Cleaner’s life turned upside down after accident

May 31, 2009

IPOH: Life was fine for cleaner Wong Yoke Kham until her husband was involved in a nasty accident three years ago.

He became an invalid, forcing Wong to become the family’s sole breadwinner overnight.

Wong, 42, said that her 38-year-old husband Ting Hoo Ling was working in Singapore before the tragedy struck.

Help needed: Chan (left) comforting Ting, who was bedridden following an accident three years ago. With them are (from right) Beruas MCA division chief Ooi Jing Ting, Ayer Tawar New Village JKKK chairman Ling Leong Chin and Wong.

“My life was turned upside down overnight,” she said, adding that her family was dependent on her meagre RM400 a month income as a cleaner. They have also been relying on financial aid from relatives.

“But I know I cannot depend on them forever as they, too, have their families to care for,” she said.

Besides having to care for their two children, aged eight and 10, Wong also has to bring Ting for his regular check-up at the Manjung Hospital.

Perak MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau chief Alex Chan has appealed for donations to help the family.

“The bureau handed Wong a donation of RM1,000 while an anonymous donor also contributed another RM1,000 to start the ball rolling,” he said.

Those who wish to help can send cheques made out to “Perak MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau” with Ting’s name written on the back.

The cheques can be sent to the Perak MCA headquarters at 90-92, Tingkat Satu, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, 30000 Ipoh.

For details, contact Chan at 05-2536981.

Hawkers get a home in Ipoh - Star

By CHRISTINA KOH

SOME 25 years ago, mobile hawkers and petty traders in the Kinta Valley were a disorganised bunch, plying their trade at street corners or any empty space they could find.

It earned them accusations that their businesses were causing traffic jams, and complaints from shoplot owners of hawkers parking themselves in front of their premises.

Acting on these complaints, the local authorities introduced policies around 1986 meant to cut down on the number of street hawkers as they were considered ‘a nuisance’.

Auspicious event: Ka Chuan (third left) cutting the ribbon to open the new rented premises of the Kinta Mobile Petty Traders Association.

It was only when Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan, then a Perak state executive councillor, stepped in that the authorities softened their stance on the traders.

Ong had urged the traders to band together and register themselves as a society, then negotiated for the council to approve business licences for trading at specially designated areas.

Kinta Mobile Petty Traders Association chairman Tan He Chuang said had it not been for Ong, their association would never have existed.

“That’s why our members will always remember him for helping us during those difficult times.

“Back then, it was so hard for us to earn a living and he showed us how to organise ourselves. Because of him, we could get licences to trade,” said Tan.

Today the association is 1,400 member strong and Ong remains its honorary adviser. To commemorate his efforts, the association invited him to open its new rented premises at First Garden in Ipoh on Sunday.

PSD scholarship review - Star

Thursday May 14, 2009 By NG CHENG YEE

PUTRAJAYA: The Government will review the selection criteria for Public Services Department scholarships, said MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

He said a meeting would be held among Barisan Nasional component party leaders, the PSD director-general and the Chief Secretary to the Government today.

They will discuss the matter and reconsider rejected cases.

“All four MCA ministers had met with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to discuss the cases highlighted to us regarding the selection of PSD scholarship recipients.

“The same issue was also brought up at the Cabinet meeting. The Prime Minister has agreed to review the criteria,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

The MCA, he said, received many complaints where students considered the best in certain states were not selected for the scholarships.

“Instead, the moment they were informed about their unsuccessful bid to obtain scholarships to study overseas, the students were asked whether they would accept offers to study at local public universities or foreign universities based in Malaysia.

“This is a very serious situation where students do not get enough time to consider their decision,” he said, adding that such circumstances must be stopped.

Currently, Ong said, the selection is based on four criteria - merit (20%), race (60%), Sabah and Sarawak citizens (10%) and students from underprivileged groups (10%).

He said if meritocracy was part of the criteria, the students’ co-curriculum activities and interviews should not be included for consideration.

“Meritocracy means it should solely be the students’ results and not any other areas,” he said.

PSD scholarships make no sense: Wee - Sun

by Kong See Hoh

KUALA LUMPUR (May 12, 2009) : MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong (pix) says the way Public Services Department (PSD) awards scholarships "makes no sense", and wants the Cabinet to deliberate on the matter.

He also wants the department to be transparent and to explain in detail how the candidates were chosen, the Chinese press reported today.

Wee, who is deputy education minister, said the movement has already requested party chief Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and the three other MCA ministers to raise the PSD scholarship topic at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow to determine if PSD has gone against the present government policy in awarding scholarships under the foreign degree programme.

He told reporters this at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Monday after receiving complaints that applicants with 14 A1s and 13 A1s were not awarded scholarships to study abroad but were offered courses in local universities or the matriculation programme.

The PSD interviewed 8,363 out of the 15,084 candidates who had applied for the 2,000 foreign degree scholarships up for grabs. The results of the PSD offer were made known last Friday.

He said the complainants were told by the department that their results were not good enough.
"But the students (complainants) told me their schoolmates with nine A1s were awarded scholarships!"

He said based on what Ong had earlier announced, that 20% or 400 of the 2,000 scholarships would be awarded to the top-scorers, the 52 Chinese who scored 13 A1s or better should have been selected.

For the 2008 SPM, three Chinese candidates obtained 16 A1s, two obtained 15 A1s, six scored 14 A1s and 41 received 13 A1s.

Wee urged the PSD to list the criteria for the selection of government scholars to pursue studies overseas.

Even if the department has other plans such as retaining some of the outstanding students to study in top universities in the country, it should not keep mum, he said, adding that this is, after all, an era when transparency is emphasised.

Wee also described as unfair a decision by PSD to require those awarded scholarships or those given alternative offers to study locally to reply within three day from May 8.

He urged applicants who were not successful to also appeal through the MCA Youth after having appealed directly to the department online.

They can download the appeal form from MCA Youth website (http://youth.mca.org.my) and submit the completed form, together with the relevant documents, to the movement's education bureau (Biro Pendidikan Pemuda MCA Kebangsaan, Tingkat 7, Wisa MCA, 163 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur) by tomorrow the latest.

Gerakan Youth secretary-general Dr Dominic Lau also urged PSD to be more transparent in awarding scholarships.

He expressed regret that the department failed to provide acceptable reasons why it rejected the applications of five straight As students from Malacca.

Meanwhile, PSD Director-General Tan Sri Ismail Adam said the department will arrange for some of the high-achievers who were not awarded scholarships to study overseas to pursue their studies in local universities, such as Monash University.

He told Sin Chew that some 8,000 applicants fulfilled the PSD scholarship criteria but with only 2,000 places, "some people will definitely be disappointed".

"All of them are good academically and are separated only by their points in extra-curricular activities, interview and family economic background."

Generous Malaysians give RM101,000 to needy duo - Star

April 29, 2009

IPOH: Malaysians showed their generosity despite the economic slowdown by donating RM101,408 to help an accident victim and a cancer patient.

Perak MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau chief Alex Chan yesterday presented RM90,191 to 11-year-old Sioh Yang Jeng, who was hit by a car in Sitiawan on Feb 21.

Yang Jeng’s mother, Lim Pik Syu, 29, thanked the bureau and the public for their help.

She said her son was discharged from Fatimah Hospital on Monday after undergoing a second operation to remove a blood clot from his brain.

“Doctors told me my son has to return for follow-up treatments,” she said, adding that Yang Jeng’s medical bills came to about RM98,000.

From the public: Chan presenting a cheque to Lee at the Perak MCA headquarters in Ipoh yesterday. With them is bureau secretary Hing Thian Kiak @ Hing Lim Ching.

It was reported that Lim, a single parent, lost her job as a kitchen helper in Singapore after she returned home to care for her son.

Chan also handed RM3,925, part of the RM11,217 collected from the public, to Lee Kooi Ying, who is suffering from fourth-stage colon cancer.

Lee, 56, is being treated at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital here.

Lee’s friends have been providing food and shelter for her but she needs about RM700 for her monthly expenses.

Donors can make cheques payable to the bureau with the recipients’ names written at the back of the cheque and send them to No. 90-92, Tingkat Satu, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, 30000 Ipoh.

For details, call the bureau at 05-253 6981.

Kong among four to be made Datuk Seri - Star

April 19, 2009

IPOH: Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Kong Cho Ha, Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and Second Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah top the list of 801 award recipients in conjunction with the Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah’s 81st birthday today.

State Secretary Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Hashim, who announced the list at his office here, said

the three will be conferred the Darjah Datuk Seri Paduka Mahkota Perak, which carries the title of Datuk Seri. Another recipient of the award is Orang Kaya-Kaya Panglima Kinta Seri Amar di-Raja Datuk Dr Abdullah Fadzil Che Wan.

State senior exco member Hamidah Osman and Malaysian Ambassador to Ireland Raja Nazrin Raja Aznam will be conferred the Darjah Datuk Paduka Cura Si Manja Kini, which carries the title Datuk.

