Tag: National News

Half of the Lockup, Interrogation Rooms have no CCTVs, Police did not use Provisions

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KUALA LUMPUR, 9 Nov: Provisions to install closed-circuit cameras (CCTV) in lockups and interrogation rooms have not been fully utilised by the police, says Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Selatan, Hee Loy Sean.

Based on answers by the Home Affairs Minister in Parliament on November, it is said that 389 of the 730 lockups have not yet been installed with CCTVs while out of 107, 57 interrogation rooms are not equipped with cameras.

“This is one of the reasons custodial deaths often happen in this country,” he said in reference to the case of Cheah Chin Lee, 36, who was found dead in the Tanjong Tokong lockup on 13 August last year.

He said that the autopsy report revealed that it is very suspicious that the victim ‘hung himself’ and was found dead after five hours of detention.

“Another reason used by the police when there are custodial deaths is that the victim was suffering from health problems.

“In this case, there was CCTV footage, however the lack of audio recording made it difficult for the court to identify the incident,” he said.

Citing from Keadilan Daily, Loy Sean said that the cause of death can be manipulated because there is no entry-exit record for lockups or interrogation rooms.

Attorney General Practices ‘Double Standard’ in PKFZ, Altantuya Case

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SHAH ALAM, 9 Nov: The central government’s refusal to file an appeal against the high-profile case involving the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) is deemed to be the practice of ‘double standards’.

The Vice-President of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), N.Surendran, said that the move is also seen as biased and proved that our legal system is not independent and has no integrity.

He said the failure of the Attorney General in cases such as this has caused the people to lose confidence in not only the central government, but also institutions such as the Attorney General, the police and the court, and it affects the reputation of the country in attracting investors.

“This matter is serious and I was surprised when the Attorney General refused to make an appeal, and the same thing happened in the Altantuya case. We can clearly see that the Attorney General is biased in making appeals for high-profile cases,” he said when contacted by the Selangor Kini portal today.

Surendran also gave examples of ‘double standard’ practiced in the Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy case when the Attorney General worked towards imprisoning Anwar when making an appeal, and he also brought in Datuk Shafei Abdullah as a prosecutor even though there was no basis for the case and it was rejected by the High Court Judge.

“However, in the cases of PKFZ and Altantuya, the prosecution was not very interested. This shows the practice of ‘double standards’ happening when the Attorney General and our legal system are not independent and have no integrity, and it shows that the prosecution against Anwar was politically motivated,” he said.

Yesterday, Deputy Solicitor II, Datuk Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah, via a text message to Malaysiakini, confirmed that the Attorney General’s Office did not file an appeal against the release of former Transport Minister, Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, in the PKFZ fraud case.

Liong Sik was charged, causing the Cabinet to approve the purchase of land which incurred losses when the PKFZ project, which was estimated to cost RM1.1 billion after it was started in 1997, to grow by four times to RM4.6 billion in year 2007.

30 Residents of Bukit Melawati Receive Benefits from SMUE Scheme

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KUALA SELANGOR, 9 Nov: Over 30 residents of the Bukit Melawati constituency received benefits from the Senior Citizens Scheme (Skim Mesra Usia Emas – SMUE), which is the death benevolent fund, from September to October.

The Coordinator for the constituency, S.Manikavasagam, said that each participant received RM1,000 at the constituency office, while the remainder RM1,500 will be presented in a ceremony organised by the Kuala Selangor District Office to be held in the near future.

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“A representative of the constituency coordinator will visit the home of participants who were unable to come to the office to deliver the entrusted money.

“This contribution is evidence that the Selangor and Pakatan Rakyat government are committed in fulfilling everything in the election manifesto, especially those involving the people’s welfare, regardless of gender, race, religion, political affiliation, economic and social status,” he said.

The SMUE is one of seven Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor (MES) agendas which were launched by the state government in August 2008.

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Manikavasagam said through this scheme, registered nominees are eligible to request from their constituency service centre for the death benevolent fund of RM2,00 through two phases upon the death of a member of their family.

“It is the state government’s initiative to ease the burden of the deceased’s benefactors. We hope that this initiative will help them, either to manage the funeral of other matters” he said.

CM & Anwar have Breakfast with Participants of Da’ie Young Imam Academy

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SHAH ALAM, 9 Nov: The Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and the Selangor Economic Advisor, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, had breakfast and took pictures with 38 Standard 6 students from the Ar-Razi Religious Primary School in the Da’ie Young Imam Academy Programme today.

Participants of the training and tarbiyah (growth and upbringing) met with the leading figures, including local leaders, to enhance student motivation at the Selangor State Secretary Office Building (SUK) foyer.

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The three-day and two-night programme is one of the initiatives of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of the school to fill their spare time during weekends in effort to train students to become versatile imams and preachers before moving on to secondary school.The PTA Chairman, M Sueb Ismail, said that the initiative was triggered from the Young Imam programme aired on Astro and was adapted for the pupils of the school.

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He said that the programme, which took place for the first time, exposes students in strengthening skills in dealing with the community as well as an provides them the opportunity to mingle with professionals.

“The response from parents was encouraging, (and) we only had constraints in terms of finances. Most of them come from rural areas and many were forced to withdraw because of financial problems.

“They think of this as an additional programme, but we implemented a different version which involves tarbiyah and training. We also plan to conduct this programme once each month on Saturdays and Sundays, but we have monetary constraints,” he said.

Norazita Asked Her Children to Study Hard Before She Was Shot

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SHAH ALAM, 8 Nov: “Mom asked me and my brother to study hard,” said the eldest son of the late banker, Norazita Abu Talib, who was shot by a security guard at the USJ Ambank on 23 October.

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Nurisa Nabilah Irwan, 12, said that her late mother’s message still remains in her memory and her brother’s, Muhammad Hazimi Irwan, 8, and it will continue to be the strength for them to excel in their studies.

Nurisa, who just finished taking the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR), said that the loss of Norazita is a blow to her and Hazim, but support from their father, Irwan Kamaruddin, makes them strong.

Meanwhile, Irwan, 37, who works as a personal driver, also expressed his gratitude for the contributions and concern of the state government which is trying to help ease the burden of their family.

“All tasks previously shouldered by my late wife is now my responsibility. Now, I have the responsibility as both, a mother and father to my children.

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“I hope that the police could quickly solve this case as find a solution so it does not recur and no other family would have to face this situation,” he said.

Irwan said this when meeting with Selangor Kini after the state government’s contribution of RM5,000 was delivered by the Exco for Welfare and Women’s Affairs, Rodziah Ismail, and was also attended by the Assemblywoman for Taman Medan, Haniza Talhah, here at their home yesterday.

Rodziah said that the state government is ready to help in the form of legal advice if Irwan takes the matter to court for a lawsuit.

“This lawsuit is not meant for revenge, but it is more towards ensuring that all parties, especially the management of companies, are more sensitive in the selection of security members so that such an incident will not recur.

“We will also provide assistance in the form of legal advice and counsel so that Irwan will get a comprehensive explanation on this case,” said Rodziah.

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MACC’s Proposal to Examine Government Contracts through Direct Negotiations is Meaningless as long as BN is in Power

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SHAH ALAM, 8 Nov: The recommendations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for government projects that were awarded through direct negotiations and involve soft loans to be examined by the cabinet can be considered futile as long as Barisan Nasional (BN) remains in power.

BN is seen as making the awarding of contracts through direct negotiations their source of political funds that are able to reach millions of ringgit per project.

The Coordinator of Youth Solidarity Malaysia (SAMM), Badrul Hisham Shaharin, said that the situation makes MACC a toothless commission.

“This is still happening because there is no political will as BN’s machinery funds come from government contracts awarded through direct negotiations.

“As long as BN is in power, MACC’s proposal is almost impossible to be implemented, and it does not mean anything,” he said when contacted by Selangor Kini today.

Badrul Hisham said that the BN machinery requires a high amount of funding to finance their party programmes, much different from Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

Earlier, the MACC, in their report, recommended that government projects which were awarded through direct negotiations and involve soft loans to be examined by the cabinet, especially if it involves ‘families and allies’.

The MACC also recommended declaring conflict of interest when family members receive government loans, guidelines for soft loans for the finance ministry, and the role and responsibilities of those representing the government in board of directors of the companies.

The report also mentioned some problems in the project awarding of the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) to the companies owned and managed by the Wanita Umno Chief, who was also a former minister, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

According to the MACC in the 2012 report, the NFC was also given a soft loan of RM250 million despite not having any financial of technical skills.

Busted Edition: SMS ‘Vote PAS to Enter Heaven, Vote BN to go to Hell’ Came from BN

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SHAH ALAM, 8 Nov: A Short Message System (SMS) text ‘calling’ for voters to vote for PAS in the 13th General Election (GE-13) as a ‘ticket to heaven’ was not actually sent by the PAS election machinery, instead, it was sent by Barisan Nasional (BN).

The message also claimed that choosing UMNO would cause the individual to enter hell, it it was clearly aimed to show that the message was purportedly sent by PAS, thus giving the impression that it is an extremist party.

The BN machinery tactic to gain votes in a dirty manner, despite being read by some of the people, has yet to be proven.

However, such tactics were ultimately proved by the Coordinator of Youth Solidarity Malaysia (SAMM), Badrul Hisham Shaharin, when Muslims in Malaysia were set out to celebrate the new year of the Islamic calendar; 1435 Hijra.

The tactic was uncovered when a member of SAMM in Kedah received two different messages from the same number, 019-5791297, which i believed to have been sent by the BN campaign machinery.

“The first message was received during the GE-13 campaign period and I believe that the forgot or assumed that no one would notice the second message before the recent Ma’al Hijra celebration.

“For mobile phones that are using the Android system, every SMS received will cause the previous message to also be displayed if it is not deleted.

“Indeed, God wanted to show this when the SAMM member did not delete the first message and when they sent the second message, automatically the previous message was displayed. This is known as ‘sepandai-pandai tupai melompat’ (as clever as the squirrel hops, it will one day, eat dirt),” said Badrul Hisham when contacted by Selangor Kini yesterday.

The first message received in May, says, “Think of heaven when voting. Vote PAS to enter heaven, vote Umno to go to hell. PAS is Allah’s party (Hezbollah), Umno is the devil’s party”.

The second message received before the Ma’al Hijra read, “Salaam. Happy Ma’al Hijrah 1435H from Barisan Nasional “United Together in Moving Forward”.

Badrul Hisham said that BN should have thought of a smarter tactic compared to the defamatory text.

“Voters are now smart, many know this tactic but BN likes sending tactics that instigates PAS ulamas. The same method was used to instigate PAS leaders by sending SMS messages in the recent Bukit Limau By-Election,” he said.

Cost of Fuel and Maintenance of 7 Executive Jets Reach RM182 million a Year

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KUALA LUMPUR, 7 Nov: The Central Government is allegedly continuing to be wasteful when spending RM182 million a year on the cost of fuel and maintenance of seven executive planes (VVIP) in all official government business.

Member of Parliament for Seremban, Anthony Loke, said that the cost is allocated for 372 international and domestic flights to 339 different destinations for the use of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Deputy Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in 2012.

He said that the average for each flight is estimated to reach RM489,000 a day if the amount is divided with the period of one year.

“Why is it that everytime Najib and Muhyiddin has affairs abroad, they use executive jets that cost so high compared to first class commercial air-crafts which are more economical.

“Government leaders ask the people to be prudent in spending when they themselves fail to set a good example in cutting costs,” he said in a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

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Anthony also does not rule out the possibility that the planes are used by Barisan Nasional (BN) for the previous election campaign.

It is understood that the executive planes include a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), Global Express (1), Falcon (1), Blackhawk (1), Agusta (2) and Fokker F28 (1) which has been retired and presented to the Royal Malaysian Airforce Museum (RMAF).

Earlier, Anthony revealed Najib and Muhyiddin’s spendthrift attitude when the electricity bills for the Seri Perdana Complex reached over RM2.2 million, while RM300,000 was spent on water in 2012.

For the Sri Satria Complex, RM865,000 was spent on electricity bills while water bills amounted to RM99,264.

Tourism Selangor and MPS Committed to the Success of VMY 2014

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SELAYANG, 7 Nov: Tourism Selangor and the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) are committed to the success of the Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014 by taking the initiative to promote tourism and recreation places around Selayang.

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The Manager of Tourism Selangor, Noorul Ashikin Mohd Din, said that they will seek feedback from the management of tourist areas beforehand to see if there is any need to ensure that the area has potential to attract tourists.

“We will determine the amount after we review and study the needs of a recreation area in order to add facilities to facilitate tourists or visitors who visit the place,” she told Selangor Kini.

She said that they are convinced that the state government would not hesitate to provide allocations, especially in efforts to make Selangor known internationally.

“If the place has real potential to attract visitors from the country and abroad, we are positive that the state government will help,” she added.

Among the focal points for tourism to be promoted are Damai Cave, Tasik Biru Kundang and the Selayang Hot Springs.

Promotional efforts are seen as a positive step to elevate Selangor’s tourism industry to a higher level.

Damai Cave which is located near Batu Caves, is a place for rock climbing enthusiast for a long time.

It first opened in 1998, and this cave is not a rock climbing location, but it is also a location for mountain climbing training.

This cave is ideal for beginners in mountaineering activities because most of the route is not too challenging.

Wira Adventure Consultant Manager, Mustafa Al Bakri Omar, said that he hopes that his efforts to promote this area internationally will receive support and assistance from the Federal and State Governments.

He said that this location has become a focus of an international diving programme each year before the country’s annual Kuala Lumpur Tower climb.

“More recently, mountaineers from 15 countries visited this place for training sessions and I believe if we focus on it, this place can become a major attraction for fans of outdoor activities, the best after Krabi, Thailand,” he said.

Mustafa who is also responsible for managing the Damai Cave Extreme Park, using his own capital to develop the area, said that it is now better after receiving RM1 million in allocations from the Federal Government to provide infrastructure such as parks, toilets, playgrounds and other facilities.

“An allocation of RM50,000 from the state government has also been received for next year. We hope that support from the federal and state governments will continue.

“It is our desire to widen the climbing area and of course, the maintenance will require a high cost, but it will be worth it for a tourist attraction,” he said.

Selangor Government Help Residents of Kampung Buloh Telor Overcome Riverbank Collapse

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KUALA KUBU BAHRU, 7 Nov: The residents of Kampung Buloh Telor can now heave a sigh of relief as the riverbank collapse, destroying the only road linking the Orang Asli village, will be fully repaired soon.

Reparation work will involve the construction of a retaining wall at the bank and resurfacing of the damaged roads will be done with provisions channelled through the State Government.

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The Assemblywoman for Kuala Kubu Bahru, Lee Kee Heong, said that the first stage of the construction of the retaining wall in the village of about 150 people from 37 Orang Asli families has already been completed.

“Although this is the responsibility of the Federal Government under the Department of Orang Asli Affairs Development (JHEOA), I ask the State Government to provide allocations to facilitate the residents of the village from entering and exiting.

“There are two parts of the river bank that needs to be repaired, where one has already been completed and for the other, I need to ask for new provisions from the State Economic Planning Unit (UPEN).

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“This is because when UPEN officers previously visited, some of the collapse was covered by trees and bushes, causing this part to not be seen at the time,” she said when visiting the construction site of the retaining wall and road at Kampung Buloh Telor.

Kee Heong added that the first stage of the construction reached a cost of RM19,000, while the cost of the second part and road reparation is still under UPEN’s evaluation.

Meanwhile, the Tok Batin (village chief) of Kampung Buloh Telor, Harun Adam, said that the riverbank collapse started in March dues to heavy rains.

“Since then, the road has been damaged and has become narrow because of the riverbank collapse. But with the help of the State Government, I hope that this problem can be completely resolved thus facilitating residents of the village.

“Thanks to YB Kee Heong and the State Government for this assistance which will make it easier for villagers to go about their daily business,” said Harun.

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UMNO biggest loser and MCA biggest winner in Sungai Limau by-election?

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(PRESS STATEMENT)

If MCA leaders are to be believed, UMNO is the biggest loser and MCA the biggest winner in the Sungai Limau by-election on Monday.

Are MCA leaders to be believed?

MCA leaders, including the Kedah State Exco-designate Dr. Leong Yong Kong had told Chinese media that Barisan Nasional secured 75.27% of the Chinese votes, i.e. 892 out of 1,185 Chinese votes cast and that BN did not win a single extra Malay vote in the by-election.

This is an increase of over 732 Chinese votes cast for the BN in the 13th general elections, as MCA claims that BN did not secure more than 10% of the 1,600 Chinese votes on May 5, 2013, i.e. from 892 – 160.

But the Barisan Nasional candidate, Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim, despite BN’s expenditure of over RM15 million, only managed to get an additional 465 votes in the by-election as compared to the general elections. i.e. 10,985 votes in the by-election as compared to RM10,520 votes in the 13GE.

If MCA leaders are to be believed, that BN had an addition of over 732 Chinese votes in the by-election as compared to the 13GE, this could only mean that the BN had lost at least 267 Malay votes, as BN vote in the by-election would have fallen from 10,520 to 10,253 without the increase of at least 732 Chinese votes.

So, is UMNO the greatest loser and MCA the greatest winner in the Sungai Limau by-election?

I leave it to UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders to decide whether to accept the MCA’s analysis of the voting trends in the Sungai Limau by-election as there could be different interpretations in the absence of specific information about the voting (which is not completely possible as voting is secret), and the low percentage of Chinese voters in Sungai Limau.

But what is plain and obvious is that the Sungai Limau by-election had been a major test for PAS and Pakatan Rakyat on the one hand and UMNO and BN on the other six months after the 13GE, and PAS and Pakatan Rakyat had come out of the test with a significant victory considering the money politics and the mountain of lies and falsehoods mobilised during the by-election to hold both the Malay and Chinese voters to ransom.

PAS and Pakatan Rakyat must cherish the victory in the Sungai Limau by-election, learn from the electoral weaknesses highlighted by the by-election so that PAS and Pakatan Rakyat will be stronger and more formidable as an electoral force in future tests whether in urban or rural areas, or whether among Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan or Iban voters.

Lim Kit Siang
DAP Parliamentary Chief and Gelang Patah Member of Parliament

Healthcare Costs to Increase due to the GST

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KUALA LUMPUR, 6 Nov: The cost of healthcare will increase with the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) despite the Minister of Health issuing a statement that says otherwise.

Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara, Tony Pua, said that the GST will still have an impact on consumers when the hospitals have to pay the GST for all their services and products purchased from suppliers.

“Without the GST, hospitals, for example, pay RM50 to suppliers and resell it to patients at RM55 for a profit of ten percent. With the GST, hospitals would need to pay suppliers an additional of 6 percent, thus making the cost RM53.

“It is impossible for hospitals to maintain the sale cost to consumers with a profit of only 3.8 percent, if it is sold for the same price of RM53,” said Tony Pua.

On Monday, Datuk Seri S.Subramaniam claimed that the implementation of the GST in 2015 will not increase the cost of healthcare because it is exempt from the GST.

“Suppose the hospital wants to maintain the ten percent profit in the previous example. Then the price would be RM58.30 (RM53 + RM5.40), which still causes consumers to pay the GST.

“Looks like BN should stop misleading the public and begin to come clean about the impact of the GST,” he added.

Therefore, he said, Pakatan Rakyat will continue to oppose the implementation of the GST, even more so in the country’s administration which is filled with leakages, corruption and cronyism.

“What’s even worse is that the GST is to be implemented when 80 percent of the people do not have enough income to pay the income tax,” said Tony Pua.