2 theSun | MONDAY JUNE 22 2009

news without borders

State stands by decision to have exco on PKA board

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor govern-
ment will go ahead and appoint a
state executive council member to
the Port Klang Authority’s (PKA)
board of directors although the move
is not welcomed by PKA chairman
Datuk Lee Hwa Beng.
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul
Khalid Ibrahim said the exco
member chosen would fill the seat
already allocated for a state govern-
ment representative.
“We are just replacing the repre-
sentative, so no problem should arise.
Previously, the state government’s
representative came from the state
Economic Planning Unit, but now we
want a state exco member to sit on
the board as this is more relevant,”
he said after closing a discourse on
public education yesterday.
Khalid said the PKA should accept
the decision.
On Lee’s reaction, he said the
state’s decision to place an exco
member on the board should not be
questioned, and that the PKA should
instead re-evaluate the position of the
three representatives from Umno,
MCA and MIC.
“I feel these representatives are
not necessary as they do not add
value to developments in the PKA.
They should be removed,” he said.
Lee had reportedly said on June 7
that there was no need to appoint a
state exco member to the PKA board
to monitor developments on the Port
Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) as a repre-
sentative from the state Economic
Planning Unit could do the job.
The PKFZ, which is owned by the
PKA and located adjacent to West-
port in Pulau Indah, Port Klang, was
developed as a regional export and
transshipment hub at a reported cost
of RM1.85 billion.
The federal government how-
ever recently ordered a full-scale
investigation into why the cost had
ballooned to RM4.6 billion, amid
allegations of irregularities and
low tenancy which had turned
the project into a white elephant.
– Bernama

Kit Siang, Tee keat face off

Proposal to take over KUALA LUMPUR: The battle
between Transport Minister Datuk
He has also launched the
website www.pkfz-scandal.org

ferry services a ploy: Ong

by Giam Say Khoon
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KAJANG: The Penang govern-
ment’s proposal to take over
the operation of ferry services
from Penang Port Sdn Bhd is
a political ploy, says Transport
Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee
Keat.
He said that although the
Pakatan Rakyat state govern-
ment had been talking about
the matter in the media over
the past few weeks, the federal
government had yet to receive
a “viable written proposal” on
the proposed takeover.
Speaking after officiating
the Ulu Langat MCA division’s
annual general meeting yes-
terday, Ong noted that Penang
‘ROS has to be fair in PPP probe’
JOHOR BARU: The Registrar of Societies
(ROS) has to be fair in its investigations
into a leadership dispute of the People’s
Progressive Party (PPP), deputy registrar
Marzuki Zainudin said.
He said that although certain quarters
had urged the ROS to speed up investiga-
tions to bring an end to the issue, it had
insufficient information to complete the
Seri Ong Tee Keat and DAP veteran as against the official www.pk-
Lim Kit Siang over the Port Klang fznews.com.my, featuring articles
Free Zone is set to spill over into on the PKFZ compiled from vari-
parliament today. ous sources to challenge official
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng of the domestic and interna- now is something substantive
The two politicians who in the explanations and reports by the
had been openly critical of tional departure zones to curb and deliverable and we must
past weeks had been trading barbs Transport Ministry.
Penang Port Commission (PPC) human trafficking. endeavour to deliver what we
and comments in the media and Lim’s move to table an emer-
chairman Tan Cheng Liang over Ong said new air routes had planned for.”
cyberspace over the PKFZ, are set gency motion to request a royal
the operation of the ferry serv- also been introduced and the On June 10, Lim had said
to face off when Ong presents his commission of inquiry into the
ices, but had yet to submit a state’s economy had benefited the state government would
ministerial statement on the matter. PKFZ was rejected by Speaker Tan
proposal to support the state’s from a direct route from Sing- submit an official application to
Lim has criticised Ong in parlia- Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia for lacking
interest in the operations. apore to Penang and flights take over the operation of the
ment for what he termed as “his fail- urgency.
“When I visited Penang last provided by low-cost airlines. ferry services. He said a letter
ure for being present in the House to Ong will take the opportunity
year and talked about expand- He said the ministry had in would be sent the next day to
take questions on the PKFZ scandal” today to answer points raised by
ing the Penang International fact instructed Tan to prepare the PPC which supervises the
on how the project’s initial develop- opposition MPs, while outlining
Airport and new air routes to reports not only on the RM21 operations of Penang Port.
ment cost of RM2 billion could have measures taken by the government
the state, he had shown inter- million in losses incurred in On the possibility of the
ballooned to over RM12.5 billion. to salvage the project. – Bernama
est in taking up some of these the operation of the ferry MCA engaging in discussions
efforts, but ended up not doing services last year, but also on with the DAP, Ong, who is MCA
anything about it,” Ong said.
He said that under the
deteriorating business at the
Penang Port, to enable the
president, said the party was
willing to talk to any ruling or No need to screen all
federal government’s initia-
tive, Malaysia Airports Holdings
Bhd had started expanding
federal government to address
the problems.
“Unfortunately, this issue
opposition party.
“However, the DAP must
first draw a clear line with the
students, says DPM
the airport in phases, one has been turned into a politi- fundamentalists in PAS,” he by Husna Yusop Muhyiddin who is also educa-
of which was the separation cal ploy. What the people want said. newsdesk@thesundaily.com tion minister and National Security
Council chairman said he has been
PUTRAJAYA: The government has informed by Health Minister Datuk
agreed to close one school due
to the Influenza A(H1N1) situation
but Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri
Seri Liow Tiong Lai about the deci-
sion to close SJK (C) Jalan Davidson
from June 19 to June 26 and had
probe. “We want to conduct a detailed Minister’s Department Datuk T. Murugiah Muhyiddin Yassin said there is no given his consent.
investigation by getting information from declared himself as the “PPP’s new presi- need to take drastic measures or He said closing of schools is an
all those involved and we are acting fairly dent” after an emergency general meeting create unnecessary alarm. act of social distancing, one of the
before making any decision,” Marzuki said in Putrajaya last month. He said at the moment the protocols agreed upon during the
after closing a “Societies Course” organ- Earlier in his speech, Marzuki reminded government does not intend to National Inter-ministerial Commit-
ised by the Johor ROS yesterday. the 114,000 registered societies in the screen all visitors and students tee on H1N1 Pandemic meeting
He said the matter was not as simple country to abide by the objectives of their before entering schools like the last week.
as certain quarters thought as it involved establishment. The ROS, he said, would not decision taken by Singapore on “Although a pupil was infected,
many individuals, and touched on the compromise on any society straying from Thursday. she got it from another Malaysian
country’s political stability. its objectives and becoming a group which “That would be quite a drastic who came back from Melbourne.
Datuk M. Kayveas retained pressured the government. measure. While we are concerned So, we feel the Health Ministry’s
his post as PPP president at He said about 400 societies were about it (the H1N1 situation), we plan for the school to be closed is
the party’s 56th annual general deregistered each year for not conform- want to be very correct and proper, appropriate.”
meeting early this month, but ing with ROS rules such as the failure to not to create unnecessary alarm As for the other two schools,
Deputy Minister in the Prime submit annual statements. – Bernama by going to all schools and check SRK Assunta and SM Shah Alam,
everybody. which reported new H1N1 cases
“We have more than five million yesterday, Muhyiddin said there
students. I think the Health Ministry was no plan to close them down
should be in a better position to yet, pending further development.
gauge what may need to be done He said the government was
on case-to-case basis. I think that not issuing any travel ban, including
is enough,” he said at the Prime to schoolchildren, except to advise
Minister’s Department’s rowing Malaysians to delay their travel to
competition yesterday. affected countries, if possible.

Public warned against

breaking quarantine rules
» From Front Page
students who have returned from
infected countries, to cooperate
with the government and follow
given instructions as well as adhere
to hygenic practices,” Liow said.
“The index case which ret-urned
from Melbourne on June 16 started
attending classes on June 17 when
she did not show any symptoms in
the beginning,” he said.
The student started showing
symptoms only on the evening of
June 17 and continued to attend
classes on June 18. She was sent
to the Sungai Buloh Hospital that
same evening and was diagnosed
positive at 1pm on June 19.
Earlier in the day, after distribut-
ing flyers on preventive measures
for H1N1 at a Cheras wet market,
Liow said the two other students,
aged 11 and 16, from the two
other schools, contracted the virus
overseas.
“Health officers have been
dispatched to trace other students
who have come into contact with
the patients,” he said, adding
that he had proposed to the NSC,
chaired by Deputy Prime Minister
and Education Minister Tan Sri
Muhyiddin Yassin, that the schools
of the infected students be closed
for a week.
“I have advised those quarantined
and I am advising them again not to
break the regulations stipulated by
the government. We have power
under the law to take action against
those who disobey quarantine rules.
We haven’t used it, don’t force us to
use it,” Liow said.
As of 2.30pm yesterday, Malaysia
recorded a total of 50 confirmed cases.
Visit www.moh.gov.my for the latest
updates.