Sarawak BN Took Away Land without Paying Due Compensation!

At times I think that the state government is better at doing the disappearing magic act than the famous David Copperfield. It is especially so when it comes to either NCR or land bought by owners which can disappear right under their nose overnight.

Take the case of Bohari Osman and his wife, Mordiah Eden. Both are retirees and worked hard all their lives. Mordiah had bought a land in 1989 meant as an investment for their golden years.

The 1.6 acre land at Kampung Empila, Lot 77, Block 6, Samarahan district cost her RM5000 then and it was a lot of money then. After renovating their house, they lost the quit rent booklet and decided to replace it.

The couple made a trip to Samrahan on April 9. All these years they had faithfully paid the quit rent so it was a shock for the couple when they realized that their land was nowhere in sight. Lot 77, Block 6 just disappeared in thin air.

The frustrated couple told the Land and Survey insisted on checking their land and to their amazement, it was a big drain and in place of Lot 77, there were two plot of land, Lot 333 and 334.

After coming to me for help, Borhan said he was extremely disappointed and frustrated that all these years despite paying their quit rent, the plot of land could just disappeared. They wanted the government to compensate them with another piece of land.

I will contact Land and Survey Samarahan to arrange a meeting with Borhan and Mordiah. I think the authority should be answerable to this. It is worst than a scam. The two had wanted to enjoy their retirement years and with some sort of security for their old age. Now the government had taken away that security.

Scrapping smelter deal: Taib’s political game

Source: freemalaysiatoday

By Joseph Tawie | March 29, 2012

The Rio Tinto 'pullout' may be linked to the refusal of the federal government to sell Bakun Dam to the chief minister, claims the DAP.

KUCHING: Global mining giant Rio Tinto PLC’s “pullout” from Sarawak may be temporary in view of the 13th general election, the uproar over Lynas in Pahang and the fact that Chief Minister Taib Mahmud has not been able to buy the Bakun Dam from the federal government.

Based on this reality, Sarawak DAP treasurer Violet Yong believes that “they might resume negotiations after the election”.

“Announcing the project [pullout by Rio Tinto] just before the general election is a political gimmick. Also, the reason for the termination is not because they did not agree to the purchase of the price of electricity.

“To me, one of the reasons is that the election is very near. And they [BN leaders] are worried that they will face the same consequences as that of Lynas.

“They have to wait, I think, until after the election; then only they will know whether Pakatan Rakyat takes over the government or not,” she said.

Taib yesterday said Sarawak Corridor for Renewable Energy (SCORE) will not be affected by Rio Tinto’s decision to cancel its RM6.1 billion aluminium smelting project in the state.

“So, as far as Rio Tinto is concerned, they said the company is not going to go for the first phase only and is not going to participate at this stage because they do not want to be tied down,” Taib said.

Based on Taib’s comment that Rio Tinto is likely to return, Yong, who is the Pending assemblywoman, said that Taib could also be waiting to settle outstanding issues with the federal government over the Bakun Dam.

Polluted industry

“We know that Taib wants to buy the Bakun Dam, but Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has issued a statement that his administration will not sell it to Sarawak.

“We know there is a confrontation between the state and the federal governments. Is Sarawak using the back-door pressure (the termination of the agreement) to force the federal government to sell the Bakun Dam?

“To me, the smelter project is only benefiting the cronies of the state government and not the people of Sarawak and not the Malaysian people as a whole.

“We know that the Bakun Dam is a ‘white elephant’. With the cancellation of the aluminium smelting project, it makes the dam a bigger ‘white elephant’,” she added.

Yong said the only way to bring a “permanent closure” to the smelting plant deal is for Sarawakians to vote for Pakatan Rakyat.

“From the beginning until now, the DAP stand is always very firm: we are against the aluminium smelting plant because this is a very polluted industry and many countries have rejected such industry.

“The Barisan Nasional does not want us to use it as an issue in the coming general election,” Yong said.

DAP had used the issue in the last state election when its candidate, Chiew Chu Sing, trounced Sarawak United People’s Party-BN candidate Henry Ling in the Kidurong seat with a 6,930- vote majority.

Unfair Taxi Coupon Payment System

Three taxi drivers came to see me after they were being treated unfairly by the Airport taxi coupon service counter management.

For every passenger they ferried, a taxi driver earned RM26 and that has to be shared with the Airport service counter which took a cut of RM3 after they give the coupon back to the counter in exchange for cash.

Boon Sin Choo was very upset when he came to see me.

He gave 4 coupons to the service counter but not only did he fail to get his money but his coupons were confiscated by the management with the reason that he had tried to reimburse his money after the 14 days period.

The taxi drivers had a year ago been asked to get their cash in exchange for coupons within 14 days from 7.30 am to 5 pm.

Boon also informed that most of time taxi drivers would not be able to exchange cash at once with their coupons. The taxi drivers would have to made several trips before they can get full payment of the money. There is no reason for the management to tell the taxi drivers that there is insufficient cash to pay them when in actual fact all the cash was already received by the management from the sales of the coupons.

It is grossly unfair and unreasonable that taxi drivers had to get their cash within 14 days, failing which all hard earn money of the taxi drivers will be forfeited by the management. Such act is worst than day light robbery!

I am writing in to the Malaysia Airport Holdings to find out why such policies were imposed on taxi drivers and why they were given such a raw deal in so many ways.

To be a taxi driver is already hard and to treat them in such a manner is depressing for them. Afterall, the money was already paid by the passengers in the first place but when it comes to them, there was never enough to pay them.

I hope the authority would do something about it instead of trying to milk out the taxi drivers hard earned cash. Is Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad aware that the counter has imposed such an unfair system? Who has authorised the counter to counter to collect the RM3 service charge?

Destruction of Ballot Papers of N. 10 Pending

On a hot Wednesday morning last week, I stood in the scorching sun watching council workers burned the ballot papers of my constituency N10 Pending at their workshop in Semangat road, Pending.


I was called to witness the destroying of my ballot papers two weeks before. In every state election, ballot boxes would be sealed, stored in a safe place by the authority before destroying in six months time.


I understand that my constituency was the last to be destroyed.


As I waited for the council staff to open and destroyed the ballot papers by burning them, there was no witness from the SUPP.


Actually, what I want to bring to the attention of voters is that, do not be afraid who do you vote. There is no authority for anyone to open up the ballot boxes to see the individual votes. In rural areas, it had been known that fear tactic was used to frighten the voters to vote for the Barisan Nasional despite the individual wanting to vote otherwise.


So in the coming general election, be brave to vote who you want and not to fear of any repercussion.

Car Roof Damaged by Berjaya BGI's Signboard on 6.11.2011

A car owner is most frustrated that a signboard from Berjaya BGI had dropped on it causing a big dent in the car.

On November 6, a car owner parked her vehicle in front of a chicken rice shop along Jalan Song Thian Cheok, Kuching. The signboard dropped on her car denting the roof and causing some scratches.

When it happened, the car owner took pictures of the scene and approached the Berjaya BGI but instead, the staff told him to go and see the agent as the signboard was placed there by the agent. To make matter worst, the car owner was being pushed from one party to another to seek compensation.

When she went to see the agent, he told her he was no longer representing the insurance company and asked her to go back to the company. Again when she went back, she was being ‘pushed’ around. Frustrated with no solution in sight, the car owner seeks my assistance.

The car had been repaired and cost RM700. What the car owner wants is to pay her RM700 for the damages caused. Why it is so difficult for a big company as Berjaya to fork out RM700 in compensation.

The company is one of the biggest in the country and trying to avoid by pushing the poor car owner from one person to another is indeed very unethical. It is earning the company a bad image that damage done was not compensated.

I am writing to Bank Negara KL and the company headquarters to seek for compensation for the car owner.

If damage is done, please pay up and not act like one of the biggest company in the nation where RM700 is so huge for them, they could not even compensate.

I can buy PM a cup of tea if he is so desperate of having one

The visit of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s to the Palace of Justice, Tun Zaki Azmi who has since retired has indeed jeopardized the independence of the already ‘problematic’ judicial system.

Both Najib and Chief Justice, Zaki gave contradictory versions of why the visit transpired causing the people to doubt the judicial independence. The people already have a low opinion of the judicial system due various high profile cases which included Teoh Ban Hock, Lingam video clips and the ridiculous Anwar sodomy II cases.

I was not surprised that Najib praised the Judiciary for reducing the backlog of cases but Zaki said the PM was there to see how the allocation of RM130 million to his department was spend to upgrade court facilities and it was normal for the prime minister to see how the money was spent. So much for honesty!

I beg to differ. The two should sit down and compare notes and then tell the Malaysian who is telling the truth, Najib? Zaki? Why should a PM go and see how allocation of fund was spent. If that were the case, then the PM’s duty would be flying all over the country looking at projects to see how well the allocation of money were being spent. I think the PM should also have to travel to the interior Sarawak to see whether the government projects had spend the money wisely or ended up in some cronies’ pockets.

Zaki did not realize it that by stating that the PM was there to see the allocation of fund to the department, he was actually ‘demoting’ the PM to that of an auditor’s task.

The government has already in place, an Audit department which see to it that money allocated are spend wisely. In Zaki’s opinion of the PM, then I think that the Audit department should close shop and let PM run the show.

Zaki kept pointing out that if the Judicial department need funding, the PM can do it. Zaki should get the facts right, the money was not Najib personal savings to the department but the tax payer’s money.

Malaysian should realized that Judiciary independence is a universal value. This is to see that court rulings are done based on the laws, facts, evidences and wisdoms and not due to ‘unseen hands’ pulling the string of which way judgment should go.

Malaysia is already suffering from unfair practices of the Judicial system and in 1988, it undergone a judicial crisis when judges are appointed without going through Parliament. , it is time, Najib wisen up and stop committing more blunders that is so unbecoming of a Prime Minister.

If he is really that desperate for a cup of tea, I think I can afford to buy him a cuppa! And he can rest assured; I will not influence him to hand over the government to Pakatan Rakyat. We always fight a fair fight, not under table dealings or dirty tactics. And the tea would be ‘real’ free.