Job is waiting for Dr. Sim in Penang

After the State election result was announced, my opponent, Dr. Sim Kui Hian had told the press that he is now jobless and has no proper income.

A lot of people, me included, was sad after Dr. Sim who was world known as a cardiologist quit his job as the Head of Cardiac in SIMC to contest against me in the Pending constituency. The Sarawakian has lost a good doctor in a government hospital, this the people felt bad as most wanted him to stay to save the lives of the people.

But we let the water flow under the bridge and look forward to better things in the future. I remembered our comrade Penang CM, YAB Lim Guan Eng had announced in the press that he would welcome Dr. Sim in his state in the event Sarawak does not gives him job.

Dr. Sim, self claimed jobless, said there was no concrete offer from Penang State Government.

On Wednesday 10.8.2011, Penang CM has couriered a letter to me authorize me to liaise with Dr. Sim respecting the offer of a specialist post in Penang. The letter stated that the Penang State government in its quest to build, retain and attract human talent is willing to engage talents whenever they may be without discrimination based on race, religion or even political background.

I had handed over my letter to Dr. Sim through SUPP office last Friday and welcome Dr. Sim to pass me his resume. In the event, Dr. Sim wishes to meet Penang CM directly to discuss the job offer, I am most willing to arrange for a meeting to be held.

In my view this will solve Dr. Sim's unemployment status and allow him to do an honourable job of saving people lives.

Two sets of Policy governing the Setting Up of Giant Billboard

The State Secretary and the Kuching City South (MBKS) decision to remain silent over a giant billboard set up near a housing estate at Taman Stutong Indah is not helping matters and if they think the matter will die a natural death, then they are very wrong.]

Now I want to know why a giant billboard was set up in a housing area in Taman Stutong Indah when Sarawak State Secretary Office claimed that there is no such policy to build giant billboard.

A shop owner had also wanted such a billboard for his commercial area at 4 ½ Mile and had gone to apply for it with Padawan council.

However, the same shop owner was told to go to the State Secretary office to apply for permit but when he went there on August 1, he was told by a staff, there was no such permit for a huge billboard. So why is there a double standard?

Last month, the residents at Taman Stutong Indah had complained that the billboard with “Giant” signage was too huge and placed too near at the back of their houses. With strong winds experienced at every year end, the residents live in fear of the giant billboard collapsing onto their houses.

The residents launched a protest and I have personally contacted the MBKS and a staff told me that the permit of such billboard was the prerogative of the State Secretary office.

I wrote to both the MBKS Mayor and the State Secretary seeking answers but since last month, both the two departments kept very silent on the matter. I learned that the corporation was connected to someone very senior in the BN. The public has a right to know why are there two sets of policy where one applies to BN crony company and the other for ordinary lay person?

Questionable Attitude of the Security Guards at Boulevard Shopping Mall, Kuching

A self employed man lost RM700 while shopping in Boulevard Shopping Mall at 4 ½ Mile Penrissen Kuching. Not only was Tan Kok Hu and his wife’s afternoon spoilt but he was fumed at the injustice by the security guards of the shopping mall and the attitude of the police who were not concerned about his lost wallet.

Tan went shopping on July 31 and was at the food court when he realised his wallet was stolen. He then went to the security guard to ask for help to show the CCTV tape. However, he was asked to go and lodged a police report first so that the tape could be shown to him.

Tan acted on what the security guard at Boulevard asked him to do. Having waited for an hour to lodge his report at Sg. Maong police station, Tang was also told to go to Simpang Tiga One Stop Police Station to lodge the report.

After going back to the shopping mall with two policemen, he was more annoyed that the security guard refused to let him see the tapes and informed that the CCTV did not capture the scene where Tan’s wallet was stolen and further said only those higher up in the Management could view it.

However, the strangest thing is the security guard informed Tan that he knew the spot where Tan was sitting when having lunch with his family. The security guard even brought him to the food court to show where he sat. And how could the security guard who was working in the office know where Tan sat if he claimed that the CCTV did not capture the scene of the incident? Is there something hanky panky going on.

