Malaysiakini :: Letters
Malaysiakini :: Letters |
| 'No, I haven't quit as MoCS leader ... not yet' Posted: 15 Aug 2011 03:29 AM PDT The article below was published in the New Straits Times today under the heading 'Siah quits over failure to oust Taib'. It is fair but not altogether correct. My clarifications are in bold. KUCHING: The Movement of Change Sarawak (MoCS) head Francis Siah has called it quits, a day after a rally he organised to drum up public support to drive Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud out of office failed to materialise. I did not quit that day (Aug 13). I said in our MoCS blog that 'it's time to pass the baton'. So until the MoCS committee meets at a date yet to be decided, I will carry on as the movement's leader. The rally was called off for reasons of public safety and that I did not want to see anyone injured or arrested. Also, key MoCS leaders were served with a restraining order. In a statement yesterday, he announced he was stepping down as head of the movement over the failure. It was not a statement. I did not issue a statement to the NST. The story was written with quotes from my letter posted in our blog. Yes, it is true that I've failed to oust Taib within the 12-month time frame which I set as a challenge for myself. So it is not exactly the movement's agenda which is a long-term struggle for democratic reforms and good governance. He said when he formed the movement on Aug 13 last year, he had stated to the eight initiators of MoCS that he would take a year off from work to head it. Siah said he had set a one-year time frame to lead the organisation, in its bid to oust Taib. He said the deadline came up on Saturday, and he had completed his term despite the organisation's failure. "Now, it's time to pass the baton." Siah also acknowledged that he had come under a lot of criticism from so-called supporters for calling off the rally and was hurt by the insults hurled at him. No, the criticisms were not from MoCS supporters but more from the comments in the web portals and blogs. The majority of our supporters understood my reasons for calling off the Red Rally. Criticisms, which were expected, could possibly be the work of cyber troopers engaged by MoCS's detractors. "It's so easy to instigate and provoke. But where were these people when we needed them? None offered MoCS anything other than mere words. "In their comfort zone, they have started lambasting me in Web portals and blogs. This was expected." He also implied he was not getting any help from "friends" should anything happen to him or the organisation. This last paragraph is incorrect. Of course, we have many friends who have assisted us in various ways over the past year. Otherwise, how could MoCS, as an NGO and voluntary organisation, survived for one whole year? I've contacted NST journalist Desmond Davidson in Kuching. He explained that he actually wrote a longer story but it was edited and 'butchered'. Being a newspaper man, I understand the page constraints of a tabloid like the New Straits Times. Somehow, it must have been over-butchered at the subs desk. That could possibly be the reason for this incorrect final paragraph. |
| Errant 6P 'amnesty' agencies a major scandal Posted: 14 Aug 2011 11:38 PM PDT To Yg Bhg Mahmood Adam, sec-gen Home Ministry Dear Sir, I have read and fully agreed with your article in Star Pg34 (Views) on Saturday Aug 13, where you related 'The Art of Engagement' quoting Helen Keller, "I am only one; but still I am, I cannot do everything but I still can do something, I will not refuse to the something I can do," and also the last phrase of your article, "Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much." But Sir, if you trust the wrong persons to do it, it will be even very damaging to your reputation and career and you may have countless of nightmares after the programme. I do admire your commitment and courage to implement the 6P programme to register illegal immigrants, which you have described and admitted as "massive and messy" in the midst of the poor perception of the people towards the government and its performance. With this 6P registration going to end very soon, I urge you to take serious action against these unscrupulous agents which you have trusted to do the job. You should personally, or ask your enforcement officers, preferably Chinese or Indian (as agencies may suspect Malay officers of being KDN officers), to call these agents at all their branches . There are banners everywhere; please try calling the handphone numbers stated in the banners and if not, call their main office and branch telephone numbers at different locations. The answers you will receive from the handphone numbers and office numbers of their head office and branches are totally different. You can also see that most contact numbers on the banners are handphone numbers, and they will just disappear with the money (RM335 to RM3,500) when the illegal workers are not approved under the pemutihah or legalisaton process. It will turn into an international mockery and laughing stock on your Ministry. The best way for you to expose this is to deploy a team of undercover officers to visit their offices and branches in KL and other states, and pretend to be an employer, and if possible bring along a foreign worker with you. You will then have a clearer and precise view on the ground situation. Please summon your officers to enforce the rules that you have set and arrest these culprits immediately as the registration will end on Aug 21, 2011. It is also very encouraging to hear your boss, Hishammuddin Hussein, who has informed the public that MACC should even check his ministry's staff, Immigration and KDN officers. As we say, transparency should begin in your own house. I salute him for his words but action always speak louder than words. The public and employers want to see action and not press statement after statements with no significant follow up when everybody knows what is going on. Even Star has reported many incidents of such cases. Another figure to note is your relentless deputy Alwi Ibrahim, who has repeatedly warned the 336 agents appointed by your Ministry not to collect the RM300 and just collect the registration fee of RM35, not even one cent more. However, if you care to call up these agencies and pretend to be an employer, you will understand the actual situation on the ground. As a concerned employer, my staff and I have called up and/or visited 60 listed agencies and to my astonishment, out of the 60 agencies, 51 of them told us to pay between RM335 to RM3,500 for an illegal worker registration fee. They impatiently informed me and my staff that it is a package deal and if I refuse to pay, I should go elsewhere to register. The following are the 51 agencies (out of the 60 listed agencies) who had overcharged employers and illegal foreign workers which my staff and I had called and/or visited during the last two weeks:
I believe your enforcement team should be experienced to know how to track and investigate these agencies by portraying as employers and rather than showing up in uniform. During our calls and also visits, we have asked them the reasons for the high fees, and they gave us the followings reasons: 1. High maintenance cost (the system apparently costs them about RM8,000 per month). We are curious and hope you could explain why a computer with webcam and printer costs so much? I think you can get such set at the cost of not more than RM4,000 at any computer shop. 2. As complained by the agents, they have appointed many subagents in various locations and these agents and sub agents do not trust each other and as such, it would be safer to collect the RM300 – RM3,500 (including govt levy and other fees) first instead of waiting for the approval. Some of these agents are individual firms who don't know the rules and only do it for self interest. 3. They claimed that they have to pay some government officers (from KDN, JTK and Immigration) and politicians for approving their license. I believe when you arrest these agents they will be able to name the corrupt government officers and politicians involved. 4. Some complained to us the government policy is not clear and they do not trust the government as the policies always change. We urge you and your team and even the MACC director of investigation Mustafar Ali to immediately investigate these companies mentioned above, and if it is true they had collected more than RM35 for registration fees, please expose these companies in the press and cancel all their licenses, including their other government licenses as they have blatantly defied Alwi Ibrahim and KDN's warnings. Your reputation to make this 6P programme successful is vital as the whole country is looking at your performance, including your boss the minister of home affairs, the prime minister, MACC, NGOs and the rakyat. There may not be many people who are willing to write such a letter to you, but as a responsible citizen, I was attracted by your article in the Star to volunteer and share information for a common responsibility. Many of my peers and association members have complained to the phone number you have mentioned in the press - 03-8886 8110/8112 - but your officers don't even take down the name of companies who had raised their complaints. Sir, I am very sorry to say that what you have preached and what you practise are totally different. We sincerely hope you will act fast to resolve this major corruption scandal. I do not wish to disclose my company identity at this moment but I have already registered my illegal workers with the Immigration Department recently. In order to clear your good name, please act immediately and transparently as you can see this email is copies to the press, media and NGOs. We trust your wisdom in acting fast.
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