Najib: Barisan will continue being fair

The star

BY LOH FOON FONG

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Barisan Nasional will uphold the principles of being moderate, progressive, centrist, inclusive and fair as it continues to champion the interest of the people.

The Prime Minister said the Barisan rejects communal politics and extremism to safeguard what had been built by the coalition’s founding fathers.

“As the Prime Minister and Barisan chairman, I will maintain this cause, in line with the party and the Government,” he said, adding that the voices of the Barisan component parties would be heard.

“We try to achieve consensus. We may not be able to agree 100% (all the time), but we’ll try as far as possible to accommodate all views.

“This is the spirit of Barisan,” he said when opening the Gerakan 42nd National Delegates Conference here yesterday.

On Gerakan, Najib said the party was progressive in maintaining a moderate stance since its beginnings.

For this reason, his late father, second prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and Gerakan president Tun Lim Chong Eu founded the Barisan 40 years ago.

Najib said he was happy to see Gerakan staying true friends of Barisan and had made efforts to re-invent itself.

“Under the leadership of Lim, Penang flourished. Ironically, the state has become a challenge to us, not because of our failure but because of the success of the Barisan’s policies,” he said.

Najib said the younger generation were not attracted to the development politics approach.

“To some extent, we have become a victim of our success,” he said, adding that they had to change to meet the people’s needs and that he had started the change by introducing various transformation programmes.

Outgoing Gerakan acting president Datuk Chang Ko Youn reminded delegates that Gerakan was borne out of a vision for a fairer, just and equitable and inclusive Malaysia.

He also said that the “Razak spirit of 1974” had been forgotten by many leaders within Barisan.

“Many have forgotten that Tun Razak advocated a model of conciliatory and not punitive politics,” he said.

Nov 26, 2013 Star Online

PM: BN rejects extremism

BY LOH FOON FONG

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has assured the people that Barisan Nasional and the Government will reject extremism, as it threatens to destroy the moderate stance that its founders propagated.

Barisan will maintain a moderate, fair, inclusive, progressive and centric coalition.

"We will continue to improve. I agree that there are many things that we need to improve on," he said during the Gerakan’s 42nd National Delegates Conference 2013 Saturday.

Najib said they would build on their strengths and overcome their weaknesses.

The Prime Minister also noted his late father, second Prime Minister Tun Abul Razak Hussein and the late Gerakan president Tun Lim Chong Eu founded Barisan 40 years ago and the party had been a true friend of Barisan until now.

At a press conference, acting Gerakan president Datuk Chang Ko Youn said Gerakan would be recommending Liang Teck Meng, the only parliamentary survivor during the 13th general election earlier this year, to a government post.

He declined to say whether it would be a Cabinet post or otherwise.

Liang defended the Simpang Renggam parliamentary seat in Johor by defeating PAS candidate Suhaizan Kaiat with a 5,706-vote majority.

Smoke clears for incense coil, joss stick makers and suppliers

The star

BY LOH FOON FONG

KUALA LUMPUR: Manufacturers and suppliers of incense coils and joss sticks can heave a sigh of relief now that the companies claiming design rights to the products have lost their claims in court and also dropped their appeal.

The expunge to Rong Qiang (M) Sdn Bhd’s claim on industrial design rights to incense coil was published in the government gazette on Sept 23 while the expunge to Seong Loong (M) Sdn Bhd’s exclusive claim to joss stick design would be published soon.

This follows their loss of claim on exclusive rights over the design of incense coil and incense stick on Oct 31 last year after the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered for both the registered industrial designs to be expunged from the Register.

The judge had ruled in favour of the Prayer Goods Traders’ Association of Malaysia (Persatuan Pedagang-Pedagang Barang-Barang Sembahyang Malaysia).

The companies then filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal but withdrew it on April 30.

Associated Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCCIM) of Malaysia president Datuk Lim Kok Cheong said that incense coils and joss sticks were used worldwide and should not be classified as patented items.

“They are traditional products, regardless of shapes or designs.

“They have been around for ages and no one has exclusive rights over the design,” he told a press conference to announce the status of the case yesterday.

On Dec 6, 2011, ACCCIM received a written request from Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce regarding the issue and a ACCCIM legal affairs committee member subsequently offered pro-bono legal assistance.

Lim said that Rong Qiang and Seong Loong had published a warning notice in a Chinese national newspaper on Nov 17, 2011, claiming exclusive rights over incense coil and incense stick.

“This meant that all the trading and manufacturing of incense coils and incense sticks in Malaysia would be monopolised by them and others were not allowed to manufacture or sell them in the market,” he claimed.

ACCCIM Legal Affairs Committee chairman Michael Chai said that tthe Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) could have expunged the cases as they were clear cut.

“The relevant authorities should exercise their discretion to remove patents that have no basis to claims following complaints submitted, instead of pushing it to the courts, which is costly,” he said.

Rat menace in hospital could be a monster problem

The star

BY LOH FOON FONG AND SYED AZHAR

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has ordered the Kelantan state health department to investigate the rat infestation in Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM) in Kubang Kerian immediately.

The department, however, could have a monster problem on its hands as the infestation may be too widespread.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that up to Wednesday, the hospital had not requested for technical advice from the health department there but the department had nevertheless been told to investigate.

“It is the responsibility of individuals or owners of premises to ensure that no pests, including rats, are to be found in their premises or surroundings,” he said in an SMS reply to The Star.

The steps to control the rat population could be carried out on their own or by using the service of certified pest control companies. Among the steps to control rats included taking care of cleanliness in the surrounding areas, garbage being disposed of properly, rat-proofing holes and using rat traps and rodenticides.

The ministry’s deputy director (Public Health), Datuk Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman, however, said it was hard to eradicate the menace as the infestation at HUSM was too high.

He said everyone including the local government and the public would have to chip in.

Health Ministry wants cigarette displays at cashier counters gone

The star

BY LOH FOON FONG

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry is drafting a new anti-tobacco law that will sweep away cigarette displays commonly seen behind cashier counters.

It will also target the advertisements of lifestyle products that are related to cigarette companies.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Helmi Yahaya said the drastic action was necessary because thousands of hard-core smokers in the country have been unable to kick the habit despite the Government’s efforts so far.

Special clinics set up to help have not been successful, with most of the 5,000 hard-core smokers finding it hard to quit because tobacco use was still being promoted, he said.

“What we need to do now is impose a point-of-sale display ban,” he said at the "Break Free from Smoke, a Healthier Mouth, a Healthier You" event.

Drafting the new law would take some time, and he could not specify when the draft would be ready.

Malaysia has 3.1 million smokers and 0.2% were hard-core.

While the hard-core smokers had difficulty beating the addiction, Dr Hilmi said, more than 100,000 social or light smokers were able to quit each year.

However, it was worrying that as many as 45 to 50 teenagers below the age of 18 were picking up the habit each day, according to data from the Ministry.

As many as 30% of boys aged 12 to 18 smoked while the number of teen females who smoked increased from 4% in 2000 to 8% in 2004. More recent data was unavailable.

Tobacco is the top public health problem worldwide and the main risk factor for various health morbidities. Smoking kills about 10,000 people every year.

Currently, tobacco control in the country is regulated under the Food Act 1983.

The Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004 was issued under the Food Act and regulates, among other things, smoke-free environments; tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and tobacco packaging and labeling.

Malaysia is a signatory to the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control, which aims to reduce tobacco prevalence worldwide.

Groups: Price hike for sugar and flour for the good of all

The star

BY LOH FOON FONG AND NEVILLE SPYKERMAN

PETALING JAYA: Consumer groups are backing the possible hike in sugar and flour prices as long as the needs of the poor are safeguarded, claiming that the liberal use of these items has led poor health.

According to Consumers Association of Penang president S.M. Mohamed Idris, CAP had been calling for the total removal of Government subsidies for both sugar and flour for some time.

“These subsidies are making Malaysians unhealthy,” he said. “The money saved from the subsidies should be channelled directly to those who need them.”

On Monday, Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Hasan Malek said consumers should brace for a possible hike in sugar and flour prices if the Government decided to further reduce subsidies.

Idris argued that consumers who pay between RM200 and RM300 on monthly cellphone bills should not be complaining about paying a bit more for sugar and flour.

Fomca deputy president Muham­mad Sha’ani Abdullah said subsidies should be gradually removed as they were distorting the market, pointing out that those who didn’t need them were benefiting from these.

He said the money saved could be put to better use such as on public transportation, housing and education.

Clean up your act now, MMA tells hospital

The star

BY LOH FOON FONG
foonfong@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Association has urged Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM) in Kubang Kerian to take swift action and stop the rat infestation in the hospital.

Its president Datuk Dr N.K.S. Tharmaseelan said rats were nocturnal animals and were only visible when they had become overpopulated within their confined space. “By then, their numbers could be in the thousands,” he said.

“How a hospital has come to this state of affairs is really shocking and appalling,” Dr Tharmaseelan said.

“This is embarrassing and shameful.”

He said the rat infestation showed that HUSM had low hygiene standards.

“MMA hopes the other hospitals, especially university hospitals, learn from this and not let rats take over their premises,” he said.

However, Dr Tharmaseelan said tackling the infestation at HUSM was not only the responsibility of the hospital but also that of the patients, cleaners and its surrounding community.

“The main cause appears to be food and rubbish being thrown around,” he pointed out.

“The ward pantries and kitchens are important areas that should be kept clean at all times. Likewise, the wards and toilets,” he added.

Related stories:

Hospital unable to stop rat invasion

Pest breeding grounds too close for comfort

Financial education to be introduced in school soon

The Star

By LOH FOON FONG
foonfong@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Financial education will be incorporated into the school curriculum in stages from next year.

Bank Negara assistant governor Abu Hassan Alshari Yahaya said the central bank, in a collaboration with the Education Ministry, would introduce it to Year 3 students next year and secondary school students from 2017.

“Part of the financial education elements have been introduced this year in Bahasa Malaysia and Maths subjects, ahead of the targeted date,” he said during the launch of the Financial Literacy Month yesterday.

Abu Hassan said financial education needed to be inculcated continuously from a young age to adulthood to help instill discipline and increase their financial management skills.

He said the curriculum would cover money management, planning, savings and investments, credit and debt management and insurance.

Abu Hassan said that parents should not rely only on the school curriculum for their children to be prudent with their finances as they should share the responsibility.

Between January and August, the number of consumers going to Bank Negara for financial advice and information went up from 264,306 to 290,696, a 10% increase, compared to the same period last year, he said.

Total complaints reduced from 5,824 cases to 5,661, he added.

“This means that consumers are now taking positive steps to know and understand their rights and responsibilities on financial products and services,” he said.

Since 2008, Bank Negara had received 1.4 million enquiries and complaints from individuals and entrepreneurs at an average of 1,700 a day.

Asked to comment on the Auditor-General’s Report 2013, Abu Hassan said the Government must continue to play its role and instil discipline among its staff in spending.

“What is important here is enforcement,” he said.

Meanwhile, Fomca’s research arm Consumer Research and Resource Centre found in a survey that many young Malaysians were living beyond their means.

Their personal debts were too hight and they had too little savings, Fomca president Datuk Dr N. Marimuthu said.

MACC: Address failings in the system

The Star

BY LOH FOON FONG
foonfong@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: The Chief Secretary to the Government has been urged to form a special committee to act on the disgraceful findings of the Auditor-General’s Report 2012.

“Immediate action must be taken to address the weaknesses in the system,” said the Consultation and Prev­ention of Corruption Panel of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

It also called on the Chief Secretary to table proposals on improvements that would prevent such failings from recurring.

State governments and government-linked companies (GLCs) must take immediate remedial action as well, said the panel.

“We also support the proposal for a more frequent A-G’s Report, such as thrice annually, because this will enable more effective monitoring and supervision, as well as faster remedial action,” said panel chairman Datuk Johan Jaaffar.

The panel was disappointed with the discrepancies in the tender systems, supply and procurement systems and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the ministries, agencies, state governments and GLCs concerned.

“We take a serious view of these weaknesses that not only could lead to abuse of power and corruption but undermine the government delivery system,” Johan said.

He added that the panel viewed with deep concern the serious acts of negligence in the system of control and supervision, which had even resulted in dangerous assets such as firearms going missing from storage.

“What’s obvious is that there is a lack of supervision on suppliers and contractors that (in turn) resulted in shoddy work,” he said.

Johan said the panel was also baffled by the fact that despite these weaknesses being highlighted in previous reports by the A-G, they kept on being repeated.

He said that while the panel took cognisance of the remedial mea­sures taken by the various ministries, agencies and state governments in response to the criticism contained in the previous A-G’s Report, stronger actions were necessary.

The panel commended Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang’s commitment for exposing these weaknesses and the willingness of the Government to be transparent.

“The Government, in accepting the report, is praiseworthy and shows that it has no intention of keeping any part of it out of the public domain, no matter how critical the findings or how much these would result in negative perception,” Johan said.

MACC panel lauds A-G's report, slams govt's financial management

The Star
By LOH FOON FONG
foonfong@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: A panel under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has lauded the transparency of the Auditor-General's Report 2012, but was disappointed with the discrepancies in the government and government-linked companies' tender system.

Datuk Johan Jaaffar, the MACC's Consultation and Prevention of Corruption Panel chairman, said the report exposed various weaknesses in the financial management of ministries, agencies, state governments and government-owned companies.

The panel also regarded highly the commitment of Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang in producing the transparent annual report, Johan said on behalf of panel members in a statement Friday.

“The willingness of the government in accepting the report was praise-worthy and showed that the government had no intention whatsoever to keep any part of the report out of public domain, no matter how critical the findings were or that they could result in negative public perception,” he said.

He also said that the panel took cognisance of the various remedial measures taken by the various ministries, agencies and state governments in response to criticisms contained in the previous report.

However, the panel was disappointed with discrepancies in the tender system, supply and procurement as well as the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) by the ministries, agencies, state governments and government companies concerned, he said.

“We take a serious view of these weaknesses that not only could lead to abuse of power and corruption but undermine the government delivery system,” he said.

Johan said that the panel was deeply concerned with the serious acts of negligence in the system of control and supervision that resulted in dangerous assets such as firearms that went missing.

“What is also obvious is the lack of supervision on suppliers and contractors that resulted in shoddy work performance,” he said.

The panel was also baffled by the fact that despite these weaknesses being highlighted in previous reports, they kept being repeated.

“We therefore urge the Chief Secretary to the Government to form a special committee to act on the 2012 Auditor-General's Report so that appropriate immediate action could be taken to address these weaknesses,” he said.

The panel also calls on the Chief Secretary to table proposals on improvements to prevent such weaknesses from recurring.

The panel also calls on state governments and government companies to take immediate action to rectify such weaknesses.

“We are also in support of the proposal for a more frequent A-G's Report such as thrice annually to be issued to enable more effective monitoring and supervision and for faster remedial measures to tackle these weaknesses,” said Johan.

The panel supports whatever steps to be taken for further improvements in the civil service so as to plug loopholes to prevent corruption and abuse of power.

Dubious tailoring and footwear claims made by ministry staff

The Star

PETALING JAYA: Health Ministry staff members filed as much as RM550,000 to RM600,000 in dubious claims on tailoring and footwear, said the Auditor-General’s Report 2012.

Audit checks revealed that 1,014 of the ministry’s staff members in 10 centres responsible for the tailoring claims had produced dubious receipts. It was found that the premises for the tailoring claims did not exist, said the report.

The claims made for long-sleeved shirts and long pants were RM545,105 when the market rates were RM146,340 to 200,780, while claims for overcoats were RM21,700 while the market rates were RM12,465 to RM13,470.

