Questions for Parliamentary 2008 (III)

Well, I wouldn't say I forgot about it, but the need to submit questions sort of fleeted in and out of my mind over the past 2 weeks. Hence, I didn't have the opportunity to solicit for possible questions for the coming parliamentary session starting August 18.

I did however, review the various posts and comments made here and my Education blog in the past few weeks to come up with the 15 questions which were submitted today. Which also reminds me that I haven't blogged on the replies provided in the last session for my previous set of questions. I'll do so over the next few days but, regardless, here are the questions for the upcoming session.

(Oh, and corrections to any glaring language errors are welcome)

Oral Questions:

1. Tony Pua meminta Menteri Kewangan menyatakan langkah yang akan diambil oleh kerajaan untuk meningkatkan prestasi syarikat Proton sedangkan kerajaan negeri BN telahpun memberi “undi ketidak-percayaan” kepada kereta Proton, yang membuktikan kegagalan dasar automotif negara. Adakah Proton akan terus mengalami kerugian sehingga tahun 2010?

(18 Ogos 2008)

(What are steps taken by the Government to improve the fortunes of Proton given that the Barisan Nasional state governments have also condemned and given the vote of no confidence to Proton's most expensive models, marking the biggest set back for the national car industry? Will Proton continue to be loss-making untuk 2010?)

2. Tony Pua meminta Menteri Kerjaraya menyatakan hasil kajian pakar perunding mengenai perjanjian kerajaan dengan pihak konsesi tol, terutamanya pihak yang telah mendapat peruntungan lumayan ataupun yang telah mendapat kembali kos pembinaan. Adakah pihak konsesi akan dikehendaki mengurangkan tol tanpa memerlukan tambahan wang gantirugi daripada kerajaan.

(19 Ogos 2008)

(What is the outcome of the consultant's study on the contracts of the toll operators, particularly those who made lucrative contracts or have even recovered their cost of construction? Will these toll operators to required to reduce their toll rates, without further compensation by the Government?)

3. Tony Pua meminta Menteri Kewangan menyatakan adakah kerajaan bercadang untuk melaksanakan “windfall tax” untuk syarikat minyak dan syarikat konsesi tol lebuhraya kerana cukai tambahan telahpun dikenakan ke atas syarikat minyak sawit sebanyak 15% untuk keuntungan semasa harga minyak sawit melebihi RM2,000 satu ton. Jika tidak, kenapa?

(20 Ogos 2008)

(Given that the Government has chosen to impose a windfall tax of 15% on oil palm companies for making excessive profits when market-determined CPO prices are above RM2,000 per tonne, should the Government impose a similar tax on oil & gas companies, as well as toll concenssionaires?)

4. Tony Pua meminta Menteri Kewangan menyatakan bila aliran rel RapidKL yang baru Kota Damansara dan aliran tambahan Puchong dan Subang Jaya yang dicadangkan akan bermula dibina, dan siap beroperasi? Apakah pecahan kos untuk pembinaan setiap aliran dan adalah perolehan ini akan dibuat secara tender terbuka?

(21 Ogos 2008)

(When are the proposed new LRT line to Kota Damansara and extended lines to Puchong and Subang Jaya scheduled to commence construction work and begin operations? What is the breakdown of costs estimated for the respective lines, and will there be open tenders called for its construction and procurement of equipment?)

5. Tony Pua meminta Perdana Menteri menyatakan adakah Menteri Pengangkutan akan memimpin Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awan yang dicadangkan dan adakah suruhanjaya tersebut akan termasuk pihak pakar bidang pengangkutan. Apakah kuasa suruhanjaya ke atas 13 jabatan kerajaan yang berkenaan, ataupun mencadangkan gabungan jabatan-jabatan ini ke dalam satu kementerian?

(26 Ogos 2008)

(Will the Minister of Transport lead the proposed new Public Transport Commission and will its members comprise of interested parties and experts in the field. To what extent will the commission have powers to instruct the 13 government agencies involved, or even recommend a consolidation of the agencies in-charge of public transport under a single ministry.)

6. Tony Pua meminta Menteri Kewangan menyatakan sebab kos pembinaan Jambatan Pulau Pinang Kedua adalah RM179 juta setiap kilometer, 20% lebih mahal berbanding dengan jambatan serupa di Shanghai yang bernilai RM149j setiap kilometer. Adakah ianya benar bahawa kos jambatan akan meningkat sehingga RM4.8bilion ataupun RM200j setiap kilometer?

(27 Ogos 2008)

(Why is the cost of constructing the 2^nd Penang bridge at RM179 million per kilometre, 20% more expensive than a similar bridge in Shanghai, which cost RM149 million per kilometre? Is it true that the Government is considering increasing the cost of building the bridge to RM4.8 billion, which means RM200 million per kilometre?)

7. Tony Pua meminta Perdana Menteri menyatakan tindakan yang akan diambil ke atas pihak pensyarah Biro Tatanegara yang menggalakkan fikiran “racist” apabila mendesak bahawa “kalau ular dengan India depan mata, ketuk India dulu” dan menayangan video menuduh pemimpin Teresa Kok dan Ezam Mohd Noor sebagai penyokong “Zionist”.

(Will the Prime Minister take appropriate action against lecturers in Biro Tatanegara who promotes racism in his lectures to Malaysian students with statements such as “Kalau ular dengan India depan mata, ketuk India dulu” and displays videos with Teresa Kok and Ezam Md Noor as “zionist” supporters?)

8. Tony Pua meminta Perdana Menteri menyatakan sebab kerajaan telah menambahkan jumlah pekerja perkhidmatan awam sebanyak 23.5% ke 1.14juta sejak tahun 2000. Nisbah pekerja perkhidmatan awam per capita Malaysia adalah antara yang tertinggi di dunia. Bukankah hakikat ini mencerminkan ketidak berkesanan dan kegagalan pendekatan penswastaan kerajaan?

(Why has the Government increase the number of civil servants by 23.5% to 1.14 juta in 2007 since 2000, making Malaysia one of the civil servants per capita ratio in the entire world? Does this not reflect its inefficiency, as well as the complete failure of Malaysia's privatisation programme to reduce the dependence on civil servants?)

9. Tony Pua meminta Menteri Koperasi dan Pembangunan Usahawan menyatakan sebab kegagalan kerajaan melaksanakan dan mengguatkuasa kegunaan sistem tambang bermeter untuk perkhidmatan teksi, terutamanya di bandar-bandar pelancongan seperti Pulau Pinang, Melaka dan Johor Bahru, dan juga tempat tertentu di Lembah Klang seperti perhentian bas Puduraya dan KL Sentral.

(What are the reasons for the complete failure of the Government to implement and enforce the use of meters for Malaysian taxi operators, particularly in cities which attract many tourists such as Penang, Melaka and Johor Bahru, as well as certain hotspots in the Klang Valley such as Pudu bus and KL Sentral bus terminal?)

10. Tony Pua meminta Perdana Menteri menyatakan sebab kuasa perlesenan syarikat pinjaman wang berada dalam Kementerian Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan dan bukannya satu fungsi Kementerian Kewangan, yang lebih berpengaruh dan berkepakaran dalam bidang kewangan.

(Why is the licensing of money-lenders the responsibility of the Minister of Housing and Local Government and not the function of the Ministry of Finance when the latter has greater expertise and influence over the financial sector?)

Written Questions:

11. Tony Pua meminta Perdana Menteri menyatakan apakah tindakan yang telah diambil oleh kerajaan terhadap 236 pemegang biasiswa bidang perdoktoran yang enggan pulang berkhidmat di tanahair. Apakah pencapaian tindakan yang telah diambil dan adakah ia berkesan? Berapakah pemegang biasiswa dalam bidang lain yang telah gagal pulang berkhidmat?

(What are the steps taken by the Government against the 236 medical scholarship holders to date and please detail what has been the result of the actions taken so far, and whether they have been effective. How many other scholars in other fields who have failed to return to serve?)

12. Tony Pua meminta Perdana Menteri menyatakan secara terperinci, senarai universiti-universiti luar negeri di mana pemegang biasiswa undergraduate JPA dihantar mengikut pecahan ketiga-tiga tahun yang lalu, jumlah pelajar dan kursus ataupun bidang yang dikaji.

(Please list in detail the overseas universities which JPA undergraduate scholars have been sent to over the past 3 years, with breakdowns by year, number of students and courses undertaken.)

13. Tony Pua meminta Perdana Menteri menyatakan berapa ramai pemegang biasiswa yang telah selesai pengajian pada 5 tahun yang lepas. Antara mereka, berapakah yang telah berkhidmat untuk kerajaan mengikut syarat perjanjian biasiswa, berapakah yang enggan menunaikan perjanjian dan berapakah yang telah dilepaskan daripada tanggungjawab mereka?

(Please provide the figures of overseas and local JPA scholars who have graduated over the past 5 years on how many have been employed by the Government in accordance to their scholarship bond, how many have refused to work in the Government, and how many have been released by the Government from their obligations?)

14. Tony Pua meminta Menteri Pengajian Tinggi menyatakan sebab jumlah pelajar mengikut aliran STPM yang diterima dalam bidang perdoktoran di Universiti Malaya telah merosot dari 63 pada tahun 2000 sehingga 28 pada 2008, walaupun jumlah penuntut yang diterima telahpun meningkat daripada 173 ke 205. Adakah sistem STPM dipinggirkan?

(The total number of students accepted into the medical faculty of Universiti Malaya via the STPM route has declined from 63 students in 2000 to 28 students in 2008 despite an overall increase of intake from 173 to 205 students. Isn't this clear-cut result of the Government's marginalisation of STPM students?)

15. Tony Pua meminta Menteri Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan menyatakan sama ada kerajaan akan membantah ataupun menghalang negeri-negeri yang dipimpin oleh DAP, PKR dan PAS melaksanakan pilihanraya kerajaan tempatan yang merupakan ruang lingkup kuasa kerajaan negeri? Jika ya, sila memberikan penjelasan yang terperinci.

(Will the Government object to or prevent the states led by DAP, PKR and PAS in implementing local council elections which is under the purview of the state government? If so, please explain in detail how and why?)