Ganesh Sahathevan

by Ganesh Sahathevan In late March this year Arul Kanda said: "I only signed up for one-third of what I ended up doing,,I did not sign up for the investigations because that happened after I joined, and I definitely didn’t sign up for the extent of the comms-slash-politics that I had to deal with.” He then declared : "From my perspective, I’m done...Everything’s signed. Legal agreements are there, they’re binding. I’m leaving the company". Yet approximately 3 months later not only is Arul still in Malaysia, he is also being rolled out by UMNO /BN to help in an election campaign. That he was " invited to speak on national issues at an event organised by the Prime Minister's Department" suggests that he is being handled by the PM's Department. It further suggests that he is being quarantined in Malaysia. As previously posted on this writer's related RealpoliitikAsia  blog, Arul Kanda is likely to be in the US Treasury's cross-hairs,for his very...

by Ganesh Sahathevan  Florida has a history of jihadist activity that precedes Omar Mateen's  massacre . It was from this state that Sami Al-Arian advanced the course of the Palestinian Islamic Jiha d,It was also from this state that some USD 1.9 million was sent to jihadist groups in the Middle East (see story below). At least one school from the state, The Islamic Community School Of Panama City  went so far as to seek a fatwa from     Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood,to aid its fund raising efforts. Qaradawy's fatwa is telling in that he describes Muslim schools in non-Muslim lands as "castle for  jihad and shields of protection from surrounding evils." http://replay.waybackmachine. org/20040831171906/http://www. minaret .vic.edu.au/news/ statement.htm This then is the context of Omar Mateen's  massacre.He did not act alone, and the environment that produced him will produce others like him. END NOTE Qaradwi's fatwa has ...

by Ganesh Sahathevan Malaysia's   National Security Council Act 2016 is now law , without the  royal assent. This is of course provided for by Article 66(4A) of the Malaysian Constitution , which states: (4A) If a Bill is not assented to by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) within the time specified (30 days) in Clause (4), it shall become law at the expiration of the time specified in that Clause in the like manner as if he had assented thereto However, should the then National Security Bill have even been presented to the Agong, for  Article 66(6) provides:  (6) Nothing in this Article or in Article 68 shall invalidate any law confirming an undertaking given by the Federal Government to the effect that a Bill to which the undertaking relates shall not be presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for his assent except in accordance with the undertaking There is not much said anywhere about Article 66(6) but seen in the context of Malay norms and customs, it does seem...

by Ganesh Sahathevan That this writer has been a long time critic of Air Asia and its "Group CEO" Tan Sri  Tony Fernandes is of course an understatement. However, I have now reason to reconsider my criticism and can say , as a result of Tan Sri's recent statements with regards Asia Aviation Capital Ltd , that I have been wrong, perhaps even labored under a false assumption  of the AA business model. It is now obvious to me that Air Asia, as has long been rumoured, is  nothing more than a vehicle to sell aircraft new and old. Mr Fernandes's claim, and indeed, admission, that the leasing business could be worth USD 1 billion or approximately RM 4 billion confirms the matter. Given that AA's market cap is approximately RM 7  billion, Fernandes has admitted that at least 56% of the company's value comes not from its airline business, but the wholly-owned leasing and sale subsidiary. Looked at in another way, the airline business is only worth RM 3 billion. Asia Av...

by Ganesh Sahthevan  Regardless of  how one might interpret the Federal Constitution, its underlying basis is that of a monarch  or supreme ruler, the Agong. Consequently the wording of the Constitution is careful to never even imply, let alone express, that the Agong's powers are in any way limited, even if it provides for him to act under the advice of his government.  Convention provides that the Agong only act as advised, but similarly convention also requires that the powers  of the Agong, be never challenged. There is good reason for this,for the Agong and his fellow rulers have untested reserve powers which again, by convention, are never tested. Put in another way, convention provides that the rulers should not be put to the test.  Convention is a strange creature and dependent on the norms and practices of  the ruler and his people. Given the context of the Malay-Muslim culture from which the Agong and his brother rulers draw their powers, it ...

by Ganesh Sahathevan The Malaysian Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Hasan Arifin has publicly rejected information provided by the country's Bank Negara concerning the money laundering activities of a Seychelles incorporated company shown to be owned one Low Taek Jho , better known as Jho Low. The evidence that Hasan has rejected concerns Jho's laundering of funds misappropriated from the sovereign wealth fund 1 MDB (see stories below). Bank Negara is, among other things, charged with the administration of the country's money laundering and counter-terrorist financing laws, which in turn are part of the international AML/CTF framework of supervision and enforcement to which Malaysia is a signatory. The evidence rejected was obtained by Bank Negara from the relevant authorities in Singapore, the Seychelles, and probably other jurisdictions. Hasan's rejection of Bank Negara's advisory , made public by the Wall Street Journal, puts those ...

by Ganesh Sahathevan Switzerland's Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA made little if any attempt to hide its disgust  at the manner in which funds from Malaysia's 1 MDB were funneled via BSI AG. It also made clear it had little time for the Malaysian story that the country and its leaders are especially favored by billion dollar gift bearing  Saudi kings and princes. To quote FINMA: In one case involving a deposit of 20 million US dollars, for example, the bank was happy to accept the client's explanation that the funds involved were a "gift". In another case, an account was credited with more than 98 million US dollars without any effort to clarify its commercial background. The magnitude of the scandal should now be obvious to even the most intellectually challenged Malaysian or Australian politician and bank regulator, all of whom ought to be contemplating what might happen next.Sanctions ,fines, penalties and jail terms for all involved seem highly...