Willing and capable to serve practically - SUM YOO KEONG

Demolition of squatter houses halted.Residents get a reprieve

Butterworth, 17 Jan 2013 - The demolition of houses at Kampung Federal, off Jalan Siram in Butterworth, has been temporarily put on hold thanks to the timely intervention by a Barisan Nasional leader.

Bagan Barisan coordinator David Chua arrived with his service team members and supporters as early as 8.30am upon learning that the landowner would be coming with a court order to tear down the houses.

When the landowner showed up with six Bangladesh workers accompanied by his Lim Beng Leng and Sessions Courts bailiff Md Ariff Megat Kechik, the situation became tense with several house occupants screaming at the landowner.

A police team was on standby for any untoward incidents while Tenaga Nasional Berhad workers were on hand to disconnect power supply.

The demolition of several squatter houses in Kampung Federal here on Thursday (17 Jan) was halted when residents protested against the low compensation and questioned the status of the foreign workers assigned to do the job.

Two of the six workers left when residents asked the police to check if they were illegal immigrants.

The encounter took a new twist when the land owner ordered his workers to tear down the houses and Chua asked the police to determine whether the foreigners possessed legal documents and work permits.

However, the demolition was postponed to another date after a compromise was reached between the house occupants and the landowner.

Earlier, there was a heated exchange between Bagan Dalam assemblyman A.Tanasekharan and Barisan Nasional area coordinator David Chua when the land owner arrived with a court bailiff and police personnel to demolish several houses vacated by 13 squatter families.

Chua said it was improper for the land owner to compensate the squatter families only RM1,000 to RM5,000 to vacate the houses in Jalan Siram, but Tanasekharan, a lawyer, countered that they had to respect the eviction order issued a year ago.

Chua said both parties agreed to defer the demolition to another date.

Jasni Othman, 40, a lorry driver, said he was offered RM4,000 as compensation.

“The amount is too little. I expect at least RM15,000 as I have a wife and three children,’’ he said.

Chua took the state government to task for sitting too long on the issue.

“Why are they delaying the matter?

“If small problems like this cannot be solved, how are they going to solve bigger problems.

“I am very sad that this issue has been politicised,’’ he said.

Chua said the families are unable to pay the rent, and asked the authorities to move them directly into the free low-cost units instead.

He said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is also the MP for Bagan, had failed in his duty to resolve the matter and not visiting the affected victims.

Bagan Dalam assemblyman A. Tanasekharan, who was at the scene, said the land owner agreed to pay compensations to all the 13 families.

“Since they are staying on a private land, the state government cannot provide them with replacement units,” he said.

Earlier during an intense argument between Chua and Tanasekharan, two of the six Bangladesh workers fled the scene after Chua called the police to check whether they had valid documents.

Land owner and residents face off over compensation while two foreign workers flee from police

Both the land owner and the residents had earlier agreed to defer the demolition to settle the issue amicably, but the matter dragged on for two years because the families wanted higher compensation.

Mohd Ariff Megat Kechik, 40, said he was willing to relocate only if the land owner gave a better compensation, but not the RM4,000 currently offered to him.

He said he was also willing to accept the state government's free low-cost flat unit.

Both the landowner and his counsel, Lim Beng Lee, refused to comment.
SOURCE: The Star/ theMALAYAmail

Ribut kencang di Parlimen Bagan

BUTTERWORTH,4 Novemeber 2012 - Bumbung di tiga blok bangunan Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Mak Mandin rosak teruk akibat diterbangkan angin dalam kejadian ribut pada kira-kira pukul 3 petang, hari Ahad ini.

Angin kencang itu turut menerbangkan bumbung beberapa buah rumah serta bangunan berhampiran sekolah itu sehingga bertaburan di atas jalan raya.

Pengetua SMK Mak Mandin Teh Siew Hong berkata beliau berasa syukur kerana ribut itu tidak menjejaskan kelas yang akan digunakan untuk peperiksaan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) yang bermula esok.

"Namun saya bimbang keadaan tidak selesa bagi calon-calon SPM esok kerana bekalan elektrik terputus dan saya harap peperiksaan dapat diteruskan juga," katanya kepada pemberita di sini hari ini.

Teh berkata kejadian itu adalah kali pertama dialami sekolah itu sejak dibuka 34 tahun lalu dan pihaknya sedang menilai jumlah kerosakan.

Sementara itu, kejadian tersebut telah mendapat perhatian daripada Penyelaras Parlimen Bagan, yang mana peruntukan segera sebanyak RM20,000.00 diberikan kepada SMK Mak Mandin bagi kerja-kerja baik pulih bumbung sekolah.

Selain daripada itu Barisan Nasional Pulau Pinang akan menyalurkan sumbangan kepada mangsa ribut bagi meringankan mereka membaiki kerosakan akibat bencaba tersebut.

Pengusaha kantin sekolah itu, Salbiah Ahmad, 62, berkata ketika kejadian dia dan anak serta dua saudaranya sedang mengemas barang-barang jualan untuk sesi persekolahan esok.

"Makcik terkejut dengar bunyi kuat seperti guruh di atas bumbung dan tiba-tiba nampak bumbung terangkat menyebabkan kami semua meniarap ketakutan di atas lantai.

"Ia amat menakutkan namun bersyukur kerana semuanya selamat," katanya.

Source : Bernama

Driving home safety message

Butterworth,12 October 2012 : SOME 100 drivers from government agencies and the private sector went home equipped with better knowledge after attending a course on safe driving. The one-day course was jointly organised by the Bagan Barisan Nasional coordinator’s office and Social Security Organisation (Socso) with the co-operation of the Road Safety Department (JKJR), Puspakom Sdn Bhd and ISO Training Academy. It was held at the Safira Country Club in Seberang Jaya near Butterworth yesterday.

Educating drivers: Chua (left) handing over a certificate of participation to Tan (right) during the seminar in Butterworth. With him (from second left) are Jegan, Nurlaily and Hamizan

Bagan Barisan coordinator David Chua said the course would create awareness on safe driving. “Each day when you open the newspapers, you will find news on fatal accidents. “Such programmes meant to instil discipline on the road should be extended to the public,” Chua told a press conference after officiating the event. He hoped future similar courses would be conducted in other languages besides Bahasa Malaysia, as more people would understand better if conducted in their vernacular languages. Also present were Sungai Puyu Barisan coordinator Sum Yoo Keong, Chua’s personal assistant Mohd Nordin Saad, Socso executive officer Nurlaily Abd Latif, state JKJR director S. Jegan, Puspakom customers care advisor (northern region) Hamizan Zainal and ISO Training Academy chief executive Frank Tan. Chua said the seminar was conducted by experienced training personnel who carried out nationwide courses and trained many multinational companies’ drivers. He thanked Tan for conducting the training free under the academy’s social corporate responsibility programme. All participants received a certificate of attendance at the end of the seminar. Meanwhile, Jegan said about one million new vehicles were registered each year and about 300,000 new drivers were on the road. As such, road safety courses were vital.

Muhibbah in Parliament Bagan

A SENSE of muhibbah prevailed at Pesta Tanglung Bagan 2012 as several Indian and Malay families joined the Chinese community in celebrating the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.

The event, organised by Bagan Barisa

n Nasional together with more then 30 organisations, was held at Lorong Tanjung Aman 4, off Jalan Raja Uda in Butterworth, and drew a crowd of over 5,000 people.

Many Indian and Malay children were thrilled when they lit paper lanterns with their parents and family members before taking part in a kilometre-long lantern procession in the vicinity.

Led by a Jalur Gemilang flag bearer and a dragon dance group, the people closely followed Penang Barisan chief Teng Chang Yeow, who opened the event, Bagan Barisan leaders and 32 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the 15 minute-long procession on Saturday.

Some 1,000 colourful paper lanterns and candles were given away free at the event, which was held from 6.30pm till 11pm.

Factory operator B. Paremeswari, 33, said she wanted her sons Jesse Eleazar, seven, and Issac Benjamin, six, to experience a Chinese festival.

“I was especially surprised to see a group of Chinese kindergarten children dancing to a Tamil number on stage,” she said, adding that it reflected respect toward another’s culture and language.

Factory assistant supervisor Norazizul Rahman Jamaluddin, 35, said his elder daughter Nur Farah Nabilah, 10, joined a Gangnam Style dance performance while his younger daughter Nur Farah Farzana, six, danced to an Indian song at the event.

“We are excited as this is our first time attending a lantern festival after reading about it in the media,” he said.

Grandfather Phong Kok Wah, 59, brought his wife and their three grandchildren to the event, noting that they did not want the young ones to miss out on the excitement.

Barisan’s Bagan parliamentary constituency coordinator David Chua, who is also Bagan MCA Youth chief, said the festival was no longer enjoyed by just the Chinese community, but by other races as well.

“It is a non-religious festival and therefore, all races can celebrate it together,” he said.

Some 20 children aged between three years and 12 years old from Little World Kindergarten also performed Chinese, Malay and Indian dances in tune with the 1Malaysia concept.

Ho Kee Siang, 37, from the Seberang Prai Saolim Martial Arts Association said 50 students aged between six years and 18 years performed 20 different shaolin stunts at the event, which included those that used long and short weapons.

Highlight of the event was a traditional Chinese mask changing performance by Danny Goh and his wife, Li Hong from the Yan Yang Tian Te Ji Group in Kuala Lumpur.

The duo also performed several folk songs and acrobatic stunts such as spinning bowls on sticks, fire baton balancing on the mouth and escaping from chains tied to the body.

Some 300 dancers, mainly women, from the Lily Tan Modern Dance Studio performed a Gangnam Style flash mob and several line dancing items, while another 330 members from the Butterworth Chinese Traditional Dance Group performed qi gong and modern dances.

Big Bowl Station owner K. K. Lim was a crowd-puller among the 60-odd stalls with his unique teddy bear faced deep-fried Korean pocket burgers, while others sold various snacks from chicken wings, fried bihun to spring potatoes and Taiwan ice jelly.

Young Malaysian Movement North Seberang Prai branch added splendour to the festival by exhibiting 41 lanterns that were submitted for a competition.

Many of the creatively-designed lanterns used recycled materials including ping pong balls, shuttlecocks, straws, palm leaves, plastic bottles and shells.

A community lantern-making competition was also held at the Super Tanker Food Court at Taman Lip Sin on Saturday as part of the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations.

Lanterns of various designs and colours were up for display including exotic ones which included those with bird and flower-shaped motifs.

Winner Ching Eng Hong, 50, a printing shop owner, captivated the hearts of the judges with his rectangular garden-themed lantern.

He walked away with a RM200 voucher from Sunshine Square.

Also present were Bayan Baru Barisan coordinator Por Joo Tee and Batu Uban coordinator Goh Kheng Sneah.

Taxi drivers up in arms

(Butterworth, 2 Oct, 2012) MEMBERS of the Butterworth Terminal Taxi Drivers and Hired Cars Owners Associa-tion want the authorities to act against non-members of the association, who are jeopardising their livelihood. 

Association chairman Abdul Wahab Hashim said drivers of taxis and hired cars, who are non-members of the association and from other parts of Butterworth, had been picking up passengers at the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal in Butterworth. 

“They pick up new passengers at the terminal after dropping off their passengers there. 

“This is affecting the livelihood of our members, who are operating in the area,” he told reporters after Bagan Barisan Nasional coordinator David Chua presented a RM2,000 cheque to the association on Tuesday night. 

Also present was Bagan Dalam Barisan coordinator M. Karuppanan. 

All ears: Chue (second right) with Karuppanan (third right) and Sungai Puyu Barisan Nasional coordinator Sum Yoo Keong (right) listening to the problems faced by members of the Butterworth Terminal Taxi Drivers and Hired Cars Owners Association ar the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal

The association also called upon the Land Public Transport Commission to conduct a study on the problems faced by owners of the hired cars and taxis. 

Abdul Wahab said the owners were forced to take an oath to renew their permits despite having their vehicles examined by Puspakom. 

“Why do the owners have to take an oath to renew their permits when Puspakom has already inspected the vehicles?” he asked. - The Star.Metro 

Pesta Tanglung Bagan 2012 at 6 Sept. (Sat)

Date: 6.10.2012(Saturday)
Time: 6.30pm-11pmVenue: Lorong Tanjung Aman 4, off Jalan Raja Uda, 12300 Butterworth。

Some 5,000 people from all walks of life are expected to throng the Pesta Tanglung Bagan 2012 this Saturday, organised by the Bagan BN with the assistance fo more than 30 organisations.

The event will be held at the field in Lorong Tanjung Aman 4, Taman Aman Tanjung, off Jalan Raja Uda, Butterworth, from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.

Organising chairman Lim Hai Song said various events has been lined up to liven up the night.

He said the event would be officiated by Penang Barisan Nasional chief Teng Chang Yeow and attended by several Barisan component party leaders.

"The event will be held on a grand scale for the second time with its basic aim of promoting the Chinese culture and its traditions," Lim told a press conference held at the Pusat Community Police SPU in Butterworth.

Lim said 1,000 lanterns would be given to children on a first-come-first-served basis, and there would be a lantern procession in the area.