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10 pig farms quarantined
TEN pig farms have been quarantined
for a month after animals from these
farms tested positive for beta-agonist,
a growth enhancer banned by the gov-
ernment, the Chinese press reported
yesterday.
Disclosing this at a press conference
in Butterworth on Saturday, the head
of the Federation of Livestock Farmers
Association’s pig unit, Beh Kim Hee said
five of the farms are located in Malacca,
three in Selangor and one each in Perak
and Penang.
“The 10 farms were quarantined
for a month last Friday because tests
showed the presence of beta-agonist
in their pigs,” said Beh.
His discounted the likelihood of vic-
timisation in the beta-agonist tests, said
to be 99.9% accurate using the LCMS
method, which are mandatorily carried
out three times a year on pig urine sam-
ples taken at random from all farms.
He said as a follow-up action, a
special unit of the Veterinary Services
Department (VSD), will carry out spot
Hua Zong chief hospitalised
FEDERATION of Chinese Associations
of Malaysia (Hua Zong) president Tan
Sri Lim Gait Tong, who is facing a com-
mercial lawsuit, was recuperating in a
medical centre in Shah Alam yesterday,
four days after he was admitted for a
heart problem.
Chinese press reported yesterday
that Lim was to be charged last Friday
but the case had to be postponed as he
was admitted to the medical centre for
erratic heartbeat.
Woman falls to her death at
shopping centre
KUALA LUMPUR: Shoppers at
a shopping centre were shocked
when they heard a loud sound and
saw that a 35-year-old woman had
fallen to her death.
The woman, Tan Lay Hown,
from Serendah, is believed to have
fallen from the 10th floor and landed
among shops on the third floor.
A witness, who only wanted to
be known as Nga Yuen, said the
incident happened at about 4pm
while she and a friend were busy
buying ladies’ accessories on the
third floor.
“We heard a loud sound. We
thought some object had dropped
Press Digest
by Kong See Hoh
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
checks on farms and collect pig urine
samples for their own tests.
“The Health Ministry, on the other
hand, will also collect meat samples
from pork stalls to test for beta-agonist
residue.”
He said the pig unit does not con-
done the use of the banned substance
on farm animals and has been coordi-
nating the beta-agonist tests to ensure
public confidence in pork as well as to
protect the good name of the pig farm-
ing industry.
On a report that the quarantine
order has affected the movement
and sale of more than 10,000 pigs in
Malacca, Beh clarified the five farms
in the state have a total of 11,871 pigs
but only about 10% or 1,200 pigs are
mature and ready for slaughter.
The Chinese community leader
received only two non-relative visitors
so far, among them Hua Zong honorary
secretary Teh Eng Hin, who said Lim
is in stable condition but needed rest.
The other visitor Lim saw is said to be a
Datuk whose identity has been kept a
secret by the family.
Teh said the case is being handled
by lawyers and he believed it would
not affect Lim’s tenure as Hua Zong
president which expires in September.
but soon heard people screaming.
“It was then that we realised that
a woman had fallen. She had fallen
outside a nearby accessories shop.
She said several people,
upon seeing the woman was
unconscious, tried to help her but
failed.
Nga Yuen said police confirmed
that Tan died 30 minutes after
falling due to serious head and
body injuries.
Police said the incident was
being investigated and that Tan’s
body was taken to the Kuala
Lumpur Hospital for post mortem.
– Bernama
It’s Angkasa’s internal
problem, says CCM
by Husna Yusop
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: The Cooperative
Commission of Malaysia (CCM) says the
“alleged irregularities” in the National
Cooperatives Organisation of Malaysia
(Angkasa) is an internal problem which
must be resolved by its administrative
committee (JKT).
CCM head of corporate affairs
Zainal Abdin Abdul Manaf said: “We
have done our part after receiving com-
plaints from Angkasa president Royal
Prof Ungku Abdul Aziz Abdul Hamid. We
have also placed an officer in Angkasa
since May.
“Ungku Aziz’s claims are inaccurate.
Appropriate action was taken by CCM.
Among others, we instructed Angkasa
in a letter dated May 5 not to continue
with its action to remove him as the
Angkasa president. As a result, he was
restored and declared the legitimate
president of Angkasa.”
Zainal told theSun a CCM officer
was also appointed to sit in the JKT to
regulate and monitor developments in
Angkasa and to ensure it could resolve
its internal problems by Jan 10, the
date scheduled for its annual general
meeting (AGM).
“The CCM’s decision was made af-
ter taking into account written reports
Ong: Learn from ‘painful’ lessons of March 8
PETALING JAYA: MCA president
Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat says all Ba-
risan Nasional (BN) leaders, especially
party members, should learn from the
rather “painful” lessons of the March
8 general election when campaigning
for the Jan 17 Kuala Terengganu by-
election.
In his blog on Christmas Day, Ong
described the days of talking down
to the people, especially the voters,
are over as Malaysians have become
more matured and educated and
more well-travelled these days.
by Ungku Aziz on Oct 23 and Nov 18
as the same matter had been earlier
conveyed to us verbally by him in May.
“Hopefully, the crisis in Angkasa
can be settled amicably by members
at the AGM. Otherwise, it could affect
Angkasa’s whole operation. Should this
happen, CCM will have to take over
Angkasa’s administration,” he added.
Zainal said Entrepreneur and Coop-
eratives Development Minister Datuk
Noh Omar had considered Ungku Aziz’s
appeal and decided that he remain as
president and for the JKT members to
be retained as at Jan 25 this year.
He said Angkasa was actually told
to hold its AGM by Dec 31 to allow its
members to elect the five top office-
bearers in the JKT but due to certain
problems, Angkasa was given until Jan
10.
“If they cannot settle it by Jan 10,
we will come in. Since Angkasa is
recognised as an apex cooperative,
the CCM will have to play its role if
something happens that could affect
its operations and members.
“If the same people are elected
and the bickerings and accusations
continue, the CCM will issue an order.
But this is only a possibility if they fail to
resolve their differences,” said Zainal.
He said of the five problems men-
tioned by Ungku Aziz in a press con-
“We can no longer warn the people
that they will lose out if they do not
vote the BN in the Kuala Terengganu
by-election. To them that is arrogance
that will simply put people off.
“With such attitude, it is not the
people, but the party which will lose
out,” he said.
“The people are seeking a new
stronger voice that can represent them
and if they do not find this in the party,
their votes will go elsewhere. That is
a lesson we should learn from March
8. If we don’t, we are condemned to
theSun | TUESDAY DECEMBER 30 2008
ference on Dec 23, four were internal
problems.
They are the unjust suspension of
the general manager in March, the
improper restructuring of two depart-
ments in Angkasa; the erosion of duties
by the head of security assurance and
the approval of allowances between
RM15,000 and RM25,000 each to
core management members between
March 24 and May 5 when Ungku Aziz
was removed from office.
“As for the ‘secret Concorde Con-
spiracy’ claim by Ungku Aziz, we un-
derstand that one of the Angkasa state
public relations committee members
has lodged a police report. Therefore,
the matter is under police jurisdiction,”
he said.
He said from what the CCM had
gathered, the problem arose from the
JKT’s intention to look into allegations
of wrongdoings by two of its members
but before investigations could be
completed, the JKT decided to remove
Ungku Aziz.
“According to Angkasa by-laws, the
JKT can terminate any of its members
found involved in misconduct or doing
something which could adversely af-
fect Angkasa. However, in this case, the
action could not be taken since there
were two equally influential groups
within the organisation,” said Zainal.
repeat our past follies.”
Ong said the BN should not only
hear the people in the face of challeng-
ing times but also must appreciate the
importance of the change they seek.
“We cannot pretend to be all-
knowing and always correct. We must
feel the people’s pulse and we must
accept the need to change proactively
and indeed we are changing,” he said,
adding that BN and MCA cannot
change alone as it needed the people
to give the coalition “the strength” to
change.