LONE

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

No Harum-Scarum ISA & RRA Arrests

The recent report by the Royal Commission may have recommended that preventive acts like the Internal Security Act [ISA] and the Restrictive Residence Act [RRA] should be abolished or reviewed, the gomen actions so far seem to say that the these Acts are here to stay. The Royal Commission said that preventive laws are undesirable because they deny the individual his personal liberty without a right to trial in an open court as provided for in Article 5 of the Federal Constitution and in the International Bill of Rights. Some two weeks ago, at a conference in Istanbul, the IGP said that preventive laws were needed to check the excesses of individuals and their civil liberties if the state were to survive.
Today in Parliament, the PM had more or less the same to say. He refuted claims by certain parties that detentions under the ISA and the RRA were carried out in a harum-scarum manner, and that detainees had no chance at all to defend themselves. Pak Lah said all ISA arrests were carried out within the confines of the judicial system and for the good of the nation. He added ::

"Implementation and enforcement of the ISA, 1960, has always been undertaken in the most decent moral conduct and with careful detail, to curb any element who jeopardises the security of the country."
"That is why the government only arrests someone under the ISA when there are solid reasons against the person, that they will endanger national security."

If the gomen has solid reasons, why then are the ISA detainees not charged in open court where they can defend themselves. The public would also be given an opportunity to see for themselves the manner in which these ISA detainees pose threats to national security.
The recently formed Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights visited the the 115 ISA detainees in Kem Perlindungan Kamunting and enquired into their grievances. This Caucus is chaired by the Menteri yang menjaga Parliament, that very chap who appears to have a limited vocab and could only chant that R-word. See him in action here. The deputy chairperson of the Caucus is the Opposition leader, Lim KS. During the visit, the Caucus received 15 memoranda from the ISA detainees and would be arranging a meeting with the Internal Security Ministry and prison officials for their feedback. After the Kamunting visit, the Caucus has made recommendations, the main ones are ::

ISA detainees who have been held more than two years should be released immediately or be charged in court
ISA detainees who are foreigners should be repatriated to their country of origin “without any delay”
ISA detainees who were punished and held in solitary confinement should not be penalised for more than six months
ISA detainees should be allowed physical contact with family members during visits and the wire-mesh and fiberglass boards in the visitors’ areas should be removed to allow this
The authorities have been urged to provide adequate social welfare support to all needy families of detainees to provide for their basic needs of livelihood, education and health and also financial assistance to allow family members to visit the detainees

Will the Caucus be more successful than Suhakam or the Royal Commission to effect a positive review of the ISA? What the IGP and the PM have to say recently does not portend well for such a possibility.

| ¶ 6/28/2005 11:20:00 PM

Curtains Down on UMNO MOney Politics?

With today's official press conference held by the UMNO Disciplinary Board in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon to formally announce Isa’s suspension from UMNO for six years, the curtains have come down on money politics/vote-buying/political coruption (take your pick) during the last UMNO election. According to the Board chairperson, there were no new complaints regarding money politics and that the deadline for complaints was on 18th April.
When Isa was called up and within a day found guilty and given an unprecedented 6 year suspension, a lot of people went to town suggesting that more would followed and names were named. Many thought that the Big MINIster of a state down south would be next. Many UMNO leaders lost little time praising the seriousness of Pak Lah to stamp out corruption. There was even an AFP story carried by Malaysiakini which said that "PM's anti-corruption drive back on track". Another story in the Singapore Straits Times said that "Now, there are whispers that several other members of UMNO's top decision-making body, the Supreme Council, would be summoned in the coming days." But with the Board announcement today that there are "No further complaints against UMNO big fish", could the whole thing be just a sandiwara just to spike the PM's drooping performance?
Another UMNO VP, Ali Rustam has repeatedly stated that he has not been asked to present himself before the Umno Disciplinary Board over any breach of the party's code of ethics. And today's announcement by the Board may have confirmed that he is indeed in the clear.
Isa was reported to have told Reuters that he might have been made a sacrificial lamb in Pak Lah's anti-corruption drive. This was denied by Isa later. He describes the report as malicious and totally baseless; he said he did not use words or raise issues that lent such meaning.
As for Pak Lah, he has also denied that Isa has been made a sacrificial lamb and said that he was sad that Isa was involved in money politics during the UMNO elections in September last year. At the same time he said that Isa, having been found guilty of indulging in money politics should step down from all UMNO posts. On whether Isa should step down from his gomen position as Minister of Federal Territories, Pak Lah said: "This does not arise at the moment because he has to file an appeal."
Similarly as to whether the ACA would be brought in in Isa's case, the PM has said that the Board should take care of this. Today, the ACA Director-General Datuk Seri Zulkipli Mat Noor said that the ACA will investigate any UMNO leader found to be involved in money politics even if it does not get any report from the party. Now what will happen if the ACA finds that that the leader found guilty by the Board is found not to be corrupt by the Agency? Interesting times are ahead if what the ACA DG says is true, that the ACA will be investigating.
With the Board announcement today that there were no more "big fish" to be caught, many people might start thinking that Isa might have been targetted and is indeed a sacrificial lamb in the scheme of things. The short time taken to pronounce him guilty has also raised many a brow. Check this out for the Board's explanation. The Board claims that investigations into Isa's case started in October last year!
It appears that there are die-hards who think that Isa's case is not the last. The Disciplinary Board chairman's refusal to ask some questions may have provided fuel to these people thinking that there may be more UMNO leaders who have yet to be called to face the Board. Check out this article :: Kedudukan Ali Rustam belum terjawab. More sandiwara or are there really more "big fish" waiting in the wings?

| ¶ 6/28/2005 12:51:00 AM

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Funny GostanLand Happenings?

Take a look at what i have just read on a Sunday morning ::

Like the six policemen circling the jogging track this week at the KLCC park in Kuala Lumpur they were on the lookout for Malay couples who might be holding hands.
Some people, perhaps exaggeratedly, are calling the expanding activities of moral policing the talibanisation of Malaysia, but the direction we do not want to go in is clear.
The Government should take steps to stop these intrusions into citizens private lives.It is appalling to hear of some really outrageous cases like the poor 20-year-old woman in Perak who was arrested for khalwat while working in her office on a Sunday with her male non-Muslim boss. Apparently, she was detained while she was in the bathroom taking her wudu (ablutions)!

The above is not from some weblog pocking fun at Malaysians but from the Sunday Times column--The Big Picture-- of one of its columnist, Munir Majid.

Is Malaysia being "talibanised"? We certainly hope not. But trends can be worrying like the suggested new entertainment guidelines considered by the National Fatwa Council. Fortunately these new guidelines were not entertained by the PM. Just imagine the number of times cinemas and the TV channels would have to schedule downtimes. Civil society must be on the lookout for any possible "talibanisation" of Malaysia.

| ¶ 6/26/2005 09:09:00 AM

Saturday, June 25, 2005

ISA DiGantung

The other day it was "Sothianthan DiGantung" and today it's "ISA DiGantung". i almost jumped for joy when i thought it was that infernal "Internal Security Act" which was hanged but a closer look told me otherwise. It would have been so much better if was that infernal Act.
As for the other ISA, he has been suspended for 6 years announced BERNAMA. He has been found guilty on 5 of 9 charges he had faced with regard to party discipline. TV3's main bulletin at 8 pm on 24th June carried the report, and quoted sources as saying that based on the nature of the offence Isa could be suspended for up to six years. This was carried by all the papers the next day. As a result of being found guilty, the UMNO VP has been suspended from the party by its disciplinary board for six years for breach of the party's code of ethics during the party elections last year. Isa has 14 days to appeal and according to his political secretary, Salim Shariff, Isa will appeal against the decision of the disciplinary board on Monday or Tuesday. Salim had also been called by the disciplinary board to answer three charges of breach of the party's code of ethics and has himself been suspended from the party for three years. According to Salim, Isa had refuted all the charges against him before the disciplinary board by submitting sworn statements and supporting documents and that Isa was confident that he was innocent because the charges brought against him were vague.
Meanwhile, till the appeal and other avenues of redress have taken their course, the DPM has said that the position of Isa in UMNO and the government will remained. The DPM said UMNO had a fixed policy whereby a person against whom action had been taken could keep his gomen post pending the outcome of his appeal against the decision of the disciplinary board.
When commenting on Isa's suspension, the PM said action taken by the UMNO Disciplinary Board against any top party leader for breach of the party's code of ethics will not jeopardise the image and credibility of the party. As to whether the decision of the disciplinary board regarding Isa's offences relating to money politics would be referred to the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), the PM said the decision on this matter depended on the information garnered by the disciplinary board in its investigation.
Apart from Isa and Salim, BERNAMA announced today that Pahang state executive councillor and Raub UMNO division chief Datuk Shahirudin Ab Moin and Pandan UMNO division deputy chief Jamaluddin Ropa, who were said to have campaigned on behalf of Mohd Isa, were also said to have been suspended for two and three years, respectively. It also says that the UMNO Disciplinary Board has scheduled a press conference for next Monday, most probably to announce its decision on the 4 party members found to have breached the party's code of ethics during the party polls in September 2004.

