Selangor Waits For Central Government For ADUN Allocations

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SEPT 24 SUBANG JAYA: Selangor will for wait Putrajaya to pave the way in providing financial support to all elected representatives before finalising their decisions.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the allocations for the Opposition’s Assembly will only be decided after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak has presented the National Budget next October.

“We will wait. Let the Central Government make their presentation first and we will see whether they will agree to give financial support to the MPs without taking political affiliations into account,” he said in a press conference after ending the Budget 2014 Dialogue at the Grand Dorsett Hotel, Subang Jaya, today.

Abdul Khalid further added that the Central Government’s actions will be an example for the State Government. He was referring to the Government of Pulau Pinang’s allocation of RM40,000 to the Opposition’s Assembly beginning of next year.

“If the Central Government is willing to do so, then we will be happy to follow their example. If they won’t, the State Government will hold discussions to think of a more appropriate action so as to demonstrate the validity of our party in giving an opportunity for all representatives to serve the people,” he said.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Hannah Yeoh, said the Committee of Rights and Privileges, which consists PKR and UMNO-BN Assembly, had met the previous week. They agreed to write a letter to the State Executive Council (MKKN) to obtain financial support for each DUN for as much as RM10,000 a month.

“So we will wait for MKKN to discuss first,” she said.

CM: Inexcusable – Only Stern Actions For River Spillers

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SHAH ALAM, Sept 4th: Any individuals or companies that pollute the environment will not only have to pay for the costs of damage caused by their actions, but must also bear the costs of recovery from the pollution as well.

Such is the proposal by the State Government to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment so as to enforce the principles ordained in the Environmental Quality Act 1974.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim firmly expressed his opinion that the move was necessary to prevent cases like the recent oil-dumping in Sungai Selangor, which had caused severe distress on more than 899,931 of Klang Valley residents last week, from recurring ever again.

“The enforcement of environmental laws in this country should be increased, seeing as cases of contamination keep happening because of frequent negligence,” said Tan Sri Khalid at a press conference in the state capital.

The irresponsible actions by the factory operators that caused contamination and a severe damage to the environment and the livelihoods of the state have been grabbing headlines since last week.

Previously, the State Government had said that the Federal Government should make a joint effort with Selangor to combat ‘rogue’ environment activities.

In the meantime, Abdul Khalid said the State Government along with agencies and local authorities will continue to work together to prevent another river pollution from happening again.

“The State Government has directed all local authorities to freeze all applications for carrying out any forms of activities in the river reserve with immediate effect,” said Khalid Ibrahim.

All local authorities have been instructed to monitor all activities in the area, particularly in the river reserve for any unlicensed activities.

Coalition Opposes Redelimitation of Electoral Boundaries

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The People’s Coalition (PKR) will oppose any proposals for redelimitation of electoral boundaries as long as the present Electoral Committee (EC) leadership are not removed from their posts.

“The redelimitation of electoral boundaries which was expected this year will be repudiated as long as the EC leadership remains,” said PKR Secretary General, Dato’ Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

“The people demand that the current EC members should be relegated. There is no wisdom in addressing questions of redelimitation which are feared to be an advantage for UMNO-BN,” he said to Keadilan Daily.

He also said that the EC had failed the people in the 13th General Elections, particularly with their ambivalent behaviour and deceit over the supposedly “indelible” electoral ink.

“The EC failed to handle the electoral ink issue with contradicting excuses,” said Saifuddin.

He also revealed that the dozens of election petition filed in the court were evidence of no-confidence in political parties, including BN.

“Many of the filed petitions are evidence of EC failure,” he said.

Is Oil-Spill Factory Owner In Hiding?

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Rawang, 3rd Sept: The Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) has yet to track down the true owner of the waste lorry maintenance factory responsible for the recent oil-spill.

MPS Assistant Enforcement Officer, Paramasivam Chelliah revealed that during the raid on the factory, the owner had failed to appear.

How the owner was able to issue an open statement to a mainstream media two days ago with insinuations of being set up was a mystery to Chelliah.

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“During the operation, the MPS was only in contact with our superiors. We are unsure of how The Star managed to communicate with the factory owner.

“He (the owner) can produce any statements he likes claiming his innocence, but we have enough damning evidence to convict him,” he said, commenting on the factory owner.

Prior to this, the English-languaged newspaper reported that the factory owner had assigned blame on his employees for disposing used oil into the river.

The owner also claimed to have sacked four workers of the factory immediately.

Fourteen Citations For Sungai Selangor Oil Spill Factory

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Rawang, 3rd Sept: The factory responsible for the unscheduled water supply disruption in several areas in Klang Valley was hit with 14 citations amounting to RM34,000 for not complying with waste disposal regulations.

The factory was also found guilty for operating without a license for the last 10 years.

“They tried to worm their way out of the investigation by claiming that the factory only serves as a storage area for lorries. However, when we conducted a thorough search, we found there are more on-going activities than just storage.”

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“The factory owner is also a private contractor who had been having domestic waste brought in here for separation before being recycled,” said Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) Assistant Enforcement Officer, Paramasivam Chelliah.

According to Chelliah, Lembaga Air Selangor (LUAS), Land and District Office, and Department of Environment (DOE) of Selangor will also be taking stern actions against the factory owner.

Among the offences cited was the building structure does not meet industrial specifications. The factory operators also had previous lawsuit filed against them for odour pollution based on the complaints received from upset local residents.

The local authorities acted quickly by impounding the factory on 31st August last week. Twenty items were also seized including a welding equipment and two lorry tanks containing black oil.

The enforcers will remain on the premises to ensure there were no active industrial operations until the bleaching process was completed.

“We are suspending all activities on this premises, and prohibiting any lorries from entering this area based on a strict directive we received from the Secretary of State,” said Paramasivam.

“We will continue to impound this area until a command for release is issued by Yang Dipertua MPS himself,” he said.

Rafizi: Bumping Up RPGT Will Not Solve Housing Prices

SHAH ALAM 28th AUGUST: The Federal Government’s proposal to increase the Real Property Gain Tax (RPGT) rate during the Budget 2014 delivery this coming October 25th will not solve the problem of increased housing prices.

The People’s Coalition Party (PKR) Strategy Director, Rafizi Ramli, said the Federal Government should approach the high pricing predicament holistically, instead of resorting to short-term solutions.

“Despite concentrated effort to reintroduce and increase RPGT that can help reduce wanton speculations, however the fact remains that the root cause was still BN government’s frenetic endeavour that overlooked the underprivileged when they abolished the RPGT,” said Rafizi.

Previously, the Minister of Urban Well-being, Housing and Local Government (MHLG), Dato’ Abdul Rahman Dahlan, said the current RPGT rate fails to curb property speculations, compelling the government to make an intervention in order to resolve the problems .

Rafizi argued that factors, such as property taxes and speculations in home pricings, are not to be blamed for the increase in housing prices.

Amongst the many approaches proposed by Rafizi is to eliminate corruption that is causing serious complications in the construction sector.

“The government must be committed to combating corruption that is actively happening in housing projects, which contributes to the rise in housing prices,” said Rafizi.

Prior to the year 2007, the government determined that properties which were to be sold within two years after purchase must pay RPGT amounting up to 30 percent. Twenty percent if it was sold within four years, five percent in the fifth year, and no tax to be applied after six years.

However, beginning from April 2007 to January 2010, all profits from property transactions were exempted from RPGT as a step to increase property sales during the economic downturn.

It was reintroduced in Budget 2011, where acquisitions from real estate sales for less than five years will be charged with RPGT for about five percent.

During Budget 2012, proceeds from property sales of less than two years will be charged with 10 percent RPGT; five percent for between two to five years, while no RPGT wil be imposed on five years.

