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Khalid earns RM47,000 a month
by Maria J. Dass
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim
earns slightly more than RM47,000 a month as
mentri besar and his executive councilors are
paid between RM17,000 and RM32,000, accord-
ing to the assets they declared on the Selangor
state government web portal.
While the main site was inaccessible yes-
terday due to the high volume of traffic, the
information is accessible through http://www.
selangor.gov.my/main.php?Content=vertsectio
ns&SubVertSectionID=139&VertSectionID=3&C
urLocation=3&IID=&Page=1.
A quick look through the facts and figures
shows that Abdul Khalid draws a salary of
RM11,715, and RM35,507 in allowances, making
it a total of RM47,222 in monthly income.
His asset declaration form stated that more
information on income derived from his chair-
manship of several state investment arms will
be made available after the relevant EA forms
are issued.
MCA protects no one, says Liow
KUALA LUMPUR: MCA protects no one from
the reach of the law, said Health Minister Datuk
Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
“Under the law, everybody is equal. There is
no leader who is being protected by anybody,
even the government or the party,” he said.
Fielding questions from the press yesterday
over the seeming difference in prosecution in
the cases of Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim and MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr
Chua Soi Lek, Liow said such matters were left
to the discretion of the Attorney-General (A-G).
“You have to check with the A-G and the
police,” he said.
On recent statements by Deputy Prime Min-
ister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak in calling for a
Karpal: Motion against Gobind not proper
PENANG: A proposed motion to be tabled against
Puchong MP Gobind Singh today to suspend him
from Parliament for a year has been described as
“a step derogatory of and a serious infringement
of freedom of speech in the House”.
DAP chairman Karpal Singh said Gobind’s al-
legation in Parliament last Thursday that Deputy
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak was
involved in a murder case did not merit such a
motion to be taken against him.
“The Barisan Nasional should not be trig-
ger-happy in tabling the motion on Monday,”
Abdul Khalid’s company Sekun Asset Man-
agement Group (M) Sdn Bhd (investment-related
business), which has authorised and paid-up
capital of almost RM8,000, however, is listed as
not operating.
The second-highest income earner in the
state exco is investment, industries and com-
merce committee chairman Teresa Kok who
receives more than RM32,000 in salary and
allowances as a state exco member, Kinrara
assemblyman and Seputeh MP.
She is paid RM6,109 as state exco member
and receives RM13,612 in allowances from
the state government while her salary as
parliamentarian is RM6,508, with allowances
of RM6,600.
Most of the remaining exco members earn
an average of RM17,000.
Also listed in the exco asset declaration
forms are the number of wives, the number of
children and their ages, spouses’ salaries and
assets belonging to their families.
These include property owned by exco mem-
bers and their families, land ownership, declara-
new “One Malaysia” government policy to unite
all races, Liow said he supported the concept.
“Malaysia needs to be united, and citizens of all
races need to work together and have fair policies
which protect all races. Therefore, the guarantee
by the deputy prime minister to bring justice and
equality for all races is welcomed,” said Liow.
He also called on all Malaysians to stop
politicking and focus on helping the nation.
“After the March elections last year, there are
many who have been playing politics. There is
too much politicking. We feel we need to focus
on how we can improve the economy. If we are
too focused on politics, there will be too many
challenges for us to overcome,” he said.
Calling on Malaysians to work together at all
said Karpal, who is also Bukit Gelugor MP, in a
statement.
The senior lawyer and veteran politician
noted that the house was empowered to punish
MPs for contempt under Section 9 of the Houses
of Parliament (Privileges & Power) Act 1952 in
which offences are set out.
He, however, stressed that the allegation
made by his son Gobind did not come within
the scope and ambit of any of the relevant
paragraphs (a) to (n) in Section 9.
Karpal called on Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar
tions of purchase, inheritance and disposal of
property since March 24 last year when they
were sworn in as executive councillors.
Also included are companies and business
entities owned by them and their families, and
debts such as housing and car loans and credit
card repayments.
Even the transfers and disposals of com-
panies are included as are rentals derived for
properties.
Shares and dividends received have also
been declared.
Last week, Abdul Khalid said the objective
of the asset declaration is to ensure that those
holding the highest office within the Selangor
government would not take advantage of their
positions to unlawfully or unethically acquire
assets, financial or otherwise.
He said assets owned by exco members
prior to holding office will not be included as
the state is unable to provide security for the
exco and their family members; and neither is
there any insurance policy that can be obtained
to address this concern.
levels, he said: “The rakyat have to be united in
facing these challenges.
On the upcoming Bukit Selambau and Bukit
Gantang by-elections, Liow said MCA is ready
for them.
“We made our preparations in advance, we
have gone down to the people with local leaders,
and we have set up operations centres in the
areas, primarily in Perak and Kedah,” he said.
He also said he would be visiting the three
locations on March 19.
“I will explain to the residents of Perak the
commitment of the central government from
the viewpoint of my ministry, and how we will
improve the quality of healthcare in the region,”
said Liow.
Amin Mulia to carefully study Section 9 of
the Act before allowing Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul
Aziz to table the motion.
He called on Pandikar to “uphold his duty to
protect the interests of all MPs, irrespective of
whether they are from the Opposition or the
government”.
“Stifling freedom of speech in the House
does not speak well of a world-class parliament
which the Malaysian parliament is striving to
be,” said Karpal.
theSun | MONDAY MARCH 16 2009
Plaque demolished
IPOH: The Ipoh City Council yesterday demolished a
marble plaque erected by Opposition assemblymen
to mark the controversial state assembly emergency
sitting on March 3.
Perak Local Government Committee chairman Dr
Mah Hang Soon said the marble slab structure contra-
vened the Road, Drainage and Building Act 1974 as it
was deemed an obstruction in a public area.
“I do not treat this as a special case as appropri-
ate action will be taken according to the law if any
structure is erected in the capital without the council’s
permission,” he said.
The council ordered the demolition of the structure
under a raintree dubbed as the “Tree of Democracy”
by the Opposition on Friday by pasting a notice on
the tree.
It gave the owner 24 hours to demolish the struc-
ture which was unveiled by former Perak mentri besar
Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin near the state
secretariat on March 8.
Vandals had smashed the plaque and poured road
tar over it, defacing the inscription of the “historic”
event. – Bernama
RM10b to redevelop three
Selangor towns
KLANG: The Selangor government has allocated
RM10 billion for the redevelopment of three towns
namely Klang, Petaling Jaya and Kajang over the
next seven years.
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said
yesterday the amount was sufficient as the rede-
velopment of Damansara prior to this had already
cost the state a whopping RM3 billion.
The redevelopment of the three towns was part
of the state’s economic stimulus package, he said.
When asked if the state government would buy
the Klang Sentral bus hub in Klang, as proposed by
its concessionaire, NPO Sdn Bhd, Abdul Khalid said
for now there were no plans as such and a cost
benefit analysis would have to be done before a
decision could be made. – Bernama
Nik Aziz against BN-PAS
unity government
KOTA BARU: Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik
Abdul Aziz Nik Mat yesterday stressed he was
against the idea of a Barisan Nasional (BN)-PAS
unity government as mooted by PAS president
Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.
“It’s been tried before and it did not work out.
PAS was not appreciated in the coalition and I
have many misgivings about this,” he said.
However, Nik Aziz said he was only express-
ing his personal opinion and that the matter
needed to be deliberated at PAS’ muktamar
(annual general assembly) in June.
Following the suggestion for a unity govern-
ment by Abdul Hadi, Umno vice president Tan
Sri Muhyiddin Yassin asked PAS to outline in
detail what it had in mind. – Bernama