Thesun 2009-03-12 Page04 Ncer Projects On Schedule

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theSun

news without borders At the Dewan Rakyat yesterday

Stop playing race card, MCA Youth to Umno leaders

‘NCER projects on schedule’ THE implementation of programmes and development projects of the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) is proceeding on schedule, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Amirsham A. Aziz said. He said the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) was working to ensure that projects are undertaken as soon as possible. Amirsham was replying to a question from Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi (BNBatu Pahat) who said work on projects appeared very slow and Sime Darby Bhd, as the main driver, did not seem keen on speeding up implementation. To date, of the 40 programmes and projects confirmed for the region, 17 or 42.5% were under way in various stages of implementation, Amirsham said. He said among key projects launched are the improvement of roads within Muda Agricultural Development Authority farms, the access road to farming areas in Kedah, a women’s entrepreneur programme in the Kulim High Tech Park,

improvements to the Kuala Perlis ferry terminal, development of a padi nursery in Kerian, Perak, a sustainable community development programme in Kampung Sungai Kerang, Perak and Kampung Bukit Kura, Kedah, the Educational City Hostel in Taiping and digital resource centre in Taiping. Amirsham explained that Sime Darby’s role at the NCER’s launch was to spearhead the provisions of the masterplan for the region. “The implementation of projects has been handed to the NCIA as the authority responsible for overseeing the NCER and its planned development,” he said. However, he said, Sime Darby was still involved in the investment programme and projects by the private sector as a corporate social responsibility. Among projects undertaken by the conglomerate are the planting of sweet corn in a 121ha-area in Bukit Tangga, Kedah with a RM4 million investment, an RM8 million investment in an “Agropre-

by Hemananthani Sivanandam [email protected]

neur Development Programme” to help eradicate poverty through entrepreneurship in agriculture, the establishment of a seed research centre in cooperation with the Perlis state government with a RM10 million investment and the setting up of a RM16 million model padi farm in Ladang Gedung in Bagan Serai, Perak with the latest technology and irrigation system. Sime Darby will also in the future undertake other agriculture related activities in areas it owns, Amirsham said. – Bernama

Speaker: Witnesses to Umno Youth fracas identified PARLIAMENT Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia disclosed that the special committee set up to probe a fracas involving Selangor Umno Youth members and Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) had identified witnesses to the incident. Met in the House after the committee’s maiden meeting, he said it had identified only the witnesses to be summoned. “However, I cannot disclose who and how many witnesses will be summoned to the next meeting. They are all people related (to the case),” he told newsmen. Pandikar Amin said the committee had set Tuesday and Wednesday for its next meetings. On Karpal Singh’s decision not to attend the committee’s meetings after his motion

| THURSDAY MARCH 12 2009

to have the matter discussed in the House was denied, Pandikar Amin said the committee had convened only its first meeting and that “it is too early to talk about it”. Asked when the committee would complete its investigation, he said no date had been set for a decision. On Feb 26, a group of Selangor Umno Youth members prevented Karpal Singh from entering Parliament, demanding that he apologise for describing the youth wing as celaka (damned). Karpal Singh had alleged that Umno Youth was responsible for the two live rounds of ammunition sent to him following his decision to challenge the Perak Sultan’s endorsement of a Barisan Nasional state government.

No military back-up for police: Syed Hamid THE government has no intention of using the military to help police patrol strategic and high-risk areas in the country, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said. He said the police were still capable of maintaining public security and this role had never been a burden or problem to the force. “The global economic slowdown will of course lead to a rise in the crime rate and this will require the deployment of more police personnel nationwide. “However, the police are still capable of maintaining peace, including in strategic and high-risk areas,” he said in reply to a question from Datuk Seri Tengku Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar (BN-Jerantut). – Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: Several MCA Youth state chiefs yesterday urged Umno leaders to stop using the race issues to garner votes for their party elections on March 24. “Stop the racist views,” said Selangor MCA Youth chief Dr Kow Cheong Wei. Johor MCA Youth chief Haw Chin Teck said: “I was watching a forum titled Hujah (on TV9 on Tuesday) and was shocked to hear what (Umno vice-presidential candidate) Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim had to say.” Haw read the following statement to the media: “Selama ini, orang Cina telah menguasai lebih 38% daripada ekonomi negara kita dan kita juga tidak pernah bising. Apa salahnya kalau kita orang Melayu, yang mempunyai populasi lebih daripada 50% menguasai lebih daripada 50% ekonomi negara kita. (All this while, the Chinese have conquered more than 38% of the country’s economy and we did not make any noise. What is wrong if we Malays, who have a population of more than 50% conquer more than 50% of the country’s economy.)”

“We are undergoing a serious financial crisis. Everyone should be looking towards what can be done to improve the country’s economic condition,” he said. Both the state youth chiefs spoke to reporters in a press conference yesterday evening in the presence of other youth chiefs in the party headquarters. Earlier, the youth chiefs had a meeting to brief MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat on their plans to organise more outreach programmes targeted at youths and teenagers. Asked on his plan to sue Pulai MCA chief Low Teh Hian for remarks questioning his moral value, Ong said: “I have no time.” Oriental Daily News reported on March 1 that Ong and Low had gone to nightspots and drank liquor together overseas some years back. Ong was reported to have said he believed once Low received a legal notice, Low would understand what is meant by “having to take responsibility for what one says”. However, Ong and MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong did not touch on Rais’ racist statement on TV.

Scanners for Umno polls KUALA LUMPUR: Umno will rent 40 scanners from Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Bhd to handle computerised voting in party polls at the end of the month. Umno executive secretary Brig-Gen (Rtd) Datuk Husainay Hashim told Bernama yester day Umno’s management committee had approved the move to save time and ensure transparency. He said computerised voting, used for the first time in Umno polls, would be han-

dled by the party’s election committee headed by Tan Sri Samsuddin Osman with the cooperation of the Umno headquarters. Husainay said two audit teams, technical and statistical, would monitor the polls process. “The technical team is there to ensure there are no glitches with scanners, while the statistical team’s job, besides vote counting, is to refer to the election committee scans of ballots that appear doubtful for a decision.”