of Selangor's 'Broom' Chief

The shoes can be a tight fit if you haven’t tried them on before. And sometimes it can hurt badly.

Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo found out on the second day of the 12th Selangor State Assembly sitting what it is like to be an Opposition member in the House.

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim told the State Legislative Assembly Thursday that the previous state government had embarked on 62 risky joint ventures worth RM36 billion with private companies involving 12,000 hectares of state land.

He alleged that the decidng factor in forming the joint ventures was not based on the companies' capabilities but rather on the "individuals behind them."

He also said the companies held a 70% stake in the joint ventures while the state only held 30%.

In the event of the failure of the company to complete the project, the state government would have to bear the consequences.

Among the projects involved are a development project along the southern coast of the state and the construction of a shopping mall, offices and residential units in Section 14 here.

On Friday, Khalid made another exposure.

This time it was on the extreme spending made by members of the Wives of Selangor Assemblymen and MPs Welfare and Charity Organisation (Balkis).

A sum of RM158,000 was paid for the use of a sports facility while RM128,000 was spent on batik clothing for members of Balkis.

Khalid also said the organisation also spent RM49,000 for souvenir books, RM100,000 for its sports programme, RM200,000 for Deepavali and Hari Raya celebrations, RM100,000 for sports uniforms and RM30,000 for food during a sports event.

Later, he told reporters the state government would set up a special committee to look into various issues, which it inherited from the previous government.

These include the transfer of funds by Balkis and the RM29mil allocations to Barisan Nasional assemblymen of the previous government, which was spent in just two months

of Halliburton's investment in Malaysia

Recently former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad slammed the Malaysian Government for allowing Halliburton Co. to began operation in Malaysia.

His action is based on the fact that Halliburton has been operating in Iraq.

"It is appalling that we have allowed this war-profiteering company to invest in Malaysia," he said in a statement, referring to Halliburton's contracts in Iraq for the U.S. government. "Are we so void of our humanity that we have to allow these war criminals to come in and thrive in our economy?"

Halliburton recently launched a 200 million ringgit ($62.5 million) manufacturing center in the Iskandar Malaysia economic hub in southern Johor state.

Mahathir, a vocal critic of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, accused Halliburton, once led by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, of raking in billions of dollars in profits from the Iraq war.

Mahathir is joined by his son, newly elected MP Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir who questioned the government in Parliament over the investment.

In answering to Mukriz's question, Deputy International and Trade Industry Minister Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan told the Parliament that in 2007, the firm officially declared that it no longer owned the subsidiary involved.

"This is before the Government approved its licence to operate a factor manufacturing equipment for the petroleum and gas sector in Johor.

"The company is considered one of the five biggest and most famous firms involved in this field," he said, adding that Malaysia hoped to promote itself as the hub for the manufacturing of oil and gas equipment.

Mahathir's action in criticising the investment is a little bit dissapointing.

As a leader who has managed to attract billions of ringgit of foreign investment and the benefits that came with it during his time as prime minister, opposing Halliburton's investment in Malaysia now is a little bit bewildering.

If participation in war is a cause for denying its investments in this country, then Malaysia would have banned Rolls Royce, Land Rover, Boeing and Eurocopter from being sold in this country since their equipments have been used the war against Iraq in 1990.

In an era where attracting foreign investments are getting more intense, Halliburton's efforts to open a manufacturing facility should be commended. Their move edges Malaysia's closer it its aspiration towards becoming the region's oil and gas hub.

Just a few kilometres down south, Singapore has positioned itself as the Houston of the East.

Despite not producing a single drop of oil, the country has a comprehensive oil & gas ecosystem in place, including oil majors, drilling contractors, specialized equipment manufacturers, oilfield service providers, and offshore engineering companies.

Today, Singapore is the world leader in the construction of jack-up oil rigs and the conversion of Floating Production Storage and Offloading platforms (FPSOs), with a dominant share of more than 70%. Furthermore, we have the largest base of oil & gas equipment manufacturing companies in Asia, like Schlumberger, making sophisticated products such as downhole tools & equipment, wellheads, christmas trees and drill bits.

Senyum Kambing

of Labour's disastrous performance

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown suffered a humiliating defeat in the country's local election last Thursday.

His Labour Party lost an astonishing 300 seats across the country - the party's worst local election defeat in 40 years, resulting in a overall third placing, behind its much smaller rival, the Liberal Democrats and the overall winner, the Conservatives.

The premier put a brave face on Labour`s poor performance. "It is clear to me that this has been a disappointing night, indeed a bad night for Labour. We have lessons to learn from that and then we will move forward. My job is to listen and to lead and that is what I will do," he told reporters

Adding salt to the wound is the lost of the prestigious post of Mayor of London to the opposition Conservatives. The party's incumbent - Ken Livingstone has been in mayor since 2000 was booted out from office by an eccentric Tory politician - Boris Johnson, who popularly known for unruly blond hairstyle and as host of the popular TV news quiz programme, "Have I Got News For You"

The result is widely seen as a referendum on Mr Brown's leadership, who took over as Prime Minister from the charismatic Tony Blair in June last year, after serving as finance minister for a decade in the shadow of three-times election winner Tony Blair.

If the results were repeated at the next parliamentary election, which Brown must call by mid-2010, the Conservatives would win a landslide 130-seat majority in parliament.

Ministers blamed the defeat on the deteriorating economy and on the government's abolition of a 10 percent income tax band, which hit low earners, many of whom would usually vote Labour.

Brown's popularity has also plunged because of the credit crunch, administrative blunders and his dour image. Voters are also being squeezed by higher food and energy prices while the credit crisis raises the risk of a house price plunge.

His closest ally, Ed Balls, who happens to be the country's Child Minister, said that the results could not be dismissed as a traditional midterm kick to the governing party.

"I don't think we can dismiss this as simply about a mid-term normal set of problems. I think people are worried about the state of the economy, but on the doorstep they have also been cross with us. They think that their tax bills are going up, that their fuel prices are going up, that their utility bills are going up and they want to know that we're doing more to help them through difficult times and that we are on their side." he said.

Few Labour MPs in seats of any vulnerability can feel confident of their futures. "No crisis," said the Chief Whip Geoff Hoon. The huge swathes of Labour MPs contemplating their prospects today are unlikely to share that view.

Already there are talks of a leadership challenge, but this still remains a remote possibility as Mr Brown has been in office for only 10 months.

The disastrous results has raised doubts on Mr Brown's ability to lead the party into a fourth term in office and has raises question on his electability among voters.

Past records have shown that local election results is a good indicator of the outcome of the general election. In 1977 slump in council seats has paved the way to Jim Callaghan's defeat to Margaret Thatcher two years later, in 1990 local election loss hastened Margaret Thatcher's end while the 1995 local election defeat for the Conservative Party culminated in the party's defeat at the hands of the Labour Party in the general election of 1997.

of big monkey and orang utan

It is most unfortunate for someone who advocated transparency, openness and freedom of expression decided to cancel the live telecast of the Dewan Rakyat sitting.

The prime minister was quoted in The Star today that “I felt ashamed if people watched and saw what was happening in our Dewan. In my heart, I also felt that all this happened because there was a live broadcast at that time."

In its first sitting since the general elections, the Dewan Rakyat was turned into a "zoo", when Karpal Singah (DAP - Jelutong) and Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN – Kinabatangan) traded barbs against each other and called each other "big monkey" and "orang utan."

Responding to a question, he said that if Information Minister Datuk Shabery Cheek decided to cancel the live telecast, he would agree.

Abdullah also added that the question of transparency of what went on during proceedings should not arise because sessions were open to all, noting that the media was free to cover the proceedings and report on whatever happened.

To Malaysians, Abdullah's worry is totally lame at its best and unsubstantiated at its worst.

Many would agree that canceling the live telecast is a step backwards in his move towards promoting greater openness and transparency under his administration.

Furthermore, many would also argue that this move, if implemented, is a sign of the government’s insecurity and inability to face a more rejuvenated and aggressive opposition in the august house.

Malaysia is not the only country in the world which is facing a dilemma in televising live proceedings of the parliament.

Parliaments throughout the world have wrestled with the question of whether or not to allow the television cameras into the Chamber.

Many have done so, but many more continue to hesitate or might not have even considered it.

Of those Parliaments which have admitted the television cameras, only a few provide continuous live coverage of all the proceedings. They are Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Hungary, Iran, Scotland, UK and USA. The latest to join the select group is India. Most of the other countries permit live telecast of special events only and Highlights of the proceedings in the News Inserts.

Continuous live television coverage of a Parliament’s proceedings does not by itself guarantee that the public will have a balanced view of Parliament.

Since its advent in the Canadian House of Commons, for example, public attention has largely focused on the daily question period, a period of confrontation between the Government and the Opposition Parties when parliamentary behaviour is seldom seen at its best.

The discipline and decorum on the floors of legislatures are barometers to measure the maturity of a democracy. Parliament is regarded as the most revered temple of a democratic dispensation.

Way back on October 4, 1951, Jawaharlal Nehru had struck a note of caution: "If once the reputation of our legislatures goes down, then democracy itself will be in peril. Therefore the reputation of these legislatures as also of our services, must be strictly guarded and any misbehaviour should lead to enquiry and action.

If the behaviours of our parliamentarians is a yardstick of the maturity of our democracy, then we have to admit that we still have a long way to go before achieving a first class democracy.

Senyum Kambing