Archive for category Parliament
The Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the BN MPs – are they fools?
Posted by Kit in DAP, Parliament on Saturday, 24 October 2015
P. Ramakrishnan
Aliran
23rd Oct 2015
The Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and the BN MPs took exception to Lim Kit Siang’s remarks which rightly criticised the lack of seriousness shown in the investigation of the 1MDB scandal.
Consequently, Kit Siang was unfairly suspended without the benefit of defending himself – which went against natural justice.
In all fairness, he should have been referred to the Rights and Privileges Committee under Standing Order 80 for it to probe and establish whether Kit Siang had indeed insulted the Speaker and Parliament. The manner that he was suspended reminded one of Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice, where a pound of flesh was insisted upon, come what may!
On 22 October 2015, Parliament was, as it were, baying for blood and it succeeded in its effort. As a result, Parliament has lost a voice that had always spoken with conviction and conscience, without fear or favour, to raise issues that reflect the concerns of the people. Much input into the budget debate has been denied – which is a pity. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib had turned Parliament into a circus with a 90-minute 2016 budget without a single reference to the two mega-scandals in the country’s history – the RM50 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” in Najib’s personal banking accounts
Posted by Kit in DAP, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Saturday, 24 October 2015
Communications and Multimedia Minister Senator Salleh Said Keruak hit the nail on the head when he said yesterday that Parliament should not be turned into a circus.
However, Salleh would not have the guts and gumption to tell it to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak who is most guilty of turning Parliament into a circus when he delivered a 90-minute 2016 budget without a single reference to the two mega-scandals in the country’s history – the RM50 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” in Najib personal banking accounts in March 2013.
Salleh would not have the guts and gumption to tell Najib not to turn Parliament into a circus or he would have lost his passport of backdoor entry into Parliament!
The placard “Mana RM2.6 billion” (Where is the RM2.6 billion) which opposition MPs displayed in Dewan Rakyat after Najib’s budget speech resonates in the hearts and minds of 30 million Malaysians, even the three million UMNO members, and a few UMNO/BN Members of Parliament as this the topmost question they want answer from Najib’s 2016 Budget speech.
This was the huge elephant in the Dewan Rakyat Chamber which the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, his Cabinet and most of the UMNO/Barisan Nasional MPs refused to see or acknowledge, although the Opposition MPs, the 30 million Malaysians (including the three million UMNO members), and a few UMNO/BN MPs could see clearly before their eyes. Read the rest of this entry »
Mahathir probably the next victim of the 1MDB Monster stalking the land devouring critics
Posted by Kit in Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Friday, 23 October 2015
I said in Parliament yesterday that I was the latest victim of the 1MDB “Monster” stalking the land devouring critics.
Parliamentary conventions, practice and procedures have been shoved aside to achieve the objective to suspend me from Parliament for six months, although the proper parliamentary procedure and practice would be to refer me to the Committee of Privileges to ascertain whether what I said in Parliament when seeking clarification from the AMANAH MP for Sepang, Mohamed Hanipa bin Maidin was a “contempt” of the Speaker and Parliament, or whether the Speaker was misguided when he alleged that I had accused him of “deliberately” abusing his powers and sabotaging the Public Accounts Committee investigations into the 1MDB scandal.
On Wednesday, I had submitted to Parliament the following motion under Standing Order 43 to review the Speaker’s decision in August to stop the PAC from continuing its 1MDB investigations:
“Under Standing Orders 43 and 99, this House resolves that the ruling of the Speaker in August 2015 prohibiting the Public Accounts Committee under its Deputy Chairman, MP for Kepong, from continuing its proceedings to investigate the 1MDB scandal until the Chairman of the PAC has been appointed is wrong, an abuse of power and incompatible with the objective in having a Public Accounts Committee which enjoys credibility and respect of Malaysians for its commitment and conscientiousness to ensure that all government and public finances uphold the highest standards of integrity.”
Although my notice of this motion has become academic with my suspension from Parliament yesterday, had I also committed contempt of Speaker and Parliament in submitting such a motion to the Speaker on Wednesday, in total contravention of parliamentary convention, and practice and procedure? Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang’s battle is not over yet
Posted by Kit in DAP, Parliament on Thursday, 22 October 2015
— Liew Chin Tong
Malay Mail Online
Thursday October 22, 2015
OCTOBER 22 — Over the course of the last half-century, numerous attempts by the ruling elite to silence Lim Kit Siang had failed. The latest – suspending him from Parliament for half a year – will not silence Kit Siang’s voice for the nation.
On the contrary, 50 years after he started as a political novice with a yet-to-be-registered party then – the Democratic Action Party – Kit Siang is not done yet. The powers-that-be still want to silence him because they know many Malaysians listen to Kit Siang. The people trust Kit Siang more than they do Barisan Nasional.
So, what did Kit Siang do at the Parliament this week? He was merely doing his duty as a Member of Parliament, i.e., to voice his opinions and to state facts. He was commenting on Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin’s role in preventing the Public Accounts Committee to hold its meetings after chairperson Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed was elevated to the government’s frontbench.
The PAC was at the height of investigating the 1MDB scandal with the troubled company’s past and present CEOs were about to appear before the Committee. The hearings never took place. Read the rest of this entry »
Latest victim of 1MDB “monster” (3)
Posted by Kit in Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Thursday, 22 October 2015
Latest victim of 1MDB “monster” (2)
Posted by Kit in Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Thursday, 22 October 2015
Latest victim of 1MDB “monster”
Posted by Kit in Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Thursday, 22 October 2015
Azalina’s motion to suspend me from Parliament for six months
Posted by Kit in DAP, Parliament on Thursday, 22 October 2015
First item of business of Parliament today at 11.30 am after Question Time is Minister Azalina’s motion to suspend me from Parliament for 6 months.
Azalina claims that I have brought contempt to Parliament by allegedly insulting the Speaker. Azalina will have the numbers to pass motion.
Statement on Speaker’s ruling that I retract and apologise unconditionally to the Speaker for my remarks on PAC investigation into 1MDB
Posted by Kit in Parliament on Wednesday, 21 October 2015
I rise as the Speaker has sent word that “at the next opportune time” for me to come to Parliament, I must unconditionally apologise to him and retract what I said in Parliament on Monday, 19th October.
The country has been under unprecedented haze for weeks, closing schools, disrupting the economy and causing havoc to the livelihood of the people.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said yesterday that Malaysia is enshrouded in a “political haze”, referring to the multiple crisis of confidence concerning the economy, politics, governance and nation building.
Now we have a parliamentary haze enveloping Members of Parliament.
I waited for the Hansard of yesterday’s proceeding which was uploaded at about noon today.
According to Hansard, the Speaker alleged that I had said:
Read the rest of this entry »
Has Hasan Arifin been appointed PAC Chairman with a pre-fixed agenda to exclude Tony Pua from PAC’s 1MDB investigations?
Posted by Kit in Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Tuesday, 20 October 2015
I want to congratulate the new BN MP for Rompin Datuk Hasan Ariffin on his election as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for he has an unenviable task – as he does not have months, but only weeks, to establish himself as an independent and intrepid PAC Chairman whose remit is the integrity of government finances and who will uphold it against transgressors, whether the Finance Minister or Prime Minister.
When accepting the appointment as PAC Chairman particularly at these trying national times, Hassan must be armed with the maxim “Let justice be done though the heavens fall” in discharging his duties as PAC Chairman, because it will be a test whether he is prepared to lead the PAC to serve the higher national interests if this conflict with his loyalty to the party, the UMNO/BN government coalition and the Prime Minister himself.
Ariffin should be aware that an inquiry into the 1MDB transactions is in fact an inquiry into Najib’s role in 1MDB, Najib’s most controversial brainchild.
He should not accept his appointment as PAC Chairman if he is not prepared to rise above party interests if they conflict with national interests, such as to take a stand against the transgressions if any of the Finance Minister-cum-Prime Minister, especially as he seems to be pivotally involved in all 1MDB’s key and strategic decisions.
Having been blocked for some three months from conducting 1MDB investigations by the simple expedient of the Prime Minister promoting the PAC Chairman and three members as Minister or Deputy Minister in the sudden Cabinet reshuffle on July 28, Malaysians who want the PAC to immediately get on with its 1MDB investigations without any further delay, must have cringed at Ariffin’s comments after his appointment envisaging the possibility that the PAC under him might not even be able to meet at all this year. Read the rest of this entry »
The Merdeka Centre poll that Najib for the first time lost the approval of majority of Malay voters must have tilted his decision not to seek a confidence motion in Parliament on Monday
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, Parliament on Saturday, 17 October 2015
The Merdeka Centre poll that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has for the first time lost the approval of the majority of Malay voters must have tilted his decision not to seek a confidence motion when Parliament reconvenes on Monday.
