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How could the PAC exonerate the Prime Minister of any criminal wrongdoing in the RM50 billion 1MDB scandal when it had not even summoned Najib to appear as a witness?

UMNO/Barisan Nasional leaders, media and cybertroopers have gone to town after the tabling of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Report on 1MDB in Parliament yesterday, declaring as one UMNO/BN media has blared from its front-page today: “No criminal wrongdoing on the part of PM”.

How could the PAC exonerate the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak of any criminal wrongdoing in the RM50 million 1MDB scandal, when it had not even summoned Najib to appear as a witness?

It is noteworthy that these propagandists had also blissfully ignored the suppression of the Auditor-General’s final audit report on the 1MDB, which would normally be appended to the PAC report on 1MDB.

I have read through the 106-page PAC report on the 1MDB and I cannot find any exoneration of the Prime Minister in the 1MDB scandal.

May be Ministers and UMNO/BN leaders and propagandists who are going to town on this claim would like to point out and share the parts or paragraphs in the PAC report which had exonerated Najib of any wrongdoing! Continue reading “How could the PAC exonerate the Prime Minister of any criminal wrongdoing in the RM50 billion 1MDB scandal when it had not even summoned Najib to appear as a witness?”

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Can Pandikar explain how he could ban the Auditor-General’s final audit report on 1MDB from being presented to Parliament on the ground that it is a classified document when the same report had been presented to PAC earlier?

The Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia is reported to have told Parliament that the Auditor-General’s final audit report on 1MDB could not be tabled in Parliament because the document had not been declassified.

He said: “I cannot allow a classified document to be tabled in the House. I will be violating the Official Secrets Act 1972 if I allow it.”

Can Pandikar explain how he could ban the Auditor-General’s final audit report on 1MDB from being presented to Parliament on the ground that it is a classified document when the same report had earlier been presented to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is a committee of Parliament, and should have been appended to the PAC Report on 1MDB which was tabled in Parliament yesterday?

Is Pandikar going to report the PAC Chairman, Datuk Hasan Arifin as well as all the PAC members to the police for having committed breaches of the Official Secrets Act when they had access to the Auditor-General’s final audit report on the 1MDB?

This is a most ludicrous situation, where a report had beenj presented to a parliamentary select or standing committee, but not to Parliament.

In fact, Pandikar is probably the only Speaker in the world who is barring the presentation of a report in Parliament on the ground that it is a classified document and official secret?

What type of a parliamentary reform is Malaysia pioneering in the world of Parliaments? Continue reading “Can Pandikar explain how he could ban the Auditor-General’s final audit report on 1MDB from being presented to Parliament on the ground that it is a classified document when the same report had been presented to PAC earlier?”

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PAC report into RM50 billion 1MDB scandal is only tip of the iceberg

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report into the RM50 billion 1MDB scandal is only the tip of the iceberg.

Anyone who have read the 106-page PAC report cannot help getting the feeling that the PAC report is wrestling with larger forces than those it has named and identified, which is why the PAC has attracted not only national, but international, interest and attention and why Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s RM50 billion 1MDB and RM4.2 billion twin mega scandals have catapulted Malaysia among the top ten nations in the world infamous for global corruption.

Has the PAC report succeeded in laying to rest or rebutting in any manner international perceptions that Malaysia is now one of the world’s top nations in global corruption

The sad answer is in the negative. In fact, the PAC report will only confirm these international perceptions and doubts, which is why the 1MDB scandal is the subject of separate investigations by half a dozen countries, including the subject of the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Department of Justice (DOJ) under the US Kleptocracy Assets Recovery Initiative, and none of them will halt investigations because of the PAC Report. Continue reading “PAC report into RM50 billion 1MDB scandal is only tip of the iceberg”

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Three basic flaws of the long-awaited Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on 1MDB

Two important events happened this morning which would have far-reaching consequences on the development of democratic governance in Malaysia.

The first was the unprecedented march by scores of Members of Parliament from Parliament House to Bukit Aman to protest the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar’s utter contempt of Parliament in the police arrest of PKR Secretary-General and MP for Pandan Rafizi Ramli despite a long-standing parliamentary motion instructing the Inspector-General of Police to take all necessary measures to ensure that there is no obstruction to MPs travelling to and fro parliamentary meetings.

The second item was the tabling of the long-awaited Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on 1MDB.

I have not read the PAC report but clearly the PAC report is guilty of major failings even without having to refer to it.

There are at least three basic flaws in the PAC report on 1MDB. Continue reading “Three basic flaws of the long-awaited Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on 1MDB”

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Ministers’ failure of leadership and lack of moral courage which is why the Malaysian government has lost its moral compass and Malaysia lost its way in the sixth decade of nationhood

The Higher Education Minister, Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh today gave an example of the Ministers’ failure of leadership and lack of moral courage which is why the Malaysian government has lost its moral compass and Malaysia lost its way in the sixth decade of nationhood.

In answering the question by the PKR MP for Penampang Darell Leiking, Idris defended the two forums against Christianisation held by Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), claiming that they were meant to explain the threat of Islamic State (IS) and Syiah teachings. Continue reading “Ministers’ failure of leadership and lack of moral courage which is why the Malaysian government has lost its moral compass and Malaysia lost its way in the sixth decade of nationhood”

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IGP should be jailed by Parliament for contempt if he violates the unanimous resolution of Parliament and obstructs Rafizi from attending last two sittings of Parliament today and tomorrow

The Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar should be jailed by Parliament for contempt of Parliament if obstructs the PKR Secretary-General and MP for Pandan Rafizi Ramli from attending the last two sittings of the current parliamentary meeting, i.e. today and tomorrow.

This is because Khalid would have violated the unanimous resolution passed by Parliament at the beginning of the current parliamentary meeting instructing the Inspector-General of Police to ensure that there is no obstruction for MPs to make their way to and from Parliament.

Now we have the IGP himself obstructing an MP from attending the last two sittings of Parliament with the “ambush” and arrest of Rafizi outside the gates of Parliament yesterday.

If Rafizi is not allowed the liberty to attend today and tomorrow’s Parliamentary sitting, a motion should be passed unanimously by Parliament today citing the Inspector-General of Police for contempt and putting him in jail until he purges the parliamentary contempt.

This is not a partisan issue, affecting the MP from PKR or Pakatan Harapan but an issue affecting parliamentary privileges of all MPs, regardless of political party. Continue reading “IGP should be jailed by Parliament for contempt if he violates the unanimous resolution of Parliament and obstructs Rafizi from attending last two sittings of Parliament today and tomorrow”

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Najib government in two minds over ABC Four Corners’ documentary “State of Fear: Money and Murder in Malaysia”

The Najib government is clearly in two minds over the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Four Corners’ documentary “State of Fear: Money and Murder in Malaysia” aired on Monday and widely shared on the Internet.

The first response to the ABC programme was from the Prime Minister’s Office, which said that the Four Corners documentary had confirmed the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s statement and the findings of Malaysian authorities that the money deposited into his personal accounts was a donation from a Saudi royalty.

“The investigations included forensic examination of every wire transfer,” said a government spokesperson in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office yesterday.

“Malaysian authorities also travelled to Saudi Arabia to examine documentation and interview members of the royal family, and the officials who administered the donation.

“As the leaked letter from Saudi Arabia states, the donation was a gift to the prime minister for promoting moderate Islam, and his leadership in combatting terrorism and extremism – such as by launching his Global Movement of Moderates initiative.

“The letter makes clear the gift was to be used as the prime minister saw fit; would be transferred directly or through the donor’s companies; and no benefit was expected in return.”

Journalist with Australian ‘Four Corner’s’ programme Linton Besser has dismissed speculations that a letter from Saudi prince Saud Abdulaziz Majid to Najib was planted by Putrajaya to exonerate the Prime Minister.

When contacted by Malaysiakini, Besser called such claims preposterous and stressed that the letter did not exonerate anyone.

