There is so much focus on halal services and products in Malaysia. For instance, we have halal eateries, Islamic Banking and so on. We would expect service providers especially utility services to be ethical and following the teachings of Islam. However, this is not the case under the rule of BN. SYABAS is corrupted during the rule of BN and my Muslim friends, the water that you all have been drinking are non-halal. Pray for forgiveness my Muslim friends. SYABAS during the rule of BN had all these years voided your prayers when you took water to wash your hands and feet!

Syabas breaches contract
by Maria J. Dass

PETALING JAYA (Jan 30, 2009): An audit of Selangor’s water concessionaire operations has revealed that the company had breached several important terms of the 30-year concession agreement, and the state government is using this to press for the lucrative contract to be terminated.

It is learnt Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) – owned by Puncak Niaga (70% share) and state investment arm Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd (30%) – had failed to comply fully with the requirement for contracts to be awarded on an open tender basis.

Sources said the audit showed that more than 72% of contracts worth a total of RM600 million were awarded to selected companies via direct negotiations and only 25% via competitive open tender, which clearly violates the agreement.

In addition, the audit also found more than RM325 million in discrepancy between the summary of contracts awarded in 2005, 2006 and 2007 and Syabas’s review document (referring to general accounts).

The audit was a requirement before the company could be allowed to implement a tariff hike scheduled for Jan 1 this year. That has since been deferred as the Pakatan Rakyat state government is still in negotiations with the federal government on management of water assets and related issues.

Syabas’s concession agreement was signed between the federal and state governments and Puncak Niaga.

theSun learnt the state has written a letter to the ministry asking for the concession agreement to be terminated.

This is not the first time the question of breaches in the contract was brought up.

In June 2005, then energy, water and communications minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik announced that Syabas had breached the water privatisation concession by using imported pipes from Indonesia for its RM375 million pipe replacement project in the Klang Valley instead of sourcing them locally.

He had produced several photographs as proof that Syabas had used pipes manufactured by an Indonesian company, PT Growth.

Lim himself had then demanded for transparency.

“This breach of contract is grounds for termination,” a state official pointed out.

Lim had at that time questioned Syabas’s move in appointing a local company to procure the pipes when a special committee comprising officials from his ministry and the Finance Ministry had yet to approve the tender. It is not known what came out of Lim’s public statement.

Aside from the breach of contract issue, questions are also being raised over the RM51.2 million spent to renovate the Syabas office when the Selangor Water Regulatory Department (JKAS) only approved RM23.2 million for this in 2005. The audit review found that Syabas had failed to comply with the requirement as approved by JKAS.

At the heart of this tussle over the water contract is the state government’s desire to see water tariff kept low to benefit the people of Selangor. When it came to power, among the first things the new administration did was to give free water up to 20 cubic metres a month.

In December last year, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor had said that according to the concession agreement, water tariff in Putrajaya, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur was to be increased by 31% by January this year but the hike has been deferred to March 31 to allow the state government to restructure the water industry in Selangor.

Shaziman said the 30-year concession agreement (from Jan 1, 2005 to Dec 31, 2034) could be revoked and the water tariff could be restructured after the assets had been handed over to Pengurusan Aset Air Bhd (PAAB) which is under the Finance Ministry.

Selangor, however, wants PAAB to allow the state to manage its own resources to ensure consumers pay a fair price without having to put up with scheduled hikes as per the agreement.

Under the agreement, consumers face more water tariff hikes until 2034. The next hike of 25% is scheduled for 2012, followed by a 20% hike in 2015, a 10% hike in 2019 and a 5% hike on 2021, 2024, 2027 and 2030.

Negotiations between Puncak Niaga and the Selangor government are still under way with the state looking for a deal which will benefit the public in the long run whereas Puncak Niaga as a public-listed company is looking for the best value for its shareholders.

Speculation is that the concessionaire is looking at beyond RM6 billion, based on capital expenditure and exit value. The matter will also be discussed at the Selangor state economic council (MTES) meeting today.

Updated: 02:49AM Fri, 30 Jan 2009
The Sun

Kong Hee Fatt Choy, Pak Lah PDF Print E-mail
Posted by admin
Monday, 26 January 2009 12:09

Image

Today, to celebrate Chinese New Year, RPK sends his second open letter to Pak Lah, which touches on the problem of police brutality and the vote of no confidence against Najib in the recent Kuala Terengganu by-election.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi
Prime Minister of Malaysia
Prime Minister’s Office
Main Block
Perdana Putra Building
Federal Government Administrative Centre
62502 Putrajaya
MALAYSIA

Dear Pak Lah,

Kong Hee Fatt Choy, Pak Lah. I trust this second open letter finds you in good health. I was told by a reliable source that you read my first open letter . So I thought, since this appears to be the only way to reach you, I would send you a second open letter. I truly hope you get to read this one as well.

Sorry I was not able to also send you my Selamat Hari Raya Puasa wishes. It is not that Chinese New Year is more important than Hari Raya. During Hari Raya Puasa I was in the Kamunting Detention Centre, courtesy of your government. So, I sort of missed Hari Raya, if you know what I mean. But I believe my friends did attend your open house at the PWTC to send you Hari Raya wishes on my behalf, wearing ‘Free RPK’ T-shirts, much to the chagrin of the police who summoned them to the police station later for their ‘statements to be recorded’.

In the past I used to be sad if I was ever away from the family on Hari Raya, not that it happened too often. Even rough and tough Malaysian soldiers serving overseas cry on Hari Raya, so I was told. So it’s not lack of macho that makes you sad when parted from the family on Hari Raya. This time, however, anger overcame my sadness. Instead of being sad, I decided to ‘boycott’ Hari Raya. Maybe anger is a stronger emotion. Anyway, I did not celebrate the recent Hari Raya Haji as well, though I had already been released from detention by then. I have sort of shut out Hari Raya from my mind and have convinced myself that the festival does not exist. I think, from now on, Hari Raya no longer means anything to me.

I suppose this is very useful considering the Attorney General is appealing the Shah Alam High Court decision of releasing me from ISA detention. The government’s appeal will be heard in the Federal Court in Putrajaya on 11 February 2009 and if the Federal Court allows the appeal then I will be sent back to Kamunting to serve my two-year detention order. So it is necessary that I continue being angry and not get sad about things like being under detention during Hari Raya. Anger makes you strong to resist the powers-that-be. Sadness weakens you.

I really don’t know if the Federal Court will uphold the Shah Alam High Court’s decision to free me. If it does, well and good. But if it overturns that decision then you better get ready for a bloody fight, Pak Lah. Sure, the government can ‘legally’ send me back to Kamunting. But I shall be going back there screaming and kicking. The government is going to see a fight never before seen in the history of the almost 50 years of the ISA. And this is no threat. It is a promise. And, as I said, anger is an extremely powerful emotion, which can make you move mountains.

Anyway, that is not the purpose of this open letter. What I want to talk about today is with regards to the current controversy swamping this country, in particular the police brutality issue. This is actually not something new. It has been going on since before Merdeka. When I was a teenager in the 1960s I have personally witnessed and experienced many incidences of police beatings. Your late wife Endon’s brother, Osman, can testify to this. When I got my motorcycle licence at the age of 15 in 1965, my first bike ride was with Osman. I fetched him from your house in Bellamy Road and we went to Jackie’s Bowl in Jalan Ampang and got high on weed all night long.

You see, Pak Lah, in those days we used to sport long hair and wear tight trousers and the police somehow became very upset with this ‘fashion statement’. The police would push a bottle down our trousers and if it could not fall to our feet then we would get beaten up. The same applied to our hair. If it dropped over our forehead or touched our ears we would get beaten up as well. So imagine what we had to go through in the 1960s since we had long hair and wore tight trousers. As I said, Osman, the brother of your late wife, can tell you more about this as we used to run in the same pack.

One night in 1965, while waiting at a bus stop along Jalan Ampang (in front of the El Chico next to the AIA building), a few of us — Tun Dr Siti Hasmah’s nephew, Azlan Aziz, included — were picked up by the police. Our only ‘crime’ was that we were sitting at the bus stop. The police took us to the High Street Police Station and we were all asked to line up to witness the police beating up a Chinese youth. They beat him real bad and he was coughing blood. I don’t know if he died after that but I would not want to put my money on whether he survived.

It became so bad that whenever we saw the police we would run away. We actually became quite good at it. For example, once, about ten of us were sitting on our bikes in front of the HKL and a police van stopped and about a dozen police jumped out. We leaped on our bikes and managed to escape just as the police were within an arms-length from us. They pursued us along Jalan Tun Razak with little success. Our bike numbers were on the top-ten list of the police’s ‘most wanted’ but they never caught us. We knew if they did they would beat the shit out of us so it was definitely an ‘incentive’ for us to never get caught.

That was how it was back in the 1960s and, trust me, it has not changed one bit. The police still beat the shit out of you if you ever find yourself in the most unfortunate situation of ending up in their lockup. In fact, your Director of the CID, Bakri Zinin, once beat me up in March 2001 in front of my wife and six other detainees and about a dozen police personnel.

My only ‘crime’ was that I had walked into the Dang Wangi Police Station. I had not committed any crime or was under arrest. I had, on my own accord, walked into the police station and Bakri Zinin happened to be in the mood to beat someone up. So he beat me up. After he beat me up he arrested me and kept me overnight in the lockup under no charges whatsoever. That is how your police operate. And these are all Muslims, mind you. I bet they even pray five times a day and their wives wear tudongs. Now do you know why I am most unkind to Muslims? Many are hypocrites of the highest degree.

I know you tried to implement the IPCMC but were prevented from doing so. And the reason you are not able to implement the IPCMC is because the police, whom represent the major portion of postal voters, threatened to vote opposition if you do. (IPCMC: Police threaten to vote for the Opposition).

In the March 2008 general election, the opposition needed only 300,000 more votes to form the federal government. Therefore, if the postal votes had gone to the opposition, Barisan Nasional would have been out of power. To ensure that the postal votes remained with Barisan Nasional you succumbed to the threats and agreed to compromise on the IPCMC.

In that sense, Pak Lah, you are indirectly responsible for the continuing problem of police brutality. What the police are doing is your fault. This is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog and not the dog wagging the tail. Maybe you would like to reconsider your decision on the IPCMC and demonstrate to the nation that you, and not the police, are running this country.

While on the subject of the police, let it be known that the police managed to reduce Pakatan Rakyat’s majority in the recent Kuala Terengganu by-election from more than 7,000 votes to a mere 2,631. And I have this on video if you would like to see the evidence. You know that the opposition’s majority in the Kuala Terengganu by-election was much higher than 2,631. And I am sure this is troubling you to no end. And I am equally sure you know that this is because the people do not want Najib Tun Razak to take over as Prime Minister in March. As much as you may try to deny this you know I am spot on.

At 3.00pm on Polling Day, the police set up ten roadblocks and no one in town could get out nor those outside town could get in. Kuala Terengganu was totally cordoned off and the traffic jams were so massive that the town was reduced to a gridlock. I was arguing with the police at three different locations and, as I said, I have this on video. At one roadblock, when the police told me that this was ‘arahan dari atas’, I responded by saying that ‘kalau orang atas bodoh dan kita ikut arahan tersebut maka kita juga bodoh’. You should have seen the police stare at me. They looked like they wanted to kill me.

By 4.00pm, voting almost ground to a halt and the 74% voter turnout troubled me. 74% was too low, and since the SPR had announced earlier that morning that the voter turnout was going to be 80%, I was worried that this would mean another 6% or so were going to be ‘phantom voters’. True enough, an hour later, when polling ended, the voter turnout jumped to 81%. It was later ‘adjusted’ to 79%. This means 5% to 7% additional votes came in, although no one was voting any longer. This represents about 5,000 votes or thereabouts.

