Emergency debate in Parliament on Raja Petra’s allegations on Altantuya murder
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Crime, Parliament on Monday, 23 June 2008, 2:36 pm
I have given notice for an emergency debate tomorrow on Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s allegations on the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case.
My notice for an adjournment of Parliament tomorrow reads:
“That the House gives leave to MP for Ipoh Timor YB Lim Kit Siang to adjourn the House under S.O. 18 (1) to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance – the statutory declaration dated June 18, 2008 by blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin implicating the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister’s wife over the case of murder of Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaariibuu.
“Raja Petra alleged that he had been reliably informed that between about 10pm on October 19, 2006 and early hours of the following day, the night Altantuya was murdered, three other people were also present at the scene of crime, viz:
(a) Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of the DPM;
(b) Acting Colonel Aziz Buyong (then Lt. Col) a C4 expert;
(c) Aziz’s wife, Norhayati, described as ‘one of Rosmah’s ADC’.
“Raja Petra alleged that Aziz was the person who placed the C4 on various parts of Altantuya’s body witnessed by Rosmah and Norhayati. Read the rest of this entry »
All eyes on Parliament – everyone asking, confidence or not?
Posted by Kit in Parliament on Monday, 23 June 2008, 12:54 pm
All eyes are on Parliament, with everyone asking, will there be a no confidence vote or not, although there is no such motion in the Order Paper.
However, as I had blogged last Friday, it is not necessary to have a proper motion of no confidence to create a “no confidence” vote in Parliament on the Prime Minister and the government-of-the-day.
This is the reason for the buzz and excitement in the House, with the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi sitting through the entire Dewan Rakyat sitting since question time up to now (12.40 pm) which has never happened before, especially as the Prime Minister did not stand up to answer the two questions addressed to the Prime Minister during question time.
I am sure the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers and veteran parliamentarians are aware that the motion moved by Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Abdul Samad seeking support for the government’s measures over food, oil and commodities price increases, including the reduction of oil subsidies, will become a “no confidence motion” if it is defeated. Read the rest of this entry »
“First-world infrastructure, first-world mentality”?
(This is from the blog of Hannah Yeoh, DAP Selangor Assemblywoman for Subang Jaya)
SMKSU Prefects’ Reunion
Friday, June 20, 2008
Few months ago, I was invited to the Prefects’ Reunion of SMK Subang Utama to be held next week. I just received news that I could no longer attend the function because I’m an assemblyman from Pakatan Rakyat.
Two prefects have confirmed that the teachers have issued a threat to the prefects to withdraw their invitation to me and if not, the event would be cancelled.
I am upset with this. Let me explain to you why this threat by the teachers is so fundamentally wrong:-
this is a private function to be held outside the school; every past and present prefect is entitled to attend this event; and
I was the Head Prefect for 1995/1996 and was one of the pioneers to start this yearly reunion for the prefects.
I am not a criminal or a bad role model. All I did was this, exercised my right to vote, exercised my right to stand for election, to stand up for my generation and to fight corruption. As a young person, I am not afraid to stand up for righteous principles, not afraid of intimidation by the ‘supposedly powerful’ groups but today I am told that I am not a welcoming sight at a function which I championed and fought for many years ago. Read the rest of this entry »
RPK’s bombshell allegation on Altantuya murder – Abdullah, Najib, Rosmah cannot remain silent
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Crime on Saturday, 21 June 2008, 1:04 pm
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor cannot remain silent on the latest bombshell of blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin.
In a statutory declaration on June 18, 2008, Raja Petra accused Rosmah as among three individuals who were present when Altantuya was murdered on Oct 19, 2006.
Raja Petra alleged in his statutory declaration: “I have been reliably informed that between about 10pm on October 19, 2006 and early hours of the following day, the night Altantuya Shaariibuu was murdered, three other people were also present at the scene of crime.”
He named the two other individuals as one acting colonel Aziz Buyong, who is described as ‘a C4 expert’ and the latter’s wife, known only as Norhayati, who is also said to be Rosmah’s aide de camp.
Raja Petra further alleged:
“My informer states that Aziz was the person who placed the C4 on various parts of Altantuya’s body witnessed by Rosmah and Norhayati.
“I make this statutory declaration because I have been reliably informed about the involvement of these three people who have thus far not been implicated in the murder nor called as witnesses by the prosecution in the ongoing trial at the Shah Alam High Court.
“I also make this statutory declaration because I am aware that it is a crime not to reveal evidence that may help the police in its investigation of the crime.”
Govt motion on price increases on Monday can be turned into “no confidence motion” if there are the numbers
Posted by Kit in Parliament, Sabah on Friday, 20 June 2008, 6:08 pm
After a marathon meeting, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) President Datuk Yong Teck Lee has received endorsement by SAPP supreme council for his call for a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Up to now, Parliament has not received any notice from any Member of Parliament for a no-confidence motion.
However, it is not necessary to have a proper motion of no confidence to create a “no confidence” vote in Parliament on the Prime Minister and the government-of-the-day.
I have been informed that the first item of parliamentary business after the 90-minute question time on Monday will be a motion by the Minister for Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad seeking support for the measures taken by the government over price increases of food, oil and commodities, including reduction of oil subsidies.
This government motion on price increases in Parliament on Monday can be turned into a no-confidence motion if there are enough numbers in Parliament to defeat it. Read the rest of this entry »
No confidence motion – will incipient revolt by BN MPs in support of Yong Teck Lee be crushed by BN SC emergency meeting?
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Parliament, Sabah on Thursday, 19 June 2008, 1:03 pm
Following the bombshell by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Yong Teck Lee yesterday announcing that its two MPs Dr. Chua Soon Bui (Tawau) and Eric Enchin Majimbun (Sepanggar) would move a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, many questions are swirling for answer, including whether it is possible for a no confidence motion to be moved in Parliament on Monday when it looks procedurally impossible as up to yesterday no such notice of motion had been submitted to Parliament.
In fact, although a proper motion of no confidence has not been submitted to date to Parliament, it is not impossible to duplicate a no confidence vote in Parliament on the Barisan Nasional government on Monday.
Whether a no confidence motion could be moved, debated and voted upon in Parliament on Monday, however academic it appears, is however not the foremost question created by Yong Teck Lee’s announcement yesterday.
The most important question from the SAPP action, which has dealt another mortal blow on the Barisan Nasional government after the March 8 “political tsunami”, is:
Will the declaration by the two SAPP MPs of no-confidence in Abdullah as Prime Minister trigger support from other BN MPs in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia or will the incipient revolt by disaffected BN MPs be crushed with SAPP expelled by BN today with the engineering of a SAPP Baru?
SAPP bombshell – a second political tsunami in next few days?
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Parliament, Sabah on Wednesday, 18 June 2008, 4:32 pm
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has dropped a bombshell when its president Yong Teck Lee announced that its two MPs, Dr. Chua Soon Bui (Tawau) and Eric Majimbun (Sepanggar) would move a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when Parliament resumes on Monday.
But will the bombshell land in Parliament on Monday?
With the ruling coalition commanding unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority in the 11 general elections since Merdeka in 1957 until the recent political tsunami of the March 2008 general election, there had never been any no confidence motion against the Prime Minister in Malaysian parliamentary history. Read the rest of this entry »
PAS, Don’t fall for UMNO’s Trap!
Posted by Kit in Farish Noor, PAS, UMNO on Tuesday, 17 June 2008, 12:15 am
By Farish A. Noor
Civil society, and the actors who occupy that public domain, exists for a number of reasons and one of the reasons is to keep all politicians and political parties in check. It would appear that the work of civil society actors in Malaysia today has been cut out thanks to the murky goings-on within and between the political parties of Malaysia on both sides of the political fence.
Hardly three months have passed since the landmark results of the 8th March Federal elections and already we see Malaysia transformed as never before: Despite winning 79 Parliamentary seats the UMNO party that has been in power for more than half a century is showing signs of internal division and fragmenting before our very eyes; bringing with its collapse the very real possibility of change in the mindset of millions of ordinary Malaysian citizens who were told for so long that the sun of the Barisan Nasional would never set. Well, with BN MPs running helter-skelter in all directions at the moment, it would appear as if that claim is about to be tested in no uncertain terms.
What is worrying, however, is the fact that the Pakatan Rakyat coalition is still in its infant stages and does not have the luxury of time on its side. Should the BN government fall, and that prospect seems more likely by the day, the PR should be ready to assume office at a moment’s notice. This can only be done if and when the PR gets its act together and all component parties of the PR agree once and for all that they will abide by the terms they had set for themselves; which includes the PR manifesto and the standards of the People’s Declaration which they had all assented to. Read the rest of this entry »
A new oil policy – reform Petronas
Posted by Kit in Dr. Chen Man Hin, Oil on Monday, 16 June 2008, 8:54 am
by Dr. Chen Man Hin
The latest jump in pump pricing by 42% has caused an upheaval in the economy and much unhappiness among motorists and the people. businesses are stalling, and there is undertainty about the future. the sudden severe rise has caused a social and economic earthquake.
The shocking increase was unnecesary, and here are the reasons why it was a bad mistake. Read the rest of this entry »
Smart schools vs sick schools
Posted by Kit in Azly Rahman, Education on Sunday, 15 June 2008, 7:56 am
by Dr. Azly Rahman
I read this excerpt of a news story below with disgust.
‘… One-third of Malaysia’s schools do not have water and electricity, a minister said, pledging to fix the problem by 2010….
‘Deputy Education Minister Razali Ismail told Bernama that all 9,806 schools will have access to basic utilities by the end of a four-year education development plan….70 percent of schools already have access to water and electricity. The other 30 percent are mostly located in rural areas, but “we are confident the problem will be solved by 2010”.
…Malaysia has implemented a series of five-year development plans with the aim of reaching developed-nation status by 2020..In the last national blueprint, announced in 2006, the government said RM1.15 billion would be spent to upgrade schools.’
All we continue to hear are slogans such as ‘2010’, ‘Vision 2020’, ‘developed-nation status’ and ‘billions of ringgit of funding’.
These cloud our vision of what schools ought to be. It is as if there is a ‘manufactured crisis’ going on: keep schools impoverished so that the government can keep making promises using empty slogans. The aim: only this government can continue to help those poor schools. This is the nature of mystification we have been fed with all these decades.
recall then education minister Najib Abdul Razak making a statement about “smart schools” –
“…that the first Smart School is being built at a cost of RM144.5 million. Apart from being wired, it would have a hostel for 800 students, an Olympic-size swimming pool, a hockey pitch, a hall and other facilities. Eventually all Malaysian schools will be operated on this concept. …”
Now we hear that many schools do not have water and electricity supply, let alone computers to make the schools and students smart. I think our children deserve better than empty promises by the ministry in charge of human intelligence and social reproduction. Read the rest of this entry »
Pakatan Rakyat Protest Oil Hikes Ceramah
Posted by Kit in Announcement on Saturday, 14 June 2008, 6:59 pm
Pakatan Rakyat Protest Oil Hikes Ceramah
Speakers: Anwar Ibrahim
Hadi Awang
Lim Guan Eng
Lim Kit Siang
Venue – City Stadium, Penang (Lorong Kulit)
Date: Sunday 15th June 2008 – 8.30 pm
Continue Teaching Science and Mathematics in English
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, Education on Saturday, 14 June 2008, 1:33 pm
by M. Bakri Musa
The government’s decision to revisit (and most likely do away with) the current teaching of science and mathematics in English is an instructive example of how an otherwise sensible policy could easily be discredited and then abandoned because of poor execution. Had there been better planning, many of the problems encountered could have been readily anticipated and thus avoided, or at least reduced. The policy would then more likely to succeed, and thus be accepted.
Ironically, only a year ago a Ministry of Education “study” pronounced the program to be moving along “smoothly,” with officials “satisfied” with its implementation. Now another “study” showed that there was no difference in the “performance” (whatever that term means or how they measure it) between those taught in Malay or English.
The policy was in response to the obvious deficiencies noted in students coming out of our national schools: their abysmal command of English, and their limited mathematical skills and science literacy. They carry these deficits when they enter university, and then onto the workplace.
