The simple things that we ask…
Letters
by Malaysian student overseas
Regarding:Koh Chon Weng case recently.
I sincerely think that this should not even happen. I felt really shocked after finding out the news from malaysia-today.net . Not just me alone who felt this, but my other friends as well. Even friends from other countries. We are also shocked why they’re not much news covered on this topic by local media.
As a student studying abroad, we choose to leave the country for higher education because
1. The certification here is more recognized.
2. We can obtain a Permanent Residents here once we finish our study. WHY?? because we don’t believe that younger generation like us will be able to live in Malaysia in future. A country where we were born. This is somehow sad. Read the rest of this entry »
Congrats Zaki for being conferred a “Tun” but where is Court of Appeal judgment in Nizar vs Zambry case?
Congrats to Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi for being conferred a “Tun” on the occasion of the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s birthday on Saturday.
But where is the Court of Appeal judgment in the Nizar vs Zambry case after its five-minute shotgun unanimous decision 18 days ago overturning the landmark decision of Justice Datuk Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahim of Kuala Lumpur High Court by declaring Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir (self-claimed 3-in-1 Mandela, Gandhi, King) as the lawful Perak Mentri Besar?
Court of Appeal judge Datuk Md Raus Sharif had promised on May 22 that the written judgment would be made available in a week when Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin’s counsel Sulaiman Abdullah gave notice of leave application to the Federal Court to appeal, but it is now 18 days since the Court of Appeal decision.
Read the rest of this entry »
Who was the MCA President most responsible for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal – Liong Sik or Kong Choy?
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, PKFZ on Tuesday, 9 June 2009, 11:50 am
My three questions (No.31 to No. 33 on the 11th 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:
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Who was the MCA President most responsible for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal – Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik or Datuk Seri Chong Kong Choy, who were Ong’s predecessors as Transport Minister?
Furthermore, among the MCA Port Klang Authority (PKA) Chairmen from the start of the ill-fated PKFZ project, who was the one who must bear the greatest blame – Tan Sri Ting Chew Peh, Datuk Yap Pian Hon or Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung or were all three blameless?
Pakatan Rakyat facing first crisis of confidence since its formation after the March 8 political tsunami last year
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, Politics, UMNO on Tuesday, 9 June 2009, 10:33 am
Pakatan Rakyat is facing its first crisis of confidence among members, supporters and well-wishers since its formation after the March 8 political tsunami last year.
I had made a short comment to reporters on the theme of the speech of the PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang after the opening ceremony of the 55th PAS Muktamar in Stadium Melawati, Shah Alam on Friday.
I said that the theme Hadi had chosen for his opening speech, “Islam Memimpin Perubahan”, would be a great challenge for PAS to become a national party capable of representing the rights and interests of all citizens in plural Malaysia at a historic moment in the nation’s history undergoing unprecedented political change.
Read the rest of this entry »
Demonisation and the Politics of Banning : Why PAS Should Look To Its Own History
Posted by Kit in Farish Noor, Islam, PAS on Monday, 8 June 2009, 2:40 pm
By Farish A. Noor
The recent general assembly of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party PAS has left us with a rather mixed serving of results and outcomes, some of which will linger for a while and some of which may prove harder to digest than others. Despite the re-iteration of PAS’s stand vis a vis the UMNO party that was couched in oppositional terms, we are left with the question of PAS’s long-term orientation and objectives, and where the party will go from here. It is clear that the party remains divided over the question of dialogue and co-operation with UMNO, which has been its nemesis since its genesis in 1951.
But when it comes to the question of dialogue and engagement, PAS’s stand seems clearer with regards to other Islamic movements and NGOs in the country: While PAS has demonstrated its willingness to work with some of the more conservative Muslim groups in Malaysia, it has steadfastly refused to work with other groups, notably Muslim feminist organisations such as Sisters in Islam (SIS).
What has shocked many of us, however, was the call on the part of PAS to have SIS investigated by the religious authorities of the country on the grounds that it is a movement that has allegedly ‘misled’ Muslims and which has been tainted by liberal ideas. More worrying still was the call to have SIS banned if it is found to be somehow ‘anti-Islamic’ in its activities. Read the rest of this entry »
USM Apex Uni admission foul-up – USM shld put online full list of 4,574 students forwarded to UPU
Posted by Kit in Education, university on Monday, 8 June 2009, 2:17 pm
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Khaled Nordin said the special committee headed by Higher Education Ministry deputy chief secretary (management) Omar Abdul Rahman to investigate the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Apex University student intake foul-up is expected to complete its report by end of this week.
Yes, the reasons for the inexcusable USM student intake foul-up, where the names of all the 8,173 pre-qualified applicants were incorrectly uploaded on its website as successful when only 3,599 were successful, leaving 4,574 students roller-coasting between euphoria and despair in a matter of hours, should be thoroughly investigated and publicized; and those responsible dealt with severely.
But this should not distract the higher education authorities from the proper things that they should do.
The first thing that must be done is that USM should put online the full list of 4,574 victim-applicants it has forwarded to UPU for selection to other public universities so that the students could personally verify to make sure that there will not be another foul-up. One cannot run away from the fact that the foul-up has created a confidence problem in the integrity of the USM administration. Read the rest of this entry »
RM12.5b PKFZ Rip-off – OTK should apologise on behalf of MCA as scandal occurred under watch of 3 MCA Transport Ministers/4 PKA Chairmen
Posted by Kit in Corruption, PKFZ on Monday, 8 June 2009, 10:59 am
My three questions (No.28 to No. 30 on the 10th 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:
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Is Ong prepared as MCA President to make a public apology on behalf of MCA to the nation and Malaysians for the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal as it occurred under the watch of three MCA Transport Ministers and four MCA Port Klang Authority (PKA) Chairmen?
From a RM1.1 billion scandal in 2002 under Datuk Seri Dr. Ling Liong Sik as Transport Minister, it has more then quadrupled to RM4.6 billion under Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy as Transport Minister, and now skyrocketed to RM7.453 billion under Ong’s watch, and likely to require another RM5 billion bailout with public funds to reach the astronomical total cost of RM12.5 billion.
If everyone of the three MCA Transport Ministers and the four MCA PKA Chairmen (Tan Sri Ting Chew Peh, Datuk Yap Pian Hon, Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung and Datuk Lee Hwa Beng) had acted fully conscious of their public trust and responsibilities, the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal would not have reached the present proportion and magnitude!
Najib’s great analysis about failings of BN leaders with himself as foremost example
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, Perak on Monday, 8 June 2009, 7:39 am
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has made a great analysis about Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders too obsessed with positions and failing to “learn and change” after the political tsunami electoral defeat last year – except he did not realise he was describing himself as such a foremost BN leader.
Speaking at the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) annual assembly opening yesterday, Najib scolded BN leaders who were too obsessed with party posts, saying they should focus on the people and regain support for the ruling federal government coalition after its dismal Election 2008 results.
This is the Malaysian Insider report of Najib’s speech yesterday: Read the rest of this entry »
Home Ministry bans T shirts
FROM KUALA LUMPUR
On 2nd June 2009, the Publications & Quranic Texts Division of the Home Ministry raided my T-shirt stall in Central Market for the 3rd time and seized 83 shirts they claim are “obscene and contain Communist elements”. You can see the images they confiscated by following this link…
That the Ministry is clamping down on items they allege glorify (Chinese) Communism at the very moment our beloved leader is grinning for photocalls with the flatcaps in Beijing is flash-bulb irony so blinding it requires uncommon talent to miss it. The Ministry, of course, missed it by a mile.
Not many people know this but lightweight, low level officers of the Publications & Quranic Texts Division are entrusted with absolute power to make on-the-spot judgments about what is obscene, subversive, subliminally seditious, distasteful, inartistic, drug drenched, Communist, radical, Swedish. Er, ok, maybe not Swedish, Read the rest of this entry »
Public Forum – RM12.5 billion PKFZ Scandal: Will Heads Roll?
Posted by Kit in Announcement, Good Governance, PKFZ on Sunday, 7 June 2009, 7:54 pm
Admin : We would try to live webcast from KLSCAH. However, we do not have a reliable Internet connection. Sorry, 3G connection could not sustain the webcast.
Public forum – RM12.5 billion PKFZ Scandal: Will Heads Roll?
Venue : KL Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Jalan Maharajalela, KL (MAP)
Date : 10 June 2009
Time : 8.00 pm
Panelist :
- Tan Sri Dr Ramon Navaratnam – Chairman of the Asli-Center of Public Policy Studies, former President of Transparency International Malaysia*, prominent Malaysian economist, former Transport Ministry Secretary-General
- Captain Yusof Ahmad – former pilot superintendent of the Klang Port Authority and pioneer general manager of West Port
- Teh Chi Chang – Economic Advisor to DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng
- Tony Pua – DAP Publicity Secretary, MP for PJ Utara
- Lim Kit Siang – DAP Parliamentary Leader, MP for Ipoh Timur
- Dr Tan Seng Giaw – DAP Deputy Chairman, PAC Deputy Chairman, MP for Kepong
Enquiries Read the rest of this entry »
PKFZ scandal — suspend Chor as deputy finance minister until he is cleared of conflict-of-interest
Posted by Kit in Corruption, PKFZ on Sunday, 7 June 2009, 5:20 pm
My three questions to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal today are:
Question No. 1 (No. 25 in series): What are the real reasons for the sudden resignation of Ong’s hand-picked Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager and Port Klang Free Zone Sdn. Bhd (PKFZSB) executive chairman Lim Thean Shiang.