Members of Parliament were only informed yesterday about the order of business for the 25-day budget Parliament beginning on Monday, which is most unusual as Members of Parliament would normally have been given the order of business a week before the start of a new parliamentary meeting.
This is the first time in my years in Parliament since 1969 that Parliament failed to give about a week’s notice of the parliamentary business to be transacted in a new meeting of Parliament – and this could be because Najib was agonising over whether to seek a confidence motion at the beginning of the parliamentary meeting on Monday instead of allowing the issue of whether there would be a no-confidence motion in him as Prime Minister whether moved by Pakatan Harapan or even by a MP from UMNO/BN hanging over Parliament for the next two months.
However, the latest Merdeka centre poll has changed the whole picture. Read the rest of this entry »
Parliament should form an all-party Parliamentary Committee on tragedy of the seven missing Orang Asli children of SK Tohoi in Gua Musang if Government is not prepared to have high-powered commission of inquiry
Posted by Kit in Education, Indigenous people, Parliament on Friday, 16 October 2015
Parliament should begin its 25-day budget session on Monday with a minute of silence in memory of the five of the seven Orang Asli children of SK Tohoi in Gua Musang who perished after missing from the school hostel 54 days ago on August 23.
The nation and government failed the Orang Asli children when they should be cared and nurtured to be future leaders of the nation, and the least Parliament can do is to start its new parliamentary meeting with a minute of silence for Members of Parliament, the government and the nation to remember the wasted lives of the five children ranging from seven to eleven years because of government failure, negligence and incompetence.
It is scandalous that the Ministers and ministries concerned for the socio-economic and educational upliftment of the Orang Asli community to bring them into the mainstream of national development are not taking the SK Tohoi scandal and tragedy in sufficient seriousness – as up to now, the Education Minister Datuk Mahdzir Khalid has still to visit SK Tohoi or even to utter a single word of concern!
Would Madhzir be so indifferent, irresponsible and even callous if the five kids who perished and the two kids who were found as “bags of bones” were Malay kids?
Malaysia wants an Education Minister who would show equal care, concern and compassion for all school children, regardless of their race, religion or region. Read the rest of this entry »
One way to avoid three-cornered fights in 14 GE is for PAS to concentrate in Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis while AMANAH focuses on all the other states, subject to adjustments to the arrangement by two parties
Posted by Kit in Election, Pakatan Harapan, Parliament, Parti Amanah, PAS on Thursday, 15 October 2015
The various combinations and permutations in the Malaysian political arena, not only in the ruling coalition of UMNO/BN parties but in the Opposition, seem to be the hot topic of the day.
Yesterday, there was the grand announcement of new political alignment and co-operation between PAS and Perkasa, but such a development would not forestall the holding of three-cornered fights in the 14th General Election which must be held in 2018.
May be one way to avoid three-cornered fights in 14th General Election is for PAS to concentrate in Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis while Parti AMANAH Negara focuses on all the other states, subject to adjustments to the arrangement by two political parties.
This may or may not be a workable proposition as I have not discussed it with any other political party or personality. Read the rest of this entry »
Proper agenda for the first week of 2016 Budget Parliament beginning on Monday
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Education, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Wednesday, 14 October 2015
Never before in Malaysia’s parliamentary democracy has so many issues compete and contend for attention in the first week of the forthcoming 2016 Budget Parliament beginning on Monday, 19th October 2015, whether the Malay Rulers’ Statement of Oct. 6; the political, economic, good governance and nation building scandals shaping up to be a “perfect storm” to batter Malaysia; the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) or the approval of toll rate hikes for 15 highways across the country.
Members of Parliament have not received the Parliamentary Order Paper for the first week or the first day of the 25-day Parliamentary meeting which is to be held from Oct. 19 to Dec. 3, but the following should be the proper agenda for the first week of Parliament from Monday.
For the first week of Parliament from Monday to Thursday, I have given notice to pose oral Parliamentary questions on the hot topics of the day, viz:
1) To ask the Prime Minister to state when and why the multi-agency Task Force on 1MDB was formed and dissolved, what it had achieved; and the reasons and scope of the new Task Force formed by new Attorney-General.
2) To ask the Prime Minister to state who had donated the RM2.6 billion deposited into his personal accounts in AmBank in March 2013; which Ministers and MPs had benefited from it; what is the balance and where are the monies. Read the rest of this entry »
Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid should agree to an urgent debate in Parliament on Monday on the SK Pos Tohoi tragedy of the seven missing children for seven weeks, leaving only two survivors
Posted by Kit in Education, Najib Razak, Parliament on Wednesday, 14 October 2015
It has been reported that the Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan was ‘livid’ over the deplorable education conditions for Orang Asli children, especially in SK Pos Tohoi, the boarding school in Gua Musang where seven school children ranging from seven to eleven years were missing for seven weeks and with only two survivors.
Kamalanathan said he would investigate claims there were only male teachers in SK Pos Tohoi, as this was not supposed to happen.
As I said yesterday, the majority of the students at SK Pos Tohoi are female, but there was not a single female teacher as all the eight teachers are male. The hostel has four wardens and only one of them is a female.
What is the use of the Deputy Education Minister ‘livid’ over the deplorable education conditions for Orang Asli children when the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Education Minister Datuk Madhzir Khalid are totally indifferent and unconcerned, which was why they never breathed a word about the SK Pos Tohoi tragedy although five of the seven school children have clearly perished.
Even with the discovery the two missing children, Mirsudiar Aluj, 11, and Norieen Yakob, 10, in “skin and bones”, both Najib and Mahdzir had not shown any interest or concern?
Other Prime Ministers and Education Ministers would have already made site visits to SK Pos Tohoi in Gua Musang, but when will Najib and Mahdzhir break their seven-week silence on the SK Pos Tohoi tragedy to show their interest and concern? Read the rest of this entry »
Cabinet must grapple with many issues tomorrow but the most important issue of all is for Najib to table a motion of confidence in Parliament on Monday to re-establish moral and political authority and legitimacy for him to continue as Prime Minister
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, nation building, Pakatan Harapan, Parliament on Tuesday, 13 October 2015
The Cabinet must grapple with many issues tomorrow including:
*The Malay Rulers’ Statement of Oct. 6 expressing the Rulers’ concern about the state of the nation, with a multitude of national crises, whether politics, economics, good governance or nation-building as the Cabinet had failed to address Malay Rulers’ Oct. 6 Statement at its meeting last Wednesday;
*The twin mega scandals of the RM50 billion 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion “donation” in Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s personal banking accounts with the almost daily developments and revelations of these two mega scandals conspiring to put Malaysia continuously in the national and international spotlight as the classic example of a nation with great promise to be the showcase to the world of a multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-lingual and multi-cultural nation which is also a great economic and political success but is now stumbling and on the verge of becoming a rogue and failed state.
*How to avert Malaysia from falling victim to a “Perfect Storm” with a conjunction of political, economic, good governance and nation-building crises, as evidenced on the economic front by the quadruple sharp fall in the value of the ringgit , the stock market, the international reserves and the exit of foreign capital; on the political front, the spectacle of the government and UMNO in serious fracture, fragmentation and disarray; on the good governance front with the Prime Minister backing out of officiating the 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) hosted by the government in Putrajaya for fear of “hard questions” by the 1,000 delegates from 130 countries on Najib’s anti-corruption record; and on the nation-building front, the rearing of the ugly heads of the extremist and provocative politics of race and religion like the racist Sept. 16 Red Shirts rally in Kuala Lumpur. Read the rest of this entry »
Tengku Razaleigh, Muhyiddin and Shafie should sponsor a motion in Parliament to demand immediate release of Khairuddin and Chang as it is gross abuse of power to use Sosma against them and they can be assured of 72 votes from Pakatan Harapan
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, Parliament on Monday, 12 October 2015
I arrived in Tunis together with DAP MPs Teresa Kok (Siputeh), Zairil Khir Johari (Bukit Bendera) and Steven Sim Kee Cheong (Bukit Mertajam) after a 14-hour flight from KLIA to news of more unprecedented developments in the country, as if to confirm that the country is approaching a “perfect storm” with a multitude of political, economic, good governance and nation-building crises coming to a head.
What is noteworthy in Kuala Lumpur today is not just the subject of the extraordinary and most unjustified use of Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) against Khairuddin Abu Hassan and his lawyer Matthias Chang, which must be condemned by all justice-loving Malaysians, but the gathering of former “big guns” of the ruling coalition led by former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir and his arch rival Tengku Raleigh Hamzah, former Deputy Prime Minister and current UMNO Deputy President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, former Rural and Regional Development Minister and current UMNO National Vice President Datuk Shafie Apdal, former Cabinet Minister and former UMNO Secretary-General Tan Sri Sanusi Junid and two ex-MCA Presidents Tun Ling Liong Sik (although not personally present) and Datuk Seri Ong Tee Kiat.
As Tengku Razaleigh, Muhyiddin and Shafie are currently Members of Parliament, I suggest the trio should sponsor a motion in Parliament for debate and voting by the end of the month (as only two-weeks notice is required for any motion to be tabled in Parliament), to demand the immediate release of Khairuddin and Chang as it is gross abuse of power to use Sosma against them for asking foreign governments to investigate the 1MDB scandal in their respective countries.
I fully agree with Mahathir and the former UMNO/BN government “big guns” that it was “shameful” for someone accused of a wrongdoing not to defend himself but to persecute others instead. Read the rest of this entry »
Great misfortune if instead of being a national wake-up call to Malaysians to rise above personal and party interests and unite to resolve the national confidence crisis, the historic Rulers’ Statement on Oct. 6 becomes a new source of national discord and division
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Law & Order, Najib Razak, nation building, Parliament, Zahid on Friday, 9 October 2015
It will be a great misfortune for Malaysia if instead of being a national wake-up call to all Malaysians to rise above personal and party interersts and to unite as Malaysians to resolve the national crisis of confidence, the historic Rulers’ Statement of Oct. 6 becomes a new source of national discord and division.
The government has taken more than 48 hours to craft an official response in the form of the statement by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi, who said that the probe on 1MDB must follow due process, and should not be hastened or delayed.
He said that any decree by the Conference of Rulers was viewed positively and the government had taken proactive steps to address it.
Such a statement actually says nothing, as it is the classic strategy of adopting a form of language which seems to agree with the concerns expressed by the Rulers while continuing with the directions and approaches which had given rise to the Rulers’ concerns in the first place.
The danger of the Rulers’ statement becoming a subject of national discord and division could be seen from the response of the UMNO Vice President and Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein who said it was presumptuous to say the Malay Rulers have lost trust in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s leadership when they called for transparency in investigations into 1MDB and for wrongdoers to be punished. Read the rest of this entry »
With Hishammuddin clarification, the UMNO “Magnificent 7” who are currently under investigation for disciplinary action cannot be related to any “no confidence” motion against Najib in the forthcoming meeting of Parliament
Posted by Kit in Hishammuddin, Najib Razak, Parliament, UMNO on Wednesday, 7 October 2015
UMNO Vice President and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said yesterday that former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad had not betrayed UMNO by calling on the Datuk Seri Najib Razak to step down as Prime Minister and the voters of Pekan to vote out Najib in Pekan.
Hishammuddin said: “In terms of the party, it is not a betrayal. (But) it should not go on and should not be entertained as it could break the party apart.”
Hishammuddin said such attacks could damage the party but so far, no damage has been done.
With Hishammuddin clarification, UMNO/BN MPs do not have to feel as if they are traitors to the nation or party if they are inclined to the position that Najib should not continue as Prime Ministere and want to discuss with the Opposition the proposal of no confidence motion against Najib as PM. Read the rest of this entry »
Can an UMNO/BN leader declare that Najib should step down as Prime Minister without being disciplined or sacked for breach of party discipline?
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, Parliament, UMNO on Monday, 5 October 2015
Two former top Barisan Nasional leaders have openly called for Datuk Seri Najib Razak to step down as Prime Minister – Tun Mahathir, former longest-serving Prime Minister and UMNO President for 22 years and Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik, MCA’s former longest-serving President for 17 years.
Although the incumbent MCA Ministers, Wee Ka Siong and Ong Ka Chuan have in double-quick time dissociated the MCA leadership from Ling’s stand, there is no doubt that Mahathir and Ling’s call on Najib to step down as Prime Minister has struck a great resonance among the ordinary UMNO and MCA membership.
This support for the call on Najib to step down as Prime Minister will increase when Najib continues to be incapable of coming clean on the two mega scandals of the RM50 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” in Najib’s personal banking accounts – compounded by Najib being the first Prime Minister or President not only in Asia but the world to be probed as a kleptocrat by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) under its Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative 2010.
It is a matter of grave national concern that two weeks after the New York Times first reported about the Najib probe by US DOJ under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, neither the Prime Minister nor the Malaysian government could categorically come out with a denial. Read the rest of this entry »
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