Sarawak's Political Shock

Today in the state of Perak in West Malaysia, a high political drama is been played out. Will the national Barisan National Alliance (or shall we say UMNO) seize power by froggy means, considering two of the frogs have been charged by police for corruption and are due in court?

Whether the ruling party does succeed, and at this time of blogging, it appears it will...my mind drifts back to Sarawak's own political high drama way back in 1996.

That's right-thirteen years ago-how much younger we were then and even the present national news agency Bernama head, (Datuk) Azman Ujang was just an astute political correspondant for Bernama then.

It was the day Sarawak stood still when its second largest component partner, Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) in the four-party state-remember this was 1996 then- was dealt a stunning blow and reeled from shock with both the defeat of its popular chairman, Wong Soon Kai and the breakthrough for the Democratic Action Party (DAP) in gaining a foothold in the state's legislative assembly.

Who says politics is ever boring or clean?

Here is The Borneo Post article dated 10/10/96. ClJiJust click over ck once over it to enlarge it for reading!








Just click over it to enlarge it for reading.

"CEO" From Nowhere

One of Tham's present day luxurious Vios

A true life story...

One day, a sandwiched triple-storey building became an educational institution called 'Kolej Fajar Tinggi'. Before it became that name, it was called 'Sin Lee Business Institute'. Lately, it uses the name "Fajar International College".

Soon after changing its name, the place became a booming business for those who were interested in doing private education. Some of its courses received accreditation by the Malaysian Ministry of Education. Others were talk of the town like the quickly earned "Preston University" degrees.

The owner of the business (with a change in name to "Fajar International College" not too long ago) was and continues to be an enterprising calculative West Malaysian / Singaporean businessman, Dr Peter Tham. This is the man from nowhere: he appeared out of the blue and today, he is a wealthy educationist who drives in a sleek white Toyota Vios vehicle. He owns the Boulevard Fajar International College lots and other properties.

I came to know him when I attended two meetings conducted by the infamous ex-MCA President, Tan Koon Swan in Miri. In case any of you do not know him, let me just say this man was a charasmatic star in the MCA until he was jailed in Singapore for mismanagement of stocks. Many believed he was merely a "scapegoat" who had to take the rap.


He claimed to be a changed man after being released, becoming a Christian and it was Peter Tham who arranged testimonies by him that we got to see and hear him speak of his past experiences.

Here are pictures of Tan Koon Swan at the height of his power and at his lowest point in life when he was arrested. Interestingly, when invited to autograph either the book or magazine, he chose the former.

In case, you are still interested in Peter Tham - whose doctorate comes from St Clemens University (registered in the Turks and Caicos Islands) - he denies all knowledge of stock-broking in the past and does not admit he is the notorious wanted fraudster and maverick trader of the past Pan-Electric Industries stock scandal. If you still want to know more about him, google his name and you can read and decide if he is the wanted fugitive!

By the way, I have since worked for him twice, at first without pay and getting paid the second time, but finally I could not bear his highly unusual questionable business strategies and resigned! He has also not fulfilled his contractual obligation in paying me the overriding commission on newly recruited incoming students who have been recruited by my management staff and withheld half a month of my salary for no valid reason. I believe the amount he has to pay me is RM10,050.00 (US$4,000). This is an estimated figure as he has not honored his earlier oral agreement, before I agreed to be the college marketing manager, to let me see the accounts.

<==PETER THAM, circa 1985

My recent latest employment by him was in another part of Miri, along the Miri-Pujut Road and we were using a building that is so extremely close to a SHELL petrol station that it could not be considered as suitable as an educational institution. (Besides, many of the students -a lot from Sabah-smoke heavily all over the place outside the college in the compound, usually before, during breaks and after classes! If a puff of wind were to blow away a lighted cigarette suddenly ... I dread to imagine what would happen to the folks at the petrol station nearby and in the school itself!)

Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Wong Soon Kai's Sensational Letter

CLICK ONCE OVER IT TO ENLARGE FOR CLEAR READING!

