It is the story that refuses to fade away - questions abound on the broken promise over the use of indelible ink in the general election.

This and other snippets have been culled from parliamentary proceedings today.

No takers yet for indelible ink

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz revealed today that those interested in buying some RM2 million worth of indelible ink have yet to make a decision.

nazri abdul aziz As such, said Nazri (right) in a written reply to Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah), the EC cannot yet disclose the names of the companies that had expressed interest in the purchase or the quantum of the offer by the companies.

Nazri also said the issue of amending Articles 118 and 119 of the Federal Constitution does not arise, in allowing the use of indelible ink to mark voters’ fingers in a general election.

PM: No action against EC chairperson

abdul rashid ec chairman and indelible ink for election 010607 The cabinet did not direct Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman (left) to scrap the plan to use indelible ink for the 12th general election, said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

In a written reply to Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Bagan), Abdullah said the government “hopes that the EC will refrain from making statements that cause confusion.”

This is in order “to safeguard its own credibility and the integrity of the democratic process and the general election”.

Abdullah added that “the government does not plan to act against Abdul Rashid for having said that the cabinet had rejected the use of indelible ink the day Parliament was dissolved ahead of the March 8 polls.

Working papers on nuclear energy

The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry has prepared a comprehensive working paper covering the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal and safety aspects of using nuclear energy.

parliament briefing 030408 jeff 2 Responding to Jeff Ooi ( right, DAP-Jelutong), the minister Maximus Ongkili also said the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry is in the midst of preparing a proposal paper on the harnessing of nuclear energy.

The Malaysian Nuclear Agency has been tasked with coordinating and managing these moves towards the use of nuclear energy.

Among the incentives to use nuclear energy is its cost-effectiveness. While petroleum-derived energy costs 9.63 sen per kilowatt, gas-derived energy costs 6.75, and nuclear energy only 1.72 sen - or only 18 percent of the costs (of other sources of energy), said Ongkili.

On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said Malaysia may consider generating nuclear power to meet its long-term energy needs amidst surging global oil prices.

724 Malaysians arrested abroad since 2004

Foreign Affairs Minister Rais Yatim revealed that 724 Malaysians have been detained abroad between 2004 and this month for crimes such as credit card forgery, immigration-related issues and human and drug trafficking.

Responding to Kamaruddin Jaffar (PAS-Tumpat), he said 329 of those detained were suspected of involvement in drug-trafficking.

rais yatim 03 Parents of young travellers and employers of those working abroad should be reminded to ensure their safety, Rais (left) added.

The Foreign and Home Ministries, he added, will look into putting into place measures to prevent foreign drug syndicates from courting Malaysians into becoming ‘drug mules’.

133 detainees given royal pardon since 2006

A total of 133 detainees held under the Emergency Ordinance and Dangerous Drugs Act have been granted a royal pardon since 2006.

karpal singh Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar revealed this in a written reply to Karpal Singh ( right , DAP-Bukit Gelugor).

Of those involved, 73 were held under the Emergency Ordinance while 60 were held under the Dangerous Drugs Act.

Travel restrictions lifted at border town

The government has lifted travel restrictions at Wang Kelian in Perlis, to allow free flow of business activities at the town on the Thai-Malaysian border, said Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar.

Travel restrictions were imposed after southern Thailand was beset with political instability, but were lifted last month because the Malaysian business community had suffered a drop in income.

syed hamid albar Although people are now able to travel across the border with the use of legal travel documents, the government still places a priority on the safety of citizens, said Syed Hamid.

“We have placed police, immigration and customs personnel near the border to ensure that those without legal travel documents don’t leavee the country,” he added.

RM46 billion in tourism revenue

Tourism Malaysia has reported a whopping RM46.1 billion in revenue after promotional programmes costing RM40 million were conducted in various countries last year.

sulaiman taib Responding to a question by Azan Ismail (PKR-Indera Mahkota), Deputy Tourism Minister Sulaiman Abdul Rahman (right) said this was a 27 percent increase over 2006.

He also pointed out that 20 million tourist arrivals had been recorded to date this year.