Security in schools sees RM2bil go down the tube

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report

Malaysiakini

Oct 1, 2013

AUDIT REPORT The 2012 Auditor-General’s Report has revealed severe mishandling of RM2.051 billion with regard to hiring security contractors for schools between 2010 and 2012.

From poorly prepared contracts to hiring of septuagenarians as security guards, the auditor-general said the management of security services in 35 schools and hostels surveyed was generally unsatisfactory.

The audit, which involved schools in Selangor, Perlis and Sabah, found that the contracts were not uniform and did not state specific requirements set by the Education Ministry.

This includes the implementation of a watchman clock system, ensuring that two security guards are on duty at any one time and specifications for the CCTV and alarm system.

In some schools, the audit found that contractors had breached the terms of their contracts by hiring security guards who are too old, unfit, dressed inappropriately, ill-equipped and had not been subjected to background checks.

Nineteen of the 35 facilities visited by the audit team did not have anyone guarding the entrances and people were seen entering and exiting freely.

Some contractors were also noted to have failed in providing equipment that were in working condition for the security guards. Among others, the audit team encountered faulty torch lights, walkie-talkies that wouldn’t charge and watchman clocks that were not in sync.

The audit team found that the Education Ministry was not keeping proper tabs on the implementation of the security project and failed to penalise errant contractors.

“The failure to impose penalties (on contractors) resulted in the government failing to receive the level of services that it should, based on the money spent.

“Disciplinary action should also be taken against the officers involved in verifying the services rendered and authorised the full payments to the contractors, although the services rendered were wanting,” reads the report.

In a reply to the auditor-general in June 2013, the ministry said that 20 contracts have been terminated because of failures on part of the contractor. There were 795 contracts issued.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 October 2013, 10:40 pm and is filed under
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599 potholes = bumpy landing at KK airport

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (15)

by Aidila Razak

Malaysiakini

Oct 2, 2013

AUDIT REPORT
Malaysian motorists are not the ones who have to dodge potholes on a daily basis.

Pilots landing aircraft at Kota Kinabalu International Airport, the auditor-general has found, had to deal with 599 potholes in the runway and taxiway, until these were fixed.

Worse, a pilot quoted in the Auditor-General’s Report 2012 complained of difficulty in landing in poor weather, “especially in haze”, as the Instruments Landing System (ILS) has yet to be installed after being bought in June 2008.

The unnamed pilot, who flies with national carrier Malaysia Airlines, told the audit team that the ILS is required for all commercial airlines, and that its absence endangers passenger safety.

The Transport Ministry has countered that the ILS “does not affect the safety of aircraft operations” and that many airports in the world do not have such a system.

Happily, however, the 599 potholes had been patched up as at May 2012 by contractor Global Upline Sdn Bhd (GUSB), although its services were later terminated due to chronic non-performance.

According to the report, GUSB was appointed via direct negotiation for Package 2 of the project, worth RM720 million.

Package 2 was supposed to be completed within 36 months, ending on April 20, 2009, but was not delivered despite more than 1,000 days in extensions of time,

GUSB only completed 1.6 percent of Package 2 in 2010. In 2011, it completed 3.6 percent – a difference of only 2 percent within a year.

The auditor-general said GUSB claimed to face financial constraints, due to an unexpected price hike and risks in earthworks. A sub-contractor also complained of not being paid for seven months.

But this excuse was rejected by the Transport Ministry, which said USB only managed to complete a little more than half of the work by December 2012, resulting in its services being terminated.

For example, in July 2012, the audit team found large puddles at the apron taxiway and parking apron bay as the area was not paved to specifications.

GUSB was also found to have not properly maintained the water pumps which were meant to pump out water from areas like the taxiway, which is prone to flooding.

The remainder of the work will be completed by a newly appointed contractor.

‘Be firm with AirAsia’

However, the auditor-general found that GUSB had tried to fix the edger light electricity cables on the runway on Oct 5 and 6, even though it was not part of its job scope.

It did not manage to do so due to frequent plane landings, resulting the eventual runway shutdown on Oct 25 and 26 which left 6,000 passengers stranded.

The list of problems with the KKIA project also included environmental and social issues, with construction causing erosion at the nearby beach.

The auditor-general stressed that the ministry should be stern with AirAsia and push the airline to move to Terminal 1 of the airport as agreed, and not continue to use Terminal 2.

However, the ministry explained that AirAsia had not moved to Terminal 1 as two taxiways were still under construction and accommodating this would have added to the airline’s operational costs.

It said the taxiways are due to be ready this year, and that it will urge AirAsia to move “immediately” then.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 October 2013, 11:17 am and is filed under
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AG’s report reveals ministry official claimed RM300,000 for trip worth under RM50,000

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (7)

by Trinna Leong

The Malaysian Insider

October 01, 2013

The Auditor-General questioned a RM303,813 travel claim by a Communications and Culture Ministry senior officer for a four-day study trip to Geneva, Switzerland, which the auditors felt was worth only RM50,000.

The 2012 Auditor-General Report revealed that even if the officer took a return first-class flight, stayed in the best hotels, wined and dined in fancy restaurants and was given allowances to shop for winter clothing, the final tab would have cost no more than RM50,000.

The claim was made by the officer as part of the ministry’s Malaysian Emergency Response Services (MERS) 999 project. MERS 999 is a government initiative to have only one emergency number, sub-contracted out by the ministry to Telekom Malaysia (TM).

The project, done in phases from 2007 to 2012, cost the government a total of RM801.55 million.

The report also pointed out that the ministry overpaid for various charges, with the auditor-general’s office unable to verify the claims since no receipts were given.

The auditor-general noted that TM was overpaid by RM27.59 million for the MERS 999 project. The report showed that the government-linked telecommunications firm hired local and foreign consultants for RM9.97 million. It was RM1.92 million more than what the experts were supposed to receive.

Among other things, TM was paid RM6.7 million for media publicity and school programmes to educate children about the MERS 999 system. The only problem was that the programme was cancelled in October 2008 but TM still charged the ministry for it.

The project’s whole purpose was to increase efficiency and reduce the number of non-emergency calls. The data tabulated by the auditor-general’s office, however, showed that the number of false-alarm calls increased by 4.9% or 820,000 from 2010 to 2011.

Although TM was overpaid for the project, the report mentioned that the firm had provided a less than satisfactory service since 7.65 million (32.4%) of the calls made to the emergency line went unanswered.

It was also revealed in the report that from January 2010 to August 2012, 50.31 million calls (97.5%) made to the MERS 999 system were non-emergency calls. – October 1, 2013.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 October 2013, 12:52 am and is filed under
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Audit finds Registrar of Societies failing in duties

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (16)

by Koh Jun Lin

Malaysiakini

Oct 2, 2013

AUDIT REPORT
 In contrast with the crackdown on DAP by the Registrar of Societies’ (ROS), the Auditor-General’s Report 2012 has found that enforcement by the ROS lacking.

Among others, a check on its files kept in its Putrajaya, Penang, Johor and Pahang has shown that 90 societies have not submitted any report to the ROS, but no notice was issued against them.

This includes files of 17 of the 31 political parties included in the Putrajaya audit, and that of 150 non-political organisations from the three states.

The report notes that under Section 14 of the Societies Act 1966, organisations registered under the ROS must file a report with the regulator within 60 days of its annual general meeting (AGM), or within 60 days of the end of the calendar year if no AGM is held.

The registrar is supposed to order the errant groups to provide him with the required information, failing which would result in the organisation’s deregistration.

“In the auditor’s opinion, monitoring on the submission of annual statements by organisations is unsatisfactory because of ROS’s failure to monitor all registered organisations and take action in accordance to existing rules,” the report said.

The ROS replied that starting from Jan 2012, it has issued reminders to registered organisations to submit their reports, and the eRoses come online since Jan 2013 to aid monitoring.

Of late, the ROS had ordered DAP to hold a re-election of its Central Executive Committee (CEC) members over alleged irregularities at its last party polls

The party has denied the allegations but held the reelection “under protest” on Sunday, claiming that the order was unjustified but it could not risk “arbitrary deregistration”.

Among other issues raised in the auditor-general’s report regarding ROS include:

*The ROS has not given its decision for 15 out of 31 applications to form new political parties, some of which have been waiting since 2010. Of these, 12 were attributed to the ROS not receiving feedback from the Home Ministry’s National Registration Affairs and Organisation Division, which is supposed to vet the applications.

*The ROS had been slow in investigating complaints or gazetting deregistered organisations.

*The ROS has only six officers in its monitoring department of each state, and each officer monitors an average of 2,138 organisations.

The auditor-general rated the ROS’ overall performance as “unsatisfactory”.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 October 2013, 3:39 pm and is filed under
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Auditor-general raises stink over crappy toilet design

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (12)

by Nigel Aw

Malaysiakini

Oct 2, 2013

AUDIT REPORT
If you suffer from unpleasant bowel movements and an uncontrollable urge to ease yourself at the Kota Setar district land office complex, then you would be in for a rude shock.

The 2012 Auditor-General’s report, which was released yesterday, revealed the difficulty a person desperate need to answer nature’s call would encounter.

One of the squat toilets in the building was oddly aligned to one side of the cubicle, leaving barely enough foot space.

From one side of the wall, there was merely a margin of 16cm to the toilet but it was 36cm from the other side of the wall.

In response to the auditors, the Kedah state secretariat explained that the toilet design could not be helped due to an error in the initial phase of laying underground pipes.

“Changes could not be made to avoid any leakages,” it said.

RS Iscon Corporation Sdn Bhd was appointed as the main contractor through open tender for the RM15.31 million complex commissioned by the state economic planning unit (Upen) of the Kedah state government.

The building was completed under the then Pakatan Rakyat-led state government though the project itself began under BN’s rule.

The toilet was not the only design problem the complex faced, as its drive-through payment counter was also built too high, so much so that it was difficult for drivers to reach.

Furthermore, its server room was also too small and extra servers had to be placed outside the room, stated the report.

Repeated extensions

The project which should have been completed on Nov 10, 2010 was also delayed and was given repeated extensions until April 5, 2011.

The report found that the quality of work not up to standard and defects had started to appear on the building.

Worse still, the report stated that the state government had occupied the building starting May 15, 2012 even though a certificate of completion and compliance (CCC) had yet to be issued.

The CCC was only issued in June 2012.

The report advised Upen to better communicate with various agencies and departments when completing similar projects in future.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 October 2013, 9:34 am and is filed under
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Bonus for losses, the GLC way for rewarding employees

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (8)

The Malaysian Insider

October 01, 2013

Seven government-linked companies (GLCs) rewarded their employees with fat bonuses despite recording a combined loss of close to RM2 billion in 2011.

The Auditor-General Report today stated that Syarikat Prasarana Negara, an infrastructure company which had the highest recorded deficit of RM763 million among the group, gave its employees between one-and-a-half and two months bonus each.

The report also found that MIMOS, the country’s research centre, was the most generous of the group, by giving out between two and three months bonus to its employees, despite making a RM4.6 million loss in 2011.

Meanwhile, employees of KTM received the least, with the railway operator distributing ex-gratia payments of a half-month’s salary or a minimum of RM500 in the same year. The company made losses of RM103 million.

The other companies which lavished their employees with bonuses despite making losses were Amanah Raya, Jambatan Kedua, Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) and Cyberview.

Amanah Raya gave a RM1,000 bonus to each employee despite recording a RM707 million loss.

Jambatan Kedua gave one month’s bonus despite its RM42 million loss.

IWK distributed one-and-a-half months to two months bonus despite a RM98 million loss and Cyberview gave out two-and-a-half months bonus although it made a RM254 million deficit.

In response to the AG Report, the treasury said these GLCs were not set up for the sake of making huge profits but to fulfill its social responsibility and nation-building objectives.

Hence, it was up to the Ministry of Finance to determine if these companies had achieved its key performance indicators. – October 1, 2013.

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Discrepancy and inconsistency: Calls for withdrawal of PCA from Parliament

– Datuk Kuthbul Zaman Bukhari and Dr Denison Jayasooria

The Malaysian Insider

October 01, 2013

Proham has identified discrepancy and inconsistency between what is said and what is written in the proposed amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act (PCA) and calls on the Federal Government to withdraw the bill from Parliament for further consultation and redrafting.

Proham hosted a discussion on the proposed amendments to the PCA yesterday. The review was undertaken by Datuk Kuthbul Zaman Bukhari who led the discussion –paragraph by paragraph.

We identified a number of major concerns and acknowledge that this proposed piece of legislation is a clear backward step away from human rights compliance. We are of the opinion that this is a major assault on human rights since Datuk Seri Najib Razak took office as Prime Minister. We also note that this is inconsistent with the promises he made when he took office as the Prime Minister and in the promises for democratic reform made during the general election (GE13).

We also note that there are major discrepancies and inconsistencies between the verbal statements and assurance made by the Prime Minister, Home Affairs Minister and other ministers and the actual text of the proposed amendments to the PCA. We are told verbally that this new legislation is not a return of the ISA, that this is focused only on criminal-violent gangs and that the decisions will be made by a judge.

Widening the scope of the proposed legislation

However in reading the proposed legislation one is shocked by the blatant disregard to human rights and widening the scope of the proposed legislation. The proposed bill before Parliament which seeks to amend the PCA (1959) has a new preamble which enlarges the scope of the legislation from the original which is a specifically focused only on the “control of criminals, members of secret societies and other undesirable persons”. The new preamble widens this to add “… to cause a substantial number of citizens to fear, organised violence against persons or property”.

Pursuant to Article 149 of the Federal Constitution

What is even more of a major concern is that this proposed PCA is now being legislated “… in pursuant to Article 149 of the Federal Constitution”. The explanatory statement in point 3 states clearly “in order to allow the introduction of detention without criminal charge or trial as previously provided in the repealed Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance 1969 …and the Internal Security Act 1960 (Act 82), Act 297 is to be changed to a law made pursuant to Article 149 of the Federal Constitution”.

As this proposed bill is made in pursuant of Article 149, the provisions therein are inconsistent with all the basic and fundamental human rights guaranteed in the Federal Constitution.

It must be noted that the original PCA (1959) which the Police Commission did not call for its repeal when it did the EO, is just an act of parliament which focuses on crime control, with some consistency to fundamental liberties and with judicial review.

No judicial review

Proham is also concerned that the proposed bill removes judicial review as per the introduction of a new section 15 A which states “there shall be no judicial review in any court”.

Further, the new section 7B provides for too many options for who can be the chairman of the Prevention of Crime Board. It does not just qualify the chairman as a current sitting judge but indicates that the chairman could be appointed from a range of options namely “… who shall be or have been or be qualified to be, a judge”. The options are too wide and there is a major difference if the chairman is a current sitting judge. There are no qualifications of the two other members and this is not good.

Detention without trial

Proham is concern that the proposed legislation allows for indefinite period of detention in the new part IV A, 19A (1) “… for a period not exceeding two years… for a further period not exceeding two years at a time…”

Access to legal counsel and protection

Proham is also concerned that legal access to counsel is denied as the provisions by the amendments of section 9 (d) a new (5) also in the new section 9A (2).

Proham is concern with new section 9A (2) that there is no review of witness statements in order to check the reliability or cross-examination of any person giving evidence on the case as this can be easily abused.

Proham is concern over the double jeopardy issues as per the new section 7c “… two or more serious offences, whether or not he is convicted thereof…”

Proham input to Home Ministry neglected

Proham participated in two dialogues with the Home Affairs Ministry (August 24 and 28, 2013) on matters pertaining to serious crime especially gangs and violence. In both dialogues, Proham highlighted the findings and recommendations of the Police Commission Report (2005) to strengthen investigative Police and use the Prevention of Crime Act (1959).

We affirmed that detention without trial, removing judicial review and denial of access to legal counsel is not the most effective way of crime prevention. We noted that the Police Commission report documents major abuses of power when human rights is sidelined.

Malaysia’s position compromised for UPR Review at the UN

These proposed amendments to PCA and the curtailment of fundamental liberties will adversely affect Malaysian’s standing at Universal Periodical Review (UPR) process at the UN Human Rights Council during the 17th session on October 24, 2013 from 2.30pm to 6pm in Geneva.

At the last UPR review process held on February 11, 2009, Malaysia gave a number of assurances to the global community that it will strengthen human rights compliance in Malaysia. Furthermore, Malaysia is currently a member of the Human Rights Council and the proposed PCA amendments are inconsistent with Malaysia’s global position as a promoter of human rights and moderation.

Proham recommendations on PCA

Therefore, Proham calls of the Federal Government:

Firstly, to withdraw the current proposed amendments to the PCA

Secondly, to further engage with stakeholders like Suhakam and Bar Council

Thirdly, to propose new amendments which is closer to the original PCA:-

· Keep the PCA specific for the “control of criminals, members of secret societies”,

· Enlarging its coverage to the whole of Malaysia,

· Introduce electronic monitoring,

· Remove the role of the Minister and replace it with the Prevention of Crime Board for purposes of registration for police supervision and electronic monitoring.

Fourthly, Proham is not supportive of Federal Government reintroducing detention without trial or restricting judicial review or denying suspects access to legal counsel.

Fifthly, Proham really hopes that the Federal Government will empower and enable the Police to undertake their work of crime control in compliance with human rights standards and undertake world class policing in modern-democratic Malaysia. – October 1, 2013.

* Datuk Kuthbul Zaman Bukhari is an exco member of Proham and Dr Denison Jayasooria is its secretary-general.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 October 2013, 1:51 am and is filed under
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Millions lost due to Works ministry failure to recoup money from terminated contractors

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (9)

by Rita Jong

The Malaysian Insider

October 01, 2013

The Public Works Department failed to recover RM15.77 million in performance bonds despite terminating 21 government projects.

The Auditor-General’s report which was made public today stated that the department fully recovered 30 performance bonds amounting to RM20.97 million, while only half of another 21 bonds totalling RM26.97 million were recovered.

The amount from the outstanding bonds that were yet to be recovered totalled RM15.77 million.

A performance bond is a surety bond submitted by a contractor who obtains a government contract, as a form of guarantee.

This surety can be withdrawn by the government if there is a breach of contract or if the contractor fails to complete the project. The termination of projects can be done via mutual or unilateral termination.

The report also states that following an audit check, 160 projects, with a contract value of RM3.137 billion, were terminated between 2007 and 2012.

“The department has also failed to reclaim RM4.89 million in advance payments from three terminated projects from banks, financial institutions and insurance companies,” the report stated, adding that this would not have happened had the department monitored the advance payments and filed claims before the bond expired.

“The appointment of contractors to complete three projects were also never done via tender nor referred to the ‘Jawatankuasa Penyelamat Projek Sakit’.”

It also stated that there are weaknesses in the process of issuing reminders to the contractors to claim the payments following the termination of contracts. – October 1, 2013.

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Ministry spends RM320,000 on FB and Twitter

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (14)

Malaysiakini

Oct 1, 2013

AUDIT REPORT
 The auditor-general has questioned the Health Ministry’s payment of RM320,000 to two companies to enhance its social media presence by developing two Facebook and Twitter accounts.

The expenditure, during Liow Tiong Lai’s tenure as minister, comprises payment of RM199,068 to Eficaz Media Sdn to develop the first Facebook page for the anti-smoking ‘Tak Nak merokok’ campaign.

The second Facebook page and the Twitter account were developed by Astonish View Sdn Bhd for the ‘Kempen intervensi penyakit tidak berjangkit’ (intervention campaign for non-contagious diseases), costing RM120,500.

The 2012 Audit Report comments that the scope of the two jobs were almost identical and questioned why Astonish View was given RM120,500 to develop Facebook and Twitter, while Eficaz Media was allocated a higher sum to develop one Facebook page.

It noted that Eficaz Media was appointed for the period of July to December 2011 and that full payment was made based on the number of ‘Likes’ recorded on the Facebook page, set at 100,000.

However, by July 2012, the number of ‘Likes’ had diminished by 3.58 percent or 3,460. After the contract lapsed, the page in question was not updated.

In the auditor-general’s opinion, the ministry should have considered employing either company to manage its Facebook and Twitter accounts as there was similar information in both quotations.

“The ministry must also ensure the social media is relevant and up to date,” the report states.

The ministry replied that it would update its work specifications and tenders to make sure they are clear and specific.

It also assured that it would update its Facebook pages to encourage more ‘Likes’.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 October 2013, 11:08 am and is filed under
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No funds, so costly wings of cops clipped

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (6)

Hafiz Yatim

Malaysiakini

Oct 1, 2013

AUDIT REPORT
 Between June 2008 and December 2010, the Malaysian police purchased five Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft at a whopping US$58.25 million (RM175.24 million) for its Air Wing.

The planes were supposed to facilitate the upgrading of the nation’s air security.

However, within less than five years of usage, one of the planes had to be grounded for eight months, between September 2011 and April 2012, while another could not be used between June and November 2012.

Furthermore, out of the five, only three aircraft have been delivered so far.

The project was awarded after direct negotiations with Hawker Pacific Airservices Ltd, through its agent  EZ Aviation Sdn Bhd.

The Home Ministry reported that the planes had to be grounded as a result of lack of financial allocation, as the Police Air Wing would continuously use components from the grounded aircraft as spare parts for other aircraft.

The Auditor-General Report says all Police Air Wing aircraft should be safe for use at all times.

Maintenance done by private companies

It noted that there were weaknesses in the preparation and planning, resulting in the Police Air Wing relying on private companies for the maintenance of the aircraft.

The AG Report recommended quick and proactive action to be taken to ensure that the wing could become an organisation able to maintain its own aircraft based on the set standards.

The Home Ministry, in its reply, said the Police Air Wing’s finances were limited, but it still obtained an additional allocation of RM194.75 million for aircraft maintenance in November 2012.

The 2012 AG Report also proposed that there should be enough pilots and aircraft engineers employed to operate the aircraft to make sure the planes were fully utilised.

It also noted that following the late delivery of the two remaining aircraft, Liquidated Ascertained Damages (LAD) should be assessed on the company supplying it for RM6.39 million.

“In the auditor’s view, the Home Ministry or the Police Air Wing need to impose the LAD on the supplier for the delay in the supply of the two aircraft, as stipulated in the contract.

“Action to terminate the contract should be done if it continues to delay in supplying the fourth and fifth aircraft,” the report states.

The AG also lamented that the three aircraft only registered 43 hours usage for monitoring crime and 89 hours for public order between 2010 and 2012.

These hours, it said were low, and defeated the purpose of their purchase for maintaining security.

Most of the time, their use was for operational support and training which accounted for 2,223 hours and 672 hours respectively.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 October 2013, 12:44 am and is filed under
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Police lose weapons, Customs men lose shoes

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (11)

by Hafiz Yatim

Malaysiakini

Oct 1, 2013

AUDIT REPORT
The Auditor-General’s 2012 report reveals that the Royal Malaysian Police Force recorded a total of 309 missing items in the form of weapons, handcuffs and cars.

It also reported that the Royal Customs Department wasted a whopping RM600,000 on 7,659 pairs of shoes that were not according to specification and were then badly damaged during prolonged storage.

The items missing from the police force were recorded between 2010 and 2012, resulting in losses amounting to RM1.33 million.

The auditor-general reports that handcuffs topped the list of missing items at 156, followed by 44 weapons and 29 police vehicles.

However, the types of the missing weapons, which accounted for 14.2 percent of the items, were not specified.

Other items reported missing included 26 walkie-talkies, six cameras, four computers and 22 radios.

Selangor recorded the highest number of missing items with 36, followed by Penang (28), with Johor and Kuala Lumpur recording 23 items each.

The auditor-general also reports that there was unsatisfactory management at the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters and three state police headquarters.

The report says the management of police assets has been unsatisfactory as many losses recorded in 2010 and 2011 remained unresolved.

“Besides this, information on the losses of assets and the status of investigation between Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur, and state police contingent headquarters need to be properly aligned,” the report states.

Monitoring system for the police

The police force, in its replies between May 23 and June 27 this year, states that it will come up with a system to monitor the loss of assets and that this was being developed by its information technology unit.

“The force will also develop a special team to identify weaknesses and propose improvements in investigating the loss of assets, including disciplinary action to be taken against those who fail to abide by orders,” it says.

The police also noted there was a discrepancy in the statistics as there was no secretariat to monitor the losses, and for the items to be deemed non-recoverable or a permanent loss.

The force then gave its assurance that it would come up with a standard operating procedure (SOP) on what is to be done in the event of the loss of assets.

“The SOP will be formulated by the end of December 2013,” the report states.

It notes that in some instances, the police have been late in lodging reports on the missing assets.

On the shoes purchased by the Customs Department, the report states that those from 2009 were badly damaged after being kept in a store for three years.

Furthermore, the sizes did not meet the needs of the Customs personnel. Tests conducted on the shoes also found the soles to be brittle.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 October 2013, 1:38 am and is filed under
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RM199m “burnt” as incinerators for waste management become white elephants

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (5)

The Malaysian Insider

October 01, 2013

The Auditor-General Department revealed a waste of RM199 million which was spent on the construction of four incinerators by the National Solid Waste Management Department over the last four years, as there was no expertise to operate such machines once they were built.

The incinerators were built in Langkawi, Pangkor, Tioman and Cameron Highlands.

According to the AG Report released today, the construction of these incinerators was also delayed two to three times from their original schedule.

The report revealed that three of the incinerators were not in operation for between 223 and 642 days, due to the lack of expertise.

The plan to build the fifth incinerator in Labuan also did not take off.

“The Pahang government had spent nearly RM1 million last year to clean up the mess the old way,” the report added.

The Federal Government had allocated RM337.5 million for the whole project. – October 1, 2013.

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RM73mil CIQ complex illegally built on private land

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (10)

by Nigel Aw

Malaysiakini

Oct 1, 2013

AUDIT REPORT
 The RM73 million Malacca Customs and Immigration Quarantine Complex (CIQ) was illegally built on a private land, which eventually cost the Malacca government RM10.8 million, says the Auditor-General’s Report 2012.

The report pointed out that the federal project, which included a jetty, was to be built by Pesona Metro Sdn Bhd on a plot of 1.78 acres at the mouth of the Malacca River.

Melaka River CruiseHowever the building required four acres of land. So, with the help of state authorities, the state government in October 2010 approved an additional 2.22 acres of adjacent land to make up the difference.

The said land was in fact owned by Pembinaan Kota Laksamana (Melaka) Sdn Bhd, which then issued a trespassing notice against the project contractor.

Despite the legal warning, the federal government instructed the contractor to continue with its works, resulting in the land owner filing a lawsuit against the contractor.

Following this, the federal government agreed to take responsibility on behalf of Pesona Metro Sdn Bhd if it faced any legal action from the land owner.

The tussle finally ended when the Malacca government agreed to compensate RM10.8 million to the land owner.

The project itself had been plagued with problems as it was supposed to be constructed in 2007, by Dinamik Maju Corporation Sdn Bhdat a cost of RM32.89 million.

However, the contract was terminated on mutual grounds on Sept 27, 2008, due to rising costs and a build time that was too long.

By the time the project was restarted, with a new contractor appointed on July 28, 2010, the cost had skyrocketed by over RM40 million to RM73 million.

Up to May 2012, a total of RM71.13 million had been spent on the project.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 October 2013, 1:26 am and is filed under
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Stressed, starved livestock die in Sarawak

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (13)

by Aidila Razak

Malaysiakini

Oct 2, 2013

Being a goat, sheep or a cow in the care of the Sarawak Agriculture Department can be a tenuous thing if the death rates at some special rearing stations are anything to go by.

Livestock deaths – due to stressed or starvation – at the department’s special rearing stations were as high as 74 percent, when the acceptable rate is between 5 to 10 percent, the Auditor-General’s Report 2012 states.

While only 26 percent of its goats survived in 2010, the Karabungan rearing station saw more than half of its cattle die the following year. The cattle survival rates improved remarkable the next year with only 12 of its 182 cows dead.

In Karabungan, the animals died from “falling into feeding troughs, weakness or stress, parasites, liver fluke (and) getting stuck in mud”.

The death rates were lower but still above acceptable rates in the Layar sheep rearing station, with only a quarter of the animals dying. Similar figures were seen for cattle, goat and sheep in Kabuloh.

Among the reasons for the deaths in these two stations were food poisoning, starvation or “trapped to death”.

In response, the department said the animals were “leftovers” from a poor breed, and were too old and should have been culled.

Fertiliser paid for but not delivered

The auditor-general also found that the Sarawak Agriculture Department had in 2009 and 2010 paid RM2.57 million for more than 100,000 bottles of herbicide that it never received.

The department ordered RM14.65 million worth of Ammofos fertiliser but a contract was never drawn up to keep the supplier in line.

The fertiliser was eventually delivered late, by up to 107 days, thus rendering it useless as it had missed the optimum fertilising period in the plantation cycle.

“The audit estimates that supplier Pertubuhan Peladang Negeri Sarawak could have been fined between RM370,000 to RM170,000, while supplier Syarikat Jaya Agrochem Sdn Bhd could have been fined RM200,000 for the delays,” the report reads.

Separately, the auditor-general lauded the Sarawak government’s Samalaju Industrial park for having attracted RM21.19 billion in private investments, resulting in 11,679 jobs.

However, the audit found that the projects were behind schedule and the quality of work is sub-par, including uneven and cracked surfaces of new roads.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 October 2013, 9:45 am and is filed under
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The truth? Ministry did pay RM1.6 million for K-pop concert

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (17)

by Rita Jong

The Malaysian Insider

October 2, 2013

The Youth and Sports Ministry spent RM1.6 million to bring in three South Korean pop groups for the National Youth Day celebrations last year, in contrast to the claim that the cost had been covered by sponsors.

The Auditor-General’s Report revealed yesterday that the money came from the government’s coffers.

The three K-pop groups – U-Kiss, Teen-Top and Dal Shabet – were brought in by Stadium First Sdn Bhd.

A ministry official had reportedly said then that the bill was paid by sponsors.

The report also found the ministry overspending RM1.11 million on promotion and publicity for the event.

The department reprimanded the ministry for spending RM48,300 on a “working visit” to Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara in Jitra, as well as to Songkhla, Phuket and Krabi in Thailand, for 21 people on the National Youth Day secretariat as well as senior officers.

It was also reported that the ministry spent RM75,966 on a promotional dinner, hi-tea and lodging for journalists at hotels.

The report classified several costs as “very high”, including RM50,000 paid to 50 bloggers and company management, and another RM50,000 for promotion and publicity.

Three bloggers were paid a total of RM7,500 in daily allowance for five days’ of coverage.

The ministry also spent RM3.32 million for one million Rakan Muda membership cards, and yet the programme was discontinued in July last year. – October 2, 2013.

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Former sports minister denies Khairy’s statement, says concert fee came from sponsors

Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (18)

The Malaysian Insider

October 03, 2013

A day after Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin admitted that his ministry had paid RM1.6 million to bring three K-pop groups to Malaysia for a youth concert last year, his predecessor is insisting that the money did come from sponsors.

Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, in direct contradiction to Khairy’s statement, claimed the ministry had received RM20 million from domestic and foreign corporate sponsors for the event.

He said the money was banked into the National Sports Council’s account by the sponsors, which the auditor-general’s department had failed to take into account.

“The auditors only looked at the amount that came out of the ministry’s account,” he reportedly wrote in his Facebook posting, and called the department “culas” (not diligent).

“It was not taxpayers’ money that was wasted as alleged by the opposition based on the summary contained in the auditor-general’s report,” Ahmad Shabery added.

The auditor-general’s report revealed on Tuesday that RM1.6 million spent to bring in three South Korean pop groups to perform at the concert had come from the government’s coffers.

Yesterday, Khairy admitted that the ministry was forced to pay for the K-pop concert held during the World Youth Day celebration last year after the initial sponsors backed off.

Khairy also said the ministry has cancelled the K-pop concert for the 2013 Youth Day celebration. – October 3, 2013.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 October 2013, 5:32 pm and is filed under
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Memugar sokongan di negeri Melayu

A Shukur Harun

The Malaysian Insider

October 01, 2013

Kenyataan yang dibuat oleh Setiausaha Agung DAP, Lim Guan Eng bahawa sokongan pengundi Melayu kepada Umno/BN dalam PRU yang lalu telah merosot di empat negeri, memberi makna yang besar kepada dinamika politik negara ini di masa depan.

Dalam ucapannya di Kongres Khas Kebangsaan DAP bagi pemilihan semula pucuk pimpinan parti itu di Petaling Jaya kelmarin, Lim menyatakan bahawa sokongan undi Melayu kepada Umno/BN telah merosot, iaitu lebih dari 3% di Terengganu dan Perlis sementara 1% di Pahang dan Pulau Pinang.

Ini berlaku, kata Lim, walaupun Umno/BN mempunyai sumber kewangan yang banyak, mengawal media, meniupkan semangat perkauman dan lain-lain, tetapi undinya tetap merosot.

Kenyataannya ini yang tentunya datang dari hasil kajian partinya membuktikan bahawa politik di negara ini sangat dinamik sifatnya. Ia tidak statis atau beku, tetapi pantas berubah. Oleh itu, siapapun, baik pemimpin dan pendukung parti politik dalam Pakatan Rakyat serta individu yang berminat politik memikirkan dinamika politik ini.

Walaupun perubahan di empat negeri itu kecil saja kelihatannya seperti yang disebut oleh Lim, tetapi sudah ada “gegaran”  di kalangan pengundi Melayu walaupun bersekala kecil. Boleh jadi dalam PRU akan datang, “gegaran” itu akan bertambah besar.

Johor, negeri yang menjadi benteng Umno yang amat kukuh sejak sekian lama sudah dapat ditembusi dalam PRU yang lalu. PAS sendiri sudah mencapai empat kerusi DUN, di samping kejayaan besar DAP dan PKR.

Oleh itu dalam kontek Pakatan Rakyat, maka parti komponannya mestilah mengatur langkah dengan strategi berkesan untuk meluaskan lagi pengaruh Pakatan Rakyat walaupun dilihat sukar. Tidak mustahil perubahan pengundi Melayu itu akan bertambah besar di pelbagai negeri dalam PRU akan datang.

Untuk itu Pakatan Rakyat mesti diperkukuh dan jangan ada sama sekali, komponan dalam Pakatan menghantar isyarat salah yang boleh dilihat umum bahawa Pakatan menghadapi perpecahan.

Oleh kerana PAS paling banyak bertanding di kawasan pengundi Melayu di luar bandar maka PAS mungkin dilihat lebih besar tugasnya dalam memugar pengundi Melayu, terutama di luar bandar. Namun, komponan parti seperti PKR dan DAP sendiri perlu membantu PAS secara maksima ke arah mencapai objektif ini.

Umpamanya di kawasan yang majoritinya Melayu, DAP perlu hadir bersama program PAS untuk menerangkan dasar DAP yang tidak anti Melayu yang selama ini dilebel oleh BN. Demikian juga PKR mestilah turut membantu PAS bersama DAP di kawasan Melayu itu. Ertinya program bersama berterusan mestilah diadakan sekerap mungkin.

Saya tertarik menyaksikan beberapa kempen Pakatan Rakyat di Johor dalam PRU yang lalu di mana PAS, PKR dan DAP mengadakan kempen bersama, di pentas yang sama, di kawasan yang sama. Imej kesepakatan ini memberikan kesan yang sangat baik kepada pengundi di kawasan itu.

Di kawasan bandar dan semi bandar, demografi pengundi berbeza, umpamanya di Selangor, Pulau Pinang dan Perak, yang dilihat sokongan pengundi Melayu bandar kepada Pakatan sangat significan. Kemenangan 15 kerusi PAS di Selangor, umpamanya, memberikan kesannya sangat bermakna, bahawa PAS mampu menyerlah di kawasan bandar yang sifatnya sangat majmuk, menyebabkannya mendapat empat kerusi exco, sebuah pencapaian yang luar biasa.

Seperti diketahui, kawasan bandar – yang berganda ramai pengundinya – didominasi oleh masyarakat sivil, terpelajar, terdedah kepada pelbagai sumber maklumat dari pelbagai sumber media baru yang sangat terbuka sifatnya. Ini berbeza dengan masyarakat luar bandar yang sangat tertutup, mendapat maklumat dari sumber media tradisi yang terbatas, dikawal oleh kerajaan BN dan menerima pelbagai habuan menjelang PRU.

Bagaimanapun keadaan di luar bandar itu sudah ada sedikit perubahan walaupun sangat perlahan. Oleh itu jika ada usaha besar-besaran dari Pakatan Rakyat, tidak mustahil perubahan lebih besar akan berlaku.

Dalam hubungan ini, pimpinan DAP yang telah bermesyuarat untuk memilih kembali pucuk pimpinannya, saya yakin akan terus bersedia bersama PAS dan PKR untuk mengatur strategi bersama yang lebih berkesan dalam usaha Pakatan mencapai kemenangan dalam PRU akan datang.

Dalam PRU yang lalupun DAP telah memperlihatkan kesetiaannya besama PAS dan PKR dalam mengatur program bersama semasa kempen yang menghasilkan kemenangan gemilang di kawasan bandar. Umpamanya di kawasan Ampang, Pandan, Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya Utara dan Selatan, Serdang, Shah Alam dan lain-lain.

Sementara itu, PAS sendiri yang akan mengadakan Muktamar Tahunannya Ke-59 November ini, saya yakin, akan memperbaharui komitmennya untuuk terus bersama dalam Pakatan Rakyat. Saya juga yakin, pucuk pimpinan PAS mempunyai kematangan politik yang cukup untuk terus bersama pendukung Pakatan Rakyat.

Walaupun ada desakan dari Dewan Ulama PAS supaya mengkaji balik hubungan PAS dengan PKR, namun saya kira, Muktamar PAS November ini tidak akan mengambil sikap counter productive. Malah ia akan mengambil sikap yang matang, akan terus kekal dalam Pakatan. Pelbagai kenyataan pemimpin tertinggi PAS nampaknya memberi jaminan tersebut dan ini sangat melegakan.

Pada ketika Umno/BN sangat berhajatkan perpecahan dalam Pakatan Rakyat dengan menyediakan ruang luas di media mereka untuk memaparkan bunga-bunga perpecahan itu, terutama mengenai isu “Ulama dan ‘Profesional’ dalam PAS”, pemimpin PAS segera memberi jaminan bahawa isu itu tidak berbangkit, malah tidak wujud sama sekali.

