YB. R.S.N RAYER - A.D.U.N. SERI DELIMA, PENANG

GEORGE TOWN: Leaseholders of state land must "return" their properties to the state before the land can be converted into freehold status or the lease extended.
The National Land Code (NLC) states that all land matters come under the state's purview but it is silent on the issue of land conversion and lease extensions, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said.

"Legally, we can do it but it must be in accordance with NLC procedures. As there are no NLC provisions on the matter, we have to consider all conversion and lease extension applications as a new land alienation application.
"Before we can give you a fresh title, you need to return the land to us," he said, admitting that there was no "black and white" guarantee that once the land was transferred back to the state, it would be returned to the owner.

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GEORGE TOWN: A magistrate's court here has cancelled the warrant of arrest issued on March 17 against Padang Serai MP N. Gobalakrishnan for failing to turn up for his trial for obstructing a police officer.
Magistrate Ainul Bashirah Dona Don Biyajid on Thursday accepted the explanation by Gobalakrishnan's counsel R.S.N. Rayer and allowed his application for the warrant to be cancelled.

Rayer explained to the court that Gobalakrishnan was on sick leave on March 17 and apologised to the court for the absence of his client and his bailor on that date. He also produced Gobalakrishnan's medical certificate from the Kulim Hospital.

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AN American high-tech company will announce its multi-million dollar investment in Penang this week, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
He said that he would leave it to the new investor to reveal the details of the investment plan, adding that more foreign investments were expected to come to the state later.
“I hope the inflow of foreign investors to Penang will attract local investors including small and medium industries to the state,” he told newsmen after opening Hu-man Rights Training Programme yesterday.

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THE Penang Government has appointed four state assembly-men from different religions to the Non-Muslim Worship Com-mittee, a state body that deals with complaints and disputes regarding non-Muslim institu-tions.

They are state Town, Country Planning and Housing Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai (Air Itam), state Local Government, Traffic Management and Environ-ment Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow (Padang Kota), Penang Hindu Endowment Board chair-man A. Tanasekharan (Bagan Da-lam) and Jagdeep Singh Deo (Da-tuk Keramat).

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KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh received an envelope with a death threat and a live bullet enclosed on Tuesday afternoon.

The death threat and bullet, sent in a yellow envelope, were hand delivered to the DAP chairman's office by a man at about 12.30pm. Karpal lodged a police report at the Dang Wangi police headquarters and handed over the bullet and letter to the police.

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THE Penang Hindu Endowments Board has taken a BOLD STEP of announcing that from next year onwards, the CHITRAI-POUNRNAMI festival will be carried-out solely by the PHEB because the HINDU MAHAJANA SANGAM committed a sacrireligous act of placing the MURUGAN diety in the GANDHIJI MANDAPAM this year, unlike the past where the deity was carried/placed at the hilltop temple all along the duration of the festival.

We have made this conclusion after considering the feedback from devotees and standardization of festival procedures.

I am glad to say that we have also resolved the predicament facing the fishermen in the Sg. Gelugor village, who were facing relocation problems (ie. relocating to the Bakau Street Pier 10km away from current location) and non payment of compensation promised by the previous state government.

The fishermen have been assured of being relocated to the river mouth in Sg.Gelugor (in the vicinity) and the compensation to be paid immediately.

I was honored to be invited to join the WESAK DAY celebrations at the Jalan Gangsa Residents Association, organized by The Malaysian Fo Guang. I urge the association to organize more events of this nature to increase and inculcate religious awareness amongst Malaysians in general and children in particular.

I believe that events of this nature would instill spirit of fostering and enhancing stronger neighbourhood ties while also exposing children to co-curricular activities such as drawing, singing.

Relating oneself to events like Wesak Day celebration would enable us to remind ourselves of the spiritual aspects of our lives, when we seem to get carried away by finance, technology and many more aspects which takes up most of our daily affairs.

I also took this opportunity to request and remind those present, to observe a minute of silence’ and pray for the victims of the earthquake in China.

Last but not least, I savored the vegetarian food which reminded me of the need to maintain a healthy and hygienic lifestyle, in the path of DHARMA.

OMI TO FU...

A TOTAL of 7,642 welfare aid recipients will receive free rice at five districts in Penang tomorrow.
Penang Health, Welfare and Caring Society Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the rice would be distributed at various places.
He said 2,013 people would receive the rice at the Caring Society Complex in Jalan Utama, 1,149 at the Southwest district office, 1,333 at the North Seberang Prai district welfare office, 1,809 at Dewan Yayasan Aman Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Penanti in Bukit Mertajam in Central Seberang Prai and 1,338 at Dewan Serbaguna Jawi in South Seberang Prai.

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GEORGE TOWN, WED:
THE PENANG state government will consider applications from anyone keen on applying for unused land for agricultural purposes.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said those interested should submit their applications to the relevant land offices.
"Penang is well known for its scarcity of land, but we are willing to give due consideration to those keen on utilising unused land for agricultural purposes.
"We view this as an important way to increase food production and to solve the food woes," he said after receiving a courtesy call from the Federation of Association of Ex-students of Chinese Schools in Penang at his office in Komtar today.

The 24-member delegation was led by its president Loh Poh Lim.
Lim said the state government would seriously look into issuing temporary occupation licences (TOLs) for such purpose.
He was responding to a news report yesterday that the government plans to get states to issue more TOLs for agricultural purposes as one way to increase national food production.

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has urged Malaysians to move beyond the spectre of May 13 1969 and called for a Truth and Reconcilliation Commission to be set up so that questions surrounding the incident could finally be put to rest.

In a statement read out by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, he said that the commission could study and then tell the people the real story behind what had happened.
He also pledged that the PR would maintain peace and hate racial violence as well as speak out against anyone who encouraged racial tensions, maintain the supremacy of all Malaysians and reject extremism, urge the authorities not to side anyone and always act fairly and also that it would support the continued use of democracy and the constitutional monarchy where the desires of the people were championed without discrimination.

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KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh said he did not make any specific allegation against the Sultan of Selangor and that the Royal Court of Selangor should not be over-hasty in making remarks against him.
"I never did; there was no specific allegation against him," he said.
Karpal Singh was referring to a rebuke by the Royal Court on Monday which said that his statement was baseless, unfounded and irresponsible.

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“The discussions are on. They are very real. Over 30 Barisan MPs have decided to join the opposition coalition. The opposition only need 30 more MPs from Barisan to form the federal government. It is only a matter of time,” said PKR Sabah liasion chief Ansari Abdullah.
He dismissed Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s claim that PKR was only playing politics with their statements about Barisan MPs ready to cross over to the Pakatan Rakyat.
“At this very moment, there are Barisan MPs in discussion with our leaders in Kuala Lumpur and some have also talked to me,” Ansari told reporters here yesterday.
He said that Najib’s claims that PKR statements was just a political gimmick was his own reading, unlike former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who had a better understanding of the political situation in the country.

On the issue of DAP chairman Karpal Singh questioning the powers of the Perak Sultan, Ansari said it was impolite to raise the matter.
However, he asked why no action was taken against Umno leaders who questioned the Perlis and Terengganu rulers during the confusion before the appointments of their respective Mentris Besar.
“If they want to take action, they should also act against those Umno leaders who publicly voiced their unhappiness over the Rulers’ decisions,” he said, adding that Karpal, who should not have voiced it publicly, was only discussing the powers on points of law.

PENANG: In disciplinary cases involving civil servants, the perpetrators often escape unpu-nished due to government procedures, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Citing a recent example, he said officers in the land scam involving “tens and tens of millions of ringgit” were still working in the state Land Office.
“No action was taken against them. Isn’t that a travesty of justice or a breach of public trust? This is just the tip of the iceberg.
“I will reveal other cases as time goes by,” he told newsmen after flagging off the Rotary Charity Golf Tournament at Bukit Jambul Golf & Country Club yesterday.

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BUTTERWORTH, SUN:

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today announced that a veteran Umno leader has resigned from the party to join the Pakatan Rakyat state government.

Lim said that the politician quit Umno recently after accepting a post offered to him.
"We will make an announcement who this Umno leader is soon," he told reporters after opening the service centre of Prai assemblyman Dr P. Ramasamy, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister II in Prai.

PENANG Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng wants his predecessor Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon to explain why the former state administration invited Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to launch the RM25 billion Penang Global City Centre (PGCC) project last year when it has yet to be approved by the local council.
Lim said it was wrong for Koh, whom he replaced as the chief minister after the March 8 general election, not to inform Abdullah on the status of the mammoth project.

"I think it was not right for Koh to mislead Abdullah on this matter. How could this happen? I want Koh to enlighten me," Lim said after launching the DAP Bukit Bendera member of parliament Liew Chin Tong's service centre today.

NEWLY appointed Penang Hindu Endowment Board members paid a courtesy call on Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas recently.

PENANG: Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh fears for his safety now after the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s call the Attorney-General (AG) to decide whether to charge him for questioning the powers of the Perak Sultan.

KUALA LUMPUR: The findings of the Royal Commission on the controversial Datuk V. K. Lingam tape should be made public, said commission chairman retired Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohamed Noor.However, he said this was his personal view and the decision whether to make the reports public was with the Prime Minister.Haidar handed the Royal Commission of Inquiry report to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin at the Istana Negara at 9.30am yesterday.

Four recommendations were made in four volumes of report running up to 186 pages, he said in a telephone interview yesterday.
The commission secretary will also submit the report to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who will set a date for it to be discussed in the Cabinet, Haider added.

Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said it was important that the findings be made public immediately. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said at a press conference after the Umno supreme council meeting yesterday that he had yet to read the report.
Asked whether he would make the report public, he said: “I haven’t seen it yet so how can I make a decision?”
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who is de facto Law Minister, said the inquiry was of great public interest.
He said as the public already had knowledge of most of the statements and exhibits, he was sure the Prime Minister “will take this into account in determining whether to make the report public.”

IPOH: Several DAP leaders are calling for the suspension or even scrapping of the National Service programme.

Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan said she had submitted notice to table an emergency motion in Parliament following the latest death of an national service trainee.
“There had been many deaths,” she told reporters after paying a courtesy call on Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin at the State Secretariat yesterday.

Too Hui Min, 18, who was assigned to the Geo Kosmo National Service Training Camp in Kuala Kubu Baru, died at the Slim River Hospital on Wednesday at 10.45pm after complaining of constipation.
Kem PLKN Jiwa Murni Semanggol has been placed under quarantine by the Kerian district health office due to an outbreak of a fever since early this week.
At least 10 of its 300 trainees have been warded at the Taiping Hospital, while 80 others are being treated at the camp.

Fong said these clearly showed that there were weaknesses in the programme, as even the most basic needs of health and safety were not fulfilled.
“I will also be calling on Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to stop the programme immediately as some 110,000 young people will be taking part this year,” said Fong.
Reiterating her objection against the programme, Fong said it was impossible to achieve unity, instil love for the country and build one’s character in merely 90 days.

Meanwhile, Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran suggested that the national service programme be suspended for a parliament select committee to conduct a thorough study to see if it was worthwhile.
“No parent wants to send his child to an NS centre, only to have the child's body returned to him,” he said.

MALAYSIA Hindu Sangam has advised Hindu temple building committees to get approval from local authorities before building their temples to avoid any untoward incident.

PENANG: The Penang Government has been urged to introduce a law on freedom of information to allow for easier access to information on state matters.

Komtar assemblyman Ng Wei Aik said the Penang Government should be the first state to table and pass such an enactment.
“I hope the enactment will be introduced in the coming state assembly this July,” he added.

The former journalist said such an act would ensure journalists had easier access to information related to the state government.
“This was part of our manifesto during the election and I think we must fulfil this. We do not want to keep the people waiting for too long.
“However, exception will be made on certain matters classified as state secret, such as defence and national security,” said Ng, who is also the chief minister’s political secretary.
He said he would draft the bill with the help of legal experts at the launch of the State Chinese (Penang) Association website yesterday.

On the Printing Presses and Publication Act, Ng said it was not relevant now, especially when no permit was needed to start a blog or website.

PENANG: Perak Sultan Azlan Shah has no jurisdiction over the transfer of Datuk Jamry Sury from the Perak Religious Department, Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh said.

“The constitution of Perak clearly provides that the Rulers must act on executive advice.
“Sultan Azlan Shah did not have any say, as the Ruler of Perak, in the decision made by the state government and, by law, the palace cannot order the state government to reinstate Jamry,” Karpal Singh said, citing the case of the Federal Territory Education Director and Others vs Loot Ting Yee which was decided in the Federal Court in 1982.

Quoting part of the judgement, Karpal Singh said in a press statement, “whether a civil servant should be transferred, and if so, where and when the transfer is to be made are matters for the Government to decide.
“As employment in the public service is during the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, so long as a public officer is in the service, it is for the Government to decide whether his transfer is in the public interest.”

PENANG: Having an Umno assemblyman in the Pakatan Rakyat-led state department is tantamount to having a “government within a government”.

Deputy Chief Minister I Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin said there would be inconsistencies in the administrative process should Umno’s Permatang Berangan assemblyman Shabudin Yahaya continue to be state Islamic Religious Council president.
“Being the council president, Shabudin needs to liaise with me, a PKR assemblyman, as I am the state Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman.
“We are the government elected by the people and we want smooth management of religious administrative matters for the people,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Mohammad Fairus said the state government was still waiting for an appointment from the palace to seek an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin over the matter.
He said the state wished to explain its side of the story to the King.
“We also need to counter inaccurate feedback that could have been presented to His Majesty that enabled Shabudin to cling on to the post,” he said.
Shabudin recently claimed that the King had called on him to continue serving as the council president until his term expired next year.

On a newspaper report that the Penang government had pledged to support Shabudin for the post, Fairus said the report was misleading.
“I am contemplating legal action against the newspaper for twisting facts,” he said.
It was reported that the King, who heads Islamic religious affairs, had directed Shabudin to continue until his term ends December next year.
Apart from Shabudin who was appointed in 2004, nine other members of the council had also been asked to continue until their term ended.

PENANG: The state is willing to wait another two weeks for former deputy chief minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rashid Abdullah to assist in the investigation into alleged land improprieties, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
He said yesterday that since Teluk Bahang state assemblyman Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya, who was also a former deputy chief minister, had urged the state government to discuss the scam privately, giving another two weeks was not a problem.

SHAH ALAM: The five Pakatan Rakyat-held states will meet to discuss a standard policy on labour matters, including the contentious issue of minimum wage.

PENANG: The state government will adopt the Northern Corridor Implementation Agency Act which empowers the agency to implement plans for the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) despite its earlier reservations.

PENANG: Public outcry over the unruly first sitting of Parliament is unwarranted as sessions should be robust and peppered with spirit, Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh said.

He said one of the dullest places on Earth was Parliament except for the occasional exchanges between the Opposition and Barisan Nasional MPs.
"We need a Parliament which is robust. Lively exchanges and repartee enliven what would otherwise be mundane and dull proceedings," said the DAP chairman who has been an MP for 26 years.

He added that proceedings in Parliament used to resemble "reading lessons" until the Standing Orders of Parliament were recently amended to remove reading speeches in Parliament.
"The public would not want to have live telecasts of dull and dry proceedings. As long as there are certain parameters, acceptable repartee should be encouraged," Karpal Singh said in a press statement.

He expressed surprise that Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek had threatened to discontinue live half-hour telecasts of Parliament proceedings due to the disorderly first episode.
"With regards to the comments I have received, the live telecast has been welcomed by the grassroots of society.
"It is the upper crust of society which has raised eyebrows over the episode," said Karpal Singh who labelled this group "arm-chair critics".

PENANG: The state government will seek an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin to discuss the Penang Islamic Religious Council (MAIPP) presidency.

Met after the state assembly swearing-in ceremony yesterday, Deputy Chief Minister I Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin said the state had its own candidate in mind to take over the presidency from Umno assemblyman Shabudin Yahaya.

“We have sent a request to the palace in the hope of meeting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Hopefully, we can have an audience with the King sometime this month,” he said.
On May 1, a Malay daily reported that Permatang Berangan assemblyman Shabudin Yahaya would remain MAIPP president despite the state government wanting him to vacate the position.

The King, as the state’s head of Islam, has reportedly asked Shabudin to continue holding the position until his term of appointment expires in December next year.
Mohammad Fairus, who is also the state Religious Affairs, Entrepreneurial and Co-operative Development Committee chairman, said the King had yet to hear the state’s side of the story.
“I believe that this matter can be resolved but it must be handled wisely,” he said.

Opposition whip Datuk Azhar Ibrahim said the King’s decision was non-political.
“This is related to religious administration. If it is a political decision, then we can still debate the issue, but this is not. So as ordinary citizens, we should just accept the decision,” he said.

PENANG: A German investor who planned to invest nearly RM1bil in the solar panel industry has turned away from Penang because the state cannot meet its demand for gas.

PENANG: Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh will move a motion at the Dewan Rakyat sitting on Tuesday to discuss Hindraf leader P. Uthayakumar’s medical condition.

He said in a statement here yesterday that the motion under Standing Order 18(2) was to allow him to discuss Uthayakumar’s medical condition, which has become a matter of urgent public importance.
“I have sent a notice to the Speaker about the matter today.
“Uthayakumar is one of the five Hindraf leaders detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and he is suffering from serious heart condition which requires immediate medical attention,” he said.

Karpal Singh also said a newspaper report stated that Uthayakumar’s lawyer N. Surendran who visited Uthayakumar at the detention camp revealed that an echocardiogram on Uthayakumar found that his heart muscle had been damaged.
“A detainee under the ISA is not a criminal and he does not lose his residual rights which include the right to proper medical treatment,” he added.

Karpal Singh urged the House to consider Uthayakumar’s plight as the latter has the right to be brought to the National Heart Institute or any private hospital of his choice to be treated for his heart ailment.
“The issue relating to Uthayakumar’s right to be treated is a matter of urgency and it is a matter which involves the existence of the ISA which has been internationally condemned,” he said.

MALACCA: Three DAP assemblymen were arrested, but later released on police bail, for investigations into damage caused to an abandoned lamp-cum-telecommunication pole in Bachang here yesterday.

In the 10.30am incident yesterday, Bachang assemblyman Lim Jak Wong had gone over to Taman Kesidang, Kampung Lapan, with state party chairman Goh Leong San and Kota Melaka MP Sim Tong Him to remove several metal rods at the base of a proposed telecommunication pole.
Lim, the Malacca state DAP secretary, used an electric saw to cut off 10 of the 10cm metal rods protruding from the base after failing to break them off with a hammer.

He was arrested shortly after the incident and taken to the Melaka Tengah police station for questioning, while Goh and Sim were detained at about noon after being called in by the police.
All three were released on police bail at about 5.30pm, and Lim was sent to the Malacca Hospital for a medical check-up after he alleged that he was assaulted by the police while in the lock-up.
The three are being investigated for mischief during an unlawful assembly, an offence that carries up to five years' jail and a fine.

Speaking to reporters later, Goh, the Kesidang assemblyman, said he was shocked by their arrest as they had merely gone over to address issues raised by residents of the area.
“We had finished at the site and gone for coffee at a nearby shop. However, I noticed several police personnel with Jak Wong when I was walking to my car. I later received a call from him saying he had been arrested,” he said.

Goh said he lodged a report over the alleged assault of Lim.
Sim also expressed dismay at the police action, claiming the three were merely attending to woes raised by the public.
“The metal rods posed a danger to residents and schoolchildren from nearby Tun Tuah secondary school. We had merely gone there to see how to resolve the issue,” he said, adding that there was no picket or demonstration.

Greetings of the day everyone..

This is to inform that the swearing-in of YB M. Manoharan as the State Assemblyman of Kota Alam Shah, Selangor will take place on May 8th 2008 at Kamunting Detention Camp at 0900hrs in Perak where he is being held without trial for over 130 days even after winning in the 12th General Election of Malaysia.
Please be there to cover this historic but sad & unfair treatment of an elected representative who has democratically won in an election but is still being held without trial by the Malaysian government, barring him from serving the needs of voters in his constituency.

Thanking you in advance

Damien Thanam
+6012 696 1129
Political Assistant for Assemblyman M.Manoharan

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are in full support of the live telecast of parliamentary proceedings and are calling for longer footage of the sessions.
Having it shown live on TV has spiced things up for consultant quantity surveyor Alan Teng.

“Before this, we only got glimpses of what went on in Parliament from the newspapers. Now, it is more interesting as we can watch the action live,” said the 58-year-old Teng.
“We can see who misbehaves and who is doing his job. Who asks what question, who answers and how; that is what the people want to know.”

Charlie Chan, 38, expects the live broadcast to improve Malaysia’s standard of democracy by making the sessions more accessible to the public.
“Showing it live will affect not only the way people think about Parliament but also the transparency and accountability of the MPs,” the restaurant employee from Kuala Lumpur said.
Ramesh Murthi, 43, a businessman from Puchong, agrees that live telecast is the only way to keep tabs on MPs. “Now the MPs will have to be more responsible and more prepared for the debates,” he said.
Businessman Hamdan Abd Aziz, 56, applauds that the people can now directly observe from home but is dissatisfied that it is only partially telecast.

“Much of the short telecast was wasted on debating technicalities while matters relating to the people were barely discussed,” the businessman from Kuala Lumpur said.
“Showing only 30 minutes is not enough. To fulfil the function of the live telecast, footage from start to end should be broadcast. If it is two hours long, then show all two hours of it.”

A 60-year-old man, who wanted to be known only as Wu, said the live telecast was long overdue. “The people will know who they have voted for. The MPs will have to put in their best and really work, not just pretend to work,” the pharmacist said.
He added that he would install a TV in his pharmacy if there was an entire channel dedicated to happenings in the House.

Insurance agent Lipson Ooi, 31, of Kota Damansara, will follow the telecasts in order to learn more about Parliament.
“The live telecast will enhance the political knowledge of the people,” he said.