The Prime Minister needs to issue a new type of MCO

PM to issue new MCO for ministers to end all confusion ...

• Trade & Industry Minister has allowed additional sectors like barber shops and salons to resume business... MoH DG said Gov't should postpone. Decision has now reversed.

• Education Minister has proposed to allowed that students be allowed to go home. Again, MoH DG not consulted. Decision has now reversed.

• Federal Territories Minister keen to have bazaars (drive through or otherwise) operating in KL and Putrajaya. Decision has now reversed.

• Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs Minister allowed Heineken to operate with minimal staff as it had met the criteria as a 'food supplier'. Decision has now reversed.

As these are frightening times with confusing directives, it will be good for PM to put into effect an MCO on his ministers ............... especially a

MOUTH CONTROL ORDER.

Is MCO3 legal?

How could an AG not know about this, something that will affect the public at large. I believe if Tommy Thomas had been still in office, he would have urged the govt to gazette the MCO3 prior before enforcing it.

So now, I can only take it that the road blocks, summons issued to 'violators', etc are illegal and the summoneses to be treated as void?

Any legal eagles out there can lend a helping hand here?

https://www.msn.com/en-my/news/national/new-gazette-needed-to-enforce-phase-3-of-mco-says-bar/ar-BB12xfKx?li=BBr8Hnu

A flaw in the 'one man, one vehicle' policy.

Due to a spat of robberies lately, the authorities have to quickly re-think about the 1 man 1 vehicle policy during the MCO period. A person travelling alone, once out in the open, becomes an easy prey for would be robbers especially in areas or places where there is little or zero traffic due to the lockdown.

For the robbers, three persons can ride on three different bikes to commit the crime. Not forgetting, the masks have now become a convenient item to hide the identity of the robbers.

People may die, not due to the virus, but due to the robberies.

Is the Bumiputera policy good for Malaysia?

It’s not good for Malaysia, and will ultimately lead to violence and misery. I think some background is required before getting into the actual policy.

When Malaya was colonized by Great Britain, the colonizers set in motion a dangerous course for a multicultural society like Malaysia is today. By bringing immigrants from India and China to do the majority of the work they needed and mostly leaving Malays to continue living as fisherman or simple servants, they educated and lifted up Chinese and Indian immigrants while allowing Malays to fall or remain behind.

When it came time to give up their colony and create the Malayan Union, the British realized the problem they had created with probably huge disparities of wealth, education, and influence among the races. This is probably primarily what led to so much tension and even the infamous race riot of 1969.

So it’s not surprising that the solution proposed by Malaysian government officials was to give Bumiputera special subsidies and advantages over other races with the New Economic Policy. As I understand it, this was intended to last for 20 years. That might have been an okay idea on paper, but in practice it was doomed to fail. To paraphrase a wise man: The closest thing on earth to eternal life is a government program.

So it never ended, but was only revised in 1991 (and maybe even made worse).

The most pernicious thing about the current Bumiputera policy is that while it hurts everyone, the people it hurts the most are the people it is designed to help the most. It is the epitome of “the soft bigotry of low expectations”. The subconscious message delivered to those being “helped” by a program which provides certain advantages based on a person’s race is “Your race is inferior to these other races and there’s nothing you can do about it but rely on the benevolence of government assistance.” Have a conversation with enough Bumis in Malaysia and they will eventually reveal this deep-seated insecurity.

(You can see a similar effect among Native Americans in the US, who receive more “help” in real dollars than any other race in America, and have many of the same problems as Bumis do today).

Of course, things have not gotten better for the Bumiputera. While the data to back up that claim is sorely missing (deliberately so, I believe), it’s fairly obvious to anyone willing to make some simple observations. Take a look at a list of the wealthiest Malaysians and notice how few Bumiputera there are. The diabetes (and obesity) rate among Malaysians over 30 years old is something over 21%, and you can pretty much guarantee that number is higher among Bumiputera. Despite huge advantages in education, Bumiputera still lag behind their non-Bumi peers.

The Bumiputera policy has also led to unofficial discrimination which has resulted in Malaysia’s civil service being dominated by Bumiputera. That includes a police and military force which doesn’t come close to resembling the mixed racial makeup of the country.

The Bumiputera policy also has the effect of making non-Bumis feel like second class citizens who, almost anyone would admit, could never become Prime Minister in their own country. Because of that sentiment, a massive brain drain of bright young Malaysians fleeing government-enforced stagnation of their own success is under way as they look for opportunities in other countries where they will be rewarded for their own merit.

[Source : Quora - Dan Jones]

Lim Kit Siang, be a man. You are fighting a lost cause.

DAP must now quickly make up their minds whether to stay on or quit the PH coalition.

The current brouhaha relating to Zakir Naik, Lynas and now this khat thingy is not doing the party any good. We know this has been forced down their throats and they had no say on the matter. So it would be best for the members to resign en bloc and walk out with their heads held up high. The longer they stay, the more they will end up looking like a political eunuch, and MCA. How much are they going to take being the punching bag for Mahathir?

As stand up comedian, Russell Peters would say, to Lim Kit Siang, "Be a man".

Are we seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in our judiciary system?

Khairuddin Hanuddin:
Appeals court: No one should be afraid of criticising government

The public should not be afraid to talk about government and public officers’ conduct, says the Court of Appeal.

In a 31-page written judgment by Court of Appeal Judge Justice Idrus Harun, in the case of Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaacob suing Utusan Melayu for defamation, he noted the people should discuss their government and public officials’ conduct without being subjected to civil actions for their opinion.

“We consider that as one of the fundamental principles, that in the exercise of the right to such freedom within the ambit of the Federal Constitution and related laws, the people should have the right to discuss their government and the officials in carrying out their duties.

“Such right to talk has been enshrined under Article 10(1)(a) of the Constitution, without any common law principle being applied.”

Idrus also said that any actions taken against individuals who voiced out their criticisms was against the public interest and would affect the fundamental liberties of a person.

“As public interest dictates, a democratically elected government and officers should be subjected to criticism and every responsible citizen should not be restrained in their opinions on the government’s affairs and administration.”

The panel, which also consisted of Justice Rohana Yusof and Justice Mary Lim, suggested that the Derbyshire principle, which rules that those holding office in public bodies like local authorities cannot sue in their official capacity, should be applied and be adopted in the country’s defamation laws.

“The English court’s decision, in our opinion, is no less valid and should be applied and be part of our defamation laws.

“It has a similar principle related to our freedom of speech under the Constitution and that public interest does not favour the right of government and its officers to sue for libel,” Idrus said.

It is refreshing to see some judges are still upholding the law and liberty in this country. Sad that the same can’t be said about their fraternity brother in the AG chambers..

Meet our new LAW MINISTER ...

ICAC and MACC ... no comparison

 When the MACC was formed in 2009, much was touted that it would emulate the good work of the ICAC Hong Kong. Sadly, this has not happened. Instead today MACC and ICAC stand poles apart in terms of their reputation and image.

This is what Sir Murray MacLehose, Governor of Hong Kong, had to say in 1973 before the establishment of the ICAC in 1974, 

"I think the situation calls for an organisation, led by men of high rank and status, which can devote its whole time to the eradication of this evil. A further and conclusive argument is that public confidence is very much involved. Clearly the public would have more confidence in a unit that is entirely independent, and separated from any department of the Government, including the Police."

Now, we can see why MACC is a lost cause.

There is always a first time, I guess.

Numbers don't lie

Well done Penang, Selangor and Kelantan!

Good news for Selangorians

Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim today announced that the government will utilise RM430 million from its massive reserves after constant complaints within Pakatan Rakyat's own ranks about his frugality.

Abdul Khalid (left) announced this when tabling a RM1.85 billion balanced budget for 2014 at the Selangor state assembly this afternoon.

"Coupled with the use of reserves for development spending (and the normal RM1.85 million budget), the state government is prepared to spend a total of RM2.28 billion for 2014," he said.

The RM430 million will be channeled into six projects, one being the already announced RM150 million third Klang bridge.

The other five initiatives are:

• RM100 million for affordable housing

• RM50 million for new schools

• RM50 million for entrepreneurship and youth development

• RM50 million for rural development

• RM30 million for women's empowerment

Abdul Khalid's announcement to finally use the some of the state reserves which now stands at RM2.71 billion, the highest level since 1998, invited cheers from the floor.

Last month, the Pakatan-led Selangor government backbenchers club had submitted a memorandum expressing concern about a possible reduction in development expenditure for budget 2014.

At first glance, their concerns appeared real after the development expenditure announced in budget 2014 today saw a slight reduction from RM633 million this year to RM624 million next year.

However, the additional RM430 million injection from state reserves brought the total development expenditure to RM1.055 billion - the highest ever.

The operational expenditure stands at RM1.225 billion.

At a press conference later, Abdul Khalid said this was the first time that Pakatan-led Selangor was incorporating part of the state reserves into the budget.

Selangor had last year announced a plan to use RM500 million from the state reserves for various projects, but the money was never spent and was returned, he added.

Abdul Khalid denied that the planned use of the reserves next year was due to pressure from his own state assemblypersons.

"No, it has been planned before this. But of course they (state assemblypersons) will want to know how the money will be spent so we will set up a mechanism for them (to give input)," he said.

A misunderstanding

He added that concerns expressed by Pakatan state assemblypersons that development expenditure would go down was merely a "misunderstanding".

"They thought that the estimated revenue for next year is only RM1.6 billion but it is RM1.8 billion which means there is enough money for development expenditure after deducting operational expenditure in a balanced budget," he said.

Despite the apparent concession, Abdul Khalid took his detractors to task for criticising the ballooning state reserves.

"Some are less wise about finance and fiscal discipline therefore there are voices threatening or complaining about the accumulation of the state reserves.

"We stress that maintaining the reserves coupled with prudent spending is consistent with fiscal discipline and as part of the long term finance management," he said.

He said that the state government had nowhere else to loan money and if it overspent it will need to go "begging" from the federal government.
Abdul Khalid also announced a number of measures on improving the state’s spending, including an independent action committee comprising of professionals.

He said among their task is to study the procurement and services cost of agencies as well as to develop a mechanism to control, and if necessary, cut unneeded expenditure for them, on top of solving red tape.

Furthermore, Abdul Khalid said a committee to improve the administration of state agencies and government-linked companies (GLC) will also be set up, to be chaired by the menteri besar himself.

The committee, comprising of top government officials, academics and professionals, will review the workings of state civil service and GLCs in line with international standards and oversee their implementation of policies.

[Source: Mkini]

Malaysia Parliament or New Delhi Parliament

Some times our Parliamentary seating has its own light moments.  Here we have the two Yang Berhormats, Umno MP, Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim (BN-Baling) and PKR MP, G Manivannan (PKR-Kapar) having their exchanges during a Q&A session over the ashes of Chin Peng.  Even the Speaker of the House, Pandikar Amin Mulia, was at a loss as he could not understand anything that was said in Tamil. Dr Hatta Ramli (PAS-Kuala Krai) stood to say he thought he was in the "New Delhi Parliament" and not in the Malaysian Parliament.

An interview with Tan Sri Rahim Noor on the Haadyai Peace Accord

This was the interview given by former IGP, Tan Sri Rahim Noor, on his views about the Haadyai Peace Accord, and his thoughts about Chin Peng, in 2009.  From the tone of it, I believe Tan Sri Rahim holds a great deal of respect for Chin Peng and that probably what prompted him to make the 'don't make us a laughing stock' statement when UMNO Baru plans to bar the ashes of Chin Peng from entering the country.

The behaviour of our non-Muslim ministers is simply DISGUSTING!

Looks like the country’s non-Muslim ministers are really ‘enjoying’ their work, so much so that they decided to not rock the boat when the controversial Administration of the Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 was discussed at the Cabinet meeting.

Their silence led to the contentious Bill being tabled in Parliament on June 26 for its first reading – but barely a week later, thanks to the uproar coming from many quarters, the Bill which allows the consent of just one parent before a child is converted to Islam, has now been placed on the backburner, with the excuse given by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin that the Bill needs to be studied further.

The truth is that while Muhyiddin knows it is foolish to continue intimidating the non-Muslim Malaysians’, there is no saying whether he or his boss Najib Tun Razak have learnt their lesson the hard way, as seen from the wholehearted rejection of the Bill.

As for the non-Muslim ministers who chose to keep their mouths shut when the Bill was being deliberated at the Cabinet meeting, it is proof that these ministers are first and foremost politicians out to safeguard their own interests, whatever these concerns maybe at this point in time.

Hopefully the chiding from the Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (MIPAS) serves as a wake up call to these non-Muslim ministers who have forgotten that their priority is to serve the rakyat, not to the contrary.

MIPAS secretary S Barathidasan was correct in every way when he said that the non-Muslim ministers were to be blamed for not speaking out against the Bill which allowed for unilateral conversion of minors to Islam.

Maybe Barathidasan had overestimated the commitment of these ministers ie.e to make the rakyat their one and only focus.

Either these non-Muslim ministers are not interested in nipping discrimination against the rakyat in its bud or they are playing their cards well, trying to please their boss, prime minister Najib to keep their politial career going.

That explains why no minister, with the exception of Tourism Minister, Nazri Aziz, had said a word about the controversial Bill which has been in the news since 2009 and which is of big concern to the non-Muslims of this country.

(Clause 107(b) of the new bill states that a non-Muslim can convert to Islam if he is of sound mind, but a subject below the age of 18 can do so with the consent of his or her mother, father or guardian).

Non-Muslim ministers playing politics

When Muhyiddin announced that Cabinet had decided to withdraw the lopsided Bill until approval of all stakeholders was received, MCA Young Professional Bureau chief Chua Tee Yong and MIC president G Palanivel wasted no time in sucking up to their political masters.

While Chua claimed that the Cabinet’s decision not to proceed with the Bill showed that the Barisan Nasional government respected the rights of all races, Palanivel said it was a fair move, one that took into consideration everyone’s sensitivities.

The gracious thanks to the government by Chua and Palanivel over the withdrawal of the Bill is proof that the duo are simply out and out politicians, not leaders who truly care for the rakyat’s welfare.

Had Chua and Palanivel been true to their task of ‘people first’, they would have objected to the Bill when it was discussed at length during the Cabinet meeting.

Did Chua and Palanivel not have the guts to face Najib and express their dissatisfation over the discriminatory Bill? Or did the conversion issue not interest Chua, Palanivel and the other non-Muslim ministers enough to challenge its ‘legitimacy’?

Why then the press statements thanking the government for not going ahead with the Bill when all the noise could have been made at the Cabinet meeting?

If the non-Muslim ministers think they can have the best of both worlds i.e. please their political tauke and hoodwink the rakyat, they are in for a rude shock. '

Five years to buck up or else…

The BN government has five years before the 14th general election takes place to proof its worthiness to the rakyat. However, going by the look of things, it appears that the time at hand is not being used judiciously by both BN and its ministers.

The federal government’s indifference towards the conversion Bill is just one such example.

Remember this picture?  This is what DISGUST is all about.

 

Now, we can understand why there were no objections from the non-Muslim ministers when it was first tabled at cabinet level.  The "YES, BOSS" syndrome is here to stay.



Meet Madam Speaker, Hannah Yeoh

The newly appointed Selangor state legislative assembly Speaker Hannah Yeoh said one of the reform agendas she would undertake after assuming the post of Speaker would be to pass the Selangor Legislative Assembly Service Enactment 2009.

She said her primary task would be to carry on with the four reform agendas implemented by his predecessor Datuk Teng Chang Khim, including live telecast of the state assembly meetings, the Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) and improving the welfare of state assemblymen.

Yeoh, who is also the state assemblyman for Subang Jaya, told Sin Chew Daily in an exclusive interview that the objective of passing the Selangor Legislative Assembly Service Enactment 2009 was to consolidate the efficiency and the role of the state legislative assembly.

Under the Enactment, staff affairs and finances will be separated from the state executive council and be put under the management of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly Service Committee.

This Committee will be chaired by the state assembly Speaker and will include as its members the Menteri Besar, the opposition leader, and five to six state assemblymen from both the ruling and opposition parties.

Offices for reps

Yeoh said offices for state assemblymen should also be provided at the state assembly. Currently offices are only provided for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker at the state legislative assembly, and it will be inconvenient for state assemblymen from faraway constituencies to handle their matters during the sitting of the assembly meetings.

"I feel it is necessary to set up new offices for all state assemblymen so that they can use them to conduct studies on a variety of issues, and this will boost the quality of debates."
She also said awareness campaign should be organised to help the general public understand the role of state reps better.

Pressure

The first female speaker in the country, Yeoh admitted that she felt pressurised but was glad to have been entrusted with the job and hoped she could set a good model for future speakers.

She nevertheless felt lucky that her predecessor Teng had paved the way for her and would provide her with valuable guidance whenever she needs, adding that she would also learn from former Perak state legislative assembly speaker V. Sivakumar and former Selangor deputy speaker Haniza Talha, while DAP national legal bureau secretary Gobind Singh Deo is always at hand to provide her legal consultation whenever necessary.

When asked whether she was disappointed not being appointed a state Exco, being a second-term state assemblyman, Yeoh said DAP always stresses team spirit and as a party member, she must obey the orders from the party.

The new Selangor state legislative assembly will be convened on June 21 when all state assemblymen will take their oaths and the Speaker and Deputy Speaker officially appointed.

She said although she has been appointed Speaker by the Menteri Besar, her appointment has to be endorsed and accepted by the state legislative assembly.

She pledged that while chairing the state assembly meetings, she would be fair to BN reps and give them ample time to debate.

However, she hoped the reps would not deliberately pick issues just to attack the state government or abuse the state assembly to advance their own agendas.

She said she had high regards for the competency and eloquence of former BN state assemblyman for Taman Templer Subahan Kamal, and hoped other BN reps would emulate him.

Between a mother and a politician

A mother of two toddler daughters, Yeoh said it would not be a problem for her to take care of both her political career and family so long as she allocates her time properly.

"I do not have a maid. I stay in Putra Heights, and will send my daughters to my mom in Subang Jaya during the day and pick them up at night.

"I insist to bathe my girls and put them to sleep myself. If I have to work very late and have important meeting to attend the following morning, I will then put up a night at my mother's."

Talking about her husband Ramanchandran Muniandy, Yeoh said he is always her number one fan and "political advisor."

"He fully backs me and would share with me his views and suggestions."

Although she has now been appointed the state assembly speaker, Yeoh said she would still go to her service centre to help the constituents whenever she is not at the assembly, adding that she has hired a "manager" to help her handle the operations at the centre, including public complaints.

[Source: Sin Chew]

What Pakatan must do on taking Putrajaya

The following was written by one Richard Teo ....

After the 2008 General Election, Pakatan could not fulfill a lot of the promises in their election manifesto for the very simple reason that their implementation required the cooperation of the federal government.

One good example was the promise to hold local council elections.

Pakatan states were willing and able to hold local council elections and this was shown by the Penang government's resolve when they passed a state assembly legislative law empowering them to hold them.

This however was thwarted by the federal government and the Election Commission which refused to cooperate to allow the Penang government to hold the elections.

The crux of the problem facing Pakatan was that as long as the federal government remains with the BN government, it will continue to face problems implementing the promises made in their manifestos.

This scenario should change immediately if federal power were to go to Pakatan. In the most optimistic scenario where the Pakatan government takes control of Putrajaya, the following policy implementation should be effected without undue delay.

1. The Printing Press Act should be changed and amended to allow the independence and free flow of information without unnecessary control and government influence.

2. Political parties should not own any newspapers or television media. All political parties who are stakeholders in the media should dispose its shares.

3. The prime minister's term of office should only be restricted to two. Former premier Mahathir Mohamad's 22 year term of office has shown that its long term tenure can only lead to abuse and corruption of its position. The lessons learnt here must be taken to heart.
.
4. The NEP with all its good intentions was thwarted from the beginning. It was never the intention of its original aims to be based on race. From the onset it should be based on needs.

Nothing is more revolting and disgusting to see a millionaire bumiputera Malay marching into a developer's office to buy a million dollar property demanding a 10 percent discount based on race.

By the same token a struggling non-bumiputera cannot even get a discount to buy a low cost house costing a mere $60,000.

5. Mahathir's tenure's saw the corruption of most public institutions. The three most important institutions of the MACC, the attorney-general chambers and the judiciary have to be totally reformed in order to regain public confidence.

At the moment, public confidence in the three institutions is at an all-time low. MACC should be responsible to Parliament and not to the PM.

6. The education system needs a total revamp. So far none of the education ministers have been able to grasp the problems facing our education system.

National and patriotic considerations should not take precedence over realistic propositions such as English being introduced as the medium of instruction.

Since English is the language of commerce and science, mastery of this should be the top priority of our education system.

7. Anti-hopping laws should be introduced in Parliament. Candidates who wish to change parties or affiliation after being elected should resign but should be able to contest again without any restrictions.

8. Political parties should not be involved in business. Such practice only creates avenues for corruption. All political parties with business interests should divest their shareholdings to private ownership.

9. Laws against race discrimination similar to the ones in the US should be introduced. This is to ensure that racist policies and statements will be subjected to criminal prosecution.

10. The PM should only hold one portfolio. He should divest his finance portfolio to another minister. Finance is an important portfolio and he should not be tasked to wear two hats.

The above are 10 of the most important policy changes that Pakatan has to introduce on taking over Putrajaya.

Tan Sri Khalid, thank you from all of us

This photo was taken yesterday after the announcement by Najib on the dissolution of Parliament.  With it, the Selangor ExCo meeting which was held yesterday became the last meeting for the ADUNs.

We, Selangorians, would like to say a big "Thanks" to Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and his team for a job well done during the last five years despite all the constraints posed by UMNO, and it is our wish to see them administering the state again after GE 13.

Let's give these guys a round of applause ......

Latheefa went ballistic at JPN office

All Latheefa wanted was some MyKad forms to help the stateless Malaysian Indians in applying for their MyKads.  This was supposed to be a straight forward exercise, go get the form and Latheefa would take it on from there, but no, the officer just simply refused to give her the form until she went ballistic. She queried as to how the Bangladeshis could get the forms but she couldn't.  Furthermore, how is it possible for NRD to process the applications made by the Filipinos and Indonesians in one day, while these stateless Indians, many of them aged, have to make several trips to the NRD office.

Read more here.

Save Selangor? From what????

When I read this news report in the Malaysiakini, I almost had a fit.  Perkasa want to save Selangor and a gathering to this effect will be held on April 6.  The question is, save Selangor from what?  Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and his team has been doing a fine job, despite all the constraints posed by the federal government, for the last five years, that I believe we, all right thinking Selangorians [or Penangites] should be thinking about saving Selangor [or Penang] from the likes of Perkasa and BN instead.  Haven't they done enough damage to the state coffers during the time they were managing the state?

Malaysians, do your duty at the ballot box.  Both states worked hard to create that kind of surplus which we have never seen before and we are not about to let those grubby hands of the BN to siphon them away.

Najib's alphabet soup

Najib has coined a blizzard and probably the world’s biggest collection of alphabet soups as a substitute for government policies and action, comprising unpronounceable and impossible-to-remember acronyms like GTP, ETP, PTP, NKRA, NKEA, EPP, NEM, GMM, etc. (Can all cabinet ministers remember what all these acronyms stand for?)