Thursday, September 24, 2009

Kampung Buah Pala Update

Teng dares Lim to declassify minutes on Buah Pala
Himanshu Bhatt

Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan

Lim Guan Eng

GEORGE TOWN (Sept 24, 2009) :
The blame game over the demolition of Kampung Buah Pala looks set to continue.

A day after Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng came out with a statement blasting the former Barisan Nasional state government for complicity in the disputed land deal, Penang Gerakan Chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan today challenged Lim to declassify minutes of the Pakatan Rakyat state executive council meetings on the matter.

Teng said Lim’s administration had abetted in the transfer of the village land by not taking any action even though it had called the transaction a “fraud”.

“I challenge him to declassify all exco minutes after (Pakatan took power in) 2008. Let everybody know. What is there to hide?” Teng said today.

“Why declassify only the minutes of previous state government? Why can’t he declassify decisions they (Pakatan Rakyat state government) had made?”

On Wednesday, Lim challenged Teng, a former Barisan Nasional state executive councillor, to show proof of his claim that the Pakatan Rakyat state administration had finalised the deal and accused the previous BN state government of selling the Kampung Buah Pala land at cheap rates and without consulting the residents.

Teng noted that the villagers had met Lim in his office soon after he took power in 2008 to brief him about the situation, but the title was still issued later on March 27.

“He should have taken steps … If he felt that whole deal was illegal and fraudulent, he should have done something,” Teng said.

“Instead he abetted and allowed the deal to go through.”

Teng also said Lim should have stopped the village’s demolition last week as the matter of compensation had not been settled.

Teng was speaking at a press conference at the Gerakan headquarters here where he urged the state government to allocate at least 8ha of Batu Kawan land for the new Chung Ling College project.

He said Lim had in June 2008 announced that the state would allocate eight pieces of land for Chinese and Tamil schools as well as for religious purposes.

He noted that Penang Development Corporation was developing Bandar Cassia in Batu Kawan on 2,560 ha and could alienate the land for the college .-The Sun

Guan Eng: Only federal government can declare Buah Pala heritage site

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 – Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng continued his offensive over the Kampung Buah Pala controversy today by pointing out that only the federal government had the power to declare the village a heritage site.

In a statement today. He said that the federal government had the sole right under the National Heritage Act 2005 to designate any site a heritage.

“The State Legal Advisor Datuk Faiza binti Zulkifli and the Penang Town and Country Planning Department have stressed that the Penang state government has no powers to accord any site such status.

“Unlike other states such as Malacca, Penang has no heritage laws. Accordingly, to declare any site a heritage site, the National Heritage Act holds sway.”

He said that only the Heritage Commissioner under the Minister of Information, Communications, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, could designate any site to be a heritage site under Section 24.

Section 30 requires the consent from the relevant state government before any designation can be made.

“Clearly BN or Gerakan and its allies were barking up the wrong tree when they tried to blame the state government for refusing to designate certain sites such as Kampung Buah Pala as a heritage area,” said Lim.

Yesterday, Lim challenged former Barisan Nasional (BN) state executive councillor Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan to show proof of his claim that the Pakatan Rakyat state administration had finalised the deal to acquire Kampung Buah Pala.

He also accused the previous BN state government of selling the Kampung Buah Pala land cheaply and without consulting the residents.

Lim and Teng have been trading barbs over which party is responsible for the land transaction which resulted in a standoff between residents and the state over the issue of compensation.

In his statement today, Lim said “there was nothing for me to sign as the previous BN administration led by Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon had signed away all the rights of the Kampung Buah Pala residents.”

“BN, Gerakan and its allies have spread lies claiming that I have signed documents, finalised the deal and transferred the land to the cooperative. Until today I have not signed a single document in favour of the developer or the cooperative. The deal was finalised by the previous BN administration.”

He added that his government was powerless to legally stop the transfer of the land as this was a consequential administrative action following the approvals given by the previous BN administration.

The only recourse left was to improve on the offer of a RM75,000 flat unit offered to the residents by BN on the basis that they were illegal squatters, he said.

Lim said the PR government had succeeded in compelling the developer to offer a double-storey house worth RM600,000 on the basis that they had a right to a 99-year legally-binding lease to own land in Kampung Buah Pala.-MalaysianInsider

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

国际透明组织建议立法 企业政治献金须公布

南洋商报
刘胜权在记者会上,展示全球同步公布,以“贪污及私人界”为主题?009年全球贪污报告

(吉隆坡23日讯)国际透明组织马来西亚分会主席拿督刘胜权建议政府通过立法,规定企业捐献政治献金给政党,必须一清二楚公布款项去向,以铲除贪污风气。

“政党接受企业界的政治献金,最终将付出代价,伴随之而来的将是不透明的招标或采购。”

他指出,金钱政治有别于政治献金,不过,不先解决这方面的问题,就甭谈铲除贪污之风。

刘胜权今日配合国际透明组织即将公布的2009年全球贪污报告召开新闻发布会时,提及政治献金课题。

国际透明组织马来西亚分会执行总监谢文杰也出席新闻发布会。

立法要求企业公布款项

刘胜权说,我国是时候认真看待政治献金来源,每个政党都需要外来资助,但政治献金来源必须是透明的。

“或者政府可考虑通过立法,要求提供政治献金的企业公布款项去向,目前许多企业都没有透露款项的去向。

“政府应该在这方面着手,以警惕施与受的双方。”

刘胜权说,制定法律只是一项防范措施,当中依然存在避开法律的违法问题。

刘胜权在今年6月3日公布2009年全球腐败变化表(Global Corruption Barometer)时指出,铲除金钱政治及公布政党资金来源,是其中两个可消除一般人士认为政党是最腐败的负面印象。

他说,人民普遍认为政党的资金来源不明,缺乏透明度,社团注册局或许可以要求政党注册时,必须遵守一些条件,譬如提呈常年财务报告。

张庆信“捐献”千万献金

巴生港口自由贸易区主要承包商Kuala Dimensi私人有限公司总执行长拿督斯里张庆信上个月语出惊人,声称本身曾在2008年“捐献”1000万令吉的政治献金予拿督斯里翁诗杰。

张庆信也是国会国阵后座议员俱乐部主席,他向媒体指出,本身是在翁诗杰的要求下,在去年以现金方式,把1000万令吉分三次交给后者“以充作马华区会的活动基金”。

Saturday, September 19, 2009

民意要依沙上阵峇眼槟榔 马哈迪和拉沙里不要他!

【本刊记者撰述】森美兰州峇眼槟榔州议席补选在即,一份针对森州子民进行的民调显示,59.6%回应者要前森州大臣依沙(Mohd Isa Samad)代表国阵出战。但是,巫统前主席马哈迪和元老东故拉沙里都纷纷以直接或间接方式不要依沙上阵。

根 据《哈拉卡》报道,一家民调中心Ilham Centre分别于9月15日和16日在峇眼槟榔州选区内的八个投票区——Ladang Atherton、Pekan Siliau、Ladang Bradwall、Sua Betong、Taman Eastern,、甘榜峇眼槟榔(Kampung Bagan Pinang)、Si Rusa和直落甘望(Teluk Kemang)进行访问。
民调结果显示,59.6%应答者认为,应该让依沙(左图)上阵,尽管如此,大部分应答者都认为,依沙曾涉及巫统金钱政治、朋党主义等,可能会是一个包袱。
此外,民调中心也是依据选区内八个投票区的种族比例挑选应答者。应答者种族比例为马来人占53.0%、华人占30.8%、印度人占12.1%。不过,报道中并没有提及应答者的人数。
民调是以访谈和在地观察的方式进行。
国阵或失去年轻选民支持
调查结果显示,为了赢得补选,48.5%的应答者认为候选人因素比较重要,41.8%应答者认为政党实力比较重要,而8.1%应答者则表示不确定。
除此之外,45.9%年轻选民有信心巫统会失掉年轻人选票。
共有34.8%的应答者认为巫统是个种族主义政党,仅有32.8%应答者不不认同,32.3%应答者不确定。此外,52.0%应答者认同国阵巫统是个贪腐的政党,并涉及道德丑闻,可能导致该党失去年轻选民的支持。
但是有22.2%来自第一和第二通道的选民不认同此说法,他们是国阵巫统的中坚支持者。
至于邮寄选票,47.0%应答者认同,国阵非常依赖邮寄选票取胜、11.1%应答者不认同,41.9%不确定。大部分受访的军人都认为现有的邮寄选票制度不透明,国阵因而占了优势。
“不要派依沙上阵!”
尽管民调显示半数的应答者要依沙上阵,但是巫统前主席马哈迪和元老东故拉沙里都分别直接和迂回地方式,促请巫统不要委派依沙上阵。
马哈迪昨天表示,若巫统委派曾涉及金钱政治的依沙上阵,将被视为并未致力打击金钱政治,巫统的名声将受到影响,“巫统已裁决依沙罪成,如果巫统派他上阵,这意味着巫统并不认真打击金钱政治。就算他当选,我们也要考虑整个马来西亚人民怎么看待巫统。”
东姑拉沙里今天发表文告表示,国阵在半岛的六场补选皆落败,这多赖于人民对国阵的当权者贪污和傲慢的印象。而且,当在槟州峇东巴西委派一个失去律师资格的候选人上阵时,更加强了此印象。
他也不点名非议巫统青年团长凯鲁(Khairy Jamaluddin)指只要委派可当选的候选人即可的言论。他认为,恰恰是这种短视的思维,导致巫统和国阵走回异于选民要求的道路。
他认为,若巫统继续委派存有污点的候选人上阵,公众会认为,如果巫统输掉对国家更好。
他说:“在这个日益分歧的社会中,我们不但要赢得选举,也要赢得有尊严,并由由尊严的人赢得。易言之,这将得到人民的相信我们的《宪法》以及法治精神。只要这样选举的成绩才会凝聚我们。这才是我们更大的挑战。”

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) to be unveiled soon

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 14, 2009) : Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM), the new political party that came under the spot light following speculation that it is linked to expelled MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek as well as suspended Gerakan vice-president Huan Cheng Guan, says it will introduce itself to the public soon.

PCM secretary Loo Kien Seang said details regarding the party, including the direction it will take, will be unveiled by party president Tang Weng Chew at a press conference when the latter returns from overseas, Sin Chew Daily reported today.

Loo, who said the party will not respond to public comments about the party, denied that it is linked to any political party.

He reiterated that PCM is a neutral and independent party which has nothing to do with the MCA infighting, Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club chairman Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing or Gerakan's Huan.

He said PCM was set up in view of the current political situation in which political parties have strayed from their objectives of serving the people, pushed aside the bread and butter issues as well as compromised the interests of the public.

He said it is time for PCM to come to the fore to serve the people and to bring about changes.

Expressing surprise at the PCM's "premature exposure", he said the party had intended to announce its formation after all the details, including the member application form, are in place.

He said the party is open to all Malaysians. -The Sun