“Khidmat Hospital” project - the real motive

Dr Chong Eng Leong (pic left) was certainly right for questioning whether Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Hj Aman’s adamant decision and rush to convert the shabby Wisma Khidmat into a private hopital is really for the benefit of the people of Sabah at large, or for the privileged few.

I also fully concur with Dr Chong for saying that if the State government really cares for the people’s welfare like what it always claimed, it should perhaps get the Sabah Credit Corporation (SCC), a Government-linked Company (GLC) which owns the Wisma Khidmat, to provide loan to the Ministry of Health (MoH) to construct more government hospitals in Sabah.

Minister of Health,Datuk Liow Tiong Lai (pic below left),during his recent visit to Sabah to oversee the seriousness on the status of Queen Elizabeth Hospital,was also brief by Musa Aman (pic right)(who appears to portray himself as a medical expert)on the conversation of Wisma Khidmat into a private medical facility.The Health Minister had clearly indicated that the Federal Government has no interest in his plan,to convert the abandon Wisma Khidmat into a hospital.

Dr.Chong was therefore absolutely right for saying that questions are abound surrounding this private hospital project, in particular over its real motive. Many of whom I’ve spoken to, including those from the medical fraternity, over the issue in the last few weeks were skeptical and scornful of Musa's decision to rush to complete the project within one year.

A majority of them were of the opinion that the real motive behind the project is the RM100 million and probably more that would come once the project is implemented.

“Aiya bro! Project means money lah. Without project how to make money? And knowing Musa Aman well, he just wants to sapu whatever projects there are when he is still in power lah. It doesn’t matter whether it is a private hospital or a cemetery, as long as there’s money to make, he will sure sapu one. He is not known as the “super vacuum” for nothing lah, bro!” said a local contractor who undertakes many government projects.

He even suggested that I should probably do some research on a Sabah-based Architect, Melvin Kiandee who is said to be one of Musa’s proxies who is also the Architect behind the “Khidmat Hospital” project. Melvin who is a brother of the Deputy Parliament Speaker, Datuk Ronald Kiandee (pic left), is also said to be the Main Contractor for the Sabah UMNO Building. He is also believed to own another multi-million private hospital project at the Sutera Harbour which construction has been much delayed due to unknown reason.

However, it was not known whether Musa’s adamant decision to proceed with the “Khidmat Hospital” project has got anything to do with the now stalled private hospital project at Sutera Harbour.

The other popular notion was that Musa and his cronies failed to get anything out of the Sabah Medical Centre (SMC) acquisition by the Ministry of Health (MoH) as the deal was between the Ministry and SMC. Therefore, by hook or by crook, Musa and his cronies are determined to implement the "Khidmat Hospital" (pic right) project.

There was also this cheeky comment by one of the readers of this blog who quipped that Musa’s desperation to establish “Khidmat Hospital” was probably for his own use to treat his brain tumor, if the recent rumor about it was true.

But, whatever it is, Musa's claimed intention behind the project is unconvincing unless he could satisfactorily answer all the questions raised by Dr Chong in his latest statement.

And he (Musa) should stop making use of such dubious characters like PBS Information Chief cum Deputy Sabah State Speaker, Johnny Mositun aka Johnny Boy (pic left) and Datuk Clarence Bongkos Malakun, who is currently the IDS Chairman cum President of Council of Justices of Peace Sabah (Majaps), to insult the intelligence of Sabah people.

BLATANT IGNORANCE OF ONE'S IDENTITY

The entry of UMNO into Sabah has brought about the emergence of a new "domineering" characteristic that never existed before. Today I'm convinced that the followers of this group have abandoned their original identity and joined the corridors of power - of greed, corruption and racial discrimination.

From a multicultural and multi-religious nature, Sabah today has become an egoistic and insecure unequal partner of Malaysia. The Federal Government has managed to convince Sabahans and Sarawakians that Sabah and Sarawak are mere states of Malaysia. In the words of UMNO/BN, both States are "fixed deposits” as far as securing their continued dominance in Parliament is concerned. Believe it or not that is the reality of the situation.

