哈斯比：诗巫国稻米仓受查封，消费者不需担心闹“米荒”

File photo of the Bernas's stockyard in upper Lanang Roand, Sibu

（诗巫29日讯）联邦农业与农基工业部属下稻米监管部诗巫分局局长哈斯比宾阿里表示，诗巫国家稻米机构有限公司米仓受到查封，但是消费者不需要担心市场上会闹“米荒”。 　　

根据哈斯比，位于南兰律上段的诗巫米仓共有5个货仓，其中一个被空置的货仓将被开启，充作放置新运抵白米的用途；他也保证，新运抵诗巫的4000公吨白米将放置在新货仓里，因此，将不会影响到诗巫市场的白米供应。 　　

哈斯比透露，遭到查封的货仓是要进行调查旧米，即所谓的劣质米和标签问题，以及上个月发放的劣质米的流向。 　　

民主行动党砂州宣传秘书黄培根今天早上透过手机联络目前人在吉隆坡的哈斯比询问有关米仓遭到查封的事件，并向本地传媒转述哈斯比的谈话。 　　

黄培根表示，他是向哈斯比询问稻米监管部将封仓多久？以及市民反映，在封仓期间，市场上将会出现白米短缺的现象感到担忧；并也提出，如果两个月没有开仓出米，市民到那里买米的等等问题。

Woman disappointed with SMC and police for inability to solve case of her missing car

Woman disappointed with SMC and police for inability to solve case of her missing car
SIBU: A 41-year-old woman claimed yesterday that a top official in Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) urged her ‘to forget about the incident and buy a new car’ when she went to see the council about her missing car.
Her Toyota Hilux was parked at the multi-storey car park in Sibu Central Market on that day.
“However, one of the top officials told me to forget about the incident and buy a new car. The official even sarcastically said that since I had the money to buy a Toyota Hilux, then I must be rich enough to buy another car. What type of an official is that? Doesn’t he know that it takes years for a commoner like me to save that amount of money to buy the car,” she claimed.
It has been more than a month of waiting for the recovery of her Toyota Hilux parked at the multi-storey car park at Sibu Central Market but the 41-year-old owner surnamed Huong finds “the prolonged wait rather disappointing and agonising”.
Huong claimed that she had not received any news regarding her stolen car from the authorities concerned.
“Is it so difficult for a commoner like me to seek the police or the SMC for help? If the stolen vehicle belongs to someone prominent, I believe the outcome would surely be a different story,” she alleged at the press conference held at the DAP’s office here yesterday morning.
Since her vehicle was stolen on June 21, Huong claimed that she had gone to see top officials of SMC on several occasions.
Huong hit out at the authorities for not ‘taking sweeping action’ when she first lodged the police report.
“Had they done so, there might be a better chance of recovery,” she claimed.
Huong further claimed the chance of recovery was getting more remote.
“However, deep down in my heart, I still hope the police will do something to help me trace the car,” she said.
According to Huong, she parked her car, bearing plate number QSE33xx at the Sibu Central Market multi-storey carpark on June 21 at about 9.50 am before she went to buy vegetables.
She returned at about 11am but was shocked to discover her car missing.
Huong immediately went to the SMC pondok but was told to lodge a police report.
She then went to the nearby police pondok but claimed there was no police personnel around except for one off-duty CID officer at the scene.
Huong claimed she requested the CID to help and informed all the mobile police to block the route of the thieves.
CCTV records later showed a middle-aged man wearing a yellow and green-striped T-shirts driving away her car at about 10.46 am.
It was not known how the culprit managed to drive away the car and whether he was using a fake or genuine parking ticket to exit the SMC ticketing booth.
Huong claimed that she hid the parking ticket at ‘a very secretive place inside the car’ and she still believed that the culprit could have used other techniques to exit the SMC ticketing booth.
Meanwhile, DAP State Publicity secretary David Wong, at a press conference, criticised the police for not doing enough to help solve the case.
“Since the whole episode was recorded on CCTV and the police also have the identity card of the suspect, there is no reason it took them so long to solve the case,” he said.
Wong also questioned the usage of the CCTVs, adding that if it could not help to provide any lead, then it should be dismantled
“What is the use of CCTVs if the footage it recorded could not be used to trace the criminals. If that is the case, then the CCTVs should be dismantled to save taxpayers’ money,” he added.

