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MACC’s latest and greatest test – dare it investigate the Prime Minister whether he had violated Election Offences Act 1954 for RM3 million electoral bribery in Hulu Selangor by-election?

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Malaysia’s Corruption Perception Index 2010 ranking of Transparency International are already reeling from two serious blows:

  1. the mysterious death of DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock at the MACC Headquarters falling from 14th to 5th floor on July 16 last year and the inability of the Teoh family and the Selangor State Government to persuade renowned Thai pathologist Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunand to return to Malaysia continue her testimony at the Teoh Beng Hock inquest because of “pressures” on the Thai Government from the Malaysian side; and

  2. the farce of the prosecution and acquittal on corruption charges of the two Perak “frogs”, Perak State Assemblymen Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu who played key roles in the illegal and undemocratic toppling of the Pakatan Rakyat Perak State government in February last year.

    3. Now, there is a third and bigger headache for the MACC.
    Continue reading “MACC’s latest and greatest test – dare it investigate the Prime Minister whether he had violated Election Offences Act 1954 for RM3 million electoral bribery in Hulu Selangor by-election?”

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Farce of prosecution and acquittal of two Perak “frogs” has plunged public confidence in MACC to new low and will cause Malaysia’s CPI 2010 to plumb a new depth

The farce of the prosecution and acquittal of the two Perak “frogs” has plunged public confidence in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to a new low and will cause Malaysia’s Corruption Perception Index 2010 of Transparency International to plumb to a new depth from the nation’s present worst ranking of No. 56 in 2009.

Even before public confidence in MACC has recovered from the fatal blow of the mysterious death of DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock at the MACC Headquarters falling from 14th to 5th floor on July 16 last year, the MACC has scored another own goal with the farcical prosecution and acquittal of the two “frogs” in Perak.

MACC and the Barisan Nasional should know the outcome if an opinion poll is conducted among Perakians and Malaysians as to whether they believe there was a “package deal” offered to engineer the defection of the two “frogs” and their dastardly betrayal of the people’s mandate to topple the legitimate Pakatan Rakyat Perak state government and Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin.

The new grievous blow to public confidence in the MACC could not have come at a worse time, when public outrage at the obstacles and pressures put in the way of the renowned Thai pathologist Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunand to prevent her from coming to the country to testify in the inquest into the causes of Teoh Beng Hock’s death has not subsided.
Continue reading “Farce of prosecution and acquittal of two Perak “frogs” has plunged public confidence in MACC to new low and will cause Malaysia’s CPI 2010 to plumb a new depth”

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Condemns “Alcohol” attack on Zaid Ibrahim – Pakatan Rakyat candidate in Hulu Selangor by-election

Section 6 provides that disclosure of improper conduct may be made against a member of Parliament or State Legislative Assembly.

Just received this Star news flash: “20/4 Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar Radin pleaded guilty at the Gombak Timor Lower Syariah court to committing polygamy without the court’s consent.”

Does this fall within the “improper conduct” in Section 6?

Do the “drinking” habits of MPs fall under this term, as this has become the weapon used by Barisan Nasional in the Hulu Selangor by-election campaign in its “alcohol” attack on the Pakatan Rakyat candidate Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, calling him “kaki botol”.

I challenge UMNO and Muslim Ministers, in particular the Umno Youth leader and MP for Rembau Khairy Jamaluddin, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak whether they dare to declare that they had never drank alcohol in their youth in the past!
Continue reading “Condemns “Alcohol” attack on Zaid Ibrahim – Pakatan Rakyat candidate in Hulu Selangor by-election”

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Teoh’s family wants PM to issue guarantees

Malaysiakini
Apr 15, 10 3:59pm

Teoh Beng Hock’s family today urged Prime Minister Najib Razak to give Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand the necessary guarantees to enable her to testify in the inquest which is probing the cause of death of the political aide.

At a press conference at the Parliament lobby today, Beng Hock’s sister Lee Lan read a prepared statement on behalf the family, expressing their sadness over news that Pornthip would not be testifying.

“We don’t want the inquest to end with a question mark,” she said.

Lee Lan added that Pornthip’s presence at the inquest was vital because the prominent Thai pathologist was their best hope in unearthing the truth behind Beng Hock’s death.

“We hope that Pornthip can help us to find out the truth. But all of a sudden… she was not able to come to testify. Everything is now back to square one. How can we not be disappointed?” Continue reading “Teoh’s family wants PM to issue guarantees”

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Call on government to stop RM770 million payout this year to KDSB for the RM1.25 billion PKFZ scandal until full accountability by the Cabinet super-task force headed by Chief Secretary

In September last year, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the setting up of a Cabinet super task force headed by the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, to investigate the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

I had specifically asked at the time why the Chief Secretary Sidek Hassan was appointed to head such an inquiry into the PKFZ scandal, and why he had failed to conduct such an inquiry earlier as this was resolved by the Cabinet in July 2007 when it decided on the RM4.6 billion bailout of PKFZ, including giving retrospective approval to the four illegal Letters of Support unlawfully given by the two previous Transport Ministers, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik and Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy which have landed the country in the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal.

Although the Attorney-General and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had publicly promised that action would be taken against “grand corruption” in the PKFZ scandal, meaning the “big fishes”, why no action has been taken against such “big fishes” with only a few mid-fishes being arrested and prosecuted for corruption?

I want to specifically ask why the two former Transport Ministers Liong Sik and Kong Choy have been left off scotfree.
Continue reading “Call on government to stop RM770 million payout this year to KDSB for the RM1.25 billion PKFZ scandal until full accountability by the Cabinet super-task force headed by Chief Secretary”

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Lowest Chinese and Indian representation in the civil service in the 53-year history of Malaysia – 5.8% Chinese and 4% Indians as at end of 2009

The other two factors which can cause the failure of NEM as identified by the NEAC are:

  • Reform programmes have often met with strong resistance from powerful and vested interests, which subsequently forced their derailment; (Perkasa the extremist right-wing racist organization is one such “vested interests”) and

  • The implementing authorities failed to stay the course, either due to a lack of political will or inherently administrative weaknesses.

Although NEM proposes a “big push” in policy actions and initiatives to kick-start the transformation process, what ‘big results” have been achieved in the 1Malaysia concept in the past one year?

How can the public have confidence in the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) when there is no seriousness or commitment by Barisan Nasional leaders in the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP), as demonstrated by the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who had declared himself “Malay first and Malaysian second”?

It is sad and tragic that despite my challenge, not only Umno Ministers ran for cover, Ministers from MCA, Gerakan, MIC and other BN component parties also dare not declare that they are Malaysians first and their race whether Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan or Iban second in keeping with the 1Malaysia concept.
Continue reading “Lowest Chinese and Indian representation in the civil service in the 53-year history of Malaysia – 5.8% Chinese and 4% Indians as at end of 2009”

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Where are the “sharks” of the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal?

On corruption, where are the “big fishes” the country had been promised would be netted and prosecuted in connection with the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone scandal.

I am surprised in read in the press today a statement by the MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat that the Opposition did not want him to win and be re-elected as MCA President in the MCA “Three Kingdom” party elections.

Let me declare here and now that DAP has no interest whatsoever in the MCA “Three Kingdom” party battle, in particular in the fight to be MCA President expected to be a three-cornered one among Ong, former MCA President Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting and the MCA Deputy President Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek.

I do not want to emulate former Gerakan President, Tun Dr. Lim Keng Yaik who recently declared that Gerakan had “lost Penang for good”, gave very low assessment of his successor Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon and contemptuous dismissal of the Najib premiership when he said: “I give up la talking to this government” to make any similar comments about the MCA leaders.

But I want to tell Ong that he is to go down in history as a short-term MCA President and Transport Minister, do it with a bang and not in a whimper.
Continue reading “Where are the “sharks” of the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal?”

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Ong Tee Keat and RM12.5 billion scandal – leave with a bang and not in a whimper

In yesterday’s pathetic 56th MCA Annual General Meeting attended by only 25% of the eligible MCA delegates and boycotted by the majority of the MCA Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MPs and State Assembly members, MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat suggested his present troubles were caused by his investigation of the nation’s biggest financial scandal – the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

For several months, I had refrained from commenting on the PKFZ scandal after putting intense pressure on Ong to “tell all” about the scandal – at one stage, posing three-questions-a-day for 36 days without pause, totaling 108 questions, to force Ong to act on the PKFZ scandal.

I wanted to give Ong a completely free hand and not to feel to be under any pressure when there were signs that some action were at last being taken to ensure proper accountability for the PKFZ scandal.

However, up to now, only four not major personalities had been charged in court for corruption and abuses of power in the PKFZ scandal before the new year, with the promise by the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Othman himself that “big fishes” in the PKFZ scandal were almost ready to be brought to book and prosecuted in court.

The whole nation waited in bated breath for the arrest and prosecution of the “sharks” of the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal, as nobody really believe that the four middling persons charged last December could be responsible wholly or even for majority part of the PKFZ scandal.
Continue reading “Ong Tee Keat and RM12.5 billion scandal – leave with a bang and not in a whimper”

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Proposal of principal KPI for MACC – to arrest enough “big fish” every year to reduce annual RM28 billion government loss from corruption by at least 10 per cent

During the Chinese New Year, the media first reported that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had arrested a political secretary to a Cabinet Minister and raided his apartment in Teluk Air Tawar in Butterworth, seizing cash in bundles of RM5, RM10, RM50 and RM100 notes totaling about RM2 million. Also seized were a 4WD vehicle and a BMW car.

This was followed by a one-paragraph statement from the Prime Minister’s Department on the resignation of Hasbie Satar, the political secretary to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop.

Malaysians can put the pieces together to fathom what is happening.

For me, I am reminded of two recent reports. Continue reading “Proposal of principal KPI for MACC – to arrest enough “big fish” every year to reduce annual RM28 billion government loss from corruption by at least 10 per cent”

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MACC will not have a year to redeem itself as its public image may plunge to an even lower depth next few days

In an interview with Sin Chew Daily yesterday, the new Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Datuk Abu Kassim Mohammed was refreshingly frank when he admitted that the mysterious death of DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock at the MACC Headquarters at Shah Alam on July 16 last year had caused the MACC image and credibility to fall to the lowest point ever but he hoped to lead the commission out of the bottom and restore public confidence and acceptance.

This is a far cry from his predecessor, Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan who could be so insensitive as to publicly declare: “Teoh Beng Hock’s case is nothing. It is a very small case” – a height of folly and irresponsibility which cut short his brief but ignominious tenure as the first MACC Chief Commissioner.

Abu Kassim has asked for a year to reverse the bad impression the MACC has made on the public so that he could convince Malaysians that the new anti-corruption body is “independent, transparent and professional”.

MACC will not have a year to redeem itself as its public image may plunge to an even lower depth in a matter of days if rumours on the grapevine are proven right that Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim would be arrested and charged for alleged “cow and car” corruption.
Continue reading “MACC will not have a year to redeem itself as its public image may plunge to an even lower depth next few days”

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Call on Najib to immediately abolish the practice of support letters for contracts to demonstrate his commitment to zero tolerance for corruption

When I visited the Lab Open Day of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) in Sunway on 18th December last year, I raised the question about the government’s seriousness and commitment to declare an all-out war against corruption and asked why nobody in government, starting from the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had ever talked about “zero tolerance for corruption”, and this question remains as valid today as seven weeks ago.

It is no use the GTP lab on “fighting corruption” referring to “zero tolerance for corruption” when nobody in government, from the Prime Minister downwards is prepared to embrace it.

The GTP Roadmap makes grandiloquent statements and proposals about fighting corruption but the political will to implement them are sorely lacking.

It proposes the gradual reduction of the “practice of support letters, which are used to exert undue influence on civil servants to circumvent standard policies and processes in obtaining contracts”.

It said:
“Often, these interventions do not necessarily originate from politicians themselves, but from vested individuals who use the support letters as leverage to negotiate with the Government.
Continue reading “Call on Najib to immediately abolish the practice of support letters for contracts to demonstrate his commitment to zero tolerance for corruption”

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PM Najib must institute good governance before the country can achieve high income economy

by Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life adviser

PM NAJIB MUST INSTITUTE GOOD GOVERNANCE BEFORE THE COUNTRY CAN ACHIEVE HIGH ECONOMY FOR THE PEOPLE.

Dr. Zakaria, executive director of MIER at an economic conference on 26th January, stated that for Malaysia to become a high income country, it must liberalise the economy to attract both foreign direct investments as well as domestic investments. This is a hopeful statement, from a dedicated public servant, who wants to see his country prosper.

Unfortunately, he is going to be disappointed, not for lack of trying, but because the political and economic realities do not encourage both foreign and domestic investors to put money in this country.

Widespread corruption, racial prejudices and over regulation of the economy are unfriendly and deter investors to invest. Under an unstable cloud, the investors will not deem the climate here favourable to investors. In fact, this has led to a huge outflow of capital from the country.

DISASTROUS CAPITAL FLIGHT
Continue reading “PM Najib must institute good governance before the country can achieve high income economy”

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Away with support letters, cries DAP leader

by Rahmah Ghazali | Malaysiakini

DAP veteran leader Lim Kit Siang urged government ministries to get cracking for a total ban on government support letters for those tendering for its projects.

In response to Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat’s statement on the a move by the ministry on Wednesday, Lim had said it was a step in the right direction.

The Ipoh Timor MP said ministries should, instead, replace the questionable support letters with the open tender system.

“The prime minister, PM’s department and other ministries should impose a total ban on support letters and practise open tenders, so questions over the letters would vanish.

“If there are open tenders, then there would be accountability and transparency. They would be open to public scrutiny and all will depend on the merits and demerits of the proposals,” said Lim when contacted.
Continue reading “Away with support letters, cries DAP leader”

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There can be no successful new economic model for Malaysia without a credible and meaningful new governance model

Over the weekend, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that the government would announce the new economic model for the country within a month.

When Datuk Seri Najib Razak became the sixth Prime Minister in April last year, he announced that the government would introduce a new economic model for the country to ensure that Malaysia makes a quantum leap to escape the middle-income trap to become a high-income country through greater emphasis on innovation, creativity and competitiveness.

In May last year, the Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah said the new economic model would be announced in the second half of the year.

Why has this timeline for the new economic model been postponed until this year when according to Husni’s own admission, the country has already lost a decade in economic stagnation?
Continue reading “There can be no successful new economic model for Malaysia without a credible and meaningful new governance model”

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The DAP Ipoh Resolution

The DAP Ipoh Resolution:
MUAFAKAT TRANSFORMASI MALAYSIA
(adopted by the DAP National Conference 2010 in Ipoh on Sunday, 17th January 2010)

PREAMBLE

  1. That the nation is waiting for a profound change is beyond doubt and that it is now a fact that the government-of-the-day is incapable of changing the intolerably arbitrary, self-serving, unjust, cruel and corrupt system of governance;

  2. That the world does not stand still to wait for Malaysia, and we risk watching Asia changing and its economy growing not as an active participant but as bystander if we do not catch up fast;

  3. That to save Malaysian governance from further deterioration, the economy from further plunder, and the people from further injustices is a shared imperative;

  4. That the Democratic Action Party (DAP) therefore, in partnership with other Pakatan Rakyat parties and in cooperation with civil society, is determined to transform Malaysia through a new muafakat (consensus)

    • by reversing distortions and corruptions of the Constitution, the rule of law and the system of governance,
    • by restoring mutual respect amongst Malaysia’s multiethnic, multicultural and multi-religious peoples,
    • by renewing trust in public institutions and in the security services,
    • by rejuvenating the economy
    • by conserving the environment,
    • by revamping the education system, and
    • by re-establishing hope in our future as a nation;

    5. Continue reading “The DAP Ipoh Resolution”

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Abu Kassim cannot have a more disastrous start as second MACC Chief Commissioner if his first priority is to restore public confidence in the MACC and the national anti-corruption campaign

Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed cannot have a more disastrous start as the second Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner if his first priority is to restore public confidence in the MACC and the national anti-corruption campaign which had plunged 33 rankings in 15 years from No. 23 in 1995 to No. 56 in 2009 in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.

The MACC had ended its first year with lower public confidence than when it started, fulfilling the worst fears of former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Abdullah had warned at the belated launching of MACC on 24th February last year that the MACC should not end up as just pretty window-dressing of its predecessor the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA).

The then Prime Minister had admitted the public perception of the ACA as “not being independent, of being a toothless tiger, of practicing selective enforcement, being late in taking action and not being professional in its investigations has damaged its image and credibility”.
Continue reading “Abu Kassim cannot have a more disastrous start as second MACC Chief Commissioner if his first priority is to restore public confidence in the MACC and the national anti-corruption campaign”

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Two things Abu Kassim can do to demonstrate that he will lead a MACC which is independent, non-partisan and professional gaining national and international confidence and recognition as a foremost graft-buster in the league of Hong Kong’s ICAC

Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed was sworn in as the new Chief Commissioner of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission today. Congratulations.

The question is whether Abu Kassim can redeem the reputation of MACC, which has plunged to the lowest ebb ever plumbed by its predecessor, the Anti-Corruption Agency, in its 41 year history from 1967-2008 – a most adverse reference and comparison.

There are two simple things Abu Kassim can do to demonstrate that he will lead a MACC which is independent, non-partisan and professional gaining national and international confidence and recognition as a fore-most world graft buster in the league of Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), viz:

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MACC police report against Dr. Pornthip – double test case for Selangor CPO Khalid and new MACC Chief Commissioner Abu Kassim

Last week, Selangor Chief Police Officer Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar announced a second police report lodged by the police over the mysterious death of DAP political aide, Teoh Beng Hock at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Shah Alam on July 16 last year.

Khalid said the police would be hauling up the Selangor DAP State Chairman and Selangor State Exco member Ean Yong Hian Wah under Section 506 of the Penal Code and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for allegedly intimidating the police in “directing” the police to cease their investigation of Penang Chief Minister and DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng for sedition.

Will Khalid direct the Selangor police to lodge a police report against himself, for Khalid had been guilty of the offence of publishing “false news” under the Printing Presses and Publications Act as Hian Wah never “directed” but merely urged the police to stop their baseless investigation of Guan Eng.
Continue reading “MACC police report against Dr. Pornthip – double test case for Selangor CPO Khalid and new MACC Chief Commissioner Abu Kassim”

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Najib rejects royal commission to probe Dr M

Dec 29, 09 7:42pm
Malaysiakini

Prime Minister Najib Razak said there was no need for a royal commission of inquiry to look into allegations hurled at former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the book ‘Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times’ authored by Barry Wain.

“There is always this call for a royal commission, everything you want royal commission, but (this) is not appropriate to call for a royal commission just because somebody has written a book.

“What is important for us is to look forward to the future. Each prime minister has made a lot of contribution, otherwise we wouldn’t be what we are today, Malaysia will not be a successful nation and regarded as a role model if all the PMs in the past had not made their contribution,” he said.

On Dec 21, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang in his blog had urged Najib to set up a royal commission to probe the allegations contained in the book, which among others had claimed that Mahathir had squandered up to RM100 billion during his 22 years as prime minister. Continue reading “Najib rejects royal commission to probe Dr M”

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Missing jet engines spark crisis in Malaysia

By Kevin Brown in Singapore | Financial Times
Published: December 22 2009 13:58 | Last updated: December 22 2009 13:58

The Malaysian government is facing a fresh corruption crisis after officials admitted that two US-made fighter jet engines had disappeared from an air force base after apparently being illicitly sold by military officers to a South American arms dealer.

Najib Razak, prime minister, said there would be a full investigation of the thefts, which happened in 2007 and 2008, when he was defence minister. However, opposition parties accused the government of covering up the incidents.

Lim Kit Siang, parliamentary leader of the opposition Democratic Action party, said the authorities had been “super slow” and claimed that the prime minister’s response had painted “a frightening picture of a government of thieves”.
Continue reading “Missing jet engines spark crisis in Malaysia”