Perak MCA Youth chief Dr Mah Hang Soon, who is also state Health, Local Government, Consu-mer Affairs, Environment, Public Transportation and Non-Islamic Affairs Committee chairman and TSH Resources Berhad deputy executive chairman Datuk Kelvin Tan Aik Pen are among 33 people to be conferred the Darjah Datuk Paduka Mahkota Perak, which carries the title Datuk.

Other notable recipients are Ipoh Datuk Bandar Roshidi Hashim, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department T. Murugiah, state Public Works Department director Dr Safry Kamal Ahmad and state Forestry Department director Masran Salleh.

Perak police deputy chief Senior Asst Comm I Datuk Hadi Ho Abdullah and Perak Special Branch chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Sulaiman Mohamad are among nine people who will be conferred the Darjah Datuk Pahlawan Taming Sari, which carries the title Datuk Pahlawan.

Navy chief Laksamana Datuk Seri Abdul Aziz Jaafar is among two recipients of the Darjah Datuk Seri Panglima Taming Sari, which carries the title Datuk Seri Panglima.

The other recipient is Lt-Jen Datuk Dr Sulaiman Abdullah, who is the army’s health services director-general.

Among the recipients of the Darjah Ahli Mahkota Perak are New Straits Times Ipoh bureau chief Muhammad Kushairi Osman, Berita Harian Ipoh bureau chief Ridzuan Yop and Tamil Nesan Ipoh bureau chief S. Balakrishnan.

Members of the press who will receive the Pingat Pekerti Terpilih are Utusan Melayu’s Angelina Sinyang, The Star’s Christina Koh Siew Kim and Sylvia Looi as well as Nanyang Siang Pau’s Tan Kay Aun.

The investiture ceremony will be held at Balairong Seri, Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar today.

Najib announces his cabinet

Apr 9, 09 2:59pm

Prime Minister Najib Abddul Razak today announced his much awaited cabinet.

His press conference to make the announcement started at 3pm. He is flanked by Muhyiddin Yassin.

The cabinet reflects the government's aim to focus of people-first paradigm, Najib said, adding that there would be 28 ministers and 40 deputy ministers.

He said two ministries have been merged and one new ministry formed. A separate portfolio has also been created to oversee unity under the PM's department.

He also said that he would personally look into the performance of each minister every six months.

NEW CABINET LINE-UP:

Prime Minister and Finance Minister 1 Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

Deputy PM and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin

Minister in Prime Minister’s Department:

Unity: Dr Koh Tsu Koon
Law and Parliament: Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz
Religious Affairs: Brig. Gen. (Rtd) Datuk Jamil Khir Baharum
Economic Planning Unit: Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop

Finance:

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Deputies: Datuk Chor Chee Heung, Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussein

Education:

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin Deputies: Datuk Wee Ka Seong, Datuk Puad Zarkashi

Transport:

Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat Deputies: Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri, Datuk Robert Lau

Home:

Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein Deputy:: Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop

Information, Unity, Culture and Arts:

Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim Deputies: Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum, Heng Sai Kee

Energy, Green Tech & Water:

Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui Deputy: Noriah Kasnon

Plantation Industries and Commodities:

Tan Sri Bernard Dompok Deputy: Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin

Rural and Regional Development:

Datuk Shafie Apdal Deputies: Datuk Hassan Malek, Datuk Joseph Entulu

Higher Education:

Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin Deputies: Dr Hou Kok Chung, Saifuddin Abdullah

International Trade and Industry:

Datuk Mustapa Mohamed Deputies: Datuk Muhkriz Mahathir, Datuk Jacob Dungau

Science, Tech and Innovation:

Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili Deputy: Fadillah Yusof

Natural Resources and Environment:

Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas Deputy: Tan Sri Joseph Kurup

Tourism:

Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen Deputy: Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib

Agriculture and Agro-based industries:

Datuk Noh Omar Deputies: Johari Baharum, Rohani Abdul Karim

Defence:

Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Deputy: Datuk Dr Abdul Latif

Works:

Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor Deputy: Datuk Yong Khoon Seng

Health:

Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai Deputy: Datuk Rosnah Rashid Shilin

Youth and Sports:

Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek Deputies: Datuk Razali Ibrahim, Wee Jeck Sing

Human Resource:

Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam Deputy: Datuk Maznah Mazlan

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs:

Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Deputy: Datuk Tan Lian Hoe

Housing and Local Government:

Datuk Kong Cho Ha Deputy: Lajim Ukin

Women, Family and Community Development:

Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil Deputy: Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun

Foreign Affairs:

Datuk Anifah Aman Deputies: Lee Chee Hong, A. Kohilan

Federal Territorry:

Datuk Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin Deputy: M. Saravanan