theSun | TUESDAY JULY 7 2009
news without borders
End of
road for
bad bus
drivers
by Husna Yusop
newsdesk@tthesundaily.com
PUTRAJAYA: In the effort to weed out
“bad drivers” in the public transport
industry, three measures will be
introduced, including to ensure errant
drivers are not re-employed by other
companies.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul
Aziz said yesterday a central databank
system of public transport drivers will
be set up and the Commercial Vehicle
Licensing Board (CVLB) will write to
all companies asking for the names of
their drivers and their particulars.
“We will keep a list of drivers who
have been punished or sacked and tell
all the companies involved in public
transport that they should not re-em-
ploy this person,” he said.
“The current situation is, the
demand for drivers is so great that
they can move from one company to
another without the new company
knowing that they have got many
summonses for, maybe, exceeding
the speed limit or being rude to pas-
sengers. But all these we will have in
a databank soon.”
He said companies would also be
penalised for hiring errant bus drivers
as they should not be allowed to feel
that drivers are solely responsible for
incidents. There must be some collec-
tive responsibility.
Earlier, Nazri launched the new
Plusliner X-treme double-decker bus
– a high capacity economy express
coach with 72 passenger seats – from
Plusliner Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of
Konsortium Transnasional Bhd.
He said the other short-term meas-
ures to improve the public transport
system were to urge the people to
complain directly to his office of any
negative encounter with public trans-
port drivers, and to issue a RM300
compound fine to bus drivers involved
in accidents.
Khir to sue Teng
over suspension
SHAH ALAM: Former mentri besar and
Sungai Panjang assemlyman Datuk Seri
Dr Mohd Khir Toyo plans to sue State
Assembly Speaker Teng Chang Khim
for recommending his and four other
Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen’s
suspension from the house.
Mohd Khir said Teng’s move was
a pre-emptive strike to stop a vote of
no-confidence against the Pakatan
Rakyat-led state government.
He said he and assemblymen Datuk
Warno Dogol (Sabak), Mohd Isa Abu
Kassim (Batang Kali), Datuk Marsum
Paing (Dengkil) and Datuk Mohamed
Idris Abu Bakar (Hulu Bernam) will file a
suit against Teng at the Shah Alam High
Court either today or tomorrow.
Asked if there was reason for the PR
to fear a vote of no-confidence in the
house, Mohd Khir said: “Look at what
is happening in Kedah, Penang and in
Perak where there have been attempts
to use this technique, but here (in Se-
langor) they have pre-empted any such
move by suspending five assemblymen
to shoot down a vote against them.”
Mohd Khir was suspended on May
19 for disrespecting the Selcat by not
attending the hearing and the four
other four for criticising the committee
in the press.
“The PR is losing ground after a
year in power and so in Selangor they
have pre-empted any eventualities by
suspending five assemblymen. This is
why we decided to haul the Speaker
to court to set aside his decision which
recommends our suspension,” he said.
Pandemic at critical stage,
warns minister
by Karen Arukesamy
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PUTRAJAYA: With 34 local transmissions out
of the 75 new Influenza A(H1N1) cases yester-
day, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai
warned that the pandemic is at a critical level.
“We are at a crucial stage now as the number
of cases is increasing by the day and there are
second generation transmissions. But the minis-
try is prepared to face any eventuality,” he said.
The number of confirmed cases to date is
434, of which 343 (79%) have recovered and
have been discharged. Ninety-one are still being
treated and are in a stable condition.
Sixty-four of the latest cases are Malaysians,
four Indonesians, three Filipinos, one Libyan, one
Omani, one Singaporean and one Australian.
The 41 imported cases involve people who
travelled to Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand,
Australia, the United Kingdom, the Philippines,
Brunei, Russia and Oman.
All the locally-transmitted cases are Malay-
sians, except one who is a Filipino.
Twelve of the local transmission cases are
participants of the Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical
Conference held in Penang last month. The total
number of participants infected is 25, including
18 Malaysians.
The others include four students from Sekolah
Menengah Tsun Jin who are being quarantined
after a classmate was infected last week.
Liow said the pandemic is still in a contain-
ment stage as the health departments are able to
detect the source of infection and subsequently
track down the contacts of the infected patients.
He said it will change from containment
stage to mitigation stage only when there is a
sustained community transmission, where there
is a number of unlinked cases of infections with
the known cases.
“The disease is highly contagious but is pre-
ventable if people become more aware of the
virus and constantly take precautionary meas-
ures as advised by the Health Ministry,” Liow
told a briefing and dialogue session with media
representatives.
He urged those who are ill and have flu and
cough to wear face masks at all times, especially at
public places.
Ex-lecturer seeks
Najib’s help over
exam marks incident
by Tan Yi Liang
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: A former Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia
(USIM) lecturer has taken her fight against her former
employer to the highest level by sending an e-mail to
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday.
“I was being victimised at USIM because I refused to
manipulate marks in order to pass undergraduates who
failed my courses,” Yasmin Norhazleena Bahari Md Noor
said in her letter to Najib.
Yasmin, who was a lecturer in USIM’s Law faculty,
said in her letter she had written to the Ministry of Higher
Education to complain “but had received only silence for
eight months”.
“I reported to the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE)
in June 2008 about my victimisation. The continuous vic-
timisation at USIM and MOHE’s silence to my complaint
forced me to resign in November 2008. The MOHE only
replied to my complaint in February 2009 (after eight
months), in USIM’s favour,” Yasmin, who is seeking a
meeting with Najib, said.
“I have been jobless for the past eight months, against
my will. I have been victimised by USIM and the MOHE.
Therefore, I seek Datuk Seri’s assistance so that I could
be reinstated as I was victimised because I refused to
manipulate marks.”
Contacted by theSun, Yasmin said she had sent the
e-mail through a feedback option on the prime minister’s
website after calling his office earlier.
“I called this morning and was told by an officer who
handles complaints to write in to the prime minister’s
office (website) and I left my feedback there,” she said.
3
H1N1 statistics
(as of 8am, July 6)
» New cases:
(Malaysians 64, Indonesians 4,
75
Filipinos 3, Libyan 1, Omani 1,
Singaporean 1, Australian 1)
» Imported cases: 41
» Local transmissions: 34
» Total no. of cases: 434
(343 discharged, 91 under quarantine)
» World total: 91,457
(387 deaths from 126 countries)
A visitor is tested for
fever at the Universiti
Sains Malaysia clinic
yesterday. Twenty-five
participants at a
conference held at the
university were infected
with the A(H1N1) virus
last month.
Although the patients recover within a few Liow said: “We need to let the people know the
days of being admitted, the disease should not be gravity of the situation without causing panic.”
treated lightly. The ministry is coming up with awareness
“I thank the public for campaigns on sanitisation, wearing face masks,
their honesty and coopera- and the 10 home quarantine
tion for coming forward guidelines.
to inform the ministry INFLUENZA A(H1N1) HOTLINE He also said the quar-
about the infection and antine rule is not imposed
their contacts and also » 03-88810200/300 on all air passengers from
to provide other vital » 03-88834414/415 infected countries but only
information,” he said. those who are ill. If they
He reiterated that eve- are tested positive, those
ryone should take owner- seated nearest to them will be
ship of the pandemic and work with the ministry quarantined.
to control it. Those returning from the infected According to the latest World Health Organi-
countries, especially, should do self-monitoring. sation report, there have been 91,457 confirmed
Commending the media for their accurate and cases of A(H1N1) cases, with 387 deaths, in 126
responsible reporting of the A(H1N1) pandemic, countries.
Sarawak’s first local of students from China at their colleges in
transmission case
Taman Aman, Bintong, near here.
Kamarudin said a new batch of 100
SIBU: Sarawak recorded its first locally-trans-
mitted Influenza A(H1N1) case yesterday after
foreign students would enrol in October
and they would be taking a six-month
a 15-year-old boy from Kuching was tested
positive.
English course before starting their stud-
ies. – Bernama
State Environment and Public Health
Minister Datuk Sri Wong Soon Koh said the
boy is in stable condition and recuperating at
Peru reports first two
Sarawak General Hospital. swine flu deaths
“He did not travel to any of the infected LIMA: Peru reported its first two swine flu
countries but is believed to have contracted fatalities – a 38-year-old woman and a four-
the sickness from an older brother who had year-old girl – on Sunday.
tested positive earlier,” he told reporters It has more than 810 confirmed infections
here. of A(H1N1) and has become the seventh South
Sarawak also recorded its 10th H1N1 case American country to report deaths linked to
when a 34-year-old man from Bintulu tested the virus.
positive yesterday. Health Minister Oscar Ugarte said the
He had returned after visiting China and woman died on Friday after checking into a
Hongkong on July 2. He went to Bintulu Hos- Lima hospital with pneumonia on June 29,
pital on July 4 after coming down with flu, sore when tests confirmed she had the virus.
throat and running nose. “She received standard antiviral treatment
The man is now undergoing treatment. but unfortunately she died,” Ugarte said.
– Bernama The young girl, who had Down Syndrome,
was admitted to hospital with severe respira-
Foreign students get the tory problems, and died shortly thereafter.
– AFP
all-clear
KANGAR: Universiti Malaysia Perlis (Uni-
MAP) has not been affected by Influenza
Footballers are Laos’ first
A(H1N1) as all its foreign students had two cases
been tested negative for the virus. BANGKOK: Land-locked Laos has reported
Its vice-chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr its first two cases of H1N1 – two members
Kamarudin Hussin, said yesterday the of the national football team who returned
university had screened about 70 foreign from the Philippines recently.
students from China, Sudan, Indonesia, Radio Laos said yesterday all 11 mem-
Pakistan, India and Greece. bers of the team, plus one coach, have
The university’s health centre is moni- been hospitalised and are under observa-
toring the situation round the clock, he told tion, after two of the players tested posi-
reporters after witnessing the screening tive for H1N1. – dpa