RM1.14m for Dr M and two other gov't advisers

RM1.14m each year for three gov’t advisers

An opposition MP has revealed that the government is paying a total of RM1.14 million each year to Petronas adviser Dr Mahathir Mohamad and two advisers to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

According to Zulkifli Noordin (PKR-Kulim Bandar Baru), Mahathir - who is also the ex-premier - is being paid RM180,000 per year while Abdullah’s advisers Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (women and social development affairs) and Abdul Hamid Othman (religious) received RM404,726 and RM549,675 respectively.

The figures were revealed in two separate parliamentary written replies to Zulkifli from the premier earlier this week.

Zulkifli disclosed the figures while interjecting Ahmad Maslan (BN-Pontian) debate on the royal address this afternoon. Ahmad was highlighting the issue of poverty at the time.

“Why are we paying these three advisers who are not doing work? We could have distribute the money to the poor people to address the issue of poverty,” said the PKR MP.

Tourism Ministry: No barring of federal funds to Pakatan states

In a reply to Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah), the Tourism Ministry denied it was stopping the flow of allocations from the federal government to states under Pakatan Rakyat.

Fong had asked for the reasons behind the refusal of the Tourism Ministry to channel its funds to the non-Barisan Nasional-led states.

In its written answer to Fong, the Tourism Ministry said “the relevant allocation has been channeled directly to the account of the Tourism Action Council (TAC).”

The Tourism Ministry decided last month to discontinue the memoranda of understanding (MoU) which existed between the state TACs and the now Pakatan-ruled state governments.

Following this, the respective state TACs now answer only to the federal government.

It led to an outcry as the Ministry of Tourism was hit with charges that it was discriminating against the opposition-led states by withholding federal funds from them.

PM: 235 complaints over names removed from electoral roll

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the Election Commission (EC) had received 235 complaints over the last four years regarding voters whose names were taken out of the electoral roll.

In a written reply to Sim Tong Him (DAP-Kota Melaka), the prime minister said among the reasons the names were taken out were: the existence of the names were in doubt after they could not be found in the National Registration Department (NRD); the identity card (IC) numbers did not tally with NRD records; or the numbers on the ICs indicated the individuals had died.

However, 221 names were re-entered into the electoral roll, however, after it was found either that mistakes had occurred in NRD data or that the individuals concerned did indeed exist.

While 72 of the names taken out were re-entered between 2004 and March 2008, 149 will be added in the second quarter of 2008. NRD is still investigating the remaining 14 names.

Minister: Wahhabis not deviant

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told Parliament today that the Wahhabi strain of Islam has not been declared as deviant by the religious authorities.

He was answering a question from Zulkifli Nordin (PKR-Kulim Bandar Baru) who had asked as to who have been identified as Wahabis and whether an edict had been issued against the movement.

(Wahhabis have generally been associated with fundamentalist or terrorist groups, primarily because they share the propensity for a more literal and hardline understanding of Islamic teachings and practices)

Gwo-Burne upsets over minister’s reply

Loh Gwo-Burne (PKR-Kelana Jaya) has questioned the government’s commitment to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Disabled.

This came after a reply from Women, Family and Community Development Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen yesterday who said the government has signed the convention “with an intention to ratify” it.

Met at the lobby today, Loh described Ng’s answer as “not satisfactory”.

Clearly disappointed, he said he has wanted an assurance from the government on its plan for the disabled, to which the minister failed to respond yesterday.

He added that Malaysia needs a specific law to protect the rights of the disabled.

Students reiterate call to abolish university law

A student alliance has reiterated its call to the new Parliament to abolish the restrictive Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) to allow the students to enjoy more freedom.

In a press conference at the Parliament lobby today, the alliance - which called themselves the ‘Abolish UUCA Students Alliance’ - said they are disappointed at the Higher Education Ministry for not responding to their persistent call.

“We have consistently stress that the UUCA is an Act which is irrelevant and should be abolished,” its spokesperson Muhammad Mu’izzuddin Mustaffar told reporters. The alliance comprised of nine local student groups.

They later handed over a four-page memorandum to Fuziah Salleh (PKR-Kuantan), where the MP promised to submit it to the Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin.