19 April 2024

On Today Show
— Jeffery Baudi, Resident Representative of SFI Housing Park – Facing Eviction: A Year in Darkness
— Gebriel Atong, activist from Punan Bah, Belaga – GPS slogan: Sarawak First? Lets see what happened in Bakun Dam
— Abun Sui, Senator of PKR Sarawak – Seeking Justice: The Ongoing Legal Battle Over Bakun Dam Compensation
— S Arutchelvan, deputy chairperson of PSM – Combatting Inflation: The Case for Increasing Malaysia's Minimum Wage to RM2,000


Topik Pada Hari Ini
- Jeffery Baudi, Wakil Penduduk Taman Perumahan SFI - Menghadapi Pengusiran: Setahun dalam Kegelapan
- Gebriel Atong, Aktivis dari Punan Bah, Belaga - Slogan GPS: Sarawak Pertama? Mari Kita Lihat Apa yang Berlaku di Empangan Bakun
- Abun Sui, Senator PKR Sarawak - Mencari Keadilan: Pertempuran Undang-Undang Berterusan Mengenai Pampasan Empangan Bakun
- S Arutchelvan, Timbalan Pengerusi PSM - Memerangi Inflasi: Hujah untuk Menambah Gaji Minimum Malaysia kepada RM2,000

  • *Special Randau*

    1. Najib Razak and his son Mohd Nazifuddin must settle their tax arrears amounting to RM1.7 billion for the years 2011 to 2017. The decision was reached after a panel of 5 judges from the Federal Court convened last Monday. Led by Tan Sri Iskandar Abang Hasyim, the judges unanimously rejected Najib and his son's appeal against the LHDN assessment of the tax amount.

    2. An attempt to smuggle red onions into Indonesia was foiled by the Malaysian Army in the Bau area, Sarawak. A vehicle driven by two men was found to be carrying 53 boxes of red onions believed to be intended for smuggling into Indonesia. The value of the red onions was RM3,180. Previously, items such as flour, rice, cooking oil, as well as petrol and diesel, were also smuggled from Bau to Indonesia.

    3. SW Corp is currently investigating rice and kitchen items being dumped at the garbage disposal site in Rympun Makmur, Temerloh, Pahang. Hundreds of sacks of rice and piles of kitchen items being dumped have raised questions among residents.

    4. Several lawyers have expressed opinions and raised questions. Can the Agong/King issue a house arrest order, grant pardons, and reduce sentences? Is it within the power to instruct a criminal to serve a sentence in a specific way, such as house arrest? Lawyers Andrew Khoo and Go Cia Yee believe that only the Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) and the Prisons Department have acts that cover such matters.

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    Jeffery Baudi, Resident Representative of SFI Housing Park

    *Facing Eviction: A Year in Darkness*

    Residents of the SFI Housing Estate received info that the Sabah Foundation and the Sabah Forest Department will evict residents from the SFI Housing Estate in the near future.

    We are waiting, but they have not come - Jeffery Baudi said. We will not move until there is an order from the court. Even if there is an order from the court. We will still challenge the order through legal channels. In terms of rights, our rights are still guaranteed by GTI- through agreements with several Banks. Therefore, the actions of Yayasan Sabah and the Sabah Land Department to kick us out are very irresponsible.

    Jeffrey said that, next May, it's been 1 year since the residents of Taman Perumahan SFI live in darkness and without clean water. The water and electricity supply has been cut off by the SFI management to force us to move in May 2023. During the last month of fasting and Eid, they are in dire straits.

    he said that they live in poverty. For now only Warisan party representatives came to visit them.

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    Gebriel Atong, activist from Punan Bah, Belaga

    *GPS slogan: Sarawak First? Lets see what happened in Bakun Dam*

    ¬¬¬The completion of the Bakun Dam 25 years ago has not resolved the challenges faced by the children of Punan Bah, downstream of Bakun, who still need to take boats to school due to the lack of express boat services and unrepaired roads. Gebriel Atong stated that GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) has been the state government for over 50 years and should understand the situation and difficulties of the inland people, with sufficient time to address the infrastructure problems they face.

    He mentioned that even the schools there still rely on generators for electricity. Education is a fundamental right, yet children are learning in facilities without complete equipment. He expressed that GPS's slogan is "Sarawak First," but this is just a slogan without real action. This raises doubts about who the "first" is focused on. Sarawak is rich in natural resources, but the inland people live in poverty.

    He called on communities in areas where dams are being constructed to consider the difficulties faced by the people of Bakun Dam.

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    Abun Sui, Senator of PKR Sarawak

    *Seeking Justice: The Ongoing Legal Battle Over Bakun Dam Compensation*

    The Senator stated that this case has been ongoing since the construction of the Bakun Dam. Some communities have been dissatisfied with their compensation since the relocation to Sg ASAP in 1998. A total of 15 villages from Ulu Sg Balui were affected. The amount of compensation given at that time was deemed inadequate, so several groups filed lawsuits for their compensation in court. During the initial claims, several law firms represented the villagers, and now the villagers have asked the Senator to bring their case to the Attorney General. Although this case has been settled, the dissatisfaction of the people regarding this compensation has not ceased because there is still one last witness who has not testified in court as the case has been transferred to the Attorney General. This means that only one last witness is left to testify. Therefore, the lawyers handling this case need to recall all parties involved, including the Attorney General who was involved at that time. Hence, this case should be reheard with the decision of the judge and the testimony of the last witness

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    S Arutchelvan, deputy chairperson of PSM

    *Combatting Inflation: The Case for Increasing Malaysia's Minimum Wage to RM2,000*

    Why is there a need to increase the minimum wage to RM2,000? The minimum wage needs to be reviewed every two years. The current minimum wage is RM1,500. We suggest RM2,000 because if we look at our poverty line, it is RM2,589. According to the Minimum Wage Act, there is a formula to calculate the minimum wage, which considers productivity wage, inflation, and other factors. For example, if we consider a 3% consumer price index and unemployment rate, the minimum wage for the urban sector should be RM2,568, while for rural areas, it should be RM1,884. Therefore, the overall national minimum wage should be RM2,244. Our suggestion is much lower than these indexes. Even the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (CUEPACS) suggests RM2,000 for civil servants, which is lower than what Bank Negara has suggested. Currently, with a minimum wage of RM1,500, the victims are those with very low income.


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