Jimmy Leow

Sekretariat Pemuda Pakatan Rakyat Negeri Pulau Pinang ingin menyatakan simpati kepada warga emas, khususnya  di DUN Penaga, yang diwakili oleh Dato’ Azhar Ibrahim yang juga Setiausaha Perhubungan UMNO Pulau Pinang. Baru-baru ini, seramai 40 orang warga emas dari DUN tersebut telah memulangkan semula wang Skim Penghargaan Warga Emas yang diusahakan oleh Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang. Simpati kami adalah kerana mereka ini telah ditipu dan dipermainkan oleh ADUN mereka yang melatah berasaskan maklumat yang tidak betul. Ini bukti jelas, bahawa UMNO sanggup buat apa saja, hingga sanggup menidakkan hak rakyat, semata-mata mahukan populariti politik murahan!

Sekretariat Pemuda Pakatan Rakyat Negeri Pulau Pinang juga merasa hairan, kenapa dengan tiba-tiba UMNO Pulau Pinang menjadi begitu prihatin tentang permasalahan rakyat? Apa bukti hitam-putih yang menyatakan wang dapatan dari sumber judi itu disalurkan kepada Program Penghargaan Warga Emas dan umat Islam di negeri ini? Ini menunjukkan sikap UMNO yang cukup gemar ‘hentam keromo’. Jika kita lihat sendiri paparan surat balas dari Setiausaha Sulit Ketua Menteri kepada Penang Turf Club (yang dipaparkan dalam pisau.net), jelas sekali dinyatakan di situ ia adalah sumbangan untuk program Rakan Anti Kemiskinan (RAK) dan bukannya untuk Program Penghargaan Warga Emas.

Kami juga sudah mendapat penjelasan daripada YB Phee Boon Poh, selaku Exco Kebajikan Negeri, bahawa Kerajaan Negeri masih menyimpan sebanyak RM2.4 Juta wang peruntukan untuk Rakan Anti Kemiskinan (RAK), tanpa mengganggu peruntukan untuk Program Penghargaan Warga Emas. Kenyataan ini juga diperkuatkan dengan penjelasan dari Pegawai Kewangan Negeri, Datuk Farizan Darus yang menyatakan wang sumbangan RM2 Juta dari Penang Turf Club itu tidak akan disalurkan kepada umat Islam dalam program RAK.

Justeru, Sekretariat Pemuda Pakatan Rakyat Negeri Pulau Pinang di sini ingin menyelar sikap hipokrit yang dizahirkan oleh pemimpin UMNO, yang berlagak teliti dalam hal agama, walhal merekalah yang paling membelakangkannya. Jika benar mereka serius terhadap perjuangan menyelamatkan umat Islam dari menerima wang dari sumbangan judi, hiburan dan arak, mereka dicabar melakukan perkara-perkara berikut;

1. Mencabar UMNO agar mengarahkan semua staf dan kakitangan Utusan Malaysia, (lidah rasmi parti itu) untuk memulangkan semua gaji mereka, kerana ada unsur judi dalam penghasilan gaji mereka, menerusi iklan-iklan 4 nombor ekor di akhbar itu.

1. Mencabar UMNO agar mengarahkan semua GLC-GLC di bawah pengaruh mereka agar memulangkan semua pendapatan gaji semula mereka kepada Perbendaharaan Kerajaan Malaysia, kerana tidak ada satu pun gaji mereka ini boleh dipastikan bersih dari percampuran dengan hasil cukai judi, hiburan dan arak.

1. Mencabar agar 11 ADUN UMNO di Pulau Pinang yang melabel diri mereka sebagai ‘Pembela Agama, Bangsa & Negara’ agar memberi contoh tauladan awal dan terbaik, dengan mengembalikan semua gaji dan elaun Wakil Rakyat mereka kepada Perbendaharaan Kerajaan Negeri, sebab bagi mereka, seolah-olah tidak ada satu pun yang ‘halal’ dari Kerajaan Negeri.

Cabaran ini dibuat, untuk menjawab serangan-serangan UMNO, dan kita tahu ini adalah satu lagi ‘peluru’ terdesak UMNO yang dihalakan kepada Kerajaan Negeri Pakatan Rakyat, Kerajaan yang dipilih oleh majoriti rakyat di Pulau Pinang. Ini juga isyarat jelas, betapa UMNO-Barisan Nasional yang memerintah Pulau Pinang selama 52 Tahun cukup ‘terpukul’ dengan keupayaan Kerajaan Negeri berjimat sebanyak RM20 Juta untuk program ini, dan dengan wang penjimatan inilah, ia terus dikongsikan bersama dengan rakyat.

Cabaran ini juga dibuat untuk memberi peluang kepada UMNO membuktikan diri mereka adalah ‘Pembela Melayu yang sebenar’, seperti yang selalu mereka war-warkan. Kami juga menyeru agar UMNO benar-benar membantu merubah nasib orang Melayu dengan bersungguh-sungguh dengan membela jatuh bangun mereka dan bukan hanya berlagak hebat di Televisyen dan di dada-dada akhbar.

Kami Yang Membawa Suara Rakyat;

SYED MIKAEL RIZAL AIDID

Setiausaha,

Angkatan Muda KEADILAN

Pulau Pinang (AMKPP)

YB NG WEI AIK

Setiausaha,

Pemuda Sosialis DAP

(DAPSY) Pulau Pinang

MOHD. NOR B. HARUN

Setiausaha,

Dewan Pemuda PAS (DPP) Pulau Pinang

All Penang PR Wakil Rakyats are willing to be sued by Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng for defending and upholding CAT principles. The real reason that Tan Tee Beng left PKR was his unhappiness in not being appointed for positions in PBA, and his various demands that were not CAT-compliant.

So far, Tan Tee Beng has failed to apologise to PR and Nibong Tebal voters for failing to support Penang PR Government’s CAT principles of Competency, Accountability & Transparency and instead threatened to sue Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr. P. Ramasamy & Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi.

Penang Chief Minister had explained that Tan Tee Beng was unhappy with Lim when Lim had refused Tan’s request to intervene in a shop house in Chow Thye Road. Tan had told Lim that his uncle was interested in renting the shop house but Lim had insisted that CAT principles be followed.

Until now, Tan had dared not deny his involvement in helping his uncle obtain the shop house belonging to PDC in Chow Thye Road. Tan had only challenged that reports be made against him with the MACC.

Why should a report be made when Penang CM had ensured that there is no wrongdoing by insisting a full compliance with CAT principles in renting the shop house? It is ridiculous for Tan to ask for a report to be lodged against the MACC when Tan knows that the Penang CM had taken steps to ensure that there is no wrongdoing.

It is because of such behavior that is not compliant with CAT principles that Tan Tee Beng was not appointed to any positions in the state government. Tan should realize that being in government is not about jockeying for positions but principles, not about private interests but about public interests.

For that reason, his departure is no loss to PR but reaffirmation of Penang PR to CAT principles.

CM Lim Guan Eng proposed to link Jln Bagan 29 to Jln Siram to enhance better traffic flow and convenience for the residents of Tmn Bagan, Penang.

Watch the video here

Video by : Jimmy Leow (Citizen Journalist)

The differences between a PKR and BN dinner during campaigning in the Bukit Selambau by election was plenty as CJ Lim Boo Seng and I witnessed last night. We did a coverage at the PKR dinner and the atmosphere there was thunderous and cheerful, people shaking hands with PKR’s officials and so forth. Even the reporters looked lively and jovial. According to a PKR official, there were 106 tables (1060 seatings) and every seat was taken.

I noticed that the itinerary of the event was important and there were some differences in the way both parties arranged them. For example, PKR would get all the big guns to finish their speeches and then serve food. While MCA served food as they addressed the crowd.

Over at MCA’s dinner, much to our amaze, the crowd was very quiet, everyone seems attentive, well to the food, that is. Even when Ong Tee Keat was giving his speech, there was no reaction from the crowd. I believed the crowd figure was approximately 600.

The worst part was, when BN candidate S. Ganesan was giving his speech, some supporters had left, in particular the table right in front of us. Was that a sign of rejection? Well, we will know come 7 April 2009.

The only good thing that happened during the MCA dinner was a surprising statement by Mrs S. Ganesan in Hokkien and she spoke the dialect well. And that brought some cheers from the crowd. Maybe she should be the candidate for BN in this by election….

“If they (BN) offer free food, go and eat! If they give money, take it and spend it, why worry? By the way, the money is actually from people like you and me, so what is wrong? But vote PKR ok?” said a 70 Pak Haji that I came across at Youth Park Hill 3 this morning.

If he is corrupted then he has to pay the price. Of course, many will say that MACC acted so efficiently when the suspects are from the opposition parties. What about Khir Toyo, Norza, Azalina, and so many others? Since Fairus is from PKR, MACC jumped queue, quite understandable, if you know what I mean.

Well, as far as I am concerned, the Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng had openly said in his speech on the 8th March 2009, that anyone in his administration found to be “lacking” in the commitment to the state or to the people of Penang will be taken out. 

Like I mentioned in my previous post the other day, it was definitely fishy when Fairus went on leave without the knowledge of his superior Lim Guan Eng and Anwar Ibrahim had to “apply” the leave for Fairus.

Initial, it was fishy but now it really smells. I just hope that he will come out clean.

Malaysian Insider JOHOR BARU, March 26 — PKR’s Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin, who has been embroiled in graft allegations in Penang, has been detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for questioning.

The Penang Deputy Chief Minister I was stopped by Immigration officers at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex at about 11 last night.

He was subsequently handed over to Johor MACC officers.

Johor DAP deputy chief Norman Fernandez, a lawyer, was among Pakatan Rakyat leaders who rushed to the CIQ last night on hearing the news but was unable to speak to Fairus.

Fernandez said Fairus was taken to the Johor MACC headquarters in Air Molex at about 2.45am.

MACC investigating director Datuk Syukri Abdul told The Malaysian Insider that Fairus was detained only to facilitate investigations into allegations of illegal activities with quarry operators in Penang.

If by putting a plaque near a tree is labelled as treason to the Sultan, then how do you classify the way Zambry and his goons took over Perak? His actions was far worst than treason. He has raped Perak and robbed the people of Perak of their believes in democracy.

There will be no remorse when comes this 7th April at the polls in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau. If BN intends to hide behind the three Rs (Race, Religion and Raja) and preach about how protective they are on these three areas for the sake of nation, they are probably wasting their time.

Malaysian Insider IPOH, March 9 — Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir has described the unveiling of a marble plaque under a rain tree at Medan Istana here to mark the emergency sitting of the state assembly as the height of treason.

“The action symbolised an act of defiance to the Sultan (of Perak) and the institution of Malay rulers.