PAS: Main objective of going to Sydney is for Sirul to see his aging mother

KUALA LUMPUR: After a failed attempt at a long distance phone call from former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar earlier in the week, PAS information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar and PAS foreign affairs chief Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad, together with Sirul's mother will be heading to Sydney tomorrow night.
Speaking to the media at a Chinese New Year open house event organised by Bertindak, a newly formed NGO, Syed said that they are going to Australia to "find the truth" and to give support to Sirul's family.
"We want to help him with a proper defence," said the Batu Burok assemblyman.
He said PAS and PKR are all proactive in lending Siruls family any assistance to the best of their abilities.
"His mother who is aging wants to visit her son whom she has not seen for quite some time, this is one of the main reasons for our trip to Sydney," he added.
Earlier in the week, Mahfuz said that he will be meeting several authorities in Australia to ask for a teleconference between Sirul and the Malaysian media relating to the murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Sirul, who is a former member of the police special action squad, left for Australia in October and was detained under the country's immigration laws due to his non-declaration of being an accused in the Altantuya murder case and that he had a pending appeal applied by the prosecution against his freedom.
Also at the Chinese New Year open house was Seputeh MP Teresa Kok who called for a change of governance in Kuala Lumpur, alluding to the election of local councils.
"We need to take a leaf out of Selangor's book. In Subang, which is in Selangor, they have 24 exco's and each exco is designated to a specific zone, this makes it easier for the rakyat to share their grievances," she said.
She added that this makes it more efficient to solve problems like potholes and other social issues.
"With local councils people have a direct line to the councillors, hence problems in each zone can be solved faster," she said.
In Kuala Lumpur, there are eleven Parliamentary areas but only one administrative body which is City Hall (DBKL).
"It is very difficult sometimes to get a hold of DBKL, because they sometimes take months to respond," she said.
She called for DBKL to restructure their procedures and take into consideration the election of local councils.
"It is definitely more efficient to elect local councils, this is what the people want," she said.