Day: November 25, 2021

KUCHING, Nov 25 — Two COVID-19 clusters in Sarawak ended today, bringing the total of active clusters in the state to four, Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) declared.

In a statement, it said the two clusters were the Jalan Demak Indah cluster and the Jalan Perimeter Airport cluster in Kuching.

The end of the two clusters was declared after no new cases were recorded over the past 28 days.

Meanwhile, it said Sarawak recorded 171 new cases, 12 of which had a lung infection and required respiratory support, while 159 other cases were asymptomatic.

Six deaths were reported, one on Nov 17, two on Nov 21 and three on Nov 22.

One of them was a four-month baby boy, while the other five were aged between 23 and 68 with a history of illnesses such as obesity, high blood pressure and chronic liver disease.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

SEREMBAN, Nov 25 — The standard operating procedure (SOP) for prevention of COVID-19 for the 12th Sarawak state election will be finalised by the end of the month, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

Khairy said discussions on the SOP were held with the Sarawak State Secretary this afternoon and Deputy Health Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang was entrusted with coordinating the matter with the Sarawak government.

“There are several matters which need refining. I have set Nov 30 as the deadline for finalising it and we will then recommend it to the Election Commission (EC),” he told reporters after chairing the Negeri Sembilan- level National Youth Consultative Council meeting here today.

The EC has set Dec 18 for polling and Dec 6 for nomination, with early voting to be held on Dec 14.

Meanwhile, on the impending second round of nationwide protest by the Hartal Doktor Kontrak movement, Khairy said the ministry would submit a memorandum to the Cabinet to seek a long-term solution to the problems faced by contract doctors.

“The Cabinet will find the solution and also approval to absorb a certain number of the contract doctors.

“If you asked me to absorb everyone who is a contract doctor including first-year housemen, it is difficult. If I go by cohorts such as 2017, 2018 and those who have been assessed as being doctors who can be absorbed on a permanent basis, then I think it’s a fair deal,” he said.

Recently, the media reported that the Hartal Doktor Kontrak movement would hold another protest after claiming that Budget 2022 did not solve the problems of contract doctors.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

MIRI, Nov 25 — Payment of allowances to Sarawak Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK)’s secretaries and members, for handling and attending meetings, will be implemented from January 2022, said Rural Development Minister, Datuk Seri Mahdzhir Khalid.

He said that the decision was finalised and agreed on in the Cabinet meeting on Nov 19.

For that purpose, he said that an allocation of more than RM44 million a year was provided for payments for state JKKK’s 5,976 secretaries and 65,736 members, which covers the handling and attendance of the meetings.

“The provision of allocations for these allowances is seen to further strengthen the machinery at the grassroots level and strengthen cooperation between the Sarawak and federal governments, especially in the implementation of rural development programmes involving the role of JKKK,” he said.

He said this at the opening ceremony of the Rural Water Supply (BALB) project for the Marudi district at the Ridab Longhouse, Sungai Pasir, about 80km from here today.

The ceremony was officiated by Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, and was also attended by Deputy Rural Development Minister II, Datuk Hasbi Habibollah.

On the BALB project, Mahdzhir said that his ministry had spent an allocation of RM38.5 million, which included the construction of a booster pump station, a suction tank with a capacity of 1.17 million litres, a water storage tank with a capacity of 2.76 million litres and the installation of a new 71-km pipeline.

He said that the project was fully completed on Sept 19 with the cooperation of the Sarawak Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) as the implementing agency, and benefited about 8,000 consumers in 34 villages in Marudi.

“This project is one of the projects implemented during the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP), which will provide clean and treated water supply to villages along the road from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Telang Usan to Kampung Lubok Nibong, here,” he said.

Apart from the BALB project, Mahdzhir said that a total of three rural electricity projects were approved for the Marudi and Telang Usan areas, involving alternative electricity supply projects, namely hybrid solar, estimated to cost RM282 million.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 — The government is planning to make Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines as new source countries to fill vacancies in the security service sector, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin said.

He said the ministry would scrutinise the matter before any decision is made and hold further discussions with the stakeholders to ensure there were no issues cropping up in the future.

“I will announce this later after the engagement session with the relevant parties, including the industry players and government agencies such as the Foreign Ministry, Defence Ministry and others,” he said after officiating a meeting with the security service industry and private agencies here today.

Commenting further, Hamzah said this was to ensure that those who are brought in really want to work in Malaysia and not for other purposes.

“This involves national security and I am very sensitive to this issue,” he said.

Hamzah disclosed that a total of 66 security service companies have had their licences revoked since 2014 due to the lack of security screening, misuse of firearms and hiring illegal immigrants.

He also urged all security service companies to renew their licences on or before Dec 31 this year to avoid any actions.

Meanwhile, Hamzah said the Home Ministry would establish a Security Service Industry Training Academy to enable security guards to receive basic training like other authorities.

He said the academy would collaborate with other agencies under the ministry such as the Royal Malaysia Police, People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) and Immigration Department.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

ALOR SETAR, Nov 25 — The writer of a poison letter sent to the Kedah Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is urged to come to the commission’s office here to provide information for an investigation to be conducted.

Kedah MACC director, Datuk Shaharom Nizam Abd Manap said most of the information on corruption channelled to the commission through poison pen letters were vague, thus making it difficult for further action to be taken.

“We encourage the individual who wrote the poison pen letter to convey the information to our officers. The person can contact any of the commission’s offices in Kedah and make an appointment on the place and time convenient for him or her to discuss the matter further.”

He said this to reporters after attending an MACC Appreciation Ceremony with its strategic partners this year where three Kedah Bernama Bureau officers received appreciation plaques from the commission for their contribution to corruption prevention.

Shaharom Nizam said the Kedah MACC had been receiving poison pen letters which averaged two to three each month.

“Today, I received two poison pen letters. We don’t dismiss them but we need to check carefully as we don’t want such letters to victimise anyone,” he added.

He also said that the MACC assured that the identity of the information providers would be kept confidential and hence, they should not be worried about their safety.

Meanwhile, Shaharom Nizam expressed his appreciation to the media for helping the MACC promote its efforts to prevent corruption in the state.

“The positive coverage by the media makes the public understand the need to fight corruption. We are understaffed, so we need the media to relay the message to the public,” he said

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 — Non-asnaf families affected by the recent flash floods in Lembah Jaya Utara in Ampang recently will receive RM600 aid from the Selangor Zakat Board (LZS).

Its chief executive officer, Saipolyazan M. Yusop said the board will be giving out aid of up to RM31,000 based on assessment on the damages to repair the affected homes to families that have registered with LZS.

“To date, we have already given aid like dry items to 70 homes in the area and we are also planning to provide assistance to another 120 houses.

“A total of 400 homes were affected following the floods that occurred in Lembah Jaya, Ampang on Nov 22. And a total of 220 houses owners who have registered with LZS will be getting aid,” he told Bernama here today.

Apart from that, LZS is now in the midst of collecting data and relevant information with the cooperation of the district office to coordinate the delivery of aid to ease the burden of the eligible victims.

“Flood stricken asnaf (zakat beneficiaries) registered with LZS can also register with the assistant amil kariah so that aid can be channelled to them,” he said.

In the Kampung Lembah Jaya Utara flash floods, several homes and vehicles were damaged when floodwater rose quickly in the incident.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency