Archive for category Good Governance
Bukit Antarabangsa landslide disaster – urgent Parliament debate
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, Parliament on Sunday, 7 December 2008
Just four days to the 15th anniversary of the Highland Towers tragedy, disaster again struck early this morning in Bukit Antarabangsa when a landslide killed at least four people, seven missing, 15 injured, 14 bungalows destroyed and 4,000 people evacuated from the area.
Parliament, when it reconvenes on Wednesday, should have an urgent debate on why no lessons have been learnt from the 1993 Highland Towers Tragedy which claimed 48 lives when its Condominium Block 1 collapsed so as to prevent the recurrence of today’s tragedy.
I still remember vividly the harrowing presence of former Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Musa Hitam, when I visited the Highland Towers Condominium collapse site in Ulu Klang on the night of 11th December 1993, as he lost his son Rashid Carlos who together with his wife Rozita perished in the tragedy. Read the rest of this entry »
RM50 million Pempena scandals – another 3 questions for Azalina
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, Parliament, Tourism on Monday, 24 November 2008
Yesterday, I posed three questions on the RM50 million Pempena Group of Companies scandals for the Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman to answer in Parliament this week during the 2008 Budget committee stage debate on her Ministry since the non-functioning Pempena Executive Chairman Datuk Paduka Chew Mei Fun has clamped up and refused to accept accountability.
Today, I am posing another three questions, giving her adequate notice to prepare for a full and adequate accounting in Parliament to show that as Minister for Tourism, she is fully aware of her responsibilities to live up to the principles of accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance although there are “Little Napoleons” in the Pempena Group of Companies who behave as if public funds are their private property which they need not account to anyone.
These additional three questions are:
Question No. 4 – Did she as Tourism Minister receive a request dated 15th October 2008 made jointly by the Pempena Executive Chairman Datuk Paduka Chew Mei Fun and the Pempena Chief Executive Officer Datuk Idrus Mohd for a RM5 million injection to keep Pempena afloat, although Chew had publicly denied that there was any such application. What is the Tourism Ministry’s position on the latest appeal by Pampena for an annual RM5 million life-line capital injection for the next two years to ensure Pempena’s continuous viability? Read the rest of this entry »
PAC should investigate into RM50 million Pempena scandals and the role of 2 Ministers/3 Pempena Chairmen during the period
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, Judiciary, PKFZ, Tourism on Friday, 21 November 2008
The Public Accounts Commtitee (PAC) should investigate into the RM50 million Pempena scandals and the role of two Ministers and three Pempena Chairmen during the period, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman, Datuk Kee Phaik Chin, Datuk Chor Chee Heung and Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun in the sorry tale of the multi-million ringgit fraud and criminal breach of trust of tourist promotion projects.
Current Pempena Sdn. Bhd executive chairman Chew Mei Fun convened a special media conference on Wednesday to declare that she would not answer and was not responsible for the RM50 million Pempena Group of Companies as what she wanted was to “focus on revamping the company”.
However, Chew has still to explain whether it is true that she was appointed to her RM10,000-a-month position in Pempena in mid-May but her appointment was backdated to April 1, 2008 – and whether she would return some six weeks’ pay as Pempena Chairman when she had not yet taken up the position.
Furthermore, Chew must explain why she had failed as Pempena executive chairman as she was unable to answer a simple question at the media conference whether “heads will roll” and action will be taken against those in the Tourism Ministry for the tens of millions of ringgit of losses because of fraud and criminal breach of trust.
Chew’s inability to give a simple answer whether those responsible for the RM50 million Pempena scandals would be held accountable is all the more inexcusable from the perspective of competence, accountability and integrity as the internal audit report exposing the financial irregularities, criminal breach of trust and fraud in the various Pempena Group of Companies had been completed and been in her hands for over three months. Read the rest of this entry »
Why we continue to sell ourselves short?
Posted by Kit in Good Governance on Thursday, 20 November 2008
Shame for Malacca state and Malaysian nation is the only word at the following report:
Shah Rukh can’t come for award function
Nov 20, 08 2:36 pm
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has postponed a controversial ceremony to award him a Datukship because he is too busy, officials said today.
Shah Rukh is to be presented with an award from Malacca which carries the title “Datuk” after a 2001 film set in Malacca boosted its profile as a tourist destination.
The award has proved contentious, with some questioning whether Shah Rukh is deserving or whether local artists and celebrities should be recognised instead.
“The ceremony has been postponed for now,” a senior Malacca official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Read the rest of this entry »
Is Telekom Malaysia trying to kill REDtone?
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, Parliament, science/technology on Wednesday, 12 November 2008
The Second Finance Minister, Datuk Nor Mohd Yakcop gave a most unsatisfactory reply in Parliament yesterday to the mountain of questions by MPs, mostly from Pakatan Rakyat, about the award of the RM11.3 billion High Speed Broadband (HSBB) monopoly to Telekom Malaysia, together with a RM2.4 billion subsidy with taxpayers’ money.
I stood up during thd 2009 Budget debate on the Finance Ministry to ask whether the government is prepared to review its award of the HSBB project to Telekom Malaysia or to allow the building of another HSBB network as there is an offer by another company to do so without a single sen of subsidy in order to promote broadband liberalization and enhance competition.
To this question and those by other MPs on the rationale of awarding the HSBB to Telekom which will encourage Telekom monopoly and discourage broadband liberalisation, Nor Mohd gave an ambivalent reply saying that the government was prepared to review the HSBB project if necessary – which means nothing at all.
Either the government is reviewing the HSBB project awarded to Telekom towards calling for a proper tender to be called or it is not reviewing at all!
The arguments for and against the RM11.3 billion HSBB award to Telekom Malaysia and the government subsidy of RM2.4 billion had been canvassed in Parliament during the winding-up by the Energy, Water and Communications Minister Dato Shaziman bin Abu Mansor in the 2009 Budget policy debate on November 3, 2008. Read the rest of this entry »
Tunku Aziz: PKNS staff shouldn’t interfere
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, nation building on Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Malaysiakini
Oct 29, 08 1:09pm
Staff at the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) should respect the menteri besar’s prerogative in appointing a non-Malay to head the state agency, said DAP vice-chairperson Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim.
“I hope the menteri besar’s decision is respected by all and the PKNS staff will focus on doing their work professionally instead of questioning the prerogative of the state government to appoint the most suitable person for the post,” he said in a statement today.
Tunku Abdul Aziz was commenting on protests by six staff bodies against the appointment of the corporation’s deputy corporate affairs and accounting manager Low Siew Moi as acting general manager. Read the rest of this entry »
PAC Chairman Azmi should withdraw from PAC Eurocopter Inquiry because of “close proximity”
Posted by Kit in Defence, Good Governance, Parliament on Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Datuk Azmi Khalid, the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), should personally withdraw from the PAC inquiry into the RM2.3 billion 12 Cougar EC725 Eurocopter deal because of his “close proximity” to the Executive as two-term member of the Cabinet until seven months ago.
Azmi’s background as a two-term Cabinet Minister under Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would be important considerations to the Prime Minister why Azmi is regarded as politically suitable, stable, reliable and trustworthy candidate as PAC Chairman although from the perspective of established parliamentary conventions in mature democracies, these same factors would be regarded as precisely the reason why he is not suitable or qualified for the post.
In fact, in mature and developed parliamentary democracies, the Chairman of PAC is invariably from a senior Opposition MP, and not an MP from the administration, let alone a person who had just been a two-term Minister under the Prime Minister-of-the-day.
Credibility is greatly stretched for anyone to believe that a two-term Minister would be prepared to be very zealous to conduct a no-holds-barred PAC investigation into any major government irregularity or impropriety like the RM2.3 billion 12 Cougar EC725 Eurocopter deal – especially as Azmi was a Minister in the original Cabinet decision of 18th July 2007 to phase out the Nuri fleet of helicopters after the latest Nuri helicopter crash the week before.
As the maxim goes, justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done. Any hint of conflict-of-interest whether arising from “close proximity” as a two-term Cabinet Member of the Prime Minister-of-the-day or other reasons should be avoided at all costs. Read the rest of this entry »
On or off, PAC inquiry into RM2.3b 12 EC725 helicopter deal must go on
Posted by Kit in Defence, Good Governance on Monday, 27 October 2008
Yesterday, The Malaysian Insider reported that Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had decided over the weekend to “cut out the EC725 military helicopter contract” when the government “reviewed its expenses in light of falling revenues from crude oil and palm oil and slowing economic growth for the next few years”.
Today’s Bernama carried a more qualified report, “Govt yet to discuss helicopter purchase”, quoting a government source as saying that “In the wake of the global economic crisis, the government will have to discuss further whether to go ahead with the purchase of new helicopters to replace the ageing Nuris in the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF)”.
The government source said the discussion will need the involvement of the Defence Ministry and the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who is the Defence Minister.
The source said the procurement of the new helicopters was only at the letter of intent stage (LOI) and no letter of award (LOA) had been made to any party.
Regardless of whether the RM2.3 billion 12 Cougar EC725 Eurocopter deal is on or off, the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) inquiry into the deal, fixed for two days on Wednesday and Thursday, must be held as scheduled as larger issues are involved concerning national integrity and proper billion-ringgit defence procurement process. Read the rest of this entry »
RM5 billion EPF funds to ValueCap – nation-wide protest
Posted by Kit in EPF, Good Governance on Saturday, 25 October 2008
On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced that the government would inject RM5 billion from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to double the size of the highly-secretive government fund, ValueCap Sdn Bhd to RM10 billion to prop up the stock market.
The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) President, Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud has rightly come to the forefront to condemn the government’s move to boost up ValueCap to support the local stock market using RM5 billion from EPF, “as the provident fund is the custodian of the workers’ money and not some sort of ‘automated teller machine’ for the government”.
This is the second government attempt to raid the EPF to support ValueCap to prop up the stock market since the idea of ValueCap was first mooted by the Mahathir administration at the end of 2002 to shore up the stock market and bail out ailing companies. Read the rest of this entry »
Parliament – don’t vote single ringgit for RM2.3 billion Eurocopters without PAC/parliamentary approval
Posted by Kit in Defence, Good Governance, Parliament on Friday, 24 October 2008
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid has said that the Defence Secretary-General Datuk Abdu Bakar Abdullah will be among those called to assist the PAC to scrutinize the Eurocopter deal.
It is no exaggeration to say that this will be the most important investigation in PAC history, as for the first time since Merdeka 51 years ago, a major government contract – the RM2.3 billion 12 Cougar EC725 helicopter deal to replace the Nuri helicopters – will hinge on the report of the PAC following its scrutiny into the Eurocopter deal.
This is the only implication of the Cabinet decision at its meeting last Friday (17th October 2008) giving “the green light” to the PAC to investigate the Eurocopter deal.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in Pekan on Sunday that at his suggestion, the Cabinet “has agreed” to the PAC scrutiny as “it was better for the PAC to inquire into the deal”.
Najib said: “The PAC can make its own conclusion of the purchase after studying the various issues involved in the deal.” Read the rest of this entry »
LGE on IPP windfalls & Khairy
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, Oil, Parliament on Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Medical Graduates Unemployed!
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, Health on Tuesday, 21 October 2008
(Now that Datuk Liow Tiong Lai has secured the second highest votes and elected as MCA Vice President, it is time that he returns quickly and diligently to his duties as Health Minister which he had considerably neglected of late.
As a result, Malaysians face many grave medical and health problems whether the dengue epidemic which has so have claimed at least 78 lives or the first major outbreak of chikungunya in the country, or the continued bumbling in the administration of the Health Ministry.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I remember when Datuk Dr. Chua Soi Lek was the Health Minister, he promised to end the long-standing hassle of new doctors having to wait for months on end to get their first posting after their graduation – which is criminal negligence when there is acute shortage of doctors in the public service.
Liow Tiong Lai has been sleeping on his job as seen from the following complaint emailed to me. Time for the Health Minister to wake up! I expect him to explain in Parliament this deplorable state of affairs)
I am a fresh medical graduate who is not satisfied with the way the MOH is working.
I have sent and went through all the necessary processes required to apply to work with the ministry. It was about 3 months ago and until now i have no reply from the ministry.
I tried calling the ministry and was told to refer to their Bahagian Latihan and i did as told and after countless time calling (with them refusing to pick up the phone); they finally took my call and the reply I got was that they themselves don’t know when the “kursus induksi” will start!!
