Tag: Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor Programs

Urban Agriculture Can Improve Farmer’s Socioeconomic Levels

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SHAH ALAM, 4 Oct: Urban Agriculture (UA) can improve the socioeconomic levels of farmers and develop an area which can generate profit for citizens and the state.

The Assemblyman for Sekinchan, Ng Suee Lim said, the implementation of UA will provide a positive impact in meeting the increasing demands of food commodities.

“I welcome and fully support the State Government’s intention to explore UA since agriculture is a business that can generate the local economy.

“It is about time a holistic plan is drawn up for this purpose. With the existence of this plan, I am sure that the income of farmers will be optimised,” he told TVSelangor.

He was commenting on a statement by the Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, on UA at the 2014 Budget Dialogue session at Subang Jaya on 23 and 24 September.

Abdul Khalid stated his response on rapid urbanisation in Selangor, with an expectation that 85 percent of areas in Selangor will become cities by year 2020.

In relation to that, Suee Lim said, exposure on skills and advanced agricultural technology to farmers should be given priority so that all identified objectives can meet the target.

Previously, the Exco in charge of Local Government, Studies and Research, Datuk Teng Chang Khim said, the State Government will formulate an Urban Agriculture (UA) concept in a series of meetings involving the Chief Minister, Offices of Excos that are responsible, Local Authorities, the Offices of Assemblymen, and residents in the near future.

He said that the meeting is to find a formula for Urban Agriculture to be adopted and implemented holistically, effectively and efficiently.

“Urban Agriculture is a concept that is still in the pipeline. There is yet to be any concrete plans to be developed.

“Therefore, my department and the Chief Minister will hold meetings and discussions with Local Authorities, Assemblymen, Councillors, and residents of the relevant Local Authority areas to find the best formula so that when it is implemented, it will run smoothly,” he said.

Audit Report: Ministers Should Not Blame Junior Officers

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Kuala Lumpur, 3 Oct: Cabinet Ministers have been urged to stop blaming junior officers by being fully responsible of all fraud and wasteful spending that happens in government departments.

Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said, based on the Auditor General’s 2012 Report, there were many spending leakages which happened in federal departments that require investigations so that it does not repeat.

“Ministers should take responsibility and not blame junior officers because it happened in front of them without supervision.

“We do not want to hear that ministers are under investigation or consideration because every year, this happens, in fact it gets worse,” he said in a press conference at the Parliament lobby.

He also urged the Public Accounts Committee (PAS) to provide a special session to look into this matter in addition to asking Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs to be involved in the committee to continue urging for the matter to be monitored.
“Every time an audit report is published, we seem surprised when leakages and embezzlement happens every year.

“The leakages happen when prices of goods go up, the people are pressed but embezzlement that happens are ignored,” he said.

Coal is Outdated, Exco Urges TNB to Explore Alternative Energy

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PETALING JAYA, 2 Oct: The Executive Councillor (Exco) in charge of Tourism, Consumer Affairs and the Environment, Elizabeth Wong, suggested for Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to implement the ‘Micro Sitting’ method in Government buildings or its surrounding areas as an alternative energy source for everyday living.

The proposal was put forward after TNB decided to build two high-technology coal-fired power plants in Perak to meet the growing demand for electricity.

Elizabeth is of the opinion that the decision by TNB is surprising, seeing that other countries are now focused on the implementation of renewable energy sources including solar energy, biomass and hydro.

“However, we in Malaysia are still focused on a resource which will be exhausted in the near future and it is a non-renewable resource.

“I suggest for TNB to use the provisions to use the ‘Micro Sitting’ method in government buildings and its surrounding areas to target for improved and renewable energy,” she said at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Petaling Jaya City Council and the Malaysian Green Technology Corporation.

Yesterday, TNB announced that it will be building two high-technology coal-fired power plants with the capacity of 1,000 MW at Manjung, Perak, to meet the growing demand for electricity.

The energy consumption at this time is estimated to have increase by five percent a year, and the two projects are in the company’s plans.

Both projects will begin soon and will be completed in four years.