Kepelbagaian pemikiran dan pendekatan di dalam PAS sebenarnya adalah perkara biasa dan ini memancarkan segarnya demokrasi di dalam PAS. Namun semua pendukung PAS yang berjumlah lebih sejuta orang itu, mempunyai fikrah yang satu, rebah dan bangun bersama Islam.

Tidak ada golongan yang lebih istimewa dari yang lain di dalam PAS, semuanya amilin yang mendukung prinsip yang satu. Cuma yang berbeza dalam memberi pendekatan di samping memberikan sumbangan kepada parti menerusi kebolehan masing-masing. Adapun keputusan muktamad mengenai sesuatu dasar parti akan diputuskan oleh Muktamar Tahunan PAS.

Oleh itu, saya yakin, Muktamar PAS November ini akan berikrar memperkukuhkan lagi Pakatan Rakyat. Komitmen ini, sudah tentu akan disambut gemuruh oleh rakyat Malaysia yang mahukan keadilan,  demokrasi dan keterbukaan. – 2 Oktober, 2013.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 October 2013, 10:34 am and is filed under
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While Putrajaya spends, now Malaysian universities not even in Times rankings

by Elizabeth Zachariah

The Malaysian Insider

October 03, 2013

Although Putrajaya continues to spend billions on education,  Malaysian universities are not benefitting from it. If it’s any indication, for the third year running Malaysian universities have failed to feature in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Meanwhile, universities in Thailand and Singapore continue to track higher as shown in the 2013-14 Times survey.

Last year alone Putrajaya allocated RM38.7 billion in its budget for education, with emphasis on improving quality and standards.

One of Putrajaya’s goals is also to make Malaysia an education hub for the region and attract some 200,000 students to local universities by 2020.

But these latest rankings show that for all the money spent and all of Putrajaya’s efforts, Malaysia’s institutions of higher learning are falling behind.

An earlier survey by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), last month saw Universiti Malaya as the only Malaysian university to be placed among the top 200 in that ranking. Even then, it dropped from 156 in 2012 to 167 this year.

The Times rankings are based on assessments of a university’s strengths using 13 indicators to measure its teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook, powered by Thomson Reuters which independently collects, analyses and verifies the data.

In the latest Times Higher Education Survey, two top universities in Singapore – The National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University – improved their rankings from 29th to 26th and 86th to 76th respectively.

Thailand’s only top-400 representative, King Mongkut’s University of Technology, rose from the 351-400 group to the 301-350 band.

For the third straight year, the California Institute of Technology remained top of the list, with Harvard University and the UK’s University of Oxford sharing second place. American universities dominated the list with 7 institutions in the top 10 and 77 in the top 200 – one more than last year.

Japan’s University of Tokyo maintained its status as Asia’s top university, moving up four places to 23rd spot.

Australia’s University of Melbourne dropped to 34th from 28th last year. Saudi Arabia and Iran have no top 200 institutions, although both are represented in the 200-400 group.

Just recently, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, commenting on the QS rankings, noted that Malaysia’s ability to set up higher education institutions has not been matched by the quality of education offered because it has been done in haste.

He pointed out that while the teachers hired were qualified, it was a possibility that they might have been “probably lacking in certain areas”.

But Universiti Technologi Mara vice-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar defended local universities, calling those who criticised the decline “short-sighted” and adding that he was not perturbed by the drop in rankings.

Universiti Malaya vice-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Ghauth Jasmon also came out to say that fluctuating rankings were normal.

“No university’s ranking continues to rise. What’s important is that its ups and downs should on average be positive to show progress,” he said. – October 3,

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 October 2013, 5:54 pm and is filed under
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In Malaysia, Mahathir’s rising son signals conservative shift

The Malay Mail Online

October 4, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — The chief minister of the rural Malaysian state of Kedah has a familiar face, even if he lacks the charisma, provocative rhetoric and razor-sharp political skills of his famous father.

Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir is the youngest son of Malaysia’s longest-serving leader, Tun Mahathir Mohamad, whose often authoritarian rule transformed the economy into a developing powerhouse while winning a reputation for cronyism and dubious “mega-projects”.

Ten years after his father stepped down, Mukhriz has stepped into a battle for the soul of the long-ruling United Malays National Organisation (Umno) in a test of 88-year-old Mahathir senior’s still-powerful influence over the party.

If Mukhriz succeeds in snaring a coveted Umno vice presidential post later this month, unseating one of three seasoned cabinet ministers, it would be seen as a further blow to the flagging reform agenda of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

The ruling coalition’s weak election victory in May undermined Najib’s attempts to forge more inclusive policies in racially diverse Malaysia, empowering Umno conservatives who want to strengthen policies favouring majority ethnic Malays.

The elder Mahathir remains a potent figure through his towering reputation and leverage within Umno. Victory in the party elections for the son would give rise to suspicion that he would act as a proxy for his father.

Both father, who has previously scorned political dynasties, and son have denied that. Neither responded to Reuters’ requests for interviews.

Nevertheless, Mukhriz Mahathir’s election to a top party post would be seen as bolstering the conservative wing of the party.

At 49, young by Umno leadership standards, Mukhriz is less strident than his father, largely untested and has yet to set out a comprehensive political vision.

“I am happy to continue with the struggles for the party and the country, but I have my own ideas,” Mukhriz was quoted as saying by state-run news agency Bernama.

His victory in the internal party polls is far from assured, but would mark Mukhriz out as contender for leadership of the party that has ruled since independence from Britain in 1957 and has produced all of Malaysia’s prime ministers.

It could also add to uncertainties for investors at a time when Malaysia’s high fiscal deficit and growing debt have put the government under pressure to step up the pace of reform.

“It is hard to figure how much is just rhetoric ahead of the party election, but it is an area of concern,” said Chua Hak Bin, Singapore-based economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

As chief minister of northern Kedah state, known for its paddy fields and conservative Islam, Mukhriz has raised his profile this year. He has hewed to conservative positions, such as opposing the use of the word “Allah” by Christians – a touchy issue in Muslim Malaysia.

TRAILBLAZER OR PUPPET?

Mukhriz would have scant chance of success without the Mahathir name, which has powerful resonance for Umno traditionalists pining for a return to the old certainties of strong economic growth and a weak political opposition. Yet even within the party there are doubts over what he stands for.

“Mukhriz might be a new face but he’s hardly known as a progressive. Is he just his father’s puppet? That’s what people want to know,” said one senior Umno politician, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

May’s election was the second straight poll in which the Umno-dominated ruling coalition saw its parliamentary majority shrink as ethnic Chinese and urban voters abandoned it in favour of an opposition led by former finance minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The elder Mahathir, a doctor by training, stepped down in 2003 after 22 years in power.

He regularly snipes at the government from the sidelines, opposing Najib’s moves in recent years to liberalise tough security laws. Writing in the media recently, he said Umno would soon “meet its demise” if not rejuvenated by fresh talent.

A recent survey found the elder Mahathir was the most popular figure within Umno, with a 79 percent approval rating compared with Najib’s 69.

Najib will remain unopposed as party leader but the crucial loss of the ethnic Chinese vote in the election has already forced him to backtrack on reforms he had said were crucial to modernise Malaysia and ensure strong economic growth.

Last month, he announced measures to bolster decades-old affirmative action policies for ethnic Malays. His government is also bidding to bring back harsh detention without trial laws, just two years after Najib repealed several draconian laws such as the Internal Security Act, which had been used to stifle government critics.

Educated at Boston University and Sophia University in Tokyo, Mukhriz was deputy minister of international trade and industry between 2009 and 2013. Before that he had a low-profile private sector career.

His recent rapid political rise began when he gave up his safe parliamentary seat to stand for an opposition-held state assembly seat in the May election. He won, helping to wrest Kedah state from the opposition.

“I think he’s got a very good chance of winning. He can say, ‘look I am young, I am not tainted’, but of course he can also count on the influence his father’s name brings,” said Jayum Anak Jawan, professor of politics and government at Universiti Putra Malaysia. — Reuters

                This entry was posted on Friday, 4 October 2013, 8:44 am and is filed under
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Malays: The oppressed ‘master race’

Zurairi AR

The Malay Mail Online

October 4, 2013

Oct 4 — Most Malays would like to think that their race is one that is proud and as old as time, and thus will remain pure and noble until the end of it all.

“Takkan Melayu hilang di dunia,” (Malays will never become extinct) they would repeat ad nauseam, parroting the words allegedly spoken by the icon of that noble Malay man: Hang Tuah.

Bereft of achievements that they can be immensely proud of as Malaysians, numerous Malays have retreated into a cocoon, where race and religion have become their defining marks.

I had the most interesting opportunity to immerse myself in this mentality last weekend as I sat in on a symposium called “Mendepani Agenda Asing” (Facing foreign agenda), or MEGA, co-organised by the Islamist NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA).

The main theme of MEGA had been “Malays in a leadership crisis.” It was divided into two sections, the first of which was on so-called “foreign threats” to Muslim Malays as identified by ISMA such as the teachings of the Shiah school of Islam, free trade agreements including the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, Americanisation, and Christianisation.

There was even a presentation about “Nam tien” which generally refers to the southward expansion of Vietnamese territory between the 11th and 18th century.

While sourced from historical texts, the presentation sounded as if there was a conspiracy: an invasion of Southeast Asia which started from South China cutting through the ancient kingdoms of Champa, Funan, and afterwards the Malay peninsula.

This “invasion” had victimised several ancient natives, such as the Cham people, who all share the same lineage with the Malays. Ancient Malays, if you will.

These transgressions has continued, with the latest victims being the modern Malays.

The historian who presented that paper had previously been part of a study to ascertain the origin of the Malay people, through archaeological and genomic studies, covered previously in the media for their infamous Konvensyen Asal Usul Melayu (Convention on the Origin of Malays).

While the intention of the study was nothing less than charitable—there are so many benefits from such studies, mostly in medicine—the way it has since been promoted is problematic.

In announcing a book on the topic, former Malacca chief minister Ali Rustam, who is also the president of the Malay World Islamic World organisation, had presented its findings by saying that Malays originated from the Middle East.

But Malays were not from the Middle East, as much as almost everybody is from there. The Out of Africa theory posits that modern humans originated from a single point in East Africa.

The allusion is obvious that some Malays would like to link their race directly with the Biblical and Quranic “father of all men”, not unlike how Malay kings had boasted themselves to be descendants of Alexander the Great, or some Malay clans advertising themselves as descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.

Just like the self-proclaimed ancestors of Aryans who believe that theirs is the master race, these groups would like to believe that Malays have also been responsible for birthing many of the other races.

Some believe the ancient Malays were rich in knowledge and treasures, but were stripped of them by “invaders” which sometimes were backed by foreign Western powers.

After years of ethnic cleansing, these knowledge and riches were gone and stolen by these “jealous” races, leaving modern Malays just shells of what they were.

Which is where the “Aryan dream” must have ended. A once proud race was humiliated through years and years of subjugation by foreign powers, one after another. It is as if the Malays have never recovered from that dark period in their history.

Ironically, the way some Malays are acting now is probably closer to that of another group who were also historically oppressed: the Jews.

The Jews are another race who mostly feel that they are “God’s chosen people.” After thousands of years of oppression, the Jews are obsessed with the concept of their Promised Land.

One can almost see the parallel in the Malays. The Malay origin study has been presented as proof that modern Malays have always been in the Malay archipelago, and subsequently Malaysia.

Malaysia is the Malays’ Promised Land, as some see it. The Malays deserve their land, and they deserve to rule it.

Not anybody else, and certainly not the Chinese nor Indians who were “just immigrants.”

If these people had it their way, Malaysia would only be for Malays, and ruled under Islamic law. After all, the Malays are paragons of Islam—surely “Malays” and “Muslims” are interchangeable?

Which is why Sabah mufti Bungsu @ Aziz Jaafar—also part of the same MEGA symposium—is so fond of converting non-Malay Muslims into Malays. After all, aren’t Malays and Sabah natives all from the same ancestry?

A country where its people are of the same race strictly tied to a religion. Where somebody critical of that race easily gets labelled as an anti.

I could have sworn I have heard of another country just like that before.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 4 October 2013, 11:36 pm and is filed under
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Soi Lek stays silent as party roiled by sacking of former port chief

By Ida Lim

The Malay Mail Online

October 4, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek refused last night to confirm or deny reports that former port boss Datuk Lee Hwa Beng had been sacked from MCA for inviting DAP political foe Lim Kit Siang to the launch of his whistleblowing book on the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

Last night the MCA president ran the gauntlet of reporters who had door-stopped him after an event in Petaling Jaya, and stayed silent amid a barrage of questions thrown at him over the reported sacking of Lee.

Lee, who was last week elected to be a national delegate to the Chinese party’s polls later this year, had taken to Twitter to broadcast his sacking earlier yesterday afternoon while the MCA central committee was holding a news conference.

“Just heard @drchuaSL just sacked me as an MCA member. Am honored as he see me as a threat once I was voted in as a national delegate,” the former Port Klang Authority (PKA) chairman wrote on his Twitter account @hwabeng.

“Was told I was sacked as MCA member 4 inviting @limkitsiang 2 launch my PKFZ bk.But why now?Must b when I was elected a nat delegate last wk,” he added in a series of tweets in reply to a bombardment of questions.

However, when contacted by The Malay Mail Online over the phone, Lee said there was “no letter, no notice” informing him of the sacking.

He declined to comment further until he found out the reason behind his sacking from the political party.

Lee has said he will speak further on the matter and has called for a news conference later today at the Lakeview Club in Subang Jaya.

Former party boss Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, who helmed the Chinese party from October 2008 to March 2010, suggested that the purported reason for booting out Lee was too weak and unjustifiable as the MCA’s constitution did not provide for such action even on ostensibly disciplinary grounds.

He added that he had faced similar discrimination from party members in the run-up to Malaysia’s 13th general elections (GE) for being seen in the company of DAP adviser, Lim Kit Siang.

“In the case of the invitation of Kit Siang, I was given to understand that in fact the host had made the arrangement,” Ong told The Malay Mail Online when contacted.

Ong, who was formerly Pandan MP, had attended the launch of Lee’s whistleblowing book on the multi-billion ringgit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, PKFZ: A Nation’s Trust Betrayed, last year—an event that was also attended by DAP lawmaker Lim Kit Siang.

Lee, the former Port Klang Authority (PKA) chairman, had co-authored a book with former journalist Lee Siew Lian detailing his experiences in uncovering alleged misdeeds in the PKFZ project.

Two former MCA presidents – Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik and Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy – have been charged in court over their alleged roles in the scandal.

Dr Chua has said he will not seek re-election to the presidential post in the party polls later this year, but  remains under intense pressure following MCA’s dismal performance in the last elections.

He is currently seen as being embroiled in a major tussle with his deputy Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai for control of the party.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 4 October 2013, 8:22 am and is filed under
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Zahid leads the pack in Umno vice-presidential race

by Eileen Ng and Mobhd Farhan Darwis

The Malaysian Insider

October 04, 2013

Umno incumbent vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi appears to be gaining ground among the party’s 191 divisions in the run-up to the October 19 party polls, say Umno insiders.

However, the Home Minister’s two running mates, incumbents Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, are believed to be trailing in the six-man race.

The trio is facing a stiff challenge from Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, Felda chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad and former Malacca chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam.

The Malaysian Insider understands Ahmad Zahid has garnered pledges of support from about 130 divisions as he travels across the country in his quest to keep his party post. Some 146,000 grassroots delegates will vote for their leaders in the polls, as opposed to the 2,500 delegates that previously voted in the triennial elections.

The hugely popular home minister is admired by Umno members for his stern and decisive stand in tackling current issues like rising crime, which saw him taking on the opposition over the controversial amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act (PCA), which provides for detention without trial.

Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed is confident that Ahmad Zahid can retain his post easily, pointing to his dedication.

“In fact, since he took over the Home Ministry portfolio, the rakyat can already evaluate his seriousness in combating crime,” he told The Malaysian Insider, days after publicly endorsing Ahmad Zahid for the post.

Unfortunately, Ahmad Zahid’s popularity does not appear to have rubbed off on his two colleagues.

Party insiders say Hishammuddin has only managed to garner pledges of support from some 80 from divisions, mostly from his own state of Johor.

Umno members are not too happy with Hishammuddin’s performance during his tenure as home minister from 2009 until the 13th general election as he was considered ineffective.

But the son of former party president and prime minister Tun Hussein Onn is still seen as an effective campaigner and has built a network of support from his days as Umno Youth chief.

“He can just about make it as his main competition is Mukhriz,” an Umno lobbyist told The Malaysian Insider, referring to the son of another past party president, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Shafie, meanwhile, is said to be unpopular in his home state of Sabah, which has 25 divisions, due to his long-standing uneasy relationship with Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.

“The Sabah divisions are hesitant to openly voice their support for Shafie for fear of a backlash from Musa,” said a Sabah member.

Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak has indicated he would like the status quo to remain and as such, this might give the incumbents an edge.

Couple the power of incumbency with their ministerial status, and the three do appear to an edge over their challengers.

Two other challengers, Isa Samad and Ali Rustam, might be well liked by the grassroots but age is against them, say party officials.

Isa is 63 while Ali is 64 and this could explain why the two are not gaining many pledges from divisions, except from their home states of Negeri Sembilan and Malacca respectively.

“The vice-president’s posts are seen as second echelon to take over the party leadership in the future. If Najib or Muhyiddin step down four years later, the two might be too old to takeover,” said an Umno warlord, referring to the president and his deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Mukhriz appears to be the most serious contender as he has the backing of supporters aligned to his influential father.

But critics say Mukhriz’s drawback is his lack of grassroots support and the perception that he has had it easy on his political journey.

“Senior Umno leaders do no really like him because they feel he passed a major exam without even sitting for it,” a party official said. – October 4, 2013.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 4 October 2013, 6:43 pm and is filed under
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A-G Spot-on, IGP All at Sea

By Kee Thuan Chye

Yahoo! News

5th October 2013

The Auditor-General’s report for 2012 is alarming. And this is so not only because it exposed huge wastage committed by government departments last year, but also because nothing seems to have changed all these many years.

Year after year, the A-G tells us of cases of improper payment; of purchases made at astronomical prices;  of unreasonable project delays; of poor asset management; of non-adherence to procedures, etc, etc. But year after year, nothing is done to address the shortcomings.

It seems as if our civil service just continues to plod on, continues to waste, continues to be inefficient, continues to make corrupt transactions. And the overriding controller – i.e. the Government – just lets it be.

The Government knows from the A-G’s reports that corruption is rife in the civil service, but it probably realises it doesn’t have the moral standing to haul in the culprits. After all, the civil servants are following the example of the country’s leadership. And since the Government has also not shown itself to be accountable for a lot of things, how can we stop the rot?

Worse, our civil servants seem to have acquired a tidak apa mindset because the money that is being wasted, that it being improperly used, that is going into the pockets of some of them, is not theirs. When I was in school, we used to characterise such an attitude with the jeering taunt: “You think this is your grandfather’s money ah?” It’s still applicable here and now.

The A-G’s latest report tells us of

·        the Department of Broadcasting’s purchase of 20 wall clocks at RM3,810 each, 38 times more than the estimated RM100 each, and three A4 size scanners at RM14,670 a unit, more than 70 times the estimated price of RM200 each;

·        the Customs Department’s having to destroy RM600,000 worth of shoes it had purchased because they did not suit its officers;

·        the Melaka state government’s illegal building of its Customs and Immigration Quarantine Complex on private land, which eventually cost it an extra RM10.8 million to compensate the landowner, plus an extra RM40 million in building costs that had shot up because of the delay.

These are only a few examples. But they are enough to shock us into asking if something will ever be done to prevent misdeeds of such nature from happening again. This also makes us ask if the misdeeds of the past have been addressed.

For example, in 2011, the A-G reported that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) bought two pairs of binoculars at 2,805 per cent more than the market price, which translated into RM56,350 more than the estimated market price of RM1,940!

MACC Deputy Commissioner Shukri Abdul responded by saying there was no corruption involved, but who would pay nearly RM55,000 more for a pair of binoculars and be innocent about it?

Shukri suggested taking action on the matter. What has been the outcome of that?

We have a civil service made up of 1.4 million personnel, and yet no bright sparks have emerged from among them to clean up the rot, to change the mindset, to turn the civil service into a professional machine. That’s quite certainly because meritocracy is not part of the system. Therefore, the best people – with the best brains and the right work ethic – are not heading the department. Unlike in, say, Singapore.

And yet Prime Minister Najib Razak has been rewarding our civil servants with salary adjustments under the new Malaysian Remuneration System and two increments this year. Do they deserve these? No doubt it was to buy their votes before the last general election and to thank them after that, as well as to ensure their continued support.

To me, the highlight of the A-G’s report this time was its showing up of the failure of the police department to look after its own assets, and its inefficiency as a public agency. What turned out to be the icing on the cake was the response made by its chief, who appeared to be all at sea!

The report revealed that between 2010 and 2012, the police lost assets worth over RM1.33 million. Among them were 44 loaded firearms. And the police don’t seem to have retrieved them. Holy gunsmoke! Did these guns go to those gangsters who have been shooting people dead in the streets the last few months?

The Inspector-General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar, was quick to point out that they didn’t. “The missing guns may not have fallen into the hands of criminals but they could have fallen into the sea from boats … and the weapons could not be recovered,” he said.

What? Fallen into the sea? Reading that, I nearly fell into a nearby drain.

And how convenient, too, that the guns fell into the sea, because it explains why they couldn’t be retrieved. In which case, the public should ask to see the reports filed by the police personnel who lost those guns. From there, we should be able to see if they really did fall into the sea, and how.

Not that we don’t believe the IGP, but when he gave that explanation, he didn’t seem like a police officer. He came across like a stand-up comedian.

It’s almost as comic that Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi endorses that explanation because, he says, “sometimes, the guns [could get] lost in operations”. Yes of course they could, but how does he account for so many guns falling into the sea?

Zahid accepts the explanation without even questioning the logic behind it. Just like the civil service, Najib’s Cabinet is apparently not founded on meritocracy.

The IGP also said, “Of the 37 missing guns, ballistic reports show that none of them have been used by criminals.”

OK, what about the remaining seven out of the 44 cited by the A-G’s report? Are the police also having trouble with simple arithmetic?

Apart from the guns, they have also lost 156 handcuffs, 26 walkie-talkies, 22 radios, six cameras, four computers, and – get a load of this – 29 vehicles!

How did they lose so many handcuffs? Would a sweep of kinky brothels help to get them back?

How did they lose the computers? Some thief came into the police station and took them away? Under the noses of the police? Or was it an inside job?

And vehicles! How do cops lose police vehicles? Thieves got into the driver’s seat while the cops were not looking and drove the vehicle away? Were the cops, say, pumping air into the vehicle’s tyres at the time? Or popping into a shop to buy cigarettes while the engine was left running? Or did it happen that while a few police vehicles were being transported on a ferry, they somehow slid into the sea?

And after losing the vehicles, what did the police do? They are the police. They are crime-busters. Did they not go after the thieves? And they couldn’t find them? They couldn’t get those vehicles back?

At this rate, what good is reporting to the police when our cars get stolen? If the cops can’t get back their own lost vehicles, can they get back ours?

The even bigger question is: If the police can’t solve the mystery of how their assets got lost and who was responsible for losing and/or stealing them, how can they be entrusted with solving crimes in society?

What does this say of our police force?

No wonder they needed the newly passed amendments to the Crime Prevention Act to make their job easier.

* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the new book The Elections Bullshit, now available in bookstores.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 5 October 2013, 9:50 am and is filed under
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Kill National Service Before It Kills Again

By Kee Thuan Chye

msn.com

3rd October 2013

Let me be upfront about this. I’ve never been in favour of our National Service (NS) programme, and I think it should be scrapped immediately.

From the day it was implemented in December 2003 – in fact, even when it was first proposed about two years before that – I had thought of it as nothing but a propaganda opportunity for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government, as another medium it could exploit to pollute young minds with its warped ideas about nationalism and patriotism. And goodness knows what else.

In fact, one of its declared objectives is – brace yourself for it – developing a generation that is obedient and loyal to the Government.

This of course is totally uncalled-for and misplaced. And it confirms my fear that our young are getting wrongfully indoctrinated during their NS stint. Loyal to the country – yes. But loyal to the Government (and it may not just be the BN government; it could one day be the Pakatan Rakyat one) – an absolute no. There is a big difference between country and government.

I had also thought of NS as nothing but another money-making scheme for the Government’s money-grubbing cronies. Think of the extra ringgit embedded in the marked-up costing for the provision of camps, trainers, supplies, etc. Extra ringgit that would go into the pockets of those involved in the racket as kickbacks. Extra ringgit that would be duly paid by the unsuspecting public, i.e. you and me. And all for what?

Compared to Singapore’s National Service, ours is a farce. There, the trainees are attached to the armed forces or the police or the Civil Defence Force and trained for two years. When they come out, they are ready to take up arms if they are called upon to defend their country, or to serve as emergency rescue personnel.

Here, our boys and girls undergo a three-month programme that does not quite train them to be battle-ready. How could you do that in three months anyway? Instead, our orientation is towards developing a young generation who are patriotic, caring, willing to volunteer, active, intelligent, confident and imbued with positive characteristics and good values.

Wow! That’s a big job to do! And again, how could it be accomplished in three months? Whoever thought up those aims must have had unrealistic ambitions.

At the same time, our NS programme is also aimed at enhancing unity among the races. It seeks to do this by bringing together youths of all races. But how can this work when in the larger society, policies made by the Government and actions taken by it have the opposite effect of driving the races apart? As a result, youths of the same race would more likely stick together in the NS camps, reflecting the racial polarisation that exists in the larger society.

We don’t need to have NS to know that this is also the same situation in national schools. And if racial integration is not happening for our youths through their schooling experience, which spans several years, how can it happen in their NS experience, which lasts three months? In fact, according to reports, racism is rampant in the camps, and in one case, a big racial brawl broke out. Is that surprising?

OK, so you don’t find the reasons I’ve cited so far compelling enough to warrant scrapping NS. Then how about the unsanitary conditions the trainees in some camps have to put up with? How about the numerous cases of food poisoning? How about the number of sexual harassment cases that have occurred? How about the number of deaths?

You might say that deaths also occur under the Singapore NS, but do note that the trainees there undergo serious military training. Which means they are exposed to the kinds of dangers and physical stress that our trainees are not exposed to.

What our trainees attend is what someone calls a mere “summer camp”, and yet 23 have died since its inception. You might say that since NS has been going on for nearly 10 years, that works out to only an average of 2.3 deaths a year, but the occurrence of just one death is appalling enough.

The circumstances of the deaths are just as appalling – and confounding. R. Vinoth died of suspected leptospirosis, linked to rat poisoning. How did that happen? Abdul Malik Ishak was found dead in his bed although he had had no prior medical condition. In the cases of Mohd Rafi Ameer, who died of fever after sustaining a swollen leg for seven days, and Mohd Zulhaili Noraihan, who died of bacterial infection of the brain, if camp authorities had acted faster to get them medical attention, their deaths might have been averted.

A. Tamilarasi suffered high fever two weeks after reporting at her NS camp and fell into a coma. She died a year later. P. Prema was found unconscious in a camp toilet and taken to hospital, only to be pronounced dead on admission. Even a viral infection was enough to cause death – to S. Theresa Pauline. And breathing difficulties too – as in the case of Ili Ameera Azlan. Was there negligence here on the part of the camp authorities?

And now there’s even been a murder as well. Muhammad Suhaimi Norhamidi, 18, was bludgeoned to death just two Sundays ago, and three other trainees are being held in remand to facilitate police investigations.

Indeed, who takes responsibility when a trainee dies? Whom can the parents approach for compensation? Who should tender apologies to them?

But then, what good is all that when the life of one’s precious child is already lost? What can comfort the parents when they realise that the child might still be alive if he or she had not been called up for NS?

In May 2008, after 17 trainees had died, Najib Razak, then deputy prime minister, said the Government was targeting zero accidents and fatalities to ensure the success of NS. He said he had instructed camp commandants to be prompt in handling health problems and to prevent undesired incidents. Well, as you can see, the Government hasn’t fulfilled its pledge. But that’s to be expected, isn’t it?

So what do you think? In years to come, how many more are going to suffer eating food infested with maggots, how many more are going to be sexually harassed, how many more are going to die? Whose child will it be next? Are you prepared to take the risk?

If you are not, and you have children to protect, you’ll need to protect them from the Government. From its indoctrination and from the potential of NS in harming them. You’ll need to kill NS before it kills again.

* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the new book The Elections Bullshit, now available in bookstores.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 5 October 2013, 6:35 pm and is filed under
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Time to say no to racism

– Bob Teoh

The Malaysian Insider

October 04, 2013

My Malay buddy texted me: “Would you comment as a non-Malay, in particular Chinese, how you see future of non-Malays, especially Chinese, with the likes of Perkasa, Jati, Jimm around and even Umno becoming more rightist. Also with country appearing to becoming more Malay as well as Malay population increasing while non-Malay population decreasing? Will not name you, of course.”

He’s a columnist just like me and he needed my response to help him put together a piece on the sorry state of race relations in the country. So I rang him up and offered him my opinion.

“Must be a hard time you Chinese are facing eh?” he said before assuring me he would not use my name in his column.

“Why not?” I asked. “Because the other non-Malay friends I asked would only speak on condition they remain anonymous.” I reminded him my principle is that if I have an opinion I would say it upfront without the need to remain nameless. Otherwise I have no opinions to offer. “But that will look funny because yours will be the only opinion with a name, the rest would remain anonymous,” he protested.

Not intending to sound quixotic, I told him if one feels strongly about expressing an opinion, he or she should put his or her name to it. Otherwise, it’s better not to say anything. The only exception is that if by doing so endangers someone else’s life. Freedom of expression comes with a price. If it doesn’t command a price then it’s just cheap talk. Only fools do that.

The problem is not with the Malays. They have never been a problem. I have always lived in a mixed neighbourhood since young counting Malays as friends. When I was in Form Five, my good friend was a Malay who lived in Kampung Baru. Surely you can’t find anyone more Malay than that. When I entered university on the first day of the May 13 riots, my room-mate was a Malay. During Ramadan, I attempted to fast with him but I didn’t last the distance. Chinese just can’t fast as well as Malays can.

But make no mistakes about it. There are Malay racists in this country. You see them in the news every day. Though they seem to be growing more and more through the years, there’s no empirical evidence for me to say Malays are becoming increasingly racist. My experience is that there are more Malays who would likely to be for me than against me. Likewise, there are also non-Malay racists. You see them in the news too.

So we have to live with this problem of perception. Is there a solution? Some say we may as well pack up and leave. I did just that more than twenty over years ago. But we came back from Australia after our only daughter graduated and started working. There’s no place like home. And Malaysia is home. One can’t leave home forever. The prodigal son returns someday. Migration, after all, is an elitist proposition. Only the professionals with skills to offer or those rich enough qualify for migration. The rest remain behind for better or for worse. But they still have a choice – to be at peace or at war with their Malay neighbours.

Non-Malays have suffered tremendously because of racist policies. Malays too have suffered if not more from such flawed policies based solely on race. The injustice seems only crueler to them simply because they are supposed to the beneficiaries of such policies.

Racism has produced a distorted economy that will continue to drag Malaysia down to the ranks of among the failed states. More racist policies will not benefit anyone, least of all the Malays. We are all stakeholders. Time to say no to racism. – mysinchew.com, October 4, 2013.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 5 October 2013, 10:42 am and is filed under
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I work hard so my government can afford RM4,000 clocks

 – CL Tang

The Malaysian Insider

October 06, 2013

Monday blues again. I dragged myself out of bed, for yet another day of traffic jams, mundane work and greasy lunches. As I arrived at my office barely on time, I noticed it is just the first week of the month. Yet another 3 weeks to go before that next paycheck.

 It is an important day today – the company is due to sign a huge contract with the government. The company chairman will get to buy a new Rolls Royce, and I may get a promotion with a big pay rise. I buzzed my assistant to bring in the contract that we have spent the last month putting together.

 She walked in, looking rather perplexed, and muttered,” Sorry boss, I lost my briefcase that contains the contract, including my laptop and the back-up disk”. I sank into my chair. “What?! How can you lose such an important document?” I yelled. She blinked her thick eyelashes and whimpered,” Boss, if the police can lose 44 guns and their boss is not even cross with them, why are you so harsh with me?”  I did not know how to respond to that as she stormed out, lips pouting.

 I proceeded to the dreaded Chairman’s office to inform him of the delay. He was sporting a brand new gold watch that must have weight several kilo’s. “Aren’t we signing the new contract today with the good Minister?” he queried, as he flicked through a car magazine. I made up an excuse about having to delay the signing due to some last minute corrections. “Ah good, good, mark it up by several million. The government just asked for more money and they got it. As good citizens, we must help them spend it”, he remarked. I nodded with relief.

 The rest of the morning passed on grudgingly. Just after lunch, my Marketing guy walked in. “Boss, I think we will land a huge contract with Mr. Wong! I wined and dined him yesterday and he promised us a new deal!” he reported. Ah…finally some good news. As he produced his receipt, I can’t help but notice it is a handwritten one, simply with the words, “Entertainment Claims: Very expensive fish and very expensive wine, total RM 5000”. “Where’s the proper receipt?” I asked. The Marketing guy gave a mocked indignation, protesting, “Don’t you trust me, Boss? Even our government accepts all sorts of receipts without question…”

(Months later, after he left to join a government agency, I found out he actually brought Mr. Wong to the local McDonald’s. Both had fish burger. We never got the deal).

 I looked at the clock, wishing it could somehow go faster. I know it can’t. It’s a cheap clock, costing less than RM20. Now I wished we could have gotten the expensive ones, the same ones that the government paid close to RM4000 each. Surely those expensive clocks can make the day seemed shorter, or at least give me a massage when I feel stressed. Those lucky folks at the TV station…

In what seemed like an eternity, finally, it’s time to pack and go home. As on cue, my Iphone rang. Its Contractor Lee. “Mr. Tan-ah, your house renovation, sorry, must top up another RM15,000. Material prices all increase-la. You know, government GST and all…” he shouted into the phone. “The GST has not even been implemented yet! And even so, how can it go up so much overnight?!” I objected. “Aiya, trust me-la, Mr. Tan… prices all go up already. Aiyo, even government buildings can have massive cost overrun. Haven’t you read the AG report? The government doesn’t even get any warranties, but I give you guarantee 3 months, ok?” Lee continued.

 Too tired to argue, I put down the phone and made a mental note to cancel the holiday to Melbourne. The wife is not going to be happy. – 6 Oktober, 2013.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 6 October 2013, 8:18 pm and is filed under
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Lost guns: IGP’s and Zahid’s cocky “explanation”

–  Ravinder Singh

The Malaysian Insider

October 05, 2013

One told Malaysians that the guns might have fallen into the sea and the other confirmed it. This type of ‘explanation’ is what is termed in the Malay language as an attempt to “memperbodohkan” the public, to make fools of the public.

Even a bullet lost by a member of the police force is supposed to be reported, what more when weapons are lost. Thus there must be a report by each of the persons who lost their weapons and ammunition. Or has this practice been long discarded?

Losing weapons is a very serious matter. But to the Inspector General of Police and to Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, it is child’s play, as if the guns lost were mere toy guns. They are arrogantly telling the public “to mind your own business” and that asking the police about the lost weapons is none of their business.

This cockiness stems from the fact that they are the ones in power and whatever they do or say must be meekly accepted as the truth which is final and binding. In other words, do not question those in authority. This is the culture of “ketuanan”, the master must not be questioned. But isn’t the public the master as the public elects the politicians into office and civil servants are the servants of civil society? So by the theory of “ketuanan”, the public are the tuans of the politicians and the civil servants. So why can’t the public question the politicians and public servants?

The IGP and Zahid might have forgotten that there is evidence that at least one of the guns did not fall into the sea, unless the following news report is a made-up story. But then, the then Selangor acting police chief, A Thaiveegan was reported to have confirmed the case. (See
The Malaysian Insider report here
).

If the police could lose guns so easily, is it wrong for the public to be very concerned about the issue and raise questions about it.

Could the IGP and Zahid please confirm or deny the then Selangor acting police chief, A Thaiveegan’s confirmation of this news report. – October 5, 2013

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 6 October 2013, 9:49 am and is filed under
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Najib should present White Paper to Dewan Rakyat when it reconvenes in a fortnight on the initial decisions and actions taken by Special Committee on Auditor-General’s 2012 Report

The Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should present a White Paper to the Dewan Rakyat when it reconvenes in a fortnight’s time on Oct. 21 on the initial actions and decisions taken by the Special Committee set up to scrutinize the 2012 Auditor-General’s Report.

The Special Committee was announced yesterday by the Chief Secretary Tan Sri Dr. Ali Hamsa,  who will chair  the special committee which will comprise the director-general of the Public Service, the Attorney-General as well as representatives from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Finance Ministry and Royal Malaysian Police.

There is widespread skepticism that  the Special Committee will be able to make any difference to end the annual tale of horrors in the Auditor-General’s Reports about rampant corruption, wastage of public funds and abuses of power in the public service.

If the government is serious about wanting to stamp out corruption, waste, extravagance  and abuses of power running into billions of ringgit of public funds every year, such a high-level government committee should have been formed immediately after the Auditor-General, Tan Sri Ambrin Buang submitted the 2012 Report to the government in July, and not now –  only after the spate of adverse publicity in the past week following the tabling of the 2012 Auditor-General’s Report in Parliament on Oct. 1.

Do  the Prime Minister and the Chief Secretary want Malaysians to believe that both of them did not read or know of the 2012  Auditor-General’s Report when they were first submitted to the government in July and   were not aware of the enormity of the corruption, wastage of public funds and abuses of power contained therein until they were tabled in Parliament on Tuesday and reported extensively in the media?

With  more than two months’ notice to respond to the 2012 Auditor-General’s Reports before they were tabled in Parliament, Malaysians expect a more commensurate and appropriate response from a government which had boasted of a Government Transformation Programme, and not to wait until “the shit hits the fan”.

In the White Paper to Parliament when it reconvenes in a fortnight’s time, the Prime Minister should not only enumerate concrete measures which will end the “annual tale of horrors” in the Auditor-General’s Reports, but also the disciplinary actions which have been taken by all the Ministries against their staff for the malpractices and breaches of government general orders causing unacceptable losses of public funds.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 6 October 2013, 4:02 pm and is filed under
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