Tag: People’s Feedback

Central Government Ignores BERSIH 3.0 in UN Report

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SHAH ALAM, 19 Oct: The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) is disappointed with the Central Government for denying an attack on the public and members of the media during the assembly in its report on fundamental rights to the United Nations (UN) recently.

Bersih steering committee member, Maria Chin Abdullah said the Central Government should be brave enough to admit their wrongs and be responsible for the violence against civilians in addition to working to improve human rights.

She also described the Central Government’s presentation of the report as ‘simple’ and empty because it did not touch on the issue of human rights comprehensively.

“We are disappointed because violence did happen during the assembly when the police beat up journalists and civilians who were peacefully assembling.

“If they want to send a report, the Government must take responsibility and admit if mistakes were made. We are disappointed because the Government promised many things but failed to carry them out,” she said when contacted by TVSelangor.

Maria said that she is disappointed because the Government did not mention the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) inquiry into the violence that took place during the Bersih rally in its report.

She said the Government has always ignored suggestions or recommendations by Suhakam on this matter and considers it as something negative.

“The Government should examine Suhakam’s report and try to fix weaknesses raised about human rights because this independent body was set up in Parliament,” she added.

In its 21-page report submitted to the UN in July, ahead of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on Malaysia in Geneva this Saturday, the government presented a rather clean image about the country’s human rights issues.

Despite mentioning the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) inquiry into the violence that took place during Bersih, the government left out Suhakam’s findings and also the background behind the inquiry.

Malaysia will face peer nations in front of the HRC on 24 October, under the UPR that takes place once every four-and-a-half years.

Yahya Sahri Free of the Charge of Using Fake Documents

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SHAH ALAM, 18 Oct: Mohd Yahya Mat Sahri, the former Special Duties Officer to the Chief Minister of Selangor, was acquitted and discharged by the Shah Alam Sessions Court of the charge of using fake documents, namely the ‘Resolution for Account Opening for the Selangor Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)’, five years ago.

Yahya said he was grateful to be free from the charge and thanks all who provided moral support over the years.

Yahya, 47, was charged for committing the offence at the Bandar Sunway Maybank branch on 14 May 2008.

“I am grateful to my lawyer, friends and party leaders who continuously provided support from the beginning till now,” he said when contacted by TVSelangor.

At the end of the defence proceedings, Judge Azhaniz Teh Azman Teh held that the prosecution had failed to prove their case against Mohd Yahya and ordered his RM10,000 bail to be refunded.

The charges were made under Section 471 of the Penal Code which is punishable under Section 465 of the same Code which provides for imprisonment of up to two years or a fine, or both, if convicted.

On Dec 1 2010, Azhaniz Teh had acquitted and discharged Mohd Yahya, 47, of the same charge under Section 471 of the Penal Code without calling for his defence on the basis that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against him.

However, the prosecution had filed an appeal on the decision at the High Court, which allowed it and ordered Mohd Yahya to enter his defence in July this year.

Deputy public prosecutor Norazah Kasran conducted the prosecution while Mohd Yahya was represented by lawyers Ahmad Nizam Hamid and T.Suresh.

Residents of PJS 9 Confused with the Change in Postcode

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SUBANG JAYA, 18 Oct: The residents of Petaling Jaya Selatan (PJS) 9 are confused with the change in postcode by Pos Malaysia for Subang Jaya and Petaling Jaya.

Based on the notice issued by Pos Malaysia earlier this month, the new postcode for Subang Jaya, which also involved PJS 9 and PJS 11, is 47500.

The change is due to the Election constituency division which set for PJS 7, PJS 9 and PJS 11, which is located in Bandar Sunway, to be placed under the Subang Jaya State Legislative Assembly (DUN) and the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ).

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Meanwhile, the Desa Mentari area involving PJS 8 and PJS 10, is placed under the Seri Setia DUN and the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).

The Deputy Chairman of the PJS 9 Rukun Tetangga (Neighbourhood Watch), Mohamad Noor said that he is confused by the change in the postcode as his identity card still uses the 46150 postcode, and states that it is in the area of Subang Jaya, while the same postcode printed on his driving licence but is registered as being in Petaling Jaya.

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“The new changes to the 47500 Subang Jaya postcode will burden residents, especially in matters involving correspondence address,” he said in a press conference here at the PJS 9/14 field today.

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The Chairman of the PJS 9 Rukun Tetangga, Goh Hai Thun said that his identity card and driving licence still uses the 46150 postcode which is registered as being in Petaling and can be contacted for correspondence.

“As a committee member for the residents, we would like to know the main reason for this postcode change which occurred without informing the residents. We live in PJS, which means Petaling Jaya Selatan and if we are to be put under Subang Jaya, it should be changed to SS.

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Meanwhile, the Subang Jaya Assemblywoman, Hannah Yeoh, who was also present at the press conference, said that the latest announcement confused residents, especially when involving important documents because several agencies should be notified regarding the change in postcode.

“We have a sophisticated MyKad system and residents do not have to go to the National Registration Department (JPN) to change their postcode. Instead, JPN should automatically inform about the change.

“Pos Malaysia should inform the residents of this change, however, until now, we do not know whether they are changing it or not, including informing important agencies such as Bank Negara and the Land Office to change the postcode in their systems,” she said.

EIDUL ADHA 1424H MESSAGE

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Every year, 10 Zul-Hijjah (literally means “Possessor of the Pilgrimage) is the day for Muslims to commemorate and celebrate the happy day. The Zul-Hijjah month is a month with its own significance.

Alhamdulillah (Thank God), we continue to offer gratitude for the gift of grace given by Allah S.W.T. which continues to give the strength of fraternity to enjoy the Zul-Hijjah month, especially the first 10 days.Ibn Abbaas(Radhiyallahu Anhu) narrated that Rasulullah(Aallallahu Alaiyhi Wassallam) said: “There is no day wherein any good action is more beloved to Allah Ta’ala than these ten days (the first ten days of Zul Hijjah), one fast during these days is equal to the fasting of one complete year, and the worship of one night during this period is equal to the worship in the “Lailatul-Qadr” (Tirmizi).

The Ibadah Qurban is a sign of gratitude to Allah for his benevolence and creates the spirit of cooperation, sharing and mutual help in the community. Apart from the practice of charity, the practice of pilgrimage is maintained. This is the beauty of Islam when the Ibadah Qurban (religious sacrifice) is appreciated with sincerity.

Therefore, let us repent and wholeheartedly agree to the decision to what Allah has decided upon (redha) with this sacrificial gift. Verily, the Promise of Allah is true as the story of Siti Hajar (Hagar) and Ibrahim (Abraham), who were patient with Allah’s test and was blessed with a miracle to all humans, with an endless supply of Zamzam water.

Let us celebrate this Eid Al Adha with sincerity and sacrifice to seek the pleasure of Allah SWT.

Happy Eid Al-Adha.

Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail

President 

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People’s Justice Party)

The ‘Allah’ Word: Not an Excuse to Create Religious Tension

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SHAH ALAM, 14 Oct: The decision of the court of Appeal to prevent Catholic churches from using the word ‘Allah’ in their Malay-Language weekly, The Herald, is not an excuse for any party to create religious tension, hostility and hatred.

PKR Information Chief, Dr Muhammad Nur Manuty said tensions that have arose due to the use of the word ‘Allah’ which is racist and extreme should be stopped immediately so that the tension will not grow.

He said that there should be more frequent meetings between religious leaders, politicians and non-governmental organisations to enhance tolerance and mutual respect between the different religions in this country.

“Prior to this, not many meetings had taken place to alleviate mistrust between each other.

“If more meetings are held, this tension can certainly be reduced,” said Dr Manuty when contacted by TVSelangor.

Dr Manuty said inter-religious dialogues should be increased in aims to improve the space of tolerance allowed to better understand each other.

Member of Parliament for Parit Buntar, Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa said the court’s decision should not affect the good relations between religions in the country.

“When the court has decided, all parties should respect the decision.

“This is not a reason for relations between religions to become tense,” said Dr Mujahid when contacted by TVSelangor.

Dr Mujahid said when a meeting between religious leaders is held, it can avoid racist and religious prejudiced parties taking advantage of the situation to create religious conflict.

“The effect of the court’s decision will hopefully continue discussions and reinforce our determination for a peaceful atmosphere to increase dialogues and so on,” Dr Mujahid said.

CM: Train Youths to Repair Aeroplanes

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KLANG, 13 Oct: The State Government will be organising training in maintenance and reparation of aircraft mechanical equipment to youths in rural areas.

Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said, the programme aims to give exposure to new careers as well as enhance the skills ability among youths.

“Not only does it provide additional skills, but it also helps to create job opportunities with a good income for the youth of Selangor.

“With the certificates they receive in the training, they would have the opportunity to work with aircraft maintenance companies,” he said.

He said this to TVSelangor after presenting the sacrificial cattle in a simple ceremony at the Kampung Pendamar Mosque today.

Elaborating, Abdul Khalid said that the State Government is working with a company from Switzerland for this purpose.

“The company from Switzerland will start operating in January next year.

“The company owns a building in Shah Alam and approval in relation to this training is expected to be approved by next November,” he explained.

He added that the State Government will deal with all village heads across Selangor to track youths with the potential to be developed in the programme.

“We will hold a meeting with all heads of villages so that these village heads can recommend youths who are still unemployed to be incorporated into the programme,” he said.

PKR Urges to Establish IPCMC to Tackle the ‘Shoot First’ Issue

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SHAH ALAM, 13 Oct: The Inspector General of Police (IGP) should create an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to tackle the ‘shoot first’ issue effectively, stressed PKR Vice President, Azmin Ali.

Azmin said he was referring to the challenge issued by IGP Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar to Member of Parliament for Padang Serai, N.Surendran, to ‘accompany’ the police and experience first-hand a possible shootout with criminals.

“Instead of issuing the challenge, the IGP should address the problems of the people by (acting upon) the shocking statement made by Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi over a week ago,” said Azmin in a media statement.

Prior to this, Ahmad Zahid in a safety briefing to community leaders in Ayer Keroh, suggested the ‘shoot first’ policy to the police in dealing with suspected triad members.

PKR Vice President, Nurul Izzah Anwar said that the IGP should focus on improving police weakness by seeking a meeting with Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders to address the issue.

Nurul Izzah said the IGP’s offer to N.Surendran to join in the operation is a violation of universal principles.

“Surendran, like every single Malaysian, has every right to request for the highest level of professionalism from the police and to be protected without bias, without the fear of threats and requests for an indemnity.

“No members of Parliament should entertain this police display of bias, uncouth and threatening behaviour, lest we all fall into a downward spiral of irresponsible conduct. I, myself, will not condone any of my colleagues pursuing such risky endeavours,” said Nurul Izzah in a statement.

219 Residents of Kampung Sri Indah Receive Land Grants

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SUNGAI BULUH, 12 Oct: The 20-year wait for 219 families from Kampung Sri Indah, Paya Jaras, to own the land grants for their residential land ended today when all of them received their respective land grants.

A recipient, Goh See Hai, 52, said that he had to wait so long despite submitting all the relevant documents to the previous Umno-BN Government, in fact the attitude of the previous government caused the issue of the land title to be delayed for years.

“I have lived in this village for over 20 years. All efforts made to obtain this grant, despite the previous government promising to settle it, was finally settled by the Pakatan Rakyat Government,” he said.

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Yap Kwai Loon, 52, was happy that this issue has been finally resolved after waiting over 23 years.

“Previously, MCA representatives promised to settle it. I have been waiting too long and now, finally, I have received the title to my land thanks to the Assemblyman and the State Government which has helped a lot,” said Yap cheerfully.

Both of them were met during a ceremony to hand over the grant approvals presented by the Executive Councillor in charge of Investment, Industry, New Village Development and Whitening of Illegal Factories, Ean Yong Hian Wah here at the JKKK Hall in Kampung Sri Indah A, Paya Jaras today.

Also present was the Assemblyman of Paya Jaras, Mohd Khairuddin Othman and the Member of Parliament for Subang, R.Sivarasa.

Meanwhile, Mohd Khairuddin when interviewed said that five more villages under the Paya Jaras constituency are still waiting for their land titles and hopes that the issue will be resolved in the next three years.

“Firstly, I want to thank the Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, who vigorously accelerated all matters regarding the land title.

“For the Paya Jaras constituency, there are 15 villages and five more villages are still waiting, and I hope that the State Government will help in all dealings so that all of them will receive their respective titles,” he said.

All residents will receive the grant to their land after settling the premium amount of RM1,000 as required by the State Government.

MOHA Neglects MyKad Application of a Senior Citizen Despite Support from NRD

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KUALA KUBU BHARU, 10 Oct: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) has been asked to approve the application of a senior citizen to receive citizenship with the blue MyKad because she has allegedly met all the requirements for qualification.

Assemblywoman for Kuala Kubu Bharu, Lee Kee Hiong said the Hulu Selangor National Registration Department (NRD) also supports Hong Lee Lon’s application.

She said that the 75-year-old woman, who is also the mother of 12 children and has 20 grandchildren, has applied for the MyKad three times but was rejected by the MOHA without reason.

“Officers of the Hulu Selangor NRG also pity her. They know her. They said they support her and her application has been sent to the Putrajaya MOHA to be processed.

“Thus, I will take Lee Lon to the Putrajaya MOHA with hopes to accelerate her application,” she said in a press conference here yesterday.

Kee Hiong said, the last time Lee Lon applied was on 7 March and hoped that the process this time will be carried out quickly.

“When asked how long the process would be, it was informed that it would take between one to two years. There is no need for it to be so long. Now is the era of information technology. We hope that before the 2014 Chinese New Year she would receive the blue MyKad,” she said.

It is understood that Lee Lon, who was born in Perak and has been living here since decades ago, only has the permanent residence status and has the red MyKad.

Her eldest child, Chan Yaw Pun, 57, also hopes that her mother’s application for the citizenship status with the blue MyKad will be met this time.

Water Supply Disruption at Peak 208 Resolved

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MONDAY, 7 Oct: Residents at Peak 208, Taman Kajang Utama, are now able to breathe a sigh of relief because the water supply disruptions at their homes did not go on for too long.

Assemblyman for Kajang, Lee Chin Cheh said, the disruption which affected nearly 800 residents was because of maintenance work under their treatment plan at the Sungai Semenyih Water Treatment Plant.

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Last Wednesday, water disruptions were resolved and residents enjoyed water supply as usual.

“Three weeks ago, Konsortium ABASS Sdn Bhd (ABBAS) stopped operations at one of the retention ponds to allow for maintenance for the water treatment plan to be implemented,” he said when contacted by TVSelangor.

Chin added, a week after the operation was carried out, higher grounds, especially the Taman Kajang Utama residential area, was affected.

“I extended this matter to Syabas and they informed that the plant was under the supervision of ABASS. However, Syabas will monitor the water levels of the plant. If it is detrimental, they will send a letter to ABBAS to stop the maintenance work.

For the record, areas around Semenyih, Kajang and Bangi, receive water supply from the Sungai Semenyih Water Treatment Plant which is managed by Konsortium ABASS Sdn Bhd (ABASS).

The plant, with a capacity design of 545 million litres per day (MLD) has been operating above it design capacity (overload) by producing 683 MLD and production cannot be increased further.

Water disruptions often occur due to the water recovery process which takes a long time because the production capacity of the water treatment plant is at its maximum level.

Ordinary Cars have become ‘Luxury Cars’ because of Tax

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SHAH ALAM, 7 Oct: The Chief Executive of Ideas, Wan Saiful Wan Jan, agrees that Malaysia is among the countries offering high prices for cars to the people dues to its high vehicle tax.

This assertion is supported by an article on a popular portal, Jalopnik, which listed Malaysia as the second most expensive country to buy cars, behind Singapore, in the article entitled ’10 Most Expensive Places To Buy A Car’.

Based on his experience of living in the United Kingdom (UK) for nearly 18 years, Wan Saiful stated that the government should review the existing vehicle tax which is considered high, seeing that cars are a necessity of life for the people in this country.

“I personally have experience regarding cars. I lived in the UK for about 18 years. And I can say that there, by working at a mediocre job, one is able to afford to buy, for example, a Volkswagen Passat.

“But here, the Passat has become a luxury car. So I guess the difference in price in indeed high due to the tax imposed by the government,” he said when contacted by TVSelangor.

According to him, despite Malaysia having its own large national car manufacturers like Proton and Perodua, they still have to face the vehicle tax just like other vehicle manufacturers, even though national cars should be sold at lower prices from what they are now.

Thus, the existing vehicle tax should be abolished so that consumers can enjoy vehicles at a low price.

“The tax imposed on Perodua and Proton is not much different from other cars, just that its cost is lower.

“Cars like Proton Preve, for example, can be sold at RM65,000 to RM70,000. So it can compete with other cars of the same class.

“It is not the issue that we have national cars. The real issue is that the tax imposed on any national car is the same tax.

“If the tax does not exist or is lower, I think national cars would be significantly lower (in price) as it is now,” he said.

MBPJ Holds Seminar to Improve JMB and MC

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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7: The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) held a seminar on Act 77 of the Management Strata 2013 to help Joint Management Bodies (JMB) and Management Corporations (MC) in Petaling Jaya to help offer the best service to apartment dwellers.

MBPJ Mayor, Datin Paduka Alinah Ahmad said that Act 757 had repealed Act 663, which previously caused confusion and inconsistency in the management of strata development. She hopes that JMB and MC will make use of Act 747 to solve problems which have arisen before.

“Previously, Act 663 which was enacted in 2007 had many flaws. There were parts which were not connected to another act to solve multi-storey housing residents’ problems. Act 757 which was gazetted in February was formulated to ease JMB and MC in solving the problems of multi-storey housing dwellers,” said Alinah in her opening speech at the seminar which took place at the MBPJ Civic Hall today.

Act 757 allows for JMB, MC and Commissioner of Buildings (COB) to appoint a building management agent to maintain and manage strata development. Conflict resolution mechanisms have also been introduced for stakeholders to express their dissatisfaction, and the number of officers and staff at COB offices has been increased from five people to 16 people so that it can deliver services more proactively.

Several methods of improvement have been provided to solve problems concerning the collection of maintenance charges and the sinking fund. Before this, in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, thousands of residents or lot owners did not make payments thus resulting in the conditions of buildings of Public Housing Apartments (PPR) to be unmanaged and thousands of additional ringgit had to be provided to repair damages and building deterioration.

The Act also details the distribution of responsibilities and the period of enforcement for the power transition from developers, JMB, MC and MC committees, as well as actions that can be imposed on “free rider” owners of the lot/occupants who did not pay the charges and did not respect the law.

Over the past five years, MBPJ has also held various seminars to help the people in Petaling Jaya enhance their quality of life.

The Strata Management Act 2013 seminar today attracted an attendance of about a hundred JMB and MC representatives from around Petaling Jaya.

The seminar was presented by an advocate and solicitor, Andrew Wong, who is also the consultant in the drafting of Act 77.

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