8 theSun | THURSDAY OCTOBER 30 2008

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MP: Conduct due diligence on Khazanah
At the Dewan Rakyat
by Husna Yusop
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
A BACKBENCHER suggested
that the government conduct an
immediate survey or due diligence
on Khazanah Nasional Bhd to
determine whether the company
should continue its business or not.
Chua Tee Yong (BN-Labis), a
first-time MP and the son of former
health minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi
Lek, said Khazanah has invested
RM5.16 billion but did not get any
returns, citing high depreciation as
a factor, and the company has not
given out dividends nor generated
income since 1994.
“I hope the government stops
investing in this company, not a
sen more, looking at its previous
track record and its future which
is not guaranteed,” he said during
the debate on Budget 2009.
While expressing hope for
the price reduction move by
hypermarkets to be more than a
cosmetic cut of 1% or 2%, Chua
was concerned that the prices
would go up again when the petrol
price increases later.
He said the government should
consider using the savings from
petrol subsidy to give out cash
money to low-income families
rather than focusing too much on
petrol price reduction.
“The welfare line should be
increased to RM1,000 (monthly
income per household) so that
some 390,000 more families would
benefit from this aid.
“Although this move would add
to the government’s expenditure,
the cost could still be borne if part
of the subsidy savings is used for
welfare purposes,” he said.
Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim
(PKR-Bandar Tun Razak) said
the government’s decision to allow
its investment agency ValueCap
Sdn Bhd to borrow RM5 billion
from Employees Provident Fund
to defend share prices is unwise
and unprofitable. He said the move
would only lead to bigger cash
outflow as foreign shareholders
would be able to sell their shares
and bring the money back to their
own countries.
“The best way is to deposit
money in selected companies
through a special scheme,” he said.
However, Dr Mohd Puad
Zarkashi (BN-Batu Pahat) said
Second Finance Minister Tan Sri
Nor Mohd Yakcop has said it will
not result in cash outflow.
Khalid accused the government
of not using its funds wisely while
comparing the situation with the
US$700 billion bailout plan by the
US government which he said will
be deposited into the banks and
will not be taken out.
He also suggested a meeting
between the federal government
and all mentris besar and chief
ministers to discuss efforts to
alleviate the impact of the global
economic crisis and ways to
stimulate the economy.
He said the federal government
also should meet up with small
and medium-scale entrepreneurs
to listen to their plans, apart from
determining ways to help them.
Tan Ah Eng (BN-Gelang
Patah) asked the government to
review the RM300 fee for renewal
of international passports which
she said is too expensive.
Mohd Yusmadi Yusoff
(PKR-Balik Pulau) called on the
government to re-evaluate itself and
accept the fact that there is a need
to review the country’s economic
situation and proposed budget.
“The 2009 Budget was huge
at a time of world economic
crisis. This is an issue of crisis of
governance. It is fundamental for
the government to re-evaluate
its decisions. Refusing to do this
would only put our economic
situation in fantasy by having a
budget of denial,” he said.

Backbencher ‘teaches’ deputy Judicial reform

minister to answer questions
DEPUTY Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Teng
Boon Soon’s patience was tested when a backbencher
tried to “teach” him how to answer questions.
Datuk Mohamad Aziz (BN-Sri Gading) said he
wanted concrete, strong, firm and bold explanation
from the ministry on its action against the Penang
government for being disrespectful by proposing to
use various languages on its road signs.
When Teng started to explain about the national
cultural policy, Mohamad cut him short, saying: “This
is not about policy! This is about action towards a state
government which has breached the constitution!”
Teng then said he was trying to say the policy
is based on Islam as the main factor but Mohamad
interjected him, saying: “I’m not talking about Islam,
I’m talking about language!”
When the Opposition MPs teased him for trying to
teach a deputy minister, he said: “We can teach the min-
ister. No problem. Ministers are also human beings.”
Teng finally said the usage of language on road
signs is under the jurisdiction of a state government
and its local authorities, not the federal government.
Criteria used for Apex and
THES different, says Khaled
THE criteria used to choose a local university to
undergo the Accelerated Programme of Excellence
(Apex) is different from that used by the Times
Higher Education Supplement (THES), Higher Edu-
cation Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin said.
“For Apex, we evaluate the universities based on
their previous successes and future capabilities. The
yardstick used was both qualitative and quantitative.
For THES, it is based on assessments sent out to some
200,000 lecturers, and of this, less than 2% responded.
“We were very thorough in Apex whereby inter-
views and audits were also carried out to check the
accuracy of the information given,” he said in reply
to a supplementary question by Mohd Yusmadi
Yusoff (PKR-Balik Pulau).
257,411 birth certs without
father’s names
THE National Registration Department has issued
257,411 birth certificates which do not carry the
fathers’ names from 2000 until July, Home Minister
Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said.
“The father’s name could not be recorded in
the birth certificate of illegitimate children, namely
children born out of wedlock, except at the joint
request of the mother and the person who admit-
ted to being the father.
“This was in keeping with the provisions of Sec-
tion 13 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act
1957,” he told R. Sivarasa (PKR-Subang).
No plan to hike rail
transport fares
RAIL operators have not submitted any proposal
to raise fares, said Deputy Transport Minister Datuk
Lajim Ukin. He said the ministry was empowered to
revise the fare rates for only rail transport services
such as the commuter, light rail transit (LRT) and
monorail. “A revision of fare rates for bus service
comes under the jurisdiction of the Commercial
Vehicle Licensing Board,” he said in reply to Chua
Tian Chang (PKR-Batu).
Lajim said a new LRT route, stretching 42km
from Kota Damansara to Cheras and expected to
be ready in 2014, was expected to draw more than
300,000 passengers daily as well as reduce traffic
congestion in Kuala Lumpur. – Bernama
Deferment does not mean
cancellation: PAC chief
KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Accounts Committee
(PAC) is going ahead with the meeting to scrutinise
the proposed purchase of Eurocopter helicopters as
the deal is still on the table.
PAC chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said the
deferment of the purchase of 12 Eurocopter EC725
Cougar helicopters to replace the Nuri aircraft does
not mean the government is cancelling the deal.
“It’s a deferment ... it’s not a question of cancelling
the deal. Deferment is not cancellation,” said Azmi
when asked on the rationale of the PAC meeting
when the government had already announced that
the deal had been put on hold.
Earlier the PAC received a briefing on the acquisi-
tion of the EC725 helicopters following outcry among
certain quarters that the price is exorbitant.
Azmi said the briefing is organised by the Defence
Ministry and attended by the ministry’s Secretary-
General Datuk Abu Bakar Abdullah and Royal Malay-
sian Air Force Chief Gen Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin.
“We do our part, which is within the framework of
our duty as the PAC committee. We have everybody
here together with opposition members.
“Today (the meeting) is on the technical side (of
the deal); tomorrow, it’s on the financial aspect. We
will only get the overall picture after the briefings,”
he said.
Azmi said the tender process for the helicopter is
still at an early stage.
“A letter of intent is just an intent. It’s not even an
order; it’s only an intention to buy,” he said, referring
to the letter of intent which the Finance Ministry had
issued to Eurocopter.
He said that the deal has not reached the price
negotiation stage yet.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi announced on Tuesday that the government
had put on hold the purchase of the helicopters at
a cost of RM1.679 billion until the global economic
situation stabilised.
The PAC meeting continues today.
Meanwhile, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang has urged
Azmi to withdraw from the inquiry, saying Azmi was
a minister in the cabinet which decided to replace
Nuri helicopters with a new fleet on July 18 last year.
– Bernama
at forefront of
govt agenda,
says Abdullah
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said
yesterday Malaysia’s effort in judicial
reform remains at the forefront of the
government’s agenda.
He said that in April this year, he
had announced the establishment of
an independent judicial appointments
commission and the work on the relevant
legislation was progressing well.
“The government aims to table the
relevant legislation to establish the com-
mission by the end of the year, InsyaAl-
lah,” he said when delivering his keynote
address at the 21st LawAsia Conference
at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
The three-day conference was organ-
ised jointly by the Malaysian Bar Council
and the Law Association for Asia and the
Pacific (LawAsia).
Abdullah said the judicial appoint-
ments commission is not merely desir-
able in Malaysia but a necessity.
“The present system of judicial ap-
pointments has given rise to questions
on the judiciary’s integrity and cred-
ibility. Such a commission will provide a
structured, transparent and merit-based
appointment process,” he said.
Abdullah said bodies similar to a
judicial appointments commission are
already a feature of jurisdictions such as
Thailand, Hongkong and India.
“A judicial commission will be a vital
step in the right direction. Implementing
and operationalising it of course will be a
challenge, and already there have been
divergent views on the functioning and
composition of the commission,” he said.
However, the prime minister said
when personal and organisational in-
terests were set aside, he believed that
Malaysia could arrive at a solution that is
best for the country.
“Once the commission is formed, it
is up to the judges themselves to make
the judiciary an institution that we can
all be proud of. A system is only as good
as the people who operate within it, and
I am confident our judges will rise to the
occasion,” he said.
Abdullah also said the LawAsia Con-
ference was aptly themed “Challenging
Asia” as it was held at a time of great
upheavel worldwide – when the financial
crisis which began in the United States
and spread to Europe, extended its reach
to this region.
He said although the financial crisis
was still an early stage, the debate had
already begun on how countries should
balance regulatory oversight with market
competitiveness in the banking, finance
and investment fields.
“Beyond the context of the current
financial crisis, there are still other ar-
eas of importance to Asia, such as the
performance of the real sectors of the
economy and institutional reform and
renewal,” he said. – Bernama