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PETALING JAYA (The Sun, Oct 31, 2006): The "police state" and "climate of fear" that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says now exist under the current administration are actually his own creations from 22 years of power, the Civil Rights Committee of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (CRC-KLSCAH) said.

However, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi must begin democratising reforms if he is sincere in breaking away from Mahathir’s authoritarianism, CRC-KLSCAH chairman Ser Choon Ing said in a statement.

Ser challenged both Abdullah and Mahathir to support seven measures to dismantle the "police state" and "climate of fear", including-

• repealing the Internal Security Act (ISA);
• establishing the Independent Police Complaint and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC);
• reforming media-related laws through a parliamentary select committee;
• liberalising the universities by replacing the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) with legislation produced through wide consultation;
• combating corruption through institutionalised means, for example, by making the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) a statutory body accountable to Parliament;
• amending relevant laws to uphold the Constitutional freedoms of expression, assembly and association; and
• establishing truth commissions to hold accountable those who abused power, and to correct the wrong and compensate the victims of the 1987 Operasi Lalang and 1988 judicial crisis.

"So far, Abdullah has failed to keep his promises of combating corruption, reforming bureaucracy and listening to the truth. Instead, disappointingly, he has frequently suppressed the freedom of expression and information," Ser said.

"If the PM wants to bury Mahathir’s criticisms, he must show his political determination to initiate democratising reforms and to break away from the authoritarianism inherited from Mahathir. Malaysians will then surely rally behind him."

He noted that Mahathir’s complaints of having his political freedom curbed were the "standard treatment for political dissent" during his premiership.

"Many Malaysians, from his former deputy, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, to opposition and community leaders, have suffered worse persecutions," he said, adding that if Mahathir’s criticism are to have credibility, he must now support the seven measures.

Last Friday (Oct 27, 2006), Mahathir said in a statement a "climate of fear has enveloped" the country, and he had to criticise Abdullah because no one else was able to.

Mahathir also claimed that any person who tried to hold a function that may criticise Abdullah would be "harassed and threatened by the police and government leaders".

In a statement today, Inspector- General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said Malaysia was not a "police state".

Musa said that especially since he took over, the police have been more open to public views, including holding discussions with the Bar Council and non-governmental organisations.

"The police have never denied an application to hold a public gathering except when it was deemed a threat to national security and public order, and have never threatened anyone who wanted to hold a public gathering," he said.

Musa stressed that the police have neither detained the organisers of public events involving Mahathir for investigation nor disrupted these events.

"In fact, we have provided tighter security for Tun Dr Mahathir at these events since the (pepper spray) incident in Kelantan," he added.

PETALING JAYA (The Sun, Nov 2, 2006): Gerakan has abandoned the practice of nominating its elected representatives to sit in local councils from this year on.

And the MCA is expected to do so as well, if all Barisan Nasional component parties agree to this.

Although both parties have not linked their decision to the raging controversy over Port Klang assemblyman Datuk Zakaria Mat Deros’s position as Klang Municipal Councillor, it is learnt they find it timely to make a stand on this now.

Such a decision would fall in line with the principle of separation of powers between the second and third tiers of the government.

Gerakan president Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said the elected Gerakan representatives had served their last terms as local councillors.

"I made the decision long time ago. The term for elected representatives had finished, so there will be no more. That is my party’s stance," he told reporters when asked to comment on whether it was true that Barisan Nasional component parties had agreed that no elected representatives would be chosen as local councillors in future.

Lim said if one has been elected state assemblyman, there is no need for him to sit in a local council.

He said it is better to choose somebody else to be a councillor, who could then be moulded into a potential state assemblyman.

"Most of our assemblymen in Penang had served as councillors. If they are lazy to work, cocky and had done anything wrong, we will make sure that he would not become an assemblyman."

MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting reportedly said in a vernacular newspaper that if BN component parties agreed to order their elected representatives to resign as councillors, the party would support it.

He said the party hoped this would happen.

Sources said Ong had in fact mooted this move for Selangor a year ago, but no decision was taken then.

Selangor MCA publicity bureau chief Lee Wei Kiat said the party has 10 state assemblymen in Selangor who are sitting in local councils. No other state has such an arrangement.

They are Datuk Ei Kim Hock, Datuk Liew Yuen Keong, Datuk Hoh Hee Lee, Datuk Lee Hwa Beng, Datuk Liew Chee Khong, Datuk Dr Wong Sai Hou, Datuk Lim Choon Kin, Datuk Teh Kim Poo, Kow Cheong Wei and Low Lee Leng.

Lee said it has been a convention for the party and Umno Selangor’s elected representatives to sit as councillors since former Mentri Besar Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib’s administration.

MCA secretary-general Datuk Ong Ka Chuan said because Selangor Umno recommends its elected representatives as councillors, MCA followed suit to ensure fairness in policy making.

He said the party will let the Selangor MCA liaison committee - chaired by Ka Ting - decide whether it wants to continue with this practice, adding that an announcement can be expected soon.

It is felt that allowing elected representatives to sit as local councillors would lead to a conflict of interest situation.

PETALING JAYA (The Sun, Nov 2, 2006): Datuk Zakaria Mat Deros, the beleaguered Port Klang assemblyman and Klang Municipal Councillor who has been in the news over the illegal construction of his palatial mansion and other breaches of the law, is courting new controversy - he remained a senator while being an undischarged bankrupt.

According to Dewan Negara records, Zakaria, who was then known as Zainal Mohd Deros, was appointed a senator on July 30, 1991, and served two terms which ended on July 31, 1997. In the 1999 general election, he stood as a candidate for the Selat Klang state seat which he won.

He was one of the two senators nominated by the Selangor state government.

On Sept 10, 1992, he was declared a bankrupt by the High Court in Kuala Lumpur following a petition filed by Maxon Credit & Leasing Sdn Bhd. Under Article 48(1)(b) of the Federal Constitution, a person is disqualified from being a senator if he is an undischarged bankrupt.

Although he was discharged as a bankrupt two months later on Nov 24 - after paying up more than RM400,000 - legal sources say that he should have stepped down or notified the senate of the order and taken leave of absence pending the order being annulled.

According to records from the Official Assignee’s Office, a bankruptcy notice was filed on Jan 3, 1990, and served on Zakaria on Feb 11, 1990.

Having failed to comply with the requirements of the notice, a Receiving Order was made and the Official Assignee was made the receiver of Zakaria’s estate.

• The facts: Jan 3, 1990, bankruptcy notice filed against Zakaria;
• Feb 11, 1990, bankruptcy notice served on Zakaria;
• July 30, 1991, Zakaria appointed senator;
• Sept 10, 1992, declared a bankrupt by High Court; and
• Nov 24, 1992, discharged as a bankrupt

Terence Fernandez and Husna Yusop

PETALING JAYA (Nov 2, 2006): Police have launched a probe on the alienation of land by the Selangor Development Corporation (PKNS) to the Selangor Badminton Association (SBA).

It is learnt that Bukit Aman officer contacted SBA officials for details over the awarding of seven acres of land in the state by PKNS to SBA - both of which Port Klang assemblyman Datuk Zainal @ Zakaria Mat Deros is a member.

Zakaria, as president of SBA, is alleged to have made the application for 10 acres (four hectares) of land to PKNS - he is chairman of its land committee.

PKNS subsequetly granted seven acres (2.8ha) in Shah Alam to the badminton association to build courts and other related facilities.

"Police have contacted the SBA and its officers will be queried," said a police source.

"They have been asked to prepare the necessary documents. There is probably a case of abuse of power here, which is why we are investigating," the source added.

The source said the SBA investigations are ancillary to another probe being conducted by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) over the illegal construction of Zakaria’s mansion in Klang.

SBA deputy president V. Subramaniam, when contacted, said the SBA will co-orperate with the authorities. He declined to comment further.

PKNS press ofiicer Mohd Wazir Abdul Ghani told theSun he was unable to confirm if Zakaria was involved in the meeting in 2004 that decided to award the piece of land to SBA.

He said, however, that it was normal procedure for officials who had an interest in a project to excuse themselves from the meeting.

Two other Klang councillors - Mazlynoor Abdul Latif and Faizal Abdullah - have also built their houses without prior approval from the local council.

When contacted, Mazlynoor declined to say if he had met Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo or if he would resign.

Yesterday, Faizal announced he was stepping down from the post for the 2006-2008 term following a meeting with Mohd Khir the same day.

The Mentri Besar is attending the Conference of Rulers today.

KUALA LUMPUR (The Sun, Nov 2, 2006): Umno yesterday cautioned former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad against going overboard with his criticism of the government, saying he should "know his limits".

The party’s supreme council decided this at a meeting which shot down a proposal from Umno Kedah to remove Mahathir from his advisory positions in government-linked companies and statutory bodies.

Speaking after chairing the meeting, Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said no one in the party was immune from disciplinary action if they made a mistake.

"Nobody is immune … it’s a matter for us to decide whether there is going to be action or not. For the time being, we are not going to take action against him."

On how Umno was going to handle Mahathir’s continuing tirade, he said they would reply him openly when he made a remark or criticised the government openly. This is so that the people will also know the government’s response.

After their brokered two-hour meeting recently, Mahathir held two press conferences in two days to reveal what happened and in the process, further criticised Abdullah.

In a statement posted on the Internet, Mahathir had accused the administration of creating a climate of fear, by preventing him from speaking at public forums.

Asked how the people were accepting Umno’s explanation of Mahathir’s accusations, Abdullah said he believed the people understood and had accepted the party’s explanation. He also said Umno was not afraid to act against its former president, adding that there was no need for drastic action at this point in time.

However, he warned: "He should know what the limits are. There is no need to ask what we are going to do and when we are going to do it and what the limits are.

"We will hear and we always get reports of his activities from members."

Asked if the Umno veterans’ group Mubarak had sent him a letter asking for a second meeting with Mahathir and whether he would agree, he dismissed it as a speculative question.

He was also asked about a Keadilan leader’s police report that Mahathir and he had abused their powers to benefit their children. Abdullah said he had never abused his power on matters involving his children.

Asked if he was willing to declare his children’s assets, he said: "That is my family’s right. They have not done anything wrong to warrant them declaring their assets."