Hikayat Dewan Rakyat

Arakian kisah berlaku pada suatu ketika disuatu zaman..

Tajuk muka depan akhbar the New Straits Times (NST):

Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink...
Customs ignored MP's request
04 May 2006
Hamidah Atan and Farrah Naz Karim

PUTRAJAYA: A Member of Parliament allegedly asked the Customs and Excise Department to "close one eye" in a case involving the import of sawn timber.

It is learnt that the department has submitted a detailed report on the MP’s alleged interference into the seizure of sawn timber brought in from Indonesia at Sungai Linggi recently.

The MP is said to have gone to the Malacca Customs Office on April 14 to "settle" the matter. He had allegedly requested that the department "close one eye" in handling the case.

However, the Customs officials did not heed his request and went ahead to compound the agent who brought in the timber. The consignment of timber was also seized.

The action was taken because the agent had brought in sawn timber with a cross-section more than 60 inches. The Malaysian Timber Industrial Board only allows the import of sawn timber with a cross-section of less than 60 inches.

The agent of the Malacca-based company is said to have committed at least 14 offences this year alone. He is said to be trading in timber and sugar.

The offences were committed at Sungai Linggi and Sungai Rambai, the State’s only barter trade points.

A source said the MP met the state Customs director and the state preventive unit head sometime in the middle of last month, and asked them to show "leniency" and "close one eye".

However, both replied that to do so would tarnish the integrity of the department and that they had to uphold the law.

The source said a report detailing the sequence of events and what transpired during the meeting between the MP and the Customs officers was sent last month to the Ministry of Finance.

Meanwhile, Malacca Customs director Datuk Hashim Pardi, when contacted, confirmed the seizure of the sawn timber.

However, he refused to comment when asked if any MP had seen him to settle the case.

Maka oleh Ketua Pembangkang, Lim Kit Siang, telah membuat usul di Dewan Rakyat, menyatakan bahawa berita itu menyebabkan keraguan terhadap Dewan Rakyat dan ahli Parlimen, mengusulkan agar perkara tersebut diusut oleh Rights and Privileges Committee. Usul disokong oleh Chong Eng (DAP-Bukit Mertajam)

Speaker Dewan, Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib, laporan itu telah ditulis dengan memberi kesan bahawa ada ahli Parlimen mengarahkan pegawai kerajaan untuk menutup sebelah mata, walaupun tidak memaparkan nama ahli Parlimen yang terlibat tetapi pertuduhan itu menyebabkan keraguan pada Dewan dan ahli Parlimen.

Datuk Raja Ahmad Zainudin Raja Omar (BN-Larut), naib ketua Kelab Penyokong Kerajaan (BBC), pula berkata walaupun dia memahami keperluan untuk mempertahankan integriti Dewan, tetapi laporan itu hanya sekadar laporan.

Datuk Mohamed Aziz (BN-Sri Gading) berkata penyiasatan harus dilakukan dahulu.

Datuk Shahrir Samad, Ketua BBC, kemudiannya berdiri dan dan mengatakan:
" I see the committee as a tool for us to manage our own affairs. With the committee, witnesses from the Press and other relevant agencies can be called to enable us to make a decision. We are responsible for our actions and I agree with the motion."

Usul diperdebatkan selama 20 minit, setelah pungutan suara diambil, majoriti tidak menyetujuinya, dan usul diisytiharkan ditolak.

Beberapa saat kemudian, Datul Shahrir keluar meninggalkan dewan dan mengisytiharkan di lobi Parlimen bahawa dia meletakkan jawatan sebagai Ketua BBC.

Dalam salah satu sidang akhbar di lobi Parlimen, Datuk Mohd Said Yusof (BN-Jasin), dengan tenang mengakui bahawa dialah orang yang dimaksudkan oleh laporan akhbar tersebut. Dia mendatangi pejabat Kastam untuk membantu seorang peniaga di kawasan Parlimennya, meminta agar pegawai Kastam untuk lebih bertolak ansur dengan meminta agar peniaga tersebut dikenakan kompaun sahaja dan kayu balak bergergajinya tidak ditahan.

"yang mana lebih sikit, pejam matalah. Biasalah itu "

Alasannya meminta pegawai Kastam bertolak ansur atas asas teknikal. Kayu balak tersebut melebihi ukuran 60inci, yang mana katanya masih diperdebatkan kerna isu lubang dibahagian tengah kayu balak. Dia juga menegaskan bahawa dia tidak mempunyai kepentingan sama ada pada barangan tersebut mahupun syarikat pengimport.

Ketika membahaskan the Supplementary Supply Bill pada 02/05/06, Datuk Mohd Said juga telah menuduh Pengarah Besar Jabatan Kastam, Datuk Abdul Rahman Abdul Hamid tidak menguruskan jabatannya dengan baik dengan mengatakan bahawa bersikap seperti ahli politik dan bukan pegawai kerajaan.

Menteri Di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz dan naib ketua BBC, Datuk Raja Ahmad Zainudin Raja Omar meminta Datuk Shahrir menarik semula perletakan jawatannya tetapi Datul Shahrir berkata tidak.

Dalam temubual Datuk Shahrir dengan NST, disiarkan pada 05/05/06, beliau mempertahankan tindakannya, antara lain berkata:

Q: Did you quit because the differences in opinion?
A: Yes. There is no point. So if the majority of backbenchers voted against the motion, then I should go, right?

Q: Maybe the BBC members were in a dilemma because the motion was by the Opposition?
A: No, I think I have spoken and supported it. If I did not speak up, that is different matter. ... integrity must begin in Parliament.

Q: Is your decision based on what happened today (Thursday) or it was made earlier?
A: I tried, when i was chosen as the chairman, to lead the MPs based on the principles of Parliamentary proceedings, as I understood them, and not from the aspect of Government policy. I do not talk musch from the aspect of Government policies. I focus on the principles nad integrity of Parliament, how Parliament and MPs should act. If we want Parliament to be respected by the rakyat, we must show them that we hold to these principles. That is why, all this while, I have spoken from the aspect of the Parliament as an important institution in the politics of this nation. This is where the mandate of the rakyat during the general elections lie. Parliament, as an institution, must protect the mandate of the people. It has to have certain principles. That is why I proposed that PArliament should govern itself, whether in term of finance, human resources or other aspects. If we fail to carry out responsibilities, then how can we criticise or chide anyone else? It is Parliament that we show where integrity must begin.

Q: What if the DPM advises you against resigning?
A: I don't think that this is an issue. I think there is a very clear issue that there are things that have to be done in PArliament. My role as MP, as chairman of BBC, has always been quite consistent. I protect the rights of my members to even ask a minister to resign. I protect his right. I won because I want PArliament to be a place where Mps are respected. I have encouraged Mp sto learn more about the subjects. Of course, there are some things which are done according to party lines. This is not a party matter. There was no decision from the party. It is my responsibility as chairman or BBC to show what it means, ehat this issue is all about.

Komen Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yang ketika itu menghadiri Kongres Sedunia Teknologi Maklumat di Austin, USA (NST-06/05/06):

"I will see how they can resolve the problem. I will not say anything for now,"

Datuk Shahrir telah dipanggil menemui Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Chief of Whip, pada 05/05/06 di Putrajaya. Berikut adalah antara komen beliau yang disiarkan oleh NST pada 06/05/06:

"He (Najib) said i should punish myself because I went against the party and that I should stay resigned."

"I'm happy that he has accepted my decision. Obviously, I have punished myself first (by resigning) because we must live by our principles," he told after his 20 minutes meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Chief Whip.

"I have asked Najib to set up a parliamentary select committee on guidelines relating to how MPs should deal with those in civil service. he has agreed and told me he would discuss it with Minister in Prime MInister's Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.

"Are we supposed to be government supporters or Members of Parliament? We have reach the crossroad and should be prepared to make changes. Parliament is not a government department. Parliament is where the people's mandate is. At the very least, when we talk about corporate governance, about integrity, lets have it in Parliament for a start."

Berikut pula transkrip temubual Datuk Shahrir dalam sidang akhbar selepas pertemuannya dengan Datuk Seri Najib:

Q: What transpired in the meeting just now?
A: I met the Deputy Prime Minister as the BN’s chief Whip and told him that I need to resign as I had breached the party’s directive against supporting an Opposition’s motion. That is why I resigned. If I hadn’t that day, the media would have queried me on my actions after failing to get support from BN members as BBC chairman, and why go against the party’s stand. So before it happens, I might as well quit. My decision was accepted by the DPM.

Q: You said yesterday that you resigned as you did not get support?
A: That is one reason, but I have also clearly breached a directive.

Q: You supported the Opposition’s motion despite being aware of the consequences?
A:I felt I needed to face the issue. All this while the Opposition had been criticising the BN MPs saying that we are not serious about corruption and integrity. That we are of third class mentality and don’t walk the talk. I felt that if we reject the motion, we are giving another issue to the Opposition to pick on. It was also to bring to the committee the issue of proper conduct of MPs when dealing with Government departments. At present, there is no such thing. That is why we see cases of the police and district officers being approached for "help" and hospitals asked not to conduct post-mortem. Unless there is a dos and don’ts for MPs on this matter, there will be more problems. That’s why this is an important issue to discuss. I proposed to the chief Whip to form a committee (jawatankuasa pilihan) to study the ethics of MPs in dealing with them (government officers). This is also to avoid a situation when civil servants brush MPs off, as "they should not be interfering with their operations" as that itself could weaken the stature of MPs.

Q: What did the DPM say to your proposal?
A: He agreed to it and acknowledged that it was a problem.

Q: : What about the BBC members’ appeals for you to return?
A: It is not an issue. I have feelings too, when, as a BN member, I am constantly criticised for seemingly having no stand on the issue of fighting corruption. I can’t be banking on the large number of BBC members and its majority to win debates. We need to win debates on facts. That is why I supported the motion. I was willing to face the consequences as we need to show that there are BN members who are for integrity. So if they want to discipline me, it’s not a problem as I can discipline myself first.

Q: Do you think the only reason the BBC members did not support you was because of the party ruling?
A: I wouldn’t know as many reasoned that it was an Opposition’s motion. I said ok. Whatever reason they chose to stand up to, it is up to them. I can’t read their minds. For me, I want to see integrity among the MPs. Sadly, it was not supported and I accept the fact that not many.... no one stood by me.

Q: You would have resigned for supporting an Opposition’s motion even if you had got the support?
A: If I had the support and the motion was accepted, it would not have been a problem. Action couldn’t have been taken against so many of us. But the motion was rejected and I concede that I failed to get the BN MPs’ support. This is politics, but if it is only about using the power of majority, anybody can do it. But if in politics, there are no principles, what’s the point? That is why it should have been supported.

Q: Any regrets?
A: The good thing that came out from this is that the DPM agreed to the committee I proposed and study the MPs conduct with civil servants. If we keep looking at matters like this as trivial ... say that investigations at the committee level would be read as "not transparent", we are belittling our own MPs. Don't tell me when an MP becomes a Minister, the rest are stupid. At times, the frontbench is also at fault. Just because you are a Minister you are smarter? That is also why we see issues like Parliament attire cropping. When the Cabinet makes a decision, it is forced down the Parliament’s throat. We have rulings, processes and MPs’ rights. If we can’t respect that, what will happen to Parliament? Are we to respect the Cabinet only? The Cabinet exists because of Parliament.

Q: As BBC chairman, were you disappointed with your backbenchers for not supporting the motion?
A: No...I am not disappointed with them, they will have to learn to be disappointed with themselves.

Q: What about your political future?
A: All this while I’ve been an MP. I became chairman of the BBC because I was asked to. I am not interested in all these things and I know that my ideologies and approaches are different. I take my responsibilities and job seriously and I am very passionate about Parliament and politics and hoped to make changes. If I have to quit, it does not mean that I failed, as some good came out of it. This is politics. My conscience is clear that I only did what was for the good.

Datuk Mohd Said menekankan (NST-06/05/06) bahawa beliau sangat menyesali Datuk Shahrir meletakkan jawatan kerana tindakannya, kerna itu beliau mengakui pada pihak akhbar bahawa beliau adalah orang yang dimaksudkan. Beliau mengakui itu untuk menghentikan spekulasi dan meredakan keadaan. Beliau juga menyatakan kesediaannya untuk disiasat oleh Rights and Privileges Committee, sambil mengatakan bahawa pegawai kastam sengaja memberi tips berita kepada pihak akhbar untuk merosakkan namanya.

Jurucakap Malaysian Timber Industry Board memberi penerangan (NST-06/05/06) berkenaan dengan isu lubang dan ukuran kayu balak bergergaji:

"With or without a hole, the cross-section must not exceed 60 inches or you contravene the law. It is as simple as that"

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dalam sidang akhbar di KLIA, sejurus selepas kepulangannya pada 07/05/06, menyatakan bahawa beliau bersetuju dengan cadangan Datuk Shahrir, akan membuat usul agar satu garis panduan sebagai kod etika ahli Parlimen yang boleh diikuti oleh semua ahli Parlimen termasuk dari parti pembangkang.

Setiausaha Kelab Penyokong Kerajaan, Datuk Rosli Mat Hassan memberi pernyataan, pada 08/05/06, setelah 90 minit mesyuarat bersama PM (NST-09/05/06):

"It is the duty of the party Whip (Deputy Prime Minister and BN deputy chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak) to tell us when to follow the party line.

"But in the absence of his direction, the general rule is that MPs are to vote according to their conscience in serving their constituencies and country."

Sementara itu Datuk Shahrir berkata bahawa semua orang yang terlibat telah membuat kesilapan.

"The Speaker made a mistake. The Opposition leader made a mistake. Those who supported it and those who were against it were also wrong."

Dia juga mengakui melakukan kesilapan deng meletakkan jawatan sebagai ketua BBC.

"The whole situation was wrong. Hopefully, some right comes out of this."
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Semoga panjang umur dan murah rezeki!

bukankah maut dan rezeki itu sudah tetap??

Tuhan dah sebut suh kita cari rezeki dengan berbagai2 cara, bila dah dapat cara rezeki datang berlimpah kita kena tetap.. dan tetaplah dgn rezekimu.. soalnya kalo kita tak teruskan, rezeki kita tetap ada cuma beza wujud.. mungkin kita dok harap rezeki duit, tapi Tuhan bagi rezeki sihat dan tenang hati, etc..

bila maksud murah rezeki, maknanya wujud rezeki kita tuh sama seperti yang kita harapkan.. sebab tuh kena hati2 dengan apa yg kita doa.. tak guna duit bertimbun2 tapi hati tak tenang.. so rezeki yg macammana yg kita nak?

bila maksud panjang umur, maknanya hidup kita akan sentiasa bererti buat diri kita. bukan kita mintak umur panjang tak mati2.. apa guna hidup lama kalau hidup sengsara.. sesungguhnya hukuman yang paling berat adalah tak mati.. sebab tuh dalam neraka kita tak mati2.. hantuk kepala sampai pecah, pastuh baik balik, kita hantuk lagi.. potong lidah, sakit bukan kepalang, tumbuh lagi, kita potong lagi.. sama gak siksa kubur, kena rejam berela2 ke dalam bumi, malaikat cungkil balik, rejam lagi.. kalau mati, selesai..

mungkin sebab tuh agaknya kita mintak hidup di dunia, supaya kita mati.. kalo dalam syurga atau neraka, tak mati2..

fitrah manusia sentiasa tak cukup.. sebab tuh Tuhan suh kita syukur.. selagi kita tak syukur umur kita pendek dan rezeki kita mahal..
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