theSun | MONDAY AUGUST 3 2009
news without borders
Penang Umno
shortlists
candidates for
by-election
BALING: The Penang Umno liaison committee
has shortlisted five names from a list of 20 for
selection as the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate
for the by-election to be held in the Permatang
Pasir state constituency.
Its chairman, party vice-president Datuk Seri
Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, said yesterday he
would look into the list of potential candidates
before forwarding a name to the Umno and BN
leadership, reports Bernama.
He said Permatang Pasir was not a PAS
stronghold and that BN had a chance of win-
ning the seat as the internal problems in Umno,
which led to its defeat previously, had been
almost resolved.
The seat, which is in the Permatang Pauh
parliamentary constituency represented by
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri
Anwar Ibrahim, fell vacant after the assembly-
man, Datuk Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman, of
PAS, died of heart failure on Friday.
The Election Commission is expected to
announce the nomination and polling dates by
next Monday.
Some PKR grassroots members in the state
have suggested that a party leader contest in
the by-election.
Anwar said he has received feedback from
party members and will consider the sugges-
tion.
“There should be room for discussion on
the matter since the party’s movement here
is strong and steady,” he said, adding that the
matter will be discussed with the other Pakatan
Rakyat leaders soon.
However, he advised them to accept any
decision made by the party as the decision will
be made with PAS and DAP as well.
“I feel it is wise to allow PAS to contest for
state seat as the former assemblyman (Mohd
Hamdan) served the people well,” he told re-
porters at Taman Guru in Penanti.
Anwar said PAS has had a good rapport with
the constituents in Permatang Pasir since the
last general election.
Prince raises debt
claim to RM1.1m
KOTA BARU: Tengku Temenggong Kelantan,
Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Sultan Ismail Petra,
applied yesterday to the Syariah High Court
here to amend his debt claim from his wife, Cik
Puan Temenggong Manohara Odelia Pinot, from
RM972,750 to RM1,112,250.
Syariah High Court judge Mohd Yusof Awang
allowed the application, which was made orally
by the prince’s lawyer, Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar,
and was not objected to by Manohara’s counsel,
Mohd Faiz Adnan.
Outside the court, Zainul Rijal told reporters
the amendment was sought because sev-
eral more documents became available, which
showed Manohara owed over RM1 million.
Earlier, Mohd Yusof had rejected an applica-
tion by Mohd Faiz for two lawyers holding a
watching brief for Manohara to be seated at
the defence table on the grounds they were not
recognised as syariah lawyers in Kelantan.
Abdullah Anuar Sahri and Khairil Nizam Yub
accepted the decision and sat in the gallery to
observe the proceedings.
The court also witnessed Tengku Muham-
mad Fakhry’s lawyer handing over copies of the
writ of summons to Manohora’s counsel after
being told the defendant had not been furnished
copies.
In a filing in the Syariah lower court here on
July 4, Tengku Muhammad Fakhry is demanding
that Manohora returns to him and settles the
debts owed, which were accumulated before
and after their marriage.
The money entailed the provision of an
Audemars Piguet watch valued at RM174,000
and the balance consisted of remittances made
six times for the use of the defendant and her
mother.
Mohd Yusof set Oct 5 for re-mention and
gave Manahora 14 days before that date to file
her defence. – Bernama
3
Poor have to fend for
themselves in H1N1 fight
PARIS: As bil- INFLUENZA A(H1N1) HOTLINE (WHO) chief H1N1 figures
lions of dollars Margaret (as of 8am yesterday)
are mustered » 03-88810200/300 Chan say there
for vaccines,
Tamiflu and
» 03-88834414/415 is a worrying
shortfall.
» New cases: 39
face masks to
combat swine flu,
They are
pounding the
» Imported cases: 0
a bitter debate about equity is starting drum for a billion dollars to help poor
The lion’s to swirl. countries to shore up their defences. » Local transmissions: 39
Some critics say the spending is so “Manufacturing capacity for influ-
share imbalanced that it amounts to health enza vaccines is finite and woefully » Total no. of cases:1,429
of these apartheid, protecting rich countries inadequate for a world of 6.8 billion
limited
(vaccine)
against H1N1, but leaving poor nations people, nearly all of whom are suscepti-
to fend for themselves. ble to infection by this entirely new and » Total no. of deaths: 6
supplies Others argue gargantuan sums are highly contagious virus,” Chan said on
being spent on a disease that is no July 14.
will go to more lethal than seasonal flu, which “The lion’s share of these limited The
wealthy is grotesquely disproportionate when supplies will go to wealthy countries. vaccine is currently being
countries. thousands die each day of less media- Again we see the advantage of afflu- tested for safety and effectiveness, and
Again we friendly diseases. ence. Again we see access denied by an should be ready in the next two to four
“It’s another example of the gap be- inability to pay.” months, although the precise date is
see the tween the north and south,” said Michel Another question is whether huge unclear.
advantage Kazatchkine, executive director of the spending on a pandemic of swine flu is Just as uncertain is whether the
of affluence. Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculo- morally right. vaccine, formulated against the current
Again we sis and Malaria. Each day, around 11,500 people are strain of H1N1, will provide a shield
“In the (wealthy countries of the) killed from the long-running, entrenched if the virus mutates into a more lethal
see access north, vaccines are being stockpiled, pandemics of AIDS, malaria and TB. form, which is the big fear.
denied by antiviral drugs are being stockpiled, all Swine flu has killed 816 since the dis- A day after the WHO had declared
an inability with the risk that these things will not ease was notified in April, according to a the new flu to be a pandemic, New York
to pay.” be effective,” he said in an interview WHO toll issued on July 27. microbiologists Taia Wang and Peter
with AFP. Marc Gentilini, a professor of infec- Palese wrote to the US journal Cell to
– WHO chief “In the (poor countries of the) south, tious disease and former head of the urge a sense of proportion.
Margaret Chan there are neither diagnostics nor treat- French Red Cross, scathingly calls “Around 80,000 children die from
ment.” swine flu a “a pandemic of indecency,” malaria and more than twice that
Vaccines and antiviral drugs are in which rich-world politicians opened number of diarrhoeal diseases world-
being allocated for poor countries un- the financial spigots to forestall accusa- wide in any four-week period,” they
der strategies espoused by the United tions of not doing enough. said.
Nations, through gifts by countries at He gave the example of France, “On a scale of global health crises,
the bilateral level and as donations by which is spending €1 billion euros the current H1N1 swine influenza
pharmaceutical giants. (RM5.03 billion) to buy enough vac- outbreak would seem to rank low on
But UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- cines to inoculate its population of 60 the list. Why, then, has this outbreak
moon and World Health Organisation million. caused such alarm?”– AFP
KAMARIDUAN MD NOR/THESUN
RM3b in tax refunds
paid out
KUALA LUMPUR: The Inland Rev-
enue Board (IRB) has paid out RM3
billion in refunds and still have more
to pay.
Taxpayers with precise infor-
mation concerning refunds have
been paid while other cases need
clarification.
“The documented information
of these cases seems complicated.
They have to be audited before the
refund,” IRB director-general Datuk
Hasmah Abdullah said.
According to Deputy Finance
Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hus-
sin, the total amount of refunds last
year was RM8.5 billion.
IRB has also collected a gross
amount of RM50.712 billion in taxes
as of Tuesday, compared with last
year’s RM50.149 billion.
MIC to review 9MP
policies
JOHOR BARU: The MIC will evalu-
ate the programmes and policies
introduced by the government
for the Indian community under
the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP)
Japanese navy brass band entertains shoppers to ensure they have been well
implemented, party president
THE brass band of the Japan Train- “We are so happy to be here. sics, such as When the Saints Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said
ing Squadron entertains shoppers The last time we set foot on land Go Marching By and the Rocky yesterday.
at Berjaya Times Square in Kuala was in Greece,” said flutist Akiko theme song in a big-band style, He said the special committee
Lumpur yesterday. Takenaka. and soft, tender melodies such formed by the party to chart new
The band members are from The 20-member band, headed as Japanese traditional children’s and additional policies and pro-
two training ships and a destroyer by band master Lt (Junior Grade) song titled The Sky at Sunset. grammes for the Indians under
ships from the Japanese navy that Takeyasu Tou, played 15 tunes, The band also played signa- the Tenth Malaysia Plan (10MP)
docked in Port Klang on Saturday. including the Malaysian and ture Malaysian songs such as would spearhead the move.
The fleet will be visiting 14 coun- Japanese national anthems. The KeranaMu Malaysia, Rasa Sayang, The committee is headed by
tries and have visited Greece, the performance received enthusias- and Getaran Jiwa. Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and tic response from the shoppers. The performance was organ- – Bernama
Pakistan so far. There was a mixture of clas- ised by the Japanese embassy.