PM: Don’t idolise the bad guys

BUKIT MERTAJAM: People must not change historical facts or glorify communist terrorists, warned Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The Prime Minister said no one should hero worship those who were cruel and traitors to the country.

“We have attained independence and lived in harmony. We give authority to the people and we respect the democratic process,” he said.

The country's leaders, added Najib, had used their wisdom to unite Malaysians in overcoming various challenges during independence, including fighting the communists during the Emergency.

He said although Malaysia was friendly with communist nations now that they had left their old ways behind, those during the Emergency had wanted to rule the country.

“The communists back then did not give freedom to the citizens as they were anti-religion. They were cruel and brutally killed people. That is why we opposed them back then,” he said at the national-level Malaysia Aidilfitri-Merdeka Open House at SMK Guar Perahu, Penanti, here yesterday.

In Bagan Datoh, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said it would not use the Internal Security Act (ISA) against PAS deputypresident Mohamad Sabu for his remarks over the Bukit Kepong attack.

“I feel it is not suitable to use the ISA against a politikus (politician),” he said, adding that the Act should only be used in matters related to national security.

“We have to follow procedures and the law. We leave it to the Attorney-General to decide on the next suitable course of action,” he said, adding that he did not think Mohamad's statements would affect the country's security and public order.

“The A-G is independent and the Government will not get involved,” he told reporters after the Bagan Datoh Umno Hari Raya open house.

Hishammuddin also said he would meet the ex-servicemen's association next week over Mohamad's statement.

Bagan Datoh Umno chief Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also Defence Minister, said former servicemen had expressed their disappointment over the remarks.

“Association members will sign a pledge to support the Government and criticise the recognition given by Mohamad to the communists,” he said.

Taken from The Star Online

Watchdog wants end to secret defence deals

By Shannon Teoh

September 09, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) wants the government to put a stop to using national security as an excuse for the secrecy that ends up hiding graft involving defence contracts, and consider appointing independent monitors for such deals.

Datuk Paul Low, the president of the independent watchdog, told The Malaysian Insider that secrecy in the name of national security has led to such deals being riddled with corruption due to the practice of political funding and patronage.

Low said the government could not ask for money while suffering leakages. — File pic

“As the government is trying to cut the budget deficit while introducing goods and service tax, it cannot ask for money while suffering leakages,” he said.

The seedy and allegedly corrupt side of Malaysia’s defence procurement was laid bare in a US embassy cable, with startling revelations on how Umno politicians, agents, civil servants and military officials receive 30 per cent “commission” on deals.

In a note on the opaque procurement system here revealed by whistleblower site Wikileaks, the US embassy noted that American companies operating here had three main complaints about the system: the lack of transparency, outright corruption, and Bumiputera requirements.

The undated cable sent during the Abdullah administration between 2004 and 2009 also noted that many government tenders do not follow procurement rules.

A US aerospace executive told the US embassy here defence deals were done through shadowy agreements with no tendering process. For example, the then-Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s sister-in-law arranged a US$400 million (RM1.2 billion) contract to buy military cargo aircraft from Airbus.

The deal was announced following Abdullah’s return from a trip to France.

“The US executive asserted that PM Abdullah’s brother told him this deal was ‘done for political and other reasons, such as commission’,” noted the US embassy cable madepublicthrough Wikileaks.

Similar scenarios were described for the procurement of T91 Polish tanks and SU-30 Russian aircraft, noted the executive, who also said that once someone purporting to work for then-Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak approached him about a deal and suggested “you will get a part of it.”

The US embassy noted that Malaysian political parties including Umno rely on “money politics” for much of their operating funds.

“Projects or tenders often are awarded as political patronage with a cut of funds circulating back to the party through different channels,” noted the embassy.

These revelations come at a time when there has been some scrutiny surrounding the deal to buy Scorpene submarine. More than RM500 million was allegedly paid to a local consulting company Perimekar and the opposition has pointed fingers at Najib who was the defence minister when the deal was inked.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) politicians have also questioned the inflated costs of several new defence deals announced by current Defence Minister Datuk Zahid Hamidi.

The US embassy noted that lack of transparency was also evident when it came to awarding contracts in the information communication technology (ICT) sector. A manager at a US ICT firm pointed out that it was shortlisted for a tender with Telekom Malaysia Bhd but lost to another company that did not even bid for the contract.

Though the cable was sent during the Abdullah administration, there is little evidence that the procurement system has improved.

In response the the revelations, TI-M’s Low noted that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Auditor-General’s office were monitoring the RM50 billion Mass Rapid Transit project and such a mechanism could also be used on defence deals without laying bare details considered sensitive to national security.

Taken fom Malaysian Insider Online

Pakatan: Set up small panels to scrutinise budget allocations

PETALING JAYA, Sept 9 — The federal opposition has demanded at least seven committees to debate budget allocations in Parliament, a move it says will end the current practice where “billions of ringgit are approved with a brush stroke.”

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers told reporters today that allocating MPs to committees would allow each ministry’s allocation to be debated for about four days instead of the two hours some portfolios received in Dewan Rakyat now.

“At the committee stage, only three MPs from each side speak for a few minutes before the ministry’s budget of several billion ringgit is rushed through with a swift brush stroke,” DAP international secretary Liew Chin Tong (picture) said of some smaller portfolios.

The PR alternative budget committee said that in other Westminster systems, each ministry would have its own committee of MPs from all parties to discuss the allocation over the entire committee stage.

It proposed a compromise for the upcoming budget session beginning on October 7, with MPs being divided into seven committees of 20 lawmakers each to discuss allocations simultaneously over the entire 18 days set aside for the committee stage instead of the current practice where the entire House becomes a committee.

Liew, who is Bukit Bendera MP, said that it would ensure that MPs could sit in serious discussion instead of merely “crossing swords” as members of the government or opposition.

PAS research chief Dzulkefly Ahmad said this would allow parties to make fuller use of the expertise of their lawmakers.

“Each committee member will be able to develop specialist expertise and experience over the long term,” the Kuala Selangor MP said, adding that each member should be given a RM10,000 allocation per month to hire a research team.

The Najib administration’s proposed budget for 2012 is seen as crucial in charting the country’s economic amid fears of a global double-dip recession due to the current debt crises in the United States and Europe.

Malaysia’s economy growth has also lost its momentum after rebounding to a 7.2 per cent jump last year, slowing to 4.9 and four per cent in the first two quarters of 2011 respectively.

Putrajaya is also grappling with surging inflation that has remained at a two-year high of over three per cent since March while having to slash a subsidy bill that would otherwise double to RM21 billion this year, severely jeopardising its commitment to reducing the budget deficit.

After it hit a two-decade high of seven per cent in 2009, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak pledged to reduce the deficit and has targeted a reduction to 5.6 per cent this year.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar said today that given the economic climate and the need to rein in the deficit, ruling Barisan Nasional lawmakers should also support the call for more stringent monitoring of ministerial allocations.

“Instead of being preoccupied with the political dictation of leaders of the day, we should focus on what is an 

important budget given the economic setbacks the country is facing,” the Lembah Pantai MP said

Taken from Malaysian Insider Online

Malaysian joins two protocols on rights of child

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will join two optional protocols of the Convention on Rights of the Child introduced by United Nations (UN), said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil.

She said the protocols approved at the Cabinet meeting Wednesday cover the sale, prostitution and child pornography and to protect children from being involved in armed conflict.

Malaysia's participation in the two protocols was to contain problems that often affect children in the country, especially abuse and trafficking in children for sexual exploitation.

"The Cabinet agreed that Malaysia join the two optional protocols in addition to protecting children's rights," she said at a press conference after launching State of the World's Children Report 2011, here Thursday.

The ministry will plan several programmes to educate and raise awareness to guardians of youths and teenagers on issues with cooperation of the Home, Health and Education Ministry.

"The government is serious in planning strategies to curb this problem. Children have been know to spread their naked pictures on the internet without knowing the danger."

Earlier, Shahrizat who participated in a panel talk with six teenagers about their hopes and dreams discussed opportunities provided by the government.

Also in the panel was Unicef Children's Fund representative Hans Olsen.

She said teenagers are the country's important asset and must be approached and understood and their ideas used in implementing policies.

"They are too old to be treated like a child and yet young to be treated like an adult. At this young age, they can assess the mood to be more accountable to self, family and country," she said at the one hour talk.

Teenager Alayna Rani Sreenivas said "I feel more responsible for all my action. It is our right to participate towards a better country and world.

"There are 1.2bil youths in the world with so many ideas that should not be ignored," she added.

Taken from Malay Mail Online

IWK to be privatised to 1MDB

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) is expected to be privatised soon to a consortium led by strategic investment agency 1MDB, some 11 years after the government was forced to bail out the national sewerage company from financial difficulties under its previous owners, according to sources in the Finance Ministry. The sources told The Malaysian Insider that the 1MDB-led consortium will include water distribution company Puncak Niaga, and that the deal has been given the nod by the Economic Council chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. However, it is understood that some ministry officials are still scrutinising the deal because of concerns about its feasibility and worries that the government could once again be forced to bail out the company if the latest plan fails. Under the proposed deal, the 1MDB consortium will acquire IWK for RM1 and take over its debts which include more than RM1.5 billion in loans still owed to the ministry. The consortium is seeking a 60-year concession from the government and will only pay back the principal amount and interest on the loan over the long term. It also has plans to link sewerage charges to water usage. The plan could spark a new round of controversy because of the lack of transparency surrounding negotiations, with consumers still wary about deals involving IWK. From Day One, IWK has had problems convincing a sceptical public to pay for separate sewerage charges which had previously been part of the water bill. In 2000, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s administration paid nearly RM200 million to nationalise IWK to “safeguard public interest and to avoid service disruptions.” The nationalisation of IWK was to tackle the company’s debt then of nearly RM700 million. IWK’s bailout in 2000 exemplified the pitfalls of Dr Mahathir’s privatisation policy in which government-owned assets or resources were allocated or sold to private investors in the hopes of generating profits. The IWK story began in 1993 when businessman Tan Sri Vincent Tan convinced the government to let a consortium of private interests led by him to take over the ownership, operation and maintenance of more than 2,800 state-owned sewage-treatment plants nationwide. But IWK subsequently found that many of the treatment plants it inherited from the government were not functioning and costs began escalating. A nationwide furore also ensued, with many consumers and businesses complaining bitterly about IWK. Maintaining the plants and staying profitable proved impossible for IWK. Under pressure, the government also forced the company to reduce its charges. By 2000 Dr Mahathir’s government then decided to nationalise IWK. The Najib government’s new plan could attract similar criticisms because it involves 1MDB and Puncak Niaga, a company that is seen as politically connected to Putrajaya.

 Taken from Malaysian Insider