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4 million eligible voters cannot cast their vote – EC should conduct 3-wk final voter registration campaign

The Election Commission should conduct a final three-week voter-registration campaign to enable more eligible voters to exercise their constitutional right to vote in the 12th general election as it is scandalous that there are four million eligible but unregistered voters in a country which claims to be modern and developed.

The Election Commission has announced that with the gazetting of the 2007 Master Electoral Roll today, the number of voters totalled 10,922,139.

This is after the incorporation of the fourth-quarter electoral roll from Oct 1 to Dec 31 with 200,393 names, comprised 148,969 new electors and 51,424 voters who had changed their polling centres.

It is a mark of failure that the Election Commission has not been able to ensure a minimum of 90% registration of all eligible voters on the Electoral Roll, as the Election Commission has been able to register only some 73% of eligible voters to enable them to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

With four million eligible Malaysians not registered, this is a walloping 27% of eligible voters who cannot cast their vote.

I told Parliament more than a decade ago that in New Zealand, its Election Commission could register voters on the eve of polling day to enable them to cast their vote the next day.

Why is the Election Commission in Malaysia so outmoded and antediluvian as to be unable to provide a more efficient and up-to-mark voter registration mechanism?

If in New Zealand, an eligible voter can register on the eve of polling day as to vote the next day, is it totally beyond the competence, capability and professionalism of the Election Commission to conduct a final three-week voter-registration exercise to enable more eligible voters to vote in the 12th general election, as its Polling Day is expected only in the first half of March? Continue reading “4 million eligible voters cannot cast their vote – EC should conduct 3-wk final voter registration campaign”

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Dr. Basmullah’s jailing – is Ka Ting the worst Acting Health Minister in nation’s history?

I am here with Norliza binti Hassan, 44, wife of Dr. Basmullah Yusoff – the first doctor be to criminalized and jailed under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act (PHFSA) – her counsel Karpal Singh (DAP National Chairman) and Dr. Lo’Lo Mohd Gazali, Dr. Basmullah’s medical colleague (PAS Wanita leader) for an application to the High Court to get Dr. Basmullah out of Kajang Prison.

Two days ago, New Sunday Times quoted former Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek as asking the medical fraternity not to blame him for the jailing of Dr. Basmullah who failed to register his clinic under the PHFSA 1998.

Chua said the PHFSA was never intended to criminalize doctors. He said PHFSA, which came into force on May 1, 2006 when he was Health Minister, was intended to weed out bogus doctors who posed a threat to public health and safety.

Now that a qualified doctor, who has an annual practicing certificate issued by the Malaysian Medical Council has been criminalized and sentenced to three months jail for his inability to pay RM120,000 fine, why has Chua failed to speak up firstly, to admit that the enforcement of the PHFSA should be suspended until there is iron-clad guarantee that there would not be another case of criminalizing of a doctor like that of Dr. Basmullah; and secondly, that it is grossly unjust for Dr. Basmullah to spend another day in jail.

Dr. Basmullah has been jailed for 18 days which is equivalent to paying a fine of over RM24,000 – which is already too hefty a fine for a technical offence committed by Dr. Basmullah.

Is Chua prepared to publicly state that as Dr. Basmullah has paid an equivalent of over RM24,000 fine in serving 18 day’s jail sentence, justice demand that he be released immediately without any extra day in Kajang Prison?

I am very disappointed that for more than two weeks, there has been deafening silence from the Acting Health Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting on the Dr. Basmullah case – whether he is utterly indifferent about the sufferings imposed on the father of eight or whether he is totally lost as to how to rectify the injustice suffered by Dr. Basmullah. Continue reading “Dr. Basmullah’s jailing – is Ka Ting the worst Acting Health Minister in nation’s history?”

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If Parliament is dissolved during CNY, BN leaders must apologise for another insensitivity

The general election is one step nearer with two further developments:

• the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi declaring that he now has “inspiration” for the 12th general election although he has not fixed the date;

• the announcement by the Election Commission secretary Datuk Kamaruzaman Mohd Noor that the main electoral roll, including those who registered as voters throughout last year, will be gazetted today.

A fly in the ointment in all the hype and escalation of preparations for the impending 12th general election is the spoiling of the spirit and mood of the Chinese New Year beginning on Thursday by a possible dissolution of Parliament in the midst of the Chinese New Year.

There is very strong speculation that Parliament will be dissolved to kick off the 12th general election campaign during the Chinese New Year period itself – with the 8th day of Chinese New Year (14th Feb) even mentioned as the likely date for the dissolution of Parliament.

Abdullah should give a public assurance that the Chinese New Year celebrations would not be marred by the dissolution of Parliament and the kick-off of general election campaign – and that any dissolution of Parliament will only be after Chap Goh Mei on Feb. 21.

The MCA, Gerakan and SUPP Ministers and leaders should impress on the Prime Minister the importance and significance of allowing the Chinese New Year festivities to be completed before the dissolution of Parliament and the kickoff of the general election campaign.

MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, Gerakan Acting President Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon and SUPP President Tan Sri Dr. George Chan should explain and publicly apologise if they cannot convince Abdullah to fully respect Chinese New Year celebrations and not to dissolve Parliament to kick off general election campaign until after Chap Goh Mei (21st Feb).

If Ka Ting, Tsu Koon and George Chan cannot even convince Abdullah on such a small though significant matter, what can Malaysians expect from them on larger and more important matters affecting the community, the state, the nation and future generations? Continue reading “If Parliament is dissolved during CNY, BN leaders must apologise for another insensitivity”

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Najib apology on demolition of Hindu temple on Deepavali eve – six more apologies by Umno/MIC leaders awaited

The front-page headline of the night edition of China Press is “Najib apology – demolition of Hindu temple on Deepavali eve”.

This is a manifestation of Makkal Sakti (People’s Power) but it is a grave error for the Barisan Nasional and MIC leadership to think that such an apology is acceptable or satisfactory answer to the Malaysian Indian political awakening and uprising following the seminal 30,000-people Hindraf protest in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 25 last year.

If Najib and the top Umno leadership are serious in wanting to making amends for the long-standing political, economic, educational, social, cultural religious polarization of the Malaysian Indians resulting in their becoming the new underclass in the country, Najib’s apology must be followed by at least six other apologies and ensuing actions, such as:

• Apology by Selangor Mentri Besar, Datuk Seri Khir Toyo as the No. 1 man in the Selangor state government who must bear full responsibility for the demolition of the Hindu temple in Shah Alam on Deepavali eve;

• Apology by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for Umno insensitivity in holding the Umno General Assembly last year on the day of Deepavali – when it would be regarded as highly insensitive and offensive if MIC, MCA or Gerakan had held their national delegates meeting on Hari Raya Aidilfitri for instance.

• Apology by the Umno Youth deputy chief, Khairy Jamaluddin, the Prime Minister’s son-in-law in publicly castigating the Indian news vendors for “anti-national” actions in having a press holiday when the Umno general assembly was being held resulting in the policy speech of the Prime Minister and Umno President at the Umno general assembly not given coverage the next day – when it was the fault of Umno in fixing its general assembly on Deepevali, long a press holiday.

• Apology by MIC President and sole Indian Cabinet Minister for over 28 years in refusing to admit the fact of the marginalization of the Malaysian Indians – a stand which he reiterated during his recent visit to India;

• Apology by Abdullah for the detention of the five Hindraf leaders under the Internal Security Act for fighting the cause to end the marginalization of the Malaysian Indians – and the five should be released immediately and unconditionally.

• Apology by Samy Vellu for the 20-year-long Maika Telekom Shares hijacking scandal in betraying the rights and interests of Malaysian Indians who had put their trust in him by placing their life-savings in Maika shares.

