'SELAMAT DATANG KE BLOG 'PUSAT MAKLUMAT RAKYAT KUCHING'

Kami menyediakan bahan maklumat mengenai dasar-dasar kerajaan serta perkhidmatan internet bagi para pelanggan.

LEAVING THIS BLOG NOW...................

As I will be on a long months' holidays starting 7th July 2010 prior to my retirement in October 2010, I will suspend my service in updating my blog on daily issues or facts of interest.

I would like to thanks everyone for having the interest in surfing my blog and sharing the thoughts with me.

Thank you to everyone.


Saturday, December 20, 2008

Tempoh graduan perubatan menduduki ujian kecekapan dilanjutkan

Tawaran kerajaan kepada graduan perubatan dari universiti luar negara yang tidak diiktiraf untuk menduduki ujian kecekapan yang berakhir pada akhir bulan ini, dilanjutkan setahun lagi, kata Menteri Sumber Manusia, Datuk Dr S Subramaniam hari ini.

Beliau berkata peraturan itu membabitkan kira-kira 200 graduan perubatan yang memilih untuk memindahkan kredit mereka kepada universiti tempatan dengan menjalani program bagi menguji kecekapannya selama 18 bulan.

Pada mulanya, program ini tamat dalam masa tiga tahun, tetapi ia dipendekkan kepada 18 bulan setelah menteri itu membangkitkan perkara ini pada mesyuarat kabinet Julai lalu, katanya dalam kenyataan di sini.

Katanya tempoh itu dipendekkan kepada 18 bulan daripada tiga tahun kerana graduan perubatan merasakan bahawa tempoh tiga tahun adalah terlalu lama kerana kebanyakan mereka berumur 40 tahun ke atas.

Graduan daripada institusi yang tidak diiktiraf pada lazimnya dikehendaki lulus dalam ujian kecekapan sebelum mereka mendaftar dengan Majlis Perubatan Malaysia (MPM).

“Semalam, kabinet melanjutkan tarikh akhir untuk menduduki ujian kecekapan itu dari 31 Disember tahun ini kepada 31 Disember tahun depan kerana ramai graduan perubatan mendapati sukar untuk memasuki institusi tempatan bagi menduduki ujian ini,” kata beliau.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Government to regulate fees at IJN even if heart hospital is privatised

The National Heart Institute’s (IJN) fees will continue to be regulated by the Govern­ment even if it is privatised.

Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said IJN’s present method of operations would also have to continue.

“I would like to reiterate that the fee structure is currently set by the Government.

“It will be the same, even in the future, so IJN cannot charge higher than what is allowed by the Govern­ment,” he said when asked of reports of Sime Darby Bhd making a bid for a stake in IJN.

He was speaking to reporters after visiting patients Chen Winnie, 23, and Tan Geek Koon, 40, who are both awaiting donor hearts.

Liow said his ministry would look into the social aspect of the privatisation plans to make sure that the patients’ interests are taken care of.

“There are a lot of Government requirements that they (Sime Darby) will have to fulfil,” he said.
He said that currently about 80% of IJN patients were subsidised by the Government.

Asked if that would continue even with the privatisation, he said: “Yes, that will continue, definitely. That is the prerequisite. It won’t change anything.”

He said the objective for the setting up IJN was very clear, which was to serve Malaysians from all walks of life and IJN would have to continue fulfilling that purpose.

MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, however, hoped IJN would not be privatised.

The former Health Minister told a press conference at Wisma MCA here that, apart from promoting Malay­sia’s good name in the eyes of the world, the institute had done a lot in helping the poor in the country.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the party hoped that the Government would not privatise IJN.

He said the privatisation would cause hardship to the poor although Sime Darby has assured that it would not burden the poor.

Oil prices down but the traveller is still footing the bill


THE price of crude oil is edging towards US$37 a barrel. That is the level when airlines globally began adding fuel surcharges to fares way back in 2004.

At 3.30pm on Thursday, crude oil was traded at US$40.08 a barrel for January delivery, which is US$3.08 short of US$37.

Given the volatility in the oil price, experts believe US$30 a barrel is within reach.
The question to ask is: why are some airlines still burdening customers with high fuel surcharges when the cost of oil is 72% lower than its July 11 peak of US$147.27 a barrel?

If the Malaysian Government can be proactive in bringing petrol pump prices from RM2.70 a litre mid this year for RON 97 to RM1.80 a litre this week, why are players like Malaysia Airlines (MAS), Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Thai International still reluctant to let go of their grip on fuel surcharges?

In turbulent times, it was the traveller who was forced to help airlines foot their fuel bills. Then travellers did not have a choice. But now, when oil prices have collapsed, why is the traveller still footing the fuel bills for airlines? What is that justification?

Airlines have to wake up to the reality that passengers cannot continue to pay for their fuel bills when they themselves are feeling the pinch in an economic slowdown. Airlines cannot continue to remain greedy to grow profits when travellers have for nearly four years been helping airlines pay their fuel bills. This should stop now.

The real heroes of the industry are some of the low-cost carriers. They have either abolished it or capped it at very reasonable levels to allow consumers to fly with them.

AirAsia was first in the world to scrap its fuel levy on Nov 11 even though the airline stands to lose at least RM940mil in fuel surcharge revenues in 2009.

On Tuesday, rival Firefly stepped in that direction to do away with the fuel levy. Kudos to Firefly even though it is a budding airline; at least it has the customer’s interest at heart.
British Bmi removed fuel surcharges on all its short-haul flights on Wednesday, and rival British Airways (BA) jumped in to say it would slash fuel levies by a third. This is BA’s second cut since October. Many airlines made token reductions of fuel surcharges in October and they include Qantas, Lufthansa, KLM-Air France, Virgin and even Virgin Blue.

Sri Lanka Airlines also said yesterday it was removing its fuel surcharge on all flights to short- and medium-haul destinations by Jan 1.

Even the Indian carriers such as Jet Airways, JetLite, Air India, Kingfisher Airlines and IndiGo have done the same for some routes. Regional player Cathay Pacific adjusted its fuel surcharge for short- and long-haul routes recently.

SIA only made a token reduction of 10% and MAS keeps saying it will look into the issue of reducing fuel surcharges. The question is, how long a window does MAS need to think before it acts?

If other airlines can make sacrifices to keep the loyal consumers with them, MAS should seriously be acting rather than “thinking.” It is no point giving discounts to base fares that are already high. Adding the fuel surcharge does not make fares attractive.

One should not run away from the main issue that fuel surcharges need to be reduced or abolished. The time to act is now, not wait and be at the short end of the stick.

·StarBiz deputy news editor B.K. Sidhu believes compromise is key in any relationship and airlines should not just think of profits but their relationship with consumers.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Dividen, bonus ASB 8.75 sen

Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB) semalam mengumumkan agihan pendapatan tujuh sen seunit dan bonus 1.75 sen seunit untuk Skim Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) bagi tahun kewangan berakhir 31 Disember ini.

Pengerusi Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, berkata 6.56 juta pemegang saham yang melanggan 62 bilion unit ASB akan menerima agihan pendapatan dan bonus itu yang dikreditkan secara automatik ke dalam buku pelaburan masing-masing.

“Pengagihan pendapatan ASB membabitkan pembayaran RM4.22 bilion, manakala bonus RM678.03 juta," katanya pada sidang media di sini, yang turut dihadiri Presiden merangkap Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan PNB, Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman.

Tahun lalu, anak syarikat milik penuh PNB itu memberi agihan pendapatan sebanyak lapan sen dan bonus satu sen.

Ahmad Sarji berkata, pengiraan agihan pendapatan dibuat berdasarkan baki minimum bulanan purata yang dipegang sepanjang tahun kewangan berakhir 31 Disember 2008, manakala pengiraan bonus berdasarkan baki minimum bulanan purata yang dipegang sejak 10 tahun lalu bermula 1999.

Pemegang ASB boleh mengemas kini buku pelaburan masing-masing di ibu pejabat ASNB, pejabat ASNB atau ejen ASNB di seluruh negara mulai 2 Januari depan. Mengulas prestasi pelaburan ASB, Ahmad Sarji berkata sehingga 10 Disember lalu, dana ekuiti pendapatan itu memperoleh pendapatan kasar RM5.13 bilion.

Pendapatan dividen daripada syarikat pelaburan menyumbang RM3.12 bilion atau 60.71 peratus kepada jumlah pendapatan kasar itu, manakala keuntungan daripada penjualan saham menyumbang RM1.58 bilion atau 30.75 peratus.

“Pendapatan selebihnya berjumlah RM439 juta atau 8.54 peratus diperoleh daripada pelaburan dalam instrumen jangka pendek dan pelaburan lain,” katanya.

Sehubungan itu, semua urus niaga unit ASB ditangguhkan mulai 19 Disember ini sehingga 1 Januari 2009 bagi memudahkan pengiraan pengagihan pendapatan dan bonus.

'Half-shell' helmets to be banned

‘Half-shell’ motorcycle helmets will be banned as they do not offer adequate protection.

Road Safety Department director-general Datuk Suret Singh said the half-shell helmets did not meet safety standards and the department was drafting a provision in the law to ban them.

“We are going to ban and confiscate them. They are not suitable for riding motorcycles,” he said.
He said the proposal would include seizing the helmets from the shelves of retailers found to continue selling them.

“These people are smart. Malaysians don’t read labels, and retailers place “Not motorcycle helmet” on the label and continue selling.

“They tell us it is a toy helmet. There is no such thing as a toy helmet. A helmet is a helmet.” he said.

Suret Singh also urged motorcyclists to change their helmets at least once every five years, as the material in the shell deteriorates over time.

“Look at the manufacturing date when buying helmets,” he said, adding that helmets that had endured impact or had been dropped should be replaced even more frequently.

Since the helmet-wearing awareness campaign kicked off in December 2006, Suret Singh said some 50,000 helmets had been given out, with almost 20,000 defective or old helmets collected in exchange.

“The helmet-wearing rate in rural areas had increased from 40% to 90%,” he said.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Nelayan Asing atau Nelayan Negara???

'Nelayan asing tunda pukat di kawasan kami'

Nelayan pesisir pantai yang berpangkalan di Belawai, Kuala Rajang dekat sini mendakwa pendapatan mereka terjejas apabila kapal nelayan laut dalam menunda pukat di luar zon yang dibenarkan.

Pengerusi Persatuan Nelayan Kawasan (PNK) Belawai, Temrin Bustamam, 47, berkata, sebelum kedatangan kapal nelayan laut dalam yang dikendalikan sepenuhnya oleh warga asing, beliau mampu meraih pendapatan RM4,000 sebulan.

Tetapi selepas kehadiran kapal-kapal nelayan asing sejak awal tahun ini, beliau terpaksa berpuas hati dengan hasil jualan ikan kira-kira RM1,500 sebulan.

''Hasil tangkapan kami menyusut apabila kapal laut dalam dikendalikan warga Thailand dilihat menunda pukat di kawasan pesisir, kawasan yang mereka dilarang berbuat demikian.

''Kami mahu pihak berkuasa melakukan sesuatu agar punca pendapatan nelayan tempatan tidak terjejas," katanya ketika ditemui Utusan Malaysia di sini, baru-baru ini.

Kira-kira 140 kapal-kapal laut dalam kendalian nelayan warga asing, diberikan permit menangkap ikan di kawasan laut dalam atau Zon C dan C2.

Kapal yang diberikan permit untuk menangkap ikan di Zon C dibenarkan menangkap ikan apabila berada 13 batu nautika dari pantai manakala C2 hanya boleh menunda pukat di antara 30 batu nautika hingga ke Zon Ekonomi Eksklusif (ZEE).

Semua hasil tangkapan perlu didaratkan di Pelabuhan Perikanan Bersepadu Tanjung Manis (PPBTM) yang beroperasi di Bandar Baru Tanjung Manis (kira-kira 30 kilometer dari Belawai) sejak Januari tahun ini.

Kerajaan dikatakan terpaksa menggunakan khidmat nelayan warga asing sementara nelayan tempatan belum bersedia untuk meneroka laut dalam.

PNK Belawai mempunyai hampir 1,000 ahli.

Seorang nelayan tempatan, Sungki Suhaili, 51, mendakwa pernah beberapa kali terserempak kapal nelayan laut dalam menunda pukat di kawasan sembilan batu nautika.

Menurutnya, kapal yang bertanda C2 sering melakukan kegiatan itu antara pukul 12 tengah malam dan 2 pagi, sebelum mereka mendaratkan ikan di pelabuhan.

''Perkara ini jika dibiarkan berterusan dan tidak ada apa-apa tindakan dilakukan oleh pihak berkuasa, tidak mustahil kami nelayan tempatan susah hendak cari makan.

''Kami ada buat aduan kepada mereka yang bertanggungjawab dalam hal ini, tetapi sehingga kini masih tidak ada apa-apa tindakan," katanya yang turut kecewa.

Kerana pukat hanyutnya koyak akibat dirempuh kapal nelayan asing ketika menangkap ikan di muara Sungai Belawai, tidak lama dahulu.

''Dengan kapal kecil yang digunakan nelayan pesisir adalah mustahil untuk mengejar mereka mendapatkan bayaran. Kapal mereka laju.

''Hendak catat nombor pendaftaran kapal memang susah dalam keadaan yang gelap," katanya.


Pencerobohan bukan bidang kuasa LKIM

Pencerobohan yang didakwa dilakukan kapal nelayan laut dalam warga asing di kawasan pesisir pantai bukan dalam bidang kuasa Lembaga Kemajuan Ikan Malaysia (LKIM).

Pengurus Besar LKIM Tanjung Manis, Untong Keri berkata, pihaknya hanya mempunyai peruntukan undang-undang terhadap kapal nelayan laut dalam ketika proses pendaratan ikan di Pelabuhan Perikanan Bersepadu Tanjung Manis (PPBTM).

Beliau menyarankan nelayan tempatan yang berpangkalan di Belawai menyalur maklumat tentang dakwaan itu kepada pihak seperti Jabatan Perikanan, polis marin atau Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (APMM).

''Walaupun LKIM diberi tanggungjawab untuk mengurus dan mentadbir PPBTM, tetapi kuasa kami bukan menangkap atau mendenda kapal-kapal nelayan laut dalam apabila mereka menangkap ikan di zon tidak dibenarkan mereka berbuat demikian," katanya ketika dihubungi baru-baru ini.

Beliau diminta mengulas mengenai sungutan nelayan pesisir pantai dari Belawai, kira-kira 30 kilometer dari Bandar Baru Tanjung Manis, yang mendakwa kapal-kapal laut dalam menangkap ikan di kawasan pesisir.

Menurut Untong lagi, agar tidak mengetepikan kemajuan nelayan tempatan, PPBTM turut menyediakan ponton-ponton khusus untuk mereka mendaratkan hasil tangkapan di situ.
''Tidak wujud soal nelayan pesisir dipinggirkan semata-mata kita mahu memajukan industri perikanan laut dalam.

''Mungkin nelayan dari Belawai lebih gemar mendaratkan ikan di jeti-jeti di kampung kerana jika pergi ke sini (PPBTM) kos minyak mereka akan bertambah kerana perjalanan yang agak jauh," jelas beliau.

Malahan hasil tangkapan di PPBTM dibeli dengan harga yang lebih rendah berbanding mereka sendiri menjual di kampung.

Untong berkata, setakat Oktober lepas, kapal nelayan laut dalam yang mendaratkan ikan di PPBTM ialah 147 buah.

''Jumlah ini merupakan peningkatan yang banyak berbanding hanya 11 buah ketika pelabuhan ini mula dibuka pada Januari tahun ini," katanya.

Dasar kerajaan memberi permit kepada kapal-kapal nelayan laut dalam yang menggunakan khidmat warga asing adalah bagi menampung kekurangan nelayan tempatan dalam sektor itu.
''Antara Januari hingga Oktober tahun ini pendaratan ikan yang direkodkan kita ialah sebanyak 12,143 tan.

''Pendaratan ikan yang kian bertambah, berikutan pertambahan kapal-kapal nelayan kendalian warga asing," katanya.

Cuti untuk kakitangan awam baru dikurangkan

Mulai 1 Januari kelayakan cuti tahunan bagi kakitangan awam baru, kecuali polis, tentera, penguatkuasa maritim dan pegawai pelajaran, akan dikurangkan lima hari.

Pada masa ini, kakitangan awam menikmati kelayakan cuti tahun sebanyak 30 hari.

Bagaimanapun, mengikut undang-undang, semua kakitangan awam yang sedang berkhidmat akan diberikan opsyen untuk mengekalkan kelayakan mereka atau memilih kelayakan baru yang dikurangkan itu, kata Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Tan Sri Ismail Adam.

“Borang opsyen akan dikeluarkan secepat mungkin kerana hari terakhir bagi membuat opsyen itu ialah 31 Disember.

“Mereka yang tidak mengembalikan borang opsyen itu menjelang tarikh itu akan dianggap memilih kelayakan sekarang,” katanya kepada Bernama hari ini.

- Bernama

Civil service heads told to cut costs, up efficiency

Heads of government departments and agencies have been reminded against spending more to “improve” the level of their service to the people.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan said on the contrary, measures to enhance public service delivery were supposed to help the administration save money.

He said currently, many Government agencies often went about creating new posts, promoting existing staff or give other allowances as a way of promoting productivity and efficiency.

“If these measures are effective, the agencies should be helping the Government save money and we don’t have to spend.

“For instance, measures to enhance service can simply mean doing away with unnecessary forms or cutting down the number of staff processing certain applications and reassigning them to other tasks,” he said in his speech at the launch of the Prime Minister’s Department Quality Day on Thursday.

“The effort taken by a staff to speed up a process does not need extra money. Similarly, we don’t have to spend to handle queries at our counters with a smile or in a polite manner.

“As civil servants, we should carry out our duties immediately and with a sense of urgency,” he pointed out.

Mohd Sidek said similarly, the implementation of extra activities or a programme by an agency following a Government directive did not have to involve additional allocation or too huge a sum.
Agencies and departments, he added, had to also think “outside the box” and be prepared to be self-criticised in their quest to further enhance their service.

“During this global economic crisis, higher productivity and efficiency become more important in drawing foreign investors,” he said, adding that both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister had indicated their general satisfaction with the level of public service.

On the Government’s offer of quarters to civil servants affected by the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide, Mohd Sidek said so far, 11 people had indicated their interest.

“Out of this 11, five of them have taken their keys. They will be placed at the quarters in Precinct 14. Although they are not entitled to the quarters, this is a special case,” he said.

On the report that Immigration enforcement director Datuk Ishak Mohamed opted for early retirement after he refused to take up a transfer to the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry, Mohd Sidek said he was not aware if the former had been “forced” to do so by those in charge.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Sarawak: 1,336 rakyat dijangkiti wabak Aids

Sejumlah 187 rakyat Sarawak disahkan meninggal dunia kerana didapati menghidap Aids sejak 19 tahun lalu dengan 1,336 penduduk dikenal pasti dijangkiti penyakit maut itu.

Menteri Kewangan Kedua merangkap Menteri Alam Sekitar Sarawak, Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh, yang bimbang dengan perkara itu, berkata terdapat peningkatan kes penyakit Aids yang dilaporkan di negeri setiap tahun.

Justeru, beliau berkata, usaha serius perlu dilakukan untuk membendung penularan wabak Aids di Sarawak.

"Kita tidak mahu wabak berkenaan terus menular di Sarawak. Ketika ini, sejumlah 188,000 rakyat negara ini disahkan pembawa kuman HIV atau dijangkiti Aids.

"Perkara ini agak membimbangkan dan terdapatnya peningkatan kes seumpamanya di Sarawak," katanya ketika merasmikan Forum Bersama Membenteras Aids di Pustaka Miri di sini, semalam.

Teks ucapannya dibacakan Menteri Muda Pembangunan Infrastruktur dan Perhubungan, Lee Kim Shin.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Penawaran insurans perlu ikut keperluan

Ketidaktentuan ekonomi tempatan tidak akan menjejaskan industri insurans sekiranya penawarannya dibuat mengikut keperluan dan kemampuan individu.

Ejen-ejen perlu menilai keperluan pelanggan masing-masing dan selain menjelaskan sebab-sebab kenapa pelanggan mereka memerlukan perlindungan insurans, sama ada untuk pelanggan atau perniagaan pelanggan yang mana adalah penting ketika krisis ekonomi.

Insurans harus dilihat sebagai satu keperluan untuk hari tua, ketika ditimpa musibah (kemalangan, kematian awal dan penyakit berbahaya) dan juga pembiayaan pendidikan anak- anak pelanggan untuk ke menara gading suatu hari nanti.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Boom for Sarawak shipbuilders

Skilled workforce: Workers in early stages of constructing a ship.
Heavy work: A worker unloading gas for use in the cutting of metal

Safe environ: A worker cutting metal on top of a nearly-completed ship


THE robust shipbuilding industry in central Sarawak, which generates hundreds of million of ringgit in sales a year, is set for expansion now that the majority of the unlicensed shipbuilders have relocated to the Rantau Panjang Industrial Estate in Sibu.

State Assistant Minister for Industrial Development Larry Sng Wei Shien said all 32 industrial lots on 66ha in the estate had been taken up. All the lots have river frontage to facilitate the movement of new vessels.
“More than a dozen shipbuilders are in operation or constructing factories there,” he said in an interview.

He said the estate was designated for shipyards producing vessels of less than 10,000 tonnes (small to medium) and were mostly tugboats and passenger express boats.

Sng, also Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Economic Planning), said that authorities had issued eviction notices to 21 shipbuilders in Sungai Bidut and Engkilo (on the other side of the Rejang and Igan rivers opposite Sibu town) and asked them to resettle in Rantau Panjang or the Tanjung Manis new township.

This was because their shipyards were sited on agricultural or industrial land not meant for shipbuilding.
The Tanjung Manis shipbuilding zone caters to shipyards producing sea-going vessels exceeding 10,000 tonnes. Twenty-four lots covering 200ha there had been earmarked for the shipbuilding and shiprepair industries.

Sng, also Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Economic Planning), said the state’s third shipbuilding and repair zone was in the Kuala Baram Industrial Estate in northern Sarawak. Eight shipbuilding firms were already in operation there.

He said the establishment of the shipbuilding and repair zones was in line with government efforts to nurture orderly development and long-term sustainability of shipbuilding and its supporting industries.
He said the industry in Sibu mostly produced vessels for export.

The biggest shipbuilder in Rantau Panjang can build 30 tugboats simultaneously.

To the handful of unlicensed shipyards in Sungai Bidut and Engkilo, which are yet to relocate, Sng said: “You either move or close down. The state will act accordingly.”

He said the state had held discussions with them on the relocation from as early as 2002.
“They have been given ample time and a long grace period to relocate. They cannot blame anyone except themselves when the state takes action,” he added.

Sng said the state could no longer allow the shipyards to pollute the river with their wastes.



Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Kereta bawa penumpang keempat di belakang boleh disaman

Pemandu kenderaan berkapasiti empat penumpang berdepan kemungkinan disaman sekiranya membawa lebih penumpang di bahagian tempat duduk belakang, kata Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Keselamatan Jalan Raya (JKJR) Datuk Suret Singh.

Katanya tindakan akan diambil berdasarkan peraturan jalan raya sedia ada, sekalipun penumpang keempat di tempat duduk belakang dikecualikan daripada undang-undang pemakaian tali pinggang keledar.

