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What makes New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and others “cleaner” than most countries?

By Marie Chêne
Senior Research Coordinator
Transparency International

New Zealand, Denmark, Finland and Sweden have been consistently ranked at the top of the Corruption Perceptions Index and are perceived to be the least corrupt of all the countries surveyed.

They are not perfect – still falling short of the target 10 out of 10 on the index – but many still want to know about how these countries have managed to contain corruption.

Beside law enforcement, there is a broad consensus that fighting corruption involves public participation and transparency mechanisms such as disclosure of information.

Preliminary findings from upcoming country studies for Finland, Denmark and Sweden indicate that this “integrity system” function relatively well in these countries.

But what makes their “national integrity systems” more effective? Continue reading “What makes New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and others “cleaner” than most countries?”

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Instruct police to speed up NFCorp probe, ex-top cop tells Najib

By Yow Hong Chieh
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 26, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak should use his powers as prime minister to expedite the probe into the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp), a former senior police officer said today.

Former city CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim said Najib could instruct the police, graftbusters and the Attorney-General’s Chambers to finish investigating the scandal-hit livestock company within a fortnight.

“Straightforward criminal breach of trust cases like [NFCorp] need at most two weeks,” he said in a statement.

“If the PM says he can’t interfere in the investigation or decision to prosecute, that’s just a weak and childish excuse.”

Mat Zain pointed out that in 1998, then-Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had ordered him to quickly wrap up the high-profile investigation into Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s black eye, failing which a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) would be set up to look into the police force. Continue reading “Instruct police to speed up NFCorp probe, ex-top cop tells Najib”

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NUJ to govt: Don’t muzzle the press

Patrick Lee | January 26, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

Let the media roam free during elections, the National Union of Journalists tells government.

PETALING JAYA: As the general election draws nearer, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has demanded that the government let go of its iron grip on the country’s media.

In a letter to Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on Electoral Reforms chairman Maximus Johnity Ongkili, NUJ general-secretary V Anbalagan listed a number of media-related proposals for the committee to consider.

Anbalagan claimed that these proposals –which included limiting the government’s control over the media – would ultimately create a level playing field for all political parties during the election.

“Journalists are to provide reliable information for everyone to take part in the democratic decision-making process. As such, it is the duty of the journalists to supply all individuals with diverse information for them to make decisions later,” he wrote.

Chief among the proposals was the setting up of a media monitoring committee, formed by the Election Commission (EC). Continue reading “NUJ to govt: Don’t muzzle the press”

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Most deplorable at Mohamad Salleh’s attempt at semantics when the RM336.64 million NFC/NFCorp scandal is not just a “mess” but “a terrible mess”

It is most deplorable and the height of irresponsibility that at this late stage, after three months of continuous almost-dailyh adverse publicity, the family of Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the Minister for Women, Family and Community Development, is still trying to shirk accountability with her husband, Datuk Seri Mohamad Salleh Ismail, the chairman of National Foodlot Corporation (NFCorp) Chairman claiming that the Auditor-General had confused NFCorp, a private entity, with the National Foodlot Centre (NFC) which is owned by the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry.

The Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang has not made any such mistake in his Federal Accounts Report 2010 and I am not aware that he had made any such admission in any subsequent statement.

Mohamad Salleh deserves public censure for his attempt at semantics to avoid accountability and responsibility when the RM336.64 million NFC scandal (which involves the NFCorp scandal) cries out for full disclosure and investigation, as the whole NFC/NFCorp scandal stinks, and is not just a “mess” (which the AG did not say) but a “terrible mess” (which the AG should have said)! Continue reading “Most deplorable at Mohamad Salleh’s attempt at semantics when the RM336.64 million NFC/NFCorp scandal is not just a “mess” but “a terrible mess””

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Najib and Muhyiddin should not be ignorant and contemptuous of Constitution and the law by exploiting the 3R cards of race, religion and Raja Melayu against DAP

Last Saturday, when two young Malay professionals from Perak both of whom UiTM law graduates, Fairuz Azhan and Dyana Sofia announced joining the DAP, close on the heels of similar announcements by Hata Wahari, former President of National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and two wellknown bloggers Mohd Arif Sabri or known as Sokmongkok AK47 on the blogosphere and Aspan Alias, UMNO Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin was sufficiently upset at Malays joining DAP as to come out with a public statement.

In the coming weeks, when more Malays, both young and old, join DAP in the struggle for a united, just, democratic and competitive Malaysia for all Malaysians, the Prime Minister and UMNO President, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy UMNO President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin would be the next persons to be upset and shocked.

Let me inform the UMNO leaders that this is the tide of the times and no force in the world can stop more Malays joining up with other Malaysians from other ethnicities in DAP to build a common destiny as Malaysian citizens for future generations of Malaysians.

DAP has right from the beginning of our formation 46 years ago committed to the cause for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region – the forerunner of the 1Malaysia policy promulgated by Najib when he became Prime Minister but which could not secure unanimous and unconditional support of his Cabinet and Barisan Nasional leadership after 33 months. Continue reading “Najib and Muhyiddin should not be ignorant and contemptuous of Constitution and the law by exploiting the 3R cards of race, religion and Raja Melayu against DAP”

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Mengapa saya pilih DAP

– Oleh Fairuz Azhan
Roketkini
25 January 2012

25 JANUARI – Baru-baru ini satu sidang media telah diadakan di Ipoh untuk memperkenalkan saya dan saudari Dyana Sofya yang membuat keputusan untuk menyertai DAP.

Berita tentang kami sebagai dua orang graduan undang-undang dari UiTM menyertai DAP bagaikan telah mencetuskan fenomena dan pelbagai reaksi daripada pelbagai lapisan masyarakat am.

Bukan sahaja saya datang daripada sebuah universiti Bumiputera tetapi saya bersekolah di sebuah sekolah berasrama penuh Melayu di Ipoh yang cukup terkenal. Malah alma mater saya, Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman dahulu dikenali sebagai MSS atau pun Malay Secondary School.

Saya bukanlah golongan orang Melayu yang ‘tak bersyukur’, malah sebaliknya. Segala pendedahan dan ilmu yang saya perolehi saya guna pakai untuk berfikir bagaimana untuk menambah baik keadaan di negara kita. Continue reading “Mengapa saya pilih DAP”

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Khairy Jamaluddin: Musuh saudara dalam Umno, bukan DAP

— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 26, 2012

26 JAN — Khairy Jamaluddin, Ketua Pemuda Umno Malaysia, telah meminta DAP mengeluarkan senarai ahli-ahlinya dari kaum Melayu jika benar DAP sekarang sedang mendapat sokongan dari kaum Melayu. Khairy berkata setakat tiga orang Melayu yang menyertai DAP itu tidak melambangkan yang parti itu sudah diterima oleh orang Melayu. Saya tidak yakin kenapa penyertaan orang Melayu di akhir-akhir ini menjadi isu dari Sabah hingga ke Perlis.

Saya hanya hendak memberikan komen yang pendek terhadap cabaran Khairy ini dan saya rasa boleh memberikan jawapan kepada kenyataan Khairy itu kerana saya adalah salah seorang dari orang Melayu yang telah menyertai DAP baru-baru ini.

Untuk pengetahuan Khairy DAP tidak membuat pengasingan ahli-ahlinya mengikut bangsa dan agama. Di dalam borang permohonan menjadi ahli, tidak ada petak yang bertanyakan dari kaum apa pemohon-pemohon tersebut kerana sebagai sebuah parti yang memperjuangkan untuk semua tanpa mengira kaum dan budaya bangsa dan ethnik ahli-ahli tidak menjadi perkara penting. Continue reading “Khairy Jamaluddin: Musuh saudara dalam Umno, bukan DAP”

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Politik perkauman akhiri zamannya

— Abd Shukur Harun
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 26, 2012

26 JAN — Tidak syak lagi bahawa generasi baru, malah sesetengah generasi lama juga, telah dengan jelas menolak politik perkauman. Dengan itu parti politik yang berasaskan kaum, atau tebal dengan perkauman sedang menghadapi zaman gelapnya.

Dengan itu, tidak mungkin lagi politik perkauman akan terus mendominasi iklim politik di Malaysia, justru golongan yang mendukung politik perkauman semakin merosot dan terus merosot.

DAP yang sejak puluhan tahun digambarkan oleh musuh politiknya sebagai parti perkauman Cina, kini berusaha keras memulihkan imejnya sebagai parti politik untuk semua kaum di Malayia. Usahanya itu sebanyak sedikit menampakkan hasil di mana sudah ada tokoh-tokoh Melayu yang menyertainya.

Keterlibatan tokoh Melayu itu mampu menonjolkan kesungguhan DAP untuk dilihat secara praktikal sebagai parti bukan perkauman. Tokoh terkini Melayu dalam DAP yang mula mengukir nama ialah seperti Zairil Khir Johari (anak Tan Sri Khir Johari), Prof Arifin Omar, Mohd Arif Sabri seorang blogger yang terkenal dengan nama samaran Sokmongkol AK 47, bekas Presiden Kesatuan Wartawan Malaysia (NUJ), Hatta Wahari dan mungkin ramai lagi yang sudah memasang niat untuk bersama DAP.

Ramai yakin untuk memastikan Melayu dilihat ada tempat dalam DAP, mereka akan diberi kedudukan tertentu untuk ditonjolkan sebagai tokoh Melayu dalam DAP.

Kalangan yang menyertai DAP ini sudah tentu mempunyai persepsi yang sama bahawa masa depan politik Malaysia bukanlah politik perkauman. Justru mereka melihat Pakatan Rakyat — di mana terdiri dari PAS, DAP dan PKR — mempunyai potensi yang sangat baik. Continue reading “Politik perkauman akhiri zamannya”

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A Critique of the ETP (Part 2) – We won’t really be twice as rich in 2020

By Dr. Ong Kian Ming BSc (LSE), MPhil (Cantab), PhD (Duke)
Teh Chi-­-Chang, CFA, BSc (Warwick), MBA (Cantab)
Refsa | 25 January 2012

RM48,000 in 2020 is not real income. The ETP promises to double gross national income (GNI) per capita to RM48,000 by 2020 from RM23,700 in 2009. However, RM48,000 in 2020 will be worth a lot less than RM48,000 today, just like RM100 today buys a lot less than RM100 eight years ago, thanks to ever-rising prices. If Malaysians are really to be twice better off, nominal income must be RM64,000 by then, to compensate for the 2.8% per year inflation that PEMANDU expects.

Nothing transformational in the RM48,000 target. This target is for nominal income, which includes inflation, and not real income, which strips out inflation. Because of inflation, nominal GNI per capita growth averaged 8.2% from 2001-2010, whereas real GNI grew only 3.2%. At the historical average 8.2% per year growth rate, nominal incomes will exceed RM48,000 by 2018 anyway, with or without the ETP or PEMANDU.

PEMANDU and its expensive consultants cannot even get basic mathematics correct. If the income target is RM48,000, PEMANDU’s 6% real GNI growth rate and 2.8% inflation forecasts are wrong. If its growth and inflation forecasts are right, then the RM48,000 target is wrong – it should be RM54,145 in 2020, not RM48,000. Furthermore, key metrics of some EPPs – the investment value, GNI contribution and jobs created – are unavailable.
Continue reading “A Critique of the ETP (Part 2) – We won’t really be twice as rich in 2020”

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Khazanah sold Proton for no profits?

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | January 25, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

The ‘Che Det Consensus’ is an economy built around problem solving that is ‘practical’ only for the Malaysia’s business and Umno political elite.

COMMENT

I found it odd the statement from Khazanah Nasional Bhd that it didn’t make profit from its sale of Proton Holdings Bhd’s shares to DRB-Hicom Bhd. If no profits were made, why sell the shares?

Secondly, Khazanah’s statement can be construed as an admission that it was given a fait accompli – take this price and don’t ask any questions. In Malaysia, only one person can do that – the man who can walk on water – Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

I hope I can throw more light on the sale of Proton shares to DRB-Hicom. Were there any other bids besides DRB-Hicom presented to Khazanah?

Is Khazanah brave enough to publish the identity of all the bidders?

If it has the courage to do so, we shall not be surprised if the bidders were the Tengku Mahalil-Arumugam group, DRB-Hicom and Nazmi and company. And they all have only one master – Mahathir. Continue reading “Khazanah sold Proton for no profits?”