Of Siti Kasim’s middle finger and degree mills

Of Siti Kasim’s middle finger and degree mills

By Stephen Ng

If lawyer and activist, Siti Kasim’s middle-finger could get her in trouble, I am wondering why the case of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd a couple of years ago was simply dismissed as an “old story”.

And what is more puzzling is that a police officer of his rank could have a saving of A$320,000, when most of us are struggling just to make ends meet.

At RM2.89 to an Aussie Dollar, this is close to a million Ringgit and we have learnt that the Australian authority has rightfully frozen the account. For this, I do not understand why the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency has not carried out its own investigation into the source of wealth.

In the first place, how to explain why a police officer should have an Australian bank account? What is the source of the wealth accumulated by Wan Ahmad is a question I would like to ask the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohamad Fuzi Harun.

He personally oversees the police force and this includes both Wan Ahmad and the Officer-in-Charge of Criminal Investigation (OCCI) Selangor, Fadzil Ahmat who is allegedly behind the charges that Siti will face soon.

As a civilian, when I put the two things together, it just does not make sense at all. If one could be prosecuted for the middle-finger, thousands of other Malaysians, especially the road bullies, would have to face the same charges. Don’t our police have anything better to do, Sir? Wouldn’t that also take up precious court hours?

Now, between the middle-finger and the degree mills, I wonder which is more serious. MCA president, Wee Ka Siong has been harping on two cases, but I am equally curious where Wee received his doctorate from.

From his titles, Datuk Seri Ir. Dr. Wee Ka Siong is apparently an engineer. But how would he like it if people were to question the authenticity of his PhD?

Given that Wee has opened the Pandora box, the issues with fake degrees and titles are more widespread than what you can imagine. For example, there are many who claim to have titles like Datuk Seri or Dato’, but no one has ever checked the authenticity of these titles.

In recent years, it has become fashionable for our local politicians to obtain a doctorate degree from a particular university. How on earth were they conferred a doctorate degree? What is the significance of their research work towards the academia? Beyond the paper qualification, what is their level of academic achievement which is apparently missing the mark for some?

We do have a big problem here in Malaysia where there is a lack of personal and public integrity. It is mindboggling when people can say, “The Porsche is registered in my name but it is not mine”; for this, I think the Pakatan Harapan government under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has a lot of cleaning up to do.

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008. After May 9, 2018, he is now involved in contributing ideas towards rebuilding of the nation.

No Smoking Ban is Good for all

I don’t want to lose you, too!

By Stephen Ng 

I lost my father when he had just turned 66 years old.

A couple of years later, I also lost another close relative when he, too, died of lung cancer, while my children lost their nanny’s husband and their wonderful godfather due to this deadly disease that knows no mercy.

Fans of the once-popular Radio Four would also remember the late Kenny Lim, who used to phone in the talkshows, he too died of lung cancer in his early fifties. 

You can understand why I am saddened each time I hear someone is suffering from lung cancer. It is a matter of what stage he is in. There is hardly any cure for any of this cancer patient. 

This is why I appeal to the public to understand what the Ministry of Health is trying to achieve when they banned smoking in restaurants. This is an important milestone in Malaysia. It has taken 61 years to implement this new and very bold ruling.

It used to be that smokers could even smoke in the coaches. On my way to Penang back in the 80s, I remember sitting just beside a chain smoker. While I was trying to catch up with some sleep, he was puffing the whole night. 

We have come a long way. I urge the Opposition not to politicise every single move made by the new government. 

I also urge the Sarawak State Government to be sensible and implement without reservation the ‘No Smoking’ ban, instead of fighting it. Sarawak Housing and Local Government state exco, Dr Sim Kui Hian is also a doctor; he should know the deadly malady. 

After May 09, there appears to be too much opposition to everything good and bad done by Pakatan Harapan – reject the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), reject the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), and now, reject even the ‘No Smoking’ ban on restaurants. 

There are indeed some good initiatives that the Opposition should support such as the ‘No Smoking’ ban. Majority of the non-smokers support it; therefore, it would do more harm to the Opposition’s narrative if they fought it. 

And being one of those who gave the thumbs-up to both Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Lee Boon Chye for their stake-it-all initiative, I certainly do not want to lose any of my loved ones to cancer of the lungs.

And, you, too!

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008. After May 9, 2018, he is now involved in contributing ideas towards rebuilding of the nation.

END.

Stateless Child says 'Thank You' to those who have helped out

 

Photo credit: Malaysiakini

By Stephen Ng

In the midst of all the attacks on Pakatan Harapan, there are stories that would would not do justice if not being told.

I am writing on behalf of a stateless child who was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).

As SLE is a chronic inflammatory disease requiring long term and frequent treatment at the hospital, the family had to initially bear the cost of treatment as though she was a foreigner.

However, with the help of both Minister of Health, YB Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and his deputy, YB Dr Lee Boon Chye, and their special officers, Dr Pa and Dr Naja, respectively, the case was taken into consideration.

Although neither the family nor I have met Dr Pa and Dr Naja personally, they helped to get the girl's case solved. Knowing her plight, Dr Dzulkefly even donated to the family.

Several Members of Parliament also donated to the family, but now, thankfully, the child is treated like a local citizen. Even YB Ronnie Liu who is based in Sungai Pelek, tried to help the family in his own ways.

At the same time, Segambut MP YB Hannah Yeoh and her assistant Yap Yee Vonne also assisted in bringing the case of this constituent of theirs to the attention of Minister of Home Affairs YB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin so that application for her citizenship could be expedited. 

Unless her citizenship issue is solved, past 12 years old, the girl would not enjoy free medical treatment. She has to be warded nearly every month since she was diagnosed of SLE and if not for the help obtained from good politicians, the hospital bill has in fact hit some RM13,000. 

In the process of seeking more help for this case, I also wrote to YAB Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. Her personal assistant also wrote to both the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health to give the case a worthy consideration.

Since the child has a birth certificate which clearly stated that her father is a Malaysian, under the Financial Act, the child was to be treated like a citizen. With this letter from the Ministry of Health, the hospital administration has no problem treating the child. 

The family is now relieved that at least the frequent visits to the hospital would not become a financial burden to them. The girl still needs constant daily dietary such as proper nutrition and healthcare supplements.

On behalf of the child's family, I would like to thank all parties, including doctors at the pediatric rheumatology department, nurses and hospital administrators, who worked hard to help a child in need.

END.

Vigneswaran should be charged for breaching airport security

Photo credit: Malaysiakini

By Stephen Ng


SA Vigneswaran as the president of Dewan Negara need to know what rules are; therefore, I find it hard to believe that he would expect to be treated as a VVIP when he violated the KLIA's security protocol and dress etiquette.

Vigneswaran should know that people are watching his antics. If he is not a VVIP, at least he is a public figure.

This is not befitting a member and what's more the president of the Dewan Negara. If he were to do this in the United States of America, he would have been arrested by the Immigration officers.

The president of MIC should not behave arrogant especially since he is not even an elected member of the parliament. He is only appointed to the position, therefore, he does not enjoy the popularity.

With his behaviours, he is attracting more flak from the public and submit himself to the rule of law. As a matter of fact, he should be charged for the felony of breaching the security protocols.

Meanwhile, we need more ministers like Transport Minister, Anthony Loke who is willing to put his foot down on such misdemeanour if you consider this as only a minor wrongdoing.

VVIPs or VIPs should not be given as an excuse to breach the security protocols or dress etiquette at any official function or place.

Vigneswaran should try wearing a pair of thongs to the Dewan Negara and see if he would be thrown out by the parliament. Or, he should do the same walking into the palace to see if he would be treated like a mad man!

I applaud Loke for taking the bull by the horn. Vigneswaran should apologise not only to the Malaysia Airport Berhad authority, staff and the Transport Minister, but also to ALL MALAYSIANS who are watching as this drama unfold.

PH is looking in the wrong direction for support

By Stephen Ng

The Pakatan Government, especially component party Bersatu, needs to understand that the last general election was won with the support of a majority Chinese, Indian and East Malaysian votes.

Only 30% of the Malays voted for PH in the last general election. To therefore submit to the political narrative of the other 70% Malays who voted for Pas and Barisan Nasional is a big let down for the voters like me who helped to put PH in power.

Whether the PH remains in power in the next general election will depend largely on where the current supporters put their votes. With just a slight shift in the voting trend, PH can be thrown out of Putrajaya.

With such a precarious situation that PH is finding itself in, I find it hard to understand why it is still playing the old politics of trying to appease BN supporters at the expense of those who have supported PH.

When the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) was brought up, just some noise made by Umno Youth was enough for the spineless Education Minister Maszlee Malik to withhold the recognition under the pretext of doing a holistic study.

Now, the government is contemplating the ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).

It is yet to be seen if the PH government would go ahead to do what is right or it would bow to political pressure from the Opposition.

Many of us are shocked at how former Umno minister, Rais Yatim can now turn around and say that the Ketuanan Melayu was never in the federal constitution, and that it was only a "political battle cry".

Was he not one of those who pushed for the Ketuanan Melayu agenda to the point that it destroyed the country's social fabrics? 

Supposedly graduated with a PhD in law from the University of London, he was spiteful in the way he spoke to a reporter. This is obviously the attitude of a supremacist Malay, who should not have studied in Great Britain. 

If he could not respond to a question in English in the way many other ministers responded to journalists with decorum, he should have obtained his PhD from some universitas in Indonesia. It was unbecoming in the way he behaved when he was later appointed a minister of culture. 

In fact, what kind of culture did he represent with his (using his own words) mulut celupar? This is the Ketuanan Melayu that he was portraying all along.

  

It would have been a disaster had Rais been picked as the parliamentary speaker. I cannot imagine him speaking like this in the august house. The present speaker, Mohamad Arif Md Yusof is far more honourable.

Back to the PH manifesto. Surely anything that the PH government seeks to do, Umno or the lone ranger in MCA would create a ruckus. There will be demonstrations. After all, this is what Umno has been training its men and women to do.

Their objective, of course, is to create dissatisfaction of the rakyat towards Pakatan Harapan and to win back Putrajaya. PH will never (I repeat, will never) win these hardcore Umno and Pas supporters. Their intention is to derail the policy drawn out by PH.

But for many of us, it is unlikely that we would vote for Barisan Nasional at least in the next general election. We know that the moment BN is back, people like Najib Abdul Razak, Rosmah Mansor, Shafie Abdullah and their cronies would go scots free. The nation's wealth would be plundered again.

No, we won't vote for BN unless PH fails us in fulfilling the promises made in the manifesto. We won't vote for BN unless BN has reformed itself and proved to be more capable to run the country, this time with the help of men and women of integrity. The old hats cannot be trusted to run the country.


END.

Tan Keng Liang, think before you speak

Photo credit: Malaysiakini

By Stephen Ng

Gerakan Youth Chief, Tan Keng Liang appears to be bankrupt of ideas every time he speaks.

In his latest statement, he questioned if Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad would expose a letter from PAS Kelantan asking the Finance Ministry for money to pay the salaries of civil servants.

This has nothing to do with Gerakan, but Tan chose to pick a bone with Finance Minister, Lim Guan Eng.

I find this amusing. Lim had made a comment in passing when he responded to Kelantan MPs who wanted to know if the federal government would proceed with the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) should the Kelantan State Government come out with its fund.

Kelantan MPs took offence of his remark that the Kelantan State Government has no money even to pay the salaries of civil servants in the state.

As a member of the public, I would surely like to know whether the remark made by Lim holds water.

Lim did the right thing to read out the letter written by the Kelantan State Government to settle any lingering doubts about the statement he made in parliament.

After all, the letter was not stamped Official Secrets Act (OSA). It is a correspondence between the Kelantan State Government and the Federal Government.

So, why can't Lim provide evidence to back up what he said? And, why Tan should pick up the issue as though there are more important issues to address.

Grow up, Tan!

END.

Civil Servants Must be Polite at All Times

Source: https://mothership.sg/2015/10/man-takes-to-facebook-to-accuse-changi-airport-immigration-officer-of-infringing-his-rights/

By Stephen Ng


Comment: Reading the story about how an immigration officer treated a man who applied for a social visit pass extension for his pregnant Indonesian wife, I cannot help but recall an incident happening at the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore.

Although this incident happened about 10 years ago, I can still remember vividly the immigration officer who shares the same surname as mine.

It was very late at night, and I did not realise that I had walked into their auto-gate system, thinking that it was similar to the auto-gate system at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The immigration officer shouted at me rudely: "Do you think this is the auto-gate system in your country?" I retorted back: "Excuse me, Sir! Can you be a bit more polite?"
He took my passport away and went back to his office. I waited by the side while he checked my particulars on the computer system. It took some time before I called out to him, "Sir, is there anything wrong with my passport? If nothing, I want my passport back."

To my horror, the officer shouted at the top of his voice. Provoked by his rude behaviours, I told him off: "Sir, I will definitely be lodging a complaint against you for your rude behaviours. This I promise you!"

I took my passport and joined the queue.

On arrival home the next morning, I immediately wrote an email to the Immigration chief in Singapore. I also sent emails to the Minister of Home Affairs in Singapore as well as to the Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Syed Hamid Albar.

My Singaporean reporter friend advised me to also write to several Members of Parliament in Singapore, after he heard that the Immigration Office in Singapore had defended their officer.
He told me that the MPs in Singapore are very efficient. If any complaints to their attention, especially the Opposition Leader, things would move very fast. Unfortunately, I proved my friend wrong. Singaporean MPs are hopeless.

I finally sent an email to the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Hsien Loong and within 24 hours, I received a reply from his private secretary claiming that investigation had been carried out and the officer was not in the wrong.

Such was the response from the Prime Minister's office. I had no choice but to reply with the following words to the effect of saying: "Sir, if this had happened at Tullamarine Airport, the immigration officers there would have told me, 'Excuse me, Sir, but you are on a wrong queue.' This is the difference between a country where people are more polite, compared to a country with rough and rowdy immigration officers like Singapore."

I left it at that. This incident has given me a very negative impression of Singapore as a country that its people lack a sense of courtesy.

Another story showing the lack of culture in the immigration officers at Singapore Immigration & Checkpoints Authority.


END.