Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
The PM and DPM should step down over this issue
In his judicial review application Jeyakumar, who wrested the seat from MIC president S Samy Vellu in 2008, claimed that he had not seen any of the funds allocated to Sungai Siput since he took over.
He also claims that by withholding the funds, the respondents are going against Article 8(1) of the federal constitution which provides that all persons are equal before the law and entitled to its equal protection.
In his application he notes that in this context, Article 8 (1) provides that “the Special Constituency Allocation be exercised equally and equitably amongst all members of parliament regardless of political affiliations”.
"I wrote to the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) of the Prime Minister's Department and was told that RM1.72 million was given (in 2010), including to two schools and a orphanage, but when I called (the alleged recipients) they said they have not received it," Jeyakumar (centre in pic) said.
Named as respondents in the suit are the director-general of the ICU, the director of the Perak State Development Office and the government of Malaysia.
Jeyakumar is applying for the respondents to explain their authority in disbursing the funds from the Special Constituency Allocation at their discretion and to specify the procedure for allocation of funding since 2008.
He is also applying for the disbursement of funds be done equitably among all parliamentarians, and for damages and costs, which are to be assessed.
It's about principles, not about winning
Speaking to reporters after filing his application at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur today, Jeyakumar said that he was acting on principle and was not swayed by his chances of winning.
"People thought we couldn't win in Sungai Siput," he said.
To his knowledge, he said, other Opposition parliamentarians were also facing the same problem, while BN MPs have had their applications for funding approved without much hassle.
"What we want is for them to list out what they use the money for and how much was used, so everyone can see it and query, because otherwise someone can pocket the funds.
"There are 222 parliament constituencies, that's RM222 million of public funds, which should be dealt with transparently," said Jeyakumar, who was accompanied by about 20 supporters, some of them from Sungai Siput.
He has made several applications for funds for the constituency, with detailed breakdown of the allocations for schools, orphanages and societies for the disabled, since 2008.
However, in its 2008 reply, the Perak Development Office simply said: "For your information, the application cannot be considered".
In 2009 and 2010, the office either did not reply or said that it already disbursed these funds to several organisations, some of which told Jeyakumar that they received nothing.
The office claims that it had disbursed RM952,550 in the Sungai Siput constituency in 2008, while the 2009 figure is not known.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Change the Federal Government - no second options
PSM Sungai Siput MP Dr D Jeyakumar (left) told Malaysiakinithis morning that he has not received any of the allocations since 2008 when he defeated MIC president S Samy Vellu in the general election.Wednesday, October 27, 2010
This is what we expect from a good government
Mind blowing spending spree
“This shows there are still weaknesses in expenditure planning and management,” said the Auditor-General's 2009 Report, noting that spending only be done when an allocation is approved.
It also revealed that 11 agencies - including Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Public Service Department - and 10 ministries had exceeded their operating budget by RM3.61 billion.(Chart)
The auditor-general also found that 15 ministries and agencies had overspent RM3.74 billion for 42 projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
The Defence Ministry topped the list with an overrun of RM2.03 billion for three projects, followed by the Education Ministry (RM927 million for four projects) and Treasury Department (RM547 million for two projects).
Under development expenditure, the report revealed that 43 projects by 16 ministries and departments had recorded a total overrun of RM465.11 million.
The bulk of this was spent by the Works Ministry for 11 projects, involving RM356.73 million.
Conversely, RM153.3 million for 38 projects was allocated, but was not spent by the 16 ministries and departments concerned.
Selangor the biggest debtor
It was further found that all the state governments were not able to clear their debts on schedule.
Outstanding payments to the federal government had accumulated to RM4.6 billion or 13.3 percent more than the RM4.08 billion recorded in 2008.
Selangor wa
s the biggest debtor (RM829.86 million), followed Johor (RM809.89 million), Kedah (RM706.68 million), Pahang (RM565.08 million) and Negri Sembilan (RM504.50 million).
The substantial loan arrears arose even though RM204.27 million in water supply loans to eight state had been absorbed by the federal government.
The report also said 607 (50.5%) of the 1,203 loans channelled to state governments have been owing for between 1 and 13 years.
For statutory bodies, Railway Asset Corporation (RM1.02 billion) is the biggest debtor, while Perwaja Terengganu Sdn Bhd tops the list for company loans (RM1.8 billion).
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
No money to repair roads, or build homes for the poor
According to Budget 2011, a whopping RM26,000 a day is spent on the rental and maintenance of the official residences of the prime minister and deputy prime minister, Bukit Bendera MP Liew Chin Tong said in Penang.
In a written reply to his recent parliamentary question, Liew said, he was told that RM4,149,000 was paid a year as rental to Putrajaya Holdings - the master developer of the federal administrative capital Putrajaya - and another RM1,896,616 on maintenance.
In the same reply, Liew added, Prime Minister Najib Razak revealed that the government forked out RM6 million a year for the rental and maintenance works for his official residence, Seri Perdana.
"The government also pays RM3.4 million (RM2,273,888 for rental and RM1,129,992 as maintenance) for Seri Setia, the deputy premier's official residence," he told a Post-Budget Dialogue organised by Penang-based Socio-Economic and Environmental Research Institute (Seri) last Friday.
"This makes up a total of RM9.4 million a year; in total, or about
RM26,000 a day for the residences of the PM and DPM alone," added Liew, who is also Seri executive director.
Earlier last week, Liew (left) told a press conference at the Parliament lobby that an RM65 million spruce-upwould be carried out on Najib's official residence over the next two years.
RM16b to be spent in 2 years
He said the renovation plan for the 10-year-old complex was part of the RM16 billion budget for the Prime Minister's Department, to be spent in 2011 and 2012.
About 80 participants attended the Seri dialogue, which aimed to provide a succinct analysis of the 2011 Budget and the implications of the various policies and measures introduced.
LLG Cultural Development Centre chairperson Toh Kin Woon, who chaired the dialogue, said the 2011 Budget was expected to provide an insight into the directions and strategies the government planned to execute under the 10th Malaysia Plan, New Economic Model and the Northern Corridor Economic Region.
Other speakers at the dialogue included economists Chan Huan Chiang and Manokaran Mottain.
In his delivery, Chan, who is Malaysian Institute of Economic Research associate research fellow, said that Malaysians have been living off the assets of this oil rich country.
"One definition of sustainable development is that the present generation must not deny future generations the same productive capacity," said Chan, who is also associate professor at the Centre for Policy Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia.
But, some good news for Penangites
He said that despite Malaysia having a population of 27 million, of whom 12 million were workers, there were only 4.5 million tax files and just about two million taxpayers.
He also warned that poor public delivery systems, such as poor basic amenities for the people, would eventually lead to security problems and a high crime rate.
However, not all of the items in the Budget were bleak news.
Senior economist at AmResearch Manokaran Mottain said despite the negative points, the Budget provided some good news for Penangites.
Manokaran said Penang was set to be the "Gateway to the Northern Corridor" and stood to be transformed into a modern and vibrant city, as well as a logistics and transportation hub.
Under the 10th Malaysian Plan, major investment projects for Penang included the second Penang Bridge, expansion of the Penang International Airport and improving the frequency and reach provided by the RapidPenang bus service.
"Penang's economy is expected to rebound strongly, by 7.7 percent this year, before moderating slightly to 5.7 percent in 2011," said Manokaran, who was a senior economist with Bank Negara from 1987 to 1996.
"Manufacturing is the most important component of the Penang economy, with the sector expected to grow by 8.5 percent and account for 50.9 percent of the state's GDP this year," he added.
Well done, Mr Lim
Lim said that the recently released AG's Report which showed that Penang had improved in its cash (16.7 percent) and asset (7.4 percent) flow for 2009 was a “validation and confirmation” that the administration was competent, accountable and transparent (CAT).
According to the report, Penang put in a good performance to increase its cash flow to RM539 million in 2009, and its asset position from RM1.026 million to RM1.120 million, despite facing an economic downturn last year.
Lim (right) said this was possible because since the Pakatan Rakyat government took over Penang in 2008, it has introduced new budgetary controls which emphasised not only on CAT governance, but also on productivity, efficiency and integrity.
“Our main budgetary tools include item line accounting, open tender system and risk management, which is practised for the first time” he told reporters at a press conference in Penang.
Malaysiakini reported today that in the AG's report, Penang has hit arecord high in state revenues for the second time this year, collecting RM1.1 billion in accumulated funds for the whole of 2009.
Penang - the only Pakatan state to receive the 'baik' (good) accreditation in their financial standing - collected 29.1 percent more in actual revenue, bringing their tally to RM376.51 million.
In 2008, the state government had already shattered records when it surpassed the billion-ringgit mark in accumulated funds as shown in the previous Audit Report, collecting a total of RM1.025 billion.
Under the previous BN state government, the accumulated funds, which are a combination of revenue accounts, loan accounts and trust funds, were at RM847.45 million for 2007.
The revenue collection also increased from strength to strength, showing the most significant jump from RM296 million in 2007 to RM371 million in 2008. The collection for 2009 stands at RM376 million.
Pointers on practising CAT
Meanwhile, Lim gave a few pointers on how to go about practising the CAT governance in the administration.
Lim said such a governance was based on the question of whether one is 'productive, efficient, and uphold integrity'.
“What we also always ask is that whether things can be done in a shorter time. If we can do things in 30 minutes, why do it for an hour?” he queried.
“If we can do a volume of work in one hour, why don't we increase that volume 1.5 times more during the same period of time?” he added.
Lim said productivity meant that for every ringgit spent, one has to get as much value in return.
This, he added, was related to government projects, where his administration will ensure that it can always get value for money.
“During the implementation, for expenditure made, we always ask: Is it extravagant? Is it a waste? Is it corruption?” he queried.
“For example, the 100-storey tower (proposed by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak) is too extravagant. Why do we need a 100-storey building?” he ased.
“And how about the RM65 million for the renovation of the PM's official residence? This is wastage,” he added.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Will the Government prosecute corrupted civil servants?
In saying this, Kedah Gerakan Youth chief Tan Kheng Liang also pointed out that any alleged offender also has the right to be heard in a court of law.
“As such, a person should only be convicted for corruption by a court and the appropriate penalties should only be decided by the court and not by any government department head,” he said.
Tan also said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should not set a precedent by allowing department heads to decide the penalty for such offences or to take over the duties of the judiciary.
He called on the MACC to clarify its stand, following an announcement that the commission has completed its investigation into the 2008 auditor-general's report released last year.
The MACC said it had initiated more than 20 investigation papers and five inspection and consultation papers.
Three individuals have since been taken to court and four reports have been handed over to department heads with proposed disciplinary action against those involved. Five letters of advice have been sent to the relevant government departments.
The commission has also come up with five proposals to review systems and procedures, to reduce opportunities for corruption or fraud.
The penalty for offences involving corruption are prescribed in the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission Act 2009.
Section 24 states that any person who commits an offence is, on conviction, liable to:
(a) a maximum jail term of 20 years; and
(b) a fine of not less than five times the sum or value of the gratification involved in the offence or RM10,000, whichever is the higher.
The MACC does not have prosecutory powers, but must refer such matters to the Attorney-General's Chambers.
History, no pass, no certificate for SPM students
The Petaling Jaya Utara DAP parliamentarian raised concerns that the move could be an underhand tactic by the government to revamp the syllabus to emphasise Malay rights provisions and conveniently neglecting others.
“The call to make History a compulsory subject came totally out of the blue and stands in stark contrast against the country's past policies to focus on science and mathematics to promote industry as well as to ensure employment,” said Pua (right).Pua was referring to Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's statement recently for History to be made a must pass subject for SPM.
“He (Muhyiddin) also said the Education Ministry would also make improvements to the subject, with emphasis on enhancing the understanding of the constitution so as to enlighten students about the country's nation-building process.
“While we have no objections in principle to making the subject a compulsory pass, we are concerned with the proposal over two aspects,” said Pua.
Suspecting that the deputy premier's announcement which was made during Umno's 61st general assembly could focus on a particular component of the constitution, Pua asked: “Given the announcement of the measure at an Umno national convention, the focus will naturally be on Article 153 and other related articles with regard to Malay rights.
“Will there be an equal emphasis on say, Article 8 which states that 'all persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law'?”He added that students should be taught all aspects of the constitution including the Reid Commission responsible for drafting the constitution.
He urged Muhyiddin to set up an independent advisory and review body of all the necessary stakeholders including the country's historians to “overhaul” the subject before it is made compulsory.
“We fear that this new measure is a blatant attempt to indoctrinate our students with a narrow and biased interpretation of our federal constitution and our country's founding history.
Pua opined that individual authors should not be left to dictate the contents of the History textbooks and the task should be given to panel of experts.
Memorisation and regurgitation of facts
Another concern raised by Pua was the structure of the current education system, especially History, which is entirely based on “memorisation and regurgitation of facts” during exams.
“It does not at all involve critical thinking, analysis and interpretation... it will only make students incapable of independent thought,” he said.
He reiterated that in order to improve on learning and thinking skills, the approach towards History should be overhauled, otherwise it would become a meaningless subject.
“Hence we call upon the ministry to resolve these critical issues first and not put the cart before the horse by making the subject compulsory without necessary critical reform,” said Pua.
Failure of the Government to control the way money is spent....
The 2009 Auditor-General's Report says the RM250 million allocated under the stimulus package was meant to restore or carry out maintenance work on military camps and quarters. However money from this allocation was also spent on luxury items.
Some examples given were the purchase of luxury items worth RM301,900 for the Labuan air base, Wilayah Laut camp (Mawilla 3) in Langkawi and the Lumut naval base.
In the case of Mawilla 3, the contentious items included:
- Washable solid vinyl wallpaper with PVC (RM95,880)
- Two sofa sets (RM26,000)
- Carpets (RM13,320)
- Home theatre set (RM12,000)
- Chandelier (RM10,000)
- Replacement tiles (RM72,960)
- Nine air-conditioners (RM32,200)
- Plaster ceilings (RM31,008)
- Cornice (RM5,950)
It added that the upgrades to Mawilla 3 under the stimulus package were made despite the facility already being maintained by the Public Works Department at a budget of RM2 million. In the case of the Lumut naval base, the audit team found that RM459,460 was spent on 836 decorative lights for the road leading to Wisma Samudera.
However, only 236 units were installed, while 600 units were kept in the storeroom as spares.
"The audit finds that the Defence Ministry had made several procurements and upgrading works that did not adhere to (the fund's) purpose without justification and elements of imprudence," the report says.
Upgraded hall brought down in months
On the Education Ministry, the audit team cited an instance where RM63,575 from the stimulus package was allocated for upgrading works on a school hall, which was then demolished months later.
The funds were spent on upgrading works for the SJK (C) Sri Lalang, Kluang hall, which were completed on Aug 13 last year.
However, the ministry then secured another RM200,000 for the construction of a brand new hall.
"When the audit team visited the site on Dec 15 last year, it was found that the upgraded hall had been destroyed and construction of the new hall was ongoing.
"Thus, the allocation of RM63,575 under the stimulus package was a waste of government funds," the report adds.