We have been cheated, say Chinese women

Sticky situation: Zhu (right) and Qiu showing their certificates as Chinese medicine practitioners. Lim is holding their graduation card.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/10/31/central/5012297&sec=central (By PRIYA MENON, 31/10/2009)

Two young Chinese nationals from Shandong, China, were lured to Malaysia with the promise of a better future and huge salary working as Chinese traditional medicine practitioners. But little did the two unsuspecting women know that their job would include massaging people’s feet at a reflexology outlet. They were promised by agents from both China and Malaysia a basic salary of RM1,800, including coverage of medical bills by the company. “We were told to pay RMB 18,000 (RM9,000) for the purpose of getting legal documents including work permits and a visa but that time we only paid RMB 5,000 (RM2,500),” said one of the victim Zhu Xinhong, 24. The rest of the money was supposed to be deducted from their salaries once they started working in Malaysia. They arrived in Kuala Lumpur on April 30 and started work on May 1 at the company’s outlet in Bandar Bukit Tinggi, Klang. According to their contract, food expenses for the first three months would be covered by the employer and now the women are finding it difficult to make ends meet. “They do not give us a fixed salary, sometimes they pay us RM1,400 and sometimes RM500 a month but they have not got us legitimate work papers,” said another victim Qiu Meijuan, 24.

Unable to stomach the problems any longer, the women sought the help of Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng who held a press conference yesterday. Lim said both women entered the country using tourist visas which expired in June. But they cannot go home as the employer is holding their passports. Both the workers who appealed to the Chinese Embassy were told to surrender themselves at the Immigration Department due to the visa expiry date. “If they were to surrender, they would be locked up for an indefinite period. But, if they can buy their own flight tickets then they will be escorted to KLIA immediately,” added Lim. In order for Qiu and Zhu to return home, they want their employer to pay for the air fare, give them the balance of their salary and return their passports. “There are four other Chinese nationals with us in Bukit Tinggi suffering the same fate,” added Zhu.

Under section 12 (1) (f) of the Passports Act 1966, any person without lawful authority having in his possession a passport belonging to another, the person can be liable to a fine not exceeding RM10,000 or five years’ jail or both. The same fine is applicable for those who have exceeded their visa or permit in Malaysia under Section 15 of the Immigration Act 1959/63. “I will discuss this issue with the employer. They were supposed to get back to me last Tuesday but they have failed to do so,” added Lim.
However, later in the day, a man claiming to be the owner of the chain of outlets visited Lim at his service centre. He claimed that both the women were troublemakers and the management had caught them doing illegal activities at the centre. “So we took disciplinary action by cutting their salaries,” he said. The man added that he did not have the women’s passports. He said an agent who is now getting work permits for them was holding on to them. “But that does not change the fact the women were brought in with tourists visas and the visas have expired, thus making it illegal,” Lim said.

Noh: More study needed on managing tolled highways

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/30/parliament/5005724&sec=parliament (30/10/2009)

The Government is in its second stage of studying issues related to the managing of tolled highways, said Minister in the Prime Ministers Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop. These included profit and loss, performance of the concessionaires, highway traffic proposal and the impact of building tolled highways had on development along the economic corridors and its multiplying effects for the country’s economy, he said.

Nor said this in a written reply to Tan Kok Wai (DAP – Cheras) and Lim Lip Eng (DAP – Segambut) on the progress since the Govern-ment announced it would study the possibility of taking back the management of highways.

He said the study was being refined to ensure that the Government’s action could be implemented with minimal financial implications. It should also not disturb the market sentiment and long-term local and international investments, he added. “This thorough and deep study was important for finding the best long-term solution for all parties.”
At the same time, the Government had introduced two short-term solutions – not raising certain toll rates while introducing the 20% rebate to frequent Touch ‘n Go users, he said.

Parliament: KPI for 1Malaysia F1

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/26/nation/20091026141442&sec=nation (26/10/2009)

The Malaysian Formula 1’s performance was hotly discussed Monday in the House and it was suggested that a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) be created to measure the team’s success.

“Can the Government give an assurance to the people that it will not bail out the 1Malaysia F1 team if it suffers huge losses and cannot continue on its own? What if the team comes in last in the F1? This would bring embarrassment to Malaysians,” said Lim Lip Eng (Segambut-DAP) in his supplementary question to the Youth and Sports Ministry. "Since this project involves the policy and slogan ‘1Malaysia’ that was launched by the Prime Mnister, where the people come first and performance is a priority, would the Government monitor the KPI of the team and announce it to the public?” he said.

Datuk Razali Ibrahim (Muar-BN) replied that the name for the F1 team would be revealed after it has got sponsors and it would not necessarily use the slogan “1Malaysia. Maybe we would use ‘1Malaysia Lotus F1’ team. The Prime Minister said that support would be given because it is an initiative by a local company. “Naturally, all initiatives done for Malaysia will continue to receive support from the Government, and the Government will continue to ensure that the decision made is a success for the people,” he said. Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan (BN-Kota Belud) also suggested that a KPI could be created to gauge not only the team’s performance on the podium but also its effectiveness in promoting the country as a tourist destination. Razali defended the F1 initiative, claiming that the exposure Malaysia gains from its F1 team would save the country millions in advertising expenditure. “The exposure would be enormous. For now, we have to pay RM1mil for a one-minute advertisement in Japan. With the F1 team, we have huge advertisement time,” he claimed.

Earlier, Lim asked the ministry to reveal the Government’s investment in the project and whether it would be financially beneficial to the Government over the next five years.
Razali said the country would benefit from the branding and marketing strength of the F1 sport which has about 600 million fans worldwide and is one the most popular sports around. “With telecasts several times a year in strategic locations worldwide, this would promote Malaysia continuously to stimulate our tourism industry. “Malaysia will also be proud of the F1 car as it is produced locally and its components are from Malaysia. This would increase the profiles of local companies and also boost the world’s confidence in sophisticated Malaysian technology. The 1Malaysia F1 Team would also provide space to develop and expand local talent in automotive and motor sports,” he said.

Councillor cries foul over MACC's conduct again

Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/115846 (Andrew Ong, 25/10/2009)
Kajang municipal councillor Tan Boon Hwa is again crying foul over how he was treated by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers during his interrogation in July. His latest complaint was based on de facto law minister Nazri Abdul Aziz's statement in the Dewan Rakyat that witnesses or suspects who are not arrested cannot be treated like detainees. In his reply during question time on Oct 20, Nazri said witnesses should not be "controlled" or have their movements followed by MACC officers. But in Tan's case, he was allegedly tailed by MACC officers wherever he went while being held for questioning overnight at the Selangor MACC headquarters in Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam, on July 15. The MACC 'escorts' even followed him to the toilet and pantry. Tan claimed that one officer had tried to eavesdrop on his telephone conversation with his family members. "I told him I was just letting my family know I won't be released that night. "But the officer said I was lying and that he understood Mandarin," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur. This continued until the following day, claimed Tan, when he was having breakfast with another witness in the pantry. "I was speaking in Mandarin to another witness, but the officers stopped us and forced us to speak in Bahasa Malaysia," he said.
Lawyer: No remedy
Meanwhile, Segambut MP and Tan's legal counsel Lim Lip Eng said based on Nazri's revelation in the Dewan Rakyat, what MACC did to his client was illegal. "It is clear cut that they were against the law, or maybe, the officers don't know the law," he said. Lim added that he would send a letter of demand tomorrow to the MACC to request for an identification parade so his client could pick out the officers. However, he complained that there appeared to be no remedy prescribed in the Malaysian-Anti Corruption Commission Act 2009 for this, other than reporting to the commission's complaints committee. Tan was called in by the Selangor MACC as a witness in the ongoing probe against Pakatan Rakyat state reps for alleged misappropriation of state funds. Previously, he claimed that he was threatened during the marathon 15-hour interrogation session.

DBKL to act on traffic congestion issue at Jalan Segambut

During a meeting held on 26/5/2009 between Members of Parliament of Kuala Lumpur and city hall mayor Dato’ Ahmad Fuad Ismail, mayor promised me to look at (melihat) and to act on the traffic issue in Jalan Segambut. That was five months ago. Today, I received from city hall a minute of the meeting but the issue is still unsolved.

“Ahli Parlimen Segambut memohon penjelasan bagi perkara-perkara berikut:-

Jalan di Kg Segambut Dalam yang mengalami kesesakan. Pemaju telah menyerahkan jalan tersebut kepada DBKL namun tiada sebarang tindakan daripada DBKL.
Y.Bhg. Dato’ Pengerusi menjelaskan DBKL akan melihat kembali aduan tersebut dan mengambil tindakan sewajarnya.”