6 theSun | TUESDAY FEBRUARY 24 2009

news without borders

Maria J. Dass and Giam Say Khoon at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday

Speaker should be
impartial: Pandikar Amin
KUALA LUMPUR: A speaker
should be impartial and well
aware of the consequences of
spectively. Sivakumar was re-
ported to have also sought the
consent of the Sultan of Perak,
‘Govt must offer RM5.71b or
less for water companies’
his actions to the House and Sultan Azlan Shah, to convene
the people as a whole, Parlia- a special sitting soon.
ment Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Former Perak mentri besar
Amin Mulia said. Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar
He said that if a person Jamaluddin said on Sunday
were appointed speaker, Pakatan Rakyat would at the
“you are the speaker of that sitting table a motion of confi- SELANGOR will back the federal govern- Speaking to newsmen in the Parliament response to the state from the conces-
particular Parliament or state dence in him as the legitimate ment’s negotiations with the state’s four lobby, Santiago, who is economic consultant sionaires.
assembly and do not belong to mentri besar. water concession companies if it offers to to various international bodies, said: “We The panel also called upon the minister,
any political party or benefit a Pandikar Amin said: “He take over the companies for RM5.71 billion have the numbers, we have the information Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor, to examine
particular party”. (Sivakumar) should know bet- or less. and documents, and we have done enough the concession agreement with Syabas on
A speaker should not ter what he is doing, of how his Selangor Water Review Panel member evaluation and consultation to argue why a number of counts, considering that the
be a servant to a certain decision is going to affect the and Klang MP Charles Santiago said there the offer should be RM5.7 billion. national audit department which undertook
political party, he said here people and the nation and not was already media speculation quoting “If the government of Malaysia wants a due diligence study of the agreement had
yesterday after opening the just a fraction of society.” government sources as saying the govern- to offer RM9 billion, especially at a time of said the company had not met the stipu-
first sub-committee meeting Citing himself as example, ment through the National Water Services major crisis, this would constitute a bailout lated requirements.
of the Asian Parliamentary Pandikar Amin said that when Commission (Span) was ready to make an of the concessionaires.” “If this is true, then the ministry must
Assembly (APA) on the global he was appointed Parliament offer of RM9 billion as part of the restructur- On Feb 18, two days before the deadline begin the process of terminating the con-
financial crisis and its impact. speaker last April, he resigned ing process. for the companies to respond to the state’s cession agreement with the state and the
Pandikar Amin was speak- as Kota Marudu Umno division The panel said in a statement: “If the offer, the Energy, Water and Communica- federal government of Malaysia,” Santiago
ing to reporters when asked to head, wishing to be seen to be ministry offers the concessionaires a much tions Ministry through Span chief executive said.
comment on the constitutional fair in his decisions. higher cash value for their assets as well officer Datuk Teo Yen Hua announced the The panel had earlier asked the minister
crisis in Perak. He said the Perak crisis as lucrative licence terms to continue as federal government would proceed to to step in to address the matter as he had
The Perak State Legislative had not benefited anyone, water operators in the state, the minister negotiate directly with the concession- the power to do so, providing a reminder
Assembly’s rights and privileg- especially at a time of a global must explain why he is forsaking the rights aires. that under the Water Services Industry
es committee, chaired by the economic downturn. and interests of the 7.3 million people of Accusing Span of acting in bad faith and Act 2006, the state is a counter-party to
assembly’s Speaker V. Sivaku- On the APA meeting, Pan- Selangor, Wilayah Persekutuan and Putra- in favour of the concessionaires, the panel all previous and future agreements, and
mar, announced on Feb 16 that dikar Amin, who is also the jaya.” via a statement read out by Petaling Jaya any attempt to unilaterally negotiate with
the committee had suspended sub-committee chairman, said On Feb 13, the state made an offer of Utara MP Tony Pua said: “Span intentionally concessionaires is illegal and will be subject
Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry it is hoped the participants will RM5.71 billion to buy out the four privatised threw a spanner in the works to sabotage to future dispute and complications.
Abdul Kadir and his six execu- find possible solutions to the water service providers Puncak Niaga Sdn the state’s attempt to deliver the lowest Panel members – Selayang MP and law-
tive council members from the slowdown. Bhd, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd possible water tariffs to her people.” yer William Leong and Kuala Selangor MP
assembly “for contempt of the The meeting which ends (Syabas), Syarikat Pengeluar Air Sungai This interference, it says, single-hand- and toxicologist Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad – were
assembly”. today, sees the participation of Selangor Sdn Bhd and Konsortium Abbas. edly destroyed any likelihood of a positive present at the press conference.
Zambry and the executive nine APA member countries in-
councillors were barred for
18 months and 12 months re-
cluding Bahrain, Kuwait, Indone-
sia and Cambodia. – Bernama Kugan’s death sparks lively debate
THE fate of police detainees, selective asked why no action was taken on police Umno a racist party.
investigations, the need to check on the reports lodged against blog Mykmu.net that Deputy Speaker Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku
police force and political parties fighting incited the murder of Perak state legislative Jaafar then asked Kulasegaran to retract the
No plan to amend Article 11 for the rights of a particular race dominated assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar. statement saying: “It is OK if you use the term
THERE is no plan to amend Article 11 of the Federal Constitution follow- the debates in the afternoon. An argument ensued between racial (party) but not racist (party).”
ing a Federal Court ruling in the case of Lina Joy and Federal Territory Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh Kulasegaran, Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid “Both the terms mean the same thing
Religious Department & Anon. (BN-Kalabakan) asked for an independ- (BN-Padang Besar), Datuk Mohd Puad to me,” Kulasegaran said before retracting
Responding to a question from Zulkifli Nordin (PKR-Kulim Bandar ent enquiry to be set up to investigate the Zarkashi (BN-Batu Pahat), Datuk Lilah the statement.
Baru), Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed death of suspected car thief S. Kugan, 22, Yasin (BN-Jempol) and Datuk Jamalud- Dr Hatta Ramli (PAS-Kuala Krai) then
Nazri Abdul Aziz said: “The judgment stated that Article 11(1) of the while in police custody in mid-January. din Jarjis (BN-Rompin) when Kulasegaran pointed out that the contents of the blog
Constitution was not relevant to be argued as a provision to allow “From what we see from pictures, it read out contents of the blog and accused clearly showed that it was written by an
looks like he was abused and therefore it Umno of being racist. Umno supporter and Kulasegaran interject-
absolute freedom of conversion.”
is only right that an inquiry free of links with Jamaluddin shouted: “He is just protect- ed: “That’s why I asked the MPs to condemn
Lina’s application was dismissed for failure to obtain a declaration
the police be set up to investigate whether ing the interest of his race by hurting the threat to murder but they do not want to do
from the syariah court, which has jurisdiction over her decision to give feelings of another race, he is reading out a so, which means they support it.”
Kugan was abused,” he said.
up Islam. Abdul Ghapur also asked why the police poison pen letter for the interest of his own Mohd Puad accused N. Gobalakrishnan
“The chief justice too is of the opinion that embracing Islam does not were quick to investigate the involvement race, retract your racist statement.” (PKR-Padang Serai) of speaking up for only
mean practising it in theology only, without taking into account the laws of two deputy ministers from the Prime Kulasegaran then denied that he was his race when he stood up to speak on the
of the religion,” Nazri said. Minister’s Department Datuk T. Murugiah speaking along racial lines and challenged death of six youths in his constituency.
The National Registration Department’s requirement of a certificate and Datuk K. Devamany who showed up at BN MPs to stand up and condemn the “I never mentioned race,” Gobalakrishnan
from the syariah court declaring that Lina was an apostate before the mortuary instead of focusing their en- death threat against Sivakumar. responded before Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar
removing “Islam” from her identity card is therefore supported by law, ergy on investigating the abuse to Kugan. However, Mohd Puad and Lilah insisted Amin Mulia calmed the situation by asking
he said. M. Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat) that he retracted the statement calling Mohd Puad to sit down.