2 theSun | TUESDAY DECEMBER 2 2008

news without borders

Verbal war intensifies

» ARIF SHAH LABELS ABDUL JALIL A ‘GOOD ACTOR’
» ABDUL JALIL SAYS NO ONE HAS BEEN SIDELINED
by Opalyn Mok
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
BUTTERWORTH: The
rift between Seberang
Jaya assemblyman Datuk
Arif Shah Omar Shah and
Permatang Pauh Umno
division chief Datuk
Abdul Jalil Abdul Majid
intensified yesterday
with Arif Shah labelling
Abdul Jalil a ‘good actor’
and Abdul Jalil denying
that Arif Shah had been
‘sidelined’.
At a press conference
here, Abdul Jalil insisted
that there was no rift
between him and Arif
Shah.
Arif Shah ... ‘he’s power crazy,
“The Permatang Pauh
everything must go through
Umno division and I do not
have any problems with
Arif Shah and we are not
sidelining him as he had
claimed,” he said.
Abdul Jalil accused Arif Shah
of using him and the division as a
scapegoat for Arif Shah to find reasons
to jump to another party.
“This whole issue is created by him
because there are no problems and
he is welcomed to attend any of our
divisional meetings,” he said.
He said he was shocked to read the
allegations made by Arif Shah against
him and the division.
Division secretary Rohaizat Othman, must go through him,” he said.
commenting on Arif Shah’s claims that
he was excluded from the divisional
meetings, in particular the one held
about two weeks ago, said the meeting
was to appoint committee members
and since Arif Shah was not involved,
there was no need to invite him.
“However, he was not barred from
attending the meeting as, according to
the party constitution, any Umno state
assemblyman or MP who does not hold
any posts in the division may attend the
divisional meetings,” he said.
On Saturday, Arif Shah said he was
seriously considering his future in
Umno because of the ‘blatant power
Abdul Jalil ... accused Arif Shah
of using him and division as a
him’ scapegoat
abuses’ by the division leadership.
Abdul Jalil won the division chief’s post
by 18 votes in a three-cornered contest
with Arif Shah and another candidate
in 2004.
On Sunday, Arif Shah revealed that
he had been offered the Penang deputy
chief minister’s post by PKR adviser
and Permatang Pauh MP Datuk Seri
Anwar Ibrahim if he joined PKR.
Arif Shah told theSun yesterday
Abdul Jalil was a ‘good actor’.
“He is power crazy, so everything
He said the statement that he was
welcomed to any of the divisional
meetings rang empty because he was
not informed about the meeting dates.
“If they do not inform me about the
meeting or invite me to it, how am I to
know there is a meeting?” he said.
Arif Shah said Abdul Jalil must give
him due respect and not just push him
aside.
“I have nothing against him
personally but I am not happy that
I was not given the freedom to
fulfill my responsibilities as a state
assemblyman,” he said.
He said if there was no longer
‘Graveyard’ disappears
as abandoned
any conducive
platform to deliver his
responsibilities to the
constituents in Seberang
Jaya and also to others in
Permatang Pauh, then he
would consider moving
to a platform that was
more conducive.
As for him using the
division and Abdul Jalil
as excuses for him to
jump to PKR, Arif Shah
said he was asked to join
the party long before
this whole issue came to
light.
“It is after they (PKR)
knew about this ‘cold
war’ that they increased
their calls to me to jump
over and join them,” he
said.
Arif Shah also said
that if he were to move,
it was not because of any
posts or ‘carrots’ being dangled before
him.
As of now, he was still considering
the offer made by PKR and had not
made up his mind yet.
“I want the Umno top leadership
to place the Permatang Pauh division
under the supervision of the state or
federal Umno leaders,” he said.
9m to use
new Iskandar
gateway a year
JOHOR BARU: Bangunan Sultan Iskandar,
previously known as the Customs, Immigration
and Quarantine Complex, which was officially
opened yesterday, will become a modern entry
point into Malaysia, particularly to the Iskandar
Development Region here, Datuk Seri Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi said.
An estimated nine million visitors are ex-
pected to use the facilities there each year, the
prime minister said at the opening officiated by
the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Iskandar.
He said the opening of Bangunan Sultan
Iskandar was a historical event as the building,
constructed on a 113 ha site, would become a
major landmark.
“The building is not only a developmental
effort but also forms an important symbol on
the region’s progress and potentials,” Abdullah
Almost all said.
stranded “It is a modern, efficient and attractive en-
try point, which will reflect the modernisation,
in efficiency and beauty of the Iskandar Develop-
Bangkok ment Region, Johor and certainly, Malaysia, to
are back every foreign visitor and investor.”
Bangunan Sultan Iskandar will operate
home round the clock and will house 21 agencies
pg 6 comprising federal government departments,
state government, statutory bodies and private
agencies.
The Immigration Department will be
responsible for coordinating operations and
management of Bangunan Sultan Iskandar.
“The Royal Malaysia Police must ensure
strict security for the building in the interest
of the safety and comfort of the users and our
country in general,” he said.
Abdullah also said everyone serving in Ban-
gunan Sultan Iskandar was like a ‘Malaysian
ambassador’ to the foreigners.
“We must prove, in fact reflect Malaysia’s
status not only as one of the developed
countries but also having inhabitants who
are friendly and courteous as well as highly
civilised,” he said. – Bernama
briefs
Reformis lodges police
report against Selangor MB
SHAH ALAM: The Gerakan Reformasi Rakyat
Malaysia (Reformis) has lodged a police report
against Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul
Khalid Ibrahim for alleged power abuse and
misappropriation of funds in organising the
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) congress gathering
and dinner at Stadium Malawati from Nov 28
until Sunday.
The report was made by Reformis president
Ramlan Abu Bakar at the Shah Alam district
police Headquarters yesterday.

trains get overhaul

by Tim Leonard
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: Trains which were aban-
doned at a KTM ‘graveyard’ in Sentul are being
successfully repaired and overhauled and some
have already been put back into service.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee
Keat said yesterday 18 China-made ‘Class 29’
locomotives out of 20 abandoned have been
repaired and put back on the tracks, and work
is progressing as scheduled.
“Repair work on two more locomotives
will be completed by year-end and 12 units of
EMU (electric multiple units) have also been
overhauled and put into service,” he said after
a working visit to the KTM depot and workshop
in Sentul.
It was his second visit to the depot, where
repair work is going on around the clock, since
May.
Ong said the KTM Komuter services will
have 36 EMUs fully operational by March.
“With this, the interval time will be around 15
minutes, compared to the 20-to-30 minutes
currently,” he said.
“Now, there is no train ‘graveyard’ – as how
a few of the media reported before – and you
can see for yourselves that we are working
hard to put the remaining trains back on track,”
he said.
Ong also praised KTM for setting up a task
force to work fast on the abandoned trains.
A team from the manufacturers in Dalian,
China was also brought in to help overhaul the
locomotives.
The story on the trains ‘graveyard’ created a
stir at a time when commuters were complain-
ing of long waiting times and irregular services
at KTM Komuter stations.
At the ‘graveyard’, several trains were
cannibalised for parts while others underwent
repairs.
The trains reportedly had faulty wheels and
could not run at full speed as the wheels and
tracks were incompatible.
Asked about the cost of the overhaul and
repair work, Ong said it was at ‘no cost’ be-
cause they were under warranty.
He said the Kota Damansara-Cheras Ko-
muter service is still on the drawing board and
details will be finalised soon. A comprehensive
meeting was held a few days ago to finetune
some details on the link.
“The police report was aimed at enabling
the police to initiate investigations against the
individuals involved in organising the gathering
with the help of the local authorities,” Ramlan
told reporters after lodging the police report.
He said he would also lodge a similar report
with the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) in Shah
Alam.
“I hope the ACA will open up an investiga-
tion paper on the individuals involved and
forward it to the attorney-general for further
action,” he said. – Bernama
EPF 11% contribution
forms now available
KUALA LUMPUR: Members of the Employ-
ees Provident Fund (EPF) who wish to main-
tain the employees monthly contribution
rate at 11 % from January may obtain Form
KWSP 17A (AHL) Khas from any EPF branch
or download it from the myEPF website at
www.kwsp.gov.my from today.
The fully-completed forms may be
submitted to the member’s employer for
onward submission to the EPF.
The EPF has also made available Form
KWSP 17AA (AHL) Khas to facilitate employ-
ers who wish to apply on behalf of more
than two employees.