Tag: Selangor Government

GST Exemption Should Be Extended to Public Transportation & Essential Goods

1

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.

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

3

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.

Selangor Government Maintains RM9.65 Billion Offer

3

(PRESS STATEMENT)

The Selangor State Government does not intend to revise the RM9.65 billion amount offered to water concessionaires in February 2013 to finalise the restructuring of water supply services in the state.

Chief Minister, YAB Tan Sri Datuk Seri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said, the state government considers that the offer to give 12 percent of profits to shareholders is fairer towards concessionaires.

“The privatisation of water (services) aims to provide more efficient water service at a reasonable rate. This policy is not aimed at allowing concessionaires to profit excessively from the distress of the people, who are the consumers.

However, the offer we provide is more reasonable if compared to corporate practices,” he said.

The Chief Minister made this clarification following media reports recently stating that the state government is revising the offer price for concessionaires.

He said that senior state officials held a meeting with the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water, as well as other Federal agencies such as the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) and Water Asset Management Company (WAMCO), to ensure that the year-end deadline to end negotiations will be achieved.

“During these meetings, the Federal Government has responded positively to our calculations we provided to enable us to buy the concessionaires and go on to restructure the water industry,” the Chief Minister said.

Tan Sri Abdul Khalid expressed his hope for the Federal Government to continue to support the efforts of the Selangor Government so that all stalled negotiations over the past few years can be resolved as soon as possible.

Released by
PRESS SECRETARIAT
OFFICE OF THE DATO’ MENTERI BESAR OF SELANGOR

PDRM Urged to Improve Existing System

1

SHAH ALAM, 2 Nov: The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) has been asked to improve their existing system in order to curb crime.

Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar recommended it, in addition to requesting a review be done on all security officers.

Crime Analyst, Datuk Akhbar Satar, said that he welcomed Khalid’s recommendation. However, he said that it should be done holistically, significantly and tighter.

“In addition, the police should ensure that each member is given sufficient training, as well as to be equipped well with equipment and other needs such as weapons and logistics. If this criteria is met, the crime figures may go down,” he said when contacted by TVSelangor yesterday.

Yesterday, Khalid said that PDRM will be performing immediate checks of all security officers, as well as check their firearms licence as a short-term measure to curb identity fraud.

He said that PDRM will also design long-term plans in granting firearm licences to security officers, including tightening requirements for the renewal of licences, and the move will be made specifically to prevent occurrences of bank officers being shot in robberies from recurring.

In an incident, Norazita Abu Talib, 37, died after being shot in the head at close range by a security officer, believed to be an Indonesian national using a fake identity card, at USJ Central here in Subang Jaya at 6.20pm on 23 October.

Meanwhile, the Assemblywoman for Damansara Utama, Yeo Bee Yin, said that a restructuring of the police force should be carried out if we want rime statistics to go down.

“In cases of maddening crimes, it is time for the government to make changes in the division of duties by increasing police officers for crime prevention.

“At the moment, only a percentage of police officers are assigned to control crime, while the rest are assigned to other duties,” she said.

MPAJ and JPS Need to Discuss Flood Problem in Ampang Jaya

8.1

8.2

AMPANG JAYA, 1 Nov: The Assemblyman for Chempaka, Iskandar Abdul Samad, has asked the Selangor Irrigation Department (JPS) to hold discussions with the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) to find a solution to overcome the flooding problem in Ampang Jaya.

He said that the residents in Muhibbah Complex, Taman Nirwana, Taman Dagang and Taman Putra Sulaiman face flood problems twice a week due to above normal rainfall, causing existing drains to be unable to cope with large amounts, thus overflowing onto the roads and residential areas.

8.3

“We need to improve the drains because they are too small and cannot accommodate rain water, which is believed to be the cause of flooding when exceeding normal levels.

“I asked JPS to discuss with MPAJ to make recommendations to solve this problem, including enlarging existing drains and ditches, in addition to making larger sewers,” he told TVSelangor after a visitation which was attended by representatives of the residents and the Selangor Public Works Department (JKR) here at Taman Putra Sulaiman today.

8.4

At the location, TVSelangor found that the waterflow in some drains were not smooth and there was a lot of domestic and solid waste disposed in them, causing blockage.
Iskandar, who is also the Selangor Exco in charge of Housing also informed that the matter will be brought to the attention of the the Exco in charge of Selangor Development and Infrastructure, Dr Yunus Hairi, with reparation projects estimated at RM3 million.

“The cleaning of existing drains must be done because there is sand and waste from development projects, such as concrete, thrown in the same location. Existing construction sites should be monitored so that disposal of sand and construction debris into drains does not happen.

“Local residents are also reminded to not throw waste into drains because in the end, they will be affected when the drains are clogged,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Advisor of the Taman Nirwana Residents’ Association, Mahendran Thomas, 58, asked for the review of the drainage plan in Ampang Jaya, involving several major housing areas, to be carried out because there are various development projects going on in the area.

