Who Is Responsible For This Security Breach Of Parliament?
The Parliament, despite the admittedly poor quality of its members, is still one of the three branches of government which deserves and rightly should be accorded the highest level of security. On that there can be no compromise.
How then can someone tiptoe into these hallowed halls without being noticed and then distribute flyers/leaflets/surat layang etc? Three leaflets defending former Malaysia Airlines (MAS) chairman Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli on the issue of his purchase and subsequent sale of shares in the national carrier were distributed to two Members of Parliament Wednesday.
One leaflet in Bahasa Malaysia carries the title "Tuntutan Balas Tajuddin Ramli Terhadap Danaharta, Mengapa Dia Berbuat Begitu?" (Counter Claim by Tajuddin Ramli Against Danaharta, Why Is He Doing It?) while another is the English version. A third leaflet is also in English with the title "The Tajuddin Ramli Bombshell: Who Is the Real Culprit?"
One MP said he was surprised to receive the leaflets and questioned how they could have got through Parliament's security. "Nevertheless, they are interesting to read but it is up to individuals to evaluate them," he told reporters.
Tajudin, a one-time high-flying tycoon who is being sued by Danaharta for the recovery of a loan, has filed court documents in his countersuit that claim he was asked to buy MAS to help the government. He later sold his shares back to the government at a price that far exceeded the prevailing market price.
Meanwhile, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib said he did not authorise the distribution of the leaflets in the Dewan. "I cannot comment as I don't know," he said.
This is the third case of unauthorised materials being distributed to MPs in the Dewan Rakyat. During the Asian financial crisis in 1998, opposition MPs were surprised to find "I support Dr Mahathir" stickers on their desks.
So the Speaker does not know, the MPs claim that they have no idea, the secretariat is dumbfounded and the security is still 'searching'. This is no laughing matter. A person who can sneak in a letter can just as easily smuggle in a bomb.
So the question now is who did it? My instinct tells me that it is some renegade MP. They have access to the Dewan, and pulling out a few pieces of paper from their jacket or from under their songkok doesn't require much skill. Still it might be just about anyone else who has an interest in the Tajuddin Ramli case. Why it could even be Jeff Ooi!!
How then can someone tiptoe into these hallowed halls without being noticed and then distribute flyers/leaflets/surat layang etc? Three leaflets defending former Malaysia Airlines (MAS) chairman Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli on the issue of his purchase and subsequent sale of shares in the national carrier were distributed to two Members of Parliament Wednesday.
One leaflet in Bahasa Malaysia carries the title "Tuntutan Balas Tajuddin Ramli Terhadap Danaharta, Mengapa Dia Berbuat Begitu?" (Counter Claim by Tajuddin Ramli Against Danaharta, Why Is He Doing It?) while another is the English version. A third leaflet is also in English with the title "The Tajuddin Ramli Bombshell: Who Is the Real Culprit?"
One MP said he was surprised to receive the leaflets and questioned how they could have got through Parliament's security. "Nevertheless, they are interesting to read but it is up to individuals to evaluate them," he told reporters.
Tajudin, a one-time high-flying tycoon who is being sued by Danaharta for the recovery of a loan, has filed court documents in his countersuit that claim he was asked to buy MAS to help the government. He later sold his shares back to the government at a price that far exceeded the prevailing market price.
Meanwhile, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib said he did not authorise the distribution of the leaflets in the Dewan. "I cannot comment as I don't know," he said.
This is the third case of unauthorised materials being distributed to MPs in the Dewan Rakyat. During the Asian financial crisis in 1998, opposition MPs were surprised to find "I support Dr Mahathir" stickers on their desks.
So the Speaker does not know, the MPs claim that they have no idea, the secretariat is dumbfounded and the security is still 'searching'. This is no laughing matter. A person who can sneak in a letter can just as easily smuggle in a bomb.
So the question now is who did it? My instinct tells me that it is some renegade MP. They have access to the Dewan, and pulling out a few pieces of paper from their jacket or from under their songkok doesn't require much skill. Still it might be just about anyone else who has an interest in the Tajuddin Ramli case. Why it could even be Jeff Ooi!!
posted by The Malaysian. at 7/12/2006 07:59:00 PM
2 Comments:
good points you raise.
We could easily become targets for mischief makers - too much complacency.
Are there no security cameras in Parliament?
Think your ref to Jeff is uncalled for.
Dear Angus, the reference to Jeff in the context of the last para was meant as a joke, nothing more.
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