MB Azizan refuses to comment on Kedah Government’s rising debt

ALOR SETAR: Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak has refused to comment on the state government's debt which has allegedly ballooned to RM3bil over the past five years under the PAS-led state government.

Azizan, who is Kedah PAS commissioner, merely said the state government was trying hard to raise revenue all this while.

He was asked yesterday to comment on the debt issue which was once again highlighted by Kedah Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang.

Tan claimed that the state's debt was about RM2bil before 2008 but had since increased to RM3bil, which included the RM330mil loan for the construction of the Kolej Universiti Insaniah (Kuin) campus in Kuala Ketil.

“The loan was taken by a state government-linked company to finance the Kuin project,” he told a press conference at state Gerakan office yesterday.

Tan had first raised the debt issue last Wednesday and had then handed over a memorandum on the matter to Azizan, which was received on the latter's behalf by his special officer Mohd Rosli Azmi.

He quoted the Auditor-General's 2011 Report which stated that the state government had only RM193.22mil in cash.

He again questioned why no work had been done on the two low-cost housing projects in Bandar Darulaman in Jitra and Pokok Sena, to which Azizan answered that the delay was due to technical issues.

Maicci: Opposition manifesto merely a fantasy

PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Rakyat’s manifesto is yet another attempt by the opposition coalition to fulfil their election fantasy, says the Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Maicci).

Its president Datuk K.K. Eswaran said the manifesto was created to confuse the rakyat with “heaven and earth” promises without explaining how it could be implemented.

“While the Opposition accuse Barisan Nasional of bankrupting the country, I believe that the Opposition manifesto will bring about a worse crisis if they are elected,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Eswaran pointed out that Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahimwas at the helm of the country and almost handed over the nation’s sovereignty to the International Monetary Fund during the Asian financial crisis in 1997.

He lauded the Government’s move to allocate RM28mil to small-scale farmers, adding that it reflected on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s concern for their well-being.

Eswaran added that the Prime Minister’s push for innovative ideas that would boost the agricultural sector would help raise the fishermen and farmers’ standard of living.

DAP branch calls on party leaders to hold another election

KUALA LUMPUR: With the general election not far off, DAP grassroots leaders are still fuming over the party’s dubious polls in December.

Following the action of other branches earlier, the Pantai Sepang Putra DAP branch has come forward to demand that the elections for the central executive committee be held again, calling the Dec 15 event last year illegal.

Branch secretary Ravi Ramdas said they were not happy with the polls that saw its results retabled three weeks later.

“This is our right as DAP members,” he said at a press conference in Chow Kit here yesterday.

Present were branch chairman Tamil Selvam Raman and deputy secretary Rashid Mohd Ghani.

Calling the CEC elections “null and void”, Ravi asked the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to get the DAP to hold its elections again.

Ravi suggested that the DAP sack secretary-general Lim Guan Eng Limfrom his post if the ROS were to deregister the party as a result of this “technical glitch”.

He claimed the party had neglected the Pantai Sepang Putra branch and DAP leaders had not visited the branch since the 2008 general election.

Their only visit, Ravi alleged, was around June last year when the party dismissed the former branch chairman R. Vellasamy.

Bakri: 'Jangan kata polis anjing kepada kerajaan'

KUALA LUMPUR - Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) mengamalkan dasar berkecuali dalam semua tindakan dan operasinya serta sama sekali tidak menyebelahi mana-mana parti politik ketika melaksanakan tanggungjawab.

Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Bukit Aman Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin juga menegaskan dasar itu dipegang PDRM dalam menghadapi pilihan raya umum.

"Jadi janganlah bercakap kita ni 'anjing' kepada kerajaan atau bagai 'lembu dicucuk hidung' yang ikut sahaja telunjuk orang-orang tertentu dalam mencapai sesuatu hasrat.

"Ini kerana institusi kepolisan ini telah wujud sejak 206 tahun dan telah menunjukkan profesionalisme dari segi mengambil tindakan," katanya kepada Bernama dalam temu bual mengenai persiapan PDRM menghadapi pilihan raya umum ke-13 (PRU13), di sini.

Katanya mereka yang menuduh sedemikian perlu bertanggungjawab dan membuktikan PDRM sebagai 'alat kerajaan'.

Mohd Bakri berkata sikap berkecuali juga diamal PDRM ketika melakukan siasatan berhubung sebarang kes dan penyiasatan dilaksana tanpa rasa takut atau dipengaruhi mana-mana pihak.

Segala hasil siasatan termasuk yang membabitkan ahli politik, akan diserah kepada Peguam Negara dan merekalah yang menentukan sama ada perlu didakwa atau sebaliknya, katanya.

"Kita (PDRM) tak berhak dan (tidak) mempunyai kuasa (buat keputusan). Di sini sudah nampak kita telus," katanya.

Mengenai persediaan menghadapi PRU13, Mohd Bakri berkata PDRM diberi latihan dan kursus khas termasuk 'ex ballot III' bagi memastikan mereka dapat melaksanakan tanggungjawab dengan baik ketika proses itu berlangsung.

"Dari sudut penyiasatan pula, kita telah menjalankan kursus-kursus 'in service' berdasarkan kepada keperluan dalam pilihan raya," katanya.

Mohd Bakri berkata pegawai dan anggotanya telah dilatih dan bersedia sejak empat bulan lepas bagi menghadapi pilihan raya umum kali ini.

"Kita juga telah berbincang dengan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya dan Jabatan Peguam Negara berkaitan dengan langkah-langkah dan tindakan kita bersama mereka," katanya.

Sebanyak 112,000 anggota polis akan terlibat bertugas pada PRU13. - Bernama

Manifesto PR: Negara boleh muflis, kata Dr M

KUALA LANGAT - Manifesto Pakatan Rakyat (PR) boleh menyebabkan kerajaan menjadi muflis kerana pelaksanaannya melibatkan perbelanjaan yang sangat banyak, kata bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Beliau berkata, sebuah kerajaan perlu mempunyai wang untuk mentadbir negara, dan manifesto pembangkang itu dilihat akan mengurangkan pendapatan kerajaan.

"Manifesto ini dibuat oleh pihak yang tidak pernah menjadi kerajaan. Dia tidak tahu kerajaan perlu ada wang, tidak boleh belanja sahaja, dan jika kita lihat manifesto mereka ialah nak kurangkan pendapatan kerajaan dengan kurangkan cukai, tol dan sebagainya," katanya pada sidang akhbar selepas pelancaran kapal latihan kedua Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia 'Teguh Samudera' oleh isteri beliau,Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, di limbungan NGV Tech Sdn Bhd di Sijangkang hari ini.

Kelmarin, PR melancarkan manifesto 10 perkara menjelang Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13), antaranya, pendidikan percuma bermula dari prasekolah hingga menara gading, kad keanggotaan DAP, PKR dan Pas boleh diguna di semua plaza tol untuk mendapat tol percuma, selain penurunan cukai eksais kereta secara berperingkat dengan tujuan menghapuskannya dalam tempoh lima tahun.

Mengambil contoh di Eropah, Dr Mahathir berkata, ada negara di benua itu gagal mengurus kewangan dengan baik menyebabkan ia muflis dan hampir muflis.
Sehubungan itu, beliau berkata rakyat harus bijak memilih kerajaan yang lebih berpengalaman mengurus kewangan dalam membangunkan negara, dan bukan kerajaan yang bakal menjejas kewangan negara.

"Kalau kita nak jadi bankrap, bolehlah kita beri semua... kita jangan kutip cukai, lepas itu bagi pendidikan percuma, lebuh raya percuma, semuanya... kerajaan akan muflis, mana nak cari duit.

"Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (Menteri Besar Selangor) juga mengatakan manifesto bukan perjanjian, jadi yang dia buat (manifesto PRU13), buat apa? Kalau dia kata ini bukan janji, tolak sahaja dia, buat serabut sahaja," katanya.

Mengulas isu pencerobohan warga Filipina di Lahad Datu, Sabah, Dr Mahathir berkata, ia perlu diselesaikan melalui pendekatan berhemah, dan bukan kekerasan.

Ditanya sama ada isu itu akan dapat diselesaikan lebih cepat dengan campur tangan pihak beliau, Dr Mahathir berkata: "Saya tak fikir akan ada perbezaan jika saya bertanggungjawab atau orang lain yang bertanggungjawab." - Bernama