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PKR reps boycott swearing-in of MPSP chief
by Himanshu Bhatt and Bernard Cheah
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
SEBERANG PERAI: Six PKR councillors
yesterday boycotted the swearing-in of a civil
servant as the new Seberang Perai Municipal
Council (MPSP) president.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, however,
brushed off the boycott, saying the appoint-
ment of Mokhtar Mohd Jait had been decided
by the state executive council and he expected
everyone in government to lend their support.
Reporters covering the ceremony at the
MPSP headquarters here early yesterday found
seats reserved for the PKR representatives
empty (pix).
The councillors had complained that the
post should have been given to PKR within the
Pakatan Rakyat administration.
Speaking to reporters later, state executive
councillor for local government, Chow Kon
Yeow, said the Pakatan leadership had never
made a decision to place political appointees
as municipal council presidents.
“This matter was discussed in a meeting
between Pakatan Rakyat parties in January
this year. However, there was no decision
made because the issue was not referred back
to the respective parties.”
Audit team to
look into MPSP’s
RM230m loss
SEBERANG PERAI: The Penang govern-
ment has instructed the Seberang Perai
Municipal Council (MPSP) to appoint an in-
dependent audit committee to look into losses
of RM230 million incurred by the council
between 2000 and 2007.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the
formation of the audit team is one of the
civil service reforms the state government
is undertaking.
He said the team would report its find-
ings and recommendations to state financial
officer Farizan Darus, who is the previous
MPSP president, for follow-up action.
“Because it is independent, it will be brave
enough to make revelations to enable action
to be taken. We ask MPSP officials to cooper-
ate in this matter.”
Lim said this after officiating at the swear-
ing-in of new MPSP president Mokhtar Mohd
Jait at the MPSP headquarters yesterday.
He said Mokhtar faced a challenge in con-
tinuing the resuscitation of MPSP’s financial
condition after Farizan, under whose tenure
as president, the council’s coffers grew to
RM29 million in 2008 from RM26 million
the previous year .
Lim commended Farizan’s resourceful-
ness in collecting revenue and saving on
costs.
He also said the state government will
embark on the redevelopment of the Batu
Kawan stadium this year although there was
no allocation yet for the project.
Training for
laid-off workers
SUNGAI PETANI: The Human Resources
Ministry has allocated RM30 million to
offer short-term modular training courses
for retrenched workers who wish to be self-
employed.
Its minister, Datuk Dr S. Subaramiam, said
yesterday experts in various fields will conduct
the courses at industrial training institutes.
“Those who wish to be self-employed can
choose the type of courses they require and
the government will prepare these short-
term courses,” he told reporters after opening
a meet-the-client programme organised by
the Manpower Department here.
For example, if 20 people are interested
in learning cooking or tailoring to open a
restaurant or a tailoring shop, the respective
institutes will prepare such courses for them,
he said.
He said the ministry will also help them
start a business or look for a job in their
respective fields. – Bernama
Of the nine PKR councillors, only three
showed up for the swearing-in of the former
Seberang Perai Utara district officer.
The remaining seats are occupied by 10 DAP
No conflict over Gerakan appointments, says Teng
by Opalyn Mok
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN: Penang Gerakan
chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan
has dismissed claims that there is a
conflict within the party ranks over
the appointment of Gerakan branch
coordinators.
members, two PAS members and three repre-
sentatives from non-government organisations.
Ironically, Mokhtar’s appointment was
announced on Wednesday by newly minted
He said yesterday the appoint-
ments were decided by the central
working committee and there have
been no complaints or objections
except from one person.
“There is no internal conflict in
Penang Gerakan. We appointed 17
coordinators and there were only
one or two complaints so I don’t
| FRIDAY JUNE 5 2009
Deputy Chief Minister (I) Mansor Othman, who
is also the PKR assemblyman for Penanti.
Asked to comment on the boycott, Mansor
said he would report it to PKR state chairman
Datuk Zahrain Hashim.
PKR whip Johari Kassim, who led the boy-
cott, said later the party had insisted on having
the president’s post since Pakatan Rakyat took
over the state government last year.
“Our members on the ground are not happy.
We would like to have negotiations among the
parties before such an appointment is made,”
he said.
Meanwhile, the chief minister’s chief of
staff, Jeff Ooi, said councillors who defied the
appointment of the new MPSP president should
resign within the next 24 hours.
“If they remain defiant and insist they have
no confidence in the new president, how can
they perform their duties as councillors?” he
asked.
“PKR councillors must submit to the fact
that the appointment of council president is the
prerogative of the state government.”
Ooi, who is also Jelutong MP, said he will
submit a memorandum from DAP elected
representatives to refer the nine PKR council-
lors for a review at the state executive council
meeting.
Task force to
probe USM
‘technical error’
GEORGE TOWN: The Higher Education
Ministry has submitted to the cabinet a re-
port on Universiti Sains Malaysia’s recent
“technical error” in its latest admissions
list, following the incident last Sunday
when hundreds showed up for registration
only to be turned away.
Its deputy minister, Datuk Saifuddin
Abdullah, said yesterday a task force
has also been set up to look into the
incident.
“The university and the ministry are
in the midst of discussions over the inci-
dent,” he said after visiting the National
Apex Development Indicator Centre in
USM.
He also launched the USM Mentor
Programme, a support programme for
undergraduates to obtain psycho-social
assistance through experienced and
trained USM staff.
A few hundred applicants, who saw
their names in the list of accepted students
on the university’s website, turned up at
USM on Sunday, only to discover that
they were not among the 3,599 who were
offered places.
The university later apologised, saying
it had accidentally displayed the names of
8,173 applicants who met the minimum
criteria for enrolment into the university’s
programmes last Friday. The error was
rectified within a day.
On another note, Saifuddin also en-
couraged more collaboration between
university administrators and student
representatives.
He said it was important for both the
university administration and student
representatives to work together in deci-
sion-making processes and in conducting
activities.
“Their ideas and views are constructive
and can be utilised by the administration
in developing the university.”
He said USM’s Undergraduate Develop-
ment Policy 2009, published in February,
demonstrated the Apex-status university’s
recognition of its student bodies.
see that as a conflict,” he said after of leaving Gerakan with more than
launching the Penang Gerakan’s new 1,000 members to join PKR, Dr Teng
interactive website gerakan4u.com. said this is not the right time for him
“If he is unhappy about the ap- to comment on it.
pointments, he could bring it up to Huan was issued a show-cause
the central working committee,” he letter by the central working com-
added, referring to Gerakan vice- mittee on June 1 following his media
president Huan Cheng Guan. statements criticising the Penang
On Huan saying he was thinking Gerakan leadership.