(New Straits Times Fri, 18/5/08) - The second dialogue between the 10 opposition MPs in Kuala Lumpur and the Barisan Nasional after the general election left much to be desired.
It was marked by the raising of petty issues culminating in Putrajaya MP Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor storming off shortly after lunch.
While the early hours of the meeting, which began at 9am, saw tension in the air, the testy exchanges eventually saw Tengku Adnan losing his cool.
He had arrived at 2.30pm to hear Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng complaining about the venue for the forum and what he claimed was preferential parking for representatives of the Federal Territories Ministry which had organised the event. Lim had asked why the two-day forum was held in a five-star hotel and not at City Hall headquarters here.
He had also asked why Pakatan Rakyat MPs had to pay for their parking while FT Minister Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique and other senior ministry officials had parked in front of the hotel.
"Why should there also be double standards between the BN and the Pakatan MPs," he asked.
As soon as Tengku Adnan left after describing the dialogue as "rubbish", Zulhasnan's deputy, Datuk M. Saravanan, called for a press conference where he accused the opposition of being arrogant and not using the forum to raise constructive issues.
"The MPs have been given an opportunity to voice their opinions to improve the lifestyle of city folk. But I regret their behaviour. The meeting was a waste of time," he said, adding that such forums should not be organised in the future.
Former Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman agreed with Saravanan, calling the forum a "waste of time".
He said the ministry should not organise such forums in future.
"This forum was not used as it should have been. Opposition MPs should use the opportunity to interact and voice their opinions positively.
"But what I saw was arrogance. They just launched their attacks. How are we going to solve problems?," he asked.
Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong repeatedly attacked the mayor Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan, calling for the post to be filled by election and the FT Ministry scrapped.
Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai was also vocal, calling City Hall the "sleeping beauty" as he claimed many long-standing issues had not been settled.
Saravanan and Suhaili suggested that only "professional opposition MPs" be invited for meetings in future.
Batu MP Tian Chua is believed to fit this bill, as he mingled freely with Zulhasnan and other top officials from the ministry and City Hall.
His speech called for more open dialogues with the ministry besides being focused on issues affecting his constituency. Other MPs who left a positive mark on BN officials and City Hall were Bandar Tun Razak MP and Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim who called on Zulhasnan to work with the opposition.
"Let's work together. We can be partners. This is a good forum to solve the various issues affecting city folk."
He suggested that illegal trading, housing and cleanliness be topmost on the ministry's agenda.
Credit, however, goes to Zulhasnan, who sat throughout the nine-hour meeting, leaving only for an hour-long lunch. He first met the opposition MPs two weeks ago where he stressed that he wanted more dialogues to open communication between the BN and the opposition.
He had also proposed dialogues between the MPs and him between parliamentary sessions.
Article taken from MT
It was marked by the raising of petty issues culminating in Putrajaya MP Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor storming off shortly after lunch.
While the early hours of the meeting, which began at 9am, saw tension in the air, the testy exchanges eventually saw Tengku Adnan losing his cool.
He had arrived at 2.30pm to hear Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng complaining about the venue for the forum and what he claimed was preferential parking for representatives of the Federal Territories Ministry which had organised the event. Lim had asked why the two-day forum was held in a five-star hotel and not at City Hall headquarters here.
He had also asked why Pakatan Rakyat MPs had to pay for their parking while FT Minister Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique and other senior ministry officials had parked in front of the hotel.
"Why should there also be double standards between the BN and the Pakatan MPs," he asked.
As soon as Tengku Adnan left after describing the dialogue as "rubbish", Zulhasnan's deputy, Datuk M. Saravanan, called for a press conference where he accused the opposition of being arrogant and not using the forum to raise constructive issues.
"The MPs have been given an opportunity to voice their opinions to improve the lifestyle of city folk. But I regret their behaviour. The meeting was a waste of time," he said, adding that such forums should not be organised in the future.
Former Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman agreed with Saravanan, calling the forum a "waste of time".
He said the ministry should not organise such forums in future.
"This forum was not used as it should have been. Opposition MPs should use the opportunity to interact and voice their opinions positively.
"But what I saw was arrogance. They just launched their attacks. How are we going to solve problems?," he asked.
Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong repeatedly attacked the mayor Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan, calling for the post to be filled by election and the FT Ministry scrapped.
Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai was also vocal, calling City Hall the "sleeping beauty" as he claimed many long-standing issues had not been settled.
Saravanan and Suhaili suggested that only "professional opposition MPs" be invited for meetings in future.
Batu MP Tian Chua is believed to fit this bill, as he mingled freely with Zulhasnan and other top officials from the ministry and City Hall.
His speech called for more open dialogues with the ministry besides being focused on issues affecting his constituency. Other MPs who left a positive mark on BN officials and City Hall were Bandar Tun Razak MP and Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim who called on Zulhasnan to work with the opposition.
"Let's work together. We can be partners. This is a good forum to solve the various issues affecting city folk."
He suggested that illegal trading, housing and cleanliness be topmost on the ministry's agenda.
Credit, however, goes to Zulhasnan, who sat throughout the nine-hour meeting, leaving only for an hour-long lunch. He first met the opposition MPs two weeks ago where he stressed that he wanted more dialogues to open communication between the BN and the opposition.
He had also proposed dialogues between the MPs and him between parliamentary sessions.
Article taken from MT
7 comments:
Why must they use hotel to have meeting? Can't they just use the city hall place ? For what it is being built if they don't use it to the fullest? Banana waste of money and people time!
Can't you guys just run your own show ? Being an MP does mean something, no ? Force the issue with attendent press from MalaysiaKini and the MSM. I'm sure they too want a story.
Why bother to have a FT Minister in the first place? Ministry are suppose to be organised along functions like defense & education. We don't see a minister for London, Paris or Chua Cho Kang, yeah?
This ministry is redundant as we already have a Datuk Bandar. Waste of taxpayers' money, really.
As for the storming off, the BN ministers are too used to calling shots, hearing good news only, being not accountable as previously opposition voice was too mild.
The word "kerajaan" is misleading. The majority political coalition is elected civil servants, really. They are not "raja" hence subject to scrutiny and justified criticism. The correct word should be pentadbiran. Perhaps the civil servant in question thought he is a raja to all and sundry hence criticism of him is unbecoming.
The act of storming off could mean lack of debating skills and trying to defend the undefendable. By throwing toys out of the pram, the taker of tax payers' money is not serving the tax payer well & do not have the welfare of tax payers in his heart. Heck he is suppose to be called "Wakil Rakyat".
In fact, he is being emotional, immature and practically useless if he works in a commercial entity. A women with menses can control her temper and stress better than he. (YB Fong Poh Kuan, I have to say sorry but this is not directed to you. I am really really really p^ssed with what I am reading)
I take sh&t from my bosses and still carry on.
What this episode means is that the administration in KL will be in limbo and the existing problems in the city centre would become worse unless these people come to their senses.
Dear Lip Eng,
Much as I agree that the Minister and Deputy Minister should not have been accorded preferential parking privileges, I did not send you to Parliament to harp about these things.
I would like to see improvements in the traffic situation in Kuala Lumpur, from a pedestrian's perspective. There are 7 things I'd like to see happen quickly.
First of all I would like to get a commitment from the
Minister, Deputy Minister, Datuk Bandar and senior FT ministry and DBKL officials and you that all of you will utilise public transport on a regular basis. I want you all to see what the average Rakyat who is a pedestrian has to put up with on a daily basis. How can you use KL Sentral as a public bus transport hub when it has only one lift, one staircase and one escalator linking the concourse level of KL Sentral with the bus terminal level? And to top it all, the area nearest the lift, the staircase and the escalator is usually occupied by people trying to board the LCCT shuttles, which are permitted to park in the inner lane next to the lift, escalator and staircase.
Secondly, look seriously at pedestrian crossing lights. Many do not work or are not properly co-ordinated. I guess what can you expect when the people designing them are themselves not pedestrians.
Thirdly, do something about motorists (vehicles and motorcycles) who regularly overrun the yellow pedestrian crossings at traffic light junctions, making it almost impossible for pedestrians to cross the road safely and without having to weave in and around bikes, cars and buses.
Fourthly, DBKL must do something about motorists who regularly break the law and turn right from Jalan Tun Perak into Jalan Raja Laut right in front of DBKL itself. I mean how embarrassing is this: people are flouting traffic laws right under DBKL's nose, every day. If the Datuk Bandar were only to stand at the traffic light junction at the corner of Jalan Tun Perak and Jalan Raja Laut, he will clearly see what I mean.
Fifthly, let's respect bus lanes. It's no use having bus lanes and then allowing the police to use them as an additional lane to clear traffic during peak hours. I can understand confused mnotorists who think they can always drive on bus lanes since the police let them do so regularly.
Sixthly, make KL safe for pedestrians. When was the last time the Minister, Deputy Minister, Datuk Bandar and senior FT ministry and DBKL officials actually walked the streets of KL? Do they not notice walkways restricted and/or narrowed by vehicles (cars and motorcycles) and construction materials/sites. Do they not notice uneven pavements, pavements with iron gratings missing. Do they not notice pavements built without proper gradients to allow prams and pushcarts to be rolled down and up pavements smoothly. And what about all the illegally parked cars in downtown KL?
Seventhly, what are FT ministry and DBKL going to do about the cramped trains and LRTs during peak hours? And entrances and exits to stations that offer no protection from the rain? And for access by handicapped people?
Lip Eng, make an appointment with me and we will spend one morning walking along the roads of KL near DBKL, bring the press with you and I will show you all the silliness that happens right under the nose of DBKL, things which have been going on for years and which DBKL and FT ministry do not care about. Because the Minister, Deputy Minister, Datuk Bandar and senior FT ministry and DBKL officials all just drive past in their air-conditioned cars, ignorant of the suffering of the Rakyat.
Andrew Khoo
Co-Deputy Chair,
Human Rights Committee,
Malaysian Bar Council,
regular pedestrian,
frequent user of public transport,
and your constituent.
Please continue the drive for change! If leaders dare openly practice double standards on opposition reps, what more can rakyat expect from government?
You have my support.
LYS
**"Why should there also be double standards between the BN and the Pakatan MPs," he asked.**
**Much as I agree that the Minister and Deputy Minister should not have been accorded preferential parking privileges, I did not send you to Parliament to harp about these things**
Mister Khoo,
I think YB Lim was not bitching about the itsy bitsy trivia about parking. He is trying to tell off the DBKL/BN partisan don't try to put the Pakatan Rakyat people down.
It is a physcological ploy, I believe, to kick-start the meeting/confrontation.
In the 1953 truce negotiations, the North Koreans tried to gain such an advantage by giving the UN/US officials lower chairs while they get higher chairs.
The UN people walked off without saying a word. A lot of the time was spent arguing about the length of table, who gets to walk into the room first etc. There was no gentlemen courtest in Panmunjon in 1953.
It is not beyond those organisers to adopt tactics of similiar vein although I doubt they read that part of world history.
So you have not voted someone to bitch about parking space. You have voted in people who give up comfort of their lives and willing to eyeball to eyeball in the face of tyranny and intimidation.
Regards
Lee Wee Tak
I voted in someone who
1) i believe will speak out for us.
2) will give a hard time to those sitting high up in their ivory tower.
A lot of things in KL are being done wrongly and for the wrong reasons. To instigate changes takes a lot of effort, blood, sweat and tears to achieve it.
With the so-called vip storming out of the meeting, i believe that #1 and #2 has been achieved. These people are so used to being bodek that to suddenly having to face a tsunami of criticisms and pressure has gotten them to storm off from the meeting with his tail between his legs.
I say, That's a good start. Keep it up. For once let these people know how it is really like to actually work for their salary. Let them know what it actually feels like to serve the people.
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