The government has paid out RM2.9 billion in compensation to several highway concessionaires for delaying their increase of toll rates. This is among snippets from the Dewan Rakyat today.

Highway operators get RM2.9 billion

The government has paid RM2.9 billion in compensation to several highway concessionaires for holding back their scheduled increase of toll rates.

toll booth highway Those compensated are the operators of the North-South Expressway (Plus Expressway Bhd or Plus), Damansara-Puchong Highway (Lingkaran Trans Kota Holdings Bhd or Litrak), Klang-Shah Alam Highway (Kesas Sdn Bhd) and KL-Karak Highway (MTD Capital Bhd).

Plus received RM2 billion, Litrak RM630 million, Kesas RM150 million and MTD RM98 million.

Replying Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut), Deputy Works Minister Yok Khoon Seng said the government has not needed to compensate the concessionaires for the Cheras-Kajang Highway, New Pantai Expressway, Silk highway and the KL-Purajaya highway, as there as been no postponement of increase in toll rates.

930,000 cases pending in court

There was a backlog of 930,000 cases throughout the court system as at March 31, according to a written reply by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to Ngeh Koo Ham (DAP-Beruas).

There were 719,116 pending in the magistrates’ courts, 121,232 in the sessions courts; 81,545 in high courts, 9,996 in the Court of Appeal and 409 before the Federal Court.

Omnibus law to protect whistleblowers

A comprehensive law to protect witnesses and whistleblowers is on the cards, said Minister in a Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz.

Replying Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak), he said the attorney-general’s chambers are looking into all laws relating to protection of witnesses and whistleblowers.

Minister: Low pay leads to corruption

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar has acknowledged that the low salary among police personnel is one of the reasons contributed to corruption in the police force.

In view of that, he said the force has suggested to the Public Services Department for a new salary scale based on respective police's scope of job, as well as applications to review the allowances and incentive enjoyed by the police personnel.

"The ministry hopes that the proposal will help to reduce the corruption among police personnel and officers," Syed Hamid added in a written reply to Gobind Singh Deo (DAP-Puchong).

'Live' webcast for Parliament proceeding?

The cabinet will study and decide on the suitability of live webcast for the Parliament proceedings, Information Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said.

He said this in a written reply in responding to question from Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) that whether the government plan to follow the Selangor state legislative assembly which live webcast its sitting.

Apart from that, Ahmad Shabery also said the government is studying the proposal to extend the current live telecast of the Dewan Rakyat proceeding from 30 minutes to a longer period.