Malaysia consumes about 15,000 MW to 16,000 MW of power per day, and the figure is expected to increase every year.

MBSA Enhances Departments for the Well-Being of the Residents of Shah Alam

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SHAH ALAM, 2 Oct: The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) will enhance the functions of several of its departments to provide better quality service for the well-being of the residents of Shah Alam.

Shah Alam Mayor, Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan said that the MBSA 2014 Budget policy has six core principles which is prosperous and conducive living, excellent service, sensitive to complaints from the community, the community and stakeholders are treated as customers, an efficient delivery system and security patrolling.

He said the MBSA 2014 Budget targets yields to exceed RM350.6 million through tax and non-tax revenue to continue development in areas under its jurisdiction.

“Our budget for 2013 is a balanced budget and it is expected that we will yield about RM350,640,430. We will then spend as much as we receive.

“We responded to the State Government’s wishes for the budget to be given back for the development of people and the community, the people of MBSA as well as taxpayers and investors. Among the actions, we will strengthen our various departments in MBSA,” he said in a press statement after the tabling of the 2014 MBSA Budget Meeting here today.

Mohd Jaafar said, the departments are; the Department of Urban Services, the Department of Corporate and Community Development, the Department of Licensing and Enforcement, the Department of Management Services, the Department of Engineering, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the department of Revenue and Investment, as well as the establishment of several new units.

He said that among the units to be established are; the Auxiliary Police Unit under the Department of Licensing and Enforcement, the Management of Multipurpose Halls Unit (Department of Corporate and Community Development), an Integrity Unit (Department of Management Services), a Maintenance Unit (Department of Engineering), a Tree Trimmings Unit (Department of Parks and Recreation) and the Parking Management Unit (Department of Revenue and Investment).

“One of the most important things is, in order to maintain the discipline of Council Members, officers and employees of MBSA; we will establish an Integrity Unit, where the head will be seconded from the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) to check so that there is not misconduct. We will establish it when it is approved by the State Government.

“In the budget, for the establishment of an Auxiliary Police Unit with 100 members, MBSA, through the State Government, will apply to the Inspector General and we hope that it will be approved,” he said.

Mohd Jaafar said that MBSA will repair and improve a number of public halls around Shah Alam at a cost of RM3.5 million.

He said that the bicycle path project will continue to be pursued apart from several facilities such as a fitness park and a public park.

“We will also upgrade and enhance the existing public transport system which is the bus terminal at Sections 17 and 19.

“The bus terminal at Section 19 will be developed at a cost of RM4 million while the bus terminal at Section 17 will be developed at a cost of RM7 million, where the additional cost will be applied for,” he said.

He said that MBSA also plans to establish an international ranked Banquet Hall in Section 13 in the future at an estimated cost of RM27 million.

Teng – Urban Agriculture Concept the Best Formula

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SHAH ALAM, 1 Oct: The State Government will formulate am Urban Agriculture (UA) concept in a series of meetings involving the Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the responsible Exco Offices, Local Authorities, Offices of Assemblymen and residents which will be held in the near future.

The Executive Councillor for Local Government, Studies and Research, Datuk Teng Chang Khim said that the meeting is aimed at finding a formula to adopt and implement Urban Agriculture holistically, effectively and efficiently.

“Urban Agriculture is a concept that is still in the pipeline. There is yet to be any concrete plans to be developed.

“Therefore, my department and the Chief Minister will hold meetings and discussions with Local Authorities, Assemblymen, Councillors, and residents of the relevant Local Authority areas to find the best formula so that when it is implemented, it will run smoothly,” he said.

The US mentioned by Abdul Khalid at the 2014 Budget Dialogue in Subang Jaya on 23 and 24 September is a response to the rapid urbanisation in Selangor. By 2020, he expects 85 percent of Selangor to become cities.

Driven by the need to ensure continuous food supply, the need to ensure that the source of nourishment for the people is not broken, and to open new income opportunities for the low and medium income earners, Selangor is now joining an initiative to map UA in urban planning.

UA places farming systems, processing and the marketing of vegetables, fruits and fresh meet, as well as agro-based products in zones that have been developed and around the intercity on lands that are publicly or privately owned and community land.

Creating UA infrastructure based on the community means to place local systems for farming, food processing and linking farmers to consumers. In the United States alone, UA programmes from community gardens such as the Seattle P-Patches contributes around USD 1.25 million of agricultural products each year.

“Once we have the concept, we will look at the elements that will be placed in the programme and from these elements, what are the constraints that may be encountered and so on.

“However, it is the State Government’s planning to make the people’s lives more comfortable and peaceful,” stressed Chang Khim.

Teng – Pentas Selangor to Focus on the Development of Arts

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SHAH ALAM, 1 Oct: The State Government will place emphasis on the development of culture and art in line with the progress of other fields.

In relation to that, the organisation of a culturally diverse performance known as Pentas Selangor will be held in Klang on 26 October at the Klang National-Type (Girls) Chinese School.

The Executive Councillor for Local Government, Studies and Research, Datuk Teng Chang Khim said that it would be the second time the show is performed after the first show which took place at the same place on 1 September received overwhelming response from the public, especially the locals.

He said, it is a joint venture between the State Government and the corporate sector to expand the culture and arts of various ethnicities in Selangor.

It will also be an attraction for lovers of art and tourism, and it will be included as an event in the Selangor tourism calendar next year.

“We are holding this second show after the success of the first show. Next, we plan to put on 12 performances on a monthly basis in Klang as a start because this town is known as a cultural centre or city.

“After this, we hope to put on shows outside of Klang, particularly in Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya, because these cities have more facilities such as auditoriums and theater stages,” he said in a press conference today.

Teng said that the beginning of the show will be participated and made possible by six teams made up of the Chinese Orchestra and gendang, dancing and singing teams.

He said, the State Government hopes that it will be well received and receive the support from the people of Selangor for the further strengthening and development of the team.

He hopes that more corporate companies will participate in the programme as one of their corporate social responsibilities (CSR) for the purpose.

“The performances are culturally diverse and it is a challenge to expand it. For starters, we will highlight Chinese groups.

“When it is successful, the next plan i to expand it with Pentas Selangor changing into Pentas Utama or Pentas Perdana with the involvement of other races such as Malays, Indians, Chinese, Kadazans, Ibanese, Dayaks and so on, including sponsorship from larger corporate bodies,” he said.

In relation to provisions, he said, the State Government estimates spending about RM500,000 for the organisation of the 12 performances.

“We hope to be able to build a model for the development of art in Selangor because we usually face financial constraints in making arts activities active in Malaysia.

“We are proud with the physical developments. There are the Petronas twin towers, the largest airport, a huge port, one of the best transportation networks in the region. However, when it comes to matters of culture, we have a large space to fill,” he said.

CM Leads Trade Mission to Three European Countries

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SHAH ALAM, 1 Oct: Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim is leading a the Selangor government trade and investment mission to Belgium, Switzerland and Germany which began on 29 September and will end on 7 October.

The mission arranged by the Selangor State Investment Centre (SSIC) aims to attract investment and promote Selangor as a major investment destination in Malaysia to industries and entrepreneurs in Belgium, Switzerland and Germany.

In Belgium, the Selangor government delegation will visit Essenscia which is the Belgian Chemical and Life Sciences Industries Federation representing 800 companies from the sector and will hold discussions with the Managing Director of Essenscia, Yves Verschueren.

The delegation will also visit the Bekaert Company headquarters, a leading manufacturer of steel wire transformation and coatings, the Emulco Company laboratory, and hold discussions with the Chairman of Emulco, Jean Vanhoebost. They will then visit the headquarters of Oleon – an oleochemical product manufacturer which has a factory in Port Klang.

In Switzerland, the Chief Minister and his delegation will visit SR Technics, an aircraft maintenance company, and hold discussions with the Senior Vice President of the Component Maintenance Division, Christof Spaeth.
They will also visit the Zeochem headquarters – high quality molecular sieves and chromatography gels. In addition, the Chief Minister will also be taken to the headquarters of Nestle, a global food manufacturing company, and hold discussions and dialogues with the Swiss Association of Machinery Manufacturers.

