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A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national (e.g. constituent federal) state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state (and sometimes a union territory) of India, a territory of Australia^[1] or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government. It is also used as the English version of the title given to the heads of governments of the Malay states^[2] without a monarchy.

The title is also used in the Crown dependencies of the Isle of Man (since 1986), in Guernsey (since 2004), and in Jersey (since 2005).

In Malaysia, it is used to refer to the heads of government, called in their Malay language term Ketua Menteri (literally Chief Minister), of the Malaysian states without a sultan, i.e., Malacca, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak, while the Malay language term Menteri Besar (literally Great Minister) is used in other states with a monarch.

By analogy the term is often applied to various other high ministerial offices, e.g. in a princely state before or during the British raj.

Deputy chief minister[link]

Deputy chief minister is an optional post in some States of India and is Second to the Chief Minister. In general practice the position is given to a member of the coalition party when the government is formed with the support of various parties. It can also be awarded to a member of the majority party who has substantial support of the legislature compared to the Chief Minister.

Chief Ministers around the world[link]

• Chief Minister of Anguilla
• Chief Minister of British Isles
• Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
• Chief Minister of the Northern Territory of Australia
• Chief Minister of Norfolk Island (Australia)
• Chief Minister of Guernsey
• Chief Minister of Gibraltar
• Chief Minister (India)
• Chief Minister of Jersey
• Chief Minister of the Isle of Man
• Chief Minister of Montserrat
• Chief Ministers of Malaysia
• Chief Minister of Singapore
• Chief Ministers of Sri Lanka
• Chief Ministers of Pakistan

References[link]

1. ^ http://www.dcm.nt.gov.au/about_us/government_and_the_department
2. ^ "Malay Stats". http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/Unfederated+Malay+States. Retrieved 2009-04-14. 

Born in November 1948, Najam Sethi (Urdu: نجم سیٹھی) is an award winning Pakistani journalist, editor, and media personality, is the editor-in-chief of The Friday Times, a Lahore based political weekly, and previously the editor of Daily Times and Daily Aajkal newspapers. Currently, he does a current-affairs program on Geo TV, Pakistan's most popular private news channel. He also owns Vanguard, a publishing house and a chain of bookstores.

He has been awarded the 2009 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize of the World Association of Newspapers.^[1] He and his publications have been in conflict with Pakistani governments on many occasions. He was part of the "London Group" of Pakistani leftists that supported an uprising in Balochistan in the 1970s.^{[citation needed]}

In May 1999, he was imprisoned for one month without trial. However, he was released after an international outcry.^{[citation needed]}

He served in President Farooq Leghari's interim cabinet as Adviser on Political Affairs and Accountability after the fall of Benazir Bhutto's second government. On November 25, 2009, in an email sent to Daily Times online edition subscribers, Sethi announced his resignation from The Daily Times. In addition to himself, Khaled Ahmed (Contributing Editor), Ejaz Haider (Op-Ed Editor) and other senior staff also resigned.^{[citation needed]}

Sethi is married to Jugnu Mohsin, who is also a journalist.

See also[link]

• List of Pakistani journalists

External links[link]

• Najam Sethi's Official website

References[link]

This article about an Asian journalist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Oommen Chandy ഉമ്മന്‍ ചാണ്ടി
Chief Minister of Kerala
Incumbent
Assumed office May 18, 2011
Governor	H.R. Bhardwaj
Preceded by	V.S. Achuthanandan
Constituency	Puthuppally
Chief Minister of Kerala
In office August 31, 2004 – May 18, 2006
Preceded by	A. K. Antony
Succeeded by	V.S. Achuthanandan
Constituency	Puthuppally
Personal details
Born	(1943-10-31) October 31, 1943 (age 68) Puthuppally, Travancore
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse(s)	Mariamma Oommen
Children	1 son and 2 daughters
Residence	Puthuppally, Kerala
Religion	Christian, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
Website	http://www.keralacm.gov.in/
As of Nov 2, 2007 Source: Govt. of Kerala

Oommen Chandy (Malayalam: ഉമ്മന്‍ ചാണ്ടി) (born October 31, 1943 in Puthuppally, Travancore, Indian Empire) is an Indian politician and the current Chief Minister of Kerala. He has held the Chief Minister of Kerala position earlier from 2004 to 2006, and was the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2011.^[1]

Early life[link]

Oommen Chandy or 'Kunjoonju' was born to K.O. Chandy and Baby Chandy. Born in an upper class affluent Orthodox Syrian Christian family at Puthuppally,Kottayam district, Kerala, Chandy ventured into the political arena as an activist of Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of the party. He was the unit president of KSU at St George High School, Puthupally, and went on to become the State President of the organization. Chandy completed his college education from CMS College, Kottayam, SB College, Changanassery. Later, he took a bachelors degree in law (LLB) from Government Law College, Ernakulam. He is also a trade unionist and heads several INTUC affiliated outfits.

Political life[link]

Chandy started his political career through the Kerala Students Union (KSU), which he served as president from 1967 to 1969. He was elected as the president of the State Youth Congress in 1970. He is the 21st chief minister of Kerala at present.

He has represented Puthuppally Constituency for decades, having been elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1970, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011. During his long legislative career he had also served as the Chairman of Public Accounts Committee during 1996–98.

Minister[link]

Chandy sworn as a minister in Kerala for four times. He was the Minister for Labour from 11.04.1977 to 25.04.1977 in the first K. Karunakaran Ministry and continued holding the same portfolio in the succeeding first A.K. Antony Ministry till 27.10.1978. He was in the charge of Home portfolio in the second K. Karunakaran Ministry from 28.12.1981 to 17.03.1982. Again, he was sworn in as a minister in the fourth K.Karunakaran Ministry on July 2, 1991. He was in charge of Finance Portfolio and resigned from the cabinet on 22.06.1994 due to difference with the Chief Minister.

Minister in different ministries[link]

Chief Minister 2004–2006[link]

The results of the parliamentary elections in May 2004 saw the Indian National Congress not winning a single seat in Kerala. The sitting Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, was forced to resign and accept responsibility for the poor results. On August 30, 2004, Oommen was elected the Congress Legislature Party leader at the end of a meeting by AICC observers and clearance by the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi. In what may be seen as a reflection of his work as Chief Minister, the Congress-led alliance was defeated, but managed to retain 40 out of 140 seats in the assembly and boost its vote-share by nearly 10% after the general election rout. He resigned as Chief Minister on May 12, 2006 following the defeat of his party in 2006 Assembly Elections.

Leader of Opposition[link]

Oommen Chandy was the leader of opposition in the twelfth Kerala Legislative Assembly. Under his leadership UDF marked victories in Lok Sabha Election 2009 gaining 16 out of 20 parliament constituencies in Kerala. and Local Body Election 2010. In the history of Kerala politics it's first time that UDF got an upper hand in local body elections.

Leader of Congress Parliamentary Party[link]

After winning the closely contested 2011 assembly election, Congress legislative party unanimously elected Oommen Chandy as its leader. At the Congress Legislature Party meeting, Mr. Chandy's name was proposed by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Ramesh Chennithala and seconded by Aryadan Mohammed. The election process was formally launched after Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Mohsina Kidwai and AICC general secretary Madhusoodan Mistry, who is in charge of Kerala, held a one-to-one meeting in their capacity as observers with the 38 elected MLAs.

Second term as Chief Minister (from 2011 onwards)[link]

UDF (United Democratic Front) led by Oommen Chandy secured a slender margin in assembly election which held on April 13, 2011. UDF candidates won in 72 seats against 68 seats of LDF (Left Democratic Front). He took the oath on May 18, 2011 with six other ministers of his cabinet. Later thirteen other ministers were also inducted into his cabinet. He gave up Vigilance Portfolio in early August 2011, after a fresh probe was ordered on the Palm Oil case (which happened when he was Finance Minister in 1992).

Though UDF came to power with a wafer thin majority, his 100 days programmes announced propelled the state fast forward. 107 programmes were announced as part of the 100 days programme of the Government. Out of this the government could accomplished a whopping figure of 101 leaving just 6 of the programmes unfinished. This really gave a boost to the governance. The policies adopted by Oommen Chandy helped to bridge the gap between people and officials.

UNDP appreciated Oommen Chandy, for the range of innovative practices in democratic governance, initiated by the Government of Kerala in strengthening people's access and participation in human development and governance. They were impressed by the innovative approach to ensure transparency and accountability in Governance, particularly the to web-stream the entire functioning of CM’s office. The Mass Contact Programme, in many ways, is the first of its kind to ensure the right to direct access to leaders and senior civil servants of the government.^[2]

Oommen Chandy left the post of Home Ministry on 13 April 2012 and Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan took charge of the post.^[3]

Major achievements of Ommen Chandy Ministry[link]

Rehabilitation of Moolampilly Victims[link]

The government and representatives of people evicted from Moolampilly for the Vallarpadam Tranship Container Terminal Project in Kochi reached an agreement settling outstanding issues regarding the rehabilitation.

The government would provide water supply, electricity, and road connectivity to a common point in each of the plots earmarked for resettlement of the evictees who had lost their homes. The area would be demarcated in such a way that coastal zone regulations would not come in the way of constructing two-storied buildings with sufficient built-up area. A sum of Rs.75,000 would be given to each family for piling as the land given was marshy.

The government would continue to provide rent at Rs.5,000 a month to the evictees up to six months after the establishment of the infrastructure facilities promised by the government. The arrears in rent for the past 27 months would also be paid to them.

State government would take up with the Cochin Port Trust the issue of providing jobs to a member of each of the evicted families at the Vallarpadam project.

Cases to be withdrawn

The government would withdraw all cases against the evictees and those who assisted them in their agitation excluding those involving violence and destruction of property. The Revenue Department would write to the Centre seeking exemption of compensation paid to the evictees from income tax on capital gains. Conditions on titles given under the rehabilitation package would be relaxed to enable the evictees pledge the land to banks for availing loans.

It was also decided at the conference that 12 families who had been denied allotment of land under the rehabilitation package would be given titles. They would be given all the benefits under the package upon their forfeiting compensation paid under the Land Acquisition Act and withdrawal of cases filed by them against the government. Two of the evictees, Joy John and John Joseph, who lost their livelihood would be given assistance to start a trade.

A monitoring committee headed by the District Collector would oversee implementation of the agreement and bring issues, if any, to the notice of the government.

Aid for endosulfan victims[link]

The UDF Government had increased the aid from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh As many as 176 victims who had been given Rs 50,000 earlier were given an additional Rs 50,000 on Monday. The remaining families in the list of 486 victims were distributed Rs 1 lakh each.^[4]

Enforcing transparency[link]

In an attempt to enforce transparency 24x7 live webcast streaming of Chief ministers office and meeting chamber started on July 1, 2011. This is streamed on the official website of the Chief Minister of Kerala.^[5]

Teacher's Package[link]

A package was introduced for the teacher's of aided school's of Kerala. It helped more than ten thousand's of teacher's who were outside the school due to less no of students in schools.A teachers bank was introduced for the protection of all those teachers who were jobless.Also all the procedure's of teachers bank were done online. The teacher's bank came effective from the academic year 2011–12.This was one of the most appreciated action of the oommen chandy government.

Major Initiatives[link]

Kochi Metro Rail Project[link]

An alternate mode of public transport the metro will definitely ease the traffic of Kochi city. The project will bring about a more equitable allocation of road space. It is being set up at an estimated cost of 5,146 crore, and is expected to be completed in 2015. The first phase of the project is from Thripunithura to Aluva spanning 25.253 km.Project will be implemented in the Delhi metro model and E Sreedharan will head the project.

High Speed Rail Corridor[link]

The High Speed Rail Corridor is proposed from Mangalore to Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation has been named the nodal agency for the High Speed Rail Corridor. It would become operational by 2020. It has been proposed to use Japanese technology. DMRC is entrusted to study the feasibility of the project and will soon submit a detailed project. This project was originally mooted by the 2006 LDF Government led by V. S. Achuthanandan.^[6]

Mono rail[link]

The project will be completed in two phases. The first will be from Pallipuram to Thampanoor and the second from Thampanoor to Neyyatinkara. The total cost of the project will be Rs. 5130 crore. At a time 600 persons can travel in the monorail. This will ease the traffic congestion in the city. The monorail will also come up at Kozhikode as the study has pointed that the project is feasible for this city too.

Whistle blower policy[link]

Strengthening the whistle blower policy, the Chief Minister announced that his government would undertake an initiative to reward those who provide vital clues or evidence of corruption in any area, providing protection to them. An expert committee has been already formed for setting up the state Whistle Blower Protection Policy and soon this would become operational.

