Bloggers Buzz, (from cpiasia.net)
Friday, 29 August 2008 08:40
Government must be more convincing in arguing for DNA Bill
By Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek
Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek
Taken from google images
(Desi: can visualise the Images, yes?)
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The government must not hastily push through the passage of the DNA Bill which has been presented before Parliament, until the matter is properly debated on publicly and its implications are properly explained.
Right now, public confidence in the authorities, be it the police, the various government departments or any new department to be set up to deal with DNA collection, remains very low.
There is widespread concern that the authorities are not ready for legislation making it compulsory for criminal suspects to provide DNA samples.
In conversations with ordinary Malaysians and after reading responses on the Internet as well as after listening to public reaction over the 98.8 radio station's live discussion just this morning, I have found that a majority of the public are not in favour of the DNA Bill.
I reject any suggestion that this Bill is being targeted at Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim because it does not operate retrospectively.
But there is cause for public concern over what kind of safeguards will be introduced by the government in the collection of DNA samples.
Just who will collect these samples? How well will they be trained? How do we know the DNA samples cannot be tainted?
These are some of the questions the people would like to know.
Also, why is the government proposing such wide powers which can be subject to manipulation or abuse.
I am sure the government may have good intentions, but the fact is in today's political scenario, it must work harder to win the battle of perception.
The general perception is that the authorities are generally considered inefficient, corrupt and incompetent. It is a perception that has wide support.
How is the public expected to have faith in the system?
The government must be more convincing in its arguments for the introduction of the DNA Bill.
Leaders cannot just pretend there is no public concern.
We must remember that in a democracy laws are introduced for the benefit of the people.
So the government must explain how the DNA Bill will benefit the public. It must allay concerns.
It must listen to public feedback and possibly tweak the Bill further.
Since the Bill was first mooted as far back as 2001, what is the haste in passing the legislation now?
The government should spend some time publicizing the provisions of the Bill to ensure wider acceptance or to even make sure it is indeed ready to efficiently and impartially administer the collection of DNA.
While I cannot speak for Umno, MIC and other parties in the Barisan Nasional (BN), I find it strange though that none of the senior leaders in the MCA or any of the candidates for the party elections have voiced out their concerns.
It was pointed out by one senior party leader today in The Star that if we are really committed to what we say we should walk the talk.
I am not sure if he was talking about me, but I still believe the very least MCA's representatives and leaders must do is to voice out public concerns over a myriad of issues such as the DNA Bill.
For now, I do not hold any government or party position. All I can do is to speak out thru the blog. The press will not entertain any statement by me
What I don't understand is that there are senior leaders and candidates in the MCA who still say nothing at all, and appear to offer no ideas on how to regain public support for the party. People’s private life is more concern to some of them.
Just as the government should do more to convince the people about the DNA Bill, MCA leaders must also do more to convince the public, especially the Chinese, that it still deserves to be supported.
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Also,a group calling itself mca74justice, who left a footprint in the steal of the night at my Civil Society post Yesterday -- when all my troubles seemed so far away at the KLSCAH in Kuala Lumpur -- and Desi in giving CREDIT where credit (knot the RM type-lah, that wan for LingSnr and Jnrs who wanna be billionaire-by-27!) -- I allow some PR for my political rival:) C Desi can be charitable, yes! Promoting civil society hear!
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www.mca74justice.blogspot.com
No Evidence? Just Swear!
A word to Saiful, Tajol Rosli, Najib on all this swearing business: It is patently obvious that when all else fails (i.e. when you DON'T have evidence), you SWEAR!
mca74justice
Posted by mca7forjustice at 7:22 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Devolution Not Advancement (DNA) Bill!
Permatang Pauh shows that it is not about DSAI anymore. It is about realising that we as a nation is standing on the cusp of a new identity as a nation of Malaysians. It is about realising that we the citizens of Malaysia want justice to be done. It is about realising that the democratic institutions, and the people we elected into Parliament, do not abuse the powers entrenched in the system to victimise a single person. It is about realising that if the DNA bill gets passed in its present form, it is not just DSAI's human rights that will be trampled upon, but ANY of our human rights can be trampled upon willy-nilly by the supposedly democratic institutions that were set up to protect us! And this includes the human rights of any UMNO or MCA or MIC MPs or Senators that have run afoul of the elitist few that holds the power to yield the DNA sword!
Think: how incredible it is that the BN Government is so fearful of one man that they are willing to create a new law in an effort to snare him, after failing to get him to submit his DNA! Syed Hamid's denial that this is so despite it being so painfully obvious, once again makes the BN Government the laughing stock of the international community, lurching Malaysia towards Mugabe-style (mis)leadership!
Yes, this DNA Bill have shown that the Malaysian Parliament has Devolved Not Advanced ("DNA") as a transparent and accountable democratic institution!
mca74justice
Posted by mca7forjustice
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2 comments:
Desiderata,
Don't be conned bysome aspirant for post. If that fellow is still in BN government, do you thibk he will talk like NOW??
Pooooh daaa!!
donkey
koh:
there's a time for charity, and a time to bang 'em hard on the head or ball
today I'm kind and smiling
tomorrow, i don't know!
But share one story with ye and other ER (on recall, so minor errors forgift eh?):
A local paper reported Dr Chua SL, then Health Minister, as saying on his trip back to Ireland where he had a dialogue with Msian students there, saying:
A group of some 70 MARA-sponsored students having completed Medical studies, decided to stay put in UK, hence breaking their bond. Some RM1000million (hope I recall right!) was spent on them -- which worked out to be more than RM1mil per student.
So let's give credit to this ex-MCA minister -- he DARED to speak out eve when he wasa health (now Hell?) minister!:) OR :( ~~YL, Desi, knottyaAsusual
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