YOURSAY | ‘Remember, we had Gates as adviser for many years and nothing happened.’

Enggang: Thank you, Mariam Mokhtar, for writing this article. You have given a new spelling to the name of the flamboyant wife of Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) - Ros-Mah. I wonder what it looks like in Chinese characters.

Now that MO1 has embraced the People’s Republic of China (PRC) lock, stock and barrel, Malaysians are keeping close watch on what the red-shirts movement will do next. Perhaps they are overjoyed that their red-shirt outfits are now in perfect harmony with Red China.

China have the Red Guards, MO1 has the red-shirts led by Jamal Md Yunos, who will now ask, "Apa lagi Cina Mao”?

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Donplaypuks: Nothing brilliant is going to happen with Najib Abdul Razak's appointment of Alibaba founder and executive chairperson Jack Ma as digital media adviser. Remember, we had Bill Gates as adviser for many years?

Anonymous S303: Najib may have perhaps told Jack Ma, "Meet the real Ali Baba." Mariam, a well-written article and yet another reason why you are amongst my favourite writers.

Inworldnotof: Jack Ma, don’t you read the news? Leonardo DiCaprio rings no bell?

I used to think your name could stand beside Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. But it turns out you are just another one of the herd.

Malaysia4All: It is likely that Chinese Malaysians are silently rejoicing in the fact that Najib has opened the floodgates to allow the PRC Chinese into Malaysia.

Despite this pending foreign 'invasion', the normally vocal and loud-mouthed ultra-Malays and the Ketuanan Melayu types have their lips zipped due to the fact that this is the work of Najib himself.

Or do they themselves need to re-strategise to dump Najib once and for all to prevent this foreign Chinese tsunami from swallowing them up. Cue the music. Now, where's my popcorn?

The Analyser: Malaysia4All, if Chinese Malaysians think they will benefit materially from this influx of PRC capital into Malaysia, then they have as little understanding of their fellow Chinese as they have of humans generally.

Apart from minor tokenism, the vast majority of the work will go to PRC contractors employing cheap PRC labour. The reason that so many of the local Chinese are critical of the Najib deals is because they know that, too.

Trueglitter: Rather than just gloating over the few deals Malaysia has entered into with PRC, Najib should also learning to adopt China's tough laws to execute perpetrators who are guilty of corruption as well as blatant abuse of power to serve their own selfish ends.

Najib's trip to China would not be fully productive in a moral sense, when he failed to acknowledge the fact that the rampant corruption and the alleged abuse of power by a particular MO1 has never been justifiably addressed or resultantly prosecuted, despite the immeasurable magnitude and latitude of the alleged misdeeds which clearly outweigh all those crimes being unfolded in China.

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Citizen No 26: I wonder what are in the 14 contracts for RM144 billion? Are all of them contracts for constructions and services that we have to pay the PRC big-time contractors? Or are there some contracts that PRC pays us?

Thus, are these contracts lopsided deals that will commit us to pay PRC contractors all the time and affect our future generations?

MO1, please inform and assure our citizens on the matter in order to allay our worries.

Existential Turd: Full of memorable observations and quotable quotes by Mariam. I especially like your reference to Alibaba, both economical and fictional. Why didn't I think of that first?

I am Stupid: Mariam is the best writer and everything that she writes makes sense. I have been observing her writing and totally agree with most of her comments. Hope one day I can have a coffee with her. All the best to you, MM.

Drngsc: Thanks, Mariam. And to the Umno members and the rural Malays, and to borrow a line from Martin Jacques - "Will China rule Malaysia?"

What say you, Utusan Malaysia? China will pump in RM140 billion, some for structural investment in Malaysia, some to allegedly take back the money they used to buy 1MDB assets, some for Umno to allegedly use in GE14.

So non-halal money has saved Malaysia, so it is okay to be non-halal when the need arises.

Robbed: So now will it be wrong for me to use T-shirts with the face of Chairman Mao Zedong or former Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng?

No more gov’t-run homes for the aged, says Rohani Karim

Quigonbond: Even if a small percentage of people are "dumping" their old folks, not expanding on welfare homes simply becomes a punishment for the old folks, and not just their children/relatives.

Besides, people are sending their relatives or parents to old folks' home not because they are uncaring. The economic situation is so dire, especially for urbanites, that the adults all probably need to work to make ends meet.

Who's to take care of the old folks? What if the old folk stays at home alone and accident happens? If the government has no money, just say so. Don't need to invent such a poor excuse.

It's pathetic coming from a "Family" minister who is supposed to show a lot more compassion for the elderly and infirm.

Hang Babeuf: This is brilliant logic. It reminds me of the urban policy of the 1980s when the received official orthodoxy was that one should not provide decent public transport -- because if you did, people would only want to use and ride on and rely on it.

In the same way - was it the Malaysian government's inspiration at the time? - a leading international airline decided to reduce the number of toilets on its long-haul service aircraft, because having more toilets only encouraged people to want to use them. Better they should split their bladders sitting in their seats waiting!

Thickskin: To claim that families are dumping their aged parents into government welfare homes is both untrue and uncharitable.

Thirty years ago, the Tawau Old Folks home housed over 70 elderly folk. Now it only houses fewer than 50. Rohani, please explain.

Perak Boleh: Rohani is right. The Welfare Ministry can save the government allocation to give ‘dedak’ (animal feed) for their supporters in the next GE14, and the old and elderly can be put to sleep as they are a burden to society.

Roar For Truth: There should be no more expansion of cabinet. Malaysians cannot afford such calibre of ministers - solving problems by shifting blame.

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