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Month: July 2010

UPDATE, 31 July 2010: Khazanah buy-back 23.9% Parkway block cost rakyat a whopping RM935 million! Click here for story.
The government should immediately launch an investigation into the fiasco!
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I am not at all amused over the fight for control of Parkway Holdings Ltd (Parkway) between Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Khazanah) and Fortis Healthcare Ltd of India, which harbors a “vision to become a global healthcare provider.” You can read the full report by the Star here.

Let me remind all and sundry, that at the core of this “battle” lies the sweet fruit called Pantai Hospital that has been wickedly plucked and eaten by an outsider supposedly under the watchful eyes of the caretakers of our national garden.

The bitter fruits of this dereliction of duty on our part were manifolds. First, there was the unwholesome and ill-gotten gains by a few through blatant abuse of power and probable collusion by interested parties. Then there was the breach of our national security because of the ultra-sensitive database falling into foreign hands. Followed by the needless and sinfully high cost expended to buy-back our shares that were originally squandered willy nilly. Let us not factor in the derision of our national pride as the enemy would have had scoffed at our idiocy while laughing all the way to the bank – for no price can ever redeem our national shame suffered.

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How safe is it really to fly AirAsia?

The safe passage of all passengers for any commercial airline is of paramount importance as precious lives are at stake. There can never be any compromise. The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) is therefore duty bound to ensure that the stringent safety requirements are met at all times and no slip-up be tolerated.

It’s for this reason that in one of my parliamentary questions for the June sitting here, I asked the Minister of Transport to state the procedures and regularity of the safety audits carried out for low-cost carriers landing and taking off from our airports. The airlines include AirAsia, Jet Star and Tiger Air. The minister’s reply is posted here.

While the minister’s reply is reassuring to the general public, it seems a recent incident that purportedly happened in KLIA on 20 July 2010 with AirAsia Flight AK718 from Singapore seriously begs the question as to the diligency in which the DCA carries out its ‘safety audits’ where low-cost carriers are concerned. What is most discomforting is the fact that the same AirAsia aircraft that experienced a form of technical problem was allowed to take off so soon after the said incident. Please refer to the emails forwarded to me below for details.

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Datuk Bandar declares "war against cybercafes!"

This is an update of a meeting with Datuk Bandar and the Members of Parliament in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 22 July 2010, at DBKL head office. Some of the issues discussed, with reference to Wangsa Maju, are as follows:-

1. Cybercafes
It is reported that todate actions have been taken against 4 outlets to help stem the rise of social ills in Wangsa Maju which include online gambling, porn viewing and loan-sharking activities associated with these outlets. Datuk Bandar, however, feels that more could be done as Wangsa Maju is highly populated and covers a vast geographical area. To show his commitment to Wangsa Majuians and their families that he has their welfare at heart, he has decided to declare “war against cybercafés” not only in our ‘kawasan’ but also throughout Kuala Lumpur. DBKL officers are reminded to monitor and enforce this policy on a continuous basis to help promote, protect and preserve the healthy social environment of our city.

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"Probe on bribe-for-currency printing contract reveals links to people high in government hierarcy"

The above report in page 2 of the Sun was published on Tuesday, 20 July 2010.

The allegation highlighted apparently involves very senior officials of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) with undisputable links to their spouses. As this is a report by the Australian authority which will also ultimately lead to prosecution by Australian administrators themselves, this will become international news. Malaysia can ill-afford this kind of serious negative publicity which can be quite damaging to our reputation in the world community. As a matter of national interest, I urge the MACC to immediately conduct a more thorough investigation locally so that we can take steps to quickly salvage our reputaion should the alleged corrupt practice, as reported, is less than accurate.

Since the news broke out, the public has taken a keen interest in the matter and has been engaging in all kinds of speculations. I have even received rumours that the husband of a very high official in BNM is strongly implicated. But seriously, this cannot be. There’s too much at stake not only for the very high official in BNM but also the country, as BNM is the ultimate authority for all fiscal matters in Malaysia.

The public can speculate and rumour. But I personally don’t believe there’s any traction that the husband of the said very high official in BNM is involved. Not so soon at the tail of cases of the husband of Securities Commission Chairman being similarly highlighted recently. MACC should not drag its feet on its investigation as urged but perform its duty diligently to swiftly put an end to this issue.

