If Parliament is dissolved by March 7, the Elections Commission will probably fix nominations within two weeks and polls are likely to be held by the end of March or early April. The campaigning period would probably be less than 10 days this time.
If five years ago, the cleric-driven PAS fielded a sprinkling of young Malay professionals to show the electorate its less dogmatic side, this time, it wants to field former civil servants.
The aim is to create the impression that even experienced hands are willing to break ranks with the government and join the conservative Islamic opposition.
Among those being eyed by PAS as potential candidates is Datuk Yeop Adlan Che Rose, former Malaysian ambassador to Mexico. He had served as deputy high commissioner to Singapore, senior officer at Malaysia's permanent mission to the UN and ambassador to Spain.
Datuk Mohamad Amir Yaakub, ex-director of the National Rice Board, is another possibility.
Other people being wooed by PAS are retired chief of Malaysian Armed Forces Tan Sri Mohamad Sany Abdul Ghafur, six former brigadier-generals, several former civil servants and a clutch of professors from a local university.
There is a buzz in the party that two former top-tier enforcement officials have paid their membership fees.
It is not a question of whether sharks or anchovies are being caught under the present anti-corruption dragnet. The issue here is that these catches depend on the political will of one man and not the systemic response of an institution ie Parliament.
Inevitably there will be selective prosecutions if political is the ultimate determinant.
So the obvious answer :: make the ACA a statutory body that answers to the Parliament and not the prime minister.
If this is done then the decision to charge a person for graft would not require the premier’s approval while threats to his political survival would also not have a bearing on any case.
These of course would also entail the need for an independent judiciary that cannot be purchased or commanded by the powers-that-be.
The call to statutorise ACA has been made by many quarters. It seems that Malaysians have to leave it all to Abdullah but this need not be the case.
What can the people and the opposition MPs do :: Table a private member’s bill in the coming parliamentary session next month, if it is not dissolved by then to pave way for the general election.
Under the Dewan Rakyat’s Standing Order 49, any private member of the house can introduce a bill.
Our parliament has probably never seen any private member’s bill passed, for the government backbenchers have conventionally left the legislating works to the frontbench while the opposition rarely proposes one knowing it will surely be defeated.
However, a private member’s bill that is bound for rejection would still bring attention to the issue and put pressure on the government, the famous example being PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s bill on apostasy in 1999.
A private member’s bill for an independent ACA could therefore serve two purposes ::
1.Place Pak Lah and all the other MPs and their acclaimed will to combat corruption to test.
2.Bring public input into law-making.
The opposition could do the opposite in drafting its private member’s bill by involving not only MPs of all opposition parties, leading lawyers and NGOs, but also the general public by collecting their opinions via forums and focus groups.
As the 11th election is near, even if this particular private members’s bill cannot be ready for tabling before the general election, its preparation alone will apply pressure on the BN.
By asking what the public want of an independent ACA, the opposition can bring forth the imaginations and expectations of real change. This would lead to calls on the premier to incorporate the bill in his campaign.
On the other hand, the private member’s bill could probably unite the opposition on accountability issues and help them steal the limelight ahead of the polls.
Ultimate winners will be the people with the birth of a independent ACA which is accountable to Parliament and the people.
The Government is set to improve the cleanliness of public toilets nationwide to be at par with the country’s level of development and progress, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said.
“Dirty public toilets are our failure,” he said, adding that it also reflected poorly on the people's culture and image.
“We are very proud of Malaysia – so modern, many attractive places and things, good food and friendly people, except our public toilets.
Ong said improving public toilets had to be a joint effort between the Government and the people – users and owners of premises who build and maintain public toilets.
He said some local authorities, including Kuala Lumpur City Hall, were already taking steps to upgrade their toilets besides coming up with new ideas like building street toilets in tourist spots.
,
All the very best to each and everyone,
Wherever you may be posted,
Make the best of it,
Enjoy and be Good,
Cheers.
Land and Cooperative Development Minister Tan Sri Kasitah Gaddam was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) Thursday morning. He is expected to be charged later today for graft in some share dealing in a company.
“A government that serves the rakyat better empowers the people,” he said.
“Empower this government to empower you. Work with me to work with you,” he added.
The prosecution brings to a close eight years of investigations and accusations of a cover-up, and removes a case that was a millstone for the Mahathir administration but is a chance for the Abdullah administration to show its willingness to walk the talk in the fight against corruption.
The Straits Times understands that this will not be the only high-profile prosecution case. Others will follow soon, sources say, and the tough action is supposed to send two signals: That the move to clean up the system is genuine and that the axe can fall on anyone, even the rich and powerful.
Confirming that the company under investigation, Scomi Group Bhd, is controlled by his son Kamaluddin, Abdullah said he was happy that the probe had revealed that neither Malaysia nor any company in the country had the capability to produce a centrifuge for use in nuclear weapons production.
Asked by the foreign press if Malaysia should be afraid of being implicated in the production of nuclear weaponry, Abdullah said: “Well, if we know the truth, we should not be worried.”
Abdullah also said he had no knowledge if the founder of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, had been in Malaysia.
“I don’t know. The police are doing all sorts of investigations. I don’t interfere in their investigations. I know nothing of their investigations. I am not a trained investigator,” he said.
In a media statement released here, Mohd Bakri stressed that "investigations carried out so far indicate that no company in Malaysia is capable of producing a complete centrifuge unit (to produce nuclear weapons) because it requires high technology and extensive expertise in the field of nuclear weapons."
Meanwhile, Scomi Group said in a separate media statement that its subsidiary, Scomi Precision Engineering Sdn Bhd (Scope), had received a contract to produce "14 semi-finished components" for a Dubai-based company, Gulf Technical Industries L.L.C (GTI).
However, the end use of these components was never disclosed to Scope by GTI, and the contract was arranged by BSA Tahir, a Sri Lankan businessman based in Dubai.
The Pakistani official who briefed reporters said Dr. Khan had met with Libyan nuclear scientists in Casablanca, Morocco, and in Istanbul; American officials were apparently unaware of the Istanbul meeting. He also met Iranian scientists in Karachi, Pakistan, and scientists in Malaysia, the journalists reported.
According to the Pakistani account, centrifuges came from a factory in Malaysia that had been built by a Sri Lankan identified as "Tahir", who was one of several middlemen Dr. Khan used to spread the technology.
The Pakistani official said, and American officials confirmed, that Tahir was in government custody in Malaysia. Centrifuge components made in Malaysia were intercepted en route to Libya in October, American officials said.
Saying that he had no problem working with Singaporeans, Abdullah said: "To me, being nice to people isn't a bad thing. To me it's not a question you want to be tough, you want to be soft.
"The issue of toughness and softness is not involved here. (It is rather) an issue of creating an atmosphere where you can sit down together and talk and sort it out.
"I think the mood is good. They are ready to talk, we are also ready to talk. Let's get things organised," he said.
Pada penilaian Datuk Seri, apakah pencapaian Datuk Seri sepanjang tiga bulan pertama menerajui negara?
ABDULLAH: Jika anda bercakap tentang pencapaian, saya fikir saya telah berjaya membawa keyakinan kepada rakyat bahawa kerajaan sedang melakukan sesuatu untuk memperbaiki perkhidmatan. Dan mereka boleh harapkan perkhidmatan yang lebih baik. Kita telah wujudkan perasaan selesa (feel good). Ia wujud dalam pelbagai bentuk termasuk pelantikan Timbalan Perdana Menteri, rombakan kecil kabinet, pengumuman tentang apa yang hendak kita lakukan dan banyak lagi.
Memang harapan yang diletakkan kepada kita amat tinggi, saya tahu itu tetapi pada masa yang sama mereka telah menunjukkan kesediaan untuk menyokong dan mengalu-alukan perubahan yang diperkenalkan.
Saya berjaya mendapatkan maklum balas positif daripada majoriti rakyat tentang apa yang saya hendak lakukan serta pengumuman yang dibuat. Ini secara dasarnya apa yang saya telah capai dan saya mempunyai tanggungjawab untuk melaksanakan apa yang telah saya janjikan.
Ini semua akan saya lakukan kerana ia bukan isu, bukan sekadar orang kata pendekatan popular untuk meraih undi, ia perkara yang sebenarnya, inilah agenda yang hendak saya capai.
"We (the polis) had gathered evidence that we hope would be sufficient to charge Hanger (the second accused), but unfortunately the DPP felt our evidence was not strong enough."
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