Although many welcomed the Penang state government’s decision to enact a Freedom of Information Act, the release of a draft Bill has made a mockery of the people’s aspirations for more transparency and accountability.
Have a look at Sarajun Hoda’s analysis of the draft Bill on Aliran here:
The FOI Bill is surrounded by a million reasons stipulating why information ‘may’ not be given. Instead of asserting the opening up of access to information, it only speaks about conditions for not divulging information and even more excuses for impeding access. It finally sounds just as haughty, opaque and obfuscating as the Selangor Bill.
The killer blow, spotted by Sarajun, is chilling:
If the information accessed is used for a different reason and purpose, it will invite a fine up to RM50,000 and/or a jail term not exceeding two years. Is this chilling effect not deliberately designed to discourage potential applicants from trying to get information?
What kind of an FOI Bill is that? Is it just so that voters can be told Penang has an FOI Bill, which is all but meaningless? Better toss the whole thing in the waste-paper basket instead of taking Penangites for a ride.
Come on, surely Penang can do better than that. Come up with a draft that asserts and upholds the principle that freedom of information is a basic right.
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This is the true color of LGe! Get … him (out) now before you need another 15 to 20 years to regret why you did not do it now!
Do you mean bring back Gerakan/UMNO and let the corrupt steal our precious state lands again? No way ! Lim GE may not be perfect but at least he is showing the country that a PR state with a RM460 million budget can handle money and resources much better than Putra Jaya with a budget that is more than 400 times larger if politicians are honest and transparent with rakyat’s money. Please be reminded that the Penang government is running on a surplus whereas Putra Jaya is running on a huge deficit. Need I tell you the ills of spending… Read more »
Where can we read this FOI Bill?
Thanks for the correction Anil. Maybe, I included Port Klang win in advance, haha
Anyway, Gerakan K does not know how to count, he is only good in …
This reminds me of 1984 where : War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength.
In the name of Freedom of Information, our Chairman Lim is propagating even stricter regulation of information as though OSA is not strict enough.
Long Live Chairman Lim !
ever heard of this quote? “If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him” – Cardinal Richelieu for those who are asking for a more ‘open’ and ‘transparent’ foi bill, i am afraid revealing too much now may backfire. can we relax a bit here for the time being? wait till pakatan takes control of putrajaya. malaysian is not yet a matured democracy like the us or the uk. not yet. we still have a lot of not-well-informed people. we all know that.… Read more »
Gerakan K.
… From your comments, your ‘moral compass’ is so (out) that you cannot even find your car in the parking lot.
Gerakan K…the score is 9 : 6 in favour of PR…eat your heart out…!
Developments? …with 800+ billion illicit capital went through the window…you were too insignificant to be aware of the dubious (administration) of your political masters!…blind loyalty will not get you anywhere.
I thought it was 8-6?
9-6 presumably includes Tian Chua’s imaginary by-election win that returned him as Batu MP after he was disqualified by the judge who can’t count. C’mon, 9-6, 8-6 – who’s quibbling?
They’re only numbers Anil! It’s how we wave our arms, the sincere set of our brows and the effect it has on recruiting people to our cause that’s more important than what we promise or do, isn’t it?
There will be a Freedom of Information Act forum on Sun 13 Feb at the Caring Society Complex. Jagdeep Singh (Chair of the Select Committee for the FOI Bill) will be one of the speakers. Come and listen and ask your questions there. For more details and other speakers, check out here:
http://sembangsembangforum.blogspot.com/
Gerakan K
“You can fool people for the first time (GE 12), but not again again and again.”
PR took over the Penang govt hardly 3 years, yet, we hear from this … Gerakan K, oozing out … his notorious “honest” lies! By your standard Gerakan, how about multiply it by 53 times the amount of lies that the good Penang folks have to put up with…from the political thieves … of the booted out UMNO/BN administrations.
Thank God, Penang in safe hands now!
Agree, at the very least.
You boring or not ???
Again you like to sing the 53 years corruption, cronyism, etc song.
But the latest feedback from thousands of people in Tenang, they said otherwise. So, next time try other things lah.
Most people thanked BN for 53 years of contribution of development.
What else PR can give us ??? Farcical draft of FOI bill ??? Empty September 16 project ???
The people in Tenang di not heed the warning of unusually heavy rainfall to continue to vote for BN on the eve of the by-election, then they are punished with flood. Now BN-controlled Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang also been hit by flood. This is another warning from the Al-Mighty.
Based on observations done by Sarajun Hoda, it is indeed a shame that the proposed FOI Bill by Penang government is farcical. Given the earlier benefit of feedback from Selangor, Penang should have improved on it. Its silly to repeat the same misgivings. Blaming the federal appointed Legal advisors does not excuse Penang for this poor attempt.
I believe the state is bound by law to accept the advise of its legal adviser who is a federal appointee on the wordings of the FOI bill.
This is to prevent a state from enact any bill that runs contrary to the federal constitution.
If allowed, I think Penang would rather seek the advice of many prominent constitutional lawyers to draw up the bill.
Unless we rather not have the rule of law.
although the intention is good but the OSA will overide everything..
I’VE TO APPLAUD PENANG TO KICK START TO MAKE FOI BILL A REALITY. I PERSONAL BELIEVE THE BILL MUST HAVE CERTAIN RESTRICTION TO AVOID UMNO/BN ABUSING IT FOR NOW WHICH TO BE IMPROVED FROM TIME TO TIME. AS WE KNOW, SOME OF “THESE” WARLORDS ARE “IMMATURE” AND WILL CAUSE NONSENSE. FOCUS THE BIG PICTURE…….WE NEED TO UNITE TO KICK OUT THE CORRUPTERS TO SAVE OUR $$$$$$$$$$$$ FROM OUTFLOW. … GOVERNMENT NO MONEY, MY FOOT ! BIG BUNGALOWS, BIG BANK ACCOUNT OVERSEA.
Another miracle after Kg Buah Pala, mini syiok sendiri local elections and sPICE. The whole Malaysia already known what is DAP good for. Talk talk and talk. You can fool people for the first time (GE 12), but not again again and again. Expect votes swinging back to BN next time, like Tenang. By the way, I like this article title: Penang’s farcical draft of FOI bill under DAP state government. Anyway, I still in celebration mood for Tenang by-election victory. I like the shameless spin by LKS celebrating BN missed target of 5000 majority votes. How nice is that… Read more »
Gerakan via its spineless leader KTK is unashamely attributing its failure to external factors like 9/11 incident, instead of admiting its own incompetency.
Penang is so much better since the downfall of Gerakan.
Kampung Buah Pala was a good settlement effort by the Pakatan government after Gerakan and UMNO ‘sold’ off the land which was originally willed for the perpetual use of the residents who, sadly, also lost in court to save their plot of land.
‘Nil what do you expect from a two bit… politican like LGE?
Always biting off more … than he can chew….
So unlike his dad who is a class act.
“To reach a thousand steps, one must start with the first”
After 53 years, we have not seen the BN coalition cheats doing likewise. Gerakan K, one who feds on maggots’s waste, zip up, you do not have the moral standing to comment.
Perhaps, one must appreciate, nothing is perfect when first introduced…it is still in an infant phase and through reforms and corrections, it will become creditable Act.
Why not have a Third Force to be the referee?
Gerakan K and co. will no doubt be having another field day with this one. Are the rebels ready for another strike by the stormtroopers?
Yes, the killer blow sounds like something we’ve heard before. Is Guan Eng suffering from the draconian law syndrome, along the lines of Patty Hearst?
Whatever you might complain about this FOI, it is indeed a piece of good news to all of us who have been suppressed of real news with the media been tihgtly controlled by BN.