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DECEMBER 17 – 19, 2010
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ISSUE 4
Safety concerns over Klang shoplot
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BYWAYS OF PAYA JARAS
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12 – 13
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ROCKIN
FOR
 CHANGE
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By
Neville Spykerman
SHAH ALAM:
Selangor wants an inter-national arbiter to decide how much it should pay to take over the water industry, i concessionaires reject its offer again.“Our latest offer is being prepared, and the key difference this time is that we hope to seek the co-operation o the Federal Government to work with us to pursue the route o international arbitration in the event that the companies do not accept the offer,an Sri Khalid Ibrahim told Selangor imes.Te Menteri Besar said the move should be accepted by all parties because it is in line  with national policy and in the spirit o the  Water Services Industry Act (WSIA) 2006. WSIA was passed in Parliament to consolidate the ill-managed and ragmented  water services industry.In Selangor, three companies – Puncak Niaga Sdn Bhd (PNSB), Konsortium Abass Sdn Bhd and Syarikat Pengeluaran Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Splash) - treat water; while Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas ) distributes it.But these companies have rejected our offers, including a RM10.8 billion bid rom Gamuda, the main shareholder in Splash, in March.Te proposal or international arbitration  was sent to the Energy, Green echnology and Water Ministry last Tursday to break the deadlock.Khalid said independent arbitration was the airest method and would ensure the integrity o the restructuring exercise.Shah Alam and Putrajaya are also at loggerheads over who should control supply and distribution o water.Khalid Ibrahim’s administration has vowed not to increase tariffs, improve efficiency while channelling profits back to the state should Selangor be allowed to manage the water services.In the 80s, Jabatan Air Selangor (JBAS) made annual proits o between RM50 million and RM80 million annually or the state.However, Putrajaya has indicated that Syabas should continue to manage the industry despite numerous contract breaches and poor track record. Tis is an about-turn o its decision in Jan 2008 when the Cabinet gave the Selangor investment arm, Kumpulan Darul Ehsan, the go-ahead to consolidate the  water industry.Selangor will make its latest bid or the companies at month’s end.In Feb 2008, the Cabinet gave the Selangor investment arm - Kumpulan Darul Ehsan (KDEB) - the go-ahead to consolidate the  water industry.Khalid Ibrahim’s administration committed itsel to the restructuring afer Pakatan Rakyat swept into power in March the same year.In Feb 2009, the state oered the concessionaires RM5.7 billion but this was rejected by the companies because it was insufficient to cover their combined debts o RM6.4 billion.In June 2009, the state revised the offer to RM9.3 billion but only Splash and Abass accepted itIn March this year, the Federal Government offered RM10.3 billion which PNSB and Syabas also rejected.Last month, the state launched the “Return  water rights to the people campaign”, which culminated in a petition seeking the intervention o the King.
Selangor: Let arbiter decide
内附中文版
《雪州时报》
Subang Jaya Municipal Council president Datuk Adnan Md Ikshan places a summons on a car. Three cars were towed away during the MPSJ operation in USJ 10 Taipan last week.
– Picture by William Tan
• Story on page 6
 
2
DECEMBER 17 — 19, 2010
NEWS
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EDITORIAL
CHIEF EDITOR 
 KL Chan
COMMUNITY EDITOR 
 Neville Spykerman
WRITERS 
 Tang Hui Koon, Chong Loo Wah, Gan Pei Ling, Alvin Chin, Lee Choon Fai, William Tan, Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin
COPY EDITORS 
 James Ang, Deborah Loh
DESIGNER 
 Jimmy CS Lim
PHOTOGRAPHER 
 Victor Chong
 ADVERTISING 
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 ADVISORS 
 Faekah Husin, Arfa’eza Abdul Aziz
Selangor – My Home
As part of our community service, the first 50 readers who email us a 300-word essay on the above theme will receive a copy of
“The Road to Reform: Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor”
email to:
editor@selangortimes.com
MorningFRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAYAfternoonNight
SELANGOR WEATHER
Source:
 Malaysian meteorological department
Selangor attracts RM6.5 billion investments
By
William Tan
SHAH ALAM:
 Selangor continues to be the nation’s top investment destination with RM6.533 billion invested till September, according to the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (MIDA).“Tis year has been an encouraging one or Selangor. [Investments in the state] accounts or 31% o the total national investment,” said Menteri Besar an Sri Khalid Ibrahim.He said 58% or RM3.775 billion were oreign while the rest were rom domestic investors.Te oreign investments were mainly rom Japan with more than RM1.884 billion, ollowed by the Cayman Islands and Singapore with RM531.6 million and RM393.664 million, respectively.Te investments involved 245 projects and generated up to new 16,996 jobs.As much as 38% o the projects were new ventures,  while the remainder involved expansion and diversification efforts.Overall, they exceed the total number o investments recorded or the same period in 2009. Last year, the state obtained 138 projects rom RM2.718 billion in investments which created 11,059 jobs.“Tis increase in total investment is proo o confidence in Selangor as a major investment destination,” said Khalid.He said the state would continue to take pro-active steps to improve the inrastructure and acilities at industrial areas.Khalid added that state subsidiary, the Selangor State Investment Centre (SSIC) Bhd also held regular meetings  with investors to address their concerns.
 Tax joy for Ice Kacang Puppy Love
By
 Alvin Chin
and
 Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin
SHAH ALAM:
 Entertainment tax collected in Selangor or box office hit Ice Kacang Puppy Love may be returned to the local director.“We want to reund the entertainment taxes but it will depend on whether the state financial officer can work out how much has been collected or the movie here,” said executive councillor eresa Kok. Entertainment tax goes directly to state coers and accurate calculations have to be made to determine the amount that should be returned to director an Kheng Seong, or Ah Niu, who made his name in aiwan with his  pop songs. Tey include ticket sales, the number o cinemas that screened the movie and the taxes collected.She said the decision to return the money was to support and encourage the local movie industry. Te locally-made Mandarin movie was in the beginning classiied as a oreign picture which did not meet the criteria or tax exemption. Te exemption was only provided to movies with 60% script in Bahasa Malaysia.According to Finas tax rates, oreign movies are subjected to a 25% tax rom their revenue where 5% goes to the ederal treasury and 20% goes to the state treasury. However, in August, Inormation, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said locally- produced English, amil or Mandarin movies with good content should be classified as local movies so that they could enjoy tax exemption and other benefits. In September, the Cabinet agreed to waive the entertainment tax or the movie and also to review outdated rules pertaining to locally-made movies.
SHAH ALAM:
 Te State Government has denied allegations that the latest sand thef in Bukit Enggang, Hulu Langat, has affected a reserved land or a Muslim cemetery as reported by a Malay daily recently.According to state executive councillor in charge o natural resources portolio, Yaakob Sapari, the illegal sand mining activity took  place on a private land, where action has been taken against the owner.“Based on my research, I can assure  you that the sand thef was not on the state-owned land as claimed by the newspaper,” he said.
Berita Harian
 recently alleged o another illegal sand mining activity in the state, claiming that 70 percent rom 72-hectare reserved land or a Muslim cemetery in the area had been stolen in an operation believed to have started early this year.It also claimed that 12 hectares rom a nearby hill have been excavated by a special machine that has resulted in a 24-metre deep hole.It said the illegal sand mining activity has gone ‘out o hand’ as it could eventually destroy the existing Muslim cemetery in the area.Maintaining that no Muslim cemetery was affected, Yaakob stressed that the state has acted to curb the problem by issuing a 7A notice to the private land owners to stop illegal activities last March.  When asked why it had taken the state so long to respond, Yaakob said the land owners needed time to repair the damage.On another allegation that there was an officer rom the Hulu Langat land office who could have given the green light to the activities, Yaakob said that they were open to any investigation.“I the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) wants to investigate, by all means, go ahead,” he said,
Illegal sand mining on private land, not on Muslim cemetery
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 Yaakob clarifying a news report at the Selangor State Government office yesterday.
 
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DECEMBER 17 — 19, 2010
NEWS
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SHAH ALAM:
 an Sri Khalid Ibrahim has dismissed allegations that the State Government will increase assessment and quit rent rates, saying that recurrent revaluation o properties in the state is designated under the Finance Ministry’s guidelines.he Menteri Besar was responding to MCA leaders  who claim that Selangor was on the brink o financial problems and needed to boost its income by increasing property prices and quit rent rates.“I think MCA should write a letter to the finance ministry i they have got the bola sepak (guts), because that (revaluation) is a requirement o the treasury (guidelines) as it evaluates the value o property rom time to time,” Khalid said.He explained that the State Government would only make an assessment i it is air to increase or maintain the current tax rates afer the revaluation  process is completed. He gave an assurance that there was “nothing unique” about the practice, as it has been a policy in other states too.“I hope MCA will write a letter or Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor, Perak and Penang too,” he quipped.Khalid said being a growing state, Selangor does not rule out the possibility o rate increases which may take place every three to five years.But he said this will not mean they will increase the revaluation rates because o the rapid growth in Selangor.“It is quite natural or the rates to go up in growing locations, or example, the value o land in Petaling Jaya goes up nearly every quarter,” he explained.Khalid also rubbished claims that the revenue or local councils and state government has been sluggish in the wake o a drop in development projects and strict development requirements and regulations.“We practise a balanced budget. Tereore, we predict  we will achieve RM1.4 billion in revenue next year, and we are going to spend with that same amount,” he said.
No plan to increase rates
 Volunteers holding up placards.
Security guards foil dance for awareness
By
Gan Pei Ling
KELANA JAYA:
 A short dance to raise awareness o child marriages was oiled by overzealous security guards at the Kelana Jaya LR station last Friday.Te guards told members o the All  Women’s Action Society (Awam) to leave as they did not have “permission” to be on the premises. “We weren’t doing any commercial activity. Why do we need permission to be in a public space?” asked Abigail de Vries, the non-government organisation’s senior programme manager.Te group later moved to the bus stop next to the LR as they did not  want to aggravate the situation. A marriage between a 14-year-old girl and 23-year-old teacher recently has sparked heated debate in the country about child marriages. Under Syariah law, Muslim girls below16 are allowed to marry in Malaysia, provided couples get Syariah Court permission and parental consent. However, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said on Dec 13 the Federal Government did not condone child marriages. Awam also aced a similar experience when they did a similar jig at KL Central on Dec 3 to raise awareness o violence against women.Awam programme officer Lau Shu Shi said they merely wanted to get the  public to support their cause. Unortunately, Lau said police and security personnel in KL Central asked them to stop their activity as they did not have the“permission” to be there.“his is what happens when we  privatise public spaces,” said de Vries. Lau said the public were generally supportive o their cause. Awam also held a workshop or men and treasure hunt in conjunction  with the international campaign against gender violence rom Nov 25-Dec 10.

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