Politik, Legislatif, Dasar dan Tadbir Urus

(Rencana ini telahpun disiarkan dalam kolum saya di Malaysia-Chronicle baru-baru ini) Dalan masa sepuluh tahun, negara kita telah kehilangan lebih daripada RM1 .0 trilion akibat daripada pelbagai jenis dan bentuk penyelewengan demi penyelewengan yang dilakukan oleh kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN). Skandal dalam National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) yang melibatkan kerugian RM250 milion baru-baru ini adalah merupakan titik pemulaan bagi pendedahan skandal-skandal yang seterusnya di dalam kerajaan BN. Malah kita semua telahpun bersedia menghadapi satu lagi pendedahan skandal penyelewengan kewangan kerajaan yang boleh dikatakan amat besar juga jumlahnya. Skandal pada kali ini bakal melibatkan kos berlebihan yang terpaksa ditanggung oleh kerajaan di dalam pembelian enam buah kapal peronda daripada Bouestead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd yang bernilai RM1.0 billion sebuah pada permulaannya. Kos pembelian dan pembuatan kapal-kapal peronda tersebut kini telah meningkat secara mendadak kepada jumlah yang...

One after another corruption were reported in various dealings, procurement and contracts involving the purchase and installation of our nation's military equipment, spare parts, armament and facilities. The total sum which has been wasted has been by now rise to about RM2.5 trillion in public funds and not only the public money has been trashed just like that, the security and safety of our nation is also currently at the highest risk. What if just because of these corruptions in the defense dealings, procurement and contracts, our military equipment, aircraft, warships, amour vehicles would become malfunction and run out of spare parts, rising costs of maintenance and in the end all these would end up as scrap metals in the scrap yards. And what if the enemy decides to attack or to invade our nation one day? Can we expect our army, navy and air force to fight our enemies with their bare hands or with only a handful of light weapons? It is just like sending them straight to hell! ...

Malay extremist group Perkasa reminded today that Article 153 helped keep the country peaceful and that it should not be questioned after a Christian leader said it should be inclusive of all groups. The extremist group was responding to National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) chairman Reverend Dr Eu Hong Seng who said yesterday that the Federal Constitution’s Article 153 is akin to “bullying” if it only protects the rights of one group. Dr Eu statement was indeed accurate to the fact that till today the Article 153 has been widely and blatantly misused and used against the others in order to protect the personal interests and political power of a particular political party, namely Umno. What Umno had always being saying is without Umno there will be no Malay and if Umno loses the Malays will cease to exist and so on. Same goes to Perkasa, they misused Article 153 in order to promote the supremacy of one race and one religion over the other. Did Article 153 ever mention that M...

Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) investigators raided the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) office located in Solaris Mont Kiara this afternoon. Yesterday, police arrested a 45-year-old businessman believed to be an influential Datuk for allegedly attempting to bribe investigators who were investigating the NFC scandal. NFC, which is run by the husband of Wanita Umno chief and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, has been the targeted over the abuse of RM250 million of public funds. In the latest series of exposure, it is also been reported Shahrizat’s family owned a luxury condominium worth RM10 million in Singapore which was bought via NFC. A source also confirmed that the 2,282 square feet unit at Anthony Road, Orchard Scotts, was purchased in January 2010, and registered under the ownership of Shahrizat’s husband, Mohamad Salleh Ismail, and their children. Mohamed Salleh is currently the NFC’s executive chairman. In earlier revelation...

Umno MP and deputy finance minister Awang Adek Hussin has finally gave in to public pressure and admitted that he had indeed received cash contributions via his personal bank account but said the deposits were donations for some sort of social programmes in his constituency. Come on, corrupt is corrupt. How can a donation mean for social programmes be bank into your personal bank account? Awang is formerly a banker and he should know very best that such practice is accounted for as being corrupt. Can we tell Awang that in our area there are also some people who are really in need of monetary help, perhaps if you could also share those donation money with us by also having some of those cash deposited into our bank account. Please tell us if this is wrong or right. And if that money is really for some kind of charity or donations or whatsoever as you claimed, then why not ask the donor to channel it straight into the bank accounts of those charity or welfare organizations or NGOs? Why h...

Our country seems to becoming more like the Third Reich Germany during Adolf Hitler's era. glorifying the leader (the fuhrer) treating him beyond any sorts of criticisms or whatsoever views on him. Evidently, student leader Adam Adli has more guts, principles, vision and grey matter than Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) vice-chancellor Zakaria Kasa. The fact that is Adam did not bring down the Malaysian flag and desecrate it, like all those wild animals from Umno who had took the picture of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to stomp on it, then burn the same, carrying a coffin to the later's office, took down the photograph of Gerakan president Dr Koh Tsu Koon, tore it and made insults on that poor victimized fellow in such a shameful way. We could see, who are the civilized and uncivilized ones. First of all, why do Umno need to glorify their leaders by putting their faces on these buntings (not flags please!) and hanging them in front of the Umno's luxurious hea...

Former PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa claims that his party is straying from Islamic principles for political expediency. He also claimed those outside PAS perceive the party is loosening up on certain issues and principles, calling it dangerous. So, we would like to forward this question to Nasharudin, is he labeling the current PAS leadership as moderate, reformist secular or liberal Islam since he claimed that the party is straying and loosening away from Islam? If it is so, then what does Nasharudin regard himself as? Preferably as radical Islam, true Islam or a conservative Islam? Let us give some sort of basic advise to Nasharudin. We know that we are not fit or qualify enough to preach Nasharudin on the religion that he currently professes and is expert in, but we knew the basics which are written and mentioned in the Quran too. As mentioned in the Quran, Islam is truly a beautiful practice if the later is being practiced as per the holy book says. Islam in practical is...

Save your breath, Boo Chang. This is what we wish to advise former PKR Bukit Gelugor division chairman Lim Boo Chang following his announcement last week to quit PKR for good. Earlier, he has been in Gerakan for more than a decade and then he departed the party for MCA citting lost of confidence. Then after the 2008 general elections, Boo Chang again departed MCA for PKR, also reasoning lost of confidence on the party. And exactly three years after then, Boo Chang has decided to quit PKR and stated his intention to return to Gerakan. His reason for quiting PKR was he had lost confidence on the later due to whatsoever reasons. You have no confidence in any political parties that you had joined so far, and from Gerakan you went to MCA and then you shifted over to PKR and now you are returning to Gerakan where most of the Gerakan leaders except for Dr Teng Hock Nan, had voiced their objection over your re-entry to the said party. If the Gerakan central committee were to reject your applic...

(Rencana ini telah disiarkan di dalam kolum saya di Malaysia-Chronicle baru-baru ini) Tahukah anda, sejak daripada tahun 2008 sehinggalah pada penghujung tahun 2010, kerajaan persekutuan BN yang didominasi oleh Umno telah membelanjakan lebih daripada RM138 juta bagi membiayai kos operasi dan membayar elaun-elaun serta faedah ahli-ahli Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung-Persekutuan (JKKKP). JKKKP ini telah ditubuhkan di negeri-negeri yang diperintah oleh Pakatan Rakyat, seperti Selangor, Pulau Pinang, Kedah dan Kelantan yang sejak daripada dahulu lagi telahpun mempunyai Jawatankuasa Keselamatan dan Kemajuan Kampung (JKKK) lantikan peringkat negeri yang asal. JKKKP ini telah ditubuhkan di semua perkampungan di negeri-negeri di mana BN telah dikalahkan dan kehilangan kuasa di dalam pilihanraya umum yang lalu bagi mencabar kewibawaan JKKK asal yang sedia ada. Manakala bagi negeri-negeri yang masih ditadbir oleh BN, JKKKP tidak ditubuhkan kerana JKKK lantikan negeri masih dikuasa...

After the Peaceful Assembly Bill had been forcefully tabled and approved in the parliament with minimum debates, the BN federal government is now working on another bill in order to register and control professionals in the information technology (IT) sector. It is called the Computing Professionals Bill. Many top IT professionals when asked on this proposed bill, many of them said they had not been consulted on the drafting of the bill. If the government were to have consulted the larger community in this profession, this entire issue would not have blown up today. According to a source from the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, the bill, if approved, would only allow people registered with the proposed Board of Computing Professionals to perform and play active roles in the IT industry and its development. This means the IT would be a control and licensed profession just like the doctors, lawyers and civil engineers. That means, the bill is clearly contradicting the Multim...

When I attend the party's state convention last Sunday, my hope was to see what are the party's next action plan and development for the state as well as strategies in preparation for the next general elections which has been widely expected next year. In fact on the convention that day, the state party leaders had missed the very opportunity to outline some centered issues like the current economic situation, the rising inflation, creating more job opportunities, improving services of local councils, as well as the problems experienced in local transportation service. Instead the convention had shifted its focus on the quarrel between party national chairman Karpal Singh and the state party deputy chairman Dr P.Ramasamy on the later's "godfather" word. Furthermore, a very important issue which was not discussed in the convention - the local government election pledge which was made during the last general election. We know, all the obstacles and laws that are pre...

Is the federal government trying to cheat their civil servants over the introduction of a less attractive new Civil Service Remuneration System (SBPA) option? Why are we saying this word, cheating? It is because the Public Service Department (JPA) had given the civil servants only a 16- day grace period, that is starting from 15 December t0 31 December 2011 to sign up of the new salary scale option without giving any proper details and documentations of the new option. Come on, that 16-day grace period is dam short and how can JPA expect all the civil servants to understand the contents of the new option (when it has not been provided at all) and have it signed immediately or within that stipulated period of time? Furthermore, it is year end now, and many of them had already gone on leave. So, what is the real intention of the federal government and the JPA in hurrying up the civil servants to sign up for the new option in such a situation to an extend that no details or documentations...

(Rencana ini telah disiarkan di dalam kolum saya dalam Malaysia-Chronicle baru-baru ini) Siapakah yang memulakan isu tersebut pada awalnya? Timbalan Pengerusi DAP Pulau Pinang yang juga Timbalan Ketua Menteri II Dr P.Ramasamy baru-baru ini telah menggelar Pengerusi Kebangsaan DAP Karpal Singh sebagai “godfather” dalam parti. Apakah tujuan dan niat sebenarnya Dr Ramasamy berbuat dan berkata demikian? Mungkinkah beliau telah terlanjur di dalam kenyataannya sewaktu mengadakan sidang akhbar tersebut? Kita semua tidak tahu, hanya Dr Ramasamy sendiri yang mengetahui apakah definasi sebenarnya beliau sewaktu mengajukan gelaran “Godfather” itu kepada Karpal? Penjelasan yang ditunggu itu tidak sampai-sampai lagi. Dan jika sekiranya pengajuan gelaran tersebut kepada Karpal mempunyai suatu niat yang positif, maka Dr Ramasamy perlulah menjelaskan perkara tersebut dengan lebih teliti agar ianya dapat memadamkan api kemarahan Karpal akibat daripada gelaran tersebut. Kita semua tahu, setiap insan mem...

I had attended the Penang DAP state convention held in Pearl View Hotel, Prai, Seberang Perai Tengah, Penang today. Prior to the convention, there's a small demonstration outside the hotel which was said to be in support of the embattled deputy chief minister II Dr P.Ramasamy who had earlier uttered the word "godfather" on party national chairman Karpal Singh. And from there, the war of words started off with non-stop bombarding on each other. Looks like the situation is not going to be forgiving and it continued right up to the convention stage today. Well, it has been done. The situation outside the hotel was ugly and it did not reflect well to Dr Ramasamy himself. He has to learn from it being a politically newborn. It was his first political career. Prior to his involvement in politics, Dr Ramasamy was an academician in several renowned educational institutions. We applaud the affirmative statement made by Karpal Singh to remind all party members to stay at the party...

(Rencana ini telahpun disiarkan dalam kolum saya di Malaysia-Chronicle baru-baru ini) Di negara India, setiap kerajaan negeri di republik tersebut diamanah untuk menguruskan sistem pendidikan di wilayah masing-masing. Sistem pendidikan autonomi yang ada di negara tersebut telah menyebabkan pencapaian pendidikan di sesetengah wilayah lebih baik daripada wilayah-wilayah yang lain. Setiap wilayah telah menlaksanakan langkah-langkah yang cukup kompetitif bagi menonjolkan sistem dan amalan pendidikan mereka yang terbaik dengan penampilan banyak siri pendidikan kurikulum yang berlainan bagi tujuan untuk mendapatkan pengiktirafan daripada para ibubapa dan pelajar. Selain daripada itu, penampilan sistem pendidikan yang bermutu sering kali merupakan tajuk utama di dalam setiap pilihanraya di India. Selain daripada itu, kerajaan-kerajaan negeri di India juga sering mendapatkan khidmat daripada pihak ketiga (juru runding profesional mengenai pendidikan) bagi mengkaji dari masa ke semasa sistem da...

Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) is planning to join forces with more than 10 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to offer themselves as a third force in the next general election. According to a press report released yesterday, the third force’s candidates will contest under the PRM banner, and the party has identified three parliamentary seats in the Klang Valley to contest. Sources told the daily that the “Seladang” party (so-called for the seladang head on the party logo) will make an important announcement on Friday, including on the formation of the third force, and the adoption of the “Towards New Malaysia” slogan. PRM vice-president Koh Swe Yong told the daily the idea to form an alternative bloc to the current Barisan Nasional and Parti Keadilan Rakyat coalitions was mooted two months ago. He said following the adoption of a resolution at the party’s annual general assembly on Nov 13 for the party to work with NGOs, PRM central committee members will tour the country to explain t...

Recent statements from UMNO leaders about the Opposition parties portend dangerous trends in the nation’s politics. These statements are both regrettable and worrying. The DAP has been labeled as a “racist” party, and those Malays who are in the Opposition are described as lackeys of the Chinese. There have been false accusations that, if the Opposition wins, the country will become a republic and the Malays will lose all their rights and privileges. These accusations are dangerous and irresponsible. The DAP bashing will further alienate the Chinese community but will do nothing to hurt them, as they are self sufficient and self contained community. Instead it will be the Malays who will suffer because they party they trusted to lead them only have wild rhetoric’s to offer; when the Malays are looking for honest solutions to the nations problems. Such irresponsible statements by the leaders of our country will do nothing but widen the already terrible divisions in our society. It ap...

(Rencana ini telahpun disiarkan di dalam kolum saya dalam Malaysia-Chronicle baru-baru ini) Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) yang baru-baru ini telah mengumumkan bersama dengan United Engineering Malaysia (UEM) Berhad bahawa kedua-duanya telah bersetuju untuk memansuhkan hutang kerajaan persekutuan yang berjumlah lebih daripada RM2.9 billion melalui suatu perjanjian perlaksanaan baru yang masih belum didedahkan sehingga kini. Kenyataan dan tindakan pengurusan KWSP yang telah bersetuju untuk memansuhkan sejumlah besar hutang kerajaan tersebut amat merisaukan dan membimbangi kebanyakan pihak khususnya para pekerja-pekerja dan kesatuan-kesatuan sekerja. Kami kurang memahami kenapa pula kerajaan persekutuan pada hari ini masih tidak mampu membayar balik pinjaman berbilion-bilion Ringgit itu sehinggalah terpaksa meminta jasa baik KWSP untuk memansuhkan bebanan hutangnya. Ke mana perginya dana kerajaan yang begitu banyak? Kenapa pula dana penyimpan para pekerja harus diperjudikan oleh p...