223 Acres of Forest Fire Brought Under Control

KUALA LANGAT, 28th AUGUST: A forest fire which covered 223 acres in the Tanjung 12 North-South Expressway Central Link (Elite) towards Shah Alam was successfully brought under control. Some of the burned areas were successfully put out.

Deputy Superintendent of the Southern Selangor Fire Zone, Mohd Helmi Abu Husin, said his team is currently conducting comprehensive eradications in 147 areas that showed active hot spots.

“We will continue with this operation for the next two weeks to ensure that these hot spots are truly free from danger.

“The period of operation will also depend on the weather. The rain would be of great help in hastening the operation,” he said.

Three service equipments operated by 10 members of the Fire and Rescue Station in Banting, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Shah Alam have been deployed to the areas of operation since August 9th. The Paya Indah Wetlands and the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) are also offering their assistance.

The ‘Fire Break’ method, which involved digging trenches around the burning areas, have produced positive results. Helmi said amongst the Fire Department’s key mission is to prevent the fire from spreading towards North Kuala Langat Forest Reserve.

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CM: Selangor Supports Largest Undocumented Immigrant Bleaching Operation

SHAH ALAM 28th AUGUST: The State Government supports the authorities’ concentrated effort to pursue an estimated 500,000 undocumented immigrants in the country, beginning from 1st September.

This is, by far, the largest bleaching operation ever initiated by the Immigration Department.

The states of Selangor, Pulau Pinang, Johore, and Kuala Lumpur will be the operation’s focal points of search that will run through the next three months.

According to Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, Selangor reportedly has the highest number of immigrants. The State Government is clearly hoping that the operation will succeed in helping the authorities ascertain the true figure of undocumented immigrants currently residing in Selangor.

“We will require everyone’s cooperation to address security management issues, and every resource relevant to immigrants,” he said during a press conference that was held after an EXCO meeting.

It was reported that the Immigration Department will be leading the operation, along with interagency cooperation from the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM), Volunteers of Malaysian People (RELA), Civil Defence Department, Department of National Registration, and local authorities.

It is estimated that 135,000 personnels will be involved with the nationwide bleaching programme.

Iskandar Recommends Expansion of LPHS Role

PANDAN, 28th AUGUST, Exco Housing, Building Management and Urban Exploration, YB Ir. Iskandar Abdul Samad, is proposing to handover the role of building affordable housings to the Selangor Housing and Property Board (LPHS).

Taking a leaf out from the Housing Development Board (HDB) of Singapore’s book, Iskandar feels the move is necessary to boost affordable home ownership projects for the people of Selangor.

“We still have yet to arrive to a final decision. If possible, we would like to not only improve LPHS, but also form a new committee specifically for the construction of affordable home ownership like the Housing Development Board in Singapore,” said Iskandar.

Majority of the affordable home ownerships in Singapore were developed and managed by a public committee. Eighty percent of Singaporeans are residing in estates, which consist of HDB flats, schools, supermarkets, clinics, food courts, sports and recreational centres. Ninety-five percent of them own their homes.

“Before, the LPHS acted as a committee that handled only housing policies. Today, we would like to form a new committee that builds homes as well, other than PKNS and PNSB,” said Iskandar.

Previously, LPHS had organised a course on easy and inexpensive home-building techniques, which was attended by professionals from international companies to help improve the constructions of affordable housings in the state.

Twenty-Five NGOs Urge Government To Halt PPPM 2013-2025

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SHAH ALAM AUGUST 27th: The Combined Action Commission (Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia, GBM) has urged the government to gazette the Education Development Plan (PPPM 2013-2025) final report immediately, and delay the white paper implementation plan so as to allow the people an opportunity to provide final feedbacks

The GBM, which consists of 25 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), said they had delivered a 10-page memorandum to the government about the PPPM 2013-2025 last November 29th 2012.

“In the memorandum, we welcomed the Ministry of Education’s initiative to prepare a white paper that is all-inclusive and integrative.”

“Based on our understanding, it was aimed for the development and well-being of the entire nation’s education sectors, including religious studies.”

“We wish to voice our concerns because the education’s white paper was finalised without taking into account the findings and recommendations of civil organisations,” said the GBM in their media statement.

According to the statement, various important aspects of the concerns were addressed on the white paper, such as the national teaching philosophy, and both vocational and vernacular educations.

This also includes language teaching, student dropout issues and the teachings of history, geography, and literature.

“We plead with the Ministry of Education to consider extending the consultation deadline on the white paper so that the civil society organisations can be given the opportunity to review the revised draft,” said the statement.

The statement also revealed that the government will continue with their effort to implement the white paper.

A recent statement by the first Minister of Education, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, hinted that the PPPM will be launched this coming September 6th. The launch will not be delayed despite opposition from various parties.

“The GBM will not support and endorse the development of education in which, according to the Ministry of Education, contains 17,000 recommendations for change without reference to the final copy.”

“It is imperative to ensure that the 17,000 proposals for change are based on the principles of justice, equality, and inclusiveness across all ethnic boundaries and benefiting all educational institutions and communities.”

“The betterment of our young generation’s education deserves careful and meticulous considerations; not hasty policy-making and short-sighted implementations,” the statement concluded.

– MZA

Klang’s Third Bridge In Its Final Design Stage

KLANG AUGUST 27th: The building process for the third Klang bridge across Sungai Klang is now in its final stage of design.

Selangor Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, revealed that the presentation of the design plans will be unveiled on Thursday after his discussions with the technical team and Public Works Department (PWD).

“We estimated that the tender will be made after October or November. After that we will begin with the construction process,” he told reporters after opening the Klang Municipal Council Conscientious Awards (SLM) ceremony at the Hotel Premiere.

When asked, Abdul Khalid said his team had examined the deal and will be making some suitable revisions to integrate the bridge with the location and the river conditions.

“We will also take into account the structures of road networks that will be connected to the bridge,” he said.

In the last Selangor State Assembly, Abdul Khalid announced that the State Government intends to use the RM300,000,000 from the state reserves for the project launch.

The 2-kilometre-long bridge including the six surrounding roadlinks aim to solve the traffic congestion issues of over 200,000 vehicles using the existing bridge.

In the meantime, Khalid said the infrastructure development in Port Klang is expected to cost RM1.5 billion.

“The Klang Municipal Council is making some plans to develop Port Klang to achieve their aspirations of becoming the 13th largest port in the world,” said Khalid.

Among the plans which are under consideration is the construction of new roads for a smoother transportation flow.

Establish Integrity Unit To Monitor Civil Servant Misconduct

SHAH ALAM, 27th AUGUST: In a concentrated effort to cultivate high-quality work culture and strong ethics in governance, the State Government has established an Integrity Unit (IU) to counter any form of misconducts and criminal behaviour among civil servants.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the special unit is going to be tasked by the Secretary of State, under the supervision of YB Dato’ Haji Mohammed Khusrin bin Haji Munawi. Two officers of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) have been assigned to the unit.

“Our working relationship with the MACC is ongoing. This cooperation is going to help us monitor and prevent corruption and abuse of power,” said Khalid.

He was speaking at a press conference after opening the Selangor Government Department’s Monthly Assembly at the Silver Jubilee Hall, Bangunan Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah.

This new approach serves to prove Khalid Ibrahim administration’s commitment in producing professional work culture, and at the same time increasing public confidence in the State Government’s services.

According to Khalid Ibrahim, this unit will be fully functional come September or October.

“I have been informed that the MACC officers have agreed to be placed as members of the unit,” said Khalid.

He said the concept of integrity emulates the former Chief Minister of Kelantan, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who strived to maintain clean administration in Kelantan for the past 23 years.