After launching MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) and bragged that the train system was a gift to the people of Malaysia, as if he paid the RM50 billion project from his own pocket and people could use it for free, Prime Minister Najib Razak launched another mega project – RM55 billion ECRL (East Coast Rail Link) – and hailed it as a “game changer” to Malaysia.
At the project’s ground-breaking ceremony in his home state of Pahang on Wednesday, Mr. Najib was grinning from ear to ear. He has every reason to smile. He desperately needs the money from China to pay tons of debt. As Bandar Malaysia progresses at a snail pace, he now depends solely on ECRL to get money from China so that he can pay Abu Dhabi’s IPIC.
The kingdom of U.A.E. (United Arab Emirates) has been breathing down his neck for the promised US$600 million of debt owed to IPIC (International Petroleum Investment Company), Abu Dhabi’s US$80 billion sovereign-wealth fund. After Malaysia shamefully missed the deadline, PM Najib was given 5 more days, of which he also missed.
NAJIB BEGGED KING SALMAN FOR HELP TO GET DEADLINE EXTENDED
It was only after Mr. Najib made a call to Saudi’s King Salman, begging for help, that Abu Dhabi agreed to extend – again – until August 12 to pay at least US$310 million, and the rest of the obligation (another US$310 million) by the end of the month (August). The second installment of US$603 million is due by the end of 2017.
BUT IT’S CHINA WHO BANKED IN THE MONEY FOR NAJIB TO IPIC
If Najib’s financial-troubled 1MDB could pay the US$310 million by August 12, then we know the Chinese has banked in the money after Mr. Najib officiated the ECRL project on August 9. China’s state-owned China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) will be building the 668-km rail link which is scheduled to be completed by 2024.
What raises eyebrows was the presence of China’s State Councillor Wang Yong, the special representative of President Xi Jinping at the ground-breaking ceremony. Mr. Wang was the same person who attended the commissioning ceremony of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway in Mombasa, Kenya and other African nations hunger for the Chinese money.
DEFENCE TRIANGLE
On the surface, the ECRL project, connecting east and west of Peninsula Malaysia, appears to be a good project. However, ECRL is part of a larger plan by China’s OBOR (One Belt One Road) flagship project. But within the OBOR’s ambitious project, of which Malaysia is just one part of it, there’s a secret hidden agenda – the creation of China’s Military Defence Triangle.
China is slowly but surely expanding its military influence close to the United States territory of Guam. Beijing is building a South China Sea Triangle that started with its control of the Paracel Islands. The second point of the triangle is in the Kagitingan Reef (Fiery Cross Reef), Zamora Reef (Subi Reef) and Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef) – all within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
The third point in the triangle is Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal), which is also inside Philippine territory. If the Chinese can complete this triangle, they will have full control of the South China Sea. The triangle would serve as China’s first defense line that would prevent hostile forces from going to China through the South China Sea.
More importantly, the same triangle would act as a second defense line through which its naval and air forces could cover the West Pacific to prevent the U.S. 7th Fleet from coming to the aid of its allies in the region. Through Scarborough, China can deploy fighter jets and bombers over Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak), Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia.
America knew about China’s powerful plan, therefore instructed and influenced the Philippines to sue the Chinese at the international court. And that’s why Washington periodically sends the powerful U.S. Navy’s Carrier Strike Group 1 (CSG1) led by Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson to the triangle in the South China Sea to remind Beijing who the boss is.
However, there’s one missing puzzle – the Strait of Malacca. China realized that a simple blockade of the Strait of Malacca by the U.S. and its alliance will cut China off from Middle East oil supplies and from its “Second Continent” Africa. Now, do you understand why the Chinese expands beyond the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean?
But there’s no way China can control the Indian Ocean the same way they claim ownership of South China Sea. The solution – controls the Strait of Malacca instead. As history would repeat itself, the Chinese will not repeat its silly mistake more than 600 years ago when the Ming Dynasty didn’t conquer the strategically located Malacca in the 1400s.
