Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of Internal Security Datuk Hamzah Md Rus, who is also the Secretary of the Royal Commission has informed in the press that the report will be made available to the public at 3pm on next Monday, 23rd January 2006. The report can be bought from the Ministry of Internal Security in Putrajaya and also Jabatan Penerbitan Negara.
We welcome the final decision from the Cabinet to make the report a public document but it should also be assured that the report shall also make public nationwide simultaneously, not only making it available in Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur.
By making it available nationawide, members-of-public who are concerned with the issue but who are not living in Klang Valley will have the opportunity to have the first read on the report. Limiting it sales only in Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur at the first day it is released publicly is not different from ignoring the right to know of the people concerned living in other parts of the nation.
On the other hand, Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang had on yesterday morning phoned Parliament Secretary Datuk Abdullah to learn about the distribution of the reports to MPs. However, Datuk Abdullah replied that he did not know when Parliament will have the reports.
Such happening is much regretted. Today is already Saturday and the Parliament is off today and tomorrow. If the reports were to be distributed to the hands of MPs on Monday, the Parliament must have all 219 reports on Monday morning. But how would Parliament staffs be able to courier the report to all MPs nationwide in less than 24 hours. One must know that the Parliament is currently not seating and all MPs are now at their respecetive constituents. This would mean that people living in Klang Valley will definitely be able to read the report much earlier than most MPs.
Therefore, we hope that the Ministry of Internal Security can arrange for the report to be available in all Federal Government buildings and deportments office in each state, or at least publis the summarization of the reports in the ministry website to express the Ministry’s sincerity to respect the rights-to-know of the people.
We welcome the final decision from the Cabinet to make the report a public document but it should also be assured that the report shall also make public nationwide simultaneously, not only making it available in Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur.
By making it available nationawide, members-of-public who are concerned with the issue but who are not living in Klang Valley will have the opportunity to have the first read on the report. Limiting it sales only in Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur at the first day it is released publicly is not different from ignoring the right to know of the people concerned living in other parts of the nation.
On the other hand, Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang had on yesterday morning phoned Parliament Secretary Datuk Abdullah to learn about the distribution of the reports to MPs. However, Datuk Abdullah replied that he did not know when Parliament will have the reports.
Such happening is much regretted. Today is already Saturday and the Parliament is off today and tomorrow. If the reports were to be distributed to the hands of MPs on Monday, the Parliament must have all 219 reports on Monday morning. But how would Parliament staffs be able to courier the report to all MPs nationwide in less than 24 hours. One must know that the Parliament is currently not seating and all MPs are now at their respecetive constituents. This would mean that people living in Klang Valley will definitely be able to read the report much earlier than most MPs.
Therefore, we hope that the Ministry of Internal Security can arrange for the report to be available in all Federal Government buildings and deportments office in each state, or at least publis the summarization of the reports in the ministry website to express the Ministry’s sincerity to respect the rights-to-know of the people.
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