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Learn from each
other, private and
public sectors told
KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Ab-
dullah Ahmad Badawi proposed
that officers from selected
public sector departments go
for attachment with the private
sector and vice versa.
The prime minister said
such a programme or ar-
rangement would enable the
officers and executives from
both sectors to experience
and learn each other’s work-
ing environment, and the way
the government departments
worked and how the public
sector operated.
Abdullah said this would
be mutually beneficial and
create better understanding
between them, thus contrib-
uting to greater efficiency,
competitiveness and good
governance.
“I think it is worthwhile for
the public and private sectors
to have such an experience,”
he said in his speech at a
dinner with Pemudah (Spe-
cial Force Force to Facilitate
Business) members at a hotel,
here, last night.– Bernama
Karpal’s case for
mention Monday
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP chairman
Karpal Singh’s sedition case will
be mentioned in the High Court
here on Monday.
Judicial Commissioner Azman
Abdullah will try the case.
Karpal Singh pleaded not guilty
in a sessions court on Tuesday to
uttering seditious words relating
to the Sultan of Perak in a news
conference in his office at Jalan
Pudu Lama here between noon
and 12.30pm on Feb 6.
The case was transferred to
the High Court with the agree-
ment of both parties.
If convicted, Karpal Singh,
a lawyer, faces a maximum
RM5,000 fine or three years jail,
or both, under Section 4 (1) (b) of
the Sedition Act.
Judge Mohamad Sekeri Ma-
mat extended his bail of RM2,000
with one surety. – Bernama
‘Jobless foreigners
can pose problems’
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian
Trades Union Congress (MTUC)
estimates that there are now
10,000 jobless legal foreign
workers in the country and
fears that they may pose a grave
security problem.
Its secretary-general G. Rajas-
ekaran said yesterday MTUC’s
field research showed most of
these workers were either idle
or looking for odd jobs and in
desperation, some might even
resort to petty crimes.
The workers of various
nationalities – Bangladeshi,
Indonesians, Myanmars, Indians
and Pakistanis – were either
sacked without proper compen-
sation or simply abandoned by
their employers, he told a news
conference here.
To overcome the problem, he
proposed that the government
either repatriate these workers
who had legal documents or
allow them to be redeployed
in other industries where their
services could be utilised.
Rajasekaran said most of
these workers were reluctant to
go home because some of them
had been here for only about
six months and still owed their
sponsors back home a substan-
tial sum. – Bernama
Claims for cash
rebate extended
KUALA LUMPUR: Claims under
the cash rebate disbursement
scheme for vehicle owners
have been extended to April
14, Pos Malaysia said in a
statement yesterday that the
government had informed the
company of the extension.
It said eligible vehicle own-
ers are encouraged to renew
their road tax personally at
any post offices nationwide for
them to receive the rebate the
same day. They can also make
claims through www.poson-
line.com.my and the rebate
will be deposited to their bank
account. Those unable to make
the claim during working hours
can go to post offices which
operate after working hours,
Pos Malaysia said. – Bernama
MACC quizzes Rights and
Privileges panel members
Travel agent charged
with cheating
BALIK PULAU: A travel agent pleaded not guilty
in the magistrate’s court here yesterday to
cheating, involving a sum of RM22,300.
Khor Soo Kiang, 43, of Bukit Mertajam, is
charged with issuing a HSBC cheque for the
amount at the Penang airport at about 1pm on
Jan 25 when the bank account had already been
closed. The complainant was Lai Shaw Chin.
If convicted, Khor can be jailed for up to 10
years, whipped and fined.
Prosecuting officer Chief Insp Md Saad
Hassan asked for bail to be set at RM10,000 but
Khor asked for lower bail, saying she had four
children to feed and her husband was jobless.
Magistrate Muhammad Firdaus Abdul Wahab
fixed bail at RM6,000 with one surety and
ordered Khor to surrender her passport to the
court. He fixed April 17 for mention. – Bernama
IPOH: The Malaysian Anti-Cor-
ruption Commission (MACC) yes-
terday recorded statements from
four members of the Rights and
Privileges Committee which had
suspended the mentri besar and six
state executive councillors from the
State Legislative Assembly.
The four – Loke Chee Yan (as-
semblyman for Kepayang), Ong
Boon Piow (Tebing Tinggi), Sum
Cheok Leng (Bercham) and Chan
Ming Kai (Simpang Pulai) – had
their statements recorded at the
Perak MACC headquarters.
The committee, chaired by
Speaker V. Sivakumar, had adopted
the decision following a complaint
lodged by assemblyman for Can-
ning Wong Kah Woh against
Ragunath: Only a small pool
of lawyers to handle big cases
by S.Tamarai Chelvi
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: Only a small pool of
criminal lawyers are handling the big-
ger and complicated cases although
there are some 600 to 700 criminal
law practitioners in the country.
Newly elected Bar Council presi-
dent K. Ragunath said this yesterday
when commenting on Wednesday’s
remarks by Chief Justice Tan Sri Zaki
Azmi on case delays.
He told theSun: “The pool of
lawyers is small especially for cases
involving murder and drug offences
that carry the death penalty.”
Zaki had said that the courts
should not be blamed for the delays
and that most of the postponements
were caused by the accused, defence
lawyers and prosecuting officials.
Ragunath also spoke of lawyers
who are assigned by the courts. He
said for cases which carry the death
theSun | FRIDAY MARCH 20 2009
the seven Barisan Nasional (BN)
elected representatives citing con-
tempt of the assembly for having
allegedly accepted their appoint-
ments unconstitutionally.
Another member of the com-
mittee, assemblyman for Selinsing
Husin Din, was questioned by the
MACC at his residence on March
17 while Sivakumar gave his state-
ment at the official residence of the
Perak mentri besar on Feb 26.
The committee had suspended
Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry
Abdul Kadir from the assembly for
18 months and the six executive
councillors for 12 months.
The MACC officers declined to
comment on their investigation.
– Bernama
penalty such as murder, if the accused
could not afford a counsel, the court
would pay a private lawyer “but the
payment is very low.”
He said these cases would go on
for two to three weeks, adding: “It is
difficult to attract many lawyers.”
He encouraged young lawyers to
take up criminal law to “increase the
base of criminal lawyers”. He also said
there are many factors that cause
delays on the prosecution’s side.
He said in criminal cases there
is the issue of support mechanism,
such as the chemist’s report not being
ready on time, insufficient chemists to
testify and police witnesses involved
in other cases as well.
Referring to civil cases, he said
the Bar Council is working with the
Chief Justice and the Law Ministry
to come out with rules to “simplify
procedure” and introduce compu-
terisation for the court system to
reduce backlog.