Tag: National News

SHAH ALAM, 15 Nov: The Minister of Health, Datuk Dr S.Subramaniam, has been asked to provide an explanation regarding the Serdang Hospital ceiling, which has collapsed twice in two months.

The Member of Parliament for Kulai, Teo Nie Ching, said that Subramaniam needs to provide a reasonable explanation and not a ‘recycled’ guarantee, as done by the former minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

“I would like to ask, what investigation or directive has he carried out after the ceiling collapsed for the third time recently?” she said in a press statement today.

Nie Ching said that the Serdang Hospital, which was built at a cost of RM690 million, recently reported a ceiling collapse on 30 September.

The hospital began operations since December 2005, and in a period of eight years, the ceiling has collapsed four times.

Subramaniam, in a press conference on 16 October, said that the Public Works Department (JKR) will conduct a thorough inspection of the Serdang Hospital building structure to ensure that the safety of the building is guaranteed.

“However, a month after he gave the assurance, the ceiling of the Serdang Hospital experienced its fourth collapse last night.

“Did he just make an empty promise, or is he not serious and firm in carrying out his duties to make detailed inspections and carry out necessary maintenance work?

“If he cannot provide a satisfactory explanation, I will bring up the motion to cut his salary during the Parliamentary session later,” she said.

SHAH ALAM, 15 Nov: The development of Residents’ Representative Committees (JPP) appointed by the central government is deemed to be another project that is a waste of time and public funds.

Former Minister of Rural and Regional Development, Tan Sri Muhamad Muhamad Taib, said this after examining that the likelihood of an overlap of power will happen between the Local Authorities (PBT) and members of the JPP.

“In general, this will clearly happen because there will be two committees with the same role in an area. It will divide community relations and PBTs. So, it would be better to use existing channels; which is to maintain committee members under PBTs without the JPP.

“The JPP is established for the benefit of the people and I am worried that funds channeled will be stuck midway. At a point, projects will not materialise, but those managing projects will use the funds,” he said when contacted by Selangor Kini today.

Muhamad, who is also a member of PAS, said that his claim is based on the failure of the central government to detail the JPP mechanism to the public, despite funds of RM63 million for the development of the entity has been announced in the tabling of the National Budget 2014, on 25 October.

“Where will the large fund be channeled? Who will receive and manage it, and what mechanism or modus operandi will be used?

“It has not been described in detail and I am worried with the development of the JPP, the millions in funds will not reach the people, but will be stuck midway,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR, 14 Nov: The central government should stop the Sungai Terengganu embankment project so that incidents such as the incident in Cameron Highlands, where the dam burst, will not repeat.

The Member of Parliament for Kuala Terengganu, Datuk Raja Bahrin Shah, said that the move should be done because there is a report from the State Security Council which expects that five waves of flood will hit Terengganu, including forecasts of heavy rain and tides.

“With abnormal weather and winds over 320 kilometres an hour hitting the Philippines, Vietnam and China, the government should be more sensitive and careful with this situation.

“Similarly with the Cameron Highlands tragedy; the government should take action after the lives of residents were sacrificed,” he said in a press conference here at the Parliament lobby today.

Raja Bahrin said that he had asked the Ministers of Public Works and Environment regarding the issue, however the two ministers did not provide satisfactory answers on the 12th and 13th November.

He said that the government should provide serious explanation because it involves over 200,000 residents in Kuala Terengganu and Kuala Nerus who are at risk regarding this issue.

“The government is gambling with the lives of the people with irresponsible actions. I hope that the government will be more concerned in this case because it has been raised many times but not one action has been taken and reclamation work has already been done twice,” he said.

He also questioned the reclamation of over 80.94 hectares which have been done without carrying out hydraulic studies, and the Drainage and Irrigation Department (JPS) did not supervise the work, with only the Public Works Department (JKR) assigned to oversee the project.

“This is an abnormal situation when the department responsible is not assigned to monitor and handle the project,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Kuala Nerus Member of Parliament, Dr Khairuddin Aman Razali, said that he is concerned that the project would affect the surrounding residents.

“This project will cause the people to be in danger because flooding will happen easily is it is not controlled,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR, 14 Nov: The Member of Parliament for Padang Serai, N.Surendran, will continue to fight for the rights of Indians in the issue of the demolition of a historical, 100-year-old temple in Jalan P.Ramlee.

Surendran said that he will continue to urge the Government to prevent the demolition from happening despite the Dewan Rakyat’s decision to suspend him for six months.

He said that the action of the Speaker to remove him from the Dewan Rakyat was ‘victimising the people’ because he was speaking out for their rights.

“They managed to get rid of me, however, their action looks like it’s victimising the people; in the end Barisan Nasional (BN) is punishing them. Although I have been removed, the problem has not been solved till now.

“I will continue this effort despite not being able to enter parliamentary sessions, and I will return after six months,” he said.

In the Dewan Rakyat session this morning, BN leaders suspended Surendran from Dewan Rakyat proceedings for six months, after a motion to suspend him was decided divergently.

The motion to suspend Surendran’s membership was submitted by a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Datuk Nancy Shukri, and was passed with support from 92 BN Members of Parliament.

Nancy initially tried to present the motion since 11.30am, but was unsuccessful in doing so following protest after protest from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Members of Parliament.

They protested because the motion was carried without reference to the Rights and Privileges Committee and the motion was brought without sufficient period for a motion to be debated.

The Dewan Rakyat became chaotic when many PR leaders stood up and chanted ‘usul haram’ (illegal motion), ‘tarik balik’ (withdraw), ‘kuku besi’ (despotic) and banged on the table in protest for over an hour.

Surendran was suspended after allegedly making derogatory remarks about the Speaker as being ‘biased’ and that he issued ‘incorrect facts’ on the issue of the demolition of the temple at Jalan P.Ramlee.

The allegation was considered an affront to the Speaker, who was serving as the chairman, and this means that the insult also discredits the reputation and prestige of the Dewan Rakyat.

Surendran was also thrown out of the Dewan after an argument with the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, on the same issue on 12 November.

KUALA LUMPUR, 14 Nov: Pakatan Rakyat (PR) criticised the suspension of the Member of Parliament for Padang Serai, N.Surendran from the Dewan Rakyat because the move was unethical.

Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, said that the Parliament’s move to suspend Surendran proves that Barisan Nasional (BN) insults and makes a mockery out of the democracy system in Malaysia.

He said that the matter should be brought before the Parliamentary committee to investigate the truth of a matter before suspension is imposed.

He said that the matter should be brought before the Parliamentary committee to investigate the truth of a matter before suspension is imposed.

“We can see how Parliament manipulates us. It is quite clear that enough time must be provided before a motion is brought up. In this case, the matter was ignored. Is it so easy for us to punish a representative elected by the people just for expressing his view on a matter of public concern?

“They should conduct an investigation on this matter and bring it before the committee,” he said when met here at the Parliament lobby today.

Anwar said that the Dewan Rakyat should not have asked a Member of Parliament to table the motion for suspension as it is not under the rules of the meeting.

“Why did they ask for a debate? It is not in the rules (especially) since we are willing to take Surendran to the committee for investigation,” he said.

Anwar said that this proves that the Parliament can be exploited for the benefit of an individual in such cases.

“Previously, I too experienced this when discussing the APCO issue, and so did the Member of Parliament for Puchong. Looks like the Parliament is being used, seeing that this is matter of principle and not technical, and we should respect that,” he said.

Meanwhile the MP for Puchong, Gobind Singh Deo, said that DAP strongly condemns the action by BN which is arrogant and despotic in nature.

He said that this case clearly shows that the Parliament waives rights for Members of Parliament to speak freely to discuss the issues of the people.

“In five years, we will see the same action taken against many Members of Parliament,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR, 14 Nov: The Dewan Rakyat session today was in chaos when Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Members of Parliament objected to the motion for the Member of Parliament for Padang Serai, N.Surendran, to be suspended for six months from the Dewan Rakyat.

PR leaders started to stand after the motion was tabled by another Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Nancy Shukri.

PR leaders stood up and started chanting “withdraw” repeatedly.

Among those who stood up to protest was the MP for Gelang Patah, Lim Kit Siang, the MP for Gombak, Azmin Ali, the MP for Puchong, Gobind Singh Deo and several other leaders.

The commotion lasted for one hour and Azmin also proposed a motion to suspend the Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Datuk Ronald Kiandee.

The motion to suspend Surendran for six months from the MP for Batang Sadong was for not following the Standing Order and for allegedly making derogatory remarks about the Speaker for being biased and producing incorrect facts.

KUALA LUMPUR, 13 Nov: The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has ordered for an illegal domestic waste landfill in PJS 5 to be immediately closed as it has been illegally dumping waste since three months ago.

The Assemblyman for Seri Setia, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, said that he hopes that the public will inform the authorities if there are still dumping activities in the area.

He said that he has submitted this issue to the District Action Committee, and other parties concerned, to take immediate action.

“However, through the new information we have received, illegal dumping activities have been rampantly happening in this area,” said Nik Nazmi when he visited the site to personally look at the condition of the area.

Nik Nazmi said that the local residents complained that illegal dumping activities are carried out during weekdays and this has caused main roads to be congested due to many lorries entering and exiting the area.

He said that these irresponsible actions have also posed danger to other road users.

“Local residents are concerned of dengue cases, which is reportedly increasing in the area, in addition to increasingly serious pollution,” said Nik Nazmi.

The MBPJ Assistant Enforcement Director, Khai Johari Jamaludin, said that MBPJ will monitor any activities that occur in the area from time to time.

“If they insist on continuing their activities, we will not hesitate to impose more serious action on those involved such as issuing compounds and seizing.

“The owners of these areas have to visit MBPJ for the permit application process and they should follow guidelines set by MBPJ so that pollution and so on does not occur,” said Khai Johari.

SHAH ALAM, 13 Nov: Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, expressed his condolences and sympathy to the people of the Philippines who were struck by the Haiyan Typhoon disaster.

Anwar said that the incident is the worst tragedy in the history of the Philippines and the country should be assisted immediately because so far, 10,000 victims have been killed.

“We will support all humanitarian efforts from the government and opposition parties in Malaysia, including Pakatan Rakyat (PR) states, to give assistance in any form,” he said in a press statement today.

According to media reports, the death toll is expected to increase and there will be more recorded damages when aid workers and soldier arrive at the area cut off by the typhoon.

The authorities have not been able to contact the officer in Tacloban, which has 220,000 residents, after communications were cut, and 100 more people are believed to be injured because of the typhoon.

About a million residents are in temporary shelters, and residents in 37 provinces will move from areas that will be hit by the typhoon after President Benigno Aquino appealed to the residents.

Haiyan is a category five hurricane to hit Philippines after Usag last September, and on average, 20 typhoons hit the country, with Haiyan being the 24th this year.

KUALA LUMPUR, 13 Nov: The Member of Parliament for Kelana Jaya, Wong Chen, urged the Federal Government to disclose details regarding expenditure that has been wasted on private consulting firms.

He said that the Federal Government has spent over RM7.2 billion on private consulting firms in the past five years.

He said that the amount could be broken down to RM125 per month or RM4 million a day, and the payments have been found to increase from year 2099 till last October.

“The amount is used from government revenue, and a part of it was generated from the people’s yearly income tax, and this is very irresponsible,” he said in a press conference here at the Parliament lobby today.

He also questioned the government’s action of not stating the purpose, benefits and the types of companies who have been awarded contracts.

He said that reliance on private consulting firms reflect the low-confidence on public service.

“The trend of expenses for consulting services is worrisome. This is a legitimate concern since private consultants charge fees that are not fixed.

“How do we know that the government hired the firms at reasonable rates; and more transparency is needed on this issue,” he said.

In this regard, he urged all ministries to release the full amount of expenses and consulting firms involved.

He said that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will coordinate with all Member of Parliament to ask the ministries to release all expenses associated with the private consulting firms in a question and answer session, if the government refuses to disclose them.

“We also want the Auditor-General and the Public Accounts Committee to focus on expenses for these services in the next report,” he said.

According to statistics, expanses recorded a total of RM1.2 billion in 2009, RM1.6 billion in 2010, RM1.7 billion in 2011, RM1.8 billion in 2012, and over RM720 million as of last October.

KUALA LUMPUR, 13 Nov: Pakatan Rakyat (PR) objects to the increase of the assessment tax which will be imposed by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) in 2014.

Member of Parliament for Batu, Tian Chua, said that the rate of tax imposed on the people of the Federal Territory is inappropriate.

He said that there is no uniform rate of increase according to areas; when there are places that increase by 150 percent while the others go up by 20 and 30 percent.

“PR MPs do not know what criteria are taken into account for the increase in the tax rate,” he said in a press conference here at the Parliament lobby today.

Also present was the Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai, Nurul Izzah Anwar, the MP for Kepong, Dr Tan Seng Giaw, and the MP for Seputeh, Teresa Kok.

Tian Chua said that he will request a meeting between the MP for the Federal Territory and DBKL to discuss the matter.

“DBKL should be aware that city dwellers will be the first the face the pressure of inflation compared to communities in other areas,” he said.

Meanwhile, Izzah wants the people to compare the DBKL Mayor, Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib, with the former Mayor who increased revenue without increasing the assessment rate.

“The previous Mayor did not burden the citizens. But the new Mayor, there has not even been a dialogue for the increase in the tax, not only have the people not been informed, but neither have Member of Parliaments,” she said.

Prior to this, the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (FOMCA) hopes that the DBKL will not dramatically increase the assessment rate, thus burdening property owners.

Previously, DBKL announced that it will evaluate and standardise the assessment rate on 500,000 property units under the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur; where action will be implemented since the agency has not assessed since 1992, and it is required based on several factors.

SUBANG, 13 Nov: Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Bukhari is expected to earn an income of RM3.5 billion from the proceeds of his investment in Padiberas Nasional Berhad (BERNAS) in the next three years.

The projected income is derived from the ever-growing BERNAS profit from the rice commodity which is also the staple food of Malaysians.

The General Chief of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, said that this proves that the Barisan Nasional (BN) government prioritises their cronies compared to the life of paddy farmers who are continuously plagued by poverty.

“What is more puzzling is how a Malay can buy a company or to privatise one and record a revenue wealth projection of RM3.5 billion in the next three years from BERNAS while the income of the poor people are is not sufficient,” he said at the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Dinner here at the Empire Hotel last night.

Anwar said that when he was the Finance Minister, the privatisation of BERNAS could only happen provided that 10 percent of the company’s shares were distributed to the National Farmers Organisation (NAFAS) and the National Fishermen’s Association (NEKMAT), while five percent would go to the Agricultural Development Authority of Kemubu, Kelantan (KADA), the Youth Agricultural Development Authority of Kedah (MADA) and the staff of BERNAS.

Prior to this, Anwar stressed that Syed Mokhtar managed to own 53.7 percent of BERNAS shares through two of his companies until the end of 2009, and the share purchase offer, said to be worth RM477 million, was extended until the end of February through several other companies.

Anwar said that the consistent annual net profit of BERNAS has been RM135 million since 2006 and continued to increase from RM2.1 billion to RM3.6 billion in 2012.

The PR Dinner was attended by about 100 key leaders of PR, including the President of PKR, Datuk Seri Wan Azizah, the DAP Advisor, Lim Kit Siang, and the PAS Deputy President, Mohamad Sabu.

KUALA LUMOUR, 12 Nov: The Central Government has allegedly been lying to the people when they said that the demolition of the Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman temple in Kuala Lumpur last Sunday was to beautify the temple.

The Member of Parliament for Padang Serai, N.Surendran, said that the over 100 year old temple has been once again ‘attacked’ by the Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL) on the orders from the Ministry of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing, where a large part of it was demolished yesterday.

He said that the move once again proves the Umno-BN government’s failure in fulfilling promises made during the Genera Election (GE) to not demolish the temple.

“90 percent of the temple has been torn down and can no longer be used by the Indian community, thus proving that the statement issued by Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, is a lie.

“The Prime Minister promised to not demolish the temple in a pledge he made, however failed to implement it. In fact, they gave this land to developers to be developed,” he said in a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

reviously, Tengku Adnan claimed that demolition work by DBKL at the Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman temple is part of the government’s plan to “beautify” the temple.

Calling it as simply a “place of worship” and not a kuil, he also claimed that there are illegal activities being carried out in the place based on inspection by his ministry.

Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Batu, Tian Chua, said that the government did not need to use force to solve this issue because the temple committee agreed to carry out renovations based on the criteria set.

“We hope that the government can be tolerant and wait for negotiations to resolve this issue,” said the PKR Vice-President.

The Member of Parliament for Bagan, Lim Guan Eng, representing DAP, described the situation now faced by the Indian community in Kuala Lumpur as the same as in Penang.

He said the governments guarantee to beautify the temple is doubtful because the Federal Government had demolished a Hindu kuil at the Penang Port and did not rebuilt it despite promising to do so.

Even though they promised to rebuild (the kuil), they have yet to implement it for over three years.

“I assume that the promises from ministers are dubious because they proved their failure when they did the same thing in Penang,” he said.