DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has managed to screw BN again with the Lee Kah Choon saga.
The Lee Kah Choon controversy has probably been put to rest following the former Gerakan deputy secretary-general’s decision to quit the party.
Lee has earlier accepted the posts of director of Penang Development Corporation and chairman of the executive committee of InvestPenang, which was strongly opposed by BN leadership.
Abdullah Badawi announced yesterday (April 21) that the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) will be made a full-fledged commission by year-end. [Bernama]
The reformation plans are mostly focusing on improving the effectiveness and transparency of ACA, but there are a few big questions that remain unanswered. The biggest question is probably on how authoritative the ACA could be after the overhaul.
It’s reported that the final say on prosecution still lies on the Attorney General. Now, what would happen if the AG has ordered to stop an investigation prematurely?
The current AG Abdul Gani Patail has done it before, and who are going to stop AG from doing it again? And what freedom is ACA actually having if this situation is allowed to happen in future?
The reformation has to go hand in hand with other authorities, and there are lots of complications that need to be cleared to ensure a really independent ACA that could operate without any interference. Getting the right people to lead the ACA is another debatable issue too.
It’s a long way to go obviously, but it’s better than doing nothing. We’ll see how things are improve as time goes by.
Besides, reforming ACA is one thing… I think we need to overhaul our law and constitution regarding corruption as well. I believe there are many loopholes in our current system that could be exploited without breaking the law. ACA would be helpless in these situations regardless of how independent they are.
Datuk Ahmad Said has sworn in as the new Menteri Besar of Terengganu on Sunday (Mar 30) with the support of all 23 state assemblymen, thus putting an end to the mini-crisis over the appointment.
For those who are cheering that the Palace has won the tug-of-war between the Umno central leadership… please think twice of the complications involved.
There are flaws when it comes to appointment of a new MB… it’s a regret that the people would have no final saying of who should be the MB.
Domestic consumers in Selangor who are using individual meters will start enjoying free usage of water for the first 20 cubic metres from June 1, 2008.
Those whose supply is linked to bulk meters – including flat, apartment and condominium dwellers – will not enjoy the free water just yet. [Thestar]
The state government and the water distribution concessionaire Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) are working on replacing the bulk meters (with individual meters)… but seems like it might take a while because of some complications.
Malaysians have spoken.
At the time of writing, non-BN parties (let’s drop the term ‘opposition’ shall we?) have officially claimed the states of Penang, Kedah and Kelantan. Selangor and Perak are also reported to have won by non-BN alliances, albeit unofficial.
It’s just the beginning though… set aside PAS that has been governing Kelantan for years, DAP and PKR are noobs when it comes to governing a state. I am not saying that they are not capable to do so, it’s however a fact that they are facing a new challenge that they had never faced before… governance.
First thing first, they need to do their best to maintain peace. I don’t think we will have any serious riots or demos following the victories in these states, but we do need to take extra safety precautions to maintain peace.
Malaysia crime rates are rising in an alarming rate… there was a dramatic 13.4% increase in violent crimes last year, of which rape cases were up by about 30% and gang robbery by a whopping 160%. [Malaysiakini]
We need to act fast to cope with this problem; it is a matter that concerned every Malaysian citizens, and quite often it’s a matter of life and death.
I don’t quite understand how the crime rates could be soaring sky high in the past few years. Set the crime fighting and prevention efforts aside… I couldn’t figure out how on earth did we managed to produce so many criminals in Malaysia.
You must have read about Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Musa Hassan’s allegation by now, that the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) is trying to garner support from terrorist groups… i.e. Sri Lanka’s Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the RSS, a militant organisation in India (as said by Mohamed Nazri Aziz).
Thing is… if the police or government has any proof about the allegation, what are they waiting now? Go ahead and put the Hindraf leaders into lockup, charged them with whatever act they could think of and declare an official war on Hindraf. The only reason the government and police are not doing so is because the terrorist-link allegation is simply stupid words without solid backing.
What the IGP said is serious accusation… it could cause serious damage to the peacefulness of the country and the social harmony between races. He shouldn’t voice about it without having facts and proofs about it… it caused unnecessary tension and served no good purpose for the general public.
Regardless, I doubt any action would be taken against Musa Hassan if it is a false alarm in the end. They would come out with million of reasons that the IGP was just showing his concern, that they haven’t found any proof yet but it’s true, that their words are MISINTEPRETED… and Musa walks away.
MIC parliamentarian K. Devamany is in trouble for ‘breaking the rank’ after saying that “the government was not doing enough for the (Indian) community” in response to the recent Hindraf rally.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz was fast to ask Devamany to resign from MIC if he had disputed his own party… and Devamany is scheduled to explain to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak about his words.
I couldn’t bother much about BN’s rank or whatever policy. I am just wondering how people like you and me could get our voices to be heard by our government…
The UMNO led government has responded to the recent demonstrations saying that street rallies are unnecessary, and that they are willing to listen from the people through proper channels.
Thing is… if opposition leaders raised their concerns, they will be raped with all the insults possible. If a BN representative raised his opinions, like Devamany did… well, he is accused of breaking the ranks.
In the end… no one can say anything that the UMNO leaders do not want to listen. Badawi doesn’t care… and he has the most ferocious guarding dog at his Prime Minister Department that will bite on EVERYONE who voiced their dissatisfaction at the current government.
Government ready to listen to the citizens? Forget about it… that’s bullsh!t.
