Senator Ezam Mohd Nor has called on the Home Ministry to probe both Malaysiakini and Star over news reports concerning the plight of foreign workers at the construction site of the new palace in Kuala Lumpur.

News portal Malaysiakini and English daily Star should be investigated because their reports were based on "devious motives to undermine the royal institution", said Ezam when contacted today.

NONE "I had been to the construction site today and gave a press conference. The information in the reports is wrong. Only four or five of the construction workers were late in receiving their salary,” said Ezam, who was appointed a senator in May.

"(Therefore), their reports are anti-Malay and anti-Istana (anti-palace). The reports (portrayed) the palace as if it was being built upon the tears of the people."

Star on June 27 reported that many of the 1,000 foreign workers hired by 130 sub-contractors at the construction site of the RM800 million palace had not received their salaries for three months.

The report prompted Works Minister Shaziman Abu Mansor to warn the on-site contractors that the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia will blacklist them if they failed to pay their workers.

Attack on Malay institutions

The issue also received the attention of parliamentarians, who visited the site last night to meet with the workers who had complained of bad working conditions.

new istana palace However, the group of MPs and activists were denied entry into the site, Malaysiakini reported.

Ezam said the Malaysiakini report was the last straw for him, as the independent news portal had often highlighted issues which he considered as “anti-Istana”.

"This is too much. Malaysiakini had attacked the (Malay) institutions enough. I will fight ( Malaysiakini editor-in-chief) Steven Gan in an all-out war," he added.

He cited Malaysiakini reports on the power tussle in Perak involving ousted menteri besar Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin and conversion cases as examples of attacks on Malay institutions.

 

VIDEO l MPs barred from entering construction site l 6.48 mins