Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Maid kills her newborn baby

The Star, Wednesday March 26, 2014

by natasha joibi

KUALA LUMPUR: A 26-year-old Indonesian maid was arrested after she confessed to slaying her newborn baby with a pair of scissors.

Kajang OCPD Asst Comm Abdul Rashid Abdul Wahab said the woman was brought to the Serdang Hospital at around midnight on Sunday after she complained of severe pain in her abdomen.

“Her employers, who were unaware that she had just given birth in a room in their house, brought her to the hospital to seek medical attention.

“After close inspection by the doctors, the maid admitted to delivering a baby a few hours ago,” ACP Abdul Rashid said.

He said that a police report was lodged after the maid told the doctors that she had flushed the newborn baby down a toilet in her employers’ house.

“However, the forensics team found no traces of the newborn in the toilet. The team eventually found the dead baby in a room along with a pair of scissors.

“The maid then admitted to using the scissors to slit the baby’s throat,” he said.

ACP Abdul Rashid added that the child’s father, a Nepalese national, was unavailable to have his statement recorded as he had returned to his country.

The maid’s employers declined to be interviewed when met at their Taman Kajang Baru residence where the woman had worked for over two years.

In an unrelated incident, police detained a university student in her 20s for purportedly killing her newborn baby after giving birth in a dormitory at Bandar Seri Putra in Kajang.

ACP Abdul Rashid said the student put the dead baby in a garbage bag before disposing it at the Terminal Bersepadu Selatan in Cheras on Saturday.

The student then took a bus to Malacca and threw away her bloodstained clothes at a resort where she stayed overnight.

She reportedly left Malacca at around 9am the next day and met a university warden upon arriving in Kajang.

The warden later lodged a police report following the student’s confession.

ACP Abdul Rashid said that the wounds on the baby’s head led police to believe that she was killed after delivery.

He added that the two suspects would be remanded until March 28 to facilitate investigations.

Student killed, teacher and three others seriously injured in bus crash

The Sun Daily, 24 March 2014

Students from the ill-fated bus being led from the crash site. SUNPIX by ADIB RAWI

KAJANG: A 17-year-old student was killed while three others and a teacher were seriously injured after a bus they chartered for a school trip overturned near Hulu Langat in Selangor today.

Chin Yeong Peng, a fifth former at SMJK Katholik near Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya, died of severe injuries in the incident.

Three of his schoolmates and a teacher have been warded at the Ampang Hospital with serious injuries.

Kajang police chief ACP Abdul Rashid Abdul Wahab said Chin and the injured were among 157 students and four teachers from the school who had taken part in a two-day camping trip at a resort in Hulu Langat on Sunday.

He said four school buses were chartered to ferry the students and teachers to the recreational area.

It is learned that the buses were travelling in a convoy to a restaurant at about 1.30pm when one of them ran off the road and turned turtle.

Abdul Rashid said there were 35 students and a teacher in the bus, adding that most of them escaped unhurt or with minor injuries.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director of operations Mohd Sani Harul said 15 firemen arrived at the scene to assist the injured.

He said Chin was taken in an ambulance to the Serdang Hospital where he was pronounced dead by doctors.

Police have recorded a statement from the 36-year-old bus driver.

Preliminary investigations show that brake failure led to the accident.

PKR: BN youths assaulted our man

FMT, 24 March 2014

P Ramani

PKR claims that one of its youth leaders was assaulted by BN youths during the Kajang by-election.

PETALING JAYA: PKR Batu Caves state assemblyman Amiruddin Shari urged Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin to respond on the indecent behaviour shown by his youth members during the Kajang state by-election yesterday.

In a press conference this afternoon at the party headquarters, Amiruddin related that Johor youth assistant chief Mohd Ramly Ahmad was assaulted by eight individuals believed to be from BN Youth campaigners.

The incident was alleged to have taken place around 3pm in front of Sekolah Kebangsaan Kajang polling station.

According to Amiruddin, the individuals surrounded Mohd Ramly when he was walking towards his car and assaulted him with flag sticks which resulted in him sustaining forehead and body injuries.

After the incident, the victim was brought to PKR’s medical aid room to receive treatment. Thereafter the victim with other PKR youth members lodged a report at the Kajang district police station, said Amiruddin.

Amiruddin added that this case was being investigated under Section 148 of the Penal Code by ASP Mohamad Sajidan Abdul Sukor.

Amiruddin said he had previously reminded Youth and Sports Minister Khairy, who is also the Umno Youth chief, to take care of his youth teams and avoid creating any provocation or ruckus during the campaign and election time.

Amiruddin added that the BN youth members were acting like gangsters by shouting vulgar words and showing indecent gestures during the campaign.

In yesterday’s poll, PKR candidate Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail defeated MCA vice-president Chew Mei Fun with a majority of 5,379 votes.

She polled 16,741 votes whereas Chew polled 11,362 votes. There were 176 spoilt votes.

The voter turnout was low this time, only at 72.1% (28,314 voters), compared to a turnout of 87.9 percent in the May 5 general election last year.

SHOCK Kajang turnout due to voter fatigue, inconvenience

The Malay Mail, Monday, 24 March 2014

KUALA LUMPUR - The lower turnout in the Kajang by-election was indicative of Malaysians’ weariness with local politics, some political analysts said while others put it down to abstaining outstation voters.

“It is an indication of voter fatigue and disillusionment with politics in the country — disillusionment with politics as a whole including PKR’s engineering of the by-election,” Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI) chief Dr Lim Teck Ghee told The Malay Mail Online today.

“At the same time, the large majority felt that it was still important for them to drag themselves to the voting booth — however reluctantly — so as to ensure a PKR victory,” the political analyst added.

The alternate explanation provided by Merdeka Centre’s Ibrahim Suffian and James Chin from Monash University (Malaysian campus) was that the 72 per cent voter turnout at the Kajang by-election was more likely due to outstation voters staying home.

PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail won the Kajang state seat yesterday, netting 16,741 votes to Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun’s 11,362 votes.

Dr Wan Azizah’s majority of 5,379 votes was lower than that of PKR’s Lee Chin Cheh, who won the state seat during the 13th general election last year with a margin of 6,824 votes, although the former increased PKR’s proportion of the vote slightly from 57 per cent to 59 per cent.

During Election 2013, 88 per cent of registered voters came out to cast their ballots in Kajang, but the turnout dipped to 72 per cent in the by-election yesterday.

Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said the lower voter turnout signalled a protest against the “contrived” by-election — dubbed the “Kajang Move” — that was triggered by Lee’s unforced and unexplained resignation.

“And perhaps BN increased [its support] due to protest voters who decided to not vote PR (Pakatan Rakyat) this time,” the political analyst told The Malay Mail Online.

But he also cautioned MCA against prematurely celebrating their purported increase in Chinese support.

“Protesting against PR and thus voting for BN not really for MCA. Chinese voters are still solidly behind PR, and Malay voters are divided,” said Shamsul Amri.

The Kajang by-election was widely seen as a stepping stone for Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to replace Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as Selangor mentri besar, in order to resolve PKR’s internal conflicts.

But the PKR de facto leader was disqualified after his previous sodomy acquittal was overturned on March 7, three days before nomination, forcing PKR to field Dr Wan Azizah in his stead.

According to Ibrahim, surveys by independent pollster Merdeka Centre showed only a “small fraction” of voters who cited unhappiness with the “forced” by-election, many of whom were sympathetic towards BN.

“MCA may have improved on the Chinese vote overall, but one needs to look at the details. Turnout in the Chinese polling districts were low and likely consisted of elderly voters who are slightly more inclined to them anyway,” the Merdeka Centre chief told The Malay Mail Online.

Monash University’s Chin said the Kajang election outcome showed that PR continues to enjoy “solid support” in Selangor, the country’s most developed and industrialised state.

“MCA will not get the Chinese vote,” Chin told The Malay Mail Online.

Ibrahim said that the lower voter turnout could also be due to Umno supporters not coming out in large numbers to vote for an “inconsequential” election, or because of younger and out-of-town voters opting to give the poll a miss.

It could also simply be people taking the weekend off as the election coincided with the start of school holidays, he said.

“Plus next week Chengbeng begins, so people living away will hold back making their visit,” Ibrahim added, referring to the Chinese All Souls Day festival where people visit their ancestors’ graves.

- Malaymail

Full article: http://malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=249812:shock-kajang-turnout-due-to-voter-fatigue-inconvenience&Itemid=2#ixzz2x2BjddlM
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Kajang Voters Make Us Proud

From Aliran

The voters of Kajang have redeemed our hope that change is possible and that our aspirations are achievable, says P Ramakrishnan.

Voters turn out on polling day – Photograph: Malay Mail Online

PKR won the Kajang by-election as widely expected, albeit with a slightly reduced majority. This lower majority could be attributed to the poor turnout of 72 per cent of voters compared with the 88 per cent in the general election last May.

Much has been made of this reduced majority. In 2013, PKR won with a majority of 6,823 votes but this has now been trimmed to 5,379, a shortfall of 1,455 votes.

