YB PUAN NURUL IZZAH ANWAR – PLEASE ENLIGHTEN THE RAKYAT

27^th February 2018

PRESS STATEMENT BY:-

TAN SRI DATUK ROBERT PHANG MIOW SIN.

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.

CHAIRMAN – SOCIAL CARE FOUNDATION

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YB has drawn many responses from the Rakyat with your stunning remark when calling YAB PM Tun Dr. Mahathir as a former dictator.

Many were surprised that the word came from YB’s mouth because we all believe PH is a big family.  If there should be any comments or difference in opinion, plan etc, it should be discussed from the head of PH who is like a father to the Nation and are family members..  One has to be careful and thoughtful   Although YB has the prerogative to air out YB’s opinion and view on the character of YAB PM Tun Dr. Mahathir, many of the Rakyat feels that without YAB PM Tun Dr. Mahathir, it is very difficult to form PH Government today.

Issues of disagreement and differences in opinion, the golden rule is, resolve within your family circle.  Whether YB likes it or not, YAB PM Tun Dr. Mahathir commands a major amount of support from the Rakyat.  As such maybe it would be ideal for YB to brief to the Rakyat as to the reason YB has called YAB PM Tun Dr. Mahathir a former dictator.  I believe in this world, most of the country leaders are deemed as dictators one way or the other, if not how are they to govern their respective countries.

As the ordinary man in the street, we feel that the PH Government is not yet stable.  Do not rock the boat if YB has to move forward to secure the goal for the Rakyat.  YB is a well learned lawmaker.  Resolve all differences, opinions, ideas and plans amicably within the PH family.

God bless YB and family always.  Let us also pray for YAB PM Tun Dr. Mahathir’s longevity so that YAB PM Tun Dr. Mahathir can pass on the baton to YB Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when the time comes.  YB it is always good to be respectful to the elders.  Respect begets respect from the Rakyat too.  We anxiously await your clarification.

 “HUMBLENESS IS A GOOD VIRTUE, ARROGANCE SHALL FALL AND THE MEEK WILL RULE THE WORLD”.

Tan Sri Datuk Robert Phang Miow Sin,

Justice of the Peace.

Ex-IGP uses NZ massacre to justify maintaining death penalty

Former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan has used the Christchurch mosques massacre to justify his case on why the death penalty should not be abolished.

Musa claimed the terrorist who ended 50 lives in shootings at two mosques did so because of the lack of a deterrent, since New Zealand does not have the death penalty.

"For example, in New Zealand, they dared to do what they did because they knew that killing will not be punished with the death penalty.

"Even if I kill someone, I will not be sentenced to death," Musa told a press conference at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur.

According to Musa, the death penalty is still relevant to contain criminal activities, and to deliver justice to families of victims of crime, especially murder. 

However, Musa acknowledged that the death penalty imposed on certain convicts, such as drug mules, should be reviewed. 

Whatever the case, the government should consult and seek feedback from all stakeholders, including the police and civil servants, before deciding on the abolishment of the death penalty, he added. 

Musa stressed that the death penalty had little to do with vengeance, but rather a comeuppance to those who commit violent crimes. 

"For instance, if a woman is raped and killed, how would her family feel? Of course they would want a deterrent sentence imposed on the killer."

For the record, it was reported last year that the murder rate in New Zealand in 2017 had fallen to a 40-year low - just seven cases for every one million people.

In comparison, figures compiled by the Department of Statistics Malaysia recorded 379 murders that year - about 12 cases for every one million people.

The MCA has organised a campaign against the government's plan to abolish the death penalty.

The government had initially planned to abolish the death penalty in full, despite its manifesto only mentioning the mandatory death penalty.

"We cannot do it half-heartedly, like abolishing the death penalty for one offence and keeping it for another. We want to abolish all death penalties," Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Liew Vui Keong had said.

However, after strong opposition, the government backtracked and announced that it would only abolish the mandatory death penalty.

The abolition of the mandatory death penalty would give discretion to judges to decide whether to mete out such a punishment.

On March 15, suspected white supremacist Brenton Tarrant, who was heavily-armed, opened fire in two mosques, killing 50 people and wounding scores of worshippers.

