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Paul Low to quit MCA

by Tim Leonard subsequent plan,” he said. we will be able to make this agency an
Johor Sultan
says no to
newsdesk@thesundaily.com “At that time, I felt the need to exemplary model of integrity.

PETALING JAYA: Transparency

International-Malaysia (TI-Malaysia)
president Datuk Paul Low yesterday said
he would resign as an MCA member to
set the record straight on his appoint-
ment as head of the Ad-hoc Committee
On Corporate Governance For The Port
Klang Free Zone (PKFZ).
Low was responding to issues raised
by DAP veteran and Ipoh Timur MP Lim
Kit Siang over his ability to carry out his
duties impartially in light of his affilia-
tions with the MCA.
Lim had in parliament on Tuesday
questioned Low’s eligibility to sit on the
PKFZ panel because of his affiliations
with the MCA.
“I joined the MCA as a life member
in 1991, at the time when the NEP (New
Economic Policy) had expired and there
was a need to prepare the new OPP
(Outline Perspective Plan),” Low said in
a statement yesterday.
“For this purpose, the government
had set up the Necci (National Economic
Consultative Council) to discuss and
formulate recommendations for the
participate in these consultations as I
believed I would be able to contribute
meaningfully. But to be given a place to
participate, I would have to be proposed
by a political party. Hence the MCA
offered me the opportunity and I accep-
ted. This explains my membership and
also involvement in its think-tank.
“Subsequently, I have had no
involvement in any political activities
of MCA and I had long forgotten that
my membership still exists. But, as it
is highlighted that my membership in
MCA may be perceived as an impair-
ment to my impartiality, I will now initi-
ate my resignation and thus revoke my
membership in MCA.”
Low said that as president of TI-
Malaysia, he must observe strict stand-
ards of ethics and impartiality.
“I have chosen to accept the appoint-
ment to head the ad hoc committee
because TI-Malaysia strongly believes it
can contribute significantly to improving
the system of governance and integrity
in government agencies such as PKFZ.
“It is my hope and that of TI-Malaysia
that through our involvement in PKFZ,
“I also hope that from the lessons
learnt and the subsequent implemen-
tation of measures to enhance good
governance, similar practices or reform
can be replicated in other government
agencies or institutions at the federal and
state levels regardless of their political
affiliations.”
He also said that as head of the ad hoc
committee, he was not obliged to meet
the expectations or personal preferences
of individuals in business or politics.
“What the members of the committee
and I need to ensure is that best practices
and a high level of governance are put in
place in PKFZ. This is the committee’s
main mission.
“Although there may be a need to
review the events highlighted in the
PricewaterhouseCoopers report in order
to get a clear understanding of the weak-
nesses and lapses in governance, it is not
the role of the committee to investigate
individuals or parties involved directly
or indirectly.
“This, I understand clearly is the
purview of the MACC (Malaysian Anti-
corruption Commission).”
3rd bridge
JOHOR BARU: The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Iskandar Ismail,
is not in favour of the proposed construction of a third
bridge linking Malaysia and Singapore on the eastern
side of Johor.
The sultan’s stand on the matter was conveyed by
the Tunku Mahkota of Johor Tunku Ibrahim Ismail who
represented his father at the opening of a state legislative
assembly sitting in Kota Iskandar, Nusajaya yesterday.
“I have been instructed by His Royal Highness Tuanku
to inform (the assembly) that he does not agree with the
proposal to build the third bridge,” Tunku Ibrahim said.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak had
recently disclosed that Singapore Minister Mentor Lee
Kuan Yew had, during a meeting with him in Putrajaya,
voiced the island republic’s interest in building the third
bridge with Malaysia.
In his speech delivered by Tunku Ibrahim, the sultan
also advised the people to support government efforts to
boost the economy.
“Although there is currently an economic downturn,
the people must be confident that Johor’s economy has
a strong foundation,” he said.
The sultan also called on the people to uphold the
Federal Constitution to ensure that the country remained
stable and peaceful. “Unity among the people must be

Spell out what unity govt means: Mahathir safeguarded so that they can live in harmony. There must
be solidarity, as solidarity is a blessing.” – Bernama

by Karen Arukesamy unity among Malaysians but “maybe

newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime
minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
yesterday told PAS to “spell out” what
it meant by a unity government in order
to end all confusion over the matter.
“They (PAS) have not actually spelt
out what the unity government is all
about. There is much confusion,” he
said after officiating at the 11th Interna-
tional Surveyors Congress yesterday.
“I cannot think how it is going to
happen. If it’s going to be PAS and
Umno alone, then you are going to have
a Malay government. Is Umno going to
leave its component parties and join
PAS to form a unity government? That
is not unity, you would have to break
off (from the coalition) first,” Mahathir
said.
Visibly upset, he questioned how
anyone having made a “promise” to
work as a coalition could later choose
to leave that alliance to work with
others.
Stressing that the country’s (ad-
ministrative) system had always had
representatives from all communities,
Mahathir said: “I still think Barisan
among Malays”.
Mahathir said he was uncertain
whether the call for a unity government
was only for Umno or for all other BN
component parties.
“I feel it is difficult for Umno to leave
its allies to join PAS, likewise PAS with
two of its allies.”
Talk of a unity government has
been the subject of much controversy
since it was mooted last year by PAS
president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang
and again after the issue was raised at
the party’s recent muktamar.
In the latest developments, it has
caused a rift in the party, with its spir-
itual leader Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat
telling deputy president Nasharudin
Mat Isa to quit and join Umno if he
persisted with the idea.
“But in this country, we need an
opposition team. It is something we
should uphold,” Mahathir said.
However, he said, the Opposition
should raise criticism when the govern-
ment does something wrong and not
just for the sake of criticism.
On another note, Mahathir said he
did not understand the “1Malaysia”
concept mooted by Prime Minister

