Charles Santiago

Syabas, developer compensate Palm Grove residence
Penduduk terima pampasan, saguhati hampir RM200,000
Mohon dapatkan Laporan Audit, mahkamah tetapkan 10 Feb
Appeal Court to decide Thursday on revealing Selangor water deal
Anti-Indian Interlok campaign will backfire

Syabas, developer compensate Palm Grove residence

Posted: 08 Feb 2011 10:59 PM PST

Source: The Edge Property

By Bernama
Tuesday, 08 February 2011 19:40

KLANG: Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) and a housing developer paid compensation totalling RM183,224 to 66 Taman Palm Grove residence here who were affected by the flash flood after a water pipe burst in the area in May last year.

Syabas corporate affairs executive director Abdul Halem Mat Som said an investigation by an independent valuer found that 66 people qualified to receive the compensation.

“It takes sometime, or about eight months, for this to materialise because detailed investigations need to be carried out. Investigations showed that it was not due to Syabas’ fault. The developer agreed to pay the compensation,” he told reporters here.

He said Syabas had also terminated the contract of two workers who were found to be negligence, on May 5 last year.

In the incident, 100 houses were inundated with water after the water pipe in the area burst.

Syabas also donated RM3,000 to the housing area’s residence association. — Bernama

Penduduk terima pampasan, saguhati hampir RM200,000

Posted: 08 Feb 2011 10:29 PM PST

Source: Selangorkini

Tuesday, 08 February 2011 | Ruangan: Berita

KLANG, 8 Feb - Ekoran daripada kejadian banjir kilat akibat paip pecah pada Mei tahun lepas, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) dan pemaju perumahan Taman Palm Grove,telah membayar pampasan dan saguhati hampir RM200,000 kepada 66 penduduk taman tersebut, di sini, hari ini.

Pengarah Eksekutif Hal Ehwal Korporat Syabas, Abdul Halem Mat Som berkata siasatan jurunilai bebas terhadap 101 rumah terbabit mendapati kesemua penduduk layak menerima pampasan keseluruhan berjumlah RM183,224.25.

"Kita akui prosedur ini mengambil masa yang agak panjang, iaitu kira-kira lapan bulan selepas kejadian, berikutan siasatan terperinci yang perlu dilakukan terhadap semua tuntutan yang dibuat oleh penduduk terbabit.

"Siasatan mendapati, kejadian bukan berpunca daripada pihak Syabas, dan atas dasar persefahaman, pihak pemaju bersetuju membayar pampasan kepada mereka yang berkenaan pada 15 Jan lepas," katanya kepada pemberita hari ini.

Beliau berkata, Syabas juga telah menamatkan perkhidmatan dua pekerjanya yang didapati cuai berikutan insiden 5 Mei itu.

Dalam kejadian pada awal pagi itu, lebih 100 rumah tenggelam dalam banjir kilat yang berpunca daripada paip pecah di kawasan perumahan tersebut.

Abdul Halem berkata, Syabas juga menanggung kos baik pulih kesemua paip pecah dalam kejadian itu, selain kehilangan air bersih yang banyak.

Syabas turut menyerahkan cek saguhati kepada Persatuan Penduduk Taman Palm Grove berjumlah RM3,000 kepada pengerusinya, R.Selvaraju dalam satu majlis di sini.

Mohon dapatkan Laporan Audit, mahkamah tetapkan 10 Feb

Posted: 08 Feb 2011 06:18 PM PST

Source: Selangorkini

Tuesday, 08 February 2011 | Ruangan: Berita

Ahli Parlimen Klang, Charles Santiago antara yang memohon mendapatkan hak tersebut

PUTRAJAYA, 8 Feb - Mahkamah Rayuan Putrajaya hari ini memutuskan 10 Februari depan untuk membuat keputusan ke atas Kerajaan Persekutuan berhubung hak orang ramai untuk mendapatkan laporan audit dan perjanjian konsesi antara kerajaan negeri Selangor dan Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) yang ditandatangani pada 15 Dis 2004.

Peguam plaintif Malik Imtiaz Sarwar berkata, mahkamah hari ini telah mendengar rayuan kes tersebut dan akan membenarkan Ahli Parlimen Klang Charles Santiago serta 13 pihak yang lain yang sebelum ini memohon mendapatkan hak tersebut.

"Mahkamah hari ini telah memutuskan dan mengarahkan dokumen tersebut seharusnya telah didedahkan kepada pemohon, dan memandangkan rayuan telah difailkan di sini, mahkamah telah mengantung perintah tersebut sementara menunggu keputusan rayuan disini," jelasnya.

Tambahnya lagi ketika ditemui Tv Selangor di luar mahkamah menjelaskan, isu yang timbul hari ini ialah pendekatan kerajaan yang meletakkan penyampaian maklumat kepada setiap warganegara terlalu terhad.

"Isu yang tertimbul hari ini ialah, sama ada terdapat hak atau tidak kepada semua rakyat kepada maklumat, di mana pihak kerajaan mengambil kedudukan bahawa warganegara tiada sesuatu hak untuk mendapat dokumen-dokumen tersebut, asal ia menerusi undang-undang, tetapi pihak kami hari ini mengambil keputusan bahawa hak itu adalah tersirat di dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan memandangkan negara ini adalah sebuah negara demokrasi berdasarkan pilihan raya," katanya.

Mengulas keadaan ini Malik menambah, penyampaian maklumat ini begitu penting dalam membantu rakyat membuat pilihan yang terbaik untuk memilih pemimpin yang akan memimpin negara.

Terdahulu, Kongres Kesatuan Sekerja Malaysia atau MTUC dan 13 pihak lain memohon agar semakan penghakiman dibuat berikutan tindakan Menteri Tenaga, Air dan Komunikasi ketika itu Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik menolak permintaan mereka agar dokumen berkenaan didedahkan kepada orang ramai.

Laporan audit tersebut berhubung maklumat berkaitan perjanjian konsesi yang ada hubungan dengan kenaikan tarif air dan sekiranya perjanjian itu didedahkan kepada umum, maka laporan audit itu juga perlu diumumkan kepada orang ramai kerana ia merujuk dan mengandungi komen tentang peruntukan tertentu dalam perjanjian berkenaan.

Walau bagaimanapun laporan audit tersebut diklasifikasikan sebagai rahsia kerana ia dibentangkan kepada Kabinet, maka adalah tidak masuk akal untuk mengatakan bahawa sebarang dokumen yang dibentangkan kepada Kabinet secara automatik disifatkan sebagai "Rahsia" mengikut Seksyen 2A Akta Rahsia Rasmi 1972.

Keadaan ini menyebabkan tarif air bakal dinaikkan dan orang ramai tiada pilihan selain membayar lebih untuk air kerana tidak terdapat pembekal alternatif dengan kenaikan tarif air sebanyak 15 peratus di Lembah Klang seperti yang diumumkan pada 14 Okt 2006.

Pemohon diwakili peguam Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, manakala Peguam Kanan Persekutuan Datin Azizah Nawawi mewakili Kementerian Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air dan kerajaan Malaysia.

Appeal Court to decide Thursday on revealing Selangor water deal

Posted: 08 Feb 2011 06:09 PM PST

Source :- Themalaysianinsider

By Yow Hong Chieh

February 08, 2011

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 8 – Selangor activists will know on Thursday if the Court of Appeal here will reaffirm its application to get the federal government to reveal its concession agreement and audit of state utility body, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas)

In a landmark judgment, the Kuala Lumpur High Court on June 28 last year ordered that the contents of the documents be disclosed, as requested by the Coalition Against Water Privatisation (CAWP).

Judicial commissioner Hadhariah Syed Ismail had stated in her 19-page judgement that she was not convinced such disclosures would be harmful to national security or public interest, as claimed by Syabas and the ministry.

Hadhariah, however, granted a stay order four days later so that the federal government and the Energy, Water and Communications Minister would not have their right to appeal frustrated.

Senior federal counsel Datin Azizah Nawawi today challenged the locus standi of CAWP on the grounds that the latter had no legal right to the documents as there was no law in Malaysia guaranteeing right to information.

She argued that an individual could only apply for judicial review if a specific right was infringed upon, as determined in the Government of Malaysia v Lim Kit Siang 1987.

"It must affect your (legal) right. A general right is not enough," Azizah said, adding that Hadhariah had erred in applying English standards where "sufficient interest" was enough to establish legal right.

Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, representing CAWP, however, pointed out that the Kuala Lumpur High Court had subsequently ruled in QSR Brands v Securities Commission 2006 that an applicant could apply for judicial review if "adversely affected".

He later told reporters outside the courtroom that the right to information was implicit in the Federal Constitution because Malaysians lived in a democratic society and therefore, such a right was necessary for an informed vote.

"If citizens are not given important information, can they make the right decision in choosing candidates?" he said.

CAWP coordinator Charles Santiago added that it was important to know the contents of the audit report which determined water tariffs in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

"We, as consumers, have to know what is the basis of the increase," the Klang MP said.

CAWP filed a judicial review in 2007 seeking to declare the audit report and the 2004 concession agreement signed between Syabas, the Selangor government and the federal government public documents.

The coalition argued that the audit report formed the basis for the 15 per cent increase in water tariffs in the Klang Valley announced on October 14, 2006 by then-Energy, Water and Communications Minister Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik and should therefore be made public.

Syabas was allowed to raise tariffs after the company said it had complied with the requirement to reduce non-revenue water by five per cent.

Non-revenue water is the difference between water produced and water lost through leakages, faulty meters and theft.

The Energy, Water and Communications Minister had earlier rejected the coalition's request on the grounds that the concession agreement was confidential and the audit report an official secret.

CAWP comprises the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) and 13 others from Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, including Santiago himself.

Syabas provides water for Selangor and both the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

The three-man panel of Datin Paduka Zaleha Zahari, Datuk Seri Abu Samah Nordin and Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Mohd Yunus said it will present its decision at 9.30am on Thursday.

Anti-Indian Interlok campaign will backfire

Posted: 08 Feb 2011 01:37 AM PST

Source :- Free Malaysia Today

Plans by two NGOs to campaign against Indian reps in the coming polls will cost Barisan Nasional dear, says Klang MP Charles Santiago.

KUALA LUMPUR: If the Malay Consultative Council (MPM) and National Writers Association (Pena) go ahead with their plan to campaign against Indian candidates in the 13th general election, then it will be Barisan Nasional which will suffer.

According to DAP's Klang MP Charles Santiago, since MPM and Pena were aligned to BN, the coalition's Indian-based parties would receive the worst brunt of the campaign.

"It is the Indian BN parliamentarians who would be more affected, especially the MIC. MIC would suffer more.

"It is the first time that organised groups within BN are going against its framework.

"In the recent by-election, the Malays did not vote Pakatan Rakyat Indian leaders because of the Interlok controversy," he told FMT.

Santiago was commenting on MPM and Pena's statements vowing not to support any Indian candidates in the upcoming election.

Their assertions were part of two memorandums which were handed over, albiet separately, to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

Both MPM and Pena had reportedly felt that Indian leaders had successfully manipulated and convinced the government to bow to the demands of the Indian community over the Interlok book.

Respect decision

Meanwhile, Hulu Selangor parliamentarian P Kamalanathan, who could not be reached, wrote in his blog that he stood by the government's decision on the Interlok issue although "it did not please everyone".

"It is imperative that the leadership makes a decision that is firm, fair and addressed the fundamental role of the government to uphold peace and unity in the nation at all times.

"We are all aware that no decision will please everybody but we must respect and believe in the wisdom of our leaders chosen in a democratic process," said the MIC man.

Kamalanathan also pledged to serve his constituents "without any bias on their religious, political or social standings".

Selangor state councillor Dr Xavier Jeyakumar, meanwhile, has called for the issue to be looked at from a Malaysian perspective.

He said it was the responsibility of all races to maintain harmony in the country.

Warning groups not to "play the racial game", the Selangor state exco member said Indians were not challenging the free will of the author Abdullah Hussein.

Instead the community merely wanted the Form Five book replaced with another one that promoted racial harmony.

The Interlok book has been shrouded by controversy over the usage of the term "pariah", which is considered deragatory to the Indian community.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had on Jan 27, announced that an independent panel would be set up to amend the book.