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Fulfilment of 30-year dream of Sabahans in the hands of Sabah BN MPs

The three-decade dream of Sabahans for a Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants in the state will be realized tomorrow if the 24 Barisan Nasional Sabah MPs join the 82 Pakatan Rakyat MPs to support the amendment to the Motion of Thanks for the establishment of such a Royal Commission.

For the past thirty years, calls for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the illegal immigrant problem had been made in Parliament, the Sabah State Assembly as well as in the public domain but they had been totally ignored.

Now, for the first time in three decades, it is possible for such a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the long-standing and intractable problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah, which had reduced Sabahans into a minority to foreigners, to be established provided the 24 Barisan Nasional MPs from Sabah walk the talk about their concerns about this issue and support my amendment to the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address to set up such a Royal Commission.

The support of the 24 BN MPs is all that is needed to secure the necessary majority in Parliament to direct the Cabinet to set up such a Royal Commission of Inquiry as there will be 82 Pakatan Rakyat MPs in support of the proposal. Continue reading “Fulfilment of 30-year dream of Sabahans in the hands of Sabah BN MPs”

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Sabah illegal immigrants – D-Day in Parliament tomorrow

The Star
Monday May 19, 2008
Lim to bring up Sabah’s problem

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s longstanding illegal immigrant problem may be discussed at length in Parliament this week if a motion concerning the issue is allowed.

DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said yesterday he would table a motion to amend the motion of thanks on the royal address on tomorrow’s sitting.

The amendment, he said, called for the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry to resolve the long-standing problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah, to the extent that there was legitimate fear that Sabahans were being outnumbered by foreigners in their own state.

Lim, the Ipoh Timur MP, said he had given notice to Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia on the motion on Friday.

He said the establishment of the Royal Commission of Inquiry would become a reality if Barisan MPs lent their support to the motion. Continue reading “Sabah illegal immigrants – D-Day in Parliament tomorrow”

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RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah can be established after Tuesday

I have given notice that I will move an amendment on Tuesday to the motion of thanks for the Royal Address in the name of the MP for Kulai, YB Ong Ka Ting, as follows:

“ by adding the following words ‘and resolves that a Royal Commission of Inquiry should be established to resolve the long-standing problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah to the extent that there is legitimate fear that Sabahans are being outnumbered by foreigners in their own state’ after the words ‘Penggal Pertama Parlimen Yang Kedua Belas’”.

If Sabah and Sarawak MPs from Barisan Nasional support the amendment motion on Tuesday, a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah – a call which had been made in Sabah and in Parliament down the decades – would finally be established.

Are BN MPs from Sabah and Sarawak as well as from Peninsular Malaysia prepared to do what is right?

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KJ comes to Amirsham’s rescue

After embarrassing the professional-technocrat non-politician Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Amirsham Aziz with a planted supplementary question and a planted answer during Question Time in Parliament this morning, the Prime Minister’s son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin (MP for Rembau) has aggravated Amirsham’s embarrassment in coming to the former banker’s defence!

Rebutting the suspicion that Amirsham was “under the thumb of the world’s richest unemployed” in reading out a prepared answer to a supplementary question which the Minister should have no prior knowledge, Khairy said:

“The minister is an intelligent man. He was the former CEO of Maybank and I’m sure he anticipated my question. The minister was looking at his facts to answer my question.”

The Oxford graduate is being most condescending in conceding the intelligence of Amirsham. But he was talking bunkum as there were no “facts” for Amirsham to “look at” in his answer to Khairy’s supplementary question. Amirsham was just reading word-for-word the “planted” answer to Khairy’s “planted” supplementary, as if afraid that he might miss out some words or phrases painstakingly prepared for him beforehand!

With such a friend, Amirsham does not need enemies!

KJ’s “kiss of death” is to be found in today’s online New Straits Times “Dewan Dispatches”, as follows: Continue reading “KJ comes to Amirsham’s rescue”

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Amirsham Aziz – a professional/technocrat in Cabinet or just a Minister under the thumb of “world’s richest unemployed”?

When banker Datuk Amirsham Abdul Aziz was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in the second Abdullah Cabinet after the March 8 “political tsunami”, he was hailed as a professional and technocrat to oversee the Economic Planning Unit.

Amirsham himself pledged on his Cabinet appointment on 18th March 2008: “I will use my banking experience in the best interest of the country and exercise professionalism in every step I take.”

But what a letdown by Amirsham during question time in Parliament just now. Amirsham’s professionalism was completely absent. What is worse – he shamed himself publicly when he was exposed to be a Minister completely under the thumb of the “world’s richest unemployed”!

This happened when Khairy Jamaluddin (Rembau MP) asked the Prime Minister a highly slanted question on the New Economic Policy. In a supplementary question, Khairy distorted the statement by the Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng on the eradication of NEP abuses of corruption, cronyism and economic inefficiency.

This was not surprising. What created a ruckus in the House was Amirsham’s response, reading from a prepared text to the supplementary question meant to be impromptu and extemporaneous.

It was not only a planted question but also a planted answer.

As I alleged in the House in the ruckus just now, it was clear to all that the “world’s richest unemployed” had not only asked the supplementary question, he had also prepared the answer to be read out by Amirsham! Continue reading “Amirsham Aziz – a professional/technocrat in Cabinet or just a Minister under the thumb of “world’s richest unemployed”?”

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Me, ‘the great white shark’?

I am intrigued by the following article by Azmi Anshar in NST Online and thought that I would share it with you all:

DEWAN DISPATCHES: Parliament’s great white shark

For as long as the political savvy can remember, Lim Kit Siang has been an authoritative presence in the Dewan Rakyat, an orator of sublime presentation on compelling issues of the day he wishes to hound on political rivals, or a predatory great white shark smelling blood dripping from a “wounded” Minister or MP desperately trying to cover shenanigans only the Ipoh Timur MP can sniff out.

The 67-year-old seasoned Parliamentary player of seven terms can appear to be humbled by a lucid riposte by a cool Minister or MP and smile bewitchingly (menacingly if you suddenly realise that you are the target of his sniping), or he can suddenly snarl like an attack dog, pouncing ferociously on the lapses the MP may have unwittingly exposed. Except for a brief four-year period (1999-2004) when he was “exiled” out of Parliament after losing in the 1999 general election in Tanjung, Kit, as he is fondly called by colleagues and friends, has been a paradoxical character who had injected impact and colour into the debates of august hall.

Kit’s parliamentary performances, many seasons as Opposition leader, but now deferring to PKR president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, had been in his vintage style – articulate and authoritative when raising and stressing points but insistent, cynical, outlandish and brazen when deflecting broadsides from Barisan backbenchers, a slew of them with many axes to grind.

If there ever was a Top 10 list of best Dewan Rakyat debates, you can be sure that Kit has a couple of greatest hits in there somewhere, such is his searing influence in the business of formulating national laws and polices in the Dewan Rakyat. Continue reading “Me, ‘the great white shark’?”

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The Empire Strikes Back 2

When the witness becomes the accused
Citizen Nades – By R. Nadeswaran
The Sun
7th May 2008

EVER WONDERED why the police force is unable to close files and solve crimes? Do you know why witnesses to crimes do not want to come forward? Why do witnesses suddenly have memory lapses and declare: “I did not see anything.” I got the answers yesterday. Two police officers from the Commercial Crime Division of Bukit Aman gave an insight into how investigations are carried out and I can tell you with a clear conscience that it was an exercise in futility because their line of questioning would have insulted the intelligence of any right-thinking person.

Assistant Superintendents Wan Zainal Wan Mat and Albany Hamzah turned up at the office and said that they needed to record my statement in relation to police investigations into the transfer of funds from Balkis. To say that they came ill-prepared would be an understatement. To say that they never read any of the reports in theSun or any other newspaper would be the bitter truth. They are supposed to be investigating the transfer of RM9.9 million, and yet had no clue as to how to go about doing the job. This is because they came with pre-conceived notions and pre-prepared questions, perhaps drafted by their superiors, in the hope that this writer would shoot himself in the foot by implicating himself.

After the caution was administered under the Criminal Procedure Code and the usual questions on my qualifications and my career, it was crystal clear they wanted me to reveal my sources and wanted documents in my possession. Not that I had run foul of the Official Secrets Act because none of the documents cited were classified, but they came on a fishing expedition to get me to expose my hand and to find out what is going to be published in the future. They expected me to sing like a canary!
Continue reading “The Empire Strikes Back 2”

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Anti-Corruption & Media Reform

The reform proposals announced by the Prime Minister in the fight against corruption are also most unsatisfactory, viz:

· The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to become an “independent” Malaysian Commission Against Corruption (MCAC) by year end, to be answerable to Parliament.

· Increase of the MCAC’s workforce to 5,000 officers over a period of five years, whistle-blowers protection legislation and improvement in the public procurement system.

An anti-corruption agency does not become “independent” just because the government describes it as “independent” – particularly when it continues to come under the Prime Minister’s Deparment instead fo operating as a completely autonomous organization, bereft of prosecution powers for corruption as this will remain the discretion of the Attorney-General.

Whether Malaysia can break the back of the problem of worsening corruption is not just through organizational or institutional changes but on whether there is the political will by the highest level of government to support an all-out war against corruption, vesting all the necessary powers to the anti-corruption institutions.

After his unprecedented landslide victory, Abdullah launched the National Integrity Plan which set the five-year target to improve Malaysia’s ranking in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index from No. 37 in 2003 to at least No. 30 by 2008. Continue reading “Anti-Corruption & Media Reform”

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On judicial reform

The Prime Minister recently announced reform proposals for the judiciary and in the fight against corruption.

Many were disappointed by the Prime Minister’s speech on “Delivering Justice, Renewing Trust” at a special dinner hosted by the Bar Council on April 17, 2008, as more, much more, than what was announced to restore public and international confidence in the independence, impartiality and quality of the judiciary had been expected, viz:

• Ex-gratia payment for “the pain and loss” suffered by the late Tan Sri Eusoffe Abdoolcader and Tan Sri Wan Suleiman Pawanteh and their families, Tun Salleh Abas, Tan Sri Azmi Kamaruddin, Tan Sri Wan Hamzah Mohamed Salleh and Datuk George Seah in the 1988 Judicial Crisis;

• A Judicial Appointments Commission;

• Review of the judiciary’s terms of service and remuneration to ensure that the Bench can attract and retain the very best of the nation’s talent.

The thunderous and prolonged applause at the Bar Council dinner which greeted Abdullah’s recognition of the “contributions of these six judges to the nation, their commitment towards upholding justice” and acknowledgement of “the pain and loss they have endured” in the 1988 judicial crisis cannot hide the general disappointment that the Prime Minister had fallen far short of expectations to ensure a fair and just closure to the Mother of Judicial Crisis in 1988. Continue reading “On judicial reform”

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Belated genuine reforms or just sloganeering?

It is almost two months since the March 8 political tsunami of the 2008 general election which saw the end of Barisan Nasional’s unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority and the loss of state government in five states – Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan.

More than two weeks after the March 8 political tsunami, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi admitted that the result of the elections was a strong message that he “had not moved fast enough in pushing through with the reforms that he had promised to undertake’ when he was given an unprecedented mandate in the 2004 general election winning 91% of the parliamentary seats.

Abdullah said: “I thank the Malaysian people for the message. Point made and point taken.”

It was a sign of the Prime Minister grappling with the serious problem of denial but it was not assuring enough as he had missed the whole point of the March 8 electoral verdict – not that he “had not moved fast enough” in reforms he had pledged more than four years ago, but that he had hardly moved at all apart from reform sloganeering and periodically paying lip service to them.

Have Abdullah and his Cabinet now got the full message of Malaysians in the March 8 political tsunami? Continue reading “Belated genuine reforms or just sloganeering?”

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The Empire Strikes Back…

This morning, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, the editor of the news portal Malaysia Today, was summoned to the Kuala Lumpur magistrate’s court to be charged with sedition in connection with his recent posting on Altantunya Shaariibuu murder case , “Let’s send the Altantunya murderers to hell”.

Last Friday, the Police Cybercrimes Division sent a squad to his house in Sungai Buloh and confiscated his laptop and CPU in connection with police investigations under the Sedition Act 1948 for incitement and also because he “commented on a case before the court made its decision”.

Any offence in the latter category would fall under “contempt of court” to be dealt with by the presiding judge for the Altantunya murder case. When and why did it become an offence under the Sedition Act?

The police and prosecution action, coming immediately after the denial by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak through his press secretary of having anything to do with the murder of Altantunya Shaariibuu, smacks of an orchestrated response to Raja Petra’s blog – and must be deplored in the strongest possible terms. Continue reading “The Empire Strikes Back…”

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2007 Malaysian Population = 27.17 million

Estimated Population in Malaysia for2007 – 27.17 million (93% citizens; 7% non-citizens)

Malaysian citizens comprise

Bumiputera – 66.4%
Chinese – 24.9%
Indians – 7.5%
Others – 1.3%

“All states register the same trend, i.e. bumiputera being the biggest group except for Penang with bumiputera and Chinese almost at par i.e. 44.2 per cent and 44.8 respectively .

Selangor registers the highest population, i.e. 4.96 million (18.3%) followed by Johore 3.24 million (11.9%) and Sabah 3.06 million (11.3%). States with less than one million population are Negri Sembilan (0.98 million), Malacca (0.74 million), Perlis (0.23 million) and Federal Territory Labuan (0.09 million).

(From Parliament Q & A)

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Abdullah could only think of seven priority reform measures…

Yesterday, my parliamentary question (No. 5 on the Order Paper) asking the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi “to outline the top ten priority reform measures which his government will implement in the next 12 months to demonstrate that he has heard the voices of the people in the March 8, 2008 ‘political tsunami'” was not answered as only three got replied.

From the answer Abdullah would have given (reproduced below), the Prime Minister could only think of seven priority reform measures (many of which are quite unsatisfactory) although he had promised Malaysians wide-ranging reforms since he took over from Tun Dr. Mahathir Mahathir more than four years ago.

May be you can outline more reform measures which deserve Abdullah’s top priority in the next 12 months.

Abdullah’s answer: Continue reading “Abdullah could only think of seven priority reform measures…”

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Bad start for 12th Parliament

Its a bad start for the 12th Parliament, with Parliament setting the bad example of breaking and bending laws and rules to fit the whims and fancies of the Barisan Nasional government, whether during question time or in the first debate on the Royal Address.

Those who have seen the live telecast may want to give their views for the benefit of MPs.

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12th Parliament Opens Today

The “political tsunami” 12th Parliament elected on March 8, 2008 convenes today for the swearing-in of the 222 elected Members of Parliament and the election of the Speaker and two Deputy Speakers.

Tomorrow, the Yang di Pertuan Agong will officially declare open the 12th Parliament with a royal address which represents the policy speech of the government.

On Wednesday, question time and debate will begin.

There are great expectations of the new Parliament. Let its curtain rise.

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5 DAP MPs did not submit a single question for Parliament – apologies

I was taken aback when Chong Zemin put up the post that a blog had disclosed that there are 29 MPs who did not submit a question for the coming parliamentary meeting starting at the end of the month, and that five of them are from DAP.
The five DAP MPs cited are:

• Charles Anthony Santiago – Klang

• Er Teck Hwa – Bakri

• Hiew King Cheu – Kota Kinabalu

• John Fernandez – Seremban

• Dr. P. Ramasamy – Batu Kawan

I have checked with the five DAP MPs and they have confirmed the mistake of missing the deadline for the submission of questions, i.e. April 8, 2008, for the month-long inaugural meeting of the 12th Parliament starting on April 28 – although they would still be able to take part in the supplementary question stage of the daily 90-minute question time.

The Party had reminded DAP MPs not to miss the deadline for questions and lose the opportunity to pose questions in the first meeting of Parliament (an important aspect of the work of Opposition parliamentarians) but mistakes are still being made.

Work pressures as new elected representatives, lack of experience with parliamentary standing orders and breakdown of communications have contributed to the five DAP MPs not fielding a single question for the first meeting of the 12th Parliament.

These are not acceptable excuses as voters in the March 8 “political tsunami” have high expectations of DAP MPs and they have the right to expect the new batch of Opposition MPs to live up to a higher benchmark of parliamentary performance and to subject them to scrutiny. Continue reading “5 DAP MPs did not submit a single question for Parliament – apologies”