Category: General

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 — The developer of the redevelopment project of Sungai Baru, Kampung Baru is ready to offer apartment units worth RM300,000 each to 38 PKNS Flat unit owners who disagree with the project.

Ritzy Gloss Sdn Bhd director Abdul Hadi Ahmad said the 900 sq ft apartment units could be owned at half the price of the total land acquisition compensation received by each flat owner.

“For example, owners who receive RM250,000 in compensation can own the apartment at the price of RM125,000.

“This residence, which has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a parking lot, will be built in the redevelopment project area,” he told a press conference on the Kampung Sungai Baru redevelopment project here today.

Abdul Hadi said the offer would be made to the respective flat owners after it receive the official amount of land acquisition compensation from the Department of Director-General of Lands and Mines.

Last Saturday, some residents of Kampung Sungai Baru protested against the redevelopment project in the area because they were not satisfied with the low compensation offer under the Land Acquisition Act 1960.

Commenting further, Abdul Hadi said the company proceeded to use the provision under the Act, which was implemented in January this year, after it failed to reach an agreement with all flat owners during the five-year-long negotiation.

“To date, 85 per cent of 226 flat owners have agreed to the redevelopment project in this area and if the other 38 owners agree, the project is expected to begin in June or July next year,” he added.

In the meantime, Kampung Sungai Baru Property Owners Welfare Association chairman Zulfakar Wahid said the efforts to get the consent of all residents for the redevelopment project had started in 2016 and only a minority was against the project.

“We have to prioritise the majority and show compassion to those who have moved to transit houses, rented other houses and in fact, some have died while waiting for this project to be implemented,” he said.

Zulfakar also explained that the redevelopment of Kampung Sungai Baru was different from the redevelopment project of Kampung Baru under the Malay Agricultural Settlement (MAS).

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today launched the Human Resource Ministry’s three initiatives in an effort to continuously develop a sustainable human capital.

The three initiatives include the MyFutureJobs Satellite Centre, the use of a tracker at the Department of Manpower (JTM) training institutions and the International Human Resource Transformation Summit (HRTS).

The Ministry of Human Resources in a statement today said the tracking initiative is to help contain the spread of COVID-19 at JTM educational institutions.

“JTM is the first educational institution to use the tracker developed by the Malaysia Automotive Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii) which was previously used by the industries.

“The tracker will enable more efficient close contact tracing to ensure that the institution will not shut down should any trainee be infected with COVID-19,” read the statement.

In addition, the HRTS launched today will be organised in March 2022 in collaboration with the Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp).

The inaugural conference will involve Labour and Human Resource Ministers from the Asia Pacific region as well as regional stakeholders.

Among others, the conference will discuss latest issues and challenges as well as Human Resource 5.0 (HR5.0) technological solutions including digitisation for future manpower needs.

The MyFutureJobs Satellite Centre initiative was the result of the ministry’s collaboration with the Social Security Organisation (Socso) and was developed with the cooperation of the Rural Development Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

“To date, there are 61 MyFutureJobs Satellite Centres nationwide that were established as transit satellite centres for job seekers in the rural areas as they lack facilities to access the MyFutureJobs portal,” the ministry said.

The launch of the initiatives by the Prime Minister at the Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) Career Carnival, was held in conjunction with the 100-day Aspirasi Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family Aspirations) programme, which is into its second day today.

Also present were Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan, Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa and Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

SERIAN, Dec 10 — Puncak Borneo Member of Parliament Datuk Willie Mongin has advised three other Bersatu members to emulate Datuk Ali Biju’s move and state their withdrawal from the 12th Sarawak State Election.

The Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities instead urged the Belaga, Bawang Assan and Muara Tuang independents to throw their support behind their respective GPS candidates.

Willie, from Bersatu, said party members should abide by the pact between Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) chairman Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.

The understanding between Muhyiddin and Abang Johari, who is also the Chief Minister of Sarawak, is that Bersatu will not contest in the Sarawak polls.

“We, at the party level, have listened to the instructions of the party president that all members should help and support the GPS candidates,” he said after officiating the #KeluargaMalaysia Agricomoditi Tour programme in Kampung Pichin, today.

Willie said this when asked to comment on the Sarawak Bersatu’s vice-chairman’s decision to withdraw from contesting the Krian seat as an independent candidate. Ali also pledged his full support for GPS candidate, Friday Belik.

He added that Bersatu members should work together so that there is continuity that will lead to political stability not only at the state level but also at the federal level.

“In terms of democracy, their right to contest cannot be denied because they can resign and run as Independent candidates… that’s their right… but we need to look at it in terms of a bigger picture of the political scenario in the future,” he stressed.

It is understood that the other three Bersatu members who are contesting as Independent candidates in the Sarawak polls on Dec 18 are Siki Balarik for the Belaga seat, Ricky Enteri (Bawang Assan) and Ismawi Muhammad (Muara Tuang).

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 — A total of 5,058 new cases of COVID-19 was recorded today, bringing the cumulative number to 2,683,523, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Through a statement on the COVID-19 situation up to noon today, he said 80 or 1.6 per cent of the new cases reported were in categories three, four and five while 4,978 cases or 98.4 per cent were in categories one and two.

He said of the 5,058 new cases, 5,041 were local and 17 were import cases, while 93 were being treated at the intensive care units with 212 of them requiring ventilators.

Meanwhile, 4,997 cases have recovered, bringing the cumulative number to 2,591,819.

Dr Noor Hisham also said that seven new clusters had been identified, with the number of active clusters across the country reaching 250.

He said the Rt (infectivity rate) in Malaysia until yesterday was 0.97.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

NILAI, Dec 10 — Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) aims to be one of the best universities in the world in religion and highly specialised fields, said the university’s board of directors chairman, Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri.

Zulkifli, who is also a Senator, is optimistic that the target could be achieved with the cooperation of all parties, including the top management, besides the experience of lecturers with calibre and leadership.

“After being appointed chairman of the USIM board of directors, I looked at how we could develop USIM to produce competent academicians, leaders and professionals based on traditional Islamic knowledge,” he told reporters at a media conference here today.

He also said that he would use the experience gained from being a former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) and Mufti of the Federal Territories to enhance USIM’s excellence at the international level.

Zulkilfi has been appointed as the new chairman of the USIM board of directors for a three-year period from Dec 1 to Nov 30, 2024.

Meanwhile, he said the problem of divorce in the country should be looked at comprehensively and couples be given advice and counseling services by relevant parties, including syariah courts.

“Usually this is related to economic and employment problems, anger issues, incompatibility, lack of religious knowledge and the existence of a third party,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 — The Malaysia Plastics Sustainability Roadmap 2021-2030 is an effort by the government to address plastic waste pollution and ensure the country’s economic prosperity and social well-being, said Minister of Environment and Water, Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

He said the framework, to be implemented in three phases, would serve as a compass for stakeholders in preserving plastics based on the circular economy concept throughout the value chain.

The framework is one of the actions of Malaysia’s Roadmap Towards Zero Single-Use Plastics which was approved by the Cabinet in 2018.

“It is also to complement the solid waste circular economy initiative developed by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government.

“We are optimistic that implementation of the circular economy concept will reduce the impact of plastic pollution on the environment,” he said at the launch of the road map at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today.

Tuan Ibrahim said the expansion of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Scheme was an important element in the framework that would change the local plastic waste management ecosystem.

Under the EPR scheme, manufacturers are not only responsible for treating and disposing of plastic waste that has been marketed by their respective brands, but they also have to take into account the design components as well as the use of recycled resins.

“The EPR scheme will be implemented voluntarily by taking into account the readiness of the industry, before making it mandatory, the latest by 2026,” he said.

To realise the road map, he said, the use of plastic bottles at official government functions had begun to be reduced and replaced with other alternatives such as glass bottles.

At the ceremony, Tuan Ibrahim also launched a book, ‘Bersama Memakmur Bumi’, published by the ministry.

He said the book was published to serve as guidance to all parties on key policies and initiatives in the country’s environmental and water management.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency