The publisher of a well known Iban cultural, educational and entertainment magazine and who has his own portal, is set to join the race for the Batang Ai by-election on April 7.
Johnny Chuat, 38, a graduate in Journalism and Communications from Carleton University, Canada, who works for an oil and gas company said the final confirmation would be on nomination day, which is March 29, in Lubok Antu.
Chuat, a local from Rh.Councillor Mujah, Nanga Menyebat, Lemanak, a constituency with a majority of Iban voters, has started his ground preparations and is confident of a good showing.
"I am self-funded with no sponsors and I am all resolved to fight.
I have nothing to fear or worry. I am confident of garnering at least 90 percent of votes from Lemanak voters who comprise about 3,000 of the 8,006 registered voters in Batang Ai.
They are my relatives as well," he told Bernama when contacted.
He said his confidence stemmed from the fact that this was the first time that someone from Lemanak was contesting in an election.
Chuat is also confident of capturing votes from others in the constituency, especially the fence-sitters and those who are disillusioned with either Barisan Nasional or Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
"I am offering myself as the alternative choice," said Chuat who remains unfazed by the prospect of a tough battle against the might and logistics of Barisan and the organisation of PKR.
"BN may be fielding generally a very acceptable candidate in Malcolm Mussem Lamoh while PKR may field veteran Nicholas Bawin (Lubok Antu branch chairman) or former fourterm parliamentarian Jawah Gerang, but I have my own strategies and would not disclose it just yet."
The publisher said that, in the last decade, he had organised many motivation talks and also offered financial assistance to varsity bound students from poor families and believed those who had graduated would now remember his good deeds.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Penang’s DCM Fairus is on leave, likely to be back Monday
Controversial Deputy Chief Minister I Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin has taken leave for the rest of the week but should be back by Monday unless he extends the leave, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
“I was informed by (PKR de facto leader) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday (on Thursday) that Fairus had asked for leave. Although it was sudden, I approved the leave at Anwar’s request,” he said on Friday.
Lim said no reasons had been given for the leave, and no one would be assuming his deputy’s duties in his absence as it was a normal and short leave.
“He is on leave at least for this week, and he should be back to work by Monday unless he requests for an extension,” he said.
When asked about Fairus’ whereabouts, Lim suggested that the press tried to contact him to find out.
He also reiterated that Fairus had not been sacked and there were no plans for now to replace him.
Speculation arose that Fairus had been asked by Anwar to vacate his post.
The issue surfaced when the party started probing allegations by a member that two senior state party leaders were working with local quarry operators to cover up illegal activities.
Lim was speaking at a press conference at his office, held after Friday’s state executive council meeting. Of the three PKR leaders in the state exco, only Law Choo Kiang was present.
Abdul Malik Abul Kassim, who time and again had been speculated as a possible replacement for Fairus, was in Indonesia for the annual Medan Fair in his capacity as state Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman.
Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy also announced that the state executive councillors unanimously decided at the exco meeting that they would not invite a particular daily to cover their respective press conferences with immediate effect.
Meanwhile, state Gerakan secretary Ong Thean Lye, who is also a Gerakan central committee member, said in a press statement Friday that Lim and Anwar appeared to be “passing the buck” on the issue of Fairus’ position as Deputy Chief Minister I.
“Lim had stated that he had not sacked Fairus while Anwar did not give a firm answer when asked by reporters on Fairus’ status.
This gives the public the impression that neither Anwar nor Lim want to make a firm decision on the matter,” said Ong.
He said it was the prerogative of the Chief Minister to appoint or sack the person holding the deputy chief minister’s post but the dragging of the issue seemed to suggest that Anwar was the “real” boss.
“I was informed by (PKR de facto leader) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday (on Thursday) that Fairus had asked for leave. Although it was sudden, I approved the leave at Anwar’s request,” he said on Friday.
Lim said no reasons had been given for the leave, and no one would be assuming his deputy’s duties in his absence as it was a normal and short leave.
“He is on leave at least for this week, and he should be back to work by Monday unless he requests for an extension,” he said.
When asked about Fairus’ whereabouts, Lim suggested that the press tried to contact him to find out.
He also reiterated that Fairus had not been sacked and there were no plans for now to replace him.
Speculation arose that Fairus had been asked by Anwar to vacate his post.
The issue surfaced when the party started probing allegations by a member that two senior state party leaders were working with local quarry operators to cover up illegal activities.
Lim was speaking at a press conference at his office, held after Friday’s state executive council meeting. Of the three PKR leaders in the state exco, only Law Choo Kiang was present.
Abdul Malik Abul Kassim, who time and again had been speculated as a possible replacement for Fairus, was in Indonesia for the annual Medan Fair in his capacity as state Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman.
Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy also announced that the state executive councillors unanimously decided at the exco meeting that they would not invite a particular daily to cover their respective press conferences with immediate effect.
Meanwhile, state Gerakan secretary Ong Thean Lye, who is also a Gerakan central committee member, said in a press statement Friday that Lim and Anwar appeared to be “passing the buck” on the issue of Fairus’ position as Deputy Chief Minister I.
“Lim had stated that he had not sacked Fairus while Anwar did not give a firm answer when asked by reporters on Fairus’ status.
This gives the public the impression that neither Anwar nor Lim want to make a firm decision on the matter,” said Ong.
He said it was the prerogative of the Chief Minister to appoint or sack the person holding the deputy chief minister’s post but the dragging of the issue seemed to suggest that Anwar was the “real” boss.
Bkt Selambau: PKR fields entrepreneur S. Manikumar, 35
Entrepreneur S. Manikumar, 35, an ordinary PKR member from Sungai Petani, has been picked as the party’s candidate for the Bukit Selambau by-election.
His candidacy was announced Friday by PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Yayasan Aman, a PKR operations centre in Sungai Lalang near here.
Manikumar, who has a tourism management degree and an MBA from Universiti Utara Malaysia, joined PKR two years ago and is a first time election candidate.
He is married to a secondary school teacher and they have a six-year-old daughter.
They live in Taman Ria Jaya here.
Manikumar had previously worked as a marketing consultant for companies in Thailand and Tanzania.
He also has experience in oil palm and vehicle trading.
In a press conference after the announcement of his candidacy which was attended by some 500 people, Manikumar said the by-election was a struggle for all races in the country.
Anwar said Manikumar was selected from 15 potential candidates, all professionals with impressive credentials, who were shortlisted by PKR for the by-election.
He said Pakatan Rakyat wanted to have a young Indian leader in Bukit Selambau who could represent and fight for all the races.
He also said former Bukit Selambau assemblyman V. Arumugam had contacted him a few days ago and had given his blessings for Manikumar’s candidacy.
Anwar, however, did not disclose where Arumugam is presently. The Bukit Selambau seat fell vacant after Arumugam resigned on Feb 8.
Nomination day for the by-election is March 29 while polling is on April 7.
Barisan Nasional had earlier announced that Kedah MIC deputy chairman Datuk S. Ganesan would be the coalition’s candidate. Manikumar and Ganesan are expected to face several independent candidates who have expressed their desire to stand for election.
Bukit Selambau has 35,140 voters of whom about 50% are Malays, 30% Indians and 20% Chinese.
In last year’s general election, Arumugam stood as an independent candidate to defeat MIC’s S. Krishnan by 2,362 votes in a straight fight. He joined PKR after winning the seat.
Meanwhile, there appears to be strong opposition to PKR’s choice of a political novice to contest the by-election scheduled.
Many, including Makkal Sakthi as well as PKR Indian leaders have expressed their disappointment to PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after his announcement in Sungei Petani.
Makkal Sakthi coordinator R. Kannan said they were disappointed with the choice as several others proposed by Hindraf had not been considered.
He said Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) chairperson P. Waythamoorthy had urged Anwar to consider Makkal Sakthi coordinator S. Thanenthiran, lawyer R. Surendran or Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee Vasantha Kumar.
“We wanted one of them as we wanted our voice in the government. This is the first time we made such a request,” he said when contacted.
Kannan said he had received numerous calls from Makkal Sakthi leaders from all over the country as they were very unhappy with the candidate.
“We will not boycott the by-election but our involvement will be far less aggressive than in the March 2008 general elections.
“We were the ones who canvassed support for independent V. Arumugam and got him to join PKR. Our efforts have not been recognised by the PKR leadership,” he said.
Kannan said PKR had the right to choose Manikumar but he had not even been seen in the political activities in the state.
“We know this will be major setback in Makkal Sakthi’s relationship with PKR but we will wait and see what Manikumar’s plans are for the Indian community,” he said.
Kedah Community Welfare Association president Y. Baskaran, who is also the Padang Serai PKR member, said they had questioned Anwar’s decision.
“We wanted to know the basis for the choice as Manikumar had never held the PKR flag, spoken in a ceramah or participated in any political struggle,” he said.
Baskaran said many were also concerned as they believed that an Indian businessman, who is Anwar’s close confidante, was meddling in the selection of the candidates.
“We believe this is the beginning of PKR’s downfall for not respecting the wishes of the Indians in the party,” he said.
A PKR official said the Indian leaders in Merbuk division had registered their protest to Anwar after the announcement was made.
“He (Anwar) was dumbfounded when we gave our views. We hope he will reconsider his decision or there will be serious problems,” he said.
The official said Anwar’s choice would pave the way for Barisan Nasional candidate Datuk S. Ganesan to win the Bukit Selambau seat.
His candidacy was announced Friday by PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Yayasan Aman, a PKR operations centre in Sungai Lalang near here.
Manikumar, who has a tourism management degree and an MBA from Universiti Utara Malaysia, joined PKR two years ago and is a first time election candidate.
He is married to a secondary school teacher and they have a six-year-old daughter.
They live in Taman Ria Jaya here.
Manikumar had previously worked as a marketing consultant for companies in Thailand and Tanzania.
He also has experience in oil palm and vehicle trading.
In a press conference after the announcement of his candidacy which was attended by some 500 people, Manikumar said the by-election was a struggle for all races in the country.
Anwar said Manikumar was selected from 15 potential candidates, all professionals with impressive credentials, who were shortlisted by PKR for the by-election.
He said Pakatan Rakyat wanted to have a young Indian leader in Bukit Selambau who could represent and fight for all the races.
He also said former Bukit Selambau assemblyman V. Arumugam had contacted him a few days ago and had given his blessings for Manikumar’s candidacy.
Anwar, however, did not disclose where Arumugam is presently. The Bukit Selambau seat fell vacant after Arumugam resigned on Feb 8.
Nomination day for the by-election is March 29 while polling is on April 7.
Barisan Nasional had earlier announced that Kedah MIC deputy chairman Datuk S. Ganesan would be the coalition’s candidate. Manikumar and Ganesan are expected to face several independent candidates who have expressed their desire to stand for election.
Bukit Selambau has 35,140 voters of whom about 50% are Malays, 30% Indians and 20% Chinese.
In last year’s general election, Arumugam stood as an independent candidate to defeat MIC’s S. Krishnan by 2,362 votes in a straight fight. He joined PKR after winning the seat.
Meanwhile, there appears to be strong opposition to PKR’s choice of a political novice to contest the by-election scheduled.
Many, including Makkal Sakthi as well as PKR Indian leaders have expressed their disappointment to PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after his announcement in Sungei Petani.
Makkal Sakthi coordinator R. Kannan said they were disappointed with the choice as several others proposed by Hindraf had not been considered.
He said Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) chairperson P. Waythamoorthy had urged Anwar to consider Makkal Sakthi coordinator S. Thanenthiran, lawyer R. Surendran or Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee Vasantha Kumar.
“We wanted one of them as we wanted our voice in the government. This is the first time we made such a request,” he said when contacted.
Kannan said he had received numerous calls from Makkal Sakthi leaders from all over the country as they were very unhappy with the candidate.
“We will not boycott the by-election but our involvement will be far less aggressive than in the March 2008 general elections.
“We were the ones who canvassed support for independent V. Arumugam and got him to join PKR. Our efforts have not been recognised by the PKR leadership,” he said.
Kannan said PKR had the right to choose Manikumar but he had not even been seen in the political activities in the state.
“We know this will be major setback in Makkal Sakthi’s relationship with PKR but we will wait and see what Manikumar’s plans are for the Indian community,” he said.
Kedah Community Welfare Association president Y. Baskaran, who is also the Padang Serai PKR member, said they had questioned Anwar’s decision.
“We wanted to know the basis for the choice as Manikumar had never held the PKR flag, spoken in a ceramah or participated in any political struggle,” he said.
Baskaran said many were also concerned as they believed that an Indian businessman, who is Anwar’s close confidante, was meddling in the selection of the candidates.
“We believe this is the beginning of PKR’s downfall for not respecting the wishes of the Indians in the party,” he said.
A PKR official said the Indian leaders in Merbuk division had registered their protest to Anwar after the announcement was made.
“He (Anwar) was dumbfounded when we gave our views. We hope he will reconsider his decision or there will be serious problems,” he said.
The official said Anwar’s choice would pave the way for Barisan Nasional candidate Datuk S. Ganesan to win the Bukit Selambau seat.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
All candidates should be investigated: Hishammuddin
Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said all party election candidates, including he himself, should be investigated.
The Umno vice-presidential candidate said if there was strong evidence of any alleged wrongdoing, then the action taken by the party’s disciplinary board and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission should be fair as their (the candidates’) credibility was at stake.
“I think all, including myself, should be investigated. But the condition is that it should be fair and there should not arise any suspicion that only certain candidates are investigated,” he told reporters after attending the Umno management committee meeting chaired by the deputy president here Wednesday.
Hishammuddin said the decision made following investigation should be based on strong evidence and arguments and reliable witnesses’ accounts.
He was commenting on the investigation by the Umno disciplinary board on two candidates for the Umno Youth chief post, party Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo and the movement’s deputy head, Khairy Jamaluddin.
Khairy was given a warning while Dr Mohamad Khir was cleared of any wrongdoing.
On the fate of party vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, who has been barred from contesting the deputy president post due to money politics, Hishammauddin said the question of whether Mohd Ali should remain as Malacca Chief Minister did not arise.
“This is because the action taken against him was under the party’s ruling. To me, the demand (for him to step down as Chief Minister) should not be entertained in the context of party discipline,” he said.
Hishammuddin said at the meeting, Mohd Ali who appeared calm and stoic, had stated that the party’s interest was more important than the individual’s.
He said this spirit had always been with Umno members and such an incident (breach of party discipline) had happened in Umno before.
“History has proven that in such cases, ultimately the party is the priority with members closing ranks and those who are genuinely sincere will remain with the party.”
Hishammuddin also said that he was impressed with Mohd Ali’s leadership among the younger generation of leaders.
“I am touched by his demeanour in this sad affair where at the same time, one cannot be above the party regulations and decision,” he added. -- Bernama
The Umno vice-presidential candidate said if there was strong evidence of any alleged wrongdoing, then the action taken by the party’s disciplinary board and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission should be fair as their (the candidates’) credibility was at stake.
“I think all, including myself, should be investigated. But the condition is that it should be fair and there should not arise any suspicion that only certain candidates are investigated,” he told reporters after attending the Umno management committee meeting chaired by the deputy president here Wednesday.
Hishammuddin said the decision made following investigation should be based on strong evidence and arguments and reliable witnesses’ accounts.
He was commenting on the investigation by the Umno disciplinary board on two candidates for the Umno Youth chief post, party Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo and the movement’s deputy head, Khairy Jamaluddin.
Khairy was given a warning while Dr Mohamad Khir was cleared of any wrongdoing.
On the fate of party vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, who has been barred from contesting the deputy president post due to money politics, Hishammauddin said the question of whether Mohd Ali should remain as Malacca Chief Minister did not arise.
“This is because the action taken against him was under the party’s ruling. To me, the demand (for him to step down as Chief Minister) should not be entertained in the context of party discipline,” he said.
Hishammuddin said at the meeting, Mohd Ali who appeared calm and stoic, had stated that the party’s interest was more important than the individual’s.
He said this spirit had always been with Umno members and such an incident (breach of party discipline) had happened in Umno before.
“History has proven that in such cases, ultimately the party is the priority with members closing ranks and those who are genuinely sincere will remain with the party.”
Hishammuddin also said that he was impressed with Mohd Ali’s leadership among the younger generation of leaders.
“I am touched by his demeanour in this sad affair where at the same time, one cannot be above the party regulations and decision,” he added. -- Bernama
Umno Youth men questioned over scuffle
Three Selangor Umno Youth members accused of having confronted Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh on Feb 26 turned up on Wednesday to give their testimony to the Parliamentary committee investigating the scuffle.
The members are from the Gombak, Serdang and the Petaling Jaya Utara divisions.
Another Umno youth member from Shah Alam was also called in by the committee to give his testimony as an eye-witness.
The four were with the committee for around 30 minutes.
The members were accompanied by Datuk Reezal Merican, who is contending for the deputy Umno Youth chief post, and some 20 others from 22 Selangor Umno divisions.
The members are from the Gombak, Serdang and the Petaling Jaya Utara divisions.
Another Umno youth member from Shah Alam was also called in by the committee to give his testimony as an eye-witness.
The four were with the committee for around 30 minutes.
The members were accompanied by Datuk Reezal Merican, who is contending for the deputy Umno Youth chief post, and some 20 others from 22 Selangor Umno divisions.
Rapid Penang denies threatening state govt
Rapid Penang is not trying to threaten the state government as reported by local dailies on Tuesday, said chief executive officer Azhar Ahmad on Wednesday.
He said there was no plan to send its 200 buses, due to arrive in batches in May, to RapidKL.
"We do not mean to take away those buses bought by the Ministry of Finance Inc, but if there are not enough depots to accommodate the vehicles, we will have to lend them to RapidKL for use while we look for a new depot," added Azhar.
He was speaking to reporters after visiting the Weld Quay and Sungai Nibong depot, while accompanied by state local government and traffic management committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow here.
He denied a newspaper report on March 7 that Rapid Penang had threatened the state government with its plan to send the 200 buses to RapidKL if it did not get the five sites it wanted to house the buses.
However, Azhar urged the relevant authorities to grant the company a long-term lease so that it could improve the infrastructure at the existing four depots.
"Currently, Rapid Penang has four depots for buses, with one each in Tanjung Bungah, Balik Pulau and Lorong Kulit and belonging to the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP), and the other in Sungai Nibong, owned by the state government," he said.
Meanwhile, Chow said the state government had identified three new sites in the island, as well as mainland, to set up bus depots and expand the current Sungai Nibong depot.
He said the three sites were in Weld Quay, Butterworth and Nibong Tebal, while negotiations were underway for another two in Kepala Batas and Bukit Mertajam.
Chow noted that the tenancy issues of the current depots and the new depot were the main issues faced by Rapid Penang.
Rapid Penang, a subsidiary of RapidKL, is 100 per cent owned by the Ministry of Finance Inc. Its current fleet of 150 buses handles 60 per cent of the bus services in Penang.- Bernama
He said there was no plan to send its 200 buses, due to arrive in batches in May, to RapidKL.
"We do not mean to take away those buses bought by the Ministry of Finance Inc, but if there are not enough depots to accommodate the vehicles, we will have to lend them to RapidKL for use while we look for a new depot," added Azhar.
He was speaking to reporters after visiting the Weld Quay and Sungai Nibong depot, while accompanied by state local government and traffic management committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow here.
He denied a newspaper report on March 7 that Rapid Penang had threatened the state government with its plan to send the 200 buses to RapidKL if it did not get the five sites it wanted to house the buses.
However, Azhar urged the relevant authorities to grant the company a long-term lease so that it could improve the infrastructure at the existing four depots.
"Currently, Rapid Penang has four depots for buses, with one each in Tanjung Bungah, Balik Pulau and Lorong Kulit and belonging to the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP), and the other in Sungai Nibong, owned by the state government," he said.
Meanwhile, Chow said the state government had identified three new sites in the island, as well as mainland, to set up bus depots and expand the current Sungai Nibong depot.
He said the three sites were in Weld Quay, Butterworth and Nibong Tebal, while negotiations were underway for another two in Kepala Batas and Bukit Mertajam.
Chow noted that the tenancy issues of the current depots and the new depot were the main issues faced by Rapid Penang.
Rapid Penang, a subsidiary of RapidKL, is 100 per cent owned by the Ministry of Finance Inc. Its current fleet of 150 buses handles 60 per cent of the bus services in Penang.- Bernama
Doubling foreign worker levy may kill business
The Government should reconsider its decision to double the levy on foreign workers as this may end up hurting businesses, MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said.
He said since the decision was announced as part of the RM60bil “mini-Budget” on March 10, the movement had received complaints from various associations.
“Some 20 groups including the Federation of Malaysia Chinese Guilds Association, restaurant associations, retailers and the SMI (Small and Medium Industries) Association, have written to say that such a move would have a negative impact.
“Instead of achieving the Government’s objective of reducing foreign workers and giving jobs to locals, this may raise more problems such as affecting businesses and operations,” he told reporters here at the Parliament lobby Wednesday.
He claimed this would kill a lot of businesses, which are already suffering from the current economic downturn.
Dr Wee said statistics show that 35.3% of the two million foreign workers in the country worked in the manufacturing sector while another 10.3% were employed in the services sector. He did not cite the source of his statistics.
“Both these two sectors contribute a total of 83.6% to the Gross Domestic Product.”
Many of the associations, added Dr Wee, also complained that they had difficulties finding locals to replace their foreign workers.
“MCA Youth is in support of such a move if it actually proves to help retrenched locals but our feedback is that despite advertisments, many are still reluctant to work in restaurants or factories,” he said.
Dr Wee said the associations wanted to appeal to the Government to either postpone the implementation of the levy or cancel it entirely.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had said when tabling the mini-budget that the move was to reduce the country’s dependency on foreign workers as well as clear up jobs for locals who had been retrenched.
Dr Wee said the movement had prepared a memorandum to be presented to Najib, also the Finance Minister, on the matter.
He said since the decision was announced as part of the RM60bil “mini-Budget” on March 10, the movement had received complaints from various associations.
“Some 20 groups including the Federation of Malaysia Chinese Guilds Association, restaurant associations, retailers and the SMI (Small and Medium Industries) Association, have written to say that such a move would have a negative impact.
“Instead of achieving the Government’s objective of reducing foreign workers and giving jobs to locals, this may raise more problems such as affecting businesses and operations,” he told reporters here at the Parliament lobby Wednesday.
He claimed this would kill a lot of businesses, which are already suffering from the current economic downturn.
Dr Wee said statistics show that 35.3% of the two million foreign workers in the country worked in the manufacturing sector while another 10.3% were employed in the services sector. He did not cite the source of his statistics.
“Both these two sectors contribute a total of 83.6% to the Gross Domestic Product.”
Many of the associations, added Dr Wee, also complained that they had difficulties finding locals to replace their foreign workers.
“MCA Youth is in support of such a move if it actually proves to help retrenched locals but our feedback is that despite advertisments, many are still reluctant to work in restaurants or factories,” he said.
Dr Wee said the associations wanted to appeal to the Government to either postpone the implementation of the levy or cancel it entirely.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had said when tabling the mini-budget that the move was to reduce the country’s dependency on foreign workers as well as clear up jobs for locals who had been retrenched.
Dr Wee said the movement had prepared a memorandum to be presented to Najib, also the Finance Minister, on the matter.
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