Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

Posted: 12 Nov 2011 04:34 PM PST

The Auditor-General's Report 2010 is not about politics or the opposition, it is simply about the 'mismanagement of our money'.

The Malaysian Marine Parks Department spent a whopping RM56,350 for a pair of night vision Marine binoculars. They paid 29 times more than the binocular's market value of RM1,940 a pair.

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia Today

The 2010 Auditor General's Report is a voluminous document with horrifying mentions of repeated trangresions by the authorities.

It offered more or less the same findings contained in reports of preceding years , which is bizzarre overpricing, negligence, incompetency and officious arrogance.

If you are perplexed as to why the opposition should bicker about the report then we shall have to explain to you in as simple terms as possible.

This is not about politics or the opposition. This is beyond the opposition. This is about the mismanagement of our money.

And mismanagement of our money deserves to be treated as a cause of concern. We are talking about possible fraud and deception.

The short answer to the question then as to why the opposition are irked by the AG's Report as are all right thinking Malaysians is that the money being treated isn't the property of the transgressors.

BN government's deception

That being so, the administration of the money and the application of the funds thereof, must be done with utmost care.

It's not your father's money. That is the short answer.

The long answer is, Malaysians are fed up with the deception and misappropriation of funds.

For the year 2010, the government approved a budget of RM149 billion for operating expenditure (opex).

This wasn't enough and the government had to increase the opex to RM151 billion.

The report noted that nine ministries had overspent. Here is where all of us should be concerned. This is taxpayers money being spent on opex.

The two billion could have been spent on capital expenditure (capex) which builds capacity to create more wealth.

Now, Malaysians are equally outraged by the revelations of the 2010 Auditor-General Reports on the continuing financial scandals, hanky-panky and gross financial negligence in government.

Bizzarre overpricing

We are horrified to learn for example that the National Sports Institute acquired 23 horses totalling RM5.66 million without a Financial Ministry go-ahead.

None of these horses competed in two recommended international championships.

Then we have the case of the RM142 million RazakSAT satellite malfunctioning barely a year after being commissioned.

Wait, we have more disclosures in the AG Report 2010.

The Malaysian Marine Parks Department spent a whopping RM56,350 for a pair of night vision Marine binoculars. They paid 29 times more than the binocular's market value of RM1,940 a pair.

They also paid the same amount for another pair of night vision Bushnell binoculars, or 1,893% more than its actual price of RM2,827.

We are once again appalled at the incompetence of front line workers incapable of appreciating the importance of proper placement of decimal points and making accounting mistakes that have resulted in wasteful overspending.

These should not have happened if there are efficient and proper internal audit systems.

As the result of a laid back attitude, we are told of stories where a pensioner received RM21,433 a month instead of RM214.33 for 16 months! The mistake was detected after more than a year.

The officer who finally detected the mistake should be a given a merit order.

We are also dismayed of hearing Giatmara Centre mistakenly paying RM170 per kg instead of RM1.70 per kg for sugar for a poverty eradication programme or RM25, 500 for 150 kg of sugar!

This must be a special kind of sugar.

READ MORE HERE

PKR eyes mixed seats in the south

Posted: 12 Nov 2011 04:19 PM PST

PKR's national congress in Johor at the end of the month will signal its intention to make the Umno fortress a frontline state.

While DAP has declared that he is Pakatan's candidate for Prime Minister, PAS has been silent, and that speaks volumes. The thing is that not many people are prepared to vote for a party whose leader has all these personal problems and who may be facing jail.

Joceline Tan, The Star

DATUK Seri Anwar Ibrahim has had a terrible year. The sodomy trial continues to take up his time, his party is struggling to stay relevant and there was the sex video controversy that whipped up such a storm earlier this year.

But anyone watching the latest video of him in the PKR election website would never suspect that he has had such a big load on his shoulders.

The centrepiece of the website, still a work in progress, is a video depicting Anwar as a man of the people in line with the party's election theme of Demi Rakyat (for the people). It is quite different from the usual propaganda associated with political parties; this one has a contemporary and unfussy feel to it. Even the message comes across in a simple way, that PKR is a party that exists for the people.

Man to watch: Azmin is said to have secured the backing of his party's de facto leader to be Mentri Besar of Selangor if Pakatan holds on to the state. The PKR deputy president is seen here at a Selangor event with his rival Khalid (right) and Selangor Speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim.

A huge part of the video shows Anwar riding the LRT train and strolling along the platform area wearing sunglasses. He is also depicted drinking teh-O in a mamak shop, leading the prayers in a surau as well as conducting a meeting.

He looks good in the aviator-style sunglasses but they also give him the figure of a visually impaired man who is wondering which train to take. When he gets on the train, he makes his way down the aisle wearing a broad smile and shakes hands with the passengers. But from their reaction, it is clear that many of them are unsure who he is.

But the man is a natural actor. He could have been a big star in the Malay movie scene if he was not such a political animal.

Anwar has been critical of almost everything about his arch rival Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, but he seems to be taking a leaf from the Prime Minister's going-down-to-the-people approach. And why not? A PKR survey has indicated that Malaysians view Najib in a better light than Anwar.

Rafizi: Beating the war drums at the AGM.

Anwar is talking about a Malaysian Spring, claiming that Pakatan Rakyat is going to form the federal government after the upcoming general election. This despite the fact that he has declared the sodomy trial as a "foregone conclusion", meaning that he expects to be convicted and jailed.

"Anwar is trying to push the party into election mode, to build up the momentum," said political insider and UCSI don Dr Ong Kian Ming.

The PKR de facto leader is rallying the troops in preparation for the party's national congress at the end of the month and, more important, in the run-up to the general election.

The congress will be in Johor this year. It is a signal that PKR intends to make Johor its frontline state.

"The mood is about going into the election – election preparation, policies, young voters. We will be beating the war drums," said strategy chief Rafizi Ramli, the brain behind many of the ideas popping up in the party.

They know that Johor is Umno's fortress and that the Malay majority seats, especially those with Felda content, are no-go areas. Surveys in Johor have shown that Barisan Nasional enjoys 85% support in the Felda areas, 75% among Malays and 60% among Indians.

Pakatan leaders are aware they have gone as far as they can in states like Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor and Kelantan.

Saifuddin: PKR is training its guns on Johor.

Strategically speaking, said Rafizi, PKR have to slug it out elsewhere if they want to add on to their parliamentary count. Besides, the non-Malay-majority parliamentary seats in Johor are quite similar to that in the Klang Valley in terms of demography and economics. They are also easily accessible, unlike those in Sabah and Sarawak.

"Johor will be the battle ground. The focus will be on the mixed seats," he said.

The perception is that PKR is going to be the big loser among the Pakatan parties in this election but PKR aims to rattle the ruling party in Johor when they convene at the Pulai Springs Resort where the congress will be held. The last congress in Petaling Jaya had capped a nightmarish party polls that saw dirty laundry being aired and which deeply embarrassed the party.

All that is behind them now and, according to secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, speakers will focus on issues relating to the young, cost of living, scandals and corruption, and plight of the working class.

"We have told speakers not to spend time praising party leaders. There will be a report card on the preparation for the election and seat negotiation. We will set targets on seats to win and analyse what lies ahead," said Saifuddin.

The man to watch in the party is deputy president Azmin Ali.

He was the big winner in the stormy party election last year. He showed everyone that he is there not only because of Anwar but also due to grassroots support. There were allegations of fraud and vote rigging on his part but party leaders seem to have reconciled with the fact that he is here to stay.

Air of disappointment

Faekah: "Most powerful lady" in Selangor.

Azmin is known for his planning and organising skills. However, some are disappointed that he has clung to his style of speaking softly and carrying a big stick. They had expected him to take political positions, comment on issues and take on the other side. After all, his blog graphics show him waving like a champion with a picture of the Prime Minister's office behind him.

He has not done much to show what he is about. There have been no major projects nor has he articulated big issues. He has not really raised the game.

He was a much-watched debater in Parliament until Anwar returned as Permatang Pauh MP. After that, it seemed like the lieutenant did not want to steal the limelight from the boss. Some call it apple polishing, others think he is merely giving Anwar "face".

But, said a close aide: "Azmin is a careful man, he does not make rash decisions. He knows it's a marathon and he wants to bide his time, unlike Mat Sabu (PAS deputy president) who was everywhere after winning and got badly burnt."

Many have noted that Anwar is starting to treat him as an equal. He listens to Azmin rather than just instruct him to do this and that.

Azmin's priority is the general election. Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is the PKR president but Azmin and Anwar will likely have the main say over candidates and seats.

"Everybody will be kissing his hand soon," said a cynical observer.

The fight is on between Azmin, who is the party's Selangor chief, and Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. Azmin wants the MB's post and, according to sources, Anwar has finally given the nod. Khalid, some suggest, may only contest a parliamentary seat.

Anwar and Khalid are still cordial and they talk but, as some joke, they are talking different languages.

Some think the on-going criticism of Khalid's political secretary Faekah Husin is part of the campaign to undermine Khalid. They blame her for keeping a distance between the party and the MB. Faekah, a lawyer, is only about 1.5m (5 feet) tall but she is dubbed the "most powerful lady" in Selangor because she has the ears of the MB and Dr Wan Azizah who was her former boss.

Recently, a senior party leader was so upset that Faekah spoke about Selangor's minimum wage policy before the MB announced it that he sent out a message via Twitter to Khalid asking him to control his aide. Unfortunately, something went wrong and it went out as a tweet and became public knowledge.

But Faekah has brushed off the allegations of being powerful. She insisted that if even Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had problems controlling Khalid, no one can tell the MB what to do.

"He works very hard and he makes us work even harder. I never had pimples on my face until I joined his office," she said.

The tussle over the MB's post is a sideshow compared to bigger issues facing the party.

"PKR is actually on the defensive this time. It is the weak link in Pakatan," said Dr Ong.

The party, he said, is struggling to find good quality Malay candidates. Malay seats, especially the rural ones, are more difficult to fill than non-Malay seats. Apart from the usual qualifications, rural Malays want a candidate who is an anak kampung and religious credentials are important.

At a luncheon talk in Singapore earlier this year, Anwar declared that the difference between PKR and other political parties was that it gave opportunities for young people to be candidates.

Many of the party's main events have been organised by its younger leaders. But not everyone is sure whether Anwar will be willing to put his foot down on candidates and go with young, qualified faces or stick with the traditional but older loyalists.

The party had gone from zero to hero in the last election. But its image has sunk somewhat because of its reputation for "frogs" leaving the party and also because of Anwar's personal problems. His flip-flop on the hudud issue also damaged the party.

Anwar is a bit of an oxymoron in PKR. He is the X-factor in the party; at the same time, he is also the one dragging it down. The threat of a new sex video filmed in Bangkok hangs over the party like another sword of Damocles.

At a dinner talk attended by Chinese community figures in Subang last week, a businessman asked Anwar: "You managed to put PAS and DAP together but you can only do that if you are here. What if you are not around?"

Despite the emergence of young, energetic leaders, PKR is still very much Anwar-centric. And despite the issues surrounding him, the party has never discussed a scenario without Anwar.

"If Anwar has to go to jail, Azmin will be the one leading," said a PKR assemblyman.

Given that, Azmin is the one to watch in more ways than one. The trouble is that not everyone in the party thinks he is quite ready for the role.

The coming general election will test the party and the leadership of Azmin.

Should we settle for this nonsense?

Posted: 12 Nov 2011 03:50 PM PST

According to Khairy, who — to an outsider like me — seems mighty ready to prove that he is a reliable Umno man, said that the company did not want excess funds to lie idle. This guy thinks that we are dumb as the Umno people he mixes around with.

Ali Kadir, The Malaysia Insider

It is left to us, ordinary Malaysians, to show outrage at the thievery, corruption, mismanagement and subterfuge that is happening in our country.

Let us just ponder at what has happened since the Auditor-General noted that the National Feedlot project was a failure or on the verge of being a failure. First, you have the deputy prime minister downwards trying to convince Malaysians that the project was a success, with arguments that defy logic.

Then you had Noh Omar and Khairy Jamaluddin speaking up and defending the track record of the project and the main beneficiaries of the RM250 million soft loan: Shahrizat Jalil's family.

Their defence of the incredible — the squandering of public funds — indicated that the old and new of Umno are joined at the hip by ignorance, stupidity and a seemingly endless acceptance of bad practices.

Then came the revelation that the holding company behind the NFC project diverted nearly RM10 million in federal funds to buy a condominium in Bangsar. A company with a mandate to develop cattle project dabbling in property speculation, or was it a case of some people siphoning out public funds to build up their property portfolio?

When government funds or a soft loan is issued for a specific purpose, it cannot be used for other purposes. Otherwise, can you imagine the rampant abuses that would be taking place?

Here is the thing that has been disturbing me: Instead of shining a light on wrong practices and even owning up to mistakes, Umno and this government are prepared to lie and defend the indefensible.

In this NFC case, it is because a minister's family is caught in this mess that politicians and the media are all colluding to defend the abuse of taxpayers' funds.

Is Shahrizat's family the only one who obtained a sweet deal from the government? I believe this is not the case. Our ministers and politicians want leadership positions so that they can suck out the marrow from our country.

READ MORE HERE

All eyes on the Malay votes

Posted: 12 Nov 2011 01:30 PM PST

Of the 222 parliamentary seats, only 46 are Chinese majority. So winning the hearts and minds of Malay voters has become the focus of the competing Malay-based parties.

As for Anwar, on the one hand, he is telling his Chinese audience that hudud laws are not part of Pakatan's policy. On the other, he is telling the Malay audience that he backs the implementation of hudud laws, putting the DAP in a spot as PAS has said it couldn't care less if the DAP agrees or not.

By Wong Chun Wai, The Star

WHEN Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the government had decided to scrap the PPSMI (teaching of Maths and Science in English policy) in primary schools, there was loud outrage from the urbanites.

This unhappiness has continued with most urban voters refusing to accept the reasons given by the Education Minister, believing instead that politics is the reason behind the decision.

There were subtle threats of punishing the Barisan Nasional government in the polls but PAS and PKR, both Malay-based parties, also quickly stated their stand against continuing the policy.

A Malay non-governmental organisation, Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM), had revealed that its survey of 27,200 parents, mostly Malays, found 55% wanted the PPSMI to be retained compared to only 13% who didn't. Of these respondents, 15,000 were rural parents. But Malay groups, and certainly Malay-based parties, had found their own surveys telling them the opposite.

With a general election looming, winning the hearts and minds of the predominantly Malay voters has become the focus of the competing Malay-based parties.

The fact is that of the 222 parliamentary seats, only 46 are Chinese majority and there is not even a single constituency with an Indian majority.

The three main parties, Umno, PAS and PKR, have all stepped up their posturing as defenders of the Malay/Muslim votes, well aware that while they need the support of the other communities, they cannot ignore the sentiments of the Malay voters.

So when DAP publicity chief Tony Pua said that if Pakatan Rakyat formed the next federal government, it would trim down the civil service – majority of whom are Malays – his allies had to scramble to do damage control.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and senior PAS leaders had to quickly douse the fire, denying that there was such a plan.

The opposition leaders have been on tenterhooks since the fiasco by PAS deputy president Mohamed Sabu, who allegedly described communist guerrillas involved in the 1950s Bukit Kepong incident as freedom fighters.

With many Malay families having at least one relative in the police, army or other uniformed unit, Mat Sabu's remarks cost the Pakatan Rakyat a huge chunk of votes. Since then, the usually fiery speaker has remained quiet, and PAS is hoping that the anger against him will soon die out.

The Islamist party has also abandoned its attempt to project a more liberal image and has gone back to talking about hudud laws and the Islamic state and banning concerts to retain its core supporters.

The DAP seems to be helpless over the issue with its leaders saying they have "agreed to disagree" over the implementation of hudud laws. PAS claims it would not affect non-Malays but this is a fallacy because it will extend beyond family and religious laws.

In criminal matters, when a case involves a Muslim and a non-Muslim, if hudud is chosen, it will clearly put the latter in a spot. One example is sex offences where four witnesses are required.

Only DAP lawyer Karpal Singh seems to acknowledge the difficult path ahead.

The fight over Malay votes has continued with DAP's Lim Guan Eng coming out to say that if Pakatan wins, Anwar will be the prime minister. It is a move to allay fear among non-Muslim voters as PAS is eyeing the post.

There has been muted response from PAS as it is an open secret that its president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang wants to be PM.

Lim has insisted that Anwar would be PM "even if he is in jail (if convicted for sodomy charges)", but the point is, if Anwar is going to be PM, then he wouldn't be in jail.

Most non-Muslims wouldn't blink over the Seksualiti Merdeka issue as they are aware that the event is not a gay orgy as claimed by some media.

Many of us find the hysterical reaction to be lacking compassion and even ridiculous, but this is the silly season. It was a case of wrong timing and political naivete on the part of the organisers. After all, the event has been held for the past two years without any controversy.

But human rights lawyer Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, who was invited to open the forum, is seen as an opposition figure, and with Anwar's sodomy trial coming to a conclusion soon, the timing could not have been worse.

Well aware of the Muslim psyche and sentiments, PAS swiftly joined in to criticise the gay rights event.

The much-touted 11.11.11 date, which many thought would see the dissolution of Parliament, is over and with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak himself saying that polls would not be held this year, the run-up campaign looks set to be a draggy affair.

Even now, the posturing, rhetoric, accusations and lies are becoming tiresome, and the polls could still be very far away, possibly in mid-2012.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Ahad, 13 November 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

0 ulasan:

Catat Ulasan