LONE

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

The AP-Proton Saga

Proton Holding Bhd advisor, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said recently that the local car making industry would suffer if the entry of foreign cars was not controlled. His comments are quite relevant as the sales of Proton cars have fallen a good deal recently. Yesterday, he called on the gomen to reveal names of those who have been given approved permits (APs) to import cars. His is a call for transparency regarding these APs, maybe he is worried that his Proton is facing increasing competition on the home front if too many APs are approved for the import of foreign made cars. But the stated reason of his is that detailed relevations would remove any suspicion of improper conduct in the AP handouts. In his own words, this is what he wants done ::

“The best way to silence any accusation of unfairness is to publish the names of all who have been given APs, how many permits they have received and what cars they are bringing in.”

He has even suggested how and who can provide such details ::

“In order to know exactly how many cars are being brought in, the best way is for the Customs Department to publish the names of those who have been given APs.”

What surprises me is his comments that imported cars could be very cheap, as low as RM11,000. He just could not understand how they could be so cheap (when Proton is not so). He added at that price, it is not even enough to make a car! Now could he just tell us where we can get hold of such a car. He now wants investigations carried out again to find how this was possible. “I asked for such investigations when I was prime minister but somehow, it was never followed through,” he said. It is better late than never, just like his recent take that corruption is now "almost" above the table and has almost been instituitionalised. Now what was he doing during his 22 years at the helm? According to him ::

"During my time, I think you all know how many times I have spoken out against corruption."
"What have I not done? I have cried, I have recited prayers... I have done many things. I have told them not to get involved in corruption."
"I think it's not fair to say that I have done nothing."

Anyway as far as this AP Saga is concerned, our Kak Pida has just the answer for it, she said her MINIstry won't publicise the names of those who have received these APs. What are her comments ::

"It is not appropriate to make them (recipients' names) public knowledge."
"It is not our [?gomen's/Malaysia's/MITI's/Kak Pida's] policy to disclose who got the APs. In fact, we have never done this before, even before I became minister."

Elsewhere, Kak Pida has been reported as telling AP holders to "Make full use of APs for vehicles". She may be giving away the AP figures but certainly not the names. In direct opposition to her former boss's concern regarding falling Proton sales, she advised each AP holders to make an effort to promote and implement attractive marketing strategies to provide consumers and buyers with more choices.

For those who want to know more ::
Approved Permits or APs are import permits for the import of completely assembled foreign cars. It forms part of a gomen policy designed to allow for greater Bumiputra participation in the auto industry. The permits are only given to companies with at least 70% Bumiputra ownership. These APs are tradable. The holder is said to purchase these APs at RM100 a piece and can then have them traded on the open market for as high as RM4000 a piece! In 2004; 66,277 APs were approved for importers and for 2005; 66,643 APs were approved and 27,260 APs had been given out as of May 12. These figures have been provided by Kak Pida. There is certainly plenty of money to be made by AP holders.

So it appears that MITI is not going to be transparent as far as naming AP holders. Would the Tun like to join in the call for a Malaysian Freedom of Information Act, just click on this ::

| ¶ 5/31/2005 10:24:00 PM

Victim Compensation

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), wants rape victims to be compensated by convicted rapists. Its Commissioner Datuk S. Subramaniam said in all rape cases, the victims did not get anything despite of the trauma and sufferings they endured, while the rapists could afford to engage a lawyer who charged them up to RM10,000. Suhakam also proposes that the victim's treatment and medical costs should also be borne by the convicted rapist. According to Suhakam such compensations had been implemented in several developed countries. But in the developed countries such compensations are borne by the state, see here, here and here. For the victim to seek compensation from the convicted rapist may prove futile, not to consider also the length of time and expenses this would entail.

While on this issue of victim compensation, Suhakam might also want to consider proposing compensation for those wrongly victimised and wrongly jailed and those who had their lives and studies disrupted by being wrongly charged. Recent cases of the Nepali wrongly jailed and caned and the ISA 7 quickly come to mind. Even China provide state compensation for those wrongly jailed. Check out this case which involved a man, She Xianglin, who was wrongly jailed 11 years for allegedly murdering his wife, who later turns up very much alive after having gone missing for 11 years. She certainly took a long, long time to surface to save her husband, She from further wrong imprisonment.

| ¶ 5/31/2005 10:15:00 PM

Sunday, May 29, 2005

Veteran Bicycles for UMNO Veterans

The Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim wanted to give UMNO veterans a gift in recognition of their services to the party. He came out with the perfect gifts, veteran bicycles for the UMNO veterans. The Perlis MB told reporters that the "old model" bicycles were given to the veterans as a nostalgic gesture.

And to ensure that he had their wellbeing at heart, he added ::

"They fought for the cause of the party using this kind of old bicycles, and now they can use them again to recall the good old days as well as for joy rides although many can afford cars."

He was oblivious to the fact that many of these veterans were no longer capable of physically making use of these bicycles to get from point A to point B, something they were capable of, some 40 odd years ago. So what did these veterans do with these "thoughtful gifts" from the big minister. Some got younger relatives to pedal these bicycles and carried them home, while others took the bicycles home on motor vehicles. And the "thoughtful" big minister thought that many of them could not afford cars. Who is out of touch with whom?

| ¶ 5/29/2005 10:13:00 PM

Remember Bee Bennard?

Remember Bee Bennard? That guy who made Malaysian history and Malaysians proud, one day in July 2004 when he made that famous swim across the English Channel, a swim by a Malaysian which is recorded in annals of the Channel Swimming Association. In this great historical swim of his, Bee achieved many, many firsts; he even beat the first Malaysian to swim the channel by some 8 hours.
Our hero Bee was given a never-to-be-missed chance of being introduced to Pak Lah in London. In August. Bee was also invited to attend the Merdeka celebration in Kuantan, Pahang that year. According to a local print newspaper, has made a huge impact on the list of “Malaysia Boleh” achievers.

The impressive list of achievements includes the ascent of Mount Everest by M. Magendran and N. Mohanadas, Datuk Azhar Mansur’s solo round-the-world sail and Datin Paduka Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir’s solo trek to Antarctica.

Somehow the newspaper appeared to have forgot another Datuk, Datuk Abdul Malik Mydin, the one who is the first Malaysian to have swam across the English Channel. Take a look at this pic of him with none other than the Tun. "Hidup Malik", "Hidup Malaysia Boleh".
As for Bee, apart from the London intro and the Kuantan celeb, he was handsomely rewarded with cash and other gifts by MAUSA [Malaysian Amateur Union of Swimming Association]. According to the then MAUSA president, the cash "will hopefully cover the training costs incurred by Bee". Till today, there has been no news regarding a Datukship for Bee, some think that a Tan Sriship would be more appropriate considering the numerous "firsts" he had achieved with that "heroic swim".
Now some of you might want to know more about another Malaysian swimmer, who just happens to have a name very close and similar to our fictional swim hero Bee. Check out this link to know more about him. This guy, according to the article, has been in England most of his life, but he is a true Malaysian at heart and visits his paternal grandparents and cousins in Malacca, Malaysia and mother’s relatives in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia as often as he can. This true blue Malaysian has many awards to his name, including a Cambridge Blue--- A Cambridge Blue is the highest sporting award given by Cambridge university. Ignore this Cambridge Blue. This true blue Malaysian may yet achieve another first for BolehLand as he will be making an attempt to row across the English Channel on 20th June this year. Here's wishing him all the success.

| ¶ 5/29/2005 10:12:00 PM

Saturday, May 28, 2005

Are We in A Holding Pattern?

The PM has been globetrotting as of late. On the day the Report was released, he left for his foreign tours. He was away in Germany, Netherlands, Tokyo.

While at home there were urgent and serious things happening. With the release of the Report, there were great expectations by civil society that some of its 125 recommendations could be speedily implemented. What was most important was that the "watchdog" --Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC)-- could be urgently set up. But before this the so-called "special taskforce" to study the 125 recommendations had to be constituted, the PM said that he would be in the chair. But till today, it is no where in sight, why the foot dragging. Like in the good old days, with the PM not saying much regarding the Report and its recommendations, after some words here and there from the IGP and DPM, there was silence. Of course, our docile mainstream media, while waiting for its "master voice" fell silent after a couple of days of reporting on the Report and its recommendations. The top dog remains silent and so must the rest.

It had to be left to the alternative media, concerned citizens, bloggers, the DAP and the Opposition leader to keep the issues regarding the Report alive. Notably the BN component parties had little or nothing to say. The DAP kept itself busy organising roundtables and talks and fora to pressure for early implementation of the recommendations. As far as the majority of the people was concerned, it was as if the report had little effects on them. Many claimed that what the contents of the Report by the Royal Commission were already known to them for years and they had learned to live with them. In fact some were fearful that if polis corruption was to be wiped out, it may be more difficult for them to get things done. What irony. Check out this Malaysiakini article. There are a portion of Kopitiam talkers who prefers the status quo, calling the prevailing situation a win-win formula. What is this call for more Royal Commissions to set things right in other gomen agencies? Why waste good money on more Royal Commissions, all it takes to have things go smoothly is to see that the "machinery" is well-oiled with the usual stuff. What more can these Royal Commissions unveil that the people don't already know? Lets have Royal Commissions to study the rising prices of diesel, that plate of "char koay teow" and "roti channai". Corruption in gomen agencies, the people know how to deal with that.

While the PM was globetrotting, another crisis was brewing, that of the crisis in higher educations and our IPTAs, namely UM and UPM. Once again we were going to lose another internationally recognised acadamician. The Terence Gomez saga is well documented elsewhere and there is no need for me to do so further. All interested can check out this, this and this. What i would like to do is make a couple of comments. Why the deafening silence from Pak Lah, his Higher Edu MINIster and the many other BN component party leaders? To Asso Prof Dr Gomez, i say remember what our DPM said regarding Vijay and our Foreign MINIster had to say regarding, your fellow academician, Jomo's appointment to the UN post; go where you will be appreciated, we will understand. What surprises me is that the PM has choosed to remain silent despite having come home. It apeared that he was too busy, he had to form chains of livestock farms and rear inland salt water fish!

But the PM was quick to to respond to a suggestion that the chief ministership of Penang be rotated. So where there is a will, there is a way. This suggestion was made by the Bukit Mertajam Umno division chief Musa Sheikh Fadzir. Right from Tokyo, he shot down the idea. Wanting to win some brownie points, he said that a chief minister or menteri besar is appointed not to serve certain races only but to represent the Barisan Nasional (BN) government which is responsible for the development and wellbeing of all the people in the country. And what did the present CM have to say :: "Heed PM's Advice". Gerakan Youth was certainly overjoyed and welcomed the PM's statement. Adding some spin, its chief Datuk Mah Siew Keong said placing national interests above communal interests would set a platform for national integration and promote political stability as Malaysians were descendants of many ethnic groups with rich diverse cultures, faiths and languages. Way to go.

It looks like the PM will be keeping himself busy with having to deal with the "newly discovered militant", i mean "deviant cult" which has been given till the 28th of May to demolish some teapot, pitcher and umbrella. He would also be busy going through the "new Islamic entertainment" guidelines thought up by Jakim. And also there is the stuff about "A Supreme Model Race", an idea brought up by the former Selangor MB who knew very 'little England', the one named Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib, who is now UMNO information chief. Further more there is that matter concerning "strengthening and revamping" something close to his bosom, national schools! Pak Lah said that he would meet former Education Director-General Tan Sri Murad Mohd Nor ASAP to find out more on the suggestions. Also he will be called upon to decide whether the speed limits should be varied for certain portions of the PLUS highway and there is that matter of appointing a replacement for the late Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Fawzi Mohamed Basri, who was the PLKN Training Council Chairman. The Information Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir would want to know what he thinks of the coming National Day celebrations, when should the Nationwide Campaign To Honour Negaraku be launched and what manner of gateway arches should be recommended. Then there are the matters of "UMNO money politics" and the new election system for Umno and the abolishing of the "quota system" for UMNO election excepting for the posts of President and Deputy President.

To add to the PM's woes, there are these unusual happenings on Bursa Malaysia and the currency peg. Of late there have been mysterious limit-down falls on some counters. The Bursa barometer, the CI has also fallen a fair bit since 10th May, when it was 902, today it closed at 869. There is also worry that investors especially those who make use of margin financing may be heading for a disaster. The Bursa Malaysia CEO has called on share investors not to "panic-sell", this will cause the market to fall further. And then there is the currency peg, we are said to be ready with plans whenever China re-pegs. There is an increasingly urgent U.S. pressure on China for a swift revaluation of the yuan. The US is threatening to categorise China as a currency manipulator if she does not conform by October, less than 6 months to go. China of course is keeping her options closed to her heart, just as Malaysia is doing. But the window-of-opportunity may have slipped us by, the point in time when a re-pegging of the Ringgit against the the USD or a basket of currency may have not been so painful. The PM has repeatedly say that Malaysia has no reason to re-peg presently, we certainly hope he is right.

There are so many many issues requiring the PM immediate and undivided attention, when can the poor harassed PM ever find time to sort out the Report of the Royal Commission and Asso Prof Dr Gomez's sabbatical leave and Mrs Gomez's no-pay leave. When oh when indeed. Should we be burdening him with more woes or leave things alone and remain in a holding pattern?

| ¶ 5/28/2005 01:00:00 AM

Thursday, May 26, 2005

More Royal Commissions Needed

The Report of the Royal Commission for the Enhancement of Operations and Management of the PDRM has been made public for some days. We are seeing and reading of requests for more such enquiries to settle problems faced by the public in other areas of services provided by the gomen. The PM, in he meanwhile, has been reported by BERNAMA as saying that the government did not propose to set up any more commissions to improve other government agencies, similar to the royal commission to enhance the operation and management of the police force. But we should not give up so easily, civil society must keep the pressure up.

Lone called for a Royal Commission on the health services and here are some more calls ::

Set up more commissions of enquiry
TAN SRI RAMON NAVARATNAM, Kuala Lumpur.

THE Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Police has to be highly commended for its substantive 600-page report.
The report was open, frank and fair and pulled no punches!
It was a professional report, which was efficiently conducted by an able team under the distinguished leadership of the eminent former Chief Justice Tun Mohd Dzaiddin Abdullah.
The 125 recommendations were highly relevant. Most of them could be applied to the whole public service of nearly one million public servants.
These relate to the improvement of the quality of recruitment and the balance in its ethnic composition, the enhancement of remuneration and conditions of service and, inter alia, the eradication of the insidious disease of corruption.
Hence it would be useful to initiate similar Commissions of Enquiry into the whole public service to enhance the efficiency and integrity of the whole civil service as a matter of urgency before it is too late.
The Government could have Independent Commissions for each major public service like the teachers or medical staff.
Better still, the Government could establish just one single Royal Commission for the whole public service.
This is essential in order to enable the Government to arrest the slide in the public sector's delivery system and ensure that we achieve the goals of Vision 2020 on time.
At the same time we need to establish the proposed Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission soon.
We can call it the Ombudsman, as Dr Chandra Muzaffar has suggested, “Set up an independent Police Ombudsman”, (The Star, May 23) or any other name as long as the pragmatic recommendations of the Royal Commission are followed through and do not just fizzle out.

Probes needed for other govt depts, too
K.C. NG, Kajang.

KUDOS to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for setting up the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysian Police.
The outlined strategic thrusts to revitalise the police force would improve its image and if implemented properly, would help create a more peaceful and harmonious Malaysia.
However, I believe the police force is not the only department that needs improvement.
Other government departments should also be scrutinised.
Royal commissions are needed in areas where corrupt and unacceptable practices are found.
The role, functions and organisation of these government departments need to also be modernised and strategised to better serve the people.

Education System Must Be Revamped
Former director-general of education Tan Sri Murad Mohamed Nor

Tan Sri Murad Mohamed Nor said a thorough study of the education system should be carried out for the purpose of strengthening or improving the national schools, because an ad-hoc approach would not work. Among other things he suggested the following ::
review and updating of teacher-training curriculum
teaching students of all races the cultural practices of the various races in the country
creating a harmonious atmosphere in school, where there is mutual respect and understanding
giving a greater emphasis on the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English

He said :: "Make the national school truly national. If the national school has been made really strong with all subjects available there, no one can raise any issue on it again."

More to come as they appear.

| ¶ 5/26/2005 11:30:00 PM

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

We won't sell the baby

This is what Mikail's mum had to say after our caring Malacca gomen came to the aid of Mikail. BERNAMA says that thhe Malacca gomen will foot Mikail's IJN bill.

Chief Minsiter Datuk Seri Mohamed Ali Rustam, during a visit to the boy's family, told reporters that the state would check with the National Heart Institute on the actual cost needed for his surgery scheduled in August. For the knowledge of all, the Fund has allocations for helping the poor to get treatment for chronic illnesses and that those in need should apply for such aid through the Chief Minister's office or the Barisan Nasional.

Here is further info regarding Mikail's family ::

The father, Jamal, 41, a furniture shop worker, earns an income of RM600 a month, has four children from two wives who live under the same roof. Jamal's eldest child, Nor Siti Nakiah, 15, had to stop schooling to help support the family.

Apart from helping to pay Mikail's surgery bill, the Chief Minister will also get a new house with lower rental for the family as they could not pay the RM230 monthly rent for their present plank one. Siti Nakiah would be placed at the Bukit Katil Orphanage and allowed to continue her studies, with the gomen bearing all the cost.

Who said we don't have a caring gomen.

| ¶ 5/24/2005 11:35:00 AM

Monday, May 23, 2005

Can Parents Sell Their Baby?

In was all over the papers, the news regarding a couple wanting to sell their yet to be born child. According to the NST, a Malacca couple is considering this and is willing to "sell" their unborn child for RM30,000 to pay for hole-in-the-heart surgery for their other seven-month-old son, Muhammad Mikail. Mikail has a cardiac lesion and being treated by the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur, where the cost of his hole-in-the-heart surgery was estimated at RM15,000. Mikail's parents are unable to pay for this surgery and is considering this as a last resort. But will doing so get them into more problems of the legal kind.

A sad story indeed in this BolehLand of ours. We have an IJN, of which we should be rightly proud of but when we hear of cases like Mikail's, we are left wondering whether we should feel proud. Does our IJN have a heart, on its website the slogan says :: "Your Heart... Our Passion", how can patients like Mikail avail of its services? Are there special considerations given by IJN for such cases. According to its website there are only two categories of patients :: 1. Government and 2. Private, there is no mention whatsoever regarding Charity patients. So much for having a caring gomen.

The STAR tells us of another heart patient of IJN, Lim Weng Teik, 12, was born with two holes in the heart and had undergone an initial surgery at IJN in 1999. His second surgery at IJN is scheduled for June 25. He needs RM8,000 more for this second surgery. According to the STAR, those interested to help Lim can send cheques to the Perak MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau at No 90-92, Tingkat Satu, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, 30000 Ipoh. (Write the recipient's name behind the cheque). For further enquiries, call 05-253 6981 or 05-253 8455. Is there going to be a similar fund for Mikail? It is ironic that in rich BolehLand, such cases are so frequently mentioned in our papers. We seem to be so rich with our once tallest-in-the-world Twin Towers, unmatchable KLIA and Putra Jaya and multi-billion ringgit bailouts and so poor when it comes to treating our young heart patients.

| ¶ 5/23/2005 10:21:00 PM

Could it be The Sky Kingdom?

On 22nd May, Bernama reported that the Internal Security Ministry has detected the activities of a militant group, which are similar to those of the Kumpulan Militan Malaysia (KMM) and Jemaah Islamiah (JI) in the country. Deputy Minister Datuk Noh Omar said that the members of the group had been identified and their activities monitored. It was also reported that there were 24 active deviationist groups in the country, Noh said police would monitor them together with the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) and the state religious councils.

The Deputy Minister was also asked whether there was a new group like the KMM and JI which threatened the country's security. It was not known whether he gave an affirmative answer or a negative answer. The STAR reported on this "new militant group", its reported started :: A new militant group has surfaced, which may pose a threat to national security. Excerpts from the report ::

Asked if the new militant group – still unnamed – was similar to the JI, Noh said no.
He also refuted suggestions that the new group was among 24 deviant groups recently uncovered by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim).

Even Malaysiakini reported under this heading :: Gov't detects new militant group similar to JI. Somehow Malaysiakini appeared to contradict the STAR and said that the new militant group was similar to JI! It also reported that authorities were mulling the use of the Internal Security Act which allows authorities to detain suspects indefinitely. Even the DPM was could off guard, his comments was on the SUN website under the heading :: New militant group still under investigation: Najib.

This evening, Bernama reports :: Noh Says Group Under Investigation A Sect And Not Militant. The Deputy Minister now says the sect was non-militant and had no connection with two militant groups -- KMM and JI. Once again another of our gomen leader has been misquoted. You can now take these words of truth from the Deputy Minister ::

"What I said (to reporters) was that a group was being investigated and whether it was necessary to act against it by using the Internal Security Act (ISA)."
"The group is a sect and not militant, and it has no connection with the KMM or JI."

Now could we speculate regarding this mysterious sect he is talking about. Could it be the Sky Kingdom? The earth versi of it is located in Kampung Batu 13, a short distance away from Jerteh, Terengganu. This site has many unique giant structures, comprising among others a giant teapot, a pitcher and a perahu, on it and the authorities has given the owner of the site until May 28 to demolish them. Sometime in October last year, it was reported that Minister in PM’s Department Abdullah Mohd Zin said today that the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) views the group as a threat to the social demographics of Muslim society. Abdullah, the MP for Besut, and also heads Jakim. According to him ::

“The teachings of Ayah Pin are dangerous because (some) followers have declared themselves to have come out of Islam, even though the government has not recognised them as having done so," and
“If they want to spread their teachings in the United States, that’s up to them. Here we don’t allow (this) because it would lead to chaos, different understanding, as well as differences in practice.”

At that time, he gave the impression that the action against this sect by the Internal Security Ministry was imminent. Will it be happening before this May is over?

| ¶ 5/23/2005 09:34:00 PM

Sunday, May 22, 2005

The Mystery Thickens

The mystery regarding the RM34 million cop thickens. Ever since the Report was made public, there has been speculation concerning who this cop could be. So far what is known is that a retired polis officer had made an allegation to the Royal Commission that a senior police officer had made a declaration of assets totalling RM34 million. The retired officer was dissatisfied that no action was taken. Obviously this retired officer is known to the Royal Commission and obviously knows who this RM34 million cop is. To many, identifying this RM34 million cop would be a cinch. But to date he has remained unidentified.

Now the mystery surrounding him has thickened. According to the NST report -- WHAT RM34mil COP? -- the IGP reportedly said that he has no knowledge of a former senior police officer having declared RM34 million in assets. And the IGP should know, as he had served as Director of Management from 1999 to 2003 at Federal police headquarters. In 2003 he was appoinmed as deputy IGP, later that year he became the IGP. He said this when attending a shooting competition at the Kuala Kubu Baru shooting range in conjunction with the 198th Police Day celebrations. Also there were Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Noh Omar, Deputy IGP Datuk Seri Musa Hassan, Federal CID director Datuk Fauzi Sa’ari and senior police officers. Probably the others were also unaware of there being such a RM34 million cop.

Could this whole thing be a figment of imagination of the retired polis officer who made the allegation? Did the Royal Commision check on the background of this serious allegation? Were all these other allegations of corruption and abuse duly scrutinised?

| ¶ 5/22/2005 12:11:00 PM

Saturday, May 21, 2005

Quotable Quotes?

Information Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir::

"Thus, the problems of the bumiputeras are problems of their own making, nothing to do with other races who are not complaining about the government helping bumiputeras. The problem is that bumiputeras always want to take the easy way, by pawning their contracts to other people.

"The result is that other people reap a big profit while the bumiputeras get only a bit, because they are lazy, do not want to work hard, do not want hardship. So, who is at fault?"

UMNO deputy president, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak::

"Previously we had poison-pen letters but now we have SMS (short messaging service) and e-mail containing libellous and ridiculous stories aimed at wreaking havoc in the party."

Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Omar::

"I want to see a clear and positive change, and my officers and men have no choice but to realise that objective."

Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Omar::

“I am all for reform but replacing the core values of the force with a service paradigm will have far-reaching consequences.”

“We wear uniforms and not ties when carrying out our duties. We have to be disciplined on the job”

Voltaire::

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

To check on the context, click the links.

| ¶ 5/21/2005 08:35:00 PM

A Supreme Model Race?

Bibliography On Distinguished Malay Leaders

KUANTAN, May 21 (Bernama) -- Umno will gather the bibliographies of distinguished Malay leaders such as Royal Professor Ungku Aziz to act as an inspiration for the Malays to emerge as a supreme race.

Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib said the bibliographies would highlight how these leaders had overcome obstacles to become successful in their various fields.

"We want to disseminate these examples so that the Malays can learn from their experience," he told reporters after opening the delegates meeting of the Kuantan Umno division, here Saturday.

Muhammad said the bibliographies would also include aspects such as their successes in sports, education, skills and acting.

He said Umno planned to distribute the bibliographies free of charge at the Umno general assembly in July.

Muhammad also called all members of the Youth, Wanita and Puteri movements in the party to discuss all the recommendations by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to develop the Malays into a model race in the world.

-- BERNAMA

i am left wondering what is a supreme race and a model race!

| ¶ 5/21/2005 08:20:00 PM

Friday, May 20, 2005

Is this MCA's Reply

On Tuesday, Datuk Dr Abdullah Md Zin, MINIster in the PM Department, minister in charge of Islamic affairs, said, "Islam does not forbid entertainment but, in fact, encourages Muslims to be entertained after work. However, it must not lull them from their responsibilities." He then announced new guidelines for the entertainment industry. These guidelines included no showtimes during prayer times. The other BN component parties appeared not to have noticed these guidelines or have ignored them in the meanwhile.
Today Malaysiakini reported that there is an article on the official MCA website responding to the guidelines. The article which is in Mandarin and so cannot be found here said the move contravenes the open religious policy practiced by our PMs. The writer hopes that Pak Lah will respond to the guidelines accordingly to prove that his policy is not to impose extreme religious concepts but is democratic and takes care of the benefits of all. He added that there may even be Muslims think the guidelines are nonsensical.
The said article maybe found here and the english translation is here.

| ¶ 5/20/2005 05:04:00 PM

Thursday, May 19, 2005

The Report::Lets Get Our Priorities Right

It has been barely half-a-week since the Report has been made available for public perusal. For many interested who have not been able to get their hands on a copy of the Report, they have been enlightened by the reports in the media. Many were shocked and appalled by the sad state of affairs of the lack of professionalism of our men-in-blue and the things some of them do. Others like the IGP consider the Report balanced.

But there are some who think otherwise and felt that the Royal Commission could have done more. The Police Watch and Human Rights Committee Group wanted more on custodial deaths and trigger-happy cops. Women’s Development Council (WDC) wanted reformasi of the mindset of polis personnel to ensure that cases involving women and children are dealt in a more sensitive manner. The Royal Commission was also said to have failed to tackle the issue of lock-up rapes and the handling of domestic violence victioms and sexually abused victims. Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez also concurred with WDC and said that there was little emphasis on issues concerning women and children. She wondered whether BolehLand will one day have polis stations that were manned entirely by women personnel who in turn will deal with women and child issues. In the next many days, there will surely be more lamenting at other aspects or areas the Royal Commission has not taken a look at or failed to look at more. But really should we be going into those areas, after all the life of the said Royal Commission will lapse in the near future.

Lets get our priorities right. The Report is out and the recommendations have been made. It is up to us now to clamour for all useful recommendations to be implemented, where possible, as soon as possible. The Report was handed over to the PM on 29th April, so he has had an almost 3 weeks headstart over the public and during that time much water has flowed under the bridge. Has the special taskforce to oversee the implementation of the 125 recommendations been formed? The answer appears to be NO. Over the next couple of weeks we should be pushing the cabinet to get this so-called special taskforce formed and going with their classification of the recommendations into immediate, medium and long term ones. The Report is said to have already included a time-frame for the implementation of its recommendations, it is stated that by May 2006, 99 out of its 125 recommendations could be implemented. Maybe as suggested by the Opposition leader, the MPs, both BN and non-BN, should be allowed a go at the Report in Parliament in June. The IPCMC must be quickly formed and filled with members who will make it a truly independent party. There should be as short a gap as possible between the expiry of the present Royal Commission and the formation of the IPCMC, this is to ensure that there is no meaningful break in carrying out the useful recommendations.

Some of the recommendations like the one to have 2 deputy IGPs, procurement of equipments like typewriters, computers and printers, transport vehicles, ronda vehicles and housing for the force could be swiftly implemented. Those crooked cops mentioned in the Report should also be immediately investigated, preferably not by the polis themselves. The re-deployment of trained polis personnel from non-core posiitons back to policing positions could also be carried out immediate, this would result in a better polis presence on the streets and on the beat. i am more optimistic than MGG, who thinks that the cabinet will discussed each of the 125 recommendations "in depth" followed by "official inaction" and after a few months it will be back to business as usual. This is exactly what the public, NGOs and alternative parties should prevent and to achieve this the gomen must be pushed or cajoled, in whatever ways possible, to implement as many of the recommendations as soon as possible.

LATEST::
The DAP has launched a new national campaign and movement by establishing a new NGO, IMPLEMENT Police Royal Commission Report (IPRCR). The IPRCR has the following objectives ::

Create a world-class 21st-century police force with zero tolerance for corruption to keep crime rate low and respect human rights.
Full and immediate implementation of the 125 recommendations of the Police Royal Commission in accordance with the time schedule laid down in its Report;
Establish the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission IPCMC;
Intensive (?extensive) debate by Parliament and the civil society on the 600-page Police Royal Commission Report and its 125 recommendations.
Establish a Parliamentary Select Committee on Police to exercise oversight and ensure accountability of the 100,000-strong Royal Malaysian Police Force, the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission and the implementation of the 125 recommendations of the Police Royal Commission.

The other initiative is the inaugural Parliamentary Opposition Leader Roundtable :: “Police Reforms – Who Guards the Guardians?”. Among the roundtable participants are ::

Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary-General;
Dato’ Kamarudin Jaffar, MP for Tumpat and PAS Central Committee Member;
Tian Chua, Parti Keadilan Rakyat Information Chief;
Ivy Josiah, executive director, Women’s Aid Organisation;
Datuk Param Cumaraswamy, President Transparency International Malaysia;
Marimuthu Nadason, FOMCA President;
Malik Imtiaz HAKAM Vice President;
Maria Chin Abdullah, executive director, Women’s Development Collective;
R.N. Rajah, Chairman, Police Watch and Chan Li Kang, Co-ordinator, SUARAM.

For starters these should keep the pressure on the gomen to get the recommendations implemented. But at the end of the day, the people and civil society would obviously have to keep things going by pressuring the gomen

| ¶ 5/19/2005 11:49:00 PM

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Pak Lah :: Islam Hadhari Can Help Create Stable World Order

From Yong Soo Heong

BERLIN, May 18 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Wednesday said that Islam Hadhari (Civilisational Islam) or the approach towards a progressive Islamic civilisation adopted by Malaysia is not to pacify the West or to apologise for the perceived Islamic threat or to seek approval from non-Muslims for a more friendly and gentle image of Islam.

Rather, it was an approach that sought to make Muslims understand that progress and development were enjoined by Islam, he said.

Stressing that it was definitely consistent with the objective of creating a stable international world order, the prime minister said the approach was also compatible with modernity and yet firmly rooted in the noble values and injunctions of Islam.

"It emphasises the importance of science and reasoning in the lives of Muslims, just as it is important to understand the laws of Islam and its traditions. It is an approach that values substance over form," he said in his address on "Islam, International Peace and Security" at the Bertelsmann Foundation here.

Abdullah said that regrettably it seemed to be vogue today to talk about an inevitable clash of civilisations between the Islamic world and the West.

But quite clearly, he said, it was now the duty of all people of goodwill to come forward and take steps to prevent this idea from becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

"We must not be swayed by the doomsayers. Those who insist in the inevitability of a clash in civilisations are people who have lost trust in the rationality of the human person," he said.

Abdullah said this may be an extreme view in itself.

"It may be true, as the saying goes, that guns do not kill but that people do."

Therefore when speaking about religious extremism, he said, one must also accept the fact that no religion preached extremism or violence.

"It is only the terrorists who perpetrate heinous crimes. The point is that no one should be pointing their fingers at the ascendancy of religions throughout the world as the cause for the rise in extremism and animosity between peoples.

"We should not forget that in many parts of the world, we have seen cases where religion at the hands of progressive activists has been used to liberate, rather than oppress, societies," he said.

Abdullah, who was winding up his three-day visit to Germany with the talk at the Bertelsmann Foundation, said extremism and radicalism had indeed become a scourge in many parts of the world and must be condemned when they were manifested in the form of terrorism.

However, he said it was not justifiable to associate terrorism with any particular race or religion because throughout history all religions and races have had their respective share of terrorists.

Abdullah said: "We need to point out that terrorists who commit crimes in the name of Islam are violators of the tenets of Islam. They certainly do not serve the interests of the religion. Islam and Muslim countries should not be made accountable for them. Muslims and non-Muslims must also not fall prey to the confusion created by people who carry out dreadful deeds and later claim them as a religious Islamic obligation. Terrorists must be singled out only by their acts of terror and nothing else."

Abdullah also told the gathering about Malaysia's success in tackling terrorism over a period of 20 years.

He said the important lesson to be learnt from the Malaysian experience was the fact that the war against the terrorists was not won by the use of conventional military force alone, but through psychological warfare as well.

"We won the hearts and minds of the people. It is on the basis of this documented success that Malaysia has been calling for an understanding of the root causes of terrorism," he said.

Abdullah said one of the most important foundations for creating a stable international world order was the prevalence of stability within national societies and nation states.

"In turn, it is my firm belief that good government is key to stabilising national societies and nation states," he stressed.

Saying that he had been informed about the keen interest in the Islamic dimension to a stable international world order, he said it could not be denied that Islam had become an increasingly powerful imperative for Muslims to act today.

Muslims, he said, found it compelling and obligatory to act in the name of God and for the sake of the religion.

"Sadly, this great imperative has resulted in actions that Islam prohibits and condemns. Killing innocent people and bombing harmless targets are all acts that have been wrongfully committed in the name of God."

However, he said, it also demonstrated how powerful an imperative religion could be.

"In Malaysia, we believe that this compulsion to act because of religion can be directed towards good, towards progress and development through Islam Hadhari."

Abdullah said the principles advocated in Islam Hadhari were accepted by the non-Muslim population in Malaysia and "our non-Muslim colleagues in the government".

"With these principles to guide us, with our consistent and continuing record of improving governance for the people, and by practising and observing a high commitment to public accountability, Malaysia offers a modest working model of renewal, reform and perhaps renaissance in the Muslim world.

"We do not pretend that Malaysia has all the answers to the many problems of the Muslim world but I do believe that Malaysia can be a showcase of what it is to be a successful modern Muslim country.

"We in Malaysia feel we are well placed to begin this journey of reform and renewal. This is because we can and should build upon the tolerance we already observe and the inter-faith co-existence which we already practise in Malaysia," he said.

However, Abdullah said the Muslim Ummah acting alone on its own would not be able to achieve total success.

"Islamophobia must also be removed at the same time. The international community must take a stand to stop actions which contribute, directly or indirectly, to the perpetuation of injustice, oppression or aggression against Muslim countries and the Muslim Ummah."

In this regard, the prime minister said Germany had an important role to play as the country had shown over recent years that there was in fact another approach to addressing certain problems in the international arena.

Germany's principled stand on certain matters, for example, the invasion of Iraq, was something that often got forgotten in the Muslim media, he said.

Therefore, he said, it was important for Muslims to remember that there remain countries in Western Europe like Germany that "have a different approach to dealing with international problems, an approach that emphasises multilateralism rather than unilateralism, passive dialogue rather than the use of force".

Abdullah said no one should judge Muslims on the basis of the extreme deeds committed by the few.

Muslims, he said, believed that if one had good intentions, God Almighty would always be there to lend a helping hand and "assist you in your quest to do good".

He said differences in opinion must be accepted and tolerated.

"We must not cease to appreciate the differences that exist between peoples. The Quran states that God created the universe and caused it to be inhabited by men and women and peoples and tribes so that they may know each other.

"We must proactively seek peace between cultures and religions by deliberately seeking non-violent adjustments, dialogue and negotiations.

"Above all, we must not fear differences. The Prophet Muhammad said, "Difference in opinion is a sign of the bounty of God," he said.

-- BERNAMA

| ¶ 5/18/2005 10:54:00 PM

New Entertainment Guidelines

New Islamic guidelines for entertainment sector have been formulated and are to be presented soon for implementation, they include the following ::

No showtimes during prayer times
Phrases and words in lyrics (of songs) that contradict Islam or lull the listener would be banned eg 'meeting at heaven's door'. MINIster concerned elaborated:: "We are not sure of getting to heaven."
Entertainment performances should have separate male and female audiences.
Congregating leading to vice is forbidden (unsure what this means?)

These guidelines have not been formulated by the Kelantan Tok Guru gomen but by the National Fatwa Council and they look like they are to be implemented nationwide. Question No 1 :: are these guidelines applicable to Muslims or all Malaysians? Question No 2 :: Will these guidelines be applicable when we are infront of the TV or having a karaoke session?

Datuk Dr Abdullah Md Zin, MINIster in the PM Department, minister in charge of Islamic affairs, further added, "Islam does not forbid entertainment but, in fact, encourages Muslims to be entertained after work. However, it must not lull them from their responsibilities."

| ¶ 5/18/2005 10:43:00 PM

Myths Busted

The past few days have seen many myths busted. Myths churned out by our MINisters, their deputies and the mainstream media. Let me just remind myself of some of them ::

Myth No 1.
The Polis Force is undermanned; in Feb 2003, the then DPM and IGP told us the polis:people ratio was 1:3000. The total number of members of the polis force then was approximately 80,000. The MINIster then was requesting for another 25,000 to boost up the polis force. DAP Lim KS came out with a ratio of 1:283.
The truth is out now, the Report puts the force at 90,000 and with proper re-deployment there will be little or no need for additional staffing. As for the ratio, the Royal Commission has come out with a figure of 1:310! This is comparable to Singapore's 1:307.

Myth No 2.
Members of the polis force are underpaid; the STAR says when compared to prison wardens and members of the armed forces and other civil servants, the police is better paid. In fact the gomen will be upping the pay of the prison wardens soon to try and keep up with the PDRM.

Myth No 3.
BolehLand is a land of milk and honey and equal opportunity; the Report says the highest-ranking Chinese in PDRM was only an Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police and the highest-ranking Indian was one Senior Assistant Commissioner II. It looks like the glass-ceiling is really there. Shattering the glass-ceiling, will it happen?

Myth No 4.
The PDRM provides Khidmat Mesra; what has been revealed so far by the Report, obviously whatever mesra service many of the members of the PDRM have provided are for themselves as well as crime syndicates running prostitute centres, illegal gambling and betting dens, drug traffickers and pushers! Will a change of motto make much different.

Myth No 5.
The PDRM lacks equipments and tools needed to discharge its responsibilities fully; according to a STAR report Malaysia has the most sophisticated forensic science equipment in Asia in the police forensic laboratory in Cheras. This sophisticated lab started operating in April 2003, has handled 2,432 cases to date, involving the screening of 42,553 exhibits. The lab is housed in a RM45mil complex and has state-of-the-art equipment imported from Australia worth over RM15mil. Its staff consists of 120 staff members. They include 6 biologists, 9 chemists, 5 computer scientists and 3 ballistics experts! Among the many things it can handle includes DNA profiling and database machines, a ballistics unit to test firearms and a narcotics laboratory to inspect drugs and other illegal substances. Imagine our very own local CSI! As for those old typewriters, computer hardware and printers, they surely can be easily replaced with the latest in no time at all.

It looks like there are plenty of bulls--t floating around and we have to be very careful with stuff churned out by our MINIsters and the mainstream media.

| ¶ 5/18/2005 09:01:00 PM

A Very Rich BolehLand

We are told we live in a land of plenty with twin-towers which used to be the tallest in the world and an airport of the future. But when i took a look at today's NST and realised what is truly meant by the real daily crawl that these school children have to face, i wonder whether we are living in this same rich Bolehland.

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

The NST has this to say regarding the daily crawl of the pupils of Sekolah Kebangsaan Binyu, Sarawak ::

They have no choice as the bridge linking the school and their village, Kampung Binyu, collapsed earlier this month.
A slip means they would fall into the deep river, which flows into Sungai Sarawak.
Luckily, they crossed the river without accident.

What about tomorrow and the next day and the next day, will they be so lucky? Or will the kind soul in the picture below lend a helping hand soon ::

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Now i am reminded of another newspaper photo i saw a few days ago, that of the house, Ahmad Hafiza and his family lived in.

