Monday, September 8, 2008

call for Barisan Nasional to make changes

Growing support after by-election, says Mukhriz
JITRA: Umno Youth executive council member Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said he has
received more suppoff from members to contest for the party's Youth chiefs post following Barisan Nasional's defeat in the Permatang Pauh by-election.
He said the defeat had created unhappiness among Youth members.
I'm surprised with the support given to me right after the by-election. We can make
various interpretations from this," he told newsmen after presenting aid to 35 imams
here on Sunday.
Mukhriz, who is Jerlun MP, said he was "positive" about his chances of securing enough nominations to contest for the post following the show of support.
Last month, Mukhriz said money politics and abuses in the movement's branches would scuttle his chances of vying for the post.
"I believe the number of members supporting me will go up and down until the party elections in December, This is normal," he said.
Mukhriz said he supported Umno vicepresident Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's call for
Barisan Nasional to make changes, so that it would be more appealing to the younger
generation. He said the move would bring more support to the coalition to continue
ruling the country.

Labels:

Penang in Malaysia to make Sept 16 a public holiday

Guan Eng: It will take effect next year 2009
George Town Penang will declare Sept 16 a public holiday - but it will probably not happen this year.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the day would definitely be made a public holiday, but only from next year.

"We probably cannot have it this year as we already declared a public holiday on Aug 26.

"We have to take the business industry into consideration, as a day off would greatly
impact the sector," he told reporters yesterday after attending a drainage cleanlhress campaign in Tanjung Bungah near here.

He said it was the prerogative of the state government to give the holiday and there was
"spare dates" to declare Sept 16 as a holiday.

He said this in response to PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar lbrahim's proposal that all
Pakatan Rakyat states make Sept 16 a public holiday.

Anwar had said the Government should declare the day as a public holiday to mark the
anniversary of Malaysia's formation as it was the day when Sabah and Sarawak joined the country in 1963.

Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce president Tan Sri Tan Kok Ping said the busi-
ness community would not be affected by the extra holiday as long as ample time was given.

"Since Lira said the public holiday would only be declared next year, everyone will have ample notice to prepare themselves to cushion the impact," he said.

He said the holiday should not be turned into an issue "as it is an important date to mark the anniversary of Malaysia's formation in 1963."

Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers northern branch chairman Datuk O.K. Lee said
the extra public holiday would not be "too costly" to the state.

"It is up to the management of the companies to observe it as a holiday. The management can always reschedule offdays for its employees or pay them overtime," he said.

Labels:

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has won the Permatang Pauh by-election.


Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has won the Permatang Pauh by-election.

Datuk Anwar garnered 31,195 votes to beat Barisan candidate DDatuk Arif Shah Omar Shah, who polled 15,524 votes, while Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia candidate Hanafi Hamat lost his RM15,000 deposit after getting only 92 votes.

The PKR de-facto leader was returned to Parliament with a majority of 15,671 votes, exceeding the 13,388-vote majority won by his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in the March 8 general election.

The closely watched by-election was called after Dr Wan Azizah resigned as the MP on July 31 to enable her husband to run for election.

Anwar held the seat for four terms before he was sacked from his Deputy Prime Minister's post in 1998 under corruption and sodomy charges.

Dr Wan Azizah, who had been known as a reluctant politician, won the seat for a third term in March.

A mammoth crowd comprising PKR leaders and supporters gathered early at the tallying centre at the Tuanku Bainun Teacher Training College in Bukit Mertajam to celebrate Anwar's victory.

Supporters in the crowd let off fireworks as returning officer Roslan Yahaya announced the results about 10pm.

Voter turnout was relatively high, at about 80% of the total of 58,459 registered voters in the constituency.

Barisan was the underdog from the start in the hard-fought by-election that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak described as a titanic challenge.

Anwar’s convincing victory was reminiscent of his heyday, when he secured a stunning 23,515-vote majority in the 1995 general election by polling 27,945 votes.

Labels:

Monday, April 7, 2008

City Hall urged to do so in an effort to solve parking woes


Khalid: Build more car parks
City Hall urged to do so in an effort to solve parking woes

BUILD more multi-storey car parks to solve parking woes in the city, Bandar Tun Razak MP Tan Sri Khalid lbrahim urged Kuala Lumpur City Hall.

He said City Hall should build proper parking facilities, including more multi-storey car parks, for residents if the local authority was serious about solving the problem.

"If this is done, more cars could use the facilities instead of using vacant land to park their vehicles.

"City Hall should also consider maximising the land usage and spend some money to build the facilities.

"They also need to consider using similar concepts implemented hypermarkets where vehicle owners are charged a minimum fee to park their vehicles for the benefit of residents in the area," he said.

Khalid said he would meet KL mayor Datuk Abdul Hakim Borhan today to submit the suggestion.

He said he would also forward complaints made by the residents in his constituency to the mayor during the meeting.

"I did not know that they had so many grouses that have been going on for quite sometime,

"I will forward them to the mayor when I see him," he said.

He was speaking after meeting the residents in Bandar Tun Razak on Saturday.

Residents, especially those staying in the Seri Permaisuri fiats, had complained about the parking system there.

Lack of parking facilities had forced them to double and triplepark which caused inconvenience to residents as well as customers of the commercial units.

To make matter worse, the nearby vacant lot had been turned into a parking area, requiring residents and commercial unit owners to pay for leaving their vehicles there.

"Previously, they were charged 50sen per hour but now, due to high demand for the service, the charge has increased to RM2 an hour.

"People feel that the charge is too high to pay for parking," Khalid added.
Residents had also complained about the poor condition of their 30-year-old block of flats.

Khalid also pledged to help residents in the area own their own homes.

Labels:

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Molest victim still in a trauma

ALOR STAR: The teacher involved in an alleged molest case last week has been temporarily transferred-to a district education
office. But the 16-year-old victim is still too traumatised to return to school.

The victim had to undergo medical counselling because she turns hysterical whenever she sees men.

A psychiatrist from the Alor Star Hospital had given her medical leaveuntil tomorrow.

The girl had initially sought treatment at the Jitra Hospital, but her case was referred to Alor Star Hospital because the doctor felt she needed specialist attention.

The victim also dreads returning to school because of taunts by teachers who supported the alleged perpetrator.

"My friends told me the teachers are saying things about me. They also defended the bad person," she said when met yesterday.

The victim was also too afraid to sleep because the alleged perpetrator kept appearing in her nightmares, she said.

The victim's sister said they had to take the girl for medical counselling on Sunday.

The doctor also prescribed sleeping pills.

"We are giving her all our support at home. But she fears stepping out of the house. The sight of men makes her scream. She is so traumatised," said the 22-year-old sister.

The victim lodged a police report last Wednesday, claiming that the teacher had molested her in a small room inside the art
room at school.

She claimed that the teacher gave her RM15 after caressing her cheek, breasts and thigh.

Kubang Pasu OCPD Supt Mohd Karim Abu confirmed that a report had been lodged.

Labels:

Travel fair banking on mandatory insurance

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Fair 2007 exhibitors are optimistic that the mandatory
travel insurance imposed on tour packages has restored public confidence.

"We are very confident that this fair will do even better than the previous ones, especially with the mandatory travel insurance schemes we have been told to sell to our customers," said a senior staff of Hwajing Travel and Tours who wanted to be known as Lim.

She said people were more aware of the insurance and taking measures to protect their bookings.

The industry was shaken recently by the closure of a top travel agency causing its clients to lose money from bookings they had made.

Hundreds of exhibitors showed up yesterday to ballot for their booths for the fair scheduled for Sept 7 - 9 at Putra World Trade Centre.

Matta deputy president Datuk Mohd Khalid Harun said 90% of the booths had been sold.

"We've had a lot of enquiries and things are looking good," he said.

"The rules and regulations this time are stricter and better, thus the high confidence level in exhibitors and public.

"There will be no more cases of tour agendes absconding," he added.

Labels: ,

Some agents breaching Act, says Matta

25 in Johor accused of dodgy practices

JOHOR BARU: Some tour agents, licensed to only deal with inbound tourists, have been found selling tickets for international flights.

Alleging this, the Johor chapter of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) said this was a breach of the Tourism Act 1992.

Chapter chairman Kathryn Lee said inbound tour operators can only sell domestic air tickets while outbound operators are entitled to only sell international air tickets.

She alleged that at least 25 travel agencies in the state had been found to be involved in unscrupulous practices, especially in not adhering to conditions in their operating iicences.

Under the Act, she said, three kinds of licences are issued: for inbound or outbound operators and for ticketing agencies that are eligible to sell tickets of any airline.

"Unfortunately, we have detected that about 15% of our members are not abiding by these rules," she said, adding that Johor Matta was currently gathering more details.

Lee advised the public to contact the association for information regarding any travel agent registered as its member.

Johor Matta is organising a three-day travel fair here from Friday.

Lee said there would be 126 booths, with participation from both local and foreign travel agencies.

Visitors will be entitled to a lucky dip at the entrance, which offers more than 1,000 prizes, including a three-day two-night trip to Macau for two.

Those who buy holiday packages with a minimum deposit of RM500 will be entitled to two lucky draws offering seven prizes.

The grand prize for the lucky draw is a RM5,000 cash voucher and a three-day two-night trip to Macau for two.

Labels: