have been around in the state for decades and they still have very strong influence on Sabah’s political elites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Under the previous rotation system of CM, all had some form of accessibility to the state’s riches.<br />But since Musa took over, many saw themselves being cut off from action and from the opportunity to mint money easily, even corruptly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The group of businessmen which we mentioned earlier then started their secret operation to ‘finish off’ Musa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;">the plan to topple Musa…<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The clandestine operation to get Musa removed from his seat of power got into action in 2008 with the infamous Michael Chia case.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjkco8wlwFoY0pdiXCPpn8wXZDhNZrdGjb-aghdlIzgTRMioBwATfHA5QNjJ1T1eqpOYAxQF39Px_yWzgLz0M6xd087GeuzzJJcv72SxSlZLHeoDIpK-wRRwAMNBBGXQ3T7_J-Yd9fKfv/s1600/chia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjkco8wlwFoY0pdiXCPpn8wXZDhNZrdGjb-aghdlIzgTRMioBwATfHA5QNjJ1T1eqpOYAxQF39Px_yWzgLz0M6xd087GeuzzJJcv72SxSlZLHeoDIpK-wRRwAMNBBGXQ3T7_J-Yd9fKfv/s1600/chia.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Much has been said and written about the RM40 million money laundering case involving Michael Chia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">But unknown to many, the telephone call to Hong Kong anti-graft body ICAC originated from this KK number: 088-4XXX83.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The ICAC received the information from KK via line </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">+852 2587 9813<span style="display: none; mso-hide: all;"></span> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">two days before anti-graft officers ambushed Michael Chia at his luxurious hotel suite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Michael Chia was entrapped so that information on Musa and his proxies could be squeezed out of him by the authorities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">(<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Some timber tycoons from Sabah have Hong Kong registered companies, where one director is enough to open a limited liability company, and have corresponding banking accounts in HSBC or Standard Chartered, giving them ease to carry out parallel transactions in HK or KK</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Chia had escaped the dragnet on 2 different occasions a month earlier because he diverted the money to other locations around the world at the last minute.<br /><br />The anti-graft authorities - both in HK and KK, managed to extract only a certain amount of information from Michael Chia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">But additional information, that were essential to the success of this elaborate operation to pin down Musa, came from an individual by the name of Lo Man Heng, a KK based timber businessman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He was Michael Chia’s partner and the two later had a fallout due to money issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Lo Man Heng and Michael Chia were involved in a legal battle at the Singapore High Court following the fallout.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Now, what is interesting about this little-known Lo Man Heng is that he became a strong supporter of PKR supremo Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim immediately after Michael Chia’s arrest in Hong Kong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Photographs of him standing next to Anwar were found hanging on his office wall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">In fact, Anwar introduced him to Clare Rewcastle Brown, who is behind Radio Free Sarawak and Sarawak Report.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Lo Man Heng was the deep throat that Clare boasted about in her website when she was attacking Musa before the 13<sup>th</sup> GE. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The conspirators tried hard to bring down Musa but so far they have been unsuccessful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Despite coming up with an impressive chart on the money trail (see below), nothing much was accomplished.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEAKLNNGUdaHnkZWF2phQxKisB_6CawmMAFkYu8deXmoj_Ua6ark5tDg6RpVlJbhPBBmg6L7_HcSzye5cZNCo-Q70zdP0KxOPywlrWrkKKz0J6tcY1MFRbmikm9lJPWDJ4GnmE5KU_g06Q/s1600/bankdata21-600x290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEAKLNNGUdaHnkZWF2phQxKisB_6CawmMAFkYu8deXmoj_Ua6ark5tDg6RpVlJbhPBBmg6L7_HcSzye5cZNCo-Q70zdP0KxOPywlrWrkKKz0J6tcY1MFRbmikm9lJPWDJ4GnmE5KU_g06Q/s320/bankdata21-600x290.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Among the key reason why the money trail chart above had little impact was that the account number registered to Musa was opened on 14 June 1999, four years way before he became CM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The argument that there was abuse of power while in office as CM could not be pinned down on Musa.<br /><br />MACC officers who questioned Musa found that the money paid to his sons was carried out by his trusted aide, who conveniently used the funds from the UBS account. And the lawyer who supposed to ensure no such complications or conflict of interest arose was clearly sleeping on his job.</span> </div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Next, in 2010, the conspirators tried to ruffle the feathers in BN component parties to come up with a vote of no-confidence on his leadership.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">If you read here </span><a href="http://akimomogun.blogspot.com/2010/08/salleh.html">h<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: #2288bb;">ttp://akimomogun.blogspot.com/2010/08/salleh.html</span></span></a><u>,</u> Sabah Umno deputy chief Salleh Said Keruak openly disclosed that certain leaders of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) were in cohorts with certain quarters to topple Musa Aman.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He warned that Sabah BN would not be intimidated by any attempt to hold the coalition at ransom by mounting a veiled threat on its Chairman-cum-Chief Minister. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">"We are prepared to face the worst challenge," Salleh was quoted as saying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Salleh questioned the rationale behind LDP Deputy President Datuk Chin Su Phin's outrage and claimed it was part of an on-going plot to oust Musa. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Chin was quoted as asking PM Najib to remove Musa because his party could no longer work with the CM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Then in 2012, stories of Michael Chia and Musa reappeared, making their rounds in the various media.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">This time, whistleblower site Sarawak Report, which had their guns initially trained at Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud and the rainforest issue, shifted their target to Musa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Scores of allegations were made but none of this came close to even warrant a misdemeanor criminal or corruption charge in Malaysia or Hong Kong on Musa Aman, or even Michael Chia for a fact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Any charge on money laundering on Michael Chia by the Hong Kong authorities, or say the MACC, could have had a devastating effect on Musa’s political career.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">But for all their worth, they were just hot air. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Then, stories surfaced that Musa was asked to take a leave by PM Najib but these were also found to be false and malicious articles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The operation to topple Musa is still active, even after the 13<sup>th</sup> General Elections.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The conspirators are trying everything and will continue to do all they can until they succeed in bringing down Musa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: blue;">But Musa is a battle hardened veteran who has survived much worse battles and he is not to be brought down by a bunch of disgruntled businessmen or politicians who could not get what they want.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15087375856188823460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540341816327973709.post-29746942422867349752013-05-19T02:02:00.000-07:002013-05-19T02:02:07.014-07:00press statement by Gabungan Pribumi Prihatin Sabah (GPPS)
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #953735; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #953735; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent2; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;">PRESS STATEMENT – 19
May 2013<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #953735; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #953735; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent2; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">‘ANWAR
MUST BE TRIED FOR TREASON’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">KOTA KINABALU, Sun: GABUNGAN
PRIBUMI PRIHATIN SABAH (GPPS) urges the Attorney-General’s Chambers to open an
investigation paper on Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his involvement in the
Lahad Datu intrusion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In view of the various evidences,
facts and photographs that have surfaced on Anwar’s involvement in the
intrusion, it is only appropriate that he is tried for treason.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Any other Malaysian culprits
who were behind the intrusion must be brought to justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They must face the
consequences regardless of how powerful or influential they are.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We also call upon the Sabah
Government to immediately ban Anwar from entering the state pending a court
outcome that exonerates his involvement.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Anwar must be tried for high
treason and he must prove his innocence in the Malaysian court.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Lives of innocent Sabahans, policemen
and soldiers were lost in this tragic incident.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Both the Federal and State Government,
which is under a fresh mandate, must take immediate steps to ensure justice is served
to the perpetrators of this crime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Richard Osong<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">President of GPPS<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15087375856188823460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540341816327973709.post-42455848204162078712013-03-31T17:23:00.001-07:002013-03-31T18:00:15.162-07:00Red flag went up in August 2012<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><em>The whistleblower who knew what is going to go down in Sabah...</em> </o:p></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The National Whistleblowers
Centre (NWC) in United States was alerted more than seven months ago on the possibility
of a security breach in Sabah and this later turned out to be the deadly Sulu
incursion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">NWC was first alerted on
this matter by a United States military officer serving an Asia Pacific command
sometime in August last year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Since its formation
1988, the NWC, based in Washington, has provided protection and assistance to
thousands of whistleblowers across the United States. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The following are copies
of emails between the US military officer and the NWC intake specialist that
was provided to us by a Deep Throat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">However due to
attorney-client privilege and to safeguard the identity of the whistleblower,
we have darkened out several words and sentences in the emails.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This reinforces our
claim that the Sulu incursion was a cleverly orchestrated plan that involves
foreign powers and local players.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We urge prompt action by the Malaysian Government on individuals / politicians
whose actions have resulted in the deaths of policemen, army personnel and
innocent villagers.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Next, we will reveal the plot to remove Sabah Chief Minister Musa
Aman and the hands behind it, and how it all sums up in the land below the wind.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15087375856188823460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540341816327973709.post-3630152370284790062013-02-22T23:12:00.001-08:002013-02-22T23:43:33.950-08:00sabah - a prized catch<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;">By Gabungan
Pribumi Prihatin Sabah (Coalition of Concerned Sabah Natives)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><br /></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
incident involving a large group of Sulu warriors (Royal Army of Sulu) currently
locked in a standoff with Malaysian authorities at Lahad Datu in Sabah is not
merely about the Sultanate of Sulu enforcing its ancestral claims on Sabah.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Do not be
misled </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">as this current
unfolding of events is the beginning of a much sinister ploy.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sabah is ground
zero</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> in a conspiracy perpetrated
by very powerful entities and the Filipino Muslims rebels currently at standoff
with Malaysian authorities are merely pawns in a game where lives are ‘meant’
to be lost for a deceptive cause.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Claims that
Sulu warriors landed in Sabah because the Sulu Sultanate was left out of the recent
peace process brokered by Malaysia between Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
and the Philippines Government is </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">NOT REALLY THE
FACT! <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: yellow;">The
following are some facts and evidence that reveal why Sabah is Ground
Zero</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">: <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">1. <u>The SMOKESCREEN
?<o:p></o:p></u></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This ship – USS GUARDIAN – ran aground
in Tubbataha Reefs in Philippines on Jan 17, 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28v18hhQap-pZX_ENfs1AsW3CVkzX7aiEiqsXWduWZxz1VkgZuXEDprV5jQ-kAWxK3WSaTqP3Yie0LvdwqM2HPSq1SN5bCQjhRsNh7xBnluiAVVrgLktwPv6RbDdvocELrF7K81_3-4cd/s1600/uss+guardian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28v18hhQap-pZX_ENfs1AsW3CVkzX7aiEiqsXWduWZxz1VkgZuXEDprV5jQ-kAWxK3WSaTqP3Yie0LvdwqM2HPSq1SN5bCQjhRsNh7xBnluiAVVrgLktwPv6RbDdvocELrF7K81_3-4cd/s320/uss+guardian.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">The USS Guardian, after it
ran aground in Tubbataha Reefs is pictured on Jan. 17, 2013, by the Armed
Forces of the Philippines Western Command.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This ship was ‘deliberately’ made to sail off-course. Imagine with
the latest equipment on board and having sailed through the same route many
times, this minesweeper ship was unable to differentiate the reefs from the waters.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Despite being warned repeatedly by Tubbataha Reef Marine Rangers,
the USS Guardian commander refused to listen and stop.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He even ordered his crew to get into ‘battle position’ when the
rangers tried to get on board to make a routine inspection on the ship after it
ran aground.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b><br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Until today, it remains a mystery: Why were
they even near Tubbataha? The Sulu Sea is so vast, and it takes hours from
Puerto Princesa to reach it. Why couldn’t they see it when they had all the
state-of-the-art maps and navigation systems?</i>”</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;"> asked <u>Jose Ma. Lorenzo</u>, World
Wildlife Fund-Philippines chief executive officer.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;">THIS is what Philippines Department of Transportation and Communication
Secretary <u>Joseph Emilio Abaya</u> said of the US Sailors on board USS
Guardian:<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“Some say
they probably enjoyed too much of an RnR in Subic, some said error in digital
charts, some say they were doing a different thing there on their own…..”<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In other
words, the Secretary was trying to imply that USS Guardian was running its own 'clandestine'
operation. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">(For further read on the USS GUARDIAN issue, please go
to: </span></b><a href="http://globalnation.inquirer.net/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://globalnation.inquirer.net</span></span></b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Could it be that this incident created a smokescreen for some other
activities to take place in the Sulu Sea and adjoining Celebs Sea?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">* The date of the incident was Jan 17, 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">* Members of the self-styled Royal Army of Sulu invaded Sabah on Feb
11, 2013, which is 24 days later.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;">There was a flurry of
activities involving US ships as well as rescue and salvage ships in the Sulu
Sea since the Jan 17 incident at Tubbahata Reef region. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: text2;">As a matter of fact, the crew on board USS
Guardian were quickly rescued and whisked away to a Japan safe zone. Why were
they not brought to Philippines which is the most logical thing to do?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;">Could it be that all
this activities that ensued in the Sulu Sea could have provided an opening for hundreds
of speed boats with Sulu warriors to sail into Sabah undetected? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;">Something is just not
right with the USS Guardian. </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">2. <u>The BACK CHANNEL MAN </u></span></b><u><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">aka<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> DOUBLE AGENT </b></span></u><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-xfK_H6-S3uEJK-CxU9wSev23eOoaL6jx05jslBMUMuoY3dsyYMBxU1xL75KYVJg21yYVGhmYvOqTpqa1PH5W9BZW-XcY8HjSNjypCfCWNDBft7udhVG_sYz8Fs8RWWKrG5nW3bvZwwj/s1600/trillanes_photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-xfK_H6-S3uEJK-CxU9wSev23eOoaL6jx05jslBMUMuoY3dsyYMBxU1xL75KYVJg21yYVGhmYvOqTpqa1PH5W9BZW-XcY8HjSNjypCfCWNDBft7udhVG_sYz8Fs8RWWKrG5nW3bvZwwj/s320/trillanes_photo.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></b> </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Philippines
Senator <u>Antonio ‘Sonny’ Fuentes Trillanes IV</u>, a former Navy Lieutenant is
the man who knows exactly what is going on Sabah.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153;">Trillanes IV (born 6 August 1971 in Manila,
Philippines) is a Philippine military and political figure. (You can find his
details in Wikipedia). He is best known for his role in the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny
when he and a group of 321 armed soldiers took over the Oakwood apartment
towers in Makati City, lined them with bombs and threatened to demolish them
because they were tired of corruption in the army and called for the ousting of
then-President Gloria Aroyo. He is an incumbent Senator of the Philippines, the
first Philippine Senator to be elected while in jail.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Now, he
has called on President Aquino’s administration to make known its policy on the
country’s claim to Sabah and on the standoff between Malaysian security forces
and a group of armed warriors loyal to Sultan of Sulu in the eastern Malaysian
territory.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Read
more at</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><a href="http://globalnation.inquirer.net/64989/trillanes-calls-on-aquino-govt-to-reveal-stand-on-sabah-claim"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: blue;">http://globalnation.inquirer.net/64989/trillanes-calls-on-aquino-govt-to-reveal-stand-on-sabah-claim</span></span></i></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Trillanes
was President Aquino’s backchannel link to Beijing at the height of tensions
between the Philippines and China over a territorial dispute in the West
Philippine Sea (South China Sea) last year.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Trillanes,
as told to reporters in Manila recently, is the person responsible for directly
briefing President Aquino on the Sabah situation.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">But some
in Philippines claim he is a double agent.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">He is
known to get things done by playing to Washington’s tune. When he was advising Aquino
during the tensions with China, he did his job fairly well by getting sound
advice from the Americans while sweet talking to the Chinese at the same time.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Leaked
diplomatic cables reveal that one or two American special agents will always be
trailing Trillanes each time he met with top Chinese Government officials, be
it in China or Manila, during the crisis negotiations.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And the
Chinese probably knew it too, but they were busy playing their own games with
the Americans and the Filipinos.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Regarding the
standoff issue in Sabah, Trillanes was quoted as saying</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">:</span></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> “It was high time the Department of
Foreign Affairs articulated the government’s policy on Sabah. Until then we’ll
have to withhold further comment because this is a very sensitive issue and <u>it
involves the lives of our countrymen</u> in Sabah”.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;">It appears that
Trillanes knows that some lives could be lost in the Sabah standoff.</span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">3. <u>Toothless Tiger <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grows FANGS</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jS7M7HVpdOkW_R09TCyFgtQgCZqoYQu2l_QJ80Fkm3CTQiVLuKdFcANP3JmEx9DC65g72UYqxG44FHPiZkdX90y1ZpT9vX1eJlraJwe2571do1Gkzchf7lwMddquov-hoLsX0BUquGXX/s1600/sultan+sulu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jS7M7HVpdOkW_R09TCyFgtQgCZqoYQu2l_QJ80Fkm3CTQiVLuKdFcANP3JmEx9DC65g72UYqxG44FHPiZkdX90y1ZpT9vX1eJlraJwe2571do1Gkzchf7lwMddquov-hoLsX0BUquGXX/s320/sultan+sulu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="background: yellow; color: #943634; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></o:p></span></u></b><br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="background: yellow; color: #943634; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;">Sultan
Jamalul Kiram III</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;"> has been a toothless tiger for a very long time as he is
plagued by a lot of problems, from family infightings, health issues, financial
difficulty and rivals claiming his throne, more than a dozen to speak.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;">One just has to read </span></b><a href="http://www.fakesulusultans.com/"><span style="color: #0000bf; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: hyperlink; mso-themeshade: 191;">www.fakesulusultans.com</span></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;"> to catch a glimpse of
how many ‘sultans’ are claiming the one throne in Sulu.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;">Jamalul Kiram knows his kingdom is not safe in his
hands, and he suffers from liver ailment as well as other illnesses, and lives
in constant fear that someone will poison him to claim his throne.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">But then, suddenly,
the toothless tiger Jamalul Kiram grows fangs and claws.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;">He orders his troops, helmed by his crown prince, to
invade Sabah knowing very well that the full might of the Malaysian army will
be upon his men. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;">How did this happen? Any by the way, Jamalul Kiram
is still undergoing treatment at a Manila hospital for liver ailment.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;">This begs the question, who is behind Jamalul
Kiram’s renewed vigour in claiming Sabah?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;">Who gave money to the Sulu warriors aka ROYAL SULU
ARMY to buy speed boats, fuel,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>food,
clothes and weapons that include M16 and M14 rifles, M16 carbines and M203
grenade launchers?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This only means
one thing – <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="background: yellow; color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-highlight: yellow;">SOMEONE IS BANKROLLING THE
ENTIRE OPERATION</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And the troops
that came in via sea were taken in and cared by those living in Sabah, reinforcing
the fact that sleeper cells have been activated.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sleeper
cells are activated when orders are given to them together with funds as proof
of an assignment’s authenticity.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 191;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">4. <u>Sulu Royalties seek AMERICAN help to claim Sabah</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">While poor old Sultan Jamalul Kiram is having it
hard in the Philippines, six of his close relatives and heirs are living the
American dream. They reportedly have become American citizens.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">Upon receiving news that their patriarch is
mounting a challenge to reclaim Sabah, Jamalul Kiram’s relatives, nephews and
nieces are very excited.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">They are so excited with the prospects of
reclaiming Sabah that they now want the United States and President Barack
Obama to help Sultan Jamalul Kiram with his claim.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">Former Senator Santanina Rasul, one of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jamalul Kiram’s relatives and heirs who lay
claim over Sabah, told journalists that one of her sons, Abraham Rasul Jr is an
American citizen and has right to claim his share in the inheritance of Sabah.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">The articles on Sulu Sultan heirs to ask US help on
Sabah can be read here: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<a href="http://globalnation.inquirer.net/64951/kl-says-no-compromise"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: blue;">http://globalnation.inquirer.net/64951/kl-says-no-compromise</span></span></a><u><span style="color: #4f81bd; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent1;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<br />
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<a href="http://www.emirates247.com/news/philippines/sulu-sultan-heirs-to-ask-us-help-on-sabah-2013-02-20-1.495749"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.emirates247.com/news/philippines/sulu-sultan-heirs-to-ask-us-help-on-sabah-2013-02-20-1.495749</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">5. <u>Did PKR duo find facts on CONMAN in Manila or did they learn
more? </u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;">In early February 2013, two PKR politicians from
Malaysian went to Manila to probe on Aman Futures Group conman Manuel Amalilion
who defrauded Filipinos of 12 billion pesos in a Ponzi scheme.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nDEnOjFLjSNC6KXmH_IhR28JCAdMxTro6HVc_4LnzpodlsHzfMaUxge0_hLs53zDscPNlloJ7Jq8sIPSCkHcBI1o81yEwXvCSDGEPElM99F50NPJAw1sm2JUxwOu9XaAGnXrhivugxA3/s1600/chua+siva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nDEnOjFLjSNC6KXmH_IhR28JCAdMxTro6HVc_4LnzpodlsHzfMaUxge0_hLs53zDscPNlloJ7Jq8sIPSCkHcBI1o81yEwXvCSDGEPElM99F50NPJAw1sm2JUxwOu9XaAGnXrhivugxA3/s320/chua+siva.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;">The duo told Malaysians that they are going to
Manila on a fact finding mission on Manuel Amalilio and his Aman Futures Group.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;">They took a Friday night flight, stayed in Manila
on Saturday and returned to KL the following day.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The Question
is - why did they go to Manila on a fact finding mission when almost 99% of
victims swindled by Amalilio were in the Mindanao and Visayas regions?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After all,
Manuel’s office and centre of operations was in Pagadian City, a city that is <u>1,113km</u>
away from Manila. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What were they
actually doing in Manila? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;">Did they meet a CIA agent there under instructions
from Anwar Ibrahim’s American contact, or did they meet an agent of Nur Misuari,
leader of rebel group Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;">Or did they meet an agent of Sultan Jamalul Kiram?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;">After all, the Sultan is undergoing dialysis
treatment in a hospital in Manila.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;">Indeed, hours after landing in Manila, they did meet
someone who resembled a special agent.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;">It’s no secret that PKR boss has very close ties
with the CIA as well as Philippine rebel groups, and is in a position to help
US set up a Navy base in Sabah should his coalition form the new federal
government (Read </span></b><a href="http://sabahdigadai.blogspot.com/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: blue;">http://sabahdigadai.blogspot.com</span></span></b></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><u><span style="color: blue;">).<o:p></o:p></span></u></span></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text2;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">6. <u>The MANUEL AMALILIO – SULU SULTANATE CONNECTION</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Before we
explain further, please read the court proceeding in Philippines as reported
in: </span></b><a href="http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2012/11/28/pagadian-mayor-wife-charged-syndicated-estafa-255647"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2012/11/28/pagadian-mayor-wife-charged-syndicated-estafa-255647</span></span></a><u><span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: yellow; color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-highlight: yellow;">Manuel Amalilio was under the
radar of Philippines internal security agency for supporting terrorism
activities.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After all, he took thousands of Filipino Muslims to the dry cleaners
by promising to double up their money with his preposterous scam.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Many Filipino Muslims supported him because he projected a greater
cause, which is to make the poor Filipino Muslim community wealthier.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">He was often seen praying five times a day and making frequent
quotes from the Holy Quran while speaking to investors. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: #4f81bd; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: accent1;">“Philippines Justice Secretary De Lima
confirmed the National Bureau of Investigations received intelligence
information stating that the multi-billion peso windfall from Aman's (futures
group) pyramiding scheme is being used to finance the activities of a terrorist
group”.<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: text1;">The above is the actual quote from justice
secretary Leila Magistrado De Lima as reported in Philippines media after
syndicated estafa charges were filed on Pagadian City Mayor Samuel Co and his
wife Priscilla Ann in the wake of the Aman Futures Group Scam end of last year.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-themecolor: text1;">That
is the actual reason why Malaysian police scrambled to stop the deportation of
the conman at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport on Jan 25, 2013.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Manuel Amalilio was in a position to provide
Malaysian security forces with valuable information on terrorists/rebel groups such
as Abu Sayyaf, MNLF and the Royal Sulu Army that could threaten the security in
the region.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: yellow; color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-highlight: yellow;">So despite knowing it would
turn out to be a public relations disaster, Malaysian Authorities proceeded to block
Manuel’s deportation</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: text1;">.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: yellow; color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-highlight: yellow;">The backlash received by
Malaysian Authorities was severe but nonetheless, it was justifiable and worth
the trouble.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">During interrogation, Manuel has spilled the beans on who he was
feeding the money to, and it appears that he is not only a conman, but an enemy
to the state of Sabah.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Dozens of payment from these banks (list
provided by Philippines Justice Department) indicate that they could have found
its way to the hands of terrorist and rebel groups that wanted to derail the
Bangsamoro Framework Agreement for peace.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Among the banks covered by the freeze order (on Aman Group’s assets) were
the Land Bank of the Philippines; Bank of the Philippine Islands; Banco de Oro;
Unibank; Allied Bank; Bank of Commerce; BPI Family Savings Bank; China Banking
Corp.; Citibank, NA; Development Bank of the Philippines, East West Bank; Hong
Kong and Shanghai Bank Corp.; Metrobank; One Network Bank; Orix Metro Leasing
and Finance Company; Philippine Bank of Communication; Philippine Savings Bank;
RCBC; Security Bank; Standard Chartered Bank; Union Bank; UCPB; and Philippine
National Bank.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">7. <u>The UNSEEN HANDS</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
standoff in Sabah, and its timing, validates the fact that powerful, unseen
hands are behind it. </span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hi93HB7oUwElQxtR-5mrIt5u7jXNUf1Me33ArfBJOoqNqd7AKTYLdFQjxOQz-y1wqYAShkVCnXoM2y6iRplgQ4pzIi_Hb6-vVzjP9YAcJXiaeoGzJq_xj60uLA_yjTaWIBAMyVi3BULO/s1600/road+blocks+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hi93HB7oUwElQxtR-5mrIt5u7jXNUf1Me33ArfBJOoqNqd7AKTYLdFQjxOQz-y1wqYAShkVCnXoM2y6iRplgQ4pzIi_Hb6-vVzjP9YAcJXiaeoGzJq_xj60uLA_yjTaWIBAMyVi3BULO/s320/road+blocks+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></b> </div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">There is a
resemblance to many uprisings in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Through
highly specialised covert operations, the Government of many countries have
fallen.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And often,
these clandestine operations are carried out by private defence contractors and
mercenaries appointed by the US Government.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
situation in Sabah is no different.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">8. <u>The SPOILS</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sabah, it appears, is a
prized catch.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">For the American, there
is a dire need to enhance and strengthen their military presence in the
Southeast Asia region, especially to contain China’s rising power.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After Philippines closed
its doors on US Clark Naval Base, America has since been looking for another
base, ideally in the South China Sea.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Getting its ‘hands’ on
Sabah by backing a new Government that will bend to its wishes will be the
ideal scenario for US. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">There will be a lot of
spill-over effects.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: yellow;">It should also be noted that Sabah has oil and gas reserves
as big as Kuwait’s.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: yellow;">Besides, there are abundant natural resources and vast
mineral deposits such as coal, gold, copper, limestone and etc.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: yellow; color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: yellow;">As for some Opposition politicians in Malaysia,
the fall of Sabah will signify the ruling coalition, one of the oldest
Governments in the world, losing its fixed deposit and hence losing power after
a rule of 50 over years</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: yellow;">.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">CONCLUSION<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: yellow; color: #002060; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-highlight: yellow;">The standoff in Sabah has
all the trademarks of a cleverly orchestrated plan to topple the current administrators
of Sabah with influence from world superpowers.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: yellow; color: #002060; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-highlight: yellow;">The Sulu Sultanate claim
is just a smokescreen.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: yellow; color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-highlight: yellow;">Common sense will show, if
Sulu Sultanate wanted to claim back Sabah, why only NOW ???<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">- more updates soon-<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15087375856188823460noreply@blogger.com0