Latest news with #Sarifuddin
Borneo Post
18 hours ago
- Business
- Borneo Post
Masidi's claim on 2019 RM1 billion bond repayment a 'desperate distortion' - Sarifuddin
Sarifuddin KOTA KINABALU (Aug 14): Former Sabah Assistant Finance Minister Sarifuddin Hata has slammed State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun's attempt to portray the 2019 repayment of the state's RM1 billion bond as 'automatic,' calling it a desperate distortion. 'When Warisan took over the administration in 2018, just one year before the bond matured, the Bond Repayment Fund only had about RM400 million,' said Sarifuddin, who is also Merotai assemblyman and Warisan Kalabakan Division chief, in a statement today. He pointed out that based on the previous administration's plan of allocating RM200 million annually, at least RM800 million should have been in the fund by then. 'However, the RM600 million shortfall was the result of weak fiscal discipline before Warisan formed the government,' he said. Sarifuddin accused Masidi of cherry-picking figures, noting that 'being tabled in the budget does not mean the funds were actually allocated and deposited into the bond fund.' He said official records showed the actual balance in 2018 was far below the required amount. He stressed that Warisan's fiscal discipline between 2018 and 2019 successfully closed the gap, preventing a default. 'If the repayment had been 'fully guaranteed' as claimed by the minister, then why was there such a rush to top up the fund when Warisan was in power?' he asked. Warisan, he added, had less than 12 months to raise the fund from RM400 million to over RM1 billion, including interest, without taking new debt, cutting essential development programmes, or burdening the public. 'This was not a 'routine exercise' but a critical effort to safeguard Sabah's finances, credit rating, and credibility,' he stressed. Sarifuddin also maintained that Warisan implemented the sales tax on petroleum products in April 2020 and gazetted it during its administration. 'GRS only collected the revenue because the first payment came in after they took over. The policy, groundwork, and legal framework were all Warisan's work, not GRS',' he said. The former assistant minister reiterated calls for transparency on how the bond proceeds were spent. 'If the minister is confident every sen was spent in Sabah, then disclose the full list of projects, locations, contractors, and beneficiaries. Until this is revealed, talk of 'full accountability' is just empty words,' he said, calling for an independent audit. Sarifuddin criticised GRS for avoiding direct answers in the State Legislative Assembly, instead offering vague promises to 'study the matter' or 'provide a written reply.' He challenged Masidi and the GRS government to debate the matter openly in the Assembly. 'If you truly believe in your facts, there is no reason to fear debating in the august House,' he said. Masidi on Wednesday refuted claims by Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal that the RM1 billion State Government bond repayment in 2019 was an extraordinary achievement of the Warisan administration. 'The repayment was never a sudden burden. It was planned since 2014 under a Bank Negara Malaysia requirement to set up a Sinking Fund, with RM200 million allocated annually over five years. By the time Warisan came into office, the funds were already budgeted, and only the final RM380 million instalment was tabled during their tenure,' he said in a statement.
Daily Express
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
Government must include Kalabakan roads: Merotai YB
Published on: Thursday, July 10, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jul 10, 2025 By: Lagatah Toyos Text Size: Sarifuddin also criticised what he perceived as government spending priorities, questioning multi-billion-ringgit announcements while basic infrastructure issues like water supply, roads and electricity remain problematic. Kota Kinabalu: Merotai Assemblyman Sarifuddin Hata wants the Sabah Government to include Kalabakan roads in the supplementary allocations, as these routes were excluded from the Pan Borneo Highway project. He said the deteriorating road conditions had long troubled residents who frequently travel between Kalabakan and Bandar Tawau, including schoolteachers commuting to work. He said poor road infrastructure could damage the State's image once the planned cross-border route from Kalimantan to Kalabakan becomes operational. 'If only the stretch from the Kalimantan border to Kalabakan is newly constructed, while the road from Kalabakan to Bandar Tawau remains in poor condition, this will tarnish our image when people from Kalimantan enter Malaysia,' Sarifuddin said when debating the 2025 Supplementary Supply Bill at the Assembly. He also criticised what he perceived as government spending priorities, questioning multi-billion-ringgit announcements while basic infrastructure issues like water supply, roads and electricity remain problematic. He cited examples which included the purchase of SMJ car licence plates for RM3.96 million and RM8 million allocated for cyber troopers, contrasting this with the RM5 million given to Universiti Malaysia Sabah. 'We do not need to pay cyber troopers. If the government does its best, the people will see it. We do not need to play around on social media with negative perceptions,' he said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Time of India
Bengaluru man prints fake notes during week-long stay in hotel, lands in police net
Bengaluru: When 23-year-old Krish Mali, son of a textile businessman, walked out of his house after a fight with his parents, he was too angry to consider how long he could survive on his own. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now When it eventually hit him that his needs far outstripped the capacity of his wallet, he decided to get creative and make money — literally. Mali, a resident of Thoppa Mudaliyar Street in Shivajinagar, has now landed in police net for printing counterfeit notes while renting a hotel room in Tasker Town from June 1 to 7. According to the complaint filed by Hotel High Street manager Mohammed Sarifuddin with Commercial Street police, Mali had booked a room for two days initially. He later extended the booking twice, first online and then offline for the last two days. While checking out around 1pm on June 7, he paid Rs 3,000 in cash, producing six notes of Rs 500 face value at the reception. However, in the early hours of the same day, some pourakarmikas working with BBMP had found a few counterfeit notes when they picked up garbage from the hotel. They informed the hotel management, which confirmed the notes were fake but had no idea who had disposed of them. After Mali checked out, the hotel staff grew suspicious and examined the notes he had given — and voila, they proved to be counterfeit. Sarifuddin and a few other hotel staff went to the room Mali had occupied and found a few notes in the dustbin. Subsequently, Sarifuddin lodged a police complaint, handing over five fake notes as evidence. Paper sheets used to print the counterfeit notes were also found in the room. A senior cop said Mali was nabbed from the address on his Aadhaar card, which he had furnished when checking into the hotel. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now During interrogation, he is said to have confessed that he walked out of his house after a fight over a trivial matter. He then rented the hotel room, smuggled in a printer and scanner inside a bag, and made copies of a real Rs 500 note. While he managed to scan, print and cut some notes to the actual size, a few came out poorly and were tossed in the bin. The youth has been arrested and remanded in judicial custody. A case has been registered under BNS Sections 179 (using as genuine, forged or counterfeit coin, govt stamp, currency notes or banknotes), 180 (possession of forged or counterfeit coin, govt stamp, currency notes or banknotes), 182 (making or using documents resembling currency notes or banknotes), and 318 (cheating). Police are probing to see if Mali had paid in counterfeit notes at any other place.
