M'sia slides further down TI corruption index

The Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking for Malaysia has dipped from 56th place last year to 60th this year, the worst in 10 years,according to Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M).

Speaking during the release of the findings in Subang Jaya this morning, TI-M deputy president Mohamad Ali Hasan said Malaysia's score of 4.3 has also suffered its third consecutive fall since 2009.

While the dip in the score has been marginal, at 0.1 points each year, Mohamad Ali said this was still a cause for concern because the government has embarked on several anti-corruption efforts.

"Why should it drop? The government has held several (anti-corruption) programmes. The perception is that these actions are not effective," he said.

 

In 2003, Malaysia was ranked 37 in the survey covering146 countries. For 2010, the survey involved 178 countries.

 

The CPI ranking is a gauge of perceived corruption in the public sector, determined by business leaders, expert assessments and opinion surveys.

PKR: NFC bought Putrajaya land, Merc

After the 'cows and condos' fiasco, PKR today dropped another bombshell on the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC), claiming that it had squandered a portion of the RM250 million government loan on land, luxury cars and overseas trips.

PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli (right) today said the company's financial documents had showed that NFC had transferred RM3,363,507 to its sister company National Meat and Livestock Corporation (NMLC) to purchase two plots of land in Putrajaya in December 2009.

"It is highly unlikely that the land bought in Putrajaya are intended for raring cows," quipped Rafizi, in reference to the two plots which are identified as PT1886 and PT1887.

The purchase through NMLC, Rafizi adds, is the same modus operandi adopted in the purchase of two luxury condominiums in Bangsar at RM6.9 million each and the company, unlike NFC, is wholly owned by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s family.

HRP decries ‘ruthless’ razing of temple

SHAH ALAM: The Human Rights Party (HRP) has denounced yesterday’s demolishment of a Hindu temple in Glenmarie and demanded from the Selangor government an acre of land for a new temple.S Thiagarajan, a pro-tem central executive committee member of the party, said Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim must take “full responsibility” for the violation of the Sri Muneswarar Temple by the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) and make amends by granting the acre of land.

He said he learned of the destruction when a local resident telephoned him while it was going on. The caller told him 30 police and MBSA officers were using sledgehammers to carry out the demolition.“A Malay haji sprinkled something around the shrine and then some 10 uniformed enforcement officers started the ruthless act,” he told FMT.He added that six Hindu deities were smashed into pieces.

"The Hindu devotees there could not stop the bloodletting; they were blocked by policemen,” he said.
"This is a clear cut case of the city council violating Article 11 of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion, and Article 8, which provides of equality before the law and equal protection before the law."We demand that the state government allocate one acre of land to the temple committee to build a new temple."He also said the state should grant permanent land titles for all Hindu temples in Selangor so that “such flagrant acts of transgression” would not recur.


Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/11/25/hrp-decries-%e2%80%98ruthless%e2%80%99-razing-of-temple/

Ambiga: Even Burmese law allows street demos

Bersih 2.0 chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan said the proposed Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 was even more repressive than a similar law passed recently in Burma's military-dominated Parliament.

"It is shameful that Burma can propose a far more democratic law than us.

"It is a terrible insult to Malaysians because we were promised more democracy, but now it is the opposite," said Ambiga, who is a former Bar Council president.

At a press conference in Petaling Jaya, Ambiga said Burma's new law allows for street demonstrations and organisers only need to notify the authorities five days in advance.

She said this was a stark contrast against Malaysia's Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011, which proposes banning street demonstrations and imposing a 30 day notice period.Putting the numbers together, Bersih secretariat member Wong Chin Huat said Burma was six times more democratic than Malaysia.

Harimau Malaya atau Harimau Malaysia?

PETALING JAYA: Sejak  pasukan bola sepak kebangsaan bawah 23 tahun menggondol pingat emas dalam temasya Sukan SEA di Jakarta Isnin malam, perbualan mengenai kejayaan ini dapat didengar di mana-mana sahaja.Tidak kira di pejabat, warung-warung kopi, di restoran mamak, di dalam bas, komuter atau pengangkutan awam lain, semuanya masih ghairah membicarakan kejayaan anak-anak muda wira negara ini.

Di laman sosial seperti di Facebook dan lain-lain juga turut tidak ketinggalan apabila masing-masing begitu teruja memberi komen yang bernada semangat yang berkobar-kobar.Malahan ada di antara pengguna laman sosial itu yang begitu teruja dan menyambut kepulangan wira-wira negara di lapangan terbang.

Ketika masyarakat di semenanjung meraikan kejayaan ini, senario yang sama juga sedang berlaku di seberang Laut China Selatan, di Sabah dan Sarawak tetapi cuma yang berbezanya, kejayaan yang turut mereka raikan itu disulami rasa terkilan.Seperti penyokong di semenanjung, masyarakat di Sabah dan Sarawak juga sama-sama bersorak tatkala pemain negara melancarkan serangan dan bertempik marah apabila pemain negara dikasari.

Why no Indian-majority seat?

Electoral constituencies in Malaysia are determined in two steps. First, the apportionment of parliamentary constituencies among the various states; and second, the delineation of both parliamentary and state constituencies in each state.The ruling party controls the apportionment among states through amendments to Article 46 of the Federal Constitution. The Election Commission then delineates the apportioned constituencies. As there is a lack of specification of the rules governing the EC on this particular function, the numerous delineation exercises that have been conducted in Malaysia since Merdeka have been carved in particular to favour the ruling Umno government.

In this discriminatory process, the third largest race in the country consisting of more than two million people have ended up been denied and do not have a single constituency of being the majority.

This has been the single biggest contributory factor that has led the Indians in this country to having the lowest demographic index among all races in Malaysia. Even though there are several Indian elected representatives in Parliament as well as in state assemblies, the very fact that they are elected from constituencies where Indians are only a minority, they are in truth toothless to highlight or champion gross marginalisation and discrimination policies of the Indians by the government of the day as they are dependent on the majority communities mainly the Malays and Chinese in their respective constituencies.

Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 bans street protest

The government tabled the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 in the Dewan Rakyat today to allow for the freedom of peaceful assembly.Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz tabled the Bill for its first reading.
Among the main points of the proposed law are:

• 30 days' advance notice for assemblies, except for those in designated areas as defined by the home minister;

• after notification, the assemblies can proceed, unless there are objections from the police;

• no street protests are allowed;

• no protests in or anywhere in a 50-metre buffer zone around prohibited areas defined in a list, which includes hospitals, schools and places of worship;

• Section 8 allows a police officer 'to take such measures he/she deems necessary' to ensure compliance;

• Section 9(5) allows the police to fine organisers up to RM10,000 if no advance notice of a planned assembly is given to the police;

• Section 20(1)(c) allows police to arrest anyone who brings, allows to come or recruits children for an assembly;

• Section 21(3) allows the police to fine those arrested up to RM20,000;

• those under 21 years of age are not allowed to organise assemblies; and

• children under 15 are not allowed to take part in assemblies, except in cultural or religious events such as funeral corteges or events approved by the home minister.