Najib’s first 74 days as Prime Minister is the most uninspiring when compared with the past five Prime Ministers
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, Parliament on Tuesday, 23 June 2009, 5:56 pm
This motion to re-allot the 2009 Budget among the various Ministries is the direct result of the Cabinet reshuffle by the new Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak on 10th April 2009 – a week after he replaced Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Najib should be enjoying his first two-and-a-half months as the new Prime Minister but there is no air of expectation, hope or euphoria in the country that is normally associated with the advent of a new national leader – the political honeymoon of the First Hundred Days!
In fact, nobody can really disagree when I say that Najib’s first 74 days as Prime Minister is the most uninspiring when compared with the past Five Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein, Tun Mahathir and Tun Abdullah! Is this a sign of the final fulfillment of the most famous political prophecy in the country, RAHMAN, indicating the end of the line of Umno Prime Ministers in Malaysia as well as the end not only of Umno hegemony but Umno rule in Malaysia?
PKFZ scandal – Ong Tee Keat caught red-handed telling an untruth on the RM1.2 billion KDSB variation order
My three questions (No.73 to No. 75 on the 25th day in the current series) to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal today are:
Question No. 1: Port Klang Authority (PKA) Chairman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng made a very revealing and incriminating admission when he came to the defence of the Transport Minister, with reference to a letter by Ong to the Prime Minister dated May 10, 2008 after it surfaced on the Internet.
According to the New Straits Times, Lee clarified that the letter on RM1.2 billion variation order by the PKFZ turnkey developer, Kuala Dimensi Sdn. Bhd (KDSB) was not Ong’s request for more money to be approved but merely a relay of the PKA board’s decision (that they needed more money) to the prime minister.
“The letter from the transport minister dated May 10, 2008 to the then prime minister was to inform the latter that the PKA board had already deliberated and approved in February 2008, the final costs of the main development agreement of the contract with the developer.”
Unity govt a betrayal all around
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, PAS, UMNO on Tuesday, 23 June 2009, 6:29 am
by Oon Yeoh
The Edge
The much-hyped, but now abandoned, unity-government concept, first touted by PAS President Datuk Seri Hadi Awang in March, and welcomed by all and sundry within Umno is a betrayal.
From Pakatan Rakyat’s perspective, it is a betrayal of voters’ trust. Malays who voted for PAS did so because they preferred it over Umno. Non-Malays who voted for PAS didn’t do so because they wanted PAS but because they rejected Umno. In either case, PAS teaming up with Umno is the last thing these Malay and non-Malay voters want.
By pushing for unity-government talks, the faction headed by PAS Deputy President Nasharuddin Mat Isa, is betraying PAS’ coalition partners DAP and PKR, which consider Umno the enemy (as do most of PAS’ grassroots).
Lastly, this faction is betraying PAS itself, which campaigned on a platform of a “welfare state”, with justness for everybody, not just Malays or Muslims.
What else could you call a PAS-Umno unity government but a race-exclusive government? Read the rest of this entry »
The regurgitation of not administering justice according to law in the written judgment of Nik Hashim FCJ in Jamaluddin & ors v Sivakumar
Flashback
To refresh your memory, I refer to the report in the New Straits Times of Friday, April 10, 2009:
PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court has declared that three assemblymen who quit their parties are still members of the Perak state legislature.
This follows an unanimous ruling by a five-men bench yesterday which ruled that “The Election Commission is the rightfulll entity to establish if there was a casual vacancy in the Perak state legislature,” said Federal Court judge Tan Sri Alauddin Mohd Sheriff.
Sitting with him were Datuk Arifin Zakaria, Datuk Nik Hashim Nik Abdul Rahman, Datuk Sen S Augustine Paul and Datuk James Foong.
Last month, Party Keadilan Rakyat’s Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (Bebrang) and Mohd Osman Jailu (Changkat Jering), together with DAP’s Hew Yit Foong (Jelapang), filed an urgent application for the Federal Court to decide their matter.
The three wanted a declaration whether it was the Election Commissioner or the Perak Speaker (V Sivakumar) had the final say in determining a vacancy. In February, Sivakumar, using resignation letters signed by the three, had declared the seats vacant.
He informed the Election Commission, but the commission refused to hold by-elections on the ground that there was ambiguity over whether the assemblymen had resigned voluntarily.
Following this newspaper report, I wrote an article which was posted on several portals on the Internet titled “When justice is not administered according to law“. This is what I said: Read the rest of this entry »
Will Ong Tee Keat tender apology in next 24 hours for misleading Parliament in his eight-minute Ministerial statement on PKFZ scandal or I will move motion to refer him to Committee of Privileges
My three questions (No.70 to No. 72 on the 24th day in the current series) to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal today are:
Question 1: Ong was a real disappointment with his Ministerial non-statement in Parliament on the PKFZ scandal in Parliament this morning.
