vox populi small thumbnail'All MACC has to do, if it is really honest in its duty, is call these people up for investigations before it dismisses the allegation.'

'Video alone can't prove vote-buying claims'

Ferdtan: You can identify the people in the video, you know the location of the longhouse and you see the money.

All you have to do, if you are really honest in your duty, call these people up for investigations before you just dismiss the allegation off-hand. Don't expect others to do the investigation for the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission): that's the job you are paid to do.

Ben Hor: Does the video alone at least allow for the case to be investigated?

There was definitely huge haste to ‘investigate' when the alleged Anwar Ibrahim ‘sex video' surfaced. Comparing the two, it's clear that the vote-buying is a far more serious matter than a private ‘sex scandal'.

What say you now, Royal Malaysian Police and MACC?

Disgusted: If it was Pakatan Rakyat implicated in a video, there would be no need for any solid evidence, just heresay will do for an immediate investigation and to call up the alleged culprits for interrogation, just as in the case of Christians in Utusan Malaysia's despicable lie about Christians wanting to install a Christian PM and make Malaysia a Christian nation. Didn't the police quickly acted on that report?

There are two sets of laws in Malaysia: one for Umno, which is lawlessness and anarchy, and another for others.

Sandakan Hadenan: At least the MACC should pretend to investigate and then declare that all is above board. For more intelligent investigators, the video can be a starting point for further investigations.

MACC operations review panel chairperson Hadenan Abdul Jalil, in dismissing the video, while the sex video was investigated from all angles, appears to be under the control of BN/Umno.

Geronimo: "Anyone can act in a video. We can't only rely on (such recordings) because anybody can act" and "At the end of the day, a charge must (be backed with) strong evidence and (must be) in line with the law. We practise the principle of equality (to both the accused and accuser)."

With that, Umno can now drop the charges against Anwar over that nonsensical sex video sandiwara. Such deliberation by Hadenan Abdul Jalil should be applied across the board. What is good for the goose, has to be good for the gander.
My-Cat-is-BB: What is stronger evidence than a video recording? MACC, please explain. What type of evidence do you need to initiate the investigation?

Tamin BN assemblyperson Joseph Mauh Ikeh did not deny, let me repeat here, he did not deny that money was distributed to the longhouses. He called them ‘saguhati' and transport allowance. You have the admission here, so please act.

GI Joe: Indirectly, the MACC is implying that Pakatan Rakyat had made the video to frame the Sarawak BN. I expected MACC would say that they are investigating and will act appropriately. It is unbelievable what they had just said.

Although it is possible that the video is not genuine, but shouldn't MACC try to contact the person who revealed the video and start questioning him. Identify the ‘actors' and question them.

I assume it is difficult to identify these actors with their clothes on. Go get the help from those police officers who identified Anwar in the sex video.

Anonymous: If anyone acts in a video and maliciously slander other people, isn't it also a crime that you should investigate?

MACC's Hadenan makes it sound like all the commission does is to wait for evidence to drop on their laps. If you want to be good, you would have taken the initiative to contact the NGOs and what not. No witnesses and retraction of statements? Have you investigated why.

To ordinary citizens, all the MACC statistics are just useless numbers when it does not investigate Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and the Scorpene submarine deal.

Anonymous_3ec6: Sex video is evidence, but a video on vote-buying is not.


'Model employer' in breach of work rules?

Hbasill: The employer must be punished if the claims are true. The Immigration Department must immediately act and arrest all these employees and ascertain how they entered the country and how they were employed and for how long.

If the company employed these workers, then it is the responsibility of Western Digital to show proof that these workers are employed with proper work permits, failing which, the employer must be taken to court and dealt with appropriately.

There should not be any cover-up and the matter must be expediently resolved. It looks like the human resources department of Western Digital has a lot of explaining to do.

Anak Malaysia: How come this is happening to a company which was known as ‘Best Employer in Asia 2009'? How could they get away from the authorities?
Terus: There are hundreds of thousands of illegal workers, and despite Immigration threatening to jail company directors who employ such illegals, the practice of hiring illegals is still rampant.

Some unscrupulous employers hire illegal workers, owe them a couple of months wages and then ‘tip off' the authorities to arrest these workers so the company gets off without having to pay their wages.

It's sickening when corporate figures turn the blind eye when their contractors are involved.

Lover Boy: Malaysia does not have enough of a workforce to keep the industries running. As a result, the government gives permits to outsourcing agencies to recruit foreign workers and farm it out to industries. The company pays the outsourcing agencies directly. Sometimes workers run away, that is the outsourcing agency's problems.

In this case, I do not believe Western Digital would hold their passport or have any reason to mistreat them. What do they benefit by doing this?

If there is a problem, go to the Labour Department and they will investigate. In most cases, these outsourced workers are not employed by the company. Just check their work permits and you find the answer as to who brought them in.

Toffeesturn: How could Western Digital employ illegal immigrants? If its human resources department knew about this, then they condoned this action. If agents brought in these girls, how did they in the first place clear immigration? Something is amiss here.

It is only with the calling visa that these girls could have come in. On arrival, the company is given two weeks to pay up the levy for the employment pass, and the employment pass is issued.

Even with an employment pass, the girls will get harassed by the cops, so what more without it. The company has apparently not done its part.


PSD grants: Cabinet to decide on 86 top scorers

SusahKes: Is it an ‘appeal' or is it ‘begging'? What's there to ‘appeal' if you deserve it? If no money, then tell your big boss to stop building RM5 billion towers or awarding prime land to cronies.

Or for that matter, ask him to stop organising pseudo-social events such as the youth gathering in Putrajaya. We all know it was Umno propaganda at work, and it was a big, big waste of money, when a chunk of that could have been made available for scholarships.

Don't blame anyone but yourselves if these students leave our shores, and end up working in places like Singapore. No amount of posturing by the Talent Corp or tax reduction would bring them back.

Docs: This problem of deserving non-bumiputera students not obtaining PSD (Public Service Department) scholarships happened last year, the year before and the year before that. It is happening this year and will happen next year and the year to come as long as BN is in power.

The only reason why these 86 non-bumiputera top scorers may manage to slip through the crack in PSD strict selection criteria in providing scholarships, which is based not on merit but on racial predisposition, is because GE13 is around the corner.

WangMalaysia: Our country is in a very deep mess. We need the entire cabinet of ministers, who are entrusted to run the country, to sit down and decide who gets a scholarship to further their studies!

But wait, I thought we have a body called PSD doing the selection? The government does owe the rakyat an explanation why we are still paying the people in PSD for the big screw-up, year in and year out.

Seriously BN, if you cannot run the country and cannot empower the people after 53 years, why not step aside and let someone else who may have better ideas on how to run this country of ours.

Dood: Let me guess... the problem will later be resolved with both MIC and MCA leaders claiming credit for their intervention and trumpeting their success to their respective "communities", and there will be a lot of hoo-ha and publicity in the mainstream media about how the Umno/BN government is "fair to all races".

Then you'll have the PM, DPM and some other Umno/BN leaders come out and say that this is proof of the effectiveness of the BN parties working together to ensure "fairness" for all.

 

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