The RM38.5 million renovation of the prime minister’s residence, the Seri Perdana Complex, was approved in March – during Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s time in office.
Work began on March 29, 10 days after being approved.
This was revealed in a statement today by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (Special Functions) Datuk Abd Latiff Ahmad.
“The project was approved on March 19. It is expected to be completed by Dec 7, and until today, 74 per cent of the renovations are complete,” he said.
He added that the upgrading works are three per cent ahead of schedule.
Abd Latiff said the Seri Perdana Complex needed to be upgraded after 22 years of service.
“Work to build the complex began in 1997, and it took two years to complete,” he said. “It has suffered much damage (in that time).”
Among the works by the Public Works Department include replacing the electrical wiring system and fixing the leaking roof.
Abd Latiff said he had prepared the written answer to the question posed by Datuk Mahfuz Haji Omar (Pokok Sena) on Sept 27 on the status of the Seri Perdana Complex upgrading project.
“I prepared the answers as the Special Functions Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.”
Here are Twentytwo13’s news highlights today.
AHMAD MASLAN ACQUITTED AFTER PAYING RM1.1M COMPOUND
Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan was acquitted by the Kuala Lumpur High Court of money laundering and giving a false statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) after paying an RM1.1 million compound.
High Court judge Datuk Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh said the order of a discharge and acquittal came after the prosecution informed the court it was withdrawing its case against the Pontian MP.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Mukhzani Faiz Mohd Mokhtar applied for a discharge not amounting to acquittal against the Pontian Member of Parliament, but Ahmad’s counsel Hamidi Mohd Noh objected and applied for a full acquittal.
It means his client could no longer face the same charges.
MACC: COMPOUND PUNITIVE ACT, FORM OF ASSET RECOVERY
Separately, the MACC issued a statement regarding Ahmad’s case, saying the compound was a punitive act and a form of asset recovery under the country’s anti-money laundering laws.
Ahmad was offered the deal in October 2019, but he wanted to go to court.
‘EDUCATORS MUST BE RESILIENT, FLEXIBLE, ADAPTABLE AND INNOVATIVE’
Education Minister Datuk Radzi Jidin applauded teachers and school administrators for being creative during the Covid-19 pandemic.
With classes going online, the senior minister said educators had to be resilient, flexible, adaptable and innovative in delivering the lessons.
“One of the challenges was the broad implementation of distant learning. Teachers received immediate training in online learning strategies that include customising content, physical and digital, and updated pedagogical methods,” said Radzi.
“They also had to familiarise themselves with the full suite of Google, Microsoft and other applications which might have been foreign to them.”
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry approved 186 projects to upgrade dilapidated schools in Sarawak from 2019 to this year.
Deputy Education Minister II Datuk Mohamad Alamin told the Dewan Rakyat that RM1.579 billion was set aside for the projects.
ZAILAH WANTS TO DOUBLE WOMEN REPRESENTATION IN POLITICS
Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Zailah Mohd Yusoff wants more women to participate in the next general elections.
She told a press conference in Parliament today that her ministry would speak to party leaders on how best to achieve the target.
Zailah said based on the Statistics Department’s National Gender Gap Index 2020, women in politics scored 0.18 out of 1.0.
She added that women MPs in Dewan Rakyat made up only 15 per cent or 33 of 220 seats (two seats are vacant), while it was a similar percentage in Dewan Negara, with eight women out of 53 senators.
Zailah said she hopes to double women’s participation in decision-making roles to 30 per cent.
