A group of Penang municipal (MPPP) councillors today expressed their unhappiness over MCA Beliawanis chief Jessie Ooi’s statement condemning local council workers for carrying out car clamping exercises.
The councillors have vowed to take action against Ooi, and the kind of action will be decided at a full council meeting on Friday.
The councillors have vowed to take action against Ooi, and the kind of action will be decided at a full council meeting on Friday.
The group wants Ooi to retract her remarks regarding clamping and towing of cars in Penang by council workers, claiming her's were all “baseless accusations”.
The councillors are giving Ooi until Friday to retract and apologise for her statement “disparaging the reputation of council workers”.
Ooi became infamous overnight over the manner in which she posed questions to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, during the greatdebate with MCA president Chua Soi Lek on Feb 18 in Kuala Lumpur.
After attracting bags of criticism for her remarks, she cried harassment and has vowed to take legal action against those who defamed her on the Internet.
During the press conference held by the councillors at the MPPP building in Padang Kota Lama today, a video clip was screened, showing Ooi in action.
Councillor Ong Ah Teong said the council is mulling action against Ooi as she has slandered the enforcement officers who were merely carrying out their duties, according to standard operating procedures.
Ong added that Ooi’s statements were contradictory; during the debate she had questioned why cars needed to be clamped when there were hardly any vehicles around at about 10.30pm.
Later, she told the press that the area on Beach Street lacked parking lots, Ong said.
“What does she really mean? She has to come clear on this. There are about 1,000 parking lots in the area that she mentioned,” said Ong.
“She also said someone had been injured during a scuffle with an enforcement office over a clamping incident, however, it is the officer who was actually hurt and he has lodged a police report.”
Officers in scuffle with youths
The incident reportedly took place last October when an officer issued a ticket to a man for illegally parking along Jalan Burmah.
The man was said to have expressed his unhappiness over the matter, refused to accept the ticket, and informed his son, who later arrived at the scene with six others, and a scuffle ensued.
But the officer Shamsul Mohd Noor (right), who was at the press conference, claimed that the youth hit him and his colleague Jamaluddin Karim with a helmet as both were on duty on the day in question.
The duo have since lodged a police report and claimed that the youth had been detained for causing hurt to the officers as there was a CCTV camera at the scene of the incident.
“We did not fight back because we are not allowed to do so, according to our duties and responsibilities,” he said.
“But while the scuffle happened, we tried to avoid being hit, and the youth’s brother who was also there, got hit by the helmet instead."
Meanwhile, another MPPP councillor, L Prem Anand (right), said the councillors will move a motion at Friday’s meeting to condemn Ooi for her false remarks.
He added that the allegations against the council workers and the increase in Penang’s assessment rates are “baseless”.
“She is desperate and emotional. She went to the debate only to attack Guan Eng, not to ask questions during the debate,” he added.
Councillor Iszuree Ibrahim said Ooi’s remarks appear to be defending the wrongdoers and this reflects poorly on the party’s reputation.
“Her remarks are a slap in her own face and the party. She tried to get publicity for herself but without knowing it, it backfired on her and her party,” he added.
After attracting bags of criticism for her remarks, she cried harassment and has vowed to take legal action against those who defamed her on the Internet.
During the press conference held by the councillors at the MPPP building in Padang Kota Lama today, a video clip was screened, showing Ooi in action.Councillor Ong Ah Teong said the council is mulling action against Ooi as she has slandered the enforcement officers who were merely carrying out their duties, according to standard operating procedures.
Ong added that Ooi’s statements were contradictory; during the debate she had questioned why cars needed to be clamped when there were hardly any vehicles around at about 10.30pm.
Later, she told the press that the area on Beach Street lacked parking lots, Ong said.
“What does she really mean? She has to come clear on this. There are about 1,000 parking lots in the area that she mentioned,” said Ong.
“She also said someone had been injured during a scuffle with an enforcement office over a clamping incident, however, it is the officer who was actually hurt and he has lodged a police report.”
Officers in scuffle with youths
The incident reportedly took place last October when an officer issued a ticket to a man for illegally parking along Jalan Burmah.
The man was said to have expressed his unhappiness over the matter, refused to accept the ticket, and informed his son, who later arrived at the scene with six others, and a scuffle ensued.
But the officer Shamsul Mohd Noor (right), who was at the press conference, claimed that the youth hit him and his colleague Jamaluddin Karim with a helmet as both were on duty on the day in question.The duo have since lodged a police report and claimed that the youth had been detained for causing hurt to the officers as there was a CCTV camera at the scene of the incident.
“We did not fight back because we are not allowed to do so, according to our duties and responsibilities,” he said.
“But while the scuffle happened, we tried to avoid being hit, and the youth’s brother who was also there, got hit by the helmet instead."
Meanwhile, another MPPP councillor, L Prem Anand (right), said the councillors will move a motion at Friday’s meeting to condemn Ooi for her false remarks.He added that the allegations against the council workers and the increase in Penang’s assessment rates are “baseless”.
“She is desperate and emotional. She went to the debate only to attack Guan Eng, not to ask questions during the debate,” he added.
Councillor Iszuree Ibrahim said Ooi’s remarks appear to be defending the wrongdoers and this reflects poorly on the party’s reputation.
“Her remarks are a slap in her own face and the party. She tried to get publicity for herself but without knowing it, it backfired on her and her party,” he added.
MPPP provides 395 parking lots in Beach Street
On a related matter, councillor Muhammad Sabri Md Osman said MPPP has provided 56 metered and 136 ticketed parking lots, while a multi-storey carpark had been recently build for 203 vehicles in Beach Street.
Along the street, added Muhammad Sabri, are other alternative places available for drivers to park their cars, for example, in Lebuh Union, Gat Lebuh Gereja and Gat Lebuh Cina.
There are 28 parking lots and 273 lots in a multi-story carpark in Lebuh Union alone; 57 in Gat Lebuh Gereja and 76 in Gat Lebuh Cina, he added.
There were a total of 829 lots provided for parking by the MPPP, and they do not include those by the private sector, he stressed.
Muhammad Sabri also said that clamping and towing are provided for under Section 48 of the 1987 Road Transport Act (Amended 2011).
“According to the enforcement records, no vehicle was towed away in Beach Street at the purported time of 10.30pm, as claimed by Ooi. So far the MPPP had only towed away 12 cars around Penang,” he noted.
“And until today, there had only been one case of violence being reported, which actually involved injury to our own staff. The case is still being probed by the police,” he added.
Along the street, added Muhammad Sabri, are other alternative places available for drivers to park their cars, for example, in Lebuh Union, Gat Lebuh Gereja and Gat Lebuh Cina.
There are 28 parking lots and 273 lots in a multi-story carpark in Lebuh Union alone; 57 in Gat Lebuh Gereja and 76 in Gat Lebuh Cina, he added.
There were a total of 829 lots provided for parking by the MPPP, and they do not include those by the private sector, he stressed.
Muhammad Sabri also said that clamping and towing are provided for under Section 48 of the 1987 Road Transport Act (Amended 2011).
“According to the enforcement records, no vehicle was towed away in Beach Street at the purported time of 10.30pm, as claimed by Ooi. So far the MPPP had only towed away 12 cars around Penang,” he noted.
“And until today, there had only been one case of violence being reported, which actually involved injury to our own staff. The case is still being probed by the police,” he added.
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