And to make matter worst, the two policemen who accompany Tan stood there doing nothing and watched as he argued with the security guard for about 20 minutes. The only sentence uttered by the two policemen to Tan was “Apa macam Tan, dia tidak mahu kasih tengok?”

I can understand Tan’s anger. He was asked to go and lodged a police report first so that the tape could be shown to him. After that, he was again refused. Why it is so difficult for a victim who is shopping in a shopping mall to view a tape to find out who stole his wallet.

Tan had wasted time to go to the police station and even though the two policemen who went with him did not help at all. I wondered if the policemen know their job. Police could follow opposition members whenever there was a public function or a ceramah. They seem to be everywhere but when it comes to catching criminals, they are at a loss of what to do.

I will write to the Management of Boulevard shopping mall to find out what was really the problem that makes it so difficult to view the CCTV when a victim whose wallet was stolen as well as to the commissioner of police regarding the “tidak apa/tidak paduli” attitude of the two policemen while discharging their duties.

Najib Appeared To Be Like A Ostrich With Its Head In The Sand

Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Najib Abdul Razak is losing it. Malaysia is at a stage where the people are not only unhappy but we have the attention of the world in the worst scenario, crackdown of the peaceful rally that turned un-peaceful after police used their bullying tactic.

July 9 2011 will go down as a day of shame for the ruling party, Barisan Nasional. When the people rally behind Bersih movement for a fair and just election, the ‘dirty’ ones will anger by the protest.

If Najib is with the people, he should just give a couple of hours for the Bersih to go on the peaceful rally instead of using all the dirty tricks in his book to discredit them.

A life is lost, People are hurt, bones are fractured, people are choked with tear gas and sprayed with chemical laced water, all because the BN will do anything to stay in power to the extent of hurting its own citizen.

He has the cheek to say that the opposition-backed protesters were trying to paint a picture of Malaysia as a repressive state. He accused the Bersih movement of wanting to hold a peaceful rally and claimed that if the police had not monitored it, it would not have been peaceful.

Najib appeared to be like a ostrich with its head in the sand or he is just simply in a denial mode.

Nothing beats it when he started hitting below the belt. In a very public unbecoming statement, Najib said an opposition leader had orchestrated the Bersih rally as he wanted to become the next PM. Why is he, Najib so worried? Simple, he wanted to stay on in power to continue with the pandering of the country’s assets. And to utter such personal attack on another person is just stooping so low for a PM.

A great PM in any country will not go for personal attack but will address issues and woes brought up by the people. All the people want is a clean election and what is so demanding about that. His slogan

of people’s first, performance now sounds so hollow and cheap.

As he condemn thousands of people hitting the street, Najib himself went down the next day trying to prove a point that he too can take a walk without organizing weeks before and getting a crowd. Now Mr. PM, that is so cheap a way to score point. It cheapens you so.

To all our Malaysian comrades, stand up for your constitutional rights. We should not fear of intimidating tactics from the government. We should stop fear by facing them, the fearful government of ours. We should get them out of power by voting in PR. This is the last and only way to get a fair and just government.

Dewan Sitting that Left a Bitter Taste

The just concluded Dewan sitting has left a bitter taste in my mouth. I said so as I felt deprived from doing a good job as I should but the situation, unfortunately, was not favourable to me.

Till today, I felt baffled by the Acting Speaker over-reaction to my speech. I felt that he was overzealous in his job as a speaker or maybe being new, he was a bit nervous so he did not listen to my explanation even when I told him I will move on.

Whatever it is, I wondered if I were being ‘punished’ for speaking too much in the last sitting thus I was being ‘targeted’ this time.

When the Acting Speaker called my name that Friday, I already dread that something unpleasant was going to happen. As I went into my second paragraph stating this: I hope that the BN government would not abuse the august house as a tool to stifle the opposition’s voice. Do not use the house as a place to get rid of us thought the Standing Order which could be used for both sides. People are extremely angry… (interrupted)

Acting Tuan Speaker: Honorable Member for Pending, I think you do not comment because Tuan speaker allows both to speak.

Me: Sorry, I don’t get you. What were you saying?

Acting Tuan Speaker: Tuan Speaker allows both sides of the house to speak so you cannot comment on Tuan speaker.

Me: Alright, alright, okay. People are extremely angry to see the BN ministers and its members for suspending us one by one in the last term. There is no need to suspend or fear us. You can be assured the more you kick us out from Dewan, more likely than not by next term, we from Pakatan Rakyat will sit on your side replacing your role. Let us do our job. If we do not perform, the people who voted us in will vote us out.

When the Motion King sent us out, the people voted more of us from PR to be in the august house. Whatever, I do hope the Motion King do realize that SUPP are left with only six members in the house and we PR has 15 members now. So Motion King can say whatever he wants but the numbers do count. 15 Vs 6 is a huge gap.

Tuan Speaker, the BN always boast of being democratic. Prove to us by having the sound system on instead of playing Deejay … (interruption).

Acting Tuan Speaker: Honorable Member for Pending, Honorable Member for Pending, please Honorable member for Pending, if you keep on, I will have to ask you to stop okay.

Me: Okay, never mind, I will move to another point, I will move to another point.

Acting Tuan Speaker: This is a serious statement.

Me: Tuan Speaker, a year had gone by since the Sibu by-election, but a majority of those who paid excess premium have yet to get back their hard-earned money.

Acting Tuan speaker: Honourable Member for Pending, Okay, I stop you from now on, since you wouldn’t listen to the ruling since you are not listening and acting, you please sit down!

Me: Not only were the names printed wrong and a cheque made...(interruption)

Acting Tuan Speaker: Please sit down, sit down! No, I have made my ruling. She sits down. You don’t have a chance anymore. I reject because she refuse to listen to what I said. She did keep on. You keep on. No, all sit down. No. no. no more. No more!

Okay. You just keep on, but, you would not listen. I am being very fair. Now, let me. Sit down! No! let, I have already made my ruling because she refuse to listen. Okay, you did not listen. Just now you would not listen. I said don’t keep on mentioning that you have to get the Dewan’s expunged. Okay. No, no. I was looking here because she is speaking. Okay, okay, so all those words you withdrawn and expunged. Okay, all those and any comments about the house or the speaker will be expunged. Now I give you five minutes only.

Me: It is not on? Okay on the (inaudible). You don’t play with the sound system. Okay. Tuan speaking during the Sarawak 10^th State election… (interruption).

Acting Tuan Speaker: I am not an experience deejay.

That was part of what I experienced that day at the Dewan. I try to cover as many paragraphs as possible but I managed only 12. Then the Acting speaker came on again.

Acting Tuan Speaker: Ahli Yang Berhormat, you have one minute left. Only one minute left.

Then he went on and on not giving me time to speak. The rest of the conclusion of my speech ends like this when he turns off and on the sound system:

Acting Tuan Speaker: I give you five minutes just now. It is already over. Okay

Me: shockingly, there is an additional agreement ….(interruption)

Acting Tuan Speaker: Please sit down. Please sit down

Me: No, I have 15 minutes

Tuan Speaker: No, No, You are living on my hospitality just now. Actually, you should be sitting down.

Me: How could you do this?

Acting Tuan Speaker: So you must sit down now. Please

Me: I concluded this point.

Acting Tuan Speaker: okay, okay…

Me: I conclude this point. I hope the… (interruption)

Acting Tuan Speaker: Just one final conclusion, short conclusion…

I am putting this up as I wanted the people to see how things were in Dewan. Things can get so irrational that I wondered why I am allowed the time to speak on the hospitality of the Speaker. I am not going to comment too much but I want the people themselves to be the judge of this. This was taken from the Hansard.

I only want to point out one important lesson learned from this: Vote Pakatan Rakyat in as the government next election and let us not only say what you want to be heard, but change the things as what you want it to be, to give Sarawakians a better life through a fair and just government.