Say what you like, the opposition not only won the Kuala Terengganu by-election, but it won with a larger majority. And this was in spite of Najib and his wife campaigning fulltime in Terengganu and the RM500 million that was committed to the by-election effort. No doubt RM400 million was spent indirectly when Najib launched the special investment fund. Nevertheless, this RM400 million was still for purposes of the by-election and no one can deny this.

Mind you, the RM500 million is just my conservative estimate. It could be more. But it still makes the Kuala Terengganu by-election the most expensive by-election in Malaysian history and yet Barisan Nasional lost, whether it was by 2,631 votes or 7,631 votes. The police air-conditioned tents alone came to RM10 million. The food, at about RM50 to RM60 per day per person over three weeks, came to another RM10 million. Then there was the outstation allowance and so on. I estimate the cost of stationing 8,000 police personnel in Kuala Terengganu over three weeks at about RM25 million to RM30 million. And it could actually be more considering the normal ‘leakages’ in government expenditure.

Then there are the many free dinners and the RM300 to RM1,000 ‘Ang Pows’ for the 80,000 or so voters. Even the press people received RM300 Ang Pows each, though none were offered to the Bloggers, for whatever reason I do not know.

Are you happy, Pak Lah, that Najib spent about RM500 million in the most expensive by-election in Malaysian history and Barisan Nasional still lost? How does this reflect on the confidence the people have in Najib? Do you know that the ‘battle-cry’ in the Kuala Terengganu by-election was the song ‘Najib Altantuya Mongolia’ sung to the tune ‘When the Saints Come Marching in’? Young Malays from the kampong who you would least expect to know this ‘Christian’ song were singing this song.

Yes, say what you like, the Kuala Terengganu by-election was not a by-election. It was a vote of no confidence against Najib. And it was the Malays who voted against Najib — and young Malays at that, Malays from the kampong. Did not Musa Hitam and Ghafar Baba, both one-time Deputy Prime Ministers, say that Umno’s strength is in the rural areas and that Umno needs to gain the support of the kampong Malays to stay in power? Well, the kampong Malays have spoken on 21 January 2009 in the Kuala Terengganu by-election. I am just not sure whether you heard them; that’s all. If you did not then I am telling you now. The young Malays from the kampong have said no to Najib. Do you still want to ignore this message and doom Umno to the political graveyard?

There is much more I need to tell you but allow me to end my open letter here, for the meantime. I now need to go attend the PKR Chinese New Year open house in Kelang and go hassle Anwar Ibrahim on this Anti-ISA thing that I want the five Pakatan Rakyat states to commit themselves to.

Till we talk again, take care, as there are many surrounding you with daggers drawn — which makes Julius Caesar’s predicament a picnic by comparison. Is it not ironical that in your present situation you can trust your enemies more than your friends? Anyway, once again, Kong Hee Fatt Choy, Pak Lah.

Yours truly,

Raja Petra Al Haj Bin Raja Kamarudin

Previous posting: An open letter to Pak Lah (https://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/16470/84/ )

http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=29617
Second post-mortem results very different: lawyer
Charles Ramendran

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 29, 2009): The second post-mortem carried out on lock-up detainee A. Kugan who died in police custody last week is said to differ significantly in its findings.

Lawyer N.Surendran, who is representing the family of the deceased, said today the post-mortem report was not comprehensively ready as several tests are still being done.

He declined to reveal details of the preliminary findings of the post-mortem except that it was significantly different from that conducted initially at the Serdang Hospital soon after Kugan’s death.

He said the report will be submitted to the relevant authorities when it is ready.

Earlier, Surendran and Kapar MP S.Manikavasagam lodged a police report at the Brickfields police headquarters against Selangor police chief DCP Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar for allegedly making inaccurate and false statements to the media pertaining to the case.

Manikavasagam said Khalid’s allegations of trespass and tampering of the body by the family and others who turned up at the mortuary the day Kugan died were untrue.

He said he had proof in the form of a CD and had showed the video footage to the investigating officer who is probing the report lodged by a mortuary attendant at the hospital.

“The investigating officer came to my office to record a statement from me earlier today and he was shocked on seeing the video footage. It clearly showed a hospital attendant opening the doors and gesturing to us to enter the place to see the body. There was neither any forcible entry nor did anyone threaten hospital authorities or tamper with the body.

The investigating officer agreed with me that no offence of trespass had been committed,” he said.

Surendran also expressed regret over media reports today which quoted Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar labelling Kugan a criminal and that he should not be made a hero.

“Kugan’s family is upset over this statement. As a minister, he should be more familiar with the law. A suspect is presumed innocent until proven otherwise and Kugan did not have any criminal record nor was he ever charged in court,” said Surendran.

He also said Syed Hamid Albar’s other statement that raising such issues could spark racial unrest and hence should be avoided did not make any sense as it appears that only he was getting racial over the matter.

“Such incidents are happening to dozens regardless of race and that’s what we are concerned about. Everybody regardless of race is concerned over this incident,” said Surendran.

Manikavasagam said it was the police who turned Kugan into a hero by their actions.

“The police should be protecting and if they need to take action then charge the suspect in the court of law,” said Manikavasagam.

Updated: 07:34PM Thu, 29 Jan 2009

http://www.itis.com.my

So, Malaysians, take heed of what this stupid Encik Syed Hamid Albar said. Since the police killed Kugan and are killers, they are criminals because killers are criminals. Since the police were heroes once, they shouldn’t be regarded as heroes anymore.

Home Minister: Don’t regard criminals as heroes

Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar discuss with IGP,
Tan Sri Musa Hassan during the press conference
PUTRAJAYA (Jan 28, 2009): The people should not regard criminals as heroes and the police who enforce the law as demons, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said today.

Speaking in general terms, he said no one was above the law and action would be taken against those who broke the law, even if it was the police.

“We will not conceal the facts,” he told reporters at his office.

Syed Hamid said he was not linking his statement with the death of car theft suspect A. Kugan who had died while in police custody at the Taipan police station in Subang Jaya on Jan 20.

“I am not pinpointing anybody,” the minister stressed.

He explained that police had detained three suspects including Kugan following investigations into 19 cases of vehicle theft and armed robbery.

The minister also asked the people not to politicise the investigation into Kugan’s death, saying it would make the police task more difficult.

“They must talk of the case based on facts and not assumptions,” he said.

Kugan, 22, who was detained on Jan 15 at the Taipan police station on suspicion of being involved in the theft of luxury cars in Sungai Chua, Kajang, had died while being questioned.

Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar had said a post-mortem found that Kugan had died due to fluid in his lungs but Kugan’s family sought a second post-mortem, insisting that Kugan had died of injuries.

Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said later that Kugan’s death had been classified as murder.

A second post-mortem on Kugan was done.

The police are investigating Kugan’s death and the results are expected to be known soon. — Bernama

Updated: 08:22PM Wed, 28 Jan 2009

Well, UMNO, you guys are so adamant about putting road signs in Chinese.  Well, this MALAY girl here speaks Mandarin.  Perhaps you guys should shoot her down for learning this language.

Sunday January 25, 2009

The Star’s very own ‘truly Asian’ girls

By YUEN MEIKENG

Year of the ox – Part 1
Year of the ox – Part 2
Year of the ox – Part 3

PETALING JAYA: Many people stop and stare when Noorsila Abdul Majid and Rashitha Abdul Hamid talk to each other. The two can let fly with a torrent of fluent Mandarin.

But for the two journalists in The Star, it is simply part of who they are.

Feng shui talks: Hosts Noorsila (centre) and Rashitha interviewing Yap in Mandarin at Studio V recently.

Noorsila, a Galaxie magazine journalist, said: “Many Malays ‘doubt’ my Malay roots and ask me ‘You Cina kah?’ (Are you Chinese?)”.

But it’s not just the Malays. The bubbly 38-year-old also gets the same reaction from her Chinese acquaintances. She said she learnt the language after studying at Chinese-medium primary and secondary schools with her sister.

“People on the street would also look at my sister and me with raised eyebrows when they overhear us talking in Mandarin,” said Noorsila, who is also fluent in Cantonese.

She added both of them were so used to speaking to each other in the language that they chose to stick with it until today.

However, Noorsila, who is of Malay, Chinese and Indian descent, embraces her muhibah (united) identity and is proud to be truly Malaysian.

Crime reporter Rashitha, who went to SJK Chung Hwa in Klang, said her ability to speak and understand various languages proved to be an advantage for her, especially at work.

“Some interviewees are not comfortable speaking in Malay or English. It really helps to know many languages because I can still converse with them in a language they prefer,” said the 25-year-old, who also speaks Mandarin, Hokkien, Tamil and Malayalam.

Rashitha, who is of Indian-Pakistani parentage, has encountered many people who were surprised to hear her shift from one language to another with such ease.

“I was dubbed as ‘a truly Asian girl’ by my friends because I know so many languages,” she laughed.

Rashitha is also no stranger to Chinese New Year. She celebrates the festival with her best friends from school every year.

“I will join them for the reunion dinner. I make sure that I never miss it,” she added.

Noorsila and Rashitha recently interviewed feng shui Grand Master Yap Cheng Hai in a 28-minute Mandarin programme in Studio V at the 1 Utama shopping mall, Bandar Utama.

Studio V is a two-storey multimedia hub situated at the Rainforest area of the mall and features The Star Media group’s content, from print and online news to mobile, radio and video under one roof.

Sunday January 25, 2009

Second post-mortem on youth today

By M. KUMAR and PRISCILLA DIELENBERG

PETALING JAYA: A second post-mortem will be conducted on A. Kugan at 9am today at the University Malaya Medical Centre.

N. Surendran, the lawyer representing the family of the suspected car thief who died in police custody, said the police had no objections to a second post-mortem if the hospital agreed to do it.

“We are very hopeful that the second post-mortem will shed some light into Kugan’s death,” said Surendran.

Kugan, 22, who had been remanded for two weeks in connection with investigations into several luxury car theft cases, collapsed and died at the Taipan police station in USJ, Subang Jaya, on Tuesday.

Waiting for consent: Kugan’s family members waiting at the police station at Subang Jaya yesterday with those who had come to give moral support.

The first post-mortem was conducted at Serdang Hospital at 8am on Wednesday. It found that Kugan had died due to fluid in his lungs.

Unhappy with the results, Kugan’s family sent his remains to the UMMC as they wanted an independent pathologist to carry out a second post-mortem.

At 3.30pm yesterday, Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam, Kugan’s family and Surendran went to meet Subang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Zainal Rashid Abu Bakar on the possibility of having a second post-mortem. Some 30 supporters stood waiting outside the Subang Jaya police headquarters.

In George Town, DAP chairman Karpal Singh called for the pathologist who conducted the first post-mortem to be investigated now that Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail has classified Kugan’s death as murder.

He said he welcomed Abdul Gani’s statement on Friday as there were bruises on the body.

“The bruises must have been there when the initial post-mortem was carried out.

“How is it that this post-mortem indicated that Kugan died of pulmonary oedema or fluid accumulation in the lungs?

“This amounts to a cover-up,” he said in a press statement.

He said the truth would not have come to light if Kugan’s family had not entered the Serdang Hospital mortuary and taken photographs of the bruises.

Karpal Singh called on Abdul Gani to direct an immediate investigation into the pathologist for allegedly issuing a false post-mortem report.

http://wikimapia.org/6165891/Datuk-Teh-Kim-Poo-s-Mansion

a plot to kill him ? his info is EVERYWHERE and yet he is still alive !

Friday May 23, 2008

Teh: There’s a plot to kill me

By CHRISTINA TAN

Well the police station is located along the Little India street.  but the ROYAL MALAYSIAN POLICE do not have enough balls to take action against law breakers.

The police station is here http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=3.0430794&lon=101.4471102&z=17&l=0&m=m&v=2

Little India is here http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=3.0409045&lon=101.4471853&z=17&l=0&m=m&v=2 (Jalan Tengku Kelana).

Fuck the police and there is no law in bodohland