Tag: Councillors

MBPJ Introduces QR Code to Improve Management Quality

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The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has introduced Quick Response Codes (QR Code) on stickers at business premises in the city to improve the quality of licence management services.

Mayor, Datin Paduka Alinah Ahmad said that the system is capable of verifying that the information on the licence is the same as applied for by traders through smartphones.

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“The system has security features and business activity information such as licence account number, company name, address of the premises, licence activities and the licence period.

“All information can be accessed via telephones with internet facilities. It helps us to detect counterfeiting of stickers (licence),” she said at a press conference yesterday in conjunction with the ‘Let’s Pay Our Licence 2014’ (Jom Bayar Lesen 2014) campaign.

Also present was the Deputy Secretary of MBPJ, Ahmat Mohayen Said, the Enforcement Director of MBPJ, Mohd Fauzi Maarof and the MBPJ Deputy Licensing Director, Sharinaz Shamsudin.

Alinah said that MBPJ will also introduce an employee/assistant card which has security features and the QR Code system for 2014 licences that covers business activities like food, hawking, beauty and healthcare centres as well as cyber cafes.

“For the first phase, MBPJ requires only holders of hawker and cyber cafe licences to register the names of their employees.

“This is to ensure that the employees are not foreign workers because they are prohibited from working at cyber cafes or as hawkers,” she said.

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State Government Allocates RM5 Million to Overcome Flooding in Klang

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KLANG, 14 SEPT: The State Government approved an allocation of RM million to the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) to finance concerted efforts to overcome flooding.

The Deputy President of MPK, Ehsan Mukri said that the focus now is to resolve flood mitigation projects by upgrading rivers, rehabilitating drainage channels and the construction of more retention ponds.

“MPK has received an allocation of RM5 million from the State Government to implement these projects (flood mitigation) where RM1 million from the allocation will be given to the Selangor Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS) for river upgrading works.

“We also plan to build the first underground reservoir in Klang as a measure to overcome flooding here,” he said during the State Government Manifesto Dialogue with the people at Hamzah Hall last night.

He said that so far, a total of nine projects are being carried out with focus on several areas, including Jalan Tengku Kelana and Pandamaran.

He said that MPK has also provided a special channel through social networking sites to provide access to the public to raise any queries or complaint in the event of difficulties in their area.

“Leaders and Council Members need to visit each time there is flooding in the area, in fact, we have liaised with all agencies to integrate in their duties.

“We at MPK will provide clean-up work for drains and ditches, but unfortunately, the people often throw trash causing the drains to be clogged up.

The dialogue and Q&A session focused on four key elements which are economy, peace, brotherhood and the people’s government.

Also present was the Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the Member of Parliament for Kota Raja, Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud, the Sri Andalas Assemblyman, Dr Xavier Jayakumar and MPK Council Members.

MPK: Stern Action Awaits Those Who Abuse PWD Parking

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SHAH ALAM: The lack of civic awareness by some Malaysians has prompted the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) to act sternly against road users who park at parking lots reserved for People with Disabilities (PWD).

Towing and compound operations are clearly welcomed by members of the public who are concerned with the issue. If their vehicle is towed, the fine is a staggering RM400.

“In terms of statistics, this year alone we have already acted on 15 offences of parking in PWD parking spaces and the number of those who obstructed traffic flow amounts to 780. This includes the offence of parking vehicles at the side of the street,” he said.

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Council Member, Alan Tan Heng Kim said that MPK is very concerned about this issue and wants to resolve the issue in a holistic manner.

Tan is of the opinion that the issue of PWD parking which has been abused by a fraction of society is not new and the inconsiderate action happens due to the lack of parking spaces.

“The parking lots that are available are probably far for the premises they are headed to. The existence of limited PWD parking which are not used has caused people to take advantage of it,” he said.

Apart from action against those who do not respect facilities for PWD, MPK is working with developers to increase the number of parking spaces.

Meanwhile, the security of multi-level parking buildings will also be improved so that the people of Klang feel confident to use the facility.

