IJN - To sell or not to sell...

Our DPM announced triumphantly that IJN would be sold to Sime Darby.

Trail of the news can be found here which many thought culminated when DPM announced that it would be sold...

PM says takeover only if poor taken care of. A very caring PM if you asked me but I think he left his brains somewhere. How can you sell off something and hope to influence or retain control on how they are being run?

Then Sime Darby came out with a statement that the fee structure will remain! WOW! What a Stupid statement... are you telling me that it will remain forever? Or was it a deceptive statement to cheat? HERE.

Of course another idiot and apple polisher in the form of current health minister who has been at best disgusting when the whole melamine scare hit dairy products, he needed an "advice" from ex-health minister Mr. Gigolo to tell him to accept Singapore's list to reduce the ministry's tasks as good, and at the moment, he is still unable to tell if 100 deaths from denggi is not enough to kick the butt of his ministry into action. Well, his introduction was a bit long, but this is what he said.. Govt will continue to REGULATE IJN's fees.... err... like how they regulate electricity tariff is it? Or toll concessions? Or payments to IPPs? Even the roti canai seller?

Well, the above news are all just mere whines from me. The crux of the news is here.

NO OBJECTION TO SIME DARBY STAKE IN IJN! Declares Najib.

I commented in Cikgu's blog the other day, that our dear Najib is trying to find more creative means to patch the hole caused by the failure of the EuroCOCKter deal gone sour... for now... or so it seems that the DPM is trying to exert his influence and make a pre-emptive statement ahead of the PM in this matter.

Then the mother of all spin came out...

THE CABINET DEFFERED IJN's SALE

and in a face saving spin, they depict the government as caring and sensitive in that they will have to deliberate it further.. HERE. The thing here is what is Najib trying to say? First sale, then no sale and his excuse is this...

Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said the study would focus on the interests of the rakyat, especially in guaranteeing that the Government’s social responsibilities towards the people would not be sacrificed.

The deferment, according to Najib, was made due to the negative reaction from the public following the Government’s announcement that it had agreed in principle to the takeover plan.

The statement made his sound as stupid as he looked. As if he did not conduct a comprehensive study and survey before he made the SALE statement. Ooops, I forgot, they are BN.


Now two questions:

1. Why did the DPM made the statement of sale then made a U Turn just a day after making it?
2. If the cabinet is caring and sensitive, the idea should have been dead a buried there and then? Why must it yet to be discussed?

Now, let me try to understand why the statements were made in that order. Najib is DPM and PM in waiting. He would have thought, he commanded the respect or wanted to see who in the cabinet are his YES men and who are not. Making the statement would weed out those who were not so co-operative and if he were to assume the seat next, his task of choosing his cabinet is made much easier. And while it is being deferred, it is being deferred until he assumes office in March 09. The deal will still go through come March 09. Make no mistake about it.

Scenario two takes a small twist. DPM made the statement, trumping his No.1... for want to show power, but when PM made the "caring" statement, he decided to muscle the cabinet into denying his No.2 glory for now. Can we assume that there is an acute power struggle from within? Can it be seen that DPM does not have the sort of absolute support that he seem to have as depicted by the Umno nominations for position of Presidency?