"Raja Petra's comments show he is rapidly descending to the level of the likes of Nallakaruppan, Ezam and Zulkifly Nordin the way he is prepared to make completely unsubstantiated scurrilous and mischievous allegations. He purports to produce what on the surface look like believable stories with flourishes of lurid detail. When you examine them closely, we find that key assertions are false." -- Sivarasa Rasiah

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

KENYATAAN AKHBAR

2 Januari 2012

RAJA PETRA PERLU BERI MAKLUMAT LANJUT DAKWAAN RASUAH

Saya terpanggil untuk memberi komen selepas membaca temubual eksklusif bekas rakan reformasi yang juga Penulis Blog, Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) bersama akhbar-akhbar milik UMNO yang disiarkan semalam.

Meskipun saya menghormati hak RPK melakukan analisa politiknya namun saya berasa mushkil dan sesungguhnya hanya beliau seorang sahaja yang mengetahui logik sebenar kenyataan tersebut.

Pada masa yang sama saya percaya rakyat boleh menilai sendiri kenyataan dan dakwaan yang dibuat oleh RPK seperti disiarkan The Sunday Times dan Berita Minggu - dua akhbar yang dulunya pernah mengkritik dan mengutuk RPK secara keras kerana menentang Kerajaan Barisan Nasional.

Walau apapun sebab yang membawa kepada tindakan akhbar-akhbar tersebut bertukar selera serta ghairah memberi keistimewaan kepada RPK, yang pasti RPK harus bertanggungjawab ke atas apa yang beliau telah katakan.

Tuduhan beliau bahawa wujud amalan rasuah di Selangor; duit kopi yang melibatkan para usahawan berbangsa Cina, adalah tuduhan serius. Kami menuntut RPK untuk tampil memberikan butiran lanjut kepada Kerajaan Negeri dan pihak berwajib agar penyiasatan terperinci dapat dilakukan.

Kerajaan Negeri bersedia membayar kos perjalanan RPK ke Pejabat Pentadbiran Kerajaan kerana untuk makluman RPK Kerajaan Negeri Selangor telah memperuntukkan sejumlah RM15 juta untuk membasmi rasuah dan penyalahgunaan kuasa di Negara ini khususnya di Selangor. Jumlah tersebut termasuk di dalam Geran Selangorku yang diumumkan oleh YAB Dato’ Menteri Besar ketika pembentangan Belanjawan 2012 yang lalu.

Sesungguhnya inilah sekecil-kecil jasa yang beliau boleh lakukan untuk membantu kerajaan yang benar-benar mahu membenteras rasuah; apatah lagi beliau sendiri dari darah bangsawan negeri Selangor. RPK tidak seharusnya melemparkan dakwaan liar hanya semata-mata mahu memperlekeh usaha Kerajaan Negeri untuk mewujudkan sebuah pentadbiran yang baik, bersih dan penuh pertanggungjawaban.

Kami sesungguhnya simpati dan amat memahami kekecewaan beliau yang terpaksa hidup dalam buangan di tengah-tengah permasalahan peribadi yang beliau hadapi, tetapi dengan melemparkan dakwaan liar sebegini tidak akan membantu membawanya pulang ke negara ini. Sebaliknya ianya hanya akan mencemarkan lagi imejnya yang sudah sediakala tercalar.

Rata-rata teman reformasi yang sempat dihubungi serta rakyat biasa, telahpun membuat kesimpulan bahawa RPK begitu terdesak serta mengharapkan kebebasan dan dibenarkan pulang ke negara ini. Insuransnya mudah; tohmahan dan fitnah terhadap Kerajaan Negeri Selangor dan Penasihat Ekonomi Negeri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sebagai serangan awal menghadapi pilihan raya umum.

FAEKAH HUSIN

SETIAUSAHA POLITIK KEPADA

YAB DATO’ MENTERI BESAR SELANGOR

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MBPJ denies RPK’s allegations of power abuse

(The Malaysian Insider, 10 January 2012) - The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) denied today claims by Raja Petra Kamarudin that it had outsourced legal matters to PKR lawyers.

“In the matter of appointing a panel of lawyers, the power to appoint is under the jurisdiction of the Commissioner only,” MBPJ public relations officer Zainun Zakaria said today in a press statement.

“Council members may not appoint a law firm but can provide a collective view of the ability and expertise of a law firm to handle cases of the council based on (selected) criteria,” she added.

On Friday, Raja Petra posted details of the purported corruption and conflict of interest in his Malaysia-Today web portal, and had revealed two cases of alleged abuse of power in the state administration.

