16
speak up!
Enough talk, action please
THE truth is that investments
were made; the bitter truth is
that some of these were made
without proper studies. The
results have been disastrous
– millions of ringgit have gone
down the drain due to poor
management, financial ir-
regularities and corruption. But
Pempena Sdn Bhd, a company
owned by Malaysian Tourism
Promotion is in dire straits.
An audit by PriceWaterhouse-
Coopers has painted a gloomy
picture of what lies ahead.
Instead of implementing the
recommendations, those at
the helm of the company are
directing their time and effort
and our money to engage in a
public relations exercise to tell
thesun says
all and sundry that everything
is not so dismal as painted by
the auditors.
It is no secret that many had
put their hands in the many
cookie jars that existed in the
company and its subsidiaries,
the result of which reflects the
current state of affairs. Instead
of calling in the experts who
are armed with the law, in this
case, the police, the new Pem-
pena chief seems to be saying
that she would only address
issues after she assumed of-
fice. Is it implied that we should
close both eyes to the rape,
pillage and plunder carried out
previously? If that is the case,
where is the transparency that
Pempena is talking about? By
handing over the audit report
to an Oppostion MP alone
does not make the company
transparent. It must set out
the course and methodologies
that will be used to bring the
culprits to book. The failed ven-
tures in overseas restaurants,
show promotions and limou-
sine services are testimony to
wrong-doings. It’s time to forget
the rhetoric and get into action.
Why is Pempena so reluctant
to make a police report? Will
it reveal bigger names or will
part of the current mob be
linked to the massive losses?
Only Pempena’s executive
chairman can answer these
questions and she should do
so immediately.
theSun
Public assemblies: To
allow or not to allow?
comment by Mohsin Abdullah
IT’S not new. We’ve been
talking about it for years. But
World the Nov 9 fracas in Petaling
Jaya has triggered off a new
shares at round of “war of words ”.
five-and- Which brings us, once again,
half-year to the all important question.
“Should public assemblies
lows be allowed without police
pg 20 permits?”
As it is police permits are
hard to come by. More often
than not, organisers of public
rallies are denied permits.
They cry foul, citing Article
10 of the Federal Constitution
which guarantees the right to
assemble. So they go ahead
even without permits. Based on
Article 10, they have a point.
Hence they “have every right”
to be angry with the police
for breaking up assemblies.
Like what
happened on
Nov 9.
But the
police are
saying the
people who
turned up that
Sunday night
were part of an
illegal assembly
and had broken
the law. That
has always
been their
stand on public
assemblies.
The men in
blue are going
by the Police
Act which
stipulates any
grouping of three
people can be deemed
illegal assembly. For it to
be “legal” a police permit is
needed. Based on the act the
police too are right. Meaning
the police and assembly
organisers are both right. So
who is wrong?
The time has come for the
issue to be settled once and
for all. Even the government-
sponsored human rights
commission Suhakam wants
an end to all this. Eight years
ago it had recommended that
public assemblies be allowed
without police permits.
In December 2000, I
reported on the proposal for
the theSun (see flashback).
Then Suhakam chairman Tun
Musa Hitam (back in 2000
he was Tan Sri ) was of the
opinion that “the people have
the right to hold assemblies
as enshrined in the Federal
Constitution”.
So Suhakam had wanted to
see peaceful public assemblies
“legalised”. The organisers
need only inform the police of
the gathering without having
to wait for a permit. However,
there were several conditions
attached to the proposal. The
main ones being assemblies
must be held in designated
areas, within a specific time
and organisers must place
a “bond” as guarantee. The
“bond” as suggested by
Suhakam was a sum which
would be forfeited if public
property was damaged during
assemblies.
On the day the story
| FRIDAY NOVEMBER 21 2008
appeared, I followed it up by
getting reactions and among
the people I spoke to were
Elizabeth Wong and Ashaari
Sungib. Both are now Yang
Berhormat. Wong is now a
Selangor executive councillor
and Ashaari is assemblyman
for Hulu Klang.
Wong was then with
human rights body Suaram
while Ashaari was active in an
Islamic NGO. Both welcomed
the proposal although they
were not happy with certain
conditions. The designated
area for assemblies was one.
Anyway, Suhakam was
supposed to complete the
proposal the following year for
submission to the government.
The fact that we’re still talking
about public assemblies, it’s
obvious nothing had happened.
However, the
current Suhakam “lineup”
have also talked about the
need for a review of the public
assembly issue. I can’t agree
more. Already the rules on
public assemblies are giving
the government a “bad name”.
And what is perceived as the
police’s “soft approach” against
pro government groups as
compared to others at public
assemblies is not helping the
government cause.
Malaysians are now
“braver” in expressing their
grouses openly. And it’s not
only about big issues like
ISA etc. Now we even see
peaceful “demonstrations” by
residents against contractors
and housing developers for
not providing ample parking
lots, access roads and irregular
garbage collection.
Incidentally, an anti-ISA
gathering held in Ipoh also
on Nov 9 went on peacefully
without police “intervention”.
So too was another vigil at
Petaling Jaya’s Jalan Timur
padang on Nov 16. This
perhaps could be due to
different interpretations of the
law on public assemblies. All
the more reason the matter
should be addressed fast.
The time has come to put an
end to the issue once and for
all. The sooner the better.
Mohsin Abdullah is editor-in-
chief news and current Affairs
ntv7 & 8TV. Comments: letters@
thesundaily.com.