Penang Malay Chamber supports DAP's open tender push - NST

By : Lee Keng Fatt

GEORGE TOWN, Wed:

The Penang Malay Chamber of Commerce has come out in support of the open tender system to be introduced by the DAP-led state government. Its president Rizal Faris Mohidden said today the chamber would give its full support because they support a competitive market economy, especially in implementing an open tender system for all government procurement and contracts.

"However, this must be done on a level playing field for all races," he said after meeting chief minister Lim Guan Eng at the latter's office at Komtar here. Also present at the meeting were the chamber's management committee members along with representatives from the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce (PCCC), the Penang Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (PICCI) and the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MICCI).

They met Lim to throw the business community's support behind the state government. The four chambers form about 80 per cent of the business community in the state.

Lim recently announced that the state government intended to scrap the old methods of awarding state contracts and replace it with the open tender system. To further promote transparency, information about tender bids would be uploaded to an internet portal which would be accessible by members of the public.

Rizal said the chamber also wanted the state government to ensure all races would be given a fair chance because there was a big gap between races.

“We are hopeful that the state government will co-operate with us in addressing the matter," he said. “Malay entrepreneurs support the state government's plans to practice transparency.”

[More at http://www.nst.com.my/Wednesday/Frontpage/20080326152319/Article/index_html]

City Hall plays vengeful politics - The Sun

By Tan Yi Liang

PETALING JAYA (March 26, 2008): Ten of the 11 MPs in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur today slammed Kuala Lumpur City Hall for "involving itself in politics" and being pro-Barisan Nasional (BN).

The MPs from the DAP, PAS and PKR alleged that this was apparent from heightened enforcement against hawkers, petty traders and City Hall tenants following the March 8 general election, ostensibly to punish them for the overwhelming support for the Opposition, leading to BN's loss and rejection in the FT.

In a press statement, the 10 Opposition MPs criticised City Hall's "swinging into action to victimise hawkers, petty traders for the miserable performance of BN in the 12th General Election".

They claimed that two months before the elections, inspections by City Hall against hawkers and petty traders were lax.

"There has been a four-fold increase in snap inspections by City Hall officers, compared with two months before the elections," said Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun.

"After March 8, City Hall began to regularly summon hawkers for not having licences and confiscating their goods. In some parts of Kuala Lumpur, it has become a daily affair," he said.

[More at http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=21192]

PM meets King - The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin on Wednesday morning.

It is believed that the meeting was to discuss the issue of the state's Mentri Besar, but there is no word yet on its outcome.

Abdullah is meeting with Terengganu Barisan Nasional chief Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh in Putrajaya in the afternoon.

The former Mentri Besar was accompanied by several Barisan Nasional assemblyman from the state.

[From http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/26/nation/20080326142323&sec=nation]

PM: Polls showed we were slow in carrying out reforms - The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The result of the recent general election was a strong message that the Government had not moved fast enough in reforms which were promised, said Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“I thank the Malaysian people for this message. Point well made and point taken,” said the Prime Minister.

He said this in his keynote address at the Invest Malaysia 2008 conference here yesterday.

Abdullah said the Barisan Nasional also lost the cyberwar during the elections and it was a serious misjudgment to have ignored such methods of information dissemination.

“Young people were looking at SMSes, the Internet and other tools to get information.

“We did not think that it was important to respond. It was a serious misjudgment. It was a very serious mistake on our part,” he said.

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/26/nation/20746494&sec=nation]