25/04/2025

FRIDAY | APR 25, 2025

3

Anwar tight-lipped on PKR re-election prospect PUTRAJAYA: PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has remained tight lipped on the prospect of re-elections in several party divisions. This follows defeats for several PKR heavyweights – thought to be aligned with deputy president Rafizi Ramli – who lost to their rivals in the divisional polls. Among the vanquished were Cabinet members and MPs who gained public recognition during the height of Anwar’s reformation movement. “You’ll need to ask the (party election committee),” the prime minister said before getting into his car at the Seri Perdana Complex. He had earlier attended the Home Ministry Hari Raya celebration event. MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong and Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah were also present. In the recently concluded PKR divisional elections, major losses included Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who was defeated in the Setiawangsa division chief race, and Unity Deputy Minister K. Saraswathy, who lost the Bukit Bintang division contest. Youth and Sports Deputy Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim also fell short in his bid for Hang Tuah Jaya division deputy chief post. Several MPs were also unseated in their respective constituencies, including Batu MP P. Prabakaran, Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan, Ampang MP Rodziah Ismail and Sungai Siput MP S. Kesavan. PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry will provide about 600 units of body cameras for use by immigration officers, as part of efforts to improve the integrity and transparency. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the move was in response to concerns raised by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on the issue of integrity in the immigration service. “Datuk Seri himself called the Immigration director-general and expressed the need to immediately work on the use of body cameras,“ he said when speaking at the Home Ministry Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration event yesterday. Saifuddin said he then instructed the ministry secretary-general to expedite the process, and the procurement will be carried out on April 28 to enable 600 body cameras to be provided as soon as possible. In addition, he said the autogate system would replace most of the manual counters at international airports starting in June, in line with the prime minister’s wish to speed up the process of entrance and departure by tourists at border checkpoints. “As Datuk Seri wishes, by June, most of the international airports will replace manual counters with autogates, which will allow the departure of travellers to take place in a very short time. That is our commitment,“ he said. – Bernama Immigration officers to get body cams

Ports to act as checkpoints in lorry overloading crackdown

Ű BY AZURA ABAS newsdesk@thesundaily.com

o Need for stricter measures to ensure safety of road users and reduce fatal crashes caused by excessive vehicle cargo: Minister

The initiative was catalysed by devastating crashes, including a five-vehicle collision near Ayer Keroh in December 2024 that resulted in seven fatalities, including five members of the same family. Investigations revealed that a detached lorry tyre was the cause of the crash. The newly established task force, led by Transport Ministry secretary general Datuk Jana Santhiran Muniayan, has been tasked with implementing immediate measures. Its objectives include formulating effective strategies to ensure the safety of all road users, involving multiple stakeholders in the process . Reported statistical data underscores the urgency of the initiative. From January to October 2024, 825 lorries were involved in fatal crashes, averaging three incidents daily. The ministry also plans to review and amend the Road Transport Act 1987 and the Land Public Transport Act 2010 to impose stricter penalties for overloading offences.

PETALING JAYA: Starting July 1, ports will serve as frontline filters in a nationwide crackdown on overladen heavy vehicles. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the move is part of a broader effort to enhance road safety and reduce crashes caused by excessive vehicle loads. Loke, who chaired the National Logistics Task Force (NLTF) meeting on Nov 25 last year, said the ministry will begin implementing stricter measures targeting overloading violations, particularly in logistics operations involving heavy vehicles. “In that closed-door meeting, I informed key industry players to prepare for tougher enforcement. “This is a necessary step to safeguard road users and promote systemic safety improvements,” he said. Currently, enforcement requires officers to intercept heavy vehicles and escort them to weigh stations, a method that limits the number of

For export activities, vehicles will be weighed at the port entrance. Those found to be overloaded will be denied entry to deliver their goods. Further details on the enforcement policy will be communicated to industry stakeholders by the respective port authorities. Loke urged industry players to fully cooperate with the initiative. “Improving safety standards may entail higher operational costs, but such investments will pay off by reducing road crashes linked to overloaded vehicles,” he said. In response to a troubling rise in fatal crashes involving heavy vehicles, Loke was quoted saying early of this year that the ministry would form a special task force dedicated to enhancing road safety.

vehicles that can be inspected. The upcoming changes will leverage port infrastructure to screen vehicles more efficiently, expanding enforcement coverage. “Many heavy vehicles entering or exiting our ports are involved in import and export activities. “Ports, therefore, serve as an ideal checkpoint to detect and deter overloaded vehicles,” he said. For a start, this enforcement strategy will be rolled out across all federal ports in Peninsular Malaysia. For import transactions, the system will check load compliance at the booking stage. If a booking exceeds the legal gross vehicle weight, it will be automatically rejected, and the vehicle will be barred from entering the port to collect cargo.

Loke said improving safety standards may entail higher operational costs, but such investments would pay off by reducing road crashes linked to overloaded vehicles. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ /THESUN

On-call allowance hike for health workers approved PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry has received approval to increase the On-Call Duty Allowance for health workers, said its minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. been asked to wait for the announcement,“ he said after launching the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2024: Nutrition at the ministry yesterday. The On-Call Duty Allowance is compensation for additional fee schedule involving private clinics and hospitals. also to celebrate the contributions of the ministry’s senior staff in Putrajaya as well as other places,” he said.

Commenting on the claim that the ministry held a large-scale Hari Raya ceremony and invited famous artistes, he said the ministry did not pay Biduanita Negara Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin to perform as her attendance was arranged through Yayasan Nurjiwa, while Datuk Jamal Abdillah was only given a small token. “This (Hari Raya ceremony) is

Several news portals had criticised Dzulkefly and his ministry for organising a lavish Hari Raya celebration, including inviting famous artistes such as Siti Nurhaliza. Following this, Siti Nurhaliza said she was a guest at the event and was not there to perform. – Bernama

He stressed that the welfare of health workers has always been primary and the issue has been his priority throughout his leadership at the ministry. “We have already received approval for the increase in the active allowance, we just need to announce the amount. I have

responsibilities carried out by medical officers in treating patients during on-call duty at hospitals after normal working hours. Dzulkefly said he has also received approval regarding the