But nothing is said in the BN-controlled mainstream media about the drop in the number of votes polled by the MCA-BN since GE13. In 2013, the MCA bagged 12,747 votes compared with its present tally of 11,362, a reduction of 1,385 votes. This must be worrying for the MCA.

In fact, the MCA’s Lee Ban Seng, who was defeated in GE13, did much better than Datuk Paduka Chew Mei Fun. In the MCA hierarchy, Ban Seng was a nobody whereas Mei Fun is the third-highest ranking leader in the MCA. Moreover, she had a bigger profile and was better known, having been a former PJ Utara MP and deputy minister in the BN government.

For her to draw fewer votes than Ban Seng does not speak well for Chinese Malaysian support for the MCA. It does not in any way show that the support from the community is returning to the MCA. So there is nothing to gloat about for the Umno-BN in this by-election.

All said and done, Aliran would like to commend the voters of Kajang for their bravery and their courageous indictment of Umno and its lop-sided policies and mismanagement of government.

The voters of Kajang have redeemed our hope that change is possible and that our aspirations are achievable. They have shown us: “We need never be hopeless because we can never be irreparably broken.”

They have confirmed that what has happened in the recent past – the convictions of Anwar Ibrahim and Karpal Singh in rushed judgments – are acts that have to be condemned in no uncertain terms.

They have clearly conveyed the message that corruption will not be tolerated, that selective prosecutions are abhorrent, that the attempt to divide us along ethnic and religious lines will be fiercely resisted, that ignoring the plight of the poor and promoting the enrichment of the powerful will invite the backlash of thinking Malaysians.

They have set the trend for GE14 and showed us the way forward. The way forward is full of hope for change, and that possibility is real.

We are reminded of the inspiring saying, “Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.”

Likewise, when the many caring Malaysians walk together along the path of democracy, we can pave the way for a new government that will be just and fair to all Malaysians – irrespective of our ethnic and religious origins.

P Ramakrishnan
Executive committee member
24 March 2014

'COLORFUL' VOTERS brighten up Kajang poll

The Sun Daily, Monday, 24 March 2014

KAJANG - As supporters of the contesting parties lined the small road leading to SK Seri Sekamat polling station here today, one voter caught public attention by the way he was dressed.

A 77-year-old man, who wanted to be known only as Shaman, was adorned with flowers, garlands and a picture of a globe pasted on his head.

He said that by dressing this way, he hoped that his prayers would be answered for his chosen candidate.

Asked who he supported, he said: "I cannot reveal it to you. I will be breaking the law. Let the heavens decide this."

Another voter, K. Manogar, 46, who was wheelchair-bound due to an accident, said he wanted to exercise his right as a voter.

"I asked my neighbours to wheel me here so that I can cast my ballot," he said.

Local folk were also seen selling various vegetables such as kangkung and carrots as well as drinks outside the polling centre.

One of them said they took the polling day as an opportunity to make some money. -Sundaily

Full article: http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=249172:colorful-voters-brighten-up-kajang-poll&Itemid=2#ixzz2x2AjYPVe
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Cracks put residents in Taman Bukit Indah at risk

The Star, Monday March 24, 2014

by christina tan

On dangerous ground: Occupants of the houses in Taman Bukit Mewah, Kajang were asked to move out several years ago.

RESIDENTS at Jalan Bukit Indah in Taman Bukit Mewah, Kajang continue to worry about their safety as cracks in their houses and on the roads have been left unaddressed by the local authorities.

Ong Swee Leong said there were many cracks in some of the houses on the hill, while other residents had complained of sinking ground in their compound.

He claimed that the cracks had appeared several years ago and the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) had informed five houseowners to evacuate their homes.

“We had to leave because the local authority said the ground was not safe.

“It is really worrying and we hope the Government will take action and help us,” he said.

Another resident Ahmad Anwar, 70, said he moved out for a week after receiving a notice from the local council asking them to evacuate.

“I came back after one week. Where can I go? This is my house.

“It is sad that the authorities have not done anything to address such issues until lives are lost.

MCA vice-president Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said the issue must be looked into seriously because it could lead to a disaster.

“I have spoken to Works Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof, who promised to send his officers to investigate the complaints,” she said.

She added that the local council could not resolve a complicated issue like erosion or earth movement on its own, and should work with the experts and related agencies to resolve the matter.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Council's poor service to blame

The New Straits Times, 21 March 2014

By AMALINA KAMAL | streets@nst.com.my

GROUSES: Residents claim alarming number of dengue cases due to clogged drains, uncollected rubbish and abandoned houses in the municipality

KAJANG: AN alarming number of dengue cases has been recorded in the state constituency here in recent months.

Sources in Kajang Hospital said there were at least 450 patients warded thus far for dengue symptoms since the beginning of the year and a large number were confirmed as dengue cases.

A total of 263 dengue cases were also recorded in localities all over the Kajang municipality in the last three months of last year.

The cases have been attributed to municipal problems left unattended such as clogged drains and even uneven roads and fields that allow water to stagnant.

Ismail Ahmad, who lives in Taman Mesra here, said mosquitoes were thriving in the neighbourhood due to the council and wakil rakyat's indifference to their municipal woes.

"The mosquitoes are 'healthy and plenty' here because the wakil rakyat and council are 'prosperous'.

"This can be seen by the fact that there is a by-election here but once the election is over, no one comes by."

There were about 14 cases in his neighbourhood in the last two months of last year.

He said municipal problems such as clogged drains, uncollected rubbish and abandoned houses were abundant in his neighbourhood.

These, he believed, largely contributed to the rise in dengue fever.

"The mosquitoes are thriving because there is an abandoned building just behind our homes.

"We have complained about the problem to the council for five years but it has clearly fallen on deaf ears," said the 80-year-old.

He said despite persistent calls to pick up his garbage on time, his maid had on some occasions bribed the rubbish collector with RM5 just to get him to pick up the rubbish.

He claimed that the communal drains in the neighbourhood that were hardly cleaned also stagnant water and drew mosquitoes to breed here.

Ismail also said only the commercial areas and main roads in Kajang were getting attention and resurfacing done as they were the swing areas for the by-election.

SMK Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah student Adlilee Shafee, 17, also said his teacher was down with dengue recently.

"Even an old man in Taman Mesra got dengue a few weeks ago," said the Taman Mesra resident.

His schoolmate Faizal Mohd Idris, 17, also complained that he too got dengue recently as his Kampung at 121/2 mile Jalan Cheras-Kajang which was a hotspot due to potholes and uneven surface collecting stagnant water in pools.

Wandi Rahim, 38, said potholes with stagnant water was a common sight in the municipality.

The workshop operator in Kampung Sungai Kantan said most of the dengue cases in his village and the neighbouring residential areas were due to this.

"We are tired of complaining to the council as they also do not come to collect rubbish very often."

The wards in Kajang Hospital are said to be full of dengue patients. Pic by Kamarul Izzat Rahim

Friday, March 21, 2014

A gastronomic adventure in Hulu Langat

The Star, Friday March 21, 2014

by esther chandran

The whole shebang: Deep Fried Kampung Chicken at Veg Fishfarm Thai Restaurant.

Veg Fishfarm Thai Restaurant offers wholesome Thai dining experience away from the city.

VEG FISHFARM THAI RESTAURANT
KM4 Jalan Ampang
Hulu Langat, Ampang
Selangor
Tel: 012-286 8193/William, 019-260 6493/Eugene
Business hours: 11am to 11.30pm, daily
Pork free

GOING the distance can be an adventure if you know that a gastronomic experience awaits at the end of the road.

The 35-minute drive from Petaling Jaya to the Veg Fishfarm Thai Restaurant in Hulu Langat was pleasant, given that it was a Sunday and traffic was smooth.

Upon locating its signage after Look Out Point in Ampang, we drove further down an uneven and potholed road to find the restaurant that has wooed many gourmands to return, time and again.

A vast area with vegetable plots of kangkung, sawi, lady’s fingers, spinach, bok choy and even papaya trees came in sight.

We would later find out that these organic greens are supplied to wholesale and nearby markets.

A boat delivers food to the customers.

Although it may seem that fish is farmed here, Veg Fishfarm director William Ng said the pond within the restaurant was home to several colourful carp reared as ornamental fish to add to the guests’ dining experience.

“We serve four types of fish – grouper, marble goby, tilapia and river catfish – which we get from our suppliers.

“We also bring in crabs from Australia, Indonesia and Bangladesh as we find these varieties meatier and tastier,” said Ng.

Most of the restaurant workers are from Thailand, as Ng and his father Eugene wanted to give diners a wholesome Thai dining experience, away from the city.

“The ingredients for Thai cooking including belacan, plum sugar, tom yam paste and Thai fish sauce are brought in from Thailand,” said Ng.

The big and broad menu has many dishes to offer as there is something for everyone, including meat items like lamb and chicken.

Before sitting down for lunch, Ng took us on a drive to the vegetable farm and the chicken pen where the kampung variety and geese roamed about freely.

“We have free-range kampung chicken on our menu but we do not serve goose,” said Ng with a smile.

After our trail in the sun, the taste of sweet Thai coconut water helped us cool off while the cooks fired up the wok to prepare lunch.

The Kampung Fried Chicken (RM60 per bird) with its dark shade and slices of succulent Barbecue Lamb (RM28) were served as an introduction of what to expect from the kitchen.

Each dish came with a piquant Thai sauce that was lovely with the servings of meat.

Ng said the chicken was marinated with Thai salt and deep-fried to give it a delicate salty taste while the lamb, seasoned with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, black soy sauce and sugar, was expertly grilled to reveal succulent meat slices.

The kampung chicken, unlike others I have tried was rather meaty and slightly tough to chew but tasty, nonetheless.

Ng said mature chicken had more meat and was suitable for deep-frying.

“Young kampung chicken tends to be bony because the meat shrinks and loses water during the frying process.

“This is the reason why older chicken is used for this dish so our customers get more meat.

“We marinate the chicken with Thai brown salt hence the dark shade of the meat and difference in taste compared to when using regular salt,” he said, adding that the chicken could be a little tough and would require extra chewing time.

The cooks, I was told, use minimal ingredients for marination of barbecue items to allow the natural juices of the fish and meat to dominate on the tastebuds.

The other barbecue offering was the Salt Grilled Fish (RM33) — a dish where the fish was covered with a layer of salt and wrapped in banana leaf before grilling.

When we peeled off the tilapia skin to get rid of the salt layer, we found slices of galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves stuffed in the crevice, lending a herbal essence to the fish.

As I have tried similar versions of this dish, I found it fresh and appetising but lacked the saltiness from the salt layer, that would usually trickle into the meat during the cooking process.

King Prawn Thai Style with Milk (foreground) and Tilapia Thai Kampung Style made quite an impression on our taste buds.

The Tilapia Thai Kampung Style (RM33), however, was packed with aroma and taste, offering a hint of rendang flavour in each crispy piece we relished.

Sliced green pepper and julienne kaffir lime leaves added to a home made paste of palm sugar, lemongrass, fish sauce, chilli and belacan, was coated generously on the tilapia, making it particularly addictive and a sumptuous find.

The generous father-and-son team was insistent that we should go home stuffed, and served more seafood with their version of Curry Powder Crab (RM90 per kg and RM138 per kg for the bigger crab) and King Prawn Thai Style with Milk (RM43 per prawn).

For vegetables, we relished the Fantastic Four (RM18) and Spinach Tempura (RM15).

Long beans, brinjal, lady’s fingers, four angle beans, which were harvested from their farm, and petai were rapidly stir-fried with chilli and belacan.

It offered a melange of crunchy, bitter, spicy and tangy taste while the tempura plate was a crispy dish of spinach leaves dipped in batter and fried.

The restaurant serves an array of Thai desserts and supplies them to other restaurants and hotels in the city.

We could not go home without trying their dessert offering because their Thai sweets are also supplied to hotels and restaurants in the city.

We closed the chapter at the Veg Fishfarm with taco, mango sticky rice, layer jelly, mango pudding, jackfruit sticky rice and sago Thai.

This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement of Star Metro.

Kak Wan stays sprightly on campaign trail

The Star, Friday March 21, 2014

KAJANG: With just two days before polling day on Sunday, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail shows no signs of slowing down in her campaign trail.

Donning a floral baju kurung, Dr Wan Azizah – fondly known as Kak Wan – went from house to house on a motorcycle in Taman Kasih, Sungai Sekamat, yesterday before meeting a handicraft group.

Asked what was her secret for staying energetic throughout campaigning, she said, “I just take multi-vitamins to keep me going”, adding that she was used to keeping a busy schedule.

Dr Wan Azizah also brushed off talk that she was using her emotional appeal for her campaign in the Kajang polls.

“I am not lying about my feelings (as appeared on the billboards) and I always pray for my husband (Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim).

“I am sure the voters understand the reason behind it,” she said.

Barisan Nasional deputy chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had earlier questioned the billboards put up in Kajang, portraying the PKR candidate as praying with the words “Justice for Anwar” and saying that the court decision had nothing to do with this.

SJK (C) Sungai Chua to start single session next year

The Star, Thursday March 20, 2014

by christina tan

KAJANG: With the completion of two new blocks by the middle of the year, SJK (C) Sungai Chua will finally have enough classrooms for a single session.

The Chinese primary school will start its single session in the morning next year.

MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said the RM3.7mil project, which began in June last year, was approved by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin before the last general election.

“It is 80% completed now and we expect this to be finished by June or July this year. Both the parents and teachers have been waiting for many years for a single session.

“This project proves to be another success by the Barisan Nasional government to fulfil its promise to the people,” he said after visiting the project site at Sungai Chua new village.

The school, which was set up in 1952, currently has over 1,500 pupils using 21 classrooms.

The Education Ministry, said Dr Wee, had also approved two new Chinese primary schools in Hulu Langat.

“The SJK (C) Bandar Sungai Long project is 95% completed now,” he said, adding that the new school could accommodate more than 2,000 pupils.

However, Dr Wee said the fate of SJK (C) Kajang 2 in Kajang Utama was still uncertain.

“Until now, the project to build the new school cannot begin despite approval from the Federal Government many years ago. We have applied for land title for the school in April 2012. However, till now, we have received no news,” he said.

“We hope the state government will put aside political differences and let education be their priority.”

Meanwhile, MCA Youth lodged a police report against several Opposition leaders over allegations that party vice-president Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun closed a Chinese primary school in Petaling Jaya.

The report was lodged against PKR’s Batu MP Tian Chua, and DAP’s Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah and Pantai Remis state assemblyman Nga Kor Ming for accusing Chew, who was Petaling Jaya Utara MP in 2000, of closing SJK (C) Damansara.

Its secretary-general Leong Kim Soon said the allegations had tarnished the good name and reputation of Chew, who is now Barisan Nasional candidate in the Kajang by-election.

The school, said Leong, was shifted due to a highway built next to the school, adding that “the original school is still operating”.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Umno expects to deliver over 70pc Malay votes in Kajang

The New Straits Times, 17 March 2014

KAJANG: Umno is optimistic that the support of Malay voters for Barisan Nasional (BN) in Kajang by-election on March 23 can exceed 70 per cent.

Hulu Langat Umno division secretary Ahmad Fuad Abdul Rahman said this is based on the 'winds of change' among Malay voters who are frustrated with the opposition.

"Many Malay voters are more likely to support BN as they feel cheated by PKR. They include those who voted for them in the 13th general election (GE13).

"We are confident of raising the support for BN by at least 30 per cent of the votes received in the 13th general election," he told Bernama today when asked to comment on developments on the seventh day of campaign.

According to statistics of voters in the fourth quarter of 2012, Kajang has 39,030 registered voters of whom 8,923 (48.5 percent) are Malays.

Ahmad Fuad said lack of involvement by PAS which usually support PKR's campaign machinery contribute to the 'winds of change' among the Malay voters.

"We received a report that the PAS election machinery in Kajang is not moving, believed because of a silent protest from their supporters."

The Umno election machinery covers all the polling districts except Sungai Chua which is the responsibility of the MCA.

"We have 1,000 campaign workers from Selangor who go from door-to-door to meet with voters and explain current issues."

He said although BN candidate Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun is from MCA, her integrity and credibility can win the trust of the Malay voters.

MCA vice-president Chew is involved in a straight fight with PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail for the Kajang state seat.

Meanwhile, Wanita PKR chief Zuraida Kamaruddin admitted the party has yet to receive strong support from Malay voters in the constituency.

So far, only about 45 percent of Malays in Kajang support Wan Azizah compared to Chinese voters (75 percent) and Indian voters (55 percent).

"We aim to get at least 65 percent support of Malay voters," she told a press conference, here today.

Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong said BN has to utilise the six remaining days to increase support of voters as the 45 percent support was still inadequate to win the seat.

"BN should must hard to raise the support to at least 51 percent to ensure victory in Kajang," he said after presenting aid to inmates of Ikhlas Women's Welfare Organisation with Chew. - BERNAMA

NSTP/Samadi Ahmad

BY-ELECTION FEVER: Kajang gets welcome spike in business

The Sun Daily, Tuesday, 18 March 2014

KAJANG - The campaigning for the Kajang by-election has given a boost to the local economy.

D'Warung Bawal supervisor Mat Rodzi said that his stall has seen an increase in customers since the campaign began.

"We are usually packed during lunch hour. But now, we have supporters from Barisan Nasional (BN), PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) coming by our stall, to the point we do not have enough chairs," he said.

Mat, who is also the chef at the fried ikan bawal and chicken stall located outside Sekolah Rendah Agama Sg Kantan in Sg Kantan, welcomed the increase in business.

Meanwhile, cendol seller Syed Kadir Ibrahim has also been having increase in sales recently.

Syed Kadir, who operates along Jalan Mendaling, said he was now selling about 50 to 55 bowls of cendol per day and hopes that business would continue to be brisk.

A hotel manager, who only wanted to be known as Hussein, said his occupancy rate was almost reaching full capacity.

"On a normal day, it is about 50% full. But from now until Sunday, some 90% to 95% of the rooms have been taken up," he said.

However, it is ironic that satay, which is the main attraction in the area, has not seen a similar increase in sales.

Sate Kajang Hj Samuri manager Zohar Md Nor said his satay business was the same like any other day.

He felt this could be due to the many stalls opened around ceramah locations, including the Kajang stadium, which provided the people more alternative places to eat. -Sundaily

Full article: http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=245581:by-election-fever-kajang-gets-welcome-spike-in-business&Itemid=2#ixzz2wVFeo6CW
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Kajang by-election: No ‘sudden spikes’ as EC records 17 new advance voters

The Star, Wednesday March 19, 2014

KAJANG: The Election Commission has dismissed claims by PKR that there was a sudden spike in the number of advance voters who will cast their ballots today, saying there are only 17 new voters since the last general election.

EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said in the last electoral roll used for the May 5 polls, Kajang constituency has 1,180 advance voters comprising police personnel and their spouses.

“For the Kajang by-election, we are using the latest electoral roll which is till Jan 26. The number of advance voters in Kajang to date is 1,197.

“This shows that there are only 17 new advance voters and I don’t think this number can be considered as a sharp increase,” he told The Star.

“On nomination day, both contesting parties were furnished with all the facts and figures pertaining to Kajang. It baffles me why they want to lie about things like this,” he said.

According to EC’s records for the 13th general election, there were 507 advance voters in The Royal Malaysian Police College and 673 in the Kajang district headquarters.

Today, the number of advance voters stands at 506 and 691 at the respective two locations.

Earlier, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has questioned the sudden spike in the number of advance voters who would be voting in the Kajang by-election.

“That is what we are concerned about when previously the number of registered advance voters was only about 300 but has now jumped significantly to 1,197.

“We are quite worried as the trend is that most advance voters would more likely vote for Barisan,” she said when approached after her walkabout at Sungai Kantan, here, yesterday.

Kajang by-election: Kajang folk say they have endured poor conditions long enough

The Star, Wednesday March 19, 2014

by christina tan

Real estate agent Wong Jung Lik

KAJANG: Having to endure poor living conditions for years, Hazdi Khalid is looking forward to a change after the Kajang by-election on Sunday.

“I think her manifesto is very practical,” he said of Barisan Nasional candidate Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun’s pledge to resolve local problems in the constituency.

This is one of her four pledges.

Hazdi, who complained about rubbish, poor drainage, and now the water rationing exercise in the constituency, said the people had been suffering for a long time.

“Pakatan Rakyat has been here for six years, but we do not feel their presence,” said the self-employed 38-year-old.

Chew is in a straight fight with PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in the by-election. The seat fell vacant after PKR’s Lee Chin Cheh resigned in January after winning the seat on May 5 last year. Pakatan also won the seat in the 2008 general election.

Retiree Kok Kam Hoong, 60, said Kajang constituents were looking forward to Chew’s full-time service.

“She has promised us that she will be reachable round the clock to resolve the people’s problems. This is the right attitude of an assemblyman,” he said.

Kok’s views were shared by R. Perumal, 31, who owns a motorcycle repair shop.

N. Ashok Kumar

Real estate agent Wong Jung Lik, 33, felt Chew’s voice in the Selangor state assembly would help to provide check and balance in the legislature that is dominated by Pakatan assemblymen.

Businessman Tan Toh Hooi, 64, said he believed that Chew would be able to deliver if she was elected.

“She can do it,” he said, hoping that she could help to resolve the issue of high business licence fees.

N. Ashok Kumar, 27, meanwhile, has reservations about how far any elected rep could help to resolve problems faced by the people.

“We are facing problems like increasing cost of living and water shortage.

“They (candidates) will make all sorts of promises during campaigning,” he said,

Hasrin Omar, 45, who has been staying in Kajang for over 20 years and IT manager K. Poobalan, 40, share the same long-standing concern of traffic congestion.

“It is just too congested. It takes us up to 30 minutes to travel from Jalan Reko to town, which is 3km away,” he said.

Osman Hasan

Businessman Osman Hasan, 59, said he hoped Chew could help resolve local problems that had remained unresolved after six years under Pakatan, citing infrastructure as an example. He also praised Chew for her concern on harmony among Malaysians.

“What attracts me is her pledge to unite the people. To me, there will be no harmony in the absence of understanding and unity among the various races,” he said, referring to Chew’s pledge to be the goodwill ambassador for unity among the people. Chew’s four pledges in her manifesto are to:

> STRENGTHEN the checks and balance in the Selangor state assembly;

> RESOLVE local problems;

> PLAY a constructive role as an Opposition assemblyman; and

> ACT as a goodwill ambassador to unite the people.

Kajang by-election: Residents question exorbitant land premiums

The Star, Wednesday March 19, 2014

Wong Sak Kuan, a 46-year-old businessman, said he was shocked to receive a notice of payment for the renewal of land lease of his 550sqm land in Kampung Bukit Angkat last year which amounted to RM185,987.

He said he received the first payment notice for the renewal for a term of 99 years in 2007 for RM47,836 and subsequently wrote a letter to the state government to ask for reduction.

“I got no reply till last year when I received another payment notice requesting me to pay RM185,987. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the payment notice,” he told a press conference organised by MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong at MCA main operation room here on Tuesday.

Wong said he wrote two more letters to the state government to request for an instalment payment or easy payment scheme, but received no news till now.

“I am not the only resident facing this kind of problem. Many others in my neighbourhood have a similar dilemma. How could my land premium increase by 400%?” he asked.

At the same press conference, another resident Ng Poh Khoon from Sungai Chua said the assessment for his agriculture land increased tremendously to RM662.20 after the Pakatan Rakyat took over Selangor. The initial assessment notice that he received five years ago was RM1,755.60, he said, adding that it was more than a 19,000% increase, he said.

Dr Wee said the Pakatan failed to do its part to protect the people’s interests.

“They make noise when the Barisan government increases certain fees of only about 15% or 20%, but this is ridiculous.

“The state government must explain such drastic increase in payment,” he said, adding that it was okay for a step-by-step increase to help the people to cope with it.

He also said the state government was misleading when they introduced an easy payment scheme of RM1,000 for land premium.

“Most land owners do not know that they would have to pay a full land premium according to the latest market price when they sell the land years later as the state government did not explain the matter clearly to the people,” he said.

Dr Wee said the land issues would be the focus of Barisan Nasional’s candidate Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun if she was elected into the state assembly.

Kajang by-election: Residents hope elected rep will work to resolve water issue

The Star, Thursday March 20, 2014

by christina tan

They hope that their new elected representative will pay more attention to resolving the problem of water cuts.

Housewife Shirley Ng, 57, said it was worrying every time she heard news about water rationing.

“I still remember carrying big pails of water up the stairs to my apartment on the third floor during water rationing many years ago.

Ng says she will not take the risk of not storing water for emergencies.

“It was very tiring and stressful,” she said.

Although water supply was sufficient in her neighbourhood in Sungai Chua, Ng said she would not take the risk of not storing water for emergencies.

“I have three big drums of water in the house since last month for toilet and washing use.

“We replace the water in the drums from time to time for fear that it will become a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” she said.

Another housewife P. Jayanthy, 50, from Sungai Ramal said her family experienced water disruption constantly for the past six years.

“I always have water stored in my house for cooking and drinking, just in case the taps run dry when we wake up in the morning or when we are out of the house.

Michael stores water although he has not experienced water cuts in recent months.

“We don’t like this but we do not have any other choice. We hope the new state assemblyman will help us resolve this problem,” she said.

Jayanthy said her sister and her family from Cheras, who are currently facing water disruption at their home, were forced to drop by her house to shower.

Mohummad Naim Saadon Badri, a 23-year-old personal driver from Cheras, said his neighbourhood faced water cuts quite often.

“We have to buy a new water tank for the house. It is very inconvenient and we hope the government will act fast to resolve our problem,” he said.

Housewife Norhalisah Nadi, 24, said her family staying near Saujana Impian just experienced water rationing last week.

“It is frustrating because the water supply was cut without notice. We have a baby and young children at home.

Norhalisah says water supply in her area was cut without any notice.

“We were forced to go to our relatives’ houses for our baths and for drinking water,” she said.

“Normally the children shower themselves, but now I give them their bath to ensure they do not waste water,” she said.

George Michael, a 47-year-old driver, said he had been staying in Sungai Chua for the past three months, but had not experienced water disruption.

“We store water just in case, because areas like Serdang and Seri Kembangan are having water supply problems,” he said.

Clerk Kong Sook Yin, 40, said water supply was not an issue in Sungai Chua for many years. However, her mother still kept enough water for two to three days.

Retiree Lee Teck Fock, 62, said he was never worried about the water rationing situation in Kajang.

“I do not store water. In fact, I have loaned my water drums and pails to my friends in Subang Jaya,” he added.