Khamis, 3 Oktober 2013

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Malaysia would be misguided to ban Arabic word for God

Posted: 03 Oct 2013 01:48 PM PDT

http://www.thenational.ae/storyimage/AB/20100111/OPINION/301119931/AR/0/0/AR-301119931.jpg&MaxW=220&imageVersion=default 

Turning a linguistic term political 

The controversy is partly fuelled by confusion. Most Malaysians do not speak Arabic and so some of the Muslims among them may be under the false impression that "Allah" is an exclusively Islamic word. But they are mistaken. "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for "God".

Khaled Diab, The National, UAE

Malaysia is embroiled in a holy war of words. The government wants to ban Christians from using what it regards as a word that should be used only by Muslims.

In 2008, the government threatened to revoke a publishing licence from the Catholic Herald if the newspaper did not refrain from referring to "God" as "Allah". This would be problematic, as it would force the newspaper to misquote the centuries-old Malay version of the Bible. The local alternative, Tuhan, is used to refer specifically to "the Lord".

Fortunately, Malaysia's high court ruled in the newspaper's favour. The authorities, however, have appealed the verdict.

The dispute is a symptom of deeper troubles. Despite the fact that Malaysians, in their kaleidoscope of religious and racial diversity, tend to "talk conflict, but walk cohesion", as one academic put it, the country has been experiencing rising tensions between its various groups.

Though it is one of the world's longest-ruling parties, Barisan Nasional (the National Front) has seen its support base dwindling in recent years. In May, Barisan – whose three race-based parties operate on sectarian grounds outside of elections – gained less than half of the popular vote.

Despite statistical evidence to the contrary, prime minister Najib Razak blamed the erosion on a "Chinese tsunami". The Malaysian government has also been under growing pressure from Islamic parties, and this has led the government, as has occurred elsewhere, to play the piety card and engage in identity politics.

But is there any validity for limiting the use of "Allah" to Muslims?

Read more at: http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/malaysia-would-be-misguided-to-ban-arabic-word-for-god 

Ignoring popular will, Barisan returns to old ground with preventive laws

Posted: 03 Oct 2013 12:58 PM PDT

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/assets/uploads/resizer/Najib-Sept15-2011-speech-detention-ISA-law-repeal-041013-TMI_360_240_100.jpg 

(TMI ) - If the board cannot inquire or verify the authenticity of the inquiry officer's findings, then the decision to increase the membership of the Prevention of Crime Board from three to five is a cosmetic decision.

What is it about the Malaysian government that makes it so dependent on detention without trial? Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, eager to boost his credentials as a reformist, made a promise on the eve of Malaysia Day in 2011 to get rid of preventive laws, which are basically an oxymoron: how can a law that cannot be challenged in court be called a law?

Then, for a brief moment in Malaysia's history, the thing the sceptics never thought could happen, indeed happened.

The country abandoned its hoary dependency, doing away with the dreaded Internal Security Act and even the infamous Emergency Order (EO) that the police relied on to detain criminals they had no confidence to confidently prosecute in court.

For all the claims by cynics that this was just a shimmy shuffle by the Prime Minister to win over the liberal vote, it happened. Malaysia entered a period where its citizens could not be detained without the authorities having to prove their case to the courts.

But after the general election of May 5 where the majority vote went against the government, the very thing that the cynics warned about, occurred not so many hours ago: Malaysia restored detention without trial under the Prevention of Crime Act early on Thursday morning.

This, despite the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition losing its popular mandate for the first time in history, on May 5. Yes, it made the government but only through gerrymandering. Should not this inform its decisions from poll day 2013 onwards?

Should not this government have a sense that it might not bulldoze its laws through parliament anymore without serious consequences?

There is an opposition in the same chamber that won the mandate and it is nothing more than a powerful technicality that it is not in government, that it has inferior numbers to the BN in parliament alone.

Yet, here is BN again treating the results of May 5 as nothing more than a political strategy gone wrong.

The ruling coalition appears not to have acknowledged that the rakyat set a direction for the country on May 5.

And so Datuk Seri Najib Razak has made a U-turn with impressive nimbleness, taking the short view that his party hardliners are the ones whose views he must respect – even though he has already secured the presidency of Umno, the most dominant and the only successful portion of the ruling coalition.

Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/ignoring-popular-will-barisan-returns-to-old-ground-with-preventive-laws 

Liberty must be defended

Posted: 03 Oct 2013 12:55 PM PDT

http://i0.wp.com/www.zunar.my/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Cartoonkini-PCA-3-Oct-2013.jpg?resize=1024%2C772 

While we look at the state as our protector, the state turns assailant.

Aerie Rahman, MMO 

This week, preventive detention powers have been resurrected by Parliament. The Preventive Crime Act (PCA) will allegedly be used to combat organised crime. The law was primarily spearheaded by Zahid Hamidi and backed by the Barisan Nasional government.

The PCA allows for detention without trial for up to two years which can be renewed. The caveat placed by the government is that a five-member board headed by a judge would be issuing the detention order.

The screws of oppression are being mercilessly tightened.

Seeing as how many dissenting politicians are no stranger to the Sedition Act, one can imagine what would happen if the PCA is applied to allegedly seditious acts.

At last, with Ops Cantas the government has recognised the crime wave that is paralysing Malaysia. The old trick in the bag was to dismiss our claims with the condescending statement that the high crime rate was merely perception – a figment of our imagination.

It took a few high profile shootings before the government acknowledged our crime concerns. As usual, no apology was registered by the government to signify that their perception argument was baseless and at best arrogant.

Nevertheless, the preventive detention measures proposed by the government would lead to more sorrows – in a country that is all too familiar with the long shadow of preventive detention.

Deterrence first, reforms never

Preventive detention powers are heavy handed, prone to abuse and mere wayang kulit (shadow play).

Paul Low claimed that preventive laws are designed to send a message of deterrence to criminals. The problem is before committing a crime, criminals like any human beings would do a cost-benefit analysis. They would evaluate the risk of getting caught, the costs and gains of committing a crime.

No matter how heavy the laws are, if the criminals have reason to believe that there is a high chance they won't be caught – they would still go ahead with the crime.

Hence, the real issue is not about preventive detention. The court of public opinion must be oriented to demand the implementation of the recommendations of the IPCMC. Only when the police force has been reformed and resource allocation is optimised to the crime investigation department can we have a safer Malaysia.

We can have various laws detaining people in the most creative of ways. But if the competency and efficacy of the executioners of the laws are in doubt, the results would still be poor.

The government cannot deny that there is a trust deficit with the police force. It is excruciating to point at cases of suspects dying in lockups.

Read more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/opinion/aerie-rahman/article/liberty-must-be-defended 

Public safety first

Posted: 03 Oct 2013 12:53 PM PDT

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(NST) - We must have the right intention when doing things

PCA AMENDMENTS: The number of advisory board members on Prevention of Crime Board increased; remand period reduced from 72 days to 60 days

KUALA LUMPUR: AFTER a lengthy and fiery debate, the Dewan Rakyat approved amendments to the 1959 Prevention of Crime Act early yesterday, with the government insisting that the safety of the people and the security of the nation must come first.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, in his winding-up speech, said the bill took into account the interests of the people, crime victims and the police.

He said there was a lot of engagements and public consultations in drawing up the amendments.

He lashed out at the opposition for claiming that provisions under the act were against human rights.

"What human rights are you talking about when you do not defend the rights of the victims that got killed? How about the rights of the police when they got bashed

"We must have the right intention when doing things," he said.

The amendments via the Prevention of Crime (Amendment and Extension) Bill 2013 were hotly debated by both sides of the aisle at the policy stage after it was tabled last week.

It went through its second reading on Tuesday and continued on Wednesday.

Before the committee stage debate took off at 6.40pm on Wednesday, Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) requested that voting be based on en bloc voting.

Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia then ordered that the bell to be rung to alert members of parliament outside the lower House to enter the august chamber to vote.

The voting then took place, with 115 Barisan Nasional MPs, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, ministers and most of the government backbenchers voting for the amendments.

Sixty-six opposition MPs voted against.

The house then proceeded with the debate.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim then tabled a motion to extend the Dewan Rakyat's business past midnight using Standing Order 90(2), a very rare occurance in the history of the House.

In the end, all 10 proposed amendments by six opposition members were rejected.

The amendments included provisions involving detention without trial and restrictions under judicial review.

Out of 28 sections debated at the committee stage, amendments adopted included increasing the number of advisory board members on the newly minted Prevention of Crime Board from three to five members and reducing the remand period from 72 days to 60 days.

The bill then proceeded to its third reading and the lower house adopted it at 12.50am.

With the passing of bill, police had started talks yesterday on updating their standard operating procedures (SOP) and improving the Inspector-General of Police Standing Orders.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the bill would energise the force to combat crime, especially organised crime, and that they needed to act fast in order to keep up with the government.

"We are in the midst of preparations. So, when the bill is gazetted, it can be implemented straightaway. The existing SOP just needs to be updated according to the latest amendments," he said at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre here.

 

“True Teachings of Islam”: Academic Unfreedom, Muslim Conformity, and Gender Inequality? - ...

Posted: 03 Oct 2013 12:45 PM PDT

http://www.hds.harvard.edu/sites/hds.harvard.edu/files/images/basarudin2011.thumbnail.jpg 

Muslims cannot be trusted to be Muslims on their own. 

Azza Basarudin, TMI 

(*This is a three-part series on academic freedom, interpretations of Islam and Muslim conformity and the Malaysian women's movement*)

Read Part I here

Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin plans to grant RM100 million in research funds to UIA to promote "true teachings of Islam." He stated, "Muslims are now facing challenges which are not of their own making. The spread of western liberalism, under the pretext of human rights activism and gender rights movement, has brought new beliefs and ideas that are totally against Islam".

He cited "gay rights, lesbianism and same-sex marriage" as examples and said they are "sinful acts abhorred by Islam". He suggested that this is made worse because "some Muslims do not just believe this, but also actively propagate these false beliefs to other Muslims".

One of the many challenges facing Muslims mainly arises from how Islam has been interpreted and practised. Islam is not set in stone; it is what is understood, practised and disseminated by its adherents.

To avoid essentialising Islam and Muslims, it is important to note that Islam is not the sole factor in Muslim lives, and for the most part is not always the solution to all problems. In Malaysia, factors such as historical legacy, racial politics, education, autocracy, nation building and so on play significant roles in Muslim lives. Scriptural interpretation and "Islamic" laws and policies have to be understood as a wider part of the Malaysian fabric.

In Malaysia, citizens who claim Islam as their faith are subjected to paternalistic state surveillance that seeks to regulate their relationship with the Divine and monopolise the meaning of Islam.

The tools of surveillance include censorship, criminalisation and admonishment of anything construed as "insulting Islam and Muslims". This, in turn, dismisses Muslim citizens as those whose faith is easily swayed.

Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/azza-basarudin/article/true-teachings-of-islam-academic-unfreedom-muslim-conformity-and-gende 

The Auditor General’s Report – An auditor’s questions

Posted: 03 Oct 2013 12:37 PM PDT

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Do you see what's missing in all the reports about and responses to the Auditor General's Report? 

write2rest 

For over 30 years I've been responsible for business processes ranging from Research and Development to Customer Feedback, in companies which report turnover in billions of dollars.

I've spent the second half of my career in quality management. I know how processes are designed, resourced, implemented, examined and confirmed.

I know about legal requirements, industrial standards and moral/ethical decision making.

For a time I was responsible for assuring that nineteen manufacturing sites and research centres as well as dozens of contract manufacturers and hundreds of suppliers did the right things: followed defined and approved processes to specify, order, receive, make, release, store, deliver, service and improve products.

I've conducted, reviewed and responded to many audits. Audits are required by most quality-related regulations and standards. Audits are especially powerful when conducted by skilled auditors.

Meetings during the course of an audit

During audits it's customary for the auditors to hold an opening meeting on day one, debrief meetings at the end of each day and a closing meeting on the last day to summarize all issues. By the time of the closing meeting, all auditees and their managers will know what 'non-conformances' are likely to be included in the auditors' report, and the severity rating for each non-conformance. They will therefore be unsurprised by the final report.

The severity ratings used in most organizations can be mapped to levels similar to these: critical ('fix it within a week'), major ('fix it within 3 months'), minor ('fix it within 6 months') and opportunity-for-improvement ('do it when you've done the other things').

Good department managers

Over the years I have found that good department managers not only welcome audits. They keep the spectre of audit before their subordinates and peers all the time. They insist that their people co-operate fully with auditors. They use audit results to make changes – of people, processes and procedures.

Good department managers understand and accept that every audit will find issues. They are eager to know the issues and to "close the audit findings."

Read more at: http://write2rest.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-auditor-generals-report-auditors.html 

Late Charges in Public Library

Posted: 03 Oct 2013 12:18 PM PDT

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac131/admin-s/578727_10151512091432662_716619819_n.jpg 

Living in Kuala Lumpur exposes one to educated fools. I've spoken to the 'highly' educated fools armed with degrees from overseas universities. Armed with a couple of English words, they behave more American than the American, more British than the British. At times language fluency is confused with intelligence. In a typical Asian society, fluency in English is equivalent to clever people. 

Natesan Visnu 

I can relate to the rural kids and their needs. The only way to liberate them is through education and encouraging them to read. The state of public libraries is so bad. Most Malaysians don't read and they tend to be very judgmental with their RM 1.50 knowledge (local newspapers) without studying in-depth any issues. It would be really nice to see the poor kids reading Dickens, Twain, Salinger, Heller, Tagore, etc. 

In the age of knowledge, we need to equip the poor kids with books. Whatever said and done with the whole IT knowledge community, reading frees the mind of the poor. For voracious readers out there, you would truly understand the power of reading. A good library is always better than BR1M handout.

The book clubs and national reading program by the so-called intellectuals appeal only to urban settlers. I would love to explore the ideology of getting all the poor kids to become avid readers. The urban settlers live in their bubble of mental masturbation that does not contribute to our rural society members. That saddens me.

Living in Kuala Lumpur exposes one to educated fools. I've spoken to the 'highly' educated fools armed with degrees from overseas universities. Armed with a couple of English words, they behave more American than the American, more British than the British. At times language fluency is confused with intelligence. In a typical Asian society, fluency in English is equivalent to clever people.

We are surrounded by phonies that refuse to associate themselves with their original identity. The case is obvious among Indians where they refuse to talk in Tamil despite understanding Tamil well. The Tamil speaking crowd is not so cool as compared to the English speaking crowd. I bet most of us are familiar with the famous term 'kunjum kunjum tereyem (knows a little bit) of Tamil.

The 'kunjum kunjum tereyam' culture is famous among Indian families that raise their kids with typical English speaking environment at home. Usually the kids will grow up to know Steven Spielberg better than Mani Ratnam or Sivaji Ganesan. Thank god for AR Rahman winning the Oscars or else most of the kids will grow up knowing Radiohead or Coldplay but not AR Rahman. Tamil music would have been buried among the English speaking crowd if it wasn't for AR Rahman.     

I remember a scene from the movie 'Good Will Hunting', a conversation between an undergraduate student and Will (Matt Damon);

Chuckie: All right, are we gonna have a problem?

Clark: There's no problem. I was just hoping you could give me some insight into the evolution of the market economy in the early colonies. My contention is that prior to the Revolutionary War the economic modalities, especially of the southern colonies could most aptly be characterized as agrarian pre-capitalist and...

Will: [interrupting] Of course that's your contention. You're a first year grad student. You just got finished some Marxian historian, Pete Garrison prob'ly, you're gonna be convinced of that until next month when you get to James Lemon, then you're gonna be talkin' about how the economies of Virginia and Pennsylvania were entrepreneurial and capitalist back in 1740. That's gonna last until next year, you're gonna be in here regurgitating Gordon Wood, talkin' about you know, the Pre-revolutionary utopia and the capital-forming effects of military mobilization.

Clark: [taken aback] Well, as a matter of fact, I won't, because Wood drastically underestimates the impact of—

Will: ..."Wood drastically underestimates the impact of social distinctions predicated upon wealth, especially inherited wealth..." You got that from Vickers. "Work in Essex County," Page 98, right? Yeah I read that too. Were you gonna plagiarize the whole thing for us- you have any thoughts of- of your own on this matter? Or do- is that your thing, you come into a bar, you read some obscure passage and then you pretend- you pawn it off as your own- your own idea just to impress some girls? Embarrass my friend?

Will: See the sad thing about a guy like you, is in about 50 years you're gonna start doin' some thinkin' on your own and you're gonna come up with the fact that there are two certainties in life. One, don't do that. And two, you dropped a hundred and fifty grand on a fuckin' education you coulda' got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the Public Library.

Clark: Yeah, but I will have a degree, and you'll be serving my kids fries at a drive-thru on our way to a skiing trip.

Will: [smiles] Yeah, maybe. But at least I won't be unoriginal. 

The above conversation reminds me of the current state of undergraduates. They are unoriginal and their parents dropped a few hundred thousand on education that could be obtained at a local library. Sad but true. What we really lack is originality.  

The government spends billions of ringgit for education. But the simple idea of building good libraries, employing good language teachers and encouraging young minds to read would have really saved some millions from the billions. The investment for reading would shape the future of our country in a very different way. We won't end up having educated fools holding public offices and continue to waste millions in years to come.  

"The ink of a scholar is more holy than the blood of a martyr". All we have is the ink of a scholar to shape the future generation. The battle to liberate Malaysians is far from over. I'm not sure how we as individuals can shape the next generation. I think instead of collecting dust in your bookshelves, find the young minds that love to read and give them the book. Tell them once they have finished reading, they should do the same. It's a simple idea but it will go a long way.

We criticize the leaders for their stupidity. But don't forget that they come from the background of spending a few hundred thousand for a degree in top universities and not reading time at a local library. If you plan to retire in comfort, start sharing your books with young kids. You are investing for your future with kids that value the power of reading and not some fancy ivy leagues degree.

We need original thinkers; not parrots that repeat fancy words from their college professors. We need thinkers that question everything before accepting. The real utopia is when you have an ideal society that values knowledge. Knowledge starts from reading.

Share your books, folks!

Veep race blowing in the wind

Posted: 03 Oct 2013 12:50 AM PDT

The incumbents in the race for the Umno vice-presidency will have to brace themselves for what appears to be a mood to shake things up among the party's second echelon.

Joceline Tan, The Star

TAN Sri Mohd Isa Samad has been a household name in Umno, especially after he was made Felda chairman. But the pint-sized former Mentri Besar of Negri Sembilan is said to be struggling in the Umno vice-presidents (VP) race.

He is not alone because former Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam is also not having an easy time.

Both are extremely well-liked in Umno. They are the classic people's politicians who have never for a moment forgotten that their position and status come from the Umno grassroots.

They may arrive for functions and events in chauffer-driven cars but once they start mingling they are just like the average Joe – everyone is treated like an old friend.

Little things like this matter a lot to Umno members and that is why one hears people saying kind things about Isa and Ali.

But the trouble is that the VPs are also known as the "second echelon" and Isa, at 63, and Ali, who is 64, are seen as having passed that stage.

However, Isa does not give up easily and he has said that he wants to use his experience to help the party win even better in the next general election.

He has told his audience that the VP line-up should be like the Umno slogan of dulu, kini dan selama-lamanya, with a mix of experience, the current and the future. He said he is not going for the post to become a minister and wants to be the VP voice of the Umno grassroots.

Ali's campaign is said to be drawing on his vast network of Belia 4B and World Assembly of Youth NGOs. He has been seen at lots of weddings and funerals and his successor in Malacca Datuk Idris Haron has organised a number of events to help him get into the news.

Ali has made it clear that he will be the voice defending Malay interests, Islam and the nation.

The pair's biggest hurdle is not age but the fact that the three incumbents Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal are seen as the "chosen ones" – they have the endorsement of the top leadership.

There is widespread talk that the top Umno leadership wants a status quo at the VP level and the three incumbents have put up a good show of comradeship by campaigning together on a number of occasions and speaking up for each other.

Everyone knows what it means to be endorsed by the top two and even Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, the man that everyone in the party is talking about, is said to be quite worried.

Apart from using the official state Umno machinery, he has been relying on his Ansara old boys network to move around to speak at forums and dialogues.

The most positive buzz regarding Mukhriz's campaign is that he is running a clean campaign. Or as the Wanita Umno chief of one division put it, "he did not throw money".

However, some think that could also cost him some votes because there will always be people who complain about what they call salam kosong or empty-handed greetings.

The incumbents have been able to leverage on their positions as ministers to move around.

On Wednesday night, Hisham­muddin who is Defence Minister was in Seremban for a dinner gathering that was supposed to be a "briefing on national security". But those at the gathering thought he spent most of the evening appealing to them not to rock the boat in the Umno election.

He told them that the present VP line-up has worked well and they should not be tempted to change things. He reminded his audience that he had chaired the committee that came up with the new election system that had enabled more people to choose the Umno leaders.

Hishammuddin is said to be struggling among the three incumbents. However, most of the state Umno liaison chairmen seem to be rooting for him and he will probably get the endorsement of all 26 divisions in Johor.

But there seems to be a wind of change blowing through the VP race and it looks like the top leaders' wish for a status quo VP line-up may be lost in the wind. Many, including those who support a status quo, think that the Umno president should not only be fair, but be seen to be fair by not getting involved.

Meanwhile, Isa will be pleased to know that he will get the vote from Seremban Umno which is headed by the tough-talking Datuk Ishak Ismail. This is a major development because Isa and Ishak have been at each other's throats for decades.

But time heals and Ishak is ready to let bygones be bygones. The Lenggeng assemblyman apparently appreciates what Isa has done for Felda and praised Isa for staying loyal to Umno after he was sacked as a minister.

In fact, he reckons Isa will get the support of at least five of the eight divisions in Negeri Sembilan.

Ishak is known as a stern opponent of vote-buying and he has some quaint advice for candidates who do not wish to dabble in money politics.

"They should campaign in a sarung because when you wear a sarung, people know there are no pockets to keep money," he said.

He also carries a handphone that costs only RM80. Anyone looking at the basic handphone would know that he is not flushed with cash.

If only there were more people like Ishak during election time in Umno.

 

Malaysia move over detention passes key test

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 09:11 PM PDT

http://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/Images/2013/10/3//20131039414803734_20.jpg

Parliament's lower houses passes law that gives authorities power to hold people for years without charge. 

(Al Jazeera) - A controversial Malaysian government move to give authorities the power to hold people for years without charge was headed for parliamentary approval after it was passed at the lower house.

The move by Prime Minister Najib Razak's long-ruling coalition has sparked an uproar among the opposition and activists who denounce it as a step back towards the tough authoritarian rule that Najib had pledged to end.

The amendment to a 1959 crime prevention law allows authorities to hold crime suspects for an initial two years which can be extended indefinitely without charge. The government says police need that to deal with a recent burst of gun violence.

But preventive detention is a highly charged issue in Malaysia, whose 56-year-old ruling coalition has been accused of regularly using previous tough laws to silence dissent.

Lawmakers and media reports said parliament's lower house passed the amendments early on Thursday, shortly after midnight.

"It's unconstitutional to us. It takes away the right to liberty. And the law is drafted in such a way that the net can cover everyone," Tian Chua, a senior opposition politician, told the AFP news agency.

The passage comes despite a pledge last week by the government to take into account concerns that have been raised.

Senate approval is still required, but that is virtually assured as the Barisan Nasional (National Front) ruling coalition controls the body.

Assurances

Under public pressure for reform, Najib in 2011 abolished two tough, decades-old laws that allowed indefinite detention without trial, touting the move as a shift towards a more democratic society.

Najib said this week the crime amendments would not be abused, and his home minister insisted they were far weaker than the earlier security laws.

"I assure you again, this would not be used against someone just because we have political differences," Zahid Hamidi, the home minister, told parliament just before it voted, Malaysian media reported.

But Najib's opponents have accused him of swerving to the right after winning May general elections on promises of reform.

Police blame dozens of shootings in recent months on a turf war by gang members they say were freed when the previous security laws were scrapped.

They have pushed for stronger powers, but the opposition says police already have enough.

Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch's deputy Asia director, said in a statement that "Malaysia is taking a huge step backwards on rights." 

He called the amendments "methods that do little to curtail crime, but threaten everyone's liberty".

 

This is a government that doesn’t care!

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 09:06 PM PDT

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P Ramakrishnan, ALIRAN 

In a very determined and desperate mood, the Barisan Nasional has bulldozed through a pliant parliament the much opposed amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act 1959.

These were rushed through the night and passed well past midnight on the morning of 3 October 2013..

The BN did not care that there was no need for this unholy rush to pass these draconian laws during the night when MPs were tired and exhausted by the long day of debate.

It did not care that after more than seven hours of debate during the second reading, weary MPs would not be fresh in body and alert in mind to continue debating the amendments late into the night during the committee stage.

It did not care to postpone discussion to the next day so that the amendments could be debated in a more cordial atmosphere after a good night's sleep.

It did not do any of this because this is a government that doesn't care!

It is ironic that the BN which only received 47 per cent of the votes wields so much power that it could ignore and be dismissive of the 51 per cent of voters who oppose these amendments for very valid reasons.

It is unthinkable that 115 elected BN MPs could be so callous and arrogant as to be indifferent to the many voices of dissent that have spoken up against these amendments so forcefully and passionately. They have turned a deaf ear to the critics' arguments and justification as to why these amendments should be jettisoned.

They just don't care what you think and what you want.

Their conduct is an affront to the entire nation. Their indifference is indecent and shocking and smacks of dictatorship.

These amendments are so abhorrent, repulsive, outrageous and scandalous to our notion of the rule of law that it is inconceivable that a democratic government preaching good governance and sitting on the UN Human Rights Council could have come up with such atrocious amendments.

But then, they just don't care.

This is a government that doesn't care two hoots for parliamentary democracy or for the rule of law. It has clearly forfeited its right to continue to govern this nation. They have lost their moral legitimacy to remain in power.

 

A-G Report opens can of worms

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 06:09 PM PDT

The rakyat in urban constituencies will continue to vent their frustrations through the ballot boxes unless efforts are taken by the Government to punish those who misuse taxpayers money.

Stephen Then, The Star

THE Auditor-General (A-G) has released yet another compilation of damning reports against numerous government and semi-government bodies, and corporate and government-linked companies in the country, listing out in detail internal hanky-panky involving the misuse of financial and material assets.

The latest reports released on Tuesday were just Part One. There will be two more portions.

Part One is already damaging enough, containing details of misdeeds involving millions of ringgit and implicating even the enforcement agencies.

Every year at this time, we citizens get to read about these hanky-panky being committed by those in high office.

We applaud the A-G and his department for doing their job in identifying these misdeeds and management weaknesses.

The rakyat are concerned and angry, and rightly so because much of these billions of ringgit being misused are from our taxes.

However, this abuse of money by those in public and corporate offices seems to be a pattern year in, year out.

The same abuse of monetary and material assets keep on happening year after year and yet no one has ever been arrested and prosecuted for these crimes.

The anti-corruption people and government politicians always react in the same tone that they will investigate and will take action.

They give the same reply every year but I cannot recall ever reading about anyone ever getting nailed or even hauled up for questioning.

Which is worse — the fact that billions of ringgit of our taxes are being wasted, misused, missing and siphoned by people in high places or the fact that these criminals are never brought to justice?

I think the people in the country are not just angry over this misuse of money by government departments and related agencies.

They are as angry with the fact that no one had ever been brought to court and prosecuted over these scandals.

These monetary scandals involved almost every government ministry, department, semi-government body, corporate body and government-linked company.

In the latest report, even the enforcement agencies like the police and customs are mentioned.

Past reports had also implicated the Road Transport Department and others.

The scandals involved improper payment of money, work done not according to specifications, missing cash and material assets worth millions of ringgit, low quality projects, unreasonable delays in terms of completing projects funded by taxpayers money, wastage and leakage of funds to mysterious channels and weaknesses in management of financial and material assets.

These scandals seem to be very widespread. Even in Sarawak, these problems are aplenty.

They are committed in the urban and rural regions.

A few years ago, the A-G mentioned something about the infamous Lapok Road project in Miri Division where several hundred million of ringgit in allocations given by the Federal Government meant for the repair and upgrading of the road had not been used for the purpose.

The Lapok Road is one of the worst roads in the state and country — muddy, slippery, full of potholes everywhere and risky for drivers of all sorts of vehicles.

Until today, the road is still being upgraded and the work rate is still slow.

Why was it that no one had ever been nabbed or questioned over the poor work rate?

The Lapok Road fiasco is just one of many instances where the rakyat feel victimised because public money had not been put to good use.

In other parts of the state, it is also a well-known fact that our roads are in very bad conditions.

Is there a possibility that some of those hired to repair or upgrade these roads are fleecing the Government by using low-quality materials?

They may be cutting corners by using diluted building materials and not following the stipulated conditions laid out in their contracts.

I have heard that some contractors blatantly defied the terms and conditions that they had agreed upon with the Works Ministry.

For example, contractors hired to carry out tar-sealing of a road must cover the road with at least six inches of tar-premix.

I have heard complaints about certain contractors who tar-sealed roads with only three inches of pre-mix and yet charged the Government for the cost of six inches.

They cut corners and earned an extra 50% of profit indecently.

They got away with this because of lack of ground inspection.

The project auditors were not doing their job. Maybe they were cohorts?

Personally, I have come across such dishonest misdeeds being committed by certain contractors hired to construct low-cost houses for the poor in the squatter resettlement schemes in Miri.

Two years ago, I wrote about how the family of a blind man had been fleeced by a contractor hired by the District Office to carry out urgent repairs to his house.

A Federal Government agency had allocated about RM1mil to the District Office to hire contractors to repair the houses of several dozens of very poor families in the city's outskirts, including the homes of several blind and handicapped people.

These contractors were supposed to repair the leaky roofs, rebuild walls that had cracked, replace old wirings and carry out other necessary repairs and they were allotted a sizeable sum of money for each house.

The blind man called me about a month after his house was repaired. He said his roof was leaking.

I went to inspect the house and found that the contractor had used second-hand zinc to repair the roofs.

 

He had also failed to repair the portion of the wall that was cracking.

He did not paint the inside of the house.

In other words, he had cheated this blind man by intentionally cutting corners and using second-hand materials.

I wrote a story about this case and there was immediate response from local politicians and a high-ranking government officer attached to a ministry in Putrajaya.

The high-ranking officer in and I brought him to inspect the blind man's house and he admitted that the contractor had not followed proper specifications.

Apart from an apology and then agreeing to do another round of repairs for the blind man, the cheating contractor was let off the hook.

That very same cheating contractor today can still be seen in the company of politicians in government functions.

The Barisan Nasional Government needs to understand that the rakyat want justice, and they want to see justice invoked and played out before their eyes.

They want to see crooks punished accordingly.

As far as the misuse of taxpayers money is concerned, the Government has not meted out justice.

Is there any wonder the rakyat are angry? They have already demonstrated their anger through the ballot boxes over the past two national elections.

Urban voters are particularly sensitive about these financial misdeeds.

Maybe rural voters are not perturbed, being concerned more about bread and butter issues but urban voters are definitely more demanding in issues concerning human rights, transparency and accountability on the part of those holding public office.

Unless efforts are taken by those in the Government to stop this abuse of taxpayers money and honest efforts taken to prosecute the culprits, the rakyat in the urban constituencies will continue to vent their anger through the ballot boxes.

 

Jomo: Malaysia mustn’t betray trading partners by signing TPPA

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 06:00 PM PDT

Sean Augustin, fz.com

Malaysia must not betray her trading partners by becoming a signatory to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, a prominent economist cautioned.

Jomo Kwame Sundaram said the objective of the TPPA was to keep Malaysia in the "good books" of the USA which is an important trade partner.

It was important, Jomo said, to not go out of the way to offend them with scurrilous remarks.

"But you don't go from one end of the pendulum to the other by embracing the US and turning our backs on our other trading partners," he said when asked to elaborate on his stand on the controversial agreement.

Jomo was speaking to reporters here last night after launching his book, co-authored by Wee Chong Hui entitled "Malaysia@50".

The purpose of the TPPA, Jomo explained, was to isolate China, which is the country's number one trading partner. He said that it was not good to get into a bilateral deal with one partner against another.

Options should be kept open, said Jomo, who is the founder chair of the International Development Economics Associates (IDEAs). He noted that the TPPA was drawn up when the US was running a huge trade deficit against China.

Malaysia, he pointed out, has a trade surplus with China.

"You don't get involved in their fight by taking sides. We stand to lose, not to gain," he said. As the deficit has since closed, rendering it "yesterday's problem", Malaysia should not get stuck in it.

Malaysia, Jomo warned, had a bigger problem in the form of an "economic NATO" between the US and Europe which would weaken the World Trade Organisation.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is an intergovernmental military alliance where its member states agree to a mutual defence in response to an attack by an external party.

"We should be thinking ahead of the challenges we are going to face instead of looking back," he said.

On the argument that the country would lose out if it did not take part in the TPPA, Jomo said that if certain quarters wanted to find trouble, they could always look for problems, citing the example of Vietnam being barred from exporting its catfish to the US after joining the WTO.


Yes, there is a God

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 05:52 PM PDT

From RM200 million incinerators without knowing how to operate them, to wall clocks, scanners and "miscellaneous items" amounting to RM9 million – ie 7,200 times over budget to  throwing away custom-made shoes which did not meet specs to  RM1.6 million for K-Pop groups to RM1.26 million on charge cards to guns and handcuffs for the police gone missing to RM300,000 claims for a trip which cost less than RM50,000 to welfare aid "paid out" to people who have died to over priced CCTVs to spending RM320,000 on FB and Twitter. I can go on and on but you know the story already.

Mohsin Abdullah, fz.com

US POLITICIANS, presidents especially, love to end their speeches with "God bless America". I don't know about America but as far as Malaysia goes – well, God has indeed blessed this country of ours. In fact God "loves" Malaysia.

I mean how do you explain that despite all the wastages of public funds which runs into billions of ringgit (as highlighted by the Auditor-General's Report 2013 released on Oct 1), we are not or rather we have not gone "bust". Divine intervention, surely.

From RM200 million incinerators without knowing how to operate them, to wall clocks, scanners and "miscellaneous items" amounting to RM9 million – ie 7,200 times over budget to  throwing away custom-made shoes which did not meet specs to  RM1.6 million for K-Pop groups to RM1.26 million on charge cards to guns and handcuffs for the police gone missing to RM300,000 claims for a trip which cost less than RM50,000 to welfare aid "paid out" to people who have died to over priced CCTVs to spending RM320,000 on FB and Twitter. I can go on and on but you know the story already.
 
Other countries might have crumbled and gone bankrupt. But not us. We have God to thank for that and I am not being religious.
  
What's sickening is we have heard of "problems" before. In fact, many times before. Every AG's report for years has been exposing such blatant overspending and wastages. And we cringed each time we read the wastages and leakages revealed in the reports. And it became a case of which report is the worst.  
 
To consumer advocate Dr Jacob George, "the 2012 Auditor-General's Report presented to Parliament is nothing new in comparison to previous reports submitted to Parliament for the past 30 years".
 
And the word "wastage" wrote Dr George in his blog, "is far too politically abused – it should be reworded as 'criminal breach of trust'  instead".
 
We have seen in the past, task forces and "jawatankuasa khas" formed to probe and investigate. But all came to nought. Well to be fair, almost nought. And chances are we will see many more task forces and "jawatankuasa khas" be formed again with the same objective – probe and investigate. 
 
Ministers will (if they have not already) say out loud: "I've instructed my officers to leave no stones unturned." But chances are no one will be punished. No want will take responsibility. 
 
Hence I can't help but ask – if that being the case, why have such reports in the first place? Imagine how Tan Sri Ambrin Buang and his staff are feeling. After having gone through a lot of hardship and painstaking work to come up with such a report, only to see follow-up action wanting.
 
And what about us the rakyat – don't we deserve to see an end of these abuses? 
 
To DAP MP Teo Nie Ching, the question to ask is if the "report is serious or mere window-dressing?"
 
Yes, we know the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is already working on it. But the committee was at it previously, working on previous "exposé" but without much success. 
 
Another DAP MP, Lim Guan Eng, has suggested the setting-up of a high-powered three-man panel instead.
 
The three, said Lim, should be Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the AG Tan Sri Ambrin himself. 
 
This panel, as Lim sees it, can investigate and act against those found to have misused taxpayers' money.    
 
It's clear Lim does not have much confidence in the PAC dishing out enforcement as "it is controlled by the government given its 9:5 ratio" as far as member composition goes.

READ MORE HERE

 

OK To Go Abroad But Not For Fraud

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 05:38 PM PDT

That the MACC's investigation might derail Felda Chairman, Mohd Isa Samad's bid to win the Umno vice president post is insignificant.

A Kadir Jasin

FELDA, PNB, Khazanah, Pilgrims Fund Board and EPF – they are all going abroad to invest.

There's nothing wrong in that. In fact it should be applauded provided it is done prudently and above board.

But that had not always been the case as the Sime Darby billion ringgit foreign project losses had shown.

So it is totally understandable that when Felda, a smallholder-based plantation agency, ventured abroad to invest not in plantation but in a posh London apartment.

What does Felda know of hotel and apartment management? It does not sound right.

So it is timely and appropriate that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission had stepped in to investigate the purchase.

That the MACC's investigation might derail Felda Chairman, Mohd Isa Samad's bid to win the Umno vice president post is insignificant.

Mohd Isa not winning the seat is unimportant compared to the damage Felda could suffer if the London deal was inappropriately done.

The Malaysian Insider had reported that Felda's £98 million (RM497 million) purchase of a London serviced apartment complex is now being investigated by anti-graft officials and could derail Isa's chances in the Umno vice-president race.

And that the deal is causing growing disquiet in Umno is a good thing. At least there are still people in the party who care beyond winning posts in the ongoing leadership election.

If they truly care, they should bring the case up at all levels of the party. They should also debate the appointments of chairmen of GLCs and ambassadors, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, the strengthening of the Bumiputera economy, the new education blueprint and much more.

The news portal quoted an unnamed person it described as an Umno warlord as saying that the price tag is being widely discussed by Umno members because it is very expensive and it is not something that Felda should be venturing into.

READ MORE HERE

 

A “black day” for Malaysia as PCA passed, and the debate goes on

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 05:30 PM PDT

(TMI) - The passing of the revised Prevention of Crime Act (PCA) hours ago showed that the Prime Minister succumbed to right-wing pressure within Umno and reneged on his promise not to use preventive laws, opposition MPs said today.

"He has no guts to bring about reforms. We will look bad on the international stage," said PKR Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin.

While the opposition called it a black day for the country, Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers were convinced the revised law would help bring down the crime rate.

Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan expressed confidence that the crime rate would be reduced and said the opposition's arguments against the amendments had no merit.

The PCA now includes detention without trial, restrictions on judicial reviews, secrecy provisions and a recital of Article 149 in the preamble, all of which the opposition says is inconsistent with basic human rights guaranteed in the Federal Constitution.

During debates at the committee stage of the PCA, several opposition lawmakers, including N. Surendran (PKR – Padang Serai), R. Sivarasa (PKR – Subang), Mohamed Hanipa Maidin (PAS – Sepang), Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan (PAS – Kota Bharu), Nga Kor Ming (DAP – Taiping) and Gobind Singh (DAP – Puchong) argued that the amendments be re-looked.

"They were trying to politicise the issue. But with this law, Malaysians will feel safer and the crime rate will come down," Kamalanathan said.

In response Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin (PKR – Bukit Katil) said it was ridiculous for BN MPs to describe the opposition lawmakers' arguments as baseless.

"It is the government that went back on its promises. This is a black day for Malaysia," he shot back.

READ MORE HERE

 

It’s business, not politics – Umno VP candidate defends Felda’s purchase of London property

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 05:22 PM PDT

(TMI) - Umno veteran Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad (pic) was in a bullish mood today, dismissing talk that his chances in the party's vice-presidential race would be derailed by Felda's purchase of a London serviced apartment complex.

"This is business, other government-linked companies have also purchased property abroad, such as the Employees Provident Fund and Lembaga Tabung Haji. You cannot go wrong if you buy property in London," argued the Felda chairman.

"The property was bought by Felda Investment Corp (FIC) UK Properties for Felda, not for me. It was a simple business decision and I do not see how it is related to politics."

Mohd Isa was referring to the upcoming Umno polls where he is involved in a six-way fight for three Umno vice-presidents' posts.

He said the £98 million (RM497 million) FIC paid for the London property was a reasonable amount, pointing out that it was at a prime location in upmarket Bayswater.

"The returns on investment are also favourable. The apartments are fully booked for five months so it is a good indicator," he added.

He said if property buyers wanted a cheaper price, then they should not look at prime areas.

"If we were to sell the apartment complex next year, we will still make a profit. The purchase of the apartment complex is not related to my candidacy in the Umno elections.

"You cannot buy property overnight. There is a process. FIC has to do due diligence, engage consultants; all of this is a process which takes six months to a year to complete. So how is it related to me contesting an Umno vice-president's position?" Mohd Isa said.

READ MORE HERE

 

Home Minister backs police chief on missing guns excuse

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 05:13 PM PDT

(TMI) - Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has stood by his police chief who had earlier contended that the 44 guns which had gone missing could have have fallen into the sea.

"Yes, it could have... during operations," Ahmad Zahid (pic) told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

He was asked to comment on Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar's statement yesterday about the missing guns, which the 2012 Auditor General's Report revealed were among the lost police equipment worth RM1.3 million between 2010 and last year.

The equipment included 44 firearms and 29 vehicles.

Opposition politicians, in particular DAP's Teresa Kok, jumped at the findings, and connected the missing guns to the recent spike in violent crimes involving firearms.

The Home Minister however agreed that the police force needed to be beefed up and strengthened in the wake of the revelation.

Yesterday, Khalid, in dismissing speculation that the guns could have fallen into the hands of criminals, said they could have fallen into the sea.

READ MORE HERE

 

DAP’s re-election suspicious, says Zulkifli

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 04:48 PM PDT

A candidate for CEC re-election accuses the DAP leadership of 'maneuvering' the outcome of the polls last Sunday to keep status quo.

Athi Shankar, FMT

An upset DAP grassroots leader has alleged that the party re-election held last Sunday was tainted with dirty tactics and undemocratic elements.

The DAP's Bayan Baru parliamentary liaison committee chairman Zulkifli Mohd Noor alleged that the poll's results had been pre-determined through the candidates' list allegedly prepared by the party's secretary-general Lim Guan Eng's camp

Describing the list as 'menu', he said that it was distributed to delegates during the balloting process to ensure that only candidates closely aligned with the Lim Dynasty were elected to the central executive committee (CEC).

'Lim Dynasty' is a term coined to describe the internal faction led by Guan Eng and his father Kit Siang.

"I realised that I will lose when my name was not in the said 'menu'.

"It was never a free and fair electoral process," Zulkifli told a press conference here today.

Also present was Penang Malay Congress president Rahmad Isahak who quit the party last week.

Zulkifli contested and lost in the CEC re-election, which was held following a directive by the Registrar of Societies (ROS). He only managed to secure 220 votes.

A few days before the party election, Zulkifli had announced his intention to be the party's first Malay national chairman, provided incumbent Karpal Singh calls it a day and paves way for him to takeover.

ROS issued the re-election directive after its investigations found that the party polls held in Penang on Dec 15, 2012 were marred by irregularities.

Zulkifli also described the letter written by Guan Eng, in four languages, to all delegates a few days before the re-election, as a dirty campaigning tactic to maintain the CEC status quo.

He further questioned as to why candidates were only issued the delegates' list, void of their addresses or contact numbers, a few days before polling on Sept 29.

Zulkifli received the incomplete list via courier only two days before polling.

Suspicious irregularities during balloting

Another contentious issue was in regards to the use of indelible ink during balloting.

Zulkifli claimed that the ink can be wiped out from one's finger within three to four minutes with a piece of tissue, contrary to an earlier official announcement that it could last for a few hours.

He said he was also curious to know on whose directive the ink was used during the party polls as the CEC did not exist at that time.

Nevertheless, he said the use of ink was not mentioned in the party's constitution.

Zulkifli also claimed to have seen many new faces, whom he never met before or seen during last year's party polls, voting as delegates during the re-election on Sunday.