Is it because of his failure to perform in his two positions to bring in investors and tenants to PKFZ, which continues to be a “ghost town” and a white elephant?
Is it also because of the special briefing of Barisan Nasional MPs on the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) audit report on the PKFZ, allegedly without the knowledge or authority of the Transport Minister?
Who organized the mysterious briefing of BN MPs on the PKFZ, was it the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club Chairman Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, who is also the main stakeholder of the PKFZ turnkey developer Kuala Dimensi Sdn.Bhd?
How many BN MPs attended the special briefing and can the Minister give a full list of the MPs concerned, or is it covered by the Official Secrets Act?
What exactly transpired at the “special briefing”?
Question No. 2: Read the rest of this entry »
Confidence motion in Parliament June 15 – another reason why Najib needs it
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, nation building, Parliament on Sunday, 7 June 2009, 12:24 pm
There is another reason why the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should seek a motion of confidence when Parliament reconvenes on June 15 to secure a clear-cut mandate to establish credibility, integrity and legitimacy of his premiership.
This is to secure parliamentary sanction for his “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” slogan.
Najib said yesterday that the 1Malaysia concept does not deviate from the essence of the Federal Constitution, express or implied.
He said it is not a new concept or formula and that its ultimate objective is national unity, which was the primary vision of previous administrators translated into various forms over the last five decades.
But is Najib prepared to ascertain why his 1Malaysia concept had generated so much division and discord among Malaysians, which was not the case with, for instance, the Bangsa Malaysia concept introduced by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad when proclaiming the Vision 2020 in 1991?
In fact, the very need for Najib to come up with a 1Malaysia slogan is eloquent testimony of the failure of Malaysian nation-building efforts in the past five decades to create one united Malaysian nation. Read the rest of this entry »
Questions – will OTK present Ministerial statement on PwC report to Parliament followed by parliamentary debate on RM12.5 billion PKFZ Rip-off?
Posted by Kit in Parliament, PKFZ on Saturday, 6 June 2009, 2:01 pm
Acting on the public commitment of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak that every question on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) Rip-off will be answered by the Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, my three questions today to Ong (No. 22 to 24 of the series) are short, simple and straightforward,viz:
1. It is five days since I had asked for a set of the three-and-a-half high annexure of 20 appendices to the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PcW) audit report into the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) Rip-off, which are not accessible to the public except in the library of the Port Klang Authority (PKA) library.
Of course, if I can get a set of these documents for fuller study, I might have more ammunition to grill Ong and the PKA Chairman, Datuk Lee Hwa Beng about the PKFZ “mother of all scandals”, but this is what accountability, transparency and good governance is all about, isn’t it?
When will Ong declare whether he is going to direct the PKA Chairman to give me a set of the appendices or come out with a refusal publicly, without running away from the question? Read the rest of this entry »
Confidence motion in Parliament – Is Najib afraid that he will not get 100% support from Umno/BN MPs?
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak on Saturday, 6 June 2009, 12:23 pm
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in Beijing yesterday he would not emulate his father Tun Razak and dissolve Parliament on his return to Malaysia after his China visit.
Tun Razak returned from his historic six-day visit to China in 1974 and dissolved Parliament the next month and the fourth general elections were held on 24.8.1974.
The climax of Tun Razak’s visit to China was the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China on 31st May 1974, an objective the DAP had been advocating for eight years since the founding of the party in 1966.
For instance, I just came across a speech I made at the National Day reception of the Muar DAP Branch on 2nd Sept. 1973, where the subject of my speech was: “DAP calls for full diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China”.
In saying that he would not follow his father’s example 35 years ago and return home to dissolve Parliament, Najib was fully aware that he is in a completely different political position from that of his father. Read the rest of this entry »
PAS finding its way still : Some Observations on the Speech by PAS President Ustaz Hadi Awang
Posted by Kit in Farish Noor, PAS on Friday, 5 June 2009, 7:25 pm
By Farish A. Noor
The opening speech to the 55th Muktamar of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party PAS should be read closely and given the consideration that is due to it, particularly as it comes from the party President himself, Ustaz Hadi Awang, and in some respects gives an accurate reflection of the state of the party and the mindset of its senior leadership. Having said that, the speech of Hadi Awang that was delivered during the opening session of the Muktamar was both rich and complex, and should be read closely by those of us who are interested in the political fortunes of PAS and the future of the party in Malaysia.
Perhaps the most salient feature of the speech was the straightforward declaration of PAS’s oppositional stand vis a vis UMNO, which was described by Hadi in his speech in rather negative terms. The tone of Ustaz Hadi’s speech would resonate with the members of PAS who were worried about any possible compromise on the part of their own Islamist party and the possibility of a PAS-UMNO tie-up in the near future. After describing UMNO as a party that was materialist, corrupt and a lackey to the British colonial powers in the past, one can safely assume that any notion of a PAS-UMNO marriage of convenience has been put on the shelf for the moment at least…
Read the rest of this entry »
“Unity talk” for PR-BN government – never arose or discussed at any PR leadership meeting
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, PAS on Friday, 5 June 2009, 2:59 pm
I attended the 15th PAS Muktamar opening ceremony at Stadium Melawati, Shah Alam this morning and left after lunch.
The media have been chasing after me to comment on what PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang said in a media conference after his presidential address.
I do not know what Hadi actually said, but in view of the public interest on the question of “unity talks”, I have two comments while making the general observation that political parties and political leaders must be prepared to talk to anyone on any issue concerning public interest, viz:
Read the rest of this entry »
Question No. 21 to OTK – what would have been the fate of MCA/BN leaders responsible for creating the RM12.5 billion PKFZ Rip-Off if this had happened in China?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, PKFZ on Friday, 5 June 2009, 2:49 pm
This is the seventh day of my “three questions a day” to the Transport Minister and MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) Rip-off.
Question No. 1 (No. 19 in series):
Last Saturday’s New Straits Times (30.5.09) carried the following report headlined: “Port Klang Free Zone Scandal: Najib tells Ong to provide the answers”:
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has directed Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat to respond to queries involving the audit report on the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ).
He said Ong would provide the necessary information on the report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) that was released on Thursday.
“I have asked Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat to provide answers on every question raised by any party on the audit report. You can refer to him.
“He will provide the explanation,” Najib said after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting here yesterday.
In his blog on the same day, Ong said: Read the rest of this entry »
Dear Sabah BN leaders…
Dear
Maximus Ongkili, Bernard Dompok, Shafie Apdal, Anifah Aman, Joseph Kurup, V.K. Liew, Abdul Rahim Bakri, Lajim Ukin, Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin, (Liow Tiong Lai-dissapointedly excluded)
This again is to highlight to you , in the midst of basking in glory of having more Sabahan cabinet Minister and Dep. Minister and being so proud representing Sabah. I would like to remind you people regarding the true and sad state of affairs in the Land below the wind and of course hope you can do something.
We often discuss regarding the poverty rate and how poor is sabah even until the cow comes home, but below is a best and glaring example of how ill is the whole condition! Read the rest of this entry »
Time for PAS to Demonstrate Its Ability to be a National Party
Posted by Kit in Farish Noor, PAS on Thursday, 4 June 2009, 5:39 pm
By Farish A Noor
This week will witness the fifty-fifth General Assembly of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), that has been on the political landscape of Malaysia since 1951, though its actual historical presence in Malaysia dates back even further, to the country’s first Islamic party Hizbul Muslimin, in 1948. Malaysia-watchers and analysts are looking very closely at PAS today, and there has been ample speculation about the fate and future of key PAS ideologues and leaders, notably the representatives of the two camps in the party otherwise known as the conservatives and progressives.
Distinctions such as ‘conservatives’ and ‘progressives’ are not very useful in cases such as these however, for they tell us little about the goings-on in PAS and they lend the mistaken impression that the differences within the party can be essentially reduced to such simple binary opposites. Needless to say PAS’s opponents are likewise tempted to use such dichotomies in their own lame efforts to divide and weaken the party, and such divisive tactics are long familiar to those who have studied Malaysian politics over the past half a century or so…
Read the rest of this entry »
Ong Tee Keat’s “roadmap to recovery of PKFZ” reminds me eerily of Myanmar military junta’s “seven-step roadmap to democracy” which leads to nowhere!
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Good Governance, PKFZ on Thursday, 4 June 2009, 4:05 pm
Transport Minister and MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat blogged a response from Beijing to my 15 questions (three per day) on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) Rip-Off but he was forced to camouflage his failure to honour the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s directive and promise of a question-by-question reply as well as very weak and insipid contents by very harsh language and distractions.
“…a knee jerk reaction which spells of political agenda and defeatist attitude”.
“It will save people a lot of time not to repeat ourselves for the benefit of self-serving politicians”.
“I see no reason to waste valuable time to engage in fruitless public debates of any form that does not help to solve the problems”.
“… public debates are the opposition’s obvious idea of resolving all the country’s ills”.
Just four quotes from his short statement. What character of the man, at least for this moment, do they reveal?
Pompous. Arrogant. Quite insufferable. Worse than Najib on all three scores!
Read the rest of this entry »
