What ‘underground business activities’?

After Azmin Ali threw a tantrum and called for a reshuffling of the Selangor exco, one ex-DAP “shit stirrer” jumped into the deep end.

In his blog, Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong went as far as to say a Exco member’s office was being used as the meeting place for people involved with “underground business activities”.

I challenge him to name the Exco member who’s allegedly involved so that other exco members needn’t be suspects in the public’s eyes.

To my surprise the Attorney General reacted so efficiently to this accusation and immediately directed the police to carry out an investigation. Wao, that’s good! I was just about to ask this guy to lodge a police report, but the AG has already called for a probe.

I am unaware our state government building and exco offices have become meeting place for dubious reasons. I just know that most of the people that come to our offices are people who are desperately seeking assistance from us.

These include poor people who ask for endorsement for waiver of medical bill, scholarships, financial assistance, to consultants who seek help from us to chase land office officers to process their applications on time

I welcome the police to carry out an investigation and I believe the extra presence of police will help to strengthen the security of our exco offices and government buildings.

Oh ya, looks like I might need to install cctv in my exco office to assist police in their investigation.

A-G calls for immediate probe into allegations2009/07/12

By Aniza Damis, Sheridan Mahavera and Eileen Ng

KUALA LUMPUR: Concerned with allegations that a state executive councillor may be allowing his office in the state secretariat building to be used as a meeting room for criminals, Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail wants the police to look into the matter immediately. “I want this matter investigated. If a police report isn’t lodged soon, I will call up the police on Monday morning and ask them to investigate,” said Gani.

He advised parties privy to the information contained in the allegation to make a police report immediately.

Gani said if the allegation proved true, the executive councillor could be said to be abetting the criminals, and the sentence would be the same as if he himself were to have committed the crime.

“The issue is, if, for instance, I rent a house to someone and they use it to arrange or carry out criminal activities. If I don’t know they are doing this, then I am not abetting.

“But if I rent out the house, and I know it is going to be used for criminal activities, then I am abetting.”

In his blog entry today, Wangsa Maju member of Parliament Wee Choo Keong, in supporting Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman Azmin Ali’s call for a reshuffle of the Selangor state executive council, alleged that it was an open secret that the official had allowed suspicious characters to lounge in his office at the Selangor state secretariat building.

“This is most unhealthy as it will give the impression that the exco member supported the ‘underground business activities’ and the impropriety will eventually affect the image of the Pakatan government,” he wrote.

Reacting to this, Selangor exco member Teresa Kok ticked Wee off, who had criticised Kok in his recent blog entry.

“I am not surprised by Wee’s behaviour. He doesn’t even know the background of the issue. He is not a member of the state assembly. Does he know what really transpired and the root causes of Azmin’s statement?” she asked.

Kok hit back at Wee’s claims by questioning what proof Wee had of the official cavorting with crooks.

“How often does Wee come to the state secretariat building? I hardly see him.

“What does he mean by suspicious characters and underground business activities?”

She, however, rejected talk that there were cracks in the Selangor Pakatan government, despite recent criticisms from Pakatan Rakyat coalition leaders.

Kok said in any matters related to appointments, there were sure to be differences of opinions.

“You are sure to get lots of arguments within and among the parties over the appointments of councillors, but it does not mean there are cracks. This is just democracy.”

Kok said Azmin’s outburst was triggered by his unhappiness over Local Government, Study and Research Committee chairman Ronnie Liu’s decision to announce the list of councillors last Monday.

She said Liu had no choice but to make the announcement as PKR could not finalise its councillor list.

“Different people have different views on the appointments, and PKR was not able to come up with a list whereas DAP and Pas had finalised theirs before the Monday deadline.

“There is no point in delaying the announcement.”

Kok added that the move sparked off Azmin’s unhappiness.

She also said she did not directly call for Azmin’s removal as the Backbenchers’ Club chairman.

“I was only citing an example. I said, if you can call for an exco reshuffle, shall I also call for you to be removed as club chairman?

“I have the right to air my views. If he is calling for a reshuffle, I can also use the same argument on whether he should consider whether he is in the right position to make such a call.”

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The Star: PKR MP Wee Choo Keong supports the call by Gombak MP Azmin Ali for a reshuffle in the Selangor Government, saying he has received complaints about a certain state executive council member.

Wee said he had personally received grouses from Pakatan Rakyat members and the business community in Selangor claiming that the office of a certain council member was used as a meeting place for people connected with “underground business activities”.

“This is an open secret within the state’s administrative office. This is most unhealthy as it will give the impression that the exco members support the ‘underground business activities’,” the Wangsa Maju MP wrote in his blog (www.weechookeong.wordpress.com) yesterday.

He defended Azmin’s move to speak up at the state assembly as Azmin was conveying the public’s concern and protecting the well-being of the Pakatan government in Selangor.

Wee also described the response from senior state exco member Teresa Kok in asking for the removal of Azmin as the Backbenchers Club president as “bad attitude and sheer arrogance”.

“I would have expected Kok to have taken some time to examine the call by Azmin, and investigate whether there was any substance in what he had said instead of reacting like a typical greenhorn would do,” he said.

Wee said that in the interest of the party’s image as a whole, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim should seriously consider reshuffling the state exco.