Thesun 2009-04-24 Page06 Govt Probes 12 Quarry Operators

6

theSun

| FRIDAY APRIL 24 2009

news without borders

PETALING JAYA: The Bar Council, which has actively proposed to the government to liberalise the legal profession, has expressed concern that the new ruling to allow up to five international law firms with expertise in Islamic finance to practise here could be counter-productive in the long term. Its president, K. Ragunath, said yesterday although the council welcomes the goverment’s commitment to freer trade, it hopes the foreign firms will not be made to practise on a “standalone mode”. “The Bar Council’s position is that a managed system of liberalisation, in which foreign law firms are required to enter into joint ventures with Malaysian law firms, represents the best of both worlds as the Malaysian Bar has, among its members, sufficient practitioners with expertise in the area of Islamic finance at an international level,” he said in a statement. The foreign firms will be able to tap into the Malaysian law firms’ knowledge of domestic laws, regulations and business environment, while the Malaysian firms will be able to access knowledge of new legal or financial products. “This reflects a win-win situation that would augur well for an orderly liberalisation of the domestic legal services market,” Ragunath said, adding that the council has made known to the government its preference for this method of liberalisation since 2004, and even prepared the relevant amendments, rules and regulations. “The Bar Council is, therefore, disappointed that the views of BNM (Bank Negara Malaysia) have prevailed,” he said, in reference to BNM’s idea to have five foreign law firms with expertise in Islamic finance to practise here on a stand-alone basis.. “From the very beginning, BNM’s desire to bring in five foreign law firms (London-based) was linked to the Malaysian International Islamic Finance Centre (MIFC) initiative, for which BNM is the driver,” he said. “The idea is to make Malaysia the premier Islamic finance hub in Asia. BNM is also hopeful these five foreign law firms, once established here, will bring their foreign clients and Islamic finance business to Malaysia. “Although the Malaysian Bar is supportive of the MIFC initiative overall, we are not convinced that this will be the case. “A jump-start approach, as advocated by BNM, is counter-productive to the Malaysian legal services market in the long run. By permitting foreign law firms to set up on a stand-alone basis, there is no such necessity for the foreign firms to share or transfer knowledge to Malaysian practitioners.”

State not consulted on RM40m Penang Hill train by Himanshu Bhatt [email protected]

GEORGE TOWN: The controversial dismantling of Penang Hill’s heritage funicular railway without local consultation, to be replaced by a RM40 million modern transport line, is being overseen by the federal government, a state executive councillor said yesterday. State Public Works, Utilities and Transportation Committee chairman Lim Hock Seng said the design of the

new project, which would connect the base station directly to the top, was made by the Public Works Department (PWD) without input from the state. He said the state government was cooperating with the PWD as the railway and the hill land came under the state’s purview. “We will help to coordinate with matters that need to be sorted out with relevant state agencies during the construction process,” he said in an interview. Lim was responding to criticism

from residents and non-governmental organisations that the project had been drawn up by Kuala Lumpurbased planners without consultation with local stakeholders. At the heart of the contention is a short tender period of only three weeks, ending on May 11. The Friends of Penang Hill (FOPH) coalition said it was impossible for a contractor to contact a suitable foreign party, establish a working arrangement to inspect the site, calculate prices and submit a bid

within the period. The FOPH called the hasty tender period “a farce and mockery” that would not produce the best results, but would instead raise suspicions. Lim, however, stressed that the project was necessary as the current system of more than 80 years has aged and is bogged down with breakdowns and faults. He said the new air-conditioned coaches would be faster and bigger, allowing more passengers to be carried in a single trip.

Govt probes 12 quarry operators GEORGE TOWN: The government is launching a probe into the activities of 12 quarry companies in the state next week to by Opalyn Mok ensure that all regulations [email protected] are adhered to strictly and that royalty issues did not usual throughout the probe to be arise. conducted by the Penang Land Chief Minister Lim Guan Committee. Eng said the companies would State executive councillor Law be able to continue operating as C h o o

Kiang, who had headed the investigations into three quarry companies on the calculations of royalty for quarry products, will also be heading this new probe. Lim said the report and findings of the investigations into the three quarry companies, namely Kuad Sdn Bhd, Batu Tiga

At the Penang State Assembly

I/THESUN MARSY CHE AN

‘Stand-alone’ firms not the solution, says Bar Council

Multilingual road signs, please! POLITICAL secretary to the Penang Chief Minister, Ng Wei Aik (wearing black suit), receives a memorandum from Penang Gerakan CAT Watch coordinator Dr Thor Teong Ghee accompanied by several Gerakan members who turned up at the steps of the State Assembly Hall yesterday holding

multi-lingual road signs. Thor wants the state government to make an official announcement on how many multilingual road signs will be set up in George Town and when they will be put up.

Quarry Sdn Bhd and Saw Chong Teok Kuari Sdn Bhd, would be revealed tomorrow. “The committee met and discussed the report yesterday (Wednesday) and we have decided that Law discloses the details of the report and findings,” he told a press conference during a break at the Penang state legislative assembly yesterday. Lim also said the framework of investigations used on the three quarry companies would be used to conduct the investigations into the operations of the 12 quarry companies. The 12 to be investigated are Weng Lee Granite Kuari Sdn Bhd, Tar San Kuari (Hanson Quarry), Teik Granite Quary Sdn Bhd, Boon Sun Seraksi, Bang Seng Huat Sdn Bhd, Sofinaz Holding Sdn Bhd, Sasmaz Quary Sdn Bhd, Welepeq Sdn Bhd, Minetech Construction Sdn Bhd, Minetech Construction Sdn Bhd, MTT Properties & Development Sdn Bhd, Teik Granite Quarry Ltd and Zambina Wawasan Sdn Bhd. Law said although the quarry companies were allowed to continue operating, they would need to adhere to some conditions that he would be setting while the probe “is in progress”. The activities of quarry operators are being questioned after PKR executive committee member Amizudin Ahmat alleged that a PKR leader was working with some quarry companies to under-declare royalties owed to state government. Following the allegations, former Deputy Chief Minister I Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin tendered his resignation and quit as Penanti assemblyman.

16 kidnappers nabbed after getting RM1mil ransom KUALA LUMPUR: Police arrested 16 people, including four women, believed to be members of a kidnapping gang, a week after they released their child victim upon being paid a RM1 million ransom by the boy’s family. Bukit Aman CID chief Datuk Seri Bakri Zinin said those arrested included the gang leader, while police were looking for an identified suspect at large. He said the hunt for the gang was mounted after a seven-yearold boy was abducted in Petaling Jaya on April 10 and released four days later. Bernama learnt that in the 8.30am incident, the boy was abducted by four men armed with machetes in front of his house in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya in the presence of his mother. The boy’s family then received a call from the kidnappers who demanded RM1 million before the boy was left in front of the security guard post of his home four days

later after the ransom was paid. Bakri said acting on public information, police arrested 13 people, including four women aged between 19 and 70 in Selangor on April 21 before recovering RM319,700, the balance of the ransom money. He said in follow-up operations on April 22 and 23, three more members of the gang were arrested in Fraser’s Hill, Juasseh and Serdang. Police are looking for another gang member at large identified as Paremsvaran a/l Ramu @ Veera, 26, whose last-known address is 587/18A, Jalan Waterfall, Taman Hijau, Rawang, Selangor. Bakri said among the suspects arrested were housewives, a car repossesser and a security guard. He said those with information on the kidnapping could call the case investigating officer ACP Mohd Hazreeq Yunus at 012-6179752 or the Petaling Jaya district police operations room at 03-79662222.