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Judy Rudd, an amateur genealogy researcher Queensland was doing some personal work on her own family tree when she discovered that ex-prime minister Kevin Rudd’s great-great uncle, Remus Rudd, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Melbourne in 1889. Both Judy and Kevin Rudd share this common ancestor.

The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows at the Melbourne Gaol. On the back of the picture Judy obtained during her research is this inscription: “Remus Rudd, horse thief, sent to Melbourne Gaol 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Melbourne-Geelong train six times. He was caught by Victoria Police Force, convicted and hanged in 1889.'

Judy, wanting to see how modern politicians will handle historical data, recently e-mailed ex-prime minister Rudd for information about their great-great uncle, Remus Rudd. Believe it or not, Kevin Rudd's staff sent back the following biographical sketch for her genealogy research:

“Remus Rudd was famous in Victoria during the mid to late 1800s. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Melbourne-Geelong Railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to government service, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad.

“In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the Victoria Police Force. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honour when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed."

NOW that’s how it's done, folks! That's a good POLITICAL SPIN. Let us draw some simple parallels to the Malaysian scenario. Perhaps the different takes on the National Feedlot project can be looked at in a different light too as politicians are so wont to do.

If we allowed the government to frame its description of the project, it would probably turn out as follows one day in the future:

 

“Mohamad Salleh Ismail was famous in Malaysia in 2011. He revolutionised the cattle Industry and together with his three children without any experience in cattle production or beef supply took the cattle industry to new heights - the height of an expensive high-rise condominium.

“He caused an increase in the price of beef as well as in the condominium industry by supplying very few cattle thereby causing much higher prices to be paid for the beef and paying very high prices for the condominium - all of RM10,000,000 for a unit.

“His contributions came during the threat of an economic slowdown and he helped to delay the economic downturn by some as he brought much publicity to the cattle industry when his project was the highlight of the Auditor-General’s office. He brought spending in the cattle industry to new highs and brought new styles of perks to those managing cows.

“His wife, a very prominent member of society, has set new standards for marriages. Wives, she said, should not know about the vocation or work of their husbands, not even when they travel together on the account of the husband’s business and visited the location and site of the business; and not even when the project required the special extension of support from her senior partners (she must have got her driver to solicit for the support of her senior partners).”

At least cows are better known now and people have become more educated about cows than ever before. They now know that the condominium bought cannot be used for the best of their cows to use because cows can only walk up stairs but not down. It would have taken millions of ringgit to bring such publicity to highlight the cows and perhaps this expense saved can be used to justify the unreasonable amounts that cannot be accounted for.

At least this reason is so much better than all the others used. Never in the history of “cow-dom” has cows commanded the undivided attention of the prime minister, the deputy prime minister and the ministers of a country so much. Their devotion of time to cows has brought the standing of cows to new highs. Credit has to be given to Mohd Salleh Ismail who single-handedly brought all this new focus to cow-dom; no mean feat if you look at how it has gripped a nation (even the ordinary office workers are talking of cows now).

What Mohd Salleh Ismail and his darling wife who is so innocent in her all dealings have done so far is to skillfully make the slaughter of Malaysian cows more efficient and more effective - much like how they have made the ‘raping of the economy’ a supposedly more efficient and more pleasurable experience for the masses.

Is it any wonder then that no one of note (and Bung Moktar the self-proclaimed expert on women cannot fall into this group) has stood up to exact accountability for the outright and blatant abuse of process and power? It is amazing that all of the top BN leaders cannot differentiate right from wrong and have kept a steely silence on this matter! Give them credit. At least, they are united in some things.

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