Yesterday, Parliament was presented with the spectacle of a Deputy Minister winding up on behalf of his Ministry in the 2009 Budget debate when he was totally out of his depths – Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Abu Seman Yusop on the current controversy over the billion-ringgit 12 Cougar EC725 Eurocopters.
As a result, both the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had to subsequently make supplementary statements outside the House to salvage the damage caused by Abu Seman in his “atrocious” parliamentary performance.
Immediately after lunch break yesterday, I had stood up in Parliament to ask Abu Seman the reason for three different sets of figures for the Eurocopter deal, firstly, RM1.604 billion he mentioned in the House; secondly, the RM1.1 billion cited by the Defence Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Abu Bakar Abdullah as reported in the media on 17th October 2008; and thirdly, the RM1.67 billion given by the Prime Minister-cum-Defence Minister on Tuesday, October 29, 2008.
When I had first pointed out the difference in the deputy minister’s figures with the Defence Ministry secretary-general, Abu Seman was clearly caught by surprise and I had to ask him whether he read newspapers last Saturday which reported Abu Bakar’s statement.
On the three sets of different figures, Abu Seman tried to wriggle out of the question by claiming that foreign exchange fluctuations factored in the differences in figure.
Abu Seman was dumbstruck when I shot down this untenable excuse, as I pointed out that the helicopter tender made it very clear that the bids would be evaluated as quoted in Malaysian ringgit based on the foreign exchange rate on the closing date of the bid.
Abu Seman was then reduced to the plaintive protest: “You can say what you want!”
How pathetic.
But Abu Seman was not the only Deputy Minister who was completely out of his depths in Parliament yesterday.
The Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Chor Chee Heung was not very much better.
I asked Chor to give details of the police helicopters “shelved” because of the global financial crisis to enable the government to reallocate public expenditures.
This is the Star report today:
Cops defer plans to buy copters
POLICE have deferred plans to buy eight helicopters. The purchase will instead be made under the 10th Malaysia Plan.
A sum of RM272mil had originally been set aside to buy the helicopters.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung revealed this when replying to Lim Kit Siang (DAP – Ipoh Timur).
He said the allegation that the helicopters were being bought at RM350mil in a direct negotiation deal was not true.
“The police intended to have the helicopters to increase efficiency but the purchase has been deferred,” he said when winding up the debate on the Budget.
Chor’s answer is at complete variance with that given by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Amirsham Aziz the previous night.
Responding to my query, Amirsham had said that the purchase of 21 police helicopters had been suspended in view of the looming economic crisis.
Why is Chor talking about eight police helicopters when Amirsham had talked about 21 police helicopters?
Another example of a deputy minister who did not know what he was answering in Parliament?
Is Chor unaware of police request for 21 police helicopters?
Like Abu Seman, Chor should keep abreast of newspaper reports, particularly the statements of his officers so as not to make a public exhibition of the most embarrassing ignorance about goings-on in his Ministry.
I would refer Chor to the Utusan Malaysia report on of 13th August 2008 on the statement by the Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan that the Cabinet had approved 21 helicopters for the police, viz:
LABUAN 12 Ogos – Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) akan menambah 21 buah helikopter bagi meningkatkan kecekapan operasinya terutama di dalam mengawasi perairan negara, kata Ketua Polis Negara, Tan Sri Musa Hassan.
Menurut Musa, cadangan untuk membeli helikopter itu telah diluluskan oleh Kabinet baru-baru ini dan kerajaan akan memutuskan pembelian aset tersebut kemudian.
‘‘Pada masa ini kita (PDRM) mempunyai 12 buah helikopter dan jumlah itu tidak mencukupi memandangkan tugas pasukan semakin mencabar,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas acara menembak sempena lawatan wakil media ke Pulau Layang-layang, dekat sini hari ini.
Was Chor completely unaware of police plans to buy 21 helicopters, as appeared to be the case?
Malaysian taxpayers are entitled to better and higher standard of parliamentary performance by government leaders.
In the reply of the Defence and Home Ministries yesterday in the 2009 Budget debate in Parliament, the Ministers concerned, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, should have been in the House to reply personally instead of delegating to their deputy ministers who were completely in the dark on important and sensitive developments in their Ministries.
Lim Kit Siang, please stop the accusations against our Ministers. You are not in the position to question all these as this is the internal affairs of the Home Ministry. You should mind your own business and go back and read your books!
Eurocopter= Yes sir, 1.1billion.
Middleman = Ya datuk, 1.604billion.
4th Floor = Ya dad, 1.67billion.
ZZZ PM = Yes, 1.7billion.
Alas! They are at it again. With regard to the purchase of the police helicopters, why are there contradictions in the numbers’ game? What is what now? Is it 8 or 21 helicopters? Who is right – the Minister in the PM’s Department or the Deputy HM? Have they done their homework before releasing the figures? What humbug!
@Kasim: please make it clear WHO should actually go home and read the books/newspapers. Just becoz you cant stand how the BN jokers making jokes using the tax payer’s money in the parliament – it does not mean that u can order Uncle Lim to stop embarassing these jokers!
Well done Uncle Lim.
Come on, Kasim Amat. Let’s be logical and sensible! Don’t throw sinister and unwarranted accusations at MPs who are doing their rightful duties as they are accountable to the people. The rakyat has a right to know what is going on around because tax-payers’ money is involved. If the BN MPs want to sleep, let them sleep and see what will happen to them in the next GE!
hi kassim, LKS is speaking on behalf of the rakyat. who are you to stop him from doing his job in the house?!
///Abdul Razak Baginda acquitted
S Pathmawathy | Oct 31, 08 10:10am
BREAKING NEWS! updated 1pm with Anwar’s comments The court however ordered Azilah and Sirul to enter their defence to a charge of murder in the Altantuya Shaariibuu case///–Malaysiakini
Even if Azilah and Sirul are convicted of murder we will still not know who masterminded the killing. Unless we are told otherwise, the two accused could not have known Atlantuja Shaariibuu prior to her entry into Malaysia. Even after her arrival, the two could not have known her without another party involved. Abdul Razak Baginda has been acquitted, and we trust the judgment of the court. But wo do not think that the police have done a thorough job in getting the murder case solved. We need to know the motive to the killing. who motivated the murder?
Dear Kasim, Hope you are not just to provoke unnecessary hatre among commentator at this website.
No one is perfect and it need check and balance. A sport person will not improve without competition. Likewise, it goes to BN as current ruling party unless there is a self control system that reflects the people wish.
Unless you are the one who contribute the tax to the government, I believe every reasonable tax payer who contribute to the government coffer want LKS voice and you are the one to shut up instead.
Not only deputy ministers even some ministers do not know what they are answering in Parliament.
Some of them are in position for political interest and not really accountable. They just take the perks and robs the nation while they are in power. To them the rakyat do not know what happen in Parliament, the kampong folks couldn’t care less as long as they survive and with UMNO taking advantage of the situation, thing may not change, Pakatan Rakyat has to find a way to ensure information will flow all over Malaysia to every corners of the country.
Both deputy ministers deserved to be grilled and looked like clown for trying to protect their bosses. Serve them right for being a moron.
I think the Russies aren’t too happy either. I am sure a lot of roubles has been promised with the deal, otherwise how come every gomen official from PM down cannot come up with the same figure.?
I bet Najis will not be making an appearance too soon in Moscow. Who knows, the Russian Mafia may even be paying a visit to Putrajaya to commemorate Najis upcoming inauguration> perhaps with a bigger deal worth triple the current figures?
Kassim like BN goons…don’t know what they are talking about. LKS is doing his job, period. These are not accusations. These are facts. BN ministers do not know what is going on…how are they to lead the country. Seems like there are many camps in this shady deal!
Sorry out of the topic.
Abdul Razak walked out a free man to be re-united with Najib as his political adviser when Najib become the PM in March??
Kasim Amat not your real name, please don’t hide behind, show me you got 2 balls, you are just an idiot. You are the one who should mind your own business and go to hell!
Oh, this kassim bum again. Thats the problem with this country. We have bums like this Kassim or “kissim” that are totally ignorant of what is going on in this bolehland.
This bum fit just right in the category of our so called “Abu Semen” and our “Mr Chor” (who is always “chor” on cantonese).
By the way, kissim, oh sorry kassim, please dont make yourself look so stupid with your comments in this blog. Any dumb dumb bloggers can write better comments than you.
Coming back to the conflicting views of our current great ministers on the Eurocopter deal. My conclusion is that, they acted this way was because the deal has been put on hold. No $$$$$$.. and free trips abroad la.
TDM was right. Half Past Six Cabinet.
From the boss who could not even get his facts on the cost of the helicopter purchase right, to his Mindef deputy who is even more blur on the price variance and purchase procedures to the Deputy Home minister who also cannot get his facts right on the number of police helicopter purchase, I shudder to think that these are the same people who makes those billion dollar decisions of our taxpayers money and our well being.
If no a single Malaysian allowed to question how the bl***dy gomen spent (more like squandered off) our hard-earned money, then how on earth should we the Malaysian taxpayers continue to pay our taxes and contribute to EPF.
We should give straight to charity and not the scumbags.
Simple as A, B, C. Got it? Guess not.
Next time they will say there is no such deal exists, therefore the issue of price does not exist
Gomen misuse our taxes. So stop paying taxes and donate straight to charity.
Many poor and needy need our help. Gomen fails to help the poor and needy even after given 51 yrs. Rich getting richer. Poor getting poorer due to mismanagement like this Eurochoper deal.
Got it Kassim?! Guess not.
Kasim Amat,
It is YB’s business as representative of the people. It is our money they are spending. If you are ignorant or blinded by the incompetency of govt Ministers, I suggest, you should just zip up!
Ministers, who could not give accurate explanations have no business to be in Parliament.
Kasim Amat,
We will not be intimidated and we will not sit still and keep quiet. So dont be kurang ajar get it? We are going to bury your boss into the ground for crime against Rakyat Malaysia. Now that is treason in my book.
Off the subject..if I may.
Good news is 15 sen petrol reduction.
Bad news…Mongolian girl.. murder case…..real murderer not even on trial. .Stand in….acquitted…..good for him.
Father of murdered girl….not happy….saying the only one in Malaysia..who knew her daughter…is acquitted.
That…I think..he is wrong. Her daughter new one more.
Unfortunately…Muslim names can be easily confused…..if both have some sort of….names …with similar.. pronunciations.
Yes…I am happy for Baginda.
…he is acquitted. That’s good news for some.
No wonder our country can’t move forward, because we have so many ‘expert’ that his heart is blind, ear deaf, logically illness, think using his big-small bal*s… talk like a sound of fart… I’m talking about you, Ahmad Kassim, you!!!
Razak Baginda is out. You all not remember that Najis already sms that he will be ok? No big surprise in this Najisland…
…
In reply to Kasim Amat, it is obvious this blogger does not understand the functions of Parliament. It is Mr Lim’s business and his duty, as an elected representative of his constituency, to question the actions of the govt. when the rakyat’s money is used. Unfortunately, the likes of Kasim Amat and BN supporters are not used to having their masters’ actions and behaviour questioned but they will have to learn to get used to it, I’m afraid, as the Opposition is more substantial now than ever before.
Kit, Please get the moderator to delete all comments posted by Kasim Amat. He is not welcome to this blog. He is making a lot of chaos here.
What coincidence! Najib confirm PM…Mongolian court case result….just as Najib expected…long before court case started..
Copter deal..very glaring.
Too many glaring exposures….so…shelf Copter deal……protected by present PM on future PM.
How to move forward?
ANybody ever thought that the 2 flers with their identity covered could be the actual persons?? . Say they are convicted 1 day , how do we know its them? Any comments please?
I believe the figure given by lower-ranking ministers/officials is more reliable than that given by high-ranking ministers such as Abdullah.
What makes one suspicious is that the figure got higher as it passed through the hand of those who hold more power!
Uncle Lim, you have done a great job again.
For showing up the fools in the BN government.
However, all efforts must be made by the PR to take over the reigns of government as soon as possible.
We cannot allow them to go on haemorrhaging the country & prople.
‘Mong Cha Cha’ ministers make us sore
Not just one but two maybe more
They may not be rotten to the core
To the inquirer they are just a bore
the country is running by itself – headless chicken
Sangat mudah menjadi ahli pembangkang yang berkesan dan popular, duduk duduk di parlimen dan cari figure2 atau fakta yang sedikit cacat lepas tu jadikan modal di luar parlimen. Boleh jerit2 dan nampak di kacamata TV.
Pernah tak DAP mengemukakan satu grand design yang adil untuk rakyat Malaysia tanpa unsur kecinaan yang melampau dan racist mengikut Perlembagaan Persekutuan, sesuatu yang mensejahterakan rakyat.
Cari salah, kerja mat tembok, bukan kerja MP.
i sense someone speak without pakai otak, same with our current BN MP.
what’s wrong with this reveal? It is a check and balance that should opposition MP do, eventually for the sake of rakyat and country benefit. Imagine those miniters who do not know what they are doing to run our country, will spoil this nation, yet there is still people out there defend on them and attack PR MPs for doing their job.
if complaint PR pandai cakap saja, i challenge you vote for PR in next GE and see if they can do better than these bunch of BN MPs. Well, you can see the result by now in 5 states. Pls take off your racist glasses to see it!
As of now, apa salahnya cari cacat, if there is for good and improvement, not to mention to prevent rasuah. I alway learn when my manager pointed out my mistake when look at my facts and data, and guess what, it make us improve further. Only those do not want to improve and always depends on goverment handout or what ever special right without own effort will dis credit this.
with many natural resources and opportunity, no wonder Malaysian is far behind. who to blame? people of rakyat that still hasn’t open their eyes and want hulur tangan, rezeki dibagi.
Are you sure the deputy minister Abu Seman not abuseman ??
uncle Lim do not abuse…man him just ask Abu Seman to resign from his position ,he embarassed rakyat ,parliment and government .
he is an embrassment to our good soldiers and mindef.
LKS you should do some lateral thinking before shooting down the messenger! Just because the IGP mentions 21 helicopters, it doesn’t mean they all have to be purchased at the same time and from the same manufacturer! Have you questioned the procurement process and whether they will be purchased in batches? Maybe the equipment spec also needs to be different due to the differing roles the heli’s will undertake (see: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=352352).
Have you any idea what equipment is fitted to the existing AS355’s of the PDRM – its very little and certainly not a suitable platform to be engaging in pursuit of criminals by day or night (they’ve got a searchlight though).
Kasi mamat,
You porah. Balik lah read your buku. The problem is you also got no brains and just blindly angkat angkat angkat even though they are totally unprofessional…never check facts and cannot count kah? Learn from your neighbouring country. Top Class Ministers although pay a bit high! Kasimamat,
Don’t waste our time reading your nonsense. Porah Porah.
Good job. Uncle Kit.
I wonder whether Kasim Amat and kluangman are from the same gang.
kluangman Says:Sangat mudah menjadi ahli pembangkang yang berkesan dan popular, duduk duduk di parlimen dan cari figure2 atau fakta yang sedikit cacat lepas tu jadikan modal di luar parlimen….
Imagine if you are a student giving wrong facts for a question, will the teacher let go of you or correct your mistake in front of other students? Furthermore, the Eurocopter issue involves billions of ringgit and the money comes from the taxpayer. It is logical for Uncle Lim to act such way, or else the MPs will not be accountable for what they have spoken in the Parliament. If you are working in the Private Sector with such an attitude, you will be the first to be chopped off!!!
LKS
Maybe you want to check this latest ‘news’ from Agusta Westlands web-site on the order from the MMEA for 3 AW139 heli’s:
http://www.agustawestland.com/communication.php
This is obviously the firming-up of the order from news of 9th April 2008, stating they would buy 12 aircraft. Needs investigating too!!!
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/9/nation/20891450&sec=nation
It’s not easy to accept truth and learn to walk with it onwards.
Let us all not get so carried away by those that angers us ..
Remember : He who angers you; conquers you.
Leave them alone with their own beliefs and they shall die with them.
Rakyat will have to withstand all prsseure mounted by umno in their quest to make rakyat goes against each other and they will continue to reap our wealth away.
Focus on the primary objectives to free Malaysia from umno colony.
This is precisely the kind of “business” that Kit Siang should mind!
The larger issue here which Kit is trying to educate our ministers and electorate alike is the meaning of ministerial accountability and responsibility as it relates to parliamentary system of government!
Abu Seman talked of 6 man technical committee/RMAF having data to assess about helicopters in the market. That is not the point. These departments and civil service bureaucracy may give recommendations but it is elected officials who become ministers have to be accountable for policy decision to electorate via reporting to Parliament and its committees and members including Opposition members like Anwar/Kit Siang.
To say it is no business of Kit Siang to mind shows a lack of understanding as to what parliamentary system of government is all about.
The questions here are : what is role of a Minister and a deputy minister in terms of accountability and responsibility.
Starting with Deputy minister: he is supposed to support the minister’s accountability to Parliament, whilst interfacing as a bridge with relevant departmental officials to communicate, gather feed back and monitor the implementation of Minister’s policy decisons downline.
What the Deputy Defence and Home Ministers have done was to quote the wrong facts, whether price or numbers, pertaining to the helicopers purchase.
Though all at fault, the greater fault lies with Ministers who have either failed to communicate the right facts to their deputies or they have been changing their minds, all too often, depending on ebb and flow of public opinion regarding the controversial purchase.
Under such circumstances how can Deputy Ministers expected to do their job without looking incompetent? They would make a fool of themselves in Parliament and be subject to accusations that they blindly defend and “bodek” their bosses without knowing the facts much less the merits or demerits of the ministerial policy that they are supposed to defend for their Ministers.
If Ministers put their deputies into trouble like that, the Prime Minister too would be implicated as it would be asked of him, why he selected such ministers in the cabinet in the first instance…..
Which only goes to show that being a good politician to secure most votes from party delegates – to rise up the party’s heirarchy and be rewarded by a ministerial position carrying with it all prestige and patronage powers – is not a good system because the person, whilst being a popular politician, may not necessarily be a competent minister with administrative and managerial ability let alone wisdom to formulate, articulate and defend right policy decisions.
Today, more than ever, a government is challenged to respond effectively, on the international front, to global economic crisis, advances in information technology etc and on the domestic front to social, educational and demographic changes by which citrizenry including Opposition representatives in Parliament are now more informed and vocal, expect more of the government and its ministers in terms of competence and ministerial acountability and responsibility….
What the Opposition is doing here is to tell, nay educate, the Government to shape up or ship out……
Which is what – or the kind of business and role – any Opposition in any Parliamentary System of Government is supposed to do anyway!
To side track a bit on Jalan Alor saga,
About 15 years ago most of the road names at Kepong and Menjalara were changed into bird names in Malay over night from numerical names. Such changes were decided without consultations. Most of the Kepong residents are Chinese and Chinese are normally “pretty sensitive” to chicks and birds as such animals do not fare well in spoken Chinese.
Also, with all road names in bird names, one would have great difficult to find an address as all the bird names are not related. Road names in numerical figures will tell us the raod after Jalan 3/5 will be Jalan 3/6. But how can you relate a bird name to another when you are looking for an address?
The Government was trying in great pain to “Malay-mized” our life without considering how life it would become for the residents.
One good way to kill off UMNO is to pin-point all major sources of corrupt monies UMNO are getting and scruntize them thoroughly!
If we can just reduce by half such corrupt monies UMNO is getting, UMNO will be dead!
What about all the high toll collections and many suspicious land deals through out the whole Malaysia?
Kasim said:
“You are not in the position to question all these as this is the internal affairs of the Home Ministry.”
Perhaps kasim has forgotten that we the people are the boss and the government our servant.
Have you any idea what equipment is fitted to the existing AS355’s of the PDRM – its very little and certainly not a suitable platform to be engaging in pursuit of criminals by day or night (they’ve got a searchlight though). – Creepy Crawly
It’s an absolute waste of public funds to purchase these helicopters!
What we really need is to have more policemen who can walk the beat and make us feel safe. Especially in the newer housing estates.
You give them the helicopters and they’ll have joy rides at our expense!
Kassim, you have lost the plot. One of the main purposes for MPs voted into parliament is to question and ensure that the country’s finances or the people’s money are well spent to the benefit of the people.
wacko Kassim Amat, mana lu datang?, if the person we elected to speak in the parliment is NOT to ask question or seek clarification, then siapa lagi? MP job is not to check drain leakage or ceiling bocor la.. kepala you like kepala bodowi aje, if umno sent you lagi stupid because you having the opposite effect here, hantar lah budak2 terror like your election campaign team ( some say 1 person could psy 1000 person pernight ) ini hantar budak setengah masak.
I am all for our MP from DAP, if I invested money in a company, definitely I want to know every RM is well spend, mana boleh suka2 beli in beli itu, taktau harga taktau benda, budak mana datang ini?? bodo, bodo, bodo.
If you enter “The Firm” contest I will vote u out immediately, “YOU ARE FIRE!!!!!” even before you can say good morning…
abu salahkan foreign exchange,
chor pula kata 8 saja,
apa kita gomen kita change,
baru Malaysia boleh jaya!!
Like I have been saying all along, we have multi-purpose ministers (Menteri Serbaguna) in Malaysia who knows nuts about the Ministries they are supposed to take care of. Imagine the Minister of Finance can turn into the Minister of Defence and vice versa overnight! What else cannot happen in our cabinet system?
So like I have said in other blogs, we will soon have:
Finance Ministers who do not know how to count;
Transport Ministers who do not know how to drive;
Defence Ministers who do not know how to handle ammunition;
Health Ministers who do not know what health is all about (proven);
Labour Ministers who do not know what employment is all about;
……. you name it, they have it!!!
Therefore, what is so surprising about a deputy minister not knowing his job????
“Why is Chor talking about eight police helicopters when Amirsham had talked about 21 police helicopters? Another example of a deputy minister who did not know what he was answering in Parliament?” Kit
On the contrary he knew – perhaps far too much! Funds have been set aside to pay for the cost of 8 at the price of 21 helicopters. Chor got one half of the picture and Amirsham got the other half. A case of the left hand doing what the right hand doesn’t know??
This guy Chor Chee Heung from MCA is a real joker!!
That is all we can describe him all these while, the same guy when he was a deputy home minister in the past, sleeping on the job.
How can MCA nominate such a useless bump to be a deputy minister? Is there a dearth of quality leaders in their midst?
If so, MCA is doomed, blame no one.
Well like all BN ministers and deputy ministers they don’t have much grey matter because their brain cells have all been used to think about how to maintain power through divide and rule policies. Their policies are not about alleviating poverty, helping the poor irrespective of race, religion & creed or to create wealth for the good of the peoples of Malaysia, to stay competitive in a more globalised & “flatter” world or be on top of problems & challenges posed by the current financial & economic crisis.
YB Kit, You must remember we are in Boleh Land, oops Bodoh Land!