Letter by Md Asmawi Md Nor to Lim Kit Siang

Saya bersetuju bahawa Saudara telah tersilap dalam isu majlis angkat sumpah MB Perak tetapi saya juga sangat hormat apabila Saudara dengan cepat menyedari kesilapan tersebut dan dengan segera memperbetulkannya dan melakukan tindakan yang tepat dengan memohon maaf kepada pihak istana secara peribadi. Tahniah atas tindakan anda tersebut.

Nah, sekarang Terengganu pula menghadapi isu yang sama dimana 23 Adun dengan segera mengumumkan untuk memboikot majlis angkat sumpah MB Terengganu yang dijangka akan diadakan esok sebaik sahaja ayam tambatan mereka Idris Jusoh tidak terpilih sebagai MB. Seperti biasa, media UMNO Utusan Malaysia akan bersikap ‘double-standard’ dalam menanggani isu ini. Maksud saya secara spesifik ialah bila mana Saudara mengeluarkan statement dalam isu MB Perak dulu, Utusan Malaysia dengan segera dan ‘bold’ terus dengan muka depan “DAP Biadap’, dan dikuti dengan pelbagai rentetan propaganda dan provokasi lagi. Saya sebagai rakyat Terengganu mahukan perkara yang sama kali ini dilakukan oleh Utusan Malaysia dalam menanggani isu 23 Adun yang biadap ini termasuk Idris Jusoh. Tajuk yang perlu keluar dimuka depan mereka sekurang-kurangnya ‘23 Adun Biadap’. Mereka semua juga perlu memohon maaf seperti mana yang Saudara lakukan dahulu.

Saya amat berharap Saudara dapat memantau isu ini dengan diberi perhatian istimewa agar UMNO khasnya sedar jangan hanya pandai melihat orang lain biadap tetapi mereka sendiri boleh bersikap biadap dan bertindak sesuka hati mereka. Macamlah negara ini tiada undang-undang.

Sekian,

A report in Malaysiakini by Andrew Ong stated that the newly appointed Health Minister, Liow Tiong Lai, is well-aware but unperturbed by his appointment to a post which many regard as a ‘cursed’ post for MCA leaders. “Don’t worry about history. The jinx has to break somewhere,” he said.

The jinx started in 1969, when then Health Minister Dr Ng Kam Poh lost to DAP rookie Chan Fu King, a bus conductor, for the Telok Intan (then Telok Anson) parliamentary seat. Following that the following Health Ministers - Lee Siok Yew, Chin Hon Ngain, Mak Hon Kam, Chan Siang Sun, Ng Cheng Kiat, Lee Kim Sai, Chua Jui Meng and Dr Chua Soi Lek - had their political careers cut short.

Liow, instead, regards the Health Ministry as a passionate ministry.

Lim Kit Siang

In 2004, I had made 12 proposals for parliamentary reform and modernization for Malaysia to have a “First World Parliament” not only in infrastructure, but mindset, culture, practices and performance.

These 12 proposals for First-World Parliament should be adopted as the parliamentary agenda of both the Barisan Nasional and the Opposition in the 12th Parliament when it convenes for its first meeting in May, viz:

- live telecast of parliamentary proceedings;

- daily two-hour question time;

- Prime Minister’s Question Time twice a week;

- Opposition MP heading the Public Accounts Committee (PAC);

- some 30 specialist Parliamentary Select Committees with a Select Committee for every Ministry;

- about ten general Parliamentary Select Committees to produce annual reports on progress, trends and recommendations on national integrity, IT, women’s agenda, environment, mass media, corruption, etc;

- allocation of certain days a week specifically to deal with Opposition business;
research and constituency staffing for MPs;

- an Opposition Deputy Speaker;

- modernization and democratization of Standing Orders;

- code of ethics for all MPs;

- Ministers’ Parliamentary code of conduct.

The political tsunami of March 8, 2008 general election is an unmistakable mandate and demand for far-reaching changes in Malaysia after 50 years of nation-building, including the creation of a vibrant, vigorous and truly representative First-World Parliament.

At the meeting of PKR, PAS and DAP leaders in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday night, I had proposed that PKR President Datin Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail be the Parliamentary Opposition Leader of the new Parliament until Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim regains his full civil liberties and is re-elected to Parliament, and the proposal was agreed by the leaders of the three parties.

DAP MPs and I will give full support to Azizah and the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz who is now fully responsible for parliamentary affairs, to turn the Malaysian Parliament into a First-World Parliament – as it is better to be late than never.

Prime Minister: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Deputy Prime Minister: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department
Tan Sri Bernard Dompok
Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz
Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim
Datuk Amirsham Abdul Aziz

Deputy Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department
Datuk Johari Baharom
Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim
Datuk K. Devamany
Datuk Hassan Malik

Finance
Ministers: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop
Deputies: Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Datuk Kong Cho Ha

Defense
Minister: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
Deputy: Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop

Internal Security and Home Affairs
Minister: Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar
Deputies: Datuk Chor Chee Heong, Senator Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh

Housing and Local Government
Minister: Datuk Ong Ka Chuan
Deputies: Datuk Robert Lau , Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin

Works Minister
Minister: Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamad
Deputy: Datuk Yong Khoon Seng

Energy, Water and Communications
Minister: Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor
Deputy: Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum

Agriculture and Agro: based Industry
Minister: Datuk Mustapa Mohamed
Deputy: Datin Paduka Rohani Abdul Karim

International Trade and Industry
Minister: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
Deputies: Loh Wei Keong, Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan

Foreign Affairs
Minister: Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim
Deputy: Tengku Azlan Abu Bakar (declined post)

Education
Minister: Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein
Deputies: Datuk Wee Ka Siong, Datuk Razali Ismail

Higher Education
Minister: Datuk Khaled Nordin
Deputies: Khoo Kok Choong, Datuk Idris Harun

Transport
Minister: Datuk Ong Tee Keat
Deputy: Anifah Aman (declined post)

Human Resources
Minister: Datuk S. Subramaniam
Deputy: Datuk Noraini Ahmad

Women, Family and Community Development
Minister: Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen
Deputy: Noriah Kasnon

National Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage
Minister: Datuk Shafie Apdal
Deputy: Datuk Teng Boon Soon

Science, Technology and Innovation
Minister: Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili
Deputy: Fadilah Yusof

Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development
Minister: Datuk Noh Omar
Deputy: Datuk Saiffuddin Abdullah

Natural Resources and Environment
Minister: Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas
Deputy: Datuk Abu Ghapur Salleh

Rural and Regional Development
Minister: Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib
Deputy: Tan Sri Joseph Kurup

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs
Minister: Datuk Shahrir Samad
Deputy: Jelaing Mersat

Plantation Industries and Commodities
Minister: Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui
Deputy: A. Kohilan

Youth and Sports
Minister: Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaacob
Deputy: Wee Jack Seng

Health
Minister: Datuk Liow Tiong Lai
Deputy: Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad

Information
Minister: Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek
Deputy: Datuk Tan Lian Hoe

Tourism
Minister: Datuk Azalina Othman
Deputy: Datuk Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abu Taib

Federal Territories
Minister: Datuk Zulhasnan Rafique
Deputy: M. Saravanan

Pasir Panjang state assemblyman of Perak, Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin was sworn in as the new Perak Menteri Besar at Istana Iskandariah before the Regent of Perak, Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah. He leads the people’s government, a coalition of DAP, PKR and PAS.

Immediately after the swearing in ceremony, he announced the waiver of all compound notices and parking summonses issued by all city, municipal and district councils in Perak up till Monday, a move similar to that done in Penang by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.