The Kuala Lumpur High Court today ordered the government to pay RM30,000 each to 29 human rights activists and journalists wrongfully detained following Umno Youth's disruption of the Apcet II civil society gathering in Kuala Lumpur more than a decade ago.
The local activists and journalists had filed a RM87 million suit against the government in 1998 - two years after the incident.
Appeals Court Judge Wan Adnan Muhamad delivered his decision saying that "the facts here are clear and straightforward and the judgment is based on facts submitted by both parties".
The government was ordered to pay RM870,000 in total to the plaintiffs.
The suit was filed against the government after the group's wrongful detention at the Second Asia Pacific Conference on East Timor (Apcet II) on Nov 11, 1996.
The conference was held to discuss human rights abuses in East Timor and its struggle for independence from Indonesia.
It was held at the Asia hotel in Kuala Lumpur and saw nasty scenes when an Umno Youth mob stormed the venue and harassed the 60 participants.
Four hundred members from the Umno Youth-led BBRM (or Malaysian People's Action Front) broke down the doors of the conference halls, threw chairs and verbally and physically abused the participants.
The police intervened an hour later but instead arrested the conference participants.
Foreign participants were immediately deported while the local ones, including several journalists, were detained for up to a week.
A total of 36 activists and journalists originally filed the law suit but seven withdrew and one passed away.
1) Then PRM vice-president Sanusi Othman 2) PKR deputy president and senator Syed Husin Ali 3) Batu parliamentarian Tian Chua 4) Malaysiakini chief executive officer Premesh Chandran 5) Malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan 6) Malaysian Trade Union Congress president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamad.
Other high-profile plaintiffs include Subang MP R Sivarasa, Parti Sosialis Malaysia president Dr Nasir Hashim and former New Era College principal Kua Kia Soong.
Human Rights Party at intended DBKL demolishment of more then 3 generations of Indians at Kampong Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
The DBKL notice stated that they will demolish today at 9am. Human Rights Party Information Chief S.JAYATHAS and HRP members were at location to stop any demolishment of these estate houses. According HRPs’Captain Bala there is still ongoing negotiation with the assistance of the National Union of Plantation Workers(NUPW) who are in talks with the Human Resource Ministry and the Wilayah Ministry and they were shocked that DBKL sent them a notice and causing alarm, tension and distress.
The Wilayah Minister and DBKL should fine a permanent solution for these former plantation workers who were the backbone of Malaysian economy, before demolishing their houses.
It was reported that in Selangor alone 236 Tamil school pupils had scored 7As’ whereas the maximum As’ in a national school can only be 5As’. But the Selangor state government plays “school bag” politics through their Indian Exco mandore and rewards these 236 students with school bags, RM50.00, a certificate and some basic stationary. (22/12/09 TN page 7, MO page 11 and MN page 4)
But what ever happens to the cream of these students after this school bag “mega fanfare” Mandor politics.
Similarly what ever happens to the cream of the Indian PMR, SPM and STPM top scoring students whose results are amplified and glorified in especially the three Tamil dailies on a daily basis and lasting for a few weeks after their results are announced? In reality they are excluded from entering the elite schools, MRSM, fully residential schools, Institute Aminuddin Baki, Malay College Kuala Kangsar, Matriculation courses and denied foreign and local government scholarships besides being denied local government University places albeit to a lesser extent. The Tamil dailies does not report these ‘rewards’ as almost none are given to the Indians.
We hereby call upon the Selangor State government to instead forthwith build a fully residential MRSM Tamil College to cater for the 817 7As’ high achieving elite Tamil school pupils nationwide to pave the way to end UMNO’s racism in Malaysia. In the meantime the Selangor State government is also to undo the injustices done by UMNO to the poor but elite Indian students for over the last 52 years should award these 236 7As’ Tamil school pupils full Yayasan Selangor Scholarships for them to study at elite schools in Singapore until our proposed MRSM Tamil Selangor is completed. These 817 7As’ Tamil schools pupils and the 110,000 Tamil school pupils in the 523 Tamil schools nationwide would be motivated to further excel in their studies and also help contribute to the nation’s brain power. Why exclude these Indian pupils in the first place?
We note that there is MRSM for PDRM (police), ATM (army) and Felda Why not MRSM (Tamil) in Selangor as in Universiti Industri Selangor (Unisel) that was built by the Selangor State government.
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said today the formal registration of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition is in the hands of the government.
His statement was made to clear the confusion over his remarks last Sunday which suggested that PAS was unwilling to be part of a formal coalition.
“The formation of the Pakatan Rakyat party as agreed mutually by all PR members cannot be formalised as it is still under the consideration of the Registrar of Societies (RoS),” said Hadi (picture) in a one-paragraph statement made through his political secretary Dr Samsuri Mokhtar.
On Sunday, Hadi had suggested that the PR coalition was in no hurry to be formally registered, in remarks that appear to indicate PAS’s ideological differences with its political partners remained an obstacle.
“We do not want to act in a hurry to register Pakatan,” Hadi had said.
“Pakatan does not necessarily have to become a single party. What is important is for us to bring out what we have in common, and to put off things which we do not agree on,” he was quoted as saying after a special meeting with political bloggers yesterday.
Hadi’s remarks came just a day after the PR coalition held its first-ever convention. A common policy framework was also tabled at the convention.
Yesterday, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Hadi might have been misunderstood as the Marang MP had consented to the formation of the PR.
Anwar claimed that Hadi’s contention was that the detailed plans of the formalisation had not been agreed to yet and would take time.
The application to register PR was made in early November and Datuk Zaid Ibrahim was named the coalition chairman.
By G. Manimaran - The Malaysian Insider Bahasa Malaysia Editor
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — DAP has taken the lead among more than two dozen political parties in the country in the race to register new voters, especially among younger Malaysians, since Election 2008, according to the Election Commission.
EC deputy chairman Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad Wan Omar told The Malaysian Insider that DAP had registered the most number of new voters, followed by Umno, with other parties like PAS, MCA and Gerakan trailing them.
But he did not reveal the exact breakdown of new voters registered respectively by all the political parties.
It is understood that despite the push by DAP and other parties, a total of four million Malaysians, a majority of them under 30, remain unregistered.
"I feel it is DAP that has been the party which has taken advantage of the opportunity given (to appoint assistant voter registrars) and the mood of the public especially among the younger Chinese.
"It is clear from the increase in new voters that it is from the efforts of DAP, compared with Gerakan and MCA which should also take advantage," said Wan Ahmad.
DAP, which received the lion's share of Chinese votes in Election 2008, appears to have taken advantage of the internal problems MCA and Gerakan are facing to register more new voters.
"MCA is facing problems, so MCA has no time to do this work (to register new voters)," said Wan Ahmad while pointing out that party voter registration exercises usually contributed to better electoral results.
"It is common for them to put across their political stand when registering new voters. If they succeed in registering new voters this means they will attract more support during elections. That is the advantage."
DAP is said to be focusing its efforts on west coast states such as Malacca, Perak, Selangor and Penang.
Behind DAP in the voter registration race is Umno which is concentrating its efforts nationwide.
PAS is in third place with its focus on the east coast states of Pahang, Kelantan, Terengganu and also Kedah.
“Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has not registered many. They are just average," said Wan Ahmad.
While he did not reveal how many new voters have been registered respectively by the various parties, he said: "Out of 10 new voters in Malacca, as an example, five are registered by DAP."
Since 2006, political parties have been allowed to appoint assistant registrars, with commissions paid out for each new voter registered.
Such assistant registrars are said to contribute up to 30 per cent of all new voters registered every year.
Recently, the EC revealed that under the latest voter rolls up till September this year, there are now 11,085,863 voters.
In the third quarter of this year, from July until September, there were 67,502 new voters and 14,123 applications to change constituencies because of a change of address.
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — The Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) has agreed to extend the age limit of school buses from 20 years to 30 years effective next year.
Its chairman, Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique, said the move was to enable school bus operators with vehicles which had exceeded the current 20-year age limit to continue to operate and provide transport service for schoolchildren.
"However, they are required to send their buses for periodical checks at the Computerised Vehicle Inspection centre (Puspakom) to ensure the vehicles are road worthy," she said in a statement today.
She said it would be up to Puspakom, depending on the bus condition, whether or not to allow the vehicle to continue to be on the road.
On the application for new licences and vehicle replacement, the age of the buses to be licensed should not be more than 20 years from the registration date, she added. — Bernama
Under cross-examination, Kevin admitted that there was bad blood between Ramli and the IGP. The IGP had blocked Ramli’s Pingat Polis award on grounds that he is under investigation, thus unqualified to be the Deputy IGP -- and therefore also not suitable to succeed as IGP.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Rosli Dahlan's trial kicked off in the Criminal Sessions Court 10 in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur, with the cross-examination of the Prosecution’s first witness, MACC officer Azmi Ismail, by Dato' Kumaraendran.
Azmi testified that Rosli was served a notice to declare his assets although he was not the subject of any investigation. The subject of the investigation was the ex-CCID Director, Ramli Yusuff.
Azmi further testified that Ramli was under investigation because of a report (Report Number 098/2007), which he (Azmi) made against him (Ramli). The basis of the report was information he (Azmi) received through another report that Ramli was involved in corruption.
Azmi admitted that he has no knowledge whatsoever whether Ramli had committed any crime. Nevertheless, he still made the report against Ramli and launched the investigation under instructions from higher up resulting from another report (Report Number O75/2007) made by another officer, Saiful Ezral.
In fact, Saiful's report (the first report) made no mention of Ramli’s name. Azmi, however, mentioned Ramli in his report (the second report) even though his report was based on another report that made no mention of Ramli.
In Ramli’s trial that was held simultaneously in the Criminal Sessions Court 2, Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur, Dato' Shafie Abdullah, Ramli’s lawyer, cross-examined DPP Kevin Morais who admitted that Report Number 075/2007 lodged by Saiful Ezral was based on a complaint made by an underworld operator named Moo Sai Chin.
It was further revealed that:
1) On 9 September 2006, Musa Hassan became the IGP.
2) On 9 October 2007, Moo was detained under the Emergency Ordinance.
3) On 9 December 2007, Moo's detention under the Emergency Ordinance was converted to Restricted Residence under RR0 and he was restricted to Tampin, Negeri Sembilan, for one year until December 2007.
4) On 23 January 2007, Moo was released.
Apparently, to secure his release, Moo had cut a deal with the IGP to implicate Ramli in this fabricated charge.
5) On 7 March 2007, the police brought Moo to the ACA office where he gave a statement implicating Ramli. Moo's statement said that he paid several police officers a bribe to cover up two murder cases.
6) Kevin admitted that Moo's statement was not sufficient to implicate Ramli because the murders occurred in 2002 whereas since November 2001 Ramli was already posted to Sabah as the Police Commissioner.
7) Kevin further admitted that Moo's statement implicating Ramli only related to protection money allegedly given in 1999. However, Moo’s allegation was made eight years later on 7 March 2007 -- that means only after the IGP had released him from Restricted Residence on 23 January 2007.
This contradicts the whole thing because the notice to Ramliwas to declare his assets from 2000-2007 and not for the alleged corruption in 1999.
Kevin actually issued the notice on 17 July 2007. Just a few days later, on 27 July 2007, the New Straits Times ran a ‘leaked’ story about a senior police officer being investigated for not declaring RM27 million in assets. Everything seems to point to Kevin as the source of this leaked story.
Under cross-examination, Kevin admitted that there was bad blood between Ramli and the IGP. The IGP had blocked Ramli’s Pingat Polis award on grounds that he is under investigation, thus unqualified to be the Deputy IGP -- and therefore also not suitable to succeed as IGP. Kevin’s testimony seems to point to the real issue -- to block Ramli from becoming the next IGP.
Let us see what more gets revealed as the trial continues later today. Thus far, however, what Malaysia Today has said is beginning to unfold. Now do you know why the IGP is looking for me all over the world? He is worried that Malaysia Today will reveal what a slime-ball and scum-bag he really is.
Pop quiz: Who is the Big Fish the Attorney-General promised he will drag to court over the PKFZ fiasco? Those who think pictures of Tiong King Sing, Chan Kong Choi and Ling Liong Sik in handcuffs will grace the front pages of newspapers might as well wish for full-frontal nudity in Malaysian mainstream media. Everyone knows they are Political Untouchables.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
I Love Malaysia
Besides, if the AG had wanted to, these big-time sharks would have been charged together with ikan bilis like OC Phang and others whose names you cannot even remember. The thing is, the AG is not so silly as to raise public expectations about netting a Big Fish (http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=461498) without actually doing it. That would be politically-suicidal. Very few people know that the A-G's Chambers is now working overtime to build a case against a senior BN leader following the recent emergence of some damning documents.
The first series of the said documents was deposited at the AG's Office in Precint 4, Putrajaya, on a Sunday morning by a Bangladeshi worker who thought no one was in the office (the staff were then rushing through the GST bill). The 2-volume documents implicate a man, whose involvement in the RM12 billion fiasco was only spoken in hushed tones before this, due to lack of evidence. But now, documented evidence has started to surface about the involvement of Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong in the PKFZ mess.
The latest daming documents show that Hijau Sekitar Sdn Bhd (240539-X) did consultancy work for Wijaya Baru Sdn Bhd (205953-X) on "the feasibility of a new port facility on reclaimed land at the mouth of Selat Lumut in Port Klang" in 2006. Hijau Sekitar, established in 1992, is owned by WKS, who has 49,998 shares. The remaining shareholders are one Lim Kit Siong (50,001 shares) and Wong Woon Ping (1 share). Wijaya Baru, as we all know, is the parent company of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, the turnkey contractor which made PKFZ its own goldmine. (Please refer to the documents, including a company search).
Here's the background and some lowdown: Back when PKFZ was starting to take shape and when no one could ever imagine it would become the biggest financial scandal in Malaysian history, two prominent businessmen wanted to make some quick bucks. Westport boss Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam and Tiong King Sing each bought a piece of land adjacent to PKFZ, a project modelled after the highly-rated Jebel Ali Free Zone.
Being privy to the information about the massive infrastructural developments that would take shape in next door PKFZ, the duo had wanted to piggy-back on what they then thought would be a foundry for golden eggs-laying geese. The duo was aided and abetted by WKS through his little-known consulting firm, Hijau Sekitar, which headed four other consulting firms.
Had PKFZ succeeded, the port facilities would have been leased to the Port Klang Authority on a long-term basis for a price more handsome than the love-struck Bung Mukhtar. And let's not forget the windfall from price appreciation of the two plots once PKFZ was in full-swing. Tiong King Sing and WKS would have made billionaire golfer Tiger Woods (who was recently Chua Soi Lek-ed) look like a pauper.
In other words, WKS, through his buddy TKS, wanted to have a second milking of the cash cow (the first being PKFZ proper). It was a plan so well thought out, the duo could have just carted away in broad daylight whole military aircrafts, not just its engine parts like how some corrupt Mindef officials did. Credit must be given to Mastermind Wee (as lead consultant) for a plan so ingenious, it could only have been inspired by sheer greed.
Alas, Ong Tee Keat messed up their Grand Design by opening the can of worms that is the PKFZ. Now, not only are the crooks not getting the second bite of the cherry, they are going to need to bite the bullet. The A-G's Chambers and the MACC are now poring through 7 boxes of documents seized from Port Klang Authority's office on Dec 4 to determine the extent of which WKS breached the Official Secrets Act by acting on classified information. Highly-placed sources said WKS will also be charged for economic plunder and grand larceny in the first two weeks of 2010.
But legal problems aside, the political fallout for the MCA Youth chairman following the surfacing of such documents would even be greater. The documents clearly show that WKS is closely linked to Tiong King Sing, who is gunning for Ong Tee Keat over the PKFZ issue. His denial of links with Tiong (http://www.sun2surf.com/articlePrint.cfm?id=39583) is now proven to be a blatant lie.
But crybaby WKS underestimated those who abhor traitors and the reach of closet whistleblowers who can't stand hypocrites and plunderers. The documents below are only the first batch. More will be released in due time. By then, Liow Tiong Lai’s wife run-in with the MACC over the Toyota Alphard scandal will look like a noble deed.
Petrol prices are going up in MalaysiaON 4 June 2008, the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government announced a 40.6% petrol price increase effective at midnight. Pump price went from RM1.92 to RM2.70 per litre. Barely a week later, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) federal opposition launched its Protes campaign. Then PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa promised that if the PR managed to wrestle federal power, it could and would lower fuel prices despite a global increase in petroleum prices. Husam said the obvious solution was to increase the use of gas, as opposed to petroleum products, for domestic consumption, including for transportation.
The BN government's decision to decrease petrol subsidies was understandable. In 2007 alone, subsidies for petroleum products amounted to RM16.1 billion — or 37% — out of a total of RM43.4 billion in subsidies allocated to the rakyat. But was Husam's suggestion any more practical than the government's to cut petroleum subsidies? After all, in 2007, the Economic Planning Unit estimated Petronas's gas subsidies to be RM18 billion — or 41% — of the total amount of subsidies. And unlike petroleum subsidies, which are borne by the government and subjected to profit sharing agreements with other oil giants, gas subsidies come directly out of Petronas's pocket. In fact, Petronas says it has borne RM97 billion in gas subsidies alone since 1997.
So many questions arise just from a quick perusal of these figures. Was the PR misleading the rakyat with its call to lower fuel prices? At the same time, was the BN government justified in increasing fuel prices so drastically? Do subsidies harm or benefit the rakyat? What is a subsidy anyway?
