Carolyn Khor's blog

Press Statement: PSC Must Lead to Reform Political Financing. 1st October, 2011 With reference to the news reported by Malaysiakini titled “Government Shot Down Political Financing Reform Proposal” (http://malaysiakini.com/news/177299), I would like to congratulate the Bar Council for organizing the Forum on Political Financing. This is not a popular subject and many taboos exist. Most, if not all, politicians avoid addressing this subject publicly for fear of negative perception. However, this is a pressing issue among many honest politicians from both sides of the political divide. It is like an elephant in the room. Like it or not, politicians and political parties need money to run effective campaigns and serving their electorates. The more intense the political environment becomes, the more money is needed. This is especially true for Pakatan Rakyat as we have neither state-owned TVs nor Main Stream Media covering fairly for us. During the State Assembly sitting on 4th of Ma...

Statement: People Before Profit – Objection to Boustead Land Reclamation 2nd Oct 2011 I would like to extend my unequivocal support to the residents of Putra Marine, Gold Coast, Bay Garden and the surrounding communities in objecting a possible land reclamation project by Boustead. As their state assemblyman, I fully understand their anxiety and fully support their democratic rights to voice up against a greedy corporate giant that might soon affect their lives. The whole episode of this project goes back 3 years ago. Boustead Holdings Bhd is a corporate giant closely linked to UMNO. It got the approval from the previous administration to construct a high-rise hotel within the UNESCO World Heritage Zone. After Georgetown obtained its UNESCO Heritage Status, Boustead Hotel was requested to reduce the original proposed height to a max 18m in accordance with the new guidelines. As a result, the current state government under the leadership of YAB Lim Guan Eng was forced to negotia...

Sim Tze Tzin, ADUN Pantai Jerejak visited the Lengkok Mahsuri flats today with PDC engineers and officers to inspect the slant as claimed in Bernama News yesterday. During the inspection, it was found that the apron in the corridor had cracks in them as the building was built over what used to be a padi field, and has underground stream running below the ground, causing certain parts of the ground to sink. However, Sim reassures the residents that the building was structurally safe.The sinking involved three units in that apartment block. The sinking involved three units in that apartment block. Sim directed PDC personnels to engage the engineering unit of JKR to do further inspection.

PRESS STATEMENT BY MR. WONG MUN HOE VICE CHAIRMAN OF PENANG GERAKAN I refer to YB Sim Tze Tsin’s press statement on 11th May 2011 regarding the issue of repainting of flats. YB Sim’s statement clearly and distinctly reflects the 3 main differences between where he and Parti Keadilan’s stand and where I and my party’s stand in the issue. (1) YB Sim confines himself to only State, PDC, MPPP and MPSP housing. We do not. We want the benefits to be extended to all other flats and apartments that deserve the same benefits. We do not want discriminatory policies. (2) YB Sim is selfish and do not seem to want others to benefit. We want ALL to benefit. (3) YB Sim is satisfied with the 80:20 formula for low-cost and low-medium cost. We do not. We want the State to waive this condition. Not only have I been consistently saying that I have never once objected to the repainting of M3, 4 and 5 apartments but on the contrary, I have congratulated and even expressed my full support to th...

Sim Tze Tzin visited the Bayan Baru market with Mohd Rashid bin Hasnon, the Penang Municipal Council officers and JKR personnels on a walkabout to receive complains from the hawkers at the market complex. “The state government is applying for funds from Kementrian Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan (KPKT) for upgrades to make the market more disabled friendly,” Mohd Rashid said. Sim also revealed that some hawkers had requested for lower stall rental and that Mohd Rashid will raise this issue in the next council meeting. Sim said that the cleanliness level has improved, but encourages the public to cooperate and take care of public facilities, referring especially to blockages in the drainage. “This will help keep the costs down,” he said. He also proposed that the hawkers start selling organic food as those who lived or shopped in the vicinity have better income now. After the walkabout, Sim donated 3000 books to the library situated at the top floor of the building. He ...

Pertubuhan Wanita Mutiara and Sim Tze Tzin, the state assemblyman for Pantai Jerejak celebrated Mother’s Day with single mothers and orphans at a home in Permatang Damar Laut yesterday. Although some of the children are orphaned, celebrating Mother’s Day with them made sense as the volunteers were already very much like mothers to these children, explained both Dr. Sim Joo Seng and Chew Lay Kean, the organizers of the event. Betty Chew, president of Pertubuhan Wanita Mutiara, together with Noorazlena Mat Kharsa and Lee Seok Looi, presented toys, clothing and books to the home, and was greeted with smiles and cheers all around. Sim Tze Tzin pledged RM3000 to the home. During the event, the children gave a well-rehearsed performance of song and dance to the VIPs and the evening ended with a cake-cutting ceremony. Home with a heart Rumah Seri Cahaya is an organization founded by two good women who believed in helping the needy. T.Kalliamah and Linda Gregory currently ru...

14 May 2011 Sim Tze Tzin, state assemblyman for Pantai Jerejak and S. Raveentharan, state assemblyman for Batu Uban, together with officers from JPS (Jabatan Pengaliran Sungai) visited Sungai Dua to access the damage and give explanation for the floods which happened after a sudden downpour today. According to JPS, this was because the drainage culverts were unable to handle the volume of water and this in turn caused the retention pond in USM to breach.

Sim Tze Tzin, the state assemblyman for Pantai Jerejak handed over a cheque amounting to RM2000 to SRJK (C) Chong Cheng Sungai Ara to help with the repairs of a classroom which was damaged when a fire broke out on Monday night. “We do not know the cause yet and it is still under investigation,” said Yeoh Soon Kheng, the principal of the primary school. Fire broke out at the Year 1 classroom at around 10 p.m. two days ago. The bookshelf, books, notice board, ceiling fan and some classroom furniture were destroyed and the estimated cost of damage was around RM3000. Yeoh said that he will seek to get the rest of the funds needed from the Education Ministry. The students are currently using other spare classrooms. “The children's studies are not affected at all. “In fact, being children, they do not realise the severity of what just happened,” added Yeoh. Yeoh also said that the damaged classroom would be ready for use by next week. Chong Cheng has a total of 1700 st...

Press Statement in response to Mr. Wong Mun Hoe’s Press Conference 11 May 2011 Mr Wong Could Not Deliver Promises, Now He Must Stop Politicking. Yesterday, Mr Wong Mun Hoe and his Gerakan party leaders held a press conference to condemn the State Government regarding repainting of PDC and State Government built flats. He was quoted in Chinese Press as saying “Mahsuri Apartment (M3-M5) is privately managed and not under the management of PDC or State Government. They do not qualify to get repaint. How could they get to be the first to repaint?” His statement has angered many of the residents of the Mahsuri Apartment. Mr. Wong has politicized the issue and made the innocent residents as scapegoats. I would like to response to this matter by giving facts nothing but the facts. In March 2004, Mahsuri Apartment 3, 4 and 5 was approached by PDC to set up Management Corporation. During the formation meeting in August 2004, pro-tem committee requested to repaint the buildings, as par...

PRESS STATEMENT BY MR WONG MUN HOE, VICE CHAIRMAN OF PENANG STATE GERAKAN, ON BEHALF OF BARISAN NASIONAL PENANG On 3rd May, 2011 after the memorandum to appeal to the Penang State Government for the repainting of 53 blocks of flats and apartments was submitted to the Chief Minister, two important points were immediately made by the Political Secretary to the Chief Minister, YB Ng Wei Aik 1. Private high rise management including repainting is the responsibility of the developer or the management committee. 2. The State Government will only consider the repainting for PDC, MPPP, MPSP and State Government low cost flats. Following his response, I have 3 questions for YB Ng Wei Aik to answer. 1. Is YB Ng Wei Aik aware that the first apartment to be announced to be given this repainting ‘grant’ is the M3,4 and 5 apartments in Mahsuri, Bayan Baru and that this announcement is made by his boss, the Chief Minister himself? 2. Is YB Ng Wei Aik aware that the M3, 4 and 5 apartments...

Draft Ucapan ADUN Pantai Jerejak YB Sim Tze Tzin dalam sidang DUN 4hb May, 2011. 1.0 Terlebih dahulu, saya ingin mengucapkan selamat hari pekerja dan juga selamat hari kebebasan akhbar. Para wartawan memperjuangkan kebenaran dan melaporkan berita dengan jujur, dan saya menghormati professionalisme para wartawan. Penghormatan saya tidak termasuk editor TV3, Utusan Malaysia dan Awang Selamat. 2.0 Para pekerja adalah tunggak pemacu ekonomi di negeri Pulau Pinang. Setiap hari ratusan ribu pekerja collar biru dan collar putih begitu juga pegawai kerajaan, menjalankan tugas mereka secara jujur dan disiplin. Sumbangan mereka amat besar kerana merekalah yang memajukan ekonomi mereka. 3.0 Saya ucapkan syabas kepada kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang kerana Berjaya menarik FDI sebanyak 12.2 billion tahun 2010. Ini adalah pencapaian yang cukup membanggakan. Ini adalah hasil usaha para pekerja di kawasan-kawasan perindustrian di FTZ, yang menyakinkan para pelabur bahawa melabur di Pulau Pinang a...

Suspected faulty electrical wiring may have caused two families to lose their homes in a fire that broke out yesterday afternoon at Sungai Nibong Tengah, near the Shell station at Sunshine Square in Bayan Baru. No casualties were reported. "The fire was put under control within 20 minutes. The cause of the fire is still under investigation," said Arifuddin Atis, the chief fireman. Arifuddin also confirmed that the Jalan Tengah fire station received a call from the public at 2:29 p.m., and that the fire engines arrived at the scene in less than five minutes. “..I saw smoke coming out of his house and immediately dialled 999,” said Mohd Rashid Hasnon, representing the state assemblyman for Pantai Jerejak, Sim Tze Tzin. Sim presented RM1500 each to the two families today. "The financial aid is from my allocation, Tabung TYT and Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat," he added. “I have also initiated the volunteer fire-brigade with Arifuddin today,” commented Sim, indicating a n...