Tag: Latest

GMUKM Wins Big in UKM Campus Election

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SHAH ALAM, 24 Oct: The National University of Malaysia Student Coalition (GMUKM – Gabungan Mahasiswa Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) won big in this time’s campus election by receiving 22 seats, while Aspirasi (Aspiration) win 4 seats and Bebas (Free), 1 seat.

GMUKM Chairman, Abdullah Sani Hashim said the winning factor was the strength of GMUKM and Student Unity Front (SUF), a new party in arms which represents the Chinese community in UKM.

In addition, he said the Facebook social media website was among the largest contributor to GMUKM’s victory, as quoted from Harakah Daily.

In this regard, he called for all students across the country to start involving in politics in their first year.

“In UKM, we sow the seed of politics and values; ‘president’s debate’, ‘candidate manifesto debate’, and ‘campaign creativity’ are among the priorities. It is a new political environment we have here at UKM.

“For our friends who will face Campus elections, we recommend to create this environment and we must be prepared to change the despicable political atmosphere that is happening today,” he added.

Desire to Manage Lynas, Failure to Supervise Dam

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SHAH ALAM, 24 Oct: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is disappointed with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) in providing a proper early warning system before opening the dam gates, thus causing flash floods in Cameron Highlands early yesterday morning.

Member of the PKR Central Council, Chang Lih Kang said several residents informed that the warning siren sounded by TNB was not audible due to rain early yesterday morning.

He said it was worse because the siren was only sounded 10 to 15 minutes before the Sultan Abu Bakar hydroelectric dam gates opened, causing many residents to not have enough time to save themselves.

“The residents I met blamed TNB for failing to give notice, and the siren was sounded in too short a time, causing them to not have enough time to save themselves.

“Some told me that they could not hear the siren which sounded in the morning because of heavy rain last night (Wednesday). The government should be serious in this matter, if the dam cannot be managed, how can Lynas be supervised,” he said when contacted by TVSelangor yesterday.

He said this when commenting on the flash flood in Cameron Highlands when TNB opened the hydroelectric dam gates causing about 80 houses near Sungai Bertam to be hit by strong currents early yesterday morning.

In the incident, Lih Kang claimed that at least three were killed, while another victim is still missing.

Lih Kang who visited the scene yesterday also demanded that an independent inquiry committee be established to identify the cause of the incident, this ensuring similar incidents do not recur.

“This is a very sad incident. PKR will meet with the residents to see what assistance can be distributed to affected families. I estimate high losses to be shouldered by families involved based on the property damage,” he said.

Government urged to Investigate Loss of RM2 Billion in Tax Revenue due to Cigarette Smuggling

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KUALA LUMPUR, 23 Oct: The Central Government has been urged to increase enforcement on cases of cigarette smuggling because the country has lost almost RM2 billion in duty tax revenue in a year.

Member of Parliament for Taiping, Nga Kor Ming said the loss does not include tax losses due to the smuggling of liquor into the country, which is expected to be greater than the amount mentioned.

He said based on a study by British American Tobacco Co, Malaysia has the highest rate in cigarette smuggling; one-third of cigarettes in the market are products of massive smuggling.

“Considering that the price of a box of cigarettes in the market is RM12.50, many smokers would choose to smoke smuggled cigarettes because it is cheaper although detrimental to their health.

“This phenomenon clearly shows that the government’s move to raise duty taxes on cigarettes or alcohol is ineffective in controlling smuggling of the goods,” he said in a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

Kor Ming said the expensive price of cigarettes indirectly intensifies further smuggling causing consumers and the government to incur losses due to the weakness of authorities such as the Customs Department, the Royal Malaysian Police and the Immigration Department.

He said that the government should continue to place Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) agents in all law enforcement agencies to solve the problem.

“Based on the announcement by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Robert Low, the government will hire 500 integrity officers next year to be placed in government agencies.

“To prevent smuggling, law enforcement agencies should be given priority to receive the placement of such officers to conduct internal checking so that they can provide useful information to prevent the growing concern of smuggling,” he said.

MACC Fails to Solve 99.3 Percent of Corruption Cases Despite Spending RM1 Billion

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KUALA LUMPUR, 23 Oct: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has still filed to solve 99.3 percent of corruption cases despite receiving provisions of almost RM1 billion since 2009.

Member of Parliament for Kampar, Ko Chung Sen said based on the statement from the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Senator Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan, only 75 percent or 1274 of the cases have been convicted compared to the 1692 c

He said, despite the increase in provisions and MACC staff, the number of prosecuted and convicted cases has decreased in the last three years.

“This is not a problem is there is no corruption in Malaysia. However, Malaysia has been identified as one of the countries with high corruption rates based on a report by the Wall Street Journal (December 2012) and Earnest and Young in September,” he said in a press conference at the Parliament lobby this morning.

He said, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has also failed to eliminate corruption cases in Malaysia despite promising to do it in his speech at Commonwealth Club in San Fransisco, USA, in September.

“Reducing corruption is one of the six National Key Result Areas (NKRA) announced in January 2012.

“He promised to make corruption a matter of ‘the past’ in Malaysia,” he said.

GST Imposed Before Implemented

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KUALA LUMPUR, 22 Oct: A car park management company in a Wholesale Market in Kuala Lumpur is allegedly charging the goods and services tax (GST), with an additional six percent, to the public despite the fact that it has not yet been implemented by the Central Government.

Member of Parliament for Batu, Tian Chua, claimed that the company, SportsIn Sdn Bhd, started imposing the GST to car park users about half a year ago.

Tian said that many car park management companies in the Klang Valley have also started doing the same even though the Central Government has said that the GST will not be implemented in the 2014 Budget.

“The question is; has the GST reached the Government? Does the Government have a record of receiving this GST?

“Is DBKL conducting an audit inspection on this company? If yes, how can this matter be missed?” asked Tian, who is also a PKR Vice-President at the Parliament lobby today.

In this regard, he urged the public, especially those in urban areas, to check their receipt after making payment for goods or services.

He also asked the public to detect the matter so that complaints can be made to the authorities immediately.

“The government is urged to take this matter seriously and the company found to be imposing the GST must be punished,” he said.

Hulu Selangor Member of Parliament not Transparent in Channelling Assistance

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RAWANG, 22 Oct: Residents of Anggerik apartments in Bukit Beruntung said that the Member of Parliament for Hulu Selangor, P Kalamanathan is not transparent in channeling assistance for reparation works for the damaged roofs of the apartment.

Most of the residents in the apartment claimed that Kalamanathan channelled the assistance for the reparation to only a few individuals.

A resident, Maheran Teop, 55, describes the MP’s actions as being ‘biased’ and only helped his cronies overcome the problem of leaking and totting roofs in all apartment buildings, which is a major problem because it can be life-threatening in addition to the growing problem of theft.

“I understand that the MP did make repairs but for only some of the residents. This action raises dissatisfaction among other residents because we are facing many problems due to leaking and rotting roofs.

“In addition to the leaks, we fear that the roof might just come off in the event of high winds. I had also faced bad incidences when high winds caused roof debris to fall which really is worrisome for my family,” he said when met here today.

Previously, over 1,000 families residing in the area faced problems when the roof of their apartment was destroyed in a storm last year, causing many of them to move out, thus decreasing the property value in the area.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has approved an allocation of RM15.6 million to repair and refurbish the damaged roofs for 50 blocks of low-cost apartments in Bukit Sentosa and Bukit Beruntung after his survey session in 2010.

Another resident, Aris Jamian, 45, said that the said party only visited them when it was nearing the General Election by offering various promises since he started living in the apartment eight years ago.

“However, after the Election, all the promise ended up just as promises. We are very worried thinking about safety because this problem has caused our homes to be flooded every time it rains.

“Floods, which are common, cause our house to be dirty and our family is forced to keep important documents and electronics in a safe area. Residents would like to plead to the goodness of the State Government to repair our apartments which are getting rather dilapidated and we also do not have lights around the area,” he said.

TVSelangor found that five blocks of the five-storey apartment are damaged in addition to being dilapidated and ’empty’ due being unoccupied.

Selangor Surpasses 100,000 Metric Tonne Target for Coconut Oil

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SABAK BERNAM, 22 Oct: Selangor surpassed the 100,000 metric tonne target for the production of coconut oil when 104,421 metric tonnes were successfully produces as of August.

The Executive Councillor for Islamic Affairs, Agricultural Modernisation and Rural Development, Sallehen Mukhyi, said that a total output worth RM80.12 million was achieved, surpassing the state target, compared to the usage needs of 100,454 metric tonnes of coconut this year.

He said that the Selangor Agricultural Department has implemented the Coconut Rehabilitation and Replanting Programme since 1998 which focuses on crop integration method to increase the income of small coconut farmers.

“The State Government allocated RM300,000 for the programme. We also encourage natural farming methods that do not use harmful pesticides, in addition to protecting the environment and improving the income of farmers,” he said.

Sallehen said this during the Coconut Plantation Pest Control Campaign Programme Launch for the State of Selangor which was also attended by the Acting Director of Selangor Agriculture, Mohammad Idrus Ab Hamid and about 200 small time farmers from around Sabak Bernam, Sekinchan and Tanjong Karang here at Jalan Haji Idris, Mile 38, today.

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Sallehen said this during the Coconut Plantation Pest Control Campaign Programme Launch for the State of Selangor which was also attended by the Acting Director of Selangor Agriculture, Mohammad Idrus Ab Hamid and about 200 small time farmers from around Sabak Bernam, Sekinchan and Tanjong Karang here at Jalan Haji Idris, Mile 38, today.

The campaign which was launched simultaneously across the state aimed at providing information on major pests, including the Horn Beetle, Snout Beetle, Artona Worms, Caterpillars, Coconut Sprout Pests that affect coconut crop productivity.

“Through this programme, we hope that farmers can detect early signs of pest infestation and perform control activities as recommended by the Department of Agriculture.

“The coconut industry is still relevant and demand will continue to increase to meet the needs of the fresh coconut processing industry,” he said.

Section 203A of the Penal Code Proves that BN is not Transparent

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SHAH ALAM, 22 Oct: The amendment of the confidentiality provision in Section 203A of the Penal Code would see that the people would no longer have the opportunity to gain access to abuse of power and leakages that happen in Barisan Nasional (BN) if approved.

The effect of proposed amendment on the provision would witness the country moving backward and giving ‘licence’ from corruption and abuse of power to continue to happen.

The Head of the Legal Bureau of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Latheefa Koya, said that the Bill would make the Penal Code worse than the Official Secrets Act (OSA) 1972.

“Section 203A refers to officers, not only government officials but individuals who provide information or documents when on duty, can be imprisoned or fined up to RM1 million.

“Until now, we are still not sure what is meant by ‘any information’ or ‘any kind of information’. It is worse that the OSA which has a document classification process,” she said when contacted by TVSelangor today.

She said this when asked to comment of the comment by Member of Parliament for Padang Serai, N Surendran, during the House of Representatives debate session when he urged the government to drop the proposed amendment because the provision has never been done in the world of modern democracy, instead it is more suitable for a country or party like North Korea.

Latheefa said documents involving national security which may be deemed as confidential or restricted in the Section 203A case has no information.

“This move is among the worst made by BN and it is surely to cover up any information that can be accessed by the people to look at projects that are scandalous such as the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project.

Mukhriz’s Defeat Proves that Umno Members Reject Tun Dr Mahathir

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SHAH ALAM, 22 Oct: The defeat of the Chief Minister of Kedah, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, in the fight for the position of the Vice-President of Umno is deemed as clear evidence of the party’s rejection of influence from former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The Coordinator of Jingga 13 (Orange 13), Fariz Musa, said that Mukhriz’s failure to win the top title in Umno is a signal that there are members of the party who are unhappy with his father’s influence.

He said Mukhriz’s credibility is still doubted by members of Umno because he did not feel the trials faced by Umno Youth Chief, Khairy Jamaluddin, whom Mahathir tried to force out during Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s era as Prime Minister.

“We can see that the majority of Umno members reject Mukhriz and indirectly, reject Tun Mahathir. We see the majority of Umno members to reject indirect Mukhriz Tun Mahathir rejected. This shows that Tun Mahathir’s influence no longer has a place among Umno members despite his tremendous service This shows the influence of Tun Mahathir has no place among his services even big enough for Umno.

“Mukhriz is still untested by any kind of situation and this proves that he is still being doubted by Umno members. In addition, we see Tun Mahathir’s strength can no longer give confidence to members to elect his son to hold office at the highest level of the party,” he said when contacted by TVSelangor today.

At the Umno supreme election recently, Umno members unanimously maintained the incumbent for the position of Vice-President; Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

Meanwhile, Fariz is of the opinion that the battle of proxy between the two young leaders of Umno will continue for a long period because certainly, Mukhriz does not want to miss out in competing with the Minister of Youth and Sports.

He said the clash between the two young leaders will lead to a bigger and worse divide in Umno.

“This clash will continue and will become the seed of discord in Umno. There is no great leader that is capable of leading the party in a better direction that the list of leaders elected in the overall Umno election There is no great figure capable of bringing the party into a better direction selected from the list in the overall leadership of the party elections this time, “he said.

PJS 6 Residents’ Problem Solved by PKNS

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SHAH ALAM, 21 Oct: The Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) has already directed the contractor responsible to take action and clear up the heap of trash at the Petaling Jaya Selatan (PJS) 6 apartment area.

PKNS Public Relations Managed, Ishak Hashim said that the trash pile that occurred in the area is caused by dumping of trash by outsiders because the apartment is near a site for the night market and food stalls.

TVSelangor found that a small hut reserved for solid waste disposal in the area failed to be properly managed and domestic waste such as household goods and vehicle frames are dumped there.

The problem caused discomfort to the residents and led to the breeding of rats which can threaten the health of the local residents.

“We have received the complaint and appropriate action will be taken to address the problem faced by the residents in the area,” he said in a press statement.

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Meanwhile, Ishak said that reparation works to the wastewater channel that overflowed in Block 2, 3, 4 and 5 at the PKNS Apartments in PJS 8/14, Bandar Sunway, will also be done immediately.

He said PKNS and Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) will work together to ensure that the issue is resolved as soon as possible despite IWK previously claiming that the broken sewage pipe in the PKNS apartment happened when the maintenance was handed over to the sewerage company.

“PKNS has appointed a technical consultant to identify the real cause of the sewage overflow. Robotic camera methods will be used to examine whether the condition of the sewage pipe is broken or otherwise,” he said.

He added that the full report of the investigation will be used to repair the pump causing the sewage overflow so that residents in the apartment no longer have to deal with the problem.

Umno and Najib Failed to Execute Transformation

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SHAH ALAM, 20 Oct: Maintaining the status quo for there of the incumbent Vice-Presidents of Umno proves that the party failed to implement the transformation being boasted about by Umno’s President, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

PKR Vice-President, Tian Chua said that the retention means that Umno-BN rejects any changes and clearly, the people cannot expect the Umno-BN will implement any new policies.

As predicted, the Home Affairs Minister Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, the Minister of Rural and Regional Development, as well as the Minister of Defence, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein managed to maintain their positions in the said political party.

Tian Chua said that this also proves that the party will continue to adopt a culture of corruption, which is a concern at the present moment.

“This will maintain the ongoing corruption. Corruption remains corruption, stealing cattle remains stealing cattle and feet being beaten remains as feet being beaten.

“Umno’s choice remains the same. Umno does not want to really change, that is why they remain the same by wanting the same lifestyle and the same leadership,” he said when contacted by TVSelangor.

In addition, Tian Chua said that Datuk Mukhriz Tun Mahathir’s defeat in fighting for the post of Vice-President, which means that former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir Mohamad will lose his influence in Umno’s leadership.

“The implication is, he (Mahathir) will lose influence. It can be said that he has been defeated and he will retreat from Umno’s political stage and no longer be the main influence in determining the direction (of Umno),” he said.

In the election for the post, Ahmad Zahid received 173 votes, Mohd Shafie received 160 votes and Hishammuddin, 96 votes.

Meanwhile, Datuk Mukhriz Tun Mahathir, who gave a tough competition, received 83 votes.

Two other candidates, former Chief Minister of Negeri Sembilan Tan Sri Isa Samad and the former Chief Minister of Malacca, Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam received eight and seven votes respectively.

The results were similar to the contest for the post for the Umno Youth Chief and Wanita Umno Chief last Saturday, where incumbents Khairy Jamaluddin and Datuk Seri Sharizat Abdul Jalil maintained their positions.

Prior to that, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin won unopposed for the post of President and Deputy President of Umno.

Corruption in Umno is Normality

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SHAH ALAM, 20 Oct: Acknowledgement from the former Umno President, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, confirmed that corruption is normality and is practiced from the grassroots level till the top leadership of Barisan Nasional.

PKR Vice-President, Datuk Chua Jui Meng stressed that any political party that makes money politics a culture are like pools of the corrupt and breakers of trust.

“This corrupt system has been going on for a while and look at the impact it has on the people now, and it has become a tragedy for the country,” said Jui Meng.

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Jui Meng is the former Vice-President of MCA and joined PKR in 2009. He left Barisan Nasional and the political culture of the coalition which caused him to be forfeited of the Dato’ Seri title.

Dr Mahathir recently said that corruption is still rampant in Umno elections and its voting members are motivated by money politics.

“Even when I competed in Umno division (elections), I had to give RM200 per person. So you can imagine how much has been spent if I were to become Prime Minister,” he said.

Previously, the President of Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M), Datuk Akhbar Satar said the feedback received found that money is distributed in special programmes organised for Dato Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

“Candidates selected for senior positions in Umno will eventually be given ministerial portfolios where they will be involved and make decisions on mega-projects. The question is whether these projects are viable, or are just a reward to those who fund vote buying campaigns?” Akhbar said.

Meanwhile, Jui Meng said that he is not confident that the Barisan Nasional leadership can curb money politics. He also believes that the one-member-one-vote system practiced by PKR is more effective in fighting against such misconduct.

“Umno cannot run away from the money politic despite implementing additional representation in the selection system,” he said.