MUAR: The appointment of Muar MP Datuk Razali Ibrahim as a Deputy Youth and Sports Minister has helped break the political divide between Umno and PAS members here.
Scores of villagers, who are members of both parties, attended a thanksgiving dinner at Razali’s house in Kampung Seri Menanti on Friday night.
Leading the way for PAS was Maharani assemblyman Dr Mohamad Taslim, who was greeted by Razali and other Umno division leaders.
Razali, accompanied by his division chief Datuk Mohd Ismail Mohd Shah and district Barisan Nasional leaders, later entertained Dr Mohamad and his group at the dinner.
He said he felt honoured that Dr Mohamad and his fellow PAS leaders had attended the dinner hosted by the local Umno division.
Razali said he had invited everyone, including PAS members, and personal invitations were sent to the party’s leaders, including Dr Mohamad.
Dr Mohamad said he hoped Razali would bring development to the division and serve youths of other parties as well.
Earlier in his speech, Razali pledged to work hard to bring greater development to Muar and outline new developments for the people.
“We will ask them what they want and do our best to provide them their needs, not give them things they do not want.
“This covers the development of youth and sport, and we will have regular dialogues with the people to find out their needs,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mohd Ismail said the local Umno division was blessed with Razali as its Youth wing leader who was now Deputy Youth and Sports Minister.
He thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for the appointment.
He said it was the first time an Umno leader from the division had been appointed to a deputy minister post and urged Razali to give his best in serving the people.
“We will give our fullest cooperation to Razali in his efforts to bring development to the area,” he added.
Source: Starmetro
MUAR: Villagers in Muar division no longer need to go to private or government clinics for health checks as there is a regular health service available at their doorstep.
The service, provided free by Maharani assemblyman Dr Mohamad Taslim, includes checks for high blood pressure, sugar content, fever and other illnesses.
Accompanied by a few local PAS leaders, Dr Mohamad rotates his visits to provide the service for villagers in Sungai Balang and the Maharani constituency every month.
“I decided to give the villagers, especially those who are old, health checks shortly after I won the Maharani seat last year.
“It is important for the villagers to have regular checks and I don’t mind going to the villages to do it,” he said when met at his mobile clinic at a food stall in Kampung Parit Samsu here recently.
Dr Mohamad said, as a doctor operating a clinic in the town, he was obliged to serve the people.
He said, since the villagers could not come to his clinic, he decided to go to them and scheduled visits to small towns to set up temporary centres.
The assemblyman added that the centre could be a coffee shop or a road-side stall, and his office would distribute leaflets to inform villagers prior to his visits.
He said, since he had a tight schedule and could provide the service only from 5pm to 6.30pm, he decided to do it only Sundays.
Villager Miskam Kamis, 66, said that villagers, especially old women, appreciated Dr Mohamad’s service.
“I did not know I had high-blood pressure and diabetes until I came for a health check. Dr Mohamad is kind enough to give us the necessary medication and advice,” said Miskam, who operates a sugarcane juice stall in Parit Samsu.
Source: The Star 23 April 2009
SHAH ALAM: PKR says that the possibility that Barisan Nasional may not field a candidate in Penanti shows that it is afraid of losing with a bigger majority.
Its deputy president, Dr Syed Hussin Ali, said Barisan knew that it would lose with a bigger majority if it placed a candidate in Penanti but it had now changed tactics and called it a sheer waste of public funds.
“People are for change and it goes to show that Barisan has no confidence because it is aware that the people will vote them out,” he said.
On Saturday, Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was reported as saying that a decision to skip the by-election would only be made after the Umno and Barisan supreme councils meet at the end of the month.
In Alor Setar, Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak claimed the Barisan Nasional was afraid to contest because they feared losing to Pakatan Rakyat again.
He said Barisan might have realised that Penanti was a PAS and PKR stronghold, making it harder for them to penetrate.
In Muar, PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub said Barisan leaders had had enough of challenging the Opposition in by-elections and wanted to avoid another loss.
At a gathering with PAS supporters in Bakri at Kampung Jeram on Saturday, Salahuddin refuted allegations by Barisan leaders that the by-election was a Pakatan political ploy and that Penanti assemblyman Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin had been asked to resign.
SOURCE: THE STAR
JOHOR BARU: Dataran Mahkota, the state’s administration centre at Kota Iskandar in Nusajaya, is big enough to accommodate up to 50,000 people at any one time.
Located between the new Johor State Assembly building and the Mentri Besar’s and state secretary’s complex, the facility is suitable as an assembly area for government staff, functions and even as a spot for relaxation.
An official from Cahaya Jauhar Sdn Bhd (the company tasked with building and maintaining the 130ha Kota Iskandar) said that Dataran Mahkota was divided into five components.
Refreshing: People relaxing by the fountains overlooking the new state assembly building. He said the components comprised a ceremonial ground, central water plaza, memorial wall, amphitheatre and welcoming moulds.
“The ceremonial ground is a fusion of tiles and grass lawns which form a huge geometric shape in the form of a star and a half moon.
“We also have a memorial wall detailing the state’s history and glory days,” the official said, adding that this was suitable to promote tourism.
He said the open-air amphitheatre, which could sit about 1,800 people, was ideal for entertainment, and cultural and social activities.
“At night, the view is spectacular, especially with the lighting, fountain and garden,” the official said, adding that the construction of Kota Iskandar started four years ago.
There are three main parks within the complex — Atrium Jauhar, Laman Kasturi and Laman Bunga Rampai.
Spacious: People walking along Dataran Mahkota at Kota Iskandar. At the back is the new Mentri Besar and State Secretary’s Complex. The official said the government buildings were unique as they were built in the concept of a Malay house with traditional roofing.
“We have another shaped like an A with aluminium frames outside the building to keep out the glare and heat.
“These buildings also have spaciousness and greenery to give government servants some breathing space,” he said.
Kota Iskandar also deploys a state-of-the-art garbage disposal systems which involves the fixing of covered pipes within the buildings to channel garbage to a collection area.
“Garbage is just put into this vacuum pipeline and carried into a dumpster,” the official said, adding that the buildings were also disabled-friendly.
On security, he said that closed-circuit cameras were positioned at strategic spots and people entering the area would go through several checks.
The total development cost of Kota Iskandar is RM1.5bil and it will take several more years to be fully developed.
Featuring a combination of Moorish and Andalusian architecture, Kota Iskandar was launched by Johor Sultan Sultan Iskandar Ismail last week.
In his speech, Sultan Iskandar commended those involved in the construction and described the centre as a landmark for Johor.
He was accompanied by his consort Sultanah Zanariah Tunku Ahmad.
Present at the ceremony were the Tunku Mahkota Tunku Ibrahim Ismail and his consort, and Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.
Kota Iskandar will eventually house 76 state and federal agencies and have a total staff strength of more than 6,000.
The first batch of more than 1,000 Johor government staff have already moved in.
Going all out to woo Muar voters
MUAR: PAS candidate for the Maharani state seat Dr Mohammad Taslim and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate for the Muar parliamentary seat Nah Budin are going all out to woo voters in the Muar division.
Both candidates, who were accompanied by their supporters, have started making house-to-house visits to meet residents in the Maharani constituency.
They also took the opportunity of the farmers market in town to meet with some 60 traders and hundreds of shoppers.
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Fishing for votes: Dr Mohammad and Nah Budin greeting trader N.T. Mani at the market on Sunday. |
Meanwhile, the PKR candidate is banking on support from residents who were not happy with the government over several issues, especially the rising price of foodstuff.
She said she and her election workforce would have to work hard to win the parliamentary seat as she was new and also needed to introduce herself to residents.
“I hope the people in Muar would give their support and vote for PKR,” she added.
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The architecture at Kota Iskandar incorporates Andalusian, Moorish and Johor Malay elements. (Inset) Sultan Iskandar of Johor and Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman at the opening ceremony. |
JOHOR BARU: Kota Iskandar, the state government's new administrative centre, was launched by the Sultan Iskandar of Johor yesterday.
| Sultan Iskandar of Johor and his Menteri Besar |
JOHOR BARU: Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Osman is surprised that opposition assemblymen did not receive invitations to Thursday’s launch of the state’s new administration centre.
He said all 56 state representatives were invited to attend the launch of Kota Iskandar in Nusajaya.
“I was told that the State Secretariat had invited all the assemblymen,” he said after launching the Ledang Youth Consultative Council in Sagil, Ledang, on Friday.
He said all the assemblymen received reminders via SMS from the State Secretariat inviting them to the launch.
He said he would look into whether the invitation cards were lost along the way.
State opposition leader Dr Boo Cheng Hau has asked for an explanation on why six Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen were not invited to the launch.
Four DAP representatives did not attend although the PAS representatives attended the event without the invitation.
DAP’s Bakri MP Er Teck Hwa received an invite, but did not attend.
PAS’ Sungai Abong assemblyman Datuk Dr Sheik Ibrahim Salleh said he went with Maharani assemblyman Dr Mohamad Taslim, as they believed it was an important event.
source: The Staronline
JOHOR BARU: State DAP chairman Dr Boo Cheng Hau yesterday claimed that the party's elected representatives decided not to attend the opening of the new state administrative centre, Kota Iskandar, because they did not receive any official invitation.
MUAR: Police have identified the body of a man dumped in a cement-filled drum in Kampung Parit Punggur here last month as that of 21-year-old Koh Wei Seang (pic) from Parit Jawa.
Muar deputy OCPD Supt Lee Choon Guan said a DNA test confirmed the identity of the man, whose father has a truck transportation company.
Police have informed the man’s family of the DNA test result and will investigate the case under Section 302 of the Penal Code because they believed he was murdered.
“The man was reported missing on March 17 and the body was spotted by some village boys who went fishing at a creek in the village on March 20,” Supt Lee said yesterday.
Earlier, the victim’s father Koh Maw Hua told reporters that his son had actually been kidnapped and a ransom of RM1mil was demanded.
He said he did not inform police as he feared for the son’s safety.
After some bargaining, the kidnapper agreed to accept RM100,000.
Koh was instructed to leave the money at a location on the North-South Expressway and his son was supposed to be released at the Yong Peng toll plaza.
After dropping the money on March 18, Koh went to the toll plaza and waited until morning for his son’s release.
“However, my son did not turn up and I began to have a bad feeling that something had happened to him,” he said.
“Yesterday, the police came to my house to inform me that the DNA test confirmed the body in the drum was that of my son,” he added.
MUAR: Several students from poor families in the Maharani state constituency here received school aid totalling about RM15,000 from Muar PAS.
The cash aid for shoes and school uniforms was presented by party leaders, including Maharani assemblyman Dr Mohammed Taslim and PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa to 219 students recently.
Dr Mohammed said the programme was aimed at easing the financial burden faced by poor families with school-going children during the 2009 school season.
Timely help: Husam (left) and Dr Mohammed (centre) presenting school aid to student Tee Cheng Wai in Parit Bakar, Muar, recently. “The party decided to provide aid to the poor families before the start of the school season and launched donation drives.
“We received contributions from party leaders and individuals as well as the PAS newspaper Harakah,” he said after presenting the aid with Husam in Parit Bakar here recently.
Dr Mohammed said, although he was the assemblyman for Maharani, the party presented similar aid to students in Sungai Balang constituency.
He said the aid was in line with the party’s election manifesto which called for a welfare state giving priority to helping the poor regardless of race and religion.
He said, although the bulk of the recipients were Malays, children from nine Chinese and one Indian families received the aid.
He said the party had set up a service centre in Parit Bakar and urged residents to visit the centre if they had problems.
“We have several staff members manning the centre. Residents can also visit me at my clinic in Muar town, he added.
