Digest on Malaysian News

Badawi like to see Lim Guan Eng back to jail because Badawi the PM thinks he is right. This is regarding the introduction of the open tender system in state of Penang by the ruling DAP party.

The two main cohorts of the PM, that is the press and the police are twisting the issues instead of letting the public know about the real issue.

Lim Guan Eng said that the main stream media like to translate or interpret the opposition press statement. In fact, the press rarely publish press statement from the opposition parties. The main stream media should publish articles to let the public aware of the current corruption practices in Malaysia instead of manipulating it as an opposition agenda.

Lim Guan Eng also said the police are investigating his articles (press statement) that appears on newspapers. The police should be busy investigating the real corruption and other crimes. Lim Guan Eng intention for the open tender system is not a crime but procedures to weed out corruption that have grown wild during the previous Barisan National rule in Penang.

Extracted from: thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/2/nation/20817835&sec=nation (Apr 02, 2008)

Lim: I’m prepared to go to jail

PENANG: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the authorities could take action against him if he had made wrong statements about the open tender system and the New Economic Policy.

“I am prepared to face action of there is anything wrong with my statements,” he said.

Lim said his conscience was clear because the state government was only trying to implement what was outlined in the Federal Government’s financial guidelines.

“I am fully aware that even though I am a Chief Minister today, it does not mean that I will never be jailed again,” said Lim who had been jailed before under the Printing Press Act, Sedition Act and Internal Security Act.

Lim said the implementation of the open tender system for projects worth RM50,000 and above was in accordance with federal guidelines.

“If the Prime Minister thinks that it is not right, then they should amend the financial procedures at their level,” he told a press conference at his office yesterday.

“I have to be prepared to face any possibilities. But my advice (to the media) is please report what I said, which was to stop corruption and do not try to interpret them,”

he said in response to police investigations into articles that appeared in the newspapers.

He regretted that the police were recording statements from the China Press and Nanyang Siang Pau reporters.

“Everything they need to know is clearly stated in the press statements,” he said.

Lim also said that large-scale projects were previously given to one or two names and approved through direct negotiations.

“The people want open tender system. Even the Class F contractors who are all Malays also support the system. It (awarding tenders) should be based on track records and not political cables.”