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news without borders
Kayveas, Murugiah
yet to explain to ROS
by Husna Yusop
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PUTRAJAYA: Both People’s Progressive Party
(PPP) president Datuk M. Kayveas and Deputy
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department
Datuk T. Murugiah have yet to give full explana-
tions to the Registrar of Societies (ROS), so that
it can conclude its investigation on the party’s
status.
After a meeting with Registrar Datuk Md
Alias Kalil yesterday, Home Minister Datuk Seri
Hishammuddin Hussein said the explanations
are necessary before the registrar can decide
whether to issue a show-cause letter to PPP.
“For example, Murugiah himself has yet to ex-
plain a few things. It is not fair to ask the ROS to
make a decision on this matter while he himself
has yet to give full cooperation and explanation.
So, we follow procedures. After this, we will issue
a show-cause letter if necessary,” he said.
Hishammuddin said the registrar was right
in deciding that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib
Abdul Razak could officiate at the party’s annual
general meeting because as long as a decision
has not been made, the status quo remains and
therefore Kayveas is the president.
“I have asked Md Alias to carry out his re-
sponsibility professionally and as of today no
one should question the ROS’s decision. Let
them (the ROS officials) carry out their job to
the best of their ability. If they (the PPP) are not
satisfied, they have avenues to channel their
appeals,” he added.
Asked to elaborate on the issues yet to be
explained, he said there was no point going into
details as it involves a lot of things.
“Suffice to say (there are) issues involving
Molotov cocktail shock
for MP
KUCHING: Bandar Kuching Member of Parlia-
ment Chong Chieng Jen yesterday woke up to
find several broken ‘molotov cocktail’ bottles
in the compound of his house in Jalan Nyiur
here.
Chong, who is also Kota Sentosa assembly-
man and DAP vice-chairman, has not ruled out
that it was politically-motivated to instill fear
in him. Besides broken bottles, pieces of burnt
cloth and kerosene were also found. Chong
has lodged a report. – Bernama
income tax, the Bar Council, some of which
require cooperation from third parties.
“It is too early to speculate. To me, it is very
personal between individuals, and when it
reaches that stage, it is not the ROS’s job to get
involved in personal clashes between leaders of
any individual party,” Hishammuddin said.
He said a show-cause letter is not necessary
if the ROS gets enough information from both
sides to come up with a decision regarding the
status of the party.
Jailed for outraging modesty
of friend
KUALA LUMPUR: An insurance sales
executive was yesterday sentenced to five
months jail for outraging the modesty of
his 21-year-old friend.
Mohd Ridwan Tajudin, 23, pleaded guilty
to outraging the modesty of Yusliza Shafri
BERNAMAPIX
in a bedroom at 10.15pm on March 18 at
C-13-04, Flat PPR Taman Wahyu (2), Jalan
Sibu, Batu 6, off Jalan Ipoh. Magistrate
Hafiza Saumi also fined Ridwan RM2,000,
in default three months jail.
‘Bus fare
hike won’t
exceed 30%
surcharge’
SEREMBAN: The proposed fare
hikes for express buses and stage
coaches are not expected to ex-
ceed the current 30% surcharge
imposed since last year, Minister
in the Prime Minister’s Depart-
ment, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri
Abdul Aziz said yesterday.
“The surcharge previously
imposed might be turned into a
permanent fare increase or at the
most an extra 10 sen increase,
to help express and stage coach
operators sustain an increase in
operating expenses,” he told re-
porters after handing out taxi and
rental car permits to 85 applicants
in the state, here.
For example, the fare from
Seremban to Kuala Lumpur was
RM4.70 before the RM1.30 sur-
charge, so passengers are actu-
ally paying RM6 now and with the
increase, they will still be paying
the same amount (RM6), he said.
The last time bus or taxi fares
were revised was in 2005.
Nazri said that with the in-
crease, bus operators would not
have any more excuses not to
improve their services or safety
aspects of their buses.
Nazri also warned that severe
action would be taken against taxi
owners who rented out their taxis
to foreign nationals.
theSun
Students want
transport costs
subsidised
KUALA LUMPUR: The National
Students Consultative Council
yesterday asked the government
to subsidise transport costs for
university students, using dis-
count fare cards.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri
Muhyiddin Yassin, who chaired
the council meeting yesterday,
described the proposal as “a
good idea” but said it has to be
studied by the relevant agencies
as there are “big implications”.
“Although we have explained
the reasons for the increase in
costs like the price of fuel and
other management and op-
erational costs, they insisted it
is a burden. They have asked the
government to consider creating
a scheme to enable students to
get discounts. They want the
government to subsidise (the
fare),” he said.
Muhyiddin said in one of the
papers presented at the meeting,
the students lamented the rising
cost of using public transport
and suggested for government
subsidy like what was being
practised in other countries.
Other matters brought up
were the quality of education
in rural schools in Sabah, the
country’s economic transforma-
tion, the establishment of a non-
| WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 2009
traditional security issues study
centre and a national female
students council (Masiswi).
Muhyiddin said the govern-
ment has agreed for Universiti
Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia
to lead in the study on the non-
traditional security aspects.
“Non-traditional issues like
food safety and social safety are
also important. So, the univer-
sity will coordinate with relevant
agencies to get the actual pic-
ture,” he said.
He said the government has
also agreed for Masiswi to be set
up and placed under the Women,
Family and Community Develop-
ment Ministry.
On calls by certain groups
for the government to review
the decision to limit the number
of SPM subjects from 10 to 12,
Muhyiddin, who is education
minister, said: “We have our
reasons for limiting it to 10. But
we have yet to finalise it. So, we
will look at their suggestions. In
many countries, the number of
subjects in exams is limited.
“It does not mean we want
to limit their creativity but it is to
enable them to concentrate on
the core subjects and use the
available time for co-curricular
activities and sports.”
Courtesy
call ...
Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib
Abdul Razak
welcomes
Singapore’s Minister
Mentor Lee Kuan
Yew when the latter
calls on him at his
office at Perdana
Putra Building in
Putrajaya yesterday.
Lee is on an eight-
day visit to Malaysia
since Monday and
he will later proceed
to Perak, Penang,
Kelantan and
Pahang.