Day: July 23, 2012

Dr Lim Teck Ghee
CPI

A few days ago a colleague sent me a copy of an email which read:

Though the government is denying it, we are seeing severe escalation of serious crime in the country. At lunch today, I learnt from a member of [respectable organization] that the xxxxxx Embassy is now holding briefings on crime and precautions. There is also a recent entry of some [foreign] crime groups. We are all living in fear….Most people would agree that the current crime rate is the worst we have ever seen. When victims lodge police report, often police will refuse the report as it affects their KPI.

There is a witticism which states that “there are lies, damn lies and statistics”.

A reminder of the close proximity between statistics and damn lies should be sent to Pemandu, the government’s Performance Management and Delivery Unit in the Prime Minister’s Department which has staunchly defended statistics showing street crime has fallen by 40 percent in the past two years. According to Pemandu too, the country’s crime index fell by more than 10% between January and May this year – a claim which has drawn hoots of derision from readers in the internet media.

It is a fact that Malaysians are cynical of the statistics put out by the government. Although the government has been at pains to argue that there is a declining trend in crime, the man in the street does not believe the government. The average Ali, Siva and Chong is even more agitated when the government blames the issue of escalating crime on public perception and blown-up media accounts. Continue reading “Why police are impotent in dealing with growing crime”

Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein deserves more than RM10 salary cut motions in the forthcoming budget Parliament for his “transformation” from a “know nothing Minister” to “all knowing Minister” all in a matter of 24 hours.

This is the transformation of Hishammuddin before the eyes of 28 million Malaysians in his response to the wild and reckless speech by Special Branch’s assistant director of the E2 (M) national social extremist threat division head Mohd Sofian Md Makinuddin to the National Youth Leaders Convention in Parliament last Thursday alleging that Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorists are infiltrating PAS and former communists infiltrating the DAP for the coming general election.

When asked on Friday, Hishammuddin put up the front that he is a Minister who knows nothing, pleading that he was “not sure” about the alleged infiltration of communists and terrorists into Pakatan Rakyat: “I don’t have the relevant information (about the issue) at the present moment. Therefore, I cannot say whether it is true or not. I can only say this much, this topic is very sensitive.”
When Hishammuddin was strongly criticized for his “most cowardly, craven and irresponsible response” to Sofian’s wild and reckless allegations and being “the lousiest Home Minister in the nation’s history”, as “how can a responsible Home Minister claim ignorance when a top Special Branch officer could go public to make the most damning allegations against Federal opposition parties?”, Hishammuddin performed a full somersault in 24 hours and claimed to be a “all knowing Minister”.
Continue reading “Hishammuddin deserves more than RM10 salary cut motions in forthcoming Parliament for his “transformation” from a “know nothing Minister” to “all knowing Minister” all in a matter of 24 hours”

Penampang is the sixth and last parliamentary constituency in my three-day tour of Sabah with DAP MP for Segambut Lim Lip Eng and Sabah DAP leaders which included Putatan, Sepanggar, Tuaran, Kota Belud and Tenom to feel the pulse of interior Sabah to the winds of political change blowing throughout the country since the political tsunami in the 2008 general election.

The inescapable impression and conclusion of our tour is that Sabahans, like their compatriots in the rest of Malaysia, are impatiently waiting for the 13 general election to see fundamental political and economic changes in the state and country.

Sabah has changed the state government four times in the past five decades but things have got from bad to worse for the people of Sabah whether on the increasingly grave issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah which have reduced the genuine sons and daughters of Sabah into foreigners and strangers in their own land in less than half a century, crime, corruption, poverty or just basic socio-economic amenities and infrastructures for the people of Sabah.

The political lesson is very clear – without political change in Putrajaya at the national level, it is very difficut to effect meaningful changes at the state level. This is why Sabah DAP has coined the slogan: “Save Sabah Save Malaysia”, as firstly, Sabah cannot be saved without saving Malaysia; and secondly, if Malaysia is to be saved, Sabah must also be saved.
Continue reading “Cabinet sincerity on RCI for illegal immigrants in Sabah cast under grave doubt when a top SB officer could condemn advocates of RCI as anti-national elements out to incite anti-peninsular sentiments among Sabahans”