2 theSun | WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26 2009

PUASA TIMES news without borders

PERLIS Break Fast 7.3Opm
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.45am

KOTA SETAR Break Fast 7.30pm

Imsak (tomorrow) 5.45am

PENANG

KUANTAN
Break Fast 7.29pm
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.46am

Break Fast 7.17pm

Imsak (tomorrow) 5.37am
PAC to question Tiong’s
KUALA
TERENGGANU

KOTA BARU
Break Fast

Break Fast
7.18pm
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.35am

7.22pm
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.42am
Kuala Dimensi today IN

INTERVIEWS VIEW

TOMORROW!
S

IONS
KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, The Port Klang Authority (PKA) recently
IPOH Break Fast 7.26pm the turnkey contractor in the scandal-hit lodged a police report after a task force found
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.43am Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project, will billing discrepancies of between RM500 mil-
be grilled by the Public Accounts Committee lion and RM1 billion to Kuala Dimensi and
PETALING JAYA Break Fast 7.23pm (PAC) today. BTA Architect, the project’s development
/SHAH ALAM It is not known if the company’s chief contractor.

C O N V E R S AT
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.42am executive officer, Datuk Seri Tiong King Kuala Dimensi was at the centre of a report
Sing, who is also the Bintulu MP and Barisan compiled by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which
KUALA LUMPUR Break Fast 7.23pm Nasional Backbenchers Club chairman, will was appointed by PKA to look into the fiasco.
/PUTRAJAYA Imsak (tomorrow) 5.42am make a personal appearance. The company had countered with a legal
PAC chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid suit against Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong
said the company had been notified to send Tee Keat, PKA, and PKA chairman Datuk Lee
SEREMBAN Break Fast 7.20pm a representative. Hwa Beng, claiming the three defendants had
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.42am “If Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing comes, all overstepped their authority by publishing the
the better,” he told Bernama. report.
MALACCA Break Fast 7.20pm Asked if Kuala Dimensi had a lot of On Monday, Ong sued Tiong for RM500
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.41am explaining to do, Azmi said: “That I cannot million for defamation after Tiong refused to
say.” retract the allegation that he had given a RM10
The PKFZ, an integrated 400ha free com- million “loan” to Ong last year for MCA activi-
JOHOR BARU Break Fast 7.12pm mercial and industrial zone adjacent to Port ties.
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.35am Klang, is embroiled in controversy after it was Ong denied taking the money, saying the
revealed that the cost of its development has allegation was made in bad faith and designed
Our movies are of
KUCHING Break Fast 6.48pm shot up from RM2.5 billion to RM4.6 billion. to prevent a fair and correct investigation into inferior quality
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commis- the PKFZ issue and Kuala Dimensi’s role in compared to foreig
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.11am n films. But at this
sion is also investigating the PKFZ issue. the affair. moment you cann
ot really compare
local movies with for
KOTA KINABALU Break Fast 6.26pm eign movies. Only
with support, will th
Imsak (tomorrow) 4.42am
www.islam.gov.my/portal/puasa.php
Five Perak divisions call be able to improve.
e local film-makers

for Tee Keat’s suspension

– Film producer
Raja Azmi Raja
Sulaiman

IPOH: Five Perak MCA divisions
have called on the party’s disciplinary
board to suspend its president, Datuk
Seri Ong Tee Keat, and investigate an
allegation he received a RM10 million
donation.
MCA Batu Gajah division deputy
chairman Datuk Lee Kon Yin said
an investigation or an inquiry must
be convened to determine whether
the allegation was true to protect the
good name, image and integrity of the
party.
He said a memorandum, signed
by the Batu Gajah, Ipoh Barat, Ipoh
Timur, Tambun and Bagan Datoh
divisions’ representatives, was sent
to party disciplinary board chairman
Datuk Ng Cheng Kiat yesterday.
The board has to stop Ong from
carrying out his duties and activities re-
lated to MCA until his name is cleared,
Lee told a news conference here.
Ong, who is also the transport min-
ister, filed a RM500 million suit against
Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, the chief
executive officer of Kuala Dimensi
Sdn Bhd, the turnkey developer of
the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ), for
defamation on Monday.
Ong claimed that Tiong, who is also
the Bintulu MP and Barisan Nasional
Backbenchers Club chairman, had
issued a defamatory statement about
giving him RM10 million, which was
published in the malaysiakini website
on Aug 12.
Ong said the statement was made
in bad faith and with malice to prevent
a fair and correct investigation into
the alleged abuse of funds by PKFZ,
and Kuala Dimensi’s role in the affair.
Kuala Dimensi is also the subject of
a probe by the Public Accounts Com-
mittee.
In Kuala Lumpur, MCA Youth
chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong urged
party members to be rational in view-
ing the accusation by Tiong against
Ong.
He said
suspension while pending investiga-
tion could happen if it pertains to law
enforcement agencies but in politics,
rumours were spreading all the time.
“We cannot afford to suspend any
leader who faces allegations, so party
members must be rational in view-
ing this issue,” he told reporters after
chairing a meeting of the the youth
wing’s political bureau.
Wee said it is normal for members
to support or dislike the leaders but
whatever stand or decision they take
must be justified.
He also said the rumour about
Umno’s intervention in the conflict
was a mere speculation and “we
do not think in such a complicated
way”.
On the Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission’s probe on the party
over the allegation, he said: “There is
nothing to worry if there is nothing
to hide.”

1,699 shortlisted for citizenship interview AG vs

by Hemananthani Sivanandam
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: One thousand six
hundred and ninety-nine people may
have a reason to smile as they have
been shortlisted for their final citizen-
ship interview by the Home Ministry.
They are on the list published in
the ministry’s website this week.
The candidates will have to go for
a final interview with the ministry
before their citizenship is approved.
“This is a good sign and we are
happy that the minister, Datuk Seri
Hishammuddin Hussein, has taken
positive steps to help these people
get their citizenship,” MCA Public
Service and Complaints Department
chief Datuk Michael Chong said
yesterday.
He told a press conference at the
party’s headquarters that 75 or 4.41%
of the candidates are Chinese, 66
(3.89%) Indians, 33 (1.94%) from other
races, and the rest Malays.
Chong said he hopes the ministry
will approve more applications from
the “more than 35,000 applications”
with the ministry.
He said he received many calls
from the public inquiring why the
number of successful applicants for
the interview was more for a certain
race group.
“People should understand that
this list only has a handful of people
out of the 35,000 applications under
review. Please don’t politicise this is-
sue and give the ministry some time,”
he said.
Chong also urged others who
have sent in their applications for
citizenship but have not received any
response to not take things for granted
and provide the relevant details to the
ministry.
“Some people call us and say they
applied for their citizenship a long
time ago but when we ask for their
reference number, they don’t have
one,” he said.
“Some even change their address
but they fail to update the ministry.
These are technical matters, so they
can’t be complacent. They should be
Selangor:
Govt told
responsible and inform the ministry if
there are changes.” to file
Chong encouraged those whose reply
applications have been rejected to affidavit
reapply.
He also warned them not to be pg 6
duped by middlemen who claim they
can help get approval for their citizen-
ship application.
Dr Jeffrey Goh, who is in charge
of the MCA Citizenship Task Force
Service Centre, said more than 3,000
people have sought the party’s help.
He said many of them claimed
they did not get any response from
the ministry.
Goh said the task force, which was
set up in April, has gathered details
of some of the grouses faced by these
people and sent a memorandum to the
ministry.
The interviews for the success-
ful applicants will take place from
Sept 1 to 16. For more information,
visit www.ikdn.gov.my and look for
“temuduga permohonan taraf kewar-
ganegaraan” (citizenship application
status).