IPOH, Jan 6 – The Perak Barisan Nasional government has decided to kick off 2010 by launching the first attack of the year against its Pakatan Rakyat foes.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, who until recently had chosen to remain silent amid the series of attacks made against his government, today issued a warning to his predecessors in PR: “I will prove to the rakyat what you have done during your time.”
The state leader told a press conference after chairing the first state executive council meeting of the year this afternoon that the BN government was busy collecting evidence that would mar the supposedly pristine-clean reputation of the former PR government.
Zambry said this in response to the recent allegation made against his administration by a PKR assemblyman that Umno had given itself a quota in the distribution of land for the poor under a planned village programme in Gopeng.
While denying that it was the BN government’s practice to allocate land to its cronies, Zambry also hinted that the PR government, during its reign, had been no angels.
“We have some evidence that we are collecting and we will prove this. I can show you the evidence soon,” he said.
Zambry hinted that during PR’s rule, names of those who were eligible to receive land allocations had been wrongfully removed from lists.
“I have always said this – those who are eligible to receive these plots, especially the poor, should receive them.
“If an area is allocated for the poor, for example, then we must make sure that they receive it without looking at the party flags or colours or race. If they are poor, then they must receive, but I can tell you…” he said, then paused and smiled at the media.
He stressed that he was not being an advocate of corrupt practices and said that he was not trying to defend anyone.
“I want to be categorically clear on this – I am not defending anyone who misuses their powers or their positions.
“But I tell you, I cannot accept those who do not follow proper procedures whether or not they are from the government side or they are politicians. We do not want anyone, someone or any party to change the names of the lots supposed to be given to certain individuals or groups who are eligible just because there is a change of government,” he said.
When asked if he was accusing the former PR administrators of removing names of eligible participants under planned village programmes and inserting the names of their cronies, Zambry merely smiled and said, “You will see.”
He said he had tasked senior state executive councillor Datuk Hamidah Osman to collect the evidence.
“Some people speak of justice, that during their time, their government was so much better but we are going to prove otherwise.
“Time will tell. I will show you because they are the ones who challenged us. They claim they are sinless, that they are the perfect human beings who never perform injustices upon others. They say that it is only the BN that performs injustices but I am going to prove to the rakyat what they have done,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zambry vehemently denied that his government had ever practised giving out land meant for the poor to its party cronies.
“It was never a practice of ours to include a quota in the allocation of land meant for the poor. That was why I was so shocked when it was displayed like that,” he said.
When the matter cropped up late last year, it was revealed that a total of 40 out of the 127 plots of land under the Sungai Itek planned village programme had been allocated to ten Gopeng Umno division committee members and to BN-appointed village chiefs.
As the allocation was supposed to be distributed to the squatters, the poor and the landless, PKR assemblyman for Teja Chang Lih Kang, had decided to lodge a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
Hamidah, who is also the Gopeng Wanita Umno chief, had however claimed that this practice was not normal and that the quota had been wrongfully prepared by the Kampar district officer Ahmad Kamarulzaman Hamzah.
When contacted later however, Ahmad Kamarulzaman had claimed that the quota allocation was actually made so that the 40 Umno members and the village chiefs could help the land office identify the poor and the landless and subsequently distribute the plots to those eligible.
When asked if action would be taken against Ahmad Kamarulzaman for creating the quota, Zambry said: “I have directed the issue to the State Secretary to handle. He will be looking into it.”
State Secretary Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Hashim told The Malaysian Insider later that he would come up with a decision within a week or two.

Zambry vows to prove Pakatan wrongdoings

ZAMBRY ABDUL KADIR

IPOH, Jan 6 – The Perak Barisan Nasional government has decided to kick off 2010 by launching the first attack of the year against its Pakatan Rakyat foes.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, who until recently had chosen to remain silent amid the series of attacks made against his government, today issued a warning to his predecessors in PR: “I will prove to the rakyat what you have done during your time.”

The state leader told a press conference after chairing the first state executive council meeting of the year this afternoon that the BN government was busy collecting evidence that would mar the supposedly pristine-clean reputation of the former PR government.

Zambry said this in response to the recent allegation made against his administration by a PKR assemblyman that Umno had given itself a quota in the distribution of land for the poor under a planned village programme in Gopeng.

While denying that it was the BN government’s practice to allocate land to its cronies, Zambry also hinted that the PR government, during its reign, had been no angels.

“We have some evidence that we are collecting and we will prove this. I can show you the evidence soon,” he said.

Zambry hinted that during PR’s rule, names of those who were eligible to receive land allocations had been wrongfully removed from lists.

“I have always said this – those who are eligible to receive these plots, especially the poor, should receive them.

“If an area is allocated for the poor, for example, then we must make sure that they receive it without looking at the party flags or colours or race. If they are poor, then they must receive, but I can tell you…” he said, then paused and smiled at the media.

He stressed that he was not being an advocate of corrupt practices and said that he was not trying to defend anyone.

“I want to be categorically clear on this – I am not defending anyone who misuses their powers or their positions.

“But I tell you, I cannot accept those who do not follow proper procedures whether or not they are from the government side or they are politicians. We do not want anyone, someone or any party to change the names of the lots supposed to be given to certain individuals or groups who are eligible just because there is a change of government,” he said.

When asked if he was accusing the former PR administrators of removing names of eligible participants under planned village programmes and inserting the names of their cronies, Zambry merely smiled and said, “You will see.”

He said he had tasked senior state executive councillor Datuk Hamidah Osman to collect the evidence.

“Some people speak of justice, that during their time, their government was so much better but we are going to prove otherwise.

“Time will tell. I will show you because they are the ones who challenged us. They claim they are sinless, that they are the perfect human beings who never perform injustices upon others. They say that it is only the BN that performs injustices but I am going to prove to the rakyat what they have done,” he said.

Meanwhile, Zambry vehemently denied that his government had ever practised giving out land meant for the poor to its party cronies.

“It was never a practice of ours to include a quota in the allocation of land meant for the poor. That was why I was so shocked when it was displayed like that,” he said.

When the matter cropped up late last year, it was revealed that a total of 40 out of the 127 plots of land under the Sungai Itek planned village programme had been allocated to ten Gopeng Umno division committee members and to BN-appointed village chiefs.

As the allocation was supposed to be distributed to the squatters, the poor and the landless, PKR assemblyman for Teja Chang Lih Kang, had decided to lodge a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

Hamidah, who is also the Gopeng Wanita Umno chief, had however claimed that this practice was not normal and that the quota had been wrongfully prepared by the Kampar district officer Ahmad Kamarulzaman Hamzah.

When contacted later however, Ahmad Kamarulzaman had claimed that the quota allocation was actually made so that the 40 Umno members and the village chiefs could help the land office identify the poor and the landless and subsequently distribute the plots to those eligible.

When asked if action would be taken against Ahmad Kamarulzaman for creating the quota, Zambry said: “I have directed the issue to the State Secretary to handle. He will be looking into it.”

State Secretary Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Hashim told The Malaysian Insider later that he would come up with a decision within a week or two.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/48709-zambry-vows-to-prove-pakatan-wrongdoings-