Dewan Speaker should ban hitting at the person

Uncategorized, , ,

Public debates should never get personal. In the Dewan Rakyat, however, debates more often than not involve name-calling.

In the heat of the moment, Members of Parliament tend to relapse into their personal capacities and hurl words that hit at the person rather than on the lack of information, perspective or logic.

Last week, when the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) concluded that the previous administration had not “robbed” RM19.4 billion in Goods and Sales Tax (GST) credit funds as stated by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng last year, opposition Umno politicians raised an uproar that the latter had misled the Dewan by saying the funds were “robbed”.

When Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof disagreed with the Umno politicians, it was natural for them to express their disappointments but when its Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin referred to the Speaker as “useless”, that was disrespecting the chair.

If he had argued with the Speaker based on facts and logic, that would have been acceptable parliamentary behaviour — not dismiss him with an adjective that hints at a personal trait.

In another debate, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim (BN – Arau) called on the Speaker to expunge a question submitted by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) MP for Labis, Pang Hok Liong, who had asked the government to clarify regarding the allowances and benefits given to the King.

Shahidan said the question was an insult to royalty as it involved the rulers and it should not have been allowed. In the ensuing debate — which one newspaper called “a shouting match” — Pang told Shahidan to mind his own business and added “at least I don’t molest underage girls” as his parting shot! Shahidan shouted back, “Hey, bangsat (rogue!)!”

The argument continued with each asking the Speaker to get the other to retract his statements. The Speaker asked both to retract the offending words or he would eject them out of the house. They complied.

(Shahidan was charged with allegedly molesting a girl last year. However, on April 24 this year, the Sessions Court in Kangar gave him a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.)

This is not the first time MPs were attacked on personal issues or characteristics. In many previous debates, words like “kling” — a derogatory term referring to Indians — and “bocor”, a reference to a woman’s period, among a host of other unsavoury but very personal terms were used on fellow MPs.

The Speaker should ban the use of any word or phrase that alludes to the person, especially if it derides the other person and diminishes who he or she is in the eyes of others. There should be no reference to one’s race, religion, culture, personal traits or lifestyle choices.

At the Dewan Rakyat, MPs are there NOT in their personal capacities. They are there as representatives of their voters and all their arguments should be confined to their issues, not one’s own personal life.

The Speaker should provide clear guidelines as to the personal issues that should not be even mentioned in debates and threaten ejection from the house or even suspension. It would definitely enhance the quality of debates in the Dewan Rakyat!

GST funds ‘robbed’ or not?

Uncategorized, , ,

There was an interesting debate in the Dewan Rakyat this week. Opposition Umno members took offense to the use of the word “robbed” by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng after the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) concluded that the previous administration had not “robbed” RM19.4 billion in Goods and Sales Tax (GST) credit funds as stated by Lim last year.

According to the PAC, the money didn’t go missing, it was just used for “operational and development expenditures”. The GST collection was kept in the Consolidated Fund and released in stages as and when needed and decided by the GST refund committee.

PAC chairperson Datuk Dr Noraini Ahmad (who, by the way, is Umno Wanita chief), however, added that this procedure was “not in line” with Section 54 (2) and Section 54 (5) of the GST Act 2014 which required that all GST collection must be credited into the GST refund account.

The fact is — and the  PAC concurs — that the GST revenue was unlawfully diverted. Whether that constitutes stealing or not is the unanswered question.

This episode reminds me of the cases of staff who take out money from the petty cash entrusted in their keeping and use it for their own purposes but who put it back before the employers find out. Their employers may know what is going on and may ignore it since the money is always reimbursed, until one day it isn’t and then they are caught.

This is a common practice among some and they may not see this as stealing but others may. However, when large sums and, especially, public funds are involved, no leader should be given that much of leeway to do as he or she pleases and get away with not strictly following the law in ensuring that the allocated money goes for the designated purpose and nowhere else, even temporarily.

Leaders are human and they err like everyone else. That’s the reason there are laws which clearly spell out how funds are to be disbursed. If they don’t follow the law, that’s a serious breach of trust. But is it stealing?

Some may say it is not because the intent is to replace the money taken.  What if for whatever reason the money can’t be replaced? Would that then become stealing?

If I were the person moving the money around — no matter how much I trusted myself not to misuse the money — I would see it as stealing because I would be using money that isn’t mine. Even if some may argue that it doesn’t amount to stealing, doesn’t it smack of dishonesty?

Wishing you a happy 94th birthday, Tun!

Uncategorized,

I don’t know if Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will ever see this post. But I’m counting on the fact that he has staff who are tasked to trawl the Net to keep tabs on the number of times his name is mentioned on posts and websites and that they will see this post and duly pass the message to him.

So, here’s to you, Tun: Wishing you a happy 94th birthday!

Tun has lived to an effective ripe old age and truly boasts of a lifetime of achievements — borrowing the phrase from Mix.fm’s birthday greetings to him. When he was prime minister the first time from 16 July 1981 – 31 October 2003, he was stern and driven, quick to modernize the country and expected everyone to fall in line and somehow manage the stress of leapfrogging into modernization! Many buckled and rebelled, but that doesn’t matter any more because these were the same people who grew as a result of his policies and are now in government with him!

Development was the priority then, and if some rights had to be sacrificed to ensure development was implemented unimpeded in an expanded economy in order for the Malays to come up, hold their own and ensure their own survival, together with other Malaysians, he sacrificed them. So, during his first term, his human rights record wasn’t exactly exemplary!

In his second term, however, after leading the opposition to a historic win of the 14th General Elections and assuming the premiership on May 10, 2018, after 15 years out of office, he brings decades of experience to his role, and, perhaps, over the years have become more grandfatherly. Age, no doubt, has mellowed him, but he remains sharp as ever and fully aware of what are the important issues to tackle now to set the nation back on course to success.

Malaysians are so appreciative of him for making change possible that there seems to be no end to expressing gratitude to him, judging from all the birthday greetings he has been getting. Even the King feted him to a birthday party!

So, wishing you a very memorable 94th birthday as we Malaysians celebrate it with you, Tun! May God bless all your endeavours as you reset this nation on course to success and a bright future built on nothing less than integrity, justice and equality for every Malaysian!

A test of the govt’s will to ensure justice for minorities

Uncategorized, , ,

The Sri Lankan police must be commended for arresting its top cop and a former defence chief for dereliction of duty which resulted in the Easter bombings that killed 258 people.  It reflects its government’s commitment to bring to justice those who were responsible for the needless death of its citizens.

Inspector-General Pujith Jayasundara and former defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando were arrested after Attorney General Dappula de Livera said “their failure to heed security warnings amounted to a crime against humanity” the media reported. He described the police’s lack of action despite advance warnings of the terrorist attacks as “criminal negligence”.

Very clearly the Sri Lankan action against its top cop and former defence secretary is a demonstration of its will to hold its leaders responsible for failing to protect its citizens.

In Malaysia, the state, and specifically the Special Branch, was implicated in an equally heinous crime against humanity — the enforced disappearance of two Malaysian citizens — but the current Pakatan Harapan (Pakatan) government is seemingly dragging its feet about investigating and exposing the leaders responsible.

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) had in April concluded that Perlis activist Amri Che Mat and Pastor Raymond Koh were “victims of enforced disappearances” by the state, specifically the Special Branch.

No doubt that the government has in response to the Suhakam findings set up a six-member task force to start investigating Amri’s disappearance first, but the composition of the task force does not indicate its commitment to neutrality and objectivity.

The task force will have to investigate the police, specifically Special Branch, but it has two policemen on it — although one has resigned as a result of public protests. It belies logic that policemen would be tasked to investigate policemen involving civilians. Will the investigations be fair?

Perhaps, the Home Minister feels that this is a sensitive issue as it involves religion and the police force and both need to be protected for fear of a backlash from the Muslim community. In an issue such as this which, in fact, is state-supported terrorism, the government needs to rise above religious parochialism and make a clear stand that enforced disappearances will be dealt with seriously and severely and the perpetrators brought to book.