8.5

“The drainage here should be reviewed because it joins the drain at Jalan 41, Taman Nirwana. This should not happen and developers should channel water to other areas.

“The new project also needs to be reviewed because it involves drainage plans for the long term of 20 to 25 years. There is no point fixing concrete because sometimes it breaks, causing drains to be clogged and flooding occurs,” he said.

8.6

CM Denies it is Difficult for Developers to Build Housing Projects in Selangor

6

KLANG, 1 Nov: Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim has denied allegations that some developers find it difficult to build housing projects in the state.

Abdul Khalid stressed that development in Selangor has increased after Pakatan Rakyat (PR) led the state administration in 2008.

He said that he had recently announced that RM38 billion in developments will take place in Selangor for the long term.

“The statement is not true because development in the state has increased since PR has been leading Selangor,” he said when met after inaugurating the Deepavali Celebration here at Little India yesterday.

Abdul Khalid said, good infrastructure must also be standardised in any form of development.

“Now, it is time for us to set for every developer to contribute to the infrastructure. Developers also need to ensure good drainage system and roads.

“This aspect was not included in previous planning, but now we include it to ensure that the future of home-buyers is cared for,” he said.

Previously, the Chief Executive of Glomac Bhd, Datuk Fateh Iskandar Mohamed Mansor, claimed that the state government is exerting pressure on housing developers, in addition to including various additional costs, causing their business cost to increase.

Premises Demolishing Spun into Racial Issue

5.1

SHAH ALAM, 1 Nov: Datuk Teng Chang Khim is disappointed with those connecting the action by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) to demolish an additional building of a restaurant in Serdang Perdana, with racial issues.

The Executive Councillor in charge of the Selangor Local Government, Studies and Research said that the issue is brought up to discredit Pakatan Rakyat (PR) by giving the impression that the Selangor Government is not helping Malay businessmen.

Instead, he said, the demolition was based on provisions of Local Government law that knows no colour difference.

“In this country, there are three main races; Malays, Chinese and Indians, in addition to other ethnic groups in Sabah and Sarawak.

“Every action, if not done to Malays, can be said to be done to Chinese or Indians.

“When action is taken against a Malay person, they accuse the government for being racist. If action is taken against a Chinese or Indian, the racial issue is still played.

“So, when will it end?” he said at a press conference at his office here at the State Secretariat Building (SUK) today.

Apart from the premises in Serdang Perdana, several food stalls owned by Malays were demolished by the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKJ) at Taman Mesra Batu 13, Jalan Cheras in Kajang, and the mainstream media has made an issue of it on 30 October.

5.2

Vendors claimed that enforcement officers were biased when carrying out the action, however MPKJ denied the allegations.

Meanwhile, the MPSJ Director of Public Relations, Asfarizal Abdul Rashid said that the demolition had been done as the additional building was leased to foreign traders.

He said, the new building structure was built without permission, and was found to be a risk to the public because it was located near the main road.

“We act based on complaints received from the public because it endangers motorists passing through the area. The demolition was carried out on 28 October,” he said.

Last week, two houses in Kampung Chubadak were demolished by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) because the land was said to be owned by the Federal Land Commissioner.

Apart from the two houses, there are still about 200 houses in the village that would receive the same fate, and is now being monitored by the Member of Parliament of Batu, Tian Chua.

However, in contrast to the restaurant in Serdang Perdana, the issue of the demolition of the village houses, where the majority of residents are Malay, was deliberately not publicised by the mainstream media since the village is located under the jurisdiction of the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

Abdul Khalid Asks the Media to Stop Regarding the Chief Minister’s Position Issue

4

KLANG, 1 Nov: The Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim asked the mass media to stop harping on his relationship with the Vice-President of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Azmin Ali, on the issue of taking over office.

He described the action as being ‘disgusting’ and asks editors to immediately stop.

Abdul Khalid said that he has no problem if his position as Chief Minister of Selangor is replaced by someone else.

“If the approach (of the supposed clash) is a way to sell newspapers, then such mentality shows that we have reached the level of developed countries,” he said when met at the Deepavali Celebration Opening Ceremony here in Little India yesterday.

Prior to this, there were rumours that Khalid’s performance had declined and the position of Chief Minister will be replaced by a new representative.

Meanwhile, Abdul Khalid also denied that there were Assemblymen who are not satisfied with him in their meeting session on 29 October.

“Not only did I look into every suggestion they raised, but also the long-term effects.

“We need to see the current and future impact if we want to develop Selangor in the next 20 years, not just the current (impact). So the reason for every proposal should be strong,” he said.

Previously, several local media reports have given the impression that Azmin would be leading the state; however the Bukit Antarabangsa Assemblyman and the PKR de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, denied the rumours.

PJ Senior Citizen’s Run 2013

3.1

PETALING JAYA, 1 Nov: The PJ Senior Citizen’s Run 2013 which was held at the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) compound received encouraging response, with 300 people from all walks of life participated in the programme on 27 October.

The programme is part of initiative under the MBPJ community development programme in conjunction with the National Senior Citizen’s Day which is celebrated on 1 October every year.

MBPJ Council Member, Ahmad Akhir Pawan Chik, said that the programme is able to instil the spirit of social responsibility and is an effective idea, especially for senior citizens.

“Participants were also given tips in caring for their health. In addition, values among the community can be instilled so as to bridge the gap between the elderly and the young,” he said.

Also held at the event was the programme for Healthy, Quality and Increase in Self-Potential for Senior Citizens as well as a Fun Exercise, choir performances, games and a lucky draw contest.

Participants also received information on weight loss, blood pressure levels, strength of hands and legs, nutrition advice and special exercises throughout the programme.

The programme was in collaboration with the University of Malaya’s Melor Project (Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research), consisting of physicians and academics from various faculties such as medicine, law, economics and administration, education, architecture, engineering, computer science, as well as information technology and sports science.

The Melor Project involves groups that conduct research projects to be used and applied by the elderly in efforts to improve their quality of life.

3.2

Nepal Government’s Mentality More Advanced, Possesses 127 Newspapers Compared to Malaysia

2

SHAH ALAM, 1 Nov: Nepal is seen as more transparent and open as they have 127 newspapers compared to Malaysia, which is seen as giving less press freedom.

The Nepal government believes that by giving media freedom, it may lead to progress in the mentality of the South Asian country’s leaders and people.

Although Nepal is still categorised as a third world country in terms of physical development, but the mentality of the country’s leaders are considered to be more advanced than Barisan Nasional (BN).

The former President of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Hatta Wahari said, the matter has been proved when as of today, Nepal has 127 newspapers, excluding those published at the state level.

“Although we are developing and possess infrastructure like those of developed countries, the mentality of the government is still at the level of third world countries because they want to control the media. In fact, the government wants to control it all without giving freedom to the media and the community,” he said when contacted by TVSelangor today.

Hatta also condemned the action of the Minister of Home Affairs (MOHA) Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who issued the threatening statement to shut down media that published his statement in a programme in Malacca recently.

“This is the most brazen statement coming from a leader and he has a third world mentality by assuming that he has power and can control freedom of the press. It is leaders like this that we have to reject,” he said.

Commenting on the victory of the Malaysiakini news portal in the MOHA appeal to reject its publication permit, Hatta hopes that the victory will be an example to other media to be brave in publishing balanced and transparent media.

“Malaysiakini’s victory should be an example to other media and I hope that the media industry would be free and advanced,” he said.

Najib and MOHA Urged to Respond on Issue of American Intelligence

9

KUALA LUMOUR, 31 Oct: Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed his surprise because the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) did not issue a statement on the report regarding the U.S. Embassy being used for spying activities.

He said, the action by Najib and the MOHA is seen as being “too submissive” even though the matter is gravely serious.

“This is a serious matter for the country. We ask for the Prime Minister and the MOHA to respond on this matter so that we do not seem too submissive.

“No country, not even the US itself, would condone or tolerate a spying agency within its shores,” he said at a press conference in Parliament here today.

Two days ago, documents leaked by intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that the US and Australia was tapping into telephones and monitoring communication networks in Malaysia through its Kuala Lumpur embassy.

According to reports, the countries that are the targets of the spying activities include the European and Asian continents.

Government Should Reduce Fuel Price Following the World Market

8

KUALA LUMPUR, 31 Oct: Pakatan Rakyat (PR) questions the government’s move to raise fuel subsidies to RM2.326 billion in the National Budget 2014 because the government targets savings of RM3.3 billion next year.

Member of Parliament for Tanjong, Ng Wei Aik said, the subsidy increase would increase the total expenses to RM22.341 billion, however, only RM20.015 was allocated in the National Budget 2013.

“Fuel subsidies for next year will increase by 11.62 percent, from RM20 billion to RM22 billion. Fuel subsidies should be increased, not reduced.

“So we have a big question, why does the subsidy need to be increased dramatically when the announcement by the Prime Minister explained in September that the increase of 20 cents for RON95 and Diesel would result in savings of RM3.3 billion to be recorded in 2014,” he said in a press conference here in Parliament today.

Wei Aik said, the oil price has fallen as diplomacy aimed at Syria and Iran eased concerns about Middle East supplies after climbing to over USD110 in the late August, and the oil price even dipped below USD102 per barrel after parts of the US Government were ordered to shut down because of a budget impasse in Washington.

“The price of fuel is a major problem that burdens the people because they want the price to be lowered, not increased,” he said.

Among the countries that have reduced the price of oil are India, Taiwan, Ghana, Vietnam, Bermuda, South Africa, Georgia and China, in the last three months.