Vizhinjam International Port[link]

Vizhinjam International Deep-sea Container Terminal is expected to become operational by 2015. The state government has prepared a time-bound action plan to complete the project. The financial bid of Welspun consortium will be referred to the empowered committee as they have obtained the security clearance from the centre.

Vision 2030[link]

Suggestions and ideas from enlightened Keralites are sought for envisaging comprehensive development plan of Kerala. Public can send their suggestions, ideas, views etc. for the development of Kerala so as to envisage its vision for 2030. This online platform intends to ensure the participation of all Keralites for arriving comprehensive development plan for Kerala.

Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project[link]

Kerala has been included in the second phase of this project, expected to begin in September 2012. Project would include pollution control, mangrove and wetland preservation, provision of livelihood options for fishermen, etc.

Public Grievance Lodging & Monitoring System[link]

This is an online system where citizens can lodge their grievances related to any department in Government of Kerala through this portal. The grievance would be forwarded to the concerned authorities for needful action. Chief Minister’s Public Grievance Redressal Cell- Call Center is a physical place, which works 24X7, where anybody can make telephone calls to 1076 (Tollfree number) and can register their complaints to Chief Minister’s Call Center.

Live webcast of office[link]

To ensure maximum transparency in administration of UDF Government, the office of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy went live on the Internet from 1 st July 2011 with 24-hour live webcast of the functioning of the office and CM’s chamber. The scheme was one of the agenda included in Chief Minister’s 100-day action plan.

24x7 office[link]

The CM’s office works 24×7 on all the days. He is the only Chief Minister in the country who keeps himself visible to the public when in office through a webcast.

His office and cabinet can be visible through the website http://www.keralacm.gov.in/.

The 24×7 call center would facilitate people to register their grievances and complaints directly to the CM’s office by telephone. The call center would function 24×7 and can be accessed on 1076- toll free number, for BSNL customers. Those using other services will have to dial 1800 425 1076 for accessing the service. People calling from abroad have to fix the code 0471 before the too free number.

Up keeping Morale[link]

Palmolein Import Scam[link]

The Palmolein Import Scam occurred during the year 1991–92 in the Kerala state when K. Karunakaran was the chief minister of the state and the ruling party was United Democratic Front. During this time Oommen Chandy was the Finance Minister^[7] of the state and was responsible for financial accounts of the state of Kerala. This scam allegedly caused a loss of Rs 2.32 crore to the state. The case once closed after the death of K. Karunakaran in December 2010 was reopened in March 2011^[8] during the election period of 2011. However this did not affect the election results to a great extent.

The court stated that Oommen Chandy had approved of the import of palmolein through "Power and Energy Ltd" by paying 15% service charge and it was evident from his signature in the note.^[9] However the court has not been able to show any direct involvement of Oommen Chandy in the scam . Aiding to the investigation of the case in 2011, when the case was reopen, Oommen Chandy, the then Chief Minister had agreed to step down from the Office of Chief Minister of Kerala in 2011, and face the case "legally and morally". But on the advice on Congress core committee, Oommen Chandy continues to stay incumbent. To provide more trust and transparency to the investigation, Oommen Chandy gave up the portfolio of Vigilance and Anti Corruption.^[10]

The vigilance court asked the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau to submit its investigation report of the palmolein case by November 10, 2011. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) gave a clean chit to Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on January 7, 2012. The Vigilance team submitted its further probe report in the palmolein import case, saying there was no evidence to arraign Chief Minister Oommen Chandy as an accused.

The facts, evidences and circumstances of the case in the probe showed Oommen Chandy had not committed any illegal acts or omissions as the then finance minister, the report said.

The VACB report said Oommen Chandy was not part of the conspiracy which caused the state exchequer a loss of Rs 2.32 crore. He had not acted in a manner to ensure undue monetary advantage for the private firm involved in the import.^[10]

Mass Contact Programme(Janasambarkka paripadi)[link]

An innovative practice in governance, Oommen Chandy’s Mass Contact Programme is the first of its kind to ensure the right of direct access to leaders and senior civil servants of the government to get the grievances of the people redressed in time.

Heralding a new system of governance the Mass Contact Programme resolved around 3,11,075 complaints of the common people. MCP was conducted in all 14 districts of the state. The programme lasted for an average of 16 hours in each district. Financial assistance of Rs 22.68 crore was distributed.

