‘If Justice Chin should be investigated for misconduct then it is only fair for Dr M to be interrogated as well with a lie detector. There is certainly no smoke without fire.’

On Dr M vs judge: Tit-for-tat continues

Marion Tharsis: Despite the fact that Dr M is no longer the head of the government, he has a free hand and given free publicity by the controlled media to dictate what he wants everyone else to do.

Almost a day does not go by without his attacks, demands or detrimental statements. There are also his stooge pigeons coming out of nowhere (or perhaps from their slumber) to speak in support of their 'divine' leader.

He gets bolder with his remarks knowing very well the BN government still 'kow tows' to him. Otherwise, they would have either told him to keep quiet or investigated into his past dubious dealings and management.

If Justice Chin should be investigated for misconduct then it is only fair for Dr M to be interrogated as well with a lie detector.

There is certainly no smoke without fire and very often, only a minority will speak up for justice and at the end, they are either victimised or incarcerated for speaking the truth.

Let us not make Justice Chin an innocent victim of blind justice. Be fair and let the truth prevail by getting into the bottom of this astounding revelation.

I also hope that other judges who have also faced harassment and victimisation in the line of duty, speak up to restore honour and dignity to the due process of the law without fear or favour.

On PM: Najib and wife not involved in Altantuya murder

Mooshie Mooshie: Strange things are happening in the case of the Mongolian murder trial with all this talk by the PM and DPM and police reports for and against everybody, including the DPM's wife Rosmah.

Some, meanwhile, are trying to speak up or cover up for each another. The big question is, is there something that the prime ministers know that we don't? Can some one help?

Sometimes, for things like this, we don't like to speculate.

On RPK's declaration: Damage done

KB Gan: In the report, the writer said, ‘Razak is a defence expert who helps to facilitate defence contracts that run into billions of dollars. The amount of commissions from such deals is a subject of intense speculation...’

Allow me to correct this inaccuracy. It was widely reported during the time when the Altantuya story broke that Razak Baginda was a political analyst. He was not a defence expert by any stretch of the imagination. The huge commission he received from a certain defence deal does not make him one.

Najib has denied any impropriety saying they followed standard procedure. He should credit Malaysians with more intelligence.

If it is standard procedure to give a reported RM100 million commission to a third party who has no expertise in the matter and hence does not add value, then we are in deep trouble with the way the government is run.

On Shahrir's motion: 129 yes, 78 no

Mooshie Mooshie: The BN government thinks that it has ‘won the confidence’ of the MPs in the endorsement of the fuel price increase. To many, however, the government has lost the war.

These so-called peoples' representatives ( the Barisan MPs) have betrayed their constituents who had voted these very people in to highlight their hardships to the government.

Don't these MPs have their constituents’ interests at heart? Can they not speak out for the rakyat? So, this is ‘democracy ‘BN-style is it? As we knew all along.

On Why should Petronas be the exception to the rule?

Soo Lai Mun: I am just curious to know what happens if our crude oil is of low quality. Do we still export or just consume the oil ourselves? To export it does not make much sense. If we use the oil ourselves, then how much will Petronas charge the consumer?

To export our oil at a high price and to import oil at a lower price, logically, we should still be enjoying the oil at minimum price, that is if we take the oil (exported and imported) as one entity. The problem now is they are not. Our exported and imported oil are taken as separate entities.

That’s why the consumer is still subjected to world oil price. If the government decides to reduce the price, Petronas will then have to forego part of their export price profit (which the government regards as the 'subsidy’).

The government said they will saved billions as a result of the reduction in subsidies. I think the people now would like to know how much they will really save after the government has given out rebates, commissions, subsidies and whatever free monies back to please the people.

On Five percent oil royalty for S'wak too little

Perplexed: Whether it is a five or ten percent royalty, where has all the money been chanelled to? What took these states so long to realise that they have been taken for a ride?

Why, in the first instance, their so-called elected leaders have been keeping 'mum' all this awhile?

Where has all the timber ‘goldmine' monies disappeared to? Ask your beloved CM who has entrenched himself firmly in the throne for umpteen years. He may be able to provide the answers to it all.

Ask the rest of the powers-that-be sitting in their high citadels as to what they have done with all these funds.

Draw a list of all those ministers, their cronies, their siblings and their wealth and the number of corporations they own. I bet my last single sen, you will not find a single poor, honest man (or woman) amongst them. It is disgusting.

On Dayaks may have to set up their own party

Joseph Tawie: I must admit that some promoters of the Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC) have joined PKR as they know that the government will not register MDC as a political party.

However, the few of us who are still left behind are still pursuing MDC’s registration as a political party. We have consulted a number of Dayak leaders in Kuching, Sibu, Miri and Bintulu and they have urged us to continue with our struggle.

We have now engaged a law firm to sue the government for failure to respond to our appeal. The appeal was submitted on August 12, 2006 after the Registrar of Societies rejected our application on ‘security’ grounds.

We share with the views expressed by the writer that Dayaks must have a party of their own if they are going to play a meaningful role in the democratic process of the country.

Currently there is no Dayak party, after the government de-registered Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak on flimsy grounds on Oct 21, 2004.

Those who claim to represent the Dayak community are actually representing their own periuk nasi (rice bowls).

I therefore call upon all those who share our aspiration to support MDC and its promoters in our court battle against the government.

On PM: Bumi equity only at 19.4%

Enough Already: After 38 years, despite having near carte-blanche to do whatever it pleased, the government is still whining and making pathetic excuses for not achieving the goals of the NEP.

Either this government is hopelessly incompetent or lying. If the NEP itself is so poorly crafted that it just cannot deliver the goods, scrap it for goodness’ sake and come up with a better programme.

Meanwhile, Pak Blah, stop the lies already. The government's claims are totally divorced from reality, based on par value rather than market value - as independent research from the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) clearly showed last year.

Let's see you and other Umnoputeras sell your assets at par value. And buy underwater assets at par!

Reporters and editors, to provide context and balance. Please note that all BN's claims about the shortfall in bumiputra equity are based on par value, and that research based on market value shows bumi ownership as high as 45 percent, according to Asli.

Also, we would like to know how the supposed 19.4 percent equity, according to Pak Lah, is distributed among Malays - regionally, individually and dynastically.

My View: Year in year out, we read and hear about this umi equity not achieving its target of 30%. To me, this percentage thing is a 'relative' matter and there will be no end to this target of 30% bumi equity being achieved.

Let say, for example, if government give shares in the ratio of 30% to the bumi and 70% to the non-bumi, but overnight, the bumi sold this 10% to a non-bumi for quick money. Immediately, the bumi's equity will be reduced to 20%.

Another example is if this bumi did not sell his 30% equity but, contented with this percentage, did not work further to increase or maintain his wealth. The non-bumi, however, works doubly hard to ensure he accumulates more money and increases his worth.

So then again, the bumi equity will decrease to less than 30% when compared to the non-bumi equity even though in 'absolute' terms the bumi's worth is still pegged at its original value.

Thus, based on this simple mathematic, it is not fair for the government to work on a percentage basis.

On Looking at the Malay problem

Siew Wah: Having read through this article, I feel he speaks for all Malaysians although for the most part, he dealt with the problems affecting Malays.

He is indeed a tough, conscientious Malay leader in the same league as former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim who has reformed and ready to take over the reins of running Malaysia.

I believe men of integrity who have been locked up in detention by the phony Mahathir regime but still remained strong in their beliefs will be better able to contribute to the good of the nation if elected to office.

Let's hope those BN fencesitters, think this over and give their support to PKR.