Nearly 5000 entry permits given to foreign spouses since 2004

Bernama (10/7/08): The Home Ministry has approved 4,776 entry permits to foreign spouses from 2004 until May 2008, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Minister Senator Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh said of the number 1,130 permits were approved for foreign husbands and 3,646 were for foreign wives.

"Each application will have to go through procedures like security screening and interview. The time taken to process the application will depend on the quality of information provided," he said in reply to a question by Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (BN-Bintulu).

Tiong wanted to know the number of entry permits given to foreign spouses since 2004 and efforts taken to improve the processing of applications.

He said unlike social passes which need to be renewed, entry permits were given only once and would only be revoked if the holder commits an offence.

The authorities also needed five years to verify the authenticity of marriages before the applications for entry permits could be considered.

Tiong had asked why foreign spouses need to renew their permits annually and wanted the government to simplify the application procedure.

Wan Ahmad Farid told Dr Lo' Lo' Mohd Ghazali (PAS-Titiwangsa) that other than security screening and interview, the applicants for Malaysian citizenship and entry permit must speak fluent Bahasa Melayu and that the information provided would have to be verified for national security reasons.

"We admit that it is a slow process but it is done in the name of national security as the country's sovereignty must be protected."

The deputy minister added the issuance of citizenship to foreigners was a privilege and not a right.

Non-stop dribbling challenge set for Malaysia Book Of Records

Bernama (8/6/08): A total of 864 youths took part in a gruelling 12-hour football dribbling challenge for 87km around the capital to make their way into the Malaysia Book of Records today.

Each contestant took turn to dribble the ball for 100 metres from the starting point at Titiwangsa Lake Gardens through Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Tun Sambathan, Merdeka Square and Jalan Ipoh before ending their feat at Titiwangsa Lake Gardens.

The event, the first of its kind here, was organised by a soft drink company, Permanis Sdn Bhd.

Speaking to reporters after launching the event, Member of Parliament for Titiwangsa Dr Lo'Lo Mohd Ghazali said the dribbling challenge inculcated team spirit besides being fun.

"It improves the stamina, commitment and mental strength of the participants," she said.

Singer Faizal Tahir showed his prowess being the first contestant to dribble the ball.

The event is expected to end at about 9pm.

July 29 For Mention of warrants of arrest against accused in illegal assembly

Bernama (23/6/08): The Session's Court here Monday fixed July 29 for mention of the warrants of arrest on nine people, out of 10 accused, who failed to attend Monday's hearing on a charge of participating in an illegal assembly at Parliament building in December last year.

They are Kota Damansara Member of Parliament Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim, 61, PAS Youth deputy chief Nasrudin Hassan, 38, PAS Muslimat (women's wing) chief Nuridah Mohd Salleh, 47, PAS treasurer Mohd Hatta Mohd Ramli, 52, Titiwangsa Member of Parliament Dr Lo' Lo' Mohamed Ghazali, 51, Ang Hiok Gai, 51, Mohamad Sabri Sapiai, 32, Hashim Awang, 37, Azira Arifin, 34, and Mohd Badilah Muda, 33.

Ang, Nuridah and Mohd Nasir were said to be at the court earlier, but left due to some confusion and misunderstanding.

However, judge Fathiyah Idris ordered the warrant of arrest against Mohd Nasir be revoked when he attended Monday's hearing after his counsel, Mohd Radzlan Jalaludin, contacted him.

All the accused are alleged to have committed the offence at the exit road of Parliament building, Jalan Parlimen, at 11am on Dec 11, 2007.

Bumbling minister riles them

Malay Mail (27/5/08): Questions must be asked about the competence of Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Latiff Ahmad ( BN-Mersing) during Question Time, even if he has had to face up alone and unaided to an increasingly hostile Opposition in the absence of his Minister.

Last week the diminutive bumbler was charged with being unprofessional for failing utterly to provide an adequate response to the shortage of medical specialists in the country.

Yesterday, with what can only be described as reckless ineptitude, he managed single-handedly to offend the entire medical profession in half a sentence.

Replying to a question from Dr Mohd Hayati Osman (Pas -Pendang) , Latiff observed that doctors had a “licence to heal, and a licence to kill”. Members immediately pounced on the utterly unnecessary pronouncement, sensing that it served no purpose other than to drag Latiff further into disrepute.

Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli (Pas-Kuala Krai) and Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohd Ghazali (Pas- Titiwangsa), both medical doctors, rose to demand a retraction, but Latiff refused, thinking perhaps that he needed to demonstrate the strength of his convictions to his colleagues.

These convictions swiftly turned to the dumb refusal of a rabbit mesmerised by the headlights of an oncoming lorry, and the Opposition made a big deal of running the honourable gentleman over. In the sudden eruption of points of order, Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia provided Latiff an exit: Promise not to repeat it, and be done.

Latiff, however, was at the moment inspired by a distant Muse unknown to the rest of us, and chose to prevaricate. “I intended no malice,” he said, to a wave of boos and reminders of the Hippocratic Oath.

Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) then raised his rule book for the coup de grâce: Retract the remark, or be sent down for 10 days, or, alternatively, face the wrath of the Committee of Privileges.

Still the Deputy Minister tried with increasing desperation to wriggle out of the unexpected trap of his own making. At length, the verbose Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad (Pas-Kuala Selangor) obtained the floor and nearly upset his bench’s momentum with a rambling account about his teaching days in the field of pharmacology.

Pandikar Amin, realising from bitter experience that Dzulkifli’s point lay somewhere in the distant and unforeseeable future, cut the matter short by forcing Latiff’s retraction.

Finally the Deputy Minister relented, by which time the House had spent 30 minutes debating this urgent matter of obvious national importance.

Later in the day, the House debated a procedural Bill from the Finance Ministry that sought, amongst others, to place the Uni t y and National Integration Department (in the Prime Minister’s Department ) within the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry.

This prompted a long series of speeches from both sides about both unity and heritage, and two government backbenchers (Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi, BN-Batu Pahat, and Hamim Samuri, BN-Ledang) rose to condemn Malaysia’s performance in its dispute with Singapore over Pulau Batu Putih as an outright loss and a demonstration of our failure to protect our heritage.

Luckily for Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim (BN-Jelebu), he was absent during the debate and entered the House just as the matter was being put to vote.

(Proceeding s in the House, incidentally, are broadcast on televisions in the Lobby.) Also in the same debate, Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN-Pasir Salak) raised eyebrows on both sides with an impassioned speech about national unity.

The fiery nationalist defended the idea that Malaysians of all races are, as a rule, much closer to each other than politicians are prepared to say.

“We all have friends of other races,” he said, annoyed that he had to state the patently obvious.

“Even in my place, my children have Chinese friends and they sleep over all the time. Is there a problem? No. It’s only politicians who make an issue of it.” The House was stunned, and Tajuddin gracefully resumed his seat. (U-En Ng)

Latiff says 'docs have licence to kill'

The Sun (26/5/08): "Licence to kill" was a subject that dominated 20 minutes of argument but it was not about Ian Fleming's secret agent James Bond that the MPs were at loggerheads with.

It was the sentence "doctors have the licence to heal and licence to kill" in a supplementary answer in Parliament today by the Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abd Latiff Ahmad (BN-Mersing) that sparked a furore amongst the doctors amid the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) representatives.

Dr Mohd Hatta Mat Ramli (PAS-Kuala Krai) was the first to start the ball rolling asking Abd Latiff to withdraw his statement as it sets a wrong impression on medical doctors.

Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohamad Ghazali (PAS-Titiwangsa) was next to voice her dissatisfaction on the statement also citing concern that there would be misunderstanding amongst the students who visit the House frequently.

Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia first waved it off and asked for proceedings to continue but this did not go down well with Opposition parliamentarians, with Mohd Hatta standing up to ask Pandikar Amin to order Abd Latiff to withdraw the statement.

And this was also called for by a few other MPs like Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) who cited Point of Order that the statement had not complied with the Standing Orders of the House.

Opposition Leader Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR-Permatang Pauh) also stood up to notify that doctors took an oath to protect the lives of their patients and Abd Latiff’s statement was inappropriate.

Dr Tan Seng Giaw (DAP-Kepong) also said he hoped Pandikar Amin would rule that such words would no longer be used and for Abd Latiff to withdraw the phrase.

Pandikar Amin agreed with Tan and looked for affirmation from Abd Latiff in saying that he did not have bad intentions when he uttered the phrase.

"Yes, I had not meant it in a bad way," Abd Latiff said.

After much ruckus, Pandikar Amin asked for the parliamentarians to refrain from using terms or phrases that may insult their peers and can be defined through other perceptions. Further, he asked Abd Latiff to withdraw the statement.

Abd Latiff said: "I am sorry to have said that and I had no mean intentions. I will not repeat it but I will not withdraw my statement."

This caused another loud roar from the side of PR but Pandikar Amin then ticked off the MPs, reminding them of their shared responsibility in ensuring smooth proceedings that adhere to the Standing Orders.

He said he had taken note that this was not the first time Abd Latiff had used the phrase but was also sure that he had no bad intentions in saying it.

"From what I gather, what he meant was sometimes there are doctors who are careless and that was what he meant," he said.

The Rules in the Standing Orders were thrown across the House, asking for Pandikar Amin’s actions and when he had seemed to have had enough, he quipped: "I have memorised all these rules – up, down, left and right."

Pandikar Amin refreshed the memory of the MPs that he had first decided to ignore the phrase and carry on with proceedings and the decision could only be reviewed with a motion under Standing Order 43.

"You all have this responsibility of ensuring that the meeting goes smoothly. Next time, don’t use that term," he said.

At this point, Lim stood to refer to a Standing Order allowing parliamentarians to refer the act of a fellow-MP to a Special Committee.

After some resistance, Abd Latiff put an end to the issue when he said: "I will not apologise for the remark but I will withdraw it."

Abdul Latiff: Docs have licence to kill

Malaysiakini (26/5/08): As a result, he said, the ministry is unable to approve their employment, adding: “As you all know, doctors have a licence to kill and a licence to cure.”

On hearing this, Dr Hatta Ramli (PAS-Kuala Krai) demanded a retraction of the statement as “it could send a negative signal to the public”.

“I am a doctor myself and I demand that (you) retract your statement. It is not wise to say that doctors have a licence to kill. What kind of message are you sending the public?” he asked.

Dr Lo’ Lo Mohd Ghazali (PAS-Titiwangsa), another medical doctor, also criticised Abdul Latiff. Several of her Pakatan Rakyat colleagues then added to the barrage of calls for retraction. (Full report)

'Licence to kill' heats up Parliament

Bernama (26/5/08): The use of the phrase, 'licence to kill' by Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad created an uproar in the Dewan Rakyat with opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) calling for its withdrawal as it reflected poorly on doctors.

Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli (PAS-Kuala Krai) set the tone when he said the phrase implied that doctors had a "licence to kill" followed by Dr Lo' Lo' Mohamad Ghazali (Pas-Titiwangsa). They wanted the phrase withdrawn.

Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia then intervened and asked Abdul Latif to explain what he meant.

Abdul Latiff said "licence to kill" did not imply that doctors had the licence to kill but to show what the failure or negligence of certain doctors could do.

"The opposition always has a negative attitude. If they think they (doctors) have the licence to kill, let it be," he said.

Earlier, replying to a question from Alexander Nanta Linggi (BN-Kapit), Abdul Latiff used the phrases "licence to kill" and "licence to heal" when describing the poor service due to lack of doctors at hospitals and rural clinics in Sarawak.

The opposition MPs were not satisfied with the explanation and wanted him to withdraw the phrase, "licence to kill".

Abdul Latiff then stood up and said he had no bad intention and promised not to repeat it.

Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) and N. Gobalakrishnan (PKR-Padang Serai) then joined the fray and said the use of the phrase was unsuitable to describe negligence by doctors.

This forced the Speaker to ask Abdul Latiff to withdraw the phrase which the latter agreed but he refused to apologise for using it.

Is there a smoker in the House?

Smokers in the cafeteria. Notice the 'No Smoking' sign in background. It is not the only 'No Smoking' sign in the room.

When it comes to smoking in government buildings, is there one law for Members of Parliament, and another for the ordinary people they represent? Are lawmakers too good for the laws they make, asks Aniza Damis. The wanton smoking that goes on all over in Parliament appears to suggest so.

Smoking in the Parliament cafeteria. Notice the 'No Smoking' sign in the background.

Law-abiding smokers sitting in the open-air designated smoking zone.

Smoking in the ante-chamber of the MPs lounge. Notice the 'No Smoking' sign above the smoker's head. There are also signs at eye-level, to the left of the smoker (off camera).

NST (26/5/08): It is 11.30am. After one-and-a-half hours of work, a few workers slip out of the office and sneak a quick cigarette or five. Slowly, and in informal shifts so that the office isn’t left too empty, the workers are joined by other colleagues, who all gather round for coffee shop-talk, a plate of mee goreng or a bowl of bubur kacang, teh tarik and an illicit puff.

No Smoking signs abound everywhere. They are ignored. Whether in the cafetaria or in the lounge, smokers sit or stand in front of the signs, carefreely waving their white-stick-adorned fingers.

So what? you might say - smokers can be delinquent that way.

Except, these ‘workers’ are Parliamentarians, and the ‘office’ is the Dewan Rakyat, and the cafetaria and lounge are in the Parliament building.

At any time of the day or night, MPs, their assistants, and government ministry officials can be seen smoking, either at the Parliament cafetaria, at the MPs lounge, or the two ante-chambers on either end of the MPs lounge. All these areas are no-smoking zones.

There is a designated smoking area; a glass-walled open-air garden, not three metres from the MPs lounge, and less than 20 metres from the cafetaria. But only a handful of smokers are conscientious enough to take their smoke there.

Is nothing sacred anymore?

Well, MPs are human, too, some might argue.

But MPs are not mere humans, in spite of the “you monkey!”-level arguments we might occasional hear.

In as far as obeying the law is concerned, MPs are not equal to the ordinary citizen: MPs also have a moral obligation to obey the law, because it is MPs, as lawmakers, who make the laws.

How is it fair for MPs, who represent the people, to place restrictions and hardship on their constituents, while at the same time considering themselves to be above the very laws they themselves made?

Under Regulation 11(1) of the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004, smoking is prohibited in the following areas:

• any entertainment center or theatre, except any pub, discotheque, night club or casino, at any time when such place is open to the public;

• any hospital or clinic;

• any public lift or toilet;

• any air-conditioned eating place or shop;

• any public vehicle or public transport terminal;

• any building specified by the Minister by notification in the Gazette under Regulation 22;

• any airport;

• any government premise;

• any area which is used for any assembly activity in a building other than private or residential building;

• any area in an educational institution or a higher educational institution;

• any area in a nursery;

• any school bus;

• any floor with a service counter in the building specified in the Second Schedule;

• any shopping complex;

• any area in a petrol station;

• any area in a stadium, sports complex, fitness center or gymnasium;

• any building or public place which is used for religious purposes;

• any area in a library;

• any area in an internet cafe.

Whether the MPs like it or not, Parliament is a government premise, and hence, a no-smoking zone.

Two weeks ago in the Dewan Rakyat, Titiwangsa MP Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohamad Ghazali, a first-timer in the Federal Parliament, expressed her shock at the discovery of MPs freely smoking in Parliament, which is supposed to be smoke-free.

She said MPs were supposed to be good role models, especially considering that some 50 to 60 teenagers become smokers daily, and that Malaysians spent an average of RM3mil daily buying cigarettes alone.

Between 2000 and the end of 2002, three tobacco companies sold 58 billion cigarettes of various brands.

Granted that smoking is a choice, and hopefully people who smoke do so fully informed of the health hazards.

But whatever that choice may be, it cannot be denied that, officially at least, the Malaysian government’s policy is that it disapproves of smoking. And, where the law says a person cannot smoke, you just cannot smoke.

No-smoking signs around the world are pictorial and universally recognised. Even if there were no words below the sign of a crossed out cigarette, even an illiterate person can understand the message.

In Parliament, it is certainly expected that the MPs and their cohorts would understand the no-smoking sign. The only person not expected to see the sign and understand it is Dewan Negara senator Professor Datuk Dr Ismail Md Salleh. But only because the senator is literally blind.

When the government’s Tak Nak! anti-smoking campaign was launched in February 2004, a budget of RM100 million was set for a five-year period. That period ends this year.

Tak Nak! campaign posters were prominently displayed, and can still be seen on some amber-coloured school buses with the slogan: Kami juga boleh berfikir. Jika bijak, katakan Tidak. (We are capable of thinking. If you’re smart, say No.)

So, after all that money has been spent, just how effective has the campaign been?

There’s no need to spend a lot of money on surveys around the country to gauge the effectiveness of the campaign. Just one day in Parliament ought to do it.

This Saturday, May 31, is World No Tobacco Day.

And, no, it is not a celebration of smokers worldwide.

Let’s just hope our Parliamentarians can understand that much.

It’s the glass room for smokers

The Star (15/5/08): To smoke or not to smoke?

According to a Parliament rule, there should be no smoking within its premises.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said he had instructed Parliament administration chief Datuk Kamaruddin Baria to enforce the no-smoking rule at the MPs lounge after the issue was raised in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday.

“It will be enforced as soon as it’s practicable. They can then go smoke in the glass room.”

Nazri, however, added that he was personally not against smoking in the lounge.

The glass room is an unroofed area with glass walls set up a few metres away from the lounge and designated as the smoking section.

Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohamad Ghazali (PAS – Titiwangsa) said she was glad the ruling was being enforced.

“On my first day in Parliament, I told off several MPs. We are not denying them the right to smoke but they should only do so in the smoking section.

“I received so many e-mails and SMSes from my friends voicing support for me and I want this issue to garner as much attention as possible,” she said.

On Monday, Dr Lo’ Lo’ had slammed both backbenchers and opposition MPs for smoking freely within the premises, adding that she had a “culture shock”.

Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN – Kinabatangan), however, said he never lit up anywhere but in the MPs lounge.

“Yes, we cannot smoke everywhere in the Parliament building but we can smoke in the MPs lounge,” he argued. Everyone, he noted, should be free to smoke if they wanted to.

“This issue has been persisting for some 10 to 15 years now,” he said.

Dr Puad Zarkashi (BN – Batu Pahat) said he supported Dr Lo’ Lo’ and as lawmakers, MPs must be role models for the public.

“I hope the press will blow up the issue. I have raised this matter various times when I was in the Dewan Negara,” he said.

New MPs upbeat about duties

Bernama (28/4/08): New members of parliament (MPs) are upbeat about their duties.

Lenggong MP Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said he would defend government policies.

"This is the best opportunity for the MPs to speak in the interest of the people," he told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony here Monday.

Labis MP Chua Tee Yong hoped to pick up the tricks of the trade from senior MPs by mingling with them on his first day in parliament.

"Initially, I'll observe the sitting especially the question-and-answer session before taking part in the debate," he said.

For Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, she would use the sitting of parliament to voice out the grouses of her constituents.

"I'm ready to carry out the task entrusted on me. I will also raise issues affecting the younger generation and the need to improve the systems," she said.

Titiwangsa MP Dr Lo'Lo Mohamad Ghazali said besides focusing on women's issues, she would also highlight the need to address urban poverty.

Lo’ Lo’ blows her top over MPs smoking in Parliament

The Star (13/5/08): A woman MP slammed both backbenchers and Opposition members for smoking in the Parliament building.

Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohamad Ghazali (PAS – Titiwangsa) took everyone by surprise when she stood up to debate the motion of thanks on the royal address to say that she had a huge “culture shock” when the new Parliament session began.

“All the MPs are smoking freely within the premises despite a smoking area being specially prepared for them and this has caused non-smokers to be exposed to smoke containing all kinds of toxins and carcinogenic agents.

“I am talking about both the backbenchers and the Opposition. Under the current government regulations, all government premises are to be smoke-free,” she pointed out, adding that as MPs, they were supposed to be role models.

“This is particularly so when some 50 to 60 teenagers become smokers daily. Malaysians spend an average of RM3mil daily buying cigarettes alone,” said Dr Lo’ Lo’.

Health Ministry officials had previously attempted to enforce the guidelines forbidding smoking within the premises and had even told off some reporters before.

Dr Lo’ Lo’ said the Government should treat nicotine as the country's enemy, and not just drugs.

Later, when debating on the same motion, Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN – Pasir Salak) lightened up the more serious mood in the Dewan when he inadvertently used the wrong Chinese proverb to criticise Khalid Abd Samad (PAS –Shah Alam), whom he had given way to earlier, for “taking more than he deserved” after the latter took the opportunity to bash Umno.

“It’s like the Malay proverb – beri betis nak peha (not satisfied with what one is given). There is also a Chinese proverb – if one leaves him outdoors, he wants to come in.

“When we allow him in, he wants to go in a room, and when he’s in a room, he wants the bed.”

Nga Kar Ming (DAP – Taiping) stood up to tell him that “it’s the wrong proverb”.

Tajuddin also urged the Goverment to “bandar-ise” (urban-ise) rural areas so there would be more jobs in the villages.

Pakatan MPs in solidarity with workers

Malaysiakini TV

Eventful May Day buoyed by Pakatan MPs' support

Malaysiakini (1/5/08)
Watch the 7-minute video in Malaysiakini.tv