Kit Siang wants Najib to respond to PERC report

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 10 — Lim Kit Siang said today that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak must respond to a damaging report by an international risk consultancy which said that Malaysia was veering towards instability.

The Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) report noted that Najib’s administration is steering the nation towards instability.

PERC also said that Najib’s strategy of “trying to be all things to all people” through his supposedly all-encompassing 1 Malaysia concept is likely to “satisfy no one.”

“(So) what is Najib’s response to PERC’s report and the prospect of Malaysia becoming even more uncompetitive internationally because of his failing strategy to be all things to all people?” asked Lim today.

The Ipoh Timur MP then highlighted parts of the report including PERC raising Malaysia’s risk index from 5.24 in December to 5.4 in January

— out of a possible maximum score 10 for highest level of risk.

PERC also asserted that a group of elite minorities were dominating the national agenda to the extent that it was hurting Malaysia’s attractiveness to investors.

It noted that foreign investments into Malaysia have not been forthcoming, either in direct form or in the equity markets.

The consultancy said this was due to the “probable” fact that no other Asian country is suffering from as much bad press as Malaysia.

Among the developments that caught its attention were the theft of military jet engines, detention of terror suspects from a number of African and Middle East countries following warnings that Islamic militants were planning attacks on foreigners at resorts in Sabah.

It also pointed to renewed ethnic and religious “violence” that included arson at some churches and mosques desecration, and questionable integrity of key institutions like the judicial system in the sodomy trial of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

““Foreign companies and investors are remaining cautious until they see how Malaysia gets its own house in order,” said the report.

Lim said PERC has also been critical of Najib’s premiership and this has reaffirmed his earlier criticism that the latter’s 1 Malaysia concept is “wishy-washy” and littered with double standards.

The former opposition leader also said yesterday’s Federal Court verdict that upheld BN as the rightful Perak government will also hurt the country’s competitiveness.

“It legitimises Najib’s Barisan Nasional coup d’tat government in Perak,” said Lim, arguing that this would affect public confidence in the judiciary.

MCA Sudah Hancur !

Tiada pemilihan semula dalam MCA

KUALA LUMPUR: Jawatankuasa Pusat (CC) MCA hari ini memutuskan tidak akan mengadakan pemilihan parti baru bagi memilih pemimpin pusat buat masa ini.

Timbalan presidennya, Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek, berkata ia berikutan hanya 13 daripada 31 ahli CC yang dipilih, menghantar surat peletakan jawatan tidak bertarikh kepada setiausaha agung parti.

Beliau berkata, disebabkan jumlahnya tidak mencukupi untuk membolehkan pemilihan baru diadakan, sebagai mana yang ditetapkan oleh perlembagaan parti MCA, pemilihan tidak dapat dijalankan.

"Bagaimanapun ahli CC boleh pada bila-bila meletak jawatan, tanpa sekatan daripada mana-mana pihak," katanya pada sidang media selepas mesyuarat CC selama empat jam di Wisma MCA di sini, hari ini.

Katanya, presiden parti, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat dan naib presiden, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai tidak dapat bersama pada persidangan media petang ini kerana terpaksa beredar lebih awal disebabkan ada urusan lain.

Mesyuarat petang ini diadakan bagi merumuskan satu ketetapan sekiranya perlu diadakan pemilihan semula parti MCA. Bulan lalu, Liow bersama 12 ahli CC lain mendesak supaya diadakan pemilihan parti yang baru, dengan menghantar surat peletakan jawatan tanpa tarikh kepada setiausaha agung parti.

Kegagalan kumpulan Liow mendapatkan cukup ahli CC untuk meletak jawatan menghalang usahanya untuk mengadakan pemilihan baru pada awal Januari lalu, selepas tempoh dua minggu untuk menghantar surat peletakan jawatan berakhir pada hari sambutan Krismas tahun lalu.

Dr Chua berkata, bagi membolehkan pemilihan parti dilaksanakan, dua pertiga, atau 21 daripada 31 ahli CC yang dipilih, perlu meletak jawatan.

Katanya, semua 13 individu yang meletak jawatan itu masih ahli CC kerana surat peletakan jawatan mereka hanya akan berkuatkuasa apabila jumlah tandatangan mencukupi 21 ahli bagi membolehkan pemilihan parti diadakan.

Dr Chua seterusnya mengumumkan perlantikan bekas naib presiden, Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn sebagai pengerusi lembaga disiplin yang baru dan veteran parti, Chan Tsu Yen sebagai timbalan.

Turut dilantik ialah Datuk Lim Si Cheng, Ivan Chen Kai Heng dan Lau Chih Siang, untuk menjadi ahli lembaga disiplin.

Kekosongan lembaga disiplin MCA berlaku berikutan peletakan jawatan lima ahlinya yang diketuai veteran parti, Ng Cheng Kiat pada November 2009.

Turut meletak jawatan ialah Datuk Jimmy Low Boon Hong, Datuk Ng Soon Por, Dr Lai Kuan Fook and Lau Chih Siang.

Mereka memutuskan untuk meletak jawatan selepas keputusan mereka untuk memecat Dr Chua dibatalkan perwakilan pada mesyuarat agung luar biasa 10 Oktober lalu.

Dr Chua turut mengumumkan pelantikan Simon Lim Seng Chai sebagai setiausaha penyelaras kebangsaan yang baru dan Datuk Tee Siew Kiong sebagai timbalan.

Sambutan ulang tahun parti akan diadakan pada 6 Mac diikuti perhimpunan agung tahunan (AGM) 2009 yang tertangguh sebelum ini pada keesokan harinya, 7 Mac, dan akan dirasmikan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Perhimpunan Agung Pemuda dan Wanita akan diadakan pada pagi 6 Mac.

Naib presiden, Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha dilantik sebagai pengerusi jawatankuasa sambutan ulang tahun MCA manakala setiausaha agung MCA, Datuk Wong Foon Meng dilantik pengerusi dalam menguruskan AGM parti. - Bernama

Najib should set a two-Week deadline

to resolve the “Allah” controversy to salvage his 1Malaysia slogan and to defuse the latest factor driving away Malaysian talents and FDIs

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should set a two-week deadline to resolve the “Allah” controversy to salvage his 1Malaysia slogan and to defuse the latest factor driving away Malaysian talents and FDIs.

The Police are to be commended for their quick arrests in connection with four arson attacks on churches and suraus and Malaysians hope that the police can expeditiously resolve all the 15 cases of arson and vandalism against places of worship in the first three weeks of the year since the Kuala Lumpur High Court judgment on the “Allah” controversy on Dec. 31 last year.

Right from the beginning, this controversy had been mishandled by the authorities, in particular the political leadership, who have failed to fully realize the negative impact and far-reaching consequences of the issue to the country.

The Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, for instance, should stop play politics on the issue and not allow his political role as Umno leader to wrongly influence his professional judgment and other aspects of his duties as Home Minister.

For instance, Hishammuddin said in Kuala Terengganu on Friday that the arson attacks on churches and suraus in the country could be attempts to undermine the 1Malaysia vision.

However, he contradicted himself yesterday when he said that the four arsonists arrested in connection with the arson attempts at two suraus in Muar were “simply seeking public attention” and had acted on their own.

Such flip-flops and self-contradictions by the Home Minister, together with other earlier instances of his mishandling of the controversy, are not calculated to inspire public confidence in his competence and professionalism to fully realize the full and far-reaching consequences of the “Allah” controversy.

The Cabinet Ministers have so far proved to be great disappointments in ensuring that there is quick and satisfactory solution to the “Allah” controversy in keeping with the 1Malaysia concept.

The Cabinet on Wednesday should not continue to disappoint the country and should give full support for a two-week deadline to resolve the “Allah” controversy without prolonging the issue, which can only drive away more Malaysians overseas as well as foreign investors, tourists and students apart from delivering a fatal blow to Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan and concept.

Media Statement (2) by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Monday, 25^th January 2010: