How should we judge a government?

In Malaysia, if you don't watch television or read newspapers, you are uninformed; but if you do, you are misinformed!

"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." - Malcolm X

Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience - Mark Twain

Why we should be against censorship in a court of law: Publicity is the very soul of justice … it keeps the judge himself, while trying, under trial. - Jeremy Bentham

"Our government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no
responsibility at the other. " - Ronald Reagan

Government fed by the people

Government fed by the people

Career options

Career options
I suggest government... because nobody has ever been caught.

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?
Corruption is so prevalent it affects English language?

When there's too much dirt...

When there's too much dirt...
We need better tools... to cover up mega corruptions.

Prevent bullying now!

Prevent bullying now!
If you're not going to speak up, how is the world supposed to know you exist? “Orang boleh pandai setinggi langit, tapi selama ia tidak menulis, ia akan hilang di dalam masyarakat dan dari sejarah.” - Ananta Prameodya Toer (Your intellect may soar to the sky but if you do not write, you will be lost from society and to history.)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Attempting Petronas Jigsaw puzzle

Most of us have been barking up the wrong tree when we call on Petronas CEO to reveal more of Petronas accounts. According to former UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Datuk Param Cumaraswamy:

"It is bad enough vesting the exclusive irrevocable ownership of the nation’s lucrative natural resources like oil in a single corporation when in fact it should be vested with the people. But vesting the exclusive control of Petronas with the prime minister of the day is mind-boggling. This power is personal to him. He does not have to even consult the cabinet. Whatever directions he gives from time to time are binding on Petronas which must comply. What is most appalling is that even if the prime minister’s directions are contrary to the laws of the country, Petronas must comply. Under the Interpretation Act and the Federal Constitution "written law" includes the federal and state constitutions. Hence, even if the prime minister’s directions are contrary to the federal and state constitutions Petronas must comply. Technically even if the prime minister’s directions violate the penal laws of the country, Petronas must comply!" His article in full:
http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=23351

With this in mind, we should ask for, or perhaps someone should choose it as a dissertation for his or her Masters degree, details in the following format:
Prime Ministers: Tun Razak/Tun Hussein Onn/Tun Dr. Mahathir/Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi
Periods in service:since Petronas 17.08.74 to 13.01.76/13.01.76 to 15.07.81/15.07.81 to 31.10.03/ to date
Roughly (number of years): 2 / 5 / 22 / 4 = 33 years
For each year (easier for public, adjust to calendar year if accounts made to 31 March) show:
Revenue (as detailed as possible where public can relate number of barrels produced to prevailing oil prices)
Profit before tax
Tax (goes to the Government)
Profit after tax
Dividends (goes to the Government)
Retained profits (with the company)

Government would have received from Petronas:
Any tax imposed on oil revenues
Tax on yearly profits
Dividends declared yearly

It would then be the responsibility of the CEO to reveal if any substantial amounts included in expenditure which can be considered to be not related to the oil business and actually 'national service' as instructed by the PM of the day. According to him, accounts were published for the past 18 years, which are likely to be from 1990 to 2007. This meant accounts were not published since inception in 1974 to 1989.

The public would then expect the current PM to reveal all the monies received in the form of taxes and dividends from Petronas over the years and what they were spent on. For now, even figures from November 2003 to March 2008 would be greatly appreciated.

For someone with the privilege of immunity from OSA, it does not make sense for him to make the following statement as reported in The Star:

Khairy said Petronas had been tasked with safeguarding the nation’s most important natural resource on behalf of the people and, "therefore, should be held to a higher level of scrutiny.

He claimed that the summarised financial figures found in Petronas’s annual report did not meet this higher level of scrutiny.

"I would suggest that Petronas commits itself to greater transparency and accountability by agreeing to give a special briefing to all MPs on the company’s corporate activities and financial position, and open the briefing to questions from the floor.

"This would provide the MPs, and therefore the public at large, with a more meaningful insight into Petronas apart from the financial summaries that are currently available to the public,” Khairy added.

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