The following is the fourth tranche of my five questions for the Minister for Communications and Multimedia, Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak to help him reinstate his right to ask questions and demand answers from others, after forfeiting such right when as Minister responsible for the portfolio of information, he failed to answer numerous questions about government scandals and failings:
Question 16:
Is the former Prime Minister, Tun Musa Hitam, right when he said at a forum yesterday that only the political bankrupts would use the politics of race and religion as gambling chits in the political arena, and one of the most egregious examples of such reckless exploitation of the politics of race and religion is none other than the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak in his UMNO Presidential Speech on Nov. 30?
Question 17:
Does Salleh agree that one important reason why the ringgit is likely to end this year as Asia’s worst performing currency for a second year running is because of the international 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal, hogging the international headlines for the whole year and the subject of multiple jurisdictions including Singapore, Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, Abu Dhabi, Australia?
Question 18:
With the revelation by the UK Guardian that the British embassy in Kuala Lumpur had in a diplomatic cable questioned a claim by the Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission had cleared him of corruption, isn’t it time that Salleh get Cabinet approval for a full, accountable, transparent and comprehensive explanation of the international 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal, telling Malaysians how the government is co-operating with foreign countries and international agencies to get to the bottom of the 1MDB scandal?
Question 19:
With Islamic State claiming responsibility for the Berlin Christmas market attack, which killed 12 and injured 52 after a truck plowed into festive stalls and fairgoers, and absence of signs of abating Daesh threats in Malaysia as policemen, military personnel including commandos, high-ranking civil servants, mosque imams, university professors and students have been arrested for being involved with Islamic State activities, should’nt Salleh propose at the Cabinet that the promotion of inter-religious understanding and harmony should be given top national priority, involving the discouragement of the politics of race, religion and hatred by all political parties and politicians?
Question 20:
When did UMNO arrive at its strategy to cement the UMNO-PAS axis and unity by giving support to Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act (Act 355) through a two-pronged objective, firstly to circumvent the due constitutional process to obtain consent and consensus from all states, the National Islamic Council and the Rulers’ Conference; and secondly, to circumvent the Barisan Nasional consensus of all the 14 BN component parties for any policy or measure to be adopted in the name of Barisan Nasional Government; and whether this is the worst crisis faced by Barisan Nasional since its formation in 1973.