Tag: State Assemblymen

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.

Mukhriz Urged to Emulate Fairness, Wisdom of Selangor and Penang’s PR Government

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SHAH ALAM, 1 Oct: The Chief Minister of Kedah, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir has been urged to learn from the Selangor and Penang Pakatan Rakyat governments in providing welfare to all sincerely without political interests.

Member of Parliament for Penang Hill, Zairil Khir Johari said that the media has reported that the Kedah Government does not entertain any request for assistance from Chinese vernacular schools and only focuses its priorities on national schools.

“Such statements by a Chief Minister, as the supreme leader of the state, are not only irresponsible and vengeful in nature, but it is like no lesson has been learned from history,” he said.

Zairil said, that the Selangor Government had earlier announced that the Opposition Leader of the Selangor State Assembly will receive additional allowances amounting to RM8,620 per month, including the use of an official car.

Meanwhile, the Penang State Government announced an allocation of RM40,000 per year to be given to BN opposition Assemblymen for infrastructure projects.

“The move by the Selangor and Penang governments do not only respect democracy and the people’s choices, but it is also in line with the desire for national integration,” said Zairil 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.

The Term ‘Allah’ Can Be Used, But Not Abused – Hadi Awang

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SHAH ALAM, 12 Oct: In the wake of the “Allah” word case which will be tried in the Putrajaya Court of Appeal on 14 October, the President of PAS, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang reiterated his stand that the word “Allah” can be used by non-Muslims.

Speaking to the media after finishing his keynote address at the Seminar on the Implementation of Islamic Shariah in Malaysia, Abdul Hadi said that there are many strong arguments in terms of religion, language and history that allows for the use of the word “Allah” by Christians.

“We cannot prevent non-Muslims from using the word “Allah”, in fact even the Prophet (Muhammad) allowed for non-Muslims to use the word “Allah” in an agreement (Medina Charter),” Hadi firmly said, adding however that the word “Allah” should not be misused by any party giving rise to conflict.

The Court of Appeal will decide on 14 October whether the publication of the Catholic Christian weekly, The Herald, is allowed to use the word “Allah”.

On 10 September, the three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal, consisting of a Federal Court judge, Datuk Seri Mohamed Apandi Ali, and two judges of the Court of Appeal, Datuk Abdul Aziz Abd Rahim and Datuk Mohd Zawawi Salleh, postponed the decision after hearing from the parties involved in the case.

The panel will decide on the Ministry of Home Affair’s appeal and the government regarding the decision of the High Court to allow The Herald to use the word “Allah”.

Previously, in January 2010, Abdul Hadi submitted a research paper in a seminar organised by the Institute of Islamic Understanding (IKIM).

Through the book entitled ‘Allah: Kalimah yang Benar, Tujuan yang Salah’ (translated to ‘Allah: The True Word, Wrong Purpose’) published in January 2010, Abdul Hadi explained that Islam does not prohibit people of other religions from using the word “Allah” in their practices, however, it does not achieve the meaning of the original language of the Quran.

“The word “Allah” is a word according to the original Arabic language (He is One), cannot be translated into any language accurately,” he explained in his book.

Seminar on Implementation of Islamic Shariah in Malaysia took place at the Pro-Chancellor’s Hall, University of Selangor (Unisel) near here, today.

Themed ’56 years of Independence: What is the direction of Islamic Shariah in Malaysia’, the seminar organised by the Selangor State Government, the Majlis Permuafakatan dan Institusi Pendidikan Islam Selangor (Mappis) and the University of Selangor (Unisel), opened a space towards finding a solution for the implementation of Shariah in the context of a democratic country.

Also present was the PAS Information Chief, Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, the Selangor PAS Commissioner, Dr Abdul Rani Osman, Selangor Executive Councillors Dr Halimah Ali and Sallehen Mukhyi.

No “First Come, First Serve” Sales for Bukit Botak Housing Units

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SHAH ALAM, 12 Oct: Single-storey detached houses in Bukit Botak, Selayang, will not be sold directly to those who were present at the sales event which was held today at Bukit Botak.

