Parliament should set up six Select Committees on 9^th Malaysia Plan, parliamentary reform and modernization, public administration, education, foreign affairs and human rights to make up for the glacial pace of the Prime Minister’s reform programme in the past 32 months

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Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Parliament, Saturday) Parliament should set up six Parliamentary Select Committees on the Ninth  Malaysia Plan, parliamentary reform and modernization, public administration, education, foreign affairs and human rights to make up for the glacial pace of the Prime Minister’s reform programme in the past 32 months.

Although national attention is riveted on whether  Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi  would  make a clear and decisive stand in Parliament on Monday to establish the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC)  to keep faith with his reform pledge and programme and to restore public confidence that he has not abandoned or compromised his commitment for reform, there are other issues which Malaysians are hoping that Abdullah would also take an equally clear-cut stand.

High on the priority of national concern will be the war against corruption and the promotion and protection of human rights.

In recent months,  Malaysia had been conspicuously absent in the international headline news about  major developments in the war against corruption in Asia, especially in China, South Korea and Taiwan – raising the question whether Malaysia is trailing behind these countries in the war against corruption.

On human rights, the Abdullah administration has also not delivered in terms of any significant progress  in the promotion and protection of human rights, although Malaysia is a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council which started deliberations in Geneva this week.

Malaysia’s commitment to human rights can in fact be questioned  with the lowest-ranking participation from Malaysia in the inaugural proceedings of the Human Rights Council in Geneva this week, as the Malaysian delegation is led by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Foreign Ministry, Ahmad Shabery Cheek while most nations are represented by their Foreign Minister,  Deputy Prime Minister or even Deputy President.

In the 14-day Parliamentary meeting starting on Monday, I will be asking the Prime Minister how “leakage” whether from corruption, breach of trust, abuse of power or extravagance from the RM220 billion Ninth Malaysia Plan could be checked,  as  a  20 percentage “leakage” would  produce the astronomical losses of RM44 billion creating “crony”  billionaires and multi-millionaires at the expense of the rakyat.

This problem will best be handled by a Parliamentary Select Committee to monitor the efficient, just and honest implementation of the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

In the forthcoming  14-day Parliamentary meeting, which allows two adjournment motions a day, DAP MPs will be moving 18 of the 28 adjournment motions, with issues ranging from a world-class police service to TNB electricity tariff hike (Fong Kui Lun – Bukit Bintang), brain drain and transparency of JPA scholarships (Fong Po Kuan – Batu Gajah), shortage of Chinese primary schools and relocation of SRJKC  Beng Tek, Penang and SRJKC Kulai,  Johore (Chong Eng – Bukit Mertajam), Home Ministry delivery system (Chow Kon Yeow – Tanjong), marginalisation of Indians under Ninth Malaysia Plan (M. Kulasegaran – Ipoh Barat) and land title problems for house-buyers in Kuala Lumpur (Tan Kok Wai – Cheras).

DAP MPs have also given notice to move nine  motions, ranging from five motions submitted by Teresa Kok (Seputeh) covering live telecast of Parliamentary proceedings,  restoration of local government  elections and reinstatement of the Parliamentary Services Act to  create  a first-world Parliament; two motions by Dr. Tan Seng Giaw (Kepong) on the Hulu Klang tragedy after the Highland Towers tragedy in 1993 and Taman Hill View tragedy in 2002 as well as on the 125 recommendations of the Royal Police Commission; one by M. Kulasegaran on the public declaration of assets by public servants to create a culture of integrity and one by  Fong Po Kuan in the form of a substantive motion to challenge and review the ruling of the Deputy Speaker, Datuk Lim Si Cheng on May 11, 2006 in his shot-gun conduct of the passage of amendments to the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders without allowing any  debate.

I will speak to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz who is also in charge of the government’s parliamentary portfolio to seek government agreement to allow debate time for at least three of the nine DAP motions.

(23/06/2006)