Khairy to PAS Youth: Let's talk

Among other highlights of today's session, Umno Youth chief hopeful Khairy Jamaluddin called on PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub for a meeting to discuss alternatives to the ISA.

Khairy to PAS Youth: Let's talk ISA

Khairy Jamaluddin (BN-Rembau) invited Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian) to discuss with him the possible alternatives to the Internal Security Act (ISA) if the latter felt there was room for preventive detention laws in the country.

Asking PAS Youth head Salahuddin during the latter's committee-level debate speech on the Budget 2009, Khairy said "we can sit down and discuss what can replace the ISA".

Agreeing to this suggestion, Salahuddin said PAS Youth was willing to engage with any party "as long as it is agreed that the ISA should be abolished".

Later talking to reporters, Khairy said that he will be writing formally to the MP for Kubang Kerian to initiate a dialogue on the ISA "as a follow up to our exchange in the chamber this morning".

"At a time of serious political and economic challenges facing our nation, there is nothing wrong with adopting a bipartisan approach on key issues. The younger MPs especially must be able to reach across the aisle and engage on issues like the ISA," he said.

"There must be a solution that balances the need to safeguard the nation's security and at the same time respecting fundamental rights of our citizens against becoming victims of political persecution," he added.

Do not racialise tourism, Pakatan told

Tourism Minister Azalina Othman Said told Pakatan Rakyat leaders not to "racialise" tourism practices with such actions as done by the Penang government in putting up road signs in multiple languages.

In reply to a supplementary question by Chong Eng (DAP-Bukit Mertajam), who sought to defend the Penang government's move, Azalina said there was no relation between the languages in which road signs were written and tourists.

There are enough sign boards put up especially for foreign tourists, while the tourism ministry has also printed numerous brochures and pamphlets in the different languages so that foreign tourists can read about tourist destinations in the country, said Azalina.

"If the issue of tourists is related to road signs, what would be the answer of those to my reply that there were 1.1 million tourists (last year) from Thailand - should road signs be in Thai as well?" she asked.

In the ruckus that ensued Chong's question, Lilah Yasin (BN-Jempol) called out: "Don't injure the feelings of Malays".

Ibrahim Ali (Independent-Pasir Mas) also was heard interjecting that "such signs contravene the federal constitution".

Such was the ruckus in Dewan over the issue that Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia - who remarked that "this does not sound like a Dewan but a street (market)!" - forgot the order of questions and directed Richard Riot Jaem (BN-Serian) to ask his question (Number 5) ahead of Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman (PAS-Pengkalan Chepa).

Azmi Khalid (BN-Padang Besar), in his supplementary question, asked: "Why are they (Penang leaders) so eager (to change road signs)? Is there an element of chauvinism? When they have become rulers of a state, they do things as if they are willing to forget heritage and history."

271,375 illegal immigrants nabbed since 2001

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar revealed that a total of 271,375 illegal immigrants were detained through enforcement by the Immigration Department, Rela and the police between 2001 and last year.

Syed Hamid said the government estimated that there were about one million illegal immigrants in the country.

However he added that the situation was under control, largely due to concerted and continuous enforcement by the three agencies.

He also said that it cost RM205 to deport each illegal immigrant by sea while deportation by air ranged from RM1,200 to RM3,600 per immigrant.

He was responding to a question by Amran Ab Ghani (PKR-Tanah Merah).

The minister further said that about two per cent of the crimes in the country were committed by illegal immigrants.

Kit Siang: ‘illusionist’ Najib should correct Tuesday’s faux pas

Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) said Finance Minister Najib Abdul Razak should own up to the ‘illusion’ he conjured on Tuesday pertaining to the RM7 billion stimulus package but which dissipated soon after it became apparent the injection was only a “hypothetical” one.

In his winding up on Tuesday of Budget 2009 that had earlier been tabled by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Najib presented figures that become a source of dispute as the numbers differed from those presented by Abdullah.

Najib’s motion was voted and passed unanimously that evening as the House, emptied of the opposition who had walked out in protest, was left only with Barisan MPs.

Clarifying the day after, Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah said that what will be the basis of debate at the committee level are the figures tabled by Abdullah, while those presented by Najib were tabled for the sake of transparency but were hypothetical.

“Just as he said that extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures, (this was done) so that people know that when the need arises, there will be the funds. If there is a need for more, we will table the motion for a supplementary budget in Parliament," said Husni.

Lim, however, said the trouble with such an interpretation is that “MPs would have to live with the fiction of pretending that the RM7 billion economic stimulus package announced by ... Najib in his winding-up speech on the Budget 2009 policy debate has disappeared into thin air within 24 hours and does not exist!”

“In fact, the nation and Malaysians are being asked to join in his fiction, if Najib persists with this unprecedented solution to the parliamentary faux pas he had committed in failing to follow the correct parliamentary procedure of submitting a proper parliamentary amendment to the Budget 2009 incorporating the new RM7 billion economic stimulus package.”