Archive for category Corruption
Chief Secretary Sidek’s failure to carry out Cabinet decision of July 2007 to take action against culprits responsible for RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal a factor why Malaysia has worst ranking and score in 15 years in TI CPI 2009
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament, PKFZ on Monday, 23 November 2009
During the 2010 budget debate on 29th October 2009, I questioned the Cabinet decision to set up a super task force headed by the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan to take over all investigations into the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal as it represented a “major step backwards in public accountability and good governance”, smacking of a super “cover up” instead of a demonstration of political will to get to the bottom of the “mother of all scandals”.
I argued that what is needed is a Royal Commission of Inquiry to conduct a comprehensive and no-holds-barred investigation into the “mother of all scandals” including relevant Ministerial and Cabinet aspects of the scandal instead of trying to sweep the whole issue back under the carpet.
I also posed the following question:
“In the first place, is Mohd Sidek the most appropriate person to head the super task force on the PKFZ scandal?
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No open tender for deal building RM628m Matrade Centre for RM15 billion 65-acre prime KL land – dare Tsu Koon raise in Cabinet warning of adverse KPI/NKRA combating corruption?
Posted by Kit in Corruption on Sunday, 22 November 2009
In his first month as Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak received praise and applause for his assurance that he would cut down on direct negotiations for government procurement contracts and instead adopt the tender system on efforts to curb corruption and restore public confidence in the government.
The award of the building-for-land deal to Naza TTDI Sdn Bhd involving 65 acres of prime land in Kuala Lumpur with a gross development value of RM15 billion for building a RM628 million Matrade expo centre has dashed public hopes and expectations that Najib is serious about open tenders, accountability, transparency and the war against corruption.
As combating corruption is one of the six National Key Result Areas (NKRAs) announced by Najib, is the Key Performance Index (KPI) Minister, dare Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon raise in Cabinet urging for a review and to ask for the Matrade building-for-land deal to be submitted to open tender to ensure that the government and the public obtains the best deal.
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Malaysia, no pass marks in the corruption index
Posted by Kit in Corruption on Sunday, 22 November 2009
By Tunku Aziz
About this time each year when Transparency International in Berlin releases its Corruption Perceptions Index, there are many in high places chewing their sticky, dirty fingers while keeping them crossed, hoping against hope, that the world would be kinder and Malaysia’s score on the corruption league table would come out more favourably than last year’s and all the previous years since the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index was first released in 1995. The prayers of the corrupt in government and politics have been ignored again. The predictability of it all is uncanny. The question is why are we continually perceived as corrupt, and are the perceptions justified?
The ambivalence of Tun Mahathir to corruption during his 22 year administration was never in dispute. In a perverse sort of way, he was charmingly honest and did not try to pretend that he was against corrupt practices. He was a great “in the national interest man” who saw corruption not in monochrome, but in glorious Technicolor which could even be made to look extremely attractive seen through his 20/20 Vision however sordid it is in reality.
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MACC: Biting the Political Neutrality Bullet
Posted by Kit in Corruption on Saturday, 21 November 2009
Several days ago, I received an urgent message from a friend inviting me to a seminar on ‘Corruption Prevention in Business Sector 2009’ organized jointly by the MACC, MACC Consultation and Prevention of Corruption Panel and the Business Ethics Institute of Malaysia.
The friend – whose name I need not mention here – is an MACC advisory committee member who knows full well my scathing opinion of the MACC and its work to date. “Come to the seminar as my guest and hear them out” he urged me. “Rome was not built in a day; we must be constructive not destructive”.
Indonesia’s gecko-gate
Posted by Kit in Corruption on Friday, 20 November 2009
by Tim Lindsey
The Australian
November 20, 2009
(extract)
Instead, the nation is riveted by televised Constitutional Court hearings, explosive press conferences and a daily diet of rolling media revelations uncovering what may be the country’s biggest political crisis since the fall of Suharto in 1998.
At the heart of it all is Indonesia’s popular anti-corruption commission (KPK). Originally expected to be the latest in a long and unhappy line of toothless, gutless or silenced anti-corruption initiatives, it quickly proved itself anything but.
Energetic, determined and courageous, it used aggressive new tactics involving electronic surveillance and carefully managed stings to chase some very bigfish.
It targeted legislators at the local and national levels, as well as ministers, governors, police, prosecutors, judges and reserve bank governors. And it enjoyed a spectacular 100 per cent success rate in court. Read the rest of this entry »
Divyashree, one of three pupils drowned in Kuala Dipang bridge tragedy, scored 4 As 3 Bs in UPSR, had ambition to become orthopaedic surgeon
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Crime, Parliament on Friday, 20 November 2009
V. Divyashree, 12, one of the three pupils drowned in the bridge collapse tragedy at SK Kuala Dipang in Jeram, Perak on Oct. 26 scored 4 As and 3 Bs in the UPSR results yesterday.
But the UPSR results were no comfort to her or her family. Divyashree’s life and her ambition to become an orthopaedic surgeon were snuffed out when together with two other pupils, N. Dina Deve and M. Devatharshini attending a 1Malaysia camp organized by the Education Ministry’s Co-curriculum Centre, she was drowned when the Kuala Dipang suspension bridge collapsed because of criminal negligence.
This morning, together with Perak Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives including MPs Ngeh Koo Ham (Bruas), M. Kulasegaran (Ipoh Barat), Nga Kor Ming (Taiping) and Perak State Assembly members A. Sivanesan (Sungkai), legitimate and legal Perak Speaker V. Sivakumar (Tronoh), Leong Mee Ming (Jalong), I was at the Ipoh High Court to extend support, sympathy and solidarity to the parents of the three victims of the Kuala Dipang tragedy to file a hundred-million ringgit suit against the Education Ministry for their death.
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Teoh Beng Hock would not have died if MACC had followed the law (update)
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Police on Thursday, 19 November 2009
DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock would not have died if the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had followed the law.
This is the immediate reaction not only of family members of Beng Hock, DAP and Pakatan Rakyat, but all Malaysians following the landmark decision by the Kuala Lumpur High Court today which ruled that the MACC is not entitled to interrogate witnesses late at night beyond normal office hours, from 8.30am to 5.30pm.
Justice Mohd Ariff Md Yusof ruled that it was illegal for the MACC to question its witnesses at night as such questioning must be done during the daytime.
“The term day to day as stipulated in the MACC Act cannot mean round the clock.”
This landmark decision is the result of the suit filed by Kajang Councillor Tan Boon Hwa who was falsely imprisoned together with Teoh Beng Hock on July 15 and 16 at the MACC headquarters in Shah Alam, with the case argued by DAP National Chairman and MP for Bukit Glugor Karpal Singh.
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Another black day for Parliament and anti-corruption
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament on Thursday, 19 November 2009
Another black day for Parliament and for Malaysia’s anti-corruption campaign – when my motion for an emergency debate on Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2009 which saw Malaysia suffering the worst CPI rank of 56 and score of 4.5, as well as the worst single-year drop in CPI rank by nine placings from last year’s 47th position and fall of CPI score of 0.6 from last year’s 5.1, was rejected in chambers by the Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin as “not urgent”.
It is meaningless to talk about the TI CPI 2009 as a “wake-up” call, as it would appear that nothing is capable of waking up the Barisan Nasional government to clean up corruption in Malaysia except for a change of federal government in the next general elections.
A survey of the 15 annual reports of the TI CPI from 1995 to 2009 shows that Malaysia occupies dubious company, sharing with Philippines the dishonour of being two of the 12 Asian countries first surveyed in 1995 which had ended with both lower CPI ranking and score in CPI 2009 as compared to CPI 1995 – with Malaysia suffering a bigger drop in CPI score of .78 (5.28 in 1995; 4.5 in 2009) as compared to Philippines, which suffered a drop of .37 in the past 15 years (2.77 in 1995; 2.4 in 2009).
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Heads must roll starting with the resignation of the MACC Chief Commissioner Ahmad Said for Malaysia’s worst single-year plunge in TI CPI ranking and score in past 15 years
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament on Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Heads must roll – starting with the resignation of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan – for Malaysia’s worst single-year plunge in Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking and score since the introduction of TI’s annual CPI in the past 15 years.
Malaysia’s TI CPI ranking and score from 1995 to 2009, which ranges between 10 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt), are as follows:
Major blow for Najib premiership – Malaysia’s worst ranking and score in 15 years in Transparency International Corruption Perception Index 2009
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 17 November 2009
I asked in Parliament yesterday whether Malaysia is heading for the worst Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking and score in 15 years when TI CPI 2009 is announced in the next few days.
I had expected poor results for Malaysia both in CPI ranking and score, with Malaysia slipping further in ranking from No. 47 to may be No. 50 and to fall to the lowest CPI score ever of 4.8.
But my worst fears had been exceeded when the Berlin-based TI just announced that Malaysia had plunged nine places from last year’s 47th CPI ranking to 56th position while Malaysia CPI index score plunged to the lowest in 15 years to 4.5 when Malaysia’s previous worst scores below 5 were 4.8 in 2000 and 4.9 in 2002.
This is a national shame and major blow for Najib’s premiership
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Corruption conviction rate against ikan yu – Indonesia 100% Malaysia 0%
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament on Monday, 16 November 2009
During the parliamentary debate during the committee stage of the 2010 budget on the Prime Minister’s Department, I compared Malaysia to Indonesia on the anti-corruption front.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has declared that the war against corruption and fighting the “judicial mafia” would be a priority for his first 100 days of his second administration.
In Indonesia recently, there was a public movement and outcry in support of the country’s Corruption Eradication Commission or KPK (Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi) whose top officers and anti-corruption campaign were undermined and threatened by the “judicial mafia” comprising top officials in the police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers trying to protect the corrupt and those who abused their public positions and power.
If there is a public movement in Malaysia concerning the Malaysian Anti-Corruption (MACC), it will not be in support but in condemnation of MACC for its failure to make a dent on corruption and for lending itself to be the catspaw of Umno/Barisan Nasional in their campaign to destroy the Pakatan Rakyat.
What has the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak got to show on the anti-corruption front after his first seven months in office?
MACC probing RM1.43 billion cost escalation of Rawang-Ipoh double-tracking rail project based on phantom PAC investigations?
Posted by Kit in Corruption on Friday, 13 November 2009
The statement by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will investigate the double-tracking rail project that has resulted in more than RM1 billion losses, as reported by Malaysian Insider “Nazri confirms MACC to probe double-tracking project” yesterday, is intriguing and perplexing.
The Malaysian Insider reported:
The MACC investigations come after the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) announced last week it wanted to probe the RM6 billion double-tracking project when the Auditor-General’s Report said poor project management led to the losses.
“MACC will investigate PAC‘s minutes. PAC is the parliament’s committee so certainly … As I have said, MACC has informed me that they will investigate based on the allegations made by the PAC so there will be no dispute so don’t worry,” the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department told reporters in Parliament.
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UMNO MPs’ “ambush” for OTK foiled by Minister’s absence
Posted by Kit in Corruption, MCA, Parliament, Transport on Tuesday, 10 November 2009
The ambush by several UMNO MPs for MCA President and Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat last night during his Ministry’s reply in the government winding-up of the 2010 budget debate was foiled when the Minister was absent.
The reason given by the Deputy Transport Minister, Datuk Robert Lau, who stood in for the Minister, that Ong was “busy” with the official visit of the Chinese President Hu Jintao as Ong is the “Minister-in-attendance”, did not go down well with the UMNO MPs concerned as Hu’s visit would only begin the next day.
Led by Umno MP for Sri Gading, Datuk Mohamad Aziz, at least three UMNO MPs questioned Ong for the RM28 million purchase of second-hand DMUs (diesel multiple units) by Keretapi Melayu Bhd (KTMB) instead of EMUs (electrical multiple units).
Mohamad even asked the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the Transport Minister for the DMU decision, which is the first time a Barisan Nasional backbencher had called for anti-corruption investigation into a Barisan Nasional Minister. Read the rest of this entry »
PAC proposal to investigate CKC for cbt – testimony of MACC impotence/failure
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Judiciary, Parliament, PKFZ on Monday, 9 November 2009
Why must Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) wait for Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommendation for further investigation into former Transport Minister Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy for possible offence of criminal breach of trust in the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal when the first report was lodged with the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) as far back as 2004?
Isn’t this testimony of the failure, ineffectiveness and impotence of MACC and its predecessor ACA?
These are the questions I posed to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz in the ten minutes he touched on corruption in the government winding-up on the budget before he ended his reply for lunch-break today.
I remarked that Nazri was defending the status quo of a worsening corruption problem in Malaysia instead of spearheading an attack on corruption, as is happening in Indonesia.
Nazri was in his classic mode of denial and also disagreed that there is need for a parliamentary motion to adopt the PAC report on the PKFZ scandal for all MPs to take a stand on the PAC recommendations. Read the rest of this entry »
When will MACC command public confidence to the extent that Malaysians will publicly rally to its support against any obstruction of anti-corruption efforts as is happening in Indonesia?
Posted by Kit in Corruption on Sunday, 8 November 2009
I have been asking myself – When will MACC command public confidence to the extent that Malaysians will publicly rally to its support against any obstruction of anti-corruption efforts as is happening in Indonesia?
In Indonesia, we are seeing the phenomenon of the Indonesian people publicly rallying to the support of the Indonesian anti-corruption agency, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to protest moves to frame KPK investigators and cripple the KPK anti-corruption campaign.
The Indonesian public believe that that the KPK has become the target of the police and the attorney-general’s office because of its reputation of putting corrupt officials behind bars – even those in high places.
Indonesians respect the KPK but have little faith in the police or the judiciary.
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MACC should be censured for failing to bring to court those guilty of abuses of power and corruption in the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal although the first report was lodged as far back as 2004
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament, PKFZ on Friday, 6 November 2009
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should be censured for failing to bring to court even a single person of those guilty of abuses of power and corruption in the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal though the first corruption report was lodged as far back as 2004.
How can MACC convince Malaysians that it is now a Malaysian version of Hong Kong’s ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) when all it has demonstrated is its overzealousness and even abuses of power in investigating a RM2,400 Pakatan Rakyat state assembly constituency allocation resulting in the mysterious death of Teoh Beng Hock, while it has completely nothing to show and totally impotent in the RM12.5 billion PKFZ “mother of all scandals’?
An exchange between Public Accounts Committee (PAC) member and DAP Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua and the MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan at the PAC meeting on 23rd June 2009 highlighted the hypocrisy of the MACC.
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Malaysia’s losing battle for international competitiveness
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Corruption, Crime, Parliament, Teoh Beng Hock on Friday, 30 October 2009
What is the credibility of Najib talking about a total innovation of the Malaysian economy and nation when Malaysia is facing a losing battle in international competitiveness because of continuing loss of confidence in key national institutions whether judiciary, the civil service, the police, the MACC or the Election Commission?
This is the reason for the two recent adverse global rankings for Malaysia, falling three places from 21st to 24th ranking in the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) 2009-2010 and a drop of two places in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2010: Reforming Through Difficult Times from 21st to 23rd placing.
The first seven months’ of Najib’s premiership have not seen any restoration of public confidence in the key national institutions but the reverse whether in the strategic areas to fight corruption and ensure integrity; keep crime low to protect the safety of citizens, tourists and investors; or to uphold the administration of justice.
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To restore public confidence in Pakatan Rakyat, PR component parties should make a 10 or 20-year commitment to abide by the PR common principles and impose discipline among their leaders to uphold and protect PR image and integrity
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat on Sunday, 25 October 2009
The Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak could not have a more disastrous end for his two-hour long speech for his first budget for 2010 in Parliament on Friday, as he said: “Our recent success in Bagan Pinang has sparked our zeal to embark on this journey of transformation to lift our beloved nation to greater heights.”
Najib’s last two sentences in his speech were virtually drowned in the shouts by Pakatan Rakyat MPs with their spontaneous chant of “Rasuah” – which was a dubious parliamentary record in the past five decades, not only for a maiden budget speech but also for any budget presentation by former Finance Ministers.
Najib had earlier failed to make any impression on MPs when he devoted two cursory paragraphs of his budget speech to “Combatting Corruption”, but which did not evince any political will on his part to break the back of the problem of rampant corruption in Malaysia.
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Landslide victory or political immorality?
Posted by Kit in Azly Rahman, Corruption, Election on Tuesday, 13 October 2009
By Azly Rahman
Isa Samad’s second coming – into Minangkabau politics – signifies the coming of a disturbing age of loosening morality. What does a landslide victory mean? Will we see a kingdom of peace on earth that the Minangkabau people inhabited? Will this “landslide victory” of an avalanche of postal votes establish another forty years of the reign of One Malaysia?
Let us look at the semiotics of Bagan Pinang – of the sign, signifier and the signified of this by-election that is telling Malaysians something about the shape of things to come.
The Negri Sembilan people have spoken. They have voted for corruption to reign. What does the victory say about hegemony and political immorality?
Thus spake the Minangkabaus
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Bagan Pinang by-election is another “no-winner” for Barisan Nasional for second consecutive day
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Elections, Najib Razak, UMNO on Sunday, 11 October 2009
The Bagan Pinang by-election is another “no winner” for Barisan Nasional (BN) for the second consecutive day after the MCA Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) yesterday which booted out the two MCA contenders, MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and the MCA Deputy President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek.
If the BN candidate Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad loses in the Bagan Pinang by-election or is returned with a smaller majority than the 2,333-vote won by the previous BN incumbent in the general elections last year, it is a clear defeat for Umno and BN as the by-election will be a mini-political tsunami by itself.
But even if Isa wins the Bagan Pinang by-election with a bigger majority than last year (and Isa is boasting about a 5,000-6,000 majority), it is an even bigger defeat for Umno and Barisan Nasional for it will be a loud, clear and unmistakable message to all Malaysians that Umno and BN are totally irredeemable and incapable of internal change and reform and there is choice or alternative whatsoever for Malaysians in the next general elections to sweep Umno and BN out of power in Putrajaya. Read the rest of this entry »
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