I am now lost since I can do nothing for the past three months; just content to staying at home waiting for the letter everyday for the past three months from the ministry. Read the rest of this entry »
The RM2.3 billion Eurocopter fiasco – suspend Letter of Intent
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Defence, Good Governance, Najib Razak on Wednesday, 15 October 2008
The first thing Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi did as Defence Minister was to announce on 26th September that the Defence Ministry has agreed to acquire new helicopters from European helicopter manufacturer, the Eurocopter, to replace the Nuri.
This RM2 billion deal lacks accountability and integrity.
Four helicopters had been “short-listed” by the Ministry of Defence to replace the fleet of Sikorsky S61-A4 Sea Kings better known as the Nuri.
The four are the Eurocopter Cougar EC725, Sikorsky S92, Agusta Westland EH-101 Merlin and the Russian-made Mil Mi-17 Hip.
However, Abdullah shocked everyone with his announcement as the “short-listing” had not been completed and the pricing of the EC725 is not competitive compared with the other helicopters.
The pricing offered by the “short-listed” helicopters are:
Eurocopter Cougar EC 725 – Euro 463.44 juta (RM2.317 billion);
Sikorsky – US$427.20 juta (RM1.45 billion)
Canadian Kelowna Flightcraft Ltd. Model Kazan MI-172 buatan Russia
– US$312 juta (RM1.061 billion)
This means that there is a difference of RM1.256 billion between Eurocopter Cougar EC 725 with the lowest bidder, the Kazan MI-172 KF – in other words, with US$600 million the Royal Malaysian Air Force can buy 26 units of Kazan helicopters and not just 12 Cougar helicopters. Read the rest of this entry »
“What’s Tunku doing in DAP?”
Posted by Kit in DAP, Good Governance on Monday, 22 September 2008
“Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim raised many eyebrows, not least from associates, when he joined DAP in August and was promptly named a vice-president of the party. The co-founder of the Malaysian chapter of Transparency International has no intention of being a token Malay presence in the multi-racial but Chinese-dominated party. He has found a new platform in the DAP to advocate transparency, accountability, justice and equality.
“The Edge Financial Daily caught up with him recently where he spoke about the challenges facing the DAP, especially in reaching out to the Malay community, what ails the country, the spirit of the nation’s founding fathers and his plans in the party. While many would have rested on their laurels at age 74, Tunku Aziz, a former Bank Negara adviser and former group director of Sime Darby, has the enthusiasm of a young man, and is all geared up to help push the ideal of creating a better Malaysia. ”
Read The Edge Daily
Untimely gift of RM160,000 watch for Khir Toyo
Posted by Kit in Good Governance on Friday, 12 September 2008
The Sun September 12, 2008
Untimely gift of RM160,000 watch for Khir Toyo
by Terence Fernandez and R. Nadeswaran
PETALING JAYA (Sept 11, 2008) : What can you buy with RM160,000? An X-ray machine for one, or five low-cost homes, breakfast for 1,000 poor schoolchildren for two years and feed a hardcore poor family of 10 for almost 20 years!
However, a company owned by the Selangor government, Permodalan Negeri Selangor Berhad (PNSB), deemed that it was better to spend the sum on a watch for its then chairman and mentri besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo.
On Jan 8, PNSB paid RM159,250 for a Patek Philippe watch as “cenderamata untuk pengerusi PNSB” (souvenir for the chairman of PNSB) – Mohamad Khir at that time.
It is understood that the watch in white gold was presented to the former MB before the March 8 general election.
But Mohamad Khir returned the watch. And it was not until two months later that a buyer was found. Read the rest of this entry »
2nd Abdullah premiership – is it to be even worse than 22-year Mahathir administraiton?
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Good Governance, Human Rights, MCA, Religion on Tuesday, 12 August 2008
To many concerned Malaysians, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has shown his true colours yesterday – he is not that open, liberal and tolerant after all.
He laid down two edicts for his second administration:
• No open forums or dialogues on religious or racial issues as they can undermine peace and stability – no more discussion on matters of religion or race that had already been enshrined in the Federal Constitution; and
• No objection to the use of Internal Security Act and Sedition Act against those who organize such forums like the Bar Council – up to the Home Ministry to act against the Bar Council.
Is it any wonder that Malaysians react to such edicts with the premonition that the second Abdullah premiership could be even worse than the previous 22-year Mahathir administration? Read the rest of this entry »
PAC Chairman Azmi should step down in MRR2 flyover cracks inquiry – conflict of interest
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, Parliament on Monday, 11 August 2008
The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid should stand down in the PAC inquiry into the new Middle Ring Road (MRR)2 flyover cracks as the decision-making on the repairs of the RM238 million MRR2 by the previous Cabinet in 2006, of which he was a member, should also be the subject of current PAC investigations as well.
Azmi had announced after the PAC meeting this morning that the PAC will visit the defective MRR2 flyover in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow morning, two weeks after clumps of concrete and carbon fibre panels fell from the highway pillar into the path of the oncoming cars below.
It is not only most invidious, improper but also a clear and flagrant conflict-of-interest for Azmi to now preside over an investigation into the two-year RM70 million repairs of the six-year RM238 MRR2, including an examination of the rationale and justification for the final Cabinet decision on its repairs when he was a member of that Cabinet – as the whole repair decision-making process at various stages of decision-making, including at the Cabinet level, raises many disturbing questions about their propriety and wisdom. Read the rest of this entry »
Call for RCI on MRR2 Scandal – Samy Vellu’s final folly with Malaysians again made the suckers
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, Parliament on Wednesday, 6 August 2008
In May last year, I said that the old saying “once is accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is enemy action” could appropriately be modified to “once is accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is systemic government collapse” in reference to the spate of government mishaps under the Abdullah premiership.
I was referring to the spate of embarrassing defects in new government offices in a matter of weeks, viz:
• the landslide in Putrajaya (Precinct 9) only inches away from three 15-storey government apartments, damaging 25 cars and evacuating more than 1,500 people from Blocks A, B and C in Phase 11 of the government housing complex on March 22, 2007;
• the closure of the Immigration Department headquarters in Putrajaya after water flooded the seven-floor building following a failure in plumbing, turning away and evacuating more than 1,000 people on April 11, 2007;
• the collapse of a ceiling due to a leaky sprinkler system at the Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development Ministry in Putrajaya on April 28, 2007; and
• the ceiling collapse in a secretary’s room at the world’s largest court complex at the new Jalan Duta court complex in Kuala Lumpur on April 30, 2007.
This tag “once is accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is systemic government collapse” can again be invoked over the latest government scandal – the third closure with the reappearance of cracks on the Middle Ring Road (MRR) 2 in Kepong, less than two years after an atrociously exorbitant RM70 million repair of the RM238 million project. Read the rest of this entry »
At 84, the fire still burns!
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, nation building on Thursday, 31 July 2008
By Ahmad Mustapha
Singapore’s Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew, who was Singapore’s founding father, has always been very direct in his comments. This was the man who outsmarted the communists in Singapore (with the innocent help of Malaya then and the willing help of the British) and who later outwitted the British and outpaced Malaysia in all spheres.
Singapore practices corrupt-free meritocracy and Malaysia affirmative action. The former attracted all the best brains and the latter chased out all the brains. The Singapore cabinet consists of dedicated and intelligent technocrats whereas Malaysia has one the most unwieldy cabinets. Not only that, brain wise it was below par not even good for the kampong.
With that kind of composition, one that is very brainy, naturally Singapore , with no natural resources could outstrip Malaysia in every aspect of development. Malaysia, on the other hand, was too much preoccupied with its Malayness and the illusory ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ and was also more interested in useless mega iconic development rather than real social and economic development. Read the rest of this entry »
Missing the point on the Terrenganu Merc purchases
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, Letters on Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Letters
by Vijay Kumar Murugavell
Much has been said regarding the purchase of 14 spanking new Mercedes E200’s for the use of Terengganu Exco.
MB Ahmad cited cheaper maintenance, DPM and PM declaring that they themselves use Protons, the press interviewing workshop mechanics, Proton Holdings defending their cars, ACA getting into the picture and many offered punditry and cost comparisons to entertain the rakyat with this dog and pony show.
Almost everyone is missing the point,the PM, ACA, The Terengganu exco and Proton Holdings.
The Treasury has sent out a circular which was blatantly ignored, this is the main issue.
Why are those who ignored this directive not taken to tas ? The policy is clear, so the PM should initiate disciplinary action. The next question would be how can the Treasury who is the one holding the purse strings not check whether policy was being followed.
If a system is open to abuse it should be revamped.
Why is the Treasury silent on this issue ? Makes me wonder what other directives are being ignored draining precious financial resources. Read the rest of this entry »
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