PAC ‘toothless’, fraud cases lowest priority

DAP MP Tony Pua today conceded that the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is ‘toothless’ against graft cases, despite being a member of the panel.

This comes as PAC chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed admitted that cases of power abuse are given the lowest priority under the committee’s jurisdiction.

“As a whole, I want to admit, it is true that PAC is toothless. PAC can only roar. We can make a lot of noise, but we don’t have any power,” Pua told a forum on the Auditor-General’s Report here.

“PAC can only go through several government agencies, or issues arising. Afterwards, that’s it. We have to hand them over to the enforcement agencies for follow-ups.”

The Petaling Jaya Utara MP gave the example of the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, where former transport minister Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik was only charged with “cheating”, despite the PAC’s recommendation of a criminal breach of trust (CBT) charge.

Earlier in the same forum, Nur Jazlan explained that PAC members will cherry-pick issues to pursue, rather than handling all that come before them.

“Usually, they are issues involving the discipline of civil servants. Issues of embezzlement, I think they are at the bottom. The smallest issues,” Nur Jazlan told the forum.

“If there are elements of abuse of power, only then will we hand them over to the MACC for further actions,” he said, referring to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

The PAC was announced last month by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and consists of nine Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs and five Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers.

The PAC’s composition revealed was said to reflect the composition of Parliament where the ruling coalition holds 133 seats against the federal opposition’s 89 seats.

In its first sitting, the PAC is expected to examine the role of Putrajaya’s investment arm Khazanah Nasional in the delay of the KLIA2 project.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek had also planned to explain to the committee about the payment of RM1.6 million for the performance of K-Pop artistes at the National Youth Day celebration 2012.- themalaymailonline

DAP rejects Christian state, wants cops to act against ‘dangerous lies’

DAP voiced today that it is opposed to the establishment of any theocracy and questioned the police for dragging their feet in investigating Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia and other supporters of the Malay party for purportedly spreading “dangerous lies” and “religious hatred” with their claims of a Christian state being initiated in Penang.

In a statement today, the opposition party’s secretary-general Lim Guan Eng demanded to know the reason for police inaction against those he said had persistently propagated the unsubstantiated claim that DAP was attempting to build a Christian theocracy in the northern state.

“DAP is consistent in opposing any establishment of a theocratic state, including opposing a Christian state,” said Lim, who is also Penang chief minister.

“Anwar is correct that there was no truth in such lies against the DAP and me because both DAP and myself has been unwavering in our support for the position in the Federal Constitution of Islam as the religion of the Federation,” he said, backing political ally and PKR de facto chief, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who had made similar remarks over the weekend.

The lawmaker added, “These lies were made by Umno groups and Utusan Malaysia against the DAP merely on the flimsy ground that DAP leaders had attended a closed-door meeting with Christian pastors.”

Anwar, who is also Permatang Pauh MP, was yesterday reported to have refuted any plans by DAP to do so, saying he had not witnessed any attempts.

“From all our meetings and from all the documents I have received or seen from the DAP, the party or its leaders have never raised such issues... Indeed, if they tried, PAS and PKR would never allow it,” Anwar told reporters yesterday.

“Any group who tries to stir up racial and religious sentiments must be rejected even if they come from the Muslim community,” added Anwar.

Pro-Umno bloggers recently reignited the theocratic debate when they claimed DAP leaders had held clandestine meetings with Christian pastors, leading to several police reports against the party and several pastors.

Lim said today there is nothing wrong with their leaders meeting Christian pastors in closed-door sessions, and pointed out they had also attended meetings with leaders of other religious groups, including Islam.

Malay broadsheet, Utusan Malaysia, had also made the same accusation two years ago, claiming DAP was conspiring with Christian leaders to take over Putrajaya and abolish Islam as the country’s official religion.

Police investigation on DAP’s Jelutong MP, Jeff Ooi, had proved the allegation to be a lie, Lim said.

He stressed that Ooi is a Buddhist.

“Even though police closed the case, no action was taken against these irresponsible groups who spread such lies,” Limsaid. - themalaymailonline

Jelaskan statistik sebenar kekosongan guru seluruh negara

Kementerian Pendidikan didesak memberi penjelasan serta statistik mengenai jumlah kekosongan tenaga pengajar di semua sekolah di negara ini supaya masalah kekurangan guru yang tidak berpenghujung itu dapat diselesaikan.

Ahli Parlimen DAP Kulai, Teo Nie Ching berkata, statistik harus dinyatakan jika Kementerian Pendidikan benar-benar telah membuat perancangan untuk mengatasi masalah itu.

Menurutnya, pada Januari 2012, Kementerian Pendidikan membuka kursus Diploma Perguruan Lepasan Ijazah (DPLI) bagi menyelesaikan masalah kekurangan guru di sekolah rendah dan menengah, namun graduan Guru Sandaran Tidak Terlatih (GSTT) yang tamat pengajian Mei lalu masih belum ditempatkan hingga sekarang.

“Kementerian Pendidikan mesti bertanggungjawab dengan memberi penjelasan atau statistik berhubung permasalahan itu. Jika tidak, perkara ini sekali lagi menunjukkan kegagalan mereka dalam membuat perancangan sempurna yang akhirnya membazirkan sumber negara,” katanya dalam kenyataan.

Berdasarkan jawapan lisan 30 September lalu, Timbalan Menteri Pendidikan II, P. Kamalanathan menyatakan bahawa graduan GSTT-DPLI adalah sebanyak 6,020 orang di mana sebanyak 2,017 orang di bawah kategori sekolah rendah dan 4,003 sekolah menengah.

Kamalanathan mendakwa senarai calon lepasan graduan itu telah dikemukakan kepada Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Pendidikan (SPP) dan temuduga dijangka akan dijalankan pada Oktober dan lantikannya bermula Januari tahun depan.

Menyelar jawapan lisan itu, Nie Ching yang juga Penolong Setiausaha Publisiti Kebangsaan DAP menegaskan, melalui semakannya menerusi laman web Kementerian Pendidikan atau SPP masih belum ada sebarang maklumat mengenai temuduga itu sehingga kini.

“Apabila graduan menelefon jabatan berkenaan, pegawai terbabit tidak dapat memberi tarikh temuduga seperti yang dikatakan Timbalan Menteri.

“Semua graduan telah menandatangani kontrak perkhidmatan selama dua tahun dengan kementerian maka ini menjadi halangan kepada mereka untuk mencari pekerjaan alternatif terutamanya di sektor swasta.

“Pernahkah Kementerian mengambil berat terhadap mereka apabila mereka perlu menunggu penempatan selama tujuh bulan dan menghadapi masalah pengangguran serta menanggung kos sara hidup yang tinggi?,” soalnya.

Nie Ching turut mempersoalkan tindakan Kementerian yang sengaja melambat-lambatkan proses temuduga dan penempatan graduan tanpa sebarang alasan munasabah.

“Kajian tidak rasmi menunjukkan sebanyak 100 hingga 120 kekosongan guru di sekolah rendah. Jika kekurangan itu sudah lama berlaku, mengapa temuduga dan penempatan graduan GSTT-DPLI masih ditangguhkan?

“Tambahan pula, pengajian DPLI telah melahirkan 6,000 tenaga pengajar yang masih menunggu penempatan, ia menimbulkan satu keraguan besar, apakah benar kita mempunyai 6,000 kekosongan guru di semua sekolah yang mampu menampung keperluan secukupnya?,” soalnya lagi.- Roketkini.com

Audit Petronas, says DAP

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 2, 2013): A DAP MP is urging the government to amend the Petroleum Development 1974 Act and allow the Auditor-General to investigate and audit national oil company Petronas' account.

Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming said it is timely that the government amend the act to allow for a more transparent and accountable manner in managing the country's wealth in the oil and gas sector.

"It is not a private company but one placed under a statute. Why then was an audit never carried out before?" asked Nga in a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

He said that currently, only Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak has access to Petronas's accounts and its internal audit reports.

"This is not right as the people deserve to know what is going on with regards to Petronas's financial situation, since it contributes 40% to the country's revenue," he said.

Nga also said Petronas had paid the government a total of RM732 billion, based on a written reply provided by the Prime Minister's Department.

The reply reveals that Petronas paid RM278 billion in company dividends, RM124 billion for petroleum revenue, RM310 billion in income tax and RM20 billion was paid on export duty.

"The national oil company's revenue must be made public for the people's interest," Nga - added. thesundaily