Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Sri Muda rep denies pocketing any KSSB bonus

July 27, 2010
Shuhaimi (right) says Dr Khir again off the mark.
KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — Sri Muda state assemblyman Shuhaimi Shafiei has denied receiving any bonus from Selangor sand mining firm Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB) since its inception in 2008.

Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo had accused Shuhaimi on Sunday of protecting KSSB to get his six-month bonus in an escalating verbal war that started when the former state mentri besar claimed the Kuala Langat sand mine was illegal, prompting the PKR lawmaker to tell him to “shut up” and quit attacking the state over illegal sand mining.

“I have defended KSSB since it was first set up till now without getting a single bonus,” Shuhaimi told The Malaysian Insider.

“Never mind six months, I did not take even a one-month bonus because we are helping to return state treasury to the people,” added the KSSB board member.

The state assemblyman pointed out that Dr Khir had done nothing to heal the land since closing sand mines on state land during his administration as mentri besar.

“Dr Khir was MB (mentri besar) for almost 8 years. What did he do to heal the destroyed land and the sand mines left by his cronies that now look like a war-torn area?” asked Shuhaimi.

The Umno leader had earlier refuted Shuhaimi’s claims that he did nothing to stop illegal sand mining during his tenure, saying that he had closed all sand mines in the state land when he was mentri besar and prosecuted illegal sand miners from 2005 to 2006.

Shuhaimi also mocked Dr Khir’s political relevance, saying that the dentist’s decade-long career as a politician was already over.

“Dr Khir’s political capital is finished. His time has passed,” said Shuhaimi, pointing out that Selangor Umno deputy chief Datuk Seri Noh Omar was undermining Khir by launching his own attacks in the sand mining issue.

Noh had used a helicopter to get an aerial view of sand mines in Dengkil and other alleged illegal sites in Selangor shortly after Dr Khir led reporters to the Kuala Langat sand mine on July 11, which he claimed was illegal and harmful to the Paya Indah Wetlands.

KSSB has maintained that the mine is legal while an environmental expert engaged by them has found no evidence of the mine threatening the nature reserve.

“Datuk Noh is obviously ridiculing Dr Khir Toyo in this sand issue. Datuk Noh is not a natural resources minister, so why is he butting in this sand issue?” asked Shuhaimi.

“This means that he is devising a political strategy to bring Dr Khir down,” he said.

“My advice to Dr Khir, prepare to be frozen,” added Shuhaimi.

Source: Malaysian Insider

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