Menerusi rakaman video ceramah yang tular di laman sosial, Ketua Penerangan Dewan Ulama Pas Pusat, Datuk Dr Khairuddin Aman Razali at-Takiri menyeru secara jelas pengundi dalam kalangan ahli Pas di Sungai Kandis supaya mengundi calon Umno-BN Datuk Lokman Nor Adam.
Dalam rakaman berdurasi pendek itu, Ahli Parlimen Kuala Nerus tersebut berkata, pada PKR ini tunjukkan kebersamaan kita menolak Pakatan Harapan (PH) dengan kita sama-sama memenangkan calon Umno Datuk Lokman Nor Adam.
Selanjutnya dalam rakaman tersebut, beliau mengajak hadirin bertakbir dan berdoa agar supaya Allah memberikan kemenangan kepada apa dimahukan.
Dalam PRK N49 Dun Sungai Kandis kali ini, Pas tidak meletakkan calon dan memberi laluan kepada calon Umn0-BN, Datuk Adam Nor Lokman untuk bersaing dengan calon PH yang diwakili PKR, Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni serta calon Bebas, Murti Krishnasamy.- MD
Jika benar Pas mahu melihat calon PKR dapat dikalahkan, pemimpin dan pengikutnya parti itu tidak harus hanya berkokok dengan membuat kenyataan media sahaja, sebaliknya mesti turun berkempen membantu BN dengan segala “kekuatan lutut dan siku” yang mereka milikinya....jangan jadi seperti anjing menyalak bukit...f/bk
Bersama Steven Sim, Timbalan
Menteri Belia dan Sukan...
Nak jadi menteri, tak boleh belajar di sekolah,” kata Steven Sim, Timbalan Menteri Belia dan Sukan yang sehingga semalam pun masih belum hilang terkejut dengan semua yang berlaku sejak 9 Mei lalu.
Setelah duduk bersembang panjang di Parlimen semalam, saya keluarkan telefon dan mula merakam perbualan selanjutnya. Teringin juga mahu tahu apa perasaannya setelah dilantik menjadi menteri.
Kali terakhir saya duduk bertemubual panjang dengan Steven, bulan Jun 2013. Ketika itu beliau baru sebulan jadi Ahli Parlimen Bukit Mertajam.
“Tak ada format atau buku teks yang mengajar kita bagaimana untuk menjadi menteri.
“Memang kena belajar sambil bekerja, tiada sesiapa dalam DAP untuk dijadikan rujukan. Kita tidak pernah ada pemimpin yang menjadi menteri,” katanya.
Pun begitu, bukanlah janggal sangat sebenarnya memandangkan DAP sudah memimpin kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang sejak 2008. Steven pula pernah menjadi pegawai khas exco belia dan sukan pada ketika itu. Sepuluh tahun kemudian, beliau beranjak ke peringkat pusat; jadi timbalan menteri pula.
“Rupa-rupanya hebat juga kuasa jadi menteri ni,” ujarnya memulakan cerita bagaimana pada hari pertama masuk ke pejabat, beliau ada berbisik bagaimana warna pejabat itu tidak kena dengan jiwanya. Terlalu biru katanya.
“Dengan tidak semena-mena, dua pegawai senior masuk dan bertanya kalau saya mahu ubahsuai pejabat. Perkara itu langsung tak terlintas di fikiran saya. Kalau ya pun mungkin saya tukar warna dinding sahaja.
“Tetapi saja suka-suka untuk menguji apa sempadan perbelanjaan seperti kebiasaan sebelum ini, saya tanya berapa peruntukan yang ada kalau saya mahu ubahsuai pejabat. Mereka sekadar senyum kambing dan hampir berbisik kepada saya bahawa tidak ada had peruntukan. Saya tergamam,” katanya ketawa besar.
Mujurlah kerajaan bertukar tangan. Sekiranya ditakdirkan United Malays National Organisation terus berkuasa, entah apa bala yang menimpa rakyat Malaysia dengan budaya bermewah dan berbelanja sakan ini.
“Saya pasti sebenarnya bukanlah langsung tidak ada had. Tetapi apa yang saya mahu tekankan ialah, keadaan inilah yang memudahkan seseorang menjadi korup dan menyalahgunakan kuasa,” tambahnya.
Menurutnya lagi, perlu ada lebih banyak sistem semak imbang diwujudkan dalam mekanisme kerajaan; termasuk cadangan penempatan pegawai Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia di dalam kementerian sendiri yang melapor terus ke ibu pejabat SPRM sebagai mekanisme pemantau sepanjang masa bagi memastikan ketelusan dan integriti jabatan kerajaan terjamin. Kedua-dua beliau dan menteri KBS, Syed Saddiq sama sefikrah dalam hal ini.
Pun begitu kata Steven, bukanlah bermakna penjawat awam itu semuanya cenderung korup dan harus dipantau sepanjang masa.
“Apa yang saya sedari, penjawat awam di peringkat kementerian adalah sangat berkebolehan, sangat bagus, malah boleh bercakap dalam pelbagai bahasa, mereka tahu betul bidang tugas masing-masing dan maklumat tentang tugas mereka bagai berada di hujung jari.
“Jadi bagi saya masalah sebenarnya bukanlah soal penjawat awam itu sendiri tetapi soal ‘governance’, pengurusan. Di sini lah, bagi saya hadirnya tanggungjawab menteri untuk memastikan wujudnya tataurus-tadbir yang baik bagi menghindar salahguna kuasa, rasuah, dan berbelanja sakan.
“Bagi saya ini merupakan cabaran utama, berbanding upaya mewujudkan program-program dan idea baru.”
Ketimbang obsesi orang ramai tentang program baru dan bertanya apa yang akan kerajaan baharu lakukan untuk bidang masing-masing, Steven berpendapat bahawa apa yang lebih penting ialah memastikan pengurusan bobrok pada zaman pemerintahan Barisan Nasional diubati terlebih dahulu.
“Contohnya kalau saya berikan peruntukan satu ringgit kepada seorang ahli sukan, bagaimana kita boleh pastikan keseluruhan satu ringgit itu diterima oleh ahli sukan itu.
“Bukan (seperti dulu) apabila diberi peruntukan seringgit, 20 sen dapat kepada A, 20 sen lagi kepada B dan seterusnya; akhirnya atlet negara hanya dapat 10 sen daripada keseluruhan peruntukan yang sepatutnya diterima.
“Apabila sistem ini sudah ada, kemudian barulah kita boleh bercakap tentang program yang lebih berkesan,” tegasnya. - Izmil Amri,Roketkini.com
The faux outrage over MARA...
The MPs for Pekan and Bagan Datuk have been behaving as if they both have a crystal ball in which they can see what the future holds for their kind. They are predicting the outcome of policies of the current government.
I will hereafter refer to them as ‘Pekan’ and ‘Bagan Datuk’. No names will be mentioned, as it is a case of an ordinary citizen taking on two MPs for their acts and omission of the past.
Both are enjoying freedom of expression which allows them to say their piece – truth or fiction. When they were in charge, such a right (not privilege) was never accorded to many individuals and the media. Never mind that the state media and those aligned to them silenced many an independent voice.
But the duo took it further by passing insolent, rude and impudent lies on the current prime minister and other leaders of the ruling coalition. In short, it was a well-drilled exercise aimed at demonising them.
Having given some background, I must insist that I have the same rights as the duo, but I will not resort to lies or attempts to demonise them. This column is not about them or the rights of indigenous people.
Before the rent-a-crowd mob organises a protest and declares me anti-national, let me make a solemn declaration: I am all for affirmative policies which help the poor and the down-trodden.
Betrayed trust
Majlis Amanah Rakyat or Mara has been on the lips of Pekan and Bagan Datuk over the past two days. As a citizen, I too have the same rights as the duo, and am perfectly entitled to express my views on the subject. I will merely put forth my thoughts and opinions. You, the discerning reader will have to make up your mind.
The operative word in Mara is amanah (trust), a scarce commodity when the duo ruled the roost. Many forgot that officials of Mara were holding whatever monies allocated or property bought in trust for the people.
But that trust was betrayed. Over the years, Mara was plundered and no one, including Pekan or Bagan Datuk raised a whimper. Their silence was deafening even when the proverbial sh*t the fan.
These days both have awoken from their slumber, like Rip Van Winkle, and are voicing their views. I see it as trying to score brownie points among party members. Their newfound interest in Mara and its associated agencies is because fundamental changes are being considered by the government to strengthen their structure.
Pekan and Bagan Datuk are objecting to change. They want the old ways when many could put their fingers in the till without any inhibitions. Such abuse resulted in reduced allocations amounting to millions which should have gone to deserving groups.
It was then like a small party of circus performers. The chairperson of many agencies came from the same party as the minister. The directors and senior officials were political appointees – card-carrying cadres.
And let it be said that we are not insinuating any impropriety on the part of the minister or all of them. On the contrary, I go on record to categorically state that some of these people were involved in large-scale cheating and deception.
Dirty money
For four years, Mara and some of its agencies had been on our radar. In 2015, Australian investigative journalist Nick McKenzie and I spent months tracing how dirty money from rotten deals involving purchase of property in Melbourne ended up in the pockets of a few including top officials in Mara Inc – the investment arm of Mara.
We broke the story with documents and graphics showing the trail of deceit and the circuitous “washing” of dirty money. We discovered the paper trail from shell companies in the British Virgin Islands and front companies in Malaysia which were used to receive the funds. A father and his two sons were instrumental in laundering the dirty money through a web of companies.
Documents related to the transactions and the money laundering were given to both Mara’s integrity office and the MACC. A handful of people were arrested, held for a few days and then released without any charges.
The timing was wrong. The MACC was at its peak with its then-director-general exonerating everyone from the prime minister down to the poor office boy. I can only guess it was political expediency.
Where were Pekan and Bagan Datuk when some of their trusted party men worked the system and robbed Mara under the ‘old’ system? At the end of the day, Mara was left carrying the baby. Where were your voices then?
MACC and by extension, the Attorney-General’s Chambers became useful porticoes to absolve people in the highest office of any blame. The indiscretion of some Mara Inc’s officials was mere chicken feed in the whole picture and lumped in the “no mandate to prosecute” category.
Today, Pekan and Bagan Datuk want to stand out as virtuous and righteous people who want to defend the rights of “their people and their religion.” Why did they remain silent on the thieving and deceit took place under their watch?
At least, the changes proposed the government can help put an end and identify those who were on the gravy train. Are they afraid of that?
Pekan and Bagan Datuk should take the blame for putting foxes in charge of hen-houses in Mara and its subsidiaries and hundreds of other government agencies. Nothing unusual happened; besides the wily animals swallowing the birds whole and spitting out the bones. - R Nadeswaran.mk
Najib:UEC recognition in BN manifesto
