theSun | WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 2009
news without borders
Ministry
starts
probe into
building
collapse
PENANG: The Human Resources
Ministry, in collaboration with sev-
eral other agencies, has launched an
investigation into the collapse of the
Jaya supermarket building in Section
14, Petaling Jaya, which killed seven
people on Thursday.
Its minister, Datuk S. Subramaniam,
said officers from the Department
of Occupational Safety and Health
(DOSH), the Works Ministry and the
local authority were expected to take
at least two weeks to complete the
investigation, which will cover various
aspects.
The investigation is also aimed at
identifying whether there is negligence
or failure to comply with any procedures
on the part of the engineer, contractor
or building owner, and includes the
method used to demolish the building,
he told reporters after opening an SME
training fair here yesterday.
Subramaniam said preliminary
information showed that the party
handling the demolition had began the
work before obtaining approval from
DOSH.
“It is understood that they started
the work immediately after getting the
local authority’s approval when they
were also required to get approval
from DOSH before starting any work,”
he said.
He said DOSH would have advised
the party on the safety features before
the work to demolish the building
began.
If the investigation found negligence
had occurred, the guilty party could be
fined RM50,000 or jailed two years, or
both, under the Occupational Safety
and Health Act.
“Right now, we are waiting for the
outcome of the investigation and will
determine the action to be taken later,”
he said.
Subramaniam also said the ministry
would amend the act to give the gov-
ernment power to take action against
the professionals who failed to run
their projects well.
“We want the professionals such
as engineers to be more responsible
for their projects and comply with all
the requirements, especially those
involving safety mechanism issues,”
he said.
The amendment was still in the
drafting stage and was expected to take
a year to complete before it was tabled
in Parliament, he said. – Bernama
briefs
Paloh rep says sorry to Husam
KUALA LUMPUR: Paloh assemblyman Datuk
Nozula Mat Diah apologised to PAS vice-presi-
dent Datuk Husam Musa yesterday for making
an “untruthful and baseless” report against
him to the Anti-Corruption Agency in 2007.
The notice of apology, published in Berita
Harian, also stated that Nozula retracted all
his allegations and expressed regret the claim
had caused stress to Husam and his family and
tarnished his image.
Husam’s lawyer, Ahmad Shabrimi Mohamed
Sidek, said in an e-mail to Bernama the public
apology followed the filing of a RM6 million
defamation suit by Husam against Nozula,
Bukit Bunga assemblyman Mohd Adhan Kechik,
and The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad in
January 2008.
His office would continue with further ac-
Only poor should get
subsidies, says federation
by Tan Yi Liang
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: Only the eligible should
Agency be given subsidies if the government wishes
to stop wastage, Federation of Malaysian
to help Consumers Associations (Fomca) vice-
get rid president K. Koris said yesterday.
of illegal “I have always emphasised that what-
ever subsidies the government wishes to
jetties extend must be confined to those eligible.
pg 6 They should not be across the board but
only for the low income group. There must
be certain criteria to ensure that only those
people who are in need get the subsidies,”
he said.
Koris, who is also the
Stadium roof
comes down
Another view of the collapse roof of Sultan
Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Gong Badak,
Kuala Terengganu. Sixty per cent of the roof at
the stadium, built at a cost of RM270 million and
opened just over a year ago, collapsed at 9.30am
yesterday. There were no reports of casualties.
tions to establish Husam’s good name and to
negotiate with the other defendants to settle
the case, he said.
Two charged with taking bribes
MALACCA: A customs superintendent and a
police sergeant-major were separately charged in
the sessions court here yesterday with accepting
bribes last year.
Yong Yoke Liang, 53, who is with the technical
services division of the Malacca customs, pleaded
not guilty to receiving RM3,000 from Teh Kim Tin
on Jalan Bukit Baru on April 30 last year as an
inducement not to issue him a compound for sales
tax worth RM20,000 which Teh’s company, Ines
Art Design, had to pay.
Judge Ahmad Kamar Jamaluddin fixed Oct 28
and 29 for the trial.
In the same court, Sgt-Maj Zulkaflee Razak, 54,
the head of the Kesang police station, pleaded not
guilty to receiving RM250 from scrap iron dealer
Lim Chin Chye at a cabin in Kesang Pajak, Jasin,
on May 7 last year to refrain from arresting Lim for
allegedly buying stolen scrap iron.
The trial was fixed for Sept 15. – Bernama
Penang Consumers Protection Association
president, was commenting on theSun’s
front page report on Monday that the
government may cease to subsidise flour,
coarse and fine sugar, and standard loaf
bread by the end of the year.
He said wastage of government funds
could be halted when subsidies were only
given to those eligible to receive them.
‘Why must the government subsidise
the very rich? Malaysians have been too
spoon-fed with the subsidy mentality,
thinking that it is the right of the people to
be subsidised. It is wrong for the govern-
ment to give subsidies to everyone,” he
said.
Koris said the ration card, which was
used in India, was the best way to solve the
subsidy woes of the government.
“Only two to three million people need
the subsidies and not 24 million. Why are
you (the government) now claiming that
you wasting so much money? If you want
to give it to a vast number of people, it is
a waste. If you address the two to three
million with a bit of hard work, you can
follow the Indian ration card system,”
he said.
‘Crime rate down with intelligence policing’
by Charles Ramendran
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: Intelligence policing, a policy
which emphasises acquiring information ex-
tensively in solving police cases, has helped to
reduce crimes by 4% nationwide.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa
Hassan said yesterday the case-solving by the
police has improved since the force implemented
the policy of roping in all police departments to
liaise with one another in handling a given case.
The Special Branch, which played a major role
in fighting the communists during the Emergency,
has again become active under the policy.
Musa, who was at Sri Pentas in Bandar Utama
to launch TV9’s fourth season of the police drama
series Akademi Polis, said the police had earned
praises from Interpol for their skills and ability in
handling serious crime cases and terrorism.
He said the police force had among the highest
discipline levels in the world and this was one of
the reasons why it was sought for peace-keeping
duties in countries going through war or unrest.
3
He said a mechanism should be put in
place to ensure that subsidies only reached
those who deserve them.
“There must be a form of mechanism,
and guidelines, to ensure that only those
eligible receive the subsidies,” he said.
Koris said supermarkets and hypermar-
kets could play a role when these people
come with their ration cards.
“There is also a CSR (corporate social
responsibility) when the needy approach
them, to distribute subsidised goods to
people with the ration cards,” he said.
Koris said an enforced ration card sys-
tem could stop foreign exploitation of local
subsidies.
“There are foreigners who exploit the
subsidies but the ration card system will
stop this. There is a correcting mechanism
to overcome this,” he said.
He said it was a matter of political will
for such a system to be implemented here.
“At the end of the day, the whole subsidy
system must be regulated by ways of enact-
ment for the betterment of the country and
government, so that the government can
save billions of ringgit from the subsidies,”
he said.
“Our personnel are committed and are of
high standards but every basket of fruit will have
rotten ones in them and these are the ones who
will not be spared of stern action,” he said.
Musa said the TV series or programmes on the
police have helped create awareness on how the
police function. He said this in turn will help draw
youth to join the force.
“People sometimes have the misconception
that police recruits will be bullied during training
but this is not the case. They are not bullied but
put through a strict regiment to ensure they are
disciplined to the highest standards so they know
how to control themselves in all aspect when
they are faced with trying situations.
“The life of a police personnel is a tough one.
We have to face all kinds of situations including
being slandered and facing all sorts of allega-
tions,” he said.
He hoped more non-Malays would join the
rank-and-file in the force. “The number of non-
Malay applicants for rank-and-file positions
is small. However, non-Malays seem to have
responded very well to recruitment of officers.”