'Padang Merbok off-limits to opposition for rally'

Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib telling the media why City Hall is not approving the opposition’s request to hold its rally at Padang Merbok



NO GO, SAYS MAYOR: Several reasons cited for decision

KUALA LUMPUR: PADANG Merbok is off-limits to the opposition's planned June 22 "Blackout 505" rally.

Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib in explaining City Hall's decision yesterday said this was because the open space would not be able to accommodate a large gathering.

He listed several other reasons why the City Hall had to reject Pakatan's application to use the field for the rally, including that it had already been booked for a June 23 event by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM).

"OCM needs the field a day earlier to prepare for its event and had applied to use the venue at the end of last year. They hence have priority," he told reporters at his office here.

The opposition's earlier application to hold the rally on June 15 at the same venue had been rejected as it was booked for a marathon organised by the Public Cleansing Management Corporation.



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Selangor BN gives 2 names to Najib

Both candidates will serve people well, say coalition

SHAH ALAM: SELANGOR Barisan Nasional has submitted two names to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for the post of Selangor opposition leader.

Sungai Burong assemblyman Datuk Shamsuddin Lias and Jeram assemblyman Datuk Amiruddin Setro, both having won three terms in their respective areas, were proposed for the position.

Semenyih aseemblyman Datuk Johan Abdul Aziz revealed that the 12 BN assemblymen who had won their seats in the 13th General Election had met to discuss this issue.

"We had a two-hour meeting last week and agreed to propose Datuk Shamsuddin and Datuk Amiruddin based on their experience.

"They have experience as assemblymen when BN was governing Selangor as well as when Pakatan took over."


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PKR banks on women power

Three women are set to fill all three places for PKR when the new Selangor executive council takes its oath of office today.

They include first-term Sementa assemblyman Dr Daroyah Alwi, a dentist.

The other two are Elizabeth Wong (Bukit Lanjan) and Rodziah Ismail (Batu Tiga), who defended their respective state seats at the recent general election.

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, also a PKR nominee, was appointed Mentri Besar for a second term on May 14.

The other woman likely to be in his team is Selat Kelang assemblyman Dr Halimah Ali, from PAS.

A lot of haggling was reported to have taken place before all three parties in the Pakatan Rakyat agreed on their candidates for the exco line-up, which will now also consist of three representatives from DAP and four from PAS.

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All-woman team in PKR line-up for Selangor exco

PKR looks set to field an all-woman line-up in the Selangor executive council, with first-term assemblyman Dr Daroyah Alwi(right) joining Elizabeth Wong and Rodziah Ismail on the team.
Rodziah and Wong were the last to enter the palace gates at 10.30am.

With this line-up, PAS would have four exco members while PKR and DAP have three each.

Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is expected to be in charge of land development and finances, while Teng will take on the trade and investment portfolio.

Iskandar (Housing), Rodziah (Welfare), Dr Halimah (Education), Dr Ahmad Yunus (Youth and Sports), Wong (Environment) and Ean Yong (New village development) are expected to continue on in their respective portfolios.

Ganabatirao(left), a former Shah Alam city councillor, is speculated to take on the local government portfolio, while Dr Daroyah and Sallehen will helm the health and Islamic Affairs portfolios respectively.

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'Selangor govt sold land after dissolution'

Selangor Barisan Nasional coordinator Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed says the land was sold below the market value of RM100 per sq ft.



The caretaker Selangor government has come under fire for allegedly inking a deal to sell 1,960ha of land after the dissolution of Parliament and the state legislative assembly.

Selangor Barisan Nasional coordinator Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed said the deal, involving a gross development value of RM1.2 billion, was allegedly made on April 15.

He claimed that Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim had tried to deny the purchase but state government subsidiary Permodalan Negeri Selangor Bhd (PNSB) had confirmed the land was sold to a developer.

"PNSB chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Omar has confirmed that the land was bought by the developer.

"PNSB had also said it (the sale) was a normal business deal but everyone knows that PNSB is chaired by the menteri besar and owned by Menteri Besar Incorporated."


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A show of support

More than 60, 000 people attended a gathering with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to show their support towards the Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional in Klang.

GE13: Independents crowd Selangor like never before

Candidates submitting their forms at the nomination centre in Kuala Kubu Baharu, Selangor.

Independent candidates have swamped Selangor, a state accustomed to straight fights.

A total of 55 independent candidates, and the participation of smaller parties like Parti Kesejahteraan Tanah Air (Kita), Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Semalaysia (Berjasa) and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), have turned some constituencies into a six-way battle.

Voters in the Kapar parliamentary seat, and Kajang and Kota Damansara state seats, will be spoilt for choice with six candidates to choose from.

Coincidentally, all three seats will be contested by Barisan Nasional, PKR, Berjasa and three independent candidates each.

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PKR names three new faces for Selangor contest

PKR will field three new faces in its Selangor state lineup and two new candidates for the Kapar and Kelana Jaya federal seats as it fights to keep the state under Pakatan Rakyat (PR) control in the May 5 polls.

The PR anchor party also made official the known candidacy of party strategy director and whistleblower Rafizi Ramli for the Pandan race and maverick academic Professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari in Sabak Bernam. Both are federal seats.

“The announcement made tonight was done with detailed considerations.

“Those chosen have qualifications and are professionals and committed to shoulder the responsibility to serve the rakyat,” PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told about 5,000 supporters at the official unveiling of the party’s Selangor lineup in Keramat here last night.


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Perkasa rallies to ‘Save Selangor’ on April 6

Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) plans to hold the “Save Selangor” gathering on April 6 to close the programme with the general election closely approaching.

Its president, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, said the gathering was scheduled to start at 3pm on that day in Section 2, here.

He said this after chairing an organising committee meeting on the gathering, here, last night.

Ibrahim said former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will be invited to speak at the gathering, which was expected to be attended by 15,000 to 20,000 people.

Langat 2 must go on

NO RATIONING: Water woes causing anxiety among consumers, says DPM

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin speaking to the press after chairing the special cabinet committee meeting to tackle the imminent water crisis in the Klang Valley yesterday. at the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry.

A cabinet committee dealing with the imminent water crisis in the Klang Valley said yesterday the delayed Langat 2 water treatment plant project must go ahead as the water supply situation is critical and causing anxiety among consumers.

Also, water concessionaire Syabas has been asked to come up with a contingency plan as the water treatment plants in Sungai Langat, Sungai batu, Sungai Semenyih, Sungai Selangor and bukit tampoi were operating beyond their capacity and were at a risk of breaking
down.

The committee’s meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, also decided that there was no need for water rationing in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. On Langat 2, Muhyiddin said the attorney-
general had been asked to look at legal provisions to start the project should the Selangor government disagree with the plan to build it.

Tee Yong: Selangor shifting goal post over issues

The Selangor Government is shifting the “goal post” over issues surrounding questionable deals amounting to over RM1bil.

Selangor MB calls in water experts to monitor Syabas’ daily ops

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim announced today he has directed a team of professionals in water supply management to monitor the daily operations of utility company Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) to avert a supply crisis that has been described as “suspicious”.

Heading the four-man team is Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd (KDEB) chief executive Suhaimi Kamaruzaman. The other members comprise Konsortium ABBAS Sdn Bhd director Abas Abdullah; Kumpulan Peransang Selangor general manager (water management) Karim Endut; and Peransang Selangor planning, strategy and investment chief Kevin Lee.

“This group of professionals will be sent to Syabas because they (Syabas) failed to give a detailed and satisfactory explanation on several issues when the company gave a briefing to the state secretary this morning,” the Selangor mentri besar said.

He said he was confidant Syabas will be able to cooperate with the state’s team of professionals who he said are deeply experienced in water supply operations and management.

Water demand goes up

Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya usage exceeds production capacity

ALL water treatment plant operators have been instructed to run their plants at the maximum rate to meet the demand for water in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

The Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry, which said this in a statement yesterday, revealed the three regions recorded a total water usage of about 4,421 million litres on Saturday.

This exceeded the production capacity of all the 34 treatment plants in these areas.



Consumers who need water supply through tankers or want to get more information can contact the Puspel service centre

DPM: Temporary PTPTN loan freeze to Unisel students is fair

The decision to temporarily freeze PTPTN loans to Universiti Selangor (Unisel) students temporarily is fair, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Thursday.

Muhyiddin said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin's decision to stall PTPTN loans at the Selangor government-owned university was to test if Selangor was capable of providing free education as claimed.

Teng urges BN reps to table motion against him

Selangor State Assembly Speaker Teng Chang Khim today urged Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen to table a motion against him after they had accused him of being bias.

Seven BN assemblymen had today staged a walkout during the assembly sitting after accusing Teng (picture) of favouritism following an SMS the latter had sent to Selangor state executive councillors.

Teng’s SMS, obtained by The Malaysian Insider, states: “This is possibly the last winding-up session for exco, opportunity should be fully used to talk about our success in the past 4 years like what (Kota Anggerik state assemblyman) Yaacob (Sapari) is doing.”

Selangor mufti criticises Obedient Wives Club

A Perak Islamic Affairs Department officer removing posters on display at a ‘Rasulullah Tokoh Seks Suci Islam’ campaign in Ipoh yesterday organised by the Obedient Wives Club. Pic by Ikhwan Munir


SELANGOR mufti Datuk Mohd Tamyes Abd Wahid yesterday lambasted the Obedient Wives Club, saying its on-going campaign, Rasulullah Tokoh Seks Suci Islam, was degrading.

Such a campaign would only tarnish the image of Prophet Muhammad, he said.

Ahmad Yunus replaces Hasan Ali

UNEXPECTED CHOICE: Ahmad Yunus taking his oath of office at Istana Bukit Kayangan yesterday. He will take charge of the Malay customs, youth and sports portfolio


In a somewhat surprising move, Sijangkang assemblyman Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi was sworn in as Selangor executive councillor yesterday, replacing renegade former PAS chief Datuk Dr Hasan Ali.

Ahmad Yunus’ appointment also meant a restructuring of the state’s portfolio for administration.

Major aspects of the portfolio previously held by Hasan — Islamic affairs, infrastructure and public amenities — will now be taken over by Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

Ahmad Yunus, who was sworn in at Istana Bukit Kayangan yesterday, will only be looking after matters relating to Malay customs, youth and sports effective yesterday.

Abdul Khalid said, after the swearing-in, the restructuring of the portfolio was conducted to ensure a smooth administration.

Selangor PAS ‘very sure’ Hasan Ali won’t quit

Selangor PAS said today it is “very confident” Datuk Hasan Ali will not leave the party despite increasing speculation the Selangor executive councillor will not be fielded in the next general election.

State chief Dr Abdul Rani Osman told The Malaysian Insider recent reports concerning the Gombak Setia assemblyman was “Umno’s trap”.

“But I am confident he will not be trapped by Umno’s dirty tactics. I am still very confident he will not leave PAS. He says he wants to fight for Islam. PAS also fights for Islam,” the Meru assemblyman said.

Dr Abdul Rani, who replaced Hasan (picture) as state chief after the PAS muktamar in June, said his predecessor was not greedy for position as “he offered me the Islamic affairs state executive council position in 2008.”

Bring it on, Pakatan tells Umno

PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim, the star at a rally of 5,000 in Shah Alam last night, said Pakatan will not only defend Selangor, but improve its electoral performance in the state.

Selangor implements RM1,500 minimum wage for GLC staff

The Selangor government announced the implementation of RM1,500 minimum wage for the employees of all wholly state-owned subsidiaries.

To start it off, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said, the state has allocated a RM10 million grant for companies whose financial standings are still unstable, in order to assist in the implementation of the minimum wage scheme.

The implementation of the minimum wage is part of the Selangor 2012 Budget themed "Selangorku: State's Revenue for the People" which was tabled at the state secretariat today.

At a press conference later, Abdul Khalid elaborated that implementation of a minimum wage will be supported by a higher workers' productivity level.

"We don't want to give give-aways. People need to earn their keep," he said.