Nothing came of BYOB police report

Nothing came of BYOB police report

Published on: Sunday, April 30, 2017

By Joshua Y C Kong
SABAH Environment Protection Association (SEPA) forged a smart partnership with the government through the State Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry to form EAC in 1997 with the aim of initiating a joint responsibility between the government and the people to carry out environmental activities that can contribute towards enhancing environmental quality.

Unfortunately this smart partnership had run aground when a police report was made by sepa in April, 2015, after the due process of settlement of an accounting function of EAC failed and the police report appears to have not been pursued after two years.

I had been the founder member of Sepa since 1984 together with Mayor Datuk Yeo and an EAC member since 1997 with much concern in environment.

This ongoing “crisis” on Bring Your Own Bags (BYOB) is indeed a black mark for environment activities for a few years since BYOB was implemented.

The joint project of Sepa with the Ministry in BYOB was reported to have collected a lot of money, probably RM1 million.

The crux of the “crisis” was that the accounts of the BYOB project had not been audited for years.

There is an allegation that the said money had not been properly accounted for while there was a shakeup in the management team of BYOB.

Just in passing, I wonder why a report on page 2 of Daily Express on 17 April, 2017 headed “Hidden Accounts: NGO under probe” after a police report was lodged with the name of the NGO not disclosed.

Joshua Y C Kong

Sabah's 400 islands need urgent attention over security

Sabah’s 400 islands need urgent attention over security

The Defence Minister Hishammuddin was speaking after launching the Eastern and Western Fleet base in conjunction with the Royal Malaysian Navy's 83rd anniversary held at the Sepanggar Naval Base here, on Thursday 27^th April, 2017.

Also present was Navy Chief Admiral Tan Sri Tan Sri Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin, among others.

"The list of assets we have set in Sabah, what our plans are for the security of Sabah, all this has nothing to do with politics. We consider Sabah as part of Malaysia and we will defend every inch of Sabah by any power available to us," said Hishammuddin, who is also Special Functions Minister.

The Navy chief Admiral Ahmad said "We will improve in terms of capabilities, manpower and also assets, but it will be implemented in stages."  "We can see, the existing vessels we have anchored in front of us, which also directly ensure that we provide the best response to ensure the safety of Sabah and Sarawak's waters.

"However, the responsibility should be shared by everyone, people can play a role by being our eyes and ears so that information can be delivered quickly and accurately," Ahmad said.

I think every Malaysian especially Malaysians/Sabahans in Sabah are very concerned about the security in Sabah not only in Esszone but the whole of Sabah especially what we learned from those threatening demographic development in Sabah for decades in the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrants Sabah (RCI IIS).

It is known Sabah has 400 islands around our coast of various sizes with the bigger ones of up to 600 acres.   The transient residents of these islands and many hundreds of thousands of “Trojan horses” within mainland Sabah could really pose grave security hazards to the State for sometimes already.  Some of these islands could be transit points for the criminals including fishing intruders from the neighbouring countries.

The level of threats from the transient residents in those island is unknown at the moment.  But search for some information in websites produced a disturbing important message. Mengalum Island was in the news spotlight recently this year for a sunken Catamaran with 28 Chinese tourists and 3 crews.  A search for that island came out with a message that Mengalum Island is not a tourist resort.  Also the message dated 8 November, 2014 ** left by a foreign tourist exposed that “We were not allowed to swim in the ocean due to sting rays and there was not a designated swim area. We were told it could be dangerous to wander too far down the beach and not to go out of sight of staff due to the Philippine fishermen living on the other side of the island.”

It is better to be cautious rather than complacent, and so I urge the navy and MMEA to ensure if all our islands are safe without dubious people occupying such islands?  Also some quarters have told me the outlying islands in the west coast of Sabah are occupied by “outsiders”.  Isn’t Gaya Island so near to KK city also occupied by dubious citizens as squatters houses may have “mushroomed” again? 

Would the prevailing naval assets be adequate to deal with 400 islands in Sabah?

Joshua Y. C Kong, 1 May, 2017     

**https://www.tripadvisor.com.my/ShowUserReviews-g298307-d798285-r238706465-Mengalum_Tours_Dive_Resort-Kota_Kinabalu_Kota_Kinabalu_District_West_Coast_Divisi.html#

New King must put the house in order.

New King must put the house in order.

Legally according to articles 39 and 40 of the “Malaysia’s Constitution”, executive power is vested in the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Such power may be exercised by him personally only in accordance with Cabinet advice (except where the Constitution allows him to act in his own discretion) (Art. 40), the Cabinet, any minister authorised by the Cabinet, or any person authorised by federal law.

With this legal background, the new King, His Majesty then took his Oath of Installation, pledging among other things to perform his duties in accordance with the laws and constitution, and to protect Islam at all times.

“I will hereby rule Malaysia in a fair manner in accordance with the law and the country’s constitution and uphold at all times the religion of Islam and stand firm for a just government and peaceful country," he read the proclamation.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V also said quality human capital is the key to the success of Malaysia in the future. He said only with quality human capital could people improve their productivity and competitiveness as well as explore and exploit the country’s advantages and resources.

“I also hope the other Rulers will give their views and advice to ensure that Malaysia continues to uphold the sovereignty of Constitutional Monarchy in this blessed land,” Sultan Muhammad V said.

Pondering deep into such statements by the new King No. 15 on 24 April, 2017 and to help His Majesty to fulfil his duties to the letter of the “Constitution” and the spirit of Malaysia in both the Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963, I would like to direct His Majesty to many anomalies in the “Malaysia or Malaya Constitution” as amended so many times since 1957 / 1963 with respects to Sabah and Sarawak and Malaya.  Most of those major amendments could be bias against Sabah and Sarawak causing lop-sidedness in the nation’s laws like Sabah and Sarawak were reduced to states in 1976’s major amendment in Parliament instead of 3 or 4 nations in 1963 at the formation of Malaysia.  There are so many amendments in the “Constitution” be it Malaysia or Malaya and so much so much confusions had arisen with great disadvantages and disparities to Sabah and Sarawak in one nation Malaysia.  Since His Majesty has pledged to conform to the “Constitution” and not the sacred “original” one, I hope the new King would call a Royal Commission Inquiry on the prevailing “Constitution” to put the house of Malaysia in good and proper order.

Legally this is his Government and he had delegated it to the appointed Prime Minister and if his PM does not advice for an RCI on the Constitution proper, His Majesty should do it now.

Going from there, His Majesty has indeed a much greater burden in  his hand to “drain the swamp” in Putrajaya as we have come to observe that the present Government under the King has failed the nation in many aspects especially massive corruption and mismanagement/ bad governance after 60/54 years.  The obvious one is that vision 2020 is now “distorted” and a new vision 2050 is in the pipeline.  The King must be very much concerned why the perfect vision of 2020 is now abandoned.

The new King has also said that quality human capital is the key to the future in Malaysia and yet we know that foreigners including massive illegal people from various nations were given Project ICs to remain in the nation with impunity.  With this kind of scenario, how can quality human capital be attainable when the locals are side lined or marginalised and even be demoralised in many aspects.  We had a Royal commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants in Sabah (RCI IIS) since 2012 with the abridged version of the Report on 4^th December, 2014.  Then the process of dealing with the illegal immigrants including those millions given Project ICs (much denied/silent then in the said Report) and at variances at the RCI proper hearing in 2013 were passed on to two “high power” working committees in 2015 at national and state levels.  Today 24 April, 2017 at the time of Installation of His Majesty, we have yet to hear of any positive results on the positive actions of the RCI IIS.  So my dear King, this is for you to perform as part and parcel of “draining the swamp.”

The new King also indicated that he will uphold the “peaceful” (my addition) religion of Islam and stand firm for a just government and peaceful country. Is the Government really just with all those things going on (including the few items amongst many I have listed above) in the nation under the Barisan National ruling coalition of UMNO and the rest?  Do we really have real peace in the country as prevailing in the country when a large junk of the people could be suffering for all sort of reasons?

I hope the King as the Chief executive of the nation would put the house in order considering that Malaysia Agreement 1963 must be adhered to in the letter and the spirit thereof albeit 54 years belatedly. Prompt and positive actions on good governance long overdue are very much desirable.

Joshua Y. C. Kong  27/4/2017

We are heading to oblivion

We are heading to oblivion.

Sabah Environment Protection Association (SEPA) forged a smart partnership with the government through the State Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry to form EAC in 1997 with the aim of initiating a joint responsibility between the government and the people to carry out environmental activities that can contribute towards enhancing environmental quality.

Unfortunately this smart partnership had run aground when a Police Report was made by SEPA in April, 2105 after the due process of settlement of an accounting function of EAC failed and the Police Report appears to have not been pursued after 2 years.

I had been the founder member of SEPA since 1984 together with Mayor Datuk Yeo and an EAC member since 1997 with much concern in environment and this ongoing “crisis” on Bring Your Own Bags (BYOB) is indeed a black mark for environment activities for a few years since BYOB was implemented. The joint project of SEPA with the Ministry in BYOB was reported to have collected very much money of up to RM1m or lesser sums as reported in the press.

The crux of the “crisis” was that the accounts of BYOB project had not been audited for years.  There is an allegation that the said money had not been properly accounted for while there was a shakeup in the management team of BYOB. 

As it is with the alleged missing Tun Fuad Foundation since 1980s without any answer or off the radar, BYOB under EAC is in similar straits like “missing in action” even only very recent event.  

Just in passing, I wonder why a press article in page 2 of Daily Express on 17 April, 2017 headed “ Hidden Accounts: NGO under probe” after a Police Report was lodged with the name of NGO missing?

So I hope appropriate action by taken to bring the “crisis” in BYOB to a resolution to enhance environment activities especially now we the State Policies on the Environment just launched on 13 April, 2017 at the Sabah Legislative Assembly. We need to bring back the confidence of the public in all environment matters.

Joshua Y C Kong. 18/4/2017