GET RID OF LITTLE NAPOLEONS!

(NOTE: Watch out, MPSJ/MBPJ/MBSA/MPS etc, etc, etc- you're next!!)

Little Napoleons in the Selangor state civil service

January 20, 2011

Ah Seong ( at the kaunter pertanyaan at a Majlis Perbandaran in Selangor : Encik, saya nak check saya punya lesen niaga pasar malam sudah lulus, kah?

Little Napoleon attending at the counter : Nombor rujukan?

Ah Seong hands over the acknowledgment of receipt given to him when he handed in his application some three months ago.

Little Napoleon : Tunggu sekejap, saya check.

Little Napoleon disappears, leaving Ah Seong waiting at the counter, and returns about 15 minutes later.

Little Napoleon : Belum lagi. YB masih sedang check you punya permohonan.

Ah Seong : Ah, belum lagi? Check apa lagi? Dulu satu bulan sudah ok.

Little Napoleon : Dulu kerajaan lain, sekarang kerajaan lain, mah

Ah Seong : Dulu kerajaan lain, sekarang kerajaan lain, tapi lesen sama saja, mah. Apa susah mau kasi lesen?

Little Napoleon : Dulu punya kerajaan, kautim RM50 you punya lesen sudah lama keluar. Sekarang punya kerajaan, semua YB mahu check. Ini mahu check, itu mahu check. It hari you pilih ini kerajaan, bukan? Ah, sekarang you jangan komplen, lah!

Ah Seong : Tiu, dua-dua pun sama, tak boleh pakai

_______________________________________

This has been going on for some time now in Selangor.

Trouble is, no one in government saw it fit to report this to us.

Policy decisions with a view to improving the delivery system to the public are being frustrated by civil servant front liners who deal with the public.

These civil servants have, along the way, forgotten that they are to serve the rakyat, and not their political masters, UMNO.

Their goal : to leave the public with the impression that the present state government is wholly incompetent to manage the state and voting them in was a huge mistake.

True, I wouldn’t give the present government an ‘A’ for governance, but I would not fail them either. It hasn’t been all bad, or I would not have hosted ‘Selepas Tsunami’.

What these little Napoleons in the state civil service are trying to do is, on premises mischievously contrived by themselves, agitate disaffection against the state government.

In the language that BN is so fond of using, what they are doing is seditious.

In the days of old before the law of sedition was conjured, what these little Napoleons are plotting and carrying through would be treated as treason, and they would be beheaded.

They are betraying the very ones they are to serve.

You and I.

I don’t know about you, but I am heading out to the Kelana Jaya Stadium this Sunday to have my say.

Hooray!!! RM888 Billion- We're 5th in the world!!

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — Illicit money outflows from Malaysia tripled to US$68.2 billion (RM208.1 billion) in 2008, from US$22.2 billion in 2000, according to a report by US-based financial watchdog Global Financial integrity (GFI) released this month.

The country also had the fifth largest amount of illegal money outflows between 2000 and 2008, among developing countries. GFI defines illicit financial flows as generally involving the transfer of money earned through illegal activities such as corruption, transactions involving contraband goods, criminal activities, and efforts to shelter wealth from a country's tax authorities, said the programme’s website.

The report titled Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries: 2000-2009 said that illicit financial outflows from Malaysia totalled US$291 billion (RM888 billion) in that period.

It said that the increase was “at a scale seen in few Asian countries.”

“The volume of illegal capital flight from Malaysia has come to dwarf legitimate capital inflows into the country in recent years,” said the report.

~Malaysia is fifth in illegal money chart - The Malaysian Insider

Penang shoots to top spot for capital investment

Penang shoots to top spot for capital investment

Harakahdaily

PENANG, Jan 19: Penang has come up tops for capital investments in the manufacturing sector last year by contributing 26 per cent of the total investment in the country in 2010. According to figures released by Malaysian International Development Agency (MIDA), the Pakatan Rakyat ruled state has increased its investment by a whopping 465 percent from RM2,165 million in 2009 to RM12,238 million in 2010. “The significance of this historic achievement is highlighted by Penang's contribution of RM12,238 million to Malaysia's investment constituting 26% of Malaysia’s total investments of RM47,177 million in 2010,” said chief minister Lim Guan Eng in a statement to Harakahdaily. Lim (right) added the state had moved up to occupy the highest ranking in 2010, from its fourth place in 2009. Selangor came in second with RM10,641 million in 2010, a 50 percent increase from RM6,759 million in 2009. Other PR-led states Kedah and Kelantan also saw increase in capital investment, with Kedah registering 30 percent more investment (RM1,960 million) in 2010 and Kelantan 34 percent more (RM169 million). "Penang leads" Lim said the 465 percent increase in state investment was a reflection of investors’ confidence towards the state's human capital, as well as an affirmation towards the state government’s strategy of promoting Penang as a choice destination for investors. “Penang believes that competency, accountability and transparency (CAT) has also built confidence that a government with integrity can make things happen and both execute and deliver," he stressed, and added that Penangites could now proudly proclaim that "Penang leads". He also said the state had received praise in the recent Auditor-General's Report and from Transparency International.

Selangor Speaker declares Port Klang seat vacant

Selangor Speaker declares Port Klang seat vacant - The Malaysian Insider

By Shannon Teoh

January 19, 2011

Badrul quit PKR in 2009 to turn independent. — file pic

SHAH ALAM, Jan 19 — Selangor legislative assembly Speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim has declared the Port Klang seat vacant as its representative Badrul Hisham Abdullah has been absent for six months.

He told reporters today that the assemblyman has not attended a sitting of the assembly since July 15, 2010 and, therefore, the seat has been vacant as of January 16, 2011.

Article 69 of the Selangor Constitution states that a member of the legislative assembly who is absent for a period of six months must vacate his or her seat.

Badrul quit PKR in 2009 and turned independent.

However, the Election Commission (EC) will have to determine if a by-election will be held.

Tenang by election: A snapshot of government abuse

Tenang by election: A snapshot of government abuse drrafick | January 19, 2011 at 8:48 AM | Categories: Malaysia My Home | URL: http://wp.me/p8MXu-1fX

1. As the by-election for Tenang is getting closer, the news of power abuse

   by Johor State Education Department (JSED) Director Markom Giran takes center stage. It was reported that he had called for a meeting among teachers and use them in profiling the parents via the students input into BN, non BN supporters and the fence sitters. He talks about converting the non BN supporters

   and the fence sitters in ensuring they will vote BN
   

2. It reminds me of the Nazi's in WW II where they too had gone initiated a human profiling system where they would segregate the Jews and Non Jews. The JSED had apparently issued a transfer order to the husband of Puan Normala

   after it PAS had announced that she would be contesting

   in Tenang. It was subsequently withdrawn after it became clear that it could be a political issue that PR can capitalize.
   

3. With strong and irrefutable evidence like a video on the YouTube

   , it is clear that the JSED had abused his position and power. Sadly the Ministry of Education has not even raised a whimper on the matter. This is a snapshot on government abuse of the government machinery.
   

4. People like Markom Giran cant seems to appreciate his role as a government servant in a professional manner. He is not able to differentiate the support for the policies of the government of the day and the political party that governs the government of the day. I believe there is many more Markom Giran out there. This people thrive under the protection of the political powers and survived the system and reached the top based on some ability and plenty of networking.
   

5. An election is supposed to be about fair play. In this case and also in the past election in this country, there is no fair play. The government controlled media, the use of official functions as a platform for campaigning and many other tactical measures gives the government of the day the edge that they need to ensure a greater probability of a win. It only suggest one thing i.e. there is a strong probability that BN would lose many seats in this country if they were contesting in a "truly level playing field"
   

6. Based on what is happening in Tenang, I have decided to help Normala. She needs all the help that she can get to ensure a win. Since I am not able to go down to Tenang and assist her in the election, I will do the next best thing which is to make a small token contribution to PAS. They need the money to run the campaign. I am doing it not because I support Normala or PAS but because I want a better level playing field. May I suggest the readers out there also make a small contribution to the account below.
   

   Parti Islam Se Malaysia
   

   Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd
   

   Account number: 140 2301 0000885
   

   Branch: Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

**PS
The emphasis above, is mine - done simply because I share similar sentiments with Raffick on the state of affairs .... (plus I'm proud to have contributed in my own small way too).
Please support PR/PAS in Tenang to get rid of the "buayas in Tenang waters"- for the sake of democracy in Malaysia.
Cheers!

The hypocrisy surrounding Interlok | The Nut Graph

"What would these same people who argue for the author’s integrity say about the tendency of the ruling coalition to ban any book that challenges its authority?

1FunnyMalaysia, perhaps?

Education system the problem

My greater concern is how a national education system that is fundamentally structured to be racist can attempt to teach a text as problematic as Interlok.

This book, because of its content, is the kind of book that should help further, deepen, and intensify national discourse on race relations. It is a book that should be handled with maturity and critical yet intelligent interrogation. Precisely because it offends some people, it should be deconstructed and taught with sensitivity."

~The hypocrisy surrounding Interlok | The Nut Graph

Readers must support Hata and NUJ — Bob Teoh - The Malaysian Insider

Readers must support Hata and NUJ
— Bob Teoh - The Malaysian Insider

January 18, 2011

JAN 18 — Regardless of which newspaper they buy, readers must strongly support the NUJ and Hata Wahari, its besieged president. This is to tell Utusan Malaysia in no uncertain terms the reading public condemns its union bashing and irresponsible journalism. Utusan has been behaving like the bad boy of Malaysian journalism with impunity for far too long. It’s time to stop the monster.

The Industrial Relations Department must immediately step in and take Utusan Malaysia to task for unashamedly intimidating the newly-elected NUJ president Hata Wahari with baseless allegations of misconduct against him which has nothing to do with his employment as a senior journalist of the newspaper.

Utusan’s highly irregular action of resorting to a so-called domestic inquiry, which may result in Hata’s sacking, is bad labour practice. It is a wilful violation of Hata’s human right to reasonable security of his employment and his right to have a professional opinion and to express such an opinion without threats from his employers.

In an unprecedented display of arrogance, Utusan had also decided to be law unto itself by imposing restrictions on the physical movement of Hata during the period of the inquiry as if he was a restricted Internal Security Act detainee.

In another display of unreasonableness, Utusan has also denied Hata representation by his own union at the domestic inquiry. Utusan has also insisted on videotaping the inquiry proceedings but at the same time denying Hata the right to do likewise.

Utusan’s insanity can only lead to one conclusion; it wants to find any excuse to sack Hata at any cost. This Hata himself and the NUJ are well aware of and they are prepared to fight the ugly bully that Utusan has shown itself to be.

Utusan is known for its serial anti-union bashing tendencies, having previously arbitrary sacked a NUJ president, who was also an Utusan journalist, as well as the former chairman of the NUJ Utusan branch committee. It lost the former upon appeal to the courts by NUJ and the latter is under appeal.

The employers’ federation, of which Utusan is associated with, must forcibly persuade Utusan to desist from further provocative actions and to drop its so-called domestic inquiry in the interest of industrial harmony.

Hata was elected NUJ president in September last year and is outspoken about free and responsible journalism. In his first policy statement as president he said: “The union (NUJ) is asking all mainstream journalists, especially of Utusan Malaysia, New Straits Times, Berita Harian and The Star to return to their true function as deliverers of objective information to the public, and not as tools of propaganda for the government of any political party or individual, for their personal gain.”

He had also singled out Utusan for unethical journalism by playing up the race and religion card. This riled Utusan’s editors and Hata was immediately hauled up to face a domestic inquiry for allegedly tarnishing the newspaper’s image. The NUJ exco decided unanimously to fully back its president and said Utusan’s action is ludicrous.

At the core of the controversy is Hata’s action as NUJ president and not as an Utusan employee. Hence, Utusan has no right whatsoever to try to sack Hata for his opinion. If it has the courage, Utusan should sue both Hata and the NUJ for defamation to protect its image.

As NUJ president, Hata was expressing his opinion of the impact of bad journalism on working journalists and their welfare. It is his constitutional and human right as a union leader to form such an opinion and to express it. If Utusan’s internal auditor says that there’s something fishy about its account, we don’t sack him or her, do we? So when Hata said Utusan is bad surely, we don’t expect Utusan to sack him.

Utusan is also entitled to its right of reply. But Utusan chose to victimise both the NUJ and Hata instead of entering its defence in the court of public opinion. Utusan is both a lousy newspaper and a bad loser. A bully in short.

Utusan has lost all pretense to be a responsible and professional newspaper. It has litttle reputation to speak of. What Hata and the NUJ have to say about it is already public knowledge. The very fact that Hata and NUJ had said it shows the extent of Utusan’s rot.

The once respectable Malay daily has in recent years been resorting to gutter journalism, religious bigotry, racist, sexist, and seditious speech calculated clearly to incite one segment of society against another to the detriment of peace and harmony in the nation.

Far from trying to shore up its dropping sales by such irresponsible reporting, Utusan’s circulation has plummeted so much that its very commercial feasibility is now in question. It is no secret that it is generously endowed with advertising revenue from the government and government-linked corporations to keep it afloat.

Utusan is directly controlled by Umno, the dominant partner in the ruling coalition. That it enjoys the patronage of Umno is obvious. But patronage must have its limit. Utusan has exceeded this limit and must be taken to task.

* Bob Teoh is a freelance writer and was NUJ general-secretary (1984-86).

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.