China needed a triangle within Malaysia and Najib Razak’s corruption was a gift from heaven. The Malacca Gateway Port project – a RM43 billion project – will serve as the first point of Peninsula Malaysia Triangle. The second point ranges from “Iskandar Malaysia” to the RM100 billion Forest City in Johor. The third point is none other than ECRL in Pahang.
Yes, like the South China Sea Triangle, the Chinese has figured the creation of Peninsula Malaysia Triangle to control the Strait of Malacca. The “Bandar Malaysia” would serve as the hub of connectivity to the triangle of Malacca, Johor and Pahang. Of course, Najib was too dumb to realize that he has practically invited the modern-day colonizer – China – into the country.
But why wastes so much money on a triangle when China could just own Malacca through the Malacca Gateway Port project and thereafter controls the Strait of Malacca? The answer is Singapore. As the U.S.’ biggest ally in the Southeast Asia, there’s little doubt that Singapore is China’s biggest threat.When the Lee family feud exploded, the Chinese had rubbed salt into the injury.
The primary purpose of ECRL is to bypass Singapore so that in case of a confrontation with the U.S., resources including military hardware and personnel could be transported between Malacca (west) and Pahang (east) quickly. In order to check Singapore, China has offered Malaysia 12 units of the AR3 multiple launch rocket system and a radar system to be based in Johor.
The best part of the ECRL project is, the Chinese pushes the rocket system down the throat of Najib and there’s nothing he could do. That was another reason why Mr. Wang Yong was in Pahang. China is forcing Malaysia to purchase the rocket system, which the country doesn’t need, with a loan period of 50 years – under the pretext of combat terrorism and gather intelligence.
Malay rights group Perkasa was absolutely right to be upset that the launch of the ECRL appeared to be a Chinese affair. Najib was like a CEO of a Chinese-based company with President Xi Jinping’s representative Wang Yong there to make sure he behaves. It was fabulously insulting that there was not a single Malaysia flag during the ground-breaking ceremony on Malaysian soil.
Heck, all the banners were in Chinese so much so that the ECRL project could be easily mistaken as being constructed in mainland China or a territory owned by the kingdom. Beijing has no respect whatsoever to Kuala Lumpur that they didn’t even pretend that they’re building a rail link in a foreign country. They acted as if they owned the project and every inch beneath the infrastructure.
Today, Pahang Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) Adnan Yaakob said he hopes the ECRL project would include local materials and contractors. Mr. Adnan’s bitching and whining have proven what the local ethnic-Chinese businessmen knew all along but the ignorant ethnic-Malay didn’t. The construction of ECRL will not excite local demands, let alone create significant employment.
With the exception of demands for local Musang King Durian or Bak Kut Teh, local Chinese business community knew the Chinese construction company will bring along 99% of the supply chain from the mainland. Not even a single bolt and nut, let alone cement, steel or sand, would be sourced locally. There’s no free coffee for Adnan Yaakob, if that was what he had hoped to get.
The labour, materials, contractors and whatnot will be sourced directly from mainland China, as they would normally do. So yes, ECRL is a 99% Chinese project which ethnic-Malays are not involved and needed. Until Malaysia has fully repaid the soft loan of RM55 billion plus 3.25% interest from the state-owned Exim Bank of China, ECRL belongs to China.
Wait a minute!! If the local ethnic-Chinese knew they could benefit very little from ECRL, and other China projects for that matter, why didn’t they do something, instead of watching with popcorn and Coke? Simple – after being subjected to decades of UMNO-Malay’s discrimination, oppression, suppression, intimidation and whatnot, how much worse could a mainland China’s colonization be?
True, Najib was correct to say that ECRL is a “game changer” to Malaysia. The rule of the game has changed. UMNO-Malays can’t demand free contracts from China contractor. UMNO-Malays can’t use racial card to threaten China contractor. More importantly, UMNO-Malays can’t tell China contractor to go back to “Tongsan”, because Najib has brought “Tongsan” here instead (*grin*). The dragon has landed!
– Finance Twitter
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