Aarvidi’s Weblog

Tiong and Bung to lead BN backbenchers

The ruling party Barisan Nasional is running short of parliamentarians who can be effective in Parliament. Surely they can get better people than Bintulu representative  Tiong King Sing and the famous bocor  Kinabatangan representative Bung Mokhtar Radin. Both are tainted men and should keep quiet in Parliament, or else they are going get a mouth full from Pakatan Rakyat candidates. Both are selected to be leading the government backbenchers. Imagine the ruckus every time either on of them stands up to argue, and hearing words like ’sudah-lah PKFS or sudah-lah bocor’; these can be embarrassing to the government. Demeaning and degrading are too mild statements that can be employed to categorise these worthless upstarts.

If it is any consolation the Jasin MP Datuk Mohd Said Yusuf the one eyed pirate is not around. Badawi had enough of him. 

I don’t know if they are the best among the ruling party, and if this is so, they are angels compared to the rest -  track records of the rest must be even worst. Any how Question Time will be televised and you can see these two jumping around.

Just to give you a sample the antics of bocor man - he must be leaking from every pore, view this video. YouTube will have many more on Tiong and Bung as we go along. They look like Laurel and Hardy, the comedians alright.

More on this in The Malaysian Bar.   

Tiong and Bung to lead BN backbenchers

Andrew Ong | Apr 19, 08 6:47pm

Fireworks in Parliament is almost guaranteed with the election of two colourful Barisan Nasional MPs to lead the government backbenchers.
During a Barisan MPs retreat today, its backbenchers elected Bintulu rep Tiong King Sing as their leader. His deputy is Kinabatangan rep Bung Mokhtar Radin.
A three-term MP, Tiong, 47, achieved a milestone as the first Chinese to ever lead the BN BackBenchers Club (BBC).
Tiong may be known to Sarawakians as a very outspoken MP in Parliament, but he was coy today when quizzed by reporters on his new role.
“Wait for me to be sworn in first,” he pleaded to reporters.
Nevertheless, he appeared undaunted about his task in leading fellow backbenchers against an unprecedentedly large opposition bench.
“As long as each of us do our duties, we’ll be fine,” said Tiong, who is also Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party treasurer and Youth chief.
Bung Mokhtar, also a three-term MP, was more open to questions. He foresees a “big challenge” ahead as deputy Barisan BBC chair.
“Its going to be a big responsibility to assist the government and the prime minister. We have to play our role and ensure a stable government,” said Bung Mokhtar, who is Umno Kinabatangan division chief.
Controversial characters
The choice of Tiong and Bung Mokhtar to lead the club, however, is bound to raise eyebrows among certain quarters due to past incidents.
For starters, Tiong is a director of a company involved with the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) controversy. The multi-billion ringgit controversy is bound to be raised by opposition MPs in the upcoming Parliamentary session.
The Bintulu MP also gave Sarawak Police a ‘black eye’ with his disclosure last year over the gangster issue in the state.
Bung Mokhtar, on the other hand, is known for the many controversial remarks he had said in Parliament. This includes the infamous ‘bocor’ incident, use of the ‘F’ word and quipping that opposition veteran Karpal Singh was ‘about to die’.
“What is in the past is in the past. We have to look forward now… it’s not only me, even (DAP leader Lim) Kit Siang said some bad things,” said Bung Mokhtar to a question relating to this.
Even with his new role, Bung Mokhtar promised his constituents that he will continue to be very outspoken on their behalf.
“Its going to be like before. I’ll raise issues involving the public interest,” he added.
Malaysia’s 12th Parliament will be in session starting April 28.

Tiong and Bung to lead BN backbenchers

Powerful corporate interests penetrate Penang local councils

Just got a text message from an unhappy political scientist friend, who forwarded to me an sms that he had sent to a DAP rep in Penang:

People not happy with councillors appoint & list. old wine in new bottle. expect you guys to deliver your promises during election.

Also received another email from a concerned Penangite. Interesting that he also describes it as “old wine in new bottle”:

now that the MPPP & MPSP councillors lists are out, I’m sure many of us are NOT happy ——- personally I think it is just old wine in new bottle, especially treating the political appointments as consolation for those left out in the election and also having the ADUNs doubling up as councillors as well.

isn’t it time the civil society rise up once again to make our displeasure and disappontment heard by the new state gov, to let them know loud and clear that this is a very bad move by them, and to remind them their promises during the run-up to the last GE?

There is a certain degree of dissatisfaction on the ground on this issue of appointments of councillors - although many are prepared to give the DAP-PKR a bit more time to get their act together and work towards local democracy. But that patience could wear thin if no progress is made in this direction - and the honeymoon period could end sooner than we think.

There can be no compromise on this issue. The Pakatan leaders have to get cracking and give us a quick timeline or roadmap on their path to local council elections. After all, it was a major campaign pledge in Penang. And the longer it is delayed, the more disenchantment will brew among those who voted for PR.

We don’t want to be stuck with the same system of rewarding party loyalists by appointing them to local councils. That’s the BN style, and people expect the Pakatan to be different and to restore local democracy - pronto. They have to start finding ways and means of overcoming the legal hurdles and move in that direction quickly.

I just want to add that when the DAP mentioned that ten NGO representatives would be included in the two municipals, I did not think that the term “NGOs” would encompass representatives from the various Chambers of Commerces. So I was taken aback to see that these business representatives outnumber the traditional civil society representatives. Out of the seven “NGO” reps actually appointed to the councils on the island and on the mainland, five represent business and corporate interests. In the Seberang Perai council, all three “NGO” reps are from commerce and industry: the Chinese and Indian Chambers of Commerce and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers. On the island, the remaining two reps are from the Malay and Chinese Chambers of Commerce.

These Chamber reps represent powerful business and corporate interests and not the interests of the ordinary person on the streets. One single rep from a Chamber of Commerce carries the backing of not just a single company but a whole battalion of business and corporate interests.

Many of the battles that the local councils will have to engage in are likely to pit them against corporate interests (including property developers) infringing on the rights of ordinary people or degrading the environment. Local councillors will also have to grapple with promoting accountability in the award of contracts and alienation of state land and gauge whether these deals would really be in the people’s interest. How can they do that easily when they have vested interests in their ranks? Wouldn’t this give rise to cases of conflict of interest?

We have already witnessed the terrible degradation of the environment and the land scams in Penang - largely as a result of business and corporate greed. So whose vested interests will these Chamber of Commerce reps in the local councils uphold - business/corporate interests or the people’s interests? No prizes for guessing.

That said, I am pleased to see Lim Kah Cheng and Prof Francis Loh among the ranks of the councillors. I ‘m sure they will want to push through some meaningful reforms, and I wish them well.

The clock starts ticking for the Pakatan Rakyat state and local government. True, the people tolerated the BN’s nonsense of appointments of party loyalists to local councils for decades. But the PR pledged to restore local government elections - and so they have a much shorter time frame to prove that they can deliver. They have to show they are working on a quick time frame - and not wait until just before the next general election to make the right noises.

Give the councils back to the people - not to corporate interests and not to political appointees.

Powerful corporate interests penetrate Penang local councils « anilnetto.com

She has resigned. Will there be a domino effect causing others in MIC to follow. We will have to wait and see

SUNGAI PETANI: Ketua Puteri MIC Kedah, S Sarala, 36, hari ini melepaskan jawatan itu yang disandangnya sejak enam tahun lalu bagi memberi tumpuan terhadap kegiatan kebajikan.
Beliau yang menghubungi Berita Harian berkata, peletakan jawatan itu tidak dipengaruhi mana-mana pihak sebaliknya mahu memberi tumpuan terhadap kerja kebajikan dan pembabitannya dalam pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO), termasuk Persatuan Wanita, Ibu Tunggal dan Warga Emas kaum India yang ditubuhkannya sendiri sejak dua minggu lalu.