It would restore public trust in the police force. The public, whether Muslim or not, will be watching closely how the government handles this issue. The public will want to know if public institutions will put the protection of civilians above powerful interests who are able to manipulate such institutions for their own specific agendas.

This is not a religious issue. It’s an issue of holding public institutions accountable to the people, not special interests.

If the reason for an all-Muslim task force is because Amri is said to have been involved in Shia Muslim activities and hence it is a religious issue and Muslims want to deal with Muslim religious issues, that is understandable. If that were the case, it would lend credibility to the task force to include someone with an understanding of Shia Islam to offer that perspective in deliberations. That would be fair to Amri.

But the task force does not have such a member and still has Bukit Aman’s Integrity and Standard Compliance Department director as a member even though the other former cop on it has resigned. If it were an internal issue involving policemen, cops can investigate cops. But, when it involves a civilian, there must be strict adherence to objectivity and neutrality and in this case, there should be no cop on the task force.

The task force investigating Koh’s disappearance must also include, at least, one Christian representative to provide the Christian perspective so that Koh is seen in an unbiased light.

This is a very serious issue on integrity. If the government is not seen as being fair and just to differences and diversity, even among the majority group, I believe, it will erode public support for the Pakatan government. If all the details in the enforced disappearances are not exposed and those culpable are not held accountable, it would lead to a loss of support particularly in East Malaysia which has a sizeable Christian population.

The result will be that the Pakatan government will not get support from independents and non-Pakatan Members of Parliament who represent minority interests, including Muslim minority interests, for a two-thirds majority to pass bills in Parliament. Right now, it is these MPs who can give the two-thirds support. They will want to know if the government can be trusted to be fair and just with regard to minority issues or whether — as usual — these will be sacrificed to appease the majority.

An objective and neutral task force acting swiftly to expose the true perpetrators of this crime will be proof that the Pakatan government can be trusted to be fair with minority interests.

 

The merits of resigning …

Uncategorized, ,

Former chief editor of the New Straits Times group and veteran writer Kadir Jasin recently wrote in his blog in his personal capacity that voluntary resignation was an option for leaders implicated in scandals.

In the context of the sex video which is alleged to feature Economics Minister Azmin Ali, Kadir said it served as a litmus test and whether Pakatan Harapan leaders would “do the right thing”.

Kadir’s suggestion merits consideration. In a democratically elected government, the leaders are ultimately accountable to the people. People elect leaders based on what they say, stand for and the image they project. It is the responsibility of the leaders to honestly present all the facts about themselves so that the people know who they are voting for.

If for whatever reason, a leader withholds a fact about himself or herself or about a past misdeed or a current association which he or she knows fully well will influence the vote or support for him or her, that leader betrays the trust of the supporters.

That personal characteristic or deed may not be wrong but if it’s unacceptable to the people and the leader knows that bringing it out to the open would risk the loss of support, and he or she keeps it hidden, that leader fails in honouring the trust of the people who put him or her in public office in the first place.

As Kadir pointed out in his blog, many leaders who know the pulse of their supporters have resigned when their secrets became public knowledge.

Whether a leader resigns or not depends on the high moral standards he or she holds to. A person with high morals will resign as in the case of the examples Kadir gave in his blog. (The case of Lord John Dennis Prufumo who was sacked and later jailed for having an affair with a call girl was the famous example he listed.)

One with lower moral standards may not as in the case of former US President Bill Clinton who is known for operating in the grey areas of morality.

When it became public knowledge that he had sex with an intern while in office in the White Office, Clinton hung on to his position. It kicked up a storm of public protests but he weathered it and held on to his position with only a slight slap on the knuckles in the form of impeachments for perjury and obstruction of justice. He was acquited of both charges because the Senate was unable to get a two-thirds majority for conviction.