The delegation will then go on to Germany and hold meetings with Hensen trade and Invest – a government agency for enhancing trade for the region of Hensen, and visit the Hensen Industrial Area. They will also visit the Wurth Group – a leading manufacturer in assembly equipment such as screws – which has 400 subsidiary companies in 80 countries and hold meetings and dialogues with the Ostwestfalen Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Also participating in the mission is the Chairman of the Selangor State Standing Committee Investment, Industry and Trade, Ean Yong Hian Wah, the Chief Executive Officer for SSIC, Hasan Azhari Idris, the Assistant Manager of SSIC, Sven Schneider and the Senior Manager for the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) Business Development, Puan Norzila Sidek.

The Chief Minister and the delegation are scheduled to return to Malaysia on 7 October.

PRESS SECRETARIAT
OFFICE OF THE DATO’ MENTERI BESAR OF SELANGOR

Will BN Raise Petrol Prices after the Sungai Limau By-Election?

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SHAH ALAM, 29 Sept: Although there have been no announcement regarding an increase in oil prices which is causing a stir on social media websites, the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Consumerism Bureau expects that the government will once again raise the price of petrol and diesel in the near future.

Its Director, Yahya Mat Sahri, said that the increase in fuel prices is difficult to be averted due to the weakness of the leaders’ financial management and corruption practices in the Umno-BN government.

“This is due to the depreciation of our currency which needs to be supported, the unbalanced income and expenses, expenses that are too high and the national debt which is also too high, as well as corruption not being curbed.

“The government is desperate to find financial resources and eventually, they place the burden on the people.

If it is this way, then the government’s work is easy. There’s no need to find other solutions. As long as it is an economic problem, it is handed to the people to bear it,” he told TVSelangor.

Yahya did not rule out the possibility that the government will take into account the results of the Sungai Limau constituency by-elections not long before making the decision to raise the price of petrol.

He also condemned the statement by the Deputy Finance Minister, Datuk Ahmad Maslan, who gave the excuse that it is due to the increase in international prices.

“He said that the increase is to be in line with the international market price, but in fact, the current international oil market is down. It is only we who are raising prices,” he said.

In addition, he said that the reason for the increase to combat the smuggling of petrol at the border also does not make sense as the problem has been going on for decades.

“This is not a new thing. It has been going on for decades. Why has it not been overcome till now? Every time the issue of rising oil prices comes up, the issue of smuggling is brought up to be given as an excuse,” he said.

State Assets To Be Supervised Carefully

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SUBANG JAYA, 24 SEPT: All state assets will be effectively governed to produce profits for the State. These profits, Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim explained, will be channeled into people-focused programmes such as the ‘Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor’ (MES) Agenda.

His statement was made following the recent discovery of poor management of Selangor assets. In fact, there are no known assets.

“Selangor has unused assets worth RM12 billion. Even if the income from these assets is worthed three per cent, Selangor will only get a revenue of RM360 million,” said Abdul Khalid.

He was adamant that the state asset management should move their assets so that the results can be leveraged. This is because the people will definitely assign blame on the State should the assets fail to generate revenue.

“When it comes to the subject of budget, it is worth remembering that it is not a two-way street of spending and revenue. If we produce no results, how do we spend?” said Khalid, further adding that the people will hold the State accountable if the asset does not generate revenue.

Selangor To Helm Halal Technology

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SUBANG JAYA, 24 SEPT: Next year, the State Government will intensify their efforts in exploring the technology field of halal enterprises. This item will be included in the State Budget 2014.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the state government will make an emphasis on the transitions of the halal industry technology, developing skilled groups that can leverage said technology, as well as building business service sectors that are based on that technology.

The establishment of the Selangor Halal Scientific Laboratory is currently being studied to help address the issues of halal certification for local products.

Through carefully implemented strategies, he hoped Selangor will be the future leader of the halal technology industry.

“This idea can easily be executed by us as Selangor has all the necessary advantages and facilities needed,” said Abdul Khalid.

In 2011, the halal market was reportedly worth USD632 billion per year on a global scale. The increase in the income per capita and the halal goods’ clean and safe reputation had excited the high demands from consumers of various cultures and religions.

“We can sell technology, and we can also sell products of the said technology. At the same time, we will also increase the entrepreneurial skills of this explored technology. The market capacity can benefit more than 5.2 million people in Selangor,” said Abdul Khalid.

Free Water Will Be Continued For 10 Years

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SUBANG JAYA, 23 SEPT: Free subsidy of 20 cubic meters worth of water will be continued for the next 10 years. Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the grant will be continued after the restructuring of Selangor’s water industry is completed successfully.

“The restructuring of the water industry currently sees visible light at the end. However, it is still not over and we will continue with this subsidy programme for the next 10 years.

“We hope to solve it because we do not want the most important asset to be managed by people without expertise,” he said in his opening statement at the Budget 2014 Dialogue Ceremony at the Grand Dorsett Hotel, Subang Jaya.

Previously, Abdul Khalid said the restructuring will be completed by December 31st, in line with the Water Services Industry Act (WASIA), 2006.

The matter was decided by the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water in a letter dated 9th September.

Abdul Khalid also said the restructuring will enable the State Government to settle a debt worth RM1 billion with the Central Government.

“After the debt is settled, the State Government’s debt will remain no more than RM200 million.

“Because the state’s reserve is worth RM3 billion at this moment, the state does not have to beg anymore. We can develop the state with this amount,” he said.

Selangor Budget 2014 Is People Friendly

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SUBANG JAYA, SEPT 23: The Selangor State Government is formulating Selangor Budget 2014 by taking into account the will of the people through their discussions with community leaders during a dialogue session held at the Hotel Grand Dorsett Subang Jaya, running from today till tomorrow.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the discussion is vital for the implementation of Selangor Budget 2014 in accordance with the needs and wishes of the people. Prior to this, the State Government had also carried out a similar dialogue to discuss the implementations of PR’s 13th General Election Manifesto (GE-13).

The feedback from the dialogue was included in the Five Year Action Plan.

“We run discussions in order to get feedbacks from community leaders such as village heads, Members of the Council, Members of the Legislative Assembly (ADUN), Members of Parliament, lecturers et cetera to discuss Selangor Budget 2014.

“We took the will of the people into account even though they know that the result of state budget is restricted between RM1.4 to RM1.6 billion,” he told reporters after opening the Budget 2014 Dialogue Ceremony here.

Abdul Khalid said emphasis on a balanced budget is his administration’s top priority. Any programmes and action plans will be drawn up based only on budget limits and in accordance with the State Government’s revenues.

“For Selangor, the budget should be balanced without any deficit spending. What we produce is what we can use,” he said.

In his speech, Abdul Khalid said the state government wanted to close the acquisition of the state’s water industry by December this year.

Equally important is the distribution of water shares to the people of Selangor should the acquisition be successful.

Meanwhile, Abdul Khalid also said that the 20 cubic metres of free water scheme could go on for another 10 years with the acquisitions.

Recognising the problem of housing for people of low and moderate-income, the construction of Affordable Homes in Selangor will be boosted via the new Affordable Quality Homes (AQH) policies, along with the semi-autonomy role delegated to the units under Selangor Housing and Properties Board’s responsibilities.

Among other purposes that were given emphasis is building an Integrated Database for all funded programmes, including the State Government’s statistical assistance recipients and beneficiaries of the State’s People-Based Economy agenda (MES), the listing of new programmes, and improving details of existing programmes.

To help boost entrepreneur economy, all entrepreneurial activities and programmes will be centralised under the State Entrepreneurship Centre as a one-stop agency for local entrepreneurial development, and thus increasing community programmes funded by the State Government.

The State Government will also undertake a comprehensive survey before establishing Selangor’s Scientific Halal Laboratory, which aims to address the issues of halal certifications for local products.