KUALA LUMPUR: The Budget, scheduled to be tabled on Oct 28, will now be held earlier.

It is now expected to be presented in the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 7 – three weeks earlier than scheduled.

The Cabinet, which met on Friday (Aug 26), was informed of the decision by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The decision is regarded as an indication that the general election will be held soon.

Barisan Nasional officials, in reacting to the news, said the Parliament could be dissolved after the Budget is tabled.

Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz will present the Budget when the Dewan meets again on Oct 3.

Following the Cabinet’s directive, the next step will be to inform Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun, who needs at least 28 days to inform the Members of Parliament of the new date.

The decision to hold an earlier Budget is being made ahead of the special Umno meeting on Saturday (Aug 27) where leaders are expected to push for a general election to be held soon.

The present Parliament term ends in July 2023.

Barisan leaders said Parliament could be dissolved after the Budget is tabled.

”Political developments are moving very fast as the GE tempo will now be accelerated,” said one Barisan leader.

Kajang Prison.

KAJANG Prison is located right in the middle of this town in Selangor, about 40km away from Kuala Lumpur.

No new visitors to Kajang, in the Hulu Langat district, would miss the imposing medium-security prison building.

It is now home to Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the first Malaysian prime minister to be jailed.

The former premier is one of more than 5,000 prisoners there as at July 2022.

Like all Malaysian prisons, this facility is overcrowded, but it is surprisingly clean and well-maintained.

Our senior prison wardens are even sent overseas to learn from others on how to manage these facilities.

I had the opportunity of visiting both the Kajang and Sungai Buloh prisons several times, where I was allowed access to most parts of these centres in the company of the wardens, to see for myself what the situation there is really like.

I was invited to give motivational talks to the inmates and on one occasion, was even asked to help an inmate facing natural life imprisonment to obtain a royal pardon.

He had served 28 years by then. He was a model prisoner who ran a church service at Kajang Prison.

For a start, it’s nothing like the prisons we see in American TV dramas.

There are no double-decker beds for our inmates. They sleep on the cement floor, on standard latex mattresses that are about 5cm thick.

Those in the good behaviour category are rewarded with a 10cm-thick mattress.

There are about four to six persons in a cell, with a shared open toilet covered by low partial walls with no door.

They have to shower in the cell, too.

Some of the cells have no shower and inmates will have to go to a shower area, known simply as “tempat mandi”.

At Kajang, inmates are served three meals a day, starting at 7am when breakfast is served. The inmates usually have a cup of tea or coffee and a piece of bread. Lunch is around noon and dinner at about 4pm, mainly consisting of rice and curry with chicken or fish.

Former prisoners describe it as “canteen food’’. They eat in the dining hall.

At 10pm, it’s lights out.

The prison is a hot place and it feels like an oven in there.

No fans are provided in the cells. Trees are also not planted in the prison complex as they are deemed unsuitable for security purposes.

Many male inmates strip down to their underwear in the cells. In some areas, though, industrial fans are installed to allow better ventilation to reduce the unbearable heat.

Well-behaved inmates, who wear blue attire, get some form of reward like a desk and possibly a fan.

It is unlikely that Najib will share a cell with five or eight other inmates at Kajang Prison.

While VIP prisoners are expected to be treated the same as others, the prisons would certainly want them to be safe.

Based on what former inmates, wardens and non-governmental organisation visitors say, these VIP prisoners – usually former politicians, lawyers, policemen or corporate figures – would likely be assigned their own cells.

Even Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, when he was incarcerated at Sungai Buloh Prison, had his own cell, which was located near the clinic wing.

Politician Lim Guan Eng and Hindraf activist P. Uthayakumar were also held in Kajang Prison.

In both the Kajang and Sungai Buloh prisons, drug addicts and traffickers make up the largest number of inmates, with many rehabilitation programmes drawn up for them.

Unlike in the movies, the average prisoner is usually well-behaved, and they conventionally stay away from trouble.

Sexual relationships in these facilities are regarded as a crime and certainly, any sexual act or even attempting it leads to only one thing – extra prison time.

Prisoners are addressed by their numbers, NOT names, and for newcomers with titles, this certainly needs some getting used to.

Welcome to Kajang Prison.

FOR God’s sake, please leave the Federal Court judges alone. The Bench should be left to discharge its duties professionally without any form of intimidation, pressure, or certainly, interference from anyone – especially the Executive.

Malaysians are not the only ones closely following developments at the apex court involving Datuk Seri Najib Razak in his final appeal in the RM42mil SRC International Sdn Bhd case.

(On July 28, 2020, the High Court convicted and sentenced Najib on seven charges involving criminal breach of trust (CBT), money laundering, and abuse of position, all involving SRC funds, totalling RM42mil. He was sentenced to 12 years in jail and a fine of RM210mil. The conviction and sentence were upheld by the Court of Appeal.)

The world is watching how we are handling this high-profile case as it involves a former prime minister, no less.

Surely, the five-member bench led by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who is hearing the appeal, should not be subjected to any kind of threats.

That’s not how it works.

The independence of the judiciary should not be challenged nor compromised, and over the next few days, the nation will be witnessing a defining moment.

These top judges must be free to make their decisions without fear or favour. The separation of powers in our Federal Constitution is clearly stipulated. The doctrine under which these three branches of government – the Executive, Legislative and Judicial – are kept separate is to ensure there is a system of checks and balances.

This is to ensure the government remains accountable and fair, as well as to enable each branch to act as a check on the power of the other.

It is thus a mockery, if not ignorance, when politicians suggest or expect the prime minister to intervene in a court case because they feel one of their party members should not have to face the consequences of his actions.

Deliberate acts have been carried out, in different ways and on various platforms, to embarrass the Bench with vicious insinuations hurled at the Chief Justice (and even journalists) who have written about the issue.

To be more precise, threats have been made against the CJ. To put it bluntly, it is unprecedented and shocking – words which Malaysians have now grown familiar with, thanks to certain lawyers.

Right-thinking Malaysians, regardless of their political allegiance, must stand up to voice grave concerns at what is taking place now. Politicians come and go but the institution remains.

Malaysia has been able to remain a stable and progressive nation, as we celebrate our 65th birthday, because the rule of law and order has always been upheld.

There is an established legal system in this country with the Federal Constitution recognised as the highest law of the country.

Like it or not, it is the judges who have been appointed to dispense the law and to exercise its authority.

Those facing charges are given every opportunity to challenge the decisions of the courts.

In many countries, the accused who has been sentenced to jail at the lowest court, would have been jailed immediately while going through the stages of appeal.

But here, the appellants are given bail, as in most cases, as they seek the views of the Court of Appeal and finally, a review from the Federal Court.

Malaysians who do not understand the various points of appeal have also questioned, without basis, why Najib had been allowed to roam freely. That is simply because he had not exhausted his appeals.

But the buck stops at the Federal Court, the highest court in the land, today. Everything must come to an end. Whatever decision handed down by this apex court has to and must be respected, regardless of whether we like it or not.

The grounds of their decision will be properly put in a written judgment for all to read.

Malaysia is not a half-baked Third World nation, where politicians and their apparatchik decide on the verdicts of court decisions, let’s be clear.

Leave it to the judges, please.

UNTIL a few weeks ago, many politicians and journalists were certain that Parliament would be dissolved by October although the Prime Minister is still keeping them guessing.

To avoid being caught off guard, preparations by various political parties have started.

It is speculated that the Budget, fixed for Oct 28, would be brought forward to accommodate the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat.

While Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz told the media that the tabling date of the Budget remains unchanged, the aspirant Barisan Nasional candidate has also been hitting the grounds.

He is almost always at the Kuala Selangor parliamentary constituency, where he is said to be contesting, when he is not carrying out official duties.

Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has gone on his nationwide visits to ensure the machinery is put in place.

But last week, the Prime Minister’s Office told the media that Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob would be travelling to New York from Sept 22 to 25 to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

The decision caught several Cabinet members and officials off guard as the PM would surely not be taking five days off if he was preparing for the GE.

He has also invited several Members of Parliament to accompany him on the trip, an official said.

During a meet with editors last week, for the interview on his first year as PM, he indicated that he wasn’t ready for the GE, saying the littoral combat ship (LCS) issue had now emerged, saying “we don’t know how this issue will affect our chances”.

But in the same breath, he said “the global economic forecast for next year is not encouraging. If this is the situation, would it be a good time for the election to be held next year?’’

If the Budget is to be held earlier, say by the first week of October, it means the notice would have to be served to the Speaker to inform him of the change in plan.

Under the rules, a minimum 28-day notice would be needed and based on this assumption, the notice would need to be sent by Sept 1 or 2.

That means the Dewan Rakyat can be dissolved once the Budget is tabled by the first week, and to pave the way for GE15 to be held by November.

“The impact of the Budget, which will certainly be aimed at the electorate, would be lost if it is not followed immediately by the elections.

“The PM must strike it while it is hot because like it or not, it will be regarded as a preliminary BN manifesto. To put it simply, the message is vote us back and we will put this Budget into a reality,’’ said an analyst.

By December, the monsoon period which often brings floods to many areas of the East Coast would have started and it would not be the best time to hold a GE.

The next option is to dissolve Parliament after the Chinese New Year next year, which begins on Jan 22, 2023.

Christmas, in December this year, and CNY in January would allow the PM to provide better optics for his Keluarga Malaysia concept.

There has been criticism that, so far, the turnout for his various state celebrations involved mainly Malays.

The diversity and inclusivity elements are missing and surely, to make his Keluarga Malaysia idea more meaningful, these must be seen.

Last year, he was missing from the annual Christmas high tea organised by the Christian Federation of Malaysia as he had to rush to flood-hit states.

As with the previous practices, the annual Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations for Form 5 students is scheduled from the end of February to March 2023 and this means almost all schools, usually used as polling stations, would be held up for the exams.

Many schoolteachers are also roped in by the Election Commission to assist in the running of elections.

By March 22, the fasting month begins (and ends on April 21) and then Hari Raya begins, with a month of celebrations.

The window period available for the PM to call for the GE gets tighter as the clock ticks. The term of the present Federal Government ends on July 15, 2023.

One exasperated Barisan leader said ‘’if the PM is worried about LCS, he has a valid reason, but no one can be sure what other issues will crop up next if the dragging continues”.

The PM is certainly keeping his options close to his chest and politicians, who claimed they have been told of “possible months” heard directly from the PM, have ended up being wrong, so far.

PETALING JAYA: The managing director of the company undertaking the RM9bil littoral combat ships (LCS) project had so much power that he could sign all agreements, including letters of award (LOAs) to the main contractors involved in building the six ships.

In fact, 12 LOAs were given by former Boustead Heavy Industries Bhd (BHIB) managing director Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Nor to two main contractors – Contraves Advanced Devices Sdn Bhd (CAD) and Contraves Electrodyamics Sdn Bhd (CED) totalling RM3.3bil – without the need to call for full board meetings.

The involvement of the two contractors inflated the cost to RM9bil.

“Tan Sri was given sweeping authority to execute and sign all agreements, LOAs with CAD. He was extremely confident that ‘whatever I’m going to do, it is ultimately going to be condoned by my boss’,” said forensic auditor Alliance IFA Sdn Bhd’s Prabhat Kumar.

He revealed that the appointment of CAD as lead contractor to procure components for the LCS was made through a directors’ circular resolution (DCR).

A DCR is normally issued as approval for routine matters and where the board feels that calling all the members is a waste of time. The directors merely need to sign the document.

Prabhat expressed his surprise at how such a major decision was made through a DCR as it was more appropriate to have a full board of directors meeting.

“The reason is that when the board meeting is being conducted, (at) that time every board member has the opportunity to raise a number of questions to clarify doubts and issues,” he added.

He told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that in his investigations of over 60 companies that “whenever DCRs, in a very critical situation, are used, it is always used to avoid discussions”. CAD and CED are two companies which are jointly owned by BHIB and German firm Rheinmetall Group.

Ahmad Ramli, an ex-navy chief, was managing director of BHIB and former chairman of Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS), a unit of Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC).

His name has been repeatedly mentioned in the 247-page PAC report on the RM9bil scandal.

The LCS was supposed to have been delivered in stages with the last one scheduled for 2023 but until today, not a single ship is ready although RM6bil has been paid to BNS.

“Primary evidence suggested that CAD was used as a vehicle – this is very important – to minimise transparency and to avoid the scrutiny and detection by the procurement team, the steering committee, and the internal audit of BHIC.

“The scrutiny by the three was avoided because BHIC is a public-listed company,” said Prabhat.

He said: “CAD will be the vehicle… (that) by entering into such a contract, that does not allow them to enter and to look into the details and the nitty-gritty of the business, which has been taken by them.”

The involvement of CAD in the LCS project, said Prabhat, had “resulted in a much higher cost than expected and provided an umbrella to hide the actual cost, which was paid to secure various components for this programme”.

PETALING JAYA: Overlapping letters of award (LOAs), double claims for the same services, marked-up prices and the absence of supporting documents involving the two contractors in the setting up of a Built-in Test (BIT) centre for the littoral combat ships have cost taxpayers over RM898mil.

In its report, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) named the two contractors as Contraves Advanced Devices Sdn Bhd (CAD) and Contraves Electrodynamics Sdn Bhd (CED).

The two companies belong to Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC), which has a 51% stake, while German-owned Rheinmetall Group has the other 49%. CAD and CED are the contractors of the uncompleted six littoral combat ships (LCS) project.

Forensic auditor Alliance IFA Sdn Bhd’s Prabhat Kumar said the involvement of the two contractors had resulted in possible damages, such as overlapping LOAs for the BIT centre and double claims for the same services in the LOAs over the combat management system (CMS) amounting to RM898mil.

The BIT centre is set up to conduct trials and test the functionality of all equipment, supposedly for the six LCS, before these are accepted for installation on the ships.

Prabhat told the PAC of discrepancies, such as payments made without supporting documents.

“Payment milestones without deliverables and necessary documents. We did not see any supporting documents.

“Exceptional mark-up, except for the signature of the person. You know, approve, approve, approve.

“Exceptional mark-up as a middleman resulted in the loss of cash. That is why there was a person who was caught,” he was quoted as saying on page 139 of the 247-page report.

He did not name the person caught.

Prabhat also pointed out irregularities relating to the LOAs for the CMS, which were issued to CAD and CED.

The LOA for the CMS, equipment, and engineering and integration was awarded to CED at RM1.185bil on the basis of a quotation from DCNS, a French company.

DCNS is the former name of France’s Naval Group, which had also built the Scorpene submarines for Malaysia.

Prabhat said the quotation from DCNS was dated Dec 23, 2010, but this was issued even before the signing of the LOA with the government.

“This reflects the intent of those involved in this project. They had no intention to deliver the LCS project.

“They only want – intent to maximise their gain which was issued even before the signing of the LOA with the government,” he said, adding the LOA was issued, “sidelining the evaluation process by restricting the involvement of the technical and commercial team.”

He said within six months, a supplemental LOA was issued in favour of CED by former Boustead Heavy Industries Bhd managing director Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor and ex-navy captain Anuar Murad, the head of the LCS programme at the Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS), for the development of the BIT Centre at RM305mil.

“The scope of this LOA appeared to overlap with the original LOA. No specific approval was obtained from the board for the issuance of the LOA. The cost of investment was not budgeted in the LCS programme.

“The most important thing, payment was being made by them. Ownership lies with CAD and not BHIC,” he added.

Controversial project: One of the littoral combat ships under construction at the Boustead Naval Shipyard in Lumut.

PETALING JAYA: A huge amount of money meant for the uncompleted RM9bil six littoral combat ships (LCS) project was used to buy spare parts, including even TV sets, a special panel headed by former auditor-general Tan Sri Amrin Buang has revealed.

Fellow panel member Datuk Dr Mohd Tap Salleh also pointed out that the contract was drawn up in such a way that any activity or movement was considered progress and the government just had to pay.

“I think the point to note is that a lot of money was spent on buying spare parts when the ships were not ready,” said Ambrin.

“I think they are in the position to know exactly what they should be paying? When exactly should they make the purchase?

“So, if ada elemen-elemen yang tidak sihat, beli dulu you know, dalam keadaan apa sekali pun dan dapatkan duit itu cepat-cepat. (So, if there are unhealthy elements, buy first, you know, in whatever situation and get the money quickly).

“That is a different story-lah,’’ Ambrin said in his testimony to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Ambrin had headed the Special Committee on Governance Investigation, Government Procurement and Finance’s report on the LCS project.

Dr Mohd Tap said the committee wanted to show to the PAC “that money was simply spent”.“Just to show you or to demonstrate to you, how crazy it was. They just buy because the money is there or the contract was there. So, we must pay. Activity means you buy anything or you move something, you have to pay,” he said.

Dr Mohd Tap described the LCS project as contractor-driven in the sense that the views of the end user – the Navy – was not taken seriously in terms of its needs.

“That is why the change from Sigma (class) to Gowind (class) was done within a few days and the negotiation of the pricing was also done within a few days, which is not possible.

“Unless there are hidden hands involved in this, I think the biggest issue that JKS (the committee) has faced all this while the end user – the military – was never very high on the agenda,” he said.

The Navy had wanted the Sigma design of the LCS by a Dutch firm and the combat management system (CMS) from France but following intense lobbying, Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS), a unit of Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC), opted for the Gowind design and SETIS-CMS from France.

Former Royal Malaysian Navy chief admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar had told PAC that Gowind was not a proven design while Sigma was already operational in Indonesia, Morocco and in a few other countries.

(Dr Mohd Tap, who was the Malaysia Integrity Institute president, died on Nov 30, 2021, at the age of 72. According to PAC members, he was very vocal in the meetings to investigate the LCS issue.)