Archive for November, 2011
The Gemas feedlot debacle; half-truths and pertinent questions
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Parliament on Wednesday, 2 November 2011
— by Nawawi Mohamad
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 02, 2011
NOV 2 — A RM73.64 million government project in Gemas, Negri Sembilan linked to Minister Datuk Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s family to produce 8,000 heads of cattle in 2010 and ultimately 60,000 heads in 2015 has turned into a mess when production was at only 3,289 heads in 2010 that is only 41.1 per cent.
This was reported by the Auditor-General – and subsequently reported in the media.
In parliament Noh Omar, who is the Agriculture Minister, deemed the project successful because “the total number of cattle brought into the farm between 2008 and 2010 was 8,016”.
But the main purpose of the farm is to produce cows and not to bring in cows from somewhere else and feed them before slaughter! Read the rest of this entry »
Electoral fraud – part and parcel of our election process
By P Ramakrishnan, Aliran president | 31 October 2011
If anything, these allegations have become credible because irrefutable evidence of fraudulent registrations have been unearthed in the electoral roll. What we have seen exposed are not few and minor incidences that may be explained away quite easily. Clearly, these are rampant and, therefore, disturbing.
Dubious voters
The late P Patto who lost to Samy Vellu in the Sungai Siput contest in 1990 by a narrow margin of 1763 votes revealed why he lost that year during a forum at the Penang Chinese Assembly Hall. He explained that Indian voters were registered at Chinese residences when there were no tenants living there; others were registered at non-existent addresses and some addresses attributed to certain voters turned out to be at the cemetery! He also revealed that voters were brought from Klang in buses to cast their votes in Sungai Siput. These are serious cases of electoral fraud.
This is a story that goes back to 1990 – 21 years ago! But the pattern persists even today.
Read the rest of this entry »
At the Commonwealth summit, the human rights proselytisers no longer hold sway
Posted by Kit in Commonwealth, Human Rights on Tuesday, 1 November 2011
by John Kampfner
guardian.co.uk
30 October 2011
The Perth summit reveals how compromised western leaders are in their efforts to promote human rights
The death knell of the Commonwealth has been sounded for as long as there have been summits. By accident rather than design, this anachronistic gathering of 54 states may actually say more about the state of global priorities than the participants realise. And the direction of travel is grim.
At their meeting in Perth over the weekend, the leaders rejected many of the recommendations of a report by a team of the great and good, the eminent persons group (EPG), designed to move the Commonwealth’s democratic laggards towards basic norms.
In search of a lowest-common-denominator consensus, the summit accepted some less controversial ideas, such as a charter. The idea of a human rights commissioner, however, proved too much. “There have been a few blips like in any part of the world but I don’t think it demanded a commissioner,” noted Suruj Rambachan, the foreign minister of Trinidad. Under pressure from South Africa and other states, the summit even refused to publish the EPG’s report.
The former prime minister of Malaysia, who chaired the EPG, said the summit would be remembered as a failure. Malcolm Rifkind, the former UK foreign secretary, described the unwillingness to publish the report as a disgrace. This is hardly surprising, as the Commonwealth comprises a veritable who’s who of governments with dubious human rights records – from Nigeria, Cameroon and Rwanda to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Singapore. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib should announce full acceptance and no appeal against landmark Court of Appeal judgment striking down Section 15(5)(a) of UUCA as unconstitutional
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Court, Najib Razak, university on Tuesday, 1 November 2011
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, should announce full acceptance and no appeal against the landmark Court of Appeal judgment yesterday striking down Section 15(5)(a) of Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) as unconstitutional in violating the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech.
This will be an early test of Najib’s political will, bona fides and commitment to initiate a sea change of democratization and political transformation which he had promised after the most adverse national and international reactions to the high-handed government crackdown of the July 9 Bersih 2.0 peaceful demonstration for free, fair and clean elections system – with the establishment of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Electoral System, and the pledges of repeal of the draconian Internal Security Act as well as repeal or reform of the arsenal of repressive laws in the country including the Universities and University Colleges Act, the Police Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Sedition Act, etc.
Najib should know that all his promises of “democratization and political transformation” have evoked more cynicism, skepticism and disbelief than hope, expectation and belief – and this is because the Najib government has not demonstrated any change of mindset and mentality that the whole apparatus of government has been attuned and oriented to the new challenges of democratization and political transformation.
It is most refreshing and inspiring that the Court of Appeal, through Justice Hishamuddin Yunus and Justice Linton Albert, have spoken out courageously, loud and clear for human rights and the supremacy of the Constitution at this particular juncture.
Read the rest of this entry »
Our school children as sacrificial lambs
Posted by Kit in Education, English, History, Lim Teck Ghee, Muhyiddin Yassin, nation building on Tuesday, 1 November 2011
By Dr Lim Teck Ghee | 1 November 2011
CPIASIA
During the past year, there have been three controversies arising from regressive policy decisions of the Ministry of Education which have set our educational system backwards. The three controversies revolve around
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The teaching of Science and Mathematics for Fourth Form students in Bahasa Malaysia instead of English
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The use of the Interlok book as a compulsory text in the schools
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The decision to make history a compulsory subject as well as a pass requirement for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM)
All three – though simmering for some years now – are rapidly coming to a head during the tenure of the Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as the Minister of Education.
Read the rest of this entry »
Bolehland’s Bunch of No-Nos
Posted by Kit in Hishammuddin, Martin Jalleh, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 1 November 2011
By Martin Jalleh
31 Oct. 2011
Najib has no balls
Muhyiddin has no brains
Hishammuddin has no integrity.
Rais Yatim has no sense
Zahid has no defence
Nazri has no consistency. Read the rest of this entry »
Surcharge who?
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Health, Sabah on Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Sdr. Lim Kit Siang, You might be interested in my experience in Sabah, trying to save Government/Taxpayers’ Money:
When I was serving in Sabah, in 1989 I think it was, and called for quotations to buy ‘Dental Drills’ for use in the field by Nurses, to fill Children’s teeth. You may not know that the Children in Sabah had really very poor Dental Health, and there was an urgent need to do as much as possible, by way of stretching both equipment and personnel available. Read the rest of this entry »
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