Tahniah Selangor - Budget 2012

Keadilan mengalu-alukan Belanjawan Selangor 2012 yang bertemakan Selangorku: Hasil Negeri Untuk Rakyat yang dibentangkan Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

Bagi pihak Kepimpinan Pusat Parti Keadilan Rakyat, saya mengucapkan tahniah kepada kerajaan pimpinan Tan Sri Khalid yang berjaya meningkatkan hasil negeri serta memastikan pengagihan khazanah negeri secara adil dan prihatin. Anggaran peningkatan hasil cukai (8.23%) dan hasil bukan cukai (40.12%) untuk tahun 2012 menampakkan pengurusan ekonomi negeri yang menjanakan pembangunan yang cukup pesat.

Dengan peningkatan hasil yang cukup baik ini, kerajaan negeri tidak bertindak berbelanja secara tidak wajar. Sebaliknya, simpanan tunai kerajaan Selangor kini telah mencecah RM 1.2 bilion - jumlah tertinggi sejak 28 tahun. Pengurusan wang yang beramanah ini adalah bukti komitmen Pakatan Rakyat terhadap pemerintahan berintegriti yang tidak berbelah bagi.

Jumlah simpanan wang ini harus dibandingkan dengan hutang kerajaan persekutuan yang telah mencecah RM 400 bilion. Jumlah hutang ini amat membimbangkan; tanpa reformasi yang mendalam, Malaysia mungkin akan menghadapi masalah yang sama dengan negara-negara Eropah yang berdepan dengan krisis ekonomi yang cukup parah.

Tidak seperti kerajaan sebelumnya, kerajaan negeri Pakatan Rakyat pimpinan Tan Sri Khalid berjaya menghentikan ketirisan dan rasuah dahulu yang merugikan rakyat sehingga ratusan juta ringgit. Sebagai contoh, apabila Pakatan Rakyat mengambil alih pada Mac 2008, tiada sebarang rekod berkenaan hutang RM 391 juta Syarikat Talam kepada kerajaan Selangor. Walaubagaimanapun, pimpinan baru kerajaan negeri yang meneliti setiap aspek pengurusan wang rakyat berjaya mengenalpasti serta mengutip balik wang yang dihutang oleh pihak swasta kepada rakyat.

Hasil pembasmian ketirisan dan rasuah, ratusan juta ringgit berjaya dijimatkan dan dibelanjakan balik demi kebajikan rakyat. Bagi 2012, kerajaan Selangor akan menyambungkan segala inisiatif kebajikan di bawah program Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor, serta menambahkan lagi RM 300 juta (hampir 15% belanjawan sepenuhnya) di bawah Geran Selangorku untuk meningkatkan lagi dana untuk meringankan beban ekonomi rakyat.

Kita mengalu-alukan semua progam kebajikan ini yang memanfaatkan rakyat yang menghadapi cabaran ekonomi yang semakin perit. Sasaran bantuan negeri termasuk rakyat berpendapatan rendah di kawasan bandar dan luar bandar, golongan petani dan nelayan, serta orang kelainan upaya.

Program kebajikan kerajaan Selangor bersifat menghakupayakan rakyat supaya mampu berdikari, bukannya bersifat pertolongan 'one-off' sepertimana yang dilaksanakan oleh kerajaan persekutuan. Pendekatan ini menunjukkan komitmen Pakatan Rakyat untuk memastikan setiap rakyat berpeluang mencari pekerjaan bermaruah dan pendapatan yang mencukupi serta setara dengan kos sara hidup.

Keadilan mengucapkan tahniah kepada kerajaan negeri Selangor dan Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid atas kejayaan dalam pengurusan hasil negeri untuk rakyat dan harap kerajaan persekutuan akan meneladani pendekatan yang memprioritikan rakyat ini.

Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail ia lah Presiden Parti Keadilan Rakyat

Protest by Selangor Indians

The Selangor government will provide financial and welfare assistance to families of those held under the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows detention without trial.

Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim said these measures would be taken up by the state government to help the wives and children of these detainees to ease their burden during the difficult period.

He added that his government will look into bearing the travelling costs for families to visit the detention camp every week.

At the same time, he said that children of the detainees may apply for state government scholarships to further their studies.

The wives too will be encouraged to look into various ways to become involved in businesses to help them earn a living, he said.

"Life can be difficult for them but they must continue to fight," he said after receiving a memorandum from the Abolish ISA Movement (GMI) today.

DAP state assemblyperson M Manoharan is one of about 70 ISA detainees being held presently at the Kamunting detention centre.

Manoharan was detained last December along with four other Hindu Rights Action Force leaders for allegedly being a national threat.

He contested for the Kota Alam Shah state seat in the March 8 general election and won comfortably.


Motion against ISA
Meanwhile in the state assembly, Kampung Tunku state representative and Selangor DAP secretary Lau Weng San today moved a motion for the release of Manoharan and all other ISA detainees.

He cited several reasons for Manoharan to be released immediately, among others that he won the Kota Alam Shah state seat with a big majority of 7,184 votes even though he was not present during campaigning and polling day due to his detention."

This was not just a big win for him or DAP but it was also a slap in the face for the federal government who had detained him without trail," he said in his speech in the assembly.

Lau said that Manoharan had merely highlighted the issues affecting the Indian community and was never a threat to the national security.

"He should be released immediately so that he can function as a state representative," he said, adding that it was unfair for the people of Kota Alam Shah not to have their representative around to raise their issues.

Lau also said that the reasons cited by the government for the detention of Manoharan and four other Hindraf leaders were weak.

The state assembly later passed the motion calling on the federal government to abolish the ISA and release all the ISA detainees or charge all of them in court.

Protest by Indian group
Earlier Khalid also said that the state government shared GMI's views on the abolition of the ISA as well as the Official Secrets Act.

GMI chairperson Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said some of the detainees were being held since 2002.

"Six years is not a short period - these sole breadwinners have lost their jobs and their children are suffering the consequences.

"There are also two detainees whose wives have sought divorce because of the long detention," he added.

Meanwhile, a group of Indian protested at the Selangor state secretariat in Shah Alam to express their disappointment with the failures of the state government in fulfilling election pledges.

The group, numbering about 80 and calling themselves Selangor Indian Community, handed a memorandum covering 13 issues to the office of Khalid.

They want the appointment of another Indian representative in the state executive council, at least six Indian representatives in each local council, and an Indian mayor for either the Shah Alam or Petaling Jaya city councils.The group also asked that at least 25 percent of positions in the state government be allocated to Indians.