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MCA blames Malacca State Secretary as “Little Napoleon” – another sandiwara

MCA Youth leader and Deputy Youth and Sports Minister, Datuk Liow Tiong Lai yesterday launched a ferocious attack on the Malacca State Secretary, Datuk Ismail Salleh, labeling him as a “Little Napoleon” responsible for the unilateral, arbitrary, high-handed and insensitive 2,000-strong operation to forcibly cull tens of thousands of pigs in Malacca, forcing a nine-hour standoff with defenceless men, women and children in Paya Mengkuang on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

Liow claimed that Ismail launched the massive multi-agency operation without approval by the Malacca State Government. He described what happened on Tuesday as a blot to the 50th Merdeka anniversary which could not be tolerated.

In a speech in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Liow put the whole blame on Ismail in unilaterally resorting to force against defenceless men, women and children when the state government was still discussing how to resolve the pig-rearing problem, stressing that such insubordination by Ismail should not be allowed to recur. (Sin Chew)

Liow’s speech has come as a shock for two reasons:

Firstly, why he is blaming the Malacca state secretary as “Little Napoleon” for the unilateral, arbitrary, high-handed and insensitive 2,000-strong operation to forcibly cull tens of thousands of pigs in Malacca on Sept. 4, mobilizing Police FRU, water cannons and even police helicopter, resulting in a nine-hour standoff with defenceless men, women and children, when the whole operation was clearly on the directive of Chief Minister Ali Rustam?

Secondly, if Liow absolves Ali Rustam from responsibility (which cast a severe aspersion on his competence and capability as Malacca Chief Minister), are the MCA leaders both at national and state levels demanding that serious disciplinary action be taken against the Malacca state secretary — at minimum his immediate removal?

Clearly, a person who could act in so unilateral, arbitrary, high-handed and insensitive a fashion, committing gross insubordination as well completely heedless of the sensitivities of a plural society, is not fit to continue a single day in such a high office as the No. 1 civil servant in the state government. Continue reading “MCA blames Malacca State Secretary as “Little Napoleon” – another sandiwara”

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RM4.6 billion PKFZ bailout scandal – most improper for Nazri to tell PAC Chairman Shahrir to “shut up”

It was most improper and unwarranted for the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz to tell Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad to “shut up” about the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) investigation into the RM4.6 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) bailout scandal especially when Nazri is an interested party, being a member of the Cabinet which decided on the bailout.

On Thursday, the PAC had a two-hour meeting on the PKFZ bailout scandal, with a briefing by the Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager Datin Paduka O.C. Phang, who was accompanied by an accountant and administrative staff and Transport Ministry officials, including its secretary-general Datuk Zakaria Bahari and representatives from the finance, planning and port divisions.

After the two-hour meeting, Shahrir as PAC Chairman told the press that the PAC was “unsatisfied” with how the meeting went.

Shahrir said: “The problem with the Port Klang Free Zone is far bigger than what the papers have reported. Far too many questions were left unanswered.”

It was over Shahrir’s comments that Nazri blew his top yesterday, telling Sin Chew Daily that Shahrir should “shut up” on the ground that it was wrong to talk to the press before the end of the PAC investigation.

This was not the first time that Shahrir as PAC Chairman had made comments about ongoing PAC investigations in the past three years but Nazri had never voiced any objections in the past.

Why is Nazri so sensitive and high-strung now over the PAC investigation into the RM4.6 billion bailout scandal? Is it because Nazri has a vested interest, being an interested party as a Minister of the Cabinet which had approved the RM4.6 billion PKFZ bailout?

It is Nazri who should “shut up” about PAC investigation into the PKFZ scandal and not interfere with the independence of the PAC to carry out its tasks mandated by Parliament as the PAC is answerable to Parliament and not to Nazri, though he is Minister in charge of parliamentary affairs for the Cabinet. Continue reading “RM4.6 billion PKFZ bailout scandal – most improper for Nazri to tell PAC Chairman Shahrir to “shut up””

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2008 Budget — “Unity-driven” or “Prosperity-sharing”

For the first time in 50 years, the annual government budget has been reduced into a “social occasion” with the Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi accompanied by his wife Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah “dropping by’ the Finance Ministry on the night of the eve of the Budget Day for a photo-op.

The 27-page budget read out by Abdullah in Parliament yesterday was themed “Together Building the Nation and Sharing Prosperity” — which contained a slew of goodies with the next general election imminent in the next six months.

DAP presented for the first time an alternative budget, themed “Malaysian First — Unity Driven Equity: Growth & Innovation”.

The main thrust of the 52-page DAP proposed Budget 2008 would be to establish the conditions of good governance that permits hardworking and talented Malaysians to get on with the business of creating wealth and succeed in life.

More importantly the government must learn to get out of the way and not intrude on the people’s activities unnecessarily. The real win-win solution is where every Malaysian learns together, grows together and reaps the rewards together.

You can download the PDF copy of the proposed DAP Malaysian First Budget 2008 here.