17 November 2023
Topik Pada Hari Ini
> Randau Khas - Penentangan Orang Asal terhadap Aktiviti Pembalakan Samling di FMU Gerenai dan Ravencourt
> Pushpan Murugiah, CEO C4 (Pusat untuk memerangi rasuah dan kronisme) - Memastikan Stabiliti: C4 Mengusulkan Akta Pembiayaan Politik untuk Menangani Lompat Parti dan Ketidakpastian dalam Politik Malaysia
> Zulhaidah Suboh, PKR Sibuti - Projek Sakit di Sarawak: Kritikan Zulhaidah Suboh terhadap Keutamaan GPS
> Marcus Hugo, Bekas Guru Besar dari Baram - Menuntut Kejelasan: Keperluan Pengawas untuk Mengawasi Kos Pembinaan Sekolah Baru
On Today Show
> Special Randau – Indigenous Opposition to Samling's Logging Activities in FMU Gerenai and Ravencourt
> Pushpan Murugiah, CEO of C4 (Center to combat corruption and cronyism) – Ensuring Stability: C4 Proposes Political Funding Act to Curb Party Switching and Uncertainty in Malaysian Politics
> Zulhaidah Suboh, PKR Sibuti – Sarawak's Sick Projects: Zulhaidah Suboh's Criticism of GPS Priorities
> Marcus Hugo, Former headmaster from Baram – Demanding Transparency: The Need for a Supervisor to Oversee the Costs of Constructing New Schools
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Special Randau
1. Do not surrender Muhyiddin Yassin's passport; he still has a case, says Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Wai Keong. According to Lim, Muhyiddin is still facing three charges under AMLA. Muhyiddin has requested the return of his passport to go on vacation with his family in London.
2. The report by The Borneo Project and BMF published on November 15, 2023, indicates that several parties appear to be collaborating to clean up and deceive the international market regarding Samling's tainted timber. Samling claims to have certification from MTCC, SIRIM, and PEFC, following international standards. However, in FMU Gerenai (148,305 hectares) and Ravencourt (117,914 hectares), indigenous residents oppose it as it affects their livelihoods and involves two conservation areas. Samling had previously sued the NGO Save Rivers for publishing the affected community's objections.
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Pushpan Murugiah, CEO of C4 (Center to combat corruption and cronyism)
*Ensuring Stability: C4 Proposes Political Funding Act to Curb Party Switching and Uncertainty in Malaysian Politics*
Is it wrong from a legal, democratic or moral point of view? Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim offered federal financial allocations to attract the support of parliamentarians to support him?
The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) is alarmed over the switch of support by four rogue Bersatu MPs, saying that it proves the need for a political financing act and amendments to close loopholes that allow parliamentarians to bypass anti-hopping measures.
According to Pusphan - development allocations, building schools, ditches, clinics or nurseries are not the responsibility of parliamentarians. The main responsibility of parliamentarians is to build and formulate good policies for the country. Therefore, all parliamentary areas should be given adequate development allocations. Therefore - to find a solution to this problem, C4 suggests that a political funding act be presented. That is, all political parties receive allocations from the government according to certain criteria. All parliamentary constituencies will get development allocations. C4 also thinks that there should be no party jumping or switching support after the election, because it will cause the country's politics to be in uncertainty in the long term which will further harm the people.
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Zulhaidah Suboh, PKR Sibuti
*Sarawak's Sick Projects: Zulhaidah Suboh's Criticism of GPS Priorities*
Deputy Health Minister and Sibuti MP Lukanisman Awang Sauni expressed frustration, attributing delays in completing two primary schools in the Sibuti parliamentary constituency to incompetent contractors. The projects, SK Kampung Selanyau and SK Kita, are labeled as 'sick' due to the delays, causing dissatisfaction among parents and teachers. Lukanisman highlighted that the SK Kpg Selanyau project, initially set for completion in February 2023, is only 71% complete, and work on SK Kita, expected to finish in the fourth quarter of 2024, has been halted. The post was shared on Lukanisman's Facebook page on Wednesday.
Zulhaidah Suboh stated that the issue of inadequate use of funds for school repairs or construction is prevalent in rural or interior areas, with delays observed in projects, including two schools in Sibuti. However, in response to the call from their elected representative, Lukanisman, Zulhaidah believes that it is Lukanisman's responsibility to oversee and ensure the smooth progress of projects in his constituency, and pressuring contractors through social media is not a meaningful action.
She pointed out that if the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government intends to prioritize certain projects, such as schools or clinics and hospitals, they should automatically monitor the progress of these projects. However, there are numerous sick projects in Sarawak, surpassing their completion dates.
Zulhaidah thinks that GPS is particularly active in exploiting the land rights of people in the interior, especially in dam construction. Still, when it comes to people's basic rights such as education or healthcare, they only request funds from the federal government and do not actively use parliamentary allocations to repair or equip facilities.
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Marcus Hugo, Former headmaster from Baram
*Demanding Transparency: The Need for a Supervisor to Oversee the Costs of Constructing New Schools*
Marcus Hugo is pleased with the federal budget allocation of over 204.25 million to refurbish struggling schools in Baram.
However, according to Teacher Marcus, the issue of struggling schools has been persistent, and unfortunately, he questions how the Sarawak state government manages finances from the central government. The government should establish a budget monitoring officer because it is unreasonable that problems with these struggling schools persist despite the budget allocations. Where has the money from the Sarawak state government been used all this time?
Therefore, as soon as the funds are received, the state government should act promptly to avoid any delays and ensure there is no prolonged period to upgrade these struggling schools.
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