SHAHRIR AND THE BALAK MP

The never ending Sharir antics took an interesting turn lately when he took the opposition side on against a fellow BN MP for interfering with a government department’s function. Whether he really did that out of conscience for righteousness or for other reasons is a side issue. The interesting thing is what follows.

Because it was an opposition’s issue, the rest of BN MPs did not support him despite him being the BBC president. And Shahrir took the road his mentor, Tan Sri Musa Hitam had always taken in such situation ….sulked; hence announce retiring from the BBC presidency. He said `Integrity must begin in the parliament’. That is a multi directional killer punch that put the BN in quandary, whether intentionally delivered or not. He is asking in plain words;

“after so much talking about transparency, integrity and other lip services, what is PM going to do about it?”

“Integrity must begin with the ruling party and those behind it must embrace its spirit. So if a member has shown blatantly to have shit on these principles, other BN MPs must show support for motion to enforce its principles, immaterial if it is from the opposition”

“As an elected BBC president, I need support from those who vote for me to fight for the party’s cause. If not what am I here for?”

Face with the killer blow BN stalwarts reacted in diverse forms; each showing his mantel.

Abstract:
1). KUALA LUMPUR 8 Mei - Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mengingatkan pegawai-pegawai kerajaan jangan menganggap teguran daripada wakil-wakil rakyat sebagai satu gangguan atau cubaan campur tangan dalam urusan jabatan masing-masing.

???? Asking the Customs Department to “close one eye’ because “sikit-sikit lebih biasalah..” is NOT campur tangan and normal teguran???? Is this the way MPs fight for rakyat’s cause. This is the way MPs bring the masalah rakyat to the authorities and putting government officers in quandary. Is this integrity Pak Lah? Don’t you feel that this is against your preach, sir? So Shahrir shouldn’t be opening his loud mouth when it is a member MP who is wrongly using his position to bring pressure on the government department.

Further search shows a rather interesting insight;

2) 10 May 2006. PUTRAJAYA: There’s something peculiar in the name of the company on whose behalf Jasin MP Datuk Mohd Said bin Yusof interceded with the Customs Department.He had asked them to "close one eye" on the illegal import of sawn timber by a company named "Binyu Sof Enterprise".In operation since 1990, the Malacca-based company this year alone breached the law 14 times by bringing in sawn timber exceeding the 60-square-inch cross-section area limit permitted by the Malaysian Timber Council.

- AYOYO!!! Ikhlas punya MP yang tolong sampaikan masalah syarikat tersebut kepada jabatan kerajaan. Ini macam ke `transparency, integrity ….. when actually it’s the RMs that is the prime motivation. Will he take the same step were it from another firm not remotely connected to him?


Maybe to clear the air, the word convention is used to halalised the act? Because it is opposition MP’s issue, BN MPs should outvote this one. Is this your Islam Hadhari, sir?


“KUALA LUMPUR 8 Mei: Barisan Nasional backbenchers in Parliament must stick with convention and cannot vote according to their conscience but only along party lines.Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is BN chairman and Umno president, said the system had worked well for Malaysia and would be maintained.The backbenchers, who had hours earlier sought to be allowed to vote autonomously on certain issues, fell into line with Abdullah’s firm instruction on the matter. But they harbour hopes of meeting the Prime Minister to discuss it further”


Again he give confusing statement;

09 May 2006KUALA LUMPUR: It is improper for a Member of Parliament to interfere in the running of a government agency, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, because MPs should be of assistance to the agencies and not a hindrance. He said elected representatives should not be seen as outsiders applying pressure on government agencies, but assisting them in the smooth running of the government administration.He said it was not proper for Jasin MP Datuk Datuk Mohd Said Yusof to have interfered with the duties of the Customs and Excise Department as reported in the newspapers recently.

Nevertheless, Abdullah said the authorities should know what is right and carry out their duties accordingly.

- So now after hearing the Wakil Rakyat putting up the rakyat’s cause government officers are supposed to know their duties and should reject the case. Why don’t the Wakil Rakyat first study the case and only bring up justifiable cases and not grossly indecent cases and pressure for them, thus putting government officers in difficult position. Is it not their duty to do so? Authorities are supposed to know what is right or wrong but not Wakil Rakyats, is that the message? Is this assistance or is this hindrance, sir?

Have pity on us government officers having to comply to so many procedures, rules, rules of conduct, Treasury Instructions, General Order, Pekeliling Perkhidmatans, Pekeliling Meningkat Kecekapan and now KPIs (key performance indicators), delivery systems, SPKs (Sistem Pengurusan Kualiti)…… so many rules to abide. And now the Wakil Rakyats are supposed to breath down our necks to ASSIST?? …My Bigfoot…..I’m seeing the pile by the lamp post…

Shahrir, kudos to you. You have caused something to ripple beneath the hard surface of the BN Lists of untouchables and created an issue they cannot possibly ignore. You sacrificed your post but the act of it have caused a tidal wave that should be good for everybody. We government officers are looking forward to doing our work the best we can without unnecessary `assistance’ from favored quarter.