Fire victims still living in tents a year later

Star - A total of 140 families, who were left homeless when fire gutted about 300 houses in Bukit Malut on Feb 20 last year, are still staying in makeshift camps.

Karsum Mustapa, 42, cried when describing how she had to sleep in a tent with two other families.

“We have cooked, eaten and slept on the same spot for more than a year.

Still homeless: Karsum (front) and Habibah doing their chores inside the tent where they cook and sleep and which they describe as hot and unhygienic.

“It is so hot to stay inside the camp in the afternoons. When it rains, water seeps into the tent,” said Karsum.

Karsum, who has six children aged between seven and 22, said it was inhuman for three families to share a tent for such a long time.

“The tents are tattered and the floor boards are broken.

“It is unhygienic to cook and sleep on the same spot. Most of us have skin problems,” said Karsum, who sells kuih to make a living.

Karsum said that despite the hardship she tried very hard to keep her youngest children, aged seven and 12, in school.

Another victim, Mohamad Ali, 40, has no choice but to remain inside the hot tent because he is too sick to walk.

A total of 140 families, who were left homeless when fire gutted about 300 houses in Bukit Malut on Feb 20 last year, are still staying in makeshift camps.

“I am a diabetic,” said the frail Mohamad, who looks much older than his age.

Siti Hawa Mat Daud, 24, said that her five-month-old baby could not stand the heat inside the tent.

“We spend most of our day under the shady tree near our tent,” she said, adding that she too had to share a tent with two other families.

Bukit Malut village head Ali Bakar said 300 longhouses had been built in Kisap, on the other side of the island, for the fire victims but the authorities had yet to give them the green light to move in.

Habibah Musa, 47, said that they were told last year that they could move in before Hari Raya.

“After that we were told we could move in by February, before the general election.

“Now the elections are over, and we are still staying in the dilapidated tents,” she said.

2 - 3 HARI TAK KELUAR RUMAH

“Mula-mula saya fikir dan cakap kepada isteri, kalau ini keputusan rakyat Kedah nak buat, eloklah saya tinggalkan politik.”

Demikian luahan bekas Menteri Besar Kedah, Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid semalam yang secara terbuka mengakui terfikir untuk meninggalkan arena politik selepas BN negeri tewas kepada pembangkang pada Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12 lalu.

“Namun saya berfikir lagi, kali ini nampak orang yang sayang saya iaitu mereka yang bagi kemenangan kepada saya pada pilihan raya umum 2004 dan 2008 di Pedu.

“Saya bersemangat kembali dan umpama kata pepatah, ‘membujur lalu, melintang patah’, saya bertekad tidak akan pergi ke mana (tinggalkan politik),” katanya di sini semalam. Kosmo

Ho ho .... someone is scared

Kedah official papers missing
thestar.com.

ALOR STAR: All documents from the offices of the Mentri Besar and executive councillors in Kedah have gone missing.

The PAS-led government which took office after 12th general election on March 8 will lodge a police report based on the findings of an internal investigation.

Mentri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak has appointed state executive councillor Phahrolrazi Zawawi to investigate the case of the missing documents.

“Phahrolrazi will investigate what happened.

“I do not want to accuse people without proof,” said Azizan who found that the Mentri Besar’s office was void of documents after the swearing-in ceremony last Sunday.

The newly appointed executive councillors, who were sworn in on Wednesday, found out the next day that their offices were also empty.

“There is not a single paper left in all the offices. We view this very seriously because the documents belong to the executive council, not to any individual,” said Phahrolrazi.

He said most of the documents were classified.

“We are questioning the government officers on duty. No one has a right to transfer the documents without permission,” he said.

Phahrolrazi said the former executive councillors did not have the right to enter the offices without permission.

“We need the minutes of the meetings to check the progress of projects and other matters that were discussed at the executive council meetings,” he said.

Ska ndal pemimpin Kedah sewaktu lawatan rasmi di Perancis

detikdaily
Oleh –Ruhanie Ahmad

Saya menerima banyak info panas mengenai PRU12 dari seluruh negara. Ia dikirimkan menerusi komen dalam blog kudakepang, menerusi SMS, panggilan telefon dan menerusi faks.

Contohnya, seorang eksekutif muda di Kuala Lumpur, tetapi pulang ke kampung halamannya Kedah untuk mengikuti PRU12, telah mengirimkan info bahawa sehari sebelum Hari Penamaan Calon, DUN Mentalon telah “dibom” dengan CD mengenai skandal salah seorang calon yang bertanding di DUN tersebut.

Kata pengirim SMS itu, CD berkenaan mengisahkan skandal seorang pemimpin Kedah dengan salah seorang wanita warga UMNO sewaktu dalam rangka lawatan rasmi di Peranchis.

Satu faks yang dikirimkan kepada saya, juga dari Kedah, pula mendakwa kononnya “barisan calon BN” Kedah kali ini “akan menggadaikan Kedah kepada pembangkang.”

Penggadaian ini kononnya berlaku bila “sekurang-kurangnya enam kerusi Parlimen dan sejumlah besar kerusi DUN” akan jatuh ke tangan pembangkang akibat “pemilihan calon yang tidak menepati kehendak pengundi tempatan atau calon payung terjun yang tidak berpenglaman.”

Selanjutnya, ada pihak menuduh Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi “melakukan kesilapan besar dalam memilih calon” di Kedah “atau beliau dipengaruhi oleh tangan-tangan besi yang berkuasa di sekeiling beliau.”

Malam ini, saya pula menerima satu panggilan telefon yang menyatakan bahawa kedudukan BN di Kedah amat membimbangkan. Di sesetengah kawasan Parlimen, katanya, bilik gerakan BN seolah-olah lumpuh.