DAP supremo and veteran politician Lim Kit Siang was clearly upset with the suggestion that he had ‘sold out’ his party policies in a “secret pact” jointly signed by top Pakatan Rakyat leaders.

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He said it was “mischievous” of The Star editor-in-chief Wong Chun Wai to infer that DAP was being opportunistic and had in a “dishonest act of political expediency” inked the document to uphold Malay rights and status of Islam.

Wong, in his ‘New Malaysia’ blog, referred to a report by the MCA-owned newspaper in which PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim talked about the Pakatan statement at a briefing to religious school teachers Selangor organised by the state’s Islamic religious department.

According to the news report, Anwar also told the religious school teachers that the three parties had even agreed to the contentious issue of social contract among the country’s major ethnic groups.

“Despite the criticism against the social contract and even questions about its existence, the three opposition parties realise the reality of politics in this country. This is no different from positions taken by the Alliance and the Barisan Nasional component parties,” said Wong in his blog.

According to Lim, the joint statement was not a “secret” as it was issued to all media, including The Star, on Sept 8. The DAP leader said he had uploaded the statement in his own blog the same day.

“Wong has only himself to blame if he did not keep himself informed of what actually happened…” said Lim.

No change in DAP’s stand for 42 years

He said that DAP has upheld Articles 3 and 153 of the constitution on Islam as the official religion and Malay special rights “in the past 42 years”.

“Although Article 3(1) states that ‘Islam is the religion of Federation’ and did not specifically use the term ‘official religion’, the DAP and I had always supported Islam as the official religion and the constitutional guarantee for freedom of worship for other religions.

“We have also never shifted from our stand that Article 3 does not provide the basis for an Islamic state which is contrary to the secular character of Malaysian nation-building agreed by the major communities on the attainment of independent nationhood and an important feature of the Merdeka ‘social contract’.”

In an immediate response, Wong said that the opposition political was “entitled to his views as in any democracy”.

“This is what a discourse is all about, we need not agree with each other, but as a general rule, I think we are mature enough to be able discuss such issues without putting down each other, resorting to name calling or sounding like a bully,” he said in a follow-up blog posting on the issue.

Wong lamented that Lim had used words in criticising him which he himself would not use.

The four-paragraph Sept 8 statement, while affirming the opposition coalition’s backing for the “fundamental principles” in the constitution, did not however mention about the social contract.

The following is Pakatan’s Sept 8 joint statement in full:

We, the Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance) Leaders Council which met on this day, Sept 8, 2008, hereby express our abhorrence of recent efforts by Umno to incite racist political sentiments. We fear that this issue is being played up to confuse the people, in order to disguise the fact that it is actually a desperate measure to try and salvage the personal interests of a small group of the political elite and their cronies.

We hereby reiterate that Pakatan Rakyat upholds the fundamental principles enshrined in the federal constitution. These include: the position of Islam as the religion of the Federation and the guarantee of freedom of worship for other religions; the position of Bahasa Melayu (the Malay language) as the language of the federation, and the right to use and study the mother tongues of other communities; the position and sovereignty of the institution of the Malay rulers; and the special position and rights of the Malays and bumiputeras (indigenous people) as well as the rights of all ethnic groups as guaranteed in the constitution.

Based on these constitutional principles, we emphatically reject the narrow racist approach which is the foundation of Umno/BN politics. Such an approach has in fact been deliberately used to divide the people and undermine the harmony of our multi-ethnic nation.

In this connection, we also voice our strong objection to the speech made by (suspended Bukit Bendera Umno chief) Ahmad Ismail and subsequently supported by the entire Penang Umno leadership. His speech was typical of Umno racist policies which in reality only serve the interests of a select group of wealthy Malays, their families and close associates, who have taken advantage of their political power to plunder the national wealth, in the guise of protecting Malay and bumiputera rights.

Signed by Anwar Ibrahim (PKR), Husam Musa (PAS) and Lim Kit Siang (DAP)

The revelation by Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Abdul Samad yesterday that the government has stopped subsidising fuel since early this month raises more questions than answers.

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Namely, are Malaysians paying more than required and how much is the government actually making?

In view of this, an economist has called on the government to reveal the mechanism which is employed to determine the price of fuel.

Dr Lim Teck Ghee, director at Centre for Policy Initiatives, said it is disappointing that the government is providing incomplete information to the public.

He said the government expects consumers to accept the price as it is when fuel prices have gone down elsewhere.

“This is bad economic management and shows that the government lacks transparency. They are mismanaging the oil price issue,” he told Malaysiakini today.

“When the price of oil skyrocketed in June, the government was quick to raise prices which led to inflation rising. Now the price of oil has reduced, the government announced they have stopped subsidising.

“The government should reveal the actual figures as to how much they are subsidising and how the present price was arrived at. The figures should be out there in public,” he added.

At this rate, Lim said, the consumers are “maybe subsidising the government more”.

Yesterday, Shahrir announced that the government had ceased fuel subsidies since the start of November as global crude oil price dipped below US$65 per barrel.

Trend should have been anticipated

Meanwhile, Universiti Malaya economics lecturer Prof Dr Raja Rasiah also agreed that the prices of fuel in Malaysia should be lesser.                           �
According to him, it appears that consumers are now subsidising the government.

Raja said although he does not have the actual figures, his observation was based on the government’s announcement that it paid 30 sen per litre in subsidies at the height of fuel oil price hike when consumers paid RM2.70 per litre as prices of crude oil skyrocketed to more than US$130 per barrel.

“Now that the price of oil has dropped, it seems to me we are still paying more. The government should have anticipated the trend fall. Hence, the price charged now should have been lower to what we are currently paying,” he said when contacted.

Although Raja Rasiah noted that oil prices vary and are determined by the market forces, he however said there has been a sharp drop in oil prices in recent months.

“This was the impression that we have where we are still paying more, although the prices of oil had fallen. The government should reduce the current price a little bit more,” he said.

Prices of goods remain
                                   �
Commenting further, Lim said although the government reduced the price of fuel, it does not necessarily translate to a reduction in prices of other products.

“Unfortunately, prices, when they go up, get sticky and the likelihood of them coming down will take a long time.

“That is why I say the government’s earlier move to raise the price of fuel was in a sense badly timed. It has resulted in inflation and the government is partly responsible because of this,” he said.

Lim reiterated that the prices of goods will not come down to a fair level immediately despite consumers demanding for this.

“That is why I feel the government has mismanaged the fuel pricing issue,” he stressed.

Before the government decides on a policy shift, Lim said, it should hold dialogues, discussions and meetings with the stakeholders.

“The government needs to make a careful and considered decision. They should seek or get more input from other stakeholders including business groups, consumers or others. Do not rush in making decisions.

“Raising prices will result in significant market movements. Hence, you need to get careful assessment and need input from important stakeholders before arriving at a decision.

“As you can see, the prices of other products have not reduced that much,” he added.

The government may dump its petrol subsidy scheme altogether as consumers are already paying more than the full cost at the pumps at current price level.

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Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Samad yesterday revealed that the government no longer need to subsidise petrol with the drastic fall in global oil prices.

The government on Tuesday cut pump prices by seven percent to RM2 per litre as global crude prices continued to ease. The price of diesel was also reduced by 15 sen to RM1.90 per litre.

“We have stopped subsidising petrol from the time when the pump prices were cut to RM2 per litre,” said Shahrir.

He said that at current prices, the government is making about 30 sen per litre.

“At about US$60 per barrel we are already making money,” he told AFP.

Shahrir said the government was still handing out direct subsidies in the form of cash rebates for motorists of RM625 per year and that diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) were still being subsidised.

“The rebate system is still being enforced… but it will runs its course until March next year before we either stop it or implement a new system,” he said.

Gov’t makes money even at RM1.92 per liter

Tuesday’s cut was the fifth the government has announced since a 41 percent hike in June as the price of crude soared, sparking angry street protests and calls for Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to resign.

Shahrir said the government will decide by the end of the month if subsidies will be reinstated if crude oil prices go up again.

It will also consider setting a floor price of RM1.92 per litre, meaning the petrol price cannot be allowed to go lower than that.

“I would be happy to have a floor price of 1.92 ringgit. This would allow the government to earn some revenue and it is also easier to manage the price,” he said.

“It is also a better option because we can use the savings for development or to reduce the deficit.”

The government earlier this month announced a RM7 stimulus programme - reaped from savings on reduced oil subsidies - to boost the economy amid the global slowdown.

But the additional spending saw the government widen its budget deficit forecast for 2009 to 4.8 percent, from 3.6 percent predicted in August.

Meanwhile, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said petrol price should have been RM1.62 per liter.

“This was proposed by an economics professor from Universiti Utara Malaysia associate professor Abdul Rahim Anuar on Nov 13, who said that a correct price of RM 1.62 should be set to reflect prevailing low market price of oil.

“For this reason, the federal government should reduce the price of petrol further to RM1.62 per liter so that the people need not pay extra and at higher price than the open market to benefit the few at the expense of the many.”

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The present and past Penang governments continue with their war of attrition over the insolvency of the Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP).

State executive councillor Phee Boon Poh (right) turned the screws on former exco Dr Teng Hock Nan to provide details of political projects worth RM59.017 million which were carried out by MPSP between 1999 and 2006

In staggering details disclosed by Phee today, MPSP distributed RM50.377 million to Barisan Nasional assemblypersons to carry out various projects in their respective constituencies between 1999 and 2005.

