Tag: Politics & National News

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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PKR Criticises 2 Assemblymen in Sabah who Jumped Party

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SHAH ALAM, 8 Nov: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vehemently criticised the unethical actions of two PKR leaders from Sabah who left the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) component party recently.

PKR Vice-President, Tian Chua, said that the action of the two leaders, who are also Assemblymen, is deemed as a huge betrayal to the people of Malaysia, especially Sabah.

He said that the irresponsible attitude clearly betrays the trust given by the people of Sabah during the 13th General Election (GE-13).

“Their claim that they had both lost confidence in the party leadership is just a ploy and a simple excuse to justify their betrayal.

“The actions of these Assemblymen who jumped party is the usual modus operandi of Barisan Nasional (BN) in Sabah to weaken the fighting spirit of the people who want change,” he said.

Thus, he said, PKR urges the people of Sabah to be united and not let the dirty tricks of BN divide the fighting spirit and reformation of PR.

Rumours that the desire of Assemblyman of Matunggong, Jailani Hamdan, and the Assemblyman of Kadamaian, Jeremy Malajad @ Malazah, to leave the party has been brought to attention when they were absent in a meeting with PKR General Chief, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, last week.

Jeremy, in a statement, stressed his move to leave PKR and support BN is to enable the constituency that he represents to enjoy development.

He announced his decision to become an independent MP and also resigned as the state’s PKR Information Chief, with immediate effect, recently.

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.

Malaysia to Face Lawsuit if TPPA is Signed

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KUALA LUMPUR, 7 Nov: The Malaysian Government will face the risk of lawsuits from giant firms if they insist on implementing the investment dispute settlement (ISDS) by signing the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai, Nurul Izzah, said that although many believe that the ISDS is important because it has been adopted in many countries, but the mechanism would only benefit foreign investors and cause local investors to fall into the second class.

She said that the government has been urged to create a special fund in case Malaysia is sued by giant companies at a high cost, in addition to advising them to accept the TPPA post-signing risk.

“This is a serious problem if the agreement is signed without knowing the burden to be shouldered by the country and it would affect future generations as well as the Malaysian economy.

“Leaders of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) have met with ISDS experts and we think that we cannot accept it without carefully looking at the black and white of every chapter of the TPPA to be signed by Malaysia,” she said in a press conference at Parliament today.

She said that PR has never rejected any trade dealings; however the implementation of the law may entrap many parties and should not be adopted.

She said that the TPPA should be stopped, especially since the United States have been found to be spying on Malaysia by using their embassy and high commission in Kuala Lumpur.

“We must stop this, especially after finding out what is being done by the US to Malaysia, and the government should seek clarification.

“Malaysia should emulate the European Union and stop US banking access after knowing that they were conducting surveillance on the country,” she 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.

Fishermen Protest Federal Government’s Reduction in Subsidised Diesel

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KUALA LUMPUR, 6 Nov: This morning, about 50 fishermen held a peaceful protest outside the Parliament House to protest against the move by the Central Government to reduce diesel subsidies.

They also urged the government to review the use of the 38 millimetre (mm) hole size of trawl nets.

A representative of the fishermen, Cheah Swee Teck, said that boats in Zone C2, waters up to 30 nautical miles from the mainland, is now charged RM2.00, while for Zone A, B and C, the price has increased from RM1.25 to RM1.45.

“The action to reduce the subsidy burdens fishermen nationwide.

“And the use of 38mm hole trawl nets affect the catch of fishermen, for example, the fishermen in Hilir Perak are affected badly because the 38mm nets are not suitable to catch shrimp in the area,” said Swee Teck.

According to him, attempts to negotiate with the Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries, Datuk Ismai Sabri, have been ignored until now.

“So is the proposal for the hole size of trawl nets; the government did not respond.

“So we decided to send a memorandum of protest today to be submitted to Ismail Sabri,” he said.

The peaceful assembly was attended by fishermen from Selangor, Johor, Perak and Pahang, and lasted about 30 minutes.

Also participating in the demonstration was the Member of Parliament for Gelang Patah, Lim Kit Siang, and Member of Parliament for Ipoh Barat, M.Kulasegaran.

Sallehen: Fishermen Strike Requires a ‘Win-Win’ Solution

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SHAH ALAM, 6 Nov: The Central Government and fishery associations are urged to resolve the issue of net sizing and the prohibition of employing foreign workers immediately before consumer are affected from the fishermen’s strike which was been going on since 1 November.

The Executive Councillor in charge of Islamic Affairs, Agricultural Modernisation and Rural Development, Sallehen Mukhyi, said this when he found that the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry refuses to budge and the fishing communities have resolved to continue the protest by refusing to go out to sea until the enforcement of certain provisions in the Fisheries Act 1985 is withdrawn.

Sallehen is actively monitoring the situation through meetings with the fishing community. He said that he is ready to help so that discussions between the two sides are finalised.

“We are not saying that the enforcement is improper and we are also not saying that the actions of the fishermen are not right. However, to appease the situation, a public hearing must be held.

“Views of the fishermen and all involved parties should be taken into account and a win-win solution has to be found” he said.

On 1 November, the Ministry enforced the law that the hole size of nets were to be enlarged from 25 millimetres to 38 millimeters. The overall size of the nets is also to be reduced to only 3 metres.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, said that the existing small size of the holes also trawl fish fry, resulting in the overall supply of fish to be affected.

However, the fishermen say that the large size of the hole causes their catch to decline by 60 percent.
Fishermen also said that the fry caught are sold as snacks for fishery cultivation and fertiliser.

The new policy also sets for fishermen that fish at Zone B (five nautical miles from shore) to not be allowed the services of foreigners.

The services of foreigners are only allowed for fishing in Zone C (12 nautical miles from the shore and above). Licencees mus be on the ships that sails the seas.