Residents jittery over riverbank erosion

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng (second from right) and residents inspecting the broken retaining wall along Sungai Penchala. — Picture by Effendy Rashid

Pictures by Lim Lip Eng

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles (By C. Premananthini, 2010/07/28)

Residents of Desa Kiara Condominium and the Joint Management Body (JMB) have expressed their concern about the erosion in Sungai Penchala, which is behind their condominium. For over three months, letters of complaint had been sent to the Federal Territory Irrigation and Drainage Department. The condition of the retaining wall along Sungai Penchala is deteriorating at an alarming rate.

The property manager of JMB, Balasubramaniam Subarayan, said the Federal Territory Irrigation and Drainage department officers had come and taken pictures. But JMB was asked to refer the matter to the Petaling Jaya Irrigation and Drainage department in Subang Jaya.
"A week later, we received a call saying the matter was under investigation. "However, we were later told to refer the matter to the Federal Territory's Irrigation and Drainage Department," said Balasubramaniam.
Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng visited the affected area on Monday. He said he would request for a meeting with the Housing and Local Ministry to discuss the issue and hoped the authorities would take immediate action before anything untoward happens.

Drain covers go missing in Taman Sri Sinar Segambut

Uncovered manholes make residents fear for their safety.
DBKL only placed wooden covers over the drains.

Hard to move: Tan has placed several large heavy pots on the drain cover in front of her house to deter the thieves.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (29/7/2010)

Within four nights, more than 30 drain covers have ‘vanished’ into thin air at the busy Taman Sri Sinar residential area in Segambut. The drain covers were stolen at night two weeks ago.

Shelly Tan, 68, said every morning she would discover at least two drain covers missing while on her way to the market. “It is so dangerous, I have resorted to placing large flower pots on the drain covers in front of my house to prevent people from stealing them,” she added.

Dog lover Elizabeth Anthony, 68, said she found a puppy stuck in a manhole last Sunday and rescued the dog with the help of neighbours. “The dog had fallen in the night before, imagine if it was a child. The playground is just down the road and the neighbourhood is filled with young children,” she said. Anthony fears for the safety of children, especially after her niece fell into an uncovered manhole and broke her kneecap. Only four or five drain covers are still intact after residents decided to weld the iron in place. After lodging complaints to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), some workers came and placed wooden covers over the drains.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said he was surprised that the DBKL still used iron drain covers. “I do not understand why DBKL is still using the iron drain covers when members of the community, including MPs, leaders and residents, have given them various suggestions,” he said. Lim feels that DBKL should replace the covers with heavy industrial PVC drain covers that are common in Singapore and even new housing estates in Malaysia. He said he had already lodged a complaint with the DBKL and hoped they would solve the problem soon.

Is KL Street crime really down by 45 per cent?

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles (By Elizabeth Zachariah, 22/7/2010)

KUALA LUMPUR: The Rakan Cop programme has proved its worth with the ordinary man on the street by helping KL police to reduce street crime by at least 45 per cent in the first six months of this year. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop said 2,819 cases had been reported between January and June, this year compared with more thanover 5,000 cases during the same period last year. “This proves that the proactive efforts and interactive relationship between members of the public and the police have been fruitful,” he said at the launch of Rakan Cop with the Federal Territory Taxi Drivers and Operators Association on Tuesday.

He said taxi drivers played a crucial role in helping police fight crime as they had access to information on crime that had just happened. He said they could become the “eyes and ears” of police. However, KL police chief Deputy Commissioner of Police Datuk Wira Muhammad Sabtu Osman said only 7,000 of the 27,000 taxis in the city were equipped with radios. “I hope more taxis will be fitted with radios, ” he said, adding that the radios could help police disseminate information easily to taxi the drivers more efficiently. He said it was hard for the 7,000 police personnel to do their job because there were to cover the 4½ million residents in the city, including 2 million immigrants. “That is why we need the co-operation of the public to help us combat crime, especially street crime,” he said.

Sabtu said there were 364,152 Rakan Cop members nationwide, including 84,878 members here.

Read more: KL Street crime down by 45 per cent

Now, let’s hear it from a commoner

Dear YB Lim Lip Eng,

As you are my elected MP and my whole family actually voted for you in March 2008, I thought you should be informed of the worsening crime rate in Taman Lawa and its surrounding area.

Incidents of bag-snatching, house break-in etc are much talked about almost every other day and unfortunately, I have my own to tell.

I was walking on the inner road in front of the row of shophouses on 19 July (Monday)at about 8:30 pm when two Chinese guys in a rundown blue color kapchai approached me from the front. The riding pillion younger guy immediately alighted, raising one hand with a parang and proding another hand out telling me, "Tah-cheong, loh horpau lei." (Robbery, hand me wallet). My immediate instinct was to prevent a parang slash and I spontaneously took out my N73 mobile from the trouser's pocket and gave him. Not satisfied, the other older addict-looking rider asked, "Horpau?"

As I was just walking to a friend's house nearby, I didn't bring wallet nor money. Furious, he demanded to know why I didn't have a wallet despite wearing an office attire. I told and convinced them I was going to give tuition nearby and luckily, they took my words and left me unharmed.

As I ponder after the incident, I am saddened with the fact that taking a walk in one's own neighbourhood is no longer safe. Maybe I should drive but we also hear horror stories of being robbed together with the car as one alight from the car.

I would like to think my experience is not an isolated case and of course, the constituency of Segambut is not the only area with an increasing criminal activities in this country.

Police report? Being a lawyer and MP, I think you know better than me to trust our Polis DiRaja Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Yours truly,

Tan Chee Kuan

A resident of Jalan 17/42 Taman Lawa

MP shows proof of minors at new palace building site

Source: http://malaysiakini.com/news/138032 (Aidila Razak, 22/7/2010)
Segambut parliamentarian Lim Lip Eng has produced evidence that children are living at the new palace construction site directly contradicting the claim by the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) that there are no minors at the work site.

Showing photos taken during his visit to the site on June 21 and 24 with journalists, Lim said he had seen two infants and a toddler aged around two years living there with their Indonesian parents who worked on site. "But the workers told us that there are about 10 more babies of a few months age living there too," he told a press conference at his service centre this morning.

"Now that the matter is public, I hope Suhakam will contact me immediately to assist them in further investigations," Lim added.

The new evidence refutes Suhakam's earlier claim that they found no children during their official on-site inspection on July 15. The inspection was held to investigate claims that workers at the new palace site were not being paid by the sub-contractors. Commissioner Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah, after conducting the inspection on Tuesday, had said the commission did not see any children on site.

Security lapse

Lim charged that the unreliable findings by the human rights watchdog only went to prove its 'redundancy'. "Their findings were delayed because they were barred, showing that they do not have much powers. "I suggest that the commissioners resign en bloc and Suhakam be closed down and their office be used to provide childcare facilities or housing for the workers," he said.

Lim's assistant - Khairuddin Karim who accompanied him on the site visit said the children lived in cramped conditions with several adults sharing a container cabin measuring about 48 square feet. He said the cabins had no ventilation and were located close piling rubbish. "Children should not be allowed into construction sites, let alone live there," he said.

Lim said that prior to media reports on the workers' plight, the back entrance to the site was completely unsecured while his 'entourage of a lorry and cars' passed through the front gate with just a cursory wave from the guards. This, he said, was reason enough for the government to stop the new palace project as security during construction was one of the main concerns so much so of the contract was awarded through direct negotiations. "The government has every right to terminate the contract as there has a been a breach of the fundamental clause," he said.

Suhakam initially barred Security today, however, had been upped with the back entrance completely sealed and several visitors stopped. "I have tried to go back a few times but I have been stopped by police, guards and 'gangster- looking' people," Lim claimed

The controversy over the workers came to light when English-language daily The Star reported on June 27 that about 1,000 Indonesian workers hired to build the RM800 million Istana Negara have yet to receive their wages from some sub-contractors. Main contractor Maya Maju Sdn Bhd had claimed earlier that it was the responsibility of the sub-contractors to pay their workers. Following a public outcry, Suhakam visited the site on July 5 to look into the workers' plight as well as claims that children were living there in cramped and dirty conditions, deprived of basic nutrition. They were, however, barred from entering and had to return on July 15 when they were allowed in. It was later reported that they found no evidence of abuse against the migrant workers. However, the commission did not discount the possibility that abuses could have occurred, as their inspection was not conducted immediately. "We went to investigate the report of non-payment of salary, but were unable to actually get reliable information because the inspection was so delayed. "We will write to the relevant agencies to facilitate such future inspections without delays," said commissioner Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah.

PPR low-cost flats: No win-win situation in sight

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (22/7/2010)

ONE would assume that the easiest way to resolve the ownership issue of the PPR low-cost flats is for the government to give away for free all the 44,146 units to the residents —provided that they are willing to bear the burden of maintaining the buildings. After all, it would only cost the government RM1.4bil while the government has to fork out a minimum of RM50mil a year to maintain the buildings. And if this doesn’t work, what chances would other alternatives have?

However, it is not as simple as that as shown by views expressed by the following personalities.

Tan Jo Hann — Persatuan Masyara­kat Selangor & Wilayah Perseku­tuan (Permas)

Giving away the units for free to residents is not a solution. It is not easy, and is a big problem to maintain the place. In the case of the hardcore poor, DBKL can come up with an installment plan to recover the rent owed. However, it must be strict in enforcement to recover rent. There must also be political will to see this through. The residents must be educated to respect public properties and education is the only way out.

Iskandar Abdul Samad — Selangor state exco for Housing, Building and Squatters

Giving away houses for free to the residents may work but there will be problems. If they are not able to pay rent, what makes you think they will pay the maintenance fee? It is way too big a responsibility to maintain the entire place. In Selangor, we are facing a similar situation and we are currently trying to recover RM5mil in rent owed. The problem is that there is too much political interference when we try to do so. We need to change the people’s mindset and educate them to be responsible citizens. The government must do what is right and not what is popular.

Lim Lip Eng — Segambut MP

Giving away the PPR flats free to the poor families and letting the owners manage their own buildings in order to lessen the financial burden of City Hall will certainly aggravate the issue faced by both parties. Some, if not most, of the flat owners will eventually stop paying their monthly maintenance fee due to various reasons. City Hall will still be dragged into the picture when a sold PPR flat is in deplorable living conditions.

I suggest we emulate the Singa-pore way. In Singapore, a strict process is adopted to determine who are entitled to purchase government flats. Tariff defaulters face serious consequences.

Before we achieve a high civic conscious society, City Hall as the local government inevitably has to foot the bills for the maintenance of the PPR flats.

The Most Urgent Issue in Segambut

MCA property decision postponed for fifth time

Source: http://malaysiakini.com/news/137706 (Christine Chan, 19/7/2010)
The decision for a judicial review filed by MCA questioning the legality of the Kajang Municipal Council's (MPKj) decision to evict the party from and demolish an MCA building, has been postponed to Sept 24.

This is because the High Court Judge, Hinshawati Shariff, was unable to attend the proceedings. This is the fifth postponement of the case. The original date of the decision was scheduled for March 30 but was delayed to the next day as she was on emergency leave. However, on Mar 31 the MCA lawyer was absent so the judge was unable to proceed as she needed some clarification from the counsels. The decision was then fixed for April 23, but was again deferred as the judge was on medical leave. The case was then postponed to May 14 but she was unable to attend yet again due to medical reasons and it was set for today. Presiding in the Shah Alam High Court, Judge Zainal Azman postponed the case to Sept 24 for the decision to be delivered by Hinshawati herself.
Counsel for MPKj and Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said that Zainal believed that since Hinshawati had been presiding over the case since it started, it would be more judicious for her to deliver the judgment. He added that he hoped a prompt decision would be delivered as it will affect other local governments nationwide. "I hope the decision will be finally made known to us on Sept 24," he said.
MCA had filed for a judicial review on April 7 last year against MPKj following its decision to foreclose a building occupied by the political party. The building is located in Batu 11 Cheras. Then MCA secretary-general Wong Foon Meng claimed that they had been occupying the land since 1981 with the permission of the Hulu Langat district council. However, MPKj contended that the building was illegally constructed on state land; therefore it has the right to claim possession of the building.
Related link: http://thestar.com.my/news/story/courts

'Monkey stories' keep the house in stitches

Source: http://www.sun2surf.com/article (By Husna Yusop & Hemananthani Sivanandam, 13/7/2010)

The house of Parliament was entertained by stories of wild animals today during the two-hour long winding-up of the Wildlife Conservation Bill 2010 by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas. Although the bill had been debated by the MPs yesterday, they still intercepted Douglas’ speech and came up with questions on endangered species, including giant lizards, swiftlets, elephants, tigers, gaurs and monkeys…

Datuk Ibrahim Ali (Ind-Pasir Mas) had the house in stitches when he suggested that wild animals be tamed and used as tourist attractions. "Does the government have any plans to tame the wild animals? Maybe we can train them to play football and it can be a major tourist draw. Who knows, we can have a Beruk Kelantan team versus Beruk Selangor team at the Bukit Jalil Stadium," he said, to roars of laughter.

A mischievous Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut) quipped that Ibrahim can be their trainer…

-- theSun

Agong's Orders Still Effective Despite Not Gazetted

Bernama: http://bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=513288 (13/7/2010)

Orders made by Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Sultans have their effects and can be enforced under the law despite not gazetted. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said the fact that orders made by Yang di-Pertuan Agong were not gazetted did not render them ineffective.
He said this in a written reply to Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut) who asked whether orders made by Yang di-Pertuan Agong or Sultans could be enforced despite not gazetted. "For example, the appointment of Session Court judges under sub-section 59(3) of Lower Court Act 1948 provides that they be appointed by Yang di-Pertuan Agong on recommendation of the Chief Judge. "Although it is not necessary under sub-section 59(3) Act 92 to gazette the appointments by Yang di-Pertuan Agong, they are still gazetted for public information."
Nazri said the same applies to the states where the Sultans as Islamic head made orders to protect the sanctity of Islam and its institution. "Those who insulted or disobey orders of the Sultan as Islamic head are committing an offence under Section 12 of Syariah Criminal Enactment (Selangor) 1995," he added.
Under the law, offenders can be fined not more RM3,000 or jailed not more two years' or both.
-- BERNAMA

Segambut MP in 'Octopus Paul' position

Source: http://malaysiakini.com/news/137144 (By S Pathmawathy, 13/7/2010)
DAP's Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng may be forgiven for feeling like Paul the Octopus - he has to choose between two different replies to a similar question before Parliament.
The Home Ministry has issued a written reply to his question on the Gerakan Kebangkitan Rakyat (Gertak) rally, although it would not respond when party colleague and Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo asked for similar information earlier.
Yesterday, Lim questioned the validity of the reply to his question on whether the Gertak rally was deemed seditious, since it was originally to have been held on May 13 - the anniversary of the country's worst racial riots in 1969. He also asked if investigations are underway. Gobind had asked the government on June 4 whether it supported the Gertak rally and if not, what kind of action could be taken against the organisers. A written reply to Gobind quoted Standing Order 23(1)(h): 'A question cannot be posed with the intent to garner opinion or settlement with regard to an outstanding legal matter which is not yet became a motion or in order to get an answer using conjecture.'
However, Lim was told that the rally was “cancelled following protests from various quarters who were confused over the date chosen for the event”. "The programme received opposition and negative feedback from several people. However, only one memorandum and two police reports were made to express grievances.” The reply further stated that the police have concluded that the rally - eventually held on June 14 in the Terengganu indoor stadium - posed no threat to public order and security. "So what is real answer - the rejection or the reply to me?" he asked.
Previous gaffes
Two cabinet ministers had caused confusion with their written parliamentary replies in recent weeks, but had blamed the error on their respective officers. This was respectively on the issuance of the sports betting licence and the purported relocation of Parliament House to Putrajaya.
Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena) was told that the government would still offer the sports betting licence to Ascot Sports Sdn Bhd, even after a decision had been made to call off the contentious proposal. Earlier, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz had to apologise for a misleading reply to Sim Tong Him (DAP-Kota Melaka) and to clarify that the apparent relocation of Parliament House was only a proposal by the Public Works Department.

Men collect donation under false pretences

Duped: Yong showing the certificate and receipt he was given after making a RM200 donation to the uniformclad men.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (By JAYAGANDI JAYARAJ, 13/7/2010)
A restaurant operator in Taman Sejahtera, Segambut, Kuala Lumpur, became suspicious when three uniform-clad men came to conduct checks at his restaurant on July 9 before asking for a RM3,000 donation. “They were in uniform, complete with name tags but they told us that they were not from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL). “We were alarmed and afraid because they acted like enforcement officers, checking the shop and advising us on restaurant cleanliness and hiring of foreign workers,” said Kwok Weng restaurant owner Yong Chiew Seng, 56. Yong became even more suspicious when the men asked for a RM3,000 donation supposedly for their association gathering.

After negotiating, they settled for RM200, Yong told a press conference organised by Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng recently. He wrote them a cheque for the amount and was presented with a certificate for “Kempen Utamakan Keselamatan dan Kebajikan Pekerja” endorsed by a “Pertubuhan Pembangunan Peniaga and Usahawan”. It was signed by the association’s secretary-general Mukhtar Harun and president Aznan Mat Akit. After the incident, Yong quickly alerted Lim and cancelled the cheque upon his advice.

Meanwhile, Lim urged the public not to be intimidated by people who came into their premises to ask for donations. “The public are not obliged to give donations and they cannot force people into donating. If a person does not want to donate, he can ask the party asking for donations to leave,” said Lim

A call by StarMetro to a landline number printed on the certificate went unanswered. The number was registered to a place in Perak.

Unite and finalise councillor list, PKR urged

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news (11/7/10)

PKR should pull itself together and ensure the list of Selangor councillors is completed and finalised, said DAP’s Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng. “This is the third year Pakatan Rakyat is running Selangor. There should not be any more delays. The list should have been finalised one or two months back,” he said yesterday.

Thursday’s swearing-in ceremony for local councillors for Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya was called off at the last minute following instructions from the state government and purported technical glitches.

Lim claimed the list delay occurred because some leaders were lobbying for their people to be appointed as councillors. “We should look at the matter at a macro level. We are talking about Pakatan versus Barisan (Nasional) and not Pakatan versus Pakatan. They have to get over it and pull everyone together. We should fight for our cause and not fight among ourselves,” Lim tweeted yesterday. He said he was speaking up over the matter as it involved the Pakatan coalition, adding that the DAP had given its list to the media before the Selangor Mentri Besar announced it...

Telco Ministry can't answer why unfair pricings by Telekom Malaysia

IGP Must Be Sacked

Segambut residents unhappy with developer’s plans

Site of controvesy: The residents are upset that part of their playground (left) has been taken up for the kindergarten.

Voicing out: Lim speaking to some of the residents during the press conference.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro=central (By PRIYA MENON, 5/7/2010)

RESIDENTS of Taman Sri Bintang, Segambut, are angry that part of a 10-year-old playground built by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has been taken over by a developer to build a kindergarten. According to them, a gazebo and the jogging trail were demolished three weeks ago.

June Khoo, 63, said this was the only playground and park in the neighbourhood catering to more than 1,000 families. Florence Cheah, 62, is questioning the need for another kindergarten as there are many in the area.

Children from the neighbouring kindergartens also use the playground, while senior citizens go for tai chi classes and jog there in the morning.

Fook Yoon Chin, 65, questioned the land ownership and DBKL’s inability to determine the real owner. “How can DBKL build this playground, do upgrading work and later give it up to the developer?” he asked. Taman Sri Bintang Rukun Tetangga chairman Angus Ng has appealed to the DBKL to help spruce up the playground and jogging track.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, who held a press conference with the residents on July 3, said he had checked with the DBKL who confirmed that the land was indeed private land. “I will ask the DBKL to give me a chronological order of the events that occurred since the playground was built. I need it so that I can explain to the people,” added Lim. He would also ask that the DBKL ensure that the playground was cordoned off from the kindergarten to ensure the institution does not monopolise the facilities.

We were asked to leave

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story ((By JAYAGANDI JAYARAJ, 3/4/2010)
PETALING JAYA: My colleague Bavani M. and I were very excited upon receiving a text message from Istana Negara project main contractor Maya Maju that they were calling for a press conference yesterday. We thought that finally, the contractor would give his side of the story over allegations that many foreign workers at the construction site had not been paid salaries from several project sub-contractors. Our previous attempts to get the contractor to speak to us had been unsuccessful despite repeated visits to the site office and its headquarters in Sri Hartamas. Our repeated telephone calls to the office were also left unanswered.

(On June 21, both of us had accompanied Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng to the site to interview the foreign workers, visited the Maya Maju’s head office in Jalan Sri Hartamas and spoken to Finance and Admin manager Hasrul Mansor to get some comments. Hasrul said then that the bosses were abroad.) Two days later, we went to Maya Maju’s site office and spoke to Project Manager Abdul Razak Mat Yunus who directed us to seek further clarification from the Public Works Department.

It was even more difficult to get in touch with Maya Maju after our story on the issue was published on June 27 headlined Cry for Help. We were promised a press conference with the bosses two days later by a Maya Maju spokesman but to our disappointment, The Star was left out of the press conference. So when we heard about a second press conference, we were a bit more hopeful. To our disappointment later, the spokesman said Maya Maju’s bosses were not keen on having The Star at the press conference. After a few persistent calls and text messages to him, Bavani asked again if The Star was invited. “I don’t know. You may try your luck”, the spokesman said. So, I tried my luck. I met photographer M. Azhar at 10am at the main gate of the project site. We rode in on his motorcycle and were allowed into the project site. But when we reached the site office, we saw some workers carrying a banner that read ‘Hentikan Fitnah Terhadap Kami’ (Stop defaming us). A security personnel then stopped us and asked where we were from. Then, he said he had received instructions from his superiors, to not allow The Star into the press conference. We were asked to leave immediately.

Not so chirpy residents

MP Segambut Lim Lip Eng listens to residents of Country Heights Damansara. Photo by NICK.

Massive: The three-storey structure built on a hill next to Country Heights Damansara, Kuala Lumpur. Photo by M. AZHAR

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story By PRIYA MENON (2/7/2010)

RESIDENTS of Country Heights Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, are resenting the bird calls they hear every day and night from an illegal bird nest building next door. The massive three-storey structure built on a hill near the posh neighbourhood has been there for more than six months and attracts a large number of swiftlets into the building.

“An electronic musical sound mimicking birds had been placed inside the building to attract the swiftlets,” said Pete Meehan. At first, residents were puzzled by the constant noise from the jungle that never ceased until they discovered the activity.

“We were surprised that the jungle was so noisy, then we found out that an electronic musical sound mimicking birds had been placed inside the building to attract the swiftlets,” said Pete Meehan. He added that people bought the RM8mil to RM10mil homes to enjoy peace and quiet only to be disturbed by the sound of birds.

According to another resident, Ang Kim Jhew, they have made at least six complaints to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) since April. “We were later told the problem is under the Department of Environment (DoE) and we complained to them as well. DoE later sent a letter to the DBKL supporting our complaint,” added Ang. However, no action has been taken so far. They are also worried about environmental issues, including the droppings.

The residents contacted Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng to help them in their task. “I have checked with the DBKL and they told me that there has been no permit for bird’s nest harvesting in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

Lim and StarMetro visited the site and found another structure being built. When asked, the Indonesian workers who declined to be named, said the new structure was a section of rooms to be rented out. The bird’s nest building was also locked and the workers said they did not have the keys to the building. “We have not harvested the nests yet but there have been many birds coming and in out of the building,” said the worker.

Lim said he would lodge an official statement with the DBKL on behalf of the residents and would give the council two weeks to resolve the problem. “I will ask that the man running the business be served a notice to close down the place and if the structure is illegal the owner will have to tear that down as well,” he added.

When contacted, DBKL’s corporate communications unit said they were aware of the problem and that the structure was illegal as it was built without a development order. DBKL confirmed it will be taking action against the businessman as soon as possible.

The man, who did not want to be named, refused to talk to the press.

GLC director can sit on five boards, says PM

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news=parliament (2/7/2010)

A GOVERNMENT-linked company (GLC) director is allowed to sit on the board of directors of no more than five listed companies and a maximum of 10 non-listed companies at any one time.

The guidelines were set by the Putrajaya Committee for GLCs’ High Performance.

“The numbers are lower compared with the maximum set by Bursa Malaysia, which allows a person to become a director in not more than 10 listed companies and 15 non-listed companies,” Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in a written reply to Lim Lip Eng (DAP - Segam­but) yesterday.

Lim had asked the Finance Ministry to state the names of senior officers in GLCs, including chairmen and chief executive officers, who held more than one post at any one time, and whether there were plans to employ senior officers via advertisements. Najib said GLCs had succession models of their own. “The GLCs, like multinational companies, also use the services of experienced executive head-hunting firms, as good company practice,” he said.

GLCs also deployed people with experience and selected skills that could contribute to their operations, said Najib.