Nasional is the best system we can
have in this country.
“If PAS and Umno want to have a
unity government, then on one side
there would be a Chinese party and the
other an Indian party. That is not unity.”
This, he said, would not achieve
BERNAMAPIX
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
“When you come up with a concept
or an idea, you must define and spell it
out properly. I am not in a position to
comment on all this because I am just Traditional welcome ....
confused. I cannot comment on very Residents of Manai Nanga San longhouse in Batang Ai, Lubok Antu, welcome Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul
vague words like this.” Abdul Razak during a meet-the-people session. Najib is on a two-day working visit to Sarawak which ended yesterday.

Suit against NSTP dismissed
with costs
GEORGE TOWN: The High Court yesterday
dismissed with costs a defamation suit
brought against the News Straits Times
Press Berhad by prominent businessman
Tan Sri Tan Kok Ping at the end of a hearing
which has dragged on for three years.
Justice Datuk Ghazali Cha, in his
written judgment, ordered Tan to pay
the costs of the suit including legal fees
of the defendants. “I have found that
the defendants have succeeded in their
defence of qualified privilege and that the
impugned articles are therefore immune
from suit,” he said.
Ghazali said an ordinary reader of the
articles would not be overly presumptu-
ous in immediately inferring guilt on the
part of the plaintiff.
“The impugned articles had merely pro
vided an account of police investigations
into an alleged forged letter, and NSTP had
acted responsibly in the publication of the
article by verifying it with police.”
Ghazali also said the articles had con-
veyed to the public that no person is above
the law and is subject to the due process of
the law irrespective of his status.
In his suit against the NSTP, Tan
had named its then chief editor Tan Sri
Abdullah Ahmad as second defendant
and then journalist V. Ramanan as third
defendant.
He had claimed that words contained
in articles published on April 5, 2002 in
NSTP publications – the News Straits
Times and the Malay Mail – were defama-
tory in nature.
Tan claimed the articles contained
words that inferred he was guilty of
forging a letter used to secure his
appointment as chairman of the Magnum
Corporation.
Students fined
RM3,900 each for
illegal assembly
KUALA LUMPUR: Five former
university students were yesterday
fined RM3,900 or three months jail
each by a magistrate’s court here
after they were found guilty of tak-
ing part in an illegal assembly at the
National Mosque eight years ago.
Magistrate Azniza Mohd Ali im-
posed the sentence on Nik Norhafizi
Nik Ibrahim, 29, Zulkefle Idris, 29,
Ahmad Kamal Abdul Hamid, 28,
Rafzan Ramli, 32, and Khairul Amal
Mahmud, 28.
Norhafizi and Ahmad were then
students of Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia, Zulkefli of Universiti Te-
knologi Malaysia, Rafzan of Universiti
Teknologi Mara (UiTM), and Khairul of
Universiti Malaya.
Another former UiTM student, Hel-
man Sanuddin, 32, was acquitted and
discharged after the court found that
the prosecution had failed to establish
a prima facie case against him.
The defendants were charged
under Section 27(5)(a) of the Police
Act 1967 for taking part in the as-
sembly on June 8, 2001. – Bernama
Celebration for Najib
PETALING JAYA: The MCA, Associ-
ated Chinese Chambers of Com-
merce and Industry of Malaysia
(ACCCIM), Hua Zong (Federation
of Chinese Associations of Malay-
sia) and Malaysian Seven Clans
Association will jointly host a cer-
emony to celebrate the election
of Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak
as the sixth prime minister.
The celebration, starting
at 7.30pm, will be held in the
Putrajaya International Conven-
tion Centre (PICC), Dewan Per-
dana, on June 27. For enquiries,
call 03-21618044.
Nizar to file leave
to appeal Court of
Appeal decision
PUTRAJAYA: Perak Pakatan
Rakyat Mentri Besar Datuk Seri
Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin
will tomorrow file an application
at the Federal Court registry for
leave to appeal a Court of Ap-
peal decision declaring Datuk Dr
Zambry Abdul Kadir the rightful
mentri besar of Perak.
On May 22, the Court of Appeal
allowed an appeal by Zambry to
set aside a High Court decision
declaring Nizar as the legitimate
mentri besar.
In reversing the High Court
decision, it held that the Sultan
of Perak was right in making
enquiries to satisfy himself that
Nizar had ceased to command
the confidence of the majority of
the state assembly. – Bernama