He named MBPJ councillors Derek Fernandez and Latheefa Koya, MP for Subang R Sivarasa, and PKR vice-president N. Surendran as the group of favoured lawyers.

The controversial blogger had said that the MBPJ’s act of favouritism has caused considerable disquiet among other Pakatan Rakyat councillors.

“It is confirmed that neither Mr Derek Fernandez or his firm Fernandez and Selvarajah are on the list of panel counsel and he has never been awarded any legal work for MBPJ,” Zainun said.

“Mr Fernandez never received any remuneration from the council in providing legal advice. All advice and professional opinion given by Fernandez was provided without charge in respect of the committee meeting related to legal issues,” she added.

Zainun said Surendran and his law firm Edwin, Lim Soh and Suren were also not on MBPJ’s list.

However, she confirmed that Latheefa and Sivarasa’s law firm, Daim and Gamany, is on the council’s panel.

“In relation to (Latheefa Koya and the appointment of Sivarasa from law firm Daim and Gamany)... The MBPJ legal adviser has issued a written statement that since Latheefa is not a partner in the firm and is only an employee, there is no conflict of interest,” she explained.

“(Therefore), Daim and Gamany is included in the panel.”

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RPK’s accusations of Selangor corruption proven to be bunk?

(jelas.info, 7 January 2012) - Humble thanks to all who had kind words about my article.

Allow me to once again offer sincere and heartfelt thanks to The Malaysian Insider for being the first ever to host my column – it’s been a great relationship, they’ve been very good to me, and I bring with me many positive memories.

I’m also feeling good about the move to Malaysiakini, and look forward to walking down some meaningful roads together :)

Around the time my article was published, RPK also published what he said was proof of corruption in Selangor. True to RPK style, it contained quite lurid detail.

Since its publication, I’m glad to note that just about all of the accused have stepped up to set the record straight.

Now, I’m all for weeding out corruption, especially in Pakatan held states. But for corruption to be weeded out, first it has to be true :P

I can’t comment much right now on this Johan Taharin matter, as I have never heard of him. I’m not sure what use being Azmin Ali’s brother-in-law would be though, since Azmin holds no official posts within the Selangor state government structure. Those familiar with PKR politics would probably also doubt his ability to exert undue influence over the current Menteri Besar. If the following accusations are anything to go by, let’s just say it gives plenty of reason to doubt the credibility of the first one.

Allow me to reproduce the rest of the accusations and responses:

READ MORE HERE: http://jelas.info/2012/01/07/rpks-accusations-of-selangor-corruption-proven-to-be-bunk/

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RPK's accusations: What's the motive?

Sivarasa Rasiah, Malaysiakni (9 January 2012)

I refer to Raja Petra Kamarudin's comments on January 6 in the blog Malaysia Today titled "Just do it, not DUIT!" (READ HERE) and the consequent report in the news portal Free Malaysia Today "RPK reveals cases of graft, power abuse in S'gor" (READ HERE).

Raja Petra's comments show he is rapidly descending to the level of the likes of Nallakaruppan, Ezam and Zulkifly Nordin the way he is prepared to make completely unsubstantiated scurrilous and mischievous allegations.

He purports to produce what on the surface look like believable stories with flourishes of lurid detail. When you examine them closely, we find that key assertions are false.

Other assertions remain simply that - pure allegations without evidence. However he is fully aware that the intent of his written comments is to attempt to damage reputations of individuals and smear PKR and Pakatan Rakyat.

Let me reproduce his allegations in respect of myself, Surendran, Derek Fernandez and Latheefa Koya.

"Through the influence of Lateefa (sic) and Derrick (sic), a good chunk of the legal work in MBPJ is diverted to the firms of Sivarasa, Surendran and Derrick" , "legal work dished out by MBPJ legal department is given exclusively to a group of lawyers who are all PKR leaders", "a large amount of legal work to these chosen few".

In one breath, he alleges "exclusivity" to these firms, and then contradictorily says "a good chunk" and "a large amount".

He then suggests that this is corrupt practice or at the very least reflects a conflict of interest.

His assertions that Derek Fernandez and Surendran are doing work for MPBJ are completely false. He can't even get Derek's name and the name of the name of his firm correct.

Derek Fernandez is not even a member of PKR.

Since 2009, my firm M/s Daim & Gamany have been retained by MBPJ to defend it in four cases.

Two cases involved judicial review challenges brought by advertising companies unhappy with its new billboard policy. Two other cases involved a judicial review challenge initiated by a developer unhappy with stop work orders issued by MBPJ and a related civil suit.

The firm is paid according to a scale of fees applicable to all firms retained by it. I believe there are about 14 firms on that list.

Four cases does not amount to the "large amount" or "a good chunk" or the "legal work dished out exclusively to PKR leaders" that Raja Petra alleges.

I believe I am retained by MBPJ to defend it in these cases because judicial review is one of my areas of practice and as a lawyer of 24 years experience, they believe I am competent to defend their interest.

I have no executive role in MBPJ or in the Selangor State government. No question of any conflict of interest arises at all.

Similarly with Latheefa Koya. She practices as a legal assistant with Daim & Gamany. She is also a councillor of MBPJ. Hence she ensures she stays OUT of all meetings and decision making in respect of cases that are referred to my firm.

These issues about my firm receiving work from MBPJ and Latheefa's role were raised two years ago by Wee Choo Keong after he left PKR. MBPJ clarified then that there was no conflict of interest on the part of Latheefa and myself.

A simple check would have verified that. Raja Petra insinuates scurrilously that I seem to have suddenly increased my personal wealth as a result of being given huge amounts of legal work by MBPJ.

His evidence is " Daim & Gamany has moved from their humble office in ‘slum' Masjid India area to a new swank office near MBPJ.

Again, he has got it completely wrong. My firm was in PKNS Wisma Yakin in Jalan Masjid India up to 2005. In that year we moved to Megan Avenue II in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng.

Then in May 2011, we moved to a smaller office in the Maris Brothers premises next to Catholic High School in section 10 PJ.

We currently occupy office space in the form of two rooms about 300 sq ft each. The "new swank office" that Raja Petra describes that Daim & Gamany have can only exist in his malevolent imagination ( Nathaniel Tan has published some useful photos of our office).

I say malevolent because these are matters that are simple to verify by any responsible writer and should have been verified before they were falsely and scurrilously published.

Raja Petra lied similarly when he described Surendran's change of car (again non-existent ) as connected to the non-existent huge work allegedly received from MBPJ post 2008.

Language such as "talk about rags to riches in a blink of an eye" is malicious in intent when asserted either knowingly or reckless that it was false.

These issues about my firm receiving work from MBPJ and Latheefa's role were raised two years ago by Wee Choo Keong after he left PKR.

MBPJ clarified then that there was no conflict of interest on the part of Latheefa and myself. A simple check would have verified that.

Many PKR lawyers are successful practitioners in their own right and are entitled to the income they generate for themselves in that capacity.

What is Raja Petra's motive in wilfully making such malicious accusations? Raja Petra again lies when he says I am paid "tens of thousands a month" as a director on the board of Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor. I am certainly not paid "tens of thousands a month".

That would be immediately obvious from the published accounts of the company. I am paid the same as any other director.

We are paid as professionals for the services we render on the board and in board committees for the responsibilities of helping to manage a public listed company with assets worth several billion ringgit; the amounts we are paid are similar to that paid in similar sized companies or possibly even less.

Look carefully at the allegations, insinuations and innuendo made against Azmin Ali without a shred of real evidence for something his brother has allegedly done.

What is the intent here? Compare the way Rafizi Ramli produced documented fact after fact regarding Sharizat and the National Feedlot Corporation scandal.

Raja Petra, if you have credible evidence of corruption in Selangor, produce it and I am sure MB Khalid and the Pakatan leaders will deal with it.

Raja Petra has said subsequently as follows "PKR needs to prove me wrong. And if I am wrong then I will tender a public apology. Maybe my Deep Throats are wrong. Or maybe they intentionally set me up with a red herring."

No. Petra, it is not so simple. You cannot get it so wrong and then wriggle out of it blaming someone else. As I said above, you maliciously knew it was false or were reckless as to whether it was false.

What you have done since your TV3 interview timed for release just before the 2011 Sarawak State Elections and your recent attacks timed for 1st January 2012 just before the 9th January Anwar verdict shows clearly now a malicious agenda with regard to PR and Anwar.

Would you like to tell us in some detail what is your part of the deal? What's happening to you now is truly a pity. I still remember arguing for your freedom in the habeas corpus case we filed on your behalf in April 2001 after your first ISA arrest with Tian Chua and others.

It's a timely reminder to us that along the difficult road we will all travel in our struggle and battle for justice and democracy that that there will be casualties. We will also have those who will betray the cause.