Friday, May 16, 2008

Poor, Poor Terengganu....

I tell you, if I were a Terengganu-an, I'd be really, really mad.

And I'm not but I feel so angry that about RM3.3b (in oil royalty) did not reach Terengganu from 2004 to 2007. Or did it? If so, how come it's not accounted for?

Read this and this.

Whatever the picture is, it is not pretty.

Can you imagine how much could have been done for the rakyat in those 3 years, even if a small percentage of that amount had been used to develop the state?

I was with a Terengganu "native" this entire morning and he said he was "very very angry".

"It's daylight robbery", he said, holding back his emotion.

He said any Terengganu Member of Parliament worth his salt should demand for answers in the Dewan Rakyat!

I'd like to know too!

11 comments:

Nizam said...

betul tu, setuju apa yang nuraina katakan, sudah siang lagikan bersuluh.

Anonymous said...

kak ina..it should be 3.3B...not 3.3 M, refer to 2nd paragraph, first line...

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

1f34:

thanks..i hv corrected it.

Anonymous said...

I placed my question on this issue in many of the blogs (Lim Kit Siang, Rocky's own blog, The People's Parliamment, elizabeth wong, tony pua) but no one bothered to enlighten me till Din Merican took up the question. This was my initial question:

"Wang Ehsan -RM3.76 Billion channelled thru UMNO Terengganu - Rocky Bru”s blog:

Can someone answer my query.

Is this monstrous sum of money just to be allowed to disappear just like this? Is it something just for bloggers to write about and shout about? Is there no recourse that is opened to the rakyat? Can’t this be brought up in the parliament? Cant’ the newly-minted MPs from both sides of the aisle do something about it? PAC, NGOs, Auditor-general, anyone? Does it mean the perpetrators will be allowed to go scot-free?"

Din Merican's answer:
________

Novice 101,

This answer(s) can be provided by the Government in power, especially to the Prime Minister, to whom PETRONAS reports its activities and financial status. In Terengganu, Idris Jusoh (whose close associate, I am told, is a certain Patrick Lim aka Badawi) should asked to appear before an inquiry commission to answer questions regarding Terengganu’s Wang Eshan, the Monsoon Cup, etc.

We need an accountable and open government.That is why Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is talking about introducing a Freedom of Information Act and doing away with the so-called Official Secrets Act (OSA) under which the BN hides from us. Malaysians have a right to know and must be given the information to make intelligent judgement and choices.

The Public Accounts Committee, once headed by Shahrir Samad, is severely constrained. It must have a good professional staff to help in its work. Right now, it has to depend on the Auditor-General who can be political (exceptions being Tan Sri Ambrin Buang and his mentor, the Late Tan Sri Ahmad Noordin). Yes, civil society organizations can help in mobilising public opinion. Our MPs can raise issues and questions, but the government in power can ignore, or answer them evasively.

I think a new government led by Anwar Ibrahim can transform the business of government. We need open and truly accountable government and that cannot be provided by the present corrupt and incompetent Barisan Nasional leaders.—Din Merican.

My plea to Din Merican:

Mr. Merican,

Thank you very much for throwing light on the wnag ehsan issue. The amount should be RM7.6 billion and not RM3.6billion as stated.

The repeal of the so-called Official Secrets Act should then be one of the priorities on the PR’s agenda. ‘Bloody murders’ had been committed and they got away scot-free hiding under the OSA.

The public is generally not that interested in such abuses, so, it falls on people like you, who have the avenues to reach a wide audience, to help keep this issue alive. Please help mobilise public opinion so that such gross abuses are not perpetuated.

In your contacts with the PR MPs, please get them to keep hammering away on this issue, don’t let it fade away. Please keep it in the public consciousness till the wrong are righted.

The government may try its best to ignore and evade the issue, let us keep pursuing them till they slip.

________
Novice 101, my colleagues in Parliament read my blog and they use it to obtain feedback. That is why I encourage Malaysians to send me their comments. Thanks for your inputs.—Din Merican

Anonymous said...

Asmk Nuraina
Saya orang Terengganu. To me, the “daylight robbery” was committed way back in 2000, when “they” took away the Oil Royalty money from PAS state-government. Later, BN had the cheek to say that PAS was not able to deliver anything during their rule!!! And the way the so-called Wang Ehsan was spent by the UMNO people during those years, was very questionable.

God is Great.

Anonymous said...

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind..
the answer is blowing in the wind...
Bob Dylan..

only this time the answer is in the monsoon....hehhehe.. jangan mareh..

Anonymous said...

Kak

I was following the Terengganu "wang ehsan" ever since the MB of Terengganu insisted that the money be given directly to the state government, and not through some other machinery.

And since then, it's been issue after issue on the "Wang ehsan" that was supposed to have gone to the government of T'ganu.

This latest one is most scandalous. I wonder what the Terengganu-ans have to say about this.

I believe that they gave BN the ruling power in their state again after the one-term under PAS because the Fed Govt didn't fund them, and they weren't seeing enough development. But it seems (now) that after BN gained power again in T'ganu, the money from the Fed Govt was still not fed back to the state.

Where did the money go? And when will this money finally reach the state govt and its people?

As you've said, any MP hailing from T'ganu should demand for answers. In fact, all the MPs should demand for answers. It's not a small sum, and it has all to do with the well-being of the people in T'ganu.

The ACA might want to look into this as well.

Anonymous said...

these are the same people that hides behind the OSA and NEP to enrich themselves. As a Malaysian, I feel for those poors, who are primarily Malays, in Terengganu. Ironically, these are the same people the Government has proclaimed that must be protected at all cost via NEP. How sad when GREED is allowed to swept everything away, even human dignity

Anonymous said...

Wang Ehsan was the creation of TDM. His excuse was that PAS government may abuse the oil royalty then.

See what is happening now to Wang Ehsan managed by UMNO?

Who to be blamed?

LOUIS LIM said...

Perhaps part of this hoard went to contributing to BN's war chest in the recent GE to keep PAS out?
It is a bit late for the Trengganu folks to grouse over how the money was spent or not spent for the state's welfare and development. They chose to return BN to power, so why moan and groan now whenthey had the chance to nail the culprits?

Anonymous said...

Aiyah, this was happening for the LAST 5 long years, now only asking, too late lah ! the money has already been SPENT , forget it lah ! still got more money coming what & lagi banyak cos the price is up to us$123/= a barrel, 5% WOW tak boleh habis one !!