Monthly Archive for July, 2009

Salam takziah kepada keluarga Allahyarham YB Dato’ Haji Mohd Hamdan bin Abd Rahman

Published on July 31, 2009, 2:24 pm in Penang and State assembly. 0 Comments

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Mesyuarat Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri yang bermesyuarat pada pagi ini menyampaikan salam takziah kepada keluarga Allahyarham YB Dato’ Haji Mohd Hamdan bin Abd Rahman, ADUN Permatang Pasir yang kembali ke rahmahtullah pada pagi tadi jam 6.10 di Institut Jantung Negara

Ahli Exco Kerajaan Negeri yang bermesyuarat pada pagi ini yang dipengerusikan oleh YAB Tuan Lim Guan Eng, Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang menyampaikan ucapan takziah kepada keluarga Allahyarham YB Dato’ Haji Mohd Hamdan bin Abd Rahman yang telah kembali ke rahmahtullah pada jam 6.10 pagi ini di Institut Jantung Negara.

Kerajaan Negeri juga bersimpati dengan ahli-ahli keluarga beliau dan akan membantu menguruskan urusan pengebumian jenazah beliau.

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Bernama Should Correct Its Wrong Report

Published on July 31, 2009, 10:17 am in Media. 0 Comments

Bernama Should Correct It Wrong Report And Instead Print The Complete And Accurate Version Of My Comments On The New RM 300 Million Sarawak State Assembly Building

I am surprised that Bernama has failed to correctly and accurately my comments on the new RM 300 million Sarawak State Assembly building in its report dated 30 July 2009. I was reported as saying,

“Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was also impressed with the new building, adding that Sarawak had the capability to provide the state with more infrastructure facilities.”

This is untrue and a wrong report. What I said in Bahasa Malaysia were word to this effect,

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New Approaches To Achieve The 10 Million Tourist Target By 2014.

Published on July 30, 2009, 11:19 am in Penang. 0 Comments

The Penang State Government lauds the 21% increase in tourist arrivals in 2008 from 5.2mil in 2007 to 6.3mil in 2008. This was stated in a written reply to my Parlimentary question in Jun 2009. The challenge is whether we can maintain and improve on this performance in 2009.

There is a need to institutionalise the tourism sector to ensure a sustained effort to develop tourism as one of the main engine of economic growth. In 2007, the services sector contributed to 58% of Penang’s GDP. If we are to fulfil the Industrial Master Plan 3 (IMP) target of 75% of GNP for Penang in 2020, it is critical there is an organised and systematic effort combined with a high degree of public and private sector cooperation.

Continue reading ‘New Approaches To Achieve The 10 Million Tourist Target By 2014.’

The Penang State Government Is Willing To Co-operate With The PM To Ensure That The KPI For The 6 KRAs Are Met And A Success In Penang.

Published on July 29, 2009, 11:14 am in Federal government. 0 Comments

The standard developmental state literature lists 3 institutional characteristics necessary for promoting successful economic transformation:-

i) Capable, clean and efficient civil service;

ii) An over-riding commitment to economic growth; and

iii) Close public-private partnership(PPP).

By following closely this model, Penang was able to transform itself from an agricultural society with little or no natural resources to an industrialised state during the tenure of Tun Datuk Seri Dr Lim Chong Eu. However, after Chong Eu, Penang went into a state of decline, a fact pointed out by former Gerakan EXCO members such as Datuk Khor Gark Khim.

Continue reading ‘The Penang State Government Is Willing To Co-operate With The PM To Ensure That The KPI For The 6 KRAs Are Met And A Success In Penang.’

Ex-convict now Chief Minister

Published on July 28, 2009, 11:32 am in Federal government and Video. 0 Comments

By Tracy Sua (The Straits Times)
MALAYSIA’S Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) Leader Lim Guan Eng had served jail time twice in his political career.

After a fierce struggle as opposition leader, he was sworn in as the Penang Chief Minister following the Malay General Elections in March 2008.

His party was part of the opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat which won control of five states in the Malaysian election.

The 49-year-old spoke to Singapore Press Holdings journalists during a visit to Singapore.

Find out more about the rocky path that Mr Lim took as an opposition leader and the challenges he face as the Chief Minister on RazorTV.

For The KPIs In The 6 KRAs To Succeed There Must Be A Full Breakdown Of The RM 10.9 Billion Spent To Prove That It Benefits All States And All Malaysians.

Published on July 28, 2009, 11:13 am in Federal government. 0 Comments

For the Key Performance Index(KPIs) in the 6 Key Results Areas(KRAs) to succeed, there must be a full breakdown of the RM 10.9 billion spent to prove that it benefits all states and all Malaysians. There is a need to ensure that the money spent by Federal government abide by the principles of CAT – Competency, Accountability and Transparency.

For instance in fighting corruption, all government procurements must go through an open tender exercise. However how can there be an open tender exercise when it is only restricted to companies registered with certain Ministries or there are rules that the successful tenderer must source their inputs from certain manufacturers? Further the murder of Teoh Beng Hock in the Selangor offices of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission(MACC) has raised public perception that MACC is more of a political weapon used against the opposition than fighting corruption.

Continue reading ‘For The KPIs In The 6 KRAs To Succeed There Must Be A Full Breakdown Of The RM 10.9 Billion Spent To Prove That It Benefits All States And All Malaysians.’

RCI Should Be Concerned For The Human Life That Was Lost

Published on July 24, 2009, 10:45 am in Corruption and Nation Building. 0 Comments

The Teoh Beng Hock Royal Commission Of Inquiry(RCI) Should Be Concerned Not Just About Human Rights That Were Violated As A Result MACC’s Interrogation Methods But Also For The Human Life That Was Lost.

DAP urges the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to extend the terms of reference for RCI into the death of DAP’s Teoh Beng Hock to fully investigate the cause of death, identify the culprits responsible as well as identify and overcome weakness to prevent any more custodial deaths.

The Teoh Beng Hock RCI should be concerned not just about the human rights that were violated as a result of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) interrogation methods but also for causing the loss of human life.

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Let Us Clean Up The Police Force And MACC To Make Malaysia Safe For Our Children

Published on July 19, 2009, 10:43 am in Federal government and Human Rights. 4 Comments

I do not know Teoh Beng Hock.

But now every Malaysian who reads will know who is Teoh Beng Hock – his open pleasant face, his distraught fiancé and his twisted body lying grotesquely on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) building imprinted indelibly in our minds.

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I vaguely remembered meeting him once. He was one of the many idealistic, bright and young Malaysians who joined the DAP after the political tsunami on 8 March 2008 that transformed our political landscape.

Continue reading ‘Let Us Clean Up The Police Force And MACC To Make Malaysia Safe For Our Children’

The MACC must bear full responsibility for this death as Teoh was in the custody of MACC

Published on July 16, 2009, 10:45 am in Federal government. 0 Comments

DAP condemns the mysterious death of Teoh Beng Hock in the MACC Selangor HQ in Shah Alam today. The MACC must bear full responsibility for this death as Teoh was in the custody of MACC when he fell from the 14th Floor of the Selangor MACC building.

MACC should stop its political persecution of PR, especially DAP leaders and members, that does not serve the interest of fighting corruption or justice. Such political games have caused the loss of life of a bright young idealistic DAP member.

There must be a full investigation on how he died. Unless MACC can clear its name, the public may suspect that Teoh was mistreated and MACC had a hand in his sudden death. There must be full transparency and accountability. DAP extends its condolences to Teoh’s family for this tragic loss and assures them that all steps will be taken to ensure that the culprits or those responsible be punished

The Declassification Of Documents Relating To Kg Buah Pala

Published on July 9, 2009, 1:57 pm in Federal government and Penang. 4 Comments

The Declassification Of Documents Relating To Of The Chronology Of BN Penang EXCO Decisions Prove Beyond A Shadow Of Doubt That Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon And His UMNO, MCA, MIC And Gerakan Cohorts Had Robbed Kampung Buah Pala Residents Of Their Land Without Consulting Them.

The Pakatan Rakyat Penang State EXCO had in yesterday meeting decided after consulting and getting approval from the State Legal Advisor, to declassify and reveal the decisions behind the BN State EXCO led by the present Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon in alienating Kampung Buah Pala to Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Pulau Pinang.

The chronology of events prove beyond a shadow of doubt that Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon And His UMNO, MCA, MIC and Gerakan cohorts had robbed Kampung Buah Pala residents of their land without consulting them. The state government land of Kampung Buah Pala was approved to Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Pulau Pinang twice by the BN Penang state EXCO led by Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon on 18.8.2004 and 8.6.2005 with a premium of RM 6.42 million or RM 20 per square feet which was then subsequently reduced further to only RM 3.21 million or RM 10 per square feet. So far Koh Tsu Koon has not explained why he approved this project without consulting the residents or selling it to Koperasi at such a low price.
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The Breakdown Of Trust Between Kedah DAP And The Kedah PAS Menteri Besar Warrants A CEC Meeting To Endorse Or Oppose This Withdrawal From Kedah PR.

Published on July 2, 2009, 11:59 am in Penang. 2 Comments

DAP expresses grave concern at the decision by the Kedah DAP to pull out from the state Pakatan Rakyat coalition caused by the failure of the PAS-led government not to give equal treatment to all Kedahans. Kedah State DAP chairman Thomas Su said the demolition of an illegal pig slaughterhouse at Kampung Berjaya and imposition of 50% bumi housing quota in the state were the cause of the withdrawal from Kedah PR..

I was informed by Thomas Su of the Kedah state committee decision yesterday. Only after receiving the official letter confirming the Kedah State Committee decision, would I call a Central Executive Committee(CEC) to make a final decision on the matter.

Pulling out of PR is a serious matter with large adverse national ramifications. Continue reading ‘The Breakdown Of Trust Between Kedah DAP And The Kedah PAS Menteri Besar Warrants A CEC Meeting To Endorse Or Oppose This Withdrawal From Kedah PR.’

The State Government Will Not Take A Single Cent Of The So-called “Goodwill Payment” From The Developer Unless The Residents Agree To The Compensation.

Published on July 2, 2009, 11:58 am in Penang. 2 Comments

The Penang state government warns Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd, the developer of the proposed housing project in Kampung Buah Pala, for threatening to send bulldozers in by August 2 to forcibly evict residents and demolish their houses as highly irresponsible and inflammatory. It is highly improper to stoke fear into the villagers’ hearts by reminding them that they will have to move out by Aug 2 when the one-month grace period given by the developer expires and there will be “no more extensions”. The one-month grace period was negotiated by the state government with the developer to find a solution to the problem.

Nusmetro claimed to have offered the highest compensation in the state from RM140,000 to RM260,000 to the temporary occupation of land (TOL) holders as well as their immediate and extended families. And even offered one of the two cattle ranchers there RM330,000 including a five-year rent-free deal for land in Balik Pulau which was rejected.

Continue reading ‘The State Government Will Not Take A Single Cent Of The So-called “Goodwill Payment” From The Developer Unless The Residents Agree To The Compensation.’

Forcible Acquisition Of Kampung Buah Pala Involving Developed Land Would Be Of A Frightening Magnitude.

Published on July 1, 2009, 10:01 am in Penang. 2 Comments

The Penang state government wishes to rebut the lies of Hindraf leaders and collaborators of BN and MIC who claims that acquiring Kampung Buah Pala would cost at the most RM 30 million or even very much less. Where is it stated in the land acquisition laws or approved by the courts that government can acquire land for the public interest at a sum far below the market price?

If the Tang Hak Ju land scam involving undeveloped quarry land for a period of 15 years may finally cost the state government RM 40 million (RM 29 Million + interest), forcible acquisition of Kampung Buah Pala involving developed land would be of a frightening magnitude. The Penang state government simply does not have the financial capability to afford the acquisition of Kampung Buah Pala. We are not talking of millions of ringgit. Neither are we talking of tens of millions of ringgit here!

Any lawyer or even law student knows this. Clearly these Hindraf leaders and BN collaborators are trying to spin a web of deceit and deception to paint the Penang state government as uncaring of Indians. Hindraf may deceive those from outside Penang but those in Penang knows our achievements that we have taken a different path of looking not only after Indians but also after Malays and Chinese as well.

Continue reading ‘Forcible Acquisition Of Kampung Buah Pala Involving Developed Land Would Be Of A Frightening Magnitude.’