Daily Express
11-06-2025
- Daily Express
Tawau gold mine incident warrants in-depth probe: Sarifuddin
Published on: Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jun 11, 2025 By: Amir Anuar Text Size: Sarifuddin noted irregularities in authorities issuing stern warnings when the affected facility was maintained by the company. TAWAU: The collapse of a tailings dam at a gold mining operation in Bukit Mantri has raised serious environmental concerns over potential cyanide contamination of the Kalumpang River and surrounding areas, with Merotai Assemblyman Sarifuddin Hata calling for comprehensive investigations into the incident. Sarifuddin described the breach of the containment facility, which stored toxic cyanide waste, as having irregularities that could have been prevented with proper mitigation plans and standard operating procedures. Advertisement The incident has also exposed a dispute between two gold mining concession companies operating in Bukit Mantri. 'We believe the leakage and collapse of the dam storing toxic cyanide waste occurred due to weaknesses in the facility's maintenance system,' Sarifuddin said, Tuesday. He dismissed the company's claims of environmental compliance as deception and fact-twisting. Sarifuddin noted irregularities in authorities issuing stern warnings when the affected facility was maintained by the company. He said a concession company had officially notified the Department of Environment in 2023 that they were no longer the operator in the area and had cancelled their Environmental Impact Assessment approval. While the company has reportedly obtained a court injunction to repair the damaged dam and existing drainage, Sarifuddin expressed concerns that the company might abuse this injunction by encroaching on the concession company's land to build new drainage channels that could discharge acidic water into nearby rivers. 'We hope the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission can conduct an investigation as the world is watching how we handle this devastating environmental disaster,' he said. Numerous government agencies have responded to the incident, including the Department of Environment, Department of Minerals and Geoscience Malaysia, State Health Department, Fire and Rescue Department and State Forestry Department, coordinated through the District Disaster Action Meeting led by Tawau Municipal Council. Field inspections revealed that the company-owned dam collapsed due to leakage, causing contained water to overflow and flood worker housing and fruit orchards, with fears of contamination reaching the Kalumpang River. Sarifuddin characterised the incident as a serious environmental disaster requiring urgent action to protect the environment, wildlife and public health from potential pollution impacts. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
04-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Express
Explain failure to activate chemical spill alert at gold mining: Warisan
Published on: Wednesday, June 04, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jun 04, 2025 Text Size: Sarifuddin urged the State Government to immediately halt all gold mining operations at the site pending a new Environmental Impact Assessment and to disclose the full list of toxic substances involved. Kota Kinabalu: Parti Warisan urged the State Government to explain its failure to activate emergency alerts after a dangerous chemical spill at a gold mining operation in Bukit Mantri, where sodium cyanide contamination was documented in a viral video. Video footage shows a breached containment pond leaking wastewater suspected to contain toxic cyanide compounds into the surrounding ecosystem. Despite the clear danger to nearby worker housing and downstream villages, no official warnings were issued to prevent use of potentially poisoned water sources. 'This failure of early warning systems and public safety measures is unacceptable,' said Merotai Assemblyman cum Kalabakan Warisan Chief Sarifuddin Hata, in a statement, here. 'Where is the emergency protocol? Why were not families warned not to use river water for drinking or bathing? This is not just about regulatory failure but a blatant disregard for human lives,' he said. He urged the State Government to immediately halt all gold mining operations at the site pending a new Environmental Impact Assessment and to disclose the full list of toxic substances involved. He also called for emergency safety protocols to alert and protect nearby residents. 'Environmental accidents can happen but silence and inaction in the face of a toxic spill is inexcusable. 'Gold is not worth more than the health of our people,' he said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
