YeinJee's Asian Journal

Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Jamaluddin Jarjis is very excited of having our first man in space… so excited that he already have plans to send our back-up candidate, Faiz Khaleed, to become the next Malaysian in space. [AFP]

“Captain doctor Faiz Khaleed will be the primary angkasawan and the next mission, probably in 2008 or 2009, should have him doing more challenging tasks,”

“This could involve him doing a space walk or conducting repairs to the spacecraft.”

Jarjis is acting like a 5-year-old kid with a new toy… Najib surprisingly shows more sense indicating that a review of Muszaphar’s mission would take place before any decision on future space exploration.

One angkasawan is more than enough. If Malaysia want to send someone to space again… build a rocket and send it ourselves… I might feel really proud then.

The investigation report on the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Nuri helicopter which crashed in Genting Sempah in July has been released. The report indicates that the copter hit the canopy of trees thrice while flying low over the area before going down.

The investigation also found that bad weather, which had reduced visibility to less than two kilometres, and the hilly terrain in the area had also contributed to the mishap. There was no evidence pointing to any technical fault in the helicopter. [Bernama]

Termuzi Abd Aziz, father of the deceased pilot, Capt Norazlan Termuzi, said that the board of inquiry had not conducted the investigation in a comprehensive manner, claiming that the probe was only conducted at the scene of the crash without considering “other factors”.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was fast to respond that the probe was conducted professionally. [Bernama]

The report is obviously trying to load all the responsibilities to the deceased. It could be true that the pilot’s mistake could have cause the accident eventually… but as the elder Termuzi mentioned… shouldn’t we look a bit beyond that?

For example, who was giving the order for the crew to take the flight? When did the weather report come in? Did the crew know about the weather condition prior to lifting off? If they did, whose call was it to continue the flight anyway… the captain, the crew or higher ranking officers? Why were they flying so low… was they forced to because of the copter’s ability? Could the accident be avoided if they had a better chopper?

I won’t call the report a cheat, but there are lots of unattended questions. I strongly doubt that it could be regarded as a professional report.

A former Chief Judge of Malaya will head a three-member independent panel to probe and determine the authenticity of the VK Lingam video clip, said Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today.

The independent panel will be headed by former Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor; National Service Council chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye and former Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mahadev Shankar are the other two members.

Najib said panel member, who had accepted their appointments, would soon start investigating the matter with the support and cooperation of all agencies concerned. Their findings would be made public later.

[Thestar & Malaysiakini]

Former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has released a video that was recorded in 2002, showing senior lawyer VK Lingam in a phone conversation, purportedly with current Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, allegedly fixing the appointment of ‘friendly’ senior judges.

I am not surprised with the scandal, but am surprised that something like that was caught on tape (or video, whatever). Our judiciary system is losing faith among Malaysians since former PM Mahathir Mohamad fired the chief judge in 1988. Since then Malaysia no longer have a judiciary that is independent from government administration.

It is therefore no surprise that money and relationship play a greater part in determining the position of senior judges rather than based on pure merit.

The main media has been extremely quiet on this saga; the news is not completely blackout, but the scale of the reports is pathetic.

Meanwhile DPM Najib Abdul Razak has said that the government will first confirm the authenticity of the ‘VK Lingam’ video before deciding on the next course of action. [Malaysiakini]

You can read the draft transcript via PKR’s website or Malaysiakini.

[Follow this tag for updates about Lingam Tape Scandal]

Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang will introduce an accountability index next year that awards star ratings to all ministries, state governments and statutory bodies for their management of public funds. [Malaysiakini]

Marks (and stars) will be given according to performance…

4 stars – Excellent (90% – 100%)
3 stars – Good (70% – 89%)
2 stars – Satisfactory (50% – 69%)
1 star – Not Satisfactory (49% and below)

The Auditor-General’s idea is quite a bold one, but what’s the point? What would happen if some influential leaders get a 1 star rating? Samy Vellu should be a hot favourite, but can the cabinet fire him? What if Badawi or Najib get a 1 star… what can be done?

(I am not too sure if the ministers themselves will be accessed, just my thoughts)

The ministries and various bodies are not stupid; they might be managed by some of the brightest people in the country… they know how to manage public funds, a bit too well perhaps. Most of the funds are not simply wasted; the money has to go somewhere, into some bank accounts. The question is… whose accounts has the money got into?

Whenever there is some scandalous stuff exposed, there will be criticisms here and there… vowing this, swearing that… but in the end, nothing happens. The money is gone like the Bermuda Triangle mystery, no people is penalized accordingly, and no solutions are provided for every cases.

It’s not about mismanagement of public funds, it’s about corruption… from top to bottom.

We need some drastic methods to fight against corruptions; the Auditor-General’s star rating is not going to work well. Besides, if Mr Ambrin Buang is to publish something that could really harm the government leaders, do you think he will be allowed to hold his current position for long?

My condolences to the families of the 6 crew members of the Nuri helicopter who died in the crash near Genting Sempah last Friday (July 13).

I don’t have the expertise to determine if it is still safe to use the Nuri helicopters that has been in service since 1968. The fact that over 70 lives are claimed all these years in numerous Nuri’s crashes should convince most people not to board on one of these helicopters.

Our soldiers have no options though. One of the deceased members, Captain Nor Azlan Termuzi, had voiced his concerns about flying with Nuri, fearing the safety of the aging helicopters. [LKS]

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