Downgrading the PM's perrformance

A cyber-friend recently turned terrestrial mate told me in jest that he "observed" I had diown-graded Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdulah Ahmad Badawi from a grade six to 4! Four in Kantonis is pronounced "Sei" and you must ask either sisdar Helen or brudder 4f what IT means!

I responded to Din that the straw that broke the camel's back (Yeah, YL Chong is officially now a Camel, have a smoke on Desi!) was the last UMNO General Assembly which I had described as the almost "Curtains Down" on the Epic Play on the PWTC Stage.

I've "borrowed" fellow scribe Kim Quek's article sighted at RJK's Malaysia-Today to recall the issues which coincided a lot with mine (or vice versa) which gave rise to my Re-Assessment of Pak Lah as our Prime Minister. I'll give him till the end of his first elected term to do a Re-Rating. I would like to be given a chance to upgrade him at least back to 6 which I started at based on his pronouncments of Commitment to certain Policies on assuming leadership as CEO of NegaraKu from Dr Mahathir Mohamad in November 2003.

I have stopped weeping for Malaysia -- as the tears have run dry. I hope not our nation's oil-lah, oh Pak Lah!:(

04/12:
Pak Lah, corruption is corruption!
Category: General Posted by: Raja Petra
GUEST COLUMNISTS



Kim Quek

Did Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi commit an act of corruption during the pre-council meeting on the eve of the recent UMNO General Assembly when he announced that RM3 million would be given to each of the 191 UMNO divisions? The answer is a clear-cut yes, as the ingredients necessary to establish a corrupt act are all present.

On 13th November 2006, in a closed-door briefing, Pak Lah informed the delegates to the 57th UMNO Annual Assembly (held from 14th to 17th Nov) that a surprise year-end “bonus” of RM600 million would be dished out in the form of small contracts covering the whole country except Sarawak (where UMNO has no divisions). On that same day, the deputy minister of works, Mohd Zin Mohamed, issued a letter to the Public Works (JKR) chief asking him to execute Pak Lah’s announcement, which was to be divided into RM3 million for each of the parliamentary constituencies (totalling 191, Sarawak excluded). Mohd Zin asked that all district engineers consult “local leaders” to ascertain the projects, all of which were to be completed “within 2 months”.

Following this letter, JKR issued guidelines as to how this RM3 million for each parliamentary constituency was to be spent. These guidelines were that the contracts were meant for Class F contractors (who were all bumiputras), each entitled to one contract only, amount to be no more than RM200,000. The work is to start within three days and is to be completed within 2006, payment made by end January 2007, and projects to comprise minor works on roads, drains, pipes, electrical wiring, building renovations, etc.

It is clear that this RM600 million year-end bonus is intended for UMNO grass root leaders, most of whom are Class F contractors surviving on government contracts. If this is not the case, then how can Pak Lah explain the fact that the state of Sarawak, which needs this kind of spending most but which has no UMNO presence, is completely left out of this scheme? Furthermore, district engineers were specifically asked to consult “local leaders” to ascertain the contracts. Who can these “local leaders” be, if not UMNO’s divisional leader in each of the 191 parliamentary constituencies? (surely they can’t be PAS, DAP or PKR leaders?)

Dubious allocation

The unorthodox manner with which this RM600 million was announced befits more an emergency relief for a catastrophe such as that occasioned by a major tsunami or an 8.0 Richter scale earth quake rather than for routine petty works. The announcement came out of the blue and the pattern of distribution of spending seemed artificially carved out for bonus-giving purpose, not for maintaining local infrastructures. Moreover, the fact that the official letter from the Ministry of Works had been prepared and signed that same morning of 13th November 2006, even before the pre-council meeting, means that the whole exercise had been premeditated.

In the press conference held following the closed-door meeting of November 13, Pak Lah justified this RM600 million allocation by saying that it was needed to top up the earlier allocation of RM1.5 billion under the Ninth Malaysian Plan (RMK9) which, he said, was nearly depleted. He added “we have identified other minor projects for the rural community”. This claim was however contradicted by the Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Zainal Abidin bin Osman, in Parliament on November 15. Answering a query from PAS Member of Parliament, Salahuddin bin Ayub, Zainal Abidin said that his ministry had not been informed of this RM600 million for projects in rural areas.

Is it not strange that the Deputy Minister had no knowledge of this fund which was intended to be spent for projects under his ministry on an emergency basis? Shouldn’t such urgent projects, in the first place, have been presented by the Rural Development Ministry to the Treasury and the Cabinet for urgent approval, before making the announcement by the Minister of Rural Development (not the Prime Minister)? Did the PM or the Rural Development Minister know what these urgent projects were? Obviously not, otherwise the Deputy Minister of Works would not have asked the district engineers to find out the answers from the “local leaders”.

What a strange way of throwing away massive public funds -- the PM asking 3,000 to 5,000 Class F contractors to finish spending all the RM600 million in the record speed of six weeks, without the relevant ministries knowing what these supposedly urgent projects were! Surely this will be a big feast for the thousands of lucky cronies who will be simultaneously picked based on political connection and given bonanzas free of competitive pricing, as such tight schedules of implementation would preclude any open tender.

And since this is public money, to be used on public projects, is it also not strange that the decision was not announced to the public but was hurriedly conveyed to UMNO delegates in a closed-door meeting on the eve of an UMNO General Assembly (and two days later denied in Parliament)? It is not so, if one understands that the impending party assembly was no ordinary annual assembly, but a crucial one in which the tussle for power between the former and the incumbent party leaders might play out. Knowing how deeply ingrained the tradition of money politics in the UMNO hierarchy is, what better way was there to ensure a hassle-free convention for the incumbent leader than to declare an instant bumper bonus to all and sundry?

While Pak Lah and his power clique may congratulate themselves on the smooth sailing the party President had in consolidating his support during the party assembly, which was contributed in no small way by this pecuniary measure, does Pak Lah realise the high price he has to pay in securing this support through such dishonourable conduct?

Breach of law

In the first place, there is no way he could free himself from the taint of corruption, in the face of such glaring incriminating evidences. There was the motive and the benefit received, which was enhancing support within Pak Lah’s camp while neutralising potential opposition from Mahathir loyalists. And there was the unmistakable abuse of authority, breaching all established regulations and laws in dispensing public funds, much of which were wasted through inflated pricing and non-optimal utilisation.

We call this kind of unlawful practice money politics, abuse of power and corruption -- the very evils that Pak Lah pledged to free this nation from when he took over the reign from his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. In any democracy, such serious breach of law by the chief executive of a nation would have caused instant public uproar, with the mass media relentlessly pursuing the culprit, and law enforcement agencies such as the anti-corruption body, attorney general and the police moving in to investigate for possible offences. Such series of events will most likely lead to the resignation of the culprit, followed by prosecution.

Nothing of this sort will happen in Malaysia of course. As usual, our mass media (safe the Internet) and law enforcing agencies steadfastly play the “see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil” game, in spite of police reports being made. The double standards in the implementation of law is ever present everywhere -- one for the ruling elite, and another for the rest.

This incident serves as a stern reminder that the rule of law is still seriously impaired under the present political leadership, and that we are a far cry from the day when we can call our country a democracy. For those die-hard who are hoping against hope that Pak Lah will bring us the much yearned for reforms, and who still insist that he must given more time to fulfil his pledges, the present episode is good food for thought."

DESIDERATA:

Stoned tears and hearts

My heart bleeds
but there is no flow
the tears have become water-stoned

drug addicts consume
copiously from Petronas oil dollars
li'l children tread on dainty feel
over jungle tracks for miles to school
stomachs half empty
like most rural folks kerosene oil lamps

but datuk Abc and Zyx live in splendour
or is it squandour?

In small houses indeed
four storeys high
but city council hoodlums
tear down BIG mansions
of wooden huts,
rattan walls and attap
roofs that see through
the unsmiling sky

Oh Lord, bring on the rains
at least there is cool relief
from sorching sun
and cold, cold hearts

InspiredByHeartburn
12.59PM
Dec 10, 2006