Include UTAR In Postgraduate Package, Ka Chuan Urges Govt

KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 (Bernama)

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said he would ask the government to include Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) in the postgraduate financing package announced by Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Tuesday.

"I will talk to the DPM about this. We should have UTAR Masters Degree and Doctorate level students included in this programme, especially in the current economic situation.

"If the government offers grants and financial aid, UTAR students should receive it too," he told reporters after attending UTAR's Eighth Convocation here, Saturday.

UTAR was a recognised private university with a good track record of producing quality and highly sought after graduates, he said.

Najib, when tabling the RM60 billion stimulus package in the Dewan Rakyat on March 10, said the government would undertake to finance tuition fees and research grants up to RM20,000 for every student pursuing doctorates locally while for students in the Masters programme, the government would provide up to RM10,000 per student.

A total of 500 places would be provided for studies at PhD level and 10,000 at Masters level in public institutions of higher learning as well as at Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Universiti Multimedia and Universiti Teknologi Petronas, he had said.

Machine needs a home - Star

March 5, 2009 By SYLVIA LOOI

AFTER years of suffering the hardship and pain caused by kidney failure, housewife Wong Mee Mun, who is also a Hepatitis C carrier, is finally able to have her own dialysis machine bought with the RM60,OOO donation raised with the help of Perak MCA.

However, her happiness is short-lived as she has nowhere to house the machine.

Wong, 50, from Taman Cempaka in Ipoh, said she managed to obtain permission from a dialysis centre on Jalan Raja Permaisuri Bainun to place her machine there but was warned to remove her machine once there was more demand for its service and space.

“The centre’s management told me that I will have to leave when their business starts to pick up,” she told a press conference at the Perak MCA headquarters in Ipoh recently.

The party’s Public Services and Complaints Bureau chief Alex Chan handed over the balance of RM4,000 in donations to Wong.

Diagnosed with kidney failure when she was 32, Wong said she could not install the machine at her house as the machine needed a RM35,000 filter system which was only available at dialysis centres.

Due to her being a Hepatitis C carrier, she could not share her machine with other patients.

Those interested to help Wong by offering her a place to put her machine can get in touch with the department at the MCA state headquarters at 90-92, Tingkat Satu, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak.

For details, call 05-253 6981 or 05-253 8455.

Former cook longs for a job - Star

IPOH: Former chef Yong Tse Yan has one wish – to get a job as soon as he recovers from his kidney failure.

Yong, 40, is willing to accept any work offered to him and would like to start anew once he is healthier.

“It’s not that I don’t want to work but no one wants to employ me because of my illness,” Yong told reporters after receiving RM21,544 in donations at the Perak MCA headquarters here yesterday.

Last Thursday, Yong who is half blind from diabetes and suffers from Hepatitis B and C had appealed for help from the public.

Yong is now scheduled to undergo a procedure on Monday before receiving dialysis treatment. He was diagnosed with diabetes in 2000, and kidney failure five years ago.

Perak MCA public services and complaints bureau chief Alex Chan Chin Chee welcomed contributions from anyone wanting to help Yong with his future medical expenses.

Donors can make out their cheques to Yong and send them to the bureau, No. 90-92, Tingkat Satu, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, 30000 Ipoh.

The bureau can be contacted at 05-2536981.

Grandparents pining for missing 15-year-old - Star

March 5, 2009

IPOH: It has been a daily affair for Foong Kong Faat, 65, to drop and pick his granddaughter from a secondary school at Jalan Raja Permaisuri Bainun.

However, on Feb 19, Foong Pooi Yee, 15, did not walk out of the school compound when he went to pick her up.

At a loss: Lee relating her predicament to Chan (left) as Perak MCA Youth Public Services and Complaints Bureau chief Tony Khoo takes down notes.

Kong Fatt later found out that Pooi Yee was absent from school though he had dropped her off that morning.

“I sent her to school and I saw her walking in, but when I wanted to pick her up later in the afternoon, she was nowhere to be found,” he told reporters at the Perak MCA headquarters yesterday.

Kong Faat said since Pooi Yee’s disappearance he had been having sleepless nights.

“My wife and I have been caring for Pooi Yee since she was three. Her parents are divorced,” he said, adding that his granddaughter was her usual quiet self the day she went missing.

“I am worried about her as she needs to take her pills daily due to her heart condition,” he said, adding that calls over her mobile phone went unanswered.

Pooi Yee: The student has been missing since Feb 19.

A missing person’s report was lodged at the Simpang Pulai police station on Feb 20.

Perak MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau chief Alex Chan appealed to those with information of Pooi Yee’s whereabouts to contact the nearest police station.

He said the MCA would also put up Pooi Yee’s pictures at MCA offices in the state.

The bureau is also appealing for donations on behalf of former hawker Lee Kooi Ying, 56, who is suffering from fourth stage colon cancer. She found out about it two years ago.

Lee thought she could start life afresh after leaving her abusive husband 10 years ago but fate dealt her a cruel blow.

“I spent most of my life savings at a private hospital to remove the growth in my colon and forced to leave the hospital when I ran out of money,” said Lee, who is now receiving treatment at Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun here.

“A friend provides me with shelter and food while neighbours give me money,” she said, adding that she had not seen her six children, aged between 24 and 30, since their last visit at the hospital two years ago.

Lee, whose monthly expense was RM700, appealed for public donations, adding that she currently received RM300 aid from the State Welfare Department.

Chan said donors should send cheques payable to the bureau with Lee’s name written at the back of the cheque and send it to No. 90-92, Tingkat Satu, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, 30000 Ipoh. For details, call the bureau at 05-253 6981.

Single mum needs your help - Star

March 4, 2009

IPOH: A single mother is at her wits’ end trying to figure how to raise funds to treat her young son who was hit by a car in Sitiawan on Feb 21.

Ling Pik Syu, 29, said she lost her job as a kitchen helper in Singapore last month after returning to her hometown for a short break to care for her son, who was involved in an accident in Pekan Gurney in Sitiawan.

Mum’s love: Ling at the bedside of Yang Jeng at the Fatimah Hospital in Ipoh yesterday. With her (from left) are Perak MCA Public Complaints and Services Bureau deputy chief Kok Pak Foo, Alex Chan and Perak MCA Youth Public Complaints and Services Bureau chief Tony Khoo.

“I have to stay back to look after him. My former employer found a replacement and I don’t have any source of income now,” she said at the Fatimah Hospital where her son, Sioh Yang Jeng, 11, is recuperating from an operation to remove a blood clot from his brain.

Ling became the family’s sole breadwinner after her husband died in 2003. The mother of three said her son has been in hospital since the operation on Feb 22 and the bill had accumulated to RM80,000.

“I have borrowed RM50,000 from friends for the medical fees,” she said, adding that her son also suffered a broken leg in the accident.

She said the boy would need another operation next month to replace a piece of his skull that was removed.

Perak MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau chief Alex Chan, who visited Ling and her son at the hospital yesterday, said they needed to raise about RM100,000 to help pay off the mounting hospital expenses.

Donors can contact the bureau at 05-253-6981. Donations can also be made to the “Perak MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau” with Sioh’s name written on the back of the cheque and sent to the MCA headquarters at 90-92 Tingkat Satu, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, 30000 Ipoh.

Zambry feels strain of defending BN government - Malaysian Insider

Feb 11, 2009

New Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and his team addressing the media at a press conference at the state secretariat today before getting down to work. – Picture by Choo Choy May

By Lee Wei Lian

IPOH, Feb 11 — Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir started his first day as menteri besar today defending the legitimacy of his government by arguing that a majority in Perak backed the Barisan Nasional, and engaging in a rant against journalists.

It was clear, as he snapped at awkward questions from reporters at his first press conference, that he has been feeling the strain of defending what has been an obviously unpopular and possibly unconstitutional takeover of the state from Pakatan Rakyat.

Zambry was sworn-in last Friday by Sultan Azlan Shah at the Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar while riot police outside quelled a protest by thousands of people.

Earlier last week, Sultan Azlan Shah had denied consent to Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin as the menteri besar to dissolve the state assembly.

Instead the Ruler dismissed Nizar, and questions have now arisen over whether a Ruler who is only a constitutional monarch has such powers. Nizar, who has refused to resign, maintains he is still the MB.

The Sultan has come under heavy criticisms for appearing to side with BN. He has even had to cancel public appearances as part of his silver jubilee celebrations because of security concerns.

When asked today if he thought he has the support of a majority of the public in Perak, Zambry said: "That is why we are here."

When it was pointed out that he did not gain his position as menteri besar via an election, he grew visibly defensive and snapped back: "What do you mean? This is a democratic process.

"Do you understand democracy? I am asking you, do you understand the political philosophy of democracy?

"I am asking you back. Why are you not asking them (Pakatan Rakyat) back when they are talking about the party hopping?

"When they triggered everything right from the very beginning. You should ask yourself about that."

When it was clarified that the question was not about defections but whether he feels he has the support of the majority of Perakians, he finally replied: "God willing, when you prove to the people your worth.

"Do not talk about democracy process if you do not understand democracy.

"This is the true democratic process."

Then, before another reporter could finish her question on Jelapang state representative Hee Yit Fong, he cut in and told her: "You like to delve into all kinds of speculative things."

When the reporter finally got to complete her question and ask whether he feels Hee can perform her duties effectively as state representative given the widespread unhappiness expressed by residents in Jelapang and whether Zambry can guarantee her safety, he replied: "This is our responsibility. People need to respect Hee's right to live.

"Where else to live? Please preserve the peace we have in this country regardless of differences."

Earlier, he arrived in a Proton Perdana and waved at the large crowd of media members at about 10am, and was trailed by his executive council members in various other vehicles.

In an attempt to address the problem of the state BN being dominated by representatives from only the Malays as Umno holds 27 of the 28 seats, Zambry has appointed special advisors with executive council status.

Datuk S. Veerasingam will be his advisor for Indian affairs while Datuk Chang Ko Youn will be Chinese advisor. Kapten Datuk Haji Mohd Najmuddin Elias Al-Hafiz, another advisor, will assist him on religious matters.

On the upcoming by-elections, he said that BN will be ready.

When asked whether he will continue the previous state government's policies, he said: "What is most important is not whether it is your policy or my policy but what is best for the rakyat."

When asked whether he is going to convene a special sitting of the state assembly, he answered that the "assembly will have to meet every six months." He also said that it is Pakatan Rakyat's right to file a lawsuit and seek legal redress. He also revealed that he has not appointed a speaker yet.

On the fact that there are only six state executive council members instead of the usual 10, he said: "It is convention to have 10 but based on regulations, we can elect less than that based on our needs." He said that he will revisit the number of executive council members from time to time.

Zambry also said that "there is no time for celebrations" and that "my intention is to serve all."

Zambry appoints 4 advisers with exco status - Malaysiakini

Feb 11, 09 1:33pm

Barisan Nasional's Perak Menteri Besar Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir today announced the appointment of three advisers and a state information chief.

According to Bernama, the four will receive perks similar to those received by state executive councillors.

New Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and his team addressing the media at a press conference at the state secretariat today before getting down to work. – Picture by Choo Choy May. Pix courtesy of Malaysian Insider

They are Mohd Najumuddin Elies in charge of Muslim affairs, Chang Ko Youn (Chinese community affairs), S Veerasingam (Indian community affairs) while Hamdi Abu Bakar has been appointed as the state information chief.

Chang, who is Gerakan deputy chairperson and Veerasingam, who is also MIC vice-president were defeated in the Beruas parliamentary seat and Sungkai state seat respectively in the last general election.

On the other hand, both Mohd Najumuddin and Hamdi won the Batu Kurau and Pengkalan Baru state assembly seats respectively.

Meanwhile, Zambry also announced the portfolios of state executive councillors which takes effect immediately.

Portfolios

The Perak state committee chairperson portfolios:

Zambry heads the Committee for Planning, Economy, Finance, Security, Land and Natural Resources, Agriculture, Housing and Religion.

Hamidah Osman: Industry, Investment, Entrepreneur Development, ICT, Tourism and Women's Affairs

Ramly Zahari: Infrastructure, Public Facilities, Energy and Water.

Dr Mah Hang Soon: Health, Local Government, Consumer, Environment, Transport and Non-Muslim Affairs.

Saarani Mohamad: Information, Rural Development, Poverty, Welfare and Farming.

Mohd Zahir Abdul Khalid: Education, Higher Education, Science and Technology

Zainol Fadzi Paharuddin: Culture, Youth and Sports.

Yesterday, the six Perak excos took their oath of office before Sultan Azlan Shah at Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar.

Zambry was sworn in as the new menteri besar last Friday after BN managed to form the state government after four Pakatan state reps left the alliance. One of them has rejoined Umno while the other three are 'BN-friendly' independents.