(Rencana ini telahpun disiarkan di dalam kolum saya di Malaysia-Chronicle baru-baru ini) Baru-baru ini, setiausaha agung Umno telah mengumumkan bahawa keahlian parti itu kini telah mencapai lebih daripada 3 juta ahli dan Umno negeri Sabah adalah merupakan penyumbang terbesar keahlian dengan lebih daripada 480,000 orang ahli. Begitu bangganya Umno dengan jumlah keahlian parti yang begitu besar. Negeri Sabah pula adalah merupakan penyumbang terbesar keahlian parti tersebut pada hari ini. Betulkah keahlian Umno ini begitu ramai? Adalah perlu diingati bahawa mempnyai jumlah keahlian parti yang begitu besar sekali di negara ini tidak semestinya akan dapat menghasilkan ahli-ahli dan pemimpin-pemimpin yang berintegriti, bermaruah tinggi dan berkualiti. Kalau benar-benar Umno mempunyai lebih daripada 3 juta orang ahli parti, maka bolehlah ditafsirkan parti-parti lain seperti PKR, PAS, PRM, KITA, DAP dan sebagainya telahpun menjadi tin kosong. Ataupun bolehkah kita katakan keahlian Umno sekaran...

Di dalam perhimpunan agung tahunan Umno kali ini, para pemimpin parti tersebut semakin membenci dan mengganas. Kata-kata kesat yang tidak bercirikan Islam dan keMelayuan turut dilaungkan berulang kali di dalam persidangan tersebut. Sewaktu merasmikan persidangan tahunan wanita, pemuda dan puteri Umno dua hari yang lalu, timbalan presiden Umno Muhyiddin Yassin menyeru para perwakilan ketiga-tiga sayap parti tersebut agar membenci Pakatan Rakyat, khususnya DAP dengan sesungguh dan sepenuhnya. Muhyiddin yang juga timbalan perdana menteri turut mendakwa bahawa DAP sedang merancang untuk menggulingkan Yang Dipertuan Agong dan Raja-raja Melayu bagi membolehkan negara ini dijadikan sebuah republik. Tambah beliau DAP selama ini menentang sistem Raja Berpelembagaan dan inginkan sistem tersebut dimansuhkan. Sebelum ini, ketua penerangan Umno Ahmad Maslan turut mendakwa bahawa orang-orang Melayu akan kehilangan kuasa dan Islam akan terus hilang jika sekiranya Pakatan Rakyat memenangi pilihanraya ...

Up until yesterday, Umno has announced that the party's membership had reach to a total of about 3,297,358 members, with Sabah having the highest number with 487,447 members. So what? Does number comes with quality? What has Umno produced so far from its over 3 million members nationwide? Of this 3 million plus members, how many of them are Thais, Indonesians, Rohingyas, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Afghans, Philippines' Moros, Apes, Monkeys, Gorillas, Wild Boars, Chimpanzees, Dogs, Cows, Crocodiles, Crows, Snakes and those who are already in the graves? Give us the list, make the membership list public and convince us. How many foreigners have they got and converted them into instant Malaysians? Just look at the "outstanding" increase of membership in Sabah, 487,447 members. Strange enough and certainly very doubtful. Furthermore, Sabah political parties including both BN (excluding Umno) and Pakatan Rakyat has tonnes of complaints on the rising influx of these illegal ...

We are referring to a recent news report mentioning the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) board of management has decided to waive some part of the RM2.9 billion loan owed by the BN federal government. We are indeed gravely disturbed and disappointed with the EPF board's inaccurate decision to waive the billions of Ringgit in loan repayment from the government and we do not understand why it has to be like that. First, the money in the EPF is ours, as well as millions more workers out there and all those savings are mean for our retirement in future. Then, helping to reduce the burden of the Umno-led BN federal government by waiving their loan repayment is not the duty of EPF and certainly it is not our duty too as well. Government expenditures are overseen by these civil servants and they are guaranteed with a whole life pensions throughout their retirement age. To ease the government's financial burden or whatever financial deficit they are suffering from, these civil servants s...

In the Umno youth general assembly this morning, a voice has been heard as saying, 'Sesiapa yang sokong DAP, mereka dari bangsa bangsat,' it is from Shaik Hussin an Umno youth delegate from Penang. If those who had supported DAP were from the bangsat race, what is he then? Should we say this political animal is from the dog's race? Yes we ought to say that because he is not even a human in the first place. He is showering hatred and we supposed he hated the Chinese and Indians so much to an extend that he losses his humanity and started behaving like an animal from the dog's race. We wish to challenge him to repeat his words one by one, in open in the middle of Georgetown City once he return after his party's annual meet.