1987... THE YEAR OF THE MING COURT AFFAIR...What a hell of an exciting year in politics for Sarawak, a partner in the confederation of Malaysia (together with Sabah)!

A former Chief Minister and governor of Sarawak, Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub attempted a dramatic Shakespearan come back by calling his loyalist politicians to Malaysia's federal capital, Kuala Lumpur for a meeting in a high class hotel called The Ming Court. Any significance in choosing the location of Ming Court? Have a look at Wikipedia here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_dynasty and be the judge). His nephew, his anointed successor, Tan Sri Datuk Taib Mahmud dug in and steadfastly stood his ground and fought hard. Taib won!

Twenty-seven Sarawak state assemblymen met in Kuala Lumpur. The dramatis personae: According to the New Straits Times dated 11/3/1987 eight of them were from PBDS, Datuk Daniel Tajem (Lingga), Mr. Gramong Juna (Machan), Dr. James Masing (Balleh), Datuk Edmind Langgu anak Sagga (Krian), Mr. Joseph Kudi (Ngemah), Dr. Jawie Masing (Pakan), Haji Bolhassan Kambar (Tatau) and Mr. Mikai anak Mandau (Batang Ai); eight from PBB, Datuk Noor Tahir (Lawas), Datuk Hafsah Harun (Petra Jaya), Datuk Tajang Laing (Belaga), Haji Zainuddin Satem (Saribas), Encik Mohamed Hilary Tawan (Gedong), Wan Madzihi Mahzar (Oya), Datuk Wan Yusof Tun Tuanku Haji Bujang (Kalaka) and Wan Abdul Wahab Wan Sanusi (Semera); five from SNAP, Datuk Edward Jeli (Marudi), Mr. Michael Ben (Tebakang), Mr. Nueng anak Kudi (Pelagus), Mr. Geman anak Itam (Meluan) and Mr. Joseph Balan Seling (Telang Gusang); four from SUPP, Mr. Hollis Tini (Sri Aman), Mr. David Tiong Chiong Chu (Igan), Mr. Wilfred Kiroh anak Jeram (Dudong) and Mr. Sim Choo Nam (Engkilili) and three were independents, Mr. Wilfred Nissom (Bengoh), Wan Habib Syed Mahmud (Balingian) and Haji Saadi Haji Olia (Kuala Rejang).

In the ensuing war (or was it merely a battle?) a lot of dirty logging polluted water under our many bridges was exposed to the hungry open-fish mouth public which was fed eye-bulging, eye-opening savory delicious morsels of enlightening food through the news media both locally and abroad ...

Billions of ringgit(dollars) worth of timber wealth - contracts that were shamelessly given to numerous cronies were exposed. Other scandalous shenanigans were the conversion to Islam by enticement with lucrative timber contracts; gifts of blue ICs (In those days this meant proof of Malaysian citizenship) to non-Malaysians and the involvement of the top state leadership in throwing political opponents into prison and so on. (Just read the letter, found in the Borneo Post dated 15/4/1986! This open letter was written in response to an earlier fascinating one by Yakub in the Sarawak Tribune dated 11/4/1987).

Of course, some of us Sarawakians knew a lot of these outrageous shenanigans were happening and our well-respected honest Minister of Works and Infrastructure (Tan Sri) Datuk Wong Soon Kai's letter only served to confirm what we knew all along. Wong Soon Kai was the Secretary-general of SUPP (Sarawak United People's Party, a component party of the state and federal National Front (known officially as the Barisan National, headed by Mahathir Mohamad). Formerly, Yakub's man, he was loyally alligned to Taib Mahmud.

Personally, Wong Soon Kai's expo`se made me recall the story of the outspoken boy who said, "... but he wears NO clothes!" when he saw the naked vain pompous powerful emperor riding by on his horse... and all the by-standers of course knew he was in the nude but dared not say a word...

Go on! Grab and read the famous book THE EMPEROR WHO WORE NO CLOTHES ... (Hmmmnnnn THE EMPRESS WHO WORE NO CLOTHES will surely attract more readers of us males of the human species, I'm sure).