Subsidies 101
Universiti Malaya's Prof Dr Edmund Terence Gomez tells The Nut Graph that there are different kinds of subsidies. "We must make a distinction between government subsidies for the poor, and subsidies that are meant to promote and develop domestic enterprises," he says in a telephone interview.
An example of a trade protectionist subsidy is how the US government protects its agricultural sector. Gomez feels that subsidies are necessary for both helping the poor and to nurture certain domestic sectors. "Otherwise, we will be too dependent on multi-national companies which might not operate in the rakyat's best interest," he says.
In the case of gas, it appears as though Petronas's subsidies are meant to be cross-cutting. Subsidies do not only go to natural gas for vehicles such as taxis, and the fishing sector, they also go to the power sector and other large consumers.
(pic courtesy of Piarapakaran Subramaniam)
Water and Energy Consumer Association of Malaysia secretary-general Piarapakaran Subramaniam says: "Cross-cutting subsidies intentionally creates a market that is not real, because the prices are then fake."
In a telephone interview with The Nut Graph, he says this creates a host of other problems. One, it means that in a subsidised environment, people cannot factor in true market prices when they make daily lifestyle decisions. For example, people continue to buy big cars and do not try to reduce fuel consumption. Two, when subsidies are cross-cutting, they tend to benefit larger companies rather than the deserving poor. Three, this could lead to irregularities in how subsidies are disbursed if there is a lack of transparency.
"For example at the moment, gas subsidies going to industry are higher than diesel subsidies going to fisher[folk]," he says.
In figures made available to The Nut Graph, the current subsidised price for diesel for the fisheries and transportation sector amounted to RM38.65 per million British thermal units (MMBTU). However, the subsidised price of gas supplied to the power sector was RM10.70 per MMBTU.
The October 2008 market price for gas going to the power sector, however, was RM38.87 per MMBTU, while the market price for diesel going to fisheries and transportation was RM54.26 per MMBTU. In effect, this means the subsidy for gas to the power sector amounted to RM28.17 per MMBTU, compared to only RM15.61 per MMBTU for fisheries and transportation. So Piarapakaran is right — the per unit amount subsidy given to the power sector is nearly twice the amount given to fisherfolk.
Alternatives and solutions
But does this justify the BN government's removal of subsidies — first of petroleum in 2008 and now of sugar, although there have been conflicting reports about the sugar subsidy? Asst Prof Dr Paul Barter of the National University of Singapore tells The Nut Graph he is not against subsidies in general, but that subsidies must be given more sensibly.
"As it is, with fuel subsidies, the people who benefit the most are the people who use the most fuel, and these are usually high income groups who drive big cars and so on," says Barter, who specialises in urban transport and public policy issues. Therefore, when fuel prices skyrocketed in June 2008, the rich were ultimately able to absorb the shock.
"The Malaysian government subsidises fuel, but in the 1980s and 1990s, they did not subsidise the growing public transport sector. With huge capital costs and potentially good long-term effects, public transport was actually the sector that needed subsidies," he says in a telephone interview.
(pic courtesy of Paul Barter | nus.edu.sg)
Barter also says that income for taxpayers could be used to subsidise healthcare for the poor, if the government's justification for subsidies is to help the underprivileged. "There are positive side-effects to keep people with lower income healthy. But why use taxpayers' money to subsidise people driving around in big cars?" he says.
Piarapakaran believes that a balance can be struck between lifting subsidies and helping the poor. He says subsidies could be more targeted at the poor by using per capita income as the main eligibility criteria.
"And if we want to subsidise certain business sectors, we can structure incentives such that they are given only to businesses that perform," he says. For example, he says promising start-ups can be given tax breaks for their first five years. "But we cannot keep giving incentives forever and ever," he says.
Ultimately, Piarapakaran says that with any economic policy geared towards helping the rakyat, the plan must be to make them independent and empowered. "This is so that when the government finally removes subsidies, they don't hold the rakyat by the neck," he says.
What a way to end 2009 and the first uncompleted year of the new Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak – two missing RM50 million RMAF jet engines which exposes high-level thievery, government topsy-turvydom and sheer lack of professionalism in defence, police and Attorney-General’s Chambers, casting a long shadow on Najib’s Government Transformation Programme (GTP).
Many questions cry out for answer on the scandal of the missing jet engines as they are not an unobtrusive object that could be easily squirrelled away, with each explanatory statement by the Prime Minister, the Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the air force and the police raising more questions.
Najib gave the assurance that action would be taken against those responsible for the missing Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) jet engines – the powerplants to the F-5E Tiger II fighter and RF-5E Tigereye reconnaissance jets – saying: “Let us investigate. Whoever is in the wrong will be held responsible.”
Why is the Prime Minister still talking in the future tense, when the action for the missing RMAF jet engines took place in May last year, and RMAF had lodged a report with the police on Aug 4 last year?
Armed Forces Chief Gen Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin said last Friday that the missing RMAF jet engines might just be the “tip of the iceberg” as initial investigations showed that other equipment might have gone missing as far back as 2007.
And Zahid said in Banting on Sunday that the engines went missing “about three years ago” and that “It’s a complicated case with international connections”.
Its speak poorly of the performance, efficiency and professionalism of the defence, police and Attorney-General’s Chambers that no proper account of the missing RM50 million RMAF jet engine could be rendered although the theft took place two or three years ago, with Azizan only able to talk about the theft as “tip of the iceberg” but unable to identify the rest of the iceberg.
On the one hand, Azizan said that the armed forces has launched a full audit of its assets following the loss of the jet engines, but in Banting the Defence Minister said he left it to the police to investigate if there was other equipment missing from military bases nationwide.
Who now is going to be responsible to conduct a full audit of the existence of all the military assets in the country, the armed forces or the police?
It is reported by New Straits Times yesterday that a brigadier-general and 40 other armed forces personnel were sacked late last year over their alleged involvement in the case of the two missing RM50 million RMAF jetfighter engines, following an internal inquiry and disciplinary committee.
Is this all the action to be taken after the two missing RM50 million RMAF jet engines, with no one being hauled to court to face the full force of the law?
This version conflicts with the account in the New Straits Times on Saturday that “Air force officers found the jet engine missing in January when they sent a private contractor to Subang to service the engine”, raising the question how disciplinary action could be taken even before the defence authorities became aware of the missing jet – apart from the question as to how the RMAF could be unaware of the missing jet engine for such a long time, at least one or two years!
Najib was the Defence Minister when the jet engines theft took place, which created a frightening picture of a government of thieves.
Malaysians are entitled to a full, uncensored and unvarnished account of the two missing RM50 million RMAF jet engines, why the various authorities seem to be superslow in their remedial responses, including the Attorney-General Chambers in prosecuting the culprits concerned.
No “ifs” and “buts” – a full statement of the latest government scandal of the two missing RM50 million RMAF jet engines should be made either by Najib or Zahid or public confidence in Najib’s Government Transformation Programme (GTP) would suffer a grievous blow even before its official launch.
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 21 (Bernama) -- MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat Monday announced the formation of a Party Affairs Management Committee for the smooth running of its administration machinery.
He said the setting up of the committee, headed by MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, had been decided following the meeting of the party's Presidential Council (PC) which lasted more than three hours at the Wisma MCA, here.
Besides Dr Chua, other members of the committee are the four MCA vice-presidents namely Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen and Tan Kok Hong.
"Following a thorough and comprehensive study, a party affairs management committee was set up to mobilise and strengthen further the party's administrative machinery," he said at a media conference which was also attended by Dr Chua, after chairing the Presidential Council meeting.
Besides the formation of the committee, Ong said the PC meeting also decided that the MCA would give more attention to the development of education for poor Chinese students.
"This time, our (MCA) focus is directed at the Chinese students who are very poor, who are studying in private secondary schools. We decided that a mechanism or a fund would be set up to determine the number of such students nationwide who would be given aid," he said.
On the development of the national type Chinese schools (SJKC), Ong said the MCA had obtained an allocation of RM95 million from the federal government earlier, for 20 schools, comprising seven new SJKC and 13 SJKC which would be relocated to sites which had been identified.
"We have to monitor the amount of the allocation so that they can be utilised effectively," he said.
On the update on party election, Ong let his deputy, Dr Chua, who is also the MCA Special Committee for fresh party elections chairman, to answer.
Dr Chua said : "We did (discuss), (but) I didn't table any report because the last date to submit the resignation letter is on Dec 25. So to me, it's a bit premature if I were to table it officially. I would like to hold a meeting after Dec 25, and based on the number of people who resigned, then we will make the necessary recommendation or report to the Central Committee (CC)," he said.
Meanwhile, the PC meeting today was only attended by 10 of the 17 members.
Those who attended were Ong, Dr Chua, Dr Ng, treasurer-general Tan Sri Tee Hock Seng, Datuk Loke Yuen Yow, Datuk Ti Lian Ker, Tan Cheng Liang, Gan Ping Sieu, Wong Hock Aun, and Senator Heng Seai Kie.
Asked on the absence of the seven PC members, including Liow and Tan Kok Hong which could be due to their protest against his leadership, Ong said: "Some of them are on leave and at the same time, there are also others who are now on official duty abroad. You can check with the secretariat, people can speculate in thousand and one ways but this is the truth."
Saya ingin membuat pengakuan; saya mempunyai hobi yang sedikit luar biasa. Hobi saya adalah menulis rencana yang mengkritik mereka yang kononnya ‘mempertahankan Melayu dan Islam’. Saya ceburi hobi ini kerana sudah rimas dengan sesetengah pihak yang gemar memberi amaran supaya jangan mencabar hak-hak Melayu dan agama Islam.
Kita tidak boleh mengekang kebebasan mereka untuk bersuara. Tetapi apa yang kita boleh buat adalah melawan hujah mereka dengan hujah kita sendiri, berlandaskan fakta dan undang-undang. Sebab itu saya gemar menulis rencana yang mengkritik mereka.
Rakaman video peristiwa tersebut boleh didapati di internet. Saya merujuk kepada video tersebut dalam menulis rencana ini.
“Saya mahu kerajaan Malaysia hari ini bertindak tegas terhadap N. Kulasegaran dengan secara terang mempertikaikan Perlembagaan Malaysia pada hari ini,” kata seorang daripada gerombolan tersebut.
Saya tidak ingat namanya, jadi untuk rencana ini saya akan panggil beliau ‘Pemijak Kepala Lembu 1′.
“Yang mana Perlembagaan Malaysia memperuntukan bahawa hak keistimewaan orang Melayu itu tidak boleh dipertikaikan sama sekali. Mempertikaikan hak keistimewaan orang Melayu bermakna mempertikaikan ketuanan Sultan,” sambung Pemijak Kepala Lembu 1.
“Saya mahu Menteri Dalam Negara tangkap N. Kulasegaran ini di bawah ISA dan tarik balik kerakyatan dia.“
Wah, yakin sungguh Pemijak Kepala Lembu 1 ini. Beliau tanpa segan silu menggunakan Perlembagaan Persekutuan di dalam hujahnya. Malangnya, amatlah terang lagi bersuluh bahawa beliau tidak tahu tentang apa yang sebenarnya terkandung di dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan. Beliau telah menyarankan kerajaan untuk ‘menarik balik’ kerakyatan ahli Parlimen tersebut. Jika beliau tahu tentang apa yang terkandung di dalam Perlembagaan, beliau akan sedar bahawa sebenarnya kerajaan tidak boleh dengan sewenang-wenangnya menarik balik kewarganegaraan sesiapa. Malah, kerajaan tidak mempunyai kuasa untuk melucutkan kewarganegaraan sebahagian besar rakyat Malaysia selain sekiranya individu tersebut telah mendapatkan kewarganegaraan negara lain.
Taktik Pemijak Kepala Lembu 1 dalam ‘merujuk’ kepada Perlembagaan Persekutuan ini sering digunakan oleh mereka yang sewaktu dengannya. Mungkin mereka mendapat inspirasi daripada seorang Menteri kabinet yang tidak lama dahulu begitu yakin membuat kenyataan bahawa perpindahan sebuah kuil Hindu ke kawasan yang mempunyai majoriti penduduk Melayu-Islam adalah ‘tidak menepati dasar yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan’.
“Kita bagi dia dua minggu!” sambung Pemijak Kepala Lembu 1. Dua minggu ini adalah supaya ‘N. Kulasegaran’ ini memohon maaf di atas kenyataannya.
“Eh, dua puluh empat jam sahaja bagi!” seorang lagi daripada gerombolan itu menyampuk. Untuk tujuan rencana ini kita gelar beliau ‘Pemijak Kepala Lembu 2′. Di kala itu, Pemijak Kepala Lembu 1 menyatakan bahawa dua puluh empat jam terlalu singkat. Akhirnya mereka bersetuju untuk memberikan tempoh masa dua minggu.
Kemudian, Pemijak Kepala Lembu 2 pula mengambil tempat Pemijak Kepala Lembu 1.
Katanya “Apa yang kami kesal di sini adalah kenapa ketuanan Melayu harus dipertikaikan?“.
Saya sebenarnya tidak berapa faham konsep ketuanan Melayu ini. Saya selalu juga membelek Perlembagaan Persekutuan (versi Bahasa Melayu), tetapi tidak pula saya menjumpai istilah ini di dalamnya. Memanglah, saya tahu ada peruntukan mengenai kedudukan istimewa orang Melayu, kedudukan Islam sebagai agama rasmi, peranan dan kuasa raja-raja Melayu serta kedudukan bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa rasmi. Tetapi tidak pula dinyatakan bahawa ada satu bangsa di Malaysia ini yang menjadi tuan. Malahan, Ketua Pemuda UMNO sendiri telah menyatakan bahawa ‘ketuanan Melayu’ tidak harus digunapakai lagi.
“Sehingga hari ini, orang Melayu terlalu banyak bertolak ansur dengan bangsa-bangsa lain.“
“Jadi kita memberi amaran sekeras-kerasnya kepada mereka dan sesiapa jua yang mempertikaikan hak keistimewaan Melayu, yang mempertikaikan tentang ketuanan Melayu.“
Saya selalu mendengar hujah ini. Di dalam blog-blog dan juga sesetengah media arus perdana. Skrip yang sama selalu diulang semula. Kadang-kadang saya terfikir juga, adakah mereka semua mempunyai buku Malay Ultra for Dummies yang digunakan berulang kali? Saya harap selepas ini gerombolan-gerombolan ini jadi lebih kreatif. Jangan terlalu mengikut buku. Bosan sungguh.
“Negara ini asalnya Tanah Melayu,” ujar Pemijak Kepala Lembu lagi, memperagakan pengetahuannya di dalam sejarah negara ini.
“Dan mereka-mereka ini boleh kita kategorikan warganegara kelas dua.“
Sebelum apa-apa, saya ingin mengulas tentang penggunaan bahasa Melayu Pemijak Kepala Lembu 2 ini. Istilah ‘mereka-mereka’ itu adalah tidak tepat, kerana ‘mereka’ sudahpun merujuk kepada bilangan lebih dari satu. Sebagai seorang yang ingin dilihat sebagai hero Melayu, beliau harus memastikan bahawa penggunaan bahasanya betul. Bahasa berterabur, tetapi ada hati ingin menjadi hero. Seperti kata watak dalam sitkom Pi Mai Pi Mai Tang Tu, “Piiirrraaaahhhh!!!“.
Sambung Pemijak Kepala Lembu 2, “Warganegara kelas satu adalah orang-orang Melayu.“
Seperti saudara seangkatannya, Pemijak Kepala Lembu 1, Pemijak Kepala Lembu 2 juga begitu yakin dengan apa yang dikatakannya. Tetapi setahu saya, Perkara 8(1) memperuntukan bahawa semua rakyat Malaysia adalah sama rata di sisi undang-undang. Bahagian III Perlembagaan Persekutuan berkenaan dengan kewarganegaraan juga tidak menyatakan ada perbezaan kelas di antara warganegara Malaysia yang berbilang bangsa. Saya tidak tahu dari mana Pemijak Kepala Lembu 2 petik hujahnya itu. Mungkin dari buku Malay Ultra for Dummies juga.
“Jangan kerana politik, jangan kerana parti, sanggup mempergadaikan hak-hak keistimewaan orang Melayu,” sambung Pemijak Kepala Lembu 2.
Ah, sekali lagi beliau membuktikan kepada seluruh negara betapa cetek pengetahuannya tentang ‘hak-hak keistimewaan orang Melayu”. Jika beliau ada membaca Perlembagaan Persekutuan, beliau akan sedar bahawa Perkara 153 yang memperuntukan tentang kedudukan istimewa orang Melayu tidak boleh dipinda atau dimansuhkan sekiranya tidak mendapat persetujuan Majlis Raja-Raja. Jadi, walaupun Parlimen meluluskan untuk meminda atau memansuhkan Perkara tersebut, ia tidak akan berlaku sekiranya tidak mendapat persetujuan Majlis Raja-Raja. Hujah bahawa sesetengah pihak mahu memansuhkan Perkara 153 ini merupakan pembohongan nombor wahid di negara ini dan adalah sebuah momok yang digunakan untuk menakut-nakutkan sesetengah orang Melayu.
“Satu ketika waktu kita tidak mahu sejarah 16 Mei berulang lagi, sorry, 13 Mei berulang lagi.“
Apa yang begitu ironis adalah selepas mengeluarkan begitu banyak kenyataan yang berbaur perkauman, mereka semua kemudiannya menuding jari ke atas sebagai simbol ‘1Malaysia’. Saya rasa, jika Perdana Menteri melihat bagaimana konsep 1Malaysia yang dipeloporinya diputar dan dibelit oleh gerombolan ini, beliau tentu kecewa. Jika saya menjadi beliau, saya akan mencari buku Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang paling besar dan keras dan saya akan lemparkan buku tersebut tepat di muka setiap satu daripada mereka. Tetapi saya bukanlah Perdana Menteri, jadi perkara itu tidak akan berlaku.
Secara jujurnya, saya rasa kita tidak perlulah bazir tenaga untuk berasa marah terhadap kelakuan mereka. Biarlah juak-juak ini memuaskan hati mereka sendiri, biarlah mereka bergelumang di dalam rekaan mereka. Kita boleh ketawakan mereka, sebab mereka begitu yakin dengan dongeng mereka, tetapi saya rasa lebih baik kita kasihani mereka. Kita sebenarnya tidak patut marah terhadap orang-orang yang bodoh lagi jahil.
Namun demikian, saya juga rasa kita tidak boleh biarkan mereka dengan sewenang-wenangnya menggunakan nama Melayu dan Islam serta merujuk kepada Perlembagaan Persekutuan untuk memberi justifikasi terhadap tindakan mereka yang melampau. Untuk itu, kita harus mematahkan hujah mereka dengan menggunakan fakta dan undang-undang. Beri kesedaran kepada mereka di luar sana, yang mungkin percaya dengan kata-kata mereka.
Dongeng kita patahkan dengan fakta. Penipuan kita patahkan dengan kebenaran. Kejahilan kita patahkan dengan ilmu.
Seperti Martin Luther King, saya juga punya sebuah impian. Impian saya adalah supaya gerombolan tersebut membaca rencana ini. Kemudian mereka membelek pula Perlembagaan Persekutuan (atau mendapatkan Buku Panduan Rakyat kempen PerlembagaanKu/MyConstitution daripada Majlis Peguam) dan membaca dengan sendiri peruntukan yang terkandung di dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan. Saya harap di kala itu, mereka akan sedar betapa jauhnya tersasar hujah mereka pada hari itu.
KUALA BERANG: Another roof of a public building has collapsed in Terengganu, just six months after the roof of the state’s main stadium gave way.
Yesterday, the 150m-long glass roof of the soon-to-be-opened express bus and taxi terminal here collapsed, sending hundreds of sheets of glass crashing down.
Four workers suffered cuts from the broken glass.
Terengganu has been hit by a spate of revelations about buildings with shoddy construction.
Besides the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium (pic right), defects have also been found in the Batu Burok Aquatic Complex and the Sultan Mahmud Airport terminal.
KUALA LUMPUR 21 Dis. - Semua pihak tidak harus mempertikaikan sikap profesional pasukan polis yang tidak berpihak kepada mana-mana parti politik ketika menguatkuasakan undang-undang negara.
Bekas Ketua Polis Daerah Baling, Tunku Muzafar Tunku Ibrahim berkata, berikutan sikap tidak berpihak itu, beliau tidak diapa-apakan oleh kira-kira 200 penyokong Pas yang mengepungnya ketika Peristiwa Memali pada 1985.
"Ketika kejadian di Kampung Memali, kereta peronda yang dinaiki saya dikepung oleh penyokong parti berkenaan yang melaung-laungkan ungkapan supaya saya dibunuh.
"Bagaimanapun keadaan menjadi reda apabila ketua kumpulan itu menjerit sambil menyebut, ini Pak Tunku OCPD Baling. Jangan apa-apakan dia, saya biasa berbincang dengan dia, saya tahu dia boleh dipercayai," katanya pada sidang akhbar di lobi Parlimen di sini hari ini.
Sebelum itu, Tunku Muzafar, 67, mengadakan perjumpaan buat kali pertama dalam tempoh 24 tahun dengan Senator Muhamad Yusof Husin yang telah menyelamatkannya ketika beliau dikepung oleh penyokong Pas dalam kejadian di Kampung Memali, Baling, Kedah.
Peristiwa Memali yang berlaku pada 19 November 1985, mengorbankan seramai 18 orang manakala berpuluh-puluh lagi cedera serta beratus-ratus orang ditahan ketika polis melancarkan Operasi Angkara bagi menangkap guru agama, Ibrahim Mahmud atau lebih dikenali sebagai Ibrahim Libya.
Menurut Tunku Muzafar, beliau terhutang budi dengan Muhamad Yusof, 55, yang berjaya mententeramkan keadaan dan menyelamatkan beliau walaupun ketika itu penyokong parti berkenaan berada dalam keadaan marah.
Dalam pada itu, Muhamad Yusof berkata, beliau melaungkan ungkapan supaya Tunku Muzafar tidak diapa-apakan kerana menghargai sikapnya yang adil terhadap semua ahli parti politik.
"Ketika kejadian, saya masih muda iaitu berusia 31 tahun tetapi ini tidak menghalang saya daripada berfikir secara waras untuk menghargai nyawa orang lain," katanya.
Ketika kejadian, katanya, beliau adalah Ahli Jawatankuasa Pas Kawasan Baling.
Beliau yang dilantik sebagai Senator sejak 2008, kini menyandang jawatan Setiausaha Perhubungan Pas Kedah
Bukan satu rupanya dua enjin pesawat tempur F-5E TUDM. Ia hilang dalam masa 5 bulan sahaja. Boleh lihat kronologi di bawah seperti yang dilaporkan dalam Berita harian 22/12/2009.
Kronologi kehilangan enjin pesawat tempur F-5E TUDM
• 26Jun 2007 – enjin pertama dihantar keluar
• 1November 2007 – enjin kedua dihantar keluar
• Mei 2008 – enjin disedari hilang
• 4 Ogos 2008 – laporan polis dibuat
• 13 Mei 2009 – kertas siasatan dihantar kepada Peguam Negara
• 25 Jun 2009 – kertas siasatan dipulangkan dengan arahan untuk lengkapkan siasatan
• 18 November 2009 – kertas siasatan dihantar semula.
Kehilangan Enjin ini didalangi oleh 'pihak atasan'. Lihat fakta kes, dari November 2007 tiada data mengenai kewujudan enjin tersebut sehingga enjin hanya disedari hilang pada Mei 2008 dan laporan polis hanya dibuat pada 4 Ogos 2008.
Ini menggambarkan kelemahan sistem keselamatan negara dari November 2007 Enjin hanya disedari hilang pada Mei 2008.
Keduanya ia menggambarkan konspirasi pihak atasan mencuri enjin tersebut dan memberikan masa yang cukup untuk enjin tersebut dihantar keluar dan dijual. Disedari hilang Mei 2008 tetapi laporan hanya dibuat pada 4 Ogos 2008, malah laporan tersebut disembunyikan.
Selepas ini akan muncul pula Malaysia disenaraikan dalam rangkaian pengganas dunia kerana terlibat menjuat peralatan tentera kepada pihak pengganas di pasaran gelap, untuk menutup kemarahan Amerika Malaysia dibawah Najib akan gadai lagi sebahagian kedaulatan negara.
Bila untung regim sapu bila rugi rakyat tanggung !!!
Paling menarik ketika Enjin itu hilang (sila baca: dijual dipasaran gelap) Najib a.k.a isteri Rosmah ialah Menteri Pertahanan dan kini dia Perdana Menteri. Pada ketika itu Panglima Angkatan Tentera Udara yang bertanggungjawab ialah Jeneral Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin yang kini ialah Panglima Angkatan Tentera Malaysia..... jahanam negara !!!
che'GuBard tuduh dua orang ini bertanggungjawab penuh kehilangan (baca: penjualan di pasaran gelap) enjin tersebut. Mereka harus letak jawatan dan dihukum!!!
"It was an underwater Fourth of July -- a spectacular display of fireworks, Pacific Marine Environmental scientist Bob Embley said.
(CNN) -- Scientists witnessed the eruption of the deepest underwater volcano and caught the entire event on film for the first time -- complete with molten lava and sulfur smoke clouds.
The volcanic eruption was filmed by a U.S. robotic submarine more than 1.2 kilometers (4,000 feet) below the surface of the Pacific Ocean near Samoa during an expedition in May this year.
"Since the water pressure at that depth suppresses the violence of the volcano's explosions, we could get the underwater robot within feet of the active eruption.
"On land, or even in shallow water, you could never hope to get this close and see such great detail."
The eruptive area was 1.8 meters across and about 91 meters along the summit.
Scientists have been trying for 25 years to witness an underwater volcanic eruption, but this is the first time it has ever been caught on film.
While near the volcano, the robotic submarine also collected fluid samples.
"For the first time we have been able to examine, up close, the way ocean islands and submarine volcanoes are born," Barbara Ransom, program director in NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences said.
Gallery: Underwater eruption
"The unusual primitive compositions of the West Mata eruption lavas have much to tell us."
The West Mata volcano is one of the most active underwater volcanos and scientists believe it produces some of hottest lava erupting on Earth.
The volcano is roughly 6 kilometers wide and more than 3 kilometers underwater.
The footage of the underwater explosion comes at a perilous time for residents in the Philippines who are facing the imminent eruption of the nation's most active volcano above ground.
More than 35,000 people have already been evacuated from the base of Mount Mayon, 500 kilometers south of the capital Manila, and authorities are attempting to quickly evacuate an additional 7,000.
Scientists are warning that it is likely the volcano will erupt sometime in the next week.
Gerakan’s former president Dr Lim Keng Yaik, Penang chief Dr Teng Hock Nan and national delegates’ conference chairperson Chin Fook Weng have been singled out as leaders destroying the party unity at all levels.
In saying this, former Gerakan vice-president Huan Cheng Guan said Gerakan would head towards an inevitable political demise so long the three politicians continue to dominate and rule the roost in the party.
“These leaders are running the party as if it was their private limited company.
“They are controlling the party president (Koh Tsu Koon).
“Majority of the central committee members are aligned to the former president Lim.
“If this dangerous trend was left unchecked, Gerakan is sure to head towards an eventual permanent death,” Huan told Malaysiakini today.
He said disillusionment among Gerakan members against the trio was the main reason behind their exodus from the party to join him in the newly set up Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM).
Huan, who was suspended for three years by Gerakan since June this year, quit the party last Wednesday and joined newly formed PCM two days ago.
Yesterday, some 500 members from Machang Bubok branch quit the party, closed down the branch office and joined him in PCM.
PCM president Tang Weng Chew received the membership forms from them.
Huan claimed that Lim, Dr Teng and Chin were crippling and weakening the party from top to bottom.
“The public have already rejected them in the last general election.
“Now Gerakan members too are rejecting them,” said Huan, a former Batu Kawan member of Parliament.
He claimed that Chin was the “main player among the trio” and hit out at Dr Teng for still “dreaming on to become Penang Chief Minister.”
‘Indeed Dr Teng thinks he is the Chief Minister,” said Huan.
He described Koh’s remarks that the exodus of his supporters from the party of would not affect Gerakan as “a mere face-saving political jargon to placate the bruised ego of the party top brass.”
Koh has claimed that the party has some 50,000 members in Penang alone.
Huan challenged Koh to get to the ground to assess the grassroots sentiments against the party leadership.
He claims that the party leadership was living in the state of denial about the true level of grassroots support to Gerakan.
“Majority Gerakan members are disillusioned with the current leadership.
“They want new leaders to take over the party soon, or else they would leave,” Huan said.
He claims that more Gerakan members would follow him out soon, perhaps another 5,000 of them.
Huan said he and his supporters would consider re-joining Gerakan if the trio – Lim, Dr Teng and Chin, were no longer controlling the party leadership.
“I am not upset with the party, members or other leaders.
“So long the trio is there, I and my supporters would not consider re-joining Gerakan,” he said.
They are not doing this with East- timor delegates but it is just piece of low class mentality that they want to show other. This country will appear as Pakistan , Sudan and Somalia one day.
Four hundred members from the Umno Youth-led BBRM (or Malaysian People's Action Front) broke down the doors of the conference halls, threw chairs and verbally and physically abused the participants.
By Adib Zalkapli - The Malaysian Insider