A permanent monitoring mechanism was also put in place.

Mass Contact Programme helped in identifying usual bottlenecks; amendments and changes in policy that were required; and also in guiding the Government to move faster and adopt to new approaches to ensure welfare of the people.

See also[link]

• Chief Ministers of Kerala
• Kerala Ministers
• Palmolein Oil Import Scam

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oommen Chandy

• The official website of Kerala Chief Minister
• The official Facebook fanpage of Oommen Chandy
• The official YouTube page of Oommen Chandy

v t e Current Chief Ministers of Indian states (list)     Andhra Pradesh: Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy Arunachal Pradesh: Nabam Tuki Assam: Tarun Gogoi Bihar: Nitish Kumar Chhattisgarh: Raman Singh Goa: Manohar Parrikar Gujarat: Narendra Modi Haryana: Bhupinder Singh Hooda Himachal Pradesh: Prem Kumar Dhumal Jammu and Kashmir: Omar Abdullah Jharkhand: Arjun Munda Karnataka: D. V. Sadananda Gowda Kerala: Oommen Chandy Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chauhan Maharashtra: Prithviraj Chavan Manipur: Okram Ibobi Singh Meghalaya: Mukul Sangma Mizoram: Pu Lalthanhawla Nagaland: Neiphiu Rio Orissa: Naveen Patnaik Punjab: Parkash Singh Badal Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot Sikkim: Pawan Kumar Chamling Tamil Nadu: Jayalalithaa Tripura: Manik Sarkar Uttar Pradesh: Akhilesh Yadav Uttarakhand: Vijay Bahuguna West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee Delhi: Sheila Dikshit Pondicherry: N. Rangaswamy

Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif (Urdu: میاں محمد شہباز شریف)
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, PML(N)
15th Chief Minister of Punjab Province
In office 31 March 2009 – Incumbent
President	Asif Ali Zardari
Prime Minister	Yousaf Raza Gillani
Governor	Latif Khosa Salmaan Taseer
Preceded by	Dost Muhammad Khosa
Constituency	Bhakkar, Punjab Province
Majority	Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N)
In office 20 February 1950 – 12 October 1950
President	Muhammad Rafiq Tarar Farooq Leghari Wasim Sajjad
Prime Minister	Navaz Scharif
Governor	Shahid Hamid Zulfiqar Ali Khosa
3rd President of Pakistan Muslim League (N)
In office September 30, 2002 – July 27, 2011
Vice President	Ghaus Ali Shah
1st Executive Vice President of Pakistan Muslim League (N)
In office October 12, 1950 – September 30, 2002
President	Kalsoom Nawaz Sharif
Personal details
Born	Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif 1950 (age 61–62) Lahore, Punjab Province, West-Pakistan
Nationality	Pakistani
Political party	Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N)
Spouse(s)	Begum Nusrat Shahbaz (1973–1993) Aaliya Honey (1993–1994) Tehmina Durrani (2003 – Present)
Residence	Chief Minister House, Lahore (official)
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Businessman
Religion	Islam

Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif (Punjabi, Urdu: میاں محمد شہاز شریف, born 1950) is a well-known Politician of Pakistan. He is the brother of Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister of Pakistan. He is the chief minister of Pakistan's most populous province Punjab since 2008. Previously, he held this position from 1997 to 1999, when Pervez Musharraf removed his government on grounds of corruption and hijacking He, along with his entire family, went into was exile until return to Pakistan in late 2007.

Family[link]

Mian Shahbaz Sharif is the second son of Mian Muhammad Sharif. He is a joint owner of Ittefaq Group. He played a vital role in the success of Ittefaq Group. Shahbaz Sharif's first marriage was with his cousin Nusrat Shahbaz (نصرت شہباز) in 1973, with the approval of his father, the late Mian Muhammad Sharif. They have two sons Hamza Shahbaz and Salman, and three daughters. Hamza Shahbaz is in politics and is a member of the National Assembly. Salman Shahbaz, educated at college, concentrates mainly on business. Shahbaz Sharif's second marriage was with Aaliya Honey (عالیہ ہنی) in 1993–94. They have one daughter, Khadija. He divorced her while in exile in Saudi Arabia. It is claimed that Shahbaz Sharif has a third marriage with Tehmina Durrani but he never publicly admitted it. This is the third marriage for both of them. Tehmina Durrani second marriage was with another well known politician Mustafe Khar (uncle of Hina Rabbani Khar). He also married (4th marriage) a young bureaucrat, Kalsoom Hayi who was earlier wife of a police officer and is mother of three children, in May 2012. It is claimed that Shahbaz Sharif pressurized the officer to give divorce to his wife so that he can marry her. ^[1]

