[ Laman Ehwal Semasa ReformIS ]
Date: 09 Sep 1999
Time: 00:11:08
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The MALAYSIAN justice, progress, unity Issue No. 33 – 8 September 1999
Six anchor banks: fine words not enough Second Finance Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said Tuesday that the government will stick to its decision to have only six anchor banks. According to him, the selection of these financial groups were based on synergies in their business activities, branch distribution and market-oriented factors. Now will someone kindly explain why Multi-Purpose Bank, a tiny operation by any standards, should be an anchor bank to take charge of the much larger RHB Bank? Taking just one of the criteria stated -- branch operation -- why should a bank with relatively few branches be chosen as an anchor bank over another with a better branch network? In order to complement the bank with the much weaker branch network which has been selected to become an ‘anchor’? Moreover, if this had been something long planned, surely Multi-Purpose Bank, instead of RHB Bank, should have been urged to take over Sime Bank, rather than have RHB Bank do it, and then have Multi-Purpose Bank ‘swallow’ the new merge entity. It couldn’t be because at that time Multi-Purpose Bank was still owned by TK Lim, could it? And the choice of it now as an anchor bank wouldn’t have anything to do with the recent change of ownership? Or would it? ********** Further on our correction yesterday We reported Bank Negara’s denial of any change in the deadline for the finalisation of preliminary merger agreements yesterday. However, we have since learned that there was indeed a meeting of Bank Negara with bank CEO’s on Thursday. Bank Negara expressed its displeasure with the slow progress of preliminary merger agreements. It was apparently then that the new deadline was issued. Perhaps they were not serious about it and meant it to be an ‘incentive’ to better progress on finalising the agreements? ********** Is it that desperate? A minor historic event occured on August 26th 1999. Eager for every word of praise from foreign sources, the BN government did an embarassing thing. On that day, the National Economic Action Council, NEAC, saw fit to release a report by “American economist and Democrat Presidential candidate, Lyndon LaRouche”. The report allegedly revealed that the greatest fear among International Monetary Fund (IMF) members at their annual meeting in September last year that Malaysia’s anti-IMF controls might succeed. LaRouche was further described glowingly as someone who emerged over the course of the 1970’s and 80’s to rank among the most controversial international political figures, calling for a “just new world economic order and the urgency of affording what has sometimes been termed ‘Third World nations’ their full rights to perfect national sovereignity.” Most people will be forgiven if the name Lyndon LaRouche rings no bells. But what an irony that the NEAC, headed by Daim, should have seen fit to appeal to LaRouche for support. If Ibrahim Ali is exercised over the number of ‘reformasi’ websites with their conspiracy theories, then he’d have to spend years covering Lyndon LaRouche websites and publications and their conspiracy theories. And if the BN actually believes LaRouche’s conspiracy theories -- well, it will be a thousand times easier to believe that Anwar is the victim of a conspiracy. For LaRouche’s conspiracy theories take in a range of persons and institutions, from the American presidency to the English monarchy, from the IMF to rock music, that we would all have to be believe that indeed The Matrix is not just a film. Lyndon LaRouche, jailed for 5 years for tax evasion and mail fraud, alleges he is the victim of a conspiracy by the American government. He has also alleged Henry Kissinger, former American Secretary of State, to be a ‘faggot’ -- an insulting term in American slang. He published a pamphlet entitled “Kissinger: The Politics of Faggotry”. More, LaRouche says Kissinger is a Zionist, and part of a world conspiracy. Kissinger has taken out at least one law suit against him. How about that? We are no apologists for Kissinger, but in light of LaRouche’s charges, perhaps the newly-founded high-powered Malaysia-US Business Council might want to query Kissinger on this, perhaps even remove him from the Council. Still, it’s understandable why there may be an affinity between Lyndon LaRouche and Daim-headed NEAC and Dr M. LaRouche’s main argument is that the ‘Anglo-American cabal’ has decided to undertake a programme of genocidal IMF/World Bank-financed de-industrialization to deplete the population of the Third World. The cabal’s plan includes “narcotrafficking”; environmental policies to prevent those countries from developing economically; ‘Malthusian’ population policies which incorporate birth control, abortion, and allowing disease and hunger free rein; profiteering through neo-colonial resource control; the “lab-created” AIDs virus; and promotion of antifamily ideals such as feminism, homosexuality, Satanism, and “the sex-drugs-rock and roll counterculture.” LaRouche believes that only massive industrial projects -- nuclear power, huge irrigation canals dug with atomic bombs (!) in the Middle East, and similar high-tech developments -- can free the Third World from the sinister grasp of the oligarchs’ cabal. According to him, there has been nothing of philosophic or scientific value produced outside of the West, and has condemned those groups who refused to celebrate the Quincentennary of Christopher Colombus. Those who want to preserve traditional cultures, says LaRouche, really want to deprive them of the benefits from Western science, industry, and technology. Does some of this sound at least familiar? It should. If you think that in LaRouche we have a “nut” case, you would not be far wrong. How “nutty” you can find out from looking at the cheqeured career of a man who has moved from the extreme left to the far right. Lyndon LaRouche once called himself Lynn Marcus and led a cult of the extreme left which self-destructed in mutual accusations of being FBI/CIA agents. Does the BN government so crave foreign approval that the NEAC is reduced to having to publicise the ideas of Lyndon LaRouche, and then have it picked up by Bernama? Incidentally, this is not the first time that the BN government has found itself in good company with Lyndon LaRouche. Back in February this year, Dr Mahathir gave an interview to one of LaRouche’s many publications, the Executive Intelligence Review, and in November last year, the New Straits Times published a report from it condemning Al Gore. LaRouche, by the way, actually supported Clinton.
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