Latest news with #publicinfrastructure
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Works minister defends JKR against criticism over deadly UPSI bus crash, calls for focus on service delivery
KUALA NERUS, July 14 — Public Works Department (JKR) personnel have been reminded not to succumb to negative perceptions or criticism, especially on social media, but instead to remain committed to upholding integrity and professionalism in delivering the best services to the people. Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the ministry and JKR often face ongoing criticism. He said such criticism tends to arise during incidents involving public infrastructure and the loss of lives, such as the recent fatal accident that claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students along the East-West Highway (JRTB) in Gerik, Perak last month. 'We mourn as well, but we are often blamed even when the causes vary depending on the situation... like in the bus accident in Gerik last month, some claimed that the bus overturned and the guardrail pierced through the body of the bus, causing the fatalities. '... but in reality, the bus was speeding and overturned, landing on the guardrail. This is the actual fact that the public may not know or has been twisted to make it seem as though the guardrail itself was highly dangerous. While there may indeed be some danger in the current design, alternative designs have not yet been implemented. So we will review other design options later,' he said. He said this after officiating the 2025 Senior Officers Conference (SOC) for JKR Malaysia here today. Also present were Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, JKR Director-General Datuk Roslan Ismail, and Terengganu JKR director Ir Dr Hasli Ibrahim. Nanta added that despite swift response and mitigation measures taken by JKR, certain issues and complaints, especially involving roads, continue to be sensationalised or used as 'ammunition' by netizens. Therefore, he called on all JKR personnel to rise above the criticism and continue to prove their worth to the public by delivering services with full dedication and transparency in order to dispel all accusations. Some 400 senior JKR officers from across the country, including top management, district engineers, and cadre officers, are attending the three-day SOC 2025 conference beginning today. Themed 'JKR Mampan: Memacu Kelestarian Madani', the annual conference serves as a platform for critical thinking and unity among senior JKR officers aimed at improving service delivery in a sustainable and holistic manner. — Bernama
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Works Minister defends JKR against criticism over Gerik accident, calls for focus on service delivery
KUALA NERUS, July 14 — Public Works Department (JKR) personnel have been reminded not to succumb to negative perceptions or criticism, especially on social media, but instead to remain committed to upholding integrity and professionalism in delivering the best services to the people. Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the ministry and JKR often face ongoing criticism. He said such criticism tends to arise during incidents involving public infrastructure and the loss of lives, such as the recent fatal accident that claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students along the East-West Highway (JRTB) in Gerik, Perak last month. 'We mourn as well, but we are often blamed even when the causes vary depending on the situation... like in the bus accident in Gerik last month, some claimed that the bus overturned and the guardrail pierced through the body of the bus, causing the fatalities. '... but in reality, the bus was speeding and overturned, landing on the guardrail. This is the actual fact that the public may not know or has been twisted to make it seem as though the guardrail itself was highly dangerous. While there may indeed be some danger in the current design, alternative designs have not yet been implemented. So we will review other design options later,' he said. He said this after officiating the 2025 Senior Officers Conference (SOC) for JKR Malaysia here today. Also present were Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, JKR Director-General Datuk Roslan Ismail, and Terengganu JKR director Ir Dr Hasli Ibrahim. Nanta added that despite swift response and mitigation measures taken by JKR, certain issues and complaints, especially involving roads, continue to be sensationalised or used as 'ammunition' by netizens. Therefore, he called on all JKR personnel to rise above the criticism and continue to prove their worth to the public by delivering services with full dedication and transparency in order to dispel all accusations. Some 400 senior JKR officers from across the country, including top management, district engineers, and cadre officers, are attending the three-day SOC 2025 conference beginning today. Themed 'JKR Mampan: Memacu Kelestarian Madani', the annual conference serves as a platform for critical thinking and unity among senior JKR officers aimed at improving service delivery in a sustainable and holistic manner. — Bernama
Gulf Business
09-07-2025
- Business
- Gulf Business
Paid parking in Dubai: Authorities sign MoU to enhance efficiency
Image credit: Getty Images Dubai Municipality has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Parkin Company PJSC, the largest provider of paid public parking facilities and services in Dubai, to enhance operational efficiency and service quality across the emirate's public parking infrastructure. Eng. Marwan Ahmed Bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality, and Ahmed Hashem Bahrozyan, Chairman of Parkin's Board of Directors, attended the signing ceremony. The MoU was signed by Bader Anwahi, CEO of the Public Facilities Agency at Dubai Municipality, and Mohamed Abdulla Al Ali, CEO of Parkin, Read- Framework for smarter parking solutions The agreement establishes a framework for collaboration between both parties in several key areas, including developing planning and regulatory standards, streamlining permit procedures, and enabling data exchange to support service optimisation. The MoU further authorises Parkin to manage selected free public parking facilities owned by Dubai Municipality, expanding the company's growing portfolio of smart-parking solutions. Bader Anwahi, CEO of the Public Facilities Agency at Dubai Municipality, said: 'This MoU aligns with our efforts to develop integrated infrastructure that meets Dubai's aspirations for a smart and sustainable future. Through this collaboration, we aim to improve the quality and efficiency of public services, enhance the customer experience, and support Dubai's strategic vision for sustainable urban mobility.' Driving innovation and urban development The agreement includes exploring opportunities for investment in and development of multi-storey parking structures, managing regulated facilities, and delivering value-added parking services at major events. The scope also includes developing unified criteria for using private plots as public parking areas and identifying innovative mobility solutions, including smart access and payment systems. Commenting on the collaborative nature of the MoU, Mohamed Abdulla Al Ali, CEO of Parkin, said: 'This partnership with Dubai Municipality reflects Parkin's commitment to advancing the emirate's vision for a smarter and more sustainable future. Leveraging our extensive expertise in managing public parking, and in alignment with the Municipality's long-term urban planning goals, we are developing integrated infrastructure to enhance urban mobility and support the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.' The MoU highlights both organisations' roles in driving Dubai's transformation into a leading global city through effective public-private collaboration, as set out under the principles of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan. It aims to support the creation of modern urban infrastructure that meets the evolving demand for smarter parking solutions. Parkin announces Variable Parking Tariff Policy in Dubai In March, Parkin Company PJSC announced an update regarding the Variable Parking Tariff Policy. As previously communicated by the company, the Variable Parking Tariff Policy was scheduled to take effect in Dubai on 4th April 2025, a Introduced by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), the new policy applied peak and off-peak tariffs across 100 per cent of the public parking portfolio and approximately 35 per cent of developer spaces. The tariff structure was based on the type of parking facility—Standard or Premium Parking—and whether the service was used during peak or off-peak hours. Premium Parking was defined as parking facilities located in high-demand, densely populated areas, often adjacent to or near public transport infrastructure. These zones were clearly marked with dedicated signage and displayed tariff information. Additional details were made available on the Parkin website, mobile app, and social media channels. Updated parking designations and tariffs Following further discussions between Parkin and the RTA, approximately 40 per cent of the company's public parking portfolio was designated as Premium Parking—an increase from the previously communicated 35 per cent. The remainder of the public parking spaces were categorised as Standard Parking. As of year-end 2024, the company operated 3,200 parking spaces across six Multi-Storey Car Parks (MSCPs). The MSCP parking tariff remained unchanged at Dhs5 per hour, charged around the clock, 365 days a year. However, customers parking for more than eight hours within any 24-hour period were subject to a maximum fee of Dhs40. Extension to developer spaces and event tariffs Also as of year-end 2024, Parkin's private developer portfolio consisted of 19,200 spaces. Following discussions with the RTA, it was anticipated that approximately 35 per cent of this portfolio—up from a previously expected 0 per cent—would be subject to the variable tariff. In line with the public parking portfolio, the Variable Parking Tariff Policy was also set to apply to developer parking spaces from April 4, 2025. A breakdown of applicable tariffs for developer spaces was provided in the appendix. To manage increased vehicle volumes during major events, a special tariff of Dhs25 per hour was to be applied from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm in the area surrounding the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). This event tariff was applicable to approximately 200 spaces.
Zawya
04-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Nigeria: Sokoto govt approves strategic projects to strengthen infrastructure, security, governance
The Sokoto State Executive Council, led by Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, has approved a series of far-reaching projects aimed at revitalizing public infrastructure, boosting security, and enhancing governance across the state. Briefing journalists after the fifth council meeting of the year, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Sambo Danchadi, alongside the Attorney General and the Commissioners for Lands, Housing, and Environment, outlined the key decisions taken by the council. A major highlight was the approval for the procurement of official vehicles for Permanent Secretaries across the state's ministries. According to Danchadi, many senior civil servants have operated without official vehicles for nearly 17 years—a situation the governor deemed unacceptable. 'This decision underscores Governor Ahmed Aliyu's commitment to restoring the dignity and efficiency of the civil service,' the commissioner said. 'It's a significant step toward strengthening the administrative machinery of the state.' In a similar vein, the council approved the construction of a new, purpose-built office complex for the Ministry of Justice. For years, the ministry has shared office space with the Ministry for Local Government—a constraint that has hindered optimal service delivery. 'This is a landmark development for the legal sector in Sokoto,' said the Attorney General. 'The new office will offer a conducive environment for legal officers and improve the ministry's productivity.' As part of the broader Sokoto infrastructure and governance reforms, the council approved the purchase of 25 units of the 2024 Toyota Buffalo vehicles—10 to be allocated to community-based security outfits and 15 to conventional security agencies operating in the state. The initiative is designed to improve security logistics and response capacity amid evolving threats. The council also gave the green light for the comprehensive renovation of the Mariam Abacha Women Development Centre in Sokoto. The once-vibrant center will be revived to serve as a hub for skills acquisition and economic empowerment for women. In a move to enhance cross-border mobility and prevent flooding, the council approved the reconstruction of a damaged culvert along the Sokoto–Illela–Niger Republic road in Santaka village, Illela Local Government Area. The culvert had become a major obstacle to trade and transportation while contributing to seasonal flooding in nearby communities. To address rising environmental concerns, the Ministry of Environment received approval for the direct procurement of nine waste disposal trucks, along with cleaning materials, safety kits, and household waste bins. The move is aimed at modernizing sanitation and improving urban cleanliness across the state. 'These approvals are a testament to the administration's resolve to deliver on its Nine-Point Smart Agenda,' said Danchadi. 'Governor Aliyu is laying a strong foundation for sustainable development through responsive and strategic governance.' With these bold actions under the Sokoto infrastructure and governance reforms, the administration continues to demonstrate its commitment to citizen welfare and institutional revitalization. The council meeting marks another milestone in the state's reform-driven trajectory, reinforcing the broader vision behind the Sokoto infrastructure and governance reforms as Governor Ahmed Aliyu prioritizes sustainable development and strategic public investment.
Mail & Guardian
27-06-2025
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
The privatisation agenda will not save South Africa
For the many who rightly feel abandoned by the government, and are sick of the state's failures, the private sector stepping in to solve problems with energy, water and logistics might appear rational and necessary. (John McCann/MG) The World Bank has approved a $1.5 billion loan to South Africa. The Does this new loan not contradict and undermine the government's stated efforts to practice fiscal responsibility and restrained government spending? For the past several years, the treasury has nourished Since 2010, the government has taken on As irrational as treasury's loan agreements with the World Bank might seem to the public, it operates within a logic that justifies the broader agenda being pursued by the government of national unity (GNU). Behind the curtain of political theatre surrounding debates on education, land reform and black economic empowerment (BEE), the GNU is united by an unwavering commitment to a series of structural reforms that will extend an exploitative, undemocratic and costly dependence on private investment for public infrastructure development and operation. For the many who rightly feel abandoned by the government, and are sick of the state's failures, the private sector stepping in to solve problems with energy, water and logistics might appear rational and necessary. The idea that private sector firms, and the capitalists who run them, are inherently more efficient, less corrupt and unburdened by political ideology is so pervasive an assumption that it barely receives any interrogation. Perhaps the most potent illusion this unexamined assumption instills is that what is best for big business is best for people. In reality, maintaining profitability, cutting operational costs, minimising risk to investors, maximising shareholder value, ensuring returns on investment, remaining competitive and being exposed to the fluctuation of markets means that private sector firms — as an unavoidable imperative of surviving in a capitalist economy — will always put their prosperity over the welfare of the public. This is evidenced by international experiences in both developed and developing countries. In the The adoption of the Rather than capacitating municipalities to deliver services on the basis of human need, national budget transfers to municipalities were reduced, non-core functions were outsourced to expensive private contractors and municipalities were compelled to pursue A central component of placing public utilities and services into the hands of private operators is fiscal consolidation, that is, austerity. Austerity then shrinks the role of the state, weakening its ability to service the public and enforces reliance on private firms, clearing space for market competition. Austerity measures in nations such as Private companies also need to reduce the cost of labour, requiring workers who are easy to hire and easy to fire, unprotected by collective bargaining and often compelled to work without the lifeline of a minimum wage. Around the world, creating The set of reforms being proposed, and gradually implemented, by the GNU are not novel inventions but belong to a tradition of economic practice that has dominated macroeconomic policymaking in South Africa and around the world since the 1980s. This economic practice has come to be known as neoliberalism. Although a term often casually tossed around, a concrete definition of neoliberalism recognises that it is both an economic The theory proposes that 'human well-being can be best advanced by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedom and skills within a framework characterised by strong property rights, free markets and free trade'. As a political project, neoliberalism aims to 're-establish the conditions for capital accumulation and to restore the power of economic elites'. To achieve the aims of neoliberalism, the role of the state is to create and preserve the institutional framework appropriate to the practice of capital accumulation. The coalition government is advancing a surrender of public infrastructure development, basic service provision and equitable economic growth to the profit-maximising interests of domestic private companies, multinational corporations and international financial institutions. As an example, the World Bank's use of the term 'modernisation' is merely a euphemism for the continued liberalisation of the energy and logistics sector, further commercialising state-owned enterprises and eventually leading to their privatisation. Liberalisation — which is the removal of government regulations, the breaking down of monopolies and facilitation of competition — precedes or coincides with commercialisation, setting the scene for private participation and market competition. Through commercialisation, public utilities and services that should have a mandate to serve the public good are turned into enterprises that prioritise revenue and profitability. Their services are brought into a competitive market consisting of private firms with a mandate to make profits. Privatisation, the process of transferring ownership and control of public assets and services to private entities to be run on a commercial basis, is often preceded by the liberalisation of public sector utilities and the commercialisation of public services. The logic behind the GNU's agenda is for the government, using its authority to create legislation and enforce policy, to forge the most hospitable conditions for capital accumulation by cultivating a business friendly environment that will attract private investment in infrastructure, increase the efficiency of key economic sectors and grow our economy, producing jobs and reducing poverty. Weaving sermons in the editorial rooms of the corporate-sponsored media and evangelising in the offices of the treasury, the priests of this trickle-down gospel portray private investment as South Africa's sole salvation. The policy plans of government are not a rhetorical wishlist, but are clearly laid out in The unbundling of Eskom and creation of a competitive electricity market to introduce private sector participation in generation, distribution and private The Continued fiscal consolidation — that is, austerity measures (budget cuts or limits on social welfare, public employment stimulation, tight monetary policy and regressive taxation to achieve a budget-surplus); Mobilising up to R1 trillion in financing from the private sector for infrastructure development through Increased reliance on The gradual imposing of labour-market flexibility, that is, deregulating the labour market to decrease the cost of labour for employers (weaken collective bargaining, lower minimum wage requirements and reduce employment benefits). What we are witnessing is the exploitation of crises — specifically the crises of unemployment, economic stagnation and state incapacity — to justify the enforcement of policies that have failed to deliver desired outcomes in both developed and developing countries across the world for the past 50 years. The most important element of the GNU's structural reform agenda is the drive for private financing of public infrastructure development through public-private partnerships. Global institutional investors — be it the World Bank or multinational investment banks — are using the burden of sovereign debt (which limits fiscal space for domestic resource mobilisation and state-driven investment), alongside the justification of meeting In the past several years this has largely occurred through Because infrastructure projects, especially for natural monopolies such as electricity or water provision, require immense capital investment and come with a series of risks (design defects, project delays, foreign exchange volatility, land acquisition, labour protections and so forth), governments have to ensure infrastructure development is This is done to make infrastructure projects investable and profitable. The state takes on risk through providing private investors credit guarantees, enforcing cost-reflective tariffs, providing subsidies or tax breaks. Through these de-risking mechanisms, risk is transferred onto the government's balance sheet, coming at the cost of public investment, which a country like South Africa needs to eradicate unemployment, poverty and inequality. In countries such as Spain, Mexico, India, Peru, Nepal, Scotland and Liberia the commercialisation or partial privatisation of public utility and services through public-private partnerships Moreover, democratic accountability and the need for transparency in the provision of public goods has been undermined when crucial infrastructure is handed over to private hands. In developing countries such as South Africa, the growing reliance on private companies to deliver public services and build public infrastructure The government has retained a commitment to neoliberalism for decades, whether through the Growth, Employment and Redistribution, the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiatives for South Africa, the National Development Plan or the Reconstruction and Recovery Plan. We keep trying the same things while expecting different results. About 12.7 million are unemployed and half the population of the country lives in poverty. Such conditions are unsustainable and explosive. New, politically imaginative and effective policy solutions are needed. Andile Zulu is with the Alternative Information and Development Centre in Cape Town.
