Day: January 16, 2023

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 16 (Bernama) — The government will only import eggs from India until local supplies stabilise, said Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu.

He said the measure was taken because local producers were unable to meet the demand which resulted in a shortage of eggs in the market.

“The problem now is that local farmers are not producing enough eggs,” he told reporters after delivering his New Year’s message to the ministry’s staff, here today.

He was commenting on Ayer Hitam Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong’s statement that the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (MAFS) should prioritise local farmers instead of importing eggs from India to deal with the issue of chicken egg supply shortage.

Mohamad said MAFS was currently holding discussions with other ministries including the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Finance as well as local egg producers on whether to continue or make changes to the subsidy mechanism in order to increase supply in the market.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KANGAR, Jan 16 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has stressed that he will not announce any new projects for states that he visits without having scrutinised them.

He said every project has to be studied and approved by all parties including the relevant agencies before it can be announced so that it could be carried out transparently and smoothly.

“It is not my practice to come around and announce new projects. If a project is to be announced, there must be approval at the federal-agency level, otherwise, the project is publicised but nothing happens.

“For example, how many hundreds of projects announced in Perlis have not yet been implemented, especially before the general election. I don’t want to continue that practice. If we have made a final decision, only then will we do (announce) it,” he said when addressing Perlis civil servants here today.

Also present at the event were Perlis Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli and State Secretary Datuk Seri Hasnol Zam Zam Ahmad.

He said after the tabling of Budget 2023 on Feb 24, the government will hold a meeting of the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) with the relevant agencies and state governments to examine projects under the NCER.

At the same time, the Prime Minister assured that he would continue to help to strengthen Perlis’ economy for the benefit of the people.

“I assure the Menteri Besar of Perlis, the State Government and the people of Perlis (of this help), because the fact is that the Perlis economy is not as active as the other states. So it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to make Perlis stronger economically.

“That is what we will do in principle. The state and federal machinery should negotiate properly because we are under economic constraints. The national debt is estimated to be at RM1.2 trillion and the revenue is getting smaller, while the spending capacity is very limited,” he said.

The Prime Minister also reminded civil servants to bring about change – no matter how small – for the betterment of the country.

“A culture of easily being contented, (with thinking) such as ‘I’m (already) the best leader’, ‘I’m the best administrator’, ‘I’m the best teacher’ when there is no desire or willingness to improve, in other words -arrogance – needs to be left behind,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

JOHOR BAHRU, Jan 16 (Bernama) — The Ministry of Education (MoE) hopes that there will be an additional allocation for the education sector in the 2023 Budget which will be tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also Finance Minister, next month.

Its minister Fadhlina Sidek said the additional allocation will then be channeled to schools towards managing and maintenance, especially of dilapidated schools.

This is to ensure that there are no marginalised schools not only in Peninsular Malaysia but also in Sabah and Sarawak, she told reporters after visiting Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) (P) Bandar Tinggi, here, today.

“It is indeed our priority, that’s why I said when it becomes a priority, surely in the budget there must also be focus on the development of schools throughout the country.

“”Every year there must be (additional allocation). People think that the Ministry of Education’s expenditure is huge, in fact most of it is for salaries or emoluments, the rest is only then (used) for development.

“So we always look for additions (additional allocations) from time to time, among others to be used to manage and maintain schools,” added the Member of Parliament for Nibong Tebal.

In Budget 2022, MoE received the highest allocation, at RM52.6 billion.

Touching on dilapidated schools, she said there are more than 300 such schools throughout Malaysia with 12 of them in Johor.

In addition to these schools, MoE will also look into the maintenance and improvement of dilapidated teachers’ quarters for the comfort and well-being of the teachers affected.

At today’s event, she also announced an allocation of RM500,000 for SK (P) Bandar Tinggi for repairing parts of its old building.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 (Bernama) — Dewan Negara President Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim has proposed that the Senate and the Dewan Rakyat form a joint committee to assist and manage people-related issues.

In a statement, he said this includes forming committees on people’s welfare and anti-corruption.

“This form of cooperation is hoped to turn Parliament into an institution of hope for the people to voice out issues that need to be addressed by the country’s leaders.

Rais earlier received a courtesy call from Dewan Rakyat’s deputy speakers Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor and Alice Lau Kiong Yieng in Parliament today.

At the meeting, Rais briefed them on parliamentary reforms being carried out, including amendments to the Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Act 1952.

“At the same time, Parliament also wants to see the return of the Parliamentary Services Act 1963, while the enactment of the Code of Ethics for Members of Parliament will be able to ensure proceedings run smoothly,” he said.

Rais said the participation of both Dewan Rakyat deputy speakers was essential to help realise these aspirations.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

MELAKA, Jan 16 (Bernama) — Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali has given all state government departments and agencies one week to resolve recurring and outstanding complaints.

Sulaiman said he had received public complaints that certain problems raised with departments and agencies had not been attended to in a timely manner and some had remained unresolved.

“For 2023, the focus of the state government is to solve issues and problems faced by the people and promote achievements. All departments should take immediate action to resolve issues, and if there are any constraints, they must give feedback to the complainant.

“The way civil servants work must also change with the times, and solutions to people’s questions and problems should be immediate.

“This is because our services are no longer just about customers but should be citizen-oriented, with the people regarded as stakeholders,” he told reporters after delivering his 2023 mandate to state civil servants here today.

Sulaiman also reminded civil servants to improve the quality of existing services and use current technology such as the Internet of Things (IoT) in line with the migration to digital government services.

“For example, while we want to move to cashless payments, civil servants should also adapt to the situation, especially for veterans and senior citizens who have not yet mastered this method of payment,” he said.

He also reminded civil servants to continue practising a work culture with integrity and to steer clear of any misconduct and abuse of power.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KANGAR, Jan 16 (Bernama) –Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government will have to consider the plight and the future of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributors before they are allowed another round of special withdrawals.

Anwar said it was better for the government to look for other effective options to help those impacted by or who had lost their source of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said this is because most contributors have very small amounts of savings and if the government allows withdrawals again, it will affect the future of the contributors themselves.

“Too little… I’ve checked the amount of savings and for a majority of contributors, it is too small, and I am very concerned about their future.

“It would be better for the government to look for options to help them,” he told reporters after attending the Prime Minister’s 2023 Mandate to Perlis civil servants gathering here today.

Yesterday, a group of EPF contributors, Pertubuhan Aktivis Rakyat Malaysia (ProRakyat) called on the government to consider another round of EPF withdrawals of up to RM30,000.

Its president, Khairul Anuar Othman said the one-off withdrawal between RM10,000 to RM30,000 is a short-term solution so that the people will not run out of cash to spend.

On development projects in Perlis, the prime minister said the government will look into all projects under the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) after the revised Budget 2023 is tabled on Feb 24.

“Matters concerning projects will be discussed with the northern corridor (NCER). The Menteri Besar has sent a list of projects including Sanglang Port, Perlis Inland Port, food security… those are matters to be focused on, but it would be best to hear out the details in the corridor meeting after the (tabling of) Budget,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Jan (Bernama) — A total of 3.8 million vehicles are expected to be using the expressways to go to their respective destinations nationwide during the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday starting this weekend.

Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said with the increase in traffic volume, several initiatives had been taken by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) to ensure smooth traffic flow and safety of road users during the period.

They included Op Selamat, carried out since last Friday with the cooperation of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and Op Bersepadu, to be launched tomorrow with the cooperation of the Road Transport Department, he added.

He said LLM and the concession companies would also operate round the clock with additional staff to be on duty.

“We will also ensure the toll collection system works well, as well as provide additional lanes to reduce congestion at the toll plaza,” he said during an interview with Bernama Radio at Wisma Bernama here today.

He said tow trucks are also provided at some selected locations to help in the event of an accident.

Construction and maintenance work by all highway concessionaires, involving lane closures, will be stopped from this Friday until next Wednesday to avoid disrupting traffic flow, he added.

According to Nanta, said a total of 4,379 fatalities in road accidents were recorded in the country from January to September last year, involving 402,626 accident cases.

“It is an increase of 36 per cent or 147,094 accident cases compared to the same period in 2021,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency