There are many other issues which explain why Malaysia is now teetering on a crisis as a result of the economic and political gridlock paralyzing the country.
As time does not permit a discussion of all these issues, I will just quickly refer to some of them:
* Malaysia’s reputation as a country safe for investors received a grievious blow when a series of judicial decisions raised national and international questions as to whether Malaysia had restored its previous high international repute for a truly independent judiciary and just rule of law because of the following cases:
i. the Federal Court’s 5-0 unanimous decision to dismiss Anwar Ibrahim’s appeal and five-year jail sentence in Sodomy II trial;
ii. the Federal Court’s decision to convict and sentence to death former police commando Azila Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar for the 2006 murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu, while leaving completely open the question of motive for the murder and who had ordered Azila and Sirul to murder Altantuya;
iii. the expose by retired Court of Appeal judge Justice K.C. Vohrah that former Chief Justice Eusoff Chin had caused a miscarriage of justice in the infamous Ayer Molek Rubber Company vs Insas Bhd case two decades ago; iv.the black-listing, discrimination and continued by-passing of Court of Appeal judge Justice Mohamad Hishamudin Mohd Yunus from elevation to the Federal Court;
v. the victimization of the country’s first judicial whistleblower, former High Court judge Datuk Syed Ahmad Idid, who was penalized instead of being rewarded.
* Yesterday we saw another case of grave injustice when 13 persons were sent to jail for 10 months by the Court of Appeal for illegal assembly when they demonstrated against the unconstitutional toppling of the Pakatan Rakyat Perak State Government in February 2009 after being fined RM5,000 each for the offence.
The double standard in the jailing of the 13 protesters was a gross injustice, compared to the kid’s-glove treatment received by 15 Umno members who had stormed the Penang state assembly last year and were fined only RM1,500 each.
* another case of injustice is the hounding by JAWI, the Federal Territories Islamic Affairs, of an innocent woman in persistently pursuing Borders bookshop manager Nik Raina Nik Abdul Aziz, who had been discharged not amounting to acquittal by the Syariah High Court from a Shariah charge that could have seen her jailed for up to two years or fined a maximum of RM3,000.
Nik Raina is a Malay and a Muslim. I am a Chinese and a non-Muslim. But we are both Malaysians and belong to the human race. The Malaysian Dream all Malaysians share of a country for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or class must be one where the injustices suffered by one is felt by all other Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or class.
In other words, an injustice suffered by a Muslim Malaysian is also felt unjust by a non-Muslim Malaysian, and an injustice suffered by a non-Muslim Malaysian is also felt unjust by a Muslim Malaysian.
Are we closer to this goal since Merdeka in 1957 and Malaysia in 1963 or further from this goal?
*the 45-year nightmare of Sabahans for more than four decades – the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah state.
Ten months have passed since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Illegla Immigrants in Sabah (RCIIIS) presented its report to the Yang di Pertuan Agong and the Federal Government, and more than three months have passed since the RCIIIS report was made public in Kota Kinabalu, but up to now, nothing has been done to resolve the 45-year Sabah Illegal Immigrants nightmare.
Malaysia needs a RCI on RCIs – to decide on the do’s and don’ts of RCI and to ensure that the authorities act seriously to implement the recommendations of the RCI so that RCI are not used as an excuse to buy time or to avoid responsibility, as seems to be the case with the UMNO/BN government. *Finally, I wish to move an amendment to the Motion of Thanks in the name of MP for Tanjong Karang on the issue of the RM42 billion 1MDB financial scandal.
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has finally instructed the Auditor General to vet the 1MDB accounts and to submit its report to the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC).
However, the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin has asked the PAC to immediately investigate the 1MDB without having to wait for the Auditor General’s Report.
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir has gone one step further and has asked the police to commence investigations without waiting for the Auditor-General’s Report.
My amendment to the Motion of Thanks is to give support to both proposals by Muhyiddin and Mahathir, and the add to the motion of thanks the following words:
“and resolve that (1) the Public Accounts Committee should immediately investigate the 1MDB scandal and (2) instruct the Police to launch immediate investigation into the 1MDB scandal without having to wait for the report of the Auditor-General”.
I hope Barisan Nasional MPs will prove their patriotism by supporting this amendment, to show that their loyalty is to the country and not just any political party.
(Part 5 of Speech on the motion of thanks for Royal Address in Parliament on Thursday, 19th March 2015)