Are these six apologies from the UMNO and MIC leaders forthcoming to demonstrate that there is now a genuine change of heart in the top Umno leadership to meaningfully end the marginalization of the Malaysian Indians in the country?

(Speech at the DAP ceramah in Buntong, (Ipoh Barat) on Sunday, 3rd February 2008 at 10 pm)

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Believing Your Own Spin!

M. Bakri Musa

To hear Prime Minister Abdullah tell it, his government is ahead that of Japan, Germany and United Kingdom in terms of efficiency. He based this apparently on his reading of the 2007 World Competitiveness Yearbook compiled by the Swiss Business School, IMD.

The man can hardly stay awake long enough to flip through the thick volume much less read or comprehend it. When he made that assertion to the assembly of civil servants last Monday, January 28, 2008, he was merely uttering what his “bright boys” on the infamous Fourth Floor fed him.

That is scary. Those boys are now beginning to believe their own self-created legend and swallowing their own spin. If they truly believe that the Malaysian government is ahead that of Germany, they must be hallucinating, a deranged state of mind brought on through their prolonged isolation from the real world.

Hallucinatory state by itself is not dangerous as long as you are fully aware of it. The danger comes when you believe it to be the reality. Indeed the criterion for psychosis (or in layman’s term, madness) is your inability to differentiate reality from delusion. When individuals begin acting on their hallucination, then all hell breaks loose. They would then pose an immediate danger not only to themselves but also to society, and they would have to be committed to “protective medical custody,” an euphemism for the nut house. Continue reading “Believing Your Own Spin!”

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Don’t repeat Deepavali insensitivity last year – let CNY festivities be over before dissolution of Parliament

Last Wednesday, the Cabinet spent three hours discussing the next general election – which is a failure of integrity of the Abdullah premiership as it is another example of the inability of government leaders to respect the important distinctions among the government, party and personal and the root cause of rampant corruption in Malaysia.

At the last Cabinet meeting, the least the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should have done is to issue a clear directive to all the Ministers that they should set an example of ethics and integrity once Parliament is dissolved, and should not abuse their “caretaker” responsibilities to misuse government positions, resources, manpower and funds for Barisan Nasional electioneering purposes.

Abdullah should have reminded all the Cabinet Ministers of the case in India, where a Prime Minister – Indira Gandhi – was disqualified as a Member of Parliament by the Indian court because she had misused government facilities in using a state aircraft for party electioneering purposes.

I am today instituting court proceeding asking for a declaration that when Parliament is dissolved, the concept of a caretaker government between dissolution of Parliament and the election of a new legislature and the formation of a new government must be honoured and upheld in Malaysia. Continue reading “Don’t repeat Deepavali insensitivity last year – let CNY festivities be over before dissolution of Parliament”

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Caretaker government suit may be filed tomorrow

Thanks to all for views on whether the “caretaker government” public interest litigation should be instituted.

Time does not permit me to respond to the good arguments canvassed on both sides. The caretaker government suit may be filed tomorrow.

Thanks also to those who have pledged financial support to the suit. Your financial donation will be sought on this blog shortly.

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Release Dr. Basmullah immediately as he has paid over RM21,000 fine with 16 days’ jail

In asking the medical fraternity not to blame him for the jailing of Dr. Basmullah Yusom who failed to register his clinic under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act (PHFSA) 1998, former Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek is guilty of a grave injustice to Dr. Baharom.

Chua said the PHFSA was never intended to criminalize doctors. He said PHFSA, which came into force on May 1, 2006 when he was Health Minister, was intended to weed out bogus doctors who posed a threat to public health and safety.

Now that a qualified doctor, who has an annual practicing certificate issued by the Malaysian Medical Council has been criminalized and sentenced to three months jail for his inability to pay RM120,000 fine, why has Chua failed to speak up firstly, to admit that the enforcement of the PHFSA should be suspended until there is iron-clad guarantee that there would not be another case of criminalizing of a doctor like that of Dr. Basmullah; and secondly, that it is grossly unjust for Dr. Basmullah to spend another day in jail. Continue reading “Release Dr. Basmullah immediately as he has paid over RM21,000 fine with 16 days’ jail”

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Will public support Court action to uphold “caretaker government” concept once Parliament dissolved?

Media Conference Statement(2) by Parliamentary Opposition Leader and DAP MP for Ipoh Timur at the start of a two-day whistle-stop campaign in Perak to launch the second DAP general election theme on “Say no to corruption and rising prices” at the Pokok Assam market, Taiping on Saturday, 2nd February 2008 at 9 am:

Mulling legal suit for court declaration on caretaker government once Parliament is dissolved to prevent abuses of power by Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers in misuse of government resources and funds for BN electioneering

The Cabinet on Wednesday spent three hours discussing the next general election – a gross abuse of government resources as well as another shocking example of the failure and increasing inability of government leaders to respect the important distinctions among the government, party and personal which is the root cause of rampant corruption in Malaysia.

I want to ask the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi whether in the three-hour Cabinet meeting on the next general election, he had issued a clear directive to all the Ministers that they should set an example of ethics and integrity once Parliament is dissolved, and should not abuse their “caretaker” responsibilities to abuse government positions, resources, manpower and funds for Barisan Nasional electioneering purposes. Continue reading “Will public support Court action to uphold “caretaker government” concept once Parliament dissolved?”

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“Don’t give BN 75 seats in Parliament”

Media Conference Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader and DAP MP for Ipoh Timur at the start of a two-day whistle-stop campaign in Perak to launch the second DAP general election theme on “Say no to corruption and rising prices” at the Pokok Assam market, Taiping on Saturday, 2nd February 2008 at 9 am:

“Don’t give BN 75 seats in Parliament” should be the common objective of all opposition parties, civil society and Malaysians who want to see the beginning of a new democracy with an effective check-and-balance

The next general election is shaping up to be the most important of all 12 general elections in the nation’s 50-year history.

Even former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has warned that a thumping victory for the Barisan Nasional and Umno in the next general election would end up as an endorsement for a coalition “centred on nepotism and corruption”.

Mahathir has said that even if Umno loses 20 or 30 of their candidates, the Barisan Nasional is going to win. Continue reading ““Don’t give BN 75 seats in Parliament””

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Dr. Basmullah’s jailing – Ismail Merican inconsiderate, callous, heartless and unbecoming of top civil servant

The comment by the Director-General of Health Tan Sri Dr. Ismail Merican that Dr. Basmullah Yusom, the first doctor to be jailed under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 preferred jail to paying the RM120,000 fine in instalments is most inconsiderate, callous, heartless and totally unbecoming of a top civil servant.

New Straits Times today quoted Dr. Ismail as saying that Dr. Basmullah “declined the Health Ministry’s offer to stay out of jail”.

He said the offer was made to the doctor by the ministry’s prosecuting officer.

Dr. Ismail said: “It’s not that we do not care for doctors or are unsympathetic to them.”

If Dr. Ismail really “care” or sympathetic to doctors, how could he use language which is so inconsiderate, callous and heartless?

From Dr. Ismail’s account, it would appear that Dr. Basmullah is a pervert who prefers to go to jail instead of enjoying his personal freedom outside prison!

Dr. Ismail went on to say that if Dr. Basmullah feels he has been harshly sentenced by the Sessions Court, he has the right to appeal to a higher court.

I am just shocked and outraged beyond belief that even up till now, Dr. Ismail does not see or accept that Dr. Basmullah just do not have the means to hire counsel to appeal against the sentence of RM120,000 fine or three months’ jail – when he had not been able to afford the expenses to retain counsel to represent him at the Sessions Court or to take up the “offer” to pay the hefty RM120,000 fine by instalments.

This is why Dr. Basmullah is in jail in Kajang Prison for the past two weeks – creating outrage to the extent that a online “Don’t Jail Doctors Blog Campaign” has been launched.

Many are asking why is the system of justice in Malaysia is so perverted that a doctor could be jailed for not registering his clinic although he has the annual practicing certificate of a medical practitioner, while criminals whether the corrupt or those guilty of heinous crimes can get away scot-free, moving freely in society! Continue reading “Dr. Basmullah’s jailing – Ismail Merican inconsiderate, callous, heartless and unbecoming of top civil servant”

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19 new/relocated Chinese primary schools – question each for the five BN leaders

It is front-page headline news in all the Chinese newspapers – the approval for six new Chinese primary schools and the relocation of 13 Chinese primary schools by the Education Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein with the “All-for-one and one-for-all” group photograph of Hishammuddin with MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, MCA Deputy President Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy, MCA Secretary-General Datuk Ong Ka Chuan and Gerakan President Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon.

Nobody will say no to general election goodies, just as nobody will say no to gifts by “Santa Claus” on Christmas Day, although one is fully aware of the real intent of such goodies – which I will reserve for another occasion to touch on.

For the moment, I will like to ask a question each of the five BN leaders in the “one-for-all, all-for-one” group photograph “celebrating” the approval for six new Chinese primary schools and relocation of 13 Chinese primary schools.

To Hishammuddin – why didn’t he take the opportunity of his visit to MCA headquarters, his first as UMNO Youth leader, to publicly apologise for his “keris-wielding” at previous Umno Youth general assemblies which was highly offensive, even by MCA and MCA youth leaders and members, for being utterly insensitive to the rights and feelings of other ethnic communities?

To Ong Ka Ting – why he had not given a full public accounting as to why previous general election promises for the building of new Chinese primary schools and relocation of Chinese primary schools for the 1999 and 2004 general elections had not been fulfilled 100%?

To Chong Kong Choy – why he had failed to give full accounting for the RM4.6 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal as RM4.6 billion could have been better spent to build new Chinese primary schools throughout the country to meet needs based on increased enrolment and not to win votes before each general election. Continue reading “19 new/relocated Chinese primary schools – question each for the five BN leaders”

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Emperor’s New Clothes – how arrogant/dumb can one be?

“Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi trying out a T-shirt after launching The Emperor’s New Clothes boutique at Pavilion. The T-shirt was given to him by the boutique owners – his daughter Nori Abdullah (right) and his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin (left).”

– caption of a photo in page 2 of New Straits Times today.

11 comments in last hour but the real “horror” has not dawned on everyone, so I am amending the heading to include “dumb”.

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Malaysians should expect a change for the better

by Richard Teo

Malaysians should not accept what the govt say in the media as gospel truth.Of late we hear DPM Najib say that the opposition is not capable of administering the country.This is not only misleading but a blatant lie.

The present govt have shown that it is not capable of properly governing this nation.The last 22 years of Mahathir’s tenure and 4 years of Pak Lah’s administration have seen the country degenerating towards a failed state.

The litany of failures in the various govt department is shocking.The Police Dept is in dire straits with crime surging to unprecedented heights. The Judiciary is not only tainted with dubious appointments but it has practically lost the
confidence of the people.Religious conflict arising from conversion of non-muslims and the practice of ‘body snatching’ of muslim converts have stretched racial tolerance to breaking point.

In addition the govt has wantonly wasted public funds in compensation for the crooked bridge and the Broga incinerator project. The PKFTZ cost the govt a few billion of tax payers money which was siphoned off by UMNO cronies.

The Defence Ministry headed by our DPM, Najib saw fit to purchase inferior quality Sukhoi air planes from Russia and Scorpene Submarines from France. All these dubious purchases were done through the front companies of his close friend Razak Baginda who is now charged with the Mongolian model’s murder. Continue reading “Malaysians should expect a change for the better”