The Star Online: Nation
The Star Online: Nation |
- Sales of mineral water go up by 300% over weekend
- Conduct fresh polls, Umno branches told
- CIJ: Penang government's attitude worrying
| Sales of mineral water go up by 300% over weekend Posted: PETALING JAYA: Hypermarkets and convenience stores saw a surge of up to 300% in sales of mineral water bottles over the weekend in areas affected by water cuts. KK Group founder and chairman Datuk Dr Chai Kee Kan said his company, which operates 104 KK Supermarts throughout the country, had not marked up the price of the mineral water bottles despite the surge in demand. "Within a short period of time, after the announcement of the water cut, most of our hypermarkets went out of stock," he said yesterday. ' "We replenished the stocks from our warehouse in Cheras Jaya." Dr Chai added that the company had to order additional supply of mineral water bottles to cope with the demand. "We would like to assure the people that we have enough in our stores. They do not need to rush or panic," he said. Mydin Mohamed Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin said the firm saw a 250% increase in sales of mineral water bottles over the weekend. He added that all Mydin outlets in the affected areas had restocked its mineral water supply to ensure that there would be enough for the coming week. A spokesman for 7-Eleven Malaysia Bhd, however, said they were running low on supply during the weekend. "However, we have taken several steps to ensure that there is enough mineral water bottles for all consumers," he said. Restaurants operating in the affected areas, meanwhile, reported huge losses due to the water cuts. Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association president Noorul Hassan Saul Hameed said their outlets here saw profits drop by 40% . "Some restaurants had to use mineral water for cooking and this is very costly," he said, urging the authorities to focus on resolving the issue instead of "playing the blame game". |
| Conduct fresh polls, Umno branches told Posted: JELI: Several branches in the Rantau Panjang and Kubang Kerian Umno divisions have been ordered by the party's election committee to hold fresh polls due to conflicts in the branch elections. Announcing this, Kelantan Umno chief Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the delegates' meetings held by the branches failed to adhere to required procedures. He said the two divisions were placed under the scrutiny of the committee to avoid Umno members in the branches involved from being victimised. "Umno branches, which have valid complaints, will have to hold their delegates' meetings again to ensure transparency and fairplay," Mustapa said at an undergraduate gathering at the Jeli campus of Universiti Malaysia Kelantan here yesterday. Mustapa, who is International Trade and Industry Minister, said Umno members should abide by the selection committee's decision to avoid controversies and conflicts. "Branch and division leaders will be instrumental in Umno's foray at the next general election," he pointed out. "We have to choose leaders who are clean, committed and hard-working," Mustapa said. "And not those who clamour for positions purely out of self-interest." — Bernama |
| CIJ: Penang government's attitude worrying Posted: PETALING JAYA: The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) has taken the DAP-led Penang government to task over the Chief Minister's attitude towards the screening of Tanda Putera. This follows an advisory by the state government to cinemas in Penang not to screen the movie, which Lim Guan Eng considered a tool to "malign and demonise" the Chinese community. In a joint statement here yesterday, CIJ coordinator Ahmad Fuad Rahmat and programme officer Simitha Singam said while Lim had claimed he merely advised against the film's screening "it is evident the initial letter from the legal adviser had directed cinemas in the state against screening the film". "CIJ views the ambivalence of the Penang government's attitude towards the film 'Tanda Putera' with much worry," they said, reacting to Lim's objection to the screening of the movie that depicted the May 13, 1969 racial riots. CIJ also hit out at the police for seizing an artwork by painter Anurendra Jegadeva (Anu J) at the M50 Happy Malaysia Day art exhibition on Aug 29, for allegedly insulting Islam. The artwork, among others, featured a flag with red and white stripes, skull, crossbones and Quranic words. The artwork also had the inscription "I for Idiot" and depicted a chimpanzee in a helmet and a jacket riding on a bicycle against the backdrop of a military pilot with the words "Mission Accomplished". CIJ said Anu J's work was not insulting to Islam and that the artist had clarified the features on his artwork were creative references to the Iraq war waged by the United States. CIJ also questioned why the M50 organisers rejected works by landscape artist Ng Sek San, the brainchild behind a so-called Malaysian Spring street art campaign in the run-up to the 13th general election. |
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