Jho Low: A world exclusive

International Man of Mystery Jho Low, who parties with Paris Hilton and is reputed to chalk up hefty bills for champagne, has finally come out to talk about himself and the life he lives. Read the full story exclusive here.

Guan Eng can learn from Yes Minister

Guan Eng must have surely watched the popular ‘80s British satirical political sitcom Yes Minister to appreciate how civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby – who was actually holding the powers – manipulated Administra­tive Minister James Hacker. If he hasn’t, he had better do so now. Read my On The Beat comment today by clicking here.

All part of the political game

Politi­cians in the PKR may like to project themselves as saviours to the people, and some may even start believing in their own propaganda, but it is also about power and positions.

THIS is what we will hear from Parti Keadilan Nasional leaders about the leadership feud in Selangor as they downplay the issue: it is not as bad as portrayed and the press should be blamed for blowing up the matter.

As much as PKR leaders like to project themselves as defenders of the people and the Barisan Nasional as a corrupt, incompetent and detached government, they cannot run away from the fact that politics is about power – or more precisely, the spoils of power.

Selangor is Pakatan Rakyat’s jewel in the crown and Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, a PKR leader, is the Mentri Besar. Another important state, Penang, is under the DAP’s Lim Guan Eng.

Read the rest of my column here.

Subsidies: Time to get out of mindset

DATUK Seri Idris Jala found himself facing a barrage of criticism, and even a demand for him to be sacked from the Cabinet, when he said the country risked going bust if our Budget continued to be in a deficit.

Many of our politicians prefer to put on the blinkers and pretend that all is rosy and fine in Malaysia, and assume that we are still ahead in the region.

Here’s the bad news. We may have gotten out of the recession and the Prime Minister has taken bold initiatives to make things work but we’ve got to get out of this mindset.

Read more here.

Namewee's got talent!

Check out this latest video by Namewee. Click on the image. Check out his blog here.

A gentleman knows when to cut losses

If the company screws up, the board must take responsibility and quit. Good corporate governance and accountability should prevail.

IT’S pretty straightforward. In any public listed company, it is the board of directors that leads and controls the company but the series of news relating to Sime Darby and Kenmark have put corporate governance in Malaysia in bad light.

It is not just the chief executive officer who must take responsibility but also the executive and non-executive directors for all decisions taken.

Read the rest here.

Forever in snooze mode, time to wake up...

Our politicians must take heed that the old ways of wooing voters will not work any more in the changing political landscape.

IT has become a ritual for our political leaders to ask their members to wake up after each electoral defeat, but Malaysians wonder if these politicians are still on snooze mode even after making their wake-up calls.

The impression we get is that while Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has taken bold initiatives to win back the lost ground following the March 8 general election, some Barisan Nasional leaders are still refusing to see the changing political landscape.

Some are continuing to cling on to outdated ways, even in states controlled by Pakatan Rakyat where they behave like they are still in power simply because the federal government is under Barisan rule. Worse is that there are still component party leaders who refuse to retire.

Read the rest here...