Perakians wish for a smooth opening of state assembly

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir taking the oath of office before the Regent of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah at Istana Iskandariah, Kuala Kangsar, last month

It is time to work together to build a more prosperous nation, says the Regent of Perak

THE pandemonium that broke out at the state assembly sitting on May 7, 2009 is not something that one can easily forget.

It was the first after Barisan Nasional took power following defections that had cost Pakatan the 11 month-old state government.

For six hours, Pakatan assemblymen were up to their antics, disrupting the assembly sitting. The chaos came to an end only after a royal rebuke of the Pakatan elected representatives.

Come Friday, the state assembly will sit for the first time after the recently-concluded 13th General Election.

In the election, BN was returned to power when it secured 31 of the 59 state seats, enabling the coalition to form the state government.

All 59 assemblymen will be sworn-in during the sitting. A speaker will also be appointed and sworn-in on that day.

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Perak Speaker's post: MIC not threatening anyone, says Palanivel

MIC is not threatening anyone over the Perak Speaker's post but merely asking for what belongs to the party, its president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said.

"We were denied what was promised to us before the general election," he said Monday.

Palanivel said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had also suggested that the Speaker's post be allotted to the MIC.

He was commenting on the statement Sunday by Perak Backbenchers' Club chairman Datuk Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib, who criticised him for threatening Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir over the post.

Mohd Khusairi said Palanivel had acted out of line as a Barisan Nasional component president.

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Perak MB rubbishes claims BN failed to submit nomination papers

Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir has rubbished claims by the state Opposition that the state Barisan Nasional government had failed to submit nomination papers for the Speaker and deputy Speaker posts before the deadline.

"They (Pakatan Rakyat) are always full of antics every time the state assembly meeting approaches.

"This time, their ploy seems to centre around a claim that we did not submit names for the Speaker post," he said during a press conference here on Sunday.

Dr Zambry called the claims ridiculous as Barisan as the state government would be fully aware of the procedures before the first state assembly meeting, which is slated to begin this June 28.

"One of the most important requirements is to submit the Speaker and deputy Speaker names.

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Those unhappy with Palanivel's statements should keep quiet: Subramaniam

"The party president was merely exercising his right to speak out and those who are unhappy with his statements should keep quiet. It is up to Zambry to welcome or reject Palanivel's statement," Subramaniam said

A non-governmental organisation (NGO) here has called for Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel to sit down and settle the spat between them.

Persatuan Warga Prihatin Perak chairman V. Subramaniam said nothing would be solved by both parties issuing statements through the media.

He also said individuals or groups that were unhappy with Palanivel's statements should stay out of the matter.

"The party president was merely exercising his right to speak out and those who are unhappy with his statements should keep quiet.

"It is up to Zambry to welcome or reject Palanivel's statement," he said.

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Zambry tells Palanivel: Check your facts first

MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel has jumped the gun over the appointment of Perak state assembly Speaker.

Saying that he had not made any statements on the Speaker post to date, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir (pic) expressed his surprise over the Cameron Highland member of parliament's outburst.

"I did not make any statements on the Speaker post as the time is not right to announce it yet.

"I only announced the adviser and special officer posts as I felt there was a need to have Indian representation in the state," he said.

Speaking to reporters here today after attending the state Public Works Department's excellence services award presentation, Zambry said the Speaker post would be announced when the assembly sits.

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MIC threatens to boycott Perak government over Speaker’s post

The MIC threatened today to reject all government posts in Perak if the state government under Umno’s Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir refuses to award the Speaker post to one of its party leaders.

In a statement to the press, MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said his party would remain Barisan Nasional-friendly (BN) in Perak but would not accept any executive councillor post in the Umno-dominated state leadership.

The party would also reject its appointments to the posts of special officer and adviser to the mentri besar, the Cameron Highlands MP said.

“When the opposition was running Perak state government it gave an Indian the Speaker’s post,” Palanivel said, according to the statement sent via text message to The Malaysian Insider today.

The opposition won Perak in Election 2008 and gave the post of State Assembly Speaker to then Tronoh assemblyman V. Sivakumar ― the first Indian in the state to be given such a position.

“When the BN took over the state government, MIC was given the Speaker’s post,” he added, referring to Perak MIC chief Datuk R. Ganesan.

“Now we have been deprived of the position,” Palanivel said. “The Perak mentri besar should decide to give us back the post.”

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Zambry's first day at work

Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir clocked in on his first day of work at the Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan here this morning.

Zambry, who arrived at 8.40am, was greeted on arrival by his team of state executive council (exco) members and heads of the various state government departments.

After the official greeting ceremony, Zambry chaired a meeting with the new exco line-up and the heads of departments.

This is the first mandate given to him by the people to lead Perak for the next five years.

Tough road, but Perak BN is sure of its objectives

Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir with Perak BN assemblymen after he took the menteri besar’s oath of office on Tuesday at Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar.


Zambry pledges to maintain peace and stability, while continuing with development programmes

IT was three minutes before noon on Tuesday. A large group of newsmen were gathered at Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir's official residence for his first press conference after being sworn in as Perak menteri besar following Barisan Nasional's victory in the 13th General Election (GE13).

He is into his second term as the state's 11th menteri besar.

(He is actually the 10th man to hold the post since the late Tan Sri Ghazali Jawi served as menteri besar twice -- once between Aug 1, 1957 to April 15, 1960 and subsequently between Sept 4, 1974 to Sept 30, 1977. Ghazali's son, Tan Sri Mohd Tajol Rosli Ghazali, was himself a menteri besar from Dec 3, 1999 to March 16, 2008. Tajol Rosli himself is a highly respected BN and Umno veteran.

A siren was blaring in the background.


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GE13: Perak Pakatan assemblymen stay away from MB’s swearing-in ceremony

All 28 Pakatan Rakyat state assemblymen were not at Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar to witness Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir being sworn in as Perak Menteri Besar, Tuesday.

Perak deputy PAS Commissioner Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said they (Pakatan) did not attend the oath-taking and swearing-in ceremony because they were not satisfied with the Election Commission (EC) and the results of the 13th general election.

"We did not attend because we feel the election results were not legitimate and there is suspicion of widespread fraud," he said.


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Zambry has audience with Regent of Perak

Perak Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir's car seen leaving the Istana Kinta compound after having an audience with Perak Regent Raja Dr Nazrin Shah.

Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir today had an audience with the Regent of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah at Istana Kinta, here.

Zambry's car was seen entering the palace grounds at 9.50am accompanied by two other vehicles.
During the one-hour audience, Zambry presented the results of the 13th general election in Perak and asked for the Regent's consent to form a new state government.

Zambry is expected to take his oath of office as Perak Menteri Besar at Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar tomorrow.

In the 13th general election, Perak BN won with a simple majority, garnering 31 of the 59 state seats while the opposition pact won 28.

According to the official results announced by the Election Commission, Umno won 30 of the 36 state seats contested by BN with MCA contributing one, the Chenderiang seat.

800 Perak civil servants receive special payout

About 8,000 state services employees will receive a RM500 special incentive payment along with their April salary.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, who made the announcement at the last state executive council meeting here yesterday, said the payment was in appreciation for their hard work. A total of RM7.5 million had been allocated for the purpose.

Among those who would receive the payout were civil servants from the state secretariat, state Land and Mineral Office and Ipoh City Council and district councils.

"These employees have worked extremely hard to increase the state's revenue.

"We are only expecting RM865 million in revenue last year, but we managed to collect RM905 million instead. This is an overwhelming achievement," he said, adding that a portion of the revenue would be used to provide better infrastructure and facilities for the public.

MB: Third parties hindering project

"Third parties" with their "own agenda" have been blamed for the snag in a redevelopment project aimed at uplifting the status of 183 families of Kampung Meru Tin in Jelapang, near here.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said these third parties had influenced the villagers and persuaded them not to move out of their homes.

"It is an important project. It would have raised the status of the area and the quality of life for the 183 affected families. However, certain parties with their own agenda have influenced the residents not to cooperate with the state government and the developer.

"It is difficult for the state government to work for the people when third parties turn the residents against us," he said after chairing the weekly state executive council meeting yesterday.

The proposed project on the 6ha site follows an agreement last year between the state government and the residents that the land they were living on would be allocated to them, provided they paid for the redevelopment cost.

The families were required to pay RM12,300 for each plot of land, which included amenities like drainage, electricity and water.

However, due to a rise in the price of construction materials in the past two years, the redevelopment cost had gone up by RM4,000.

Perak says rare earth MoU only for feasibility study

Zambry said he was not informed of the agreement

The Perak State Development Corporation (PSDC) clarified today that the state government had not approved any rare earth project in Bukit Merah.

The PSDC, the state’s investment arm, explained that its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on April 18 with Hong Kong’s CVM Minerals Limited merely allows the firm to study the viability of mining for rare earth in Bukit Merah.

“Both parties wish to conduct feasibility or exploration studies on the viability of rare earth mining.

“The PSDC and CVM do not wish to develop any project to process rare earth in Perak,” PSDC chief executive officer Datuk Samsudin Hashim said in a statement this evening.

HK company to mine rare earths in Perak

A local subsidiary has applied for a licence to explore a 250-hectare area


A Hong Kong company and the Perak government have agreed to explore and mine for rare earths in the state, even as controversy is raging over the Lynas refinery in Pahang.

In a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange dated April 18, CVM Minerals Limited — linked to Ho Wah Genting Berhad — announced it had entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Perak State Development Corporation (PSDC) to carry out the project in Bukit Merah, Ipoh.

The Hong Kong company, through its local subsidiary CVM Metal Recycle Sdn Bhd, has applied to the state’s land and mineral office for a licence to explore the area, covering 250 hectares, for rare earths.

Bukit Merah was also the site of Malaysia’s last rare earths plant 20 years ago, which is still undergoing a massive RM300 million clean-up.

Perak MB mum over PAS claim of MACC probe

Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir today declined comment on an allegation by Perak PAS Youth that a state executive councillor was under investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

"Later. I do not want to answer (now). They are playing the game first. Let them. I will issue a statement later. I have just got back," he said when approached after he had flagged off an Umno Youth motoring convoy headed for the by-election campaign in Merlimau, Malacca, and Kerdau, Pahang, at his official residence here.