Stop the Fabrications and Lies

August 11, 2010

Attorney-General, IGP & MACC Chief: Stop The Fabrications and Lies

by Din Merican

People have asked me on this blog why I dont seem to write about Sodomy II. They are curious if I have abandoned Anwar Ibrahims cause or struggle. They are curious if I know something about Anwar that I dont seem to want to write in his defence, or report about his on-going trial.

Yes, I do know a lot of things about Anwar, and respect his intellectualism and tenacity in the face of adversity. I also know that he is not guilty of the charge they have framed against him, whether in Sodomy I or Sodomy II. I know a lot of things about Anwar to know that Sodomy II is as evil as Sodomy I.

Sodomy 2 is a lost cause

So, why dont I write about Anwars trial? Because, it is a lost cause! Because the BN government is galvanizing all its powers to fix Anwar and they will convict him by hook or by crook. In Sodomy I, the combination of the governments might was used the Police, the Attorney-General and the Courts. The same base tactic is being used again in Sodomy II, nothing creative nothing ingenuous. So there is nothing more to write there.

I have become Lelah (the closest English word I can think of is exasperated), knowing that Sodomy II will end like Sodomy I. If such a thing can happen to a former Deputy Prime Minister, what hope is there for Rule of Law, for Truth and Justice to prevail?

Never Give Up Hope

But I am being reminded by concerned Malaysians that we cannot give up hope. For the sake of our future generations, we must believe that change is possible, if we want it. We must believe that the struggle must not end with just the fight for Justice for Anwar. We now have the opportunity to send a strong message to this UMNO-BN government that it must change, or it will be changed. We can direct the minds of the masses to recognize the fabrications and lies in the case of Kugan, Teoh Beng Hock, Altantuya Shariibu, Dato Ramli Yusuff and Lawyer Rosli Dahlan.

We can galvanise public view so that the perpetrators are identified and be remembered so that they cannot hoodwink us to believe otherwise. It used to be said that history is written by the victors. But in this cyberworld, the pens of the individual observers can reach out to the hearts and mind of the masses. We can overcome the lies of the mainstream media which are nothing more than propaganda tools of the government.

Teoh Beng Hocks Suicide Note: The Mother of All Fabrications

While the family is still mourning Teoh Beng Hocks death. While Malaysians are still infuriated by the death of a young man whom the MACC has admitted was needed just as a witness. While the facts show Teoh was thrown out of the 14th Floor office of the MACC Shah Alam office, the MACC is conniving at a cover up. It is incredulous that on the day of the incident, the Selangor MACC Director should see it fit to run and seek directions from Dato Abu Kassim in Putrajaya instead of attending to Teohs death. That Abu Kassim would have then directed a denial to be issued shows his complicity in this cover up. It is unbelievable that the whole machinery of the MACC, the Police an! d the AG s office are then seen working in unison towards this cover up.

How did Umno get hold of such a document which is still with the AG? Anwar Ibrahim has no access to important documents even the police report, witness list and medical reports, but Umno members get them so easily.

Still, the public was willing to give the MACC a chance to explain what happened through the Coroners Enquiry. But now, at this late stage, it is just unbelievable that AG Gani is showing contempt to all Malaysians by contriving a suicide note. This is an affront to Malaysian sensibilities. This is insulting Malaysian intelligence. This is just too revolting.

Ganis Modus Operandi, IGPs Badge of Deceit and MACCs SOP

Already, Attorney General Gani Patail has been embroiled in numerous allegations of fabrications and lies. Lawyer Manjit Singh Dhillon had previously accused Gani Patail of fabrication in Nallakaruppans firearms case. Dato Mat Zin, former KL Police OCCI, had also accused Gani Patail and Musa Hassan of fabricating evidence in Anwars black eye case. These two man are just too tainted. And yet Gani Patail now wants Malaysians to believe the existence of a suicide note?

I will not bother commenting any further than to just quote what my good friend and Member of Parliament Gobin Singh Deo has said to Gani Patail:

I say it again, resign. Take the blame, do it honourabl! y. If th is can happen wit Teohs case, what about other cases and prosecutions?

Indeed, what about other cases? While in Teohs case, they fabricated a suicide note, what did they do in the Altantuya murder case? Did they not make the Immigration records disappear? Did they not do that after they made Altantuya herself disappear? Or more like blown her to bits. Yes, they C4d her and then erased the Immigration records of her entry. Yes thats what they did fabricate and lie. Two policemen were convicted while Abdul Razak Baginda was acquitted. AG Gani did not appeal although the two policemen could not have done it on their own. AG Gani did not appeal and Razak Baginda made a quick exit out of the country.

The AG is also known to have doctored the map and photograph at the Pulau Batu Puteh hearings at the International Court of Justice at The Hague. In this case, the Singaporeans caught him red handed. As a result, we lost Pulau Batu Putih. He should have resigned but he didnt.

Sabah Case against Dato Ramli failed

In the Sabah case against Dato Ramli, the MACC officer , Sok One a/l Essen lodged a false report by naming Dato Ramli in a report. Sok One said that he received a telephone call and wrote on a piece of paper of what he heard about Dato Ramli from this penghulu kampong . Under cross examination in Court, the Penghulu denied that he ever mentioned Ramlis name. Sok One has since admitted in Court that he had destroyed the paper ! on which the information was written.

In effect, this MACC officer had admitted that he destroyed evidence. Judge Supang Lian acquitted Dato Ramli in that case. AG Gani appealed and lost in the High Court. Yet, AG Gani is still appealing further to the Court of Appeal!

Kuala Lumpur Case also failed

In Dato Ramlis earlier KL case, the MACC IO Azmi Ismail admitted that his report against Dato Ramli for being involved in corruption was not of his own knowledge or investigation but purely based on another report. That led to the startling discovery of several other cover reports No. 098/2006 to R/No: 075/2006 to R/No. 072/2006 to R/No: 065/2006 which all turned out to be fabrications as Dato Ramlis name was not mentioned in any of it. That was why I wrote about Kevin Morais: The Liar Who Got Buried In His Lies. Judge M. Gunalen also acquitted Dato Ramli without calling for his defence. AG Gani is also appealing. AG Gani did not see it fit to appeal against Razak Bagindas acquittal in a murder case, but sees it fit to appeal against Dato Ramli in a fix-up misdeclaration of assets case. From this, you can AG Ganis priorities!

Recent Persecution of Dato Ramli Yusuff in the Court of Judge SM Komathy

Then in the present Summons case against Dato Ramli before Judge SM Komathy, the IO

Datuk Robiah Abdul Ghani

Wan Abdul Rahman admitted he knew there was an unsigned lett! er of ap proval from then IGP Tan Sri Bakri for Dato Ramli to form a company and to be its shareholder and director. He did not ask where is the signed copy of that letter. He did not interview Tan Sri Bakri to confirm that Tan Sri Bakri had indeed given his approval. He did not interview Datuk Robiah to confirm that there was indeed approval and a signed letter.

MACC IO Wan Abdul Rahman did not ask how is it that the signed letter of approval from Tan Sri Bakri disappeared from Dato Ramlis service record kept with the PDRMs Pentadbiran when Musa Hassan became IGP in September 2006. Did Musa Hassan have anything to do with the disappearance of that signed letter? After all Musa Hassan is the famous mattress carrier in Sodomy I!

What is so clear here is that IGP Musa Hassan, MACC Chief Abu Kassim and AG Gani Patail are involved in fabrications and lies. Evidence can disappear and appear like David Copperfields magic show. Witnesses can die while under their watch. What is so clear is that Malaysians can no longer trust the highest law enforcement officers of this country. It is time we say to the Home Minister Dato Hishammuddin Hussein Onn- on the grave of your father , do the honorable thing. Dont you dare extend Musa Hassans contract.

It is time we say to the faces of Gani Patail, Musa Hassan and Abu Kassim Stop these lies and fabrications. It is time we say to them Resign Now!

Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Saman Ekor: Untungnya Agenda Perpaduan Tidak Berjaya

NOTA EDITOR:UMNO tersedak-sedak dan mencungap-cungap dalam menghadapi isu saman ekor ini. SYABAS kepada YB MAhfuz Omar kerana memacu protes terhadap saman ekor ini. Akhirnya, terpaksa UMNO/BN menarik balik senarai hitam menyebabkan beribu-ribu rakyat Malaysia dapat memperbaharui cukai jalan mereka. NAmun, tindakan menarik balik senarai hitam ini cuma sementara. Kalau Pakatan Rakyat menang nanti, barulah kita boleh hapuskan Saman Ekor sama sekali.


Syukur alhamdulillah. Kiranya agenda PERPADUANG lepas berjaya, necsaya YB Mahfuz tidak dapat menjalankan kempen Anti Saman Ekor beliau. Ini kerana apabila berjaya sahaja agenda PERPADUANG, semua MP PAS terpaksa mengikut kehendak kerajaan Barisan Nasional dan mempertahankan semua polisi dan sistem Barisan Nasional.

Ia juga akan memaksa PAS menyokong kesemua polisi maksiat dan kezaliman UMNO/BN selama ini. Saya bukan tak tahu, sebab utama agenda perpaduang popular di kalangan segelintir pimpinan PAS adalah kerana janji habuan dan hadiah dari UMNO yang sebegitu besar untuk mereka. Tiada kena mengena dengan orang Melayu ataupun Islam. Yang penting duit dan pangkat.

Inshaalah, pemilihan lepas, perwakilan akan membersihkan PAS dari unsur2 pro UMNO/Perpaduang ini supaya PAS dapat terus menggantikan UMNO dalam persada politik Malaysia.



Senarai hitam saman ekor, trafik ditarik balik
11 Ogos, 10 6:40pm
Kabinet hari ini memutuskan untuk menarik balik tindakan menyenarai hitam kesalahan di jalan raya, buat sementara waktu, bagi membolehkan orang ramai memperbaharui lesen memandu dan cukai jalan, bermula hari ini hingga 28 Feb tahun depan.

Menteri Pengangkutan, Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha (kanan) berkata keputusan itu diambil setelah mendengar alasan, aduan dan rayuan orang ramai dan ahli jemaah menteri.

Tempoh itu diambil kira berikutan musim perayaan bermula dari sambutan Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali, Hari Krismas dan Tahun Baru Cina, katanya selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat pasca kabinet di kementeriannya ! di Putra jaya.

"Namun tidak ada diskaun akan diberi kepada notis-notis sedia ada yang masih belum diselesaikan dan notis itu juga tidak akan dihapus kira," katanya.

"Pada masa yang sama kepada mereka yang disenarai hitamkan atau yang mempunyai notis-notis yang perlu dijelaskan, mereka tetap perlu menjelaskannya."

Katanya selepas 28 Feb 2011, tindakan senarai hitam itu akan dilaksanakan semula.

"Saya nasihatkan bahawa mereka yang mempunyai notis-notis itu perlu menjelaskan sekaligus atau secara ansuran."

"Untuk mereka yang membayar dan menyelesaikan notis-notis itu dalam tempoh masa kelonggaran ini, mereka tidak akan dikenakan markah demerit.

"Sistem yang lebih terperinci supaya mereka yang mempunyai notis yang belum selesai, berapa lama mereka boleh memperbaharui lesen memandu dan untuk memperbaharui cukai jalan akan ditentukan dalam satu dua hari ini," katanya.

- Bernama

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Lessons from Nigeria on Governance

August 11, 2010

The State of Resource(Oil) Rich Nigeria

Thanks, Dr. Phua Kai Lit. For the benefit of our friends and associates of this blog, I am posting this BBC report dated August 10, 2010 [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10915421] on Nigeria (below). Any resemblance to Malaysia is purely coincidental.Din Merican

Africa viewpoint: Spendthrift Nation

Where has all the money gone considering Nigeria makes $50m a day from oil?

In our series of viewpoints from African journalists, Sola Odunfa considers money matters.

It appears Nigeria is entering what would could be called a period of insolvencies.

General Yakubu Gowon ruled Nigeria from 1966 to 1975

That may surprise you, coming so soon after all the talk of multi-billion dollar budgets and junkets to cheer up the boys for the now-ended football World Cup in South Africa.

Many Nigerians cannot understand this new vocabulary of insolvency because they still swear by the gospel, preached in the 1970s by the then military head of state General Yakubu Gowon, that Nigerias problem was not money but how to spend it.

The first government entity to be hit by this financial crisis was the national petroleum corporation, which manages the countrys 2m barrels a day crude oil production. Even at a depressed $50 a barrel in very bad times, the corporation would net a handsome $50m (about 31.7m) every day of the year. You may then understand the shock when ! a junior minister said last month that the corporation was flat broke.

My friend, it was no joking matter. Within hours of his comments, Nigerians were asking, where has all the money gone? Blue or red ink?

Corruption, Corruption, Corruption

The nation may be ranked among the most corrupt by its detractors and they are many but siphoning all that money would be beyond even Satan.You may need to think twice before condemning impoverished illiterate voters who demand money for their ballot when electioneering campaigns begin later this year.

The Federal Executive Council wasted no time giving the answer everybody wanted to hear: The petroleum corporation was far from being broke its accounts were entered in indigo blue!

Then, billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote petitioned the government over alleged mismanagement at the Nigerian Stock Exchange, suggesting that it was heavily in the red and investors funds were being meddled with.

The exchange promptly issued a statement giving a picture of robust health.But Mr Dangote was not just another member of the exchange he was president of its council and his word therefore could not be dismissed lightly.

The Securities and Exchange Commission responded by launching an investigation into the affairs of the stock exchange but it also sacked Mr Dangote, his council, and the chief executive of the exchange. Yet the biggest worry is that the government itself could become broke because of the uncontrollable greed of the legislature. This concern has been raised by none other than former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Politicians in Nigeria, a major oil producer, are among the highest-paid in the world

Mr Obasanjo says the l! egislato rs have become a financial burden on the nations lean purse. He is worried about something many of us have been bothered about for many years, that is, how much it costs to maintain each member of Nigerias Senate and House of Representative.

Like most Nigerians, the ex-president can only guess. He says he believes it is about $1.7m a year per senator. A representative takes slightly less.There are 109 senators and 360 representatives in the National Assembly.

The bulk of the money they take is described as constituency allowance, a payment received by each legislator to maintain a constituency office and to launch an economic or infrastructure development programme.

The outrage is that this and other allowances are determined by the legislators themselves and paid in bulk by the government into the coffers of the legislature for disbursement to individuals.

Vampires

There is no independent audit of this expenditure.

Nigeria is due to hold general elections next year

Law professor Itse Sagay says Nigerian politicians are among the highest-paid in the world. A columnist in the Lagos newspaper The Punch calculates that, more than 70% of national income now goes into paying salaries and allowances of political office holders.

The legislators, irrespective of parties, seem to have become vampires on the nations democracy, and there is little or nothing Nigerians can do about it.

The constitution allows legislators to do what they are doing and only they can amend the document, unless, of course, as the frustrated lawyer, Ben Nwabueze, pointed out last month, some revolutionaries emerge to clean up the system forcefully.

Now, you may need to think twice before condemni! ng impo verished illiterate voters who demand money for their ballot when electioneering campaigns begin later this year. Their votes may be irrelevant to the results.

A selection of views is published below:

It remains a fact that the Nigerian society has endured more than what people who have an idea of what existence should be like could possibly endure. Corruption is on a grand scale and infrastructure is decaying. Public institutions are a pain and every engagement with them leaves a bad feeling. The political class should bear the responsibitlity of the degree of progress made and the people of the country must rise up to determine their future. The next elections is a good opportunity provided the police and other security agencies allow people to exercise their franchise.

Philip Dashak, Maiduguri, Nigeria

If theres no accountability, no checks and balances and a Nigerian MP earns $1.7 million a year as contituency allowances, when more than half of the population live impoverished lives, then this simply helps to answer the recent question if Nigeria is a failed state or not? Ultimately this generation will either fulfill their destiny and that of the nation or they will betray it.

Akin, London, United Kingdom

There is nothing like election in Nigeria. It is the kingmakers or cabbals who decide who wins the election. Election in Nigeria for all I know is for formality, an avenue to sipphon money and to appease the international community. There have been cases whereby ballot in boxes were more than the population of the area. The illiterate voters are right to demand money for their vote even though it doesnt count because that is the only time they will get their fair share of the national cake. I dont know where my senators office is and none of the senators that have represented! Edo Sta te set up any programe to help the state, provide jobs for the jobless or anything elese. It is time for the senators to give account of what they do with the constituent allowance that they receive. Lack of accountabilty would mean that the senator can marry a thirteen year old for $100,000, more concubines, buy exotic cars and build houses they dont even sleep. With the present state of things in Nigeria, the future of the younger generation have been mortgaged. If Nigeria must move forward, corruption must be brought to its knees and corrupt officials brought to justice.

Omorodion Osula, Boston, USA

One doesnt need to be clairvoyant to see d dark horizon across the cloud of nigerias future! Individual nigerians are successful but as a nation we have failed! Dishonesty characterises leadership at all levels and sadly the revolution required to flush out the set of thieves running the polity is far from beginning! I weep for Nigeria!

--Ekitumi ofagbor, Ilorin, Nigeria

The nation is full of insane people because the same thing is repeated always but expecting different result. Since independence succesive governments have been consistent with wasting funds and embarking on projects which are not fit for purpose. The nation can only move forward if no citizen is immune from prosecution & those found guilt of stealing should face death penalty while the proceed of the crime is sold & distributed to the vocal slenders.

Kaye Kuye, London

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

1Malaysia broken and can't be fixed........

A slogan is in trouble if you have to have a load of explanation to sustain it. Winning slogans are magically self-explanatory. The best of them blend poetic craft with contemplative vision, translating tacit desires into attainable objects.

'1Malaysia' was a catchy slogan at its launch by Prime Minister Najib Razak when he took over as premier in April 2009. It had lilt, its phonetics pleased the tongue and its pay-off line - 'People first, Performance now' - sent off ripples of resonance that hinted at subversion of the status quo.

No genius was required to know that the status quo, a year after the seismic general election of March 2008, was in dire need of change. Every new leader at the helm needs a starting slogan, an 'all hands on the deck' catchphrase that invites the people to put their shoulders to the wheel.

Najib's '1Malaysia' had the lift of a trumpet blast, a striking summons to a new beginning. Although he was seen as saddled with baggage that could not be conjured away, his gave off activist vibes that positioned him in welcome contrast to his ineffectual predecessor. However, it did not take long for the forces of political gravity to work their deflationary poison and knock the stuffing out of the '1Malaysia' slogan.

First, Nasir Safar, an aide to Najib, uttered a racial profanity that is the very antithesis of '1Malaysia'. Nasir resigned but the damage was done.

Second, DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock mysteriously fell to his death while or just after a bout of interrogation at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters in Shah Alam. The public suspects foul play; his interrogators say they were not responsible in any way. The mystery, more than a year after Teoh's death, continues to resist unraveling. The ongoing judicial inquest, if it issues in a verdict that sounds inauthentic, will only stoke ! public s uspicions that '1Malaysia' is all sound and no substance.

The third blow to the slogan's credibility was what private investigator P Balasubramaniam said on resurfacing after a 15-month disappearance that followed his sudden retraction of a sensational affidavit sworn in July 2009 in connection with the Altantuya Shaaribuu murder.

Real test

There were other '1Malaysia' deflating incidents, such as Petronas' disclosure of a sharp drop in its revenue, but nothing of the import of Nasir's faux pas, Teoh's death and Balasubramaniam's new revelations.

All three shindigs had the recognisably bad odor of the status quo that Najib's '1Malaysia' start shaped to radically alter. But the real test of 1Malaysia's substance or inanition arrived when the New Economic Model was unveiled in March 2010.

The NEM intimated that poverty alleviation would henceforth be needs-based more than race-based, and meritocracy would be emphasised, a hint that affirmation action imperatives would be de-prioritised. This drew opposition from Malay pressure groups with former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamed joining the chorus of naysayers.

Apparently, the opposition was enough to see the NEM relegated to a bit part rather than a major role in the 10th Malaysia Plan that Najib unveiled in Parliament in June.By this time the '1Malaysia' slogan was looking like a kidney patient deprived of dialysis.

Current talk that the '1Malaysia' concept needs to be explained in some depth to resuscitate belief in it ignores the point that missed opportunities to give it credence had damaged its credibility irrevocably. More talk would just invite more cynicism. - Terence Netto

source:malaysiakini

Now its more 1UMNO,1Najib rather than 1Malaysia........

cheers.
See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Kehebatan Khir Toyo/UMNO Runding Konsesi Air. Selangor Rugi RM8 billion

Tak cukup dengan gaji CEO SYABAS RM5.1 juta setahun (lebih tinggi dari gaji CEO Bank of China, bank terbesar dalam dunia), rupanya SYABAS juga ada hak untuk menaikkan tarif air sewenangnya sehingga menyebabkan kerajaan Selangor terpaksa menanggung kos RM8 billion.

Sedarlah saudara/saudari sekelian. UMNO tidak berasa bersalah walau sedikit menipu dan menyusahkan rakyat. Mereka hanya mahu mengkayakan UMNOPUTRA dan kroni2 sahaja.

Bayangkan, SYABAS diberikan hak menaikkan tarif sewenangnya. Mengapa? Kerana mahu membayar gaji CEO Syabas berjumlah RM5.1 juta (lebih dari gaji CEO Bank of China), mengakayakan kroni2 UMNO, mengkayakan UMNO?. Hakikatnya, perjanjian konsesi tajaan Khir Toyo, UMNO dan Barisan Nasional ini bukan untuk rakyat. Semuanya untuk mengkayakan UMNOPUTRA dan KRONI2 UMNO.

Rakyat cuma alat mereka untuk mengkayakan kroni dan parti mereka.

Kecuaian Khir Toyo runding konsesi air, Selangor rugi RM8 bilion
SELANGOR KINI

SHAH ALAM Kerajaan Negeri Selangor mengalami kerugian sekurang-kurangnya RM8 bilion berikutan kecuaian bekas Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Khir Toyo dalam merunding perjanjian konsesi air dengan Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas).

Sebaliknya, kerajaan negeri pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat sedia berdepan dengan tindakan mahkamah berikutan keengganan memenuhi perjanjian konsesi yang memerlukan tarif air dinaik hingga membebankan rakyat.

Kerajaan UMNO Barisan Nasional (BN) pimpinan Dr Khir sebelum ini menandatangani perjanjian konsesi air dengan Syabas yang membenarkan syarikat itu menaikkan tarif mengikut tempoh tertentu.

Mengikut perjanjian, Syabas dibenar menaikkan tarif sebanyak 37 peratus pada 2009,25 peratus (2012), 20 peratus (2015), 10 peratus (2018) dan lima peratus (2021).

Akibatnya, kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Selangor terpaksa berdepan dengan syarikat konsesi yang tamak dan berani menuntut jumlah yang melampau jika kerajaan negeri mengambil alih pengurusan air.

Malah, kerajaan negeri tidak gent! ar berde pan ugutan saman 1 bilion ringgit yang difail Syabas walaupun syarikat ini mendapat sokongan kerajaan Pusat.

Ini kerana kerajaan Selangor lebih mementingkan rakyat yang layak, mampu menikmati hasil dari dasar termasuk pemberian diskaun, insentif dan sebagainya.

Dalam kenyataan media, Setiausaha Politik kepada Menteri Besar, Faekah Husin menganggap Dr Khir patut berasa malu untuk bercakap soal kepentingan rakyat keranan kecuaiannya menghalang rakyat menikmati perkhidmatan air yang lebih baik.

Rakyat Selangor berhak mengetahui cerita sebenar dan bagaimana Dr Khir Toyo seharusnya dihalang dari segi moral untuk memberi pandangan terutama dalam tatacara mentadbir negeri ini, kata Faekah.
Faekah juga mengulangi gesaan supaya dokumen perjanjian air dan laporan audit didedah kepada umum supaya rakyat tahu hal sebenar dan hal ini wajar dibawa ke mesyuarat Kabinet.

Langkah wajar bagi mendedahkan penganiayaan UMNO- BN terhadap rakyat melalui pemberian konsesi ini kepada syarikat kroni, akan diteruskan bagi memberi kefahaman kepada rakyat.
mi kerugian sekurang-kurangnya RM8 bilion berikutan kecuaian bekas Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Khir Toyo dalam merunding perjanjian konsesi air dengan Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas).

Sebaliknya, kerajaan negeri pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat sedia berdepan dengan tindakan mahkamah berikutan keengganan memenuhi perjanjian konsesi yang memerlukan tarif air dinaik hingga membebankan rakyat.

Kerajaan UMNO Barisan Nasional (BN) pimpinan Dr Khir sebelum ini menandatangani perjanjian konsesi air dengan Syabas yang membenarkan syarikat itu menaikkan tarif mengikut tempoh tertentu.

Mengikut perjanjian, Syabas dibenar menaikkan tarif sebanyak 37 peratus pada 2009,25 peratus (2012), 20 peratus (2015), 10 peratus (2018) dan lima peratus (2021).

Akibatnya, kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Selangor terpaksa berdepan dengan syarikat konsesi yang tamak dan berani menuntut jumlah yang melampau jika kerajaan negeri mengambil alih pengur! usan air .

Malah, kerajaan negeri tidak gentar berdepan ugutan saman 1 bilion ringgit yang difail Syabas walaupun syarikat ini mendapat sokongan kerajaan Pusat.

Ini kerana kerajaan Selangor lebih mementingkan rakyat yang layak, mampu menikmati hasil dari dasar termasuk pemberian diskaun, insentif dan sebagainya.

Dalam kenyataan media, Setiausaha Politik kepada Menteri Besar, Faekah Husin menganggap Dr Khir patut berasa malu untuk bercakap soal kepentingan rakyat keranan kecuaiannya menghalang rakyat menikmati perkhidmatan air yang lebih baik.

Rakyat Selangor berhak mengetahui cerita sebenar dan bagaimana Dr Khir Toyo seharusnya dihalang dari segi moral untuk memberi pandangan terutama dalam tatacara mentadbir negeri ini, kata Faekah.
Faekah juga mengulangi gesaan supaya dokumen perjanjian air dan laporan audit didedah kepada umum supaya rakyat tahu hal sebenar dan hal ini wajar dibawa ke mesyuarat Kabinet.

Langkah wajar bagi mendedahkan penganiayaan UMNO- BN terhadap rakyat melalui pemberian konsesi ini kepada syarikat kroni, akan diteruskan bagi memberi kefahaman kepada rakyat.

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Enough is enough of Little Napoleons

By Thomas Lee

It surely comes as a big surprise that less than two weeks after the cabinet lifted the iniquitous illegal curb on non-Muslim religious clubs and societies that a Little Napoleon school head should unilaterally reject the application to set up a Chinese society in his school.

The Sin Chew Daily reported that parents of a school in Petaling Jaya are upset that its school head has rejected the application to set up a Chinese society in school.

A parent was quoted by the Sin Chew Daily that he had been fighting for the establishment of a Chinese society in his son’s school since February this year, but the school head did not give his approval even though there are Chinese language teachers willing to supervise the proposed society.

The Education Ministry has on 4 August 2010 revoked a decade-old directive compelling those who want to form non-Muslim clubs or societies in schools to first obtain its permission.

The federal government decision to revoke the directive came about following the public disclosure of several sham treatments of non-Muslim religious clubs and societies in several schools.

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang, who was at the forefront in demanding for the removal all restrictions on the non-Muslim religious clubs and societies in schools, had contended that such a policy and practice were a direct contradiction of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia initiative to foster national unity among multi-ethnic Malaysians.

Kit Siang has pointed out that the discriminative policy is against Najib’s 1 Malaysia policy and the New Economic Model objective to educate a critical, creative and innovative generation of Malaysians

“What is the use of boasting about Malaysia as a model of ethnic, cultural, religious and biological diversity and Malaysia’s rich and unique cultural heritage when restrictions continue to be in place affecting the formation of non-Muslim societies in schools?” Kit Siang had asked.

Following widespread discussion and debate on the issue, with heightened political and social pressures, the federal government finally conceded to the public demand and revoked the controversial directive.

The month-long controversy was resolved about two weeks ago when the cabinet ordered the Education Ministry to withdraw the directive. Is it truly resolved?

Yet, one obstinate school head has been reported this week to be flexing his Little Napoleon muscles to abuse his authority to prevent the formation of a Chinese society in his school.

I had foreseen that such a scenario would happen. In one of my previous Comments, I said: “I hope the school heads, some of whom practise the Little Napoleon culture, will not make things difficult for the students who want to form such clubs or societies. In fact, the school heads should help the students by providing the meeting place and appointing teachers to be advisors to guide them. If there is the unlikelihood or improbability that a school may not have a teacher practising the faith of any such club, the school concerned should allow a pastor, a priest or a religious elder acceptable to the parents of the students to act as the religious advisor. The school should also allow speakers from the churches or temples to be invited to speak at the meetings of such clubs or societies.”
[Whose credit? Not MCA's, of course http://www.mysinchew.com/node/42891 ]

The latest complaint by parents of the Petaling Jaya school should not be taken lightly. How the federal government handles this case has far-reaching consequence to other schools, now and in future.

The federal government, through its Education Minister, should step in immediately to order the recalcitrant school head to stop his nonsense and carry on his duties without any discrimination and bias. If he doesn’t toe the line after a firm warning on the matter, disciplinary action should be taken against him. This is to send out the message loud and clear to other Little Napoleon school heads not to abuse their authority in running their schools according to their own whims and fancies.

Enough is enough! We have tolerated the nonsense by such Little Napoleons for far too long, and we want to see the federal government cracking the whip to bring the contumacious civil servants to toe the line.

If nothing positive and concrete is done to ensure that our civil service is unblemished and impeccable, as far as humanly and practically possible, then it will be a mere illusion that our nation can progress to a developed nation status.

For a start, the civil service needs a thorough mental revolution to ensure that the civil servants are neutral, impartial and non-partisan in the performance of their duties and in serving the elected government of the day.

For example, the recent case of state development office Nik Ali snubbing Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng on an Umno platform should not simply be written off, without disciplinary action taken against the unruly officer for participating in a partisan political press conference held by Umno. It is most unfortunate that even the chief secretary to the government doesn’t understand the civil service culture and code of conduct, and condoned the violation of the principle of neutrality and impartiality of the civil service.

Of course, the enormous bureaucracy of the nearly million-strong Malaysian civil service will require a determined Hercules effort and time to reform, but it is not humanly impossible to change it.

In fact, one fundamental objective of the Nasjib administration is the transformation of the government machinery, which is basically the civil service.

The total transformation of the civil service can only happen from top down. The revamp must start from the top with the mental reconditioning, performance recasting, and image remodeling of the topmost civil servants.

Is Najib serious about the need for the transformation of the civil service? If so, he must start cracking the whip, and get the civil servants, especially the Little Napoleons, to toe the line. Enough is enough! We want to see concrete changes, not political propaganda.

Teoh's note: Umno footprints drag down Msia's judicial system

The shock Malaysians felt on finding out about a ‘suicide’ note purportedly written by Selangor political aide Teoh Beng Hock is fast turning into cynicism and disdain for their government and its agencies, in particular Attorney- General Gani Patail, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Umno-controlled mainstream media.

“Pathetic and as lame as anyone can ever get!” wrote a well known blogger and commentator donplaypuks.

“It is so convenient for the AG to concoct such a ludicrous explanation at this phase of the hearing. Does he think Malaysians are fools and stupid?” wrote another commentator in an online news portal.

Shocking lack of professionalism

These are just two samples of the disgust aroused by the perceived lack of professionalism in the Malaysian system.

Despite fire from the public, the judiciary has continued to disappoint with glaringly one-sided decisions that even the man on the street spontaneously attribute to influence from top Umno leaders. Umno is Prime Minister Najib Razak's party and the boss of the ruling BN coalition.

“The discovery of the so-called suicide note looks more like a fabrication of evidence. If true, why was it not produced at the early stages when the world doubted it was suicide as the authorities had claimed and wanted everyone to believe,” Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham told Malaysia Chronicle.

“But sadly, the Teoh case is not the only one where doubt is strong about the ‘evidence’ produced in the courts by government prosecutors. The Altantuya murder case, the Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trial – these two have also garnered international attention and yet the government thinks it can get away with it. But the fact is their behavior only serves to confirm that fabricated evidence can and will be submitted in Malaysian courts just to swing the verdicts that they desire.”

An Umno conspiracy?

The latest media circus was triggered on Monday after the prosecution suddenly announced it wished to tender a note found in Teoh’s sling bag in October or some two months after his death.

The bizarre development took everyone by surprise even though weeks before the news burst, hints of a “suicide” note had started to surface in many of blogs run by Umno members. Senator Mohd Ezam, who is known to be among those assigned to destabilize the opposition-run Selangor government, too had raised the matter in Parliament.

Adding salt and pepper was the Umno-controlled mainstream media which front-paged stories quoting unnamed sources aimed at reinforcing the perception that Teoh had committed suicide.

“There’s no doubt about the involvement of Umno in this matter, whether directly or indirectly through their blogs and media. The government's aim is clear – to get the coroner to declare death by suicide,” Ean Yong, who was Beng Hock’s immediate boss told Malaysia Chronicle.

“I can hardly wait for the inquest to resume. We want to hear what Dr Pornthip has to say. We hope the Malaysian government will stop all its intimidating tactics and allow the truth to be revealed.”

Umno vs Dr Pornthip

Indeed, many believe the entire episode may have been contrived to discredit Thai forensic expert Pornthip Rojanasunand, who is due to testify on August 18. She has said there was an 80 percent chance Teoh’s death was homicide.

Government pathologists have only said death was caused by a fall from a great height while the MACC has maintained it was suicide right from day one – even before the note was discovered!

So far, details of the note have not been officially revealed given that the document has to be produced in court first. However, the Umno-controlled newspapers say that in the note purportedly written by Teoh, he had expressed regret for exposing Ean’s alleged misdeeds to the MACC.

Teoh’s body was found outside the MACC headquarters on July 16, 2009 after overnight interrogation by the MACC in connection with a corruption probe against Ean and several other top Selangor Pakatan leaders. The MACC probe is widely believed to have been orchestrated by Umno to regain control of the country’s richest state.

Said a commentator to an online news report: “You see how they kill 2 birds with one stone – incriminate Ean and let loose (absolve from blame) the MACC. These type of people …”

Said Ean: “This is scary now. Malaysians need to know that their country has not been overtaken by a regime that has fallen so far down it can even think of manufacturing a suicide note.”

Said Ragunath Kesavan, president of the Malaysian Bar Council: “Over one year after Teoh Beng Hock’s untimely demise, public confidence in the investigation and prosecution of the case remains low, and the credibility of the Malaysian criminal justice system is still very much in doubt.”

