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White Paper – corruption allegations on Johari Baharum and Zulkipli Mat Noor

Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Johari Baharum has again called for the outcome of investigations into the “Freedom for Sale” allegations that he received RM5 million to release three men held under the Emergency Ordinance should be made public.

This is a most extraordinary situation as almost two months have passed since Johari first made a similar call.

The ACA director-general Datuk Ahmad Said Hamdan had said previously when he was acting head of ACA that investigations on the graft allegations against Johari had been completed by the ACA shortly after the deputy minister was questioned by ACA officials on March 19 and that the investigation papers were in the hands of the prosecution division.

Why is there a three-month procrastination on Johari’s investigations, when ACA had completed their work as far back as March? Continue reading “White Paper – corruption allegations on Johari Baharum and Zulkipli Mat Noor”

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“It is easy to become a Malay”

DAP MP for Seputeh, Teresa Kok, who is currently in Sabah on a political visit together with Member of Parliament Fong Po Kuan (Batu Gajah), has drawn my attention to the following Daily Express report yesterday quoting the Malacca Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Haji Mohd Ali Rustam as saying “It is easy to become a Malay”:

Easy to become a Malay, says MB

Kota Kinabalu: Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Haji Mohd Ali Rustam said a person who is a Muslim, converses in Malay and follows the Malay traditions is considered a Malay.

“It is easy to become a Malay, ” he told a Press conference after Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman opened the Dunia Muslim Dunia Islam (DMDI) seminar, here, Saturday.

Elaborating on why Musa had said that more than 50 per cent of the State’s nearly three million population are Malays, Mohd Ali, who is also DMDI president, said:

“Even if that person is Chinese or Indian or Kadazan,if they are Muslim or have converted, converse in Malay and follow the Malay tradition, then they are Malays.”

“The Kadazans if they are a Muslim, we considered them as Malays, and if they have not embraced Islam, they are Bumiputeras. It is easy to become a Malay.” Continue reading ““It is easy to become a Malay””

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50th Merdeka – end annual “racial polarisation” caused by “fraudulent meritocracy” of varsity student intake

In a week or two, the new student intake for 2007/2008 into the public universities will be announced and Malaysia will again go through the agonizing annual racial polarization caused by the “fraudulent meritocracy” as a result of the use of two completely different examinations to decide on the higher educational future of our children — the STPM and matriculation.

I understand that 40,016 places in public universities will be offered for the new academic year, with racial breakdown of 24,957 or 62.36 per cent for bumiputeras, 12,616 or 31.53 per cent for Chinese and 2,443 or 6.11 per cent for Indians.

DAP MPs have repeatedly called in Parliament for the end of the “fraudulent meritocracy” in the use of two completely different examinations for university intake and it is a matter of grave regret that no Barisan Nasional MPs, particularly from MCA, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP, PBS and other component parties in Sabah and Sarawak have dared to support such a call.

The use of two completely different examinations for university student intake – with the STPM universally recognized as very much more difficult and of higher standard than matriculation — has the most adverse long-term effects for Malaysia in at least four senses:

  • Setback for national unity and nation-building in plural Malaysia, as it provides an annual event causing racial polarization;
  • Undermines university quality and academic excellence which have seen Malaysian public universities plunging in international rankings for top world-class universities;
  • Grave impediment in the drive to enhance the nation’s international competitiveness to face the world challenges of globalization; and
  • Promotes public deceit and lack of integrity by perpetuating the fraud that there is no difference between STPM and matriculation.

Continue reading “50th Merdeka – end annual “racial polarisation” caused by “fraudulent meritocracy” of varsity student intake”

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King’s two important calls ignored by public service for 3 months

At the official opening of the third session of Parliament on March 19, the new Yang di Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin called for the elimination of corruption and said the monitoring of government projects must be reinforced to ensure they benefited the target groups, particularly the poor and marginalized.

“Wipe out graft, ensure projects well monitored” was the headline of the New Straits Times report the next day, but in the past three months, the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s call have been ignored by the public service itself.

On the anti-corruption front, Malaysia is losing out to other countries in the war against corruption undermining the country’s international competitiveness.

For instance, Malaysia had been well ahead of China in international corruption perception surveys, but China is making leaps and bounds in its anti-corruption drive as compared to Malaysia which had been backsliding despite the pledge by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to make anti-corruption the main plank of his premiership when he assumed the highest office in the land some 44 months ago.

In one recent corruption survey of Asian nations, the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risks Consultancy (PERC) survey, China has almost caught up with Malaysia and unless Malaysia pulls up its bootstraps, demonstrates a political will to wipe out corruption and produces results, it will not be long before Malaysia will be trailing behind China in regional or international corruption perception surveys.

Recent developments do not give cause for optimism that Malaysia can fight off the challenge from China. For instance, in the past few days alone, there have been news reinforcing the image that China is indeed serious in its anti-corruption drive, however formidable the problem. Continue reading “King’s two important calls ignored by public service for 3 months”