Jimmy Leow

Sebagai kerajaan berjiwa rakyat, Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang Pakatan Rakyat sentiasa berusaha mendengar suara rakyat, bekerja untuk rakyat dan memberi harapan baru kepada semua. Kerajaan berjiwa rakyat boleh disempurnakan menerusi prinsip 3P-Perkasakan, Perkuasakan dan Perkayakanrakyat.

-Perkasakan rakyat dengan kepakaran, ilmu pengetahuan dan pendidikan serta menyediakan peluang yang saksama kepada semua lapisan masyarakat demi mewujudkan kemakmuran rakyat.

-Perkasakan rakyat dengan hak-hak asasi, kebebasan dan kebertanggungjawaban supaya semua dapat peluang yang saksama dan berjaya atas usaha sendiri.

-Perkayakan rakyat dengan perkongsian kekayaan dan hasil ekonomi bagi mencapai keadilan sosio-ekonomi.

Julung kali dalam sejarah Pulau Pinang, warga emas yang berusia 60 tahun ke atas yang bermastautin di Pulau Pinang diberi penghargaan wang tunai sebanyak RM100 setahun. Ia adalah hadiah simbolik kerajaan negeri kepada semua warga emas atas sumbangan dan usaha mereka yang membolehkan Pulau Pinang mengecapi kejayaan hari ini, baik dari segi sosio-ekonomi mahupun dalam aspek perpaduan dan harmoni masyarakat majmuk.

Kerajaan Negeri Pakatan Rakyat mampu berbuat demikian hanya atas amalan belanjawan berhemah, jimat-cermat, urus tadbir baik berdasarkan CAT (Cekap, Akauntabel, Telus) berdasarkan ‘amar maa’ruf nahi mungkar’. Urus tadbir CAT mendapat pengiktirafan oleh badan antarabangsa anti rasuah terunggul, Transparency International, yang buat kali pertamanya memuji sebuah kerajaan negeri di Malaysia. Laporan Ketua Audit Negara juga memuji kejayaan kerajaan negeri yang menukarkan anggaran defisit Belanjawan 2008 sebanyak RM35 juta kepada rekod lebihan RM88 juta dan anggaran defisit Belanjawan 2009 sebanyak RM40 juta kepada lebihan RM77 juta.

Kerajaan negeri berasa kesal pihak lawan politik kami telah cuba sabotaj program penghargaan wang tunai RM100 ini dengan tuduhan pemberian wang kepada warga emas adalah satu tindakan rasuah. Walaubagaimanapun, kami akan meneruskan program ini dan kami bersedia untuk menghadapi sebarang siasatan atau tindakan oleh Suruhanjaya Pencegah Rasuah  Malaysia (SPRM).

Penghargaan wang tunai RM100 kali ini merupakan kesinambungan kerajaan PR yang telah pun berjaya membasmi miskin tegar, memberikan rebet air RM100 kepada hampir 170,000 keluarga susah dan juga sumbangan beras percuma pada tahun 2008-2009. Jangan ingat anda dilupakan apabila anda sudah tua. Selagi kerajaan PR Pulau Pinang ada, kepentingan warga emas akan diambil berat dan anda akan sentiasa dalam memori.

Usia Emas pujaan hati,

Tak lekang dek panas mahupun hujan,

Jasa dan budi di serata bumi,

Sanjungan rakyat berzaman-zaman.

Lim Guan Eng

March 14, 2010

Teng Hock Nan Still Trying To Evade Answering Why The Penang State Government RM100 Senior Citizens Appreciation Award is an act of bribery and corruption

I have said repeatedly that the senior citizens’ appreciation program is a symbolic gift from the Penang PR state government to all senior citizens who exceeds 60 years old regardless of race, gender, religion and political affiliation. The annual RM100 senior appreciation award is not only meant for those who born in Penang but also for those who have lived in Penang all their lives. It is open to  all as long as the applicant can prove with their voter registration that they are actually living in Penang. For this reason, Penang Chief Minister has announced that the state governmnet will even pay Penang Gerakan chairman Datuk Dr. Teng Hock Nan and Penang Umno secretary and state opposition leader Azhar Ibrahim as they are also eligible for it.

