Nazri: My son is not my wife, he doesn’t tell me what he does

By Clara Chooi

November 01, 2012

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said today he does not see any wrong in his son’s alleged use of a car belonging to Michael Chia, pointing out that Nedim’s relationship with the Sabah timber trader has no connection to his integrity as a Cabinet minister.

Nazri says his son’s relationship with the Sabah timber trader has no connection to his integrity as a Cabinet minister. — File pic

He told reporters that he does not police Nedim’s every movement as the latter is an adult,  adding that if his son was indeed using Chia’s car, it was a personal arrangement between him and Chia.

“I don’t sleep with my son. I am not gay (homosexual). My son is not my wife, my son is not my lover. What he does, he doesn’t tell me.

“That is between my son and Michael Chia. If he (Chia) wants to give [Nedim] a Hummer or a Ferarri, it is Michael Chia’s business... its not like he (Chia) is giving it to me... and I am the minister, not my son,” Nazri told reporters when approached in Parliament today.

“What has he committed, tell me? He is not a minister. Where is the conflict of interest? He is my son,” he added later, when asked if he felt that Nedim had committed an offence by using Chia’s car.

When pushed to reveal if the Hummer that Nedim uses truly belongs to Chia, Nazri waved off the question.
He told reporters that there was no need to do so, pointing out that during Rafizi’s expose today, the PKR leader had distributed many photographs to proof his claim.

“Go ask my son. I cannot be responsible for him... I don’t sleep with him... he sleeps with his wife, he has a kid.

“Whatever he does, I don’t know. I know Michael Chia... but what is wrong with that?” he asked.

Nazri was responding to PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli who had earlier accused him of conflict of interest for allegedly defending Chia when his son, Nedim, has been using a luxury vehicle registered to Chia’s name.

Nazri had recently told Parliament that Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman had been cleared of corruption allegations after anti-graft authorities in Malaysia and Hong Kong found that the RM40 million “political donation” that Chia was accused of attempting to smuggle to Malaysia in 2008 was not for Musa’s personal use but for Sabah Umno’s.

In the ensuing debate, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers chided Nazri for declaring Musa innocent without providing proof that Hong Kong’s anti-graft agency, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), had cleared the chief minister of its own accord.

According to Nazri, the ICAC had closed the case after the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) discovered in its probe that the money in Chia’s possession was meant for Sabah Umno and not Musa.

The minister invited Rafizi to lodge a report against him to the police or the MACC “if I have done any offence”.

“Why should it be a problem? It is between him (Nedim) and Michael,” Nazri said, when reporters asked if Nedim’s use of Chia’s RM500,000 Hummer should be viewed as a problem, particularly due to his status as a Cabinet minister.

Instead, the Padang Rengas MP told reporters to pose the same question to Chia.

“Ask him if its a problem,” he said, smiling.

The minister repeatedly dismissed the matter as trivial, even teasing reporters when they pressed on with their queries by asking, “Why are you so worried?”.

Insisting that the allegation has not shaken him in the slightest bit, Nazri pointed out that a search for his name on Wikipedia would return plenty of other allegations.

“But I am still minister today, my friend. This is not going to hurt me one bit. I don’t think I am going to be affected by gutter politics,” he said.

But Nazri said he has no plans to sue Rafizi for the allegation, cite him for defamation or lodge a report against him for snooping on his family members, saying the PKR leader was not worth the effort.

“I am a rich man, I am powerful, good-looking, wealthy... So what can I do? My son has also asked me - Pa, is it...? (I tell him) Look, you are my son.

“It doesn’t bother me, I am popular... you know, I have film star status here. A celebrity... not a local one but Hollywood level... there is nothing I can do if they want to follow me,” he said.

PM shoots down AES poser

Koh Jun Lin 7:44PM Nov 1, 2012

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today sidestepped questions on the raging debate over the automated enforcement system (AES) for traffic offences.

Instead, he only wanted to field questions on the meeting of the Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council (GSIAC) in which he participated in this morning at Parliament.

Reporter: Can I ask about AES?

Najib: Cannot. Talk about this one first. I will talk about AES later.

Press officer: If there are no other questions, I think that is the end of our press conference today.

Before the Najib entered the press conference room, the same press officer also told reporters to focus on the day’s agenda.

Najib said that the meeting that discussed concerns about non-communicable diseases and food security, and a number of ideas were raised during the meeting.

Unlike previous prime ministers and his cabinet colleagues, free-wheeling press conferences when met at functions are extremely rare.
Malaysiakini had intended to use the opportunity ask him to weigh in on ongoing arguments on AES.

While Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha defends the AES, the controversial enforcement system has been met with opposition from some backbenchers, Pakatan Rakyat MPs, and the public.

Thus far, the four Pakatan Rakyat-led states have suspended the implementation of AES, while PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar urged members of the public not to pay compounds for the summons issued by the system, but bring the matter to court instead.

Penang passes anti-hopping law at state assembly

George Town, Nov.1 - Penang passed an enactment to amend the constitution of the state of Penang by inserting a new article to stop party hopping amongst elected state assemblemen.

The state legislative assembly passed the enactment with a two-third majority when 27 Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen voted for it while four Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen abstained from voting.

The enactment was read three times and voted twice before it was passed.

In the enactment, Article 14A was inserted where an elected state assemblyman will need to vacate his seat if he resigns or is expelled from his party.

However, the state assemblyman may seek re-election in another election for the party.

The only exception will be for a state assemblyman whose party was dissolved or that he had resigned upon election as Speaker.

The enactment was tabled by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Air Putih) who in his speech said the passing of the enactment will mark a historic moment in Penang.

“This enactment will stop this unhealthy and unethical practice of party hopping and to return the power of democracy back to the people,” he said.

He said the enactment was drafted with the cooperation between the Pakatan Rakyat components.

Lim also said the state government is aware that the amendment to the state constitution may be challenged in court but Lim is confident that the state will win the case.

Pakatan persists with NS rally, targets 50,000 supporters

Kuek Ser Kuang Keng 8:55AM Nov 1, 2012

Despite resistance from the local police, Pakatan Rakyat is determined to hold a mega-rally in Seremban this Saturday, hoping to gather 50,000 supporters in this first leg of its nationwide roadshow.

Negeri Sembilan DAP chief Anthony Loke has dismissed Seremban OCPD Saiful Azly Kamaruddin's statement that permit will not be issued for the rally.

"The question of permit does not arise because there is nothing such as a rally permit under the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011. I don't think he (Saiful) knows what he was talking about," Loke said when contacted yesterday.

Saiful reportedly said that police will not give a permit for the rally because the organiser had failed to complete the application form before the deadline.

However, Loke pointed out that the law only requires assembly organisers to inform the police before holding the rally, and Pakatan has done so at least 10 days before the date of the rally.

"The rally will be held at a private empty land. We have obtained verbal permission from the landowner.

"We will proceed with the rally as planned. We do not foresee any problem. We hope the police can give full cooperation," said the Rasah MP.

The vacant land, the size of a football field, is located at Taman Seremban Jaya, about six kilometres southeast of Seremban.

NGOs invited to speak at rally

Loke also elaborated that the mega-rally will kick off a string of roadshows to be held in each state in the run-up to the 13th general election.

The roadshows will culminate in a grand finale scheduled in January next year.

Dubbed ‘People's Uprising Assembly', the rally in Seremban will highlight issues pertaining to public interests in the past one year, including the Lynas rare earth plant, petroleum hub in Pengerang, Johor, electoral reform demands raised by Bersih and the oil royalty demand of the Kelantan government, said Loke.

"We want to combine all forces of the civil society. Representatives from NGOs that champion these issues will also be invited to speak during the rally".

The programme will begin at 4pm with performances and speeches by Pakatan youth leaders, followed by the major ceramah at 8.30pm featuring PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang

Kohilan cannot exonerate himself, says MPS councillor

Kuek Ser Kuang Keng 8:18AM Nov 1, 2012

An incumbent councillor with the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) has refuted Deputy Foreign Minister A Kohilan Pillay's claim that he had played no role in approving the controversial 29-storey condominium near the iconic Batu Caves temple.

According to Kohilan (right), when he was serving as a local councillor in Selayang, he was not part of MPS' One Stop Centre (OSC) which gave the green light to the project.

However, MPS councillor Lee Khai Loon said that all approvals from the OSC must be endorsed by the council before the projects can be executed.

Lee said the role of the OSC in the local council was to facilitate the application process for development projects and cut down on red tape.

"Usually, there are three to four councillors in the OSC. Representatives of other government agencies also sit in it."

However, Lee stressed that all approvals by the OSC must be endorsed by the full board meeting of the MPS, consisting of all the councillors, before the projects can be implemented.

"Applications approved by the OSC are not final without the endorsement of the full board meeting. They will not be valid and cannot be executed," he told Malaysiakini when contacted yesterday.

Kohilan told Malaysiakini on Tuesday that he had nothing to do with the approval of the Dolomite condominium project because he did not sit on the OSC during his tenure as MPS councillor.

"I was only a councillor. It was not me who gave the approval. It was the OSC in the council that gave the approval. I was not involved," Kohilan  had said.

Lee (right) pointed out that even if Kohilan did not sit in the OSC, there were other BN councillors in it, representing the ruling coalition at that time.

"Did the other BN councillors in the OSC raise questions then?

"The full board meeting might have overlooked the project and approved it as there could have been too many project approvals to be endorsed. But why didn't they raise the issue after that?

"The shophouses, which are part of the development project, have already been completed, but we did not see them protesting before last week," Lee said.

Kohilan was an MPS councillor for 11 years, serving from 1997 to 2008.

Police reports lodged

The plan for the massive condominium project near the iconic Sri Subramaniar Temple in Batu Caves grabbed the spotlight after the temple committee, backed by MIC top guns including former president S Samy Vellu, led a protest against the Selangor government last Friday.

However, Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu subsequently revealed documents to show the BN government had in 2007 approved the condominium project - considered by many to be an eyesore to the locality - when it controlled Selangor.

Liu was reported as saying that Kohilan and Hulu Selangor MP P Kamalanathan were among those responsible for approving the condominium project.

However, both Kohilan and Kamalanathan have denied the accusation and lodged police reports on the matter.

Kong defends outsourcing of AES

Lee Long Hui 2:42PM Nov 1, 2012

Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha today defended the government’s decision to outsource the Automated Enforcement System (AES) to two private companies, saying it was due to several factors.

He justified the decision not to let the Road Transport Department carry out the enforcement instead of privatising it because the government had considered the costs and human resources involved, as well as the management expertise of ATES Sdn Bhd and Beta Tegap Sdn Bhd.

“There are other countries who also outsource (a similar system to private companies), (it is) not subcontracted.

“This is partly because of the costs involved, and also the amount of manpower, and I think it’s also the expertise of the (companies’) management,” said Kong (right) in a press conference after launching the World Maritime Day 2012 event at the Maritime Transport Training Institute in Port Klang today.

Despite the AES having received heavy criticism from both the ruling parties and the opposition, as well as the people, Kong said that he could not decide on his own whether the cabinet should review it.

“I cannot make any unilateral decision on that,” he added.

[More to follow]

Hummer shows Nazri-Chia links, says PKR sleuths

Koh Jun Lin & Kow Gah Chie 2:40PM Nov 1, 2012

De facto Law Minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz has been accused of acting in conflict of interest when he told Parliament that businessman Michael Chia had been cleared of corruption charges, because they appear to be friends.

The link between the duo is in form of a black Hummer SUV, which retails at over RM459,000, that is owned by Chia and may have been used by Nazri's eldest son Nedim.

This claim was made by PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli today, who furnished a copy of a traffic ticket which stated the owner as Chia Tien Woh and photographs to show that the vehicle was frequently spotted at the condo where Nedim lives (photo below).

“Here you have a very high profile corruption and money-laundering case previously involving one chief minister and several jurisdictions, and the very person who cleared the Sabah chief minister’s and Chia’s name is the very minister on whom we have found evidence that his family had received ... benefits from Chia.

“If this is not (graft), I don’t know what it is. At the very least, there is a question of conflict of interest where he should take political and moral responsibility,” he said during a press conference at the Parliament lobby.

Following this, reporters immediately rushed to Nazri's office for comments, where he denied any conflict of interest.

Nazri explained that his written reply to Parliament on the matter came from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), and neither answers to him.

In addition, he said what happens between Chia and his son is none of his business because the latter is already an adult.

However, he did admit that he does know Chia personally and had once travelled to Dubai together, but at his own expense.

[More to follow