Tag: Politics & National News

Anwar Ibrahim: Democracy in Indonesia is better than in Malaysia

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SHAH ALAM, 6 Nov: Indonesia has a better democracy system than in Malaysia, stressed Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar said that in Indonesia, the right to an opinion and views are more open compared to Malaysia.

“In Malaysia, you cannot speak like this, this is an advantage that does not exist in my country,” said Anwar.

Anwar added that Indonesia has a huge chance of becoming a leader of Muslim nations because it has the advantage of a large Muslim population and a stable democracy to become a strong platform to realise it.

“Indonesia has a great opportunity to lead Muslim countries in the world after Arab faces a crisis, so the expansion of Islam will point to Southeast Asia.

“Indonesia, as a country with the biggest Muslim populated country, with good economic growth, has an opportunity in this regard,” Anwar said at the National Museum in Jakarta on Tuesday.

In a quote from Tribunnews.com, Anwar said that the Indonesian government is still being 50/50 when fighting for the Muslims when the American Government is involved too much in the conflict in Syria and Egypt; the Indonesian Government is not being assertive.

“While the US Government is doing that, Indonesia is not being stern with them, not like Brazil or even Germany, when this is the way to establish attachment to Muslim unity,” Anwar said.

Currently, Indonesia has a population of 250 million people (July 2013 statistics), with 88.2 percent, or 202.9 million people, being Muslims (2009 statistics).

Suhaimi Said Dies

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SHAH ALAM, Nov: The Chairman of the PKR Felda Bureau and Indigenous People, Suhaimi Said, 58, dies at the Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Hospital at 6.00pm, Senator Syed Husin Ali’s twitter reports.

Suhaimi was admitted in the hospital since 29 July for a suspected infection in his spine.

Suhaimi, who is also the Kuala Krau PKR Branch Chief, was a fighter of the Felda community since the 1980s, and he was also involved in a bloody tragedy during the Lubuk Merbau by-election in Kedah.

His services to the people, especially the settlers and indigenous people, were tremendous. He was also a tenacious lawyer who helped the people and was feared since the days of Tun Dr Mahathir as Prime Minister.

He was twice detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and was many times arrested and his lectures were surrounded by the police.

The Selangor Kini portal wishes heartfelt condolences to his family..Al-Fatihah.

Is the KPI for Love?

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PRESS RELEASE: Exco for Selangor State Welfare & Women’s Affairs, Rodziah Ismail

Certainly, there is an Islamic perspective in creating the KPI for everything. And the place the KPI is located is in the organ dubbed “the king of all organs”, the heart.

Love, with the KPI, would make a person better in terms of personality, attitude and self-esteem, as well as to be highly motivated towards something better. In addition, a deep sensitivity to the nature of justice and fairness towards all human beings.

It is fortunate for those who have met individuals who can motivate others to be better than their previous self.

But relationship between such individuals should be something consciously searched for, only then can they obtain permission and guidance from Allah.

It makes the individual feel that anything can be achieved. The achievement is always accompanied by sensitivity and a guarantee of the rights and interests of others, without betrayal, cruelty, lies and the violation of transparency limits and good stewardship.

Transparency and good stewardship should also occur in relationships between individuals and family, and not just at the level of organisations, communities, country and international. Individuals and families are small groups that build larger clusters.

Individuals and family members are the people who are gathered in a society that forms a country and the international society. What is practiced by the individual becomes the practice of the family, which is the reflection of characteristics of a society where the individual is part of.

Some individuals become judges, educators, journalists, filmmakers, lawyers, doctors, engineers, activists, honoured members, ministers and those who make very important decisions that affect the lives of people.

Good decisions for the people are emitted from the love-filled KPI, which comes from the purity of the heart; the heart is always taken care of by the Prophet: “All actions are judged by motives…”

This year’s Hijra, let us all strive to achieve love-filled KPI, which makes our personality better, makes us feel safe and protected, and serve in a fair and equitable manner.

Happy Ma’al Hijra 1435, may we be blessed in this world and hereafter.

Selangor State Exco and Batu Tiga Assemblywoman
Chief of Wanita Selangor and Deputy Wanita Chief of Parti Keadilan Rakyat

Najib’s Monarchy Strategy to Dominate the Country’s Finances

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SHAH ALAM, 5 Nov: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s move to add up to 43 times in provisions under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is seen as a full monarchy style strategy in efforts to dominate the country’s finances.

The Member of Parliament for Shah Alam, Khalid Samad, said that the strategy enables Najib to have an advantage of using taxpayers’ money as he wished without clear details and is is probably being used for the political survival of Barisan Nasional (BN).

“This way, the PMO would be like kings and sultans, with full control of everything and cannot be questioned. With this too, the country’s finances can be used to either enhance the image of the Prime Minister or ‘instant noodle’ projects of buying votes during the elections for BN’s victory,” he said when contacted by the Selangor Kini portal today.

He said said this when asked to comment on the exposure by the Member of Parliament for Kluang, Liew Chin Tong, regarding the allocation for the PMO which increased by 43 times since Najib led the country’s administration 2009.

In 2010, the total allocation for the PMO was only RM158 million, 0.3 percent of the total RM54 billion allocation for development, but it increased to RM6.8 billion, 15 percent of RM53 billion of the total allocation development for the year 2014.

Khalid, who is also the Selangor PAS Commissioner, said that Najib’s actions hide monetary expenditures under the PMO name, which is seen as being not transparent and irresponsible.

“It evidence that this is a desperate move by Najib in attempt to strengthen BN, which is seen as losing the people’s faith day by day, because this is seen as easier compared to placing it under other ministries that need to go through audits, compared to placing it under the PMO,” he said.

MBSA Urges Vendors in Section 2 to Keep Premises Clean

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SHAH ALAM, 5 Nov: Vendors at the Prima Dua Food Court have been advised to prioritise the aspect of cleanliness in the preparation of food and drinks, as well as to comply with regulations set by the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA).

MBSA Deputy Corporate Director, Shahrin Ahmad, said that the directive is to ensure that the food court is always clean and maintained because it is visited by people from all walks of life.

He said that the matter has often been advised to vendors, including Konsortium Permodalan Shah Alam Sdn Bhd, from time to time.

“The regulations and law is not to trouble vendors, but to ensure that the food court is always maintained because it is visited by many people, especially students of Mara University of Technology (UiTM) who come from across the country.

“I urge all parties, including vendors and the consortium to work together with MBSA to ensure that stalls are in a comfortable condition,” he said in a short message system (SMS) message in relation to complaints received from vendors at the food court recently.

Earlier in a joint operation, MBSA seized and issued orders for a 14 day closure for premises which failed to comply with food premises rules of hygiene.

In addition to the directive to close the premises, MBSA also seized chairs, tables, umbrellas, grills and stoves because it was places outside the premises.

Meanwhile, Shahrin said that he will discuss in detail about claims by vendors regarding summons without notice on the installation of billboards in the premises before action is taken.

“This matter will be discussed with the consortium to seek clarification before further action is taken by MBSA,” he said.

Replica of Amputated Leg: Mahfuz Advises Muhyiddin to not Overact

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SHAH ALAM, 4 Nov: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has been advised to not rush to release a statement regarding the case of hanging replicas of amputated legs which is now under police investigation.

The Committee Director of the Sungai Limau State Legislative Assembly By-Election, Datuk Mahfuz Omar, said that Muhyiddin’s move to deny the involvement of Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters in the incident, as reported by the media, only raises bad perception towards the party.

He said, previously he had never mention the act of hanging the replica was done by the BN machinery.

“There is no need to overact and he is so defensive. This can give a bad perception towards BN in this case, seeing that previously said that this is a shameful deed without mentioning any party.

“In fact, let the police investigate, but the actions makes it seem that he (Muhyiddin) is ahead of the police investigation,” he said when contacted by TVSelangor today

Meanwhile, commenting on today’s development of the Sungai Limau By-Election polling day, Mahfuz said that until now, he does not know of the incident where a woman in the BN camp was allegedly boxed as reported by the media.

He also stressed that the Sungai Limau By-Election voting process was running smoothly without any unwanted incidents taking place.

“Insya-Allah, PAS will be able to defend the Sungai Limau seat in this By-Election. The opportunity looks very promising,” he said.

The Sungai Limau State Legislative Assembly By-Election was held after the death of the incumbent, who was also the former Chief Minister of Kedah, Tan Sri Azizan Abdul Razak, on 26 September.

In this by-election has 27,222 registered voters and the seat is being contested by PAS candidate, Mohd Azam Abd Samat, and BN candidate, Dr Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim.

Wanita Selangor Urged to have a Giving Attitude

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GOMBAK, 4 Nov: Wanita Selangor has been urged to have the attitude of giving and sharing concerning aspects of knowledge, finance, energy and property, to create more individuals who are competitive among the group.

Wanita Selangor Exco, Rodziah Ismail, said that the culture of giving and sharing is a positive effort to strengthen the state’s progress because almost half of its people are women.

“Women should think ahead and should make their family a motivation to continue to succeed. I hope that women in Selangor will implement this concept, starting from their homes, this year,” she said.

Rodziah said this at the Reflexology Practical Workshop Certificate Presentation Ceremony which was also attended by the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) member, Zailah Kamaludin, and about 76 single mothers where about 30 of them are members of the SOHO Single Mothers Economic Empowerment Programme (PET SOHO)

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The workshop was jointly organised by the Association of Women’s Initiative For Research, Development and Advancement (WIRDA) and MPS which aims to teach the proper massage methods and techniques, and it took place here at the Simpang Tiga Hall yesterday.

Rodziah said that with the adoption of these values, empowered women in Selangor can be an example to all women across Malaysia to further develop themselves.

“While visiting Sungai Limau, I took one of the women’s programmes there and the response was very encouraging despite different political backgrounds,” she said.

Meanwhile, a participant, Roswati Abd Hadi, said that the programme provides knowledge that can be used in her work as a masseuse and estimated her monthly income to be about RM300.

Another participant, Norita Mohd Yatim, said that she is able to generate an income of about RM200 a month with the programme because her customers and satisfied with the massage techniques learned from such workshops.

“Through this effort, we will also be more sensitive in taking up all opportunities available to supplement the family income. The culture of giving and sharing is seen as able to trigger creative thinking among women, which indirectly opens up more income opportunities,” she said.

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Selangor DAP Distributes Whistles to Curb Snatch Theft

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SHAH ALAM, 4 Nov: A total of 1,000 whistles were recently distributed to the public by the Selangor Wanita DAP to curb snatch theft and robberies around the Seri Kembangan wholesale market.

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The distribution of the whistle was led by the Selangor State Assembly Speaker, Hannah Yeoh, and the Exco in charge of Investment, Industry, New Village Development and Illegal Factories Whitening, Ean Yong Hian Wah, as well as 13 Serdang Wanita DAP members.

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Hannah said that the police acknowledged and agree that whistles help reduce snatch theft and the programme has already been implemented in Subang Jaya.

Meanwhile, Ean, who is also the Assemblyman for Seri Kembangan, said that crime victims, especially restaurant owners, are often reluctant in reporting theft or robberies.

In the meantime, two snatch theft cases involving women, including a senior citizen, was reported to take place near here at Taman Bukit Belimbing and Kampung Seri Kembangan recently.

In relation to that, it is hoped that the police can increase patrolling at crime focus areas to reduce snatch theft and robberies around Seri Kembangan.

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GST Exemption Should Be Extended to Public Transportation & Essential Goods

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SHAH ALAM, 4 Nov: Ikram Organisation Malaysia (Ikram) hopes that the Central Government will expand the goods and services tax (GST) exemption list to all types of services and essential goods for the people in this country.

Ikram Vice-President, Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, said that the exemption is needed to ensure that the burden shouldered by the people due to the GST would be less.

“If it is needed for the GST to be implemented, GST exemptions should be given for all types of essential services such as public transportation, healthcare, services and essential goods needed by the people,” said Syed Ibrahim when contacted by TVSelangor.

Syed Noh added that the government should ensure that there are no leakages, wastage of public funds and to reduce household debt before imposing the GST on the people.

“The implementation is supposed to be the last option after leakages and wastage is controlled.

“The similar goes for household debt, which should be successfully be reduced first. The income of the lower to middle class should be increased, as it will unfair to them if it is implemented now,” Syed Ibrahim added.

Previously, the Malaysian Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam, said that the cost of health services in this country will not increase with the implementation of the GST.

However, his statement raised doubts due to the increased cost in transportation and packaging which is expected to have an impact on health goods and services.

Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, stressed for the Umno-BN Government to address the issue of corruption, extreme wastage of public money and to improve the people’s quality of life before implementing the GST.

GST: SMEs need to spend up to RM4 billion for computing systems

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SHAH ALAM, 3 Nov: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in this country would have to spend about RM3 billion – RM4 billion to implement a computerised system for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which will be imposed starting from 1 April 2015.

The Member of Parliament for Bayan Baru, Sim Tze Tzin, said that it is a huge cost to be shouldered by the people and our country especially since the effectiveness of the GST is still being disputed.

He said that due to the high cost, companies will shift costs to consumers, causing an increase in goods and services, as well as an increase in the rate of inflation.

“Currently, only RM100 million goes to computing systems and this does not only involve the government system, but the people, especially small and medium businessmen, have to spend between RM20,000 to RM80,000 for a new system.

“In terms of the people, they need to spend a lot for the GST, while the large companies have to spend hundreds of thousands for the GST,” Sim said when contacted by TVSelangor.

He said the projected cost is based in other countries’ experiences in implementing the GST when SMEs need large expenditures to upgrade existing computer systems.

Previously, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that Putrajaya will spend RM98.8 million to implement a computerised system for the GST.

Najib said that the Customs Department, as the implementing agency, will reorganise staff and personnel in preparation for the implementation of the tax.

Sim said that the computing cost if almost RM100 million for the GST which is to be shouldered by the Central Government is also feared to increase and lead to wastage if not controlled.

He said that the Federal Government is implementing the GST in a hurry while no incentives are given to SMEs to upgrade their computing systems.

“Therefore, millions of ringgit is needed just to implement the GST,” he said.

Ambiga: ‘40,000 Bangladesh voters’ Issue is Najib’s Trick

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SHAH ALAM, 3 Nov: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s denial of claims that 40,000 Bangladeshis voted in the last general election is just a ploy to avoid answering allegations of election fraud.

The Co-Chairman of Bersih 2.0, Datuk S.Ambiga, said that she is very sceptical because the issue keeps coming up.

“I think is it a red herring so that they don’t have to answer all other allegations of electoral fraud which are backed by evidence,” she said.

She said this to Malaysiakini when responding to Najib’s interview on CNN, which was published online on Oct 31.

In the interview, Najib was asked to comment on “allegations of fraud, buying votes, double-voting, phantom voters, (and) issues of gerrymandering”.

Najib replied that the allegations are “by and large… totally unfounded”, and then pointed to the allegation that 40,000 Bangladeshis were ferried in to vote as an example, stressing that the allegation was never proven.

The matter has also been raised several times over the past week – when Najib tabled the Budget 2014 on 25 October and when he inaugurated the Gerakan National Delegates’ Conference on 26 October.

“He didn’t answer any other allegations of fraud that (CNN interviewer Christiane Amanpour) mentioned, like vote buying and gerrymandering,” Ambiga noted.

Rural Communities Leaning towards PR

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KUALA LANGAT, 2 Nov: Support from the rural communities is increasingly leaning towards Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and this will be more pronounced in the next General Election (GE).

Former Chief Minister of Selangor, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib said that this confidence is based on the achievement in the last GE-13, when PR achieved the popular vote of 53 percent compared to BN which only obtained 47 percent.

“According to the percentage of BN’s votes, BN should have lost. Out of 100 people, 53 voted for Pakatan Rakyat (PR). This is strange because our system is linked with seats.

“If 145,000 people vote for the Kapar Parliamentary seat (one seat goes to PR). If 10,000 people vote for a Parliamentary seat in Sarawak, one seat goes to BN,” Muhammad said during the ‘Apa Khabar Orang Kampung’ (How Are You Village People) programme in Dewan Putra here in Kampung Sawah, Banting.

Muhammad said that the challenges faced by Pakatan Rakyat in rural areas are restraints, restrictions and media manipulation.

He said that the thinking of people in rural areas is synonymous with decades of information championed by Umno through newspapers and television.

“Previously, when I was campaigning for the Sungai Limau State Legislative Assembly seat, my face was on TV every day. However, now, when I look through newspapers, there is not even one picture of me because I’m in PAS.

“But when I talk about Nik Aziz, faces turn fierce. Every day, on TV1, TV2, TV3, even until TV100 till TV200, all (the faces shown) belong to Umno. Representatives such as Hasnul (Assemblyman for Morib) will never come out,” he said.