It is fine if Teng Hock Nan does not want to apply as he does not need the money but to accuse us of trying to bribe the senior citizens receiving the money by dragging  Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh and Lim Hock Seng into the issue is grossly unreasonable and irresponsible. This goes to show that Teng Hock Nan has failed to see the difference between right and wrong.

Giving money to one ownself is corruption, it is not corruption when giving money to the people. That is why Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is willing to be arrested by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for giving out RM 100 to senior citizens at the launching ceremony in Kompleks Masyarakat Penyayang on Sunday 11 am 21.3.2010. We will not bow to threats from BN and Gerakan but proceed with this programme.

If any by-elections are looming, then Teng Hock Nan can accuse the state government of trying to bribe the people with the handout for senior citizens but there is none now in Penang!  How can giving out RM 100 appreciation award every year to senior citizens be considered corruption when it is given out regardless of whether there are elections or not?

As Penang Gerakan chairman, Teng Hock Nan should retract his statement and apologise to all the senior citizens. Any refusal to do so that Gerakan and Barisan Nasional does not have the public interest at heart but is willing to politicise and sabotage the state government’s senior citizens’ appreciation award with wild allegations that this is corruption.

Phee Boon Poh

International Women’s Day Message 2010 By Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng In Komtar, George Town On 8 MAC 2010

Progress for women is progress for all. No enduring solutions to society’s most pressing problems can be found without the full empowerment and participation of women.

For Penang, it is the commitment of the Pakatan Rakyat to give equal and ample opportunities to women, especially in the civil service.

The Penang state government does not only provide lip service on this but has given ample opportunities for women in Penang to hold senior positions and lead in the civil service.

In fact, Penang is the first in the peninsula to appoint a woman to head a local council. Our appointment of architect Patahiyah Ismail to helm the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) is based on her capabilities, not based on her race, religion, gender or background.

Other women who hold senior positions in the state under the PR government include:

• Rohani Hassan, who serves as the Seberang Perai Selatan district officer;
• Shamiah Bilal, who is the legal adviser for the MPPP;
• Dr Judy Shoba Naidu, who heads the urban services department of the council;
• Maimunah Mohd Sharif, who is the general manager of the World Heritage office,
• Ms. Salmah Aspari, who is the general manager of Penang International Halal Hub (PIHH) Development Sdn. Bhd, and
• Ooi Geok Ling, who is the managing director of Penang Global Tourism.

They were all appointed by the Pakatan Rakyat government.

As a people-centric government which is committed to enable, empower and enrich the people, we are steadfast on our stand for women to be given equal opportunities to prove their worth and realise their potential.

If they are not given the rightful opportunities commensurate with their qualifications and abilities, they would be most welcome to come and join us in Penang.

Penang will break the glass ceiling for women!

Happy International Women’s Day.

LIM GUAN ENG

All Penang PR Wakil Rakyats are willing to be sued by Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng for defending and upholding CAT principles. The real reason that Tan Tee Beng left PKR was his unhappiness in not being appointed for positions in PBA, and his various demands that were not CAT-compliant.

So far, Tan Tee Beng has failed to apologise to PR and Nibong Tebal voters for failing to support Penang PR Government’s CAT principles of Competency, Accountability & Transparency and instead threatened to sue Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr. P. Ramasamy & Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi.

Penang Chief Minister had explained that Tan Tee Beng was unhappy with Lim when Lim had refused Tan’s request to intervene in a shop house in Chow Thye Road. Tan had told Lim that his uncle was interested in renting the shop house but Lim had insisted that CAT principles be followed.

Until now, Tan had dared not deny his involvement in helping his uncle obtain the shop house belonging to PDC in Chow Thye Road. Tan had only challenged that reports be made against him with the MACC.

