MPPP logs record RM48m surplus for 2009 !!!

Bravo Penang State Government, I'm super proud and satisfied with this piece of news...keep it up and I'm sure me and many more Penangites will continue to support the current government !!!

The Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) recorded the highest ever surplus in its history with RM48.02 million in 2009, more than double the surplus of RM20.18 million achieved in 2008.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng attributed the largest and highest surplus to the no-nonsense approach by the state government towards any impropriety and abuse, based on the competency, accountability and transparency (CAT) governance principle.

"If not for the RM48.02 million surplus, due to deficits over the past 10 years, we would have had an RM34 million deficit but our surplus in 2009 now is RM14.8 million," Lim said at a press conference on Tuesday, April 20 attended by MPPP president Patahiyah Ismail and state financial officer Farizan Darus.

Lim, who earlier met MPPP department heads said he stressed on the importance of systemic approach from top to bottom and vice versa.

Besides the MPPP, the Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) which had suffered an RM230 million deficit within seven years until 2007, recorded RM3.02 million surplus in 2008 and RM14.6 million in 2009.

Describing the MPPP surplus as encouraging and important, Lim said systemic approach was crucial in running any organisation to prevent failure.

"Whenever problems arise, we always find the same excuses given, that the particular officer in charge is on leave.

"From now on, we won't accept that excuse anymore as the organisation should function even during emergencies or when a particular official is not around.

"There must be top bottom, bottom up approach from the council president to the junior officers being able to handle any issues that arise.

"There should not be dependence on any party and the entire machinery should be holistic and smooth," Lim added.

He also reiterated his earlier call for MPPP staff to work as a team, and to discard the silo mentality of only looking after one's own department.

Stressing on the state government's intentions of a healthy financial system, Lim said despite the success, there were still many areas that needed improvement.

"I am not saying that all is well, but we are on the right track and there is still room for improvement.

He said out of 7,704 complaints received by the MPPP throughout 2009, only 10 involving technical matters were unresolved.

"We are not completely perfect but we must keep identifying, finding solutions and resolving problems," he added.

Lim also announced that in order to further streamline its services, MPPP would require architects, engineers and surveyors to provide professional, world class services.

"If they want the council to provide world class services, they must also do the same, otherwise their plans would be returned to them and we would not hesitate to lodge reports with their respective professional organisations.

"It works both ways, they are also entitled to complain about our services as we are also entitled to do the same about them," he added.

TheEdgeMalaysia

First images of spotted leopard captured in Malaysia

This piece of news is very much welcomed and simply awesome. Let's hope the government can do something to protect this endangered species :)

Researchers said Sunday they have captured the first images of a spotted leopard in Malaysia, putting to rest a decades-old debate over the existence of the endangered cat in the country.

The images were taken by camera traps set up in the Endau-Rompin national park as part of a 10-year project in southern Johor state, Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia programme director Melvin Gumal told AFP.

"Out of the 11,500 images taken on the ground, only three were of the spotted leopard and this goes to prove that the spotted leopard does exist in Malaysia," he said.

"It now gives the impetus for greater conservation in the Endau-Rompin area and greater collaboration to protect this extremely biodiverse site."

The spotted leopard has a prominent rosette pattern on its skin, unlike the black leopards, which make up the majority of such cats in Malaysia.

Gumal said the leopard was one of six species of big cats documented along with tigers and marbled cats from the 70 camera traps set up under the project.

Leopards are found in much of Africa, across the Middle East and in Asia. Several of its subspecies, like the spotted leopard, are considered endangered.

Agence France-Presse

Penang Round the House Relay 2010 Results

Fellow runners, here are the official results of the relay from yesterday's event. I just posting the final result summary of all the category. A bit lazy to post the breakdown of every running members....Sorry for that. Congrats to all the runners and participants...

Click on the pictures to enlarge...

Button wins China F1

Hmm, what can I say... Again a very lucky Button, and again it's the tyre strategy that helps him to another win after a similar effort for the Australian GP.

DEFENDING Formula One champion Jenson Button delivered a perfectly judged drive in treacherous wet conditions to win Sunday's dramatic China Grand Prix ahead of his McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

The two Britons delivered their first one-two of the season in sumptuous style to prove that though the Red Bull team may have the fastest cars for qualifying, they retain great race performance.

