Nga Kor Ming 倪可敏 Blog

IPOH: Foreign investors have shown confidence in Perak’s Pakatan Rakyat government and the state is now considering investment valued at about RM21.8bil.

State Education, Local Government Housing and Public Transport Committee chairman Nga Kor Ming said investment projects valued at some RM21.1bil had been proposed to the state during the first two months of the new coalition’s administration.

“This is a big encouragement for the government,” he said at a press conference Friday.

Among the projects are a RM16bil investment interest from Qatar’s Gulf Petroleum and a RM1.5bil project from First Solar Incorporation from the United States.

Nga urged other corporations to invest in Perak to contact InvestPerak, a one-stop agency that processes applications of investors.

On whether the Gulf Petroleum investment was the same as announced by the previous Barisan Nasional government, senior executive council member Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham said the Qatar-based oil company wanted to withdraw its investment but the state government had managed to persuade them to stay on.

On the appointment of local councillors in Perak, Nga said the state government had received an overwhelming interest from the public with 2,500 applications made for the 104 posts.

“We are preparing to interview applicants for the selection,” he added.

The state government had announced that one-third of the positions would be from non-governmental organisations and public interest groups while the rest would bee from political parties.

IPOH: The Perak Government is helping to “green” the state by planting 100,000 trees by the end of this year, said state Local Government Committee chairman Nga Kor Ming.

He said efforts to identify suitable species and work out the cost were already in progress, adding that local councils have been directed to embark on the exercise.

“We are particularly in favour of the raintree, like the ones surrounding the Taiping Lake Garden, as we find it most suitable for the creation of green canopies.

“We want to encourage people to walk and if it is not hot, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind,” he told reporters after attending an environmental seminar held in conjunction with World Environment Day yesterday.

In the city here, trees would be planted at suitable locations to prevent them from becoming a concrete jungle and to reduce greenhouse effect, he said.

Nga, who noted that the effort was also in line with the national mission to plant 20 million trees by 2020, assured the people that all trees would be bought at market price.

He said that all local government departments in the state would adopt the 80 ways of celebrating the environment as recommended by the United Nations Environment Programme.

The 3R approach to reduce, reuse and recycle would also be extended to the whole of Perak, he added.

A NEW RM30mil bus terminal with environmentally-friendly landscaping is being planned for Bandar Meru Raya in Jelapang, Ipoh, after years of delay.

State Education, Local Govern-ment, Housing and Public Transport Committee chairman Nga Kor Ming said the project would be completely different from the one proposed earlier.

The terminal, he said, located on a 4.8ha plot next to the Jelapang North-South Expressway (PLUS) toll, will have a garden and surrounded by trees instead of a concrete fencing.

He said the greenery surrounding would make the terminal more pleasant.

Nga said they were in the final stages of negotiating with a consortium of bus operators on the proposed terminal.

“The consortium will fund the entire project,” he said.

If all goes well, the project will start at the end of the year. It will take two years to build the terminal.

Nga also said the consortium would also have to replace the aging city buses with 300 new vehicles, which were estimated to cost some RM180 million, to complement the terminal.

“With the new terminal, buses and new routes within the Kinta Valley, we hope to encourage more people to use public transport.”

He said the whole purpose of having a terminal next to the toll plaza was to enable express buses from Penang or Kuala Lumpur have quick access to Ipoh instead of having to enter the city and get caught in traffic jams.

Perak Omnibus Operators Association president Yeoh Choo Hoon, during its annual dinner on Friday, thanked the state government to let the operators plan, build and manage their own terminal.

NINE Perak Chinese independent schools have identified a piece of land in Taiping where they plan to grow oil palm to earn income for their expenses.

Revealing this, Perak Education, Local Government, Housing and Public Transport Committee chairman Nga Kor Ming said the state would look into the application by the school boards of governors for the proposed site in Taiping.

He said the school boards had also agreed to set up a non- profit company to manage the land.

“All the nine schools will have equal share and the school boards will not draw any salary or directors’ fees,” he told reporters after a meeting with the school boards in Ipoh on Tuesday.

The nine schools are SM Shen Jai, SM Yuk Choy and SM Poi Lam all three in Ipoh, SM Nam Hwa in Sitiawan, SM Yik Ching in Pantai Remis, SM Pei Yuan in Kampar, SM Hua Lian in Taiping, SM Sam Min in Teluk Intan, and SM Tsung Wah in Kuala Kangsar.

Last month, Mentri Besar Da-tuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Ja-maluddin had announced that the state had approved a 1,000ha piece of land for the independent schools.

Nga stressed that the nine schools previously did not receive any government aid and were heavily reliant on public donations.

“With the land, the schools would be able to earn a steady income for their use,” he said.

He noted that besides the in-dependent schools, the Pakatan Rakyat government had also allocated a 2,600ha plot of land in Kuala Kangsar for Kolej Islam Darul Ridzuan.

The state, he said, had also gi-ven RM1.3mil to 18 religious schools and land to several Tamil schools.

“This proves that Pakatan em-phasises on fair and just treatment for all schools because we believe education is the key factor in nation building,” he said.

IPOH: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) will start operating six additional train services from the city, said state Education, Local Govern-ment, Housing and Public Transport Committee chairman Nga Kor Ming.

The additonal services would begin today, Nga told reporters yesterday.

Ekspres Sinaran Pagi Utara (Kuala Lumpur-Butterworth, Butterworth-Kuala Lumpur) runs every Saturday and Sunday.

Ekspres Sinaran Pagi Selatan (Ipoh-Singapore, Singapore-Ipoh) runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday while Ekspres Senandung Malam Selatan (Ipoh-Singapore, Singapore-Ipoh) runs daily.

PANTAI REMIS: Just a few days after losing one sister, Ng Cheng Chai lost another in Sunday’s express bus crash – along with a daughter and a niece.

Siew Woon: Among 10 people killed in an express bus accident near Tangkak on Sunday.

In the accident at the 146th kilometre of the North-South Expressway near Tangkak that killed 10, Cheng Chai, 38, lost his 12-year-old daughter Siew Woon, his sister Ah Hwa, 42, and her nine-year-old daughter Chan Jia Yi.

The three were among the 26 passengers and two drivers heading to Johor Baru and Singapore from Perak during the 2am mishap.

Just a few days before, Cheng Chai, who lives in Johor, had attended the funeral of a sister here.

“What can I say about this loss? I have no words,” said the anguished father during the wake at his parents’ house in Taman Bintang here.

“My daughter was my oldest child, and a good girl at home and in school. My only wish now is to send her off well,” Cheng Chai said.

His wife Khor Ai Min, 32, too distraught to speak, was holding onto their other child, five-year-old Kai Loon.

Cheng Chai said his sister and the two children had remained in Pantai Remis after the funeral to visit relatives. They were on the way home when the accident happened.

Too distraught: Khor holding onto Kai Loon during Siew Woon’s wake at her in-law’s house in Pantai Remis Sunday. With them is Kai Loon’s grandmother.

Pantai Remis assemblyman Nga Kor Ming, who visited the family, expressed his condolences on behalf of the state and Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.

He said the state would present RM1,500 to each of the families of the 10 dead, and RM1,000 to the 18 injured. In addition, the DAP would give a token RM100 to each of the deceased’s family.

Nga added that three of the dead were from Pantai Remis, two from Sitiawan, one each from Pangkor and Teluk Intan, two from Johor and another from Hong Kong.

“We urge the Transport Ministry to investigate whether any party had been negligent, including whether any civil servant had failed to carry out their duties properly,” he added.

IPOH: Village chiefs will be appointed for the 134 new villages in Perak – the first state to do so.

The chiefs are expected to be appointed in three months and will have equal power as the state’s 817 traditional village heads.

State Education, Local Govern-ment, Housing and Public Transport Committee chairman Nga Kor Ming said the chiefs and secretaries would be paid fixed monthly allowances.

As for village committee members, Nga said they would only get a RM15 allowance for each meeting they attend.

“The chiefs will be paid RM400 monthly, while the secretaries will be paid RM200.

“They will also be paid RM24 and RM20 respectively for each meeting they attend,” he told reporters after the weekly state executive councillors meeting here yesterday.

Nga said the decision to appoint new village chiefs came about following the appointment of village heads for traditional villages.

“Previously, new villages did not have official chiefs.

“By appointing new village chiefs, the Pakatan Rakyat government will be fair to everybody,” he said, adding that the state was looking into the possibility of having chiefs for Indian villages, too.

Urging other states to follow Perak’s lead, Nga said the state would draw up guidelines on who could be appointed.

IPOH: Perak is urging the Federal Government to fulfil its promise to improve and expand the under-used Sultan Azlan Shah Airport here.

State Education, Local Government, Housing and Public Transport Committee chairman Nga Kor Ming said the development plan was a promise made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Nga insisted that Abdullah had pledged it during a trade exposition opening here in June last year.

“A promise is a promise, and the Federal Government should fulfil its duties to allocate the funds for the development as soon as possible,” Nga told a press conference here on Friday.

He said the airport upgrades and extension of the runway would cost about RM170mil, which should be borne by the Federal Government.

“Otherwise, give us the authority and we are ready to do it if the Government is incapable of developing the airport,” he said.

The Pakatan Rakyat state government, said Nga, would find the means to develop the airport and would also consider having it privately financed.

Nga said he had brought up the matter in Parliament but it was shot down by Transport Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat.

“Instead, he announced that the ministry had plans to build an airport in Negri Sembilan, which is not reasonable,” he said, adding that the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Low Cost Carrier Terminal were about 25km from Nilai.

Nga also called on the Government to get Firefly, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, to offer its services here.

Perak lacked an efficient airline cargo system and was losing out on foreign investments, said Nga who noted that representatives from India, Australia, Britain and Japan had expressed interest.

IPOH: Perak has urged the Federal Government to fulfil its promise to improve and expand the under-utilised Sultan Azlan Shah Airport here.

The state executive councillor in charge of transport Nga Kor Ming said the development promise was made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at the opening of a trade exposition here in June last year.

“A promise is a promise, and the Federal Government should allocate the funds for the development as soon as possible,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

“Otherwise, give us the authority if the Government is incapable of developing the airport,” he said, adding that the terminal upgrade and runway extension would cost about RM170mil.

The Pakatan Rakyat state government, Nga said, would find the means to develop the airport and would consider having it privately financed.

Nga said he had brought up the matter in Parliament, but Transport Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat had announced instead that the ministry had plans to build an airport in Negri Sembilan.

Nga also called on the Government to get Firefly, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, to fly here. Perak lacked an efficient airline cargo system and was losing out on foreign investments, Nga said.

He added that representatives from India, Australia, Britain and Japan had expressed interest in investing in the state.

Nga also urged the Government to re-examine the price of subsidised diesel for fishermen, saying some 5,000 of them from Hutan Melintang, Pantai Remis and Kuala Sepetang had threatened to go on strike for three days from next Friday if the price was not lowered to RM1 a litre from the current RM1.43.