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Gani Patail stand accused of fabricating evidence in the Anwar Ibrahim “black eye” investigation in 1998, which stands unrebutted although made by the police officer responsible for the investigation 12 years ago

On April 14, 2010, in response to my statement “Call for RCI to conduct full inquiry on whether Israeli agents had infiltrated Bukit Aman” posted on my blog on April 10, 2010, I received following email from one Datuk Mat Zain bin Ibrahim, which said among other things:

“First and foremost let me declare that I was the Investigation Officer of the infamous “black-eye” incident,which need no further elaboration.

“My response are confined to certain remarks only which YB made in the above article,that are reproduced below;

“A good case in point was the 1998 “black-eyes” attack on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim by the then Inspector-General of Police in the very inner sanctum of Bukit Aman, just some fortnight after losing his high positions as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.
Continue reading “Gani Patail stand accused of fabricating evidence in the Anwar Ibrahim “black eye” investigation in 1998, which stands unrebutted although made by the police officer responsible for the investigation 12 years ago”

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In TI CPI of past 16 years, Malaysia is perceived by the world as becoming more and more corrupt while other countries have become less corrupt

Despite the “1Malaysia People First Performance Now” slogan and the alphabet soup of GTP, NKRA, MKRA, SRIs, ETP etc and one Roadmap after another of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the National Integrity Plan of former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Malaysia is the worst country in the Asia-Pacific in Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in past 16 years since the start of the annual ranking in 1995.

In the first TI CPI in 1995, Malaysia was ranked No. 23 out of 41 countries or the 6th highest-ranked nation in the Asia-Pacific after New Zealand -1, Singapore – 3, Australia – 7, Hong Kong – 17 and Japan – 20, with a CPI score of 5.28.

Sixteen years later, after numerous anti-corruption campaigns, two major anti-corruption legislation and “transformation” of the former Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) into Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) with massive infusion of public funds and increase of staffing, Malaysia has continued to remain in the lowest TI CPI ranking of No. 56 as last year but with the lowest CPI score of 4.4 – falling to No. 11 country placing in the Asia-Pacific.
Continue reading “In TI CPI of past 16 years, Malaysia is perceived by the world as becoming more and more corrupt while other countries have become less corrupt”

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DAP: ‘MACC not doing its job’

By Patrick Lee
Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP has blasted the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for its poor show in stamping out corruption.

Commenting on MACC’s investigations into 11 people for ‘owning excessive’ wealth, an irate Lim Kit Siang (Ipoh Timur MP) said: “An independent, efficient and professional anti-corruption agency would be able to investigate hundreds if not thousands of these cases of disproportionate sources of income immediately.

“Many of these people have lifestyles, houses and cars that would not have come from their official incomes.”

Lim was responding to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz statement that 11 people (political and civil servants) were being investigated by the MACC for having excessive assets, and only two ‘accusations’ had been made between 2009 and 2010.
Continue reading “DAP: ‘MACC not doing its job’”

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MACC: All corrupt officials are targeted

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has insisted it acts against all corrupt officials, be it “ministers, chief ministers, political leaders or even civil servants.”

At the same time, the anti-graft agency hit out at Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers for “sensationalising” issues, attacking to gain political mileage.

Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, the minister in charge of the MACC, revealed that the commission was still investigating 11 individuals under Section 32 of the Corruption Prevention Act 1997/ MACC Act 2009 for offences relating to “owning assets beyond one’s normal income.”

In a written reply to Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang on October 27, Nazri said that two charges have been made based on that offence from 2009 to September 2010.
Continue reading “MACC: All corrupt officials are targeted”

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CORRUPTION: The Pass Mark Eludes Malaysia

by Tunku Abdul Aziz

Judged internationally, by almost every performance indicator known to man, Malaysia is a duffer, and that is putting it charitably. Our report card is drowning in a sea of red ink. The 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index just released shows Malaysia scoring 4.4 points at number 56 out of 178 countries surveyed. Many have questioned the methodology used and have gone so far as to suggest developing our own index. But let me just say this. Whatever we may think, the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index enjoys a reputation second to none as the world’s most authoritative index of its kind. A similar sentiment has been expressed about the world’s top universities index. Shoot the bearer of bad news and retreat to hide under our tempurung and croak our lungs out for the entire world to hear about our version of Malaysia’s achievements. We have become a nation of bad losers.

When Datuk Anwar Fazal, Raja Aziz Addruse, Datuk Param Cumaraswamy and other like minded men and women of the highest integrity met in the Royal Commonwealth Society one night many years ago to discuss forming the Malaysian Chapter of Transparency International Malaysia, they had seen enough, and had become greatly concerned at the speed with which corruption in national life had destroyed the moral fabric and consumed the very soul of our people. It was not the easiest of undertakings to operate an anti-corruption non-governmental organisation during Mahathir’s corrupt and repressive regime.
Continue reading “CORRUPTION: The Pass Mark Eludes Malaysia”

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Budget 2011 : Malaysia towards a failed state and bankrupt nation 2019

2011 Budget not a child of New Economic Model but bears all the marks of old discredited Mahathirish policies (Part 1 of 5)

On Monday, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).

It was also the start of a week which saw the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) suffering a triple blow.

The first blow was Monday’s tabling in Parliament of the 2009 Auditor-General’s Reports which continues to be annual tale of horrors of waste, mismanagement, misuse of public funds and corruption – as highlighted by headlines like:

  • Federal government debt hits five-year high;

  • KTMB mired in RM1.45 billion debt;

  • Only 18.2% of pupils bring free eBooks to school;

  • Stimulus funds used for chandeliers, home theatre, government audit shows;

  • PTPTN to face whopping RM46 bil deficit;

  • PTPTN okayed RM23 mil to students who didn’t apply;

  • Million-ringgit scanner stuck in KLIA, under-utilisation woes;

  • ‘Sandwich kosong’ for school kids, sardines missing.

Continue reading “Budget 2011 : Malaysia towards a failed state and bankrupt nation 2019”

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Malaysia down slightly in graft index

By Asrul Hadi Abullah Sani
The Malaysian Insider
October 26, 2010

Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia has dipped slightly lower in Transparency International’s (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) this year after the country experienced its worse ranking ever last year.

The anti-graft watchdog TI announced today that the country’s corruption index score declined from 4.5 to 4.4 out of 10, with 10 being the least corrupt. Malaysia’s ranking still remains the same as last year, at 56 out of 178countries.

The annual TI CPI measures how corrupt a country is in the public sector based on data sourced from 13 different polls and surveys from 10 independent institutions over a period of two years. The three least corrupt countries in the world are, in order, Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore.

Malaysia’s previous worst scores below 5 were 4.8 in 2000, 4.9 in 2002 and 4.5 last year.

The country’s ranking puts it on par with Namibia and Turkey. Continue reading “Malaysia down slightly in graft index”

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NEP “outlived its usefulness” – does not make sense to keep an obsolete policy ticking along on life support

Malaysia’s Development Strategy Revisited (3)
by Dr. Mohamed Ariff*

The New Economic Policy: Pervasive Poverty in the Malay Community

Multi-racial Malaysia’s major structural problems are largely attributable to the New Economic Policy initiated in 1970 in the aftermath of the May 1969 racial riots. With its emphasis on ‘positive’ discrimination in favour of the then backward Bumiputeras (literally ‘sons of the soil’), the objectives of the policy were laudable, serious misgivings about its implementation notwithstanding. The New Economic Policy continued to exist after reincarnating itself in various forms beyond the original 1990 deadline. While it has undeniably helped narrow interethnic income differences, all is not well judging by the outcomes. While interethnic income disparity has narrowed considerably, intraethnic income disparity, especially within the Bumiputera community, has widened. Continue reading “NEP “outlived its usefulness” – does not make sense to keep an obsolete policy ticking along on life support”

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Questions thrown out, opposition MPs cry foul

By Rahmah Ghazali
Free Malaysia Today
Mon, 11 Oct 2010

KUALA LUMPUR: Some issues are political potatoes too hot to handle or so it seems when the Dewan Rakyat got down to business today.

The wealth of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, Perkasa, Biro Tata Negara (BTN) and 1Malaysia concept were all brought up but were never debated.

When the bell rang for the session to begin, 16 Opposition MPs, mostly from the DAP, and an Independent MP, stood up to protest that their questions were thrown out. They claimed the questions on these “hot” issues were rejected “without any apparent reason”.

The ball started rolling when outspoken veteran leader Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) said that his question, asking Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to state his stand whether he is a “Malaysian first or a Malay first” was rejected.

“Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had once said he was a Malay first and Malaysian second, while Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz said he is a Malaysian first and a Malay second.

“I don’t understand why my question was rejected. Why give special protection to the prime minister? Can I get an explanation from the Speaker?” he asked.

His colleague, Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor), also suffered the same fate when his question on “racist” BTN (National Civics Bureau) was not entertained by Najib.

“I asked the prime minister why, after 18 months since 1Malaysia was introduced, a senior civil servant has failed to embrace the unity concept?” he asked, apparently referring to BTN assistant director Hamim Husin. Continue reading “Questions thrown out, opposition MPs cry foul”

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Parliament rejects questions on Utusan, Sarawak

By Adib Zalkapli
The Malaysian Insider
October 11, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 — Questions on Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s wealth and the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia were among 28 questions from 17 opposition MPs rejected today.

Two DAP MPs from Sarawak, Wong Ho Leng and Chong Chieng Jen, had earlier asked the government to explain if the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has started investigating allegations on Taib’s property ownership overseas, as published on an anonymous website.

“My question is valid. I want to know if an investigation has started because of the report on the website,” said Chong when protesting the Parliament’s decision to reject the question.

“Why was the question rejected? Are we afraid of the CM?” he added. Continue reading “Parliament rejects questions on Utusan, Sarawak”

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New mega project: Mega question mark over procurement

by Koon Yew Yin
Centre for Policy Initiatives
Monday, 11 October 2010

I refer to the article ‘Transparency in MRT Planning’ by Risen Jayaseelan which appeared in a major newspaper recently on Oct 5. The purpose of my writing this piece is to forewarn the public and the government that the way this proposed project is being considered by the government is basically wrong and may well end up with taxpayers having to pay a much higher toll rate than justifiable.

This warning is not only for the MRT project but for all 131 projects that are being envisaged under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) which is supposed to transform Malaysia into a high-income nation.

Basically I see no change at all in the current procurement procedure which has been used before in large concessions. The results of the evaluation and bidding procedure for mega projects such as the current MRT, the power provided by IPPs, toll roads, and the Selangor water supply have seen the consumers being forced to pay unreasonable rates because the bidding and tender process has been riddled with opportunities for rent-seeking, corruption and wastage.

Besides, cheaper and more efficient alternatives have not been fully considered by the Government. Continue reading “New mega project: Mega question mark over procurement”

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Key political risks to watch in Malaysia

Oct 1, 10
Reuters/Malaysiakini

Malaysia has unveiled ambitious plans to boost its economy by mobilising hundreds of billions of dollars of private investment, although questions remain over whether the money will materialise.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s cut in fuel, gas and sugar subsidies in August triggered a political backlash that may see him holding off more reforms ahead of the next general elections due by 2013.

Najib has pledged to reform the country’s subsidy bill to tackle the budget deficit. But he is wary of upsetting the country’s majority ethnic Malays, a critical votebank whose support will be vital as he tries to revive his ruling coalition which was hit by record losses in general elections in 2008.

Following is a summary of key Malaysia risks to watch:

Political conflict

Political tensions spiked after the 2008 general election when unprecedented opposition gains transformed the political landscape. BN coalition’s 52-year grip on the country was dented when it ceded control of five states and lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority to an opposition led by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The political uncertainty has weighed on foreign investment with net portfolio and direct investment outflows reaching US$61 billion (RM188 million) in 2008 and 2009 according to official data. Money has since flowed into the bond market according to central bank statistics, but little has flowed into equities.

What to watch:

• Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy trial. Anwar says the case is a political conspiracy, and a contentious verdict would anger his supporters. Any marked increase in political tensions could see more foreign money pulled from stocks, bonds and the ringgit. But with limited foreign portfolio investment still in the country, the impact will be muted.

• Elections in the Borneo state of Sarawak, expected by the end of this year. The state’s chief minister has directed the ruling coalition to ready itself for state-wide polls, and analysts say nationwide elections could follow soon after. BN’s shock defeat in a May by-election in Sarawak raised doubts over its support levels in the state. Continue reading “Key political risks to watch in Malaysia”

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Democracy only works when people claim it as their own

People first, democracy now!

By P Ramakrishnan

In a democracy worth its name, it’s the people who come first. The government exists for them and not the other way around as is happening now. We are made to believe that the people are there to do the government’s bidding. The government actually tells you that.

You vote for my man on Sunday, you will get a cheque on Monday. That’s what they told the voters in Ulu Selangor. In Sibu they told the voters, “You elect my man, I will pay for the flood mitigation project” – otherwise you can drown in the flood for all I care!

In other words, you will be rewarded if you serve the ruler; otherwise you will be punished. They don’t govern the country any more – they rule over you; they lord over you.

Is this what democracy is all about? Continue reading “Democracy only works when people claim it as their own”

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Teoh Beng Hock, Did You Commit Suicide?

by Richard Loh

I am truly sorry, Sdr. Teoh Beng Hock, that I have to ask you this question, Did You Commit Suicide? Everyone knows that this is really a stupid question to ask but am I wrong? No, I am not wrong because this is the way how our government, macc, pdrm and the judiciary taught us, to be stupid.

When your family met up with the prime minister, he made a promise that your mysterious death will be fully investigated and ensured that no stone will be left unturned. With this promise, the prime minister should called for a royal commission of inquiry which your family and the public had wanted, instead, he called for an inquest. Why did he reject the RCI, simply because the chances of getting the truth of your mysterious death is very high. For an inquest, they have the upper hand to protect the guilty (if any), manipulate and fabricate, anyway, anyhow they wanted.

On the onset, the government, PDRM, MACC and the judiciary had already made up their mind to see that your mysterious death be concluded as committing suicide, that is, you took your own life. I came to this conclusion by judging the way they presented the case, the investigation by PdRM, the judiciary allowing the DPP to ridicule witness and articulation of imaginary theories. Continue reading “Teoh Beng Hock, Did You Commit Suicide?”

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MACC “commits suicide”!

By Martin Jalleh

18 Aug. 2010 – The Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), very tragically, “committed suicide” today. It killed the very little that was left of its own integrity and credibility.

Its public image plunged to the very depths with the help of its advocate Abdul Razak Musa. He had at first advocated self-strangulation. He even demonstrated how it could be done.

When that failed, the very experienced lawyer of 24 years assisted the Commission to take a wild leap out of the window of logic, common sense and civility. Continue reading “MACC “commits suicide”!”

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How graft, racial-religious politicking killed Malaysia’s economy

By Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

In 2019, Malaysia would be 62 years old. If that is all it takes – just 62 years – for a nation to go bankrupt, then it only shows how grossly mismanaged the country has been.

Of the six prime ministers who have led Malaysia since 1957, the leader who must take the greatest blame for the sorry state the economy is now in is Mahathir Mohamad, whose 22-year rule alone accounts for nearly half of the nation’s post-independence history.

Thanks to his chase for mega projects, political opportunists and cronies were able to benefit from massive overpricing in almost all of the major deals that framed his career. From the North-South Expressway to Perwaja Steel, 1st Silicon to Proton, Bakun Dam to PKFZ, few of his projects have not ended up requiring some form of bailout from taxpayers at one time or another.

Continue reading “How graft, racial-religious politicking killed Malaysia’s economy”

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Will Mahathir or any of his Ministers in 2002 Cabinet testify in court of being misled by Ling to approve Port Klang Authority’s purchase of PKFZ land with 15-year repayment with compound interest instead of 10 years?

The charge preferred against former MCA President and Transport Minister, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik, in connection with the RM12.5 million Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal has mystified many.

The charge against Ling reads:

“That you, between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002, at Level 4 of the Prime Minister’s Office in Bangunan Perdana Putra, cheated the Govern ment by deceiving the Cabinet into approving a land purchase in Pulau Indah for a Mega Distribution Hub project in Port Klang according to the terms agreed between Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd and Port Klang Authority which, among others, are:

  1. the size of the land being 999.5 acres or 43,538,200 sq ft

  2. the purchase price for the land being RM25 per sq ft amounting to a total of RM1,088,456,000

  3. the repayment period being based on a “deferred payment” of 15 years with an interest rate of 7.5% per annum (total RM720,014,600), and thereby dishonestly hiding the fact that the valuation by the Valuation and Property Service Department on the land was RM25 per sq ft for a repayment period of 10 years or RM25.82 per sq ft for a repayment period of 15 years, including coupon/interest that could be charged for the repayment period.

Continue reading “Will Mahathir or any of his Ministers in 2002 Cabinet testify in court of being misled by Ling to approve Port Klang Authority’s purchase of PKFZ land with 15-year repayment with compound interest instead of 10 years?”

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PKFZ scandal: Ex-transport minister Ling charged

Malaysiakini

Former transport minister Ling Liong Sik was today charged at the Kajang Sessions Court over his involvement in the multi-billion ringgit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

Ling, 67, who is also former MCA president, is by far the most prominent politician to be nabbed in recent years.

He is charged under Section 418 of the Penal Code with misleading the cabinet between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002 into agreeing to purchase 999.5 acres of land on Pulau Indah for a project, that is now known as PKFZ, at a price of RM25psf on a deferred payment method for a 15-year period, at a 7.5 interest rate.

The cumulative interest paid would total at RM720 million at the end of the repayment period.

He was also ffered an alternative charge under Section 417 of the Penal Code for the same offence.
Continue reading “PKFZ scandal: Ex-transport minister Ling charged”

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Call for reports of the PKFZ scandal “super taskforce” to be made public to account for actions taken by Najib administration in past year

The decision by the Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha to override the decision of the Port Klang Authority (PKA) and direct it to pay its Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) bond obligation of RM222.58 million to Freezone Capital Bhd (FZCB) is another proof that his topmost concern and those of the Najib Cabinet is to bail out the PKFZ turnkey contractor Kuala Dimensi Sdn. Bhd (KDSB) rather than to do justice to the 27 million Malaysian people in the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal.

The PKA Board had acted properly in expressing reservations on the payment of RM222.58 million to KDSB’s special purpose vehicle, FZCB, because of an RM1.4 billion ongoing suit and considering withholding payment because of its worry that it may not be able to recover funds from KDSB.

Kong’s decision is all the more deplorable as it has now been revealed that KDSB had given undertakings that it will cover any shortfall in bond repayments should PKA fail to do so, making it KDSB’s problem and not that of Malaysian taxpayers.
Continue reading “Call for reports of the PKFZ scandal “super taskforce” to be made public to account for actions taken by Najib administration in past year”

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Can Najib guarantee safety of ex-RMAF sergeant Thamendran while awaiting trial of theft of two jet-fighter engines?

It is another international infamy for Malaysia that former RMAF sergeant N. Tharmendran, 42, feels comparatively safer in Sungai Buloh prison while he awaits trial for the theft of two jet-fighter engines than to be out of jail.

It was only 11 days ago he was freed when he and his family successfully waged a six-month battle to reduce his RM150,000 bail to RM50,000.

It is a terrible indictment on the system of governance in Malaysia that a person should feel safer in prison custody than to be out as a free man, for fear of being abducted and tortured again by military intelligence officers, as Tharmendran had alleged that he had been previously detained and tortured by military intelligence for three weeks and the “favourite torture” was to make him wear a crash helmet where he was repeatedly hit as hard as possible.

Thamendran’s personal safety and welfare while he awaits trial for theft of two jet-fighter engines has again put national and international focus on “institutional degradation” which the New Economic Model had identified as one of the causes of Malaysia’s economic stagnation and “declining growth trajectory”.
Continue reading “Can Najib guarantee safety of ex-RMAF sergeant Thamendran while awaiting trial of theft of two jet-fighter engines?”