READ MORE HERE

 

Wastages, corruption and status quo

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 04:39 PM PDT

Another Brick in the Wall

A political rumour picked up this morning mentioned there will be an announcement by Dato Hishamuddin bin Tun Hussein Onn just days prior to the UMNO General Assembly.

It is supposed to be a project supposedly to benefit, directly or indirectly, the 140,000 voting UMNO branch delegates and turn his feared political misfortune around. It can't be train, it can't be anything mega, not politically sensitive taxi and hmmm... could it be buses?

Or abolish toll?

That should answer our friend in JB who thought we gave up on UMNO election. No, just sick to our stomach with what's happening.

Haven't simmered from yesterday's expose on the stealing of poor people's money. There is more action in exposing crooks than talking about UMNO's predictable election. 

Wastages list

Today's paper is reporting on the latest Auditor General report for 2012.

It reminded of Rocky's posting on the recent petrol hike. There was exchanges between a blogger and high official. Yes, we were that blogger.

If that high official (whose identity will remain anonymous for now) think it is difficult to list 100 wastages of government, here goes:

1. Dr Ong Kian Meng's issue on McKinsey & Co.'s RM20 million consultancy to prepare the Educational masterplan which Tun Dr Mahathir sarcastically said should be done by local and relevent expert. Read here.

2. Expose on the 1Azam yesterday here. Syed Akbar here had calculated, not the wastage but corruption, to be RM360 million.

3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. FGV's strange dealings relating to China oil palm deal, purchase of Pontian plantation, purchase of London hotel, takeover of Iris PLC, Papua New Guinea New Britain plantation and another one coming. Track all these in Bigdog's blog and Rocky Bru's here and here

8. 9. 10. and 11. Suspicious award of contracts by Putrajaya Holdings to WCT Holdings Berhad. Exposed here. Probably more than four contracts but keep it as four items.

12., 13. and 14. Tender of accrual accounting system, Ubiquitous system for Jabatan Kastam and MyEG.com e-government concession. All exposed by this blog here and here.

15. Education Ministry's RM5 billion Bestari project tender. [Read in Rocky Bru here] Heard some dubious duda whose janda berhias had their finger in the pie.

16. Initial Endless Possibilities campaign. Remember? Read here   

17. MAS and AA merger fines. Read back on Rocky here

18. - 28. Lets allocate ten to MAS, AA and KLIA-related issues. Tan Sri Tony Fernandez himself may have contributed to more than RM5 billion worth of wastages, leakages and what not. 

29. and 30. Past issues raised against Dato Shafie Afdal's Ministry of Rural Development. Read here. One for road construction and another for failed agropolitan projects. Heard there is more. 

31. MACC latest catch on an agent who allowed incursion of Vietnam fishermen. Maritime Agency was bribed. News here and comment by Flying Kick here.

32. to 40. What crap behind this Frost & Sullivan Award to Khazanah [read The Mole here] and their office in San Francisco [read Demi Negara here].

Let's assign 32. to 40. to Khaazanah and all their kind. It is not difficult to identify high finance style wastages in Khazanah's spending, badly conceived new business ideas, and over priced takeovers. Already, read about staff RM1.2 million charge card expenses here. We've talked about it before..

Within a couple of minutes we could compile a list of 40 for Husni. Opps ... did we say Husni? No .. no ... not Husni.

Nevertheless, should we send the list to MoF II Dato Husni Hanazlah?

Auditor General's list


Not yet. Auditor General has just released their latest Auditor general's Report for 2012. Jebat Must Die is making a quick review here on some of the crap few dishonest government servants are giving the long impeccable history of our civil service a bad name.

Adding to the list:

41.  Poor handling of school security to the tune of RM2 billion. The Star also reported on this here.

42. Lost of 309 missing items of weapons, handcuff and cars by the police worth  RM1.3 million. read in The Star also here.

43. Police purchased 5 aircraft for USD58.25 million but no fund to operate.

44. Wastage on 7,659 shoes worth RM600,000. Read The Star also here

45. Building RM199 incinerators in Langkawi, Pangkor, Tioman, Cameron Highlands and Labuan (scrapped) but no expertise to run.

46. 4-day trip to Geneva worth RM303,813 by an Information, Communications and Culture Ministry (ICCM)official to Geneva. Telekom Malaysia spent RM3.3 million. Read in The Star here.

47. Promotion and publicity for Malaysian Emergency Response Services (MERS) 999 for RM3.19mil. Paid but cancelled in the end. So much for a system, because 67% of calls are not answered.

48. Overpaid but not used clocks, scanners and miscellanuos items for RM7 million.  Busted budget by more than 7,000 times. Read The Star here


49. Performance by k-Pop from Korea for RM1.6 million by then Minister for ICCM, Dato Shaberry Chik. Thought there was no government money involved, asked opposition Ameno World here.

50. Bonuses for 7 losing GLCs. Syarikat parasana Negara gave one and half month bonus despite deficit of more than RM750 million. There are Mimos, KTM, Amanah Raya, Jambatan Kedua, IWK and Cyberview.

51. Dubious tailoring and footwear by Health Ministry worth RM550,000 to RM600,000. Long sleeved shirts and pants worth almost RM200,00 but claimed for more than RM500,000. Baju kurung worth RM2 - 3,000 worth claimed for RM5,000. Read The Star here.

52. Welfare still being given to dead people in kelantan, Sabah and Negeri Sembilan. Read in The Star here.

53. Double diesel subsidy by LKIM for RM8.14 million. Read The Star here. and here.

54. Performance bond for terminated projects  not recoup it's bond for RM15 million. Read The Star here.

55. Incomplete wewerage project in Negeri Sembilan for RM40 million. Read The Star here.

56. Same event but paid twice, thrice to Majlis Belia Malaysia. Amount to returned RM220,000 already paid to two event companies. Read The Star here.

57. ROS system not running after paid RM120,000. Read The Star here.

58. Corruption and lackadaisical officers contributed to RM2 billion lost in taxes from one third of illicit cigarettes in the country. Read NST here and here

59. PM can do without that large private jet he is using from Pak Lah's purchase. Sell it and get smaller one. For foreign visit, the rest of his entourage should fly MAS.

60. Hishamuddin's impending politically inspired announcement?

In half an hour, we could accumulate a list of 59. It only shows it is not so difficult to list 100 wastages of government. A quick check with the state level reports, including Pakatan Rakyat states,  could make up the rest.

Bet there will be disputes and questions raised on Auditor General's report but the point is that it is easy to accumulate 100 wastages of government. 

READ MORE HERE

 

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