4 theSun | TUESDAY DECEMBER 16 2008

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MASRY CHE ANI/THESUN

Help weather housing

loan woes: Gerakan
by Humayun Kabir on housing loans to extend to retrench workers or are
newsdesk@thesundaily.com the tenure of repayment of cutting overtime or reducing
such loans or exempt them the working hours and days
IPOH: Perak Gerakan wants from overdue interest or not which is affecting the man
the federal government to charge interest for one year.” in the street as his earning
safeguard the interests of “Assuming that a capacity is greatly reduced,
Malaysians with housing minimum of 10% of forcing him to default on Staff of Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd and police control traffic flow into the bridge yesterday.
loans amounting to RM186.7 retrenched workers default his housing loans,” he told
billion nationwide as at 2007, on the total RM186.7 billion reporters at state Gerakan
in view of the economic
downturn and its effects on
loan due, we will have
RM18.6 billion in non-
headquarters here yesterday.
He said Malaysia could
Authorities brace for steep rise
retrenchment, among other
things.
The party’s state
performing loans.”
He said this would be a
huge monetary loss for the
follow the steps taken by
the governments of the US
and England to pump funds
in traffic on Penang Bridge
chairman Datuk Chang nation and Bank Negara into financial institutions to by Himanshu Bhatt and Chinese New Year around the corner, the
Ko Youn said, “the federal should take proactive cushion the impact of non- newsdesk@thesundaily.com authorities are looking into a new traffic-flow
government should make measures by restructuring performing housing loans management system to prevent the situation
arrangements with financial housing loan payments. and to reduce the financial SEBERANG PERAI: The state authorities are from worsening.
institutions on a moratorium “Businesses are starting hardship of their citizens. bracing for a steep rise in the number of vehicles Lim told reporters this while overseeing the
travelling across the already congested Penang implementation of a “tidal flow” vehicle entry
Bridge over the next two months. system at the toll plaza here yesterday.
Guan Eng: Disclose shares Perak govt not practising what State public works, utilities and transporta- The system involves dividing vehicles driving
bought by ValueCap it preaches: State Gerakan chief tion committee chairman Lim Hock Seng said into the bridge into seven lanes, and allowing
the 13.5km bridge is jammed very near to its them to enter in turns as congestion further up
GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng IPOH: The Perak state government has been accused capacity with some 136,000 vehicles using it the bridge clears.
has called for the full list of shares bought of “not practising what it preaches” by deciding to re- daily. “It is not a perfect system, but it provides a
by fund management company ValueCap place the Proton Perdana V6 Executive with the Toyota The number was estimated by doubling the sense of comfort and discipline,” Lim said.
Sdn Bhd using its RM5 billion injection from Camry 2.4 as the official car for its exco members and 68,000 vehicles recorded going one-way through He added that the police are assisting staff
the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to be senior officers. the bridge’s toll plaza in Prai. of Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd to improve moni-
disclosed. State Gerakan chairman Datuk Chang Ko Youn said With the current school holidays and festive toring and control, and by providing relevant
Lim said there are concerns that the the state government promised to look after the wel- periods like Christmas, New Year, Thaipusam training.
RM5 billion injection was meant to pay off fare and interests of the people, but those were empty
ValueCap’s loans of approximately the same promises as they were more concerned with their own
amount due early next year to its sharehold- comfort by buying imported cars, he said.
ers. “The excuse given by the Pakatan Rakyat govern-
ment that the maintenance cost for the national car is
Body of missing Briton found on hillslope
“Valuecap owes RM5.1 billion to Khazanah
Nasional Bhd, the Pension Trust Fund Council high is not true and meant to mislead the people so KUALA LUMPUR: A British The couple was said to have the victim, an engineer with
(KWAP) and Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), that they can buy the Japanese imported cars,” Chang citizen, who was reported gone to the party together, but an oil company, at the steep
but the government says the three institutions said at a press conference at Wisma Gerakan, here missing after he failed to return the wife left earlier while God- hillslope.
have agreed to extend the loans,” he said. yesterday. home from a birthday party on dard was believed to have left He believed Goddard slipped
“Why should EPF funds be channelled to Meanwhile, Tanjung Malim Umno division head Sunday, was found dead on a the condominium at about 6am and fell from the hillslope after
a company that cannot fully pay up its loans Datuk Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib said the Perak state hillslope behind a bungalow in on Sunday. leaving the condominium.
and has to get an extension?” Lim said in a government should support the national car industry by Ukay Heights, Ampang, at about “However, when he still “The footage of a closed-cir-
statement yesterday. giving priority to Proton cars as the Proton factory in 5.30pm yesterday. failed to return home at 7pm cuit television recording at the
He said the public have to be assured that Tanjung Malim contributed RM3.7 million each year in Ampang district police chief (Sunday), the wife lodged a condominium showed the man
EPF contributions and assets worth RM332.41 terms of assessment paid to the Tanjung Malim District ACP Abd Jalil Hassan said An- missing person’s report on her walking in an unsteadily manner
billion are used properly and not for bailing Council. drew (Andy) Edward Goddard husband,” Abd Jalil said. while leaving the condominium,”
out “politically-connected companies”. Mohd Khusairi, who is also the assemblyman for was reported missing by his wife He said police, with the help he added.
Lim also said EPF’s 60% drop in invest- Slim, said the maintenance cost for the Proton Perdana when he failed to return home in of two tracker dogs and 15 Gen- Police classified the case as
ment income in the third quarter of this year V6 used by the exco members and senior officers could Subang after attending the party eral Operations Force members sudden death.
has raised questions about EPF’s ability to be considered high, but the amount contributed by at the Ukay Bayu condominium, on duty at the site of the Bukit The body was sent to the
maintain dividends at the same rate as last Proton to the state government each year was much near Jalan Tebrau, Ampang Jaya Antarabangsa landslide, then Kuala Lumpur General Hospital.
year at 5.8%. higher. – Bernama on Saturday. searched the area and found – Bernama