The Star Online: Metro: South & East
The Star Online: Metro: South & East |
- GE13: Newbie Wong also gives free legal advice to the people
- GE13: Retiree’s wife provides moral support for his campaign
- GE13: Gold mining not linked to HCN readings, says RAGM general manager
| GE13: Newbie Wong also gives free legal advice to the people Posted: 29 Apr 2013 06:08 PM PDT SHE may be a newbie in GE13, but Wong You Fong has a good track record in serving the people in Johor to show to the people. The Pekan Nenas state seat candidate is the person to turn to for free legal consultation. A practising lawyer, Wong, 42, is legal advisor to 39 non-government organisations in Johor. Apart from spending every Wednesday to provide free legal service to the people, the Johor MCA legal bureau chief said she also corresponded with them online to expedite things. Her stint as a Johor Baru city councillor between 1999 and 2006 had also made her realise that a government platform would enable her to serve the people better. But it was her exposure to politics in her teenage years that made her want to be active in politics later and used it as a platform to help the society. Growing up in a new village, Wong said she knew there were many things that could be done to improve the life of the people. She also learnt the importance of diligence, perseverance and sincerity from young. Her father Wong Ah Sang, 73, is a car spare parts dealer and Kampung Perpaduan MCA branch chairman, and Wong said she had been helping him in the shop and political work before she turned 18, the minimum age to join the party. The Foon Yew High School graduate said she also chose to do an external degree in law in London University so that she could continue to be with her parents in Johor. Wong graduated in 1993, got her CLP in 1994, did her chambering in 1995 and called to the Bar the following year. She is married to lawyer Chang Tau Sian, 42 and they have two sons; Zhan Yang, 10 and Zhan Hern, 5. Wong said her husband and parents-in-law were very supportive, and this had enabled her to find time for active politics and social work. |
| GE13: Retiree’s wife provides moral support for his campaign Posted: 29 Apr 2013 06:09 PM PDT JOHOR BARU: Retired headmaster Khoo Soo Seang, who is contesting the Tebrau parliamentary seat here, is hoping that the lady by his side will bring him luck come May 5. Khoo, 68, a first-time candidate, brings along his wife Woo Teck Ping everywhere for company on his campaign trail. "Having her around gives me added motivation and emotional support. "She also juggles roles as my nutritionist and personal assistant because she watches what I eat and makes sure that I take my vitamins on time," the BN candidate joked. He added that Woo also drives him around, as he is usually busy picking up phone calls and replying to public complaints. Khoo, who enjoys reading and writing poetry in his free time, said tdespite his age, he has no qualms about starting his day as early as 7am each day during the campaigning period. "We go for about seven campaign activities throughout the day - sometimes until late at night but I am used to that routine even before being fielded as a candidate," he added. Woo, 61, said that tagging along with her husband to work was nothing new as she has been doing so since 2004 when he was a local councillor for the Johor Baru Central Municipal Council (MPJBT). "Our kids are grown up and I do not want to waste time sitting around at home so I decided follow him around. I have taken to a liking to the hectic lifestyle," she said. The mother of four attributed Khoo's habit of waking up early and going to bed late to his previous job as a teacher before entering politics full time. "The thing about my husband is that he can take a 10-minute nap on the way to a function and he will feel refreshed. "Being with him throughout the day also enabled us to spend more time together and I can also remind him to take his vitamins on time and hand him a towel to wipe his sweat," she said. Although fielded as a candidate for the first time, Khoo has vast experience in politics as an MCA member for more than two decades. Khoo added that he would be concentrating on education and schools if he is elected. He is going against PKR's national deputy secretary-general Steven Choong Shiau Yoon for the Tebrau parliamentary seat, made up of the Tiram and Puteri Wangsa state seats. |
| GE13: Gold mining not linked to HCN readings, says RAGM general manager Posted: 29 Apr 2013 06:09 PM PDT RAUB: The presence of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) gas in Bukit Koman may be caused by other sources other than mining activities in the village. Raub Australian Gold Mining Sdn Bhd (RAGM), who has been operating the gold mine since 2009, said there was no evidence linking the level of HCN readings at the village to the operations of the plant. The plant has become an issue with the villagers after some of them protested against the mining company's gold extraction methods. "It is important for the public to be aware that there are other sources of HCN gas in the air such as burning of wood, rubbish and particularly plastics, car exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke. "It is conceivable that these sources, when combined, could produce a low level of HCN in the air that is measurable but is not associated with our plant," RAGM general manager (mine operations) Richard Lee said. Lee was responding to a statement made by the Raub Ban Cyanide Action Committee (BCAC), who claimed that the readings detected in Bukit Koman by the Department of Environment (DOE) was directly due to the operations of the RAGM plant. The BCAC also claimed that the DOE readings showed that Bukit Koman residents were exposed to HCN concentrations of 0.5 to 0.8 parts per million every day. Lee said the company was disappointed in "certain individuals" who have continued to deliberately spread misinformation and have consistently refused to accept independent findings that showed the plant is safe. Recently, the Health Ministry had revealed that there were no incidents of unusual health problems in Kampung Bukit Koman up to March this year. The conclusion was drawn by the ministry's team of experts on public and environment health, who have conducted environmental studies, water, soil and air sampling following complaints of public health in the area. Even DAP Kepong MP and dermatologist Dr Tan Seng Giaw, who had examined 20 of the villagers last August on the invitation of BCAC, concluded that there was no evidence to show that skin problems was linked to the use of cyanide in mining activities. "As far as we are aware, until today, the BCAC had failed to provide cogent evidence to back their claims that 383 people are suffering from ill health. "We hope that with this latest finding by the ministry, all quarters will stop making unsubstantiated allegations about our operations and the plant," said Lee. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Star Online: Metro: South & East To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan