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Borneo Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Borneo Post
New waterfront set to welcome Siniawan Country Music Festival from Sept 26-28
Miro (third right) and Lai (second left) in a group photo with committee members and representatives of bands for the coming country music festival. BAU (July 27): The newly completed Siniawan Waterfront will be the venue for this year's 8th Siniawan Country Music Festival from Sept 26 to 28, announced Serembu assemblyman Miro Simuh. He said the Siniawan Waterfront will be officially declared open by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg on the morning of Sept 27, followed by the launch of the 8th Siniawan Country Music Festival later that day by National Unity Minister Dato Sri Aaron Ago Dagang. In addition, he revealed two other events will also take place concurrently during the same three days, namely the 185th anniversary of Siniawan town and the 50th anniversary of the Siniawan street night market. 'It is going to be the 185th anniversary of Siniawan town, which was founded in 1840, and also the 50th anniversary of the Siniawan street night market. So, there will be four celebrations that we are going to celebrate in one location, which we are going to organise soon. 'There will be a lot of VIPs coming down. And of course, we, as the organisers, will be busy within these two months doing all the preparations,' he said at a press conference at the Siniawan bazaar last night. Miro, who is advisor to the Siniawan Country Music Festival, was hopeful there would be a larger crowd of more than 10,000 people for the event at its new and bigger venue. 'We will have 11 bands that will perform for the three consecutive nights on the main stage, and we will have a few solo performers on the old street,' he added. According to him, the Siniawan Country Music Festival is now the biggest country music event in Asia. He also said his dream is to one day invite a band from Nashville, widely recognised as the 'Country Music Capital of the World', to perform in Siniawan. 'But we hope that one day we're going to bring international artistes here to Siniawan, either from the United States, from Europe or from Australia,' he added. On the Siniawan Waterfront, he said the RM9 million project is finally completed despite some delays since construction started five years ago. He explained the due date for completion is on July 31, with the contractor now doing minor touch up work at the site. 'Finally, we got it (completed) this year,' he enthused. He also revealed further developments in Siniawan include a proposed RM28 million multi-level car park and a Siniawan Arena which can accommodate 5,000 spectators at one time. These initiatives, he said, are aimed to establish Siniawan as a tourism catalyst in the Bau district. Meanwhile, the Siniawan Country Music Festival crganising chairman Dylan Lai said the event has evolved since its inception in 2016. He also emphasised that the unique charm of Siniawan's old wooden shoplots — reminiscent of the Wild West — was instrumental in branding the town as a 'cowboy town.' 'In the first year of the Country Music Festival, we had almost 8,000 people coming to Siniawan. And for the second edition in 2017, we had almost 10,000. 'So that has been a very good impact for Siniawan. This is the one thing I want to thank YB Miro for, to put this event in our hometown and then attract more tourists and all the cowboys and cowgirls to join this event. 'Because the event will be held at the new venue waterfront area this year, we hope we can attract more than 10,000 people to join our festival,' said Lai. 8th Siniawan Country Music Festival lead Miro Simuh Siniawan waterfront
The Star
4 days ago
- The Star
Red tape blocks road to redemption
PETALING JAYA: Despite having a job offer on standby, single father Ong Lai Foo remains unemployed, trapped by a requirement for a Certificate of Good Conduct. This certificate is a lifeline for many Malaysians striving to rebuild their lives due to past misdemeanours. The requirement, aimed at ensuring workplace integrity, has inadvertently become a barrier for individuals like Ong seeking a better future. Ong, 52, from Sungai Pelek, Selangor, once worked as a delivery attendant at Changi Airport in Singapore. ALSO READ : Progressive shift towards rehabilitation Eager to advance his career, he invested over S$3,000 (RM9,887) in training to become a security officer last December, only to be thwarted by a denied certificate application due to a minor past offence. 'I thought I had hope to improve my life, but this is dragging me down. Without the certificate, I cannot move on. 'I have a job offer and the employer is willing to wait for me. I only hope the government can help,' he said in an interview. Ong said his predicament arose from a misunderstanding involving a friend's misuse of his bank account in 2016, leading to a RM500 fine under Section 29(1) of the Minor Offences Act. ALSO READ : Bosses willing to give minor offenders a chance He also has another record under Section 427 of the Penal Code, which was classified as 'no further action' in 2014. Unaware of the lasting implications of these minor infractions, Ong now faces significant employment barriers. Despite seeking help from legal representatives, political figures and government agencies, he has hit numerous dead ends. 'I don't know where else to go for help,' he said. When Ong read about Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail's announcement of potential amendments to the Registration of Criminals and Undesirable Persons Act 1969, he saw hope. The proposed changes allow individuals with non-violent or minor offences to have their records expunged if they remain offence-free for a reasonable period. These amendments, approved in principle by the Cabinet in May, offer hope to Ong and others like him, aiming to provide a second chance without the burden of a criminal record. 'I can only hope for the government to do this quickly so that people like me can have a chance to improve our lives. 'To err is human. I have been punished for my mistake. I want to make amends and I deserve that chance,' said Ong. Calling for a compassionate approach to his predicament, he said everyone should have the opportunity to start anew. Suara Rakyat Malaysia executive director Azura Nasron said the certificate should serve as a tool to demonstrate rehabilitation instead of an additional barrier. 'Individuals with minor offences should have a straightforward process to obtain the certificate once they have shown sustained good conduct, allowing them equal access to employment and opportunities to rebuild their lives. 'The certificate should not be used punitively against individuals who have already paid their debt to society,' she said.
Barnama
4 days ago
- Barnama
Fake Currency, Crime Items Worth Over RM700,000 Disposed Of
KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 (Bernama) -- Brickfields police have disposed of case items worth RM721,239, including counterfeit US dollars linked to a foreign exchange fraud syndicate, with items dating back as far as 2017. Brickfields District Police Chief ACP Ku Mashariman Ku Mahmood said the disposal involved 124 completed criminal and commercial crime investigation papers. 'A total of 47,906 criminal case items with an estimated value of RM630,565 were disposed of, while commercial crime cases accounted for 1,325 items valued at RM90,674,' he told a press conference at the Brickfields District Police Headquarters here today. Among the items disposed of were RM9,833 in cash and large quantities of seized goods, including those linked to gambling, unlicensed entertainment outlets, prostitution and illicit massage centres. Ku Mashariman berkata antara kes itu melibatkan seorang warga asing yang terlibat dalam penipuan pertukaran wang pada tahun lepas dan suspek menggunakan USD400,000 wang palsu untuk memperdaya mangsa yang mahu menukar mata wang. Ku Mashariman said one of the more notable cases involved a foreign national who carried out a currency exchange scam last year. The suspect had attempted to deceive a victim by using USD400,000 in counterfeit currency. 'We arrested the suspect and seized USD400,000 in fake banknotes. He was charged in court, sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment, and will be deported to his home country,' he said. He added that the main purpose of the disposal exercise was to ensure that all case items are lawfully destroyed in accordance with legal provisions, to reduce storage burden and to minimise the risk of theft from long-term storage.
The Star
5 days ago
- Business
- The Star
No plans to review tax relief for insurance policies
THERE is no intention to review the tax relief amounts for personal and life insurance policies, even as the government is continuously improving the income tax reliefs eligible for individual taxpayers through a targeted approach and special reliefs, says Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. 'Through Budgets 2023, 2024 and 2025, a targeted approach has been implemented by increasing the tax relief amounts for medical treatment expenses, child care allowances, persons with disabilities, and education and medical insurance. 'Besides increasing the eligible tax relief amounts, the government, through Budget 2025, has also expanded the scope of existing tax reliefs, such as extending care and treatment for parents to include grandparents and broadening the scope of health screenings to include the purchase of self-examination health equipment and fees for disease detection tests,' he said in a written parliamentary reply. Earlier, Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (BN-Ayer Hitam) had asked the Finance Ministry whether it will review the reliefs associated with personal and life insurances that remained at RM9,000 and RM3,000, respectively, for the past 15 years. Dr Wee, who is also MCA president, said the tax relief amount did not reflect the effects of inflation and the current cost of living. Anwar also said the government introduced special reliefs for specific purposes under Budget 2025. This included relief on interest payments for housing loans for the purchase of the first residential home. 'Through this relief, the purchase of a home priced up to RM500,000 qualifies for a tax relief of up to RM7,000, while a tax relief of up to RM5,000 can be claimed for the purchase of a residential home priced between RM500,001 and RM750,000,' he added. Anwar also said other improvements to tax reliefs for individuals include reducing the tax rate by 2 percentage points for the taxable income range between RM35,001 and RM100,000 starting from the assessment year 2023. 'This tax rate reduction can provide an additional disposable income of up to RM1,300 per year for about 2.4 million taxpayers, including the middle-income group. 'In addition, the government is committed to improving tax administration and services to enhance efficiency and service levels for taxpayers,' he said. Anwar also said that any future reviews or revisions to income tax rates or individual tax reliefs need to be conducted carefully to avoid jeopardising the country's fiscal position, adding that any changes in tax policy must also align with international taxation practices and not adversely affect the country's global commitments.
The Star
6 days ago
- Business
- The Star
No plans to review tax relief amount, says Anwar
KUALA LUMPUR: There is no plan to review the tax relief amount for individuals, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. However, the Prime Minister said that the government would continuously improve income tax relief for individual taxpayers through targeted approaches and special reliefs. "Through Budgets 2023, 2024 and 2025, a targeted approach has been implemented by increasing the tax relief amounts for medical treatment expenses, childcare allowances, persons with disabilities, education and medical insurance. "Besides increasing the amount, the government, through Budget 2025, has also expanded the scope of existing tax relief such as extending care and treatment for parents to include grandparents and broadening the scope of health screenings to include the purchase of self-examination health equipment and fees for disease detection tests," said Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, in a written parliamentary reply on Thursday (July 24). Earlier, Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (BN-Ayer Hitam) had asked the ministry if it would review the tax relief for individuals and life insurance premium payments that have remained the same at RM9,000 and RM3,000, respectively, for the past 15 years. Dr Wee said that the amount did not reflect the effects of inflation and the current cost of living. Anwar said that the government had also introduced special reliefs for specific purposes in Budget 2025. This includes relief on interest payments for housing loans for the purchase of a first residential home. "Through this relief, the purchase of a home priced up to RM500,000 qualifies for a tax relief of up to RM7,000, while a tax relief of up to RM5,000 can be claimed for the purchase of a residential home priced between RM500,000 and RM750,000," he added. He added that to improve tax reliefs, the government has also reviewed and restructured the individual resident income tax rates starting from the assessment year 2023, reducing the tax rate by two percentage points for the taxable income range between RM35,001 and RM100,000. "This tax rate reduction can provide an additional disposable income of up to RM1,300 per year for approximately 2.4 million taxpayers, including the middle-income group. "In addition, the government is committed to improving tax administration and services to enhance efficiency and service levels for taxpayers," he said. Anwar also said any future review or revision to income tax rates or individual tax relief amounts needs to be conducted carefully to avoid jeopardising the country's fiscal position. He added that any changes in tax policy must also align with international taxation practices and not adversely affect the country's global commitments.
