Category: General

KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 (Bernama) — Malaysia and Indonesia will be signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the recruitment of Indonesian Domestic Workers (PDI) involving maids this week, said Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.

He said this when winding up the debate on the motion of thanks on the Royal Address on behalf of the Human Resource Ministry today.

The signing ceremony would take place in Jakarta, Indonesia, he added.

On Feb 6, the media reported that the negotiation on the recruitment and placement of Indonesian maids in Malaysia that began in 2017, failed to be completed as the MoU scheduled to be signed by both countries on Feb 8 was postponed.

In another development, Saravanan said a total of 148,300 new jobs were created through domestic investments last year, of which 109,605 or 73.9 per cent of jobs are under the skilled and semi-skilled categories.

However, he said, some of the jobs mentioned were in the 3D sector (dirty, dangerous, difficult) which was still an issue among locals, causing the government to rely on foreign workers.

Meanwhile, Senior Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, representing his ministry during the session said PLUS Malaysia Berhad (PLUS) and other highway concession companies have been ordered to review the need to build more motorcycle rain shelters as well as other safer requirements for motorcyclists.

Apart from that, he said advisory signs would be improved to increase the safety of highway users to prevent accidents.

“There are a total of 186 motorcycle rain shelters along the North-South Expressway. The locations of these rain shelters are marked on road signs on highways to direct motorcyclists to the locations safely,” he said.

The sitting continues tomorrow.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KOTA BHARU, March 13 (Bernama) — A total of 83 individuals nationwide have been detained under the Prevention of Crime Act (POCA) 1959 from Jan 1 to March 10 this year.

A member of the Crime Prevention Board (LPJ) under the Home Affairs Ministry (KDN), Datuk Khalil Azlan Chik said, from the figure, 12 were placed under the Detention Order while another 71 individuals were placed under the Surveillance Order.

He said LPJ received many case files for action either to issue a police Detention Order or Surveillance Order against hardcore criminals who cannot be prosecuted by the courts due to certain problems.

“It is difficult to accuse a person in court without proof. However, there are testimonies about the involvement of individuals and their files have already been submitted.

“Action can only be taken after we have gone through the processes at Bukit Aman and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC). The Enquiry Officer would also have to meet the criminal before making recommendations to LPJ for further action,” he said to reporters after officiating the Melor Police Station, here today.

Also present were Kelantan police chief Datuk Muhamad Zaki Harun and Kelantan Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department (JPJKK) head ACP Mit Emong.

Khalil said since POCA was introduced on April 2 2014 until March 10, actions have been taken against 10,012 individuals under the Act where 2,673 individuals were placed under the Detention Order while another 6,537 individuals under the Surveillance Order, and another 802 individuals were released.

Apart from that, as of Feb 28, a total of 425 individuals are still placed under the Detention Order while another 2,166 individuals are still under Surveillance Order. This brings the total number of those who are still under Detention and Surveillance Orders at 2,591 individuals.

“In Kelantan alone, there is a total of 127 individuals from outside the contingent registered under POCA placed in various police stations in this state,” he said.

Khalil said, based on the 2021 statistics, a total of 1,190 people had actions taken against them under POCA compared to 1,968 in 2020 in several areas including Simpang Renggam, Pokok Sena, Bentong and Bintulu.

He said most of the cases involved drug-related crimes and criminal fraud through the internet.

“We also discovered that most of them placed under the Orders are aged between 30 and 40 years old. The youngest to date is an 18-year-old individual while the oldest is 73 years old.

“The purpose of the order is to initiate police-society collaboration to guide the individuals into becoming useful individuals. We hope after two years, they will be rehabilitated and released to their home states,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

SHAH ALAM, March 13 — The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, to prevent cervical cancer, should be taken three times in a lifetime, in sequence within a year, to contain the third major cancer faced by women in Malaysia.

Avisena Women’s and Children’s Specialist Hospital (AWCSH) consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr Raja Arif Shah Raja Ismail, said the vaccine, introduced in 2010 by the government for 13-year-old schoolchildren, was one of the methods to reduce cervical cancer by up to 70 per cent if every woman took the vaccine.

“We can reduce the rate of cervical cancer by 60 to 70 per cent if we promote the HPV vaccination for all women.

“We have seen that taking vaccines is effective and important, such as to contain COVID-19 where now we can return to the previous way of life even in the new norms. The situation is also similar to taking HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer,” he said.

He said this after the ‘Bual Bicara Bersama Pakar Avisena Specialist Hospital’ slot, held in conjunction with the Shah Alam Vehicle Free Day programme, themed International Women’s Day, at Dataran Kemerdekaan, here.

The talk discussed two topics related to women, namely ‘Cervical Cancer and HPV’ and ‘Breast Cancer – What You Need to Know’, by two cancer specialists from Avisena Specialist Hospital, where free health check-ups were also held to check blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels.

Also present were Avisena Group chief executive officer, Elina Nadia Omar; Avisena Group chief operating officer, Mazidah Umar and AWCSH chief executive officer, Siti Tettie Hidayati Mohyi.

Raja Arif Shah added that the 80 causes of the cancer were due to the HPV virus as well as being carried by partners (men), lifestyle such as smoking and also heredity.

He added that his team also encouraged women, especially those aged 18 and above, to take the vaccine, especially individuals who missed getting the injection at the school level. It can be taken at private clinics and specialist hospitals, and at AWCSH.

On breast cancer, Avisena Breast and Endocrine Surgeon, Dr Sarinah Basro, said that the public needed to strengthen the prevention of breast cancer since there was already a wealth of information provided.

“People need empowerment from all parties so that they take note. Information on breast cancer is everywhere and their understanding should be in line with age in identifying the risk of cancer themselves,” she said.

Sarinah explained that self-awareness, for action at an early stage, should be there for a woman aged 40 and above.

“If you are over 40 years old, we recommend a mammogram test depending on your cancer risk. If there is a history of breast cancer in the mother and siblings, they should do tests every year,” she said.

Sarinah said women themselves can do a brief test by regularly checking around the breasts after the menstrual cycle so that they are aware of any abnormalities in their bodies.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Johor Pakatan Harapan (PH) has accepted its defeat in the Johor election and will hold a post mortem to identify any weakness, shortcomings and mistakes, says Johor PH co-ordinator Aminolhuda Hassan.

He said the post mortem was important to enable PH to rise again during the 15th General Election (GE15).

He said PH respected the decision made by the people of Johor and appreciated the spirit shown by the voters in the state despite the low voter turnout in the polls, especially among the youth and new voters who were registered automatically.

“We will conduct a post mortem to ensure any mistakes are corrected to enable us to rise (again).

“This is important so that PH is ready to face the coming general election specifically BN which we know are indeed passionate about holding the GE as soon as possible,” he told a media conference here today.

Also present were Johor PKR chairman Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh and Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong.

In the meantime, Aminolhuda, who is also Johor Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) chairman, said that among the lessons that could be gleaned from the Johor election was that the opposition parties should be united.

“Whether the strategy was wrong, or otherwise, it (election) has now passed. After this, all parties should be magnanimous and accept each other’s views sincerely, because the result was unexpected,” he said.

In the meantime, when asked if the clash between PKR and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) in the Larkin seat was among the causes of their loss, Aminolhuda declined to comment further.

“We do not want to look at the squabble as a factor, because we not only lost in that seat, but others as well,” he added.

Commenting on his position as Johor PH chairman, Aminolhuda who lost in the Parit Yaani seat, left it to PH’s top leadership to decide.

Meanwhile, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said if they had another week to campaign, the seats of Paloh, Yong Peng, Bekok and Pekan Nanas could be retained by the party.

“I would like to congratulate all. It is an uphill battle,” he said.

Meanwhile Amanah deputy president Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub said although the election results were not in their favour, the party would continue to soldier on.

He expressed his gratitude that he was given the mandate to continue representing Simpang Jeram after successfully defending his seat in the just-concluded election.

“I sympathise with my comrades who lost in this election. Our struggle continues. May we stand strong as part of HARAPAN in our country for the sake of our people,” he said in a Facebook post.

Meanwhile, Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong, who won the Perling seat in his state election debut, promised to fulfil his duties as an elected representative by providing the best service to voters in the constituency.

“I also thank all volunteers and officials who worked tirelessly for the last two weeks to make this campaign a success,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

JOHOR BAHRU, March 12 — Barisan Nasional (BN) which won the Johor state election tonight is committed to reforming the state administration as well as embrace a new political narrative in Johor.

Johor BN chairman and Menteri Besar designate Datuk Hasni Mohammad said the state government to be formed will continue to focus on economic development, championing the underprivileged and empowering youths.

He said the Ikhtiar BN Johor (Johor BN initiative) will be implemented in stages after Johor Budget 2023.

“I want to call upon the people of Johor, regardless of whether they supported BN or not, to take care of each other, to help prosper and protect our home, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).

“Remember, no political ideology, politician or political party is bigger and more important than JDT..now is the time for us to build a more prosperous Johor together,” he said at a press conference after BN’s victory was confirmed.

Hasni also expressed his appreciation to the people of Johor for coming out to vote and choosing BN to helm the new state government.

He said the mandate given proved that Johorians want stability and a bright future.

“Today is the first day of this great journey ahead, I want to quote Nelson Mandela by saying, “we never lose, either we win, or we learn.

“Today, the people of Johor have celebrated democracy and exercised their right, the people have chosen future stability and have unanimously chosen BN to secure the prosperity of our home, JDT,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

JOHOR BAHRU, March 12 — Barisan Nasional (BN) won the Johor state election today with more than a two-thirds majority, capturing 40 of the 56 seats contested, the Election Commission (EC) said.

“The full results of the Johor state election are Barisan Nasional (BN) with 40 seats, Pakatan Harapan (PH) 11 seats, Perikatan Nasional (PN) three seats, and PKR and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) one seat each,” said EC chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh.

A total of 1,426,573 voters cast their ballots in the polls, giving a voter turnout of 54.92 per cent, he told a press conference at the Persada Johor International Convention Centre here tonight.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

JOHOR BAHRU, March 12 — Barisan Nasional (BN) has secured a simple majority in the Johor state election to form the state government after winning 29 of the 56 seats in the state legislative assembly.

Announcing this, Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh said BN had won more than 50 per cent of the seats up for grabs as of 11.05 pm.

“The election process ran smoothly,” he told reporters at the Persada Johor International Convention Centre here tonight.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency