DAP out to prove FT minister wrong

Cops accused of beating and robbing man released

Beaten and robbed by cops over expired road tax

Malaysiakini video:

Source: http://malaysiakini.com/news/151643 (By S Pathmawathy, 24/12/2010)
For being frank with the police, 34-year-old Chia Buang Hing was detained for five days and beaten up until he vomited blood. The businessman, who is frame-maker, narrated the "horrific" incident today, saying that the police bashed him up, threatened and robbed him of RM13,000 in cash he was carrying - all for the expired road tax of his wife's car that he was driving.
Chia's nightmare began about 11pm on Dec 18, as he was driving from his house in Tropicana to Kota Damansara, where traffic police had set up roadblocks. Having spotted the expired road tax, one of the police officers asked for his driver's licence and identification card. It was then, he said, that the officer spotted stacks of RM50 notes, totalling RM7,000, sticking out of his pocket and demanded that he hand them over. Chia said he refused and insisted he be issued with a summons but as the officer kept asking for the money, Chia warned that he would lodge a report. Then the assaults began. "I tried to take his picture with my mobile phone, but I was repeatedly punched by him and two other officers. "One of them then handcuffed me and I screamed for help (but) I was shoved inside a police car and beaten again," he said, adding that there were several witnesses to this, including a security guard and a friend of his who was in another car. Chia said he was carrying a total of RM18,000 that he had collected from his three frame-making shops that night, with RM10,000 in his pockets and RM8,000 in the car.
'My money was thrown into the toilet'
The father of two said he was then taken to the police station in Kota Damansara and again assaulted. "I was outside a toilet at the station and seven officers kicked and stepped on me until I vomited blood and sustained injuries on my face. "Then, one police officer took the RM7,000 from my front pocket and RM3,000 from my back pocket and they threw it on the floor." "He (the officer) became angry when I demanded the money be returned and he threw the remainder he was holding into the toilet and hit me again." Chia said the police then ordered him to write a report that his sustained the injuries in a traffic accident and when he refused, they threatened to plant a blood-stained machete and drugs in his car and get him locked up for a long time.
At about 3am the following morning, he said, he was threatened by an officer that drugs would be injected into his bloodstream. He was later assaulted again, by as many as five officers, at the police station and at another place he could not identify. One thing he managed to do, Chia said, was to leave his bloodied fingerprints in many parts of the police station that he had been dragged to. "Only when they saw that I was barely surviving - as I had vomited blood and white foams were trickling out of my mouth - they took me to the hospital. By the time we got there, it was already 7 in the morning.
Magistrate ignored his complaints
Chia was taken to the Sungai Buloh Hospital and after that to the Petaling Jaya magistrate's court, about 10am, for a remand order against him. He said he informed the magistrate of his ordeal but he was ignored. The magistrate ordered Chia to be remanded by police until Dec 22 on suspicion of possession of drugs and weapons. During that period, he said, he was taken to a officer at narcotics department in the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters. "He told me there was no case against me and called up the men who had abused me. He advised me to lodge a report and allowed me to contact my family," Chia added. He said that he was then released on police bail and RM5,000 was returned to him.
Segambut DAP MP Lim Lip Eng assisted Chia in lodging his report at the Mutiara Damansara police station yesterday. Lim said the investigating officer accompanied them to the Kota Damansara police station where most of the Chia's bloodstains been removed, but there were some under a table, behind a mirror and under a cupboard, which were photographed by police.
'Nobody is above the law'
Malaysiakini was later informed that the Selangor police contingent headquarters has officially taken over the matter. A task force has been set up to investigate the complaint in detail. There will be no cover-up in the investigation, police said in a text message. "Nobody is above the law. If there is evidence, the persons responsible will be charged in court," added the contingent's officer in-charge of criminal investigations, Mohd Adnan Abdullah.

Related news: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/man-claims-robbed-beaten-after-traffic-stop/

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/14658-ahli-perniagaan-dibelasah-polis-mahu-tuntut-keadilan

Wet market will serve folk better

Lim Lip Eng says taps and pipes at the abandoned food court have been stolen.

Empty: The Medan Selera Sri Sinar was built four years ago.

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles (By Halim Said, 22/12/2010)
Residents of Taman Sri Sinar, Segambut, want City Hall to turn the neighbourhood white elephant into something useful -- a wet market. The four-year-old Taman Sri Sinar food court in Jalan 38A has been vacant since it ceased operations last year.
Yeoh Boon Day, 49, a fruit seller, said the food court's poor location and lack of visibility made it unpopular with the residents."It is situated behind a business area. Moreover, the residents here are spoilt for choice as there are many food outlets here," he said. Yeoh said the food court could be turned into a wet market as residents had to travel 5km to the nearest wet market in Kepong Baru. "Only a night market operates here once a week," said Yeoh , who was representing the residents to convey the suggestion to Segambut member of parliament Lim Lip Eng.

Lim, who visited the food court on Tuesday, said City Hall must be proactive in keeping the food court in business. "The place looks clean and neat but closer inspection shows that taps and urinals have been stolen in the toilets. The stainless steel wording on the food court sign post has also been vandalised. "As the food court is vacant, it is becoming a hangout for undesirable characters," said Lim. He said all 10 stalls in the food court stopped operation a month after the food court opened in 2007. The food court had failed to attract customers. "It was re-launched in 2009 with only a single stall operating there. It, too, did not last more than a month before shutting down, which leaves the food court unutilised until now," he said.
City Hall's recently announced budget had an allocation of RM95,000 for the maintenance of the food court next year, said Lim. "I've been told that City Hall is outsourcing the management of the food court, for those who are able to run it. Application can be made at City Hall's petty trader management department," he said.
Although vacant, the food court has a security guard and a cleaner hired by City Hall.

Food court in Segambut needs new management

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (By JAYAGANDI JAYARAJ, 24/12/2010)
The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is planning to out- source the management of the Medan Selera Sri Sinar footcourt in Segambut. The RM1mil food court, owned and maintained by the DBKL, was built four years ago, however, it was never occupied. It has 10 stalls and 144 seats. Initially, rental for each stall was RM250, but since it received no response, it was reduced to RM155.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said DBKL tried to get tenants for the food court but no one was interested. “I was told that DBKL tried to launch the place twice in 2007 and 2009, but the feedback was bad. However, the City Hall is still maintaining the food court. “Although it’s been four years, the food court is clean,” he told reporters on Tuesday. He added that the DBKL 2011 budget allocated RM95,000 for the food court’s maintenance. “After trying to manage the food court for the past years, DBKL will outsource to a third party. They can take over, renovate and market the place.

“I am calling those interested to consider this proposal because the food court is good condition and will go to waste if not used,” he said.

Word of the Year 2010: OVERRUN

I choose the word ‘overrun’ because it may refer to:

1. To go beyond the normal or desired limit: Cost overrun is common in Malaysian government mega projects.

2. To seize the positions of and defeat conclusively: The position of Pakatan Rakyat state government in Perak was overrun by BN undemocratically.

3. To spread swiftly throughout: Corruption overran the country.

4. To spread destructively: Cronyism overran the government projects.

5. To run or extend beyond a limit: Taib Mahmud has overrun his term as Sarawak CM.

KL mayor tabled the 2011 Budget

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (By LIM CHIA YING, 20/12/2010)
KL mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Fuad Ismail, who tabled the 2011 Budget, said the focus on the Budget for next year would be on ‘Cleaner, Greener and More Comfortable Kuala Lumpur’.

“In line with our theme, City Hall will focus on five main priorities; strengthening our delivery of services, improving the city’s cleanliness, better maintenance of roads, drainage and public facilities, increase greening programmes and maintenance of public parks, and also looking into the maintenance and development of public housing,” he said during the press briefing at the DBKL headquarters after unveiling the Budget 2011 to the Kuala Lumpur MPs.

“From RM2.007bil, approximately RM1.27bil (63%) will be allocated for operations while the remaining RM734mil (37%) will be used for development.” Based on DBKL’s December financial account, Ahmad Fuad noted an increase of RM979mil which he attributed to the sales and disposal of DBKL’s assets, development charges to developers which he said was newly-introduced and contributed as the second highest revenue earner, as well as the collection of debts where 90% have been paid up. “We are also reducing 50% in license rates for some 67,000 petty traders in KL and also reducing the assessment tax rates by 2% for service apartments and apartments in commercial premises,” he said.

On Alam Flora, RM124mil has been set aside to pay their contract, but Ahmad Fuad said a work schedule and key performance index on their service level was being created so if their performance was not up to par, the contract would be terminated.

On why some constituencies saw such a drastic decrease in their allocation, he said this was because some projects had already been completed in certain areas and the monies had to be fairly distributed according to the constituency’s needs and not just focused on one place.

Several of the MPs also asked for specifics of the developments to be built in the different constituencies as they said the information was not provided during the meeting.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said he was quite happy with the higher allocation for his constituency, from RM29.6mil to RM63.7mil for next year. He hoped the allocation would be duly used to ease the Jalan Segambut infamous congestion, where plans were afoot to widen the Jalan Segambut to Mont Kiara road under the Eighth Malaysian Plan but has been delayed.

He also complained as to why DBKL was giving RM27mil to maintain and operate the Integrated Transportation and Information System (Itis) when a lot of complaints have been received about the system being a flop. Lim said the mayor replied that the DBKL was bound by a contract with Itis.

Ahmad Fuad, when asked later, said Itis is a Federal Government project and passed on to City Hall after it was completed. “There are two million vehicles moving in KL and traffic will be a bigger nightmare without Itis. “Of course, there are weaknesses in the gantry because the cables were stolen but we’ll look into that,” he said.

DAP fines Lip Eng RM500

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/10ine/Article (2010/12/18)

KUALA LUMPUR: Federal Territory DAP secretary Lim Lip Eng has been fined RM500 by the party's disciplinary committee for his unruly conduct at the Nov 28 Selangor DAP convention.

Committee chairman Tan Kok Wai said the "light" sentence was meted out after the committee had taken into consideration Lim's public apology. Additionally, Lim had immediately replied to the show-cause letter issued by the committee on Nov 29. "He will have 14 days to appeal against the decision to the central working committee," said Tan.

Lim said he accepted the decision and would not appeal.
At the Selangor DAP convention, Lim, who is also Segambut member of parliament, caused a ruckus when he shouted "Teresa (Kok) won!" while the ballots were being counted. The chairman ordered Lim to be removed, but Lim returned during the announcement of the results, where he shouted "yes!" numerous times, prompting him to be ejected again.
Lim supported Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, who was elected Selangor DAP chief.

Pothole-riddled roads in Taman Seri Bintang

Waiting for action: The pothole in front of the SMK Sinar Bintang filled with water.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (By JASTIN AHMAD TARMIZI, 17/12/2010)
THE pothole problem in Taman Seri Bintang, Kuala Lumpur is frustrating residents because no action has been taken even after complaints were made to the local authorities. Taman Seri Bintang Rukun Tetangga chairman Angus Ng said the potholes in Jalan 34/38a near the SMK Sinar Bintang was filled with water. “It has been six months and the authority has not done anything to repair the potholes. We have made many complaints to the authorities but to no avail,” he said. “The water splashes all over every time a car passes by. Even the paint on the road is coming off. “If the authorities decide to patch up the porthole, this is the best time because of the school holidays,” said Ng.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said under the Government guidelines public roads should have a warranty of 10 years. “The road condition here is terrible. The road surface is uneven and there are so many potholes. The potholes reappear even after patch work is done as the quality of work is not good enough. “Just after a few weeks, we can already see cracks appearing on the surface,” said Lim. He added that this was not a problem confined to one area as pothole issues were prevalent everywhere. “Potholes can be found all over Kuala Lumpur and not only does it damage cars but it can be dangerous for motorcyclists travelling at night,” Lim said.

Ng also said illegal parking in Jalan Seri Bintang 1 and Jalan Seri Bintang 2 was making it difficult for motorists to manoeuvre their vehicles in the area. “We cannot blame the people for parking illegally as there are not enough parking bays in the area. “However, when vehicles are coming from both directions the road is too narrow for them to pass. We proposed to the Kuala Lumpur City Council to turn it into a one-way road five years ago. “But so far nothing has been done,” he said.

Cabbie hit by stray bullet wants compensation

Source: http://malaysiakini.com/news/150461 ( By Regina Lee, 10/12/2010)
A cab driver who was hit in his leg by a stray bullet fired by a policeman is seeking compensation for the hardship he has suffered during his two-month recuperation period. Taxi driver Yeow Leong Kang, 41, said the incident occurred on Sept 23, while he was resting inside his vehicle on Jalan Pudu. Just seconds after dozing off, he was awakened by a loud 'pop' sound, just like a firecracker. Yeow felt cold and numb immediately after, and only realised that he had been shot when his legs oozed blood. The slug had pierced through the door of the driver's side, went through his right leg and grazed his left foot.
In his police report, Yeow said a policeman approached him immediately after, telling him not to move and that an ambulance was on the way. At the hospital later, another policeman approached Yeow and confessed that he was the shooter and apologised profusely. The policeman then explained to Yeow that they were in pursuit of another vehicle and that it was a stray bullet that had hit him. Yeow was discharged two days later but remained bedridden at his flat in Cheras. Over the next two weeks, the policeman who shot him delivered lunch to his flat.
“But I couldn't work for two months. I could hardly walk. It took me 10 minutes just to walk from the bedroom to the toilet in my flat,” Yeow told reporters after lodging his police report today. 'They have to compensate me'
Accompanied by three Pakatan Rakyat MPs, Yeow said he could only lodge the police report this morning - more than two months after the incident - because he could only start walking properly last Friday, when he resumed working. “I also want some kind of compensation. I could not work for two months and yet I still had to pay the rent for my taxi,” he said. Both Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun and Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng also urged for the government to compensate Yeow for his loss of earnings, as well as award some exemplary damages. “This is to teach the police that they cannot be trigger happy. The Standard Operating Procedure and the Inspector-General's Standing Order (IGSO) on police shooting have to be declassified,” said Lim.
Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar also reiterated her call for the establishment of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). “It's not that we want to belittle the police. We just want to help the force improve,” she said.

MP: Good thing he's alive
Lim added: “It's a good thing that Yeow is still alive. If not, the police would have accused him of being a rapist or a robber.”
The police have been under intense scrutiny of late over alleged trigger-happy tendencies, such as in the cases of Aminulrasyid Amzah and noodle seller Ho Chei Hang. Star had reported in September that Dang Wangi police chief ACP Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman had claimed that Yeow was shot by "an unknown motorcyclist".

When contacted today, Zulkarnain declined comment on the latest development, saying he had not received any report on the matter.

Police to probe shooting of cab driver

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story (13/12/2010)

KUALA LUMPUR: An accidental shooting of a cab driver by a policeman here will be investigated to determine if the Standard Operating Procedure was adhered to, including how the shot was fired. Kuala Lumpur Police chief Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah, who dismissed claims that the police were callous, said the police met the victim after the incident and would see him again. Speaking to reporters after attending a dialogue with Seri Perak Public Housing Scheme’s residents here today, Zulkifli said action would be taken against the policeman if there was negligence on his part.

Taxi driver Yeow Leong Kang, 42, who was hit in his legs by a stray bullet in Jalan Pudu, said the incident occurred on Sept 23 while he was resting in his vehicle. Last Friday, Yeow lodged a police report at the Cheras district headquarters here, claiming that his case was not given the due attention by the police. According to Yeow, he was awakened from his sleep by a shot which pierced through the door on the driver’s side, hit his right calf and grazed his left foot, causing him to be bedridden for two months. He is seeking compensation as he could not work for two months and had yet to pay the rent for his taxi. — Bernama

More news: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/bm/newsgeneral.php?id=549447

Unisem-WA trade revocation: Culprit is still at large!

“No losses from Unisem-WA trade revocation”

Source: http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20101208190840/Article/

No party incurred losses when Bursa Malaysia revoked share transactions of UNISEM-WA on August 30, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak told the Dewan Rakyat today. To date, Bursa Malaysia has not received any claim of damage in writing, said Najib, who is also Finance Minister.
Explaining the rationale for cancellation of UNISEM-WA share trading, Najib said transactions in the afternoon session were rescinded when the matched price was quoted higher than the RM0.50 sen after-limit price for that day due to a mistake in the entry of the ceiling price when the second trading session started. "To protect the integrity and to uphold a fair and orderly market, Bursa Malaysia decided to cancel all share transactions during the wrong entry period.

"No party suffered losses as a result of the cancellation and till to date, no damage claim in writing has been received," he said in his written reply to Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut) during question time. - Bernama
Read more: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=548579

National Service complaints e-mail possibly hacked, says MP

Source: http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=54828 (By Tan Yi Liang, 8/12/2010)

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 7, 2010): It might come as no surprise that online complaints by concerned Malaysians about the Ministry of Defence's National Service (NS) programme have fallen on deaf ears. What might come as a surprise is to find your mailbox flooded with spam instead.

This is because the e-mail provided to the public to complain -- korporat@khidmatnegara.gov.my -- appears to have been hijacked by a third party, as Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng pointed out today. Lim said that upon hearing complaints from concerned parents, he tested out the e-mail provided on the NS website www.khidmatnegara.gov.my and received a reply from "Bank Barclays International London UK". "I sent an e-mail at 2.40pm yesterday (Monday) and I got an immediate response," he told a press conference at his service centre here. "Although the reply thanked me and told me I would hear feedback from them in 14 days and a status report in two months, it was as if the reply was not sent by the NS administrators but by a hacker or a spam syndicate named Bank Barclays International London UK. I believe the servers of the NS Department have been hijacked by a hacker syndicate. This means that NS is not receiving any complaints.

"The intent of the hackers, as far as I can see, is that they are looking for valid e-mails so they can send spam. Additionally, valid e-mails can be sold to companies to be used to promote their products. "The e-mail I sent to the inquiry email ccentre@khidmatnegara.gov.my bounced."

A test by theSun produced the same results -- a reply with the sender listed as "Bank Barclays International London UK" from korporat@khidmatnegara.gov.my and a delivery failure from ccentre@khidmatnegara.gov.my.

Lim said he had received about 10 complaints about the National Service programme from parents since January, including one on the NS general line. "The leaflets given to parents from the NS office listed the number 03 4027 400 as the general line. They said no one picked up the phone. Yesterday, I called the number and there was no reply, only a recording from a machine."

Lim, who said he called the number six times, will try and highlight the problems in the NS Department when he meets the minister or deputy minister in Parliament. -- theSun

Calls to National Service Dept line go unaswered

Souurce: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/12/8 (By JAYAGANDI JAYARAJ, 8/12/2010)
PEOPLE are fed up of trying to reach the National Service Department’s call centre at the numbers given at its website. They are frustrated because they could not reach anyone at the given phone numbers.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, who has received at least 10 such complaints since January, said he had tried to call the number six times at different hours on Dec 6, but to no avail. “Everytime I call, it keeps ringing but no one answers. Sometimes, it goes into voice messaging and gets cut off,” he told reporters yesterday. “How are people going to contact the department for any enquiries?” he asked. Lim also tried e-mailing to the e-mail address on the website.

The address that is meant to receive complaints, immediately bounced off when a message was sent, despite several times of trying.

“The e-mail address for complaints came up with a standard reply, promising action within 14 days. “However, the strange part is the e-mail address that comes in the reply box is that of a Bank Barclays International London. It looks like someone is hacking into the system. Why is it that the reply does not come from korporat@khidmatnegara.gov.my? he asked. “I am asking the Government to look into the matter and upgrade the system’s firewall,” he said.

He added that the department should also look into the problems at the call centre.

It’s confirmed. College students don’t get discount for using trains.

120,000 have used electric train service since launch
Source: http://www.bernama.com/bernama & http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles

KUALA LUMPUR: The Electric Train Service (ETS) ferried 120,648 passengers between Aug 12, when it was launched, and Nov 11, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said 97,244 passengers travelled on the Ipoh-Kuala Lumpur route and 6,829 passengers went on the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban route up to October.
The government spent RM240 million to buy five sets of six-coach electric trains for use on the two routes, he said in a written reply to Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut).

Kong said the ETS offered discounts of between 20 and 50 per cent to various categories of passengers, including students, the disabled, government pensioners and senior citizens.

-- BERNAMA

Some ideas not included in draft KL Local Plan

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (By PRIYA MENON, 3/12/2010)
STAKEHOLDERS and residents of several housing areas in Kuala Lumpur have mixed reactions after reviewing the amended draft of the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2020 during a two-day briefing held on Nov 30 and Dec 1 at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) headquarters.

They are unhappy that the plan did not include some of the ideas that were suggested when the draft plan was first introduced…

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said he had received mixed reviews from his constituency on the lack of LRT in the area. “Residents of the more affluent places like Taman Tun Dr Ismail and Bukit Damansara were unhappy when they first found out about the proposed LRT line. Now with the amended plan, no such development has been marked so they are happy. On the other hand, places like Sungai Penchala, Kampung Segambut Dalam and Desa Park City are made up of middle-income and lower-income people and they have been waiting for the LRT line to come so this is a disappointment to them,” added Lim.

He also said KL mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Fuad Ismail had left several areas untouched to accommodate the Greater KL plan by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Lim said the Greater KL’s biggest project was to provide an MRT line in the Klang Valley and the current draft plan was conflicting it. “I laud the DBKL’s efforts in coming up with the draft plan. They are doing a great thing but both the draft plan and the Greater KL plan are conflicting each other,” he said.

I was just overjoyed, maintains Lip Eng

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news (1/12/2010)

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng has denied allegations that he was drunk during the Selangor DAP convention on Sunday, saying that he was merely “overjoyed” with Seputeh MP Teresa Kok’s victory.

He said he had also apologised for his behaviour that night and had replied to a show-cause letter by the party’s national disciplinary committee on the incident. “I have replied to the show-cause letter and am prepared to face any action from the disciplinary committee,” he said yesterday. He said he had received the letter via email on Monday evening and replied immediately. He said he also sent a letter to the party headquarters.

Lim was issued the letter on Monday after he had allegedly caused a commotion at the convention when he grabbed a microphone and shouted: “Teresa Kok won!” before being told to leave the hall. The MP, who was aligned to Kok’s team in the state DAP polls, was also reported to have told her rival, Selangor state assembly Speaker Teng Chang Khim, to resign and tweeted that he must quit to form his “new Oscar party”. Although Kok finished 11th in the voting, she was elected state chairman while Teng, who garnered the fourth highest number of votes, was made vice-chairman. Lim said that although he was not sure of the kind of disciplinary action that might be taken against him, he felt it might include a reprimand, suspension or even sacking. “I regret my mistake and I deserve any action against me. I hope it will be a lesson to party members not to repeat the mistake,” he said, adding that he would continue to serve the party.

DAP’s disciplinary committee chairman Tan Kok Wai confirmed that he had received Lim’s reply and that it would meet later in the month to look into his explanation. Besides Lim, two other DAP members who received show-cause letters were Singapore Street DAP branch chairman Anthony Teo and Karamunting branch chairman Simon Chok. Both men, who are from Sandakan, Sabah, were alleged to have made accusations against the party and run down its leaders. They were issued the letters on Nov 25.

Hall to be repaired

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (26/11/2010)

PLANS are afoot to repair the damaged Rukun Tetangga community centre in Taman City Barat, Segambut. The building was damaged on Sept 23 when an Alam Flora lorry skidded and rammed into it. Barisan Nasional Segambut chairman Jayanthi Devi Balaguru said the relevant parties overseeing the Rukun Tetangga centre were discussing with the contractors to repair the building. “Alam Flora has agreed to pay for the damage,” she added. The community hall, which had been in existence for 20 years, was used by the local community for various activities, including taekwondo classes.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) noted that the Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng was not fair in blaming DBKL for not attending to the problem. “The community hall is under the responsibility of the Department of National Unity and Integration for the Sentul district,” DBKL said in a statement. On Nov 13, Lim lashed out at DBKL for not attending to the damaged Rukun Tetangga community centre. Lim was quoted as saying that he had repeatedly reported the matter to DBKL but nothing was done nor any acknowledgement forthcoming. In the report he had urged the authorities to either repair or demolish the damaged hall located at a road junction leading to Jalan Kuching.

On another matter, the DBKL said comments made by Lim that Taman Sri Sinar residents were unhappy when City Hall put off a meeting to discuss road name changes with them without prior notice was untrue. It said Lim, the Rukun Tetangga chairman and the Taman Seri Bukit Bintang community representative were informed of the delay through a letter on Nov 3.

One too many break-ins

Lee Yoke Fatt (second from right) flanked by his brothers Michael Lee (right) and Simon Lee showing the police reports. With them is Lim Lip Eng (left). — Picture by Intan Nur Elliana Zakaria

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/3rbrg/Article (By Dawn Chan, 17/11/2010)
Two years ago businessman Lee Yoke Fatt purchased a three-storey warehouse unit for more than RM1 million in Medan Niaga Seri Kuching in Jalan Kuching. Though he has no regrets of making the purchase as the price of the property has since doubled, Lee has suffered major losses due to thefts. The 50-year-old, who runs a machinery parts business with his brothers, said his warehouse was broken into three times within a span of four days recently.

The first incident took place on Oct 28. When Lee arrived at the warehouse at 9.30am, he found the side door prised open. Following this, Lee had installed an iron door but a few days later, his warehouse was broken into again. "On the morning of Nov 1, thieves had once again entered my warehouse and fled with machinery spare parts worth RM8,000. I thought it would end. However, less than 24-hours later, it was burgled again and the thieves had carted away 10 units of electrical motors and other items. Those items were worth about RM10,000," said Lee during a press conference recently. Lee said some of the 39 warehouses in Medan Niaga Seri Kuching had also been broken into. The electrical cables at these units were stripped off for their high copper value. Taking the police's advice, Lee forked out about RM30,000 to beef up the security at his warehouse by installing closed-circuit television cameras, an alarm system and iron doors. Lee said the low occupancy in the area is one of the main reasons for the theft. Only 50 per cent of the units are occupied and many of the warehouse owners use the premises as a store. "I hope the police will patrol the area more often. Though the area is isolated, something has to be done to ensure the place is safe."
Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, who was at the press conference said, break-ins were rampant not only in his constituency but in other parts of the city. Lim said he had written to the Sentul district police headquarters and Federal police repeatedly putting forward his request for either a police beat base or mobile police van to be based in Taman Seri Segambut, Taman Kok Doh, Bandar Manjalara and Taman Seri Kuching but to no avail. Lim has also forwarded his requests to Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

WHERE IS THE SABAH AND SARAWAK AUTONOMY?

Source: http://sabahkini.net/v1/index.php (By Admin, 10/11/2010)

The question of autonomy in Sabah and Sarawak was raised in Parliament on the 3rd of November 2010 by the Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng. He asked the Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Razak to state why there is no full autonomy and power given to the two East Malaysian states.

The PM in his answer said that the duties and responsibilities of the Federal and State government are spelled out in the Malaysian National Constitutions under clause 9 and 10 respectively. Under the two clauses, the Federal government will at any time help the two East Malaysian states in their development and economy uplifting. The federal government will assist even with financial aids.

Since the formation of Malaysia, people in Sabah and Sarawak are free to select their choice of leaders through the process of general election. The federal government never involved and interfered with the process of democracy, and given full freedom to the Sabahan and Sarawakain to decide their own destiny and future well being.

Federal government also is responsible to protect the safety of the two states. We protected the rights in Sabah from the Philippines and the border issues with Brunei and Indonesia. This is to show the commitment and responsibility of the Federal government which is supported by all.

On the development aspect, the government never left Sabah and Sarawak behind. The Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) and the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) have already been launched to push the economy and to increase the income of the people. If the people give their full corporation, the corridor will produce good result and future in the two states.

The issue of autonomy should not be brought up because the government will fulfill their promises and the responsibility fully. Even though if Sabah is run by an opposition party, the Federal government will still give full help and support towards the opposition state. The two states should not dig on the issue of autonomy any more. This is because the opposition in the two states are playing on the issue, and stirring up the sentiment of the people in order to win the votes in the coming general election.

The Kota Kinabalu Member of Parliament DR. Hiew King Cheu viewed this answer from the Prime Minister as looking down on the wisdom of the East Malaysian in Sabah and Sarawak. The opposition representatives in two states mentioned the autonomy repeatedly is not to gain votes number but we are trying to remind the federal government not to treat us like second class citizen and can be play around with.

Of course, the Federal constitutions mentioned the rights of the two states and it is a must that the federal should give us the rightful care and treatment under the constitutions, and these had to be respected and carry out. It is no need for us to remind the federal boys. The PM said the federal will at all times help the two states in their development and economy, but what we can see is the two states are now being left far behind, at least 25 years. This is evidence from this year budget allocation, why Sabah and Sarawak put together only a mere 8% (RM9.55 billion) of the total national budget amount.

Why our roads, water and electricity supply, economy, industries, tourism, education, and many others are so far behind and underdeveloped when compared to Semananjong? Are we being treated fairly? Not mentioning the high poverty rate in Sabah.

It is the responsibility of the Federal government to protect our soil in Sabah and Sarawak, and this is also listed in the Federal constitution and the Malaysia Agreement. The PM said even the Sabah government is run by the opposition the federal government will still do the same and equal to the state.

He must be very forgetful, and he has forgotten about the ill treatment imposed on the Sabahan during the PBS opposition government of 5 years from 1990 to 1994. We were given full punishment and funding stopped. He didn’t know the suffering of the Sabahan.

Now, the Sabah BN government still has to listen to KL, even on policies, who to be CM, DCM, minister and even as candidate, if not also have to beg for allocation and funding. We know many BN MPs had made noises in Parliament but still no use and problem remained unsolved after many years. They just don’t care about Sabah and Sarawak.

Deserted community hall in Segambut in danger of collapse

Deserted: The hall was used by the local community for various activities including regular taekwondo classes. (Photo by Sin Chew Daily)

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (By Kharleez zubin, 11/11/2010)
Residents and business operators around Taman City Barat in Segambut along Jalan Kuching want the authorities to either repair or demolish a badly damaged community hall located at a road junction.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said the residents around the area have conveyed to him their fears that the hall would collapse, thus damaging vehicles or injuring passers-by. “About two months ago, a lorry ran into the hall and damaged nearly half of the building. Despite being alerted, the authorities have yet to respond,” Lim said.

The Rukun Tetangga community hall, which had been in existence for the last 20 years, was used by the local community for various activities including regular taekwondo classes. Selayang town councillor A. Murugeshu, who also attended the press conference, expressed fears that the deserted hall might turn into a place for drug addicts.

On another matter, Lim said the Taman Sri Sinar residents were unhappy when the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) put off a meeting with them without prior notice. The residents were supposed to discuss the road name changes done by DBKL. “They were asked to come for a meeting on Monday to air their frustrations and when they arrived at DBKL headquarters in Jalan Raja Laut, they were told the deputy director-general for services was away in Tokyo,” Lim said.

The next meeting has been fixed for Nov 26. Lim said DBKL replaced some 20 road names in the 10-year-old housing estate last month without informing the residents. For example, the busy Jalan 2/36 Sri Bintang had been reamed Jalan Seri Bintang. Lim said the residents were not against the name changes but more annoyed over DBKL’s attitude.

However, DBKL said it had consulted several representatives of the community before replacing the road names.

Shoddy work by contractors causing noise pollution

Cement gave way several days exposing the metal pipes after the shoddy work

Lim and Tan inspecting the remnants of tar left behind by the contractors after digging up the roads and laying metal pipes.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (Story by PRIYA MENON, photo by Lim Lip Eng 28/10/2010)
SLEEP has been evading residents of Jalan 17/42 and Jalan 18/42 in Taman Kok Doh, Segambut due to the noise created by metal pipes on the street. The pipes are exposed after the cement layer over it gave way several days after the shoddy work was done by contractors.

According to Tan Yee Hwa, 56, the contractors dug up the roads looking for Telekom Malaysia cables and covered the pipes with cement but left a hole in the road. “They did not bury the pipes deep enough and left a hole where they had dug. They also left the tar they dug up by the road,” he said. The noise caused by the pipe began several days ago and is especially jarring during the night when it is quiet. Every time a car hits the metal pipes, residents brace themselves against the noise. “The children can hardly sleep from the noise. It is noisier in the night since there are no activities in the area except for vehicles moving in and out of the housing estate,” said Tan, whose coffee shop is located next to the road. In order to avoid an accident, Tan, a resident of 44 years in the area, has been covering up the gaping hole using the tar left behind.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng lodged a complaint with Telekom Malaysia two days ago after being informed of the issue. “I believe it is not Telekom but their contractors who have done such a bad patch-up job. I will follow up with them regarding this matter. He urged the relevant parties to carry out repair work soon to prevent unscrupulous people stealing the exposed metal pipes. “I urge the government bodies to monitor their contractors and ensure they carry out a proper job. “If the contractors fail to do so, they should be fined,” he added.

Bank Negara studying policy changes to housing loans

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news (27/10/2010)

BANK Negara is studying possible policy changes for those taking up loans to buy a third house or more, says Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai.

He said Bank Negara was looking into the matter first before making a decision.

“However, there will be no policy changes for first and second-time house buyers,” he said in his reply to Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut).