Why should a report be made when Penang CM had ensured that there is no wrongdoing by insisting a full compliance with CAT principles in renting the shop house? It is ridiculous for Tan to ask for a report to be lodged against the MACC when Tan knows that the Penang CM had taken steps to ensure that there is no wrongdoing.

It is because of such behavior that is not compliant with CAT principles that Tan Tee Beng was not appointed to any positions in the state government. Tan should realize that being in government is not about jockeying for positions but principles, not about private interests but about public interests.

For that reason, his departure is no loss to PR but reaffirmation of Penang PR to CAT principles.

A man pulled alive from the rubble of a building in Haiti’s capital this week could have been trapped since the earthquake struck more than four weeks ago, doctors have said.

The 28 year-old, identified as Evan Muncie, was found in the wreckage of a market where he sold rice, his family told staff at a University of Miami field hospital.

He was suffering from extreme dehydration and malnutrition, but did not appear to have significant crush injuries, the doctors said.

“He was emaciated. He hadn’t had anything in quite some time. He had open wounds that were festering on both of his feet,” said Dr Mike Connelly, of the university’s Project Medishare.

People who brought him to the hospital claimed that they found him while digging at the market. Mr Muncie told doctors that someone had brought him water while he was trapped, but medical staff said that he sounded confused and at times appeared to believe he was still under the rubble. “Initially, I’m sure he had his senses with him, so maybe he was able to find some kind of resources,” added Dr Connelly.

Dr Dushyantha Jayaweera, of the University of Miami field hospital, felt it was plausible that Mr Muncie had been buried since the quake. “It is unusual but not impossible,” he said.

“He was quite dehydrated and he was wasted, so there are certain things that suggest that it’s true.”

Dr Jayaweera described the man’s condition as “reasonable”. “He’s still sick, he cannot talk to anybody, but we are very optimistic with the condition of the patient.”

Mr Muncie was found nearly a month after the magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, killing more than 150,000 people and leaving 1.5 million homeless.

Haiti’s government declared search-and-rescue efforts over on January 23, but survivors still were being unearthed as late as January 27.

The Vancouver Sun

Beggars at shopping complexes in Puchong are using new tactics to get sympathy, pretending to be sick or unconscious, Sinar Harian reported.

These beggars, mainly from China, apparently earn a lot of money every day by eliciting sympathy from shoppers.

Kuan Chee Heng, special officer to the Seri Serdang assemblyman, said he was shocked at an old beggar’s actions when approached last Sunday.

“He looked like he was going to faint as I was about to approach him, but then ran towards the highway.

“Surprisingly, he was able to run as far as two kilometres although he seemed so weak when I first saw him,” he said, adding that the beggar, wearing clothes in navy blue, crossed the LDP highway and jumped over the divider.

He said he believed the beggar was used by a syndicate and advised the public not to be misled by these beggars who were “very good actors”.

Courtesy of Star

At least 88 journalists have been killed so far this year, with hundreds more media employees arrested, according to the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

Over the past decade, more than 750 journalists have been murdered worldwide, WAN-IFRA said in a report presented today as newspaper executives meet for the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum in Hyderabad, India.

Last week’s massacre in the Philippines, in which at least 30 journalists were among 57 people murdered, made up about a third of the year’s death toll and was the deadliest single attack on media workers in history, WAN-IFRA added.

Some 35 journalists have been killed so far this year in the Philippines, making it the world’s most dangerous country for media workers.

Among the other countries figuring prominently in the WAN-IFRA report, there were eight deaths recorded in Pakistan, seven in Mexico, six in Somalia and five in Russia.

This year’s total of 88 deaths make it the bloodiest since 1998, still behind the 110 who were killed in 2006 and 95 the following year.

The report said that hundreds of media employees had been arrested in the course of their duties over the past year, with at least 170 still in jail.

It painted a picture of widespread hostility to and intimidation of the press across many different continents.

Among the many problems it cited were the imprisonment of journalists in China, Burma’s mass censorship and the intolerance of governments throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

The report also mentioned the abuse of defamation and sedition laws in Africa, attacks on investigative journalism in Latin America and prosecutions in Europe and Central Asia.

Courtesy of www.guardian.co.uk

This is not what democracy looks like. Citizen journalist Noel Hidalgo streamed live web video of protests in Tiananmen Square by activist group, Students for a Free Tibet. Hidalgo was detained by Chinese authorities and deported, along with the demonstrators.

Courtesy of Vital Voices

Chouchou Namegabe Nabintu is Honored at ICFJ’s 25th Anniversary Awards Dinner.

In the Congo, 31-year old Chouchou Namegabe Nabintu is known by many as a pioneering, fearless voice for justice and accountability. Born in Bukavu in South Kivu Province, Chouchou developed a strong interest in radio broadcasting and journalism as a young student. She saw radio as the means through which to reach the masses in Congo, the only medium of communication accessible to nearly everyone everywhere.

In 1997, Chouchou began as a trainee and presenter at Radio Maendeleo, a popular local community radio station, and after volunteering for several years, entered the permanent reporting staff in 2002.

In the late 1990s, as Eastern Congo was overcome by violence, Chouchou turned her microphone into a potent weapon against the rampant violations of women’s human rights she saw taking place in her community. She gained a reputation as a journalist with expertise in women, health, and human rights. She also courageously denounced the corruption of mismanagement by public authorities.

In 2003 Chouchou founded the South Kivu’s Association of Women Journalists (“Association des Femmes des Médias du Sud Kivu” or “AFEM”) and assumed leadership of the Association as its president two years later. Chouchou has sought to perfect her technical skills by attending field trainings and searching for mentorship from experienced professionals, including foreign journalists.

With AFEM and through her radio broadcasts, Chouchou continues to shine a spotlight on women’s issues, especially in rural areas. She has also brought the plight of Congolese women to an international stage, recently traveling to the Hague in December 2007 to plead the case of Kivu’s women at the International Court of Justice, where she denounced without fear the impunity in which some major rebel leaders thrive and flourish. There is no question that the world will be hearing more from Chouchou in the years to come.

Environmental sustainability, which means to ensure resources used today are still available to be used tomorrow, has been integrated into local and global economic growth strategies. The Penang state government is committed to protect, preserve and promote the environment for our future generation. Over the last 16 months, Penang has been focusing on several programmes which contribute to reducing carbon emission, such as waste-reduction, tree-planting, river-cleaning and integrated transportation master plan. Since last year until June 2009, the state has planted 87,939 trees.

In the effort to become the first green state in Malaysia, the state government has initiated a campaign to reduce plastic bag consumption. In July Penang became the first state to launch “No Plastic Mondays” by imposing a charge of 20 cents per plastic bag. All hyper/supermarkets have stopped giving out free plastic bags on Mondays. The state is considering to extend this campaign to many days per week over the next few months. In making Penang an international city which is the investment city of choice for investors, transforming Penang into an a preferred tourist location and Penang becoming the habitat city of choice for all residents who want a city that has sustainable development, cleanliness is one of the most important issues seriously looked into it.

One of the priorities is to clean up Sungai Pinang, to get it off the infamous listing of being one of the seven most polluted rivers in Malaysia. The state has been engaging with EM experts in Penang to design a proper system to clean up Sg. Pinang with EM technology and take Sg. Pinang out of the list of the “Infamous Seven” as soon as possible. At the same time, priority should be also be given to Sungai Juru as well.

This is in line with the state government goals to create a green environment for all of us to live in. Over the last 6 months EM technology has proven itself to be effective in cleaning up of two of our rivers namely Sg. Kelian in Tanjung Bungah and Sungai Mas in Batu Ferringhi. Taking water quality data would not be accurate at this moment because not the whole river has been treated with EM technology as yet.

But we can see with our eyes that many feet of sludge which has been accumulated over the last 20 years has disappeared, smell with our nose that the foul odor at the estuary of the river have also greatly reduced, touch with our hands that fishes are coming back again in the river. A clean river system will help Penang become the front green state in Malaysia.

To succeed, Penangites need the support from all including the private sector.