Rally rubbish claim sparks debate
A HEATED exchange erupted in the Dewan Rakyat after Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming defended his earlier statement that 20 metric tonnes of rubbish were left behind after the recent Turun Anwar rally.
He said the figure was based on findings from Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp).
'These numbers are not from me, but from SWCorp.
'Hundreds of their workers were mobilised to clear streets of rubbish following the rally.
'I do not deny that there were PAS members who had helped clear the waste, and I thank them.
'But I also cannot deny that there were 20 metric tonnes of rubbish left across Sogo, Dataran Merdeka and Petaling Street,' Nga told Datuk Awang Hashim (PN–Pendang), who asked for clarification on the figure.
Awang demanded proof, saying that it was improbable that the rally participants had left behind that much rubbish.
'If there are no facts, then it is a lie,' said the Opposition MP.
Nga replied that the data came from SWCorp.
'Even their CEO worked till late in the night during the clean-up,' he added.
Several Opposition MPs then stood up and objected to Nga's claim; however, Deputy Speaker Alice Lau told Awang to stop speaking and allowed Nga to continue responding to other questions.
The rally drew a crowd of about 18,000, according to the Kuala Lumpur police.
On another matter, Nga said over 2,000 business premises were seized after their owners were found to have committed offences, including transferring their operating permits and licences to foreign nationals.
Since 2023, he said as many as 14,834 compound notices have been issued, 23 licences revoked and 2,880 business premises seized for various offences.
Overall, a total of 11,973 compounds were issued, 13 licences revoked and 2,727 seizures made in operations across 12 local authorities.
'Local authorities have never permitted foreign nationals to apply for or own any trading licences for small businesses, including sundry stores, restaurants, workshops and markets,' Nga told Mohd Hasnizan Harun (PN-Hulu Selangor).
Mohd Hasnizan had asked about the ministry's efforts to tackle the issue of foreign nationals running businesses in Malaysia, especially sundry stores.
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