“Ada undang-undang lain, bukan undang-undang tali pinggang keledar, yang boleh menyebabkan tindakan ini diambil, umpamanya kerana membawa muatan secara berbahaya,” katanya pada sidang akhbar selepas perasmian pelancaran program pemasangan tali pinggang keledar tempat duduk belakang di Proton Platinum Centre, Mutiara Damansara di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata penumpang keempat di tempat duduk belakang yang tidak memakai tali pinggang keledar berisiko sehingga 80 peratus lebih tinggi untuk terbunuh atau cedera jika kemalangan berlaku.

Katanya tinjauan pertama JKJR mendapati kemungkinan terdapat penumpang keempat di tempat duduk belakang adalah sembilan peratus dan tinjauan kedua mendapati ianya menurun kepada lima peratus.

“Ini bermakna terdapat penurunan dalam trend membawa penumpang keempat di tempat duduk belakang berikutan kesedaran orang ramai dalam isu keselamatan di jalan raya,” kata Suret Singh.

Beliau berkata saman maksimum sebanyak RM300 akan dikenakan terhadap pemandu kenderaan jika didapati mana-mana penumpangnya tidak memakai tali pinggang keledar.

Suret Singh memuji Proton Holdings Berhad kerana sanggup membelanjakan RM7 juta untuk kos pemasangan tali pinggang keledar secara percuma bagi 226,000 unit kenderaan Proton Saga dan Gen 2.

— BERNAMA

Harga petrol, diesel turun lagi 10 sen

Harga runcit petrol dan diesel turun sebanyak 10 sen seliter berkuat kuasa esok, 3 Disember 2008.

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mengumumkannya dalam satu kenyataan di sini hari ini.

Petrol RON97 dikurangkan daripada RM2 seliter kepada RM1.90 seliter, petrol RON92 pula dikurangkan daripada RM1.90 seliter kepada RM1.80 seliter manakala diesel dikurangkan daripada RM1.90 seliter kepada RM1.80 seliter.

– Utusan.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Sarawak: RM2.7 bilion untuk pembangunan di luar bandar tahun depan

Sejumlah RM2.7 bilion diperuntukkan untuk membangunkan kemudahan kawasan luar bandar di Sarawak pada tahun depan.

Kira-kira 53 peratus daripada jumlah peruntukan itu akan digunakan bagi membina jalan raya kampung dan luar bandar di negeri ini. Bakinya pula akan digunakan untuk menyediakan bekalan air, elektrik, kediaman rakyat miskin dan kemudahan sosial.

Timbalan Menteri Pembangunan Luar Bandar dan Wilayah, Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun, berkata peruntukan itu sebenarnya berkurangan berbanding peruntukan tahun ini berjumlah RM2.8 bilion. Katanya, kerajaan akan terus menyediakan kemudahan asas kepada penduduk kawasan luar bandar walaupun berdepan dengan masalah ketidaktentuan ekonomi dunia.

Beliau berkata, kerajaan tidak akan membatalkan projek luar bandar namun jika keadaan memaksa, besar kemungkinan kerajaan akan melewatkan tarikh pelaksanaan atau meletakkan projek itu dalam Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh (RMK-10).

"Pelaksanaan projek RMK-9 pula berjalan lancar kecuali bagi projek pembekalan air dan elektrik alternatif. "Namun kerajaan akan membuat beberapa pengubahsuaian bagi membolehkan projek itu dilaksanakan mengikut jadual," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada media selepas merasmikan Ekspo Desaneka yang bertempat di Jalan Samariang di sini, petang kelmarin. Ekspo itu anjuran Felcra Berhad dan bertujuan mempromosikan produk desa buatan Bumiputera di negeri ini.

Ekspo seumpamanya adalah langkah dan persediaan awal untuk memasarkan produk luar bandar yang diketahui sukar mendapat tempat di pasar raya. Ia juga menyediakan ruang untuk usahawan Bumiputera meningkatkan daya saing mereka serta mengkaji kelebihan serta kekurangan produk masing-masing.