The claims made for baju kurung were RM5,080 while the market rates were RM2,114 to RM3,420.

On footwear, checks on 721 staff members at eight centres revealed the claims did not have telephone number, receipt or bill number, no leather shoes being sold at the shops and the buying price was higher than other shops nearby.

The dubious claims amounted to RM207,293; RM210,002 claims were made while the market rates were RM2,710 to RM3,280.

In a reply on Feb 15, the ministry admitted that there was confusion over the maximum allowance for uniform claims and that adequate checks were not made on the claims.

Following the checks, the centres responsible had been able to recoup RM95,240 for the dubious tailoring claims and RM7,772 for footwear up until the A-G’s report was made.

MCA central committee wants to censure Liow

The Star
FRONT PAGE

Liow faces censure

MCA is set to hold an extraordinary general meeting to censure deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai for refusing to accept the collective decisions of the party. The 20 petitioners from the central committee – more than the one-third required to call for an EGM – said that Liow had provoked infighting after the May 5 general election. > See Page 4 for reports by FOONG PEK YEE, BEH YUEN HUI and LOH FOON FONG

BY FOONG PEK YEE, BEH YUEN HUI AND LOH FOON FONG 

NEWSDESK@THESTAR.COM.MY

  

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KUALA LUMPUR: The undercurrent in the MCA took a dramatic turn with 20 in the central committee petitioning for an extraordinary general meeting to censure party deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

The censure is one of four resolutions in the petition sent to MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha at the party headquarters here yesterday.

The other three resolutions concern the party’s stand on the acceptance of appointments by the Federal Government, state governments and government-linked companies.

According to the petition, the reasons to censure Liow include his refusal to accept and respect the party’s collective decisions, and him failing in his duty as chairman of the general election preparation committee (see table).

It said Liow’s actions had provoked party infighting after the recent general election and tarnished the image of MCA.

The petition was submitted by three requisitionists – Datuk Edward Khoo Keok Hai, Datuk Ei Kim Hock and Datuk Tan Chin Meng. They are among the petitioners from the 43-strong central committee.

The rest are listed as Datuk Seri Tan Chai Ho, Datuk Yeoh Chai Thiam, Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, Datuk Lee Chee Leong, Datuk Heng Seai Kie, Lau Chiek Tuan, Khoo Soo Seang, Datuk Koh Nai Kwong, Loh Seng Kok, Datuk Chong Itt Chew, Dr Por Choo Chor, Datuk Teh Kim Poo, Datuk Koay Kar Huah, Datuk Gan Tian Loo, Tan Ken Ten, Wong Koon Mun and Gan Ping Sieu.

Under the MCA constitution, the petition must have the support of at least one-third of the CC.

There are 43 members in the CC, and they need 15 of them to sign the petition.

(The 43 had included the late Tan Ah Eng. Datuk Liew Yuen Keong was suspended by the party for misconduct during the May 5 general election.)

MCA chief administrative director Lim Chin Hai received the petition on behalf of the secretary-general.

Kong, when contacted in Sitiawan, said he was duty-bound to convene the EGM as long as the requisition was within the party constitution.

He said the central delegates in the divisional elections on Sept 22 would be eligible to vote in the EGM.

Kong said the list of central delegates from the 191 divisions nationwide would be submitted to the party headquarters by Friday.

The EGM will be the ninth of the 64-year-old party.

The high-profile EGMs include the first one that was held in November 1985 to end the party’s more than two-year-long crisis that started in 1983.

The EGM in June 2001 was on the controversial purchase of Nanyang Siang Pauand China Press by MCA’s investment arm Huaren Holdings.

In October 2009, the EGM passed a vote of no confidence in then MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

He, however, remained president because the votes did not amount to the two-thirds required under the constitution to dismiss him.

The EGM on March 28, 2010, to hold fresh party elections saw Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek defeating Tee Keat and Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting to become president.

The last EGM was in March 2011 to amend the party constitution to allow the postponement of party polls to focus on preparations for the general election.