First term Chief Minister of Punjab[link]

He was considered a strict and demanding administrator as the chief minister of Punjab. He received some criticism because he took charge of the office when his brother was the Prime Minister of Pakistan^{[citation needed]} He was ousted along with his brother in the 1999 military coup, which brought Pervez Musharraf to power.^[2]

Exile[link]

Shahbaz Sharif lived in exile in London with his brother as a result of a deal he and his brother made with Pervaiz Musharraf, the exiled former Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif after coming from Saudi Arabia. Although Sharif brothers denied the existence of any deal, but the deal papers were made public in 2008. He once tried coming back to Pakistan following a High Court decision that he was free to come back whenever he wanted. On May 11, 2004 his plane landed at Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore but he was arrested and again deported to Saudi Arabia within a few hours.

President of Pakistan Muslim League (N)[link]

Mian Shahbaz Sharif was elected President of PML (N) on 3 August 2002 while in exile in Saudi Arabia. He was re-elected President of PML(N) for a second term on 2 August 2006.

Return to Pakistan[link]

In August 2007, Supreme Court of Pakistan gave its verdict which allowed Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan.

On September 7, 2007, judge Shabbir Hussain Chatha ordered police to arrest Shahbaz Sharif, brother of Nawaz Sharif and produce him before the court, after the hearing in Lahore. The court ruled that "Shahbaz Sharif should be arrested (at) whichever airport he lands at." Nawaz Sharif too faces detention on the pair's planned return from exile to Pakistan on September 10, 2007, to challenge President Pervez Musharraf's 8-year military rule.^[3]

His brother Mian Shahbaz Sharif changed return plans at the last minute.^[4][5]

Sharif was not allowed to participate in the 2008 elections because of allegations against him. His son Hamza Sharif was supposed to run from a NA seat in Lahore but due to the death of a candidate the elections were postponed.

Second term as Chief Minister[link]

On 8 June 2008, Shahbaz Sharif was elected as Chief Minister of Punjab, receiving 265 votes from the members of the 371-seat provincial assembly. He was the only candidate, and the Pakistan Muslim League-Q boycotted the vote. Speaking after his election, he called on Musharraf to resign.^[6] He won a vote of confidence on 9 June, receiving 266 votes.^[7]

His second term as Chief Minister lasted until 25 February 2009, when a three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, headed by Justice Moosa K. Leghari, declared him ineligible to contest elections, took away his seat in the Punjab Assembly, and thereby removed him from office.^[8] On 31 March 2009, a five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court granted stay order on an earlier decision of the apex court, in which Mian Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif were disqualified from holding public office. As a result, Shahbaz Sharif returned to office as Chief Minister. From 31 March 2009, Sharif has continued to hold the office of Chief Minister, as a result of the longest 'stay order' in Pakistani legal history. This has added to the belief that the Supreme Court and the Judiciary continues to support the Sharif brothers at the expense of the legal process.

See also[link]

• Nawaz Sharif
• Muhammad Sharif
• Hamza Shahbaz
• Ittefaq Group
• Lahore
• Punjab, Pakistan
• Politics of Pakistan
• Punjab Educational Endowment Fund

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Shahbaz Sharif at Twitter
• Pml(N)Official website
• Interview with Shahid Masood on Geo TV (in Urdu) – 16 June 2007

YB Petaling Jaya Utara Tuan Tony Pua Kiam Wee
File:Tony-pua1-july2.jpg
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara
Incumbent
Assumed office March 8, 2008
Preceded by	Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun - MCA (BN)
Majority	19,972
Personal details
Born	Batu Pahat, Johor[1]
Political party	Democratic Action Party - Pakatan Rakyat
Occupation	Member of Parliament Financial Adviser
Website	Tony Pua

Tony Pua Kiam Wee (Chinese: 潘俭伟, born 1972) is a Malaysian politician, currently the Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara. Pua was the former Malaysian CEO of Cyber Village Sdn Bhd, a SESDAQ (SGX secondary board)-listed company. In early 2007, he disposed of all his interests in the company and tendered his resignation to join the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Pua graduated from Keble College, Oxford University with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics under a scholarship from the MTC Foundation in 1994. Prior to that, he received Asean and Shaw Foundation scholarships to pursue his "O" and "A"-Levels in Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College.

In the 2008 general election, Pua won the Parliamentary constituency of Petaling Jaya Utara on a DAP ticket. He ran against the incumbent, Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry for Women, Family & Community Affairs, and Deputy Chief of the Malaysian Chinese Association women's wing.^[2] In 2009, Pua was appointed the DAP member of the Pakatan Rakyat committee on the Ministry of Higher Education, roughly equivalent to the shadow ministry in other countries.

Family[link]

Pua is the eldest of four siblings. He grew up on the outskirts of Batu Pahat. His father ran a small poultry farm when Pua was growing up. ^[3]

Education[link]

Pua left home when he was 13 to do his secondary schooling in Singapore on an Asean scholarship from the Singapore government. He attended Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College. He then went on to Oxford University where he read PPE (philosophy, politics and economics) at Keble College on a MTC scholarship. ^[4]

Early Career and Cyber Village[link]

Pua worked for Andersen Consulting (now renamed Accenture) as a consultant after he graduated from Oxford. Two years later, in March 1997, he started Cyber Village when demand for e-business consultancy grew.

With his combined savings and those of his parents amounting to RM20,000 and another RM30,000 chipped in by three friends, he went ahead to open an office in Overseas Union Garden, Old Klang Road, KL with four staff. ^[5]

In August 2001, Cyber Village became the first Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC)-status company to list on the Singapore Dealing and Automated Quotation System (Sesdaq). Its public offer of 400,000 shares drew an over-subscription of approximately 2.7 times. ^[6]

Bersih 1.0 Anniversary Vigil Arrest[link]

On 9 November 2008, Tony Pua was amongst the 23 arrested during a candlelight vigil in Petaling Jaya to commemorate the first anniversary of the Bersih street demonstration. Pua, along with Kampung Tunky stateassemblyman, Lau Weng San, were allegedly manhandled by the police when they were arrested. Pua alleged that he was kicked, shoved and had his shirt torn by the Selangor police. ^[7] Pua was released on police bail on the morning of 10 November 2008 and was later charged for illegal assembly. ^[8]

Death Threat[link]

On 10 August 2010, Tony Pua received a live 5.56mm bullet used in M-16s with a threatening note posted from Tangkak, Johor. The bullet and the note were mailed to his constituency service centre in Damansara Utama. The note stated that Pua should watch out and that the whereabouts of his family, his house and his car were known.

Pua stated that the threat was perhaps related to his proposal to the Selangor government to slash Bumiputera discounts for luxury homes and commercial property in the state, to improve competitiveness and restore investor confidence. His remarks resulted in 22 police reports against him lodged by Selangor Umno Youth who deemed the proposal provocative, although he had also added that the 7% discounts enjoyed by Malays and other Bumiputeras should be retained for homes below RM500,000.^[9]

SYABAS Suit[link]

On 28 January 2011, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (SYABAS) filed a lawsuit against Tony Pua claiming that he had permitted Nanyang Siang Pau's Metro edition to publish words defamatory of it. The article had quoted him saying that if the water concessionaires could not settle their debts, the state government should take over the rights of management of water supply in Selangor. Syabas claimed that with the publication of the report in the newspaper, the company had been brought into public scandal and its image had been tarnished. Besides seeking an injunction to prevent Pua or his agents from publishing defamatory words against the company, Syabas was also seeking general damages and cost. ^[10]

Pua argued that Syabas, as a public authority performing a public service, had no locus standi in making a defamation claim. He also said that he had a legal, moral and social duty as an MP and a member of the Selangor government Water Review Panel to publish those words as the public had a right to know. Pua also filed a counter-suit, claiming that Syabas' suit was frivolous, vexatious and amounted to an abuse of the court process, which resulted in him suffering losses and unnecessary harassment and expenses.^[11]

Publications[link]

The Tiger That Lost Its Roar, a tale of Malaysia's political economy. ^[12]

2008 Election results[link]

References[link]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Philosophy Politics Economics, Tony Pua's personal blog.
• EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA, an education-oriented blog written by Tony Pua and Kian Ming Ong.

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