Button's triumph was his second in four races this season and the ninth of his career and it lifted him clear at the top of this year's embryonic drivers' championship ahead of German Nico Rosberg.

But if Button demonstrated smooth style and great management of tyres, it was Hamilton who produced the thrills in a race punctuated by rain storms, accidents and two Safety Car periods.

Rosberg came home third for the new Mercedes team ahead of two-times champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari. German Michael Schumacher, 41, making his comeback three seasons after retiring as a seven-times world champion, looked set to finish eighth, until the closing laps when he was passed by Webber and then Brazilian Felipe Massa, who took ninth for Ferrari. Schumacher was 10th eventually.


The two Red Bulls started from the front row of the grid, but lost their advantage almost immediately when, after Alonso had jumped the start, the first Safety Car call was followed by rain.

The leaders rushed to pit for intermediate wet-weather tyres but these were soon worn out and the changing conditions created chaos ahead of a second mid-race Safety Car period.


Button, having chosen not to rush for an early change of tyres, rose to second and then took the lead from Rosberg after 19 of the 56 laps and stayed there.

Button now leads the title race on 60 points ahead of Rosberg on 50 with Alonso and Hamilton equal third on 49.

AP

Musical Scenic Relaxing Parks in Penang ... Hooray !!!

PLANS are being worked out to introduce a musical programme at the Botanic Gardens and the Tropical Spice Garden in Penang to boost the state tourism.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said they were looking into a proposal and seeking the Malaysia Chinese Cultural Society to stage the ‘Music In the Park’ either weekly or fortnightly at the two venues.

The proposal is currently at a discussion stage.

“In places overseas, there are musical nights in their parks. Here, we can have quartets or sopranos singing.”

She said Penang needed such events to boost its tourism.

“It doesn’t mean huge events but just small ones in the little nooks and corners to give Penang talents a chance to show off,” she told reporters during her visit to the Tropical Spice Garden at Batu Ferringhi on Wednesday.

She said the ministry was promoting green eco-tourism to make Malaysian parks and gardens outstanding tourism products.

She said the 1.6ha Tropical Spice Garden was one of the unique gardens in the country as it blended into the existing surroundings.

“I’m a garden lover and no where in the world can you find a garden in the jungle. I’m glad to hear that it recorded 55,000 tourist visits last year. I believe there is potential for more,” she said.

She said the ministry was currently developing Malaysian parks and gardens as eco-tourism products.

“Penang is well positioned in this with its Botanic Gardens which is more man-made compared to the Tropical Spice Garden that is closer to nature,” she said.

Ng also said the gardens should be listed in the book ‘1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die’.

She also said Malaysia would participate in the Chelsea Flower Show in United Kingdom from May 25 to 29 and had commissioned renowned ethnobotanist James Wong to work on the garden.

TheStar

AirAsia X flying to Seoul at last :)

FINALLY !!!! Malaysian can look forward to cheaper airfare to Seoul, Korea...!!!

Luckily the constant complains by AirAsia people work, else I think we have to wait another year or so...

Long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X (5099) has received local approval to fly the Kuala Lumpur-Seoul route, AirAsia Bhd group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said.

"Just been given rights to Seoul. At last. Thank you, Prime Minister," Fernandes said on Twitter yesterday, confirming a Business Times report that the airline was tipped to receive the rights.

AirAsia X had been waiting for the approval for about a year, having submitted a request to operate daily flights.

Fernandes said the airline would now work to secure the Kuala Lumpur-Sydney rights."Not fair that people have to pay high fares," he tweeted from France.

AirAsia X has not decided yet when it will start its service to Seoul, AirAsia X chief executive officer Azran Osman-Rani, who is also in France, told Business Times in a text response.

BTimes

Income Tax payment at PostOffice or PosOnline starting today

Hmm...it's now easier than ever paying your income tax....Man, they do come up with the best possible way for us to pay them, do they?

Starting Thursday, April 15, taxpayers can settle their dues with the Inland Revenue Board at any Pos Malaysia outlet and via its transaction portal PosOnline.

In a statement on Wednesday, Pos Malaysia said cash payments could be made at any of its 696 outlets in the country, while the online transactions would be carried out by debiting the customer’s personal bank account in selected banks or via MEPS CASH.