In the words of the Minister of Rural and Regional Development cum Vice President of UMNO,"Struggling for a race's rights is not racial; it is our responsibility as Malays to help our community”. Let us examine who is Datuk Shafie Apdal (pic left) by first asking him to explain to Sabahans, the Bajau community in particular (who are certainly not Malays) to clearly and accurately state his stand. Is he a Bajau or a Malay? Can he qualify and quantify the Malays in Sabah? Or can Musa Aman who is by all accounts a Pakistani or Masidi Manjun a Dusun actually abandon their race and now proclaim themselves as Malays?

Never before in Sabah, and many will testify to that, did segregation ever exist. It irks me to see a once peaceful Sabah where race and religion was never a consideration for friendship, has now evolved into a state of racists and extremists. What is the price that one ultimately has to pay, if this pernicious doctrine is embraced by many?

While many may view my opinion as a lost cause, the concealing of politics of racial hegemony as advocated by the likes of Shafie Apdal and UMNO Sabah has surely ruined the harmonious well being of Sabahans. In the crying voice of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (pic right) or Kuli as he is popularly known, “I am under no illusion that UMNO is bound for destruction on its present course. Neither do I hold unrealistic expectations about the possibility of reform when the rot has gone so deep".

If March 8th 2008 (12th General Elections), was a wake up call for all Malaysians, Kuli's observation truly holds much water.

Unfortunately that same tsunami or wake up call never reached the shores of Sabah to effect reforms and changes. As to whether the Opposition will make any impact or dethrone UMNO/BN in the next general elections, much will depend on the people of Sabah and the leadership of Pakatan Rakyat.Can Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic left) come up with a secret formula? Until that happens UMNO and their "business partners", PBS, UPKO, PBRS, LDP, MCA and Gerakan will continue to parrot their political masters slogan of “1Malaysia”, notwithstanding if they know what it means or not.

We may have gained Independence as a sovereign nation but the one Independence we have yet to achieve is INDEPENDENCE AS A SOLIDIFIED SOCIETY. Is there a difference between a Malaysian, Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban and all the ‘dan lain lain’?

1Malaysia is a sweet slogan - from the tongue to the ears. Nevertheless it will remain so, however sweet, just a slogan. It will of course be produced in abundance to feed lapping dogs and gullible citizens. But the writing is on the wall. The life-span of the sweets is expiring fast and the citizens are waking up from their slumber; realizing the falsity and inherent dangers of blind addiction to ‘sweets’.

Unless they comprehend this and GENUINELY CHANGE for the better, Najib (pic right) and his entire Barisan Nasional will never be successful in achieving the ideals of 1Malaysia, let alone a united Malaysia. Slogans are going out of fashion and so will the BN.

Malaysia - Many Colours, Many Cultures But One Nation.

"Replace MACC With A Truly Independent One"

"We want to establish the truth and nothing but the truth... it is important for us to ensure that public faith and confidence in important institutions."

Such an assertive statement comes from none other than the Prime Minister, Najib Abdul Razak (pic left) on Wednesday while announcing the Cabinet decision to set up a royal commission to look into the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's investigative procedures and to determine if there were any human right violations when the late Teoh Beng Hock was being interrogated.

He also revealed that an inquest will be held to determine Teoh's cause of death.

While such a statement just sounds too good especially coming from someone who till to-date has yet to fully absolve himself of the Altantuya controversy, let’s give him the benefit of doubt that the soon to be set up Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) could really achieve what it is intended for, that is to find out Teoh’s cause of death and not just another whitewash, like what happened to the Lingam Tape controversy and the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) – which now remained as academic, if not another controversy themselves.

Teoh’s untimely and mysterious death has shaken the nation at the same time exposed serious flaws in the investigative procedures of our law enforcement agencies.

Death in custody not only reflects badly on the relevant authorities but also our nation as a whole and this may have a far-reaching impact on our country especially when foreign investors start losing confidence in this country.

I therefore hope the soon to be set up royal commission will compel our law enforcement agencies to review their investigative procedures and to recommend those of international standard, not only to prevent a recurrence but also to safeguard their own reputation.

If Najib Tun Razak and the government is really sincere with his "1Malaysia,People First,Performance Now" motto,he should abolish the MACC and replace it with one appointed by the King and answerable only to Parliament.Presently,MACC is answerable only to the Prime Minister who can always use it against the opposition.

In fact, many countries have audio and visual recordings of all their interviews with the suspects or witness..

It is also worth considering making the pathology department an independent body so as to ensure a more credible investigation and solving of severe crimes involving death, especially those which happened to involved the law enforcement agencies.

I would also like to present to you here a short video clip sent to me by a reader of this blog which exposes the obnoxious treatment of a suspect in custody.

MACC-MOST ABSURD & CONTROVERSIAL COMMISSION !!

Malaysians today mourn the mysterious death of a young man.
Will his death bring Malaysians together or will his death be in vain?

Will Malaysians ever be safe again while being questioned by the Police or MACC? Can the law enforcement agencies guarantee the safety of any Malaysian while being questioned by them? These are the questions lingering in the minds of all of us.


The "grin" in Deputy Prime Minister,Tan Seri Muhyuddin Yassin's (pic below right) face during a press conference when asked about the "mysterious death" of Teoh Beng Hock (pic above left), was disgusting as it clearly showed his scornfulness against the death of an innocent fellow Malaysian who happens to be a political aide of an opposition leader.

This certainly does not do any help to calm but fuel the public outrage against Teoh's tragic and mysterious death which left too many questions unanswered by the highly-controversial Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) who interrogated Teoh for many hours prior to his death.

Preliminary findings in the pathologist report showed that Teoh's death was of multiple injuries due to a high fall. One surely doesn't need to be a rocket scientist to come to this conclusion. But this certainly still not good enough to rule out any foul play as what was indicated by Selangor Police Chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar earlier.

The public are now questioning whether Teoh really plunged to his death or has been dead even before that and his body later placed at the place where it was later found?

The opposition coalition of Pakatan Rakyat has come out strongly and holds the MACC fully accountable on the mysterious death of Teoh. Opposition Leader, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic left) even called for a Royal Commission to investigate the incident.

And even BN leaders like Tan Sri Koh Tsu Khoon (pic below right) (Gerakan) and Datuk Liow Tiong Loi (pic below left) (MCA) had voiced their unhappiness over the incident.

Strangely, there was this absolute silence of the UMNO/BN Sabah, not even a condolence message from Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Pairin Kitingan, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup and Datuk VK Liew, or may be because Teoh happens to be from the opposition?

This is the second death among youths that has happened in our country this year alone, while they were in custody by our law enforcement agency. Many months ago, an Indian youth by the name of A. Kugan was allegedly to have been beaten up to death while in police custody. The public have yet to be informed who were responsible. No arrest has been made thus far, and the perpetrators are still walking free today.

The tragic and horrendous death of Teoh has again put the credibility of the ruling government and its law enforcement agencies in the docks of the court of public opinion.

While our Prime Minister Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic right) conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family of Teoh and also called on all quarters not to make statements or speculations which could confuse the public, this is just not good enough to calm the public outrage and to convince them of a thorough investigation into the matter looking at the many bad track records that the relevant authorities had in the past.

What Najib should do is to allow for an independent autopsy to be conducted on Teoh's body at the same time to set up a Royal Commission to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation on his death.

My heartfelt condolences to Teoh's families and his fiance.

Thundering silence of the so-called Christian leaders

It's kind of puzzling that Christian leaders in the country like Tan Sri Bernard Dompok (pic left), Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Pairin Kitingan (pic right),Tan Sri Joseph Kurup (pic below left), Datuk VK Liew (pic below right), Datuk Maximus Ongkili (pic below left), Tan Sri Leo Moggie, Datuk George Chan, Datuk James Masing, and others in Barisan Nasional have been silent over the controversial article "Tinjauan Al-Islam dalam Gereja:Mencari Kesahihan Remaja Melayu Murtad" that appeared in the Al-Islam magazine published by Utusan Karya Sdn.Bhd.

