Archive for August 11th, 2009

Liow Tiong Lai, Where are You? Karen Lee looking for you

At 5.10 pm, on my blog this morning re: “Large-scale H1N1 awareness campaign welcome but why so belated – after 33 deaths and some 2,000 cases?” , I received this heart-rending post from a mother, Karen Lee from Kota Kemuning, worried about her five-year-old son in the A (H1N1) flu killer pandemic, which has claimed 38 lives since the first death was reported 26 days ago on July 16 and recorded 2,253 cases since the first H1N1 case less than three months ago on May 15, 2009..

Karen wants to ask the Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai four questions about the A (H1N1) flu pandemic and quite desperate for getting an immediate reply as her son’s life is “at stake”.

These four questions are: Read the rest of this entry »

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Open Letter to PAC Chairman Azmi Khalid that he should avoid conflict-of-interest as former Cabinet Minister in 2007 and disqualify himself from conducting the PAC inquiry into the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal

YB Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid,
Chairman,
Public Accounts Committee,
Chairman
11th August 2009

YB Datuk Seri,

I take the liberty through this Open Letter to ask you to avoid conflict-of-interest as former Cabinet Minister in 2007 to disqualify yourself from conducting the Public Accounts Committee inquiry into the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

I had earlier written to you in a letter dated 17th June 2009 asking you to step down as Chairman of the PAC inquiry into the PKFZ scandal as you were a Cabinet Minister from 2004 to 2008, a period when the previous Cabinet had made various decisions concerning PKFZ, including giving retrospective approval for the four Letters of Support unlawfully issued by the two previous Transport Ministers, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik and Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy to guarantee the RM4 billion bonds issued by the PKFZ turnkey developer, Kuala Dimensi Sdn. Bhd (KDSB) as well as the RM4.6 billion Cabinet decision to bail out PKFZ.
Read the rest of this entry »

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As I see it

By Hussein Hamid
steadyaku47

The past:

Big win gives Malaysia’s Abdullah mandate

The 2004 elections won by Barisaan’s Nasional was the biggest for any Political Party in Malaysian history. With a parliamentary majority of over two thirds, the multi ethnic Barisan Nasional coalition that UMNO heads can pass law uncontested. This success was matched in polls for the state assemblies with Barisan winning 12 of the 13 states.

This puts to rest the challenge of PAS in the Malay heartland states in the North and seemed to wipe out Keadilan.

Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, faced a recount in her seat, which was once occupied by her husband Anwar Ibrahim who is now serving a 15-year jail term for sodomy and abuse of power, and the party looked unlikely to win any other seats.

Current realities: Read the rest of this entry »

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After being so badly savaged, can Najib’s 1Malaysia be salvaged?

In just four months of the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak unveiling his new and gleaming “1Malaysia” motto, the UMNO-owned Utusan Malaysia is already assuming the mantle of the “Undertaker” to bury Najib’s “1Malaysia” slogan with its recent series of unabashedly divisive and remorselessly seditious incitement of racial hatred and disharmony in plural Malaysia.

When Najib could fail the first test to stand up by his “1Malaysia” concept in just 130 days as Prime Minister, not from challenges from outside but threats from within, what credibility can the Prime Minister command to continue to advocate the concept of “1Malaysia”?

Is Najib going to order a halt to the millions or even tens of millions of ringgit which had been spent or budgeted for a massive nation-wide promotion of the “1Malaysia” concept when it is so publicly repudiated, almost on a daily basis, by Umno leaders and Umno institutions like Utusan Malaysia?

Yesterday, Najib called on the police to take action against those who incite racial and religious tensions.
Read the rest of this entry »

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Large-scale H1N1 awareness campaign welcome but why so belated – after 33 deaths and some 2,000 cases?

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday announced that the government will launch a large-scale public awareness campaign on influenza A(H1N1) beginning this week to educate the public on the pandemic in view of the worsening scenario in the country.

This is a welcome though belated initiative and the questions uppermost in everyone’s mind is why this decision was taken so late, after 33 deaths and some 2,000 cases.

Furthermore, why must it take the Prime Minister to intervene personally before such a decision is taken? What then is the use of having a Health Minister?

Would more lives had been saved if the large-scale public awareness campaign had been launched when the first death from the A (H1N1) flu had occurred 25 days ago on July 16?

It is not only the Health Minister who had failed to provide the proper leadership in the campaign against A (H1N1) flu, even the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who headed the inter-ministerial committee on A (H1N1) was guilty of a most flippant and irresponsible attitude with his shocking remark: “Even if I am health minister, I cannot guarantee your safety.”
Read the rest of this entry »

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