Another scam wasting public fund

It was quoted in Malaysikini that The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has once again turned its sights on the Transport Ministry by planning to look into the ministry's RM6 billion Ipoh-Rawang double-tracking project.PAC chairperson Azmi Khalid told reporters at Parliament today and the committee is presently investigating the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project, another controversial undertaking by the ministry.

The double-tracking project was highlighted in the 2008 Auditor-General's report as one that was poorly managed, thus resulting in losses amounting to RM1.4 billion. According to Azmi, the committee was briefed by Auditor-General Ambrin Buang on the annual report yesterday. He added that the transport ministry, under the stewardship of Ong Tee Keat, would be among the first to be called up as the double-track project was "the biggest mismanaged project". "The project has RM1.43 billion of cost overruns and we do not know the reasons behind it. So we want some explanation from the people involved," he said."We will also call the contractors, some of whom who belong to several government-linked companies," he added.He also revealed that the PAC will table its findings on the PKFZ probe in Dewan Rakyat next Wednesday.
So Azmi, what are you going to do about it? This is not the first time the PAC had investigated such mis-management yet no action was taken. All is possible in 1Malaysia, Malaysia Boleh country!

Zahid the UMNO goon

V Sivakumar's role in the 'Pakatan sitting' in the Perak legislative assembly this morning was an act of treason, according to Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Commenting on the commotion created by Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat holding simultaneous ‘sittings', he alleged that Sivakumar had clearly committed treason because he disregarded the command of the Perak sultan.

So Zahid what do you want to tell the sultan, to bar him from Perak, just go ahead. We have no respect for him anyway!
"In my opinion, under Perak laws, the power to dissolve and the power to call for an assembly is under the authority of the sultan of Perak. Hello UMNO crony who asked you for comments, go think how to make money from another submarine ordered from France if you think you can out do the others! You know who I mean.

"I do not think we should tolerate these actions by Sivakumar and his stooges as the legislation should be respected by all parties, whether they are from the opposition or the ruling party," he said.
Know what Zahid, I think the Perakians are coward just like the ruler!
When BN buys over “kataks” one physically challenged and the other two mentally retarded, hence claim that they are legitimate to rule Perak, you must be an idiot to think that we believed what you say! Poorah che!

Malaysian Leaders Comments on tragedy

One pupil drowned and two others are feared missing after a newly-built suspension bridge collapsed into the Kampar River as pupils participating in a 1Malaysia camp were walking across at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Dipang near Kampar last night.
Is this the first incident that has taken lives? This is one of the many that the “rakyat” have to live with for many years and to be precise it’s been 6 years. Well I am not talking about Najib’s 1 Malaysia or his National Service but a program mooted by his guru Mahathir when he was the then prime minister, he was adamant that this programme be carried out to foster "national unity and mutual understanding" among young Malaysians, and all the caution by the general public, civil society and experts against the hasty implementation merely fell on deaf ear. This is nothing new about him, when did he ever listen to the people?Tragically there were 18 young souls who perished in various national service camps since the programme was launched in December 2003.

Let’s hear to some of the so called leader comments about this tragedy!
Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that a team will be formed by the ministry to probe the accident. He said the team will be headed by the Education Ministry director-general Ali Muddin Md Dom. He further mentioned that "What has occurred should not have happened and we want a full investigation into what happened and those responsible to be held accountable," he said. What else is new with this BN Leaders? Either they sweep everything under the carpet or form team to investigate with no outcome!
The backdoor Menteri Besar Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir visited the scene of the accident last night and ordered an immediate investigation.

"The suspension bridge was newly built. We want to know if it was built to specifications as it collapsed after a metal pillar got ripped off the ground," he said. He wants to inspect now after the incident? What was he doing

If this were to happen in any other country including Bostwania it would have been axed but not in Malaysia, as Malaysia Boleh! To rub salt into the wound, Najib Abdul Razak as defence minister argued the number of deaths during NS was "a small percentage" compared to the 339,186 trainees who had "benefited" from the programme by May 2008.This is the leaders mindset, they want your children to be sacrificed to ensure their programs are successful. Only in Malaysia a leader could get away with such statement!

Lingam's case closed, PM says so!

(NST) - KUALA LUMPUR: Legal action will not be taken against prominent lawyer Datuk V.K. Lingam for lack of evidence and testimony in the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam tapes.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak told Parliament the findings of the probe were not substantial enough to initiate legal proceedings. In a written reply to Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Bagan) in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, he said there were several factors tied to the issue that had thwarted efforts to move ahead with the case. He said no evidence was found to prove abuse of power in judicial appointments as presented in the then Anti-Corruption Agency’s investigation report on the issue.

“Hence, the Attorney-General’s Chambers ruled that there would be no further action (in the matter. Najib said investigations commissioned under the Official Secrets Act 1972 could not identify any wrongdoing by anyone in the handling of documents related to appointments of High Court judges. Investigations into former chief justice Tun Mohd Eusoff Chin’s New Zealand holiday were also hampered as a key witness could not be found, he added. On alleged false claims for a hotel stay by former chief justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, Najib said there was insufficient evidence to back up the allegation.

It must be true if the PM himself mentioned that there is no case due to lack of evidence.Next time if you get caught on video for whatever act, just say" It looks like me, it sounds like me but it is not me". Mr.Chua Soi Lek....please rethink of your strategy to win back MCA Vice Presidency!

Satu Lagi Projek UMNO/BN

NST;KUALA LUMPUR: Who in their right mind would pay RM42,320 for a laptop?

Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi Mara Balik Pulau in Penang not only paid the price but bought two units of the same brand – Acer Aspire-5052ANWXMI, at a whopping price of RM84,640, said the Auditor-General’s Report.

In addition, the college purchased 450 units of computer CAD with network card at RM3.45mil for 12 labs. Each 19-inch monitor costs RM8,500 while a 17-inch monitor costs RM7,500.“A check with local companies showed that the market price for the latest model is between RM5,350 to RM6,500 each. Worse still the computers, Precision 390 Dell, that were supplied are no longer in the market,” it said.Also purchased were 15 laser printers, Hewlet Packard P3005X, at the price of RM7,722 each when the market price was about RM5,000 per unit.In reply, Mara said the equipment were purchased in a lump sump and there was no price breakdown for the laptops.The price breakdown was only done after the equipment was supplied for the purpose assets record and it could not be used as a basis for reference.

“Nevertheless, Mara has created a task force and is conducting a price adjustment for all the equipment,” it said.The report also stated that the college had paid between RM1,398 and RM2,945 for 204 teaching manuals.

“Checks found that the teaching manuals supplied were bound using comb binding. The teaching manuals obtained at a cost of RM358,476 is a waste because they were never used,” it said, adding that the supplier has been notified to provide the original version of the teaching manual in hard cover.

Mara also spent RM2.08mil buying computer software it didn’t need.Audits also found many discrepancies in prices paid for the same equipment, including the same LCD projectors that costs RM3,500 and RM8,000 for two different laboratories.

“Swivel stools were also purchased at three different prices – RM340, RM350 and RM450 per unit and they did not even meet the agreed specifications in the agreement.“Other swivel chairs were bought for between RM810 to RM1,050 per unit when the college had bought the same chair previously at RM336 per unit,” it said.

The report also stated that the German-Malaysian Institute which was picked as the consultant, had proposed a ceiling price of RM84.5mil for the purchase of equipment for the college while the Economic Planing Unit (EPU) fixed the price at RM127.65mil.

“The reason for the higher price was to speed up the process of obtaining the supplies. In the end the agreed contract was fixed at RM112.42mil. Mara had submitted a letter to the Finance Ministry to say that the figure was reasonable.

“Audit found that the agreed price for the purchase of equipment is not reasonable. This is because the approach taken by Mara did not fufill the criteria set by the Finance Ministry, which is to negotiate for the lowest price possible.

If this is how they manage an educational institution, can you imagine how they are managing other agencies, GLC's and the country?Just to mention a few; PKFZ,Sukhoi Fighters,Submarine,Astronaut or space tourist!There goes my tax money, does anyone know how I can stop contributing to Income Tax?

Why PR was kicked out of Perak!

I read this article in MT and reproducing it to your reading pleasure!

If you can remember, it took one week for the Perak and Selangor state governments to get sworn in after the March 2008 general election. The Sultans of these two states wanted to first ‘discuss the matter’ with the Pakatan Rakyat State Assemblypersons. The Sultans then set certain terms and conditions before agreeing to swear in the new Pakatan Rakyat state governments. This gap of one week allowed the old Barisan Nasional state governments time to remove and destroy quite a lot of very damaging evidence of the wrongdoings of the previous governments.

The one-week delay also allowed Barisan Nasional to negotiate the possibility of PAS teaming up with Umno to form the state governments in Perak and Selangor. Umno even agreed that PAS would become the Menteris Besar of these two states. And, to add icing to the cake, Umno even agreed to allow PAS to implement Islamic laws in these two states.

But PAS stayed loyal to their two other partners in Pakatan Rakyat, PKR and DAP, and they declined Umno’s offer. Finally, the two Sultans had no choice but to swear in the Pakatan Rakyat state governments in Perak and Selangor. But this did not stop them from plotting behind the scenes on how to bring down the governments.The Sultan of Selangor was quite prepared to consider the whole matter a fait accompli. After all, Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor had a clear majority and it would be quite difficult to buy off so many State Assemblypersons. But Perak was another matter altogether. Pakatan Rakyat’s majority in Perak was thinner than in Selangor.

As soon as the new state government had been put in place, the Sultan of Perak began asking for this, that and the other. The Pakatan Rakyat Perak state government would have been quite prepared to tolerate some of the demands of the Perak Palace for the sake of maintaining a good relationship with the Palace. But what the Sultan and his family wanted was just too excessive and the Pakatan Rakyat Perak state government had no choice but to say no to the Sultan’s demands.

And this, of course, upset the Sultan. So, when Pakatan Rakyat lost its majority in the Perak State Assembly, it did not take too much persuading for the Sultan to agree to swear in a new Barisan Nasional state government.At first, the Sultan was not too sure whether he should kick out the Pakatan Rakyat state government in favour of a Barisan Nasional government. When the Pakatan Rakyat Menteri Besar, Nizar Jamaluddin, went before the Sultan to request that the State Assembly be dissolved to make way for fresh state elections, the Sultan said he would think about it first. But immediately after that the Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak, went to meet the Sultan and the Sultan was persuaded to reject the Pakatan Rakyat request to dissolve the State Assembly and instead he swore in Barisan Nasional as the new state government.

Najib’s ‘persuasion’ was simple. Nazrin, his son, should not be the Raja Muda of Perak and this means he should also not be the next Sultan. And in the event that the Sultan dies, as surely he will one day, the federal government will not support Nazrin as the next Sultan of Perak. See what happened to Negeri Sembilan. Although the Yamtuan appointed his son as the regent, this does not mean he becomes the next Yamtuan.

So, Nazrin’s succession to the Perak throne depends on the goodwill of the federal government. But only if the state government is a Barisan Nasional government will there be this goodwill. If Pakatan Rakyat remains the state government, then expect Nazrin to pay the price when his time comes to succeed his father.Furthermore, the Sultan and his family has asked for a lot of things from the Pakatan Rakyat state government, all of which they rejected. Umno will ensure that the Sultan and his family get whatever they want if Barisan Nasional takes over as the Perak state government.

And with that Pakatan Rakyat’s fate was sealed. The Sultan swore in Barisan Nasional as the new Perak state government and Pakatan Rakyat was sent into the opposition aisle.

What was it that the Sultan and his family wanted which Pakatan Rakyat said no to and which Barisan Nasional has now said yes? Yes, let us see how in just a few months the Sultan and his family has suddenly become one of the richest royal families in Malaysia, of course, at the expense of Pakatan Rakyat.

1. Umno gave the Sultan a piece of state land known as lot 183578. The land is approximately 600 acres in size and is at Tanjong Tualang in the district of Kinta. This land has been parked under the name of the Sultan’s proxy, Mohamed Khaair Johari Hj Osman.

2. Umno gave the Sultan a 1,000-acre timber concession along the 11km Gerik-Kupang highway in Ulu Kenderong, Gerik, Hulu Perak. This concession was originally given to Universiti Utara Malaysia. However, it was later revoked and given to Pusat Kreatif Kanak-Kanak whose Chairman is Raja Datuk Seri Ashman Shah Ibni Sultan Azlan Shah.

3. Umno gave the Sultan seven timber concessions at compartments 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 and 49 in the Kenderong Forest Reserve in Hulu Perak. The seven lots, which come to approximately 600 acres, were parked under two proxy companies of the Sultan -- Syarikat Zotonjaya Sdn Bhd and Kibaran Wang Sdn Bhd.

4. Umno is about to approve a proposal for reforestation involving 10,781 hectares. 5,781 hectares is at the Gunung Besout Forest Reserve in Southern Perak while 5,000 hectares is at Pondok Tanjung in the Larut Matang district. The company that will get this huge project is Permatang Utama Sdn Bhd (company registration number 513583-D) whose Executive Chairman is Datuk Seri Ismail Farouk Abdullah, the Sultan’s son-in-law.

5. Further to that, Datuk Seri Ismail Farouk Abdullah was allowed to take over the state-owned Casuarina Hotel in Ipoh for a negotiated cut throat price of only RM43 million whereas it can fetch a far higher price on the open market. The hotel is located in one of the most prime land in Ipoh and just the empty land alone is worth a huge amount of money.

It is not that the Perak Royal Family is destitute. It is more like they are greedy. Raja Datuk Seri Eleena Azlan Shah is a Director of GAMUDA BERHAD and is Malaysia's 25th richest person with assets worth over RM 773 million. This makes her the second richest woman in Malaysia after Puan Sri Chong Chook Yew, who occupies the number 18 slot with more than RM 1 billion in assets.Gamuda Berhad has been awarded more than RM10 billion worth of contracts. It also operates and maintains 230 kilometres of highways plus is a major township and property developer with four township projects involving more than 30,000 houses.

So there you have it. Perakians, in particular the Malays, think that the opposition is not showing the Sultan of Perak the respect he deserves. What they do not know is the Sultan does not deserve any respect. And many are also not aware why the Sultan wanted Pakatan Rakyat kicked out of Perak. Now, we hope, they do.

Malaysian, what are you going to do after knowing this truth?

AG's Report-Nothing New

The STAR wrote today that "The Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board" has not turned in a single ringgit of profit despite making investments of RM41.9mil since its inception in January 1976.The Auditor-General’s Report revealed that the ministry’s subsidiary Pembangunan Pelancongan Nasional Sdn Bhd (Pempena) had not done due diligence before making its investments. Why are we suprised by this report, it is not new in Malaysia where accountability is just a passing statement!

The report also found that seven subsidiary and 17 associated companies under Pempena suffered cumulative losses of RM32.37mil until Dec 31 last year with only one company, the Malaysian Travel Business Sdn Bhd, made a profit of RM438,240 in 2007 after taxes.According to the report, Pempena would record RM40.03mil in overall losses from its investments and initial capital outlay of RM52.86mil for the 24 entities.

The reason cited was that “Pempena has made investments in subsidiary companies that are not viable because it has not done due diligence as a whole before making the investments,” the report said. It added that Pempena’s investments in its seven subsidiary companies and 17 associated companies were not presented and discussed with the board prior to approval.

The board in reply said it would report to the Finance or Tourism Ministry to withdraw the Government’s investments from subsidiaries that failed to declare dividends for three consecutive years. This is another eye washing statement by those resposnible just like the last years report on the

In its response, the board said it would form investment committees on “project basis” if its subsidiaries decided to make new investments.“The audit also found that the board did not have any long-term and short-term strategic plans for the entire organisation,” it said. This is how indeed even the country is managed i.e PKFZ, Sukhoi & Submarines!

Should'nt the entire board be sacked? Just in our wildest dreams will it ever happen in Malaysia. 1 Malaysia; Rakyat diutamakan dan duit di boloskan!(People First and Money Whacked)