Is the thundering silence because of their fear of loosing their coveted positions, perks and privileges or, have they quietly converted to other religion? And come to think of it, what about the Christian opposition leaders in Sabah? Why are they silent as well?

In a post that appeared in the NutGraph blog on the 10th.July.2009,it was reported that a Muslim journalist accompanied by another person went to two Catholic Churches in Kuala Lumpur on an investigative mission to find out if allegations that young Muslims were being converted to Christianity were true.

The journalist,whose by-line in the article (pic below right) was,Muhd Ridhwan Abdul Jalil,describe the holy communion ritual as "upacara makan roti putih"and wrote about how he was given the wafer by the priest.The article also carried a photograph of the wafer(which he spite out, pic below right)with a caption that identified it as the wafer that was place in his mouth.

This is "total disrespect"as Christians regard "holy communion"as a sacred matter,held with great reverence and cannot in any way be mishandled or (treated) with a lack of respect.The Muslim journalist and his friend had "violated our sense of privacy" and had the cheek to say that there were many Malay-looking people in Church,who coincidentally were Sabahans.

The Catholic parishioners in Penang did the right thing when they lodged a police report (pic left) on the matter. Lets hope the police would carry out a thorough investigation, without fear and favour, and make public the outcome of their investigation on what was the real motive behind the controversial report.

It is learnt that police have classified the case under Section 298A (1) of the Penal Code for causing disharmony, disunity or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill will, or prejudicing the maintenance of harmony or unity, on grounds of religion.

If convicted, the duo, both non-Christians who worked for Al-Islam which published the article in its May edition, could be jailed between two and five years.Investigations commenced after a police report was lodged against the two men.

Federal Criminal Investigations Department director Commissioner Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said police have so far recorded statements from at least four people, including church authorities, in connection with the article.Police are expected to haul up the reporters soon.


I call upon Prime Minister Dato'Sri Najib Tun Razak and Minister of Home Affairs Dato'Sri Hishamudin to intervene for a speedy investigation.In order to ensure transparency of the investigation,I urge the opposition shadow commitee MP's to assist in the investigation in the name of democracy and religious fairness.

A poll has been put up at the top corner of the side bar in my blog.It would be interesting to know your choice of Government at the 13th general elections.We need to start mobilizing now.

DON'T LEAVE OUT SABAH YB'S OUT OF THE EQUATION!!

Former Selangor Menteri Besar,Khir Toyo may have some stiff competition in his bungalow fiasco as his comrades in Sabah are making headway and are not to far off.
This somehow reminds me of some of our Sabah politicians' palaces in Sabah. Perhaps we should strongly recommend Sabah Tourism to list them as part of our tourist attraction.

One such politician is the Deputy Chief Minister(DCM) of Sabah,Datuk Yahya Hussein (pic left).An Assistant Superintendent of Police prior to his early exit from the Royal Malaysian Police Force(PDRM),his last posting was the Officer Commanding Police District(OCPD)of Tuaran,before calling it a day to be active in politics.

This Putatan YB,has now not only join the ranks of the likes of Khir Toyo,but has raised eyebrows among the people as to the massive size of his bungalow,while only being the DCM.While it maybe his prerogative as to how he uses his "earned money",he should also now explain where and how he managed to own such a humongous piece of property fully equip with all the luxuries of life.The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission(MACC) should immediately commence investigation on Yahya Hussein as to how he obtain the funds,and Yahya must come clean with the outcome of the investigation made public.

Situated in a beautiful sea frontage setting,Yahya Hussein's bungalow (pic above) with all it's finishing is reliably learnt to be estimated at RM 20 million?From the size of the bungalow,it would be hard to even imagine that Yahya Hussein's property would cost lower then Khir Toyo's Balinese-mansion of RM3.5 million.Also in the list of the rich and famous of the Putatan warlords is YB Ramlee Marahaban(Assemblyman for N.54 Bugaya),who is coincidentally Yahya's neigbour(note the massive size of his house,pic below)

As the State Agriculture and Food Industries Minister as well,one wonders,what economic changes has Yahya implemented that will see Sabahans free from the crutches of poverty?In a recent poll conducted in my blog,"Who would be more qualified to replace Musa Aman as the next Chief Minister of Sabah"?,it was not shocking that Yahya Hussein did not even receive a single vote.If the results is any indication of his incompetency as the DCM, Yahya Hussein may see his next 3 years as his final lap in politics before the people shows him a painful exit at the 13th General Elections.

Anifah Aman - the Rise of A Racist

SINCE INDEPENDENCE, our nation’s history has been strewn with countless instances of our politicians making racist remarks or even practicing unbridled racism to incite hatreds among the various races for their (politicians) own selfish and corrupted agenda.

It may appear twisted and mind boggling to those outsiders who are not familiar with some of our peculiar political cultures, but the perpetrators of this sickening, racist act did actually depend on it to leapfrog all the rank-and-file to become Ministers and even Prime Minister.

This somehow reminds me of our Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup (pic) who berated bloggers in this country for instilling hatred against the government among the people of this country. Here’s a poser to him: “Who are actually the ones who sow the seeds of hatred first?” Over to you Joseph Kurup.....

Recently, an avid reader of this blog chanced upon this news report that appeared in the front page of Sabah's leading newspapers, the Daily Express, on 31st August 1985 (pic).

On the surface, it would appear that there was a patriotic Malaysian who was concerned with the bad influence which our national culture could be exposed to.

But one does not need to be a rocket scientist to know that beneath his apparent nationalistic demeanor, this man was showing his disdain for the culture of a substantial portion of the Malaysian people which is of different ethnic background from him, to say the mildest. He has simply shown his utter dislike and intolerance for the culture of the others.

This man even has the temerity to ask the then Prime Minster to intervene on the lantern issue. His action clearly smacked of racism and could well be a veiled attempt to instill apprehension and hatreds among the various races of this country.

The interesting, if not shocking part is that, almost 25 years later, this man has now become the Foreign Minister of Malaysia. Yes, that's right, you have not heard me wrong. He is none other than the ever flamboyant, loud-mouth Anifah Aman (pic right), who is also the brother of the current Chief Minister of Sabah, Musa Aman (pic below left).

Come this October, the Chinese all over the world including fellow Malaysians whose ancestors are the Chinese, will be celebrating the Moon Cake Festival, in fact with more indulgence and on a bigger scale than many other countries that have a sizable Chinese population. Apart from exchanging and partaking in savoring of those sweet moon cakes which come in various shapes and flavors (of which most of them are even being endorsed with the “halal” certification nowadays), there will also be displays of a lot of colorful lanterns by both children and adults, in every nook and corner of the country.

To some extent, today the Moon Cake Festival has even become a significant cultural event that reflects and symbolizes the unique multiracial and multi-culture background that Malaysians are proud of. The Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia even described it as "Truly Asia" in its promotions of Malaysia as a premier tourists destination.

Now that Anifah Aman is our Foreign Minister, perhaps he should come forward to make clear his stand on the issue, on whether the manifestation of this Chinese culture among the Malaysian Chinese still irk his ire? Will he be asking our current PM who advocates "1Malaysia" to intervene? Above all else, will he openly and unabashedly brand this cultural practice a threat or bad influence to our national culture?

I would like to suggest to the newly formed opposition committee that shadows the Foreign Affairs Ministry namely, YB R.Sivarasa (PKR), YB Kamarudin Ismail (PAS) and YB P.Ramasamy (DAP) to shadow Anifah Aman and put him under a microscope.

If he has now changed his stand, perhaps it is only appropriate and graceful that he tender his sincerest apology to the Chinese worldwide, and those in Malaysia in particular. Otherwise, he should immediately resign from the current PM's "1Malaysia" cabinet.

This is also to save the long established good diplomatic relation between Malaysia and China, especially after all the hypes and official receptions of celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Sino-Malaysian diplomatic ties recently, which culminated in the official visit by the Prime Minister Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic left) and his entire family to Beijing, to meet up with the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao.