双溪威新村5日办“”反公害，除五毒“纪录片放映会

（双溪威7月4日讯）为了提高双溪威村民的环保意识以及加强村民对各种环保议题的认识，甘榜东姑州议员刘永山将于7月5日晚上8点在双溪威新村礼堂召开一项题为“反公害，除五毒”的两小时纪录片放映会。

甘榜东姑州议员刘永山表示：“澳洲莱纳斯公司在关丹建提炼稀土的工厂，而引起了居民的强烈不满，后者从2011年开始发动一连串的情愿和抗议，包括采取法律诉讼和举办绿色大集会等等，掀起了全国人民反对环境公害的觉醒和决心；也引发了传媒对全马各地环境公害问题的关注。”

他指出，这项活动除了能够增进各地人民对各种公害问题的认识，也将能激发公众对反公害的决心，以便更多人能投入于这项社会运动。我们相信，环境运动的壮大，将能直接促进马来西亚的民主化进程；也能够让人民在生存权和居住权的实际捍卫过程中，直接的体认言论自由，资讯自由，决定权，集会和结社自由等等基本人权的重要性。

“反五毒，除公害”记录片放映会是甘榜东姑州议员服务中心和人民记录电影工作室一起联办。该工作室负责人周泽南先生和杨艾琳小姐到时将会准备一部MV和8部5至15分钟的短片给公众观赏，并现场接受公众发问。”

刘永山说：“这8部短片分别陈述当今马来西亚所面对的五害，即关丹莱纳斯稀土厂、武吉公满新村山埃采金污染、柔佛边加兰石化工业的化学污染、砂拉越巴贡水坝对环境的破坏以及砂拉越万年烟（Balingan）炼铝厂所造成的空气污染。”

活动是以华语进行，欢迎双溪威村民和八打灵再也市民踊跃出席。

Mitsubishi Quietly Cleans Up Its Former Refinery

Lai Kwan prepares to bathe her son, Cheah Kok Leong, who was born with severe mental disabilities. She believes that his condition is related to the radioactive exposure she received while working at the Mitsubishi Chemical’s refinery in Bukit Merah.

By KEITH BRADSHER (The New York Times)

BUKIT MERAH, Malaysia — Hidden here in the jungles of north-central Malaysia, in a broad valley fringed with cave-pocked limestone cliffs topped with acacia and durian trees, lies the site of the largest radiation cleanup yet in the rare earth industry.

Residents blamed a rare earth refinery for birth defects and eight leukemia cases within five years in a community of 11,000 — after many years with no leukemia cases. Seven of the leukemia victims have since died.

The Bukit Merah case is little known even elsewhere in Malaysia, and virtually unknown in the West, because Mitsubishi Chemical quietly agreed to fix the problem even without a legal order to do so. Local protesters had contacted Japanese environmentalists and politicians, who in turn helped persuade the image-conscious company to close the refinery in 1992 and subsequently spend an estimated $100 million to clean up the site.

Image-burnishing was important because the company is part of the Mitsubishi Group of Companies, which has long made Malaysia the cornerstone of its southeast Asian operations. The group has dominant positions in manufacturing a range of products, including air-conditioners and cars.

Mitsubishi Chemical also reached an out-of-court settlement with residents here by agreeing to donate $164,000 to the community’s schools, while denying any responsibility for illnesses.

Osamu Shimizu, the director of Asian Rare Earth, the Mitsubishi Chemical subsidiary that owns the mine, declined to discuss details of the factory’s operation before it closed in 1992. But he said that the company was committed to a safe and complete cleanup.

Workers in protective gear have already removed 11,000 truckloads of radioactively contaminated material, hauling away every trace of the old refinery and even tainted soil from beneath it, down to the bedrock as much as 25 feet below, said Anthony Goh, the consultant overseeing the project for one of Mitsubishi’s contractors, GeoSyntec, an Atlanta-based firm.

To dispose of the radioactive material, engineers have cut the top off a hill three miles away in a forest reserve, buried the material inside the hill’s core and then entombed it under more than 20 feet of clay and granite.

The toughest part of the Bukit Merah cleanup will come this summer, when robots and workers in protective gear are to start trying to move more than 80,000 steel barrels of radioactive waste from a concrete bunker. They will mix it with cement and gypsum, and then permanently store it in the hilltop repository.

The refinery processed slag from old tin mines — material rich in rare earth ore. The company and Malaysian regulators said that it was statistically possible that the leukemia cases were a coincidence because tin mining towns tend to have above-average levels of background radiation. But an academic study of another tin mining town suggested that communities of Bukit Merah’s size should only have one leukemia case every 30 years.

Lai Kwan, aged 69, still recalls how she cheerfully moved in the 1980s from a sawmill job to a better-paying position in the refinery that involved proximity to radioactive materials. She remembers that while pregnant, she was told to take an unpaid day off only on days when the factory bosses said that a particularly dangerous consignment of ore had arrived.

She has spent the last 29 years washing, dressing, feeding and otherwise taking care of her son from that pregnancy, who was born with severe mental and physical disabilities. She and other local residents blame the refinery for the problems, although birth defects can have many causes.

“We saw it as a chance to get better pay,” Ms. Lai recalled. “We didn’t know what they were producing.”

巴生．莎阿南二區壓縮轉運站 下週起處理 梳邦 八打靈垃圾

《中国报》

（巴生19日訊）莎阿南第二區垃圾壓縮轉運站一旦操作順利，從下週開始，梳邦再也和八打靈再也部分地區的垃圾將送往該處處理和壓縮，再載到而欖垃圾土埋場。

這個垃圾壓縮轉運站于上周二開始操作，轉運站內共有8個垃圾槽，16架垃圾垃圾車及兩個大錘，莎阿南區的垃圾都會送來這，除了莎阿南北區。

垃圾壓縮轉運站是由中央政府在2008年12月撥款7700萬令吉興建，由World Wide公司經營。

雪州行政議員劉天球指出，一旦該垃圾壓縮轉運站操作順利，下週開始，梳邦再也及八打靈再也部分地區的垃圾，也會送來此處。

一天處理200噸垃圾

他說，一輛垃圾車一次可以承載20噸的垃圾，而一個垃圾槽可以容下5個垃圾車的垃圾。由于地點靠近莎阿南，垃圾車一天可以載4次垃圾。該廠目前一天可以處理200噸的垃圾。

他今午巡視垃圾壓縮運轉站時，這么指出。

陪同者包括莎阿南市長拿督莫哈末查爾發、World Wide公司總經理贊里阿都拉曼以及莎阿南市政廳官員們。

他說，由于地點遠離市區，所以垃圾所散發出來的異味，不會帶為民眾帶來困擾，而壓縮垃圾的好處是可將原本數量龐大的垃圾，壓縮成一輛垃圾車的數量。

“垃圾在壓縮后，會載往而欖垃圾土埋場。”

他指出，只要該廠的垃圾槽及垃圾車開始全面運作，相信莎阿南的垃圾問題會得到進一步改善。

Malaysia should focus on the production of second generation biodiesel using waste oil instead of palm oil

The federal government should redirect its focus to produce biodiesel or biofuel using waste oil instead of precious palm oil which is food product by itself.

Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy Minister Hamzah Zainudin said that the fuel is currently sold at six petrol stations in Putrajaya and 107 petrol stations in Malacca. He said that beginning 1 August 2011, 156 petrol stations in Negri Sembilan would sell the B5 palm-oil based biodiesel. As many as 247 petrol stations in Kuala Lumpur will begin selling B5 on Sept 1 and then Selangor will follow suit on Oct 1 with 634 stations offering the fuel to customers. He said that so far, there will be 1,150 petrol stations in the central region retail the B5 biodiesel.

While claiming that there is no adverse effect of palm oil-based biodiesel reported to date from the use of palm oil-based B5 biodiesel in diesel engine vehicles, the government should redirect its focus by utilizing waste oil to produce B5 biodiesel instead of using palm oil.

The utilization of palm oil or other feedstocks to produce biodiesel has sparked off the “food vs. fuel” dilemma in some countries. According to Wikipedia, “Food vs. fuel” is the dilemma regarding the risk of diverting farmland or crops for biofuels production in detriment of the food supply on a global scale.

Although Brazil has been considered to have the world's first sustainable biofuels economy and its government claims Brazil's sugar cane based ethanol industry has not contributed to the 2008 food crisis, Malaysia should not take the dilemma lightly as an unsustainable biofuel policy will definitely dampen the economic burden of Malaysians with higher prices of cooking oils.

I urged the government to also study the possible negative impact of mass production of biodiesel or any other types of biofuel which will affect prices of food items. It will be counterproductive if the government were to further subsidise food items if a further price hike for food items happened due to the production of biodiesel from food items like palm oil with the intention of reducing subsidies for fossil fuels. Such treat cannot be taken lightly as Malaysia is currently producing biodiesel from crude palm oil which is also a raw material to produce edible cooking oil in Malaysia.

One alternative that we should explore is to utilize waste industrial oil and waste cooking oil to produce second generation biodiesel as these byproducts are readily available in large quantity with lower cost of production. However, more researches are required to study its feasibility. I believe our government will be investing in the right direction if more allocations are channeled for such researches to be carried out.

Environmental protection and greener surrounding is not for show only. It is something that we have to work hard in order to bear fruits.

联邦政府应该修改2007年固体废料和公共卫生法令，伸缩性让地方政府共同管理垃圾处理

房屋及地方政府部长曹智雄昨天在国会表示联邦政府将会接管全马3家固体废料承包公司，通过私营化公司处理固体废料。

曹智雄也说，一旦这3家固体废料公司接管全国各地的固体废料和垃圾处理工作之后，他保证这3家公司的表现将有所提升，尤其是备受争议的Alam Flora公司。

我对部长的言论感到非常失望。看来部长对Alam Flora在过去12年无法有效解决雪隆日益严峻的垃圾问题视而不见，听而不闻。我要质问部长，如果过去12年Alam Flora无法有效处理雪隆地区的垃圾问题，何以该公司在接下来的21年能够办好这份工作？

虽然确实有许多县市议会无法如期偿还欠款予Alam Flora，但是在一些准时偿还款项予Alam Flora的县市议会，该公司的服务素质依然非常逊色。既然如此，为何联邦政府还继续和Alam Flora签署长达21年的合约？

既然过去12年已经证明Alam Flora无法有效提升管辖区的垃圾处理服务，为何联邦政府不修改2007年固体废料和公共卫生法令，让州政府和地方政府也能够依据本身的能力处理管辖区的垃圾问题，或者是通过公开招标让其他有能力的私人公司参与呢？

巴生市议会是最好例子。由于巴生市议会部分清洁工作已经不再由Alam Flora负责，结果巴生市议会成功成功达致270万令吉的盈余。在308政治大海啸之前，巴生市议会背负高达120万令吉财政赤字。

雪州政府也决定成立子公司投入固体废料处理行列，与目前垄断市场的Alam Flora进行良性竞争。这项机制将会在明年起将率先在巴生落实。民联政府相信，两家公司之间的良性竞争，相信能让市民获得更高效率的服务。

联邦政府应该知道，Alam Flora服务欠佳的原因就是其所委任的承包商无法提供有素质和令人满意的服务效率。虽然垃圾费由地方政府负责偿还，但是这些承包商全部由Alam Flora委任，反而地方政府无法参与整个委任过程。如此黑箱作业才是导致Alam Flora服务素质遭人诟病的原因。

如果要解决这个问题，联邦政府应该下放权力，让地方政府和州政府参与承包商的遴选和监督过程，并且允许地方政府委任本身的承包商来弥补Alam Flora不足之处，而不是和Alam Flora签约，一概让Alam Flora处理管辖区的固体废料和公共卫生工作。

Pressure mounts for Alam Flora to deliver

[By ELAN PERUMAL and CHOONG MEK ZHIN, The Star Metro]


THE pressure for Alam Flora Sdn Bhd (AFSB) to perform is mounting with local authorities playing the main role in taking action as the expiry date of the company’s annual contracts approach.

Recently, the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) decided to take over the sub-contractor tender process from Alam Flora and change it to an open tender system.

The decision, which was deemed controversial, was suspended by the Selangor government but not before 61 contracts out of more than 240 were already awarded.

It was reported that once the three-year contract is awarded, revoking it is impossible. The MPSJ tender board comprising the council president, four councillors, state legal director, state director of quantity surveying and representatives from the State Economic Planning Unit (Upen) were said to have little knowledge on rubbish collection.


Team work: Alam Flora workers cleaning up the streets of Bandar Melawati, Kuala Lumpur commercial centre, during the recent gotong-royong with members of the community.
One of the council members, PAS representative Roslan Shahrir Mohd Shahir, defended the exercise, saying it was done after consulting the state government and Alam Flora.

According to councillor Pooi Weng Keong, AFSB was to be an observer on the board while previously it held the power to determine which company gets the RM70mil annual waste collection and cleaning contract in Subang Jaya.

However, he said AFSB’s commission remained the same as the operations manager in charge of monitoring and managing the sub-contractors.

He added that the process was supposed to have saved RM3.5mil in ratepayers’ money.

Meanhwile, the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) will be embarking on a pilot project to take over Alam Flora’s services after submitting a proposal to the state in January this year.

The project, to begin in June, will see the council, which was ranked worst in terms of waste management in a merderareview.com survey, take charge of 30% of the waste collection while the rest will be taken over gradually from Alam Flora.

MPKj president Datuk Hassan Nawawi Abdul Rahman said that they would meet with the Solid Waste Management Corporation (PPSPPA) for discussions and the council would need to purchase 46 compactors for RM11.5mil and hire 184 workers and drivers.

In Ampang, the proposal not to renew AFSB’s contract that ends in April was supported unanimously by Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) councillors.

The proposal was to be forwarded to the state government but council president Datuk Mohammad Yacob said the bulk of the money, RM35mil, used for solid waste collection and road cleaning would remain the same.

Contracts for each local council may differ in terms of the services provided, like in Petaling Jaya where AFSB was contracted by the Petaling Jaya City Council to remove illegal banners between 2009 and 2010, with their fees cut whenever a complaint is lodged.

In 2009, it was reported that handing the task of waste management to the local councils may result in people living on the outskirts of cities ending up with sub-standard services due to lack of resources.

However, the local council had handled waste management before AFSB was set up in 1998.

“There is some improvement since AFSB took over waste management. For instance, the trucks used by the then Petaling Jaya Municipal Council (MPPJ) were in a bad state,” All-Petaling Jaya Selangor Residents Association Coalition (Apac) adviser and former chairman Liew Wei Beng said.

Grass-cutting and other maintenance work that comes under the responsibility of Alam Flora also took a turn for the better though Liew said that there was still room for improvement.


Tedious chore: Alam Flora workers weeding the pavement in Bandar Melawati, Kuala Lumpur during the gotong-royong.
“As for the council taking back the job of waste collection, I believe it will be a costly move as they will need to purchase equipment and hire staff.

“It has also been some time since they did it and their lack of experience could make the move a bad one,” Liew said.

Alam Flora, however, has started to work on new ways to solve the problems they face including illegal dumping.

These steps include installing CCTVs at dumping hotspots as well as proposing innovative new ways of disposing trash by using bacteria.

Other plans for waste management include building incinerators which was a hot topic in Ampang during the MPAJ 2020 Draft Plan hearings that had both locals and people all the way from Petaling Jaya objecting both in person and through objection submissions.

The project is believed to be able to bring the cost of waste management down as waste transportation costs are high and the MPAJ does not have its own solid waste management centre.

All this is happening as the Federal Government, according to various reports, plans to take control of solid waste management in the peninsula by enforcing the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleanliness Act 2007 from April 1.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung had said that with full privatisation coordinated by the ministry’s Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Department, the appointed concessionaires would be subjected to a standard key performance index and have strict requirements to meet.

“Enforcing the Act means interim agreements between concessionaires of solid waste management facilities and local councils would be turned into concession agreements,” he said, adding that the status change enabled the companies to improve their services and apply for bank loans for upgrades or staff increase.

AFSB assumes the full spectrum of solid waste management operations in Selangor, Pahang, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya and handles 2.1million tonnes of waste annually from almost 8.7million customers, ranging from private homeowners to mega corporations.

Services rendered include cradle-to-grave waste management solutions, encompassing solid waste collection and recovery and final disposal of the waste.

The company also provides specialised services such as road sweeping, drain and tunnel cleaning, grass cutting, bulk waste collection, illegal waste clearing and post-celebration cleaning.

Workers straying from their jobs for a fast buck

[By ELAN PERUMAL and CHOONG MEK ZHIN, The Star Metro]

RECYCLING is a good practice but it becomes a problem when Alam Flora workers start doing it on taxpayers’ time while failing to complete their responsibilities.

This is what residents of Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya, claims is happening in their area.

Resident, Liew Wei Beng, who is also All-Petaling Jaya Selangor Residents Association Coalition (Apac) adviser, said the Alam Flora contractor in the area had been changed sometime in October last year.

“When the workers first started, they were very hardworking and residents enjoyed clean roads and excellent services. They even cleaned up the parks here,” he said.

According to Liew, it was about two months ago that the workers started recycling and that took up their time that should have been spent on other tasks such as sweeping roads.


Good collection: Alam Flora workers with their day’s collection of recyclable items.
“In the morning, before the garbage collection trucks come around, the workers will sweep the streets clean. However, now they go around rummaging through the trash for recyclables,” he said.

He also said that although grass-cutting was carried out in the park, the workers no longer cleared the cut grass.

In the afternoon, the workers can be seen going to recycling centres in nearby Taman SEA to sell whatever they have collected.

It was reported that the Petaling Jaya City Council’s (MBPJ) 2011 budget allocation for Alam Flora services such as drain cleaning, rubbish collection and park cleaning, saw an increase from RM12mil to RM60.38mil.

This is due to the increased number of contractors after a re-zoning exercise to achieve higher efficiency.


Liew: Alam Flora workers now busy looking for recyclable items.
Mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman was quoted as saying that the past two years had seen the MBPJ budgeting only RM48mil while it had to pay AFSB RM60mil.

“In fact, we have not increased the rates since 1997 despite numerous requests from Alam Flora,” Roslan said, adding that the new rates ensured contractors were paid according to an inventory to ensure they did the jobs assigned as opposed to giving them one lump sum.

He also said that the council’s expenditure on waste management was still among the lowest as compared to RM70mil spent by the Shah Alam City Council and the Subang Jaya Municipal Council.

Liew said residents were not getting their value for money, particularly when such incidents of workers shirking their duties took place.

”Alam Flora should be monitoring their contractors properly,” Liew said.

No termination plans, Alam Flora stays

[By ELAN PERUMAL and CHOONG MEK ZHIN, The Star Metro]

Alam Flora’s services are now under scrutiny and the state is working with the local authorities to improve on complaints.

THE Selangor Government has no plans to terminate the services of Alam Flora Sdn Bhd despite talk that this could happen.

However, the state feels that there is much to be done in terms of technicalities if the Federal government wishes to implement the Solid Waste Management Act 2007.

While the services of Alam Flora contractors are being scrutinised by the local authorities, state environment committee chairman Elizabeth Wong said the state had not made any decision to terminate the services of the solid waste management company.

She said Alam Flora had come under a lot of criticism due to ineffecient services provided by its contractors and the local authorities had the right to deal with the situation.

She also said there had been instances where the services of Alam Flora contractors had been terminated by the local authorities.

“The action taken by the local authorities should not be miscontrued as the state planning to terminate Alam Flora’s services.

“We are working closely with the local authorities to improve waste management services in their respective areas,” Wong said.

According to her, Alam Flora provided its services to 11 of the 12 local authorities in Selangor.

She said the Hulu Selangor District Council had refused to sign an agreement with Alam Flora from the very beginning.

“The council has its own garbage recycling centre and is able to manage its waste in a moderate way,” Wong explained.

She also said that the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) was carrying out a dry run to see how it could provide more efficient garbage management services in the municipality.

She said Kajang was unique as it had a wider area of coverage and faced a lot problems with garbage management.

“It has a number of illegal garbage disposal centres.

“This has led the council to try out something different in its bid to resolve the situation,” she said.

Wong also said the state was unhappy over several key issues related to the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Act.

She said there were many grey areas that needed to be addressed, especially the type of services to be offered by Alam Flora.

“The Federal Government wants Alam Flora to take over everything including grass-cutting and beach-cleaning services.

“We want to know how services like these are under the ambit of the Act,” she said.

Meanwhile, an official from Alam Flora said the company had no final say in the appointment of the contractors.

“We submit a list of contractors to the local authorities and they are the ones who make the appointments.

“They will update us with the list of the appointed contractors and we do the monitoring,” he said, adding that Alam Flora received between four and five percent as management fees for its role.

Elizabeth Wong claims plastic bags are ‘massive’ environmental problem

By Boo Su-Lyn November 12, 2010

SHAH ALAM, Nov 12 — Selangor executive councillor Elizabeth Wong has defended the state government’s plastic bags policy by declaring it a “massive” environmental issue but provided little evidence of the severity of the problem in the state.
Scientists and international environmentalists have dismissed plastic bags as a non-issue, pointing out that anti-plastic bag campaigns are based on exaggerated claims and flawed science.

But Wong, a major proponent of the policy which has caused unhappiness among some voters in the state, said it was an issue of waste.

“It (plastic bag) is an issue of waste,” she told The Malaysian Insider yesterday.

“Waste is an environmental threat. It’s a massive environmental issue. When it (plastic bag) breaks down, it breaks down to dangerous particles,” she said, adding that plastic bottles and styrofoam also contributed to waste.

The state Tourism, Consumer Affairs and Environment Committee chairman, however, did not provide the percentage of plastic bags in the state’s total waste stream.

Selangor’s “No Plastic Bag Day” policy, which bans free plastic bags on Saturdays, has caused business declines, and annoyed voters who deride the ban as inconvenient and ultimately having little impact on the environment.

Hypermarkets and retail shops in the country’s wealthiest state say they have suffered business declines of up to 30 per cent on Saturdays since Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s administration implemented the policy across shopping malls, retail chains and hypermarkets, among others, in January this year.

Selangor charges 20 sen per plastic bag on Saturdays.

Wong, however, stressed that the state’s anti-plastic bag policy was not a form of token environmentalism as the state government also ran other environmental campaigns.

“That’s not the only thing the Selangor government is doing. There’s water, waste, rivers, protection of forests, transport. We’re also running a climate change policy,” said the Bukit Lanjan assemblywoman.

“We want to show people that if you change a little in consumer habits, it goes a long way,” she added.

Wong also said the state’s “No Plastic Bag Day” policy was run under the Consumer Affairs branch of her committee.

“I’m running this campaign under Consumer Affairs, not Environment,” she said.

During the state assembly sitting yesterday, Wong stressed that the government’s aim was to reduce usage of plastic bags, but not to eradicate it.

“We’re not running a campaign to ban, or stop the usage of plastic bags, but to show users that plastic bags have their value. It’s not free or gratis. The basis of plastic bags is petrochemical which is a limited resource,” she said.

On the Selangor government’s “No Plastic Bag Day” campaign website, plastic bags are blamed for the deaths of marine animals and for polluting rivers and beaches.

There is, however, little evidence that plastic bags pose a huge threat to the environment as the state government has made it out to be.

Scientists, politicians and marine experts have reportedly slammed the British government for joining a “bandwagon” based on flawed science, after then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced in 2008 that he would force supermarkets to charge for plastic bags.

“This is one of many examples where you get bad science leading to bad decisions which are counter-productive. Attacking plastic bags makes people feel good but it doesn’t achieve anything,” Sense about Science chairman Lord Taverne was quoted as saying in British daily The Times in 2008.

Experts have also reportedly dismissed widely stated claims that plastic bags kill 100,000 marine animals and a million seabirds every year.

This figure is reportedly based on a misinterpretation of a 1987 Canadian study in Newfoundland, which found that more than 100,000 marine mammals, including birds, were killed by discarded nets between 1981 and 1984. There was no mention of plastic bags in the study.

According to David Santillo, a marine biologist at Greenpeace, evidence showed that few animals were killed by plastic bags.

“With larger mammals it’s fishing gear that’s the big problem. On a global basis plastic bags aren’t an issue. We are not going to solve the problem of waste by focusing on plastic bags,” he was quoted as saying in The Times.

The British daily also quoted Professor Geoff Boxshall, a marine biologist at the Natural History Museum in London, as saying: “I’ve never seen a bird killed by a plastic bag. Other forms of plastic in the ocean are much more damaging. Only a very small proportion is caused by bags.”

But Wong announced this week that Selangor would extend the anti-plastic bag policy by another day.

“It will be on Sunday... starting January next year,” she told The Malaysian Insider later.

The federal government has also decided to launch a “No Plastic Bag Day” campaign beginning January 2011, said Wong.

In Penang, the “No Plastic Bag Day” policy would be enforced every day starting from January 1 next year, said the state’s Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng recently when tabling the 2011 Budget at the state assembly.

The Penang ruling is already seeing opposition from the public.

劉永山：保障購屋者利益雪州應推行先建後售

《星洲日报》雪隆 2010-11-10 10:42

（雪蘭莪‧沙亞南9日訊）甘榜東姑區州議員劉永山認為，雪州政府目前是時候應該推行先建後售政策，以保障購屋者的利益和減少房屋計劃擱置所引起的問題。

他說，在目前的先售後建制度下，發展商如果不負責任，購屋者會非常吃虧。除此之外，政府得花費很多資金和人力來復甦擱置的房屋計劃。

無塑膠袋日有待改善

他認為，雪州政府應該首開先河推行先建後售政策，不必等待房屋及地方政府部門的指示，畢竟房屋發展計劃是否通過，權力落在州政府和地方政府的手上。

另外，劉永山在辯論雪州2011年度財政預算案時指出，無塑膠袋日運動從去年實施以來，仍存在很多缺點。

他說，很多消費者都不清楚，星期六每購買一個塑膠袋所花費的20仙究竟用在甚麼地方，這方面應該要有透明的管理。

另一方面，他建議州政府研究是否可以讓單親媽媽和失業人士以合約方式為地方政府打工，做清理溝渠、馬路等性質的工作。

他認為，與其付錢給阿南弗拉承包商卻還要被批評，地方政府不如考慮直接聘請弱勢群體，既能減少地方政府對阿南弗拉的依賴，並可協助改善弱勢群體的生活素質。

星洲日報／大都會‧2010.11.09

Kerajaan Negeri Harus Menilai Semula Prestasi Alam Flora di Selangor

Saya telah menerima banyak aduan daripada orang ramai tentang prestasi Alam Flora dan kontraktor-kontraktornya yang rendah dalam mengendalikan masalah kutipan sampah dan pembersihan di kawasan mereka. Aduan-aduan yang sama turut diterima oleh wakil rakyat di kawasan yang lain.

Antara aduan yang diterima ialah kekerapan kutipan sampah yang tidak mengikut jadual yang ditetapkan, pembersihan tidak dijalankan di tempat-tempat yang sepatutnya dan tidak mengikut jadual yang ditetapkan, pekerja-pekerja meminta "duit kopi" untuk menjalankan tugas pembersihan dan kutipan sampah dan sebagainya.

Saya memahami bukan semua kontraktor Alam Flora yang menunjukkan prestasi rendah dan terdapat sebahagian masalah adalah berpunca daripada penduduk sendiri. Walaupun begitu, aduan-aduan yang semakin banyak diterima oleh wakil rakyat sedikit sebanyak menunjukkan bahawa Alam Flora perlu menilai semula prestasi kontraktor-kontraktor yang dilantiknya.

Saya tidak ada masalah jika kontraktor-kontraktor yang dilantik itu mempunyai kepentingan politik dengan Barisan Nasional dan UMNO kerana yang penting ialah mereka perlu menunjukkan prestasi yang memuaskan. Contohnya, kerja-kerja pembersihan di Seksyen 20, 21 dan 22 di DUN Kampung Tunku telah dikontrakkan kepada kontraktor bernama Mazlynoor Holdings kepunyaan Datuk Mazlynoor Abdul Latiff, mantan Ahli Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK) dan Timbalan Ketua UMNO Bahagian Klang. Saya tiada masalah dengan syarikat Datuk Mazlynoor mendapat kontrak ini tetapi beliau perlu memastikan kerja-kerja pembersihan dijalankan mengikut jadual.

Apa yang perlu dilakukan oleh Kerajaan Negeri ialah kita perlu lebih tegas dengan perlantikan kontraktor-kontraktor Alam Flora yang dilantik tanpa rundingan, malahan tanpa pengetahuan kerajaan negeri biarpun kerajaan negeri dan kerajaan tempatan yang menerima kesan-kesannya nanti.

Selain itu, kontrak antara PBT dengan Alam Flora juga telah tamat dan kini ianya hanya dijalankan atas asas setahun ke setahun dan setiap dua tahun. Justeru itu, kerajaan tempatan mempunyai peluang untuk menentukan sama ada mereka ingin meneruskan perkhidmatan dengan Alam Flora atau tidak. Jika mereka ingin meneruskannya, maka mereka perlu merunding semula perjanjian mereka dengan Alam Flora dan satu cara pemilihan dan perlantikan kontraktor yang lebih telus perlu dijalankan untuk memastikan prestasi kontraktor Alam Flora sentiasa di tahap yang memuaskan.

配合世界环保日‧刘永山巴刹派环保袋

（雪兰莪‧八打灵再也）民主行动党甘榜东姑州议员刘永山说，配合6月5日世界环保日，他今天（6月7日）前往东南亚花园巴刹派送500个环保袋，让民众和前来购物的主妇，共同为地球环保尽一分力。

民众热烈支持

环保袋颜色鲜艳，置放容量大，获得民众热烈支持，500个环保袋在短短10分钟内被抢拿一空。

刘永山说，他实行民主行动党宗旨“取之于民，用之于民”，善用选区拨款印制1000个环保袋来响应环保运动。

他补充，除了在东南亚花园早市巴刹派送500个，另外500个将在双溪威新村派送。

他将加印环保袋在其他选区派送。

“派送环保袋的目标主要针对购物的妇女，鼓励她们使用环保袋，减低依赖塑胶袋。”

要求州务大臣召开紧急州议会讨论山区发展计划

全马人民对昨天再次在淡江发生的山区土崩事件感到非常的震惊和愤怒。

这事件也一再证明雪州民联政府当初决定冻结所有第三级和第四级山区发展计划是正确的决定。如今连首相本人也要求各州州政府禁止发展商在山区进行发展计划。

我已经针对此事要求州务大臣能够根据州议会条规第10（3）条文召开一项紧急州议会，以特别讨论雪州山区发展计划对大自然和性命安全所造成的影响。根据这项条文，周五大臣可以在州议会被展延期间，针对涉及公共利益以及必需紧急处理的事件要求议长在特定的事件之内召开州议会。州务大臣必须订下会议的议程，议长则负责立即通知各州议员出席会议。

无论如何，我在公函中向州务大臣表明，即现在首要任务就是救灾工作。待救灾工作完毕之后，州政府须在短时间之内召开州议会。这不仅让州议员和政府机构针对山区发展计划集思广益，同时也能够让人民参与讨论，通过人民代议士向有关方面传达意见。

Selangor State Structure Plan has to be amended before any unprescribed development to take place at hillslopes

I have written a letter to the Selangor Mentri Besar which is copied to all Exco members of the Selangor State Government on the recent reports carried by The Sun on hillslope development in Selangor.

I have made an attempt to alert the state government on the prescribed development allowed for hillslope under Selangor Structure Plan which was gazetted on 14th June 2008.

Any other activities outside the prescribed development shall not be allowed until the Structure Plan is amended according to proper procedure.

Below are some extracts from the structure plan in relation to hillslope development:

3.5.6(ii) Kawasan Berbukit dan Tanah Tinggi
Zon KSAS ini meliputi kawasan di bahagian timur Negeri Selangor iaitu di dalam Daerah-Daerah Hulu Selangor, Gombak dan Hulu Langat. la terdiri daripada kawasan tanah tinggi serta berbukit dan kawasan pembangunan di lereng bukit. Di Daerah Hulu Selangor, zon ini meliputi kawasan berbukit yang telah dimajukan dengan aktiviti petanian. Aktiviti pembangunan di zon ini perlu dikawalselia kerana kawasan ini mempunyai kepentingan dari aspek pemeliharaan dan pemuliharaan KSAS di mana ia meliputi kawasan berbukit yanq mempunyai ketinggian melebihi 150m.

Di Daerah-daerah Gombak dan Hulu Langat, zon pembangunan terhad meliputi kawasan pembangunan perumahan di lereng-lereng bukit. Di Daerah Hulu Langat, ia juga meliputi kawasan pertanian dan petempatan desa. Pengawalan pembangunan di dalam zon ini adalah untuk memastikan aktiviti pembangunannya dikawalselia bagi mengelakkan masalah hakisan dan tanah runtuh. Ia juga untuk memastikan corak pembangunan pada masa hadapan tidak akan mendatangkan masalah alam sekitar.

3.5.7(i) Kawasan Hutan dan Tanah Tinggi

Zon ini meliputi pemuliharaan hutan-hutan simpan sedia ada yang terdiri daripada hutan tanah tinggi di bahagian Timur Negeri Selangor. Kawasan hutan simpan ini kebanyakannya adalah kawasan berkecerunan melebihi 25o. Pemuliharaan kawasan hutan juga meliputi kawasan hutan paya gambut di Daerah-daerah Kuala Selangor, Sabak Bernam dan Kuala Langat serta hutan paya bakau di kawasan Klang. Hutan Simpan Kekal (HSK) yang terletak di dalam Zon Wilayah Lembah Klang dan Pinggiran Wilayah Lembah Klang juga akan terus dipulihara. Pemuliharaan ini adalah selaras dengan kepentingan hutan ini sebagai kawasan tadahan air, hutan perlindungan hidupan liar, perlindungan biodiversiti dan juga untuk keseimnbangan persekitaran. Walau bagaimanapun aktiviti pembangunan terpilih boleh dibenarkan di dalam zon ini untuk aktiviti pelancongan eko serta pembelajaran dan penyelidikan di kawasan yang sesuai. Di mana perlu dan sesuai beberapa kawasan akan diwartakan sebagai Taman Negeri Selangor di bawah enakmen Taman Negeri Selangor 2005.

爭取绕道官民起衝突

万挠新村高压电缆事件纷扰多年，村民於3年前开始爭取高压电缆绕道，事件从去年3月开始白热化。村民拒绝与土地局洽商赔偿数额，並多次提出绕道计划，而国能曾多次欲施工，惟皆遭到村民的抵抗，甚至曾因此爆发肉身挡神手、肢体衝突、村民被捕等事件。

当时的马华万挠州议员拿督邓诗汉多次与爭取绕道、反对逼迁的万挠新村工委会，以及国能代表进行会议，但最终仍无法达成协议。期间，曾出现“只要雪州政府拨地即可绕道”的说法，但最终也没有落实，过程中更出现“幽灵屋”的说法。

经过308大选，雪州政权易主，而士拉央国会议员及万挠州议员分別由公正党梁自坚及顏贝倪中选。在雪州政府和顏贝倪的紧密配合下，雪州大臣丹斯里卡立最终决定6月18日將作出是否绕道的定夺。

不过，卡立於6月18日与国能及工委会委任的专员进行会议后，以暂时无法解决技术性问题而初步决定根据国能提呈的建议图行事，令村民备感失望。不过，卡立將在6月26日再度拜访万绕新村，並在听取民意，才作出最后决定。

万挠电缆绕道风波‧传顏贝倪引咎辞职‧村民：不应辞职‧面对事实

《光明日报》2008-07-22 19:00

（雪兰莪‧八打灵再也）万挠新村高压电缆绕道课题经过多年纷爭，距离雪州大臣週六（26日） 到访新村作出最后决定还有数日的时间，但是万挠新村已经流传万挠区州议员顏贝倪指一旦无法兑现与人民爭取绕道的承诺，將引咎辞职之说，村民皆为此感到无奈和可惜。

当地村民在投选出新政府及代议士后，以为这起事件终露曙光之际，雪州政府却在最后一分钟“紧急煞车”，拋下“如无法解决技术问题，將以国能的建议作准”的初步决定，教村民失落无比。

万挠新村一名不愿具名的家庭主妇向《光明日报》透露，村民虽对大臣的初步决定感失望，但是，村民目前的情绪还是稳定，並爭取最后的努力。

不过，她声称，村民最近却接到消息，指公正党州议员顏贝倪如无法完妥善处绕道的问题，將自动引咎辞职，使心情低落的村民感到无奈。

村民；没有怪她

她坦承，她们並不能肯定顏贝倪最终是否真的引咎辞职，但是，他们可以了解到顏贝倪连日来忙於澄清谣言和安抚民心，並且採取行动反击敌对政党的打击，一定备感压力。

她提出，村民辛苦投选出新任代议士，无非想要一个有干劲肯奋斗的年轻人为村民爭取权益，但是，她无奈顏贝倪遇到一点点挫折就要意放弃。

“我们一起走过风风雨雨，努力爭取绕道，村民好不容易才看到一线曙光。如果她现在就要放弃，那么敌对人士不就拍手掌叫好了吗？”

她认为，村民不是“矇渣渣”（糊涂），他们从多年来的高压电缆绕道事件中，可以看得出谁真的为村民著想，而谁又是表面支持却暗地里泼冷水。

“我们是明白事理的人，万挠高压电缆绕道的问题不是一朝一夕就可以爭取，我们知道顏贝倪其实都在尽心尽力，所以我们都没有怪她。”

她劝勉顏贝倪说，村民並没有放弃，顏贝倪更不应该放弃。

吴亚九：村民情绪稳定
无人要顏贝倪下台

万挠新村爭取高压电缆绕道、反对逼迁工委会主席吴亚九受访时声称，顏贝倪一旦无法为民爭取绕道而將引咎辞职之说，他对此並不知情。他说，村民目前的情绪稳定，无人要求顏贝倪下台。

不过，他认为州议员有必要对无法兑现的承诺作出交代，至於是否有必要引咎辞职，他则表示不宜置评。

他认为，村民无论如何都会坚持要求绕道到底，如果雪州政府最终都无法顺从民意，他相信事情还是会继续被拖延下去。

受询顏贝倪引咎辞职会为村民带来的反应，他开始时表示將有许多村民作出挽留，不过，他过后却拒绝评论村民对顏贝倪的评价。

“我们没有权力叫她下台或著留下，这要看她个人的意愿，但是，她早期答应会替人民爭取，但是，她现在做不到的话，就要作出交代了。”

他认为，如果顏贝倪放弃，肯定会使敌对阵营“开香檳庆祝”，这是因为政治因素使然。

双溪威草场重新发展计划详情曝光

（双溪威２４日讯）早前闹得沸沸扬扬的双溪威SS９A/１路草场重新发展计划详情曝光！

这项已提呈至雪州经济行动理事会寻求核准的计划，原来是分3阶段进行，除了草场的综合中央广场外，16层楼中价组屋及4层楼商业中心，则是第二及第三阶段计划，而且发展地点是在草场毗邻地。

甘榜东姑区州议员刘永山今日向《南洋商报》指出，在308年州政权易手，他成功从灵市政厅得到这项发展计划的详情，这项计划经在2007年7月24日的常月会议上通过，目前市政厅已把此计划提呈给州经济行动理事会（MTES）。

他强调，他目前无法确定州经济行动理事会这项计划是否已核准这项发展计划，不过，他认为，倘若这项大型计划在不经召开听证会，已取得双溪威居民的认可，是不合理的。

“我没反对或赞成此计划，我再度挑起此事，就是希望此计划在未获得州政府批准前，以更透明度及按照廿一地方议程精神来进行，即召开听证会让居民了解。”

刘永山说，根据他所取得的资料显示，发展商是把这项计划分为三期进行，首期计划就是在双溪威新村唯一的绿肺上进行兴建3层楼中央公市，而当中也会保留0.22英亩地段作为神庙保留地，以及建造一个篮球场及儿童游乐场。

-------------------------

据悉，第二期计划，则是兴建一栋16层高中价公寓，地点则在SS９A/2路与5路的巷路，此地段位于草场斜对面，占地1.63英亩，属水利灌溉局所有。

据悉，第三期计划，则是兴建一座4层楼高商业中心，地点在SS９A/１路与17路的交界处，占地只有0.18英亩。

刘永山说，根据资料显示，市政厅之所以批准发展商这项申请，是因为发展商之前负责处理双溪威的非法木屋问题，包括兴建完成1千400个廉价组屋单位安顿300户甘榜拜杜里居民。

“资料也说，发展商目前也在兴建另外的500个单位，以便解决曾永森新村、甘榜蒂莎MB以及双溪威新村非法木屋问题。”

他说，资料也说，灵市政厅也希望籍着发展商的计划，可以安顿双溪威新村150个非法小贩，因为这些无牌小贩的存在，为当地带来交通问题。

陪同刘永山出席者包括双溪威-梳邦各行业公会秘书郑永明、行动党双溪威-梳邦支部主席郑天赐、秘书王亚丰、理事黄天育、百乐花园支部主席宁生以及雪州行动党执行秘书柯林良。

=========

刘永山说，他已在本月15日致函给予两名行政议员，即掌管房屋、建筑物管理及非法木屋的依斯干达以及掌管地方政府及研究事务的刘天球，要求掌握最新的讯息。

“我也提呈副本给予大臣丹斯里卡立，而卡立政治秘书即斯里士爹区州议员聂纳兹米也致函给灵市长，促请市政厅公布详情。”

刘永山说，雪州行动党的立场是，州政府有义务向人民交待这项计划，以及公布是否已获州经济理事会所批准。

他重申听证会是必须的，因为，这3期的发展计划，除了早前所说的会为双溪威贩商带来竞争之外，也会制造停车位不足及交通问题。

“根据我的观察，双溪威附近周遭依然有商店及摊位仍然空置，换言之就是供过于求，我不希望会有另外一个白象计划在这里出现。”

灵市SS3海港花园‧指破坏绿肺‧威胁安全‧水供公司砍树居民慌

光明日报‧2008.03.26

（雪兰莪‧八打灵再也）灵市SS3海港花园居民投诉，雪州水供公司不理居民的反对，一而再地砍伐山坡上的树木，不只破坏绿肺，也威胁到他们住家的安全。

位於山坡上的蓄水槽地段为雪州水供公司拥有，却因没有妥善管理，一度成为癮君子的聚集地，更因排水沟渠的不完善，破坏了山坡构造。

居民指出，雪州水供公司在上个月突然展开砍伐树木的工程，引起居民恐慌，並寻求当时还是甘榜东姑州议员的拿督黄世豪的协助。当时黄世豪向八打灵市政厅呈报有关事件，並召集居民与雪州水供公司进行对话，成功阻止了有关工程。

詎料，承包商在大选投票日结束后又再展开工程，因此居民唯有寻求现任甘榜东姑州议员刘永山的协助。

刘永山称，雪州水供公司在没有事先諮询居民的意见、通知八打灵再也市政厅及环境评估报告下动工，与21地方议程的宗旨背道而驰，对当地居民造成影响。

“由於斜坡位置靠近居民住家，一些居民在那里种植树木，並定期浇水，无形中为保护环境尽了一份力。”

他在接获居民投诉后向雪州水供公司八打灵县分局经理投诉，成功暂停有关工程。

有关工程已暂停

“经理说，这工程命名为‘拯救SS3海港花园蓄水槽斜坡行动’，是由总部批准及进行，因此他对承包商在斜坡进行砍伐树木和打算建设‘钉子围墙’来保护斜坡而不知情。虽然如此， 他愿意协助居民把反对的意见告知总部。”

然而， 雪州水供公司却在两天后以市政厅已批准工程为由，再度復工。因此，刘永山將偕同居民在本週五（27日）到市政厅做出投报，希望市政厅关注有关事件，选择性保留树木，以保护当地的绿肺。

他也会向环境局了解有关工程是否需要环境评估报告，以確保有关工程不会对居民造成影响。

黄世豪以居协主席身份出现

刘永山等人巡视时，黄世豪以SS3居民协会主席身份出现，他声明是本著跟进蓄水槽事件到场。

“这个事情在我还是州议员时已经发生，我也尝试协助居民解决，所以居民才会致电让我跟进事情的进展。”

他表示將以马华八打灵再也北区区会主席的身份，协助居民与市政厅合作修剪危及居民的树木、保留部分树木、提升沟渠等，以保护斜坡绿肺。

Emergency works to rehabilitate failed slope at Taman Seaport reservoir SS3 – to solve the problem or to create more problems?

I received a complaint from a group of residents from Jalan SS3/49 and Jalan SS3/51, Taman Seaport last week that a group of contract workers were clearing a piece of open space located at their backyard, in which Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn. Bhd. (Syabas) claimed to own this piece of land.

I was informed that the project, which is named “Emergency Works to Rehabilitate Failed Slope at Taman Seaport Reservoir SS3, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Contract No.: Sya/PMD/08/con 003” was started in late January 2008 without any consultation with the residents.

Some complaints were brought to the then elected representative and work was temporarily stopped. Conversation with the workers indicates that the “rehabilitation” work will involve clearance of the whole open space.

Residents objected strongly to the project as it was approved without any consultation although the project is conducted on a piece of land owned by Syabas.

This is a direct violation of the principle of Local Agenda 21 which aims provide a chance to the communities that the local authorities serve to work together to plan and care for their surroundings towards sustainable development.

Secondly, residents also doubt if the project is approved by Petaling Jaya City Hall (MBPJ). Syabas, in one of its latest notice to the residents, claimed that they have had it but it was not properly substantiated.

Instead of solving environmental problem, residents believe that it will bring more environmental problem when the project involves massive clearing of a piece of stable open space, especially if there were any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report been done, judging from the scale of the project.

A complaint was made to the General Manager of Syabas in Petaling Jaya on 24th March 2008. He replied that a stop work order has been issued pending on the decision from local council and meanwhile he will direct my concern and the residents’ complaint to the higher authority in Kuala Lumpur headquarter as the project was awarded by Syabas headquarter in Kuala Lumpur.

However, work resumed on 26th March 2008 when Syabas claimed that MBPJ has approved the project. Residents were shocked to notice this as they are again kept in the dark for any consultation.

I will report this to MBPJ to check the validity of their approval and if it has been approved, MBPJ owed the residents an explanation why they were not involved in any consultation. Similar complaint will be lodged to the Department of Environment to examine the project if there is any violation of any provision under various environmental protection acts.

蓄水池复原工作——解决问题还是制造更多问题？

本人在上周接获一群来自八打灵再也Seaport花园Jalan SS3/49和Jalan SS3/51居民的投诉。这群居民投诉一群受聘于雪兰莪州水务局（Syabas）的承包工人日前在他们住家后院的一片属于Syabas的空地上进行砍伐活动。

据悉，这项项目的正式名称为‘Emergency Works to Rehabilitate Failed Slope at Taman Seaport Reservoir SS3, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Contract No.: Sya/PMD/08/con 003’（译：在雪兰莪州八打灵再也SS3 Seaport花园蓄水池斜坡进行紧急复原工作）。这则项目是没有和居民进行任何协商和咨询的情况下进悄悄在1月份通过。

当地居民在当时曾经和当地人民代议士投诉。砍伐工作曾经暂时停顿。居民也曾经和员工交谈，发现所谓的‘紧急复原工作’其实是把一大片的绿肺清除砍伐，然后以洋灰钢骨覆盖填补。

虽然这片土地属于Syabas，但是居民强力反对当局这项计划，因为这项计划是没有征询居民意见情况下通过。

这严重违反地方议程21的原则。地方议程21的宗旨是要提供居民管道参与地方政府的实证，规划和保护他们的居住环境，确保地方上的发展计划属于可持续发展的计划。

第二，居民也质疑到底八打灵再也市政厅（MBPJ）是否已经通过这项计划。Syabas在其发给当地居民的最新通告中指出他们已经获得市政厅的批准，可是Syabas迄今无法有效地向我提出证据，证明他们已经获得市政厅批准。

与其解决环境问题，居民反而担忧这项计划将会制造更多环境问题，尤其是这项计划的重点是要清除当地一大片绿肺。从这项计划的规模来看，居民也质疑到底承包商和Syabas是否有为这项计划进行环境评估报告。

本人在接获居民投诉后便在2008年3月24日前往八打灵县水务局经理Abdul Rashid Abdul Satar做出书面投诉。他向我指出他已经向有关承包商发出停工令，直至Syabas获得市政厅的批准为止。他也答应将会把居民的投诉上达总部，因为这个项目是由总部没有通过县水务局的情况下直接颁发给承包商。

当一切尚在处理之中，水务局人员便在2008年3月26日复工。他们说他们已经获得市政厅的批准。居民对此感到非常的惊讶，因为一向来当局没有征询他们的意见。

本人将会前往八打灵市政厅追查此事。如果市政厅已经通过这项计划，我要求市政厅给予居民一个交待。我也将会向环境局投诉，同时要求他们插手调查这项计划是否有任何违法环境保护法令的地方。