Clinton stayed in office, but the damage was done. He will go down in history — despite his accomplishments — as the president who had a sexual affair with a 22-year-old intern. In addition, the Democrats lost the subsequent elections — a loss which was largely attributed to his affair.

Malaysia is currently making history. We threw out a corrupt regime and we need to make sure that the leaders we install have the trust of the people. Our leaders need to ask: What will history say of us?

Historians are going to thoroughly examine what transpires now to record them as historical facts for posterity. Generations to come are going to study about the history that is unfolding right before our eyes. History will not lie. So, if leaders have been implicated in scandals, resignation is an honourable option if they don’t want salacious or criminal facts about themselves to be recorded in history books!

Resignation does not mean an admission of guilt; it simply says the leader assumes responsibility for himself/herself and those involved or associated with and puts the voters and the nation before one’s own interests.

Getting out of the hot soup would give the leader the chance to take stock and gain clarity. Whether the scandal is a crime or a moral issue, or whether he or she is an active participant or one by association, the leader will be able to change and reposition himself or herself according to the expectations of the voters.

At a future date, that leader can seek reelection. If the past scandal comes up again, the leader can honestly and confidently declare he or she is no longer associated with it; it’s history, not where he or she is now.

There is always a chance for a comeback if people believe in one’s honesty.

Move with those who move with you

Uncategorized,

Last weekend I attended a writing seminar, and while knowing how to write is nothing new to me, I enjoyed being in the company of like-minded people. People who are open to explore and discover avenues of thought which they want to share by expressing themselves through their talent of writing.

It was very encouraging interacting with the participants of the seminar and connecting with people who also write or want to write. While I didn’t get to know them better the short time we had together was enough for me to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance, something I rarely feel in most groups I join, except in my home! Perhaps, that’s why home is the best place where I write!

I was energised and while doing some of the exercises, my mind opened up to new possibilities. I had written a skeleton of a short story some years back and was wondering how to fill it up. I decided to rework it as an exercise, and the juices began to flow. Soon, I was fleshing out the story and amazed that the ideas were flowing! (When I’m ready to publish that story, I’ll let you, my readers, know.)

Then I realised the full impact of a statement made by one of the seminar presenters, social anthropologist, writer and blogger Dr Melba Maggay of the Phillippines, who said: “Move with those who move with you.”

She said there was no point in struggling with people to change them and make them see your point of view. Just move on to whatever can take you to the next level. As a writer, she understands her role as one who will speak up for those who can’t and strengthen faltering knees so that they stand. But, support is also vital and we find it with people who we can move with and who can move with us.

If we remain in an environment which stifles, clings, drags you down and insists on conformity, we won’t grow. We will only grow in those areas that environment nurtures but not in the areas of development it excludes. By staying in such an environment, we’ll always be in conflict, unable to develop our full, whole potential.

It would be better, then, to leave such a community or group — not to cut ties but to reach outward to the hope that can lead us to a better place or group to grow to our full potential and become whole and real in like company. Whether to live, work or play we need to move with people who will move with us and with whom we can move.

 

All this noise we can do without

Uncategorized, ,

Phew! Latheefa Koya must be sighing in relief now that the spotlight on her appointment as chief of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has been deflected to Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali purportedly involved in a gay sex video.

She can now get on with her job! In the first place, her appointment is a non-issue. It only became an issue because it was played up by the opposition-held media whose owners and supporters were most to lose from her appointment. A number of Barisan Nasional politicians –from the former government — are under MACC investigation and no-nonsense Latheefa can be expected to ensure justice is done and criminals charged.

Her appointment by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad raised a cloud of criticisms on the grounds that it was unilaterally made without going through the Parliament Select Committee (PSC) and that it was a political appointment because she was a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) member. She, however, left the party before taking up her new appointment.

As the PM has clarified, the PSC has yet to be formalised because a two-thirds majority is required to amend the constitution to make the process of going through the PSC legal and binding. Currently, the Pakatan Harapan government has no two-thirds majority and until that happens, the PM makes the decisions on top-level appointments.

The Prime Minister made the right decision regarding Latheefa because he is aware that the civil service has been compromised by decades of Umno-fed political patronage and it would be hard to find someone who can maintain neutrality in that culture. He wisely chose someone from outside such a culture who will be neutral and get the job done as swiftly as possible. Latheefa fits the bill.

Should she fail to be impartial, there are many people out there who are ready to train their guns on her. She has no choice but to be neutral. It is also imperative that she settles all the 1MDB-connected cases within her two-year tenure. Knowing the civil service mentality, Tun picked someone who will prioritize all the corruption cases and develop an anti-corruption culture in government.

Tun knows the civil service mind of giving in or giving up and taking it easy when the stress gets to them especially when an issue gets dragged out too long and when it involves familiar people. He wants someone who will prioritize the corruption cases and settle all or most of the corruptions cases before he leaves for good. Latheefa is, of course, expected to deliver.

The PM made no mistake in choosing Latheefa for the post of MACC chief. The fact that the opposition-orchestrated controversy has died down — thanks to Azmin’s alleged sex video — only proves it has no substance. It’s just a lot of political noise.

Another dose of political noise taking over the public sphere is the controversy over the video of two men intimate in bed. One of the men has declared it is indeed him in the video and identified the other as Azmin.

What? Kissing and telling now? If he regrets his action, he should just quietly repent between him and God, and change his behaviour.

What is so righteous about accusing the very person with whom you committed an immoral act? If it weren’t immoral to you why expose it for political gain? To destroy Azmin’s political career and, perhaps, cast aspersions on the Prime Minister for seeing him as an ally? To bring an opponent down, just follow the due process — not resort to gutter politics and underhanded tactics.

Will he achieve his goal or is this just a case of creating a little fire in the hope it will turn wild? And the confessor is willing to go to shameless lengths for it? Azmin may weather this controversy simply because he is a pawn in a ploy to bring him down. The PM, recognizing this as nothing but a desperate political manoeuvre, has dismissed the video as fake.

The public should regard this as just a little fire and ignore it, too. Don’t watch the video, Regard it as noise we can do without. What the confessor did was immoral. To engage in scurrilous activity and then use it to turn on your partner, I have no words to describe such treachery. (I have not mentioned the confessor’s name because it is best that he remains persona non grata.)

All may be fair in love and war … and politics, but as we head towards a developed nation status, the public expects our politicians to advance likewise in mentality and demonstrate basic decency in the way they play the game for power. Even in politics, those who know which boundaries not to cross go further. The people can see and we must make a stand against gutter politics.  So, don’t watch these sex videos. I haven’t and don’t intend to. When such gimmicks are lost on us, the perpetrators will realise they no longer have any currency and eventually stop such activities.

Fasting in harmony!

Uncategorized,

Did you notice how pleasant the political climate was during the fasting month? Muslim politicians were all on their best behaviour! Or, maybe, the fast made them too tired to fight! Well, whatever the reason, the political temperature was pleasantly cool.

Otherwise, with the Malay community divided between Umno, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Bersatu, Amanah and PAS and now with a Malay opposition, Malay politicians go for the jugular! All sorts of accusations would come up, some giving us little shocks that take a couple of days to recover from. The political climate is often hot and intense, with the back-knifing particularly sharp. Often, non-Muslim politicians join in the fray! So, Malaysian politics is a rojak of issues which often causes temperatures to rise.

Of course, all this is normal in politics. Politics is never even-tempered! Nevertheless, it was nice that there was no major political tussle during the Muslim fasting month. It was a nice way to celebrate Hari Raya. I hope it will stay that way now that Hari Raya is over.

Maybe Muslim politicians should carry on fasting indefinitely, then there will be harmony in the country even when Hari Raya is over!

Still in the Hari Raya mood, wishing all of you Selamat Hari Raya! Maintain the tranquillity of fasting!

 

 

A pleasant getaway in Penang

Uncategorized, ,
Kafe Kheng Pin … for good lobak and chicken rice

I was in Penang for a couple of days early this week on some personal matters but I took time off to enjoy some of the island’s well-known offerings, namely food! We were at the Bayview Resort at Batu Ferringhi and had a corner room that gave us two delightful views, one looked inland to the rainforest-covered hills not too far away and the other opened up a vista of the sea glimmering in the afternoon sun over homes and tall trees.

The next two days, however, were cloudy so there wasn’t much to do by the sea but to enjoy the comfortable room and enjoy the views from the room balcony over hot tea. Four-star Bayview’s food is also quite good. The lamb shank curry and lasagne at one lunch buffet was especially good. There are also a number of hawker fare around the hotel which also live up to Penang’s reputation as a food haven.

The best chicken rice I have had in my entire life was in Penang this time at Kafe Kheng Pin in Georgetown (See pic).  Hmmm. So tasty! Although I didn’t have any, I’m told its lobak (skewers of meat) is as good!

It was the school holidays and there wasn’t much of a crowd at the places we went to. But, we drove around and it was nice to see the world-class development away from the beach. The island has all the modern amenities while keeping some of its past heritage.

Most of the shops closer to the resort areas maintain the old restored facades while the interiors are modern and well-decorated. The roads are narrow but the traffic moves.

For a quick getaway for a restful, reasonably-priced hotel-based holiday with easy access to hawker fare and some sight-seeing, Penang is enjoyably convenient.

 

 

End the old story, to start a new one!

Uncategorized, , ,

Last weekend, two of my favourite TV shows came to an end. The Big Bang Theory came to a satisfying finale with the brilliant but nerdy couple Sheldon and his wife, Amy, receiving the Nobel Prize and celebrating it with their gang of friends. This was followed by Leonard and Penny reminiscing as they walked through the costumes and sets lulling the audience to a calm acceptance of the end as the lights went out set after set. Closure.

Then, there was the much-anticipated finale of the Game of Thrones. Many didn’t like the way it ended but I wasn’t expecting much since it was, after all, just a TV show, and so I wasn’t greatly disappointed. But, I would have preferred it if John Snow had outwitted his Queen, Daenerys Targaryen, and claimed the Iron Throne, but that would have required an extended season to develop the intrigue and subterfuge to play out the conclusion and it was clear that the producers wanted to bring the show to a quick end.

They were good stories but when the end came I could accept it, mainly because the mood I was in around that time was to accept endings of stories in my own life. My youth is behind me and I have to come to terms with the fact that age has caught up! My youth was a good story, but now each day is a page I attempt to write. I have to think about what I want to do and can do and do what I can because the page is a blank! But, I try. And each day ends a good day — despite the problems!

This blog is one of the new stories I am writing. It couldn’t have happened if I hadn’t ended the old story — the old story of a past that just couldn’t resolve. It went on and on and on — until I decided to bring it to a close. Then I started thinking of new things and this blog was born.

I was in this frame of mind when I watched the finale of the Game of Thrones, looking for some clue to make sense of the ending after the Queen’s untimely exit. I looked and looked and maybe I saw it or maybe it was just my imagination but it appeared in the last scene when John Snow on his horse taking his people from Castle Black into an unknown future looks into the camera and the muscles of his tense, sad face eases ever so slightly. Or, was I just transferring my own thoughts to him? Maybe, or John Snow somehow faintly saw a new beginning.  That’s another story.

That’s how I arrived at my conclusion that old stories must end for new stories to begin. If we are stuck in the old story, we will never get out and try to write a new story for ourselves. We need to tell our own stories because they say who we are. The collective sum of individual stories reveals the culture of the community. Some people like to be part of old stories — especially if they are good stories — and don’t want out. Well, then, they can’t write their own stories. They’ll be trapped in someone’s else’s story.

But, not me. I want to write new stories. The old I can let go. If there’s something good about the old that I want to keep, I would because it is my choice. But, it won’t stop me from turning my back on the old to start a new story or stories.

I don’t know how that will turn out, but I’m exploring …