DATUK RAJA NONG CHIK: The stakeholders in Brickfields must fully support the government’s efforts to upgrade the area
WILL the government’s massive beautification project in Brickfields kill off the infamous prostitution business that has been entrenched in this urban enclave for more than 50 years?
It will. Or at least, that’s what the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing ministry believes.
To questions posed by The Malay Mail on what can be done to stop the incessant vice industry in Brickfields, its minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin reiterated the Brickfields rejuvenation project will cause the death of the flesh trade in the area.
“Once the area is upgraded, it will discourage unhealthy activities.”
A non-governmental organisation has lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) against Felda Holdings Berhad, a government-linked company (GLC), for alleged misuse of power.
The 1Malaysia Graduate Youth Club chairman Tan Kian Soon submitted a 50-page memorandum to the MACC containing the allegation and naming four individuals from the GLC connected to the scandal. The memorandum was received by MACC senior officer Azlin Mohd Ali.
According to club secretary-general Ezaruddin Abd Rahman, Felda Holdings, through its subsidiary, has allegedly awarded a RM160 million contract by direct negotiation method to a company chaired by an individual who is also a board member of the subsidiary.
He said the individual is also one of the inventors of the processing machines supplied to the subsidiary under the contract.
“Not only did the award of jobs to the subsidiary of a public-listed company not follow the parent company's tender procedures, the machines supplied by the contractor were also giving operational problems to the mills involved," he said.
Felda Holdings Berhad, one of Malaysia's largest agro-based enterprises which run the commercial business related to the Federal Land and Development Authority (FELDA).
Its largest shareholder is the Felda Investment Co-operative which holds 51% ownership of equity, with Felda holding the remaining 49% equity. The Minister of Finance Incorporated has one Golden Share.
Ezaruddin said the government must view the matter seriously and investigate the matter thoroughly as it involved officers of a GLC allegedly providing misleading information for their own benefits.
“By making this report we hope to address the people’s problems. We received lots of complaints on this and it is also widely discussed in the blogs. Certain individuals in the GLC have brought losses to the company,” he said, adding that a copy of the memorandum was also submitted to the Prime Minister's Office.
Ezaruddin said the club was established on Nov 10 and has 8,000 members to date, comprising professionals like lawyers and company directors.
Attempts by theSun to contact Felda Holdings were unsuccessful as its public relations officer was not in the office.
Kelab Belia Graduan 1Malaysia wants the authorities to investigate if a subsidiary of Felda Holding Bhd can award tenders worth RM160mil to a single contractor through direct negotiation.
Club secretary-general Ezaruddin Abd Rahman claimed that direct negotiations were against Felda Holding’s tender procedures that stipulated that open tenders should be called for jobs worth over RM50,000.
The group had alleged in a 50-page memorandum that four members of Felda Holdings board of directors had abused their powers.
Copies of the memorandum were submitted to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency and the Prime Minister’s office here on Monday.
“We believe some board members have vested interest in the projects that involved purchase of continuous steriliser machines.
“Based on a pilot project in Pasoh Palm Oil Mill in Negri Sembilan that started in 2006, we have received complaints that the machines delayed the processing procedure,” he said.
He claimed that RM5.5mil pilot project in Negri Sembilan did not yield the desired result, but the board was keen on expanding the project to other locations.
Ezaruddin said the Prime Minister must be alerted of the discrepancies in such government-linked companies. “We know certain quarters will try hard to block this information from the Prime Minister,” he said.
MACC assistant superintendent Azlin Mohd Ali, who accepted the memorandum, said they would look into the complaint.
Also present were club chairman Tan Kian Soon and his deputy chairman Najieb Mokhtar.
The club that was set up on Sept 10 has more than 8,000 members, all of whom are young professionals. “We have set up a secretariat to monitor discrepancies in GLCs,” he said, adding that information could be sent to admin@graduan1malaysia.com
Felda Holdings officials could not be contacted for comment.
It is learnt that Felda Holdings group managing director Datuk Mohd Bakke Salleh is currently abroad.
Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz Minister in the PM office ,insist that Kelantan has no right for oil royality.
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah , Member of Parliament for Gua Musang and also from the royal family of Kelantan.
Former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said he would consider an offer from opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to appoint him to head the caucus to deliberate the issue of Kelantan petroleum and liquefied gas royalties.
Tengku Razaleigh, who is Member of Parliament for Gua Musang, said he needed time to consider the offer.
"I need to follow the development first and see whether I could contribute (to the caucus) as I was involved in the setting up of Petronas, understood the agreement, and promulgated the law related to it. So I can help," he told reporters at the parliament lobby here Wednesday.
On the compassionate payment from the royalties, he said, while the people had the rights to the deposit discovered, it was the prerogative of the federal government to distribute it from the revenue collected from taxes.
Ku Li was approached by Anwar in the Parliement Lobby.
The offer came about when the veteran Umno leader met with Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Machang PKR MP Saifuddin Nasution, Kubang Kerian PAS MP Salahuddin Ayub, Batu MP Tian Chua at the MP's lounge in parliament.
After discussing for nearly 30 minutes, the Gua Musang MP told reporters that he would consider the offer but did not give a timeframe for an answer.
“They have proposed to form a caucus on oil because oil is a very hot subject being debated between the government and particularly the state representatives. They think that through the caucus there could be some kind of logical reasoning in order to arrive at an amicable solution to the problem," said the Kelantan prince.
“So they have decided to approach me to head the caucus. I have not given an answer. I will still consider and think about this,” said Razaleigh, popularly known as Ku Li.
Razaleigh said that he would consider the request as he was “involved in the oil business” since the formation of national oil company Petronas and the drafting of the Petroleum Development Bill. He was Petronas’s first chairman when it was formed in 1974.
“Anything that could protect the constitutional rights of the people, in particular of the states ... I will definitely not let any side down so I will try to play my part if I can in order to resolve this problem, if it is considered a problem at all,” said Ku Li.
“I think it was indeed in the vesting deed agreement that was signed between the states and Petronas that the states where oil is found on shore or off shore will benefit from such fund.
“They (Kelantan) should be given ... according to the agreement, they should get the oil money,” he added.
Razaleigh reiterated his stand that “there is no such thing as wang ehsan” or goodwill payment.
“Oil is the right of the people and it is not for the federal government to distribute as a largess. The government can distribute from the revenue collected from taxes in such line and that is the prerogative of the federal government but when it comes to this, it’s the right of the people.
“That is why I feel inclined to say my piece because I was involved from the beginning and I know the intention why we had the agreement,” he said.
When asked if prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was wrong in calling the oil royalty a “goodwill” payment, he replied that “it is left to your interpretation.”
Najib sparked an uproar when he announced that the Barisan National (BN) federal government woukd pay Kelantan “goodwill payment” for oil extracted in its waters instead of oil royalty.
PAS lawmakers are disputing the “goodwill payment”, saying that it is akin to receiving alms instead of rightful oil royalty.
Najib told Parliament that Kelantan has no right to claim for royalties from Petronas since oil was extracted beyond the state’s waters, similar to the situation in Terengganu.
Nazri insists Kelantan not entitled to oil royalty
The Parliament was in uproar this afternoon when Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz (pic, right) poured oil on the fire raging over the Kelantan oil royalty issue by insisting that the PAS-governed state has no legal right to demand the payment.
While winding up the Supply Bill debate, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department explained that former prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein had not specifically used the term “royalty” when debating the Petroleum Development Bill in 1974 that established Petronas and agreements with the various oil-producing states to receive 5 per cent of the oil revenues.
“The agreement was made as a promise so that future administrations will respect it. It is a promise but not a right and his son, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, is respecting this promise by giving goodwill payment to Kelantan,” Nazri told the Dewan Rakyat.
The statement made by Najib’s father was recorded by the Parliament Hansard and has been used by the opposition as proof to their claims that the government had recognised the rights of Kelantan to receive royalty.
Apart from the Act, the agreement between then Petronas chairman Tun Salleh Abbas and its founder, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, that oil-producing states be given royalty, have also been used as opposition fodder to demand payment of royalty.
However, PAS lawmakers and their allies in the Pakatan Rakyat have been frustrated for weeks now by the government’s argument that oil extracted beyond three nautical miles of state waters don’t belong to the state as the territorial definition cannot be found in laws dictating state-federal government agreement on oil royalties.
The state waters definition was first mentioned by Najib in Parliament two weeks ago when he announced that the federal government will be giving “goodwill payment” to Kelantan instead of oil royalty.
It was again used by Nazri as the government’s defence on the matter but Ipoh Timur Lim Kit Siang blasted the reply a “a distortion of facts” and a desecration of the spirit that drafted the oil regulations.
Lim and other opposition lawmakers argued that the state waters definition given by the prime minister was nowhere to be found in any of the laws governing state-federal governments agreement on the matter.
“If you want to think it’s a distortion of facts, it’s up to you. The PDA does not mention royalty,” Nazri said in his reply to Lim’s outbust.
At this point, the House had already erupted into a warzone with several opposition MPs simultaneously blasting Nazri’s reply as absurd and inconsistent.
The House later calmed after opposition MPs felt it was no longer useful to argue with the minister who in his closing remark said, “whatever it is, I insist that Kelantan will not get royalty as oil is extracted beyond its waters.”
