Latest news with #Komtar
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Penang GLC ordered to pay nearly RM120k for firing pro-opposition staff
The Industrial Court ruled that Penang Tech Centre Bhd had dismissed Sivakumar Kanniah (right) and Jason Raj Kirupanantha (left) without just cause. GEORGE TOWN : A Penang government-linked science centre has been ordered to pay RM117,560 to two staff sacked for backing an independent candidate in the 2023 state election. The Industrial Court ruled that Penang Tech Centre Bhd, which runs Tech Dome Penang, dismissed Sivakumar Kanniah, 48, and Jason Raj Kirupanantha, 38, without just cause. Located in Komtar's geodesic dome and launched in 2016 at a cost of RM23.2 million, Tech Dome showcases interactive science and tech exhibits to inspire students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Sivakumar, a pioneer staff member who rose to operations manager earning RM5,200 monthly, was awarded RM92,560 in back pay for two years, minus income earned after his dismissal on Nov 15, 2023. Jason, a senior government affairs coordinator, was awarded RM25,000 for the early termination of his contract, which had been set to run until March 31, 2024. He was dismissed on Nov 9. Both men sought reinstatement and extra damages, but the court declined, citing no bad intent from the company and a breakdown in trust. Tech Dome claimed they had breached trust by campaigning for independent candidates aligned with former deputy chief minister II P Ramasamy, and accused them of disloyalty for opposing the DAP-led state government. It argued that, as a state-owned company, it had to remain politically neutral, and that staff should not support opposing candidates. During the hearing, finance and HR manager Emily Seah said 80% of Penang Tech's income came from public donations, including from both government MPs and assemblymen. Asked how supporting an independent candidate affected the company, she replied: 'Some YBs might feel uncomfortable because the campaign was against the state government.' However, Industrial Court chairman Jeyaseelen Anthony found no specific bans in either employee's contract or the company's code of conduct barring political activity. He said that while both men held key positions, their political involvement did not amount to misconduct. Sivakumar was accused of showing 'disloyalty and a lack of integrity' by linking the company's name to an independent candidate and posting political messages on Facebook. The company claimed he was warned before but had repeated the behaviour. However, the court found no evidence of any prior warning, verbal or written, or a domestic inquiry before his dismissal. In Jason's case, the court said he had applied for five days' leave from July 31 to Aug 4, 2023, to campaign. The leave was approved by the CEO, weakening claims of misconduct. A WhatsApp exchange between CEO Khoo Boo Wooi and Jason, tendered as evidence, further supported this. Khoo wrote: 'TDP (Tech Dome Penang) is a science centre, not subject to politic (sic) to KO (knock out) easily.' Jeyaseelen also noted that the state assembly was dissolved at the time, with Penang under a caretaker government. 'The respondent is a state government-owned company and not owned by any political party,' he said. He rejected the company's argument that the men had broken an unspoken rule of loyalty, saying such terms must be clearly written in contracts to be valid grounds for dismissal. 'If political neutrality was essential to Tech Dome, the requirement ought to have been expressly written into the claimants' employment contract or the code of conduct,' he said. Lawyer Shamsher Singh Thind represented Sivakumar and Jason, while lawyer P Subramaniam represented Tech Dome.
The Star
06-05-2025
- Health
- The Star
Walking among Penang's late icons
GEORGE TOWN: If you take a stroll through the 139-year-old Batu Gantung cemetery, you will discover the final resting place of many prominent figures who had brought pride and honour to Penang. Established in 1886, the cemetery also has a columbarium which houses the ashes of prominent personalities such as Dr Wu Lien-Teh (1879-1960), who is best known for his work in controlling the Manchurian plague of 1910-11. Dr Wu, who was the first medical student of Chinese descent to graduate from the University of Cambridge, had introduced groundbreaking quarantine measures and designed the modern medical face mask. He later became the first Chinese person nominated for the Nobel Prize in medicine. Another public figure buried at the cemetery is former Penang chief minister Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, who once helmed Penang for 21 years from 1969 to 1990, making him the longest-serving leader in the state's history. Born in 1919, he is widely recognised as the 'architect of modern Penang' and was among the few ethnic Chinese to have received the prestigious title of 'Tun'. Iconic projects that emerged during his tenure include the 60-storey Komtar building and the 13.5km-long Penang Bridge. Chong Eu passed away at the age of 91 in 2010. His wife, Goh Sing Yeng, who passed away two years later at the age of 93, was buried in the same grave. Next to Chong Eu's grave lies the grave of his father Dr Lim Chwee Leong, a distinguished medical practitioner and paediatrician in Penang, who passed away at the age of 66 in 1957. Chwee Leong founded the Soo Beng Dispensary at the junction of Carnarvon Street and what was formerly Prangin Road, which was later renamed Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong in the 1980s to honour his contributions to the community. Near the entrance of the cemetery stands a grand family vault belonging to businessman and prominent community leader Lim Kek Chuan (1858-1907), where his remains and his first three wives were buried. The graveyard is decorated with carved granite motifs and sculptures of horsemen, servants, handmaidens and warriors. Kek Chuan, who was a successful businessman, was born in Penang and studied at Penang Free School before he went on to develop properties and own shops, including both rows of houses at the Kek Chuan Road named after him. He founded and was also the president of both the Penang Chamber of Commerce and Penang Chinese Recreation Club. He was also a trustee of Penang Chinese Town Hall and Kew Leong Tong Lim Lim Kongsi, and was among the major benefactors who had contributed to the construction of Kek Lok Si Temple and Tua Pek Kong Temple in Tanjung Tokong, Penang. Kek Chuan had four wives, namely Oh Kee Neo, Oh Jim Neo, Ong Cheow Bee and Eng Khim. Other notable public figures buried at the cemetery include merchants and entrepreneurs who had contributed to Penang's founding in its early days such as Oon Boon Tan (1864-1930), Chee Si Teong (1860-1938), Saw Soon Choo (1858-1941), Lim Seng Hooi (1872-1942), Choong Lye Hock (1882-1960), Lim Cheng Teik (1884-1978), Saw Choo Teng (1900-1988), as well as Ong Boon Tek and Quah Beng Hoe. Their graves are among over 20,000 at the cemetery, which had been identified and marked under a project undertaken by the Penang United Hokkien Cemeteries (UHC), to promote the cemetery's historical significance. Its chairman, Datuk Cheah Cheng Ean, said about RM200,000 was spent to develop the project dubbed the 'Batu Gantung Memorial & Heritage Park'. 'It took two years of planning with the state Heritage Department to identify and construct walking paths and signboards. 'We have identified a total of 13 historical personalities under phase one of the project that was launched in March this year, with about 10 more to come in the next phase. 'Visitors are allowed to ride their bicycles along the designated trails, or walk to visit and pay their respects at the graves.' Apart from having mapped out the cemetery for ease of identification, the cemetery has also documented its history and heritage. UHC, established in 1923, currently manages five cemeteries, namely Batu Lanchang (1805), Lau Khau Tiam Cemetery in Mount Erskine (1842), Batu Gantung (1886), Paya Terubong (1941) and Teluk Bahang (1965), covering about 215ha with about 88,000 graves in total. It holds a one-quarter share in the 26 Company Burial Grounds. In Batu Gantung, the Centenary Pavilion, which has stood for 138 years, is featured as its main architectural structure, oriented west-to-east and consists of four interconnected rectangular buildings. Featuring a fusion of Eastern and Western architecture, both the main and secondary pavilions are built on stone foundations with a covered corridor connecting them. The cemetery is open from 8.30am to 4.30pm daily.
