Thursday, September 30, 2010

News Report on 26 Sept 2010 Press Conference

News Report from The Star, Sin Chew, Nanyang, China Press and Malaysiakini





Malaysiakini (Komunitikini): Discrepancies in public funds

by Leven Woon on 27 Sep, 2010
Tagged:
in Announcements, Complaints, News, Property, Puchong.

Internal conflict is brewing among Saujana Puchong residents movement Signature Campaign Network (SCT) as the current committee found discrepancies in its financial accounts.

The NGO, which was formed to campaign against a cemetery project at the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve, has to figure out the transactions of its public funds after legal firm T.J Chin & Co claimed that they have received more than the amount that was recorded to have been channeled for legal fees.

According to SCT secretary Ng Chee Kwang, the first term committee members had in 2006 paid T.J Chin & Co RM55,000 for legal service fees to bring the Selangor state government to court; but the firm claimed to have received RM65,000.

“If the required legal fees was just RM55,000, why the firm got an extra RM10,000? How come there is a discrepancy?” he asked.

The current committee, which is the third term committee, is now demanding the first term committee members to step forward and clarify to the residents regarding the funds.

“The first term chairman refused to help us sorting out the discrepancy. This had raised an issue of public accountability,” Ng said.

(front row from left) Ng, SCT current chairman Lee Wai Hong and committee member Lau Seng Yau

“Neither of it can make up RM80,000″

Ng added that during the SCT’s establishment in 2006, everyone was told that an amount of RM80,000 was raised through public donations as for operational and legal fees.

However, when the current members took over the leadership on September 2009, they found only RM27.82 was left in SCT’s bank account.

Through a series of records tracing, they later found out that RM15,000 was earmarked as a fixed deposit while RM12,500 was paid to another appointed legal firm in 2007.

“But the point is, neither RM55,000 nor RM65,000 plus the RM27,500 above could make up a RM80,000. So how much funds did we really raise in the first place?” Ng added.

The committee had issued three letters to T.J Chin & Co to request a breakdown of expenses on the purported amount ofRM65,000, to which the legal firm has yet to respond.

Hence, the members have appointed another lawyer at their own expenses to pursuit the request.

Lau: human greed most likely the reason

Committee member Lau Seng You expressed that human greed is most likely the reason behind these discrepancies.

He however promised that if SCT can get back its entitled funds, it will be donated to culture and education-based organizations.

“(The fund) came from the public somehow,” he said.


SCT dropped court case against Selangor government

Meanwhile, SCT is planning to dissolve its body by June next year as their six-year struggle had finally reached a happy ending.

Selangor exco Teresa Kok on July announced that the cemetery project on the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve plot was shelved. Instead, the plot near to Saujana Puchong was officially gazetted as part of the forest reserve.

Following this, SCT had officially reached an out-of-court settlement with the Selangor government last Friday.

“We feel happy because after six years of struggle, all fellow residents can now enjoy peace of mind and start focusing on their future plans,” Lau said.

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Sunday, September 26, 2010

Out-Of-Court Settlement After 6 Long Years of Struggle

Dear residence and neighbours,

First of all, SCT would like to salute all of you for your unyielding support because without your full support, the out-of-court settlement where the cemetery site is regazetted back to Forest Reserve will not be possible.

The Main Topics for the Press Conference yesterday (26 September 2010 at 10 am in AS-Subuh Restaurant) are:

1. The Official Announcement for the Out-Of-Court Settlement

2. The Issue of Requesting for the breakdown of expenditure by our first lawyer (T. J. Chin & Co - appointted by the 1st Term SCT committee). We have changed our lawyer to William Leong & Co on 4 Dec 2007. Besides that, we also invite the 1st and 2nd term SCT Committee to come forward to provide accurate reports to the residents.

(For your info, SCT Committee is now in her 3rd Term (26 June 2009 - 25 June 2011).

The 1st Term SCT Committee is from 26 June 2005-25 June 2007 and the 2nd Term Committee is from 26 June 2007-25 June 2009)

3. We will also inform that once or our documents are ready, SCT 3rd Term Committee will announce and distribute our final report (Financial and Non-Financial). We also take this opportunity to openly invite SCT 1st and 2nd Term to come forward and provide accurate reports to the residents.

4. Since our mission is already completed, once item (3) is completed, SCT will be dissolved.

For more info, refer to the attached documents.

Again, thank you very much for your support and guidance.


Attached are the documents for yesterday press conference:


1. Press Release and Legal Documents for Out-Of-Court Settlement (letter signed by State Legal Advisor and the Gazette No. 2460 and No. 2461











2. Letters that we have provided to T. J. Chin & Co requesting for the breakdown of legal expenses:

First of all, SCT wrote to T. J. Chin & Co on 6 September 2009 and then 12 October 2009 to request for the breakdown of legal expenses. In both letters, we do not receive any reply from T. J. Chin & Co.

Because of that, 1 June 2010, four SCT committee members (Mr. Koh Kok Siong, Mr. Lau Seng You, Mr. Lee Wai Hong and Mr. Ng Chee Kwong) appointed Norma Goh & Co to write to T. J. Chin & Co for the same matter and we still do not get the breakdown of legal expenses.

Then, on 7 July 2010, SCT 3rd Term Committee successfully changed the applicant name of our Judicial Review from SCT 1st Term Chairman to Mr. Lee Wai Hong (SCT 3rd Term Chairman - current) and thus obtain the Locus Standi (Legal Position) to pursue this case.

Because of that, SCT 3rd Term Committee appointted Norma Goh and Co to officially pursue this matter with T. J. Chin & Co using Mr. Lee Wai Hong Locus Standi on 20 August 2010. (The expenses for Appointment of Norma Goh & Co to pursue this matter amounting to RM 5,000.00 is fully borned personally by SCT 3rd Term Committee without using any public donated contribution).

Norma Goh & Co then reported this to the Senior Assistant Registrar (Shah Alam Court) and on 24 September 2010, Norma Goh & Co informed us that T. J. Chin & Co will reply us within 2 weeks.