Month: October 2011

Was the former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Rahim Noor’s Perkasa speech warning of “a human rights wave” which would be like “a new religion” and threaten and erode the basis on which the nation was founded an open proxy shot in a battle of three Malaysian Prime Ministers about democracy, human rights and the rule of law not only in Malaysia but in the Commonwealth and the world?

It can be no coincidence that Rahim Noor’s speech was immediately given endorsement by his former boss and the fourth Malaysian Prime Minister of 22 years, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, who warned that “Opposition politicians are using human rights issues for their political benefit”.

It can also be no coincidence that the two warnings by Mahathir and Rahim, made in a matter of 24 hours, came on the eve of the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, which is to consider the scathing report of the 11-member Eminent Persons Group (EPG) with wide-ranging and far-reaching reform proposals to end its organizational “decay” and to avoid the Commonwealth being condemned by history as “hypocritical” allowing rogue member states to violate human rights and democratic conventions.

It has been reported that the 220-page report of the EPG, which has not been made public despite the EPG’s request that it be released before the CHOGM opening this morning, contained “a wide ranging and at times unexpectedly radical road map for change, outlined in 106 detailed recommendations aimed at hauling the organization into the 21st century” – including the appointment of an independent Commonwealth Commissioner for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights commissioner empowered to monitor violations and propose action against them. Continue reading “Was Rahim Noor’s Perkasa speech warning of “a human rights wave” an open proxy shot in a battle of three Malaysian Prime Ministers?”

Malaysiakini
Oct 27, 2011

A former senior police officer alleges that the Najib Abdul Razak administration is not willing to take action to form a tribunal against attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail for his alleged wrong-doings, following fears that it (the government) could also be similarly implicated in such crimes.

Mat Zain Ibrahim, in his open letter sent to Najib last week and made available to Malaysiakini today, claims that he briefed Najib in 2008 when he was still the deputy premier about Gani’s alleged misconduct.

In the open letter titled ‘Rule of Law government breaks its promises’, Mat Zain stated there is a public perception that Najib refuses to take action against Gani (right) because the premier feared the AG may expose some so-called secrets with regard to Altantuya Sharibuu or the Scorpene submarines purchase.

“I am of the opinion that YAB Datuk Seri and the government will do everything possible to avoid any criminal charges being preferred against Gani. The government is worried that should Gani be proven to have abused his powers for cheating or falsification/corruption, then simultaneously the government would then be guilty of having done the same thing since 1990.” Continue reading “Ex-cop: Why is the gov’t afraid to act on Gani Patail?”

Written by Dr Lim Teck Ghee
CPI
Thursday, 27 October 2011

Minister of Higher Education Khaled Nordin, in his speech announcing the establishment of the National Council of Professors, reminded Malaysian professors to not only be “super gurus” in focusing on their respective careers but to contribute their expertise and participate in national life.

The recently established professors’ council comprising over 1,500 professors in the public universities did indeed weigh in on a national debate not too long ago, namely, ‘Was Mat Indera a communist or a patriot?’

Academics such as professors and professor emeritus Ridhuan Tee, Ramlah Adam, Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, Khoo Kay Kim, and their ilk enjoy the academic rights and freedom of expression through their comments appearing regularly in the mass media.

Having themselves taken advantage of these rights – in my view, correctly so, and one further assumes they would want to continue to enjoy such freedom – their silence therefore on the action taken by International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) don, Prof. Abdul Aziz Bari, is somewhat of an anomaly. Continue reading “Docile academics and the case of Prof. Aziz Bari”

Who must bear responsibility for the deception and sleight-of-hand delaying tabling the 2010 Auditor-General’s reports on the annual and continuing “horror of horrors” of government financial hanky-panky, mismanagement and misappropriations of public funds until after the general debate in Parliament on the 2010 Budget (except for the official Ministerial winding-ups) is over?

Is he the Prime Minister or Chief Secretary? Or nobody need be held responsible for this gross parliamentary disrespect and deception?

Although the Auditor-General’s Reports for 2010 rated most ministries and government departments as “excellent” in their financial management, the Auditor-General nonetheless made history producing two thickest and most voluminous reports in Malaysian history on the Federal Government’s Accounts totally over 1,330 pages – retailing the hair-raising pecaddiloes and major transgressions in the government’s public finances in the first full year of Najib’s premiership in 2010.

The first public conclusion from the 2010 Auditor-General’s Reports is that there is no difference between Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s National Transformation Policy and his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s “Islam Hadhari” – as horror tales of financial hanky-panky, mismanagement and misappropriations continue unchanged, year in and year out, whether under Najib, Abdullah or even Tun Mahathir’s time as Prime Minister.
Continue reading “Who must bear responsibility for the deception delaying tabling the 2010 Auditor-General’s reports until after the end of the general debate on the 2012 Budget – Prime Minister or Chief Secretary?”

By Lim Guan Eng

Both my wife and I are outraged at the continued attacks by BN leaders on the lies about my young son outraging the modesty of his girl classmate, causing him to be transferred to another school and that I had even paid RM200,000 to the girl’s family to hush up the matter. I had wanted to let the matter rest after my young son, who is not even 16, was proven innocent.

My son was clearly a victim of morally despicable and barbaric lies when proven that: –

1. my son had transferred to St Xavier Institution in January 2011 and not in May 2011 as alleged;

2. the picture of the alleged girl classmate victim was “faked”, as she is a 21 year old woman from Hong Kong and not even a Malaysian

3. the alleged victim, Anya Corke, had issued a statement denying the allegation. She said that she had not been victimized by my son and she had never met me or my son. Anya added that she had never been assaulted and that the only way in which her ‘modesty was outraged’ has been by the publication of her picture by the pro-UMNO blogs in connection with these lies.

4. my son’s former school, SMJK Heng Ee principal Mr Goh Boon Poh has also publicly denied that such an incident had happened; and

5. Penang Education Director Encik Ahmad Tarmizi Kamaruddin had told the Star on 22.10.2011 that his department found no evidence to back the claims of sexual misconduct against my son in the pro-UMNO blogs.

Continue reading “A Police Report Will Be Lodged Against UMNO Online Within 48 Hours If No Withdrawal And Apology Is Made By UMNO Online”

by M Jegathesan, AFP | October 27, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

BAKUN DAM: The first turbine is spinning, electricity is pulsing out, and the water level is climbing in the Borneo jungle behind Malaysia’s huge US$2.2 billion Bakun hydroelectric dam.

But questions continue to swirl around the viability of a project described by critics as a graft-plagued human and ecological disaster – and as opposition mounts against a dozen other planned dams in Sarawak.

The first turbine from French giant Alstom began producing electricity in August and the dam’s reservoir has swelled to the size of Singapore since impoundment began a year ago.

After years of warnings about the impact on Sarawak’s pristine jungles and the forced removal of thousands of local tribespeople, the dam’s head Zulkifle Osman sees light at the end of the tunnel.
Continue reading “‘Monument of Corruption’ still gets flak”

By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 27, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail should not have been involved in falsifying evidence in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s 1998 “black eye” probe, a former senior policeman said today of his private meeting in October 2008 with the prime minister.

Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim, who has led a one-man campaign to remove the Attorney-General (AG), said he had met Najib, who was then the deputy prime minister, to discuss his allegations against Abdul Gani (picture) and the then Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan.

“Even though Gani’s intention might been to help the IGP (Tan Sri Rahim Noor), falsifying evidence is still wrong which he should not have done,” Mat Zain quoted Najib as telling him.

The former city criminal investigation chief also quoted Najib as saying “I got to know that (former IGP Tan Sri) Musa (Hassan)’s role was not as bad as Gani’s and I think he can get away with it.” Continue reading “Mat Zain claims Najib knew of AG’s alleged wrongdoings”

By Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 27, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — Teoh Beng Hock’s family accused the Najib administration of “taking grieving family members for a ride” by not pushing for criminal charges against three national graftbusters despite a royal investigation panel finding the trio contributed to the political aide’s death two years ago.

The Teohs said the government’s inaction casts serious doubt not only on the credibility of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) the prime minister foisted on the family, but its chairman, Federal Court judge Tan Sri Datuk Seri James Foong Cheng Yuen.

“What we do not understand is until today, why the government still thinks the RCI report does not carry enough evidence for commencing action against these officers who have abused their power, but spends more public funds to conduct another round of investigation?” the dead DAP aide’s family questioned in an email statement to The Malaysian Insider.

“We want to know then, on what basis that we, the grieving family members of the deceased, were asked to accept the findings stated in the RCI report, that Beng Hock died of forced suicide?” they asked. Continue reading “Teoh kin rue Putrajaya’s reluctance to charge MACC trio”

By Yow Hong Chieh
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 26, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 – The nation’s former top cop has likened the rise of the human rights movement in Malaysia to Communism, and said this would lead to the questioning of “accepted truths” like the social contract.

“Every century has its wave… and we cannot avoid being hit by this wave.

“Now, it’s the human rights wave… Before that, it was the wave of Marxism, Socialism,” former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor said today.

He was speaking at the 2nd Perkasa general assembly at Dewan Centrum here today after officiating the event. Continue reading “Human rights movement like Communism, says former IGP”

— P. Ramakrishnan
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 26, 2011

OCT 26 — Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had amazingly stated that if Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng “thinks it is important to correct the information, then he has to come up with a strong statement…Mere denial is not enough”.

The Penang chief minister had rubbished this fraudulent allegation in the strongest possible terms. He had not minced his words in condemning this false allegation. In castigating the pro-Umno blogs that spread this false allegation, he had strongly condemned their nefarious conduct as “morally despicable and barbaric lies”.

The chief minister also challenged Umno to act against those guilty of this to prove that the party does not employ “desperate, dangerous and dirty tactics.” He also condemned several Umno leaders for highlighting “this shameful episode” in their blogs. He had referred to these characters as “pro-Umno ferocious beasts”.

Aren’t these strong words that had taken to task these unsavoury characters, dear DPM? Frankly, are these words mere denial, Mr DPM? Ask anyone and you will be told that these words are uttered with disgust and they convey a terrible outrage of a person overcome with grief and anger. These are certainly strong words that show utter contempt for these lies. Continue reading “Perverse logic, baffling statement”

— Nawawi Mohamad
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 25, 2011

OCT 25 — The headlines in the news are crying foul over the extravagance, abusive and utter lunacy in the way the government and its machineries have spent our money. Nine ministries and government departments over spent the allocations, 50 per cent failures under poverty eradication projects, procedures were breached, the Bukit Jalil stadium is not save and too many others that need not be mentioned here.

In short the vast preponderance of funds for the ministries, departments and government agencies could become a “bottomless pit” for the taxpayers. Please be aware that in the 2010 budget allocation 73 per cent was for operating and 27 per cent for development expenditures; a skewed proportion.

That is why there was a delay in announcing the audit report done by the PAC. The whole debacle reflects how irresponsible the government is. This is bad governance.

Unfortunately there is no indication that the government is trying to improve its performance. The government still holds back and distort the process of development and will continue to disproportionate the poorer and weaker of society. The government will continue to withhold critical budgetary operational information to the public. Continue reading “The bottomless pit”

— Ali Kadir
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 25, 2011

OCT 25 — Some of us sing the Negaraku with gusto, we fly the flag and proclaim ourselves patriots. But do we really care about Malaysia, care enough that we will do more than just sit and shake our heads when something so wrong and unjust and corrupt happens before our eyes.

I am referring to the Auditor-General’s report for last year and I am not talking about the sanitised version in the mainstream media. Does it bother us that:

* the RM142 million RazakSAT malfunctioned barely a year after being commissioned, and was woefully inaccurate. Why was it commissioned? Who approved it? Who made a bundle from this project? We will never get answers to this crucial questions and we will never learn? Because the accountability of our politicians and decision makers is zero.

* the Tourism Ministry overpaid RM270 million in advertisements because it chose not to go for open tenders. Guess what, the ministry breached Treasury regulations in doing so. Ng Yen Yen’s ministry also paid RM1,950 for a pamphlet rack. Continue reading “Do we care?”

Deepavali celebrates the triumph over evil and light over darkness.

With the 13th General Election just around the corner, let all Malaysians join Malaysian Hindus to mark this auspicious occasion with one single-minded wish –

“Let the light of love, justice and moderation triumph over the darkness of hate, extremism and intolerance to build an united, just and prosperous plural Malaysia.”

Recently, Malaysia’s body politic had been poisoned by an outpouring of hate, extremism and intolerance. All moderate Malaysians of good sense and goodwill, regardless of race or creed, must unite to reclaim our country from such hate, extremism and intolerance to build a nation all Malaysians can fully belong and feel proud in having an equal place under the Malaysian sun.

Happy Deepavali to all Malaysians.

The de facto Law Minister, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz has given a very lame excuse why the Attorney-General is not pursuing legal action against Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers on Teoh Beng Hock’s death following the James Foong Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) Report – telling Parliament yesterday that no police report has been lodged over the matter.

Why didn’t the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail direct that a police report be lodged on Teoh Beng Hock’s death based on the findings and new leads in the James Foong Royal Commission of Inquiry Report?
The finding of the James Foong RCI into the death of Teoh Beng Hock (TBH) that “TBH was driven to commit suicide by the aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation by certain officers of the MACC”(Para 119) is not acceptable as it is mere speculation and not backed up by evidence.

There are however sufficient reasons from the RCI report why a high-level special investigation squad should be formed to break the conspiracy of “blue wall of silence” (RCI Report) of MACC officers to pinpoint and to bring to book Beng Hock’s killers as well for prosecution for crimes committed in the process, viz: Continue reading “Very lame excuse – why AG not acting against MACC officers for Teoh Beng Hock’s death following James Foong RCI report?”

By Tony Pua

Every year Malaysians are treated to a series of “tall tales” in the Auditor-General Report, which are unfortunately true stories. This year, despite an “upgrade” in ratings for the overall financial management by Government departments and agencies, the tales of financial abuse and degrees of incompetence is no less fantastic than previous years.

In previous years, we had screw drivers worth RM32 was purchased at RM224 or a car jack worth RM50 purchased at RM5,700 making a complete mockery of the Government’s procurement process. Last year, Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi Mara in Balik Pulau purchased a whole list of products for its computer laboratory at prices well above that of the market, including 2 Acer computer laptops at RM84,640 when it is worth only be a tenth of the price paid.

This year is no different with the Marine Parks Department taking the leading role by purchasing binoculars worth not more than RM1,940 was purchased at RM56,350, more than 28 times the market price. It was of course not the only offending item – the Department purchased RM192,694 worth of products including common items such as laptops, printers, LCD TV, DVD Player when their total value should not exceed RM20,193.
Continue reading “Call for a Financial Accountability Commission answerable to the Parliament with full powers to take punitive actions”

By M. Bakri Musa | October 23rd, 2011

Chapter 10: Freedom, Justice, and the Law
Personal Liberty in Malaysia – The Abomination That is the ISA

To me the ISA is an abomination. If indeed the Act is for the protection of society, as its supporters suggest, then it has failed miserably. ISA did not prevent the May 1969 tragedy, the 1984 Memali massacre, or more recently, the equally deadly Kampong Medan melee. Surprisingly, the government chose not to use this powerful statute to arrest members of the Al Maunah group involved in the deadly arms heist in 2000 of the army camp in Grik, Perak. Instead the state charged them with waging war against the King. Surely such a crime is the ultimate threat to peace. If there is one situation where the ISA would have been appropriate, this is it. But the government opted for an open trial where its evidence was subjected to cross-examination and public display. There was no indication that the nation’s security and safety were compromised by the subsequent open trial.
Continue reading “Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #86”

By Zunar

by Hazlan Zakaria
Malaysiakini
6:45PM Oct 24, 2011

The fate of a failed government-linked company and its RM250 million government soft loan that was made debate fodder by the Opposition in Parliament recently is in the sight of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

“This matter has been made much of in Parliament. The PAC will look into National Feedlot Corporation, which is under the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries,” its chairperson Azmi Khalid told reporters after chairing the financial oversight body’s maiden meeting for this session at Parliament House today.

The opposition raised red flags on the corporation, not just because of its non-performance but more so because of National Feedlot’s link to the son and husband of a federal minister. Continue reading “Parliamentary body to probe feedlot project”

Hafiz Yatim | 2:18PM Oct 24, 2011
Malaysiakini

Instead of fully utilising a RM54 million allocation to provide training courses for the hardcore poor, Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) spent money on related items – at 100 percent more than the market price.

The 2010 Auditor-General’s Report, tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today, states that the funds were provided under the second Economic Stimulus programme to help the poor boost their income

Some of the purchases highlighted in the report:

•An oven at RM1,200 compared to the market price of RM419, for baking and pastry-making courses in Kelantan

•Folding beds at RM500, against the market price of RM100

•Two-burner gas cookers at RM200 each, rather than RM59.90

•Hair clippers supplied at RM250 each, instead of RM79

•A blender at RM140 instead of RM60 Continue reading “Mara ticked off for high-priced purchases”

Nigel Aw | 5:45PM Oct 24, 2011
Malaysiakini

The Malaysian Marine Parks Department (JTLM) spent a whopping RM56,350 for a pair of night vision Marine binoculars, 29 times more than its market value of RM1,940, the 2010 Auditor-General’s report reveals.

The department paid the same amount for another pair of night vision Bushnell binoculars, or 1,893 percent more than its actual price of RM2,827.

It similarly overpaid RM38,470 and RM13,918 for a Colour Marine radar set costing RM8,255 and a LCD TV with DVD player costing RM16,100 and RM2,182 respectively.

Other items include:

•Laptop and colour printer at RM11,845, instead of RM3,428 (246 percent more)

•Hand-held portable VHF Transceiver at RM4,324, instead of RM1,561 (177 percent more) Continue reading “Price of binoculars zooms 29 times”