The Public Relations Manager of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS), Ishak Hashim in a notice, informed that the Selangor State Government has ordered for the “first come, first serve” sales to be cancelled immediately.

Instead, PKNS has been instructed to use the Special Selection Committee, comprising of the Selangor Housing and Property Board (LPHS) and PKNS, in collaboration with the Gombak District Land Office.

This committee will shortlist the applicants and make a sales offer to applicants qualified through an interview process and specific selection criteria.

“The State Government has issued a directive where PKNS, as the developer, has been asked to obtain applicants information first,” according to the notice.

In addition, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will be a witness while the Assemblyman’s office will act as the observer,” he added.

In relation to hat, those who were present at the sales event today has been asked to fill out an application form and return it to PKNS to be processed according to the prescribed procedure.

Pahang Assemblyman Asks to Emulate Selangor in Acknowledging the Opposition Leader

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SHAH ALAM, 10 Oct: The Pahang Government should emulate the Selangor Government which will be providing additional benefits to the Opposition Leader through the formulation of the Selangor State Opposition Leader Enactment.

Semambu Assemblyman, Lee Chean Chung said it proves that the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat Government upholds the spirit of democracy for the sake of fighting for the welfare of the people.

“Congratulations to colleagues in Selangor for creating the Selangor State Opposition Leader Enactment which gives additional privileges to the Leader of the Opposition.

“The Leader of the Opposition, as a phantom line-up to the rulers, should be given adequate resources and space for the success of playing the check and balance role to the existing government,” he said in a press statement today.

Enforcement of the enactment would qualify the Opposition Leader to receive a fixed allowance, driver’s allowance, executive secretary allowance and a government official car and other allowances amounting to RM8,620 per month.

Chean Chung said that the failure of Pahang’s government in establishing a legal post for the opposition leader is lagging behind in terms of democracy.

He urged the Pahang Government to immediately implement a similar enactment in addition to setting up a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and a Select Committee to ease the checking of biases and council expenditure.

Audit Report: BN Government Only Gave Out Letters of Reprimand without Follow-up Action

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SHAH ALAM, 10 Oct: The authorities need to take comprehensive action on the leakages mentioned in the Auditor-General’s 2012 Report to avoid it from being overlooked.

The Publicity Secretary for DAP, Tony Pua, did not rule out the involvement of many parties in the issue and wants the Central Government to not be tolerant of offenders.

“The people cannot accept being disappointed every year with the Audit Report, (and) finding out that there were various scandals.

“Why does this happen every year? Even when we work hard it still happens. This question is in the minds of many.

“The answer is the same. For five years I was in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the conclusion is that they have no intention to solve this problem,” he said.

He was speaking at the Wacana Sinar discourse entitled ‘Audit Report: Leakage or Overlooked’ which was also participated by the Auditor-General, Tan Sri Ambrin Buang and the Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohammed.

So far, Tony said, the government has not taken any decisive action to overcome the problem of leakages, especially in government departments.

“When asked about (follow-up) actions, 95 percent of the answers were to only give a letter of reprimand. If there is no action, they will be negligent to no end. If no action is taken, perhaps heads of departments are involved,” he said.

In relation to that, he said that the authorities should conduct a thorough investigation so that offenders will be punished and made an example to others.

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.

PR Assemblymen: Acknowledgement of Opposition Inseminates Democracy

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SHAH ALAM, 10 Oct: Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Assemblymen welcome the acknowledgement of the Selangor Opposition Leader’s role through a special enactment which will be tabled later.

The decision of the Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, is deemed as a very positive change for political development and the democratic system in Selangor.

“In developed countries, the Opposition Leader is highly appreciated for their role. Therefore, Selangor wants to make the first move by giving this acknowledgement so that we can educate the public to better understand real democracy,” said the Assemblyman for Sri Muda, Shuhaimi Shafei.

Meanwhile, the Assemblywoman for Kuala Kubu Baharu, Lee Kee Hiong, also praised and said that the ruling party should show fairness and equality to all legally elected representatives.

She hopes that the Central Government and State Governments under Umno-BN’s administration will emulate this maturity and stop marginalising the opposition.

“I welcome the efforts of Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Khalid, who recognises every representative of the people, be it from Pakatan or Umno-BN, in the state administration. It should be emulated by other states,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Assemblyman for Paya Jaras, Khairuddin Othman, hopes with this initiative, the Opposition Leader would carry out his trust effectively.

“I hope that the Opposition Leader would be more proactive in sparking ideas to develop Selangor together. We need the opposition to balance the role of the rulers in the Selangor State Assembly (DNS),” he stressed.

For the Assemblyman of Sekinchan, Ng Suee Lim, this step makes Selangor a role model in strengthening the DNS and making the democratic system healthier.

“It looks like my recommendation in the recent opening of the DUN has been finally realised. As an Assemblyman, I welcome the State Government’s move for being able to make this reform. It is in line with the role of the DNS which is admired and respected,” he said.

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.

Minister Asked to be Honest Concerning Price of Sugar and Flour

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Conflicting statements from the Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism, Hasan Malek, regarding the increase in price of essential goods such as sugar and flour has been strongly criticised by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

Assemblyman for Seri Setia, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, has asked the Umno-BN Minister to not flip-flop and to honestly tell the people the truth.

He was responding to a report by Utusan Malaysia on 20 September which said that Hassan has asked Malaysians to not believe news that the Umno-BN Government intends to reduce subsidies on flour and sugar.

Not long after the statement, yesterday (6 October), it was reported in the New Straits Times that Hasan said the increase in price of sugar and flour is likely as a result of cutting down subsidies by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s Government.

“So I want to ask Hasan, will subsidies for flour and sugar be reduced or not?” he asked.

Nik Nazmi, who is also the Deputy Speaker for the Selangor State Assembly, asked the Central Government to explain why corporate subsidies are not being reduced to address the highlighted economic issues.

“Pakatan does not reject in total the reduction of subsidies. However, what is being disputed to this day is why subsidies for the people often being reduced first compared to corporate subsidies?” he said.

The young PKR leader also said it is rational for subsidies to be implemented simultaneously with efforts to stem money laundering and corruption which is getting worse and causing the country to have economic problems.

“The Government often uses the fiscal deficit to cut subsidies to the people. However, it is clear that the Government if facing a deficit in confidence,” he stressed.

PCA as Draconian as ISA

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SHAH ALAM, 4 Oct: The Prevention of Crime Act (Amendment and Extension) 2013 (PAC) passed in the House of Representatives can be easily abused by the executive power, said former ISA detainee, Saari Sungib.

He said that the power possessed by the Crime Prevention Board as provided for in the PCA, allows for the board to have absolute power which cannot be challenged in court.

Thus, he said, the PCA is the same draconian act as the Internal Security Act (ISA) which was repealed in 2011.

“In the act, a case cannot be taken to court but is put before the Crime Prevention Board. The board which consists of three people; a former judge and two others appointed by ministers, In a case of this act not charged in court but exposed to the Crime Prevention Board, what happened there the board is made up of three people, a former judge and two others appointed by the minister and the board’s decision is final.

“Those who face the board are not represented by (any) counsel, the case cannot be referred to court People who are confronted not represented, cannot refer the case to court, no judicial review, to be like the ISA too,” said Saari, who is also Hulu Klang assemblyman.

According to Saari, the PCA is also exposed to the risk of being misused by the executives for political gain when two out of the three panellists in the Crime Prevention Board are appointed by the minister.

“When the ISA was passed on 1 August 1960, it had a long preamble and it was fuzzy. Also, Tun Razak said that it was to detain communists. But when it was passed, it was used for politicians as well.

“The act has now been amended and it has the same preamble, Act now amended this even the same preamble, ambiguous, overly broad covering not only criminals but all planned activities including peaceful demonstrations, politics can be interpreted as an organized crime activity.

“For instance, the PAS (party) in a certain area plans properly to win the election. Even that can be considered as a threat to national security because PAS’s victory allegedly would cause racial tension,” added Saari.

Saari is also of the opinion that the PCA was formulated to be a shortcut on the government’s inefficiency in properly managing the issue of organised crime since a special commission has been established to upgrade and improve police services.