KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA has proposed that the Government acquire shares in PLUS Bhd in the interest of the people, said party spokesman Wong Nai Chee.
By acquiring shares in PLUS, Wong said the Government would be able to establish policies and measures to ensure that the people were not burdened.
“The once-every-three-years toll hike can be avoided and any increase would be based on operational needs rather than contractual needs,” he told a press conference at Wisma MCA here yesterday,
He said the toll rate was set at 14.96 sen per kilometre and by 2038 the rate was expected to increase to 29.16 sen per kilometre.
“Toll charges from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, which cost RM86 one way, will increase to RM168 by 2038,” he said, adding that the MCA Youth’s Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Research Bureau had embarked on a project to study all the highway agreements.
He said a team in the party led by vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai would have a dialogue with the Works Ministry on the issue soon.
From the financial aspect, Wong said PLUS had been generating a profit of RM400mil to RM600mil yearly from 2004 to 2007.
“The Government compensated PLUS RM295mil and 307mil in 2003 and 2004 respectively. And for the year 2007 and 2008, the Government paid RM680mil and RM730mil in compensation respectively,” he said.
Source: TheStar
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Call On The Works And Finance Ministers For A Toll-Free North-South Expressway By 2016 And Save Taxpayers RM14 Billion
Media Statement by DAP Ops RESTORE Team in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 25th February 2009
The DAP Ops RESTORE (Restructure Toll Rates & Equity) Team would like to congratulate the Works Minister for first having declassified most of the highway toll concession agreements, and followed up with the removal of two toll plazas at the New Pantai Expressway (NPE) and the Sungei Besi Highway in the past two weeks.
We call upon the Works Minister to declare the compensation promised to these concessionaires for the abolition of the toll, for if the compensation involved is equivalent to the toll that would have been collected, then the joy for Malaysians will be short-lived.
In addition and more importantly, DAP Ops RESTORE Team calls upon both the Works and Finance Ministers to make the entire North-South Highway and its related concessions such as the ELITE, Butterworth-Kulim (BKE) and the Second Link Highways under PLUS Expressways Bhd completely toll free by 2016.
Following our team's consultations to date with our legal experts, investment bankers as well as the general public, we have developed a comprehensive, practicable and creative programme to return the highways to the people in the least possible cost, and shortest possible time without compromising the integrity of the financial markets.
Our proposal will:
- Impose no further increase in North-South Highway toll rates
- For example, a return KL-Penang journey will remain at RM86.60 today instead of RM115.30 in 2015 and RM168.80 by 2030.
- Create RM14 billion savings for Malaysians from 2009-2015
This will be the amount saved either (i) by Malaysians using the highway because of no further toll rate increases or (ii) in terms of compensation which would have to be paid by the Government to PLUS Expressways.
1. Continue to collect toll only until 2015
2. Incur no additional cost for the Malaysian Government or Malaysian tax-payers
Background information:
- PLUS is listed on Bursa Malaysia at a price of RM2.88 per share and a market capitalisation of RM14.4 billion (24th February)
- The Government of Malaysia, via Khazanah owns 65% of PLUS.
- PLUS has outstanding net debt amounting to RM8.5 billion
We call upon the Government to take the following actions:
1. The Government should make a General Offer (GO) to acquire all minority shareholders of PLUS with a generous 15% premium at RM3.30 per share, costing RM5.25 billion thus ensuring that minority shareholders are protected.
2. The cost of acquisition added to the RM8.5 billion net debt of PLUS will amount to RM13.75 billion.
3. This cost will be funded by issuing Malaysian Government Securities (MGS) at 3% interest (or less), costing RM413 million per annum. Total repayment will amount to RM16.2 billion over 6 years.
4. At the same time, PLUS should generate at least RM20b in net positive cash flow the 6 years to 2015 without further toll rate hikes and a conservative 3% pa traffic growth.
5. Therefore by 2015, the government can completely repay the MGS and still have RM3.8 billion excess which could be used to build a better public transportation system throughout the country.
Not only will the execution of the above proposal bring joy to all Malaysians with a toll-free North South Expressway, the exercise will fit perfectly with the upcoming “mini-Budget” by the Finance Minister:
- RM14 billion saved by Malaysian consumers will reduce the cost of living for the average Malaysian in times of economic difficulties we face today.
- RM14 billion saved will also redirect expenditure to other more productive sectors of our economy by increasing domestic consumer demand.
- The reduced toll rates and its subsequent abolition will substantially reduce the cost of doing business in Malaysia, increase logistical efficiencies and ultimately make Malaysian companies more globally competitive.
- Best of all, the plan will stimulate demand and make available substantial funds for public infrastructure development without the Government having to increase the precarious budget deficit further.
Hence, the DAP Ops RESTORE Team would like to reiterate our call to both the Finance and Works Minister to include the above proposal in the proposed mini-budget set to be announced by the Finance Minister on the 10th March for the benefit of the Government and all Malaysians.
The DAP Ops RESTORE (Restructure Toll Rates & Equity) Team would like to congratulate the Works Minister for first having declassified most of the highway toll concession agreements, and followed up with the removal of two toll plazas at the New Pantai Expressway (NPE) and the Sungei Besi Highway in the past two weeks.
We call upon the Works Minister to declare the compensation promised to these concessionaires for the abolition of the toll, for if the compensation involved is equivalent to the toll that would have been collected, then the joy for Malaysians will be short-lived.
In addition and more importantly, DAP Ops RESTORE Team calls upon both the Works and Finance Ministers to make the entire North-South Highway and its related concessions such as the ELITE, Butterworth-Kulim (BKE) and the Second Link Highways under PLUS Expressways Bhd completely toll free by 2016.
Following our team's consultations to date with our legal experts, investment bankers as well as the general public, we have developed a comprehensive, practicable and creative programme to return the highways to the people in the least possible cost, and shortest possible time without compromising the integrity of the financial markets.
Our proposal will:
- Impose no further increase in North-South Highway toll rates
- For example, a return KL-Penang journey will remain at RM86.60 today instead of RM115.30 in 2015 and RM168.80 by 2030.
- Create RM14 billion savings for Malaysians from 2009-2015
This will be the amount saved either (i) by Malaysians using the highway because of no further toll rate increases or (ii) in terms of compensation which would have to be paid by the Government to PLUS Expressways.
1. Continue to collect toll only until 2015
2. Incur no additional cost for the Malaysian Government or Malaysian tax-payers
Background information:
- PLUS is listed on Bursa Malaysia at a price of RM2.88 per share and a market capitalisation of RM14.4 billion (24th February)
- The Government of Malaysia, via Khazanah owns 65% of PLUS.
- PLUS has outstanding net debt amounting to RM8.5 billion
We call upon the Government to take the following actions:
1. The Government should make a General Offer (GO) to acquire all minority shareholders of PLUS with a generous 15% premium at RM3.30 per share, costing RM5.25 billion thus ensuring that minority shareholders are protected.
2. The cost of acquisition added to the RM8.5 billion net debt of PLUS will amount to RM13.75 billion.
3. This cost will be funded by issuing Malaysian Government Securities (MGS) at 3% interest (or less), costing RM413 million per annum. Total repayment will amount to RM16.2 billion over 6 years.
4. At the same time, PLUS should generate at least RM20b in net positive cash flow the 6 years to 2015 without further toll rate hikes and a conservative 3% pa traffic growth.
5. Therefore by 2015, the government can completely repay the MGS and still have RM3.8 billion excess which could be used to build a better public transportation system throughout the country.
Not only will the execution of the above proposal bring joy to all Malaysians with a toll-free North South Expressway, the exercise will fit perfectly with the upcoming “mini-Budget” by the Finance Minister:
- RM14 billion saved by Malaysian consumers will reduce the cost of living for the average Malaysian in times of economic difficulties we face today.
- RM14 billion saved will also redirect expenditure to other more productive sectors of our economy by increasing domestic consumer demand.
- The reduced toll rates and its subsequent abolition will substantially reduce the cost of doing business in Malaysia, increase logistical efficiencies and ultimately make Malaysian companies more globally competitive.
- Best of all, the plan will stimulate demand and make available substantial funds for public infrastructure development without the Government having to increase the precarious budget deficit further.
Hence, the DAP Ops RESTORE Team would like to reiterate our call to both the Finance and Works Minister to include the above proposal in the proposed mini-budget set to be announced by the Finance Minister on the 10th March for the benefit of the Government and all Malaysians.
Malaysia's Next PM Mends Fences With Minorities
Malaysia's incoming premier Najib Razak Tuesday hailed the ethnic Chinese community's contribution to the nation, in a bid to mend ties with minorities who deserted the coalition in 2008 elections.
The comments from Najib, who is expected to be sworn into power later this week, came after an angry debate over the role of minorities in the multiracial country's independence struggle.
"I would like to thank the Chinese community for their many contributions to our nation's development," Najib told editors of a local Chinese paper, according to a statement from his office.
"The Malaysian Chinese community has, is now, and will forever play a vital role in the fabric of our nation," he added.
Najib last week became president of the ruling United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) which represents majority Muslim Malays who make up 60 percent of the population and dominate the government.
UMNO leads a coalition of race-based parties that also represent the ethnic Chinese and Indian communities, but they were hammered in elections a year ago as minorities shifted towards the opposition.
The opposition benefited from a rising sense of "Islamisation" of Malaysia, and fears that minorities' rights are being eroded.
Najib pledged to "develop a government that respects the voices of all Malaysians" and said the government "recognises and respects the contributions of all people in building Malaysia."
His comments came after a senior leader said at last week's UMNO assembly that independence and later developments were forged by "UMNO and our Malay rulers and no one else."
The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a key member of the coalition, urged a stop to "rewriting the facts of history or denying the efforts of other races in helping to fight for the country's independence."
Malaysia gained its independence from Britain in 1957 under the leadership of UMNO, MCA and the Malaysian Indian Congress, which later along with several other parties, came to form the present ruling coalition. - AFP
The comments from Najib, who is expected to be sworn into power later this week, came after an angry debate over the role of minorities in the multiracial country's independence struggle.
"I would like to thank the Chinese community for their many contributions to our nation's development," Najib told editors of a local Chinese paper, according to a statement from his office.
"The Malaysian Chinese community has, is now, and will forever play a vital role in the fabric of our nation," he added.
Najib last week became president of the ruling United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) which represents majority Muslim Malays who make up 60 percent of the population and dominate the government.
UMNO leads a coalition of race-based parties that also represent the ethnic Chinese and Indian communities, but they were hammered in elections a year ago as minorities shifted towards the opposition.
The opposition benefited from a rising sense of "Islamisation" of Malaysia, and fears that minorities' rights are being eroded.
Najib pledged to "develop a government that respects the voices of all Malaysians" and said the government "recognises and respects the contributions of all people in building Malaysia."
His comments came after a senior leader said at last week's UMNO assembly that independence and later developments were forged by "UMNO and our Malay rulers and no one else."
The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a key member of the coalition, urged a stop to "rewriting the facts of history or denying the efforts of other races in helping to fight for the country's independence."
Malaysia gained its independence from Britain in 1957 under the leadership of UMNO, MCA and the Malaysian Indian Congress, which later along with several other parties, came to form the present ruling coalition. - AFP
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Oil Tumbles Below US$49 On Gloomy Economic Outlook
HOUSTON: Oil prices tumbled below $49 a barrel Monday as unease about the economy - from Asia to America - raised doubts about the global appetite for energy.
Benchmark crude for May delivery fell more than 7.6 percent, or $3.97, to settle at $48.41 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
In London, Brent prices fell $3.19 to settle at $47.99 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.
Gasoline futures plunged more than 10 cents a gallon.
Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consulting group Ritterbusch and Associates, said he expects oil to fall as low as $47 in advance of the U.S. crude inventory report, the monthly unemployment report and a meeting of the Group of 20 world leaders in London, all this week.
"Late in the week, all hell could break loose, but I don't know whether it makes the market go up or down," Ritterbusch said.
Most energy-market analysts found no fundamental reason for a rally this month that pushed oil prices from $40 per barrel to more than $50.
Crude inventories continue to build even with OPEC cutting production and domestic producers suspending oil projects.
Oil prices have moved higher as a spate of positive economic news heartened investors.
Just last week, markets rallied behind word of a new plan to resolve the nation's banking crisis and a report that consumer spending rose in February for a second straight month.
"None of these burned a single hydrocarbon or pulled a single gallon (of gasoline) from storage," the energy consultancy Cameron Hanover said in a note to clients Monday.
"By Friday, it was just too much macroeconomic news and not enough oil fundamental news that had pushed prices higher."
Traders began to sell positions on the final day of the week.
U.S. stock markets got off to a rocky start Monday after the White House rejected turnaround plans from General Motors Corp. and Chrysler.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 300 points in late afternoon trading.
Losses by major corporations, from banking to the industrial sector, have boosted the amount of oil held in storage and weighed on prices.
The U.S. government last week said crude storage facilities were brimming with more oil than they've had in 16 years.
Combined with the strategic petroleum reserve, the nation now has 1.05 billion barrels of oil in storage - enough to fuel roughly 44 million cars for a year.
"You can't swing a cat without hitting a barrel of crude oil in the United States," analyst Stephen Schork said in his daily markets report Monday.
Crude is piling up as airlines, manufacturers, automakers and just about every other sector slow down and millions of workers lose their jobs. U.S. stores of natural gas also rose by 3 billion cubic feet to about 1.65 trillion cubic feet for the week ended March 20.
Natural gas prices have fallen to levels last seen nearly seven years ago as industries cut costs and slow factory production.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has promised to slash production by 4.2 million barrels per day, but analysts are at odds about the level of compliance by OPEC members.
JBC Energy in Vienna cited data from tanker-tracking agency Petrologistics showing that March crude oil production from 11 OPEC nations would total 25.9 million barrels a day, more than 1 million barrels higher than the group's implied output ceiling of 24.845 million barrels a day.
Comments Monday by Qatar's oil minister suggested OPEC members may be facing a new reality because of a widespread recession.
Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah said he was "OK" with crude prices around $50 a barrel for 2009 and was "trying to be more pragmatic" regarding the global crisis and its effects on oil prices.
Just two weeks ago as OPEC ministers gathered in Vienna, Austria, there was still talk of $70 oil.
In other Nymex trading, gasoline for April delivery tumbled 10.8 cents to settle at $1.3799 a gallon while heating oil slipped 9.02 cents to settle at $1.3426 a gallon.
Natural gas for May delivery rose less than a penny to settle at $3.739 per 1,000 cubic feet. - AP
Benchmark crude for May delivery fell more than 7.6 percent, or $3.97, to settle at $48.41 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
In London, Brent prices fell $3.19 to settle at $47.99 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.
Gasoline futures plunged more than 10 cents a gallon.
Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consulting group Ritterbusch and Associates, said he expects oil to fall as low as $47 in advance of the U.S. crude inventory report, the monthly unemployment report and a meeting of the Group of 20 world leaders in London, all this week.
"Late in the week, all hell could break loose, but I don't know whether it makes the market go up or down," Ritterbusch said.
Most energy-market analysts found no fundamental reason for a rally this month that pushed oil prices from $40 per barrel to more than $50.
Crude inventories continue to build even with OPEC cutting production and domestic producers suspending oil projects.
Oil prices have moved higher as a spate of positive economic news heartened investors.
Just last week, markets rallied behind word of a new plan to resolve the nation's banking crisis and a report that consumer spending rose in February for a second straight month.
"None of these burned a single hydrocarbon or pulled a single gallon (of gasoline) from storage," the energy consultancy Cameron Hanover said in a note to clients Monday.
"By Friday, it was just too much macroeconomic news and not enough oil fundamental news that had pushed prices higher."
Traders began to sell positions on the final day of the week.
U.S. stock markets got off to a rocky start Monday after the White House rejected turnaround plans from General Motors Corp. and Chrysler.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 300 points in late afternoon trading.
Losses by major corporations, from banking to the industrial sector, have boosted the amount of oil held in storage and weighed on prices.
The U.S. government last week said crude storage facilities were brimming with more oil than they've had in 16 years.
Combined with the strategic petroleum reserve, the nation now has 1.05 billion barrels of oil in storage - enough to fuel roughly 44 million cars for a year.
"You can't swing a cat without hitting a barrel of crude oil in the United States," analyst Stephen Schork said in his daily markets report Monday.
Crude is piling up as airlines, manufacturers, automakers and just about every other sector slow down and millions of workers lose their jobs. U.S. stores of natural gas also rose by 3 billion cubic feet to about 1.65 trillion cubic feet for the week ended March 20.
Natural gas prices have fallen to levels last seen nearly seven years ago as industries cut costs and slow factory production.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has promised to slash production by 4.2 million barrels per day, but analysts are at odds about the level of compliance by OPEC members.
JBC Energy in Vienna cited data from tanker-tracking agency Petrologistics showing that March crude oil production from 11 OPEC nations would total 25.9 million barrels a day, more than 1 million barrels higher than the group's implied output ceiling of 24.845 million barrels a day.
Comments Monday by Qatar's oil minister suggested OPEC members may be facing a new reality because of a widespread recession.
Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah said he was "OK" with crude prices around $50 a barrel for 2009 and was "trying to be more pragmatic" regarding the global crisis and its effects on oil prices.
Just two weeks ago as OPEC ministers gathered in Vienna, Austria, there was still talk of $70 oil.
In other Nymex trading, gasoline for April delivery tumbled 10.8 cents to settle at $1.3799 a gallon while heating oil slipped 9.02 cents to settle at $1.3426 a gallon.
Natural gas for May delivery rose less than a penny to settle at $3.739 per 1,000 cubic feet. - AP
Earth Hour: TNB Records 550MW Drop
KUALA LUMPUR: Although the Earth Hour campaign last Saturday resulted in electricity consumption dipping by 550 megawatt but Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) is not complaining.
Rather, TNB accepted that the hour-long campaign, which began at 8.30pm, was for a good cause.
The 550 megawatt is equivalent to 14 million fluorescent bulbs of 40 watt each.
"While this minor fall in demand will result in a slight shaving of our revenue, we accept that Earth Hour is for a good cause," said TNB president/chief executive officer Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh in a statement here Monday.
He said, during the one-hour period of the energy conservation initiative, TNB staff were extra vigilant, in the event of untoward operational snags.
"Everything went on very smoothly and we were able to respond to the slightly lower demand, without any operational glitch.
"Demand peaked almost rapidly at 9.30pm, to follow the normal Saturday evening demand pattern," added Che Khalib.
He said TNB was surprised by the support and appreciation demonstrated by many of its customers on the worldwide Earth Hour campaign. - Bernama
Rather, TNB accepted that the hour-long campaign, which began at 8.30pm, was for a good cause.
The 550 megawatt is equivalent to 14 million fluorescent bulbs of 40 watt each.
"While this minor fall in demand will result in a slight shaving of our revenue, we accept that Earth Hour is for a good cause," said TNB president/chief executive officer Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh in a statement here Monday.
He said, during the one-hour period of the energy conservation initiative, TNB staff were extra vigilant, in the event of untoward operational snags.
"Everything went on very smoothly and we were able to respond to the slightly lower demand, without any operational glitch.
"Demand peaked almost rapidly at 9.30pm, to follow the normal Saturday evening demand pattern," added Che Khalib.
He said TNB was surprised by the support and appreciation demonstrated by many of its customers on the worldwide Earth Hour campaign. - Bernama
In Support Of Earth Hour
MALAYSIANS joined in the call to take action on climate change when they turned their lights off for an hour to celebrate Earth Hour on Saturday.
The KL Tower welcomed 80 guests atop its Open Deck to witness the significant event. The guests from government agencies, corporations and the media watched the Petronas Twin Towers and other buildings in KL, Petaling Jaya and even Genting Highlands switch off their non-essential lights.
Beautiful: It was a party-like athmosphere at CapSquare where participants were entertained with games and performances by local celebrities
The event began at 8pm as Malaysian celebrity Lina Teoh welcomed guests and later headed the countdown when four KL Tower base jumpers performed their feat for the launch of Earth Hour.
For an entire hour, guests enjoyed their meal amid darkness while listening to live Malay traditional music provided by the KL Tower.
The Federal Territories Ministry secretary-general Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib said this year was the just the beginning for more events in the future.
“More than 50 government buildings from KL have joined in the Earth Hour and even the Cabinet agrees that it is an important event for the earth’s conservation,” Ahmad Phesal said.
Doing my bit: A supporter signing his pledge to conserve the environment at Sunway Pyramid.
For World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF)’s chief operating officer Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma, the journey for Earth Hour was made a little easier by the co-operation from all spheres.
“When we started, we wanted three main organisations to join in — the government, corporations and the public. They have all proved to be very helpful,” Sharma said.
“Few people were sceptical about the event, asking how much energy we can conserve but it is more than that. It is the awareness that people have about the climate change,” he added.
McNeil: ‘We must try not to indulge too much and live on appropriate portions.’
To pledge your support or find out details on how to save energy, log on to www.earthhour.org/malaysia.
At CapSquare in Kuala Lumpur, some 2,000 participants from all ages joined in the fun by signing up in the Walk of Hope minutes before the countdown began.
Dressed in similar black T-shirts and armed with a candlelight each, the participants walked along the 500m route accompanied by a marching band together with the Charm All-Stars Cheerleaders.
“The Walk of Hope idea was initiated to gather as many people as possible to send a message and make a stand against global warming and preserving the Earth for generations to come,” said BRDB senior manager Wayne Wong.
Wong added that tickets sales from the walk would be donated to WWF-Malaysia in its efforts against global warming.
At 8.30pm, the crowd cheered and partied in the dark as they were entertained with a host of low-powered shows which included an 18-prosperity drums ensemble, a fire-eating show, rhythm tap dancing as well as singing performances by various local artistes and ambassadors.
Besides that, an all-day Eco Bazaar was held selling clothes, accessories together with environment-friendly groups like the Malaysian Nature Society, Wild Asia, WWF and Rakan Muda-Eco Wing.
At the Starhill Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, YTL Corporation Berhad held an Earth Hour celebration at Shook! The event started with the countdown by the Tree Theatre Group followed by a story-telling session by Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and performances by Sean Ghazi, Deanna Yusoff, Jes Ebrahim and Wayang Lampu by Five Arts Centre.
A welcoming address was given by YTL Corporation director of investments Ruth Yeoh, who was very passionate about the effort.
“In taking the logical step to not only be a part of the Earth Hour and celebrating it as well, we have looked how technology has made our lives more comfortable.
At the event, the YTL Green Ribbon Award prize was presented to SM Sains Kuala Selangor, SM Assunta and SM Damansara Damai, who received RM3,000, RM2,000 and RM1,000 respectively.
At the Westin Hotel KL, StarMetro spoke to guest Susannah McNeil, 41, from Australia.
McNeil said education was an important way to teach people about the environment.
“It is nice to see even Westin getting behind this effort. We must try not to indulge too much and live on appropriate portions, which is just one of the ways we can help save the environment,” she said.
The hotel switched off its exterior signage lighting; dimmed non-essential interior lighting and used candlelight in public areas such as restaurants and bars to create the illuminating atmosphere.
At Mont’Kiara, children and adults alike waved their glow sticks and torchlights in sync with the Yayasan Anak Warisan Alam’s (Yawa) Eco Drum Circle performance, which artfully used recyclable objects like bins and bottles to create rhythmic beats.
The show was featured as part of the Earth Hour celebration at the Sunrise Fun Zone Community Centre.
Students from Global Issues Network at Mont’Kiara International School put up a simple play using glow sticks to form a globe and other props to demonstrate the effects of global warming and ways to save the planet, and gave an a-capella rendition of Joni Mitchel’s Big Yellow Taxi.
Other performances included a Taiko Drums ensemble comprising residents and Sunrise employees, and visitors singing in unison to Michael Jackson’s Earth Song.
Before the actual “lights off” hour, visitors took the opportunity to visit the several interactive eco booths where they learnt how to make natural potpourri and ‘exotic salad’ (rojak).
Supporting partners like Yawa distributed little plants for people to take home as part of its adopt-a-tree programme, while Justlife Group Sdn Bhd educated visitors about the benefits and process of making garbage enzyme.
The children took part in fun activities like painting eco bags and T-shirts, making edible dough flowers and getting a hands-on approach in gardening.
Insurance agent S. Hariharan brought his three children along to educate them about the environment.
“They already separate their garbage at home and witnessed first-hand what happens at the recycling centre. My son, Sri Ram, is very excited about the plant he got from Yawa and looks forward to seeing it grow,” said the Mont’Kiara resident.
Furniture outlet IKEA joined in the support for the event by turning off all non-essential lights in the IKEA Restaurant.
The lights on the facade of the store in Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, were also turned off.
IKEA Malaysia general manger Joseph Lau hoped that their actions would inspire people to take practical actions to support the initiative and reduce their own carbon footprints.
MixFM announcer Serena C and the Roadrunners crew were at hand to entertain customers and play games an hour before the lights went out.
At 8.30pm, IKEA managers and employees walked around the restaurant to place lamps on the tables so that diners could enjoy their dinner by candlelight.
The KL Stompers put up a live percussion performance with IKEA products.
To further spread the message, there were special offers on energy-saving bulbs and products.
Social and environment manager Ben Chong said the company used these bulbs where possible and had installed extra insulation to save energy on cooling.
“Here, we have water tanks installed in the building to accumulate rainwater for the sewage system, general cleaning and to flush the toilets.
“Our toilets are equipped with motion censors to save electricity when no one is using it,” he said.
He said so far, they had saved up to 13% on energy consumption compared with 2007.
At Sunway Pyramid, more than 500 people took part in the event. For the first time, Sunway Pyramid’s iconic lion head, Egyptian-style facade and street lighting were turned off.
Sunway resort Hotel and Spa turned off non-essential lights while the Sunway Lagoon Theme Park switched off lights at the pedestrian, palm trees, volcano and Wild Wild West. Sunway Medical Centre also turned off their facade lighting.
WWF Malaysia conservation director Dr Arun Venkataraman was proud that Malaysians were doing their part to support Earth Hour.
“Such concerted efforts to address climate change are urgent and crucial. According to climate modelling, may countries including Malaysia will experience significant future rainfall changes.
“(Therefore,) A Malaysian commitment to mitigate climate change will not only contribute towards reducing the global impact, but also help to ensure water and climate security for many future generations of Malaysians,” he said.
Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh, who officiated at the launch said: “Some may question the effectiveness of Earth Hour. The idea of turning off electricity for just an hour once a year seems silly, but what they don’t realise is the meaning behind the action. Our celebration today goes beyond turning off lights; it’s about our realisation of the current state of the environment,” she said.
Sunway University College students, led by Sunway Idol Benjamin Lin, sung Michael Jackson’s Heal The World. There was also an Earth Hour Poem recited by 14-year-old student Aina Nabilah, a Storm performance and song performances from the SMK Bandar Sunway special students.
The KL Tower welcomed 80 guests atop its Open Deck to witness the significant event. The guests from government agencies, corporations and the media watched the Petronas Twin Towers and other buildings in KL, Petaling Jaya and even Genting Highlands switch off their non-essential lights.
Beautiful: It was a party-like athmosphere at CapSquare where participants were entertained with games and performances by local celebrities
The event began at 8pm as Malaysian celebrity Lina Teoh welcomed guests and later headed the countdown when four KL Tower base jumpers performed their feat for the launch of Earth Hour.
For an entire hour, guests enjoyed their meal amid darkness while listening to live Malay traditional music provided by the KL Tower.
The Federal Territories Ministry secretary-general Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib said this year was the just the beginning for more events in the future.
“More than 50 government buildings from KL have joined in the Earth Hour and even the Cabinet agrees that it is an important event for the earth’s conservation,” Ahmad Phesal said.
Doing my bit: A supporter signing his pledge to conserve the environment at Sunway Pyramid.
For World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF)’s chief operating officer Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma, the journey for Earth Hour was made a little easier by the co-operation from all spheres.
“When we started, we wanted three main organisations to join in — the government, corporations and the public. They have all proved to be very helpful,” Sharma said.
“Few people were sceptical about the event, asking how much energy we can conserve but it is more than that. It is the awareness that people have about the climate change,” he added.
McNeil: ‘We must try not to indulge too much and live on appropriate portions.’
To pledge your support or find out details on how to save energy, log on to www.earthhour.org/malaysia.
At CapSquare in Kuala Lumpur, some 2,000 participants from all ages joined in the fun by signing up in the Walk of Hope minutes before the countdown began.
Dressed in similar black T-shirts and armed with a candlelight each, the participants walked along the 500m route accompanied by a marching band together with the Charm All-Stars Cheerleaders.
“The Walk of Hope idea was initiated to gather as many people as possible to send a message and make a stand against global warming and preserving the Earth for generations to come,” said BRDB senior manager Wayne Wong.
Wong added that tickets sales from the walk would be donated to WWF-Malaysia in its efforts against global warming.
At 8.30pm, the crowd cheered and partied in the dark as they were entertained with a host of low-powered shows which included an 18-prosperity drums ensemble, a fire-eating show, rhythm tap dancing as well as singing performances by various local artistes and ambassadors.
Besides that, an all-day Eco Bazaar was held selling clothes, accessories together with environment-friendly groups like the Malaysian Nature Society, Wild Asia, WWF and Rakan Muda-Eco Wing.
At the Starhill Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, YTL Corporation Berhad held an Earth Hour celebration at Shook! The event started with the countdown by the Tree Theatre Group followed by a story-telling session by Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and performances by Sean Ghazi, Deanna Yusoff, Jes Ebrahim and Wayang Lampu by Five Arts Centre.
A welcoming address was given by YTL Corporation director of investments Ruth Yeoh, who was very passionate about the effort.
“In taking the logical step to not only be a part of the Earth Hour and celebrating it as well, we have looked how technology has made our lives more comfortable.
At the event, the YTL Green Ribbon Award prize was presented to SM Sains Kuala Selangor, SM Assunta and SM Damansara Damai, who received RM3,000, RM2,000 and RM1,000 respectively.
At the Westin Hotel KL, StarMetro spoke to guest Susannah McNeil, 41, from Australia.
McNeil said education was an important way to teach people about the environment.
“It is nice to see even Westin getting behind this effort. We must try not to indulge too much and live on appropriate portions, which is just one of the ways we can help save the environment,” she said.
The hotel switched off its exterior signage lighting; dimmed non-essential interior lighting and used candlelight in public areas such as restaurants and bars to create the illuminating atmosphere.
At Mont’Kiara, children and adults alike waved their glow sticks and torchlights in sync with the Yayasan Anak Warisan Alam’s (Yawa) Eco Drum Circle performance, which artfully used recyclable objects like bins and bottles to create rhythmic beats.
The show was featured as part of the Earth Hour celebration at the Sunrise Fun Zone Community Centre.
Students from Global Issues Network at Mont’Kiara International School put up a simple play using glow sticks to form a globe and other props to demonstrate the effects of global warming and ways to save the planet, and gave an a-capella rendition of Joni Mitchel’s Big Yellow Taxi.
Other performances included a Taiko Drums ensemble comprising residents and Sunrise employees, and visitors singing in unison to Michael Jackson’s Earth Song.
Before the actual “lights off” hour, visitors took the opportunity to visit the several interactive eco booths where they learnt how to make natural potpourri and ‘exotic salad’ (rojak).
Supporting partners like Yawa distributed little plants for people to take home as part of its adopt-a-tree programme, while Justlife Group Sdn Bhd educated visitors about the benefits and process of making garbage enzyme.
The children took part in fun activities like painting eco bags and T-shirts, making edible dough flowers and getting a hands-on approach in gardening.
Insurance agent S. Hariharan brought his three children along to educate them about the environment.
“They already separate their garbage at home and witnessed first-hand what happens at the recycling centre. My son, Sri Ram, is very excited about the plant he got from Yawa and looks forward to seeing it grow,” said the Mont’Kiara resident.
Furniture outlet IKEA joined in the support for the event by turning off all non-essential lights in the IKEA Restaurant.
The lights on the facade of the store in Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, were also turned off.
IKEA Malaysia general manger Joseph Lau hoped that their actions would inspire people to take practical actions to support the initiative and reduce their own carbon footprints.
MixFM announcer Serena C and the Roadrunners crew were at hand to entertain customers and play games an hour before the lights went out.
At 8.30pm, IKEA managers and employees walked around the restaurant to place lamps on the tables so that diners could enjoy their dinner by candlelight.
The KL Stompers put up a live percussion performance with IKEA products.
To further spread the message, there were special offers on energy-saving bulbs and products.
Social and environment manager Ben Chong said the company used these bulbs where possible and had installed extra insulation to save energy on cooling.
“Here, we have water tanks installed in the building to accumulate rainwater for the sewage system, general cleaning and to flush the toilets.
“Our toilets are equipped with motion censors to save electricity when no one is using it,” he said.
He said so far, they had saved up to 13% on energy consumption compared with 2007.
At Sunway Pyramid, more than 500 people took part in the event. For the first time, Sunway Pyramid’s iconic lion head, Egyptian-style facade and street lighting were turned off.
Sunway resort Hotel and Spa turned off non-essential lights while the Sunway Lagoon Theme Park switched off lights at the pedestrian, palm trees, volcano and Wild Wild West. Sunway Medical Centre also turned off their facade lighting.
WWF Malaysia conservation director Dr Arun Venkataraman was proud that Malaysians were doing their part to support Earth Hour.
“Such concerted efforts to address climate change are urgent and crucial. According to climate modelling, may countries including Malaysia will experience significant future rainfall changes.
“(Therefore,) A Malaysian commitment to mitigate climate change will not only contribute towards reducing the global impact, but also help to ensure water and climate security for many future generations of Malaysians,” he said.
Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh, who officiated at the launch said: “Some may question the effectiveness of Earth Hour. The idea of turning off electricity for just an hour once a year seems silly, but what they don’t realise is the meaning behind the action. Our celebration today goes beyond turning off lights; it’s about our realisation of the current state of the environment,” she said.
Sunway University College students, led by Sunway Idol Benjamin Lin, sung Michael Jackson’s Heal The World. There was also an Earth Hour Poem recited by 14-year-old student Aina Nabilah, a Storm performance and song performances from the SMK Bandar Sunway special students.
PM: Malays Started Fight For Independence
KUALA LUMPUR: It is historically true that nationalism and the struggle for independence was first started by the Malays, says the Prime Minister.
However, the country gained independence after the Malays, Chinese and Indian communities united to fight to free the country from British rule, said Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Commenting on Education Minister Datuk Seri Hisham-muddin Tun Hussein’s statement on the role of the Malays in the country’s Independence that has caused some unhappiness among other races, Abdullah said “it’s a fact” and true that the Malays, led by Datuk Onn Jaafar, initiated the struggle for Independence.
Saying that “history cannot be forgotten and erased”, he added that Tunku Abdul Rahman took over Umno’s leadership from Datuk Onn and formed an alliance – Perikatan – with MCA and MIC which eventually saw the country gaining its Independence.
Abdullah said as there were also other races in the country, Tunku Abdul Rahman had the wisdom to bring all together in the struggle.
“Because all the races came together and were united in the cause, the British had no chance to divide and rule. They granted Independence,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the country continued to be governed by the Barisan Nasional under the concept of the people’s participation through the parties that represented all the races.
Meanwhile, Hishammuddin has denied he excluded the involvement of the MCA and MIC when he talked about the process of attaining the country’s independence, saying that several vernacular newspapers had quoted him out of context.
Source: TheStar
However, the country gained independence after the Malays, Chinese and Indian communities united to fight to free the country from British rule, said Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Commenting on Education Minister Datuk Seri Hisham-muddin Tun Hussein’s statement on the role of the Malays in the country’s Independence that has caused some unhappiness among other races, Abdullah said “it’s a fact” and true that the Malays, led by Datuk Onn Jaafar, initiated the struggle for Independence.
Saying that “history cannot be forgotten and erased”, he added that Tunku Abdul Rahman took over Umno’s leadership from Datuk Onn and formed an alliance – Perikatan – with MCA and MIC which eventually saw the country gaining its Independence.
Abdullah said as there were also other races in the country, Tunku Abdul Rahman had the wisdom to bring all together in the struggle.
“Because all the races came together and were united in the cause, the British had no chance to divide and rule. They granted Independence,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the country continued to be governed by the Barisan Nasional under the concept of the people’s participation through the parties that represented all the races.
Meanwhile, Hishammuddin has denied he excluded the involvement of the MCA and MIC when he talked about the process of attaining the country’s independence, saying that several vernacular newspapers had quoted him out of context.
Source: TheStar
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