At present, there are no restrictions on home owners seeking to buy their third house. In fact, they are eligible to apply for 90% of housing loan. The deputy minister said that house prices have increased steadily alongside the growth in the country’s income and economic levels. “Between 2001 and 2009, the Malaysian house price index and gross domestic product have increased by an average annual rate of 3.4% and 8.6% respectively,” he added. However, he said that house prices at several locations in large cities had shot up due to price speculation and investment activities. “If this situation is not controlled at an early stage, the house prices will go up beyond the consumer’s financial means and may affect socio-economic growth,” he added. Lim said the people would also face difficulty in buying houses, which might lead to an increase in debts. “The loan-to-value ratio will be specific in nature and its implications on the country’s economic growth will be taken into account,” he added.

Nightmare on Taman Bukit Sri Bintang streets

Photo from The Star: Confusing matter- Lim (front) looking at the old signboard (bottom) and the new one along with some others.

Story from: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles (By Noel Achariam of streets@nst.com.my, 25/10/2010)
KUALA LUMPUR: Residents and business operators in Taman Bukit Sri Bintang, Bandar Menjalara here are unhappy that the road names in their area have been changed without prior notice. They claimed that City Hall had changed the names of more than 20 roads last Tuesday. They said the new road names are confusing those living and doing business in the area. Taman Bukit Sri Bintang Rukun Tetangga chairman Angus Ng, said that City Hall should have consulted them before changing the road names. "We are not against the change in road names but they should have informed us about it first," said Ng. He said now residents would have to update the address in their MyKad while business operators would have to change the address on name cards, letter heads and their signboards. "The business operators had said that it would be difficult for them to receive cheques from their clients as the addresses are different now. They hope that City Hall will work together with Pos Malaysia to inform them of the change."

Resident Simon Khor, 53, said the change in road names would also confuse visitors. "How can City Hall change all the road names without consulting us? Even before the change, letters were being delivered to all the wrong houses, so we don't see how the new names are going to benefit us. We hope that City Hall can meet the residents and explain why the names were changed without any consultation," he said. Khor also said that the road names should be systematic and not all over the place. "We want the road names to follow a certain criteria. There is confusion now as the road names are not in order. If City Hall wants to change the names they should at least indicate the name of the previous road under the new road signages so that people would know where to go," he said.
Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng who received the complaint from the residents last week said that he had already contacted City Hall on the issue last Thursday. "After receiving the complaint, I faxed, send a SMS and called City Hall for an explanation but there was no answer. "Then I went to the City Hall office to meet the officer in-charge of road names. He admitted that there was no consultation with the residents and that the road names were gazetted in 2006," he said. Lim said that he was told by the officer that there were three procedures before a road name is gazetted. "The first is getting feedback from residents, the second is submitting the new names to a special committee for approval and the third is to submit the names to the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry for approval and gazettement. "All this was done four years ago, and when I asked the officer why did it take so long to put up the road names, the officers said that it took four years to make the road signages," he said. Lim said that the officer also informed him that City Hall will be calling for a meeting with the residents to discuss the issue. "We will have to wait and see what transpires in the meeting," he said.

Related news: http://thestar.com.my/metro

'Trafficked men' toil at new palace

Source: http://malaysiakini.com/news/145815 (By Hazlan Zakaria, 19/10/2010)
In yet another twist to the new national palace construction saga, a group of workers emerged from the woodwork of the controversy-ridden project, claiming to be victims of human trafficking. The grouses of these masonry specialists from China is that they have not been paid their wages the last two months, after being taken to work on the project by their original employer, who then upped and disappeared. "We have no money to eat. We now survive by borrowing from local workers at the site," group spokesperson Zhang Baowen told a press conference in Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur, today. Eight of them showed up at the press conference, out of their original group of 12. "Four from our group ran away because they could not bear the situation any longer," Zhang said. He said the masons were enticed from China to work in construction projects in Libya, at wages of between RM3,200 and RM3,700 a month, a lot more than the RM1,800 to RM2,300 a month they earned in China. They were required to pay the agent who recruited them RM7,000 each. Their passports had stamps in Arabic, purportedly entry visas for Libya.
Tricked to come to Malaysia
However, at the last minute, they were rerouted to Malaysia with the promise of work and higher wages amounting to RM65,000 if they worked for two years. But once in Malaysia, Zhang said, they were only paid RM2,300 a month, similar to what they made in their homeland. Originally, 30 of them were recruited in Guangdong province by a Malaysian company, Guan Ming Construction Sdn Bhd, and told to make their own way to Macao. The workers also showed a copy of the contract that they signed with Guan Ming Construction. From there, they were flown to Malaysia, where they were issued with legal immigration i-Cards in the name of another company, NF Renovation and Ironworks Sdn Bhd. Whether the work permits are legal were questioned by a Chinese Embassy official, who was also present and had met with the complaining workers. This was because, he said, the workers had left China on tourist exit visas. The official made this observation after scrutinising their passports and said that under China's immigration law, Chinese nationals cannot work abroad unless they have specific authorisation and leave under the appropriate visas. After their arrival in Malaysia on July 31, the workers started working for a construction company, owned by a Chinese national, in Old Klang Road before being told in early October that their permits had expired. They were then coerced into paying their employer in order to renew their permits. "We had to sign another contract with our employer, saying that we owe him RM 14,000 in order to be able to extend our work permits," Zhang said. He explained that 12 of them were sent to the new palace construction site on Oct 7 and they have been working there ever since, with their salaries since August still unpaid. The Chinese Embassy official, who recorded the details of the workers, said he would look into their problem.
'Police harassed complainants'
Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, who arranged the press conference for the disgruntled workers, said he was told of the matter by an informant. "I want to ask the government how these workers could have been legalised. How can this happen at a high security worksite such as the new palace project?" asked Lim. He also said he made sure that Chinese Embassy officials were present today to protect the workers, since foreign workers cheated of their wages in earlier cases he had exposed to the media "have all disappeared". Lim also said reporters who accompanied him to interview Indonesian workers in a similar incident earlier were recently questioned by police. This, he said, was yet another case of police harassing those who complained, instead of investigating the project contractors responsible.
The controversial new palace project at Jalan Duta has been called into question for its ballooning cost as well as allegations that illegal workers are employed in its construction, many of whom claimed they were not paid for work done and alleged other abuses as well. Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has also questioned the awarding of the contract, purportedly, an unqualified crony company.

MPs: Mega-tower won't improve quality of life

Source: http://malaysiakini.com/news/145741 (By Hazlan Zakaria, 19/10/2010)
Five DAP MPs from the Fedral Territories are strongly opposed to the government proposal to build a RM5 billion 100-storey commercial building in the heart of the city. They said that the building will not improve Kuala Lumpur's international standing but will exacerbate the traffic congestion in the area. Instead, the government should use the funds to improve the quality of life for the city folk, they stressed. The five MPs are Tan Kok Wai (Cheras), Fong Kui Loon (Bukit Bintang), Teresa Kok (Seputeh), Dr Tan Seng Giaw (Kepong) and Lim Lip Eng (Segambut).

This was raised during a site visit at the nearest point between Stadium Merdeka and Stadium Negara. The building, proposed in Budget 2011, is expected to be build adjacent to the two stadiums. Fong pointed to the narrow streets and five schools concentrated in the area that he said already presents a traffic problem. This may be made worse by the 100-storey tower and the glut of traffic that will surely follow, he said.
Lim Lip Eng argued that the project has not yet been approved, given the lack of signboards from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to announce the project, as per city regulations. “The DBKL must put up a signboard and announce the project, and then there is an objection period of one month for the people to make their comments,” said the DAP elected representative. He said that this is necessary to give the people a chance to say whether they support or object to the project and why. “We of the opposition have made our views known, but the government can say that we are politicising the matter. Now we want to use people power,” opined Lim.
Do we need another skyscraper?
Kok Wai questioned the need for such skyscrapers. “No great cities were built by skyscrapers alone. It is better if we (possess) the criteria that make a good city, like good security and good public transport,” he said. Agreeing with him, Seng Giaw said that the RM5 billion expenditure targeted for the tower may be better spent upgrading city transport and public services. “Granted some people may benefit from the tower, the people who will have offices there for example, but their number is limited. “In contrast, spending the money to upgrade transportation and services will benefit more people,” he said. Kok said that the mega project is just another questionable project that the BN government continues to push through without due consideration, giving as another example the spate of projects in her Seputeh constituency that the DBKL has ramrodded through. These objections by DAP parliamentarians joined a chorus of opposition to the mega-project that was one of the many sore points of Najib's new budget. Many are criticising the tower as another wasteful 'white elephant' project that signalled a return to Mahathir-style projects of grandeur, at a time when the country was saddled with a nosedive in foreign direct investment and rising debt.

New palace cost: RM935 mil and counting

Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/145669 18/10/10

The federal government has approved an additional RM147 million for the construction of the new national palace at Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur. In total, the new palace will cost RM935 million, which includes the construction or upgrading of roads leading to the palace, but excludes operational and administration costs.
In a written reply to Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut), the Works Ministry said the 100,000 sq metre palace complex itself will cost RM650 million. "However, this cost does not include several of the project's components which need to be be considered to complete the entire palace project. "In view of this, the government has agreed to approve an additional RM147 million allocation," said the reply.
Details about the "project's components" were not stated in the written reply. According to the works ministry, the cost of the construction of a multi-level traffic junction from Jalan Duta to the palace has dropped from RM130 million to RM106 million.
No details on operational cost
Upgrading works on Jalan Changkat Semantan, which leads to the second entrance of the palace, is maintained at a cost of RM32.5 million. The works ministry said that operations and administration costs would only be determined after the entire project is completed on June 30 next year. The government's handling of the new palace had been courting controversy in recent months, with allegations of construction workers abuse, embezzlement and cost-overruns. Previously, Deputy Works Minister Yong Khoon Seng said that total cost of the new palace stood at RM811 million, which is double the estimated RM400 million in 2006. In June, Works Minister Shaziman Abu Mansor denied an opposition lawmaker's accusation that an additional RM150 million had been disbursed for the palace to meet cost-overruns.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has accused the government of awarding the contract for the main palace contract to an unqualified Umno crony company.

Residents say demolition notice unlawful

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (By JAYAGANDI JAYARAJ, 8/10/2010)
THE remaining 38 former workers at Batu Estate in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur are determined to stay put in their homes despite a demolition notice issued by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) on Tuesday. The notice expires on Oct 12 and demolition work will be carried out anytime after that.

Vijaya Veeran, 33, said the residents would not move out as the matter was not handled fairly, and evicting the residents was not right. “We received notice from the enforcement department asking us to move out but we are not squatters. “All we are asking is for low-cost terrace houses to be built here or at a nearby piece of land,” he said at a press conference at the site yesterday.

Also present was Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng. Lim questioned the validity of the demolition notice as it involved private land and DBKL could not order people to move out. “This is not state land so DBKL cannot issue such notices. What’s rightful is for the landowner to get a court order to evict the residents. “The matter is pending in court and nothing has been resolved as yet, so what’s the hurry in trying to get these residents off the land?” said Lim, who urged the residents to lodge a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission against DBKL for sending out such notices. He added that he would be meeting with Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk M. Saravanan on Monday to request that he meet with the residents.

When contacted, DBKL stated that the developer had sought its help to issue the notice and that the cost of demolition would be borne by the company.