He was arrested shortly after and charged with murder. Following the attack, the New Zealand government also announced the banning of semi-automatic weapons.

Source : https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/469099

Daim denounces 'Malays under threat' as nonsensical political rhetoric

Since the last general election, the political narrative in Malaysia has centred around issues concerning race and religion, particularly the position of the Malays and Islam.

Speaking at UTM Skudai in Johor last night, former finance minister Daim Zainuddin addressed this issue and described the claim that Malays are under threat as nothing more than nonsensical political rhetoric.

“Despite being more educated and having a large educated segment, we are still unable to convince ourselves that Malays have nothing to fear in this country.

“Are Malays thinking strategically, critically and logically? It looks increasingly obvious every day that the Malays are thinking with their emotions instead of with their intellect. We must ask ourselves – what is happening to us?” he said.

According to Daim, who headed the Council of Eminent Persons, the Malays have allowed their emotions to run wild and influence their perception of others.

“When Mastika (Malay-language magazine) stopped writing ghost stories, circulation ended and now there is no more Mastika. Now instead of reading about ghosts in Mastika, we are seeing ghosts around every corner.

“Instead of depending on logic and facts, we prefer to buy into the racist rhetoric of politicians with dubious reputations,” he added.

Daim then asked his audience, comprising mainly of academicians, what role they were playing in injecting logic and facts into the Malaysia narrative.

“Do you intend to go along with the emotional flow or do you see it as your academic duty to question the irrational narratives that are being shoved down the Malays' throats?

FOLLOW THE KING’S CALL FOR UNITY

12^th March 2019

PRESS STATEMENT BY:-

TAN SRI DATUK ROBERT PHANG MIOW SIN.

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.

CHAIRMAN – SOCIAL CARE FOUNDATION

FOLLOW THE KING’S CALL FOR UNITY

It is true that DAP Government has taken the lead in PH component Government.  The Rakyat in fact based on a very strong expectation on the performance of the PH Government that let it be seen that DAP lawmakers YB Tuan Anthony Loke and YB Tuan Lim Guan Eng should be actively involved in tackling the Government and the Rakyat issues and matter.  We need to support the Government always.

I suggest that the leaders should open up and cultivate the Rakyat so that a proper portal for the Government can be channeled.  I have tried to reach out to YB Tuan Anthony Loke until today to discuss with him on many pending issues but in vain.  The country is now seriously concerned with economic growth, the abolishment of the death penalty and racial tolerance.

Perhaps YB Tuan Anthony Like and YB Tuan Lim Guan Eng should take note on these serious issues effecting the mindset and stability of the Rakyat.

But so far DAP is quiet on this issue. I think the Government needs to cultivate genuine racial unity and not mere slogans.  The Government should consider a point to weed out clowns and comic characters.

I REPEAT, PLEASE FOLLOW THE KING’S CALL FOR UNITY.

“HUMBLENESS IS A GOOD VIRTUE, ARROGANCE SHALL FALL AND THE MEEK WILL RULE THE WORLD”.

Tan Sri Datuk Robert Phang Miow Sin.

Justice of the Peace.           

Clare's lawyer: If account fake, bank made huge mistake

Lawyer Americk Sidhu has dismissed PAS' claim that a Bank Islam account used to transfer RM1.4 million to his client, Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown, was fake.

"I confirm this cheque was cleared through my clients' account with Maybank, which means the cheque must have been genuine or the clearing bank made a huge mistake," he told Malaysiakini.

Americk added that the cheque was written in front of him but declined to reveal who the account holder was.

Earlier, PAS information chief Nasrudin Hasan said attempts to transfer funds to the Bank Islam account mentioned by Sarawak Report had failed.

Social media users have also disputed the account number since it only has 10 digits, compared to the 14 digits of a regular Bank Islam account number.

The account number was shown in one of the documents published by Sarawak Reportyesterday to rebut claims that Hadi had not paid to settle his defamation suit against Rewcastle-Brown.

Rewcastle-Brown said she had agreed to Hadi’s condition that both parties keep the payment confidential.

However, she added, it became untenable to maintain the confidentiality agreement when PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan insisted that no payment had been made.

"Hadi should not have been discussing details of the settlement payment with a member of PAS at all.

"Takiyuddin’s representations on Hadi’s behalf is a flagrant and repudiatory breach of the confidentiality agreement, which is particularly egregious as it is untrue.

"Sarawak Report therefore is entitled to consider itself released from confidentiality also, in order to be able to tell the truth to the Malaysian people who are being misled,” she said.

Source :https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/466149

Are taxpayers footing the bill for 'special advisers'?

COMMENT | Works Minister Baru Bian has just appointed PKR vice-president Tian Chua as his “special adviser”. The questions that come to mind are:

• Is Tian working on a voluntary basis in the way that Tony Pua has claimed he is working as a “personal assistant” to the Finance Minister?
• If not and taxpayers are paying for his post, how was this appointment made? Was this post advertised or is appointing someone to this post a prerogative of the minister’s?
• What qualifications/expertise does Tian have to be “special adviser” or even assistant to this particular ministry since his CV says he has degrees in Agricultural Science, History and Philosophy of Science and labour studies?
• If taxpayers are paying for the post of “special adviser”, does it mean that every other minister in the cabinet has the privilege of employing their party leaders into these positions?

Now, if these are all salaried appointments, they will add up to a rather hefty bill for taxpayers to foot! We need the prime minister to clarify this question because he has been talking rather a lot about the need to make the civil service leaner and trimming the national debt of RM1 trillion.

Pakatan has reneged on outlawing patronage

The Pakatan Harapan manifesto in GE14 decried the patronage practised by BN in appointing politicians and their partisans in state institutions because this is seen as a facet of corruption in our institutions. Clearly, if we don’t, we will find our country forever doomed to an age of mediocrity.

Since Harapan came to power on May 9 last year, it has reneged on this most important of promises and we have seen more and more cases of political patronage into state institutions. Political patronage involves the appointment or hiring of a person to a government post on the basis of partisan loyalty. Such appointments at the national, state, and local levels of government are used to reward the people – including NGO activists – who help them win and maintain office and to build strength within their respective parties.

It is time for all Malaysians who had hoped for a “new Malaysia” to call for a halt to this “moneyless form of corruption” and to restore merit-based criteria for entry into state institutions. Transparency International says ‘patronage’ is insidious where the state appoints friends, relatives, political supporters into public jobs which, without the official’s influence, they would not obtain. Thus, without hiring/appointing personnel on the basis of merit, such placements ensure that society as a whole suffers as Malaysia has suffered all these years.

Today, the prime minister controls Malaysia’s leading investment arm and sovereign wealth fund, Khazanah Nasional, while Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali controls numerous GLCs that were once controlled by the Finance Ministry. Harapan had pledged in its GE14 manifesto that politicians would not be appointed as directors of government enterprises. Furthermore, at the Sept 1, 2018 Congress on the ‘Future of Bumiputeras and the Nation’, Mahathir stressed the need to reinstitute the practice of “selective patronage”, targeting bumiputeras.

Cronyism is the practice of partiality in awarding jobs and other advantages to friends, family relatives or trusted supporters regardless of their qualifications. This includes doing favours for partisan organisations, giving desirable ambassadorships to exotic places.

The 1997 World Development Report emphasised the important link between appointments based on merit and enhanced bureaucratic capability. The report had delved into the practice of political appointments in government departments and stressed merit-based appointment as an important plank in any effective anti-corruption strategy.

Merit can be defined as the 'appointment of the best person for any given job’. It is well-known that in any organisation, “getting the right people on the bus” via excellent selection methods provides the basis for high performing teams and the viability of the organisation as a whole. A visible merit-based appointment system, where breaches of good practice are self-evident, clearly makes it easier for citizens to hold the government to account in this regard. We thus need a politically neutral, merit-based career civil service.

So, we hope the prime minister and minister will respond to these questions regarding “special advisers” for the respective ministers and whether they are working on a voluntary basis or paid for by Malaysian taxpayers; whether these posts are justified in the first place since the PM has stressed the need for a leaner civil service and the dire state of the nation’s financial position. Last but not least, whether these posts are based on meritocracy or on cronyism since only banana republics practise cronyism.

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KUA KIA SOONG is Suaram's adviser.