Councillors begin with an objection

Saturday, 12 July 2008




Councillors begin with an objection
K. Harinderan
(From left) Selayang Municipal Council president Zainal Abidin Azim and his deputy Jamri Basni with the 24 new councillors at the first full board council meeting.

SELAYANG: Many of the new councillors objected to a regulation under the Selayang Municipal Standing Order during a meeting on Thursday.

Councillor Lim Jit Lee says new technology will help waste management.

The regulation that states each committee is to be chaired by the council president was met with objections from the floor .

The members questioned the reasons for the regulation and asked whether there would be a conflict of interest.

This issue was one of the many raised during four-hour full board council meeting at the Selayang Municipal Council.

Held after the swearing-in ceremony at the council headquarters, the panel chaired by council president Zainal Abidin Azim, discussed council procedures, issues faced by residents and functions of the sub-committees.

The 24 councillors were also appointed to eight sub-committees at the meeting:

• Finance
• One-Stop Centre
• Service and Appointment
• Licensing and Development
• Town Services, Traffic and Tourism
• Investment and Privatisation
• Human Development, Sports and Culture
• Tender and Quotation Evaluation

Councillors Datuk A. Rashid Omar, a former Public Works Department director and Tan Hui Chuan, a lawyer, voiced their concerns that the council would only be an endorsement body to decisions made.Zainal Abidin replied that all council proposals by the sub-committees are open to scrutiny.

He went on to explain that the sub-committees would meet at least twice monthly and the full board would sit once monthly.

"This does not mean that decisions by the full board would be final. Councillors can debate the matter and raise objections or submit new proposals," said Zainal Abidin.

Councillor Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahin Abdul Wahab requested that the minutes of sub-committee meetings be given out beforehand so the members have sufficient time to digest the matters before they are tabled at full board meetings.

The other major topics brought up were rubbish disposal, collection of assessment, hygiene of food outlets and the passing of the previous year's board minutes and accounts.

To a question by Tan on the state's grading system for food outlets around Selayang, it was explained that more than 20 outlets have been fined due to non-adherence to council guidelines this year.

Zainal Abidin added that on-going checks based on existing set guidelines would be done on all outlets periodically with the assistance of the State Health Department in light of many complaints and possible health risks.

Upon presentation of the statement of accounts for 2007, Tan sought clarification on why more than a third of the council's expenditure was spent on waste management.Lim Jit Lee added that new technology methods were needed to reduce costs.

The council president explained by saying: "The collection of waste had been privatised. The higher tipping fee charges by disposal sites, wide geographical area covered and rising fuel costs had left them unable to make a profit."

We are looking into better measures to control costs such as a better incinerator and to open new disposal sites which are closer. The present disposal centre is at Bukit Tagar in Selangor," he added.

On the subject of council revenue and expenditure, Zainal Abidin said over 75 per cent of the council revenue is collected from the assessment rates collected twice yearly.

"We have issued 159,427 bills amounting to RM37,553,310 for the first term but collection of the rates always poses a challenge.

In light of this we have called up many commercial property owners to discuss settlements and even offered installment plans. A total of 64,746 notices and 9,383 warrants have been issued to enable the council to collect past dues.

"Councillor Gurdip Kaur @ Rina Pritam Singh, the secretary of the Independent Living and Training Centre in Rawang, brought up the matter of the many illegal stalls operating during school hours in the vicinity of four schools there. She said:

"There have been many complaints of food poisoning from the students and these stalls also pose the threat of hindering traffic flow along the road fronting the schools."

She also called for more handicapped and elderly citizen-friendly pavements and public transportation.

Zainal Abidin, when asked, said the new councillors formed "an enthusiastic panel with experience in many fields who offered many plausible proposal in heeding to the needs of residents here.

Diversity in Selayang

Friday, July 11, 2008





Diversity in Selayang
K. Harinderan
Newly appointed Gurdip Kaur @ Rina Pritam Singh (NGO) being carried into councilors swearing-in session of the Selayang Municipal Council yesterday.

SELAYANG: Councillors of diverse backgrounds were sworn in yesterday to begin representing residents on the municipal council here.

A total of 25 new councillors took their oaths.

They included lawyers, political officials, NGO representatives, businessmen, doctors and housewives.Selayang council president Zainal Abidin Azim said:

"The new councillors were appointed based on their experience and knowledge to better serve the public."

After the hour-long ceremony, the first full board meeting was held.

Zainal Abidin added that since all the councillors were new, a two-day briefing will be held within the next two weeks to familiarise them with the procedures, functions of the committees, and council protocols.

This is part of the Selangor government's move to conduct training for all councillors in Morib at the end of the month.

The council will have committees on finance, one-stop centre, service and appointment, licensing and development, town services, traffic and tourism, investment and privatisation, human development, sports and culture, and tender and quotation evaluation.


The new councillors are:
Zainal Abidin Azim (council president)Datuk Paduka Raja Wan Moahmood Pa'Wan TehAbdul Rahim Abdul Rahin Abdul Wahab, Datuk Mazlan Hassan, A. Rahim Ahmad Kasdi, Nanto Gopalan Krishnan Rajoo, Maznah Abd Aziz, Md. Sabri Md. Taib, Zulkifli Hamzah, Zulnizam Shahrani (all PKR).

Kuan Perk Siong, Murugan @ Murugeshu Arumugam, Hasbullah Mod Ridzwan, Lim Ching How (DAP).

Mohamad Abdul Raham, Samsudin A. Rahman, Khatifah Zamani Sulong, Dr. Ramli Jusoh (Pas).

Gurdip Kaur @ Rina Pritam Singh, Tan Kian Boo, Tan Hui Chuan, Lim Jit Lee (NGO), Associate Professor Husin Mohd Dini (dean), Datuk A. Rahid Omar (pensioner, former JKR director), Chee Chu Sang (advocate and solicitor),

Momentous occasion

Thursday July 10, 2008

Momentous occasion

Much needs to be done before Petaling Jaya becomes a disabled-friendly city.
WHEEL POWER by ANTHONY THANASAYAN

LAST week was incredible! On Tuesday, I, together with 23 other Petaling Jaya councillors, was sworn in to our official posts.

At 8am on that day, the PJ City Council van was at my house. It had a wheelchair-lift to load my wheelchair into the vehicle. After my wheels were firmly secured by safety belts, the 10-minute ride began.

I could not help getting choked up over all that was happening, considering what an honour it was for me to be the first Malaysian in a wheelchair to be elected a city councillor. It was a milestone and a victorious moment for me, one that I could share with every disabled Malaysian in the country.

MBPJ deserves credit for its brand new disabled-friendly van which is available for free to the disabled and the poor in PJ.

Transportation remains a major problem for the physically handicapped. I hope every local council in the country will follow suit by providing at least one vehicle, for a start, for its handicapped residents.

On the way to the MBPJ headquarters, I could see that there was much to be done before PJ becomes a disabled-friendly city. The area surrounding the building, with its hostile and unfriendly pavements and public utilities, the disabled-friendly carparks in the wrong places and the uneven flooring inside the building are just some of the things that need fixing.

At the first meeting, I had requested for help from everyone to transform PJ into a model city for all disabled persons, be they the blind, Deaf, people with learning disabilities, epileptics or stroke victims. What a delight it was to receive a thumping applause from everybody.

And Thursday also saw me planting my first tree in Taman Jaya for MBPJ’s Go Green event. I was thrilled when PJ Mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman invited me to plant a tree for the occasion. I was glad that the mayor had not forgotten me in the exercise that required every councillor to plant their own tree.
Because Taman Jaya is inaccessible to wheelchair-users, one of the councillors volunteered to look after my tree daily during his morning jogs in the public park.

My job is to get the garden – and all others in PJ – to be fully accessible to all, especially persons with disabilities. I have been living next to the park since I was a teenager, yet I had little chance to access it as it was not disabled-friendly.

The image of a person in a wheelchair, pouring water over a newly-planted tree in a local government event, will go a long way towards encouraging more families to come out and participate in society, along with their disabled siblings, children or elderly parents.

Saturday was the mass swearing-in day for all Selangor state councillors at the Jubli Perak Hall in Shah Alam. Whilst Gurdip Kaur (Selayang) and I were delighted to receive our certificates from the Selangor Mentri Besar, we were disappointed to find the building’s toilets inaccessible to our wheelchairs.

We need to rectify this at once.

Bangunan MPS tak mesra OKU

Friday, July 11, 2008

My Metro

Bangunan MPS tak mesra OKU
Oleh Amir Abd Hamidamir@hmetro.com.my

BANTU...penguat kuasa MPS mengangkat Gurdip turun selepas majlis angkat sumpah di bangunan MPS, semalam.

KUALA LUMPUR: “Saya sanggup tidak minum bagi mengelak terkencing kerana di bangunan ini tiada kemudahan tandas untuk golongan Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU),” rungut Gurdip Kaur yang kecewa kerana bangunan Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS) tidak menyediakan kemudahan berkenaan.

Gurdip yang juga Ahli Majlis MPS yang baru melakukan lafaz akuan terima jawatan itu semalam, berkata dia berazam membela golongan senasibnya bermula dari bangunan MPS dengan meminta supaya disediakan kemudahan OKU di situ.

Menurutnya, sebelum membuat cadangan supaya dibina kemudahan perkhidmatan awam bagi golongan OKU di tempat lain, dia sebagai Ahli Majlis akan memastikan bangunan MPS sendiri dilengkapi dengan binaan struktur yang boleh membantu OKU.

“Bukan saja tiada struktur binaan bagi membantu OKU di tandas, malah saya terpaksa bersusah-payah dan meminta tolong penguat kuasa MPS untuk menaiki tangga ke tingkat atas kerana tiada lif disediakan.

“Pelantikan saya sebagai satu-satunya Ahli Majlis MPS dari kalangan OKU dianggap amanah dan kesempatan terbaik yang akan saya gunakan untuk membela rakan senasib,” katanya yang juga Setiausaha Persatuan Badan Latihan dan Hidup Berdikari, Rawang.

Dia yang lumpuh kedua-dua kaki sejak 15 tahun lalu kerana terjatuh dari tangga rumahnya turut menyatakan iltizam membuktikan keupayaan walaupun ada kedengaran suara mempersoalkan kemampuannya memegang jawatan Ahli Majlis itu.

Menurutnya, dia sudah lali dengan prejudis yang dilemparkan, malah menempelak mereka yang tidak mahu membantu menaikkan taraf golongan OKU.

“Takkanlah kami hanya mahu duduk di rumah tanpa membuat apa-apa kerja baru mereka puas hati? Golongan OKU juga mahu hidup seperti orang normal seperti bekerja ada jawatan dan membeli-belah.“

Justeru, tidak salah jika kami meminta disediakan kemudahan yang mesra OKU yang sebenarnya secara tidak langsung meningkatkan kualiti taraf hidup kami sesuai dengan kenyataan mengenai masyarakat penyayang di negara ini,” katanya.

Yang Dipertua MPS, Zainal Abidin Azim, berkata pihaknya sudah menyediakan struktur binaan khusus memudahkan pergerakan OKU di bangunan baru dan akan melakukan perkara yang sama di bangunan lama seperti dimaksudkan Gurdip itu.

Mengenai majlis lafaz akuan angkat sumpah Ahli Majlis serta diikuti dengan mesyuarat penuh semalam, Zainal berharap semua Ahli Majlis berfikiran terbuka dan tidak hanya disempitkan di kawasan tempat tinggal mereka saja.

A proud day for women councillors

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

A proud day for women councillors
Halim Said

SHAH ALAM: The presence of women was conspicuous during the mass swearing-in ceremony for Selangor's 283 local councillors at the Dewan Jubli Perak here recently.

Rabiah said she plans to focus on the welfare of youth.

Gurdip said she was still in a state of disbelief.

Among those present was Gurdip Singh, one of 41 women councillors sworn in and a representative of the disabled at the Selayang Municipal Council.

She said she is proud to have been selected as a councillor. She had not been sure of being chosen. "I am still in a state of disbelief that I have been anmed a councillor from among the NGOs.

"I will use this opportunity to make changes for the betterment of the public, especially the disabled," she said.

Gurdip added that the appointment of more women councillors in municipalities is a great step forward, but that the appointees must be willing to work hard and not be motivated by self-interest.

Fellow-councillor Rabiah Omar, who is also a member of the All Women Action Society, said she was focused on the task ahead and is raring to begin carrying out her new duties.

"I plan to focus on the welfare of youth. I want to help provide more educational and self-enhancement building programmes for them," said Rabiah, a former executive director of the society.

Most of the new councillors were present for the swearing-in ceremony on Saturday; six could not attend because of personal reasons, and two had declined appointment.

Prior to the ceremony, the councillors attended a half-day conference where they were briefed on the duties and challenges of their new roles. The talk was delivered by Datin Arpah Abdul Razak, director-general of local government in the Local Government and Housing Ministry.

The councillors were also given a talk on national township policy by Rural and Urban Planning Department (National Physical Planning Division) director Rohani Md Hashim.

This was followed by the swearing-in ceremony, which saw the councillors making a mass pledge to serve in the state's local councils.

Shah Alam mayor Mazalan Md Noor then led councillors in accepting their appointment letters from Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

Afterwards, Khalid said a total of 300 councillors had been appointed, with 288 of them comprising members of the ruling coalition's parties and NGOs, as well as professionals.

The remaining 12 were mayors or council presidents.

He added that unlike appointments by the previous administration, none of the current councillors was a state assemblyman or member of parliament.

However, the MPs and ADUN are allowed to attend council meetings as ex-officio members. As such, they are allowed to voice their views in meetings, but they have no voting rights," the Menteri Besar said.

"I am happy with the appointment and clearly, we see more women councillors and professionals in the line-up."

Khalid added that in two months' time, all the new councillors will be sent for a incentive course at a training centre in Morib.

DISABLED COUNCILLOR IN SELANGOR SWORN IN

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

LAST SATURDAY, TWO DISABLED COUNCILLOR IN SWORN IN SELANGOR

Mr. Anthony and Ms. Rina had attended the swearing-in ceremony in Shah Alam. At below there are some pictures of the day.

Selangor councillors sworn in

Sunday, July 06, 2008

NST - News

Selangor councillors sworn in
SHAH ALAM: Two of the 300 selected as local councillors declined their appointments and withdrew from the mass swearing in of Selangor councillors yesterday.

The two, who were not named, were from the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council and the Shah Alam City Council.Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said they did not think they were qualified to be local councillors.

"Take, for example, the candidate from Ampang. Although there was no proof he has a criminal record, he withdrew to clear his name."

The Ampang candidate in question is at the centre of a controversy after he reportedly refused to provide a statutory declaration attesting that he did not have a record.

The New Straits Times yesterday reported that he had been dropped by the state government, and that allegations against two other Ampang Jaya local councillors, S. Supiramany and S. Sooria Nara-yanan, were unfounded.

After launching the 2008/ 2009 Session Local Councillors Conference, Khalid said under the law, after maybe five years, someone with a conviction could rejoin public service.

"The same principle also applies to members of parliament. If they are fined more than RM5,000, they cannot contest in the election.

There are restrictions for those with a criminal record.

"He said that although the councillors had been sworn in, the vetting process by the police and Bank Negara was ongoing. "

To help administration, we have given out the letters of appointment, but there is a clause stating we have the right to terminate, or disallow them to become councillors, if things are uncovered.

" The state government, he said, was limiting the appointments of the newly sworn-in local councillors to just one year.

In six months, their performance will be assessed and they will be re-appointed if they have performed well.

He added that 80 per cent of them would serve for no more than two years.

"We favour rotations, and we'd like to bring in fresh faces. We do not want it to be a permanent position."

Meanwhile, the two Ampang Jaya local councillors accused of having criminal records denied the allegations.

Sooria, who represents the Ampang Indian Community Charity Bureau, said he may have been "sabotaged" by somebody who wanted his position.

"The police will have records, if the person wants to check. As far as I'm concerned, I have no criminal record. This allegation has spoiled my reputation."Supiramany said he was surprised to learn about the claim from the media."

I have never committed any criminal offence and I am thankful to the state government for placing its trust in me. "From now on, I want to concentrate on looking after my area," said the former vice-president of the Tenaga Nasional Bhd Union, who was also active in the Malaysian Trades Union Council.

Assemblymen to sit as observers at MBPJ meetings

Wednesday July 2, 2008

Assemblymen to sit as observers at MBPJ meetings
By TAN KARR WEI, JADE CHAN AND OH ING YEEN

SELANGOR state assemblymen will now sit in as observers at the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) full board and committee meetings.

Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San said this would encourage greater transparency because council committee meetings used to be closed-door meetings.

“Compared with the previous government, assemblymen were not appointed as councillors this time around but we will still monitor what's happening at the councils,” said Lau.

After a long wait and amid much speculation, the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillors were finally sworn in yesterday at a ceremony at the MBPJ headquarters at Jalan Yong Shook Lin.

Despite demands by representatives of PJ residents to be included as councillors, the announced list remained the same with 17 political appointees (seven from PKR, six from DAP and four from PAS) and seven NGO representatives. Women power: (From left) Cynthia Manonmani Michael Gabriel, Latheefa Beebi Koya, Professor Madya Dr Melasutra Md Dall and Tiew Way Keng are the four female councillors sworn in at MBPJ yesterday.

All the councillors were sworn in except for Michael Soon, who was away attending to work matters.

Also present at the ceremony were PJ Selatan MP Hee Loy Sian, Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo Burne, Taman Medan assemblyman Haniza Mohamed Talha, Bukit Lanjan assemblyman Elizabeth Wong and Kota Damansara assemblyman Dr Nasir Hashim.

In his speech, Petaling Jaya mayor Mohamad Roslan Sakiman reminded the councillors about their duties and responsibilities in serving the people and city of PJ, and for all to work together as a team.

“The 'no wrong door policy' needs to be practised in this council,” he said, adding that the combination of professionals, politicians and NGO representatives would make the new councillor line-up a dynamic combination that would generate good ideas for the development of PJ.

Roslan said the council would decide on the 24 areas that each councillor would be in charge of and they would be required to open up a service centre at their respective areas.

They would receive an annual allocation of RM100,000 each to run their service centres and the amount for this year would be pro-rated.

Councillor Ghazali Shaari (PAS) said his main concern was in areas with a high concentration of low-income earners.

“There is a big disparity between the rich and the poor and if this issue is not looked into, it would lead to social problems and is bad for society,” said Ghazali.

Urban planner Dr Melasutra Md Dali said: “ I wish that we can do better in terms of planning and nurturing the environment to make it more liveable.

Meanwhile, Kamarudin Suhaimi (PAS) hopes to see PJ become more civilised and better developed to attract tourists.

“I would like to have the various small hubs and towns in PJ to be identified and given their own unique identities, so people know which part of PJ to go to when they want something.”

Anthony Thanasayan said one of the first things he would do is to request that he be allowed to bring his dog to help him move about within MBPJ’s premise.

“I have submitted my letter of request to the mayor,’’ said Anthony who is a columnist for The Star.

Aid for the disabled: RM500 allowance closer to the mark

NST Online » Letters

2008/07/02

Aid for the disabled: RM500 allowance closer to the mark
By : ANTHONY SIVA BALAN THANASAYAN, President, PetpositiveK, uala Lumpur

IT is most thoughtful and timely of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen to raise the qualifying ceiling for the disabled in order to obtain their monthly workers' allowance so that they can better cope with the rising cost of living.

However, we in the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive) are disappointed that the monthly allowance of RM300 has not been raised to RM500 for each disabled Malaysian as we had suggested in our meeting with the minister.

The reason for our suggestion is that the disabled face a higher cost of living.

They not only have to pay for aids specific to their disabilities -- wheelchairs, crutches, braille material and hearing aids -- but also medication that can run into hundreds of ringgit per month. The RM300 is at present only for those with jobs.