“The Malaysian Bar is disappointed that the Attorney-General’s Chambers has withheld a crucial document from the Coroner’s Court in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest. The suppression of evidence, particularly in such a high profile matter, is disturbing, regardless of the reason. This action is indicative of a serious lapse of judgment and undermines the proceedings of the inquest."


Related Stories:

Suicide note reportedly found in Malaysian political aide's bag

Beng Hock's 'suicide' note: A discovery or a fabrication

Handwriting expert may be called to analyse Teoh's note

AG's 'note' not a suicide note but indicates Teoh's frame of mind
Gov't accused of conspiracy overTeoh's note, AG must resign...
Ezam's hand in the Teoh Beng Hock 'note' discovery
Ten questions about ‘Teoh’s note’
Good Lord, a suicide note from Teoh Beng Hock!
Attorney General tells of note discovered in Teoh's sling bag..
Speculation rife Beng Hock was forced to sign suicide note...

Will PAS and Umno ever unite?

Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Will PAS and Umno ever unite?

By Ding Jo-Ann

AS part of its “Malay unity” rhetoric, Umno has been making overtures to PAS once again to have unity talks.

PAS was a component party of the Barisan Nasional from 1974 to 1978, before the cooperation broke down and PAS left the coalition to become part of the federal opposition. Despite being rebuffed, Umno continues to express hope of talks between both parties, especially with the onset of Ramadan.

In part two of an interview with political scientist Wong Chin Huat on Malay unity, The Nut Graph asks who stands to gain from PAS-Umno unification, and what it would take for PAS to consider Umno’s overtures seriously.

(Handshake by robert82 / sxc.hu)

TNG: What’s the appeal for either Umno or PAS to “unite”? Who stands to gain more from unification?

Wong Chin Huat: Ideologically, both Umno and PAS do not subscribe to political pluralism for their defined constituencies – Malays and Muslims – who happen to highly overlap in the context that is Malaysia.

Umno and PAS are therefore antithetical to each other’s raison d’être. For Umno, the existence of PAS is illegitimate because a second Malay party disunites Malay Malaysians. Vice-versa, for PAS, Umno’s presence divides the Muslims.

The unity talk is therefore paradoxical. You can’t have a halfway house. If Malay-Muslims are to be united under one party, then Umno and PAS have to merge. But would either Umno or PAS politicians really want to embrace each other as comrades?

The unity talk is therefore a political gimmick to show voters who are obsessed with ethno-religious unity or solidarity: “It’s the other party that rejects Malay/Muslim unity, reject them!” And why should Malay Muslims unite? The unspoken logic is, of course: “Because we are threatened by the non-Malays/non-Muslims.”

Only Umno can win this unity game. Any PAS politician who thinks otherwise is a naïve hare who believes he or she can outsmart an old fox. If any “unity plan” materialises, it will be largely on the terms of the incumbent, Umno. Over time, Umno will play one faction in PAS against another to weaken its rival.

That’s how PAS eventually lost Kelantan in 1978. If the unity talks fail, Umno’s propaganda machine that reaches out to Malay Malaysians will surely blame it on PAS. Most damagingly, PAS will lose the hard-earned trust of non-Malay Malaysians and be condemned to only super-majority-Malay constituencies, whether as Umno’s ally or foe. It will then likely die a natural death and concede the anti-Umno Malay voters to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

PAS‘s vision is to set up an Islamic state, which puts Islamic principles at the forefront of governance. Would PAS be more likely to achieve this goal if it partnered with Umno rather than the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)?

Islamisation has two implications in Malaysian politics. The first, which may not be so Islamic in principle, is to strengthen the power of Islam and Muslims vis-à-vis the other faiths and religious minorities. Also, to curb diversity within the ummah; for example, by suppressing the liberals, feminists, sexual minorities, Shiites or “heretic” groups.

(Source: Wiki commons)

In this respect, Umno would make the best ally for any Islam-centrist party on issues like the Allah row, the apostasydisputes, and restrictions on non-Muslim places of worship. But I suspect the mainstream opinion in PAS is not so inclined. Go to Tumpat, Kelantan and you find pigs reared by Thai Malaysians roaming in the Malay villages.

Umno’s brand of Islam, however, is seemingly more rooted in the ethnically mixed west-coast states. The huge presence of the other, i.e. of non-Muslims and non-Malays, in these states may naturally lead to a strong sense of insecurity or of being under siege among many Muslims.

The second aspect of Islam is to promote Islamic values to both Muslims and non-Muslims. Some aspects are happily embraced by all without any imposition. The best example of this is Islamic banking, where the majority of depositors are apparently non-Muslim Chinese Malaysians.

Other aspects of Islamisation may actually cause conflicts between PAS and Umno, but more likely across ethno-religious fault lines. For example, if PAS were to campaign against corruption and the Internal Security Act, it may go against the vested interests of the corrupt in Umno. In these aspects, PAS’s natural partners would likely be progressive multiethnic or multifaith parties.

Is there a difference in Malaysia between political unity and religious unity? Can Malay Malaysians in PAS and Umno unite religiously without doing so politically?

Umno Muslims, PAS Muslims, PKR Muslims and DAP Muslims pray the same way every Friday and when performing the haj, don’t they?

Judging from media reports, how firm is PAS in rejecting Umno‘s recent overtures for unity talks to happen? There have been PAS members who have added caveats such as stating they are with the PR “at this moment”. What would prompt PAS to take any such overtures more seriously in the future?

The reservation of some PAS politicians about its membership in the PR is perfectly understandable. For the most part of history, Malay Malaysian politics has only been able to accommodate two parties. Three makes a crowd.

Till 2008, PAS was secure as the second party and was aiming to replace Umno as the first. After 2008, they find themselves as the No. 3 Malay-Muslim dominant party after the nationalist Umno and the multiethnic PKR. The natural worry is, if one of the three parties must be dropped to sustain the balance, will it be PAS?

Talking to Umno will temporarily alleviate this fear because if all national issues were seen through an ethno-religious lens, the Malay-Muslim constituency would have to be represented by Umno and PAS. Umno has a natural interest to save PAS because PKR can be its terminator.

PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat: No way to PAS-Umno unity, but for how long?

But if the unity talk continues, PAS’s worst nightmare of being winnowed out may come true as PKR will easily absorb most of its anti-BN votes from the Malay and non-Malay Malaysians.

PAS’s future of emerging as the largest or second largest Muslim-dominant party lies in defeating Umno. But will PAS have the stamina to go the distance? That largely depends on the next election outcome, and ironically more on non-Muslim voters than Muslim voters.

Outside of Kelantan, PAS enjoys an average of 40% Muslim support. Landslide non-Muslim support would allow it to capture many Malay-majority-mixed constituencies.

If non-Muslims hold back their support, PAS would be left with lawmakers elected from the Muslim heartland. They may not see much incentive to remain in the PR. In that sense, counter-intuitively, it is the non-Muslims who will determine if the talks about hudud will be revived after the next elections.

Wong Chin Huat is a political scientist by training and a journalism lecturer by trade. If readers have questions and issues they would like Wong to respond to, they are welcome to e-mail editor@thenutgraph.com for our consideration.

Related post:
What does Malay unity mean?

Where Is Our National Children Safety Policy?

By Shazeera Ahmad Zawawi

The latest case of a child raped by a bus driver in front of other children and the Penan rape cases has prompted reactionary measures short of another “royal circus” inquiry. Where is our National Children Safety Policy when we clearly need a foundation and framework towards developing long term preventive measures?

The latest case of a child being raped and molested by a bus driver in front of other young passengers is blatantly cruel and heart wrenching (to say the least). After the horrendous incident was exposed by the media, worried parents in my neighborhood resolved to send and fetch their children from school from that day onwards. The level of anxiety and fear that the community is having over the safety of our beloved children is reaching an uncompromising stage.

So are the threats that are coming from the very adults and care-givers that are entrusted with the power and responsibility to ensure their safety and well being. Who can we really trust in the society to handle our children anymore?

Apart from falling victim to abuse, neglect or in severe cases, abduction and trafficking, it is obvious that our children are also at risk of being victims of sexual predators. The realisation that there are pedophiles in our own backyard is deeply sickening. We were also shocked by the Penan rape cases exposed by a Sarawak civil society coalition recently. All of the girls were raped when they were in their teens, hence qualifying them for treatment and protection that are applicable to their status as children, but sad to say, that never materialised.

The government and the state agencies are responding to these heinous crimes in their classic style as well; First – blame the victim for various reasons stemming from bad characters, morale values or cultural excuses as in the case of the Penan rapes. Second – suggest reactionary light speed review of the existing laws or measures to address these problems. What is wrong with the second approach, we might ponder? Isn’t that in line with our national vision to strive for efficiency and speedy public service?

Yesterday, in response to the rape by the bus driver incident, Dato’ Shahrizat Abdul Jalil suggested that school buses should have co-drivers or conductors. The suggestion, in my opinion, is reasonable, considering that it is important for our children to be accompanied by trustworthy adults or guardians while they are in public space. But, this is simply an ad-hoc response to the incident with lack of depth and vision for a long term prevention strategy.

Our National Children Safety Policy introduced in 2007, has clearly include in its framework, the need to ensure that all adults responsible for the safety children, and that includes transport service providers such as bus or taxi drivers to be equipped with adequate understanding of children’s rights and safety needs. The target of the Strategic Plan is to have at least 5% of the related stakeholders to be aware and understand issues relevant to children by the end of 2010.

What is the progress of the strategic plan so far? Therefore, despite the positive suggestion to recruit co-drivers and bus conductors, the Plan indicates further need to ensure that those recruited to work or provide services for children are exposed to children’s rights and to be held accountable to a specific children safety policy or code of conduct.

But, sad to say that over the years, rather than putting more efforts to strengthen and translate our existing National Policy into actions, we would wait relentlessly for a tragedy to happen so that our conscience is triggered and we could offer a reaction, rather than act strategically on preventing it from happening.

The National Children Safety Policy of course leaves many rooms for improvement and enhancement but the government need not start from scratch. Since we ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1995, our engagement with and commitment to human rights standards offer various ways and viable frameworks for us to improve our country’s policies and domestic laws on children.

In the CRC Committee’s “Concluding Comments” to Malaysia’s Initial Report in 2007, the Committee stressed the importance of extending the task to protect and uphold child’s safety and well being from merely parents to other relevant stakeholders including national human rights institutions, authorities such as the police force and law practitioners. This does not mean shifting the focal point worthy of blame from parents to the rest of the community. This means sharing the responsibility with every member of the society to ensure children safety, from top level policymakers to grassroots initiatives through a comprehensive framework.

We need more than just co-drivers and conductors or stringent laws to punish the perpetrators; we need a standard operating procedures and code of conduct to prevent child sexual abuse and violence in our homes, neighborhood, school and the public space; we need child-friendly procedures and focal points in the police stations and courts that could handle victimised children judiciously and I know this is hard to be accepted by many, but we need to have sex education in school, not because we want to encourage our children to subscribe to sexual promiscuity from an early age but so that they are able to identify sexual wrongdoings and threats, be it from strangers or people they trust.

It is timely now that we recognise our commitment to the highest human rights standards where our children are concerned, as more than just an international diplomatic move but rather, an on-going effort to reform the ways we protect our children.

About The Author: Shazeera is a law graduate with no intention whatsoever to be a lawyer. She was previously a Chevening Fellow with Glasgow University, in studying government relations with civil society. She is currently one of the Directors of Pagaralam Sdn Bhd, a consultancy firm dedicated to promoting good governance in social development and human rights. She will also be pursuing her Master in Applied Human Rights in University of York, UK very soon. Her interests, among others, are human rights, cultural relativism and it’s implications on public policies. Catch more of her take on politics, pop culture and parenthood at uspeopleknow.wordpress.com.