8/14/2019 TheSun 2009-01-02 Page10 Group Beta-Agonist in Pork Not Our Doing

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newswithoutborders10 theSun | FRIDAY JANUARY 2 2009

Group: Beta-agonist in pork not our doing

PORK sellers and butchers stronglyoppose a move by the VeterinaryServices Department (VSD) to holdthem, in addition to pig farmers, ac-countable for beta-agonist in pork,

KUALA TERENGGANU: PAS haspicked party state treasurer and five-term Wakaf Mempelam assemblymanMohd Abdul Wahid Endot for the KualaTerengganu by-election on Jan 17.

Wahid, 52, will take on Barisan Na-sional (BN) heavyweight Datuk Wan Ah-mad Farid Wan Salleh in the by-electioncalled following the death of incumbentDatuk Razali Ismail of BN.

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul HadiAwang, who made the announcementat the Stadium Negri in Batu Burok herelast night, said it had been difficult to

choose the PAS candidate, as “all ofthose we had in mind are highly capa-ble people”.

Hadi said Wahid was chosen becauseof his reputation as the Wakaf Mempe-lam assemblyman for five terms.

As a state executive councillor incharge of entrepreneur developmentand youths when PAS ruled Terengganufrom 1999 to 2003, Wahid was able todraw voters from all walks of life includ-ing youths, he said.

“Our candidate has the experienceas a people’s representative and has

never lost in the past five general elec-tions,” he said.

Meanwhile, Wahid said he had manyissues to be raised during the campaignbut would not attack his opponentpersonally.

When asked on Wahid’s candicacy,BN candidate Ahmad Farid, who isdeputy home minister, said whoeverhis opponent, it would not change thecoalition’s approach and principles tobring the message of developmentfor the Kuala Terengganu people.– Bernama

PAS picks Wakaf Mempelam rep for KT by-election

Let the people decideon leasehold titles: LimGEORGE TOWN: The state government will let Penan-gites decide on the conversion of leasehold titles of low-cost and low medium cost flats into freehold by having asignature campaign.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said it is the people’sright to decide on the conversion as state land belongedto the people.

“Our efforts to convert leasehold titles of low cost andlow medium cost flats hit a glitch when the federal govern-ment said we can’t do this, but we won’t be tied down bydecisions made by the federal government or the NationalLand Council (NLC),” he said.

Lim told residents from Penang Development Corpo-ration (PDC) flats in Bayan Baru at a dialogue sessionyesterday that the state government will start collectingsignatures from residents of these flats to show their sup-port for the conversion of the titles.

“We hope to meet with the NLC soon to further discussthe issue and we will present the collected signatures inthe form of a memorandum to show that the people want this,” he said.

Lim said for now, the state government will put theplan on hold until they discuss the laws behind it withNLC for the council to make the final decision on it.

Stressing that the state government will not be boundby the NLC’s decision, he said: “However, we will fol-low the law as provided under Article 91 of the FederalConstitution,” he said.

He told the residents affected to be more patient and let the state government sort out the matter.

Pantai Jerejak assemblyman Sim Tze Tzin, who wasalso present, said the signature campaign will start inBayan Baru tomorrow.

“We are starting in Bayan Baru because this area hasthe highest concentration of low-cost and low mediumcost flats in Penang,” he said.

PressDigestby Kong See Hohnewsdesk@thesundaily.com

China Press reported yesterday.Describing butchers and pork

sellers as innocent parties in the

growth enhancer issue, MalaysianPork Sellers Association chairmanGoh Chui Lai said the authoritiesconcerned should instead concen-trate on cracking down on errant farmers and traders who bring inthe banned substance.

Goh was asked to comment on

the Animal Feed Bill 2008 tabled inParliament last year and which isexpected to be passed this year.

On Tuesday, VSD director-generalDatuk Dr Abdul Aziz Jamaluddinwarned operators in the pig farmingindustry and those in the downstreamactivities that once the Act is gazetted,farm owners, pig traders, butchers,pork distributors and retailers canbe charged with having beta-agonist in pork, an offence which carries amaximum four-year jail sentence.

He said the law will also apply toupstream and downstream industriesfor other livestock farming.

He also said under the Act, first offenders are liable to be fined up toRM100,000 or jailed a maximum of two years or both, and for subsequent offences, the maximum penalty willbe increased to four years’ imprison-

ment or RM200,000 fine or both.Goh said the Act is unsuitable

and that the association is against 

enforcement officers hauling upbutchers, pork traders and sellers forbeta-agonist abuse by farmers.

He said the association will con-sider writing to the Agriculture andAgro-based Industry Ministry, theVSD and related agencies to voice itsobjection to the new regulations.

Meanwhile, MCA deputy presi-dent Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lekurged the ministry and the VSD tocarry out strict enforcement against beta-agonist use by farmers.

Chua, a former health minister,also urged the two parties to publi-cise the names of the farmers caught using the banned growth enhancer.

He suggested that the Federationof Livestock Farmers Associations of 

Malaysia expel the errant farmers.In another development, Health

Ministry’s Food Safety and Quality

Division director Noraini Mohd Oth-man refuted an accusation by theVSD that lack of strict enforcement by the division is one of the reasonsfor the recurrence of the beta-agonist incident.

“Who said we did not carry out enforcement? We have always con-ducted checks on pork sold in themarket to prevent beta-agonist frommaking a comeback,” she said.

She told Nanyang Siang Pau : “Iam in fact on leave, but because of the beta-agonist issue, I am back toprepare a statement for the ministry”.

It was learnt that Noraini wasrecalled from her leave to clarify theVSD claim that the division had beenslack in its enforcement.

NEWLY-CROWNED ... Manasvi Mangai, 22,from India, holds her trophy after being crowned thenew Miss Tourism International 2008 on Wednesdaynight. She beat 43 other finalists for the title.

Two of three friends die in car crashKUALA LUMPUR: Two of three friends were killed when thecar they were travelling in was involved in an accident on JalanTun Razak yesterday as they were returning home from theNew Year Eve festivities.

Nur Aina Rashid, 24, who was driving the car, and frontpassenger Nor Salina Abd Wahab, 20, were killed. Norida MeorOthman, 21, suffered a shoulder injury.

Kuala Lumpur traffic investigation officer DSP AbdullahRoning said Nur Aina was driving the car towards Jalan SungaiBesi at about 3am when it went out of control at a bend nearthe Jalan Tun Razak tunnel.

“The car skidded and hit the divider, causing it to spin and hita concrete wall at the side of the road,” he said. – Bernama

Students stage demo against IsraelKOTA BARU: About 1,000 students of Universiti Malaya’sAcademy of Islamic Studies and Sultan Ismail PetraInternational Islamic College (KIAS) held a peaceful dem-onstration at Dataran Kias yesterday to protest againstthe Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip.

KIAS president Syed Ridhuan Syed Kamar Kamaruddinsaid the 30-minute gathering was held to express theiranger at the Israelis for killing innocent Palestinians.

The students carried banners bearing the words “We con-demn the Israeli attacks on Palestine”, “We Muslim studentsprotest the Jewish brutality” and “Boycott Israeli goods”.

They also burnt an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister EhudOlmert and the Jewish flag. – Bernama