Tag: Transparency

State Government Committed in Helping Improve Infrastructure in Orang Asli Village

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KUALA KUBU BHARU, 6 Nov: The Selangor Government is committee in helping improve the standard of living of the residents in Kampung Buloh Telor by providing various infrastructures to facilitate residents of the Orang Asli (indigenous) village.

Among the facilities that have already been channelled includes basic necessities such as running water and electricity to be enjoyed by 37 families in the village.

Today, the Assemblywoman for Kuala Kubu Bharu, Lee Kee Heong, said that the move demonstrated the seriousness of the State Government in helping the group compared to the Federal Government.

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“After over 50 years without electricity, the State Government is the first to install metered electricity in the houses of villagers and only after that, the Federal Government took note and supplied electricity.

“If at the time the Federal Government refused to supply electricity, the State Government would supply it,” said Kee Heong during a visit to the construction site of the retaining wall and roads here in Kampung Buloh Telor.

Selangor Kini understands that with efforts from the Exco of Tourism, Consumer Affairs and Environment, Elizabeth Wong, the cost to install metered electricity in houses will also be shouldered by the State Government.

Meanwhile, the villages have also started to enjoy piped water for over a year as a result of efforts from the State Government.

In addition, infrastructures have also been improved with the installation of streetlights, the provision of badminton courts, bus stops and speakers at the village mosque.

“Many things have been done by the adopted Assemblyman, Lau Weng Sang (Assemblyman for Kampung Tunku) prior to this, as well as the Jom Shopping (Let’s Go Shopping) programme in conjunction with the recent Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration.

“We also took about seven Muslim families and they were happy to be shopping at Econsave for the first time,” she added.

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US Spying on Malaysia, Immediately Stop TPPA Negotiations

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KUALA LUMPUR, 6 Nov: The Federal Government has been urged to halt talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) with the United States and Australia following the surveillance activities conducted on Malaysia.

Member of Parliament for Klang, Charles Santiago, said that the action was necessary to show Malaysia’s dissatisfaction on surveillance as a violation of human rights of the citizens of this country.

“Instead, the government merely sent a protest note which was embarrassing and shows that the Malaysian government is weak.

“Even Najib merely responded that he will wait for response from the US about what is happening in Malaysia,” said Charles.

He said this in a press conference here at the Parliament lobby, which was also participated by the Member of Parliament for Bayan Baru, Sim Tze Tzin.

Last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a memo of protest after news of spying by the two countries on Malaysia was exposed by the media.

Tze Tzin, in a statement, urged for Najib and the Foreign Affairs Minister, Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, to urge the American and Australian embassies to explain the real situation to the Federal Government.

“We hope that the government will seek an explanation from both the embassies this week and that they will give us an answer in Parliament next week.

“This matter cannot be regarded as petty because it involves national sovereignty,” said Tze Tzin.

The two parliamentarians urged Najib, ad the Prime Minister, to rise up and protest strongly on the spying done.

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.

EXCLUSIVE SERIES 2: Police Admits that Selangor is a Major ‘Destination’ for Crime

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SHAH ALAM, 6 Nov: The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) acknowledges that Selangor is the choice ‘destination’ for criminal activities such as shooting and other social ills which are believed to be a result of overcrowding.

Selangor Police Chief, Datuk Mohd Shukri Dahlan, said that the people of this state are of various races and foreigners often visit the state for a variety of reasons, where some of them have been found to take advantage and commit crime.

He said that the crime index in Malaysia, as a whole, is greatly influenced by events in Selangor, at a rate of about 40 percent.

“Usually, the crime rate in Malaysia depends of the rate in Selangor because this state is part of the Klang Valley. Although there has been an increase in crime by five percent as of August, the Selangor police have managed to reduce it to six percent recently.

Shukri said that it is not fair for some people to make allegations that the police has failed to carry out their duties well in handling such cases. However, he does not deny that the crime rate in Selangor is worrisome and that they will always work to monitor and address the problem aggressively.

“This does not mean that is Selangor is filled with crime stories, therefore the people assume that the police doing their job. We do not deny that crime in Selangor needs to be addressed aggressively, however, the police is always mobilising our members and we are striving to reduce crime and social problems that is occurring in this state in a holistic manner,” he said.

He said that the Special OPS Cantas and roadblocks which are often held in several focus areas in the state has managed to reduce the crime rate by four to six percent as of early this month.

“The Selangor police will continue this effort as one of the measures to curb crime, in addition to improving strategies to endure that the situation and safety of the people is back under control. Moreover, it cannot be denied that the dissolution of two laws; the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the Emergency Ordinance (EO) has affected the increase in crime in this country.

He said that the implementation of the two laws, which allows for detention without trial, is effective in preventing criminals from committing offences because they are placed in detention camps for a certain period.

Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) confirmed that Selangor recorded the highest crime index compared to other state, involving a total of 32,348 cases from January to September this year.

From the total, motorcycle theft showed the highest frequency with 9,689 cases, followed by burglary and robbery cases (5,682), gang robbery without firearms (4,583) and car theft (4,370). Meanwhile 293 rape cases have been recorded, murder cases (124), snatch theft (698) and wounding (868).

Crime in Selangor has been recorded as the highest in the past five consecutive years which is for years 2008 (57,752 cases), 2009 (54,994), 2010 (49,69), 2011 (44,302) and 2013 (40,629).

In addition, Selangor has the highest narcotic offences with 18,602 arrests, while 18,063 are already police cases involving cases of trafficking, possession, misuse and addiction. It also remains on the top for recording about 15 deaths due to shooting, starting January to September.

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The Egypt Government Should Not Stop Osama Morsi from Coming to Malaysia

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SHAH ALAM, 5 Nov: The Egyptian government is asked to allow the son of the former President of Egypt, who was toppled in a coup, Osama Morsi from going abroad to continue his studies in Malaysia.

PKR Information Chief, Dr Muhammad Nur Manuty, said that prohibiting him from leaving Egypt is contrary to the principles of International Law and Human Rights.

He said that it is not fair for the Egyptian Coup Government to practical political revenge against the family of Dr Morsi, who was ousted undemocratically.

“What right does the Egyptian coup government have to stop him from leaving and continuing his studies in Malaysia, when it is his right?

“So he should not be stopped because that is an extreme act and it is unreasonable, and the international community cannot accept this,” he said when contacted by the Selangor Kini portal today.

Muhammad said that he reminds the Malaysian Government to not prevent Osama Mosri’s entry into the country.

“We hope that the Malaysian Government will not be affected by the actions of the Egyptian coup government and should welcome his presence,” he said.

Previously, international media reported that Osama wanted to board Egypt Air to Malaysia, but failed to pass immigration checks when his name was listed among the individuals who cannot leave Egypt.

Osama, commenting of the actions of the Egyptian coup government, said that the move is one of the series of violations of the law and human rights.

Osama’s desires to come to Malaysia to continue his PhD studies and does not have any links with his father, Mohamed Morsi’s trial arrangements.

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.

MOHA Urged to Issue a Cause Letter to Security Companies

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SHAH ALAM, 5 Nov: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) has been urged to immediately issue a cause letter and revoke the licences of security companies involved in the robbery of a gold shop in Setapak last week.

The call was made because prior to this, the MOHA took drastic measures to revoke the licence of Kawalan Prima Sdn Bhd when a security guard of the company shot a banker dead at the Ambank in USJ2 last month.

Member of Parliament for Padang Serai, N.Surendran, said that the MOHA and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) should be responsible regarding the matter seeing that the authority to approve firearms is issued by them to security companies.

“The failure and responsibility lies with the MOHA and the IGP because the approval for firearms comes from the ministry concerned.

“This means that the problem is the MOHA’s failure to ensure that security companies given the licence have the ability and aptitude to perform their duty without committing crime,” he told the Selangor Kini portal today.

Surendran said that the inconsistent attitude in cancelling licences of security companies involved in any crime should be addressed because it involved the life of the public.

On 30 October, a security guard pointed a gun at his employer before starting business at the gold shop, prior to bringing a tray containing 100 necklaces, of which the value if uncertain, to the premises which is located at KL Festive City Mall.

Commenting on the alleged involvement of a former IGP in the security company, Surendran said that the MOHA needs to explain the matter in more detail.

According to the MStar portal, a search on the Security Services Association of Malaysia (PPKKM) shows that one of the member of the board of directors of the firm that hired the suspect is a former IGP.

The Astro Awani portal reported that the Filipino security guard has been arrested, together with his friend, at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) airport and is being remanded for seven days starting from yesterday till 10 November.

The arrest has also been confirmed by the Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Department Deputy Chief, Assistant Commissioner (ACP) Khairi Ahrasa and is being investigated under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

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.