His so-called Ministerial statement took eight minutes but he needed 40 minutes (i.e. five times the time he took in Parliament) in his press conference in the Parliament lobby to explain his Ministerial non-statement!
Why didn’t he spend these 40 minutes to give a proper, meaningful and comprehensive statement on the “mother of all scandals” in his Ministerial statement in Parliament on the PKFZ scandal, especially as the Deputy Speaker, Datuk Dr. Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar had told the press the previous day that there is no time limit to a ministerial statement and that the minister could take as long as he wanted? Read the rest of this entry »
Pakatan Rakyat’s Stand on Unity Government
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat on Monday, 22 June 2009, 3:07 pm
Press Release
Pakatan Rakyat Council of Leaders
22 June 2009
The Pakatan Rakyat Council of Leaders today Monday, 22 June2009 held a meeting at the office of the Opposition leader and agreed on the following:
1. All the component parties of Pakatan Rakyat reiterate their commitment to each other and to strengthen the coalition in order to help form the future Federal Government
2. The Pakatan Rakyat Council of Leaders reaffirms our rejection of the idea of forming a Unity Government with UMNO/Barisan Nasional which is clearly a malicious and desperate attempt to compromise the integrity of the increasingly popular Pakatan Rakyat
3. Pakatan Rakyat agrees to adopt an open approach and is willing to hold discussions with the leaders of Barisan Nasional on issues of national interest such as economic recovery, improving the quality of education, restoring the integrity of the judiciary, abrogation of the Internal Security Act (ISA), the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal, abuse of power by the police leadership during times of increasing crime, eradication of corruption, establishment of good governance and to hold immediately a free and fair election to resolve the Perak crisis.
The Poison of “Unity” Government
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, PAS, UMNO on Monday, 22 June 2009, 8:18 am
by M. Bakri Musa
The two Malay political parties – UMNO and PAS – are battling each other to convince us that each is better than the other in advancing the “Malay agenda.” The two are like ageing fighters stuck with their same old tired moves. They are oblivious of the fact that we are fed up with their act; their lack of vigor and imaginative new strategies.
In a clumsy if not desperate attempt for new moves they concocted a ‘vision’ for a ‘unity’ government based on the two parties! Left unstated is the question: Unity for what and against whom?
I wish that they would expend their efforts on making our people competitive, and thus lifting us out of poverty. That is the most important Malay agenda today. Better yet, I would prefer that they just exit the ring and let others run the show for a change.
I fail to see how this ‘unity’ government would make Malays more competitive. The track record for UMNO is for all to see. Corruption is now rampant, as well as the erosion of the integrity of our institutions and the deepening polarization of Malaysians. The Melayu Baru (New Malay) of UMNO has now morphed into Melayu Barua (Malay scoundrels). Read the rest of this entry »
Political H1N1 hits Malaysia!
@limkitsiang – Twitter record of Bayu Tinggi, Klang DAP fundraising dinner:
900 cops ‘attend’ DAP dinner in Klang – Star http://tr.im/pgTV Some 10,000 police manhrs wasted by IGP 2stop ord DAP dinner IGP nothing 2do?
06/22/2009 08:53 AM
1 final pt. Musa Hassan’s term as IGP ends in Sept. He wants another renewal. Actually he shld be sacked instead of his term renewed.
06/21/2009 11:11 PM
B4 signing off 4nite,pay tribute 2Klang ppl 4 refusing 2cow down 2police bullying tactics.Believe majority of police don’t agree w IGP order
06/21/2009 11:01 PM
Hear Ops “No dinner” order came from very top – IGP himself. Can Musa Hassan explain why he tarnished national image w such stupid action?
06/21/2009 10:54 PM
2 questions asked when I go round table-by-table: why Najib so frightened to allow speeches; what has Ong Tee Keat to hide in PKFZ scandal.
06/21/2009 10:51 PM
Over 300 police but how 2stop 3k people getting into sealedoff area? Police manhrs lost in fighting crime criminal!
06/21/2009 10:35 PM
Read the rest of this entry »
What Malaysians need is not another look at the 125 proposals of Police Royal Commission of Inquiry four years ago but another Police RCI to address a very worsened crime crisis in the country
New Sunday Times today carried the front-page headline “Royal Commission Report on Police: Another look at the 125 proposals” together with more than two-pages of interview with the new Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
What Malaysians need is not another look at the 125 proposals of the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) four years ago but another Police Royal Commission of Inquiry to address a very worsened crime crisis in the country as well as to inquire what happened to the 125 proposals of the Dzaiddin RCI in the past four years.
