Archive for May 18th, 2007
Two sexist BN MPs – treating Malaysians as suckers with “apology” which is really no apology
Posted by Kit in Gender, Parliament on Friday, 18 May 2007
For the past fortnight, Malaysians have been treated as suckers by Cabinet Ministers — the most outrageous case being the demand by the Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu for RM22 million to inspect new government buildings in Putrajaya for defects, which did not include a subsequent and lengthening list of government building mishaps, such as the spanking new RM290 million court complex in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur and now Parliament House which has become a “HOUSE OF LEAKS” barely two years after a RM100 million renovation.
Today, even the two sexist Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs, Datuk Mohd Said Yusof (Jasin) and Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan), are treating Malaysians as suckers with their “apology” which is really no apology over their gender-offensive male-chauvinist remarks in Parliament last week, directed at DAP MP for Batu Gajah, Fong Po Kuan, but which brought shame and dishonour to Parliament, Malaysian women and the nation’s international reputation.
I had not wanted to comment on the case of the two sexist BN MPs today, but when I read Malaysiakini news reports of the alleged “apology” of Mohd Said and Bung Mokhtar which the Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jali had described as a “closure”, I cannot contain my outrage and wrath.
This is because the so-called “apology” of Mohd Said and Bung Mokhtar orchestrated by Shahrizat was not only no “closure” of the abominable case of sexual harassment and gender abuse in Parliament last week, but had added “salt to the wound” of Po Kuan, as well as all women and men who want proper closure with justice done to all aggrieved parties.
After their 45-minute meeting with Shahrizat, Mohd Said and Bung Mokhtar said they would like to tender their apologies, if “women were offended”.
However, they destroyed all meaning in their apologies when they defended their words used in Parliament as necessary to defend the government during debates.
They also did not issue a personal apology to Po Kuan. Read the rest of this entry »
Parliament as “House of Leaks” – why Samy Vellu did not foresee it after dramatic inspection 2 years ago?
Posted by Kit in Parliament on Friday, 18 May 2007
New Straits Times front-paged the latest scandal of Parliament as “HOUSE OF LEAKS” — barely two years after spending RM90 million to renovate Parliament House.
Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, after a dramatic 45-minute inspection yesterday, said about the condition of the roof of Parliament House:
As an architect, I can tell you it is very bad. I don’t want to hide anything from you. There is a lot of work to be done here,” he said at a press conference in the lobby of parliament.
He said the repairs would involve removing concrete slabs, waterproofing the roof and installing concealed ceiling equipment for heat protection.
“The plastic pipes will have to be replaced with class-A cast iron pipes.”
The damaged pipes had resulted in water not flowing off the roof.
Samy Vellu said there was a pile of rubbish, mainly construction waste, on the roof and this had to be removed.
He said there were leaks in five places.
“These could increase to 10 or 15 in the future if nothing is done now.”
Who is at fault? Read the rest of this entry »
Nazri – running spy network among MPs?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament on Friday, 18 May 2007
I am calling this media conference on the statement by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, on the reasons for the shock resignation of the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok as Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Integrity (PSCI), which has been reported extensively in the media such as “Dompok influenced by Kit Siang, says Nazri” (The Sun) and “Nazri: Dompok influenced by panel deputy chairman Kit Siang” (New Straits Times),
Firstly, let me say that I fully agree with Dompok in describing Nazri’s statement as “a cheap shot”. It is a low blow and most unbecoming of one Minister to make of another, especially when it is founded on baseless rumours and hearsay. What Nazri said was just poppycock.
Nazri said my alleged “influence” over Dompok was “causing uneasiness among other members of the committee”.
NST reported:
Nazri said members of the committee had complained that Dompok was being influenced by Lim.
“I know what is going on in the committee as the BN members on it report to me. I learnt of this unhappiness from them,” he said.
Asked why they did not indicate their unhappiness to Dompok, Nazri said as disciplined BN members, they followed what the committee head instructed.
“(Dompok) is a cabinet member. They will never go against him,” he said.
Firstly, Who are these “BN members” on the PSCI who had reported to him behind its back — which is a gross breach of parliamentary privilege! This is because the PSCI and Parliamentary Select Committees are only to report to Parliament and not to any single Minister, be he the Minister in charge of Parliamentary Affairs!
Or is one of the functions of the Minister in charge of Parliamentary Affairs to run a network of spies among BN MPs in the various Select Committees?
Secondly, I challenge these BN MPs on the PSCI who have been carrying tales of half-truths and downright lies against Dompok to Nazri to come out into the open to declare themselves; prove that they are honourable men and women and not “petty characters”; and explain why they had been guilty of such unethical, unparliamentary and disgraceful conduct. Read the rest of this entry »
People’s judgment on 2 sexist BN MPs — 6-month suspension as MP and community service with women groups and full apology to Po Kuan and Malaysian women
Posted by Kit in Gender, Parliament on Friday, 18 May 2007
The over 300 people who attended the public forum “Respect Women’s Dignity Towards a 1st World Parliament” at YMCA Hall, Kuala Lumpur last night unanimously agreed that the two sexist Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs, Datuk Mohd Said Yusof (Jasin) and Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan) had been guilty of unacceptable sexual harassment and dishonour of DAP MP for Batu Gajah, Fong Po Kuan, shaming Parliament, Malaysian women and the nation’s international reputation with their crude, vulgar, sexist gender-offensive remarks in Parliament last week — compounded by their low farce of “apology to Po Kuan and all Malaysian women, then only to Malaysian women but not to Po Kuan, and then not even to Malaysian women” on Cabinet day on Wednesday.
The public forum agreed that the suitable penalty for the duo is the following five-point punishment:
1. Six-month suspension as MP.
2. Six-month community service with women groups.
3. Donation of the their entire parliamentary allowance during suspension to women groups.
4. Full apology to Fong Po Kuan and Malaysian women.
5. If no full apology, the six-month suspension and community service to be extended to 12 months.
The forum decided that its decision be conveyed to the Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, before she meets up with the two errant BN MPs at 10 am the next day on Friday (18th May).
To implement the five-point penalty, the forum decided that its decision should receive endorsement by the following:
- Cabinet Committee on Gender Equality.
- Parliamentary Caucus on Gender Equality.
- Cabinet.
- Parliament — with a motion on June 18 (the first day of next meeting) to directly mete out the five-point penalties for the two sexist BN MPs, without any reference to the Committee of Privileges.
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