No party should intimidate judiciary: Social activist

PETALING JAYA: The judiciary should not be intimidated by any organisation as it is an independent body that is the guardian of justice for everyone.

Social activist Tan Sri Robert Phang said any type of probe involving a judge must be above board.

“The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had said its investigation was not based on a blogger’s claims on social media platforms but three formal complaints and reports lodged with the commission.

“The question MACC has failed to answer is what was the basis of the three reports, who made them and why. If it was based on the blogger’s claim, then MACC should also investigate the blogger and those who made the reports,” he told theSun.

Phang said every time someone is unhappy with a judge’s decision, they may resort to making allegations about the judge.

“If this becomes a trend, it will hurt the judiciary,” he said.

He asked whether MACC will investigate every single allegation made against judges or just pick and choose what it wants.

“It must be remembered that for MACC to carry out its duty successfully it must have the trust and support of the public.

“Any action that can erode this trust should be avoided as it would make the MACC an ineffective body,” said Phang, a former MACC advisory board member.

Phang said it is easy to make allegations that can tarnish a person’s reputation and MACC must be aware that its investigations can hurt a person’s reputation if the claims are ultimately baseless.

Phang was commenting on Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali being investigated by MACC over allegations of unexplained money in his account.

Mohd Nazlan was the judge who convicted former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over the misappropriation of RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.

On April 20, fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin posted an article titled “Judge Mohd Nazlan being investigated for unexplained RM1 million in his bank account” on his Malaysia Today website.

Mohd Nazlan filed a police report on the allegation made against him in the blog post.

Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat in a speech recently said judges are not beyond criticism, but “the public, including politicians, must not level unfounded and scurrilous attacks against the judiciary to further their ends”.

MACC said recently it had completed its investigations into the allegations against Mohd Nazlan and had handed over the investigation papers to the attorney-general.

Phang said whatever it may say, MACC cannot be seen to be conducting “selective investigations”.

REVOKE TAJUDDN’S AMBASSADORIAL APPOINTMENT IMMEDIATELY

20^th May 2022.
 
PRESS STATEMENT BY:-
TAN SRI DATUK ROBERT PHANG MIOW SIN.
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.
CHAIRMAN – SOCIAL CARE FOUNDATION

Many of the Rakyat agree with Patriot’s verdict on the appointment of Tajuddin.  It must be made known as to why such a controversial figure like Tajuddin, be appointed to such an esteemed and honourable position.  Surely but truly there are many more highly qualified and good character persons for the YAB PM to consider seriously.

Majority of the Rakyat do not question YAB PM’s authority but perhaps definitely a better candidate should be considered.  It has been said that Tajuddin’s appointment bears a lot of untold stories.  Please do bear in mind, even as the YAB PM has assured that Indonesia has welcomed this appointment, many of the Rakyat think otherwise.

The pride and dignity of our beloved country will question and many think upon this appointment.  The public consent and worry is slowly growing with an overwhelming protest of the appointment.  The veteran UMNO lawmaker Tajuddin has often made the news but mostly for the wrong reasons especially his antics, whether in or out of the Parliament. The most recent being the callous and ridiculous response to the Kelana Jaya LRT collision which caused many of the LRT patrons to be injured, some seriously.

Please take note that Patriot is joined by numerous disapproval including former Bar Council and Bersih leader Ambiga Sreenevasan, which in turn has stated that Tajuddin’s appointment was a political move to reward Tajuddin for his hand in keeping a government with a tenuous majority in power.  Ha, Ha, nothing short of an explanation is mandatory to the Rakyat.

To put it in prospective, the appointment of Tajuddin as our country’s Ambassador to Indonesia is nothing less than a GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT AND AN UTTER DISGRACE.

 

“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.        
 

Anti-graft panel should be elected '

PETALING JAYA: Members of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Committee should be elected instead of being appointed by the government, said former committee member Tan Sri Robert Phang, adding that the committee should have one member from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), two legal representatives and three elected members.

“The elected members must be people of good standing. This is one of the ways to restore public trust in the agency. MACC must also be transparent in every action it takes to show the public that there is no bias when it carries out its duties.”

Phang said the MACC chief commissioner must be ready to explain to the committee the reasons for the commission's actions.

He added that the head of MACC should state reasons for his actions when asked by the committee, and elected members are needed to alleviate public distrust.

“In doing this, the public would feel that they also have to say in the way MACC is run,” he said.

Recently, certain actions by MACC had caused the public to question the reasons the agency had initiated certain investigations.

“When committee members are appointed by the government, there can always be an element of favouritism. They may try to help certain people associated with them.

“The committee may also be biased towards certain people while some committee members might just be afraid to speak out as they may fear repercussions.”

Phang said there was a need for outspoken committee members as they would be able to reign in the MACC head if he steps out of line, adding that the more outspoken the committee members, the better it would be as the agency would realize that it will be held to account by those who are part of it.

He said this would also make those in charge of MACC tread carefully and not just do whatever they wished, and this can be done if just three of the committee members are elected by the public, allowing the committee to act without fear or favour.

Phang added that decisions made by the committee should also be open to scrutiny, not only by Parliament but also by the public.

“Transparency and integrity should become the bywords in MACC and for the committee to show the public that they have nothing to hide when taking action. This would also help ensure fairness and rebuild public trust.”

He said it was also important for the public to speak out whenever they see any wrongdoing and that by having elected committee members, the public would feel protected by them when speaking out against wrongdoings.

Source:https://ipaper.thesundaily.my/epaper/viewer.aspx?publication=The%20Sun%20Daily#page/2

Tunship proposed for Kit Siang

KUALA LUMPUR: Prominent social activist Tan Sri Robert Phang has proposed that the government bestow the title of Tun – the nation’s highest award – on former DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang for his 56 years of political service and having been the longest-serving parliamentarian without fear or favour.

Phang, who is chairman of the Social Care Foundation, said as the opposition leader until his retirement from politics over the weekend, Lim had been a pillar of the parliamentary democracy system practised in the country – a record that would highly unlikely to be equalled by other politicians.

“Malaysia practises a parliamentary system after Britain’s Westminster model with both Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament. In Britain, the leader of the opposition ranks very high in the order of protocol.

“My proposal is apolitical and purely based on according long-overdue recognition to a towering figure in our political history who has contributed immensely to making our democracy alive and kicking. And I sincerely believe, nothing short of a Tunship is fitting for Lim Kit Siang,” Phang told theSun.

Lim, he said, had been through five decades of thick and thin in the nation’s post-Independence political history, unflinching in his political struggle for a better and more inclusive Malaysia, even spending some years as an Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee.

And, contrary to what his critics had labelled him, Lim had shown to be a true and loyal Malaysian, and DAP’s record as the party that had, over the decades, been a very well-organised political entity that continuously managed to secure a commanding mandate at federal and state levels was due to the unwavering support for Lim’s stewardship.

He said although DAP is reputed to be Chinese-centric, it has a sizeable non-Chinese membership base as well as a multi-racial mix of elected representatives.

Phang echoed the sentiment expressed by Dewan Negara President Tan Sri Rais Yatim, who said yesterday that Lim deserved due recognition including an award befitting his service.

Source : https://ipaper.thesundaily.my/epaper/viewer.aspx?publication=The%20Sun%20Daily#page/2

AWARD LIM KIT SIANG A TUNSHIP, SAYS ROBERT PHANG

23rd March 2022.
PRESS STATEMENT BY:-
TAN SRI DATUK ROBERT PHANG MIOW SIN.
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.
CHAIRMAN – SOCIAL CARE FOUNDATION

 

AWARD LIM KIT SIANG A TUNSHIP, SAYS ROBERT PHANG

KUALA LUMPUR:  Prominent social activist Tan Sri Robert Phang has proposed to the government to bestow the title of Tun, the nation’s highest award, to former DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang for his 50 years of political service and as the longest-serving Parliamentarian without fear or favour.

Phang, who is chairman of the Social Care Foundation, said as the Opposition Leader until his retirement from politics over the weekend, Lim has been a pillar in the Parliamentary democracy system practised in the country, a record that would highly unlikely to be equalled by other politicians.

Malaysia practices a  Parliamentary system after Britain’s Westminster model with both the Upper and Lower Houses or Parliament. In Britain, the Leader of the Opposition ranks very high in the order of protocol.

My proposal is apolitical and purely based on according long-overdue recognition to a towering figure in our political history who has contributed immensely to making our democracy alive and kicking. And I sincerely believe, nothing short of a Tunship is fitting for Lim Kit Siang,” Phang said.

He said Lim had been through five decades of thick and thin in the nation’s post-Independence political history, unflinching in his political struggle for a better and more inclusive Malaysia, even spending some years as an Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee.

Contrary to what his critics had labelled Lim, he had shown to be a true and loyal Malaysian and DAP’s record as the party that had over the decades been a very well organized political entity that continuously managed a secure a commanding mandate both at the Federal and State levels was due to the unwavering support to Lim’s stewardship.  He said although the DAP is reputed to a predominantly Chinese-centric, it had a sizeable non-Chinese membership base as well as a multi-racial mix of elected representatives.

Phang echoed the sentiment expressed by Dewan Negara President Tan Sri Rais Yatim who said yesterday that Lim deserved due recognition including an award befitting his service.

God Bless, Sir.

Robert Phang & Family.

“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.        

 

Where are we at right now?

IT is saddening for me to note that our country over the past few years has regressed both domestically and on the international front.

Malaysia, which previously ranked ahead of most of our fellow ASEAN member nations in terms of economic progress and governance, has now fallen behind.

What is obvious and is practically felt by most Malaysians is the feeling that there have been too much politics and politicking since the 2018 general election.

There is no such thing as political peace that generally follows after the people have delivered their mandate in an election. Instead, the country and people are suffering from political fatigue. And they are fed up. And this is happening in a nation that once proudly boasted of political stability and was the envy of many.

Our international image has been badly battered by the 1MDB saga, that has been described by foreign media as the world’s biggest ever financial scandal. Just as we thought the 1MDB scandal was taking a respite, more explosive details of how Malaysia was milked off by tens of billions have been revealed in an ongoing trial in New York of a former Goldman Sachs banker.

Domestically, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri has announced that the government is allowing another one-off withdrawal of RM10,000 for Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributors from April 20. This will be the third such withdrawal over two years since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, to tide over the financial woes of the B40 households who have been worst hit via job losses and unemployment.

Such frequent withdrawals mean millions of contributors are facing a bleak old age financial future, with the media reporting that some 50% of the total EPF contributors have less than RM10,000 balance as of now.

The previous two withdrawals by some 7.3 million, or half of the total contributors, have depleted EPF funds by a whopping RM101 billion.

With the latest withdrawals beginning next month, economists and the layman are deeply concerned about EPF’s ability to maintain a decent annual dividend rate moving forward.

It is of utmost importance now for politicians, especially those running the country, both at federal and state levels, to get their act together by putting aside their selfish interests to mitigate the damage they have done so far.

Since the 14th General Election (GE14) in 2018, self-created political instability has forced three states to hold snap elections, something that could have been avoided and saved taxpayers a few hundred million ringgit.

In the first three years after GE14, Malaysia has had four prime ministers, something no county can ever be proud of. And now Umno, the nation’s dominant party, basking in its landslide election wins in both Malacca and Johor, is upping the pressure for a snap GE15 as well.

This has been met with a resounding “No” from at least six state governments so far, whose leaders have said they will not dissolve the state legislative assemblies should GE15 be held this year instead of the scheduled one only a year from now. Bravo to them.

The rakyat has every right to demand for politicians who are bent on disrupting our once cherished political stability at their whims and fancies to do the most honourable thing – to step down gracefully before more damage is done.

In this regards, I urge Putrajaya to expedite without any further delay the presentation of the Anti-Hopping law during the current sitting of Parliament. I also urge our Members of Parliament as well senators to buck up and to live up to the people’s expectations. Many would agree that most of them are warming their seats at the taxpayers’ expense.

With Covid-19 still raging and our elected representatives both at federal and state levels still free to jump from Party A to Party B, we need a strong political will to fix all the wrongs that are undermining the country’s future.

At the outset, I asked where are we at right now? And the rakyat at large must be saying “Enough is enough”.

Source : https://www.thesundaily.my/opinion/where-are-we-at-right-now-HH8966801

DEAR YB TAN SRI MUHYIDDIN YASSIN

4^th March 2022.
 
PRESS STATEMENT BY:-
TAN SRI DATUK ROBERT PHANG MIOW SIN.
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.
CHAIRMAN – SOCIAL CARE FOUNDATION
 

                                      DEAR YB TAN SRI MUHYIDDIN YASSIN,

I read with interest and curiosity an article published by FMT that quoted “NAJIB RECEIVES HUGE CROWD BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO SEE A CRIMINAL”, which was stated by you.  I think with our fundamental budi bahasa upbringing this is not pleasant to say and extremely unnecessary.  Damage has already been done and created.

After all, Najib is still appealing against his sentencing and in this aspect, we have to respect thus refrain from belittling others – RESPECT BEGETS RESPECT.  This is the best philosophy of life, please practice this and let the court decide on Najib’s fate

Sir, for whatever reason, if and only if, Najib gets away and at all odds, until proven at the last resort, HE WILL REMAIN A FREEMAN. Even Najib has a slim, a very slim chance to get away and should not be therefore be deemed as a criminal.  Give it a thought, Tan Sri Muhyiddin.

Sir, you are a gentleman and a good Muslim.  Again I say, please refrain from repeating this issue – negativity in mannerism.

 

STAY HOME AND STAY SAFE.

 

“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.