Shabery Cheek disappoints

Parliament yesterday continued with debates on the Supplementary Bill. I asked about extra allocation given to Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and questioned how the allocated RM17,710,000 was spent for the NAM foreign ministries meeting and what the outcome was.

I had another blonde moment and thought Malaysia was still the chairman of NAM, so I continued to ask about the direction of NAM under the leadership of Malaysia, and what was the stand of NAM on Burma.

I pointed out that the secretariat of NAM headed by Malaysian representative has gone against the stand taken against Burma by foreign ministers of ASEAN. He had issued a statement by saying that NAM did not agree that the resolution on Burma be put to UN Security Council last year. I wanted to know how KL can play a role to influence the member countries in NAM to support the cause of Burma as the cruelty of the Burmese military junta has caused many Rohingya Muslims to flee to Malaysia.

Par-Sec Shabery Cheek replied on behalf of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. I didn’t hear his reply on NAM and Burma as I was attending to other matters outside Dewan Rakyat then. When I came in to the chamber, Shabery said the supplementary budget was for the international foreign ministers’ meeting held in Putrajaya last year. He rediculed me and asked how come I did not know. I stood up and fired back, saying it was the ministry’s mistake for failing to state in the supplementary budget book. That’s why I did not know. 🙂

Shabery then went on to say that Malaysia is no more the chairman of NAM, so the issue of how Malaysia could influence NAM members doesn’t exist. He then rediculed me again, saying I had travelled around with the sponsorship of “maybe enemies of the country” and was not aware Malaysia was no more the chairman of NAM.

I then stood up and suggested to him that Ministry of Foreign Affairs should invite me to attend more of their international meetings so that I ccould be aware of what’s happening with our foreign ministry. The Speaker Lim Si Cheng then asked me to “change seat” to BN side so that I can travel around. I told him that I would not do things which are so unprincipled, unlike Shabery Cheek who jumped from our side of the Dewan Rakyat to the BN’s corner.

I admitted it was my mistake for not realising that Malaysia was no more chair of NAM, but he failed to answer my question on the time when Malaysia was the Chairman of NAM and how the secretariat has issued statement which went against the stand of our Foreign Minister. Was this a problem with lack of communication in the Foreign Ministry. I also scoded him for not being serious in answering my queries in Foreign Affairs ministry. I complained to Speaker Lim Si Cheng that Shabery was playing politics. Lim Si Cheng said from his chair that he cannot do anything as this was his reply. When the speaker asked us to approve the supplementary budget by voice, I then shouted “NO”. An UMNO MP said, “one person (say no) only”

This Shabery Cheek is one of the most disappointing UMNO politicians in our eyes. He used to be an academic and was a close aide of Tengku Razaleigh. He was smart and open-minded when he was in Semangat 46. But now he’s a changed person. Don’t want to wasye my breath anymore. 🙁

Ucapan YB Teresa Kok Dalam Perbahasan Anggaran Perbelanjaan Mengurus Tambahan 2006 Pada 19 April 2007

Kementerian Luar Negeri

Mengenai peruntukan luar jangkaan sebanyak RM17,710,000 untuk membiayai Mesyuarat Peringkat Menteri-Menteri Luar Biro Penyelarasan Pergerakan Negara-Negara Berkecuali ini, soalan saya ialah, bilakah dan di manakah mesyuarat ini diadakan? Apakah hasil perbincangan dalam mesyuarat ini?

Asal usul penubuhan Non Aligned Movement (NAM) adalah kerana masalah Perang Dingin. Bila ia ditubuhkan pada tahun 1961, NAM hanya mempunyai 25 anggota tetapi keanggotaannya telah meningkat ke 116 anggota sekarang. Memandangkan Perang Dingin telah lama berakhir, apa yang ditanya-tanyakan di dunia ialah, apakah peranan NAM sekarang?

Dalam kepemimpinan Afrika Selatan sebagai pengerusi NAM, Timbalan Presiden Thabo Mbeki pernah berkata bahawa masa hadapan NAM adalah berkenaan dengan ekonomi dunia, khususnya membuat rayuan bagi pihak negara yang miskin, iaitu Group 77.

Sekarang Malaysia telah dilantik sebagai pengerusi NAM, soalannya ialah apakah arah yang akan dibimbing oleh Malaysia dalam pergerakan NAM? Apakah agenda NAM sekarang? Apakah ia masih sama dengan wawasan yang ditetapkan oleh bekas Pengerusi NAM?

Apakah pendirian NAM atas isu Myanmar? Saya merasa amat hairan atas pendirian yang diambil oleh NAM pada tahun lepas di mana apabila banyak pihak tengah berusaha untuk lobi anggota Majlis Keselamatan PBB (UNSC) untuk meluluskan resolusi berkenaan dengan Myanmar, dan apabila para Menteri Luar di negara ASEAN mengeluarkan kenyataan yang kritikal terhadap pemerintahan kejam militari junta Myanmar yang enggan membawa pendemokrasian di negaranya, tetapi NAM yang merupakan kumpulan yang paling besar di PBB membuat sebaliknya. Sekretariat NAM yang diketuai oleh wakil Malaysia mengadakan kempen untuk cuba menghalang resolusi ini dalam Majlis Keselamatan PBB. Akhbar di negeri Myanmar menyiarkan berita tentang NAM mengeluarkan kenyataan yang mengatakan bahawa NAM tidak sokong resolusi ini diluluskan oleh Majlis Keselamatan PBB. Usaha wakil Malaysia di sekretariat NAM ini langsung bercanggah dengan kehendak rakyat yang bersengsara dan menaruh harapan yang tinggi pada kelulusan resolusi di UNSC di Myanmar.

Saya ingin tanya, apakah ini menunjukkan komunikasi yang tidak cukup di antara wakil Malaysia di sekretariat NAM dengan Kementerian Luar di Malaysia? Sekiranya dasar luar Malaysia adalah untuk membantu golongan yang kurang bernasib di dunia ini, apakah Malaysia juga akan memainkan peranan untuk mempengarahui pendirian anggota NAM dalam isu Myanmar, khususnya kekejaman dalam negeri Myanmar yang telah menyebabkan ramai Muslim Rohingya melari ke negara kita dan mencetuskan banyak masalah di negara kita.