Teresa Kok

Tuesday, May 09, 2006
BN MPs cannot vote according to conscience: Pak Lah

(Bernama)—Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi stressed Monday that Barisan Nasional (BN) members of Parliament must toe the party line and are not free to vote according to their conscience in any motion moved in Parliament.

The prime minister said that every party member, including BN MPs, has to observe the discipline and must understand this.

“All party members have rules that they must understand and follow. There’s discipline for each member… no relaxation or freedom is given for them to do as they like. That’s the party rule,” he told reporters here (more…)

Time to let MPs decide, say experts
Fauwaz Abdul Aziz
May 8, 06 7:19pm

Coming from across the political spectrum, members of parliament and law expert today said the resignation of Shahrir Abdul Samad as chairperson of Parliament’s Backbenchers Club signified a crossroads of sort.

Lawmaking can either change to become the ‘grand inquest of the nation’ as it was meant to be, or continue to be an exercise in rubber-stamping bills, they said when commenting on the decision by Shahrir to quit last week when he failed to get other government backbenchers to support a motion tabled by the opposition.

The motion was to refer to the parliamentary privileges committee a news report which claimed that the Malacca BN MP had asked the state authorities to ‘close one eye’ regarding a company importing illegal timber (more…)

Developers homeowners oppose amendment to Act
By Ooi Tee Ching
bt@nstp.com.my

May 9 2006

PROPERTY developers and homeowners have raised objections to the proposed amendment to the Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents Act, 1981 (VAEA Act) that would give valuers autonomy to manage properties.

They said if the amendment were to be passed, it would create a monopoly and take away the rights of building owners to decide who should manage their properties.

“If the proposed amendment to the VAEA Act were to be tabled before Parliament and made law, building owners – whether residential, commercial or industrial – will be denied their rights to choose the best manager to manage their properties and at the most competitive price,” said Associated Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Malaysia chairman of the construction and property committee, Datuk Teo Chiang Kok.

“They will be victims of valuers,” he added.

He was speaking at a joint Press conference held by the Real Estate and Housing Developers Association, the Management Corporation/Residents Association, the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia and the Malaysian Association for Shopping and Highrise Complex Management yesterday (more…)