I was quite excited at first that Hishammuddin had given long interview of what he is going to do as Home Minister but after reading its contents, I am most disappointed that Hishammuddin has nothing new or innovative to say as to how he is going to restore to Malaysians, visitors and investors their lost rights for more than a decade to be free from crime and the fear of crime.
Kudos goes to Hishammuddin as the first Home Minister to acknowledge that crime has got out of control in Malaysia, when he admitted that “many Malaysians did not feel safe in their neighbourhoods anymore with rising crime levels”.
Read the rest of this entry »
Ong’s last chance to “tell all” about the causes and culprits of the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal to salvage his reputation even at the price of losing his Ministership
Posted by Kit in Parliament, PKFZ on Sunday, 21 June 2009, 3:26 pm
My three questions (No.67 to No. 69 on the 23rd day in the current series) to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal today are:
Question No. 1: Finally, the Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat is appearing in Parliament tomorrow to give an accounting on the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal, after absconding overseas to the Paris Air Show when he should have stayed behind to appear before Parliament when it started its meeting last Monday. It is a great embarrassment and shame that the MCA President has to be forced to appear before Parliament to give a ministerial statement on the PKFZ scandal on the directive of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
My first question today to Ong is whether his Ministerial statement would contain answers to the Five Questions on the PKFZ which I had posed to him on 9th April last year, viz:
- Was it true that when the Port Klang Authority and the Transport Ministry insisted on buying the 1,000 acres of Pulau Indah land for PKFZ at RM25 psf on a “willing buyer, willing seller” basis, in the face of strong objection by the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Treasury which had recommended that the land be acquired at RM10 psf, the Cabinet had given its approval subject to two conditions: (i) categorical assurance by the Transport Minister that the PKFZ proposal was feasible and self-financing and would not require any public funding; and (ii) that every RM100 million variation in the development costs of PKFZ would require prior Cabinet approval.
Pakatan Rakyat foremost task – resolve first crisis of confidence by sending out clear message that PR parties committed to “new politics” and reject “old politics” of “divide-and-rule”
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, PAS, UMNO on Sunday, 21 June 2009, 2:51 pm
Tomorrow, Pakatan Rakyat parties must resolve the first crisis of confidence faced by PR in 14 months after the political tsunami of the March 8 general elections by sending out a clear and unmistakable message to Malaysians that Paktan Rakyat rejects the old Malaysian politics based on “divide-and-rule” and the fear factor by standing up solidly for “new politics” in representing the interests of all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or territory.
Recently, UMNO strategists have been very successful in planting doubts among Malaysians who had created the political tsunami which saw Pakatan Rakyat winning five state governments and ended the Barisan Nasional two-thirds parliamentary majority and terminated Umno political hegemony in Malaysian politics whether they had made the right choice.
Pakatan Rakyat leaders’ foremost task and greatest challenge at the PR leadership council meeting tomorrow is to assure these architects of the 2008 political tsunami that they had not made the wrong choice, that PR is prepared to move forward to give meaning to the “new politics” of the future and to put the old politics of the past 52 years solidly behind us. Read the rest of this entry »
Make English a compulsory pass subject for SPM, STPM and matriculation to end and reverse the unchecked decline of English standard in the country in the past three decades
Posted by Kit in Education, Muhyiddin Yassin on Sunday, 21 June 2009, 10:23 am
One of the greatest failures of the past two premiership of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad (for 22 years) and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Tun Abdullah) was their failure to enhance the country’s international competitiveness by ending and reversing the unchecked decline of English standards in the country and to ensure that Malaysian students master English as “necessary for communication and essential to keep abreast of developments in the technical fields such as engineering and science”.
Globally English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to as a “world language”, the lingua franca of the modern era. While English is not an official language in most countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a second language around the world to the extent that it has ceased to be the exclusive cultural property of “native English speakers”, but a language that is absorbing aspects of cultures worldwide as it continues to grow.
It is a sorry spectacle in the past three decades to see the headlong decline of English standards in Malaysia, which was once the envy of other countries, undermining Malaysia’s economic prosperity and well-being in crippling our international competitiveness in the era of globalization.
Read the rest of this entry »
Lee Kuan Yew keeps corruption at bay
Posted by Kit in Tunku Abdul Aziz on Saturday, 20 June 2009, 7:57 pm
By Tunku Abdul ziz
In MySinchew
I BEGIN with a confession. I may be fairly described as a dyed in the wool admirer of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s Minister Mentor. I am pleased that his recent visit to our country went well. He was received and treated as an honoured visitor, in the grand palaces and everywhere else he went, as well he should, because Lee undoubtedly played an important and historic role in the creation of Malaysia as a political entity. That is a historical fact.
I am glad that Lee gave Mahathir a wide berth. It would have left a bad taste in the mouth if he had asked to meet the bitter old man of Malaysian politics. Mahathir could have been relied upon to be obnoxious and boorish as only Mahathir knows how. His reference to Lee as the little emperor from a small Middle Kingdom is vintage Mahathir, dripping with venom and uncharitable innuendoes. The man, Mahathir I mean, is a total disgrace to the Malay sense of gracious hospitality and traditional decorum. I suppose the kindest thing to do is to ignore Mahathir and let him continue to entertain the sad fantasy that he is an indispensable part of our country’s process of governance.
Lee Kuan Yew is far from perfect. His record on human rights and media freedom is well documented, and there is not a great deal to choose between his and ours. We should wipe off that feeling of smugness. On balance, though, Lee runs a tight ship and Singapore’s pre-eminent position as a modern, affluent and corruption free society owes entirely to his vision and his determination. What he has achieved for his country in the face of the hopelessly impossible challenges says a great deal about his single minded devotion to public duty in the public interest. Enriching himself or his family has never been part of his game plan. Read the rest of this entry »
Muhyiddin pushing for Umno-Pas unity government makes a total mockery of Najib’s 1Malaysia concept, undoing 52 years of Malaysian nation-building by five previous Prime Ministers
At the meeting of DAP MPs in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, I said that Malaysian politics is in the throes of great flux and even lightning change.
This has been borne out by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin pushing for Umno-Pas “unity government” talks, trying to expedite an Umno-Pas meeting “in the next few days, anytime, no problem”, even sugarcoating it by declaring that Umno “will not impose any conditions and we accept whatever terms set by PAS”.
If any political leader or observer had been asked before Muhyiddin’s overture in Kuala Krai yesterday whether the No. 1 or No. 2 Umno leader could have made such a public proposition to PAS, nobody would have answered in the positive.
So what game is Muhyiddin up to?
Muhyiddin’s political gambit is all the more intriguing as his latest mentor, former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad had on the same day expressed his disapproval of the proposed unity talks between Umno and PAS, saying he did not think that the country wants a government which is 100 per cent Malay.
Read the rest of this entry »
Is Ong Tee Keat going to say in his Ministerial statement on Monday that he is taking legal action against me and therefore there is no need for him to give any accountability for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal?
My three questions (No.64 to No. 67 on the 22nd day in the current series) to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal today are:
No. 1: In his blog from Paris, Transport Minister and MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has threatened to sue me for standing up for the public interest to get to the bottom of the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal. He is trying to put words into my mouth, claiming that he had been defamed. That is his business. He can do what he like, whether he wants to sue me or not.
The turnkey developer of PKFZ has also announced its intention to initiate a series of legal proceedings against Ong, the Port Klang Authority (PKA) Chairman, Datuk Lee Hwa Beng, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), newspapers and others over the PKFZ scandal.
The public interest to get into the bottom of the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal to find out how a RM1.1 billion scandal under Datuk Seri (now Tun) Dr. Ling Liong Sik in 2002 could quadruple to RM4.6 billion under his successor, Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy in 2007, again double to RM7.453 billion and heading towards the astronomical cost of RM12.453 billion under the watch of Ong as Transport Minister should not be blocked or buried by a pile of litigation suits.
Read the rest of this entry »
The spectre of crime in the daily lives of Malaysians
Letters
(This email is reproduced completely unedited, in its pristine atrocious English for two reasons: firstly, it seems to have become the standard Malaysian English; secondly, the subject of the spectre of endemic crime which haunts the daily lives of Malaysians refuses to be buried by the distraction of the atrocious English used, for the writer is able to communicate his genuine cry from his heart and to strike resonance among the Malaysian public.
(Both issues must be addressed: how to improve the command of English language among Malaysians, but even more important, how to start reducing crime to make Malaysia safe again for its citizens, tourists and investors. – Kit)
Greetings to all Member of Parliament,
I write this mail to you all for a reason of snatch thieves in KL has been rising more and more in front of my eyes. Here’s a few incident:
1. I was having my lunch at KL near Tune Hotel. After having my lunch, I was carrying my notebook on my hand and a motorcycle pass through me coming from behind attempt to steal my notebook, but they failed. Then they run away with their motorcycle as fast as they can to another road.
2. I was working on a roadshow at Taman Melawati around CIMB Bank area. My colleagues was walking around promoting something, and heard a voice of shout from a Malay lady and when my colleague saw her, her bag was already with the thief.
3. The incidents where pregnant lady was snatch and she lost her life. Read the rest of this entry »
Muhyiddin the latest political leader to do the somersault to become the champion of “Umno-Pas unity government talks” and repudiate Najib’s 1Malaysia concept
Deputy Prime Minister and Umno Deputy President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is the latest political leader to perform the somersault – taking a diametrically opposite position from the one he had postured only a few days or even a few hours ago!
Speaking in Kuala Krai this morning, Muhyiddin said Umno wants talks on a unity government to be sped up and asks PAS leaders to forget past conflicts in the interest of the unity of Muslims in the country.
He said he wanted the talks to materialise because he feared that if the matter was allowed to drag on, it would create disunity among the Muslims.
He declared: “We will not impose any conditions and we accept whatever terms set by PAS. As far as I’m concerned, we have to be open.”
The Umno deputy president urged PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat to forget about the conflicts between PAS and Umno in the ‘70s, when both parties cooperated to form the Kelantan state government and the national government.
Read the rest of this entry »
Did OTK regard the post of Transport Minister as just a postman or delivery boy for PKA without any ministerial responsibility to ensure that the RM1.2 billion variation order demanded by Kuala Dimensi Sdn. Bhd for PKFZ was proper and legitimate?
Posted by Kit in Parliament, PKFZ on Friday, 19 June 2009, 1:11 pm
My three questions (No.61 to No. 63 on the 21st day in the current series) to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal today are:
No. 1: Yesterday I had asked Ong to confirm authenticity of the exchange of letters which appeared on the website, http://pkfz.blogspot.com/, showing that on 10th May 2008, he had written to the Prime Minister seeking approval for RM1.2 billion payment as variation order for the PKFZ project to its turnkey developer, Kuala Dimensi Sdn. Bhd (KDSN).
In his response from Paris in his blog, confirming the authenticity of the exchange of letters, Ong said that he was merely relaying the Port Klang Authority (PKA) board’s decision to the then Prime Minister, Datuk Seri (now Tun) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Ong said: “I was then into my ministerial job for less than two months and the PKA board’s decision was made even before my time. Besides, the PricewaterhouseCoopers had not even started their position review work.”
Read the rest of this entry »
BN on the defensive in first week of Parliament
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, Parliament, Perak on Friday, 19 June 2009, 1:03 pm
We have just ended the first week of Parliament and we see the Barisan Nasional in total defensive, unable to give a proper and satisfactory accounting of the many burning issues in the country resulting in the continuous erosion of public confidence in the credibility, integrity and legitimacy of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia.
The 25-minute ruckus at the start of the first day in Parliament on 15th June following the swearing-in of the PAS MP for Bukit Gantang, Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin, when he shocked everyone with loud and righteous cries of “Hidup Rakyat. Bubar DUN” served one important purpose – to focus national attention on the most shameful episode in the 52-year history of Malaysian parliamentary history, the unethical, undemocratic, illegal and unconstitutional power grab in Perak based on three “political frogs” who had to hide from the public for fear of popular condemnation for more than four-hand-a-half months!
I confess I was shocked when Nizar, in the podium of the House, shouted “Hidup Rakyat. Bubar DUN” with his raised fist, as I had not expected him to do that, but I was pleasantly shocked, as he had highlighted the deep-seated feelings of all Malaysians concerned about justice and democracy.
Read the rest of this entry »
Unity government: A case of mid-summer madness
Posted by Kit in Tunku Abdul Aziz on Friday, 19 June 2009, 10:08 am
It must have to do with the unusually hot weather we are experiencing that has brought about a touch of mid-summer madness among one or two senior members of PAS who have decided against their better judgment to break ranks to engage Umno in talks about the prospects of forming a national unity government. Otherwise why would reasonably sane people want to risk peer condemnation and denunciation by doing the unthinkable? This is the most charitable explanation I can offer.
We need a national unity government like we need a hole in the head. The thought of sleeping with the ethically debased and morally detestable Barisan Nasional government is simply too abhorrent to contemplate. Are we such reckless and irresponsible gluttons for punishment that in spite of having endured the Umno excesses in social, economic and political terms these last three decades, we are now asking for more of the same? That, believe it or not, is what we will get for our trouble. Umno will be more than happy to oblige.
They have nothing to lose and everything to benefit from our mindless gamble with our future. Why are some of us so eager to go to bed with a political party that has not one redeeming feature left to justify our risking our hard-earned reputation? Where are our much trumpeted principles of honesty and integrity? Are we no different, after all, from the Umno that we Read the rest of this entry »
