theSun | TUESDAY AUGUST 11 2009
news without borders
Nothing to rejoice, much more to do
Comment
by R. Nadeswaran
citizen-nades@thesundaily.com
THE good news is that the Port Klang
Authority (PKA) has made the coura-
geous step of making a police report
on the humongous amount of money
that has gone down the drain or ended
up in people’s pockets in the name of
the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ). The
bad news is that the contents of the
report will remain mere allegations
unless they are proven in a court of
law. The better news is that the task
force that prepared the report which
contained claims of irregularities has
provided PKA with enough documen-
2,718 EPF
defaulters
hauled
Suhakam seeks details
PETALING JAYA: The Human Rights
Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) said
it would write to Chief Secretary to the
Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan for
to court
by Hemananthani Sivanandam
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: The Employ-
ees Provident Fund (EPF) has
further details of the Royal Commission of
Inquiry on the death of political aide Teoh
Beng Hock.
hauled 2,718 employers to court
from April to June for failing to
remit the EPF contributions of
their employees.
The EPF filed 2,598 criminal
cases and 120 civil cases, and 147
errant employers were slapped
with fines totalling RM397,235
during the period.
During the first quarter from
January to March, the EPF filed
1,849 criminal cases and 170
civil cases against defaulters, who
were slapped with fines totalling
RM254,640.
The fines, ranging from
RM1,000 to RM7,000, were for of-
fences under Section 43(2) of the
EPF Act 1991.
According to an EPF statement,
Poi Huat Machine Tools Sdn Bhd
and Caidmark Automation Sdn
Bhd, both of Selangor, received
the highest fines of RM7,000 and
RM6,500, respectively.
Precint Development Sdn Bhd
and Tricubes Berhad were fined
RM6,000 and RM5,900, respec-
tively, and Knowledgegenius Sdn
Bhd and Kim Guan Fatt Sdn Bhd
were fined RM4,000 each.
EPF general manager for pub-
lic relations Nik Affendi Jaafar
said the number of defaulting
employers showed a drop – from
2.16% of the total number of
employers in the first quarter to
1.91% in the second quarter.
“This indicates that more em-
ployers are conscious of their role
in their employees’ retirement
well-being,” he said.
However, while the majority
of the employers are attentive in
carrying out their responsibilities,
some continue to disregard their
obligations by withholding their
employees’ EPF contribution.
Under the EPF Act 1991, all
employers are required to submit
their monthly contributions on
behalf of their employees before
or on the 15th day of every month
or risk facing legal action.
Nik Affendi also said the
names of 326 company direc-
tors have been submitted to the
Immigration Department under
Section 39 of the EPF Act to pre-
vent them from leaving Malaysia
without settling their outstanding
contributions.
He said errant employers are
usually given a maximum of six
instalments by the courts to settle
their arrears.
tary evidence. This means, the job
of the police, the Attorney-General’s
Chambers and other law enforcement
agencies becomes easier.
Instead of seeking evidence and
documents – like looking for a needle
in a haystack – they now have before
them a comprehensive outline of the
so-called offences and the like. But
the allegations against the turnkey
contractor, Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd,
are serious indeed and related to
cheating, deceit, over-payments and
non-existent claims.
For all these to have happened,
there must be someone (within PKA)
who must have vetted the claims,
certified that the work had been
carried out and, to stretch it further,
approved the payment of the mon-
In a statement yesterday, Suhakam vice
chairman Tan Sri Simon Sipaun said it will
ask for details on the Royal Commission
and its terms of reference .
“Upon receiving a response from the
chief secretary, Suhakam will determine its
next course of action at its next meeting
soon,” he said.
Malik Imtiaz, Somchai and Gobind at Plaza Masalam yesterday.
Probe alleged seditious statement, says Najib
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Najib Razak asked the authorities
yesterday to investigate the alleged
seditious statement made against a
freelance religious speaker by an op-
position Youth leader.
He said if the statement was found
to be seditious, the offender could be
charged under the Sedition Act 1948, as
such a statement could cause tension
among the different races, Bernama
reported.
“The Sedition Act not only can be
applied in cases of seditious statements
made against Islam, but against other
religions and races, too,” Najib said.
“If we insult someone and the insult
can cause friction (among the people),
action can be taken under the law.”
ies. Who is this someone, or many of
them, whose hands are tainted and
yet to be identified? No, pointing the
fingers at the previous directors of the
PKA board will only result in unison
cries of “we did not know a damn
thing that was happening”.
But then PKA chairman Datuk Lee
Hwa Beng, in his statement to the
media, makes no mention of the other
parties involved in this massive abuse
of public funds. It is as if this whole
scam could have been perpetrated
without the abetment of people from
within. His silence is indeed deafening.
But, as we say, it takes two hands to
clap and, going through the docu-
ments with a fine-toothed comb, no
one would have been spared.
For Lee to remain silent and not
ZULKIFLI ERSAL/THESUN
Najib, who had earlier chaired a Ba-
risan Nasional Supreme Council meeting,
was asked to comment on statements
seen as anti-Islamic made by certain
individuals of late.
Last week, DAP Youth chief Loke Siew
Fook had issued a statement hitting out
at freelance religious speaker Dr Mohd
Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, in which he called
Mohd Ridhuan a racist.
Loke criticised Mohd Ridhuan for his
statement on the status of the unborn
child of political aide Teoh Beng Hock
and fiancee as a child out of wedlock.
Loke said the statement had emotionally
hurt Teoh’s family.
Najib said all parties must take a
moderate stance in discussing issues
which touched on race and religion.
offer any comment will only lead to
further speculation of hidden hands
at work and selective prosecution.
But his boss, the transport minister,
is not likely to condone Lee’s selec-
tive or progressive release of the
names – whatever he chooses – as
it has been the stand of the former
that nothing will be swept under the
carpet. And Lee should also realise
that by making the police report,
he can’t wash his hands and walk
away.
The book on the PKFZ fiasco isn’t
closed yet and has that of the PKA.
As chairman, he must take the lead
in continuing to push for more ac-
countability and transparency in the
management of our biggest port. He
and the board must continue to be
Early tests show
stains not blood
by Tan Yi Liang and
S. Tamarai Chelvi
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
SHAH ALAM: Preliminary tests
on stains found on the emergency
stairway between the 14th and 15th
floor of Plaza Masalam show they are
not blood but a form of
anti-rust paint.
Gobind Singh Deo,
the lawyer for Teoh TEOH
Beng Hock’s family,
told this to reporters
BENG
yesterday after forensic HOCK
experts tested samples
of the stains. inquest
Earlier, Azmil
Mustapha Abas, acting
as the coroner, had allowed an ap-
plication by Gobind for the forensic
experts to carry out tests on four
stains found during the coroner’s
visit to the building on Friday.
Among those who conducted
the tests were chemist Dr Seah Lay
Hong – who testified at the inquest
last week – a police forensic team
and another forensic team from the
Chemistry Department.
“They have told us there is a high
possibility that it is a form of anti-rust
paint which looks quite similar to
blood, but this is subject to confirma-
tion after laboratory tests,” Gobind,
who brought in independent experts
Somchai Chailermsook Sant and
Amidon Anan to conduct their own
tests, said.
“We are satisfied with what
has happened today but you must
remember that today is nearly three-
and-a-half weeks after the incident, so
time has taken its effect, and certain
“We hope for moderation in our ap-
proaches, and we hope all concerned
would lean towards that (moderation).
“And we cannot say that only one
party has made extreme statements but
we see others are also doing the same
and which have hurt feelings.”
Charles Ramendran reports: Loke,
who is also the Rasah MP, lodged a
police report yesterday against several
weblogs for allegedly accusing him of
insulting Islam and the Perak royalty.
Loke, accompanied by Teratai as-
semblyman Jenice Lee and Shah Alam
MP Khalid Abd Samad, lodged his report
at the Dang Wangi district police head-
quarters at about 2pm.
“I deny these unfounded allegations
and lies spread by certain blogs and in
3
vigilant, and perhaps unearth more
wrongdoings in other projects under-
taken by the board. Were tenders and
contracts awarded properly or did one
person rule the roost making all the
decisions without consultation? Were
procedures followed and were Treas-
ury directives followed to the book?
Lee has a big task ahead of him and
nobody will envy the position he is in,
but heavy is the head that wears the
crown. And remember, it ain’t over
until the Fat Lady sings!
R. Nadeswaran was the first to break
the PKFZ story and has pursued it
relentlessly for more than four years.
He says there’s little to celebrate until
taxpayers’ money is accounted for.
things that we had hoped would be
done earlier were not done, but we
will take up these issues in the course
of the inquest when these witnesses
are called.”
Gobind also said fibres found
on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam,
where Teoh’s body was discovered,
could have been
from Teoh’s pants.
“At the scene,
we found certain
fibres which we
believe were from
(Teoh’s) trousers
but the chemists
will have to assist
us there and they
will inform us once
they have examined the fibres
and the trousers,” he said.
He said the tests on the fibres,
which could give an indication of
how Teoh fell, were expected to be
completed today.
Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, a lawyer for
the Selangor government, also said
many people would have passed
through the Selangor offices of the
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commis-
sion (MACC) on the 14th floor.
“I think it is important to note that
the significant delay in the tests today,
and also considering that the MACC
is a public office, a lot of traffic goes
through the office and that would
have had an impact, so it would be a
bit of a miracle to find anything new
at this stage,” he said.
Azmil Muntapha fixed today for
the presentation of the test results.
He also said he would make a ruling
on the relevency of the presence of
certain witnesses in the court.
the circulation of SMSes claiming that
I have insulted Islam and the Sultan of
Perak in an article in a weblog,” he said.
“Neither Dapsy (DAP Youth) nor I have
ever issued any statement that insults
Islam and the Perak royalty. Being an MP,
it would be stupid of me to do so.These
are lies spread by certain irresponsible
parties out to tarnish the image of the
DAP and paint the DAP as anti-Islam and
anti-Malay.”
Loke said the article appeared in a
blog called sjsandteam.wordpress.com
which he did not even know existed.
“Following this, there have also been
calls by certain individuals that action
be taken by invoking the ISA against
me. I hope the police will thoroughly
investigate my report,” he said.