Najib's 'No Racism' Warning Is Just Another Sandiwara

Come of it lah brudder! You can't fool all of the people all of the time. Najib knows those wise words, but hey what's another lie for a person who by nature is a deceiving trickster? When our PM came out with the warning about racist remarks in public, my first thought was whether he was referring to the recent imbroglio involving two utterly stupid makcik masquerading as headmistresses or had he by any chance grown a ball or two and decided to caution that supremely ugly Malay supremacist Ibrahim Ali.

But having an inkling about the devious ways in which this man operates, the thought crossed my mind that he may have actually been targeting MCA, Pakatan and ordinary non-Malays for commenting on free speech, more rights for everyone and basically wanting a more just and equitable Malaysia. Non-Malays asking for a fair deal and true democracy is in Umno's world nothing but pure racism and sedition and the 'racists' should be subjected to lynching.

So I wouldn't give much thought to Najib's admonition. It's a waste of time and energy. He is simply not going to lift his pinkie and he won't specifically target any one Malay individual or group spewing racist venom. If it's to his advantage he may even arrest Chua Soi Lek but Umno connected Malays are apparently above the law.

Meanwhile the country is fast going down the slippery slope and national unity is but a far distant memory. I'm seriously thinking of moving to Singapore at least for the sake of my kids. To be sure racism does exist in Singapore too but not the increasingly venomous kind that you find here. The final straw for me was when almost the entire top leadership of Umno both in and out of Cabinet, except for Khairy and Nazri, kept absolutely silent in the wake of a tsunami-like uproar from the public. That the Umno leadership condones such ignorant racist talk is very apparent. Downplaying the issue like what Hishamuddin did as well as the dismissive attitude of that educated idiot Alimuddin Mohd Dom, DG of Education only made matters worse.

Everyone knows that our education system had gone down the longkang decades ago. What kept it propped up for a long time was the pool of dedicated and talented teachers from all the races. As the last of this group of educationists retired over the seventies and early eighties we and our children were set upon by a massive horde of locally trained 'teachers' almost exclusively Malay. We and our nation have yet to recover from the trauma of this onslaught. The racist Hajjahs in Johor and Kedah are merely two examples of an entire generation of BTN indoctrinated goons let loose in our schools to maraud as they wish. In the process all pupils, both Malay and non-Malay, have been deeply affected and their future jeopardised. Those in Chinese schools, accused of producing social skills disadvantaged, exam passing automatons had at least escaped this mediocre fare dished out in sekolah kebangsaan. At least for a short period in their vulnerable lives they had been spared the ravages of racism spooking the classrooms of our 'national' schools.

And please don't expect that Najib will suddenly have a change of heart and perform a miracle. He won't. What we need is not a change of heart but a change of government.

What The Devil Is Going On In Exim Bank?

A disgruntled former employee charges the central bank is refusing to investigate allegations of corruption.

Malaysia’s Exim Bank, launched in 1995 as part of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s expansive industrial policy, appears to be under investigation by the country’s Anti-Corruption agency after charges were lodged last week by a former bank employee who alleged that Bank Negara, the country’s central bank, had declined to act against two officials of the establishment.

The story was first carried on the Malaysian news website Malaysiakini, although the website did not name the bank. Ezam Mohd Nor, chairperson of the Movement for Democracy and Anti-Corruption in Malaysia, told Asia Sentinel that his organization was declining to name the bank to allow the Anti-Corruption Agency the opportunity to examine the case. He did say that there were allegations of fraud, bribery and abuse of power, however.

Asia Sentinel confirmed through other sources that Exim Bank is the target of the charges, however. An Exim Bank official said the matter is being handled inside the bank by the head of the human resources department. A call to the department was not returned by press time. Lim Fin Ying, a spokesperson for Bank Negara Malaysia, said the person who is handling the issue for the central bank is on Lunar New Year holiday and was unable to comment. Musa Hassan, the Inspector General of Police, said he was not aware of the issue.

As with other export-import banks around the world, the Malaysia Export-Import Bank was created to provide credit risk for overseas investment to open overseas doors for Malaysian companies in such fields as infrastructure, shipping and others. The bank’s role was projected as part of Mahathir’s industrial policy to diversify and increase the country’s export capacity and to “expand our export market to other socialist and developing countries.”

Headed by Board Chairman Othman Mohd Rija, the bank is wholly owned by the Malaysian government. In an effort to expand its scope to export credit insurance and lending activities, the government merged Exim bank with Malaysia Export Credit Insurance Bhd in 2005. The bank’s authorized capital, according to its 2006 annual report, was Rm3 billion (US$925.2 million) with paid-up capital of RM730 million. 2006 profit was RM74.2 million, with total loans approved of RM3.3 billion. Insurance premiums reached RM10.2 million for Malaysian exporters. Export credit insurance protects exporters from buyer default payment as well as allowing exporters to extend credit to overseas buyers.

Malaysiakini quoted Norhayati Abdullah, who had worked at the bank for 12 years, as saying one of the two top officials under question had retired while the second remains employed there. Norhayati last week lodged a complaint with Malaysia’s Anti-Corruption Agency and told Malaysiakini she had also informed the National Audit Department as well as the Public Accounts Committee of the Dewan Rakyat, Malaysia’s parliament of the charges.

According to Norhayati, Bank Negara investigated one of the two officials for abusing his powers for personal gain in 2004 over misuse of credit cards and personal telephone calls. A second probe was launched in 2005 involving the other official, who remains head of one of the bank's departments. She told the website that the second fraud related to kickbacks to an advertising agency for the bank's newspaper advertisements. The rates quoted by the agency for payment were much higher than usual, she said.

"It was a false quotation that was submitted, but it was paid for although the officer knew the bank was being overcharged," she told the website. Although the bank's internal audit department was alerted about the alleged fraud, she charged, its instructions to withhold payment to the advertising agency pending investigations were ignored.

Instead, the woman told the publication, she herself was charged by bank officials with having demanded and received a kickback from the ad agency.

"The owner of the agency was asked to — and eventually did — write to the chief executive officer of the bank stating that I had demanded and received a commission," said Norhayati, who was then an officer in the advertising section of the bank's corporate communications department. Despite the fact that she came up clean in the probe, she said, she was dismissed for criminal breach of trust.

"A domestic inquiry was held against me. In the letter, they said they found me guilty of CBT, but no police report was made against me. I was, in fact, unfairly dismissed and made a scapegoat because they wanted to cover up this thing," she said.

Norhayati said she later lodged police reports against the bank and the advertising agency head and has also filed a legal suit for defamation against the advertising agency owner. (Asia Sentinel)

***** Despite government rhetoric such instances of corruption and abuse continue unhindered. And Najib has the gumption to ask if we can trust the opposition!
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"Be More Transparent in Preventing Corruption," IGP Tells ACA!

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan today urged the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to be more effective and comprehensive in discharging its responsibilities.

He said the ACA's scope of investigation should also be directed at the other enforcement agencies instead of the police force alone.

He was commenting on the statement by a former Inspector-General of Police, Tun Haniff Omar, in his weekly column in an English-language tabloid recently that 40 per cent of the members of the Malaysian police force were involved in corrupt practices.

"It was a sweeping comment. The integrity of the police force is important to me personally. I have endeavored to build up public confidence in the police force.

"That's why I have warned police personnel involved in corrupt practices that stern action would be taken against them," he told reporters.

***** The IGP's advice is laughable at best. In essence what he's saying is that "OK so the police force is corrupt, but why can't the bloody ACA look at the corrupt bastards in other government departments as well. Why give only my men a bad name when there are bigger corrupt sons-of-bitches running loose in other places?"

For how long more is the IGP going to be handing out warnings of 'stern action' to rotten-to-the-core officers of his force? If Tun Haniff Omar says that 40 per cent of the members of the Malaysian police force were involved in corrupt practices, that should deeply worry the IGP and not make him reflexly defensive by terming Tun Haniff's statement as 'sweeping'. Given Tun Haniff's background and I'm sure his many contacts within and without the police force, it is not easy to dispute his figures or dismiss them as exaggerated.

If the IGP feels that he cannot reform the force then it is better for him to decline the extension given by the government and allow some really dedicated and honest cop to take his place. I'm sure many big businesses will gladly offer him a directorship with the requisite perks on retirement.

You can read the entire Bernama report HERE.
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Czech Republic To Fund Mobile Healthcare Clinic For Refugees In Malaysia. Our Government Should Be Ashamed

The United Nations' refugee agency formed a partnership Friday with the Czech Republic and Malaysian volunteer physicians to set up mobile clinics to boost health care for refugee communities.

Doctors and nurses in vans will regularly visit 1,000 refugees, mostly people who fled military-ruled Myanmar, starting July 1 in Klang district near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's main city, said Volker Turk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' representative in Malaysia.

Refugees in Malaysia — who are not legally allowed to find employment — sometimes have trouble obtaining medical treatment because of financial costs, language barriers and problems in physically reaching hospitals and clinics, Turk told a news conference.

"It's a marginalized and vulnerable group that is not living in the most healthy environment," Turk said.

The Czech Embassy in Kuala Lumpur is providing US$20,000 to pay for medicine, while Mercy Malaysia, a nongovernment group, will supply the medical staff for the nine-month project.

***** Our government splurges like there is no tomorrow on by-elections and on populist, vote-winning, worthless and meaningless projects, but is incapable of looking after the health of a mere 1,000 refugees! It is disgraceful that the UN should take the initiative to provide this relief through the good offices and generosity of the Czech Republic and volunteer doctors in Malaysia. This clearly shows a callous indifference to the suffering and welfare of these poor people and is an unmindful abandonment of official responsibility.

What is the point of back-thumping and screaming "Malaysia Boleh!" when even the dire needs of fellow Asians cannot be soothed and relieved by us and it takes a European country to set things right here? We should be ashamed as a nation. So much for our much vaunted 'Asian values'! Third World we are and Third World we shall always be.

You can read the full report HERE.
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Human Rights Groups Slam Police Abuse And Corruption

Malaysian human rights groups said Friday that police abuse and corruption in the country have not stopped despite an independent commission's recommendations for sweeping changes, Channel Newsasia reports.

"Human rights continue to deteriorate," Yap Swee Seng, executive director of local organization Suaram, said at a meeting of human rights groups. "The culture of impunity is growing."

National police chief Inspector General Musa Hassan could not be immediately reached for comment. His mobile phone was switched off.

A royal commission, set up in 2004, made 125 recommendations for changes in the police force to reduce crime, stop corruption and observe human rights.

Last year, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced that 81 recommendations had been implemented, 19 more would be implemented and 25 were still being studied. But Suaram and Amnesty International Malaysia said few of the recommendations on human rights have been implemented. The implementation of the others has been unsatisfactory, they said.

"Unfortunately, until today no details of what has been implemented has been made public," said Josef Roy Benedict, executive director of Amnesty International Malaysia.

The groups said changes, if any, had been superficial and cosmetic, and an independent commission to investigate alleged police misconduct — one of the most important recommendations — had still not been set up.

Yap said recommendations pertaining to freedom of assembly had also not been carried out, citing cases of police brutality during peaceful demonstrations as an example.

He said people were still detained without trial under the country's Internal Security Act, Dangerous Drugs Act and Emergency Ordinance. Once released, many were re-arrested.

No inquests at all have been made in six of nine cases where people died in police custody last year, Yap said, disregarding the recommendations, which call for an inquest into every case within one month.

Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang, who also joined the panel discussion, said politicians pointed fingers at each other instead of cracking down on police abuse and corruption.
"There is no political will. There is no responsibility. Our prime minister is on a perpetual, eternal honeymoon," Lim said, referring to Abdullah's recent remarriage.

But Denison Jayasooria of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia expressed cautious optimism. "The progress has been slow and in some cases extremely slow ... (But) The police tone has changed... There are changes. There is light, even if it's just twinkles."

****** Perhaps by the year 2057 our caring government would have implemented all the recommendations made in 2004. If we are lucky.

Pak Lah Vows Serious Measures To Curb Human Trafficking

It looks like the inclusion of Malaysia on a US blacklist of countries engaged in smuggling people has spurred our moribund authorities to at least do something in the face of this disgraceful 'achievement'.

Malaysia has been placed on Washington's "Tier 3" list of worst offenders, joining Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea and Sudan! (What a slap on the face for our government, which must take total responsibility for this debacle. Perhaps our leaders have been too focussed on Rela's khalwat raids, while turning a blind eye to a lot of other much more serious infringements. Also there is no reliable information on the direct/indirect involvement of any of our pemimpin in human trafficking. Going by past history that may very well be one factor which influenced the laissez-faire attitude in the first place.)

In a too little too late measure, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi promised 'severe' punishment for human traffickers, saying that "we are against human trafficking. Certainly, human trafficking is a crime and that has to be stopped."

According to Pak Lah, a landmark anti-trafficking bill is pending in parliament, which would introduce a 20-year jail sentence for offenders as well as stiff fines.
The new bill would grant greater powers to the police, immigration and other authorities to pursue, prosecute and convict human traffickers, while better protecting victims. "The penalty, or the punishment will be severe. We do whatever we can, but because it is not enough ... that is why we decided that the bill has become necessary," he said.

Although Malaysia is a key US trading partner, the lackadaisical administration was found wanting and our country was added to the blacklist of the State Department's annual "Trafficking in Persons Report." It failed to show "satisfactory progress" in areas such as punishing acts of trafficking, providing adequate shelters and social services to victims, and protecting migrant workers from involuntary servitude, the report said.

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar Wednesday acknowledged that under existing law in Malaysia, there is no distinction made between trafficked persons and illegal immigrants. However, he criticised Malaysia's inclusion on the list and refuted claims it was not doing enough to tackle the problem.

I wonder what Information Czar, Zainuddin Maidin has to say about this whole shameful episode. I suppose he will blame the US State Department, the media and especially the blogs for running down the country resulting in this unfair inclusion into the blacklist. In his view, our government is the most efficient on Earth and can do no wrong.

Obviously the government has no other choice but to deny that nothing meaningful has been done thus far. In a way I suppose it's a good thing that this blacklist surfaced. Now at least we can see some genuine effort being put in by the authorities and real changes taking place. Hopefully.
(Source - Channel Newsasia)
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Malaysia Added To US Human Trafficking Blacklist

From The International Herald Tribune comes this sad news for our country.

The United States has blacklisted Malaysia as among the countries with the worst human trafficking problems.

In its annual "Trafficking in Persons Report," the U.S. State Department downgraded Malaysia to the blacklist from a watch list, citing its failure to tackle the problem.

"Malaysia is placed on Tier 2 for its failure to show satisfactory progress in combating trafficking in persons," the report said, referring to the department's designation for the blacklist. Blacklisted countries are subject to sanctions.

The report cited the Malaysian government's failure to prosecute and punish traffickers, to provide adequate shelters and services to victims, and to protect its migrant workers from involuntary servitude.

Fifteen other countries were included on the blacklist.
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Update: Malaysia criticises inclusion on US trafficking blacklist

So Young, Yet So Miserable And So Very Discriminated.

There is this report in today's NST. It details the travails of a young child who through no fault of her own has been subjected to great misery and is looking at an even bleaker future. Such a situation should never have arisen in a country which ambitiously expects to be a 'developed' one by 2020. It speaks volumes about the ignorance of the poorer sections of society, especially Indians, and illustrates the tidak apa attitude of our education and registration department pegawai2.

I'm quite sure that such a situation would not have been allowed to happen in the Chinese community, for no matter how poor or less educated they are, such matters are given importance and even if unsuccessful on their own, they will seek out and can depend on the MCA or DAP to assist them. The Malay can always fall back on sympathetic response from government staff. The Indian sod on the other hand is left to hang high and dry mainly due to his own foolishness, ignorance and perhaps a pathetic lack of initiative and partly due to an uncompassionate civil service which considers these people as not deserving of help and a waste of time. Please read the full report here.

K. Raghathiswary diligently puts on her blue-and-white school pinafore every morning, but she does not get to go to school. This is because no school will accept her. The cause is her birth certificate which does not carry the name of her father, R. Kanagasundram, 30.

"It is tough trying to console her every day when she wakes up and gets dressed in her school uniform. Whenever the school bus stops in front of our neighbours’ homes and fetches their children, my daughter will start crying."

Kanagasundram said she was denied admission by schools in Johor Baru early this year as she did not have a birth certificate. "I could not apply for my daughter’s birth certificate because my marriage was not registered. Moreover, my wife left us the day she gave birth to Raghathiswary."

When his daughter could not get into a school, Kanagasundram took all the supporting documents and applied for a birth certificate. However, when he received his daughter’s birth certificate, it did not carry his name as the father.

"I have been Raghathiswary’s guardian and I applied for her birth certificate but it does not carry my name as the father. The column which is supposed to carry my name says no information available.
When I questioned the National Registration Department about this, they failed to give a proper explanation."

He then tried to enrol Raghathiswary in a Tamil school in Johor Baru, but to no avail. "I tried to enrol her in other schools in Johor Baru and my sister tried to do so in Perak, but no school wants to accept her. "I hope someone can help my daughter. I don’t want her to be an illiterate."

Johor Education Department director Mokhy Saidon promised to look into the matter. "If it is just an issue over a birth certificate, there should not be any problem for Raghathiswary to get a place in school."

***** What a sad state of affairs. Wherever the fault may lie, it is patently unfair to make an innocent child suffer for it. I hope that this matter will be settled amicably and without detriment to her future.

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Malaysia's Muslim Men Shirk Financial Duties To Divorced Wives, Activists Say.

The following article is from the International Herald Tribune, published here for your information.

Many Malaysian Muslim men who divorce their wives are ignoring their responsibility to provide for their children because the Islamic legal system fails to punish them, a women's rights group said Saturday.

Sisters In Islam said women who were unable to get their ex-husbands to pay child support comprised nearly one-third of the 214 complaints it received in the first three months of 2007, adding that those cases constitute "only a small fraction of what is happening."

"Mothers are forced to beg from their children's fathers so that their children have sufficient food, clothing, shelter and education," the group said in a statement. "There are women who have been waiting two years, five years, even more than eight years, to obtain what they should be rightfully accorded."

Sisters In Islam has previously said Malaysia's Muslim women are suffering a lack of legal protection in a wide range of issues such as polygamy, where men who take multiple wives sometimes neglect the economic and emotional welfare of their families. Islam allows a man up to four wives.

The Islamic Syariah Court is the legal authority in disputes involving families, morality and religion for Muslims, who form nearly 60 percent of the 26 million people in Malaysia, which has Buddhist, Christian and Hindu minorities.

Muslim men who divorce their wives are usually instructed by the Syariah Court to pay child support, but some "are brave enough to show contempt to the court's order by flouting it," causing immense financial hardship for their ex-wives, Sisters in Islam said Saturday.

"This problem persists because the courts rarely take action against such contempt," the group said. "Sisters In Islam considers this a serious problem because it shows contempt to the religion, not merely the Islamic legal system."

Norhayati Kaprawi, a spokeswoman for Sisters In Islam, said Malaysia's Shariah law has provisions to imprison men who refuse to pay child support, but the penalties "are hardly ever enforced." Courts often postpone a case indefinitely whenever fathers fail to show up for a child support hearing, Norhayati said.

Some men even change their address and work to avoid being hassled by their ex-wives, Norhayati said, noting that the Malaysian Syariah Judiciary Department began a survey on the issue of child support in June 2006, but its findings and recommendations have not been finalized.

Sisters In Islam said Malaysia should consider the example of Australia and Britain, which have government agencies dedicated to child support, and Canada, which penalizes errant fathers by suspending their passports, business permits and driving licenses.

***** Much of what the Sisters in Islam have said here is unfortunately true and still happening in our country. Unless there is political will to rectify this unsatisfactory state of affairs, I'm afraid that the woes and travails of Muslim women will continue unabated. I would have thought that Islam Hadhari, the progressive Islam promoted by the present government would have proven to be a panacea for these man-made ills.
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Malaysian Hindu Accuses Islamic Body Of Unlawfully Detaining Family.

That is the headline in the International Herald Tribune. It details yet another case of members of a family being forcibly separated in the name of religion. Why is all this happening in our country? What has become of that lynch pin of democracy, freedom of choice? Why has the government, elected by the citizens of all races and religions, abdicated its authority to the officials of the Islamic Department? Is this an example of the much vaunted Islam Hadhari? Please read the following report and cry for your beloved country.

A Malaysian Hindu man filed a suit in a high court on Thursday accusing Islamic authorities of illegally detaining his wife and five children after deciding she was a Muslim and therefore her marriage to a Hindu was illegal. Marimuthu Periasamy, a rubber plantation worker, asked the court in central Selangor state to order the state's Islamic Department to produce his family in court so they can be freed, his lawyer, Karpal Singh, said.

Under Malaysia's Islamic laws, anyone who wants to marry a Muslim must convert to Islam, and anyone born a Muslim must remain a Muslim for life.

Marimuthu's case is the latest in a series of conflicts involving the religious rights of minority groups in Malaysia. Marimuthu said his wife, Raimah Bibi Noordin, an ethnic Indian, was adopted by an Indian Muslim family when she was young but is a practicing Hindu. Her old identity card said she was a Hindu Indian, but she was listed as a Muslim when she applied for a new identity card earlier this year, he said.

The Islamic Department officials seized Raimah and five of their six children from their home on April 2 and sent them to a Malay Muslim village for rehabilitation, Marimuthu told The Associated Press. Their eldest son wasn't detained because he wasn't at home at the time, he said.

He said he tried to stop them but the officers threatened to charge him with adultery under Islamic law. "We've been married for 18 years. She is a Hindu, how can they say she is a Muslim?" Marimuthu asked.

Authorities probably learned about Raimah's religious status when the couple enrolled their children in school and copies of her new identity card were submitted to the Education Department, his lawyer, Karpal, said.

"We are asking the Islamic department to produce the family in court to be set free because they were forcibly taken away and their detention is illegal," Karpal said.

Muslims, who account for nearly 60 percent of Malaysia's 26 million people, are governed by Syariah laws in family and personal matters. Ethnic Chinese, Indian and other races come under civil courts.

Abdullah Mohamad Zin, minister in charge of religious affairs, told reporters Thursday cases such as Marimuthu's showed "conflicts between the civil and Islamic courts," but declined to comment on the legality of such detentions.

The opposition Democratic Action Party is seeking a parliamentary debate on the growing number of families being forced to separate because of religion, Chairman Lim Kit Siang said. "Such cases are getting out of hand. It undermines family values, interracial harmony, national goodwill and Malaysia's international image," Lim said Thursday, urging the government to intervene to ensure justice.

Activists say many of the recent disputes have ended in favor of Muslims and have strained ethnic relations in the multicultural nation, which has enjoyed racial peace for nearly four decades.

***** I will not add to what I've already mentioned here in this post as well as in my earlier article - Justice, Malaysian Style. But you are welcome to give your comments on this sorry state of affairs.
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Minister Nazri Rules Out Inquiry On ACA DG; Calls NGOs 'Stupid.'

A Malaysian minister on Thursday ruled out an inquiry into graft and sexual assault allegations against the nation's top anti-corruption official, and dismissed calls for his suspension.

Nazri Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said the accusations against the director-general of the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) were a matter for the police. "There is only one process in this country and the process is that you make a report to the police and the police investigate ... I think these NGOs are stupid," Nazri told AFP.

"We don't need another system, independent inquiry and all that," said the minister, whose portfolio includes legal affairs.

He was responding to calls from rights groups for an independent inquiry into the allegations against Zulkipli Mat Noor, a former police chief who has been summoned to appear before a parliamentary committee on March 12.

"Unless he is charged in court, there is no need for him to be suspended from his post," Nazri added.

The accusations were originally made in a report to police in July last year by a former ACA officer, Mohamad Ramli Manan, who said Zulkipli amassed properties disproportionate to his wealth and raped a woman. Pressure mounted on Zulkipli on Thursday with reports saying police were probing allegations of corruption and sexual assault.

Zulkipli said he was ready to explain himself and provide detailed evidence to refute the allegations, state Bernama news agency reported on Thursday. "I don't want to be emotional over the matter. Instead, I will still do the job as usual as the director-general and conduct daily meetings with my staff," Zulkipli said, according to Bernama. He has reportedly said that past police investigations had cleared him.

Parliamentary opposition leader Lim Kit Siang on Thursday called for Zulkipli to be sacked for allegedly lying about the charges, which he said made Malaysia a "laughing stock."

But Nazri denied the accusations had damaged Malaysia's reputation or dented Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's ongoing anti-corruption campaign.
"Allegations can be made against anybody," he said, adding there had also been claims against Abdullah as well as other ministers. "Should we all be concerned because the allegations are made? I don't think so," he said.

Abdullah was elected on an anti-corruption platform in 2004 but critics say his efforts, and those of the ACA, have yielded few results. (Channel Newsasia)

****** Never have I seen Nazri so out of touch with reality. Even BN leaders and others have privately voiced their apprehension that the authorities are dragging the issue. It's not a big deal suspending the ACA DG. By calling the NGOs stupid and denying that the allegations have damaged Malaysia's reputation, it is Nazri who is making a fool of himself and at that the same time giving the impression that the government is not serious in its claim of checking corruption while attempting to shield the errant officer.
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National Service Dodgers: Legal Action Threat A Big Joke.

The way that the government was threatening NS dodgers with all sorts of punishment, I would have thought that by now the absentees at the camps would have dropped to near zero. But true to form our authorities have chickened out at the end and no one has been prosecuted since that debacle in Perlis where one youth was charged, the authorities castigated and accused of cruelty and the state government, directly or indirectly, paid the bond!

Under the National Service Training Act 2003, dodgers are liable to a fine of up to RM600 or a jail term not exceeding six months or both. But in the thinking of our pemimpin2, every dodger punished represents the loss of a few hundred family votes for the Barisan Nasional. So as usual we talk and threaten but alas no action brudder. The dodgers and their families know that and the NS authorities know that the families know it. So at the end, no action, no prosecution. Semuanya OK.

DPM Najib when questioned about it very cleverly passed the buck by saying, "you have to ask the police about that. They will hand over the matter to the Attorney-General’s Department for further action." 'Further action?' In which year? 2020? He also said that only those who 'blatantly' refused to attend would be punished! What is the criteria to determine blatant refusal? What is the difference between refusing to attend and 'blatantly' refusing to participate? In my opinion it is simply a device to let all the dodgers off the hook, thereby saving face and votes for the government.

Read the NST report on the topic here:
Except for Ahmad Harizal Ahmad Fauzi, none of the 4,000-odd youth who failed to attend the National Service over the past two years has been punished. And Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, when asked to comment, said the matter was with the police.

"You have to ask the police about that. They will hand over the matter to the Attorney-General’s Department for further action," he said after launching the first NS training camp for the year at Kem Lagenda Seri Negeri here yesterday. A total of 735 trainees are taking part in the three-month stint. Present was NS Council chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

Although Najib, who is Defence Minister, did not comment on the delay in reprimanding the dodgers, he stressed that only those who blatantly refused to participate in the programme would be punished.

On May 12, 2005, Ahmad Harizal, then 18, was fined RM600 or two weeks’ jail by the Kangar magistrate’s court for dodging the NS. However, the following day, the Kangar High Court released Ahmad Harizal on a RM500 bond for a year. He had skipped training to work in a padi field to help his divorced mother and three siblings.

Najib did not give the latest number of dodgers. However, it was reported on May 21, 2005, that there were 4,269 youth who had failed to attend the training.

Asked on the case of Ili Ameera Azlan, 17, who died mysteriously while attending the NS programme in Ayer Keroh, Malacca, last Thursday, Najib said further laboratory tests were required to ascertain the cause of death. "We have yet to determine the cause of death as more tests are required."
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1) Empty threat
2) Pass the buck

Erase Negative Perceptions Linked To Public Service Says Pak Lah. What An Uphill Task.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today that the biggest task for government servants this year is to improve the public service delivery system and wipe out the perception of weakness, inadequacy and general malaise in the public sector.

The prime minister said he was dismayed to read and hear reports that while the policies and strategies of the government were good, there were shortcomings in the implementation side.

Abdullah said he feared that if not enough effort was made on the ground to speed up the implementation of projects and programmes for the people, there might be the perception that this was related to corruption in the public service.

"When corruption is linked to the weaknesses, it may bring dire consequences to the government and all of us. We don't want to be seen as (civil service) personnel whom the people don't look kindly upon. "We want people to see us as personnel who have integrity and are respected," Abdullah said at the first assembly of the year for officers and staff of the Prime Minister's Department.

Alluding to a recent seminar on the achievements of his three-year administration, Abdullah said he was upset to hear that the participants were complaining about what they saw as shortcomings in the delivery system. This, he said, could be seen as a criticism directed at the administration, government servants and departments. "When I read about this, obviously I was unhappy. And I hope to get more views, especially on the aspects that the seminar participants are unhappy with," he said.

The prime minister said that once the signs of weaknesses in the delivery system were pinpointed, the government could take steps to rectify the situation.

Nevertheless, the matter should be seen in a positive light, he said and reminded civil servants to make a commitment to erase whatever negative perceptions associated with the public service. (Bernama)
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Ministry Of Housing Or Ministry For Housing Developers?

The Housing and Local Government Ministry is one of the few heartless ministries in the country which does the least for the people. Its very existence is to facilitate and ease the problems of the housing developer and to hell with the public. Sometimes I wonder if the correct name of the portfolio held by Ong Ka Ting should be Minister For Housing Developers.

Take the Build-And-Sell Concept for housing which the ministry first touted with fanfare. After some time and perhaps because of the intervention of his abang2 in the housing industry, Ka Ting and his deputy minister, Azizah Mohd Dun hemmed and hawed while lamenting that houses under this concept wil be more expensive. Of course I won't blame the deputy minister who cannot contradict the boss. That buyers would not need to withdraw their savings and apply for loans to buy houses which were still under construction under the build-and-sell concept did not figure in their calculations, speaks volumes of the ministry's caring attitude for the people.

Now Ka Ting has more or less given the death sentence to the concept, when he piously said that the government has yet to set the launching date of the build and sell concept as a lot of developers still do not have the 'financial capability' to carry out such projects, adding that if the concept was implemented hastily it could jeopardise housing development, especially in the urban areas. So he is clearly on the side of the 'impoverished' developer and not the mega wealthy average Malaysian buyer.

You can read about Ong Ka Ting's conciliatory (to the developers) speech in Parliament HERE.

You can also read about the earlier obfuscation by his ministry in a July 5th post in this blog: Houses To Cost More Under Build-And-Sell Concept.
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MIC Wants To Assist Indians Find Jobs. About Time Too!

The MIC is planning to set up an employment unit within one of its social arms to help Indians find jobs, party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said Sunday. The Works Minister said he had asked the party's Social Entrepreneur Network (SeNet), a group of volunteers made up of Indian professionals, to study formation of the unit which would be called SeNet Employment Network.

"We want to help the Indians, especially the young graduates to secure jobs and the unit will focus in disseminating information about job opportunities in the private and public sectors," he said. However, Samy Vellu emphasised that the unit should not be seen as an employment agency that guaranteed jobs. "It will gather information and assist Indians through job fairs and the SeNet website," he said.

Samy Vellu said SeNet could liaise with Government agencies and the private sector to find out job opportunities. He said he was concerned over the increasing number of unemployed graduates among Malaysians but expressed confidence that the situation was not the same with professional degree holders.

He cited the Ninth Malaysia Plan where the Indian community saw a rise in the registration of eight professions namely accountants, architects, doctors, dentists, veterinary surgeons, engineers, surveyors and lawyers from 9,909 in 2000 to 11,556 in 2004, an increase of 1,647 professionals. He, however, said in terms of overall percentage, the Indians community dropped from 12 per cent in 2000 to 10.6 per cent in 2004.

Samy Vellu said the MIC through its various social organisations and with the help of Indian-based non-governmental organisations had embarked on a systematic campaign to increase the number of Indians in all sectors through the dissemination of information on the opportunities available and also monitoring job applications.

"The MIC is working closely with the relevant government departments and agencies, including government-linked companies (GLCs) to ensure more qualified Indians are offered jobs," he added. -- BERNAMA

***** As far as I know and according to the information from friends, the rise in the registration of professionals is due largely to the dwindling Indian middle-class and their last gasp effort to 'keep up' in an environment hostile to Indians. Both the public and private sectors have become no-go-zones for them and the discrimination they face both officially and unofficially is a shameful reflection of this country's racial intolerance. Only as essentially self-employed professionals or in willing partnerships can they survive and thrive.

If many Indians in the past made it to the professions, it was not because of, but despite the government and the MIC. Conscientious parents scrimped, saved and borrowed to send their kids, especially to India and some western nations for their professional studies when they found the avenues locally blocked for racial reasons.

If even at this eleventh and a half hour the MIC should do something, anything, other than make proud claims, at least a few of their people can be helped to be suitably employed.
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Have You Forgotten About IPCMC? The Malaysian Bar Council And NGOs Haven't.

The Malaysian Bar Council along with several non governmental organisations (NGOs) and opposition parties, Tuesday handed over a memorandum supporting the setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, here Tuesday.

The memorandum was handed over by Malaysian Bar Council President Yeo Yang Poh to the Prime Minister's senior private secretary at the compound of Perdana Putra complex here. Speaking to reporters afterward, Yeo said the document espoused the support by 302 NGOs and political parties on the setting up of IPCMC.

He said the Bar Council was worried as there was no concrete steps taken by the government to set up IPCMC although the proposal on its formation was submitted by the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police more than 17 months ago. He said the setting up of IPCMC could allay public fears on the transgression of human rights and ineffective work practices which could mar the police image.

"The document espouses the support from hundreds of organisations to the Prime Minister's effort to introduce changes in the police and to set up IPCMC. The overwhelming support that we had received showed that IPCMC is supported by every strata of the society," he said.

He said the 302 organisations, which were signatories of the memorandum represented a substantial number of Malaysians supporting the Prime Minister's commitment to the setting up of IPCMC.

-- BERNAMA

Related posts:
1) IPCMC study takes time - Deputy Minister. OK, but how long?
2) IPCMC. When, Oh When, Pak Lah?
3) A-G Chambers In Final Lap On IPCMC Study, Says Abdullah