Bersih: Najib’s conduct unbecoming

Anisah Shukry | April 5, 2013

Bersih co-chair S Ambiga slams the prime minister for breaching caretaker government guidelines by announcing RM8 billion worth of projects.

PETALING JAYA: Bersih 2.0 today slammed Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for announcing three major projects in Cyberjaya this morning totalling about RM8 billion, just days after he dissolved the Parliament to pave the way for the general election.
Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga said that his actions clearly breached the guidelines for a caretaker government which the coalition for clean and fair elections had unveiled yesterday.

“This is precisely what they cannot do, which is entering into big contracts. If you go according to the guidelines this is a clear breach,” said the former Bar Council president.

It is stated in Bersih’s guidelines that a caretaker government cannot “lay foundation stones etc., of projects or schemes of any kind; or make any new promises of construction of infrastructure or the carrying out of public projects”.

The guidelines are adopted from the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom, the Australian Capital Territory, the Election Commission of India, and the Inter Parliamentary Union, the last which Malaysia is a member of.

But at a mosque ground-breaking ceremony in Cyberjaya today, Najib revealed three projects designed to meet Cyberjaya’s future demands: A RM6 billion Cyberjaya city centre, a RM600 million environmental-friendly mosque and a RM1.02 billion mixed development project.

“Soon, there will be a time for us to realise these lovely ideas,” the prime minister was quoted as saying by the media.

Undemocratic
Ambiga today promised that their special committee would look into Najib’s apparent breach of their guidelines.

If the committee deems him guilty, he will be blacklisted on the Bersih website as a warning for voters, joining potential candidates Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Defence Minister Zahid Hamidi.

Bersih steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah said that the committee would meet next Wednesday to look over the blacklist, and reveal the names the same week.

Like Ambiga, she stressed that Najib’s conduct today “certainly” went against their guidelines and hit out at him for being “undemocratic”.

“Why are you using the rakyat’s money and getting contracts when you’re not even sure you will make up the incumbent government?” asked Maria.

“Najib should not be making new decisions for the coming government. He should not even assume he’s going to lead the new government.

“Strictly speaking, if you’re talking about international standards, this should not be happening,” she added.