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Saturday 5 August 2017

Penang signs corruption pledge, faces calls for Chief Minister to step down

https://youtu.be/G3zoOtVh3ns



GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government finally inked a corruption-free pledge and almost immediately faced calls for the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s resignation over corruption charges he faces.

The state government signed the corruption-free pledge with 10 additional integrity measures with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in a ceremony at Komtar attended by Lim, executive councillors, state assemblymen and MPs, heads of departments and agencies along with public administration officers and MACC officers.

The additional measures signed by the state include the CAT (competent, accountable and transparent) policy, open competitive tenders, public declaration of assets, and full protection for genuine whistleblowers.

MACC chief commissioner Datuk Dzulkifli Ahmad welcomed the additional integrity measures.

“It will strengthen the pledge as a whole. But the state must put their pledge and integrity measures into practice,” he said, adding that the occasion was meaningful for him.

“I am a Penangite, born in Kepala Batas,” he said.

Barely an hour later, Lim came in for attacks from Penang Umno Youth chief Rafizal Abdul Rahim who wanted him to resign, and state opposition leader Datuk Jahara Hamid for not inviting the state’s 10 opposition members to the ceremony.



Rafizal and several members approached Dzulkifli to hand over a memorandum urging Lim to resign.

“By signing the pledge, Lim is indirectly showing others he is clean,” he said.

MIC central working committee member J. Dhinagaran, a Penangite, said Lim should set an example by resigning from his position as Chief Minister if he was sincere about combating graft.

Lim faces corruption charges over the purchase of his bungalow in Pinhorn Road for RM2.8mil, below the market value of RM4.27mil.

On Jahara’s complaint, Lim said Umno assemblymen were not invited for the ceremony because they had failed to show up on previous occasions.

“We invited her (Jahara) many times and even invited her to sit in a committee, but she didn’t want to,” he said.

Jahara later said they would hold a corruption-free pledge session.

Kelantan will sign the anti-corruption pledge next week. Dzulkifli said the MACC had yet to receive a date from the Selangor government to sign its pledge.

Source: The Star by Christopher Tan

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Local Council hoarding RM60mil in drainage funds


GEORGE TOWN: More than RM60mil collected from developers as drainage contributions in Seberang Prai has reportedly not been given to the state Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID).

Pulau Betong assemblyman Datuk Muhammad Farid Saad, who lashed out at Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) for withholding the money, said only RM2.2mil of RM63.39mil collected from 2008 to June last year was disbursed so far.

He said that according to the Auditor-General’s Report 2016, the move went against the directive which required contributions from developers to be channelled to a trust account maintained by the state DID director who would act as its controlling officer.

“MPSP’s failure to transfer the funds has resulted in many stalled flood mitigation projects.

“In 2016 alone, four places in central Seberang Prai were hit by flash floods 21 times.

“The rakyat are at the receiving end, all because MPSP wants to portray itself with a nice balance sheet.

“In the state assembly, the state government on April 2014, announced that it had increased the contributions from RM10,000 per acre to RM50,000 per acre.

“Did they spend part of the contributions on something else instead of drainage and irrigation or flood mitigation?” Muhammad Farid asked in a statement.

He said the Auditor-General also reported that MPSP’s Treasury Department was instructed to hand over RM400,000 annually to DID in 2010.

“That instruction did not get the approval from the state government. This is improper and action has to be taken.

“It is inappropriate for the local authority to make decisions behind the backs of the Chief Minister and state government.

He criticised MPSP for showing a lack of commitment in tackling floods.

“It is an irony that a local council which has won international accolades does not follow directives.

“The exposure by the Auditor-General has dented MPSP’s integrity.

“Its delay in handing over the contributions shows that it did not adhere to the state government’s CAT (competency, accountability and transparency) policy.

“Are they trying to secure another award — a local council with the healthiest coffers?”

MPSP president Datuk Rozali Mohamud said he would comment after reading Farid’s report in print.

Source: The Star

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Thursday 3 August 2017

Malaysian Public varsities, companies, GLC execs also recipients of EBA fake awards


Checks on local news reports show EBA bestowed ‘awards’ not just to Penang councils but also other Malaysian institutions.

GEORGE TOWN: Before the dust could settle on a shock expose that Penang municipal councils received “excellence” awards from a questionable outfit exposed by a UK newspaper, checks show that other Malaysian companies, universities and GLC execs were also recipients.

Checks by FMT show Malaysian companies, public universities and top executives of Malaysian government-linked companies had won awards from the dubious Europe Business Assembly (EBA) before.

UK’s The Times had alleged that EBA, run by Ukrainian businessmen, made use of the renowned Oxford University’s name and reputation to hand out awards to those who paid a sum.

According to EBA’s website, this year, seven Malaysian companies and their bosses were listed as award recipients.

Among them is a public-listed utilities company and an education provider.

Based on Malaysian news reports, past winners of EBA’s awards include three Malaysian public universities — namely Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia (UTeM) and Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP).

USIM, UTeM and UniMAP received the “Best Regional University” award from EBA in 2013, according to a report by Utusan Malaysia on Dec 25, 2013.

Their vice-chancellors were reported in local Malaysian dailies to have won “Best Manager of The Year” in the same year as well.

One of the vice-chancellors was reported to have won “Best Scientist” separately from EBA’s “Oxford Summit of Leaders Science & Education”.

Another VC was reported to have won “The Name in Science” award, too.

EBA’s ‘International Socrates Award’

According to EBA’s website, the group is “an international corporation of social partnership” established in Oxford, UK, in 2000.

It lists developing and promoting social and economic links between companies, investors, education establishments, cities and countries worldwide as its main objectives.

The Times had reported that EBA advertises itself as an Oxford institution to sell “made-up prizes” such as “The International Socrates Award” and “The Queen Victoria Commemorative Award” for a price of up to £9,300 (RM52,000).

The report claimed the EBA outfit was run by Ukrainian businessmen, targeting areas where people had the financial power to buy such accolades.

A former employee told The Times that the outfit was told to focus on customers from the Middle East, eastern Europe and Russia “where the idea that money buys you credentials is still there”.

EBA was also revealed to have used images of Oxford colleges and even the same typefaces in its publicity materials.

It also claimed “exclusive” access to special lectures from Oxford, the report said.

However, the University of Oxford told the daily it has no relations with EBA.

“On the face of it, the guests gathered that evening did not have much to unite them.

Representatives from a Nigerian maritime security company rubbed shoulders with the vice-president of a Bulgarian mine.

“The founder of an international school in Malaysia mixed with the director of an Indian private medical institute,” The Times report read, in explaining the holding of an elaborate awards presentation ceremony.

Source: Free Malaysia Today (FMT)

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