What about those who can't work, such as the paralysed and those who are bedridden? T

The government should make it such that people like these are able to automatically qualify for the same amount of financial aid instead of being considered on a case-by-case basis as appears to be the current policy.

Petpositive once again would like to call for the increase of the disability allowance to RM500 a month for every disabled person, regardless of what kind of handicaps they have and whether they are working or not.

Device puts steering at the tip of the tongue

Monday June 30, 2008

News
Home > News > World Updates

Device puts steering at the tip of the tongue

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new device that uses a tiny magnet can help disabled people steer a wheelchair or operate a computer using only the tip of the tongue, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

The magnet, the size of a grain of rice, lets people direct the movement of a cursor across a computer screen or a powered wheelchair around a room.

It is easily implanted under the tongue, the team at the Georgia Institute of Technology said.

"We chose the tongue to operate the system because unlike hands and feet, which are controlled by the brain through the spinal cord, the tongue is directly connected to the brain by a cranial nerve that generally escapes damage in severe spinal cord injuries or neuromuscular diseases," said Maysam Ghovanloo, an assistant professor who helped direct the work.

"Tongue movements are also fast, accurate and do not require much thinking, concentration or effort."

A headset with magnetic field sensors detects the magnetic tracer on the tongue and transmits wireless signals to a portable computer, which can be carried on the user's clothing or wheelchair.

"This device could revolutionize the field of assistive technologies by helping individuals with severe disabilities, such as those with high-level spinal cord injuries, return to rich, active, independent and productive lives," Ghovanloo said in a statement.

The team reported on their device to a meeting of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America in Washington.

The researchers said the computer could be programmed to recognize a unique set of specific tongue movements for each user.

"An individual could potentially train our system to recognize touching each tooth as a different command," Ghovanloo said.

The researchers tested the Tongue Drive system on 12 able-bodied volunteers and now plan to test it on people with severe disabilities, Ghovanloo said.

OKU kini boleh daftar dengan JPA

Saturday, June 28, 2008

OKU kini boleh daftar dengan JPA

KUALA LUMPUR 27 Jun - Golongan Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU) kini boleh mendaftar dengan Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) melalui Borang Maklumat Pencarian Kerja OKU untuk memudahkan mereka mendapatkan pekerjaan.

Ketua Setiausaha Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat (KPWKM), Datuk Faizah Mohd. Tahir berkata, borang tersebut diwujudkan untuk mengumpul maklumat mengenai golongan OKU yang memerlukan pekerjaan.

''Borang-borang yang kami terima akan disalurkan kepada pihak berkuasa melantik seperti Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam (SPA), Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Pelajaran (SPP) dan Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Negeri (SPN).

''Pihak berkuasa berkaitan akan melantik calon-calon (OKU) yang sesuai bagi memenuhi jawatan kosong dalam agensi kerajaan berdasarkan kelayakan dan kemahiran masing-masing,'' katanya pada sidang akhbar penyerahan borang maklumat pencari kerja OKU di sini hari ini.

Beliau menyerahkan borang-borang berkenaan kepada wakil daripada 31 pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) OKU dalam satu upacara ringkas di kementeriannya.

Menurut Faizah, borang tersebut yang terdapat dalam versi bahasa Melayu akan disediakan juga dalam versi bahasa Cina, Inggeris dan Tamil bagi kemudahan OKU.

Beliau memberitahu, OKU yang berminat boleh mendapatkan borang tersebut secara dalam talian menerusi laman web rasmi KPWKM serta agensi-agensi kerajaan lain atau di jabatan serta institusi bawah kementerian itu di seluruh negara.

Menurut Faizah, jumlah OKU yang berdaftar dengan JKM sehingga Disember tahun lalu adalah seramai 220,250 orang dan daripada jumlah itu hanya 581 orang berkhidmat dengan JPA.

''Sasaran kerajaan untuk mencapai satu peratus OKU yang bekerja dalam perkhidmatan awam masih agak jauh ketinggalan,'' ujarnya.

OKU dibantu dapat kerja sektor awam

Sabtu, 28 Jun 2008

OKU dibantu dapat kerja sektor awam

Oleh Nor Azma Laila

BANTU OKU: Anthony Siva (dua dari kanan) berbincang dengan Sapura Ramdhan (dua kiri) sambil diperhatikan, Siti Nor Baya Ramli dan Gurdip Kaur @ Rina (kiri) pada sidang media dan majlis penyerahan borang pekerjaan untuk orang kurang upaya oleh Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat.

Borang khas maklumat, nilai kelayakan disediakan

KUALA LUMPUR: Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat mengambil langkah proaktif untuk membantu orang kurang upaya (OKU) memperoleh pekerjaan dalam perkhidmatan awam dengan mewujudkan Borang Maklumat Pencarian Kerja OKU.

Ketua Setiausahanya, Datuk Faizah Mohd Tahir, berkata borang itu adalah untuk mengumpul maklumat OKU bagi memudahkan peluang penempatan pekerjaan oleh agensi kerajaan yang dilantik, antaranya, Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam (SPA).

"Usaha yang juga membabitkan Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Pelajaran (SPP) dan Jabatan Tenaga Kerja (JTK) ini juga selaras dengan Pelaksanaan Dasar Satu Peratus Peluang Pekerjaan Dalam Sektor Awam kepada OKU.

"Dasar yang diwujudkan sejak 1988 itu bertujuan memastikan OKU yang berpotensi dan berkelayakan tidak dipinggirkan dalam mendapat peluang pekerjaan di sektor awam," katanya pada sidang media penyerahan borang berkenaan kepada beberapa persatuan OKU, di sini, semalam.

Hadir sama, Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM), Meme Zainal Rashid dan Ketua Penolong Pengarah, Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA), Yuswan Yunus.

Faizah berkata, melalui maklumat yang diperoleh daripada borang berkenaan, JKM dapat mengenal pasti jumlah OKU yang mempunyai kelayakan dan akan diberi khidmat nasihat mengenai jenis pekerjaan yang sesuai berdasarkan kelayakan serta jenis kecacatan yang dialami.

"Bagaimanapun, tindakan untuk menempatkan OKU mengikut kelayakan dan jenis pekerjaan yang diminati bergantung kepada SPA dan kekosongan di sesebuah organisasi. "

Kita di JKM cuma membantu memudahkan urusan OKU untuk memohon pekerjaan selain memberi cadangan supaya mempertimbangkan permohonan mereka," katanya.

Beliau berkata, berdasarkan rekod SPA, pembabitan OKU secara keseluruhan dalam perkhidmatan awam sehingga April 2008 hanya 0.22 peratus atau 581 OKU selain 1.77 peratus atau 92 OKU daripada 5,179 orang yang berkhidmat di JKM.

Beliau berkata, bilangan kakitangan OKU di JKM sudah melebihi peratus yang ditetapkan dan pihaknya kini mensasarkan peratusan itu dalam perkhidmatan awam lain dalam tempoh terdekat.

Katanya, borang itu yang antara lain memerlukan OKU mengisi maklumat peribadi, kelayakan akademik dan pengalaman kerja boleh didapati pada laman web kementerian dan agensi berkaitan seperti JKM, Jabatan Pembangunan Wanita, Lembaga Penduduk dan Pembangunan Keluarga Negara (LPPKN).

"OKU juga boleh mendapatkan borang berkenaan di pejabat JKM negeri dan daerah, LPPKN negeri, klinik LPPKN dan di suruhanjaya terbabit iaitu di SPA, SPP, JPA, dan JTK," katanya.

Sementara itu, Presiden Persatuan Bantuan Haiwan untuk Warga Kurang Upaya dan Warga Tua, Anthony Siva Balan Thanasayan, berkata usaha itu adalah langkah baik untuk membantu OKU mendapatkan pekerjaan terutama dalam sektor awam

Selayang Municipal Councillors 2008

Your Council

Gurdip Kaur elected into Selayang council

Thursday June 26, 2008

Gurdip Kaur elected into Selayang council
By STUART MICHAEL

INDEPENDENT Living and Training Centre (ILTC) secretary Gurdip Kaur Pritam Singh, who has been fighting for the rights of the disabled for the last 10 years, has been included as one of the 24 councillors in Selayang Municipal Council (MPS).

Gurdip, 47, said she was surprised that the state government hadappointed a disabled person as a councillor.

“I have always wanted to be a councillor someday to help the disabled community. Now, it's turning into a reality.

“I will make a promise to all the disabled people that I will help tackle problems like transport, toilet facilities and recreational areas. .

“In Rawang for example, motorists have always parked in disabled parking lots and I want this to stop . What the previous councillors did not fulfil, I will promise to bring it up in the council meetings,'' she said.

The others appointed under the non-political quota are Tan Kian Boo of Lembaga Arkitek Mia corporate member, Tan Hui Chuan (Rawang High No High Tension Cable committee), Associate Professor Dr Husin Mohd Dini (Dean of the Faculty of Architecture & Built Environment), Lim Jit Lee and Datuk Abdul Rashid Omar, a former Public Works Department director.

Most of the political appointees were made up of party workers of the Pakatan Rakyat’s coalition parties.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has the highest number of representation with nine followed with five from PAS and three from DAP.

MPS president Zainal Abidin Azim said that the councillors have a week to reply before the swearing-in ceremony.

“In fact, most of them have replied and the swearing in process and full board meeting will be held in the second week of July.

We are following the directive from the state and like previously offering the councillorship for two year term,'' he said

Qualifying ceiling for disabled folk raised to RM1,200

Thursday June 26, 2008

The Star - News - Nation

Qualifying ceiling for disabled folk raised to RM1,200

KUALA LUMPUR: More disabled people will qualify for RM300 monthly allowance from the Government from this month with the qualifying ceiling raised to RM1,200.

Prior to this, only those earning RM750 a month and below were entitled to the allowance (elaun pekerja cacat or EPC).

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen said raising the ceiling would encourage employers to raise the salary for the disabled.

“The increase in the EPC will help the disabled to cope with the rising cost of living,” she added.

Effective this month too, she said, those under the poor household category would get RM700 a month as welfare aid from the Government, compared to RM400 before.

Dr Ng said major structural changes to the ceiling for eligibility has also resulted in another 177,000 households becoming eligible for the aid. Prior to this only 54,000 households were eligible.

The increase in the number of households and the amount in aid would cost the Government over a billion ringgit more, she said.

Dr Ng said the process for applying for the aid would also be reduced from three stages to one stage; meaning that only approval from the district level welfare office was needed.

“In the past, applicants had to go through three levels; district, state and federal level (ministry) before approval was granted,”

Dr Ng said the increase was timely in the wake of the rising cost of living.
She said households would get the payment by the 10th of every month from now onwards.

“Any delay will cause hardship as poor families need the money to buy food,” she said.

Plans for poor and disabled proposed for Budget 2009

Saturday June 21, 2008

The Star - News

Plans for poor and disabled proposed for Budget 2009

KUALA LUMPUR: Extend the entitlement of social welfare to those earning RM700 and below and exempt owners of imported disabled-friendly cars from road tax.

These are two proposals to be included in Budget 2009 to widen the social safety net which the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is looking at in response to the increase in fuel prices.

Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen said currently only those earning RM400 and below a month or 54,000 families received financial aid from the Welfare Department.

“We are now studying the financial implication of raising the ceiling to cover those who earn RM700 and below as it will involve 240,000 families,” she told a press conference here after visiting some fire victims off Jalan Chan Sow Lin here yesterday.

She said it was the Government’s responsibility to ensure that the poor were not caught in the global inflation.

Dr Ng said the ministry would also propose to the Finance Ministry to give road tax exemption to owners of imported cars equipped with features of the disabled.

Disabled want road tax lifted

NST Online

Local News 2008/06/21

Disabled want road tax lifted

KUALA LUMPUR: Road tax for imported cars with special features for the disabled may be abolished.

The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry has made a proposal to the Finance Ministry to abolish the road tax in Budget 2009.

At present, only local cars used by the disabled are exempted from road tax.

"In our dialogues with the disabled community, it was suggested that imported cars specially equipped to meet the needs of the disabled should be exempted from road tax," said minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen.

"The disabled community also proposed that import duties for the hydraulic equipment to lift wheelchairs in and out of the vehicles be waived."

On another matter, Dr Ng said that the Public Service Department application forms for the disabled to apply for government jobs were ready.

They will be distributed next week to associations representing the disabled community.

The government announced last month that it would hire 10,200 disabled people, a figure representing one per cent of the 1.2 million-strong civil service workforce.

Earlier, Ng presented aid to two families whose houses were destroyed in a fire in Jalan Tiga, off Jalan Chan Sow Lin, last Friday.

Welder Lee Kim Yew, 47, his wife Chow Poh Yin, 45, and their three children received a total of RM850 while security guard Jasmi Aziz, 41, and his wife received a total of RM420.

சிலாங்கூர் ஊராட்சி மன்ற கவுன்சிலர்கள்

Friday, June 20, 2008

Malaysiakini

சிலாங்கூர் ஊராட்சி மன்ற கவுன்சிலர்கள்
(செய்தி)

சிலாங்கூர் ஊராட்சி மன்ற கவுன்சிலர்களின் பட்டியல் முடிவு செய்யப்பட்டிருப்பதாக மந்திரி புசார் காலிட் இப்ராகிம் இன்று அறிவித்தார்.
மொத்தம் 288 பேர் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டிருப்பதாக கூறிய அவர் அவர்களின் பெயர்களைத் தெரிவிக்க மறுத்து விட்டார்.

அவர்களின் பெயர்களை அந்தந்த ஊராட்சி மன்றங்கள்தாம் அறிவிக்கும் என்று இன்று பிற்பகல் அவரது அலுவலகத்தில் நடைபெற்ற செய்தியாளர் கூட்டத்தில் காலிட் கூறினார்.

சிலாங்கூரில் 12 ஊராட்சி மன்றங்கள் இருக்கின்றன.

அந்தப் பட்டியலில் 25 விழுக்காட்டினர் நிபுணர்கள், சமுக ஆர்வலர்கள், கல்விமான்கள் மற்றும் அரசுசாரா அமைப்புகளைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள், .

எஞ்சிய 75 விழுக்காட்டினர் பக்காத்தான் ரக்யாட் பங்காளிக் கட்சிகளின் உறுப்பினர்கள்.

அதிலும் கெஅடிலான் உறுப்பினர்கள் அதிகம் இடம்பெற்றிருப்பார்கள் என்று மாநில ஆட்சிக்குழு உறுப்பினர் ரோனி லியு கூறினார்.

உடற்குறை உள்ளவர்களும் அப்பட்டியலில் இடம்பெற்றிருப்பதாக காலிட் தெரிவித்தார்.

“இந்தப் பட்டியலைப் பார்த்தால், இதில் நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர்களோ சட்டமன்ற உறுப்பினர்களோ இடம்பெறவில்லை என்பதைக் காண்பீர்கள்.

முன்பு (பாரிசான் ஆட்சியில்) இதற்கு நேர்மாறாக இருந்தது”, என்று காலிட் கூறினார்.

49 women among 288 councillors

Friday June 20, 2008




49 women among 288 councillors
By WANI MUTHIAH and

FORTY-NINE women have been selected to serve as councillors in the 12 local councils in Selangor.

They constitute 17% of the total 288 councillors picked by the Selangor state executive council.

Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim announced this at a press conference in Shah Alam yesterday.

Khalid said 25% of those chosen were professionals, officials of non-governmental organisations and representatives of the disabled community.

The three component parties – PKR, DAP and PAS – of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition state government have been allotted 75% of the councillor posts.

On the selection process, Khalid said the minimum academic qualification set for the new councillors was at least a college diploma.

Khalid, however, would not reveal the names of the selected candidates, saying that the respective local council chiefs would announce them once the candidates had signed their letters of acceptance to serve as councillors.

“No names will be revealed at this time as we want those who have been chosen from the 900-odd applications to submit their acceptance letters,” he said.

It is believed that Khalid decided on having the confirmation letters from the candidates before announcing their names because among these selected are members of the Barisan Nasional component parties who may snub the appointment.

According to Khalid, certain professionals such as architects, engineers and real estate practitioners, who were not appointed councillors, would be invited to serve as advisers and allowed to sit in during meetings of the sub-committee or even the full-board meetings.

He said these professionals would attend the meetings as observers with no right to vote on any matter.

“All the councillors would serve a three-year term. For the first year, each would be monitored according to the zones in the respective districts. On completion of the first year we would evaluate their performance,” he said.

Khalid said none of the Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives, whether MPs or state assemblymen, had been selected as local councillors.

He said this was perhaps the main departure from the practice of the previous Barisan Nasional state administration that appointed its elected representatives as local councillors.

“We do not want any conflict of interest but a focused idea of serving and improving the neighbourhoods for the people,” he said.

State local government, research and study committee chairman Ronnie Liu said the new councillors would be given a three-day training at Morib to equip them with the knowledge of the local council laws.

“Except for the Orang Besar Daerah who represent the Selangor Palace in the local councils, most of those selected are first-time councillors,” he said.

Friday June 20, 2008

Disabled rep among 24 new city councillors in MBPJ
By DEBBIE CHAN and TAN KARR WEI

THE Petaling Jaya City Council will have, for the first time, representation from the disabled community on its board of councillors.

Animal Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association president Anthony Thanasayan is one of the 24 newly chosen councillors for the MBPJ.

Anthony has been fighting for the rights of the disabled community for years and his selection as a city councillor will definitely enhance the cause of the disabled in PJ.

“If it is true that I made it to the list, it's fantastic. We have always asked to be included in the decision-making process,” he said.

“We strongly believe in the motto 'Nothing about us without us'. We must be there to make the decisions,” the wheelchair-bound Anthony said.

Among the changes the plucky crusader would like to see are designated car parks for the disabled.

The list of new councillors includes some prominent names from the non-governmental organisations.

Two such persons are Suara Rakyat Malaysia executive director Cynthia Gabriel and Transparency International executive director Richard Yeoh.

Environment activist and lawyer Derek Fernandez, who has been making newspaper headlines for being vocal on various community issues, is also on the list.

The representation from community and NGOs is part of the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government’s move to include members of the public in the decision-making process and to tap their views and expertise for the benefit of the community.

The rest of the names on the list are members of the three Pakatan Rakyat coalition partners – PKR, DAP and PAS.

However, none of the coalition’s elected representatives, whether MPs or state assemblymen, had been appointed as councillors.

This is a change from the previous Barisan Nasional state government where most of the elected representatives are appointed as councillors.

Among the people named on the list is former StarMetro reporter Mak Khuin Weng.

“There are some issues I would like to look into, like condominiums and privatisation of contracts.

These are the things that I've been following up as a reporter,” Mak said.

He looks forward to working with the other councillors to help resolve issues affecting PJ while striving for transparency and accountability.

As a reporter, Mak has met many PJ residents and worked with former MBPJ councillors.

“I would be able to draw from their experience. I look forward to working with the other councillors,” he said.

NEW COUNCILLORS FOR PETALING JAYA

1. Mohd Halil Haji Harun – Petaling Jaya Utara PKR deputy chief
2. Syed Abdul Malik Syed A Hamid Al Jafree – Subang PKR deputy chief
3. Thiruvenggadam Aamuthu – Petaling Jaya Selatan PKR deputy chief
4. Halimey Abu Bakar – Kelana Jaya PKR Youth chief
5. Mahharul Ismail – Petaling Jaya Selatan PKR Secretary
6. Latheefa Koya – Petaling Jaya Selatan PKR treasurer
7. Tang Fuie Koh – Petaling Jaya Utara PKR treasurer
8. Dr Melasutra Md Dali – Urban planner
9. Michael Soon Kwai Choy – DAP
10. Mak Khuin Weng – DAP
11. Robert Tan Siang Chok – DAP
12. Tiew Way Keng – DAP
13. Francis Chang – DAP
14. Ahmad Yusof Ludis – PAS
15. Ghazali Shaari – PAS
16. Kamarudin Suhaimi – PAS
17. Muzammil Hafiz – PAS
18. Chan Chee Keong – Social activist
19. Richard Yeoh – Transparency International executive director
20. Anthony Thanasayan – Representative of the disabled community
21. Cynthia Gabriel – Suaram executive director
22. Derek Fernandez – Environment activist and lawyer
*23. Ramakrishnan Suppiah
*24. Paneer Sivam
* The last two names are yet to be confirmed.

The Star - Metro

Central

Tuesday June 17, 2008

Final background checks being done on councillors
By JADE CHAN

THE new local council line-up in Selangor will see PKR having the majority in terms of party representation.

Sources said PKR members would make up the majority of councillors in 10 out of the 12 local councils.

The party representation in the Selangor councillors line-up would be as follows: PKR 28.5% (82 councillors), DAP 26.4% (76 councillors) and PAS 17.0% (49 councillors), while the remaining 28.1% (81 councillors) would comprise representatives from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), residents’ associations and professional groups.

The breakdown list, made available to StarMetro, showed the Petaling Jaya City Council, Subang Jaya Municpal Council and Ampang Jaya Municipal Council having the largest representation of non-political councillors.

Out of the 288 councillors, five would comprise those from the disabled group (orang kurang upaya or OKU).

The party representatives encompass senior division committee members who have strong leadership qualities as well as adequate experience and qualifications while those from NGO and professional groups comprise those who specialise in fields like urban planning, law, health and environment.

“None of the wakil rakyat’s assistants are on the councillors list. Nominated party members also cannot be involved in the construction business to avoid conflicts of interest,” a source said.

“On PKR’s side, we try to emphasise that each council has at least one Chinese and one Indian representative to reflect a multi-racial line-up.”

The source added that all the councillors’ performances would be reviewed after a year and those who had not performed would be replaced.

One of the reasons for the delay in announcing the new councillors line-up, the source said, was the early resignation of the previous batch of councillors.

“It was irresponsible of the Barisan Nasional side to have their councillors resign. The previous councillors should have completed their contracts and left once the new councillors were sworn in.”

Sources said final background checks are being conducted on the candidates and that the new line-up would be announced at the end of this week , during a celebration to mark the 100 days of the Pakatan Rakyat coming into power in Selangor.

It was also revealed that the mayors and presidents heading the present local councils would be retained, unless they resign, are unable to perform their jobs or if their contracts expired

Extra RM300 allowance for disabled workers

NST Online » Local News

2008/06/17

Extra RM300 allowance for disabled workers
By : Kristina George

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen meeting recipients of the excellence awards.

BANGI: The government yesterday announced an increase of RM300 in the monthly allowance for disabled workers. Currently, they receive RM750 a month.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen said the move was aimed at motivating these workers further and helping them to be independent.

At a press conference after an excellence awards ceremony for agencies under her ministry, Ng said the move would further propel the disabled towards a "productive welfare era".

To deal with the rising inflation, the ministry has also proposed to increase the minimum household income for the hardcore poor from RM400 to RM700.

She hoped that more disabled people and the hardcore poor would register themselves with the Malaysian Community Welfare Department (MCWD).

Only those who are registered would be entitled to the benefits.

Presently, only 220,000 disabled and hardcore poor people have registered with the MCWD.

Ng disclosed that the government paid RM150 million last year to 150,000 people who were either disabled or hardcore poor and had registered with MCWD.

"They should register with the ministry if they do not want to miss out on the various benefits."

Ng presented excellence awards to 435 civil servants in recognition of their contributions.

The ministry's policy division assistant secretary S. Sharon Kumari, a recipient of the award, said she felt gratified in providing service to the public and helping to make a difference.

New breed of local councillors emerging

Saturday June 14, 2008

The Star - Metro

New breed of local councillors emerging
Valley ViewBy GEETHA KRISHNAN

THE current changed political scenario, especially in Selangor, has brought about a sort of grassroots political awakening involving a new perception and a holistic perspective on the role and scope of the local councils and councillors.

The Local Government Act 1976 (Act 171) Section 10 (2) states that “councillors of the local authority shall be appointed from among persons the majority of whom shall be persons ordinarily residents in the local authority area who in the opinion of the state authority have wide experience in local government affairs or who have achieved distinction in any profession, commerce or industry, or are otherwise capable of representing the interests of their communities in the local authority area”.

Section 10 (1) states that “the local authority shall consist of the mayor or president and not less than eight and not more than 24 other councillors to be appointed by the state authority”.

Section (3) stipulates that the term of office of each councillor shall not exceed three years while Section (6) states that a councillor shall be eligible for reappointment upon the expiry of his term of office.

Under previous state governments, it was a tradition of sorts for state assemblymen to be appointed as councillors.

“This was based on the understanding that assemblymen worked closely with local authorities in handling community issues and as such, maintained a better line of communication in dealings,” said a former assemblyman and councillor.

From a wider scope of things, their positions as councillors were clearly viewed as political appointments.

In the 1950s and 1960s, councillors were elected through local council elections but this came to what was supposed to be a temporary halt in 1963 due to the Indonesian Confrontation (Konfrantasi) against the formation of Malaysia.

Local council elections were eventually abolished in 1965 with an amendment to Section 15 of the Local Government Act.

Following the outcome of the 12th general election on March 8 this year, when the Barisan Nasional lost control of four states and failed to unseat the PAS state government in Kelantan, there have been calls to amend the Local Government Act to bring back local council elections.

In Selangor, the new Pakatan Rakyat state government has declared that elected
representatives would not be appointed local councillors in the two city councils (Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya) and 12 municipal councils in the state.

The Selangor state executive council, meanwhile, is going through a list of public nominees for councillors comprising professionals and representatives from the NGOs.

Under Section 28 of the Local Government Act, each local authority may, from time to time, appoint committees, either of a general or special nature, consisting of a chairman, councillors and such other persons as it may deem fit.

The new batch of councillors for the two city councils and 12 local councils in Selangor are also expected to sit in the relevant committees, rendering their expertise in areas like licensing, building, infrastructure and finance.

Each of the councillors of the previous administration used to serve in at least two to four committees.

Their selection to the committees is based on recommendations made by the state leaders of their respective political parties.

Section 28 also states that councillors shall be paid allowances determined by the local authority.

Contrary to general public perception, councillors are paid only a miserable monthly allowances ranging from RM500 to RM650. Not something to shout about!

An additional of RM50 or RM100 is paid for each attendance at the monthly full council meetings or a committee meeting.

According to a former councillor, each councillor was given an annual grant of RM10,000 to spend on projects in his or her area.

“But the amount was hardly sufficient for big projects.

“We usually organised gotong royong, talks and small community events and even had to fork out our own money for these events,” he said.

In the awarding of contracts, Section 34 (1) of the Local Government Act clearly states that any councillor with a pecuniary interest, whether direct or indirect, in any contract or proposed contract should withdraw from the meeting where the matter is under consideration.

There have been allegations from the public that the previous elected representatives strongly influenced decisions on the awarding of contracts in Selangor.

The present Pakatan Rakyat state government has recently announced that assemblymen and politically-appointed local councillors would no longer be allowed to sit on tender boards.

All that remains now is to keep our fingers crossed as the list is finalised and hope that better days are ahead for Selangor.

Selangor MB heads committee to select local councillors

Saturday June 14, 2008

The Star - Metro

Selangor MB heads committee to select local councillors

By ELAN PERUMAL

A SPECIAL high-profile committee headed by Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has been formed to vet a list of 288 names nominated for local councillors of the 12 municipal and two city councils in the state.

The committee members include three state executive councillors – Ronnie Liu (local government and research), Datuk Hassan Mohamed Ali (Islamic affairs, Malay customs, infrastructure and public amenities) and Yaakob Sapari (agriculture, natural resources and entrepreneurial development).

“The committee is looking through the names of all those nominated to ensure that they are appointed on merit and not due to cronyism and nepotism,” Khalid said.

“There have been rumours and allegations that we are appointing our friends to the local councils and this committee is tasked with ensuring that such a scenario is not happening,” he said.

According to Khalid, the appointment of the councillors, especially those under the NGO quota, would be based only on merit and not on favouritism.

He said the committee would study carefully all individuals proposed so that only those suitable were appointed.

Khalid said the names of those recommended by the committee and endorsed by the state executive council would be announced by June 20.

Khalid said the Pakatan Rakyat state government would appoint only those who were qualified and able to perform.

He said the people expected a lot from the local councillors and those appointed should be able to perform with excellence and transparency.

“We know it used to be very rewarding under the previous state government to be appointed as local councillors in the various municipalities and city councils,” he said.

“But I can assure you that from now on, the job of a local councillor would not be a glamorous one with a lot of perks, financial gains and benefits,” he said.

Khalid said that those appointed councillors would be required to serve with dedication and sincerity.

Liu said he endorsed the mentri besar’s decision and felt that the vetting committee would enhance the merit of being appointed a local councillor.

“It is good for the government and the people,” he said.

PETPOSITIVE AT THE WOMEN, FAMILY & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

PETPOSITIVE AT THE WOMEN, FAMILY & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY

PETPOSITIVE received a last-minute telephone call and fax from the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development in Kuala Lumpur requesting for us to be present at a meeting at 4.30pm in the building with the Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen.

The call was made on Monday at noon. I immediately made a call to Francis Siva, President of the Independent Living and Training Centre in Rawang, Selangor and the next thing I knew, we were all at the Ministry by 3.30pm.

Petpositive was also represented by Stanislaus Anthony who is a person with walking difficulties. The meeting was held to discuss what special measures in terms of finance was needed for the disabled community in the light of the price hikes that the Government introduced last week.

Representatives of nearly a dozen disabled organisations - together with ours - were also present as we deliberated for two-and-the-half-hours with the Ministry, as well as the Welfare Department about our needs.

The disabled unanimously suggested that a financial aid of RM500 a month be given to all disabled persons - whether they have cars or not.
He also suggested that the same help be given to our family caregivers.

There were other suggestions too. Some suggested that the current excise duty for the purchase of cars for the disabled be done away with.
Others wanted significant cuts in Internet bills so that all disabled persons can afford them.Dr Ng Yen Yen was quick to concur by saying that the Internet was a "necessity" for the handicapped.

Dr Ng also invited the disabled to give their frank feedback regarding the services they receive from her Ministry as well as that of the Welfare.

She promised that quick action will be taken to our requests.The meeting ended with the Minister requesting all the participants to send in their final proposals within the week.

She will then take our requests to the Ministry of Finance, she said, and lobby for our cause.
Well, let's keep our fingers crossed everybody, that something good and helpful will come out of the meeting to help us all.One of the things that I was personally disappointed was that no date or follow up meeting was decided on when we left the building.

Let's hope that we will all be called again to the Ministry so that we can effectively tackle many of the other issues that plague the disabled in our Malaysian society.The meeting was attended by the physically handicapped, the blind, Deaf and a parent or two of the disabled.

PETPOSITIVE was quick to point out that the group present only represented a small section of the disabled.

Others like persons with Parkinson's disease, stroke sufferers, diabetics who became disabled were not present and that all of these persons and more need to be sought to help improve their quality of lives as well.

Yen Yen: Disabled need help in facing price hikes

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

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Yen Yen: Disabled need help in facing price hikes

KUALA LUMPUR: The disabled need help in facing the challenges and difficulties of global inflation, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen.

The ministry, at its dialogue yesterday with various organisations representing the disabled, touched on several issues which could affect their lives as a result of the recent price hikes of goods and materials.

Dr Ng said the majority of the disabled did not earn much.

“The global inflation will definitely affect them.

One for the album: Dr Ng (centre, in white) taking a group photo with Wanita MCA members (seated from left) Chew Poh Thoi, Datuk Chang Yok Ying, Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun and Yayasan Nanyang Press executive director Ann Woo. At back row (from left) are Carol Chew, Datuk Kian Sit Har, Sarryan Cho of Yayasan Nanyang Press and Chew Lee Geok.

In fact, 98% of these people earn less than RM3,000 a month,” she said after receiving 500 tickets for Disney's Beauty and the Beast – The Broadway Musical, courtesy of show organiser Yvents!

The tickets will be distributed to various homes under the ministry's purview.

Among the issues highlighted at the dialogue were for a reduction in excise duty and no road tax for all cars owned by the disabled.

At present, road tax is free for all national cars owned by the disabled.

“We are getting input from these organisations on how we (Government) can work together to help reduce the challenges faced,” she said.

Other issues include enhancement of the transport system as well as reduction in toll rates.

“There is a need to work out how we can give them a definite support system,” Dr Ng said, adding that at present families who were looking after a handicapped or chronically-ill person were given RM300 per family.

“The organisations have asked for an increase in the amount,” she said.

Dr Ng said her ministry would study the input provided before submitting a proposal to the Finance Ministry.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast – The Broadway Musical will be held from June 24 to July 3 at the Plenary Hall, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

For booking details, contact Ticketcharge at 03-2241 9999 or Yvents! at 03-2287 2811.

The Star is the official newspaper for the musical.