Liew-Ann Phang
The Sun

KUALA LUMPUR (May 14, 2008): If and when East Malaysian Barisan Nasional (BN) parliamentarians defect, the ruling coalition cannot do anything anymore (to stop the defections), said Datuk Anifah Aman (BN-Kimanis).

Anifah, one of the many Sabahan and Sarawakian MPs who voiced their concern and dissatisfaction over BN’s lack of attention to issues in the two states in debates on the motion of thanks on the royal address, did not discount himself from doing the same.

“I will do it (defect) if it is in the best interest of the people,” he told reporters in Parliament lobby today.

However, Anifah defended that the Sabah leaders were actually trying to stop the people from defecting.

When asked about the up till August time frame given by Datuk Yong Teck Lee (Sabah Progressive Party President and Gaya MP), Anifah said people were getting impatient and were drawn to the 20% oil royalty offer by Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

“It makes a lot of difference for Sabah. Whether it becomes a reality, is debatable. What we are saying is ‘look into our grievances’, the problem of illegal immigrants.

“If you can set up the Judicial Appointment Commission and the Malaysian Commission against Corruption, why can’t you set up a commission to look into this matter,” he lamented.

Parti Bersatu Sabah president Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan likened the situation to the government being the doctor who is not treating the aches and pains of the people, the patient.

“It is just like when we are sick, the doctor doesn’t treat you to get rid of that pain in the body, you will continue to feel sick and unhappy and miserable. The aches and pains have been expressed in the Dewan and the patient has been talking and telling the doctor they need treatment,” he said, adding that Sabah MPs were merely protecting the country and its sovereignty.

“This means illegal immigrants must be sent away. We have laws which must be enforced. Who are you choosing, your citizens or the illegal immigrants? Of course your citizens must be protected,” said Pairin.

On the oil royalty, Kitingan said it needed to be considered “as I see it as a lopsided agreement”.

“It is also being fully exploited by the Opposition and the agreement has to be studied. You can’t just dismiss it as not being lopsided but there must be a discussion with all the MPs and leaders to look at the facts and figures so that the people are satisfied,” he added.

Datuk Seri Panglima Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) denies any knowledge of MPs “jumping ship” and says he isn’t one, for now.

However, he quipped: “If I am not satisfied, I will form my own party. Why should I jump? I don’t want to jump because the other party will also tie my legs, like BN”. “All I am saying to the leadership is we don’t want to be second class citizens.”

Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan (BN-Kota Belud) said the election gave the people a chance to change the political model of country and he is all for a two-party system in the country.

On Yong’s ultimatum that his party may leave BN in August if the state issues are not resolved, Abdul Rahman said he believed Yong said it in good faith as he was only presenting the views of the people in Sabah and Sarawak.

Loong Meng Yee
The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The VK Lingam video clip shown to the Royal Commission of Inquiry is only some 20% to 30% of what was recorded that night at the prominent lawyer’s house in December 2001.

Somewhere in China, there is a disk containing the complete recording of what Loh Gwo Burne videotaped, separated into segments named VK1, VK2 and others. Most of what was made public was from the first segment of VK1.

Eventually, when I find it, I will give it to the relevant authorities if required

“I downloaded the video from my private computer into several hard disks and compact discs. When I went to work in China in 2004, I took it along,” Loh told The Star.

“The disk is still there. The rest of the videos contain, among other things, other telephone conversations between Lingam and the other person on the phone, as well as conversations Lingam had with my father.

“What has been made public is only about 20%-30% of what I filmed,” Loh said.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry recently identified former Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim as the person on the other side of the call with Lingam in the video.

The Kelana Jaya MP said he had not viewed the videos that he had left in China for some time and therefore could not be precisely sure of what else they contain.

However, from memory, Loh, 34, said he remembered that Lingam had mentioned about how he had manipulated cases to his advantage by using certain lawyers against certain judges to make sure the judgments would be in his favour.

Loh said he made three copies from the videotape. One copy was in China, the other he could not remember where he had kept it and the third was given to the late lawyer Manjit Singh.

Asked what he wanted to do with the copy in China, Loh replied: “Nothing at the moment. Eventually, when I find it, I will give it to the relevant authorities if required.”

He maintained that his family did not know how PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had gotten hold of a copy. Loh believed Anwar had somehow been able to obtain the copy that Loh had given Manjit Singh.

“Maybe after Manjit Singh died, someone went through his things, found the CD and, somehow, it ended in Anwar’s hands,” said Loh.

Asked why he gave a copy to Manjit Singh, Loh said that at that time in 2001 both Manjit Singh and Lingam were acting for his family over some legal matters.

“Manjit Singh had been displeased with Lingam over some payment issues. I passed the CD to him because at that point we were also not happy with the services provided by Lingam because there were many postponements to my family’s case,” said Loh,

But, Loh is not an accidental hero either.

That night in December 2001, he started his camera to film a bowl or vase in Lingam’s house because he was bored to be kept waiting by the lawyer “who was forever on the phone.”

“But when Lingam started asking someone on the other line not to worry, that he would be chief justice soon, I knew I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to document something that may one day help prove something is seriously wrong with the judiciary,” said Loh.

After what he heard that night, Loh said he was so disturbed that he decided there was no more freedom in the courts and chose not to take his Bar exams.

Instead, he went to work for the family business and travelled to China and Indonesia.

“After passing the CD to Manjit Singh, I did not think much of it for years, until (the issue) exploded,” said Loh.

Believe it or not, there is somebody paid RM130,000 salary a month? I would love that job - an orchestra conductor at the Petronas Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO).

Bagan MP, Lim Guan Eng, who is also the Chief Minister of Penang during his debate on the motion of thanks on the royal address in Parliament today said that Petronas spends RM3.5 million a month to sustain the MPO, which is only made up of 5% locals and 95% foreigners. Foreign musicians are paid between RM16,000 and RM28,000 a month while the conductor’s assistant is paid RM50,000.

Since its inception 10 years ago, the MPO costs Petronas a whopping RM500 million!

Well, looking at it, the money could have been put to better use for the benefit of the people, instead of being spent on the orchestra!