“Surat peletakan jawatan sebagai Ketua Puteri MIC Kedah sudah saya faks ke pejabat Presiden MIC, Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu dan Ketua Puteri Pusat petang ini. Terpulanglah kepada mereka sama ada mahu menerimanya atau tidak.
Pengerusi MIC Kedah, Datuk V Saravanan ketika dihubungi berkata, beliau terkejut mendengar berita itu selain tidak tahu mengenai hasrat Sarala kerana perkara itu tidak dimaklumkan kepadanya.
“Sepatutnya beliau perlu memaklumkan kepada saya, Ketua Puteri Pusat serta presiden parti terdahulu kerana jawatannya itu dilantik oleh Samy Vellu sendiri,” katanya.

Berita Harian Online

Sorry or no sorry - a picture speaks a thousand words.

The height of irresponsibility! 29 MPs did not submit parliamentary questions! « I am a MalaysianThe height of irresponsibility! 29 MPs did not submit parliamentary questions! « I am a Malaysian

Donations wanted for 29 hot water bottles to be supplied to the good 29 MPs who think asking questions in Parliament is a waste of time. The 29 hot water bottles will make them even more happy.

The height of irresponsibility! 29 MPs did not submit parliamentary questions!

April 18, 2008 by ewoon

“I am glad of all details, whether they seem to you to be relevant or not.” - Sherlock Holmes

The headline above was the title of the email i received from my cyberbuddy, Sherlock, out of the blue.

Sherlock don’t usually write me but when he does it’s usually about a matter of great import. And i agree with him that when 29 out of our 222 Members of Parliament did not submit their parliamentary questions recently it sure is A MATTER OF GREAT IMPORT - AND CONCERN!

It is definitely the height of irresponsibility!

W … T … F …!!! i screamed (in my head.) This cannot do … what was this bunch of idiots thinking? Don’t they know their first and most important responsibility as members of parliament?

Sherlock was absolutely spot on when he titled his email the way he did. i will go one further. i will expose these sluggards and give them a dress down so bad they’ll remember never ever to repeat the same mistake in future. And for those MPs wannabes, to serve as an example of what-not-to-do.

Hey, you, MPs of the most slothful kind, what were your motives in standing for your parliamentary seats election during the just completed 12th General Election?

If your collective answer is ‘to serve your respective constituencies’ then you must be the biggest LIARS in town. Not submitting your parliamentary questions - not even one for the maiden session? - is hardly indicative of your passion to want to serve, izzit?

No excuse. You should all resign from your MPships and be happy with your life-long pensions. Heck, the rakyat has to bear this burden for the rest of your lives, too, right?

We do not need seat warmers in Parliament. We do not need people who are there for the position and perks and insist on being addressed as YBs wherever they may appear. We do not need slimeballs/ovarians in the august house. We do not need opportunists, period. Get out if you have any dignity!

Parliamentary questions are where MPs prove their salt. The more penetrating questions they bring to the table the more we’ll know our MPs truthfully understand the problems that are besieging the rakyat and country. The more penetrating they are the more the people who are in positions of responsibility will be kept on their toes!

Not even one question?

Why, if national issues are beyond you, then ask lah why the roads, drains, rubbish, street lights or traffic lights are ‘out of order’ in your constituency! But then again, if you are only capable of such questions, then you should move your asses to the local councils instead of park yourselves in Parliament. On second thought, no, you should just give up altogether and crawl back into the hole where you emerged from.

i am so hot under the collar you won’t believe it. Especially with those MPs from Pakatan Rakyat. There are two names in particular whom i am especially peeved with. i shall not name them but you’ll have to do your detective work in this blog for i, and numerous others out there, have given time and energy to help ‘promote’ them to be where they are now. As for me, i could have kicked myself.

MPs who do not submit questions are akin to blur sotongs. Besides not knowing their jobs they are also devoid of ideas. For no ideas equate with no vision. And that’s a dangerous position to be in when you are supposedly law makers.

When one also cannot tell a good law from a bad one, what makes one thinks one knows which one to throw out and which one to vote in, let alone come up with new ones to keep up with the times? (A shiver just ran down my spine. Just hope it’s not a forewarning of ominous events to come.)

The guilty Pakatan Rakyat MPs should be taken to task by their leaders for this dire dereliction of duty. If the government-in-waiting wants further mass support to invoke “change for the better” this dream just cannot happen when you operate in this kind of no-questions vacuum. Clueless MPs, i would think, would be liabilities rather than strengths to their party, constituents and country.

i call upon DS Anwar Ibrahim of PKR and YB Lim Kit Siang of DAP (yes YB, you do have a delinquent prominent academician in your midst) to do the needful and quickly correct the situation before the rakyat wise up to this height of irresponsibility. The damage could be irreparable.

Notice something? i did not mention YB Tuan Guru DS Haji Hadi Awang of PAS. Why, PAS MPs names were not in the dirty list. Not one. Says a lot about the quality of PAS MPs, huh?

At this point, let me also raise a few questions that have been bugging me of late. i hope to be enlightened by the knowledgeable readers who do read my blog:

• Is there a difference between an NGO and a poitician?
• Do NGOs make good politicians?
• Does an NGO know how to shake off his or her NGO’s ‘mentality’ once he or she becomes a Member of Parliament?

i admit these are not easy questions to answer.

i guess the closest one can get to answering them would largely depend on whether one is still drooling with mother’s milk from the corner of one’s mouth or one has graduated to the single-malt hard stuff, or, if one truly knows the difference between masturbation and real sex.

Alright, alright! i know you have been dying for the list of 29 MPs who didn’t see it fit to submit their parliamentary questions recently. Here goes …

1. Abd. Rahman bin Bakri - Sabak Bernam - BN
2. Datuk Haji Wahab bin Haji Dolah - Igan - BN
3. Dato’ Dr Abdullah bin Md Zin - Besut - BN
4. Ahmad Lai bin Bujang - Sibuti - BN
5. Datuk Anifah bin Aman @ Haniff Amman - Kimanis - BN
6. Abit Joo Hulu - Rajang - BN
7. Ding Kuong Hiing - Sarikei - BN
8. Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin bin Mohd Jarjis - Rompin - BN
9. Dato’ Dr James Dawos Mamit - Mambong - BN
10. Dato’ Seri Mohd Radzi bin Sheikh Ahmad - Kangar - BN
11. Dato’ Sri Muhammad Leo Michael Toyad Abdullah - Mukah - BN
12. Dato’ Seri Rafidah binti Aziz - Kuala Kangsar - BN
13. Datuk Dr Tekhee @ Tiki Anak Lafe Mas - Gading - BN
14. William @ Nyallau Anak Badak Lubok - Antu - BN
15. Datuk Haji Yusoff Bin Mahal - Labuan - BN
16. Charles Anthony a/l R Santiago - Klang - DAP
17. Er Teck Hwa - Bakri - DAP
18. Hiew King Cheu - Kota Kinabalu - DAP
19. John a/l Fernandez - Seremban - DAP
20. Prof Dr P Ramasamy a/l Palanisamy - Batu Kawan - DAP
21. Abdullah Sani bin Abdul Hamid - Kuala Langat - PKR
22. Haji Ahmad Kassim - Kuala Kedah - PKR
23. Chua Tian Chang - Batu - PKR
24. Gobalakrishnan a/l Nagapan - Padang Serai - PKR
25. Dato’ Kamarul Baharin Abbas - Telok Kemang - PKR
26. Manikavasagam A/L Sundaram - Kapar - PKR
27. Dato’ Rashid Bin Din - Merbok - PKR
28. William Leong Jee Keen - Selayang - PKR
29. Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Bin Ahmad - Hulu Selangor - PKR

The height of irresponsibility! 29 MPs did not submit parliamentary questions! « I am a Malaysian