That's what the minister should do instead of wasting his time to develop a new corruption index, says a reader.




On Nazri: Up to ACA to probe MAS scandal

YSM: I think Mr Nazri has shown himself again to be not a very bright minister. Malaysia wants to formulate its own corruption index which is more objective, so he said. How can it be more objective than an international body who has no interest in Malaysia? And if the ACA under the PM's Department has been effective in carrying out its duties, then why are there no alarm bells on how Khairy could afford a stake in ECM Libra or how the PM's son is now in Malaysia's Top 10 richest men list within a year of Pak Lah's ascend to premiership.

How did Bank Negara lose billions of ringgit? How did Sabah's population double in 10 years under Project M? Why was the fledgling national carrier sold at a ridiculous price? How APs are distributed? And many more which are being revealed... All this over the last 20 years. What's this about ACA being independent?

Ahmad Fuad: Nazri, what planet are you living on? The ACA to investigate? Investigate what? Are you not aware of the 1,300-plus reports on corruption? Since 2001, mind you. You might as well announce that the 'cut-off' point is reports made after 2000!


On Seized cars: Customs can decide who gets them

Chin Koon Siang: I am incensed at the many privileges for the MPs and those in the civil service. Why should they have these privileges? And particularly why should civil servants have this fantastic opportunity of making at least RM100,000 by selling their luxury cars while the public pay inflated prices for imported cars?

Are civil servants the new 'puteras' of Malaysia? They get to go on regular study trips every year, perks through directorships in GLCs, royal titles, and even motorcades at times.

HJ Angus: This is precisely the type of arrangement that encourages corruption. I have an article on this subject in my blog.


On 18 more ministers among 'elite' speedsters

Abdul Kader: How come these elites managed to renew their licence while still owing the government so much in summonses. The common man will be required to settle all summonses before being allowed to renew his licence. Such shameful inequality. Why? Lack of enforcement by the police.


On Bank Islam losses due to 'weak credit control'

Concerned Observer: Bank Islam, like any other bank, falls under the control and monitoring of Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). All banks must have their own internal audit team, their audit report to be scrutinised by the audit committee - its chairman has to be an accountant - who is responsible to make a full report to the full board. The board of directors are made up of professionals and experienced individuals, and its chairman a prominent banker.

  1. The bank is consistently audited by a team of professional external auditors and by BNM. How come such big losses were never seriously raised by these professional bodies including BNM in their annual auditing of the bank in the last 20 or so years of the bank's operation?

  2. Accusations of wrongdoings were thrown at the bank's staff by all parties including the ministers. Now we hear in none other from the Parliament that there was no wrongdoing that had caused the massive losses. The Finance Ministry's parliament secretary further said that the losses were due to weak credit management at Labuan.

    Could it be that the management, whether the previous management or the new management, failed to address the weaknesses fast enough, the lapse in time gave the borrowers an opportunity to default? Why was it that the default only occurred after the new management had taken over? Why was the default not addressed by the auditors earlier, otherwise the accounts of the bank would have definitely been qualified by the auditors and BNM would never had approved the accounts for the years prior to the year of the great losses?

  3. Could it be that credit facilities were reviewed and recalled due to changes in the bank's direction resulting in inability to repay the loan upon demand, as often practised by banks. Recalls of facility can easily create non-performers - thus the massive provisions.

  4. Deposits taken by Bank Islam is on mudharabah basis i.e. when there is a profit, it will be shared between the bank and the depositor. Should there be a loss, under the syariah, the loss had to be borne 100% by the depositors as investors and not the shareholders as in conventional banking. How come the massive provisions were pushed to the account of the shareholders? It looks as if the bank does not adhere to requirements of the syariah. Can the bank justify the losses in accordance to the syariah requirements?


On AirAsia: MAS discount moves unfair

Raymond Woo: I feel if so long as the government does not finance MAS in the domestic front and AirAsia in not doing any national service. I do not see why AirAsia should cry foul. In fact, AirAsia should encourage this as it would spur healthy competition. And this is certainly good news to the public.


On Campus freshies tell of 'brainwashing'

Pttan: I am beginning to wonder what our universities are? Political breeding grounds or place to learn a skill?

No wonder we see so many bemoaning the competency of our graduates. Instead of learning all they could, they are actually partake in political activities, whether it is pro- or anti-establishments. Never mind the argument that they should broaden their horizons, etc, but the fundamental reason when they are in the university is to learn and graduate so that they can be productive members of society.


On Sports academy: All up to the Brits

Peter Ooi: I simply could not fathom the logic of building a sport academy in UK. The reasons given are really absurd. One, to allow our athletes to get acclimatised to the cold weather and secondly, UK is closer to countries that excel in sports. You must be kidding.

You need not spend millions to get the athletes to get acclamatised to the cold. By sending our athletes to the country where the competition is held a week or two earlier would have done the job. Moreover outdoor competitions are usually held in summer. The temperature at that time could be hotter than in Malaysia. A good example is the recently concluded World Cup and Wimbledon. The temperature even soared higher than our average temperature.

By staying in a place nearer to countries which excel in sports will not make one a better sportsman? If the reason is true, by simple extension a person would be as rich as Bill Gate if you study in the same college as him.

Come on, we were the world power in badminton once. Now we are staying next door to Indonesia and China. Just ask ourselves, where has the Thomas Cup been all these years. Korea, China and Japan are far way from those footballing greats in Europe and South America. Look at how they progress. I can still remember we used to beat Korea and Japan during the Merdeka tournament. But where do we stand in comparison to those countries now?

What makes me boil is that, at home we are asked to change our lifestyle to accommodate the ever increasing cost of living. There, we spend millions just to satisfy a few athletes, who in all probability, will not perform even given the best coaches and places to stay. Use the millions to subsidise the petrol and more of us will benefit.