What’s Worse Than Corruption?
Stealing money from the poor. Seriously.
I have refrained from making direct comments about the mindless cacophony UMNO has been trumpeting about the alleged use of gambling-derived income for state-sponsored aid programmes for senior citizens and the poor in Penang.
In my previous post, I made a passing observation on the issue, which I felt at the time was merely the latest in a long line of ‘baseless allegations of the week’, and that the matter would soon meet its natural demise. In any case, how many times can you tell the same lie and hope to get away with it?
Quite a few times, as it turns out. One, two, three sessions have so far been organized to steal money from the poor.
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Ex-top cop Mat Zain’s Open Letter is testimony that criminal justice system had further deteriorated after 2005 Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission report
When the Dzaiddin Royal Police Commission submitted its final report in May 2005, it said that Malaysia’s reputation as a safe country was “seriously dented” by the “dramatic increase” in the incidence of crime in the past few years and that “Malaysians in general, the business sector and foreign investors grew increasingly concerned with the situation”.
The Royal Commission warned that “if the trend continues, there would be major social and economic consequences for Malaysia”.
The Royal Police Commission was referring to the “dramatic increase” in the crime index from 121,176 cases in 1997 to 156,455 cases in 2004, which registered an increase of 29 per cent in eight years.
As a result, the Royal Police Commission proposed a sustained nation-wide drive against crime “until crime levels have reached a point considered no longer alarming”, with an immediate target of “a minimum 20 per cent decrease in crimes” in all categories of crime within the first 12 months after the Report.
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Every day for past 10 years, more than 3 persons missing who cannot be located or 40% of missing persons reported to police since 2000 as compared to statistics of over 99% of missing persons located by Australian Police
The answer to the issue posed in the topic in tonight’s forum is quite a foregone conclusion.
Two questions answered in Parliament this week are most pertinent in throwing light on public perceptions and confidence in the police system in the country.
On the first day of Parliament on Monday on Oct. 11, in reply to my question, the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein defended the police force against criticisms of inaction in the murder case of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others, denying that past reports lodged on the main suspects in the murder were neglected.
Hishammuddin said six police reports had been lodged against the two lawyer-brother suspects between 2005 and 2010 – five involved fraud and one involved a missing person report. Investigation into three of the six cases have been wrapped up while one of the cases is undergoing trial.
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Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #36
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, globalisation on Thursday, 14 October 2010, 9:37 am
By M. Bakri Musa
Chapter 5: Understanding Globalization (Cont’d)
Missing the Japanese Lesson
In truth many misread the Japanese success story. As Harvard’s Michael Porter observes in his book, The Competitive Advantage of Nations, the successful Japanese companies that now dominate global markets – the Sonys, Olympus, and Toyotas – had survived rigorous competition at home. They competed aggressively among themselves and only the most vigorous, those who have mastered the art of satisfying their customers and reducing the costs, go on to conquer the world. Meanwhile their “protected” industries – their banks and other financial institutions – are wallowing in misery, unable to compete beyond their shores.
As a result of its commitment to foreign trade, Malaysia enjoyed a boom in direct foreign investments in the 1980s and 90s. These later investors were chiefly in manufacturing, especially semiconductors. They were welcomed because, quite apart from the employment opportunities provided and foreign exchange earned, they spread the “Made in Malaysia” brand names worldwide. Malaysians also discovered that being a factory worker, even a foreign-owned one, was much more agreeable to working the land under the blistering sun. Indeed those foreign employers, yes even those companies owned by our former colonizers, were much more enlightened and generous with their benefits than native ones!
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Get a backbone, Kit Siang tells MCA
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, MCA, Najib Razak, UMNO on Wednesday, 13 October 2010, 6:28 pm
by Joseph Sipalan
Malaysiakini
13.10.2010
DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang today challenged MCA’s ministers to take a clear stand and demand for action to be taken against two headmasters charged for racism and the closure of the National Civics Bureau (BTN).
He said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had already given them the green light to make their position known, when the latter said that MCA should be given “space” within the BN coalition when officiating at their annual general meeting last weekend.
“Here you have the prime minister saying ‘give space to MCA’, and although he said that, you don’t see any MCA minister daring to stand up to make a clear stand to demand that action must be taken against the two headmasters,” Kit Siang (right) said at a press conference in the Parliament lobby.
“Even after Umno gave space to MCA, they don’t use the space. I call on MCA ministers to demand that action be taken against the headmasters and close down the BTN, which is a poisonous anti-Malaysia organisation.” Read the rest of this entry »
DAP wants chief secretary hauled up for inaction against ‘racist’ civil servants
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak, nation building, Parliament on Wednesday, 13 October 2010, 6:08 pm
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
The Malaysian Insider
October 13, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — The DAP demanded today that Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan be hauled up in Parliament for failing to take swift action against “racist” civil servants.
DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang said that the Chief Secretary’s silence on the matter was a mockery to the Najib administration’s reform plans.
“This is an utter mockery of the government transformation programme when two months have elapsed but nothing has been done with regards to the principals.
“Perhaps the chief secretary does not understand the meaning of people first, performance now,” said Lim.
The Chief Secretary said yesterday that the government will follow proper procedure in dealing with two school principals and a Biro Tata Negara (BTN) official for making racist remarks.
But the Chief Secretary did not say whether the three had been found guilty or whether they had already been disciplined. Read the rest of this entry »
Mobilising moderate Malaysia
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak, nation building on Wednesday, 13 October 2010, 5:31 am
By KJ John
PM Najib Abdul Razak argued at the UN that the mainstream moderate majority must be mobilised to reflect and protect universal values of common day civility. He repeated the same call at the Asem Meetings in Brussels.
Coincidentally, Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK) also made the same call in London at a Friends of Pakatan event; calling for the more significant role of the Third Force in Malaysian politics.
Actually these two leaders agree on the strategy forward for their nation. The only difference is that one is the leader of the formal system working within the UN system of nation-states and the other a civil society leader working via informal networks within his own country. One is elected, the other anointed by a specific calling.
It is good that they do actually agree on something. That allows and promotes a common ground for a virtuous dialogue on how to grow a 1Malaysia into a Bangsa Malaysia.
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Halal? Haram? Heck if I know…
It’s really surprising that people want to talk about halal and haram, but not just in Penang. It’s truly impressive, in Penang, how a bunch of geriatrics say that they don’t want money from any source that is considered haram.
It seems as if we are back to the same holier-than-thou mentality in politics that was visible in the 70s, where even graveyards and grieving for a dead relative were politically segregated. This was the age when Umno and PAS supporters were so passionate to the point that the arguments clearly extended after death.
There should be no paranoia when it comes to the question of halal and haram. Not in this nation where we are opening up to the rest of the world to prove that we are, in fact, truly a moderate Muslim majority nation that in all honesty respects the rest of the population as equals. That was the true Malaysian goal.
What we have now in the 1 Malaysia campaign, is a farce. A cover-up of gigantic proportions. All talk and no “meat”, per se.
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Why after more than half a year, not a single Cabinet Minister dare to rebut the communal extremists and state that the New Economic Model is not against Article 153 of Constitution?
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak, NEM, Parliament, UMNO on Tuesday, 12 October 2010, 11:35 am
I walked out of Dewan Rakyat in disgust this morning.
I had stood up to ask a supplementary question for the first oral question which was on the New Economic Model, but the Deputy Speaker, Datuk Ronald Kiandee, who was in the chair, refused to call me.
The question on the New Economic Model was posed by the UMNO MP for Maran, Datuk Haji Ismail bin Hj Abdul Muttalib who asked the Prime Minister “to state the guarantee that in carrying out the New Economic Model it is effective and will achieve the objective set out to make Malaysia a high income nation and at the same time spur the economy and the programmes planned for implementation”.
The answer was given by the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk S. K. Devamany.
If I had the opportunity to pose the supplementary question, I would have observed that on the second day of the 34-day of the budget Parliament, the absence of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak or anyone of the many Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department to answer this question shows that the Barisan Nasional government is neither really seriously nor fully committed whether to Najib’s 1Malaysia concept, New Economic Model or Parliament.
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Gerakan’s “Animal Farm”
Posted by Kit in Gerakan, Martin Jalleh on Tuesday, 12 October 2010, 10:03 am
By Martin Jalleh
Gerakan’s president Koh Tsu Koon continues to preen and strut around on the political stage like a peacock, and ignores the protruding truth that he looks more like a turkey whom Umno will turn into a stew one day.
Tsu Koon, described by his critics, especially during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Penang, as Umno’s lap-dog with his tail between his legs, appeared recently at a Penang Gerakan extraordinary general meeting (EGM) which he initially insisted he would avoid.
The EGM was meant to push for a motion of no-confidence against Penang chief Teng Hock Nan, whom many members feel have been hibernating like a hedgehog since Gerakan lost all its seats in Penang in the last general elections.
Tsu Koon turned up to cast his vote for his close ally who had a close call, prompting many to wonder whether it was time to “close shop”! The slim majority was a slap in the face for the more-mouse-than-man president, who naively expected everyone to “close ranks”.
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Malaysia’s GPS for General Election-13
Posted by Kit in Azly Rahman, Election on Tuesday, 12 October 2010, 10:00 am
By Azly Rahman
Come Malaysia’s general election No 13, how lucky will we be to have the entire nation bold enough to experiment with radical changes, a mega-trend, a paradigm shift, and the will to even replace the blue ocean in which sharks and piranhas battle against each other in a seemingly calm sea of change?
So – are Malaysians ready with a global positioning system that will leave behind that ancient regime calloused with the will to use religion, ethnicity, and race to cling on to power fast waning? As the Malaysian election approaches, people are talking about ‘the new politics’, ‘sustainable capitalism’, ‘new economic model’, ‘radical multiculturalism’, ‘politics of moderation’.
What are these? Are they merely another set of rhetoric, or are they signifiers to a new world of Malaysian political-economic realism? After fifty years of a Rostowian and Friedmanian developmentalist agenda – that we adopt and have a difficult time understanding, and yet we imitate – we are faced with a brand new old question: where do we go from here?
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Questions thrown out, opposition MPs cry foul
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Corruption, Najib Razak, Parliament on Monday, 11 October 2010, 5:00 pm
By Rahmah Ghazali
Free Malaysia Today
Mon, 11 Oct 2010
KUALA LUMPUR: Some issues are political potatoes too hot to handle or so it seems when the Dewan Rakyat got down to business today.
The wealth of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, Perkasa, Biro Tata Negara (BTN) and 1Malaysia concept were all brought up but were never debated.
When the bell rang for the session to begin, 16 Opposition MPs, mostly from the DAP, and an Independent MP, stood up to protest that their questions were thrown out. They claimed the questions on these “hot” issues were rejected “without any apparent reason”.
The ball started rolling when outspoken veteran leader Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) said that his question, asking Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to state his stand whether he is a “Malaysian first or a Malay first” was rejected.
“Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had once said he was a Malay first and Malaysian second, while Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz said he is a Malaysian first and a Malay second.
“I don’t understand why my question was rejected. Why give special protection to the prime minister? Can I get an explanation from the Speaker?” he asked.
His colleague, Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor), also suffered the same fate when his question on “racist” BTN (National Civics Bureau) was not entertained by Najib.
“I asked the prime minister why, after 18 months since 1Malaysia was introduced, a senior civil servant has failed to embrace the unity concept?” he asked, apparently referring to BTN assistant director Hamim Husin. Read the rest of this entry »
Parliament rejects questions on Utusan, Sarawak
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament, Sarawak on Monday, 11 October 2010, 4:44 pm
By Adib Zalkapli
The Malaysian Insider
October 11, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 — Questions on Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s wealth and the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia were among 28 questions from 17 opposition MPs rejected today.
Two DAP MPs from Sarawak, Wong Ho Leng and Chong Chieng Jen, had earlier asked the government to explain if the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has started investigating allegations on Taib’s property ownership overseas, as published on an anonymous website.
“My question is valid. I want to know if an investigation has started because of the report on the website,” said Chong when protesting the Parliament’s decision to reject the question.
“Why was the question rejected? Are we afraid of the CM?” he added. Read the rest of this entry »
New mega project: Mega question mark over procurement
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Good Governance on Monday, 11 October 2010, 4:17 pm
by Koon Yew Yin
Centre for Policy Initiatives
Monday, 11 October 2010
I refer to the article ‘Transparency in MRT Planning’ by Risen Jayaseelan which appeared in a major newspaper recently on Oct 5. The purpose of my writing this piece is to forewarn the public and the government that the way this proposed project is being considered by the government is basically wrong and may well end up with taxpayers having to pay a much higher toll rate than justifiable.
This warning is not only for the MRT project but for all 131 projects that are being envisaged under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) which is supposed to transform Malaysia into a high-income nation.
Basically I see no change at all in the current procurement procedure which has been used before in large concessions. The results of the evaluation and bidding procedure for mega projects such as the current MRT, the power provided by IPPs, toll roads, and the Selangor water supply have seen the consumers being forced to pay unreasonable rates because the bidding and tender process has been riddled with opportunities for rent-seeking, corruption and wastage.
Besides, cheaper and more efficient alternatives have not been fully considered by the Government. Read the rest of this entry »
Opposition bench queries rejection of questions
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak, Parliament on Monday, 11 October 2010, 3:37 pm
by Joseph Sipalan
Malaysiakini
Oct 11, 10
PARLIAMENT
Opposition MPs were up in arms today as the August House rejected 28 questions from 17 Pakatan Rakyat parliamentarians, forcing speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia to promise he will look into their complaints as soon as possible.
Right after the end of question time, Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) (right) cited the standing orders to ask why his question, asking Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak if he is a Malay or Malaysian first, was rejected.
Karpal said a letter he received from the speaker’s office which said his question was rejected on the grounds that he was asking for the premier’s opinion and was a hypothetical question.
“The deputy Prime Minister had said he was a Malay first and Malaysian second, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri (Aziz) said he was a Malaysian first and Malay second.
“… I am not asking for his opinion. I am asking for him to state his stand as prime minister. Why this special protection for the prime minister?,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »
Racist slurs by two school principals – impotence/irrelevance of MCA/Gerakan/MIC Ministers highlighted
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Muhyiddin Yassin, nation building on Monday, 11 October 2010, 2:41 pm
My urgent motion in Parliament to debate the controversy of the two racist school principals in Johore and Kedah who made racial slurs against students in schools was rejected by the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia on the ground that he had been informed that the Education Ministry and the Public Services Department had begun initiating disciplinary action against the duo.
However, Pandikar Amin was unable to enlighten Parliament what form of disciplinary action was being initiated by the Education Ministry and the PSD.
The inability of the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to lay this issue to rest after nearly two months since its first occurrence by convincing Malaysians that proper and commensurate disciplinary actions had been taken against these two errant principals stands out as a sore point highlighting the lack of commitment and even loyalty of the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister to the Prime Minister’s “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” policy.
This has now become even more serious as Muhyiddin has been delegated the task by Najib to ensure the success of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP). This was revealed by Muhyiddin himself when speaking in Melbourne yesterday – disclosing that the Prime Minister had handed to him the responsibility to ensure the success of the GTP through various initiatives in the National Key Results Area (NKRA). Read the rest of this entry »
A plea for sanity over Perak DAP crisis
Posted by Kit in DAP, Perak, Tunku Abdul Aziz on Sunday, 10 October 2010, 2:26 pm
Perak DAP leaders must try, if they possibly can, to subordinate their personal ambitions and put the interests of the party above all else. The unseemly internal squabbling over local leadership is already causing considerable damage to the reputation of the DAP which has earned for itself, over the years in the face of great odds, enormous goodwill and credibility. Do you think it fair to put all the hard work and personal sacrifices of thousands of party members at risk to satisfy your craving for personal glory and power?
What has happened to the declaration of high-minded devotion to duty in the public interest? DAP does not exist in isolation. It is a vital part of the nation’s social, political and economic mosaic in a vibrant tangle of races, cultures and religions. We have as a party derived legitimacy from our consistency of purpose for the greatest good of the people of Malaysia. It is the height of lunacy to jeopardise what we have achieved so far and the party’s future prospects by greed-driven, irresponsible, behaviour.
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Question related to Sosilawati mass murders placed fourth in tomorrow’s question time in Parliament
Posted by Kit in Parliament on Sunday, 10 October 2010, 12:49 pm
My question related to the Sosilawati mass murders in Banting has been placed as number four for tomorrow’s question time in Parliament.
The question I had submitted reads:
To ask Home Minister to list the date/nature of police reports lodged against the lawyer brothers in Banting suspected responsible for the Sosilawati mass murders, reasons for police inaction which have gravely undermined public confidence in police professionalism and latest actions on these police reports.
Tuan Lim Kit Siang [Ipoh Timur] minta Menteri Dalam Negeri menyatakan tarikh/jenis laporan-laporan polis yang dibuat terhadao adik-beradik peguam yang disyaki terlibat dalam pembunuhan beramai-ramai Dato Sosilawati di Banting, serta tindakan terkini terhadap laporan-laporan polis berkenaan.
I find that two of my questions submitted for the budget parliamentary meeting had been rejected, viz: Read the rest of this entry »
Will Ku Li’s words get in the way in Galas?
Posted by Kit in Election, Razaleigh Hamzah, UMNO on Saturday, 9 October 2010, 9:16 pm
By Yow Hong ChiehThe Malaysian Insider
ANALYSIS
Oct 9, 2010
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah will lead the Barisan Nasional (BN) bid to recapture the Galas state seat in the November 4 by-election, campaigning for a party that has sidelined him over the years.
The Kelantan prince has not minced his words with Umno, with his latest battle centred on oil royalty payments for his home state.
The PAS state government has taken the matter to court and Tengku Razaleigh said today it would be sub-judice to mention it, when he accepted the task of leading the BN election campaign.
He will finalise the campaign details on Monday with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his opponent for the Umno presidency.
In campaigning for Umno, the politician popularly known as Ku Li will have to live down his various speeches and quotes on issues that are at odds with the party. Read the rest of this entry »
Notice for urgent parliamentary debate on racial slurs by school headmasters
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, nation building on Friday, 8 October 2010, 12:52 pm
I have given notice to Parliament Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin for an emergency debate in Parliament on Monday on the 57-day government inaction on racial slurs by two headmasters against students in school which make a mockery of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s international calls for moderates against extremists and his “zero tolerance for racism” and 1Malaysia policy.
The motion I have sent to the Speaker under Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders 18(2) reads:
“Bahawa Dewan mengizinkan YB Lim Kit Siang, Ahli Parlimen Ipoh Timor untuk menangguhkan Dewan mengikut Peraturan Mesyuarat 18(1) untuk merundingkan perkara tertentu berkenaan kepentingan orang ramai yang berkehendaki disegerakan, iaitu dua orang guru besar dari Kulai, Johor dan Bukit Selambau, Kedah yang melafazkan kata-kata racis dan menghina terhadap pelajar-pelajar mereka di sekolah dalam bulan Ogos tahun ini, sehingga kini tidak dikutuk atau diambil tindakan displin sekeras-kerasnya oleh pihak yang berkenaan selaras dengan semangat 1Malaysia. Read the rest of this entry »
