The Star, 18th March 2008
The headlines in The Star today was about the concession agreement between the Selangor stae government and Puncak Niaga Holdings Berhad on operation and maintenance of the Sungai Sireh Water Treatment Plant. This agreement was signed on the 7th of March 2008, the day before polling day for the recently held General Elections when the state government was being administered by a caretaker government. Following this, the newly appointed state government will review the concession agreement as the agreement seemed to favour Pucak niaga.
The front page of The Star also featured a photo of the new Perlis Bhief Minister being greeted by a crowd of supporters before being sworn in as the Chief Minister. The report on the swearing in ceremony is highlighted on page 4.
On page three, The Star reports that an announcement on a new cabinet line up shall be made today. There will be a swearing in ceremony to be held at the Istana Negara for the cabinet tomorrow. There is still a lot of speculation on the size of the cabinet. It is estimated that the size of the cabinet will be reduced. The final figure will be announced today.
Page 5 features the swearing in ceremony of the Perak Chief minister, Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin which was held yesterday afternoon. the new Chief Minister shall lead an opposition coalition made up of the DAP, PKR and Pas in administering the state. The line up for the state exco shall be finalised within the next two days.
Page 10 of The Star focuses on the state of affairs in Penang regarding the positions of the Malays in the state. The PAS Deputy Commissioner came out in support of DAP in administering the state and gave assurances to the Malays that they will not be marginalised in the state governments drive to further develop the state. He emphasized that all races shall be treated equally in the development of Penang.
Also featured in The Star are responses from the new Chief Minster in Penang, Mr. Lim Guan Eng to emails sent to him from all over the world asking him various questions about his future plans for Penang.