Vitrolic debate on Warisan Merdeka Tower

(AFP) - THE Malaysian government's proposal to build a 100-storey mega tower in the capital has triggered a backlash from the opposition and on a fast-expanding Facebook petition.
Plans for the tower, to be built by 2020 at a cost of US$1.6 billion (RM5 billion), were unveiled by Prime Minister Najib Razak during last week's budget speech, which included a number of major infrastructure projects.
The building, named 'Warisan Merdeka' or 'Heritage of Independence', would be the tallest in Malaysia, dwarfing the iconic Petronas Twin Towers which were the world's tallest buildings at 88 storeys when completed in 1998.
Mr Najib said that such projects exemplify the spirit of 'Malaysia Boleh' or 'Malaysia Can!', a national campaign conceived by former premier Mahathir Mohamad, a huge advocate of mega projects.
Mr Mahathir, whose own schemes included the Proton national car and the multi-billion-dollar administrative capital Putrajaya - both of which have failed to thrive - has warmly endorsed the new skyscraper.
But a Facebook page created last Saturday, to which more than 9,600 people had signed up by Tuesday afternoon, has seen an outpouring of criticism from Malaysians who say the money would be better spent elsewhere.

Angry comments

A sampling of angry comments from Malaysians:
'Malaysia needs better education, better health care, better public transportation, safer neighbourhoods, cleaner water, but not a taller building.
'We don't need another white elephant!' said the page, which about 600 people were joining each hour.
'I will support this project if you give me the contract!' - Facebook user named Chee Chuan Tat, referring to endemic crony capitalism linked to the Barisan Nasional coalition.
'It's taxpayers' money, and taxpayers say NO.' - Adrian Matthew Yee.
'What the building will do is to destroy the character of the area while creating a traffic nightmare for all.
There are more than enough office spaces in downtown KL and this will cause a glut of office space, becoming a white elephant like many of the other government projects.' - Opposition lawmaker Fong Kui Lun, in whose constituency the building would be located near the city's chaotic Chinatown, said it would be an eyesore and totally unsuited to the crowded downtown district.
'The country does not need another mega project as the era of mega projects is gone and most Malaysians are not impressed by them any more.' - Tony Pua, also from the Democratic Action Party which is part of the opposition alliance, said. -- AFP

More crony business template

Cancer institute's price doubles to RM700 million

Joseph Sipalan
Oct 20, 10

PARLIAMENT The opposition bench today launched new salvoes at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his far-reaching government transformation plan (GTP), this time claiming that the construction cost of the National Cancer Institute in Putrajaya had jumped by 100 percent to RM700 million.

PKR Machang MP Saifuddin Nasution (right) said the institute was initially supposed to cost RM340 million as indicated under the Ninth Malaysia Plan of former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Saifuddin said the project, which was launched by Abdullah on Jan 9, 2007, was scheduled to be completed over 30 months by June 2009.

“But on March 10, 2009, the then Deputy Health Minister (Dr Abdul) Latif Ahmad said in Parliament that the institute is in the final stages of construction and will cost RM700 million,” he said at a press conference in Parliament.

“Twenty four months after the project was announced, the cost escalated by 100 percent,” he said.

Saifuddin, who is also PKR secretary-general, said the way the project was managed by Kiara Teratai Sdn Bhd was highly questionable as he has seen evidence that the company was in no way involved in the construction of the institute.

“We have gone through some documents, and we suspect that Kiara Teratai did not run the project and instead handed it over to IJM Corporation,” he alleged, saying it could be the reason behind the huge jump in construction costs.

Saifuddin pointed out that a background check done on Kiara Teratai's two directors, Ahmad Zaid Salleh Hamdi and Hashim Hassan, revealed that they have ties with Maritime Management DMCCO (MMC) and Tradewinds.

“These companies are linked to bumiputera billionare Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, which makes these directors very well connected,” he said.

'Tender process only benefits cronies'

Khalid Samad (PAS-Shah Alam) meanwhile queried the government for refusing to take up the offer from the main contractor of the Shah Alam Hospital to complete the controversial RM482 million project.

He said GM Healthcare, which was engaged by developer Sunshine Fleet as the main contractor of the project, had offered to complete the project within 18 months with a RM3 million discount on the project cost.

“The main contractor is giving a good deal, and yet the government has not given them a response. Instead, they want to re-open the tender for the project, which will be offered to selected parties and it will definitely be offered at a higher price,” Khalid (left) said.

Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut (PAS-Kuala Terengganu) added that the RM3.7 billion road upgrading project in Terengganu was not spared the BN's gross mismanagement, with many of the 17 packages under the project left uncompleted while their crony contractors disappear with the profits.

Taking the example of one RM59 million package under the project, he said the contractor had only completed 15 percent of the road but simply left after collecting timber in the surrounding forests.

Khalid said the government is well aware of the “cancer” that infects the government, as proven by Najib's GTP and his many other transformation plans.

“But they do not have the political will to bring about the transformation they talk so much about,” he said.

MK

Face Book obliged Malaysia to block debate

Facebook blocks Malaysia's anti-mega-tower page

Trinity Chua
Oct 20, 10

Social networking site Facebook has blocked a fast-growing page set up by a group of Malaysians against the controversial 100-storey tower proposed by the government.

In just four days, the page attracts more than 30,000 fans, or about one in every 300 Facebook users in Malaysia. It aims to register one million fans.

While Facebook users can still join the '1M Malaysians reject 100-storey Mega Tower' page, the page owners are however barred from posting any message on the site.

The anonymous owner has described Facebook's action as a new form of Internet censorship.

“While new media offers room for social movements, the authoritarian governance by the Internet giants like Facebook has sunk to a new form of censorship,” said one of the creators of the page yesterday after discovering he was blocked from the site.

Facebook has published a brief statement on the page: "Your publishing rights have been blocked due to a violation of the Pages Terms of Use".

Facebook neither specifies the details of violation nor provides a channel of appeal.

"One is presumed innocent until guilty in any civilised society but in Facebook, you are guilty once charged. Not only you cannot claim trial, you don't even know your exact offence! Is this not cyber-tyranny?" asked the page owners.

The '1M Malaysians reject 100-storey Mega Tower' page was set up a day after the Prime Minister Najib Razak's 2010 Budget speech where he announced that the mega-tower would cost RM5 billion.

In a country commonly perceived as divided by ethnicity and faiths, the page has attracted fans from all communities.

Many of the page members argued that the RM5 billion can be better used for purposes other than building the mega-tower.

“This type of money should be spend on the rakyat. Better schools, hospitals, transportation, etc. By upgrading the needs of the rakyat, the money will also stimulate the economy,” said one user, Chris Chin.

“RM5 billion to build the 1Tower while only RM250 million for all schools nationwide. That's just 5 percent of the tower's budget! Who is going to grow Malaysia's economy in the future – the tower or our children?” asked Syed Faisal.

The page picked up 1,000 fans an hour at peak periods after its existence was reported by websites such as Malaysiakini, Merdeka Review and Malaysian Digest.

Najib has defended the mega-tower in the wake of severe criticism. He said the project will have a multiplier effect on the economy.

"We want the area to become a business hub," he said. "So this project is not a waste but is one which will benefit the people."

Not the first censorship by Facebook

This is not the first time Facebook has blocked pages created by Malaysian dissident groups.

In September 2010, another Facebook page, 'Malaysian for Beng Hock', was blocked by Facebook administrators.

Attracting more than 14,880 supporters, the page aims to seek answers behind the mysterious death of Teoh Beng Hock, an aide of an opposition politician, in July 2009. Teoh was found dead outside the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's Selangor headquarters after an 11-hour interrogation.

Last year, Facebook blocked another similar page, 'Justice for Beng Hock'. The page, now defunct, attracted more than 10,000 supporters.

Two months ago, Facebook took similar action against yet another page, 'Save Jamal on Air'.

Radio DJ Jamal, whose real name is Jamaluddin Ibrahim, was sacked allegedly due to allowing discussion of racially-sensitive issues in his talk show.

The page, which has 11,015 fans, is now dormant after it was blocked.

A billion ringgit palace for Agong

New Istana Negara to cost RM797m

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:45

KUALA LUMPUR: A massive new palace being built for Malaysia's king is expected to be completed next June, at a total cost of RM797 million, Parliament was told today.

The Istana Negara, or national palace, which is taking shape on a hilltop in a Kuala Lumpur suburb is an enormous complex of dome-topped buildings linked to the city's highways with special access roads.

The palace sprawls over a 100,000 square metre (one million square foot) site which was annexed in the 1990s in what has since become a prime residential area.

Works Minister Shaziman Abu Mansor said the palace is expected to be completed on June 30 next year.

The figure has risen from an earlier allocation of RM650 million, he said in a written reply yesterday after a query from the opposition.

"The additional allocation is needed to fulfil costs which were not included in the earlier contract, among them being the security system, utility payments and also interior decoration," he said.

The historic project also entails the construction of a highway flyover and an access road, at a cost of an extra RM138.5 million.

Malaysia's opposition has criticised the government's decision to award the development contract without a tender, and said the company which will handle the construction is controlled by a senior figure in the ruling party.

The Star daily said the government had explained that there was no open tender because the special project was subject to security considerations.

Malaysia has a unique rotating monarchy shared among nine sultans, who are the royal rulers and guardians of Islam in their respective states. They each take turns to rule for five years as the nation's king.

The current monarch, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin from Terengganu, was sworn in in 2006 at the age of 45, becoming Malaysia's second-youngest king ever.

His current palace is a colonial mansion built in the 1920s which was originally the home of a self-made ethnic-Chinese tycoon, and was later bought by the government.

- AFP

Parliament rejected special motion on Orang Asli

Harakahdaily

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19:  Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia has refused to allow a motion on granting Bumiputera status to Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia, drawing criticism from Pakatan Rakyat members of parliament. ORIGINAL PEOPLE BUT NOT SONS OF THE SOIL ... The group from Orang Asli at the parliament today Earlier, a 27-member delegation from the Orang Asli community was denied entry to the Parliament despite being guests of Telok Kemang member of parliament Kamarul Baharin Abbas. Led by Simpan Suda, deputy chairman of the Orang Asli Land Action Front, they were later allowed in after the police were convinced they were not protestors. The group wanted to follow parliamentary proceedings on an urgent motion by Kamarul over their demand to be recognised as Bumiputera under Article 153 and 160 of the Federal Constitution. The Federal Constitution currently recognises only Malays and natives in Sabah and Sarawak as Bumiputera. Pandikar however dismissed the motion, saying the matter had already been raised during the last debate. A disappointed Simpan said issues revolving around the Orang Asli people should have ended after 53 years of independence. “If the issues regarding the natives in Sabah and Sarawak can be solved in the Constitution, why is the government not ready to solve the demands of the Orang Asli from the peninsula,” he asked. Simpan said following the Speaker's rejection, his group would offer help to the PAS candidate in the upcoming Galas by-election. PAS's Kuala Kerai MP Dr Hatta Ramli said the speaker should have allowed the motion to be debated. “This shows the true colour of the ruling party even though they (Orang Asli) had travelled from far (to be at the parliament),” said Hatta, adding that the group's demand was reasonable as Orang Asli were natives in the country. “To recognise the native people as Bumiputera is only natural,” Hatta added. Meanwhile, Tumpat MP Kamaruddin Jaafaar congratulated Kamarul for his commitment to represent Pakatan Rakyat in defending Orang Asli rights.