The results are predictable. These graduates are practically unemployable. As the vast majority of them are Malays, this creates tremendous political pressure on the government to act as employer of last resort. Accommodating these graduates made our civil service bloated and inefficient, burdened by their deficient language and mathematical abilities.
This longstanding problem began in the late 1970s when Malay became the exclusive language of instruction in our public schools and universities. Overcoming this problem would be a monumental undertaking. Read the rest of this entry »
Petrol price hike protest
– a bystander’s report of the petrol price hike protest in Kuala Lumpur today
They came not in ones or twos, not in tens or hundreds, but by the thousands, desperately seeking a solution for inordinately huge fuel hike just ordinary Malaysians, who have no solution on how to cope with the current inflation.
They were young and old, male and female, participants who came from out station. We salute them for their fortitude, for the sacrifice, for their efforts. Shame on us KLites, I stand humbled by their initiative and gumption to come over from Kelantan and Perak.
Fellow KLites they are walking right now for you and me, from Masjid Jamek, Kampung Baru after the Friday Prayers, they held banners up. I could be mistaken, but I think Nik Nazmi, Seri Setia State Assemblyman was at the mike for a while. Their numbers could be two to three thousand and more. Unit Amal guys showed their professionalism and efficiency in marshalling the crowds and the public address system. Read the rest of this entry »
“Boot camp for judges” – Mahathir should speak up
Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has declared that he is prepared to be investigated over allegations he had interfered with the judiciary when he was prime minister.
He said he was not afraid of being investigated and would give his full assistance to the police.
Malaysians hope that Mahathir is sincere and truthful in pledging full co-operation in any such investigation and that he would not do another repeat of the Lingam Videotape Royal Commission of Inquiry where he pleaded a massive attack of loss of his famous elephant memory! Read the rest of this entry »
The Curse Of Oil
Letters
by Toh May Fook
Thomas Freidman deliberated on the impact of the wealth that comes with the endowment of oil, on various oil-rich nations around the world and concluded that in many of these “less developed nations,” oil is actually a curse rather than a blessing. It actually promotes indulgence of every sorts, misallocation of resources, complacency, poor governance, abuse of executive powers, corruptions and all sorts of other social and political ills.
Back in our country, revenue from Petronas has contributed to 33% of the government’s annual budget, so we were told, but the accounts of Petronas is not made public and that leads to all sorts of negative speculations from concerned citizen. It defies logic that a national institution as important as Petronas which has contributed so much to the nation does not want to be transparent and gain even more respect from all fellow Malaysians. Unless as they say, benar benar ada udang disebalik batu.
The price of pump price of fuel has risen to a point that threatens the livelihood of most ordinary Rakyat, right thinking citizen can not accept the logic offered by the government and this can easily lead to political instability. As the issue has reached crisis proportion, it is ridiculous that the government still does not deem it necessary to open up the accounts of Petronas together with a comprehensive public review on the state of affairs in Petronas. Read the rest of this entry »
Unconscionable oil price hikes – Abdullah govt would have fallen if in South Korea
(Speech at the DAP Public Ceramah/Consultation held at Dewan Sri Mentaloon, Residen Rasmi Menteri Besar Kedah on Wednesday, 11th June 2008)
The Abdullah government would have fallen because of the 41% to 63% unconscionable and brutal oil price hikes if he is in South Korea, which saw the new South Korean President’s popularity plunging in less than four months from a presidential victory with the biggest margin in the nation’s history to a support rate of under 20 per cent and his entire Cabinet offering to resign – after a month of mammoth demonstrations against the planned resumption of US beef imports.
Malaysians are still puzzled as to the reckless and sudden manner in which the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced the unconscionably brutal petrol and diesel price hikes, after a Cabinet Minister had given the assurance that no oil price increases were on the cards until August.
The failure to announce a holistic package of mitigation measures to cushion the most vulnerable sectors from the sharp impact of the drastic oil price increases until five days later strengthened the impression that the decision was driven more by political than economic considerations. Read the rest of this entry »
Islam Hadari and the Politics of Banning
Posted by Kit in Farish Noor on Thursday, 12 June 2008, 2:27 pm
By Farish A. Noor
There are ideas, and there can be stupid ideas; but to ban an idea simply because of its stupidity seems to be a rather stupid thing to do in itself.
Among the ideas that circulate in the congested bowels of Malaysia’s public domain is the somewhat nebulous idea of ‘Islam Hadari’; loosely translated at times as ‘civilisational Islam’ or ‘societal Islam’. Others of a less charitable bent have dubbed it ‘theme park Islam’, ‘Crystal mosque Islam’ and even ‘Badawi’s brand of Islam’. Branding aside, it would appear that this brand of Islam has come under close scrutiny and admonition of late. In May the Pakatan-led state government of Selangor announced that henceforth the state would no longer promote Islam Hadari and this was later followed up by a similar move on the part of the Pakatan-led state government of Penang.
The rationale behind this prohibition leaves us with some unanswered questions that might as well be raised at this point. Who called for the prohibition of Islam Hadari and on what grounds? And if Islam Hadari is to be banned by the Pakatan-led state governments, what does this entail for the Muslims and non-Muslims of Malaysia? What, in the final analysis, was the objective of this ban? Read the rest of this entry »
RCI on boot camp for delinquent judges – critical test of Abdullah’s political will for judicial reforms
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the de facto Law Minister, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim have both poured cold waters on calls for an inquiry into the latest allegation levelled by High Court judge, Justice Datuk Ian Chin against former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
“No need…there will be no end to this. Instead, we will carry out reforms to restore confidence in the judiciary” said Abdullah.
“Another inquiry will not reveal anything more than what we already know. It will be a waste of time and money. Instead, we need to look at ensuring such incidents do not happen again…” said Zaid.
Both cannot be more wrong.
A Royal Commission of Inquiry into the two decades of judicial darkness, including the boot camp for delinquent judges, is vital and imperative as critical test of the political will of the Abdullah administration to fully restore public confidence in the system of justice in Malaysia. Read the rest of this entry »
The Business of Dialogue
Posted by Kit in Farish Noor on Wednesday, 11 June 2008, 6:00 pm
By Farish A. Noor
Dialogue is a funny business, particularly when it happens to be dialogue of the inter-civilisational and inter-religious kind. Having just attended yet another Dialogue between Islam and the West in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I find myself compelled to pen these thoughts before my blood pressure rises any further and I risk doing serious damage to myself and the furniture in my office…
The theme of the dialogue conference I attended was ‘Islam and the West: Bridging the Gap’. Now, allow me to state some rather commonsensical yet important observations at this point. If we were to begin the dialogue process by stating that there exists a gap between the Western and Muslim worlds, then in a sense we have introduced the very same problem that we wish to rectify in the first place. How and why has such a gap emerged between the West and Islam; what are the historical and more importantly, political, processes and mechanisms that contributed to this gap; and do Muslims and Westerners perceive there to be a gap in the first place?
It is important to emphasise again and again that the Western and Muslim worlds have been among the oldest civilisational neighbours in the history of humanity. After all, the Muslim world has lived side-by-side next to Western Europe for more than 1,400 years; and if after such a long period we still do not understand each other then we really must be the worst of neighbours. History, however, is replete with examples and instances of genuine dialogue and interaction in all forms and all registers: from the cultural-intellectual borrowing and cross-fertilisation that took place in both communities leading to the renaissance of both the European and Muslim worlds to the enduring traces of cross-cultural contact and appreciation that exists in the hybrid pop culture of both societies until today. Read the rest of this entry »
Sanusi sacked as UIA President – Abdullah not ready for “1st-world infrastructure, 1st-world mentality”
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Education, UMNO on Wednesday, 11 June 2008, 11:17 am
The sacking of Sanusi Junid, who was formerly Cabinet Minister, Kedah Mentri Besar and Umno secretary-general, as International Islamic University (UIA) president because he had left Umno together with former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, is most shocking, deplorable and testimony that the Abdullah administration is not ready for a “first-world infrastructure, first-world mentality” culture to catapult Malaysia into the ranks of fully developed nations.
The UIA termination letter dated June 2 but which Sanusi received only yesterday (eight days later) did not give any reason for the abrupt sacking although his contract is not due to expire for another two years.
It would appear that quitting Umno has become a proper reason for the sacking of administrators and academicians in Malaysian universities. Read the rest of this entry »
