Malaysia Voices

An air rescue service is a necessity that cannot be avoided. Road accidents, mishaps, tragedies occur on daily basis in countries worldwide, and most of the time a person dies simply because the ambulance could not reach the hospital in time. This situation is most painful. Knowing that your loved one could live, only if your government, your health ministry were more responsible and could provide the needed services. Sadly, besides developed countries like the UK and US, many countries neglect the importance of good air rescue services. Staff training is limited to road rescue services, and when an emergency does occur, precious lives are lost, due to the government’s negligence. One such country is Malaysia. Being proud of its strong transportation setup and its expert road rescue services, it ignored the need of air rescue services.

Malaysia is a small country with excellent road infrastructures, which is why they never really considered having air rescue services until recently, when a major bus accident occurred on one busy road. According to news resources, 15 victims were being treated at major hospitals of Malaysia. This bus accident was a wakeup call for the Malaysian government, as the people there needed quick transportation to hospitals, which was not possible because of clustered traffic.

The Malaysian government then decided to have air ambulance services this coming year. For this purpose the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department sent 20 people to the United States to get training in being air paramedics.

The Malaysian rescue department does not have helicopters for air rescue and now hope to acquire at least 8 helicopters soon enough. Once they get the helicopters, it is planned to send 600 people more for air service training. All this is estimated to be accomplished in the next two years.

This news has received numerous positive reviews from people all over the country. A move considered to be an excellent investment in the health care system. Though the country is highly developed and has hospitals at short distances, with specialized ambulances, it still does require a handy air paramedic service.

Almost all developed countries of the world have excellent air paramedics and it is unlikely that Malaysia should fall behind in this area. But because it always had such an efficient transportation infrastructure, the need for such a service was often ignored. Now the government has realized the importance of getting air services, lies not only in transporting victims on emergency basis, but also in organ transportation. The health minister strongly emphasized on the need of quick organ transportation as that could mean being able to save people’s lives.
By opting for this initiative the Malaysian health ministry has attained for itself a new respect. UK and US institutes are ready to offer help and professional training to all staff, so that there are not only paramedics on air, but rather doctors available too who can be urgently transported to a patient needing emergency treatment. Hopefully, the next two years will see a good upgrade of Malaysia’s rescue system.

JOHOR BARU: It has been reported that the Government has set aside RM3mil for building SJKC Pei Chih in Desa Cemerlang.

According to Deputy Education Minister Datuk Wee Ka Siong the reported school has been shifted from Ladang Bukit Paloh, its previous location to Kluang as, in that area the number of students was decreasing day by day.

He expected that the school will commence its classes from January 2012 with not less than 150 students at minimum.

He also pointed out that the shifting of this school will not only help in reducing the jam-packed classes in the surrounding schools but will also help in lowering the conveyance costs to the students.

Furthermore, after providing the headmaster of the school, with the check he pointed out in the press conference that due to the unavailability of any Chinese schools in that location many of the students of that locality were inevitably forced to travel miles to reach the nearby school.

He also mentioned that the erection work of that school would be finished in nearly eight months. Moreover, he has urged the high ups to keep the ministry up to date about the evolvement of the project. Owing to keep a check he has asked the high ups to send the ministry a monthly report of the school project’s advancement.

He pointed out that this school will be able to cater to the needs of around 800 students in every term.

This school is constructed on a plot that was conferred by Crescendo Corporation Bhd. Moreover, this school will be a four storey building constituting 18 classrooms, staffrooms, offices, library and a well-furnished computer lab.

The headmaster of the school was hopeful regarding the success of this school after shifting. He appreciated the timely action of the government to shift this school from a distant and secluded area to a more populated location.

Recently the Education ministry of Seremban has invested RM 3.8 million in the development of a school, going by the name of SJKC TUNG HUA in Seremban 2. The amounted cheque was presented to the school chairman; Mr. Yit Lee Kok by the Deputy Education Minister, Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong. This movement was quite a good action on the part of the Malaysian government, as the school’s old building had been too small to accommodate its consistently growing student population.

The construction will take atleast 2 years to complete and hopefully by January 2012, the school would be all set to start. With the population being nearly 50,000 people, it was necessary to create Seremban 2 to ensure that kids could receive the quality education that the school is reputed for.

The school itself has been 72 years old, with an infrastructure that was beginning to dwindle down. Also it was located in an area where there was less people, as most of them had to shift away. Because of that, it was difficult to continue sending children, as it became quite a distant place. Keeping all these issues in mind, the school finally was relocated. The good thing is that, the government has not only located one school, but a number of schools, so that it could better benefit people.

This move by the government has been greatly appreciated, as now more and more children are being given a chance for quality education, under a structured roof. There are three more Chinese schools that have been relocated; namely, SJKC Chung Hua, Port Dickson, SJKC Ladang Sua Betong and SJKC Ladang St Leonard. A total of 10 schools have been relocated and hopefully, within two years time, all the schools will start functioning.

People often want to buy used cars, rather than new cars, but because of ownership problems, dealers and buyers are finding it apprehensive. One of the most rampant issues is that of ownership transfer. Used car dealers often do not transfer car ownerships to new owners, and this causes numerous problems to for dealers as they have to face the brunt of old car owners.
Recently, the Malaysian Road Transport Department brought about a change in the car ownership system. Initially, car dealers would transfer ownership only when the car would be fully taken over by the new car owner. Because of this, old owners who had no more to do with the car would be faced with fines and accident liabilities. Now, the department announced an electronic car ownership transfer system that would help all car dealers to easily transfer the name to the new owner there and then, clearing the name of the old owner.

When asked why car dealers did not change ownership with a new client, as soon as they registered, they cited high cost for changing ownership as the main reason. They could not change ownership until and unless the buyer would pay them the requisite amount.

To solve this matter, the transport system released electronic software, called the e-Interim Transfer system that would help used car dealers to transfer ownership effectively. The project was happily supported by the Federation of Used Car Dealers Associations.

The Transport Minister was very much optimistic about the positive changes that it would bring about in used car dealership. People and dealers mostly faced such problems frequently, and it does gradually harm the used car dealership market. Now with this software, transactions would be done directly online and the cost would be just RM10, as previously being RM100. Quite an effective strategy indeed!

According to Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai, Bank Negara is reviewing the prospective alterations in the policy regarding the people borrowing money from banks for purchasing house for the third time or more.

He mentioned it clearly that there won’t be any alterations for those purchasing houses for second time and even regarding the third timers, bank will fist delve into the issue and afterwards will go for changes.

Right now there is absolutely no impediment for people going for a loan to purchase their third house. They can freely apply for nearly 90% of all housing loans. Moreover, it has been reported by the deputy minister that a parallel increase has been seen in the house prices and that of country’s economy.

He pointed out that from 2001 up to 2009 the house prices and the GDP of Malaysia has witnessed a rise of 3.4% and 8.6% respectively.

But, he maintained that at many of the prime locations in big metro cities the prices of houses are sky rocketing owing to heavy investment ventures and price speculation.
He expressed his fear that in case this price hike of houses is not curbed in time, they may become unaffordable for the general public and hence it will affect the economy as well.
Moreover, he said that if this price hike of houses is not checked, it will lead to a large number of people going for loans and thus will create the issue of debts.

He said, the loan-to-value ratio would be definite and explicit and the repercussions of this on the economy of country will be kept in focus.

Tourist visiting Johor were not daunted by reports of haze conditions in Maur, Batu Pahat and Pasir Gudang. The steady influx of foreign and domestic tourist continued to pour into these areas.

State Tourism Committee chairman Hoo Seong Chang stated “There has not been a major impact on the tourism sector. In fact, we are preparing for an increase in visitor arrivals during the upcoming Deepavali and Christmas festivals,”

According to Mr. Hoo Seong Chang the haze has severely hit Maur but the air pollutant Index also called API in Maur is steadily coming back to normal levels.

He stated that Johor is a tourist magnet with its fair share of indoor activities such as shopping malls and indoor theme parks to keep those visitors occupied who don’t wish to venture outside because of haze reports.

Hoo further stated that new and aggressive tourism promotion policies will be crafted and implemented by the government for the coming year. The main focus of these policies would be to provide prominence to two new tourist hotspots: the Legoland Theme park and Johor Premium outlet. Both these venues are predicted to be open for public in 2012.

In the meantime DOE or department of environment website displayed statistics which showed that API readings haven’t transcended the 100 level mark in any part of the country.

Reportedly Housing and Local Government Ministry will suggest that houses which do not need a down payment for buying, should be having an increased limit of RM350, 000.

This offer will be brought to discussion in the next cabinet meeting by Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung. He pointed out that an increased limit on these houses will prove advantageous for a lot of people. He found the offer logical as he mentioned it in front of journalists in the property fair Mapex 2010.

Moreover, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, during promulgating the budget 2011 said that people who are purchasing their first house and have below than RM3, 000 salary are permitted to avail a 100% loan to buy a house worth RM220,000 or below.

Moreover, the deputy president of Real Estate and Housing Developers Association also seemed to be in favor of this increased ceiling proposal and has requested the government to accept the proposal. He said that it has become really difficult to find a house worth RM220,000 so if the price is not increased now it will create more problems.

Other than this, Chor also added that they are making efforts to bring changes in Building and Common Property Act as well so that issues related to it get resolved.

In order to reduce floods and the issues erupted from floods, Perak Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) is reportedly going to start an action termed Ops Lumpur by the end of this year.

It has been clearly pointed out by the State Environment Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon that all the workers who have their developing ventures near hilly areas and rivers have to take the rules and regulations seriously regarding the environmental protection. He added that the rampant construction in these areas have caused issues like soil erosion and mud sliding etc.

Moreover, he said while presiding the meeting with Drainage and Irrigation department that stringent actions will be taken against those found breaching the rules.
He requested all the builders and workers to avoid breaching the rules regarding the environmental protection and also said that Ops Lumpur will be an unceasing process to make sure all the builders and contractors follow the rules.

He added that those found guilty will be charged RM500, 000, 10 year sentence or may be both depending upon the severity of action. Plus from next week onwards all the district DID entities will be given instructions and information regarding Ops Lumpur.

A security officer whose dwelling was consumed by fire recently and an association which lost their building were recipients of financial aid provided by the Pahang Government.

The said aid was presented to 44 year old Shahrulnahar Shaharuddin who was representing Kuantan Chik Shin Thong Association Lim Ah Sai, 55, in Wisma MCA in Jalan Bukit Ubi. Teruntum assemblyman Chang Hong Song handed over a cheque of RM 500 to the aforementioned person.

Shahrulnahar received the terrible news that his rented home in Jalan Mahkota had caught fire and burned down while he was at work. Shahrulnahar said that “I am grateful that all my seven children were staying with their grandfather at the time of the incident”

“I am grateful that all my seven children were staying with their grandfather at the time of the incident” he further added that two of his children suffer from physical disability.

Shahrulnahar was thankful to the Pahang government for provision of aid that would alleviate his financial suffering.

According to association representative Lim, Kuantan Chik Shin Thong incurred a financial loss which amounted to RM 950,000 when his building was consumed by fire in the Jalan Perisai area.

“Although the amount is not adequate to help us rebuild the building, our members are still thankful for the concern of the state government.”

Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek famously known by his alias Chua Kin Sheng was born on 2nd January 1947 in the province of Johor Malaysia. By profession he is a politician and spearheads the Malaysian Chinese association.

Dr. Chua Soi Lek has a spouse named Datin Seri Wong Sek Hin and is father to three children. Before venturing into the world of politics and being associated with Malaysian Chinese Association Dr. Chua trained in psychology and was a practicing psychiatrist.

Dr. Chua Soi Lek also served as the health minister of Malaysia for a period of four years i.e. from 2004 to 2008. He was serving as a medical officer at Batu Pahat hospital in 1977 when he laid foundation of his own clinic. After operating that clinic for 12 years he sold it to become a full fledged politician and member of MCA.

Political Achievements

Dr. Chua Soi Lek’s first political breakthrough came in 1986 when he was elected as a state assemblyman for Penggaram, Johor. His campaign was financed by MCA who also gave him the ticket to compete in the election. He continued to get re-elected and serve in the similar capacity for a total of 18 years. After that he took on the role of state executive councilor. In 2004 he successfully contested for the Labis parliamentary seat under the auspices of the Barisan Nasional coalition. Further milestones in his political career followed that victory when the then prime minister Tun Abudullah Ahmad Badawi
inducted him into the Malaysian cabinet under the capacity of minister of health.

Dr. Chua Soi Lek was further appointed to positions of high importance and prominence throughout the remainder of his career. Some of the most noteworthy designations that he held were the position of Member of Parliament for Labis, Batu phat Malaysian Chinese Association chairman, Johor MCA state liaison committee chairman and MCA vice president.

His illustrious political career came to an abrupt end on January 2, 2008 when an astonishing sex scandal involving him made headlines. This prompted him to resign from all public and political held responsibilities.

Sex Scandal involvement

Dr. Chua Soi Lek confessed of being the person in a DVD engaged in sexual acts with a young woman known only as a “personal friend”. The said DVD was widely circulated in Muar and other jurisdiction of Johor by an unknown person. The clips were reportedly captured via hidden wireless cameras in a hotel room.

Dr. Chua Soi Lek stated that he had no part in making or distribution of the particular DVD. A day after this incident i.e. on 2 January 2008 during a press conference, he tendered his resignation from all posts that he held which were Member of Parliament for Labis, Vice president of MCA and Minister of Health.

Dr. Chua Soi Lek attributed his fall to his devotion to work as health minister and MCA vice president. He stated that his dedication made his political opponents to grow doubtful of him.

Deputy Presidency of MCA

MCA was victorious over a measly 19 seats out of 40 they were in competition for during 2008 general elections. Leaders within the MCA and former leaders which included Dr. Chua blamed the poor performance on president Ong Ka Tin and protested that he resign from the post.

Dr. Chua Soi Lek made a successful return to politics in later half of 2008 when he contested and won Batu Pahat chairman post without facing any competition. Concentrating on this good omen he then contested for the deputy vice presidency of MCA defeating three opponents namely Ong Ka Chaun, Donald Lim and Lee Hak Teik.

Even then he was ignored and shunned out of MCA leadership in Johor jurisdiction by Tee Keat and could only manage to get appointed to the position of Government Policy monitoring bureau. Dr. Chua sex scandal finally caught up with him when in August 2009 he was booted out of the party by MCA disciplinary committee.

2009 General Meeting

Dr. Chua Soi Lek’s supporters arranged an unusual general meeting. The purpose of this meeting was to confront Ong Tee Keat’s presidency and replacing him with Dr. Chua Soi Lek as a member and deputy president.

This even took place on 10 October, and resulted in a multitude of resolutions being crafted to challenge the act of Dr. Chua’s detachment from MCA and removal from deputy vice presidency. Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat faced a vote of no confidence and 14 votes were cast against him. Other landmark event was passing of a resolution which negated the booting of Dr. Chua, Ong and Chua both reached a compromise and agreed to a “greater unity plan” which saw them setting their differences aside for the time being. Despite this some innermost committee members spearheaded by Liow Tiong Lai which were previously allied with Ong, insisted on initiation of fresh elections.

MCA Presidency

In the first half of March 2010, Dr. Chua Soi Lek accompanied by his followers in the Central Committee and other members led by Liow Tiong Lai collectively resigned. According to the party’s constitution the resignation of two thirds members automatically constituted the holding of fresh elections. Chua ran for presidency against two opponents Ong Tee Keat and last president Ong Ka ting. Chua was victorious in this hotly contested election while his arch opponent Tee Keat finished in third place. After assuming presidency Chua has focused his efforts on rebuilding the MCA image.