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No. 4702 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)

Monday
February 23, 2009
TELLING IT AS IT IS www.sun2surf.com

» Penang to get more flights pg2 » Bushfire victims remembered pg5 News without
borders
Mumbai
on the line pg18
Govt
ORIENTALDAILYPIX

firm in
rejecting
The new
RM5,000
incentive LCCT
can be in Labu
in the
form of PHUKET: The government
is firm in its decision to
reduction reject the plan by AirAsia
in excise duties and Bhd and Sime Darby
to build a RM1.6 billion
sales tax or other low-cost carrier terminal
(LCCT) Labu, Negri Sembi-
mechanisms.” lan, Deputy Prime Minister
– Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin Datuk Seri Najib Abdul
Razak said yesterday.
LOR STAR: Sell off your old car He said the project

A and buy a new one at RM5,000

discount – that can be a reality
if the Ministry of International
Trade and Industry’s proposal
is accepted by the Finance Ministry.
Its minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin
Yassin said the proposal, which
cannot be continued
according to the original
plan as Sime Darby would
not pay the RM800 million
infrastructure construc-
tion cost.
“They will only sell the
would encourage consumers to buy land to the party that is
Nizar packs up ...

New cars
new cars, had been submitted for building the infrastruc-
consideration in the mini budget, to ture. If Airport Malaysia
be unveiled by Deputy Prime Minis- (Malaysia Airports Hold-
ter and Finance Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Razak on March 10.
A fter weeks of defiance, denial and
political tit-for-tat, the Perak mentri
besar under the Pakatan Rakyat state
ings Bhd (MAHB), it means
sell to Airports Malaysia
He said that the incentive was government, Datuk Seri Mohammad ... they (Sime Darby) will
to spur the country’s automotive Nizar Jamaluddin and his family moved not pay for the RM800
industry in the wake of the global out from his official residence in Ipoh million infrastructure
economic slowdown. yesterday. Under the glare of publicity, cost,” he told Malaysian
He said that if the proposal was Mohammad Nizar, who insists that journalists covering the
accepted, owners would be able to he’s still the duly-elected mentri besar Special Asean+3 Finance

for old
sell off their cars of 15 years or older despite the sultan appointing Pangkor Ministers’ Meeting in this
and buy new ones at discounted assemblyman Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul tourist resort here.
prices, reports Bernama. Kadir to the post, said he relented out Najib, who is also
“The RM5,000 incentive can be in of respect for the regulations and also finance minister said he
the form of reduction in excise duties due to a request by State Secretary had received confirma-
and sales tax or other mechanisms,” Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Hashim. tion in “black and white”
he said after meeting Umno leaders He said the move was not a sign from Sime Darby on the
here. of defeat as the court process to matter.
Muhyiddin said that there were decide his status as mentri besar “If they (Sime Darby)
more than one million cars aged was ongoing. Mohammad Nizar also did not contribute, there is
15 years and older registered in the said a motion of no-confidence on no basis for the project to
country.
The proposal would benefit
MITI PROPOSES RM5,000 Zambry will be tabled when the be considered,” he said.
Najib said this when
state assembly sat.
consumers as they would have the
incentive to buy new cars; the INCENTIVE IN MINI BUDGET Reports page 3
asked to comment on
reports that the plan to
automobile companies as there build an LCCT in Labu
would be demand for new models,
and the government in the form of
TO SPUR AUTO INDUSTRY is still being discussed
between the government
motor vehicle tax collection, he said. the parties involved.
Meanwhile, Muhyiddin said the small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) He said that so far, the SME sector soft loans with a low interest of 2% to The new LCCT will be
ministry had applied for an additional as well as various investment incen- had retrenched about 2,000 workers. companies intending to expand their built at the KL International
allocation of RM5 billion under the tives. “We are also planning to provide operations, he added. Airport in Sepang but
mini budget to spur growth in the He said that there were some grants for companies to train their Muhyiddin said the ministry would AirAsia’s request on the
industrial and manufacturing 556,000 SMEs in the country, many workers. also suggest a 2% cut in corporate tax payment for parking the
sectors. of which were affected by declining “This is one of the measures to – from 25% to 23% – as an incentive for aircraft and other details
He said the allocation was for demand, forcing some of them to re- avoid retrenchment,” he said. companies to continue their operations have not been negotiated,
soft loans and additional grants for trench workers. The ministry also planned to provide in this time of economic slowdown. he added. – Bernama

Passenger flies into a rage ...

T he most airline passengers would do
when they miss a flight would be to kick
themselves. But this woman went overboard
and flew into a rage. Her over-reaction,
screaming at airline staff and writhing on the
floor after missing a flight to San Francisco
at Hongkong airport, was recorded and
has become a huge hit on YouTube. The
three-minute clip of the furious woman had
chalked up 40,000 hits in three days. A man
unsuccessfully tries to comfort her and get
her off the floor, but the shrill screaming
continued (full report page 5).