Tan hopes that this strategy by MPK will overcome the abuse of PWD parking spaces, thus reducing cases of cars parked on the side of the road.

Selangor Students being brought back from Egypt in stages

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SHAH ALAM, 24 August: The Selangor Government is trying to bring back the people of this state who are in Egypt in stages in accordance with needs and flights set.

Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said that the effort is being undertaken in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Immigration Department to ensure that all transactions are conducted in an orderly fashion and smoothly.

He said that the latest statistics indicate that there are over 1,300 Selangorians studying in Egypt and 40 have been reported to have been deported.

It will surely be completed in one to two months, he said, as some of the students do not want to return home because they are having examinations.

“We have an officer in charge of the students there and they will be the ones who will monitor the situation and convey information to the State Government,” he said.
He said this at a press conference after the launch of the Selangor Stage Premier Gotong Royong (mutual cooperation) Programme here this morning.

Egypt has been in turmoil since President Mohamed Morsi, who was democratically elected last year, was overthrown by the military regime on July 3, 2013.

According to unofficial reports, thousands of Morsi’s supporters were killed in the violence masterminded by the regime.

Bandar Baru Ampang Mosque Completes Needs of the Local Community

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AMPANG, July 26: The construction of the new mosque in Bandar Baru Ampang completes the needs of the local community to perform prayers, develop character, and embrace the noble values of Islam.

The mosque was inaugurated by the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin IdrisShah, who officiated it after the Iftar with the people yesterday.

The mosque which was built at a cost of RM5 million is the initiative of the Lambah Jaya Assemblyman and the Public Works Department (PWD). It was fully completed on 22 October 2009 and has been officially used by parishioners since December 2009.

The mosque design features modern architecture and extensive use of glass and has an area of 7,500 square feet which can accommodate a congregation of 2,000.

It is also equipped with facilities of a Imam room, a muezzin room, administrative offices, a class room, a meeting room, a funeral ceremony room and a food

Before the construction of this mosque, the local community had to go to mosques and suraus which were located rather far from their homes,

At the same ceremony, the Sultan presented Aidilfitri (Eif al-Fitr) contributions to about 507 asnaf orphans, poor and needy, and new Muslims living in Hulu Lanagat.

All the recipients received donations amounting to RM400 per person, while orphans received RM100 per person.

In addition to that, the Sultan also received zakat worth RM1 million from Maybank Islamic Berhad for the 2012 financial year end.

Accompanying the Sultan at the occasion was the Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the State Government Secretary, Datuk Mohamed Khusrin Munawi, and the Jasi Director, Datuk Marzuki Husin as well as state Executive Councillors., as well as the state executive council line.

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Selangor Requires 30% of Council Members to be Women at every Local Authority

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SHAH ALAM, July 24: The State Government requires for 30 percent of every Local Authority Council Members to be women.

It is one of the required criteria in the selection of Council Members for Local Authorities which will begin on 1 January, 2014.

In addition, the Executive Councillor for Local Government, Studies and Research, Datuk Teng Chang Khim said that Council Members’ length of service cannot exceed four years or two consecutive terms.

He said, among the minimum requirements is that Council Members must be aged 21 and above, has the Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM) as the minimum academic qualification, and had lived at least five years in areas under the respective local authorities.

The quota distribution needs to have 75 percent of the members to be candidates from a political party, while 25 percent should be candidates from Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

“NGO candidates should be from registered NGOs and the name must be proposed by the respective organisation,” he said in a press conference after the Exco meeting at the Selangor State Government Secretariat Building.

Electricity Charges High When Using Electronic Meters, PKR Wants Government to Investigate

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PETALING JAYA, July 23: PKR urged the Federal Government to appoint an independent body to investigate and review the current electricity tariff set by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) which is said to be high and burdens consumers.

Member of Parliament for Kelana Jaya, Wong Chen, said that investigation was necessary because the majority of consumers are affected due to the installation of new electronic meters which replaced the old analogue meter.

“TNB cannot give excuses and must allow an independent body to be appointed to examine and test the digital meters.

“The government can appoint this independent body, and so can the Energy Commission. This is because the meters belong to TNB, thus, permission from TNB is needed to open and investigate the meters.

“We also want stakeholders involved, including Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and BN, because this is an issue of the people,” he said in a press conference here today.

He said that PR has received many complaints from consumers about the issue where they stated their dissatisfaction.

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He said, the reason given by TNB on the high electricity bills from their new meters stems from the old meter readings which were not accurate and totally unreasonable.

Subsequently, Wong said that PR has set up a special committee to investigate and highlight the issue which comprises of its Vice-President, Datuk Chua Jui Meng; Wangsa Maju Parliamentarian, Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong, Sri Andalas Parliamentarian, Dr Xavier Jayakumar and himself.

“The committee will launch a public campaign to emphasise the importance of transparency with relation to high electricity bills.

“We will also be launching a website next week for public involvement and a petition will be sent to TNB for this purpose,” he said, claiming that the people are willing to pay RM20 for the cost of inspection to obtain accurate meter readings.

Meanwhile, Chua said that the electricity tariffs incurred by the people currently are too high and immediate action needs to be taken to address this.

“It is a problem that burdens the people, businessmen and others. Almost every household experienced increases up to 100 percent, 200 percent or more.

“This committee will help the people for the reduction of the electricity tariff charges to a lower rate or close to the readings of the old meter,” he added.

MBPJ to Take Stern Action Against Drain Closures Without Permission

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PETALING JAYA, July 20: Stern action will be taken against owners of premises who cover drains without permission from the Petaling Jaya CIty Council (MBPJ).

This is because covering up the drains cause water on the surface to be unable to flow into drains thus resulting in flooding and damages roads.

MBPJ Engineering Director, Ismail Shafie said that the MBPJ enforcement division have often been issuing warnings and notices; however, there are still owners who stubbornly do not follow orders.

He said, covering up drains without permission also makes it difficult for maintenance works.

According to him, covering up drains without permission is wrong and contrary to Act 133 (Road, Drains and Building Act 1974, Section 46 (1) (B).

“Offenders can be fined not more than RM500 for the first offence and shall be liable to a fine of not more than RM1,000 for subsequent offences,” he said in a press conference at the MBPJ Headquarters.

Community Bus in the City and Big Towns in Selangor

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SHAH ALAM: Residents in eight areas in Selangor, including cities such as Shah Alam and Klang, and suburbs like Selayang and Sepang, will enjoy the services of a community bus soon.

The community bus service will be provided for free or at minimal cost in densely populated areas like it is done in Petaling Jaya.

The effort is being planned in detail by eight local authorities (PBT) in Selangor to encourage residents to use public transport.

Local Government Exco, Datuk Teng Chang Khim said that the State Government is waiting proposals from local authorities to implement the plan in the near future.

“All this will be planned with care before the State Government decides to implement it in municipalities and cities that have comfortable financial standings.

“The Petaling Jaya Municipal Council has started it, but it needs to be more widely publicised and improved.

“Meanwhile, the Shah Alam City Council has obtained sponsorship from the private sector but the entire details have yet to be obtained,” he said when met after the Selangor State Assembly session recently.

According to the Shah Alam City Council Corporate Director, Shahrin Ahmad, the service in Shah Alam is expected to start this year after receiving contributions from corporations.

“The proposed routes for the community bus will pass through densely populated areas, especially for students and factory workers in Sections 2, 18, 17, 19, 24.”

Meanwhile, the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) Public Relations Officer, Zainun Zakaria said that the Petaling Jaya community bus which was launched in August 2008 still runs three times a day as usual.

“It is still operating as usual and travels three times around Petaling Jaya Utara (PJU) and Petaling Jaya Selatan (PJS).”

It runs from 9 am to 5 pm every day from Monday to Friday, except on public holidays.

In PJU, the bus goes through the MBPJ complex, Tesco, the Curve, Ikano, the Section 6 Police Station, the Sunway Square Police Station and the Registration Department in Section 8.

In PJS, the route the bus takes goes through Jalan Sultan, Jalan Selangor, the Petaling Utama flats, Taman Medan, Desa Mentari, the Kampung Lindungan flats, the Taman Desa Ria flats, Jalan Othman and Amcorp Mall.

Application for Additional RM105 Million to Pay for Free Water Scheme from May to December

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SHAH ALAM, July 6: The Selangor Government applied for an additional allocation of RM105 million to continue giving 20 cubic metres of free water to the people of Selangor for the period of July till December this year.

Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said that the provision is necessary because the previous provisions only covered the cost of the programme till last May, before the 13th General Election (GE-13).

Therefore, he said, the State Government will pay for the cost of free water to the Selangor Water Supply Company (Syabas) for January till May.

The decision was made for the 2013 budget because if another State Government took over after the GE-13, the administration will not be forced to continue the policy.
“If we won the election, we will continue this free water programme. This decision was made because we do not want to make decisions for others.

“However in the PR manifesto, we have listed our effort to continue this free water assistance,” he told the media after the Selangor State Assembly (DNS) was adjourned today.

The RM105 million application was part of the application for additional expenditure of RM761 million made through an enactment in the DNS.

From the RM105 million, RM83 million is to cover the free water programme for July till December 2013.

Meanwhile, RM22 million is to support the existing programme which has been used for the programme payments for May till June.

Speaker Appointment via Letter Ballots Proves PM Does not Believe his own MPs

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KUALA LUMPUR, June 24: Today, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders questioned the voting process for the President (Speaker) of the House of Representatives via ‘letter ballots’ which allegedly does not give freedom to members of the House to make a choice.

The letter ballot works by having every member of the House of Representatives write down their candidate choice for Speaker and their own name, and sign the ballot papers before submission to the Parliamentary Secretary, Rosmee Hamzah.

Pokok Sena Member of Parliament, Datuk Mahfuz Omar was among the first to dispute the voting method before being supported by other PR leaders, including Tian Chua (PKR-Batu) and Gobind Singh Deo (DAP-Puchong).

“Why do they need signatures? Does the Prime Minister not trust in BN’s own Parliamentary members?” Mahfuz, the PAS Vice-President, sarcastically said.

Earlier, the Parliamentary Secretary announced two candidates put forward respectively by PR and Barisan Nasional (BN).

PR, via the MP for Bandar Tun Razak, tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, suggested the former Federal Court Judge, Datuk Abdul Kadir Sulaiman, while BN, through the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak suggested Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia for the position of Speaker.

However, the poll results were in favour of Pandikar Amin with the total of 133 votes while Abdul Kadir would receive 89 votes.

The decision this maintains Pandikar Amin as the Speaker for the House of Representatives for the second term after being officially appointed on 28 April 2008.

Prepare Alternative Placement for Residents of Kampung Desa Pengasih

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SUBANG JAYA, June 16: Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim informed that the Selangor District and Land Officer has submitted a proposal to resolve the issue of the residents of Kampung Desa Pengasih who were ordered to leave their placement last May.

According to Abdul Khalid, among the contents of the proposal is to provide alternative placement for the affected residents in the near future.

“The District Officer did not allow the demolition to take place and there have been discussions between residents and the developer so that this problem can be solved,” he said in a press conference here after officiating the Opening Ceremony and Branding of the 3C Complex yesterday evening.

It was reported that the villagers began to receive notices of a court order asking them to vacate the area in 2012, and the company began to file initial summons against the residents on 14 May 2013 through the Shah Alam High Court.

The notice stated that all affected residents need to vacate the area no later than 28 May.

However, residents appealed to postpone the evacuation by pleading for kindness from the involved parties to provide a placement for them as well as to claim for compensation for crops cultivated over the years.

The residents also claimed to have not received the compensation of RM7,500 by a Federal Government Linked Company (GLC) as promised from the land their homes are on.

It is understood that the land area of 217.5794 hectares was requested by the residents when Selangor was under BN and former Chief Minister, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib on 8 September 1992.

However, the residents’ application status was unknown until 2004, when the land was requested by the GLC.

The application was then approved by Dr Mohd Khir, for the purpose of building a university. However, the development of the university had not been pursued.