The menteri besar of Perlis has promised that the state gomen would help the family by renovating their house, hopefully it would be done ASAP. But as for the pupils of Sekolah Kebangsaan Binyu, they have to hope that their chief minister will prove to be equally helpful.
Are we really living in a land of milk and honey? In the meanwhile don't curse when you are facing the Bangsar crawl or the Federal highway crawl or the Jalan Mesjid crawl. Think of the pupils of Sekolah Kebangsaan Binyu and their daily real crawl.

| ¶ 5/18/2005 04:53:00 PM

More on the Report

Below are more links to articles on the Report ::

Malaysian Police Condemned :: Moscow Times

Malaysian inquiry into abuses by police calls for security reform :: Gulf Times

Kit Siang calls for special meeting to discuss Commission's report

Proposal On Appointing Two Deputies To IGP Gets Thumbs Up

Human Rights Activists Happy With Police Commission Report

Najib calls for probe of cop (with assets of RM34 million)

Panel’s report is fair, says IGP

Need to regain public trust

Brief history of the Royal Malaysia Police

Background to the setting up of the Royal Commission

Independence key to police reforms

Some good news for those who want a copy of the Report but are unable to go to the Commission's office in KL, it is possible to order by post. So far, almost 600 copies have been sold. For the first edition, only 3,000 Bahasa Malaysia and 1,000 English copies were printed.
Attempts made to acess the Commission's website failed. The Commission is located at Wisma Selangor Dredging in Kuala Lumpur.

| ¶ 5/18/2005 01:05:00 AM

Monday, May 16, 2005

The Report

The Report (The Report of the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the PDRM) has been released for public appraisal; Kudos No.3 to Pak Lah. Kudos No. 1 was when he had the Royal Commission set up. Kudos No. 2 was when he said that he is committed to implement the Report recommendations and went on to announce the formation of a taskforce to implement the recommendations.
Some have requested for the whole Report to be made available on the internet, ie on the website of the internal security ministry, as is a practice in First World countries. i wonder whether said ministry has got its website up yet. Not all Malaysians have access to what is on the web, anyway. But what is most important is that the Report is freely available to all interested citizens and apart from BM and English it should also be available in other languages used by the people. At RM100 a copy, many may not be able to purchase it though. The gomen should ensure that what is found in the Report is widely disseminated to all, so that the people can know what is in it and know their rights and know how to respond rightly and approriately when they with have any dealing with the polis. The fact that only 1000 copies of the Report were available on the first day of its sales is not very encouraging. Just like the people should know of their rights and appropriate actions, the members of the polis force should also be aware of these as well as their responsiblities.
It looks like KHIDMAT MESRA (Friendly Policing) will have to go and a new motto found. The Royal Commission has suggested 'Mesra, Cekap dan Beramanah' (Friendly, Efficient and Trustworthy.) Can i suggest the following :: "Khidmat Bersih, Cekap & Amanah untuk Rakyat dan Negara" to ensure that the members of the PDRM are reminded that they should have the rakyat and nation at heart and not Khidmat Mesra for themselves.
The first task, the taskforce must carry out is the setting up of a truly independent IPCMC (Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission). Members of this Commission should not be appointed from the police or ex-police personnel as is done in first world nations. Hopefully, we don't have to wait long for this.

For those who have yet to get hold of the Report below are links to articles related to this Report to keep you occupied in the meanwhile ::

More to come as they become available. Had enough? The English versi of the Report will be out on Thursday, wonder how many copies will be made available?

| ¶ 5/16/2005 11:08:00 PM

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Price Spirals

The PM was in Perak today and he told a press conference in Sitiawan that hiking prices of goods and services each time there was a fuel price hike would affect Malaysia's competitiveness. Pak Lah said that the situation would become worse if others could sell similar goods and services at a cheaper price. He said companies could maintain their competitive edge if they have higher productivity and are able to produce better goods and services at lower manufacturing cost and sell them at competitive prices. There is a case for the gomen to lead by example. Unnecessary expenditures like the following are no-nos ::

Renovation of official residences whenever someone new moves in
Building exclusive exco-village for elected representatives
Cancelling one contract only to contract a more expensive one
Spending more than RM100 million on renovating Parliament House only to make it accomodate less
Spending RM800 million annually on a yet to be proven NST programme.

Surely the people would like to see a more efficient gomen running the nation at a lesser cost.
In the recent past, the gomen had allowed for highway toll hikes, the Penang ferry fare hike and had itself increased the fuel prices on 3 occasions. All these price hikes obviously would impact on the cost of living of the average Malaysian. The appeal by the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to lorry operators, as expected, met with a no for an answer. Apparently instead the lorry operators had a counter-offer for the Ministry, they propose to the gomen to that they will withhold a hike in transport charges if spare parts and tyres are cross-subsidised. It looks like Malaysians just can't be rid of the subsidy-crutch. Obviously the message from the gomen that we should say goodbye to those good old days of heavy subsidies has not got through. Or are the companies waiting for the gomen to set examples. The gomen should not just be urging the people to tighten up their belts, perhaps the gomen should truly lead by example and "Bikin Serupa Cakap Cakap". An initial step would be to have a leaner, more cost effective, more transparent and accountable and efficient gomen, a trimming of the presently super-big cabinet may serve as a starter. Just delivering no-no messages like "Manufacturers, absorb the increase in costs. Retailers, keep prices stable. Profiteers, watch out", will be no-nos and will be of little help under the present price spiral circumstances, they just won't do.

| ¶ 5/15/2005 12:36:00 AM

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Of Towering Malaysians

In November 2004, Prof Jomo Kwame Sundaram left for the UN to take up the post of UN Assistant Secretary-General (Economic Development). In that process Malaysia lost a "Towering Malaysian". Prof Jomo has a very distinguished background and is recognised as one of the world's top economic brains in the world. Once again we are losing another "Towering Malaysian", Dr Edmund Terence Gomez, formerly of UM, has left UM after his application for sabbatical leave to pioneer a United Nations (UN) research project was rejected by the university. At the same time the UPM almost lost her VC, Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Zohadie Bardaie, another "Towering Malaysian" who was reportedly said to have been asked to resign over a controversial poem he had recited and a memorandum he submitted to the Higher Education Ministry. The latter has recently been clarified, the UPM board chairman denied that an emergency meeting was held to seek the vice-chancellor’s resignation.
The allegedly controversial poem is said to sound like this ::

Siakap senohong,
Gelama ikan duri;
Bercakap bohong,
Bolehkah jadi menteri?

Many "Towering Malaysians" have left our shores but there is little to worry as according to UMNO Youth vice-head, there are plans to produce more. BERNAMA reported that Umno Youth will strive to realise the gomen's goal to produce a young generation of towering Malays(ians?) with high intellect and a competitive edge. The vice-head says the movement had drawn up several agendas to bring about a change in attitude, mindset and culture to produce a young generation of Malays(ians?) who are self-reliant and hunger for success. He also said the Putera Umno line-up, who are mostly aged between 18 and 25, would set an example as successful Malays who are respected for their wisdom and outstanding work culture. Putera Umno movement will be launched by Pak Lah at Stadium Hang Tuah, Melaka, on June 19. This is probably one of the agendas the vice-head is talking about. We are certainly looking eagerly to what else is on UMNO YOUTH agendas to roll out "Towering Malays". i am left wondering why the other component parties in BN are not joining in to roll out "Towering Indians", "Towering Chinese", "Towering Ibans", "Towering Dayaks" and others for we certainly need more "Towering Malaysians".

| ¶ 5/14/2005 09:41:00 PM

Is Greed a Crime?

Remember the "black money" scam? The polis said that up to April, 12 people reported having been conned by "black money" syndicates, with losses totalling RM4mil. On 8th May, the STAR reported this :: Cop held over ‘black money’ scam released and on 10th May it had this to report :: Ex-jail warden charged over ‘black money’ scam.
How "black money" scams are carried out is well described here at crime-of-persuasion.com.
Now, KL City deputy police chief Senior Asst Comm I Datuk Ahmad Bahrin Idrus says that victims of black money scams face being treated as suspects and they might be detained, investigated and charged if there was evidence that they had abetted in such crimes. He is of the opinion that it is “absolute nonsense” that one could buy US currencies at lower prices. According to the STAR he reckons ::

1. “The public must realise that each time they deal with such syndicates, they are committing an offence. It is like buying stolen goods at a lower price.”
2. “So, if anyone gets cheated in the future, we will assume that they were involved with the syndicate.”

So it looks like if you can't catch the real crooks, charge the victims instead.

| ¶ 5/14/2005 08:22:00 PM

The Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the PDRM Report to be made Public

It has been announced that the 433 paged Report will be available to the public soon at RM100 a copy. The Bahasa Malaysia versi will be available on Monday and the English versi on Thursday.
The Royal Commission made 125 recommendations to the gomen under three main areas:: reduction of crime, eradication of corruption and compliance with human rights and prescribed laws.
The Royal Commission also recommends the establishment of an independent body called the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). The Commission has also drafted the bill for the IPCMC that should be passed by Parliament if the recommendation is accepted by the gomen. The commission chairman, Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah, said the recommendation to set up the IPCMC was considered the most important of the 125 recommendations made by the commission.
The Commission has envisaged the IPCMC as an truly independent commission. Under the IPCMC, it was recommended that seven commissioners be appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for a term of three years and headed by a chairman having a legal background equivalent to a High Court Judge. For it to be truly independent, it has been recommended that none of the IPCMC members should be appointed from the police or ex-police personnel. The establishment of the IPCMC was similar in mechanism to that carried out in some Commonwealth countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Some other recommendations made which have been revealed so far include the following ::

The civilian staff of the police force should be doing non-core police work eg receiving and preparing police reports made by the public.
Trained police personnel should only do core police duty.
The private sector should also be involved in crime prevention measures. Community policing should be the order of the day.
Recommendations made on the policy and system to eradicate or minimise corruption that took place within the PDRM and other public sectors.
Recommendations to reduce abuse of power by the police, including mistreatment of Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees.

The Report certainly looks worth a detail perusal but at RM100 a copy, the price is a bit stiff. Anyone out there would like to share a copy? First reading to the biggest contributor, eh. With the little which has been revealed so far, the 125 recommendations by the Royal Commission look very promising especially the recommendation for the establishment of the IPCMC. Now we await to see whether the Pak Lah is committed to these recommendations and will implement them. If not the whole exercise would be wasted and it would be obvious that he is full of talk and talk only.

| ¶ 5/14/2005 01:11:00 AM

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Petition for Freedom of Information Act

Lack of access to information is the core of so many ills in today's society. And no society can advance far without freedom of information. The new PM on taking over the helms had called for the TRUTH and had promise of more media freedom in Malaysia. But in the past 18 months this promised freedom has not materialized. Instead we are seeing less of this freedom. Better governance was promised but instead a World Bank perception study has found us wanting. The study has found that the overall standard of governance in MalaysiaBoleh has dropped in six core areas over the last eight years despite intermittent upward trends. One area studied, that of Voice and accountability - which measures the perception of political, civil and human rights - started on the lowest percentile rank and settled on a plateau between 1998 and 2002, before dipping. In order for better goverance and in order to fight corruption effectively there must be freedom of infomation and a free media to report on happenings in the country.

According to the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) ::

Newspapers and television stations have shown more courage in exposing some issues. In the last few weeks, for example, there has been sustained coverage of mismanagement of protected forest reserves in the state of Selangor. Unfortunately, this has existed alongside a noticeable reticence to continue coverage of issues if the Government asks for silence. Examples of this include coverage of the harassment of 'bloggers', which completely ceased after the Minister in charge of investigations asked the Press not to highlight the issue.

It is obvious that more has to be done and the CIJ has an online petition to campaign for a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). All those interested in supporting this petition for a FOIA and a better Malaysia please do go to the link and sign the petition.

Bloggers and blog readers can help, apart from signing the said petition, by highlighting this petition in their blogs or asking their friends to sign up to.

| ¶ 5/12/2005 11:09:00 PM

Sun says :: Schools-based system better for NS
Najib says :: NS Still Best Platform To Promote Integration

Bit of a deja vu when reading this editorial in the Sun2Surf. See this blog post on June 2003.
The Sun2Surf editorial said the NS training programme that cost RM500 million a year should be done through the school system since it was not based on military training and the objective of integration could be achieved in schools.
In June 2003, i had the following to say ::

Could the Rm500 millions be better spent each year to improve those schooling years, like making sure there is adequate water supply, electricity and lighting for all schools in the country. Also ensure that the less fortunate school children are getting their meals before or during school. An empty stomach will surely lead to a non-functioning brain! The 11 to 13 years of formal schooling should be utilise to achieve those said aims. I am sure if there is a will, this much longer period of time will be more adequate and produce better results. Use these years to foster better relations among our youngsters and patriotism and national unity will naturally follow. Show our youngsters that they all have equal opportunities in this Malaysia of plenty.

All of us must speak up regarding this bill before it together with the various penalities that are in it becomes law and we are then unable to say anything more.

The rest is history, the bill was passed and now we have to deal with the consequences as we are faced with more "Ahmad Hafiza" in the next many months. And as whether the PLKN/NST programme will achieve its objectives, we will have to wait and see. But as at this time many are starting to think whether the half billion ringgit spent each year will be well spent. The DAP has also registered its doubts about the programme and calling it counter-productive and called for it to be scraped.

The Deputy PM, who is in-charged of the programme has responded to critics of the programme by saying :: "NS Still Best Platform To Promote Integration". Najib is quoted as saying ::

"Only the NS training programme provides the opportunity for people of various races and backgrounds to mix in a central place for a long period, that is three months."
"This is difficult to do in schools."

It looks like the PLKN/NST programme is here to stay.

| ¶ 5/12/2005 10:12:00 PM

All's Well

The NST says :: All's Well. Ahmad has been freed after his fine was paid. That kind soul happened to be the personal officer of Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, he beat many others to pay RM557.15 of the fine. The original fine imposed was RM600 but as Ahmad had spent a day in jail, RM42,85 were deducted. The Perlis MB later said he helped to pay the fine for the boy “as a concerned individual and as a wakil rakyat.”
The AG claims that ::

"We are going to apply for a revision as we do not want his family to suffer unnecessarily."
"The child may be wrong but we do not want his mother and family to suffer. We are going to ask for the revision of only the sentence but the conviction stays."
"The fact that we are applying for a revision tells all."

The NST also said :: It is understood that the AG is going to apply for Ahmad Harizal to be bound over for good behaviour.
But considering the act under which Ahmad had been charged and the penalty on being found guilty, can he be bound over for good behaviour? Or will the AG be changing the charges or the relevant act. Need a lawyer to guide me on this.
According to the NST report too,

But Ahmad Harizal could have saved many people a lot of heartache and angst if only he had made known his plight to the authorities

Didn't i read somewhere that a welfare officer and a probation officer had visited and conducted interviews. Did anyone read their reports? Weren't they aware that the family is living in a rented house? Weren't they aware that an unknoen NGO was providing some financial assistance every 2-monthly? Those so-called authorities certainly knew very little. So don't just blame poor Ahmad for all of it.

| ¶ 5/12/2005 04:53:00 PM

Why You No Do This or That

Imagine you are 17 going on 18 and a Form 2 dropout. Imagine you are working in the fields the whole day long or at other odd jobs to earn some rezeki. Do you have the time to check by SMS whether you have been called up for mandatory PLKN training? The computer screen is just like any other TV screen to you and what's Internet and the PLKN website. You live in this threadbare house without even furniture and a letterbox, will the mail ever reach you? The last time you got to read the newspapers was like light years away. What do you know of deferment and exemption and penalities.

Suddenly, one day, you are told by the polis that you have committed an offence by not turning up for this PLKN training. They ask you why you no go and you say "I malas". The polis takes that as the gospel truth and does not investigate further.
Next the welfare officer and the probation officer turned up and after their inspections and interviews, they confirm your poor status. You expect that these reports will see the light of day, when the time comes.

Lo and behold, that big day comes. So on that fateful, 10th May 2005, you wake up early, dressed as decently as you possibly could and after borrowing RM7 from your mum for transport charges, you turned up to have your day in court and what a day it was. It ended with you being found guilty as charged and fined RM600 or 14 days stay in a gomen facilities with meals and lodging, take your pick. By then most of your RM7 you started off with is no longer in your pocket. So where's the choice. They then handcuffed you, you never thought to protest as you know that the polis must be well trained and obviously knows what they are doing and then they bundled you off to jail.

But unknown to you, you have become a much talked about person, your case was reported on national TV in the evening, BERNAMA labelled you as The Teenager who went to jail for staying away from National Service Training (NST) and politicians were trying to be the first to pay your fine (too bad the court was already closed for fine collection) and bloggers had you on their blogs in no time. The ever sympathetic public also reacted to your "harsh"sentence and jailing. Finally reality has hit everyone. Almost everyone has suddenly come to be aware that staying away from NST had dire conseuqences. Many like you were unaware that the NST programme gave no leeway to those who really good reasons and can't afford to attend the programme under present circumstances, many were unaware that there is no exemption for bread winners or for being poor and equally many were unaware that there are many like you who knew nothing of deferment and exemption and how to go about applying for them.

The AG when told about you, squarely put the blame on you for your predicament. He said ::

“We have accepted appeals from numerous NS dodgers who proved that they missed the programme because they needed to support their families or had sick parents to look after. “We did not prosecute them.”

If only you had known that the AG or his department could have been so sympathetic. But then didn't the court say when sentencing you said the Government was very concerned about absenteeism in the NS programme and

“This case should be a lesson to all teenagers not to ignore the Government’s call to participate in the programme.”

.
Anyway, even at this very moment the AG is making an application for your case to be revised for he believes that justice had to be served. For your future reference when faced with such predicament, the AG has this advice for you :: "Ahmad Harizal, (you) should have told the truth."
The DPM who is in-charged of NST said the law bound those selected for NS to attend the training and all parties should respect the magistrate's court decision to punish you for not attending the mandatory programme. He also added ::

“Had he explained the actual reason about his responsibility to help his poor family, I believe the NS Department and the prosecution would sympathise with him."

Say even the DPM sympathises with you and the NS department is so ever willing to lend a ear.

So it looks like they are all wondering :: Why You No Do This or That.

| ¶ 5/12/2005 09:35:00 AM

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Anyone Listening Out There?

The PM, ordered an increase in diesel and petrol prices on 5th May and soon after that sent out this no-no message :: "Manufacturers, absorb the increase in costs. Retailers, keep prices stable. Profiteers, watch out."

The SKKLOA-- Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Lorry Operators Association-- announced a 25 percent hike in their transport rates, effective May 16. SKKLOA Deputy President said the hike was inevitable due to escalating operating cost following recent rise in diesel price. He added that the revision was long overdue as the rate was last reviewed 15 years ago.

Like the PM, who believes that the recent fuel price hike should not cause prices of other things to go up, the SKKLOA Deputy President also believes that the increased transport charges by SKKOLA members should not be a burden to users and should not be an excuse to increase the price of the products transported by them.

Quote of the Day :: "We believe that the increased rate is not a burden to the users. It is only a long overdue adjustment."
Didn't someone say "Monkey Hears, Monkey Says"?

| ¶ 5/10/2005 11:53:00 PM

Have We Blunder Big?

Below is a media statement by DAP Ronnie Liu regarding the recent fuel price hike. When will we know the whole truth and nothing but the truth regarding Petronas and the necessity for these frequent fuel price hikes?

A sad story: Why an oil producing nation like Malaysia is not laughing all the way to the bank, even as crude oil prices are increasing in world market

A corridor check with some of my colleagues shows that one litre of petrol can cater for 10-16 km for most Proton vehicles. This way, one can calculate how much extra one has to pay after the recent price hike depending on his or her car's consumption.

(Wira 1.3 - 10 km per litre; Waja 1.6 - 13 km per litre;Satria 1.6 - 12 km per litre;
Gen 2 1.6 - 16 km per litre)

Eddie, who needs to send his kids to school before going to the office, used to spend RM400 a month on petrol. He now has to pay RM428 per month after the 10 sen per liter price increase for petrol. He is furious.

Just like many other Malaysian employees, he has not been getting any increments in recent years. He is now very concerned and worried about the next round of inflation as diesel prices has also gone up by 20 sen per liter, a 23% increase. Malaysians were previously told that the inflation rate for 2005 would be 2.5%. But that was before the recent price hike of petrol and diesel.

Eddie was wondering why the BN Government cannot use some of Petronas' earnings to offset the RM2.2 billion (which the government will save due to the price hike), when I told him that Petronas had profits of more than RM32 billion in 2004 and was projected to make RM50 billion in 2005.

The Prime Minister and his deputy have repeatedly warned about removing all subsidies on petrol and diesel in the near future. They have given Malaysians an impression that the national coffer is drying up and they simply have no other solution but to squeeze the people for more money.

Malaysians should not be surprised if the petrol price goes up to more than RM2 per litre by the end of next year.

Malaysia, as an oil-producing nation, would not have reached such a sad state if the BN Government leaders have been running the country with transparency, accountability, prudence and good governance.

Many Malaysians may not know that Malaysia is not a member of OPEC. It is therefore entirely up to Malaysia to decide how many barrels of crude oil to produce, and at what price she wants to sell as a non-member of the cartel.

As for Petronas' accounts, only the Prime Minister, not even the Finance Minister, can have direct access to them. As a result, Malaysians have no way of checking the quantity we are selling to oil traders and at what price. Members of Parliament have never been able to get a detailed answer from the PM, whether it's under Mahathir's or Abdullah Badawi's administration.

Minister in the PMâ€™s Department Datuk Mustapha Mohamed has written an article to explain why the Government needs to raise the prices of diesel and petrol. He too has failed to answer some of the questions raised by the DAP. These include losses incurred in future market and the detailed income and expenses of Petronas.

In his article published today, Mustapa claims that the Government continues to provide subsidies on petrol, diesel and cooking gas. He even claims that the Government is now paying a higher subsidy despite of the price hike. He puts the 2005 estimated subsidy at RM8.959 billion and the tax exemption on petroleum products at RM7.848 billion, totaling RM16.807 billion. He claims that the recent price hike could only slash the subsidy amount by RM2.2 billion.

Mustapa has nevertheless admitted that Malaysia may become a net importer of oil in four years if Malaysia fails to reverse the current trend. He claims that Malaysia produces 700,000 barrels a day, versus a domestic daily consumption of 520,000 barrels. He, however, did not tell Malaysians the quantity and selling price of our oil produce, and the quantity and buying price of oil from other countries. Malaysians have no way to find out whether the Government has done the right thing to safeguard the interest of Malaysians without such figures.

DAP would also like to know the extent of selling crude oil in the futures market on the part of Malaysian authorities since the 1997 meltdown. It is believed that Malaysia has been selling crude oil in the futures market very heavily to avoid getting assistance from the IMF. The price for crude oil was hovering around US$19 to US$20 per barrel at the time.

Many Malaysians know that Malaysia has been selling most of our oil for a better price (it is of a high quality with less sulphur content) and in return buying lower quality oil from other oil producers for domestic consumption. This strategy would only work if the authorities had not fumbled in the futures market. Our prices have been locked in at a much lower price than the current price of US$52 per barrel, thanks to the poor judgment and dismal management on the part of the Government under the Mahathir administration. We are still waiting for Tun Mahathir to enlighten us on the matter.

We believe Malaysia is now selling better quality crude oil at a price much lower than the price of sub-quality oil we import from other oil producers. Mustapa has avoided touching on this sensitive matter.

Instead of Petronas laughing all the way to the bank, the Japanese, Taiwanese and other importers who have bought oil from Malaysia in the futures market are now probably getting their oil supply practically for free!

Malaysians are now paying for the price for voting in a government who does not know how to run the country in a cekap, bersih dan amanah (efficient, clean and trustworthy) manner. It is also sad to note that ordinary people/voters have no say in any matters after giving them 92% of parliamentary seats, a big mandate by any standards.

One of the slogans the DAP used in the nationwide protest on oil prices increase last Sunday was "Oil Prices Increase. You Asked for It?" This slogan was meant to provoke Malaysians into thinking if they had given too much support to the BN Government in the last general elections, so much so that BN leaders have become too arrogant and simply do not care about the difficulties facing the people.

So, how much have we, as a nation, lost out because of this BIG blunder? Your guess is as good as mine. Only the PM can tell us the truth if he wishes to do so.

Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew
DAP International Secretary and NGO bureau chief

| ¶ 5/10/2005 11:27:00 PM

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