Besser said: “If anything, it raises further and more difficult questions. The remittances we reported were associated with the letter pledging the money came from an altogether different person, from the personal accounts of someone calling themselves Prince Faisal bin Turki bin Bandar Alsaud.

“Meanwhile, who is this HRH Prince Saud Abdulaziz Al-Saud? And crucially, who is behind Tanore Finance and Blackstone? None of these questions has been answered.”

A few hours after the Prime Minister’s Office statement, the Foreign Ministry issued a separate statement that the ABC Four Corners programme was “one-sided” in attacking the accountability of the Prime Minister and the government system. Continue reading “Najib government in two minds over ABC Four Corners’ documentary “State of Fear: Money and Murder in Malaysia””

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Najib’s RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal is history – as Malaysians should now refer to Najib’s RM4.2 billion “donation” scandal instead

Ever since the beginning of this year, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had been declaring that his twin mega scandals were no more issues as they had been “resolved”.

In a way, Najib is right, as his RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal is no more an issue as it has been replaced by an even bigger RM4.2 billion donation scandal.

Najib’s RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal has become history, and we should now talk about Najib’s RM4.2 billion “donation” scandal!

It is sad that Malaysians have to piece together from various bits and pieces of information in the public domain to get a handle of the scale and monstrosity of Najib’s twin mega scandals, as the Prime Minister and his Ministerial cohorts in Parliament have simply refused to give a proper, full and satisfactory accounting about the twin mega scandals even in Parliament.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s 45-minute Four Corners’ documentary “State of Fear: Murder and Money in Malaysia” on Monday has helped many Malaysians to realize that there were actually three separate tranches of deposits into Najib’s personal banking accounts at AmBank, pre the RM2.6 billion donations, the RM2.6 billion donations itself and post-RM2.6 billion donations, viz:

(i) some US$300 million from 2011 to March 2013;

(ii) two transactions in March 2013 totalling US$681 (the often-reported RM2.6 billion political donation) – bringing the total deposited into Najib’s accounts to US$1.03 billion (RM4.14 billion) by April 10, 2013, just over a month prior to the 13th General Election; and

(iii) deposits of £50 million (RM285 million) as well as “a series of cash deposits” in June 2014 and after.

Najib had never contradicted these facts and figures, elevating Najib’s RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal into at least RM4.2 billion “donation” scandal. Continue reading “Najib’s RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal is history – as Malaysians should now refer to Najib’s RM4.2 billion “donation” scandal instead”

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Can Najib explain how Clare Rewcastle could be named among ”World’s 50th Greatest Leaders” for exposure of 1MDB scandal when she is blacklisted and declared persona non grata in Malaysia and access to her website blocked by MCMC?

One question which I raised at the Save Malaysia People’s Congress in Shah Alam yesterday was whether Malaysia has become a most abnormal country out of sync with international aspirations, trends and developments.

As an example, I cited the example of the owner of the whistleblower website, Sarawak Report, Clare Rewcastle Brown who was named one of ‘The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ for role in the exposure of the 1MDB scandal but is blacklisted and persona non grata in Malaysia and her website blocked from access by Malaysian government as “detrimental to parliamentary democracy” for “undesirable content” in Sarawak Report which could “could create unrest and threatens national stability, public order and economic stability”.

Named in Fortune magazine’s “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders”, Clare Rewcastle shares the company of German chancellor Angela Merkel and Myanmar NPD party leader Aung San Su Kyi (ranked No. 2 and respectively) for “transforming the world and inspiring others to do the same”.

Can the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak explain how Clare Rewcastle could be named among ”World’s 50th Greatest Leaders” for exposure of 1MDB scandal when she is blacklisted and declared persona non grata in Malaysia and access to her website blocked by Malaysian Multimedia and Communications Commission (MCMC)? Continue reading “Can Najib explain how Clare Rewcastle could be named among ”World’s 50th Greatest Leaders” for exposure of 1MDB scandal when she is blacklisted and declared persona non grata in Malaysia and access to her website blocked by MCMC?”

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No one has made any allegation against Najib on timber or bauxite mining but Najib has yet to give satisfactory accounting for the twin mega scandals which have plunged Malaysia to international infamy as one the world’s top corrupt countries

In his speech at the Support Najib Solidarity Gathering in Kuantan on Sunday yesterday, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak declared that he was not “a thief of the citizens’ property” which he alleged was the portrayal by certain quarters who he charged “deliberately wanted to tarnish his image”.

He told the 5,000-people gathering of UMNO and Barisan Nasional members and leaders from 14 divisions in Pahang:

“You already know me. I am not like what is said by the people over there. I am not like that. I have looked after Pahang in the best possible manner.

“If I had wanted to rob, I would have robbed the forest here long ago. I didn’t even take an inch, I didn’t take a single tree in Pahang, I didn’t take the bauxite mine, I didn’t take anything.

“I have not changed my stand when I became prime minister, I will not take the people’s property, don’t think I am a crook, don’t think I steal the people’s property, I am the prime minister for the people.”

No one has made allegations against Najib whether about timber or bauxite mine but there is no doubt that Najib had still to give a satisfactory accounting for the RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.5 billion “political donation” twin mega scandals, despite these scandals swirling around the Prime Minister for more than year.

It is Najib’s twin mega scandals which have undermined and even destroyed public confidence in the independence, professionalism and integrity of key national institutions in the country and dogged and hounded the country’s international image in the past year until we suffer the international notoriety of among the top corrupt nations in the world – whether by the international website, ForeignPolicy, the international magazine TIME or Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2015. Continue reading “No one has made any allegation against Najib on timber or bauxite mining but Najib has yet to give satisfactory accounting for the twin mega scandals which have plunged Malaysia to international infamy as one the world’s top corrupt countries”

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I do not believe Najib is a crook, which is why he should come clean and full in Parliament on the twin mega scandals of RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion political donation

I do not believe that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is a crook, which is why he should come clean and full in Parliament this week to be accountable and transparent on the RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion political donation twin mega scandals.

Najib should not only make full use of the Ministerial winding up on the debate on the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address to give full and satisfactory explanation on the twin mega scandals, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) must shake off the cloud of doubt about its credibility and professionalism when a “cari makan” Chairman had been foisted on it by conducting a full and comprehensive inquiry into Najib’s twin mega scandals.

The PAC should summon Najib as a key witness and give him an opportunity to answer all questions and doubts about the twin mega scandals. In fact, the PAC should take one step further – probe into all the information about the twin mega scandals which had appeared on the website Sarawak Report, highlighting those Sarawak Report articles and allegations which are baseless and untrue while confirming those allegations which are correct and factual.

In fact, the Najib government should unblock access to Sarawak Report as truth and honesty is the best defence to lies and falsehood. PAC should invite the Sarawak Report owner Claire Recastle to testify before the PAC, even paying for her expenses from UK and given her an assurance that no action would be taken against her by Malaysian authorities during her visit to Malaysia as guest and witness of PAC. Continue reading “I do not believe Najib is a crook, which is why he should come clean and full in Parliament on the twin mega scandals of RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion political donation”

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I will be charged under the Sedition Act in the new repression against dissent

Just now, the DAP “giant killer” in the 1969 general election, 84-year-old Chan Fu King, who as bus-conductor defeated the MCA Health Minister, Dr. Ng Kam Poh, told us how during his term as MP for Teluk Anson (1969 -1974), MCA leaders including the then MCA Youth leader Lee San Choon (who went on to become the MCA President) tried to induce and seduce him to defect from the DAP to the MCA.

I am reminded of DAP’s darkest days after the DAP won 13 parliamentary and 31 State Assembly seats in DAP’s first general election outing in 1969, a result we had not expected as we only sought a modest breakthrough in Parliament and various State Assemblies to gird ourselves for a battle for next two to three decades to create a more democratic, just and better Malaysia for all Malaysians.

DAP’s unexpected electoral success was made use of by some irresponsible politicians to create the May 13, 1969 riots in Kuala Lumpur, and I myself was detained for the first time under the Internal Security Act when I returned to Subang from Kota Kinabalu, where I had gone over on May 13, 1969 itself to campaign for independent candidates in Sabah as polling in Sabah was scheduled to be held two weeks after the Peninsular Malaysia elections of May 10, 1969.
I remember vividly the prediction of the then Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Ismail, in 1972 that the DAP was “one foot in the grave”, forecasting an early end for the DAP.

Tun Ismail was not indulging in idle prediction, for looking back, it was clear that he was privy to a high-powered campaign to crush the DAP by a double pincer strategy to seduce DAP MPs and State Assemblymen to defect from DAP to MCA and Barisan Nasional, from a combination of money politics or intimation and politics of fear to use all the repressive powers at the command of the government.

As a result, during the first term of DAP in Parliament and the various State Assemblies after 1969, we suffered the worst attrition rate with some 30 to 40 per cent of DAP MPs and State Assemblymen finally succumbing either to the temptation of monetary and material inducements or the pressures of politics of fear and intimidation. Continue reading “I will be charged under the Sedition Act in the new repression against dissent”

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Sad and tragic that when the world increasingly regards Malaysia under Najib premiership is topping the world in corruption scandals, Najib is not taking proactive action to initiate full and independent investigations into the twin mega scandals but could only make the weak lamentation “Please dont’ think I’m a crook”

Malaysians find it sad and tragic that at a time when the world increasingly regards Malaysia under the Najib premiership is topping the world in corruption scandals, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is not taking pro-active action to initiate full, thorough and independent investigations into Najib’s twin mega scandals but could only make the weak lamentation: “Please don’t think I’m a crook”.

I have just seen the online news report of what the Prime Minister said in Kuantan this morning at a gathering of UMNO and Barisan Nasional members and leaders from 14 divisions in Pahang to express support for Najib, where Najib said: “Don’t think I am a crook, don’t think I steal the people’s property, I am the prime minister for the people.”

It is sad and tragic because this is the first time in the 59-year history of the nation that the Prime Minister of Malaysia (Najib is the sixth PM in the country) had to make such a pathetic protestation.

Secondly, Najib’s lament will do nothing to dispel the growing global perception that Malaysia under the Najib premiership is topping the world in corruption scandals – with the international TIME magazine just citing Malaysia as the second worst example of current global corruption, reinforcing recent adverse developments like Malaysia falling four places in Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2015 which was released in late January and being ranked No. 3 in the world’s “worst corruption scandals in 2015” by the international website, foreignpolicy.com at the end of last year. Continue reading “Sad and tragic that when the world increasingly regards Malaysia under Najib premiership is topping the world in corruption scandals, Najib is not taking proactive action to initiate full and independent investigations into the twin mega scandals but could only make the weak lamentation “Please dont’ think I’m a crook””

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Najib’s Jekyll and Hyde playbook at work again – on the day Najib presented the sweet face of reason to Parliament to let it decide on the twin mega scandals, his Ministers were already playing hard ball refusing to respond to questions about the twin mega scandals

It was classic Najib from his Jekyll and Hyde playbook in Parliament yesterday.

On the same day that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak presented the sweet face of reason to Parliament saying to let it decide on his twin mega scandals, his Ministers were already playing hard ball refusing to respond to questions about the twin mega scandals.

During question time yesterday morning, Najib said he will let the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) decide on his twin mega scandals – the RM55 billion 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion “donation” scandals – but shortly after, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said announced that the Federal Government will not respond to any parliamentary question on the RM2.6 billion deposited in Najib’s personal banking accounts, invoking the sub judice rule on the ground that it was now the subject of a judicial review application by the Malaysian Bar.

In one fell swoop, Azalina had nullified and negatived the assurance Najib had implicitly given to Parliament earlier the same day, that the Prime Minister had nothing whatsoever to hide in the twin mega scandals, that the attacks against him on the twin mega scandals were “orchestrated” and that he would let the PAC and Parliament decide on both issues to uphold the “process of accountability”.

How can PAC and Parliament decide on Najib’s twin mega scandals to uphold the “process of accountability” when he and his Ministers refused from yesterday to respond, whether during Question Time or in the Ministerial winding-up debate next week, to issues raised by MPs on the twin mega scandals? Continue reading “Najib’s Jekyll and Hyde playbook at work again – on the day Najib presented the sweet face of reason to Parliament to let it decide on the twin mega scandals, his Ministers were already playing hard ball refusing to respond to questions about the twin mega scandals”

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Was Azalina acting as the Speaker’s Speaker when she unilaterally and arbitrarily announced that questions on Najib’s RM2.6 billion political donation scandal can no longer be raised in Parliament?

Was the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Azalina Othman Said acting as the Speaker’s Speaker when she unilaterally and arbitrarily announced yesterday that questions on Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s RM2.6 billion political donation scandal can no longer be raised in Parliament because of sub judice arising from the Bar Council’s suit against the Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali?

The Bar is seeking a judicial review of Apandi’s decision to clear Najib of any wrongdoing in the RM2.6 billion donation and the RM42 million SRC International cases.

Azalina quoted Standing Order 23(1) which states that “a question shall not be so drafted as to be likely to prejudice a case under trial, or be asked to any matter which is sub judice”.

Firstly, Azalina has committed a grave contempt of the Parliament Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, usurping his powers as Speaker as under the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders only the Speaker can decide if a matter is sub judice, whether under Standing Orders 23(1) or 36(2) with regard to questions or debates, and even then only after the issue has arisen whether in the course of question time or debate.

Azalina should not exceed her bounds as Minister in charge of parliamentary affairs for the government, which does not give her powers to be the Speaker’s Speaker!

Secondly, the Bar’s suit against the Attorney-General on Najib’s RM2.6 billion donation scandal cannot justify a blanket ban on the subject of the RM2.6 billion donation scandal in Parliament, whether during question time or in debates, although nothing would make Najib, Azalina and the Ministers happier than to have a total ban to prohibit raising the RM2.6 billion donation subject in Parliament. Continue reading “Was Azalina acting as the Speaker’s Speaker when she unilaterally and arbitrarily announced that questions on Najib’s RM2.6 billion political donation scandal can no longer be raised in Parliament?”

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Voters in 12 parliamentary constituencies in Kelantan, Kedah and Perlis which I visited after the signing of the “Citizen’s Declaration” of March 4 support Save Malaysia campaign calling for Najib’s removal as well as democratic and institutional reforms

Kuala Perlis is my seventh stop in the visit to four parliamentary constituencies in Kedah and three parliamentary constituencies in Perlis yesterday and today.

Kangar (which includes Kuala Perlis) is the 92nd parliamentary constituency I am visiting since my six-month suspension from Parliament on Oct. 22 for demanding full and satisfactory accounting from the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib for his RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” twin mega scandals.

The seven parliamentary constituencies in Kedah and Perlis I visited in the last two days are: Sungai Patani, Merbau, Kuala Kedah, Alor Setar, Padang Besar, Arau and Kangar.

The purpose on my nation-wide visit of the parliamentary constituencies is to take the pulse of the people on Najib’s twin mega scandals, and there is no doubt that uppermost in everyone’s minds are teeming questions as where the billions in Najib’s personal banking accounts came from, where they have gone to, and whether the RM2.6 billion (mushroomed now to RM4.2 billion) donation scandal is part of the RM55 billion 1MDB scandal.

So many question, and which are increasing by the day, which remain unanswered – sending out the disturbing message not only to Malaysians but to the world that Najib has got many things to hide!

In the whole process for the past year, Malaysia is acquiring the notoriety of being among the most corrupt nations in the world – how sad for patriotic Malaysians!

Since March 4, there is an added issue which I am taking the pulse of the people during my visit to the parliamentary constituencies – the people’s reactions and feedback to the Citizen’s Declaration to Save Malaysia signed by 45 political and civil society leaders, involving former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir, former Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as well as former Cabinet Ministers, bridging the political divide with signatories from the government coalition and the Opposition, calling for Najib’s removal as well as for democratic and institutional reforms. Continue reading “Voters in 12 parliamentary constituencies in Kelantan, Kedah and Perlis which I visited after the signing of the “Citizen’s Declaration” of March 4 support Save Malaysia campaign calling for Najib’s removal as well as democratic and institutional reforms”

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Parliament Speaker Pandikar should disclose how many oral questions, particularly on Najib’s twin mega scandals, had been rejected for the current five-week Parliament

Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Mulia Amin has yet to explain why there are such a large number of oral questions by Members of Parliament which had been rejected by him in the current five-week Parliament meeting on the ground of violation of Standing Orders, especially on the vexing subject of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” twin mega scandals.

From random reports, it would appear that the current meeting of Parliament has probably set a new record in the 57-year history of the Malaysian Parliament in the number of oral questions rejected by the Speaker – a dubious record which no Parliament Speaker has reason to feel proud, especially one who is talking the “parliamentary reform” language.

Pandikar should make public the full list of oral questions which had been rejected by him for the current five-week Parliament meeting, for scrutiny not only by MPs but the Malaysian public about the rationale and justification for the rejection of these parliamentary oral questions. Continue reading “Parliament Speaker Pandikar should disclose how many oral questions, particularly on Najib’s twin mega scandals, had been rejected for the current five-week Parliament”

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Ministry of Defence should not be a ‘black hole’ of information

— Liew Chin Tong
Malay Mail Online
March 10, 2016

MARCH 10 — Yesterday, my parliamentary question on the expenditures of AV-8 (8×8 armored vehicle) and Second Generation Patrol Vessel (SGPV) projects was turned down because it was classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

I am disappointed by the Speaker’s decision to gag this legitimate question.

Why is the Ministry of Defence refusing to give answers about the financial implications of the two projects?

While I fully understood the sensitivity of defence capability development, the financial aspect of the two projects should still be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny. Particularly since these projects are the largest scale defence development programmeme in Malaysia’s history.

The rakyat deserve to know how their money is being spent on defense projects. Continue reading “Ministry of Defence should not be a ‘black hole’ of information”

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Parliamentary Reform in Malaysia a most peculiar animal when other countries see parliamentary democracy taken to a higher stage of development but in Malaysia we are trying but failing to achieve what had been parliamentary practices in early decades of nation-building

Yesterday, the Speaker of Parliament, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia announced three of his four proposals for parliamentary reforms, viz. Minister’s Question Time on Tuesday and Thursdays, reduction of the period for submission of questions from MPs to 10 days from the existing 14 days and a second Chamber to deal with emergency motions tabled by lawmakers.

The Speaker’s announcement was followed by a statement by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said pledging that the government is committed to the successful implementation of Parliament’s transformation, and disclosing that the Cabinet had agreed to three of the four proposals at its meeting on Jan. 20.

She thanked the Speaker for clarifying to the media on any misunderstanding that the executive was interfering into the affairs of the legislature.

What an irony! Azalina did not realise that she had just publicly confessed to the sin of executive interference in parliamentary affairs when the Cabinet had to give the final approval on Jan. 20 to three of the four parliamentary reforms.

This is March 10. Why have the proposed parliamentary reforms not be tabled in the House? This does not bespeak of efficiency of Parliament or the Speaker’s Office.

Parliamentary reforms should be the sole prerogative of Parliament and not contingent on Executive or Cabinet approval. Continue reading “Parliamentary Reform in Malaysia a most peculiar animal when other countries see parliamentary democracy taken to a higher stage of development but in Malaysia we are trying but failing to achieve what had been parliamentary practices in early decades of nation-building”