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"Pecat Nor Yakcop, Zarinah" – was Utusan Online 'terrorised' to kill report?

UPDATE, 22 July 2010: The blog ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ has managed to recover the missing news item and has posted it here. Go read it. ——————————————————– I remember reading the above “pecat” news item the day it was published. Didn’t think too much of it then because it was expected that newspapers would do what they have … Read more

Reply to Securities Commission

The Securites Commission (SC) is playing hide and seek and skirting many of the issues I have raised in parliament recently. Instead of coming clean, the SC has resorted to using a mouthpiece to just blab only on the Parkway Holdings Berhad issue. This is most irresponsible of SC and the Chairman YgBhg Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar herself. The SC has a job to do and must take the responsibility seriously.

The SC, first and foremost, must protect the interest of the investing public in the capital market. This will instill confidence in foreign investors which will in turn help our economy to grow by investing in our stock market. Otherwise the country’s economy will suffer and the rakyat will be badly affected.

The reason for these issues to keep surfacing is because Zarinah Anwar as Chairman of SC is maintaining a deafening elegant silence. She probably thinks the issues will go away and the rakyat will forget in time.

Up till now it’s very mischievous of Zarinah Anwar to have a person like the SC’s Ketua Jabatan Hal Ehwal Korporat, Encik Abdul Jalil Hamid, to answer questions about corporate dealings that mostly concern her as Chairman of SC personally and her husband, Dato Azizan Abdul Rahman.

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Teks ucapan semasa membahas Rang Undang-Undang untuk meminda Akta Antipemerdagangan Orang 2007 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act 2007), 15hb Julai 2010

Anti-trafficking of Persons! Anti-trafficking of National Assets!

Tuan Yang Di-Pertua,

Saya bangun untuk membahas “Rang Undang-Undang untuk meminda Akta Antipemerdagangan Orang 2007 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act 2007),” dengan mengalu-alukan cadangan pindaan.

Tetapi Kerajaan perlu merujuk kepada Laporan “UN High Commissioner for High Commissioner for Human Rights to Economic & Social Council” bertarikh 20 Mei 2002. Iaitu:

            The Primacy of Human Rights:

“1.   The human rights of trafficked persons shall be at the centre of all efforts to prevent and combat trafficking and to protect, assist and provide redress to victims. 

2.   States have a responsibility under international law to act with due diligence to prevent trafficking, to investigate and prosecute traffickers and to assist and protect trafficked persons.

3.   Anti-trafficking measures shall not adversely affect the human rights and dignity of persons, in particular the rights of those who have been trafficked, and of migrants, internally displaced persons, refugees and asylum-seekers.”

 

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Parliament Questions Time, 12 July 2010

LHDNM menetapkan pemprosesan kes bayaran balik pembayaran cukai lebih akan mengambil masa 30 hari waktu bekerja sekiranya permohonan di buat secara dalam talian iaitu e-filing….

Pemberitahuan Pertanyaan Jawab Lisan Dewan Rakyat

Soalan No. 53

Tuan YB Wee Choo Keong [ Wangsa Maju ] minta Menteri Kewangan menyatakan memaklumkan kenapa telah menjadi satu trend bagi Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri untuk mengambil masih lebih daripada satu bulan untuk memulangkan lebihan bayaran kepada pembayar cukai sedangkan mereka sepatutnya membayar dalam tempoh 30 hari dari tarikh permohonan pulangan pembayaran dibuat.

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Update on today

Among others, the issues I spoke of yesterday were brought up again in today’s winding up debate of the Subordinate Courts (Amendment) Bill 2010 and the Minister has yet to reply. In particular the issues are: 1)   En Hasbie Satar, whose boss was the former Minister of Finance II and MP for Tasek Gelugur, and … Read more

Tindakan Suruhanjaya Sekuriti mengugut wartawan amat tidak beretika dan tidak boleh di terima umum

Tuan Yang Di-Pertua,

Kita semua maklum bahawa siri siasatan Suruhanjaya Sekuriti (SC) yang agak ganas dan keras keatas EMPAT orang ‘business reporter’ (dengan izin) berhubung laporan akhbar berkenaan penjualan saham Kenmark Industrial Co (M) Bhd.

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