More :: Umno Leaders Comment On Action Of Disciplinary Board

| ¶ 6/25/2005 07:27:00 PM

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Sothinathan DiGantung

Our Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister has certainly hit the front page of today's papers. While the STAR headline screamed Sothi Suspended, the Utusan and Berita Harian had the following headlines :: Sothinathan Digantung on their front page.
Don't we have a better less ambigous BM word for "suspension", other then "digantung". Eye catching though the word may be but it somehow don't sound right. Now can someone help find that better BM word for the unfortunate action that has been taken by our PM against Sothi.

| ¶ 6/23/2005 08:28:00 AM

Chronology Of Events Leading To Suspension Of Sothinathan

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 (Bernama) -- Following is the chronology of events leading to the suspension of Datuk S. Sothinathan as Natural Resources and Environment Deputy Minister for three months.

The suspension is effective from Wednesday.

JUNE 16: Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) president Datuk Dr Mohamed Ismail Merican announced the withdrawal of recognition of the medical undergraduate programme offered by Crimea State Medical University (CSMU) to students registered and admitted into academic year one after Dec 31, 2005.

The MMC said the university was accepting under-qualified Malaysian students for its medical programme, while the sharp increase in intake of Malaysian students from 53 in 2001 to 1,366 students in May this year might compromise teaching quality in the university.

JUNE 17: Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Shafie Mohd Salleh advised students who have signed up for the pre-medical programme at CSMU to look for alternatives. He said the ministry's technical committee had visited the university and made the decision to withdraw the recognition of its medical degree which was given in 2001.

The Embassy of Ukraine suggested that the MMC's decision might be due to lobbying by other medical schools since neither the embassy, the university nor official representatives of the Ukrainian government had been informed of the decision.

JUNE 18: Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, who is also MIC president, ticked off MMC for withdrawing its recognition of CSMU and accused the council of trying to stop Indians from becoming doctors since there were about 800 Malaysian Indians studying at CSMU and other universities in Russia.

Dr Ismail dismissed the allegation that the council was biased against Indians, saying the move had nothing to do with race. He reiterated that the council wanted the students to be quality doctors when they graduated and not be short-changed.

JUNE 21: During the winding up of a motion on the CSMU issue in the Dewan Rakyat by Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad, Sothinathan stood up to defend Samy Vellu after Latiff said the MIC leader was the only BN party chief who did not accept the MMC decision.

This led to an exchange of words between him and Latiff on the issue.

The motion tabled by Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang sparked off emotional exchanges between some members of the Dewan Rakyat and Latiff.

JUNE 22: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced that Sothinathan was suspended for three months as Natural Resources and Environment Deputy Minister with immediate effect.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail, after being advised by the Prime Minister, had consented to Sothinathan's suspension.

Abdullah cited Sothinathan's outburst in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday over the de-recognition of the CSMU medical degree as the reason for the suspension.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Samsudin Osman, in a statement, said the suspension was in line with the Code of Ethics Regulations for Members of the Administration 2004 and Code of Ethics for Members of the Administration 2004.

He said under the two codes, a member of the administration, including a deputy minister, was bound by the principle of collective responsibility and must not make any statement that conflicted with government policies.

Meanwhile, Sothinathan said he would spend his suspension time concentrating on MIC matters and serving his constituents in the Teluk Kemang seat in Negeri Sembilan.

-- BERNAMA

Sothi defends his boss and gets himself into trouble. His boss also appeared to have made statement that conflicted with government policy but he appears to have not been penalised. What is good for the goose may not necessaily be good for the gander. Now will his boss defend him or at least appeal his punishment?

| ¶ 6/23/2005 12:20:00 AM

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Malaysian Tsunami Aid Tsunamied

It is almost 6 months since the tsunami occurred. But it appears that there are still many victims of the tsunami who had yet to receive the aid that was promised. What has happened to the millions collected from the generous people of Malaysia and eventually handed over to the gomen for distribution to the victims. Here is a story from Malaysiakini entitled :: Irregularities alleged in tsunami aid schemes by Adriana Nordin Manan. It says that financial aid and other resources have been slowly trickling down but not in any co-ordinated way, according to some accounts on the ground. The locals have mentioned that there political undercurrents in the reconstruction efforts for the tsunami victims and that there is rivalry between political parties in coming to their aid. The gomen response is also being carefully watched. The cynics among the victims expect that the more aid like permanent housing will be completed just in time for the next general election, and that is a long while to wait for those who have lost their houses during the tsunami.

Jonathan Kent, BBC News, Kuala Lumpur correspondent also take another look at the aid for Malaysian tsunami victims under this heading :: The mystery of Malaysia's tsunami aid. He reported that "Some villagers say help has been slow in coming, others say they have yet to receive any aid at all. And in some cases, aid appears to have simply disappeared into a black hole." Again like in the Malaysiakini story, some of the victims are saying :: "The government thinks it's already helped the people adequately as far as the tsunami disaster is concerned." "But the problem is the people who have been affected are not getting the aid. Somebody along the middle line is not able to make that aid reach them." When asked by the BBC, the man in charge of Malaysia's tsunami relief operation, our DPM, says that he is confident the relief effort is largely going well. Kent concluded his report by saying :: "The tsunami clearly brought out the best in millions of Malaysians, but it also bought out the worst in a few. But few in authority seem to want to confront the issue."

| ¶ 6/22/2005 10:15:00 PM

1st Casualty of the "Crimean War 2005"

Yesterday there was near pandemonium in Parliament when the recent de-recognition of the CSMU medical degree was debated. This was dubbed as the "Crimean War 2005" by the NST. The deputy Health MINIster was attacked right and left by the DAP and even a couple of BN MPs. Malaysiakini in a newsflash reported that MIC secretary-general S Sothinathan has become the first casualty of the said war, he has been suspended as a deputy minister for three months over his remarks at yesterday's debate. His suspension is said to have been made by the cabinet. Has he really been suspended as deputy minister or from Parliament. If the former it is quite unprecedented. Sothi had questioned the MMC regarding the sudden about-turn regarding CSMU recognition and the professionalism of the MINIstry of Higher Education in providing "no-objection" letters to under qualified students for studies in CSMU.

Will other casulaties of the "war" follow? According to Malaysiakini, earlier today, Kulasegaran, DAP MP for Ipoh Barat, told a press conference that he was made to understand that he might be referred to Parliament's Privileges Committee for disciplinary action. Then there is the MIC/BN MP for Cameron, who also had taken part in the heated debate. What the MIC president had to say about the MMC's decision probably edged these two MIC MPs ie Sothi and K Devamany, to engage the deputy Health MINIster in the debate. We certainly look forward to what more will happen.

| ¶ 6/22/2005 04:39:00 PM

The CSMU Withdrawal of Recognition in GostanLand

The recent announcement by the MMC to withdraw recognition of the medical degree given by CSMU and other Ukraine medical schools has drawn flak from concerned parents and potential medical students, even from the MIC president as well as the Opposition leader. Russian medical degrees were recognised by the MMC since 2001. With this recogition and the more affordable fees, the number of Malaysian students studying medicine in Ukraine rose from 53 in 2001 to the present 1366. According to the Opposition leader, the approxiamte breakdown for the students are :: 300 Malays, 240 Chinese, 470 Indians and 25 others. There is little wonder why Samy is hopping mad and even saying the MMC is trying to pevent Indian Malaysians from becoming doctors.
So what are the reasons the MMC is withdrawing recognition. They are said to be the following ::

CSMU were admitting underqualified students, school dropouts with very poor secondary school results
the number of English-speaking lecturers and facilities were insufficient to meet the demand from the sudden increase in the number of students leading to doubts regarding its teaching ability
there were concerns regarding the quality of the doctors produced and fear for the safety of patients these doctors will eventually treat
evaluation of the 1st batch CSMU graduates by the MOH and the feedback gleaned from their supervisors, revealed that the graduates' usage of English medical jargons was limited as they were more fluent and familiar with technical jargons in Ukrainian or Russian.

Many have considered these reasons given by the MMC president and reported by BERNAMA as lame ones. The newspaper letter pages, check this and this, has been flooded by ciriticisms of the proposed de-recognition and some like the MIC president and Oppostion leader suspect or are alluding hat there may be other hidden motives. As earlier mentioned the MIC president has voiced his concern. Opposition leader Lim KS took the initiave to check out things with the Ukrainian Ambassador and found that he was equally surprised and could not offer reasons for the sudden de-recognition. According to the Ambassador, he had no inkling that the MMC would suddenly de-recognise CSMU medical degrees and reject recognition for the medical degrees of other ten Ukraine medical schools. On the other hand, after meeting the former Director-General of health, Tan Sri Dr. Mohd Taha Arif in June last year and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Higher Education, Datuk Dr. Adham Baba, who visited in November last year, he was left with the distinct feeling that CSMU would continue to receive recognition and that the other ten would also be recognised! So the de-recognition was one big shock to him.
Furtehr, according to the Opposition leader, Lim KS, concerned parents who phoned the MMC asking for clarification and advice, were informed that the MMC is about to recognize the medical degrees of five universities in Indonesia as well as in Egypt, and that they should sent their children to these countries. Starngely, the PSD PRO also said recently that fewer PSD medical scholars would be sent to Russia in the future and that more would be sent to Indonesia and the Middle East. Do these all add up to a new agenda?
In the STAR today, V K Chin called for the MMC to stand firm on its decision and on standards. He said ::

The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) will have to stand firm on its decision to stop recognising universities that have lowered standards in training doctors.
The MMC is now under pressure from Ukraine, where the Crimea State Medical University is one of its premier medical schools, while politicians and affected parents have joined the fray to get the Council to reverse its position.

.
Can GostanLand really stand firms on decisions. Recent events make one wonder. Remember the gostan balik on the acceptance of the no-loss-to-UM lecturer's resignation and the revokation by the PM. Only yesterday, the Energy, Water and Communications Minister did another big about-turn when he withdrew the decision to privatise water supplies. Makes one wonder whether all these happenings are occurring to allow our wirs, the PM to come out the shining hero of the day. The PM came on the scene full of promises but has so far been short on deeds. So it looks like we can certainlt expect of more gostan baliks in the next many months. In the meanwhile check out what is happening in Parliament, the NST has touted the happenings as the "Crimean War 2005" Interesting days are ahead for us.

| ¶ 6/22/2005 02:56:00 PM

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

NS Trainee has Lupus

The recent furore regarding former NS trainee Noraini Abu Bakar appears to have been resolved. She is now said to have SLE or Systemic Lupus Erythematosis. She was given an explanation of her condition by a skin specialist at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital.
She must have had this condition before her callup and probably the exposure to the sun ultraviolet rays during her NS training might have caused the condition to flare up. SLE is not a nice condition to have and that is an understatement. Hopefulky she has the mild versi.
For more info on SLE check this and this.

| ¶ 6/21/2005 12:13:00 PM

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Happy Birthday

Happy 60th Birthday
Aung San Suu Kyi

| ¶ 6/19/2005 08:56:00 AM

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Willard Wigan::micro-sculptor

Just saw Willard Wigan on Ripley's Believe it or Not? and was fascinated by his works of art. Willard Wigan was born in Birmingham, England in 1957 and is the creator of the smallest works of art on earth. From being a traumatised and unrecognised dyslexic child, he is now emerging as the most globally celebrated micro-miniaturist of all time and is literally capable of turning a spec of dust into a vision of true beauty.

A google search followed with amazing results.

A full range of Willard Wigan's astounding work is on show at The Impossible Microworld Museum in Bath, England.

Take a virtual tour by clicking on the following links to see some of his micro-sculptures ::

| ¶ 6/18/2005 09:56:00 PM

The FSFM Saga Revisited

How many of us can remember the FSFM (Federal Special Forces of Malaysia) saga? The FSFM which was led by self-styled 4-star General Nor Azami Ahmad Ghazali who aspired to be the sixth Prime Minister after Abdullah. He claimed to be the N of the RAHMAN formula!

The Tun had this to say then ::

“There are crazy people in this country. Maybe they are inspired by all sorts of nonsense and they buat benda macam itu (do things like that). I think they are mad."

The FSFM was believed to have raked in RM64mil from the sale of military ranks to about 8,000 people whom they had recruited as members. The FSFM was finally found out then in July 2003 when about 300 of its members turned up at various polis stations to lodge reports claiming that they had been misled into joining the group.

The head of PTCM (Pasukan Tindakan Cemas Malaysia), Marshal Munsyi Muslim Yacob, claimed then that certain ministers and several senior ministry officials were involved in supporting FSFM. This disturbed the Tun, who was PM then and he demanded Marshal Munsyi to show prove. The Marshal was reported in the Star that he had proof, that was on 4th Aug 2003. Soon after, the usual gostan balik occurred or the Marshall ayam out and he was reported by BERNAMA on 5th Aug 2003 as saying the direct opposite, "I Don't Have Proof On Ministers' Involvement In FSFM - Munsyi".

According to the NST, the FSFM is back again to its old business :: "Special Forces At Work". The NST report mentioned that ::

They are also offering ranks, allowances and alleging that the Federal Special Forces Malaysia was the newest intelligence and security agency in the country. Ordinary members are required to pay a RM100 membership fee while the New Straits Times understands that some have paid as much as RM25,000 to be given the insignia and uniform of a colonel.

This time around the FSFM is said to be actively recruiting members in the Klang Valley, Perak, Malacca, Penang and Selangor. Gullible Malaysians be warned again, don't go looking for non-existing titles and ranks. "General" Nor Azami and his friends are on the recruiting trail again and are using the names of prominent people and senior government offiicals. Will Marshal Munsyi be offering to show proof once again too.

| ¶ 6/18/2005 02:52:00 PM

PSD Intransigent & Opaque Still

Despite the public clamouring for it to be transparent, despite the request by the MINIster of Education requesting for it to state the objectives and criteria for scholarship awards, the PSD has chosen to remain intransigent and opaque. The PSD PRO only replied by stating what has been said before. The PRO, Hasniah said besides academic achievements, the other criteria were involvement in co-curricular activities, interview performance, family background and essay writing . According to her essay writing was introduced this year as there were many high scorers.

She also had advice to give the students telling them not to only pin their hopes on PSD scholarships but to also try and get places at local universities because more places were available under the department's scholarship scheme for studies done locally. Previously she sited financial constraints for the limited number of PSD scholarships for overseas studies. The MINIster of Education also said that the gomen does have the money to finance scholarships for all students. The question we have to ask is why the PSD has not made provisions for more schoalrships as each passing year has seen more and more high scorers. Our PM's vision is that there should be human resource development and that we should have more "1st world brains". To achieve that we should encourage and give more of our high scorers scholars to pursue tertiary education.

Back to the PSD being transparent in its scholarchip awards. To begin with, it should state how many scholarships it is giving each year and how these scholarships are going to be allotted to the various disciplines. It should state clearly those who are qualified to apply and not give false hopes to those who are not qualified to apply. This will save the students from unnecessarily applying and also save the PSD the headache of having to shortlist out the many who are not qualified. This will save time and money for all involved as even the application forms have to be paid for by the students. The criteria and the weightage attached should be clearly stated. The interview should be fairly conducted with the candidates interviewed one at a time. MCA Youth chairman Datuk Ong Tee Keat has suggested that these interviews should be recorded so that in cases where the applicants appeal, these recordings could be used as a reference for review. At the end of the day the PSD should publish a list of the successful applicants, the courses they have been given and the marks they have obtained during the PSD screen. For as mentioned by the PSD PRO "even half a point can make a difference". Will the PSD heed the clamouring of the public and the MINIster of Education?

| ¶ 6/18/2005 11:07:00 AM

Friday, June 17, 2005

Private Sector Urged to Emulate Gomen

Now that the gomen has decided to go 5-day week on 1st July, the Human Resource MINIster has urged the private sector to follow suit. While the gomen can be as fast or as slow when getting things done; the private sector is unlikely or unable to follow the leader. i don't see employers being able to suddenly add on extra hours for Mondays to Fridays. There are such stuff as the Labour Laws, the Employment Act, Industrial Relations Act and the Trade Union Act to be considered. Has the gomen amended them to allow for extra working hours in a 5-day week regimement? Or are employers expected to just lob off those Saturday working hours? With shorter working hours, will the work force be more productive, at least where work is concerned? Mr Minister go figure that out.

i do wish that the gomen would just issue a blanket order or amend all the relevant acts for the private sextror to follow suit as far as the 5-day week is concerned.

Meanwhile, the Terengganu government will maintain Friday and Saturday as weekend rest days when the 5-day working week system is implemented from July 1. Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh told reporters that so far there were no plans to make Saturday and Sunday rest days to be in line with the federal government and most states. Which way will Kelantan and Kedah go?

| ¶ 6/17/2005 05:06:00 PM

Of Landscaping Kuala & The 3rd Vote

When one mentions Kuala in Perak, automatically Kuala Kangsar, the Royal Town/Bandar diRaja Perak, comes to mind. Mention Kuala in Kota Bharu and PCB (Pantai Cahaya Bulan/Beach of Brilliant Moon, formerly popularly known as Panatai Cinta Berahi/Beach of Passionate Love) comes to mind. Kuala Kangsar has been long associated her feisty MP, one named Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz. Among many other things she is the longtime MIITI--Minister of International Trade and defender of the secrecy of AP holders (though she is known to leak once in a while, remember the AP holder for Porsche cars).

Looks like i got sidetracked, now what was it i wanted to blog on. Oh yes, Landscaping Kuala. The Municipal Council probably thought that Kuala Kangsar needed a facelift, a tuck here and there, some flowers and a little bit of river cleansing and improvement on the frontage. Of course for all these stuff, a consultant is needed, often a foreign consultant would be looked for but at times even a local would have to do. So one was found at a cheap fees of RM300,000 but the stuff he recommended would result in a hefty RM51.1 million bill. The picture of Kak Pida says it all, the look of agony on her face. She must have been badly affected by what the Kuala Municipality is thinking of doing. Thinking of spending so much on beautification programmes rather than on better stuff like poverty reduction, education and infrastructure dan sebagainya. Hopefully her looks would make the council think twice or even thrice before proceeding so as not to further traumatise their long standing local MP

This is what happens when the non-elected local authorities are not in sync with the constituents they serve, Datuk Seri. Often their thoughts, motivasi, actions and performance are not for the good of the constituents but for others. This is what happens with appointed councillors. That is also why we must have elected ones. Of course, before you say, let me say it for you, "Elected councillors may not be better and may perform diamally and be corrupted, non-transparent, arrogrant and non-accountable". But then we, that is you and me, at least we get the pleasure and thrill, every 4 or 5 years, of showing them the door and giving them the boot. So why not join in the call for the return of elected local council elections and get back our 3rd Vote.

| ¶ 6/17/2005 11:53:00 AM

5-Day Week to Start Soon

Pak Lah announced the return of COLA and also the 5-day week to popular acceptance some time ago in late May.
BERNAMA reported Pak Lah as saying this ::

On the five-day week, the prime minister said the implementation of the system has its attributes as it gives government and public sector employees more time with their family, like taking advantage of the local tourist attractions. Abdullah also assured that the system would not reduce the productivity of the public sector and the government's workforce given that their daily working hours would be increased.

In implementing the system, Abdullah said, the government could not afford to lose sight of departments providing counter services to the public such as those related to supervision and health."

At the Workers' Day celebration, Pak Lah also said details and date of implementation would be determined later. "The matter will be further deliberated with the relevant ministries to ensure they are effectively implemented and meet the objectives.

So many had thought that the implementation would probably be next year. But lo and behold, the DPM announced yesterday that the 5-day week would be impemented on 1st July! So it appears where there is a will there is a way and the gomen despite the need for multi-ministries involvement can move very fast if it wants to. Lets hope that the goemn does not find its will lacking when it comes to the implementation of the 125 recommendations.

As for me, what does the 5-day week means? The first that comes to mind is that i get to park my car free on 2 exra Saturdays a month. i would be unable to loiter at the local JPL on these two Saturdays. Being a non-civil servant, i would still have to work those two Saturdays. Like many couples where one is in the private sector and the other is in the public sector, the two extra Saturdays won't necessarily lead to more family outings or get togethers. But then there are other ways of strengthening the family instituition. For the civil servants another 2 extra Saturdays to rest and destress and be more civil. i won't be able to pay most of my gomen bills on 2 more Saturdays, time to pay online or via ATMs, but i have my fears of cockups. Now i must seriously think of asking the boss to implement the 5-day week like the publc sector.

| ¶ 6/17/2005 09:42:00 AM

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Why Are We Waiting for the IPCMC?

Today marks the "full moon" of the public release of the Report by the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police. The gomen had a ahead start on the public and the Repor has been with the PM since 29th April. After some delay, the special task force to implement the recommendations made by the Royal Commission on the PDRM has had it first meeting.

The task force members ::

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, PM and Internal Security Minister, Finance Minister
Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, Works Minister
Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, Minister in the PM Dept
Datuk Noh Omar, Deputy Internal Security Minister
Datuk Izuddin Dali, Treasury Sec Gen
Datuk Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof, Internal Security Ministry Sec Gen
Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Second Finance Minister
Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, Minister in the PM Dept
Tan Sri Samsudin Osman, ChiefSecretary to the Government
Tan SriJamaluddin Ahmad Damanhuri, PSD DG
Tan Sri Abdul GaniPatail, Attorney-General
Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Omar, IGP

A very impressive list of Datuk Seris, Datuks and Tan Sri, but shouldn't there be a few members from the Majesty's loyal opposition and the public, whom the PDRM services?

Many would have expected the task force to deal immediately with the IPCMC :: the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission at its first sitting. But instead it decided to approve a RM2.5 billion allocation for better housing and working environment for the polis. The 160 "build-lease-transfer" housing and office projects inclusive of 25,000 housing units for the polis will be will be funded by our EPFund and Kumpulan Wang Amanah Pencen Bhd.

The NST also pointed out that these RM2.5 billion allocation would also be a shot-in-the-arm for the construction industry! The PM also said that these projects guaranteed returns, better than from fixed deposits. So there will also be other beneficiaries apart from the polis from these activities. But should the task force be concerned with the construction industry and other spin-offs?

But what about the recommended IPCMC, now that we are aware from the Report that corruption is rampant in the PDRM? Shouldn't we have this in place before other things are looked into and implemented. What the PM has to say, may make us think that he is no big hurry to implement the 125 recommendations, he said ::

"Recommendations can be made in general but their implementation requires detailed study and planning."
"If we want to see results in a few years time, its execution has to start much earlier... planning and implementation will have to be done in stages."
"Even in other countries, it takes years to improve the police force. It is not something that can be done in a year. This is a commitment of the Government and I hope nobody questions this effort."

What the IGP had to say at the Istanbul Conference On Democracy And Global Security recently regarding the need for preventive laws is ominous. What he had to say is not consonant with the possible repeal or corrective modification of the ISA. He appears quite happy to associate the Patriot Act with the ISA, where the ISA appears to be around for a long time to come, the Patriot Act ends on 31st Dec 2005!

It looks like the implementation is going to be a long drawn out process. But can't we have the easily implemented and the more important ones implemented first, after all 80% or 99 of the 125 recommendations are said to be capable of implementation within 12 months ie by May 2006 according to the Royal Commission roadmap of implementation. As for the IPCMC, the Royal Commission has already dealt with even the nitty-gritty bits of it and even has prepared a draft of the Bill for it. What is needed is the will of the PM to ensure that it is tabled as soon as possible and Parliament meets soon in June. But will we see this? The signs are not particularly bright or promising or imminent that this is going to happen soon. The other fear is that at the end of the day we may have a watered down versi of the IPCMC, something akin to the toothless Suhakam that we presently have. As Steven Gan says :: "We cannot, and must not, let this happen." Will civil society and fellow Malaysians look the other way again?

i am in the process of setting up a blog :: PDRM Reformasi :: with the primary purpose of keeping track of the Report and the implementation of its 125 recommendations. It would of course be very difficult to keep track of all the related stuff, i would therefore like to call on fellow bloggers and other kind souls to help out. You can all help by sending me related articles by e-mail to me at this address.

| ¶ 6/16/2005 11:18:00 PM

The Three Monkeys

The disturbing going-ons in UM have recently been again aired by Dr Gomez. Dr Gomez is not the first to bring up instances of marks tampering, favouritism and forced resignation. And as expected the UM VC, who accepted Gomez's resignation which was later revoked by the gomen, is in the dark regarding all these allegations. The most important person in many matters is often the last to know. The allegations are not new and have been mentioned by others in the past. It is obvious that the UM VC prefers to be like the three wise monkeys of Toshogu Shrine.
When asked about the allegations, the wise UM VC had this to say ::

“You must be very careful when you say things which are not true.”

When asked to comment on the gomen overruling his decision to accept Gomez's resignation and hence raising questions about iUM's autonomy, he replied ::

“No, our (UM management) decision was not overruled. The decision, made by the ministry (of higher education), is also our decision. We are people faithful to the government and the king. So we abide."
“Whatever the ministry's decision, it is a right decision. The nation comes first.”

What more can one say or ask.

| ¶ 6/16/2005 07:41:00 PM

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

ISA, here to Stay

The IGP, Tan Sri Mohamed Bakri Omar, despite saying that no democratic government would happily enact laws that obstruct or deny its citizens of their fundamental liberties enshrined in the constitution; he said governments everywhere today have valid and substantial grounds to enact such preventive laws that are seen as prohibitive to human rights. He had this at the Istanbul Conference On Democracy And Global Security. He said that preventive laws were needed to check the excesses of individuals and their civil liberties if the state were to survive. His speech is reported by BERNAMA.
As expected to said after the Sept 11 2001 attacks in the United States, countries followed by having acts similar to our ISA, the USA enacted the Patriot Act and the United Kingdom has the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005. He is probably saying this to support his argument that our ISA should continue to prevent the possible destruction of our society.
But is it true that our ISA is the same as the Patriot Act of the USA. Take a look at their differences in the table below, taken from Aliran ::

Name	ISA	Patriot Act
Purpose	To provide for the internal security of Malaysia, preventive detention, the prevention of subversion, the suppression of organised violence against persons and property in specified areas of Malaysia, and for matters incidental thereto.	To deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes
Applicability	Applicable to all persons. (Both citizens and non-citizens)	Applicable to alien (Non-US citizens only).
Judicial Review	Judicial review is restricted. Section 8B and 8C severely limit the court’s ability to inquire into the legality of a detention except on questions of compliance with procedures.	Judicial review in terms of habeas corpus proceedings is provided by the Act.
Detention period	Section 73 allows the police to detain for 60 days any person who may act "in a manner prejudicial to the security of Malaysia." The Home Minister may authorize indefinite detention renewable every two years ad infinitum.	The Act allows 7 days detention after which he AG should initiate deportation proceedings, press charges or otherwise release the detainee. There is provision provided for the person to be detained for up to six months. The Court ruled that Attorney General is authorized to detain aliens as long as removal is reasonably foreseeable.
Restricted conditions after released	Those released before the end of their detention period are subject to "imposed restricted conditions" for the remainder of their detention periods. These conditions limited their rights to freedom of speech, association, and travel outside the country	Either deportation or let free. No restricted conditions after released.
Report to Parliament	No equivalent provisions.	Every 6 months, the Attorney General shall submit a report to the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Senate, with respect to the reporting period, the details of the detainees and the grounds for the detention.
Review	The Advisory Board shall review the detention every 2 years.	The Attorney General shall review the detention every 6 months
Sunset Provision	No equivalent provisions	The Act shall cease to have effect on Dec 31, 2005.

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) recommended to the Government to enact a new anti-subversion law to replace the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA). SUHAKAM has also pointed on many occasions where the ISA should not be used and when it has been misused. All these have been ignored by the gomen mostly.

The Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysian Police, whose REPORT containing 125 recommendations was made public recently has recommended a review of the ISA amongst some others like the Police Act 1967 and Dangerous Drugs Act 1985. Like the IGP, the Royal Commission said that preventive laws are undesirable because they deny the individual his personal liberty without a right to trial in an open court as provided for in Article 5 of the Federal Constitution and in the International Bill of Rights. As regards the ISA, the Royal Commission recommended some changes ::

On the 60-day detention period under the ISA, the commission recommended 30 days as being sufficient time for the police to conduct investigations or gather information.
Standard remand procedures to be applied to ISA detainees including access to legal counsel.
Where legal access is denied for “good reason(s)”, the commission said detainees should be given access to family members and counsel at least seven days following arrest.

Going by what the IGP has to say, the ISA will continue and if by chance as recommended by the Royal Commission, it is modified; it may turn out not to our liking and human rights might once again take a backseat.

| ¶ 6/14/2005 10:57:00 PM

No Cambridge in Malaysia

Now where and when did i read that Cambridge is coming to Malaysia? It was this article in our NST. June being a bit too late in the year for April's joke and the article being in such a prestigious paper as the NST, it could not be wrong. Anyway, amidst all the furore of the UM-Gomez Saga, i was taken aback just reading it, the chappies in Cambridge must have gone off their rockers to want to come to GostanLand. Anyway if Cherie is coming, why not Cambridge too. Anyway i decided that it was time to dust by ancient reference books, check my bank account and prepare meself for a postgraduate short course in 'pathologi'. This was something i had wanted to do for a long long time. But the money in the bank was just not sufficient to make that overseas trip to that esteemed uni to pursue my dreams. Now thhat there was going to be a branch campus in GostanLand, my dreams can finally come through.
Feverishly, i asked my banker to check on my finances. I wonder what would likely to be the fees culcualted in ringgit, how much would the savings be, i wondered? Will the gomen do a gostan balik and decide to lift the Ringgit-USD peg, something our wise PM and MINIster of Finance said was better left alone for the moment. Will GostanLand take an about-turn and disturb my finances for this shot at postgraduate fame? Or will i instead end up with more, sufficient for me to take that trip instead of studying at a less prestigious branch campus away from the famous colleges of Cambridge proper. My banker said he would work on it. The next thing that came to mind was whether my studies would received due recognition at the end of the day? The way the standard of academia has been falling in GostanLand might affect degrees given out even by Cambridge as my eventual one will be given only by a branch, overseas at that and located in GostanLand. Whatever, first thing first, after making sure that there would be no financial problems, the next was to ensure that i am qualified to enrolled. In Gostanland, there is surely a way of ensuring this and often things and even qualifications can take an about-turn.
Just a moment ago, it looks like all my worries and planning are over. In just a matter of a few days, once again my eyes popped out as i chanced on this article in Malaysiakini :: No plans to open campus in M’sia, says Cambridge University. My hopes are now dashed and my dreams will once again remain dreams as GostanLand performs another about-turn.
Now will the prestigious NST be threatened with actions and punishment for publishing such a piece of wrong info and bringing the country to be an odious topic of discussion and be in a negative light? Remember Malaysiakini's April's Joke?

| ¶ 6/14/2005 04:48:00 PM

Sunday, June 12, 2005

Another 12A1s Denied

The NST has revealed that there is another 12A1 student denied a PSD scholarship. This has been brought to the attention of the media by UMNO Youth education bureau chairman. The student is Abdul Azim Abdul Rahim.
Azim was one of 25 top performers who received certificates from Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein last March. Another was Nur Amalina Che Bakri, who scored 17 A1s.
The UMNO Youth education bureau chairman would see the PSD to help with Azim's appeal. Meanwhile, it appears that some 500 students who had good results in the SPM have appealed to the PSD to reconsider their application for scholarships.
With each year there are more students taking the SPM exams and as a result there are more students with outstanding results but it seems the PSD has not been pproactive and has not considered offering more scholarships. It is time for BolehLand to become GostanLand and hopefully in time to come 1st-Time-RightLand

| ¶ 6/12/2005 08:57:00 AM

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Another Gostan Balik in GostanLand

Just yesterday BolehLand did a gostan balik and again today we are pleasantly surprised with another gostan act, this time no thanks to BN politicos [who joined the silent majority]. Is BolehLand becoming GostanLand. Check this out :: "Gov’t okays Gomez’s secondment, revokes resignation" [Malaysiakini].
Excerpts from the report ::

The Higher Education Ministry has overruled the decision by Universiti Malaya to reject Dr Edmund Terence Gomez’s application for two-year secondment to head a prestigious United Nations research project.
Higher Education Minister Dr Shafie Salleh has announced that the government has approved the top academic’s leave and revoked his resignation.
Shafie said that he had asked higher education director Professor Dr Hassan Said to inform Gomez about the government’s decision.

It looks like good sense has won the day for Malaysia and Dr Gomez.

Apart from being grateful to the PM,Dr Gomez has this to say ::

“I wish to acknowledge my gratitude to Lim Kit Siang for bringing my problems in UM to the public domain. And to Malaysiakini, for giving us a space to voice and discuss these issues.”

Today, do i see a ray of hope in BolehLand or GostanLand?

| ¶ 6/11/2005 09:26:00 PM

Scholarships::PSD Still Opaque

This country is full of gostan balik (about turns). When those who were denied PSD scholarships complained and protested, the PSD PRO did a rush job at damage control and said that "Half-a-point can make or break", thus coming out with Hogwash.

But with the people, MCA and Gerakan, our Education MINIster and even with the PM chipping in and standing up for those denied scholarships, the PSD has backdown and took a gostan balik position. Earlier PSD rejects Ng Ee Liang, Desmond Chee, Teoh Wan Ying, Khaw Kok Tong and Chew Ying Dee have each received a letter from the PSD yesterday, offering each of them a scholarship to study abroad. There is no explanation why they were denied and now so suddenly provided with the scholarships. Earlier the PSD PRO had explained that the number of scholarships were limited, how did these five suddenly come out of the blues or have they been kept in reserve or are now five others denied? Questions the PSD must provide answers for. Remaining opaque should not be the way the PSD goes about its work. Or is the whole exercie a sandiwara/charade for some politicos to gain some brownie points with the people. Or is it that the PSD just might have no valid reasons for the rejections in the first place?

While the five have cause to rejoice and be thankful, the people must continue to demand transparency from the PSD or this annual event concerning the PSD scholarships will repeat itself annually. The people and not the PSD or gomen are ultimately the fund providers of the scholarships and they have the right to transparency in the entire process of awarding these scholarhips. Those five who have now been awarded their scholarships must also realise who they should ultimately be thankful to for their scholarships.

The PSD needs to be transparent when handling public funds to provide for these schoalrships. The criteria used should be made known, the number of available scholarships for each course should be revealed and there should be no such sudden about turns in the future without proper accounting. So stop trying to take us for a ride, it is time to come clean, PSD.

| ¶ 6/11/2005 08:41:00 AM

Friday, June 10, 2005

Shocking School Statistics

Malaysia now has about five million primary and secondary students in 10,000 schools with 320,000 teachers. Some 2.4 million of the students attend national schools.

Statistics revealed by our MINIster of Education and MINIster of Higher Education ::

309 national schools were aided schools, they do not get full government assistance

more than 2,000 schools lacked students

about 800 schools do not have electricity

1,500 schools have no running water

1,100 schools do not have computer labs

over 1000 schools do not have both electrical and water supplies

How to make national schools, our first choice. Compared the state of some 15% of our schools and iconic PutraJaya, could the taxpayers' money have been better spent. Could more money have been spent on universities instead of the PutraJaya Wetlands, Putra Bridge and other Putra structures in PutraJaya. See the figures below to see why we still the need for more universities.

Percentage of those aged 25-34 years with higher education ::

Malaysia :: 14%
USA :: 31%
South Korea :: 26%
Japan :: 24%
Australia :: 25%

| ¶ 6/10/2005 10:52:00 PM

Putrajaya, An ICON

According to the President of Putrajaya Corporation Tan Sri Samsudin Osman, Putrajaya [PJ] has become an icon in Malaysia. He proudly proclaimed that even the international community has accepted iconic Putrajaya. Already 23 countries are lining up to move their embassies and missions into PJ Diplomatic Precinct. in the list are the Philippines, Brunei, Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Sudan, Libya, Ghana, the United Arab Emirates, Namibia, Algeria, Syria and Afghanistan. Expected to follow are the USA, the UK, France, China, India; now, now am i spilling the beans a wee bit early.

The Tan Sri said that PJ is a showcase which shows our skills in planning, designing and implementing huge development projects and that foreigners were attracted to the architecture, engineering and other aspects of Putrajaya. Those who were involved in the construction and development of Putrajaya now held vast experience which they could export.

Here's a map of PutraJaya ::

[Click on the map for a larger versi]

and one can take a virtual tour of PutraJaya here

| ¶ 6/10/2005 10:32:00 PM

The UM-Gomez Saga::The VC Reveals Himself

The UM-Gomez saga has been going on for sometime and many of us are wondering when the UM VC and our country No 1 will finally reveal their thoughts on the matter. Many of us may have our suspicions with regards to the one who is helming UM. As long as he kept his oral cavity shut tight, we can only continue to have our suspicions. But now he has finally choosen to give his dua kupang (that probably being the worth) and exercise his vocal cords on the matter, we have our suspicions confirmed. Read for yourself what his profound thoughts are on the matter, here. With him at the helm of our once premier university, we may now understand UM's present standing. The thoughts of the country No 1 helmsman is eagerly awaited now that the UM VC has revealed himself.

Only the other day, there was this minister whose responsibility is to take care of all of us whenever we happen to be ill. Over an unfortunate event, he is now wondering if the long established co-operation between the public and private health providers of ours maybe jeopardise. He is thinking of stopping the practice of gomen hospitals accepting patients from private hospitals for post-surgical care. This practice has been established on mutual understanding and on humanitarian grounds in the medical fraternity and has long existed for the good of the patients as well as health care providers. Private health care facilities come in all shapes and sizes and range from lone ranger operator to those with as many doctors and para medical staff as any average gomen hospital. Often for the good of a patient, the patient from a private facility may require to be further and more adequately managed in a more established gomen facility, this is especially so when the private facility has limited resources and especially so in dire emergency cases.

Of recent happening too, is the HLBB share financing fiasco. The minister and his advisors who are in charge of the financial health of country appear to be in dire need of refresher courses in 'Finance & Banking 101'. Check out Jeff's blog for all the details.

With all these recent happenings and the actions and reactions of people at the helm of this country, we should worry and worry a lot and perhaps also pray and pray a lot.

| ¶ 6/10/2005 07:07:00 PM

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Scholarships::PSD Replies::Hogwash

According to the report in today's STAR, entitled :: "PSD: Half-a-point can make or break"; it appears that the students denied PSD scholarships were not qualified. A list of the criteria used by the PSD appeared in the print versi of the STAR but it is not available online. PSD PRO, Hasniah Rashid, said scholarship applicants were allotted points according to their academic achievement in the SPM as well as their extra-curricular activities, family background and performance during interviews with the department.

i am still trying to figure out how these top scorers missed out. Let us take the case of Ng Ee Liang. Ee Liang scored 13A1s in the last SPM exam, he says he is placed at number 14 as far as last year top SPM scorers are concerned. He was active in sports and other extracurricular activities. Of course we are not aware whether E e Liang was even called for the PSD interview or if called how did he fared. But considering that he is an all-round students, it is unlikely that he would have fared badly.

The PSD PRO confirmed that 322 scholarships were given for medicine and that there were 1189 applicants for them, Ee Liang being one of them. How is it possible that Ee Liang failed to land one of those 322 scholarships with his academic achievements and extra-curricular achievements. Was he even called for the PSD interview and if so did he fared terribly, so terribly that he had to be denied one of those 322 sholarships given out? Things do smell fishy.

And take the case of Desmond Chee who also scored 13A1s and had also had his application for a scholarship to do medicine denied. He is also amongst the 25 top SPM scorers. His father works as a technician and cannot afford to pay the high fees for private medical studies. Did he also fared terribly terribly during the interviews? It would certainly be interesting to know what went on during these "killer interviews". Could the PSD PRO elaborate please?

| ¶ 6/09/2005 03:37:00 PM

Is Mahathir A-changing?

During his over-extended reign/rule of more than 22 years, the Tun had brooked little disagreement or opposition to what he thought was the best for the country as she moved towards 2020. Of course many would say that the Tun's 2020 vision was flawed but there were also many who dare not voice their views. The media was in self-censorship and accountability, transparency and good governance were pushed aside while corruption, cronyism and nepotism thrived. In October 2003, the Tun stepped down as planned by himself (or was it by other hands).

Of late, the Tun has thrown up some surprises for us. There was this talk of his that corruption was becoming a culture and coming "above table". He appears to believe that during his time it was so, so secretive and all under table. Many would disagree with him. When one of the previously much cowed media editor said that the Tun could have done more when he was at the helm, the Tun took offence. He proceeded to call a press conference to refute the editor's words, and proclaimed to all the various actions he had taken during his time. Of course being who he is, much of these actions of his were carried out in silent mode.

The next surprise was when he called for accountability and transparency in the awarding of those lucrative tradeable APs (Approved Permits). This straight away put his once-trusted lady lieutenant in a spot. Anyway, the Tun claimed that the AP system had been there even before he was prime minister, and when he came in, he had cut down the number of AP holders. This nearly causing a demonstration against him by people working in Umno headquarters. He also said that almost everyone working in UMNO headquarters had 10 APs each and was making RM8,000 a month selling them! There are said to be 67,000 APs out there.

According to the report in the Star, the Tun said that the market is abuzz with rumours of a “king of APs" and he pointed out that the best way to kill this rumour was to name all the AP holders. This, he said, doing so would put the gomen in good light. Now why didn't he do this when he was in power and make his gomen look good, but then again he is not great for lighting himself up. What seems to irk him is the fact that his son's name has been bandied around as an AP holder for Porsche cars and yet the MITI and gomen are refusing to mention the names of others awarded APs. Hence maybe his recent crusade for transparency and accountability regarding APs.

Despite the fact that Proton has in the recent past been marketing Proton cars overseas at prices below cost, he now wants thhe dumping of foreign cars to be stopped. This is in order for Proton to compete on a level playing field, imagine the Tun calling for such a field! Excerpts from the BERNAMA report ::

Proton adviser Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad claims that the dumping of foreign completely-built-up (CBU) cars into the country at below cost are affecting the national car maker's competitiveness.
"I don't know how far it is true -- (but) CBU cars are being imported at below cost and sometimes even less than the cost of raw materials," he said.
Against such a scenario, he said "a lot of people said Proton is protected, but we sometimes dispute it."
As such, "there should be a level playing field when competing," he said when asked to comment on Proton's sales and export performance and the reasons why he wanted the list of recipients of Approved Permits (APs) to be made public.
"Initially, we wanted to introduce Proton to foreign markets, and we were prepared to lose money. We want to see whether Proton can compete in a foreign market, so it was sold at a low price and successfully entered Europe and other markets."

Is Tun Mahathir a-changing after all these years. In his waning years, is he starting to think of the legacy he will be leaving behind? Will he want just to be remembered for the tallest towers, KLIA, Putrajaya, the longest satay, the biggest roti chanai or the biggest pau or other better stuff? He must have realised at the tailend of his reign that there aren't many good things to remember him by. His divide and rule, his failure to have his brethens standing cruthless, little increase in national unity and integration to talk of after 22 years, universities with falling standings and unemployable graduates and many others, are not great stuff to remember one by. All these as he busily writes his memoirs may account for his recent interest in fighting corruption and calling for transparency and accountability. Will the Tun surprise us more in the days to come? Better things may yet come out of our Tun!

| ¶ 6/09/2005 11:21:00 AM

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Scholarships::Let's Have Transparency II

The Penang State gomen is said to be preparing to appeal/ask/plead/beg the PSD to reconsider its rejection of applications for scholarships by three students in the state who scored 13A1s in the SPM exams last year. Will the other states like Pahang and Perlis follow suit. Will there be a whole series of appeals by these top students to the PSD.

The political secretary of Penang Big MINIster, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, one, Mark Ooi, said that PSD Director-General Tan Sri Jamaluddin Ahmad Damanhuri was surprised when told of this matter by Tan Sri Dr Koh. Apart from being surprised, surprised, the DG said that he would find out why PSD officers had rejected the students' applications. Now it looks like the case of the head claiming not to know what its tail is doing. Would you believe him like Mark ooi and the Tan Sri?

Instead of appealing/asking/pleading/begging for the PSD to reconsider, the Penang gomen as well as the Pahang and Perlis gomen should fight for their citizens and demand the PSD to state clearly why these top students have been given the cold shoulder and not been given PSD scholarships. After all the various state gomens like the federal gomen have duties of looking after all the people in their respective states and fight for their rights and betterment. The criteria for selection must be above table, there is certainly no necessity to keep them secret. Let all those interested know what they are and we may even support the PSD officers' decisions to reject these students' applications. Surely in rejecting them, the PSD officers must have very valid reasons, they couldn't have rejecting them out of spite or out of hand, just like that. The hopes of these students, of securing a scholarship should not just be dashed by the PSD saying permohonan ditolak. Let the truth and transparency prevail and that will set the PSD free from being thought of as to what it truly is not, uncaring, discriminating, inconsiderate, fumbling, etc etc.

For transparency, accountability and the TRUTH, let's have a Malaysian Freedom of Information Act, click the banner to sign the CIJ [Centre for Independent Journalism] on-line petition for such an act.

Regarding this issue of the top students not getting scholarships, check out the following blog entries ::

| ¶ 6/08/2005 08:46:00 PM

Scholarships::Let's Have Transparency

Here's the list of some top scorers and PSD rejects, with no PSD scholarships::

Ng Ee Liang, Penang top scorer, 13A1s
Desmond Chee, Penang top scorer, 13A1s
Teoh Wan Ying, Penang top scorer, 13A1s
Khaw Chok Tong, Pahang top scorer, 12A1s
Chew Ying Dee, Perlis top scorer, 13A1s

Unbelieveable but true, these top scorers in last year SPM have had their PSD scholarship applications rejected. Can any sane person please explain why these top scorers has been told ‘permohonan ditolak’ regarding their PSD scholarship applications? Isn't BolehLand looking forward to producing more "Towering Malaysians"? Mana Boleh if we chose not to provide these youths with scholarships to further their studies. It looks like we are just thrusting them into the opened arms of our down south neighbour. Are we serious about stoppingg the brain drain?

Let's have transparency regarding the qualifications for the award of scholarships. What are the criteria being used for these awards? Don't just say 'permohonan ditolak' to them. Doing so will just make these youths feel disheartened, angry, discriminated against, unwanted; amongst other feelings.

| ¶ 6/08/2005 11:06:00 AM

Sunday, June 05, 2005

‘True independence’ — an ideal goal

There is this OPINION piece in the Sunday Times by Chow Kum Hor.

Will Parliament be able to have its rubber stamp image changed? Senator Datuk Dr S. Vijayaratnam says the rubber-stamp image of the Malaysian Parliament, while pervasive, is inaccurate. According to him, over the past year, the Upper House twice returned Bills to the Dewan Rakyat to be re-tabled.

Will taking Parliament out of the Prime Minister’s Department make it "truly independent". Our MINIster in charge of Parliament recently proposed that the Parliamentary Services Act 1963, repealed in 1992, be revived. Will the Pak Lah gomen allow for this?

Universiti Teknologi Mara professor of law Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi has this to say :: "The idea that Parliament makes law is a beautiful folklore of democracy, it is a democratic myth.". He was referring to our Parliament. What is reality then, he says :: "The centre of gravity of the legislation process has shifted from Parliament to offices and executive mansions in Putrajaya. The stark reality is that Parliament legitimates. It does not legislate."

Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang concurs that Nazri’s proposal will have negligible impact. He says :: "Members of Parliament are not properly consulted in the formulation of laws. By right, MPs should be involved from the beginning, or what other countries call the Green Paper stage."

To get a clearer picture the Sunday Times article is quoted verbatim below ::

OPINION: ‘True independence’ — an ideal goal
By Chow Kum Hor

MINISTER in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz is seeing red over the black carpet and upholstery in the Dewan Negara. After the RM80 million renovation works in Parliament last year, the Senate furnishings were changed from their original dark pink to black.

For Nazri, the colour choice is not about personal taste or interior design; it is about the legacy and tradition.

"In the Dewan Negara, the colour has always been red and in the Dewan Rakyat, blue. This is why the covers of the Hansard for the Dewan Rakyat are also blue and Dewan Negara, red.

"It is similar to the Westminster practice where the colour in the House of Lords is red and the House of Commons, green."

Nazri, a former senator, blames the oversight on "outsiders" hired for the renovation works, without the faintest idea about the legislature’s long-held traditions. It illustrates one of the many areas where Parliament is not "independent".

Recently, Nazri proposed that Parliament be taken out of the Prime Minister’s Department to make it "truly independent".

He also intends to revive the Parliamentary Services Act 1963, repealed in 1992, following complaints from Parliament staff that it had hampered their chances of promotion in the civil service.

For a country that observes the separation of powers between the executive, judiciary and legislature, it is ironic that the highest institution of the land is technically an agency under the Prime Minister’s Department.

The Speaker applies for leave from the department; staff are recruited via the Public Service Department; and the House is at the mercy of the Treasury when it comes to the budget.

Nazri, the Cabinet member in charge of Parliament, is none too pleased with the present arrangement. On a scale of one to 10, he rates Parliament’s independence a zero.

In line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s objective of having a first-world Parliament, Nazri says reviving the Act is the first step towards independence.

Once revived, the legislature will be able to administer its own affairs, including staff recruitment and wage payments. It will become an autonomous body.

But how would administrative changes "liberate" an institution where the party whip enforces discipline; where members of the executive also sit in the legislature; and where the dynamics of partisan politics are a salient feature of proceedings?

"The idea that Parliament makes law is a beautiful folklore of democracy, it is a democratic myth," says Universiti Teknologi Mara professor of law Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi.

While lauding the proposal to revive the Parliamentary Services Act, he says the reality is that laws are drafted at the Attorney-General’s Chambers, introduced by ministers, propelled by the Cabinet with the timing decided by the Government.

"The centre of gravity of the legislation process has shifted from Parliament to offices and executive mansions in Putrajaya. The stark reality is that Parliament legitimates. It does not legislate."

Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang concurs that Nazri’s proposal will have negligible impact.

He says right now, Members of Parliament are not properly consulted in the formulation of laws. "By right, MPs should be involved from the beginning, or what other countries call the Green Paper stage."

In Britain, a Green Paper is a tentative government report of a proposal, published with a view to making or amending laws.

To make Parliament more independent, Shad says institutional changes, not just administrative ones, must be made.

He proposes the setting up of a permanent committee, made up of members from both sides of the political divide, to scrutinise Bills after the second reading.

"The debates in the House can touch on policy matters. The committee is the body which goes through the nitty-gritty. It has to be done in a non-partisan way," he says, adding that his studies between 1990 and 1995 showed that 89 per cent of the Bills were endorsed "without amendments to a single comma or full-stop".

In England, he says, it is not uncommon for the House of Commons to reject in toto Bills tabled by the ruling Government.

Senator Datuk Dr S. Vijayaratnam says the rubber-stamp image of the Malaysian Parliament, while pervasive, is inaccurate.

For one, the Gerakan vice-president says senators are less partisan when debating Bills. Over the past year, the Upper House twice returned Bills to the Dewan Rakyat to be re-tabled — an unheard-of practice.

He adds despite time constraints, many lawmakers spend hours poring over the Bills and conducting extensive researches for their debates and questions.

Vijayaratnam, whose term ends in August, says MPs are also allowed to table private members’ Bills, conceding that not many MPs have the means to do so. "We need people who have legal knowledge to help us. A lot of research needs to be done."

Unlike conventional Bills prepared by the Attorney-General’s Chambers, a private member’s Bill is drafted by backbenchers independently of the executive.

In Westminster, private members’ Bills make up about 20 per cent of the Bills tabled.

In Malaysia, such practices are rare and always defeated. One example was when Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah tabled an amendment to the Societies Act in the 1980s in a bid to revive Umno, soon after the party was declared illegal.

Nazri says the Government is looking into appointing researchers for MPs to, among others, help the elected representatives draft such Bills.

But given the country’s conjoined system, where some lawmakers are also members of the executive, can Parliament become "truly independent"?

Shad says it is impossible under the present structure, unlike the American system where the separation between the judiciary, legislature and executive is more defined.

In any case, he says, the US system has resulted in running battles between the executive and legislative, resulting in deadlocks that can be crippling for a country like Malaysia.

"Having said that, I am also not averse to some features of the US system. I admire the fact that Congress has a fixed tenure and the President cannot dissolve Congress," he says.

In Malaysia, he says, the Parliament term should also be fixed. At present, the Parliament is supposed to check on the executive, but the Prime Minister can advise the King to dissolve Parliament any time before the five-year term is up.

For Shad, although the notion of an "independent Parliament" may sound lofty, reviving the Parliamentary Services Act is a step in the right direction.

"But we need to go beyond that. We need to improve the institutional efficacy of Parliament."

| ¶ 6/05/2005 08:34:00 PM

Bite The Hand

Often we are told to be grateful and not bite the hand. See this article regarding the Tun, "Mahathir Lashes Out at Ungrateful Malays"

More recently, i came across another article alluding to more or less the same, this one regarding another bunch of ungrateful buggers and mention of Danbukit and Dumbukit

To all of them, i say look at what i just happen to come upon ::

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

| ¶ 6/05/2005 07:33:00 PM

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

World-Class Tertiary Education

Expect World-Class Tertiary Education in BolehLand soon. Malaysiakini reports that the Committee to Study, Review and Make Recommendations Concerning the Development and Directions of Higher Education in Malaysia [CSRMRCDDHEM] is ready to roll out plans for the creation of a world-class tertiary education in Malaysia.
The committee, [CSRMRCDDHEM] was formed on Jan 17, this year with the aims to prepare a comprehensive report of its findings and recommendations to improve the quality of higher education. The goals of the CSRMRCDDHEM are ::

1. To make Malaysia the centre of regional excellence in the field of higher education
2. To make higher education the instrument of national integration

The committee adopted “a SWOT analysis approach” when conducting meetings with higher education stakeholders.
The committee has a web site and members of the public are invited to write in and share their thoughts on higher education. So do visit this web site and contribute your thoughts. The committee has a very tight schedule as it has to complete its work by July 17, 2005. The committee then has to prepare a report to be presented to the Minister of Higher Education. So time is of the essence and there is not much of it left. This call for contributors should have been publicised widely earlier.
All interested to contribute, do check out the web site.
The committee has made visits to other countries viz China, Japan, Korea, Europe, USA and Australia; to compare - facilities, types of investment made by the industry and others. The Committee Chairman that the countries were chosen as "we want to be world-class.” The most important in order to be world class is to ensure that the best of our students are admitted and the best of teachers are employed to teach in our IPTAs and IPTSs.
In the meanwhile, take note of this--Closure Of Bumi Colleges and this--PM: Govt will not bail out 'sick' IPTSs.

| ¶ 6/01/2005 10:39:00 PM

Are You Aware

Are you aware that there is this MINIster who was one of the earliest and probably the most vocal in calling one of his former party leader, a traitor. He also probably ended up calling his grandpa, one too. This MINIster, now wants Malaysians to reject the culture of criticising former leaders who have served the nation well. He was responding to criticisms of his former boss, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the critics said that the Tun did not do enough to curb corruption while he was in power.
As for calling these critics "cowards", hey i may agree with him on that. The MINIster had this to say ::

"Before, they kept silent. Now, apparently after the leadership change, they want to become heroes, but we in Umno Youth do not think they are that great in such circumstances."
"We should not even label the critics courageous since they are voicing opinions that do not put them at risk. What is there to be afraid of? I don't call that courage."
Surely we are aware who he is referring to in particular.

Are you aware that the Tourism MINIstry has a new web site :: www.motour.gov.my. Do check it out. Are you also aware that our Arab tourists find our afternoon weather too hot and that they normally only go out at night. They only start shopping when our shops are about to close. Now our Tourism MINIster is considering the proposal by the FT MINIster that restaurants and supermarkets in Kuala Lumpur be allowed to operate 24 hours daily to promote tourism! Wasn't it not too long ago that they were calling for early closure of restaurants and the ban on 24 hour supermarkets! Well, for the Arab tourists' money, semua pun boleh in BolehLand.

| ¶ 6/01/2005 09:16:00 AM

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