Month: June 2009

My three questions (No.37 to No. 39 on the 13th 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:

1. In his blog from Beijing on 3rd June 2009, Ong wrote:

“At this very moment, professional experts and entrepreneurs have been roped in to provide their views and expertise on how to bring PKFZ back on track for which it was originally conceived.

“ We are not sitting still and playing rhetoric. In the weeks and months ahead, my Ministry and PKA will put in place a series of action plans to lessen the pain on taxpayers.”

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) submitted its “position review” report of the Port Klang Free Zone (PFKZ) on 3rd February 2009, which means Ong had more than four months to digest it.

Can he explain what he had done in these four months apart from “sitting still and playing rhetoric” to “put in place a series of action plans to lessen the pain on taxpayers” with regard to the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal and why he needs four months just to announce a blue-ribboned Task Force to make some more studies in the next two months to make recommendations “for follow-up actions” to be taken by the Government? Isn’t this a colossal waste of four months after the PwC report on PKFZ? Continue reading “Why is Ong Tee Keat afraid of a Selangor Exco member sitting on the PKA Board and insist on having his own appointee representing Selangor State Govt?”

Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat should be cited for parliamentary contempt for refusing to release the appendices of the PricewaterhouseCoopers audit report on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal to Public Accounts Committee (PAC) members, allowing them access only during the PAC meeting.

It was Ong, in an oblique response to my queries, blogged from Beijing on 3rd June that he had instructed the Port Klang Authority (PKA) to submit 14 copies of the PwC audit report, “as well as the appendices”, to members of the PAC “as soon as possible”.

However, the PAC members were informed this morning that the 14 sets of appendices were only available for them during PAC meetings and not meant for them to take back for detailed study.

Such a ridiculous directive restricting access of the PwC Report appendices to PAC members during PAC meetings makes a total mockery of parliamentary responsibility and accountability of both the Transport Minister as well as PKA and should be deplored in the strongest possible terms.
Continue reading “Ong Tee Keat should be cited for parliamentary contempt in refusing to release the appendices of the PcW audit report on PKFZ scandal to PAC members, allowing them access only during PAC meeting”

by Augustine Anthony

I joked candidly that M. Kula, the Ipoh Barat Member of Parliament must have been an Orang Asli in his past life because of his concern and support for my work with the indigenous people of this country. He revved his 4WD on a precariously winding road in the secondary forest that was once ravished and ravaged by the greed of men and narrowly missed the ravine that would have taken all those in the vehicle into the river below.

“You need not be an Orang Asli headman in your past life”, M. Kula was quick with a reply without even looking at me. An instantaneous and poignant response expected of a man who confronts an assortment of rotting issues that emanates unwelcome stench in our midst.

I knew what he was trying to tell me.

The journey beyond that was a humourless exchange of thoughts about the promises and betrayal of Orang Asli for the last 52 years. Though living with physical independence but sadly chained and shackled with a mind of perpetual dependence. Continue reading “Orang Asli in Perak and the 6th Bushido Code”

By Farish A. Noor

The repercussions of the somewhat clumsy attempt by some sections of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party PAS to call for the investigation, and possibly banning, of the Muslim women’s rights group Sisters in Islam are still being felt today. Many questions have arisen in the wake of the proposal that was passed without debate at the recent General Assembly of PAS: How and why was the proposal passed as one of the ‘non-debated proposals’ in the first place? Why was it not vetted properly and why was it tabled at all? What does this say about the internal cohesion of PAS and its internal discipline? Does this proposal reflect just a faction of opinion among PAS members, or is it actually representative of the party as a whole? And what does this mean with regards to PAS’s avowed claims to be a modern party that supports the democratisation process and dialogue with others?

It is hard, to say the least, to believe that a party can be supportive of democracy if it starts by calling for the banning of NGOs even before it comes to power…

For now however we are left to watch the internal and external drama of PAS unfold as the party seeks to re-consolidate itself after what was clearly a hectic assembly for all. The lingering question of where PAS really stands, and where it goes from here though will have to be addressed sooner than later. Continue reading “Another Lesson in PAS History: The Malaysian Public Does’nt Like Extremists”

By NHChan

Prelude – please read it before reading the article

I write this article so as to apprise the people who, in the mind of the general public, have taken the law into their own hands through the harassment of law abiding citizens of this country with the threat of using the Sedition Act 1948 on them. They should not have done it without first taking expert legal advice on the technical and difficult law of sedition under the Act.

After you have read this article, I am sure you will agree with me that the law of sedition is not easy for a layman to understand. Even lawyers and judges have found great difficulty in understanding it – let alone an uninitiated policeman. If the police are not careful, one of these days they will find themselves at the receiving end of a suit for malicious prosecution, false arrest or whatever the victims of their harassment would throw at them.

I hope you will bear with me if this time I am not able to explain difficult law in simple language as much as I would like to. It is at a time like this that I really appreciate the great ability of the late Lord Denning who was so adept at explaining difficult law to us ordinary folk. Continue reading “Did Kit Siang and Karpal commit sedition?”

My three questions (No.34 to No. 36 on the 12th 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:

1. Since becoming Transport Minister, Ong had misled Parliament and the nation in denying that his two predecessors as Transport Minister, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik and Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy had unlawfully issued four Letters of Support to Kuala Dimensi Snd. Bhd (KDSB), the PKFZ turnkey contractor – to raise RM4 billion bonds, which were regarded as government guarantees by the market.

The Transport Minister had no such powers to issue financial guarantees committing the government, as it could only be issued by the Finance Minister and only after Cabinet approval. Continue reading “PKFZ scandal – When will Ong Tee Keat make public apology for misleading Parliament and nation in past 14 months denying that Liong Sik/Kong Choy had unlawfully issued four Letters of Support”

By Farish A. Noor

How soon we forget. Malaysian politics is characterized by a curious form of ahistoricity and a willful neglect of history in general. The contribution of the diverse communities of Malaysia to the country’s nation-building process is often forgotten in the official narratives of the country, the role of women in our national history is seldom even mentioned.

Malaysian politicians and political parties are likewise blind to history, and even recent history at that. Which has prompted many of my students to ask me the same question: “How come people don’t seem to remember anything in this country, and how come alliances can be made one day and broken the day after?” Well that, dear students, is precisely what Malaysian politics is made up of: Pragmatism that is grounded on political ambitions rather than the empowerment and education of the people. Politics here seems to be more directed towards the acquisition of political power for politicians than the political empowerment of the public; for the latter means having to educate the public, and to remind them of their history as well.

Now that all of Malaysia is abuzz with talk about the impending collapse of the Pakatan Rakyat and the moves to bring the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party PAS closer to UMNO, let us revisit the history of these two parties for a while… Continue reading “How Soon We Forget: Malaysia’s Ahistorical Politics”

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. Continue reading “The simple things that we ask…”

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.
Continue reading “Congrats Zaki for being conferred a “Tun” but where is Court of Appeal judgment in Nizar vs Zambry case?”

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:

1. 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?

Continue reading “Who was the MCA President most responsible for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal – Liong Sik or Kong Choy?”

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.
Continue reading “Pakatan Rakyat facing first crisis of confidence since its formation after the March 8 political tsunami last year”

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. Continue reading “Demonisation and the Politics of Banning : Why PAS Should Look To Its Own History”

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. Continue reading “USM Apex Uni admission foul-up – USM shld put online full list of 4,574 students forwarded to UPU”

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:

1. 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!

Continue reading “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”

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: Continue reading “Najib’s great analysis about failings of BN leaders with himself as foremost example”

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, Continue reading “Home Ministry bans T shirts”

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 Continue reading “Public Forum – RM12.5 billion PKFZ Scandal: Will Heads Roll?”

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: Continue reading “PKFZ scandal — suspend Chor as deputy finance minister until he is cleared of conflict-of-interest”

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. Continue reading “Confidence motion in Parliament June 15 – another reason why Najib needs it”

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? Continue reading “Questions – will OTK present Ministerial statement on PwC report to Parliament followed by parliamentary debate on RM12.5 billion PKFZ Rip-off?”