BN had 16 assemblypersons in 18 state constituencies in the Penang mainland between 1999 and 2004, and 19 elected representatives in 21 constituencies between 2004 and 2008.

The council also set aside RM8.640 million for the 21 BN-appointed councillors in the 24-member MPSP to carry out similar projects between 1999 and 2006.

The projects were stopped in 2007 when MPSP’s accumulated fund, which was RM225 million in 2000, dried up.

“It is a mockery that a council so rich with funds has ended up penniless within eight years,” Phee told a press conference during a break at the Penang assembly today.

“It’s clear that the previous administration was misappropriating the funds for political mileage.”

He also slammed Teng, Penang Gerakan chairperson, who was in charge of local government affairs between 2000 and 2008, in former chief minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon’s administration.

Next year, MPSP will be operating on a RM10 accumulated fund, since its reserves diminished from RM225 million to RM6.45 million this year.

The council has been run on eight consecutive deficit budgets, which the new state government attributed to the previous government’s incompetence in cost-cutting measures and increasing revenue.

Teng: Report wrong-doing, if any

Meanwhile, Teng has urged the state government to report the council to the Anti-Corruption Agency and police if there is proof of misappropriation and misuse of public funds and abuse of power in MPSP.

“Good governance means you must take immediate steps and actions to rectify all wrongdoings, if any,” he said in a statement today.

Calling on Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to stop playing politics and start governing, he also chided the chief minister for bragging that he would donate RM1 million, if he had the money, to independent Chinese schools.

“Lim should pool his energy, effort and time to addressing the worsening global economic crisis that would affect Penang rather than sensationalising everything to gain publicity,” he said.

In a response at a press conference today, Lim called on Teng not to hide, but help the state government to steady the sinking MPSP ship.

He also took Teng to task for calling on the state government to let bygones be bygones.

“It’s easy for him to say it because it was not his money. Will Dr Teng forget it if it was his money?” asked Lim.

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Veteran opposition lawmaker Karpal Singh has given Chief Justice Zaki Azmi a week from today to resign from his post for allegedly admitting to corrupt practices while in private practice.

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This came after Karpal claimed for the first time today that there was an audio recording of Zaki’s confession made two weeks ago despite the CJ’s denial of making the remarks.

“Zaki cannot, and should not, deny that he had in fact uttered the words. There is a audio recording of what he said in Kuching,” Karpal, also DAP’s Bukit Gelugor MP, said in a statement today.

The statement was issued in his capacity as the chairperson of the newly-formed parliamentary caucus on judiciary independence and integrity.

Calling Zaki’s clarification a “lie”, Karpal said the chief justice - appointed to the post last month - has allegedly misled the country and therefore not fit to continue holding the post.

“In the event Zaki does not step down as CJ within seven days from today, I will have no alternative but to move a motion against him under Article 127 of the federal constitution for having misled the country with his so-called clarification,” said Karpal further.

Zaki has issued clarification

The judiciary’s No 1 embroiled in the controversy after English daily New Straits Times quoted him as making the confession of bribing court staff at a convention in Kuching on Nov 7.

During the convention, Zaki delivered a speech in which he recalled an incident in 1987 and allegedly said the following:

“It took me six months to be nice, to bribe each and every individual to get back into their good books before our files were attended to.

“That was my personal experience, and I am telling this to all the clerks and all the registries to stop this nonsense”.

Zaki however issued a clarification later, saying the reporter has misinterpreted him.

So far, Karpal has lodged a police report and moved a motion to debate the matter in the Parliament twice - but both attempts were shot down by the Speaker.

Audio evidence

Meanwhile, Rahmah Ghazali reported from Parliament on Karpal saying that the audio recording of Zaki’s remarks in Kuching can prove that he had lied.

“There is an audio recording (to prove that he lied), I think you can take my word for it what has been quoted in Kuching. There is no doubt about it,” said Karpal when met at the Parliament lobby.

He declined to confirm directly that he was in the possession of the recording when pressed for an answer apart from saying he did not want to go into details.

Karpal also argued that the NST has not come up with any retraction on the initial report.

He further reiterated that there must be an integrity in the judiciary and it must start all the way from the chief justice.

“You cannot have a chief justice who lies. As simple as that…No point having independence of judiciary if the judges cannot tell the truth. Integrity comes first, then independence,” said Karpal.

Former Universiti Malaya (UM) vice-chancellor Rafiah Salim has claimed she had to live with all kinds of “nonsense” pertaining to political interference during her tenure in the university.

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“Things like who can we bring in to speak to the students, who we can’t - even among the Barisan Nasional people,” she revealed during an hour-long interview with Malaysiakini yesterday.

“It has become a very sensitive job to carry out but as I was focused on what I wanted to do for UM, I had to swallow these nonsense, otherwise I will not be able to do what I want to do for UM,” she added.

To a question, she admitted that one recent case of such political interference was UM’s decision to cancel a speech by Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi who was to speak there early this month.

The university had withdrawn its invitation to Ebadi, an outspoken critic of the human rights situation in Iran, two weeks before she was to deliver a speech on Islam and cultural diversity.

At the time, Rafiah denied that there was pressure from the government to scrap the event.

Grilled over academic freedom in UM

The first woman to head a public university in the country, Rafiah’s contract was not renewed recently and she was informed on the decision 48 hours before her term expired.

In the first-part of the interview published yesterday, she attributed gender discrimination as a reason for her contract not to be renewed.

The 61-year-old former law lecturer and Bank Negara assistant governor was appointed to head UM in May 2006.

Elaborating on the political interference in the university, the former vice-chancellor said she was in “total agreement” that the government should amend the restrictive Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) to give more autonomy to campuses.

According to her, the university management had enjoyed more autonomy and the situation was much better when she was the head of the UM’s law faculty in the late 1980s.

“Those days when there was autonomy, I remember we brought in Pak Lah (Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi), a young and handsome man at that time, and then we also brought the oppositions in to have a big discussion, it was quite fun actually,” she said.

Rafiah, who pride herself for pushing academic excellence in UM during her stint, however appeared defensive when grilled on why she had not been vocal in pushing for more academic freedom in the country’s oldest university.

Questioned on why she had not made a similar call to amend the UUCA when she was the VC as her statement would have carried more weight then, she retorted:

“Can I undo the UUCA? No way-lah, (carried) a lot of weight? Come on, don’t joke. If the opposition and their bigwigs in Parliament can’t change the UUCA, I orang makan gaji (a wage earner), you think they want to listen to me?”

Rafiah also stressed that she did not try to stop UM law associate professor Dr Azmi Sharom from writing in an English newspaper but conceded she had told the latter not to write about the university in his column.

“I didn’t allow him to write on UM because when he writes, he doesn’t write the good things and it’s always about the negative things.

“I always said that as a UM staff, you don’t badmouth your own (university). If you can’t be fair, then don’t write,” she argued, adding that she was “bugged” by the ministry over Azmi’s column.

Azmi, a vocal academic, had criticised in one of his articles the university’s preference for the pro-establishment candidates over the anti-establishment faction in the campus elections.

Although he did not name any particular university, his alluding in his writing to UM landed him in hot soup when he was reportedly hauled up by Rafiah for an explanation.

Next project - a book on UM

On students’ freedom, Rafiah said she did not mind her students being active in politics provided that it did not come at the expense of their studies.

“Join-lah (politics), what the heck man, except that I am very firm with students that if they are so involved in politics and not focused on their studies, that would get me very angry,” she said.

“You have to remember 80 percent of (local university students’) funding come from taxpayers’ money. I am one of the taxpayers and I don’t want to see student stay here for five years and can’t get a degree because they are fooling around with politics or non-politics (activities).”

On her immediate plan, Rafiah said she was writing a book on her two-and-a-half year tenure in the university and targeted it to be completed in three months’ time.

According to her, the book will include the “good and the bad things” that had happened to her in UM. It will contain more exposes of political interference, she claimed.

Asked if there will be any official farewell ceremony for her in UM, Rafiah said it was initially planned to be held this Friday but had been put on hold as she was leaving for overseas on Thursday.

Part 1: Axed UM VC says its because she’s a woman

All highway concession contracts, except for the KL-Putrajaya Expressway (KLPE), will be declassified, said Works Minister Mohd Zin Mohamad.

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Speaking at a press conference this morning at the Works Department headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Mohd Zin said the cabinet decided on the matter on Oct 17.

Following this, the government managed to obtain an agreement on the declassification from all highway operators except Maju Expressway Bhd, which manages the KLPE

Asked if Maju Expressway had refused to comply with the cabinet directive, Mohd Zin said he was unsure, adding that the company had yet to reply.

He assured that the declassification would take place by Jan 1 next year at the latest. However, it has been undecided if members of the public would have to buy the documents or would be able to read it for free. 

‘We cannot act unilaterally’However, Mohd Zin said that the government would not specify a deadline for Maju Expressway to respond because the matter has to be agreed mutually.

“If they don’t agree, we cannot disclose (the contract),” he said.

With the declassification, Mohd Zin hopes the public can evaluate the commitments and the traffic volumes faced by highway concessionaires as well as the responsibilities of the government.

He said that it was an opportunity for the public to determine if there a profit sharing clause and that it would encourage the highway operators into providing additional incentives for motorist.

Opposition parties have often criticised the government for the clandestine nature of the highway agreements and leaked documents have often pointed to ‘lop-sided’ contracts which benefited concessionaires mostly.

VIDEO  | 10mins