Motorbike accidents

A comrade was knocked off a bike this morning and was found unconscious by his friend at around 9:00 am. I received a call from him requesting me to pick him up at Tg. Kunig, 7km away from Sibu town.
I was later informed by the residence there that he was knocked down by a passing dog and they helped him into their house until help arrives. They told me that he was unconscious and temporarily lost his memory for a while. He suffered a fractured collar bone and more wearily, he felt dizzy and vomited on the way to the medical centre. The CT scan shows a white spot which should be the main concern now.
The doctor sent him for X-ray and CT scan and the results showed a fractured collar bone and a white spot in his brain which has to be studied by a neurologist. There is no such specialist in Sibu and one from Kuching General Hospital would be in Sibu on the 31st of July.
During my brief stay at the medical centre, i met 2 persons whose parent was also involved in motorcycle accident, one was knocked down by a car while the other was involved with collision with a stray dog as well. We (all DAP members) also visited them and glad that they are recover well.
I would like to share the following 2005 statistics from the Malaysian government which reveals that motorcycles accidents accounted for 66.41% of the total accident in Malaysia. I urge the Ministry of education and the Police to have more educational forum to highlight the issue among the youth as they form the majority of the motorbike users in Malaysia. Furthermore, the age limit of motorcyclist should be reviewed as 16 is an adventurous and rebellious age and many cyclists themselves admitted that they were more restless and daring during the minor years of their lives.

David Wong
27-07-2008

Happy 80th birthday!

My mum turns 80 years old on this month and all my siblings came back for the special occasion. I had to arrange it on the Saturday to fit every one's schedule. Thus, i had to forgo the DAP's Penang trip on the 17th although the air ticket had been purchased earlier.

My mum did not want to celebrate it so we did not invite anyone else and told her that it was only for the immediate family members. Anyway, we have a heart warming gathering at my home and enjoyed the family reunion which usually happens only on Chinese New Year.

We wish our mum good health and hoping that we shall have many more of this occasion in the years to come. Happy Birthday, mum.

Dap Lanang branch's resolution (mandarin text)

南蘭行動黨通過12提案要求增採油稅至20%
（詩巫）民主行動黨南蘭支部於7月13日舉行常年大會，并在大會上通過12項提案。提案內容：
1.呼籲砂州政府修改砂州土地法典，地契到期自動和無條件延長至99年，而且不用付還更新費，以保障砂州人民的土地擁有權。土地是人民的根，政府不可以把人民的根拔掉，要知道政府要“以民為本”。
2.呼籲政府廢除內安法令和媒體印刷法令，還給民主真正的自由。呼籲豁免地契更新費
3.呼籲砂州政府向中央政府強硬要求把砂州石油開採稅從70年代的5%增至20%。砂州豐富的資源要妥善的管理和分派給砂州子民，砂州政府根本不需要向人民徵收地契更新費來發展砂州。
4.呼籲州政府開放土地給年齡21歲以上的砂州人民，以發展砂州農業和推動經濟發展，砂州需要更多的本地小園主來推動地方經濟發展。
5.呼籲中央政府降低汽油柴油及煤氣的價格，政府應該讓全民分享國家的天然資源，而不是剝奪人民的權益。國油和國家在國際原油價格飆升中得利，為何人民不可從中分享呢？籲停止建電訊塔
6.呼籲地方議會和州政府馬上停止私人公司在詩巫和砂州各地建設電訊塔，人民的健康和安全是政府和國家的財富和責任。
7.呼籲市議會和警方馬上在詩巫市區裝置電眼，以控制市區的治安，不可以缺錢來推卸責任。
8.呼籲詩巫警方要求警察總部多派警員到詩巫來拚治安，還給人民安居樂業的環境。警方也要和媒體合作，不可掩蓋治安問題和報導，人民有權力知道真相。開放領空促進旅游業
9.呼籲砂州政府開放領空給所有有能力的航空公司，以解決砂州航空所面對的問題。全砂州人民都對目前的航空服務感到不滿，而政府對此束手無策，人民怨聲載道，旅遊業已經被它拖垮。
10.呼籲教育部慎重看待砂州不諳華文的教師被派到華小的問題。砂州董聯會和華社很嚴正看待這項問題，希望教育部馬上糾正。
11.呼籲砂州政府嚴正看待本州漁民所面對的各項問題，砂州豐富的海洋資源應得到妥善處理，砂州政府不可出賣子民的資源給外國人，如發給他們執照去開發這項資源。籲撥款華小獨中
12.呼籲州政府常年撥款給州內的華小和獨中，因為教育是不應分種族和宗教。國陣領袖常常讚揚華小和獨中，可是只是口頭服務，華小和獨中根本沒有得到支援。

IPPs given billions through "under-table" dealings by the BN

I have mentioned this issue in my blog here under CORRUPTIONS on the 20th October 2007 about the IPPs enjoying billions of Ringgit through subsidy. The subsidy has been given out to the IPPs since 1997 and the government must announced the contract agreement signed with the IPPs and its terms for accountability.

I said in the said article "Petronas is losing money by subsidising gas to the IPPs, and since Petronas is government owned, that means it is the Malaysian public that is subsidising the profitable IPPs."

The following report was reported from Malaysiankini which revealed the "under-table" dealings of the BN government.
MPs query 'extreme profits' for IPPs
Fauwaz Abdul Aziz Jul 8, 08 6:00pm
The 13 independent power producers (IPPs) together made a profit of RM3.37 billion last year.
MCPX
Such "extreme" profits enjoyed by the IPPs came under scrutiny by members of parliament on both sides of the House today.
They wanted a review of the power purchase agreements (PPA) between the IPPs and utility firm Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).
"I want to ask now whether we will review the extreme revenues going to IPPs or whether, if there are other reasons for this, the government would take over the IPPs that are operating presently," said Ahmad Hamzah (BN-Jasin).
In his reply to Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Bagan), Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department SK Devamany revealed that for the financial year 2006/2007, IPPs TNB Janamanjung and Segari Energy Ventures pulled in pre-tax profits of RM860 million and RM614.9 million.
Meanwhile, Powertek and Tanjung Bin Power made RM372.6 million and RM332.9 million respectively. Among the other big earning IPPs, Genting Sanyen Power and YTL Power Generation earned RM312.3 million and RM252 million respectively.
'Lost revenues'
Devamany also disclosed that 10 IPPs, from May 1997 to March 2008, received RM35.7 million in gas subsidies from national petroleum firm Petronas.
The subsidies were not awarded in the form of cash to TNB or Petronas, the deputy minister clarified, but are the latter’s ‘lost revenues’ since the government set the price of gas below market prices in May 1997.
The ultimate beneficiaries of the subsidies, however, are the "end-users" due to the lower costs of generating electricity and, thereby, electricity tariffs imposed on consumers, he said.
"Because of this, the ‘subsidies’ or gas price discounts... actually do not benefit the IPPs but the end-users in the form of low electricity tariffs," said Devamany.
He also said that the government had decided that TNB should negotiate with the IPPs to review the terms within the PPA and that a windfall profit levy would be imposed on the IPPs’ profits.

Beware of conmen among our circles of friends & relatives & associates, ranks and files

Everyday, news about con jobs and victims appears on the papers, but the same stories appear again the next day. Why and how?

To many these are more unbelievable as why there are so many victims when the news reminds us almost daily about the con jobs. But what if the conman is one among our trusted circle of friends and associates?

The con men prey with the following characteristics:
1) They are all well armed with some knowledge and skills and can sweet talk a lot, they are never the shy ones or introvert,
2) They only prey on those they are well acquainted especially their friends and relatives,
3)They joint a lot of associations and are members of political parties to build up their bases,
4)Some of them are well known personalities in town such as part time MC ,Feng Shui master and best man,
5)They almost certainly dressed well and presentable,
6)They always tell you a lot of stories about how they have helped the others to build up your trust,
7)Of course, they will sweet talk you into some sorts of investment schemes and promise you the good returns,
8)They also could guarantee anything under the sky,
9)They like the kind hearted preys whom they can laid their eyes on, and
10)They are worst than the snakes as they are full of greed and Vernon.

I know of one such con men in Sibu whom many have been victimised and i have the intention of exposing him when his victims are willing to supply me more evidence. I am sorry to say that this conman could have been seen by the public as one DAP supporter although this could be his camouflage only to suits his "profession".

David Wong
DAP Sarawak publicity sec.,
7-7-2008