theSun | FRIDAY NOVEMBER 28 2008
news without borders
Perak govt enlists bloggers
to spread word on its efforts
by Humayun Kabir
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
IPOH: The Perak government
has enlisted the support of
bloggers in the state to spread
the word on the government’s
programmes for the people.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri
Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin
said 26 Perak bloggers had
assured him at a meeting
on Wednesday they would
highlight the Pakatan Rakyat
government’s efforts for the
benefit of the people.
“This is a positive devel-
opment and a milestone in
our attempt to reach out to the
Willis resolves dispute over ‘green rubber’
KUALA LUMPUR: Hollywood actor
Bruce Willis has resolved his dis-
pute with a company headed by a
Negri Sembilan royalty over a US$2
million (RM7.26 million) investment
in a green rubber venture, his at-
torney said on Wednesday.
A Reuters report from Los
Angeles quoted Willis’ attorney,
Martin Singer, as saying in a
statement the lawsuit had been
public as we had received only
negative media reporting by the
mainstream media since we
came into power on March 8,”
he said.
“Although the Chinese and
Tamil vernacular newspapers
have given good coverage of our
people-oriented programmes,
the same cannot be said of
Malay newspapers, especially
Utusan Malaysia, which is
bent on running the state
government down.”
With the support of
bloggers who have promised
to cover government events,
however, Nizar is confident the
government’s communication
amicably resolved and had resulted
from a series of miscommunica-
tions.
On Nov 20, Willis sued Tunku
Imran Tuanku Ja’afar and Datuk
Vinod B. Sekhar, principals of
environmental technology com-
pany The Petra Group, in which he
had invested.
The suit said Willis had been
told by Sekhar the actor stood to
with the people will improve.
“As the alternative news
media is popular with the
public, especially the youth, the
state government has set up a
website to inform the people
of its political agenda, which is
people-oriented,” he said.
Nizar was speaking at a
dinner organised by the state
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)
Youth at the Town Hall here on
Wednesday.
About 1,000 supporters
attended the dinner but were
disappointed that VIP guests
PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim, Penang Chief Minister
Lim Guan Eng and Selangor
profit from an initial public offering
(IPO) of Petra subsidiary Elastomer
Technologies, which had been set
for the third quarter of 2008. The
IPO did not materialise and Willis
tried to get his money out of the
company.
Tunku Imran, Sekhar and The
Petra Group repaid Willis US$1.1
million (RM3.9 million) of his original
investment, but Willis said when
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul
Khalid Ibrahim did not turn up,
having had other commitments.
Nizar said the bond between
the Pakatan Rakyat coalition
parties was getting stronger
with mutual respect and
understanding.
He said the parties organised
functions every month, at which
they interacted and exchanged
ideas.
Nizar noted that after 51
years of Barisan Nasional’s
game of divide and rule, Malay-
sian society was on the road to
a Malaysian Malaysia where all
races interacted without fear,
suspicion or reservations.
he filed his suit that the remaining
US$900,000 (RM3.2 milllion) had
not been returned, despite assur-
ances to the contrary.
“Having resolved the matter, I
will continue to maintain a share-
holding position in the company
and I wish the company, the direc-
tors and my fellow shareholders
the very best for the future,” Willis
said.
 11
Councillor gives statement
on billboards to ACA
PETALING JAYA: City councillor Tiew Way Keng
was called to the Selangor Anti-Corruption Agency
(ACA) headquarters yesterday to give a statement
concerning a report she lodged with four other
councillors that someone had offered bribes to
council officials in connection with the erection
of billboards.
Tiew, who is also the Selangor DAP deputy
secretary, said she spent more than an hour giving
her statement and was happy the ACA was acting
on her report.
“I am quite happy with the manner in which the
ACA is investigating it,” she said.
Last week, Tiew and four others lodged a report
as they wanted the ACA to investigate claims that
a stakeholder talked about corrupt practices by
some council officers during a public hearing on
the billboard issue on Nov 14.
MBPJ had invited all stakeholders to air their
views on the long-standing billboard issuses at its
first public hearing.
Guan Eng reveals ‘wasteful’
spending by MPSP
GEORGE TOWN: The state government has re-
vealed some financial detail s of the Seberang
Perai Municipal Council’s (MPSP) spending of
RM223.7 million from 2000 to last year, includ-
ing on projects it described as “wasteful and
irresponsible”.
In a press statement yesterday, Chief Min-
ister Lim Guan Eng questioned why RM84.3
million was spent on building the new MPSP
headquarters in Bandar Perda despite the
state having allocated a site in Ampang Jajar.
The other contentious items included
“constituency funding” of RM50.3 million
(RM300,000 given each year to each assembly-
man in Seberang Perai) and RM8.6 million to
MPSP councillors).
From an accumulated surplus of RM230.1
million on Jan 1, 2000, the MPSP was left with
a budgeted surplus of only RM6.4 million on
Dec 31, 2007, Lim said.