Monday, July 20, 2009

新山民众哀悼赵明福

民联雪兰莪州行政议员欧阳捍华的助理赵明福周三(7月15日)在反贪污委员会雪州总部离奇坠楼身亡,除了雪隆地区,柔佛州民联领导人前晚也主办追悼会,与新山民众一起哀悼赵明福。人民公正党总财政兼雪兰莪州士拉央区国会议员梁自坚前天上午出席了在反贪污委员会雪州总部举行的抗议活动后,南下新山,晚上向百名包括新山民众与民联支持者汇报最新进展,并以悲愤心情举行赵明福追悼会。

许多愤怒的民众纷纷手持标语“反贪委须负全责”、“还明福一个公道”等卡片。

追悼会是前晚11时在人民公正党柔南服务中心楼下举行,出席者包括人民公正党柔州署理主席苏巴拉、顾问邓授文、财政陈仁明、公青团团长查比迪、秘书郑宏斌、蒲莱区部妇女组主席陈宝来,回教党巴西古当区部主席赛奥斯曼及民主行动党振林山国会选区联委会妇女组主席黄祥銮。

梁自坚在追悼会上致词时,谴责反贪委在查案的过程中涉及滥权与非人道的手段,令助查者不但深受折磨,这一次更闹出人命;警方、反贪委与政府都必须对此事做出合理的交代,让正义之声得以伸展。

苏巴拉致词时,促请群众不要把此次事件看成是死了一个华人,应该看成是一个马来西亚人在反贪委员会无辜身亡,反贪委必须负上权责。他说:“要是一个人去了你的家,死了,屋主会不被嫌疑吗?所以反贪委难辞其咎”。

黄祥銮以悲痛的心情代表赵明福的家属向赴会群众表示感激,而赛奥斯曼带领群众高喊口号,并要求政府立刻展开透明调查。

参与追悼会的民众,手持鲜花和白蜡烛,向赵明福的遗像鞠躬,并默哀一分钟。追悼会在一片和平的气氛中顺利结束。

柔公正党:非一个华人之死

新山民众也在前晚举行哀悼赵明福的烛光会。人民公正党总财政兼雪州士拉央区国会议员 梁自坚律师在前日出席了由国会反对党领袖安华在雪州反贪污委员会总部率 领的提呈抗议备忘录后,马上南下新山,于晚上向百名包括新山民众与民联支持者汇报最新进展。许多愤怒的民众纷纷手持标语“反贪委须负全责”、“还明福一个 公道”等卡片。

该追悼会是在昨晚11时于人民公正党柔南服务中心楼下展开。出席者包括人民公正党柔州署理主席苏巴拉、州顾问邓授文、州财 政陈仁明、柔公青团团长查必迪Z与秘书郑宏斌、蒲莱区部妇女组主席陈宝来,回教党巴西古当区部主席赛奥斯曼和民主行动党振林山国会选区联委会妇女组主席黄 祥銮。

梁自坚在追悼会上致词时,谴责反贪委在查案的过程中涉及滥权与非人道的手段,令助查者不但深受折磨,这一次更闹出人命,警方、反贪委与政府都必须对此事做出合理的交代,让正义之声得以伸展。

苏巴拉在致词时要求群众不要把此次事件看成是死了一个华人,应该看成是一个大马人在反贪局无辜身亡,反贪委必须负上权责。他说“要是一个人去了你的家,死了,屋主会不被嫌疑吗?所以反贪委难辞其咎”。

黄祥銮以悲痛的心情代表赵明福的家属对群众的出席表示感激。赛奥斯曼则带领群众高喊口号,并要求政府立刻展开透明调查。

现场参与追悼会的民众,手持鲜花和白蜡烛在追悼会上向死者人头照鞠躬,同时也默哀1分钟。追悼会在一片和平的气氛下顺利完成。

Saturday, July 18, 2009

“霹料很快舉行州選舉”‧黃潔冰:要善用手中票

  • 座談會3位主講人,左起:梁自堅、黃潔冰;右起:李文材以及主持人鄭立慷。(圖:星洲日報)

(霹靂‧怡保)雪州行政議員黃潔冰說,民聯預測霹靂州很快便會舉行州選舉,到時選民應善用手中1票,選出屬意的政府。

她指出,自從雪州高級行政議員郭素沁在內安法令下被扣留的事件發生後,她與其他民聯議員每天都在被逮捕的陰影下工作,雖然面對重重困難,但他們還是堅持以人民為先。

黃潔冰週四(7月16日)晚上在怡保出席公正黨時事座談會時,這麼指出。

座談會的主講人包括士拉央區國會議員梁自堅及務邊區國會議員李文材,主持人是迪渣區州議員鄭立慷,出席者包括十八丁區州議員戴成銀及新邦波賴區州議員曾敏凱。

梁自堅:利民政策偏差

另一方面,梁自堅指出,相拿督斯里納吉上任100天,推出許多利民政策,但事實上在對待各族人民時依然存有偏差。

他說,在10月份舉行國會會議時,正是納吉上任的第2個100天,到時他希望可提呈對首相投信任票的動議,而納吉應接受這項動議,以顯示他對本身有信心。

李文材:翁詩傑地位受威脅

李文材在談論巴生港口自由區事件中,提到交通部長拿督斯里翁詩傑接受《星洲日報》專訪時表示遭十面埋伏,李文材指在事件發生後,沒有任何1個馬華黨員或馬華部長為翁氏說話,顯示翁氏的地位已受到威脅。

星洲日報‧2009.07.17

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

梁自坚:纳吉的经济自由化政策如亡羊补牢

人民公正党总财政梁自坚律师今日就纳吉宣布取消上市公司土著股权30%固打的政策表示,在当今竞争激烈的全球经济环境下,一系列的开放投资政策和解除外资委员会(FIC管制权力来的太迟和太少,而且这不足以吸引外资在我国投资。

他表示,这一系列的措施太迟实行了,现在许多以前和马来西亚同时期是发展国家的新加坡、台湾、韩国和日本的经济已经超越了我国,并且中国和印度也把我们远抛在后头。

虽然印尼、越南和泰国的发展还在我国之下,但是这些国家在很早的时候就实行了废除外资股权的限制,并提供了一系列奖励措施,吸引了外资直接投资到这些国家。

也是士拉央区国会议员的梁自坚表示,一旦我国外资撤离后,他们是不会在前来我国进行任何投资,所以纳吉的经济自由化政策是很难达成效果。

为了吸引新的外资,政府应该解决国家失去了竞争力背后的真正的问题,如贪污、国内高犯罪率、没有独立性的司法机关和低效率的教育系统培育了缺乏能力和技术的人士。

他也表示,人民不要忘记国阵不废除新经济政策是为了消灭贫穷,如今消灭贫穷的目标还没有实现,反而造成更大贫富悬殊,所以废除了这些限制后并没有提供扶持计划(不考虑种族和宗教)为穷人和弱势群族会导致他们仍然被困在贫穷的恶性循环,这样只会扩大贫富之间的鸿沟。

首相不能因为试图获得人民的支持,而导致可怕的后果给予我们的社会。

NAJIB’S LIBERALIZATION POLICIES IS LIKE MENDING THE PEN AFTER THE SHEEP HAS FLED

The removal of the Bumiputra equity quota for foreign investments and property transactions is no longer sufficient to attract Foreign Direct Investments to Malaysia in today’s competitive global environment. These measures should have been put into place when Malaysia was in the forefront of the new developing countries with Singapore, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. Today, these countries are way ahead of us together with other economies such as China and India. Countries that were behind us in their development; Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand have removed their restrictions on foreign ownership and have provided a whole series of incentives very much earlier and have attracted FDI to their countries. The removal of these restrictions and the abolishing of the FIC therefore are too little too late and will not be sufficient to attract FDI to return to Malaysia. Once the FDI have left they are not going to return. These moves are not going to give us the edge needed in the competition for FDI.

What is needed today to attract fresh FDI is for the government to have the political will to fix the real problems behind the country’s lost of competitiveness. These are firstly corruption, secondly the country’s high crime rate, thirdly the lack of an independent judiciary and the fourthly the inefficient education system producing school leavers without the necessary skills and abilities to enter the work force.

It must also not be forgotten that by Barisan Nasional’s own admission as one of the excuse for continuing the NEP is that the objective of eradicating poverty, has not been achieved and indeed it has not as we can see with the growing urban poor crowding in the cities’ slums. Therefore the removal of these restrictions without providing for affirmative programs (without consideration of race and religion) for the poor and disadvantaged will cause them to remain trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty. This will only lead to a widening of the gap between the rich and the poor in Malaysia. The Prime Minister must not in the attempt to gain popular support come out with knee jerk reactions that will lead to dire consequences to the social economic conditions in the country.


William Leong Jee Keen
Member of Parliament
Selayang

Thursday, July 2, 2009

民联三党组成部门监督委员会

民联最高理事会今日公布,负责监管各内阁部门事务的民联部门委员会名单,为来届大选执政中央做好准备。

也是民联最高领导理事会成员的人民公正党副主席阿兹敏阿里,今日在民主行动党宣传秘书潘俭伟、妇女组主席章瑛及回教党副主席沙拉胡丁的陪同下,于国会走廊召开记者会,宣布这份千呼万唤始出来的名单。

虽然这份让支持者引颈长盼的名单,一度被视为是民联的“影子内阁”,惟阿兹敏在受询时,却否认了有关说法。

国会议员专注监督个别部门

他强调,公布这份名单只是要确保民联的国会议员,可以专注某一部门的事务,以进一步提高辩论的素质。

在这份名单中,民联三党分布均衡地监督一个部门。除了首相署以外,所有部门都是由三党各派一名代表负责。

三党最高领袖齐监督首相署

至于首相署,则是由三党的最高领袖挂帅,另加数名代表协助。

公正党的首相署代表由该党实权领袖安华领导、下有阿兹敏阿里、西华拉沙、卡立依布拉欣、梁自坚、阿末卡欣和傅芝雅。

回教党的首相署代表由党主席哈迪阿旺领导,下有纳沙鲁丁、沙拉胡丁、哈达蓝里、祖基菲里阿末、泰益及卡立沙末。

至于行动党则由该党国会领袖林吉祥挂帅,下有倪可汉、邱庆州和约翰费南德斯。

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Debate On Witness Protection Bill 2008

Yang Berhormat Tan Sri Yang Dipertua,

I am grateful to be given the opportunity to participate in the debate on Witness Protection Bill 2008.

Introduction

1. The ability of a witness to give testimony at a trial without fear of intimidation or reprisal is essential to maintaining the rule of law. Increasingly, countries are enacting legislation or adopting policies to protect witnesses whose cooperation with law enforcement agencies or testimony in court would endanger their lives or those of their families.

2. Protection may be as simple as providing a police escort to the Court room, offering temporary residents in a safe house or using modern communication technology such as video conferencing for testimony. The origins of the witness protection programme started in the United States of America in the 1970s as a legally sanction procedure to bring justice against the Mafia and other powerful criminal organizations. The cooperation of the witness had become critical to the successful prosecution of the offender but because of the powerful capabilities of the criminal group, it became necessary for the government to provide for the safety of the witness. This protection came in the form of resettlement of the witnesses under a new identity and including a new place of residents either in the same country or a foreign country.

The Malaysian Witness Protection Bill 2008

3. I welcome the enactment of a Witness Protection Act to maintain the rule of law and to provide our citizens safety from criminals. However, there appears to be several questions that needs to be answered to ensure that this Witness Protection Act is effective and is also fair to the accuse so that no innocent man will be condemned by a witness telling lies to be protected under the programme.

Protection Against Whom

4. The Witness Protection Programme was started to combat organized crime in USA against the Mafia or in Hong Kong against the triads. I ask the Honourable Minister to provide us with the statistics and information as to the existence of organized crime in Malaysia and the instances in which prosecutions against leaders of the crime syndicates have failed because the witnesses were threatened and did not appear in Court or was killed or kidnapped to prevent them from giving evidence. The Witness Protection programme is a costly programme which includes resettling and maintaining the witness for a substantial period of time which may include the rest of his life. Therefore, the proper question that must be asked is whether Malaysia is having such a severe problem with organized crime that justifies the country in incurring such expenses.

The Costs: Need versus Want

5. This raises the question which I hereby ask the Honourable Minister to inform this House what is the expected costs of this programme. I see from the proposed provisions that the witness is to disclose his liabilities and his earnings. Does this mean that the Government will pay for all his liabilities including his housing loans and businesses loans and other liabilities and would also provide him with a salary that he would earned. In many cases, like America, the witness who is given the protection was a member of the criminal syndicate itself and had participated in the crime. If under this Act, the witness will not only be given a pardon from his crimes but also have his liabilities repaid and his future salaries ensured without having to work, it means under this Act, crime pays. It will be very lucrative to live a life of crime and then come to Court to finger someone and this may lead to abuse because of the benefits that the witness will obtain.

6. The decision whether to set up a witness protection programme must be reached on the basis of a thorough analysis of factors relating to the level and types of criminality within our Malaysian society, the frequency of violent against witnesses in criminal proceedings and the demonstrated ability and political will to prosecute high profile crimes and the availability of resources and finance to do so.

7. The Act has not specify what is the protection programme. The Act must specify at the minimum :

a.The protection measures;

b.The conditions for admission to the programme;

c.The procedure;

d.The authority and powers of the persons managing the programme;

e.The reasons for terminating the programme and withdrawal of protection of the witness;

f.Rights and obligations of the parties;

g.Confidentiality of the programmes.

Funding

8. I ask the Honourable Minister to inform this House the costs for the setting up and operating the witness protection programme. What is the costs of:

a.The expenses of setting up the unit and premises and the offices?

b.What is the relocation and resettlement costs for the witness?

c.The expected payment and salaries to maintain the witness?

d.The costs for the various medical and expert counseling and examination?

9. I would then ask the Honorable Minister to explain why this proposed costs and financial obligations that is to be incurred cannot be used:

a.For setting up more police stations?

b.Setting up of police beat;

c.Employing more policemen?

d.Putting more police personnel into crime prevention?

e.Ensuring that the ratio of policemen to the population is in accordance with the international standards ratio of 1: 250.

f.Providing more police cars and equipment to the police;

g.Setting up additional police training schools to increase the intake of police personnel;

h.What is the percentage of this costs compared to the budget of the police?

Corruption

10. It cannot be denied that corruption is one of the biggest problems in this country. It is in the nature of corruption that the offenders are persons who will be holding senior positions in governments and even in the enforcement agencies themselves. This is why we have the recommendations IPCMC and Enforcement Agencies Integrity Commission. How can the witness be assured that the persons managing this programme are independent from the influence of the persons which may be holding very high and powerful positions. We have the case of the private investigator, Balasubramaniam who after giving the first statutory declaration is called to the police station and a few days later and then holds a press conference to give a second statutory declaration contradicting the first and is now missing. What provisions and steps are to be taken to ensure the independence of those in charge of the witness protection programme.

Who is to be Protected?

11. The Act does not provide for a comprehensive definition of a “witness”. In many cases, investigations can only be carried out if information is provided. Therefore, an informant is just as important as a witness. There are no provisions in the Bill to provide for protection of informants. In Australia, Austria, Canada, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and Northern Island, informants can be admitted to witness protection programme. The situation is different in Germany, Slovakia and the United States where only witnesses who testify in Court may be eligible for witness protection.

The Crime

12. Besides organized crime, drug trafficking and corruption, there are also other offences which should provide protection to witnesses. These include money laundering, obstruction of justice, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. Malaysia has been named as one of the countries in which offences relating to trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants have become serious proportions.

Relocating Criminals

13. One of the problems that have arisen in the Witness Protection programme in the government giving the witness a new identity in a new relocation is that the witness himself is a criminal. Many of them have after being given the new identity in the new location has returned to a life of crime often causing harm and losses to the persons in the new location. How does the Government propose to resolve this issue and will the Government take responsibility for knowingly putting a serial offender into an innocent neighbourhood.
Thank you.


Date: 23 March 2009

William Leong Jee Keen

Member of Parliament Selayang

Robbed of the Perak Government

The people of Perak have been robbed of its government. Bribery, corruption and extortion have kicked democracy in the teeth. It is a rude and painful reminder that democracy and liberty has to be earned, fought for and defended not once in five years but every day of our lives. It also reminds us that “Frailty thy name is Woman (in this case 3 men and 1 woman) ”. It shows that one may have fought and sacrificed everything for ten years but all can be thrown away in one moment of weakness. They were tested and found to be wanting.

Many will no doubt point to Anwar Ibrahim and say he started all this by talking of MPs crossing over. However, there is a vital difference between crossing over because the party leaders have deserted their principles and policies and treachery. Where party bosses abused their position for personal gains then it is the duty of the elected representatives to protect their constituents from harm. Where the elected representatives crossed for personal gains it is betrayal.

In the case of these three Perak assemblymen. It is clear they did not cross over because BN hold higher principles or have better policies for the people. BN has not changed any of its policies after the last general elections. These defectors may claim until their face turn blue that they are doing this in the interest of their constituents. They can try to fool some of the people some of the time but there are two they cannot fool. One is their God because by what ever name called there surely is one. I have started to pray for them because according to my religion sinners burn in Hell for all eternity. The other is their constituents. They cannot hide the truth from their constituents.

Those who support BN may find joy in what has happened in Perak. They have won and PR has loss. The real loser in this shameful episode is not just PR but all Malaysians. Unless there is a sea of public outrage, we, Malaysians have lost our public virtue. We, Malaysians are no better then those in Zimbabwe or any one of the Banana Republics where the public closed not one but both eyes while their Mugabes robbed and plunder them blind.

This is our darkest night. Our salvation lies in each of us finding the courage and conviction to come forward. We need men and women with integrity and strength of character to stand for elections and hold these positions of trust. It is not enough to watch from the comfort of our couch. We can no longer slumber and come out to vote once in 5 years. We can no longer be apathetic. We have to join in the fray. We have no other choice.

6th February 2009

William Leong Jee Keen

Member of Parliament Selayang