Illegal workers at Palace: Who dragged in race - Ezam or media?

by Viktor Wong, Malaysia Chronicle

VIDEO INSIDE Who is really the one who dragged the issue of race - the colour of one's skin - into the construction of the new Istana Negara, just so as to hide the problems besetting the project?

No, it wasn't Malaysiakini or The Star, but ... yes, you've guessed it! It was yet another racist politician from Umno, and one who was recently made a Senator by Prime Minister Najib Razak too.

This man, Ezam Mohd Nor, is trying to manipulate the Palace issue into a racial one. He is saying the two media - Malaysiakini and The Star - had undermined the Royal institution, and thereby, the Malay race.

Why is he saying such things? Is he trying to deflect attention from the core issue of corruption and abuse of power? Is he trying to damage-control for some people including his boss, the prime minister? Why is he trying to blame others and drag them into the controversy?

What did the news reports really say?

All Malaysiakini and The Star did was to report about the grievances of the foreign workers hired to help build the new Istana Negara in Jalan Duta. So, how on earth can their reporting of this matter be regarded as undermining the Royal institution and the Malay community?

Did they say that the King himself was responsible for the salaries of the illegal foreign workers or that he had been been late in paying them? Was it ever mentioned that the King was the one who had hired these illegals?

No, not at all. Then what is Ezam barking at and why? Should we even let him waste our time?

Why don't we tell him - loudly and clearly - that by dragging the Palace and the Royal institution into the problem, Ezam himself may be accused of disloyalty and committing treason.

Let us call on the authorities to investigate him for his insinuations and if they find enough grounds, they should charge him immediately for trying to undermine the King and his royal reputation. Malaysians should also shun this leader for trying to provoke racial tensions and split their society further apart.

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Ezam wants gov't to probe Malaysiakini, Star

Malaysiakini, July 3

Senator Ezam Mohd Nor has called on the Home Ministry to probe both Malaysiakini and Star over news reports concerning the plight of foreign workers at the construction site of the new palace in Kuala Lumpur.

News portal Malaysiakini and English daily Star should be investigated because their reports were based on "devious motives to undermine the royal institution", said Ezam when contacted today.

"I had been to the construction site today and gave a press conference. The information in the reports is wrong. Only four or five of the construction workers were late in receiving their salary,” said Ezam, who was appointed a senator in May.

"(Therefore), their reports are anti-Malay and anti-Istana (anti-palace). The reports (portrayed) the palace as if it was being built upon the tears of the people."

Star on June 27 reported that many of the 1,000 foreign workers hired by 130 sub-contractors at the construction site of the RM800 million palace had not received their salaries for three months.

The report prompted Works Minister Shaziman Abu Mansor to warn the on-site contractors that the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia will blacklist them if they failed to pay their workers.

Attack on Malay institutions

The issue also received the attention of parliamentarians, who visited the site last night to meet with the workers who had complained of bad working conditions.

However, the group of MPs and activists were denied entry into the site, Malaysiakini reported.

Ezam said the Malaysiakini report was the last straw for him, as the independent news portal had often highlighted issues which he considered as “anti-Istana”.

"This is too much. Malaysiakini had attacked the (Malay) institutions enough. I will fight (Malaysiakini editor-in-chief) Steven Gan in an all-out war," he added.

He cited Malaysiakini reports on the power tussle in Perak involving ousted menteri besar Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin and conversion cases as examples of attacks on Malay institutions.


VIDEO l MPs barred from entering construction site l 6.48 mins

courtesy of Malaysia Chronicle