Dr M calls for Pak Lah to step down Aug 8, 06 Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has apparently burnt his bridges with his hand-picked successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi by calling him to quit his post. If we have a prime minister who sold the country, why wait for five years? We have to take early action, said Mahathir yesterday at a press conference at Universiti Teknologi Petronas in Tronoh, Perak. If he sold the country, theres no need to wait five years. We must not always say we support the prime minister.
This is the first time that the ex-Umno strongman has come out openly to demand Abdullah to quit despite previously saying that he had no intention of overthrowing the prime minister. Mahathir has levelled a number of criticisms at his successor in recent weeks, including the scrapping of the crooked bridge to Singapore. He accused the government of kowtowing to Singapore and failed to protect national interests. Umno not the target Mahathir, who was at the university to give a lecture on Challenges in running a country, also argued that he was not criticising ruling party Umno in his on-going spat with Abdullah. Ive never criticise Umno in my speeches. I only criticised the leader who swayed away from the wishes of Umno, he said. He said despite that past Umno leaders faced stringent criticisms, the party had remained strong I was challenged until I almost lost, yet Umno remained strong... We are not condemning Umno, we are condemning the leadership who are not following the partys principles and struggles. Mahathir took another potshot at Abdullahs ambitious son-in-law, Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who last week vowed to answer the allegations against him including his multi-million ringgit purchase of shares in boutique investment bank, ECM-Libra. Whats there to answer? Hes not answering. Where did he get RM9 million? He said he borrowed from friends. Who are his friends whom he can borrow as much as RM9 million? I, too, would like to borrow... There are some in Umno Youth who also would like to borrow RM9 million to buy ECM-Libra shares. Can they go and take a loan? Why did his friends give him the loan? Even if we want to get a loan from the bank, can we go borrow RM9 million to buy ECM-Libra shares? Dr M to be party delegate He said that he would attend the Umno divisional meeting of Kubang Pasu - the constitutency which he represented in Parliament for almost three decades - if he was selected by party members. I have the right to be picked as a delegate. Im going. However, he said that he would not want to be a delegate at the Umno general assembly to be held later this year. Even if I was a delegate, I would not be allowed to speak. He argued that when he was challenged by his political rivals in Umno when he was prime minister, he had allowed them to go to the party grassroots to make speeches against him. I almost got ousted, only won with 43 votes. I did not jail them. Perhaps they could not remember because Malays can easily forget, he said referring to the contest between him and former vice-president Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in 1987. Now I cant go close to former Umno members. Mubarak, which is an organisation of ex-parliamentary and state representatives, cannot... Mahathir also warned that the Internet would be curbed soon by the government. Soon, the Internet will get it too... because we are an open society. Must censor the Internet. Only those (opinions) which support the government can be published..., he said in his trademark sarcasm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Selangor fails trial of trusteeship KJ John - Aug 8, 06 The Sun shone in Selangor this past week for good governance advocates! A fait accompli project to give an absolute monopoly to a private company was correctly revoked by MTEN, Selangors equivalent of the National Economic Action Council at federal level. KJ John KJ John served in public service for 30 years and took optional retirement to work in his own consulting group. He hopes to see transparent and open, new governance practiced in Malaysia some day. Credit for the decision, I hear, goes both to the Sultan of Selangor and The Suns brilliant and timely revelation. The headline story gave the semua-OK MB an opportunity to reflect fully on the implications of monopoly. The consequences were reversals of the policy and decision, although the deal had been already approved, based on documents secured by The Sun. This problem of the privatisation and piratisation of public assets and opportunities in this country is still a very serious problem. On Feb 13, I made a formal complaint on a specific issue and problem to the Parliamentary Special Committee on Integrity. More recently, I filed another formal complaint to the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament. But can we understand and better appreciate the real issues related to such privatisation projects? The government of the day is authorised to administer the country for a fixed period by the mandate of the people through a general election. In Selangor, the Barisan Nasional (BN) is in power with a solitary opposition member. But the stewardship of, and trust placed in, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Lah) and the BN team for good governance at federal level is slowly being called into question. He appointed the Selangor Mentri Besar and those who live and work in the state - like me - are forced to accept his choice. I have no real objections to anyones appointment except when the person is either arrogant or not transparent enough by way of good governance. Pak Lah was elected with such a huge majority for his promise about better governance of the nation. We can hold the PM to this pledge. Do things right This point cannot be lost to most politicians. My best friend calls this the challenge of the trial of trusteeship. All leaders are given authority by God to lead a group for a period of time, which Ibrahim calls only a trial period of trusteeship. We are being tested by the Almighty before he takes that power away from us. And when He does, you must not regret the things you did not do right. Therefore good trusteeship requires doing right the first and every time with the right attitude and right processes in place. Where this involves public assets, the Federal Financial Procedures Act can and must be invoked. Unfortunately in this particular case, the Selangor MB and his team have shown their lack of knowledge of due process once too often. In this column, I have written against a number of poor decisions by the MB and his team but until The Suns report, the light had not dispelled darkness. For instance, Selangor was declared a developed state by Selangor for Selangor. How can I declare myself a self-righteous man before my own family? The MB and his team have proven that they do not even understand the basic concept of development. I therefore refer them to an article by Lee Hwok Aun entitled, Development in Malaysia: Economics and Politics of an Idea in Akademi 64 (Januuari) 2004: 65-81. Dear MB, please make time to get informed and do not pass judgment without proper knowledge of the subject. The PM himself has highlighted the problem of the environmental degradation and disregard in Selangor with regard to extensive rape of green belts and lungs. Dear MB, do you need the PM to take you on another helicopter ride and another re-education programme before you avert all the environment-related disasters? How many more innocent people must die before you learn the core and simple lesson of the value of every single God-given life? The rule of law or the abuse of the rule of law is another issue in Selangor. The case by Taman Desaria residents against then MPPJ was a case in point. Right there in court, it was proven that the MTEN is not a legal body and has no legal basis to exist. Yet it remains in existence because the trusteeship is not respected or regarded. Dear MB, do you need the PM to call you or for the Attorney-General to call you before you learn that rule of law is enshrined in our Rukunegara? Decision questionable The privatisation of three rivers in Selangor was the most obnoxious case of privatisation and my fear is that it was also the MTEN which made the same decision. I even enquired with a public service colleague with the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), and he could not tell me under which law such a privatisation of pubic assets and resources can be made. Maybe the AG or the state legal advisor should advise all citizens on the legal basis of the privatisation of public assets? My argument against such privatisation is as follows; the privatisation of public space and opportunities must follow the rule of law because the owners of public space are not merely the current occupants but also the future generations of Malaysians for whom the Federal Constitution was also promulgated for posterity. All common space and public space belongs to the Federation of Malaysia and the peoples of Malaysia for eternity. Under the constitution and the federal land law, all matters come under the jurisdiction of the state authorities, as per the Federal-State List. But no state has absolute authority over land and other related permanent fixtures under the definition of land for posterity. For instance, it has become obvious after the most recent case, that Johor cannot independently sell sand to Singapore without explicit approval from the federal government. Case-law on such matters has been established. My next question to the AG is: does Selangor have absolute jurisdiction to privatise three rivers in Selangor without reference to the federal DID and without the support of the federal cabinet? Who has absolute jurisdictional authority over the three rivers, even if they are located in Selangor? Have the environmental and posterity related issues been taken into consideration, in the privatisation of the river? What if the contractors pollute the river, whose responsibility will it be? Or worse, if they mine the river for all mineral deposits and dispose polluted water into the river, whose responsibility would it be if the fish die? How can the DID be held responsible for loving the river if some parts are not under its supervision? My rhetorical question is, Can the air we breathe really be privatised?. Can public space like that with billboards be blindly privatised for financial gain if it destroys the beauty of our natural environment? What about the physical danger these billboards pose, regardless of the camouflage tactics used? Please drive by Jalan 222, exit to the Federal Highway and notice whether it is legal when the base of the new billboard almost protrudes into the drivers lane? Who defines such laws of good governance in public safety issues? Is it not the federal governments responsibility to define good and acceptable practice in such cases? Is it not the Road Transport Department and transport minister who must help the nation define safety and not just MBPJ or even the PWD? Do we need another death before this matter is raised in the cabinet? The belligerent piratisation of public spaces is squeezing citizens like me into a corner when it comes to quality of life in our lived environment. I think it is the MBs responsibility to improve the quality of life in the state for the ordinary citizens. But, as it appears, this MB is more interested to take sides with his contractors (why else give the monopoly to a dormant company?) and slowly but surely deprive citizens of quality of life through the abuse of adequate public-good assets through poor trusteeship of the state or the local authorities. If reaping from public assets continues, citizens like me have no choice but to predetermine in our minds that, at the next elections, we must consciously choose to give the opposition a chance at governance, especially since the evidence of abuse stares us in the face every day. Maybe it is time for Pak Lah to choose a new team in Selangor before it is too late for BN. After all, it was his promise of improved governance that made me believe him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sons death sparks mums political career Andrew Ong - Aug 8, 06 For two years, she challenged the police over her sons death in custody and to claim his body. Today, G Sara Lily, the mother of Francis Udayappan, is entering politics. Four months after the funeral, the former tea-lady has chosen a political platform to campaign for greater transparency in the police force. I dont want this to happen to any other persons children, Sara Lily told a press conference yesterday to announce her entry into opposition party Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). She also handed over 40 membership forms to Womens chief Fauziah Salleh at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, on behalf of friends and supporters, most of whom are women. Sara Lily, who will lead the newly-formed Bandar Baru Sentul branch, said she had chosen Keadilan because it had steadfastly supported her cause. Vice-president R Sivarasa said Saras personality and courage is representative of the partys struggle against cruelty. He reiterated calls for the immediate formation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to increase effeciency and transparency in the police force. If we had the IPCMC then (at the time of Francis death), this tragedy might have been avoided, he said. PKR Youth vice-chief S Manikavasagam said a VCD documenting Sara Lilys tussle with the police over Francis body would be distributed at the partys annual congress in Penang next month. Sara Lily has maintained that police were involved in killing Francis and dumping his body into the Klang river after he had been detained on suspicion of theft. The police denied this, saying that Francis had jumped into the river after escaping from the Brickfields police station while being questioned. They later refused to release his remains on grounds of doubt over the identity. An inquest eventually determined that the body was that of Francis. It ruled out any foul play. but Sara Lily has filed an appeal against this finding. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Panduan untuk bakal pengantin & sudah berkahwin.. cara utk mengawal kewangan, meningkatkan dana kewangan utk berkahwin & sesudah berkahwin, berbelanja secara berhemah.. insha ALlah layari laman web>> http://www.maskahwin.com/index.php?ref=delete untuk keterangan lanjut --------------------------------- New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 1GB of free storage! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Alternatif-Net : A Discussion Forum Focusing on Issues Related to Justice Forum Perbincangan Maya Yang Fokus Kepada Isu Keadilan Disclaimer: Messages sent do not represent the stand of the Barisan Alternatif (BA) unless otherwise stated Complaint : Send to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Sub : Send blank e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsub : Send blank e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alternatif-net/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
