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Dewan Undangan Councils

Negeri Selangor urged to start LRT extension?


Not in our
2011 First committee for backyards
Sitting p 4 & 5 disabled p 6 p9

community April 1 — 3, 2011/ issue 18

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid


Ibrahim and Sultan of Selangor
Sharafuddin Idris Shah at the
opening of the Selangor state
assembly sitting on Monday.

Environmental
By Alvin Yap charging dirty water into drains
that eventually flow into the Taman
PETALING JAYA: Lakes in Jaya lake.
this city are slowly dying because This, he said, was depriving the
no measures are in place to tackle lake of oxygen, causing algae to grow

tragedy in
widespread pollution. and the water to stagnate.
“These lakes are in danger of be- While some restaurants have in-
coming stagnant pools of water stalled grease traps in the plumbing
where no  life can grow, choked system, it is not 100% effective in
with pollution,” said city council- stopping oil from being discharged
lor Chan Chee Keong. into the drainage system.
The lakes at Taman Jaya, Taman Chan said the restaurants need-

the making
Alam and Kelana Jaya (which has ed a separate and specially built
four) cost the Petaling Jaya City sewer system that had to include a
Council (MBPJ) RM1.8  million treatment pond and filtration sys-
annually to maintain. tem to treat the water.
While the costs are steadily ris- The councillor had approached
ing, the lakes remain heavily pol- Indah Water  Konsortium (IWK)
luted because there are no wa- on this matter in October last year,
ter treatment systems to treat solid but was told they could not build a MBPJ engineers detected “back- When contacted, a senior IWK to support infrastructure to accom-
waste from entering the lakes. sewerage system large enough to flow” from an adjacent IWK sewer- treatment plant engineer who spoke modate water and solid waste.
Chan and his colleagues,  who are handle the  amount of liquid and age treatment plant which leaked on condition of anonymity said the “As far as I know, that area does
members of the MBPJ sanitation solid waste from the restaurants on sewage water into the lake next to company did not have the provision not have enough land to build a new
committee, said it costs the city Jalan Gasing. the Kelana Jaya Stadium. to build a new sewerage system. treatment plant,” he said.
RM300,000 to hire contractors to Chan said MBPJ might also A circular was issued to IWK to “We manage the sewerage sys- He said a feasibility study would
clean each lake.  compel  restaurant owners to con- resolve the issue and to meet MBPJ’s tem, [but] we do not actually build have to be carried out, with the
However, this measure only ad- tribute to the construction as a stringent environmental standards. them,” he said. construction costing “millions”.
dresses the “symptoms”, not the root condition for their licence renewal. Councillor Cynthia Gabriel said He said older areas in Petaling He said IWK had been pushing
cause. During a walkabout with Selan- waste water from high-densi- Jaya did not have separate systems local governments to enforce envi-
Dealing with the pollution level gor Times reporters earlier this week, ty  commercial plots opposite the for restaurants, and IWK could not ronmental by-laws.
means having to tackle the “source”, a worker from a restaurant was seen park was also flowing into the build them. Rather, the restaurants “We tell municipalities and coun-
where the grease and food particles throwing unwanted chicken parts Kelana Jaya lakes. would have to construct the system cils to ensure that these restaurants
come from, he said. into the drain. MBPJ is considering making on their own. have high-quality oil and grease
Chan blamed several restaurants Of all the lakes, Kelana Jaya is the these companies share the cost of However, he said the area in ques- traps, and that they regularly main-
operating on Jalan Gasing for dis- most polluted. In January last year, treating the water.  tion, Jalan Gasing, would not be able tain [them],” he explained.
2
news
April 1 — 3, 2011

Selangor WEATHER
Friday Saturday Sunday State takes hard line
on developers
Morning

Afternoon
By Basil Foo

AMPANG: Developers tasked with


Night b u i l d i n g h o m e s f o r K a m p un g
Berembang settlers have been warned to
complete work without further delay or
Source: Malaysian meteorological department face state sanctions.
Iskandar Abdul Samad said the low-

State denies cost flats for residents, who were evicted


from their homes in 2007, should have
been completed two years ago. 

bias in squatter “Having discussed this issue in [the]


executive councillors’ meeting a few

relocation
weeks ago, the state has decided to put
its foot down,” said the state executive
councillor.
Iskandar, whose portfolio includes
By Alvin Yap housing, visited the site for the new
homes on Monday, and told the devel-
SHAH ALAM: Executive Councillor Iskandar Abdul Samad opers to buck up.
has denied claims of racial bias in the relocation of residents of He warned that a stop-work order
a longhouse in PJS 1 to Lembah Subang. would be issued to Perspektif Masa Sdn
Iskandar was responding to allegations that the state was Bhd’s high-end condominium nearby if Iskandar (centre) being briefed by representatives from the developers
on the Kampung Berembang housing project.
only assisting Indian families staying in Taman Petaling Utama. there were further delays in work for the
“Ironically, the accusation is that we are only helping Indians low-cost homes.   Since their village was demolished,
to move, but people are also accusing us of evicting them,” said “The developers should take this settlers have been living in makeshift
Iskandar, whose portfolio includes housing. project seriously and not just focus on homes and tents under power lines in
He said each family, regardless of race, was offered a lump their other costly projects,” he said. Kampung Berembang while waiting
sum of RM14,285 to pay for rental and costs of moving to a During the visit, he was told by the for their permanent homes to be com-
new transit home in Lembah Subang.  developers that bricklaying would be pleted.
The state, Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) and  developer done by April 6 and plastering by June, “There were originally [more than]
had allocated the money for the families to move.  with the project to be completed by 1,000 residents here, half of whom have
An initial offer of RM10,000 was rejected by the residents, September. moved to temporary settlement areas in
but the state later increased the amount to RM14,000. He called on the Ampang Jaya Mu- Puchong and Jinjang owned by PNSB,”
However, only nine families have taken up the offer. nicipal Council (MPAJ) and develop- said Kampung Berembang residents’
The state wanted the land to build a school, but residents ers Permodalan Negeri Selangor Ber- chairperson Nor Alizan Ali, 48.
objected to the school’s location. had (PNSB) to provide weekly reports He said the other half had moved to
The state even postponed construction so that the residents on the project. Lembah Jaya, while some opted to find Nor Alizan
could continue to stay there. “The Menteri Besar has also asked for their own places to live. Ali.
“The state government has done all it can to assist the the progress [of the project] to be re-
[longhouse] residents,” he said. ported at every exco meeting,” he said.
He said the residents should not listen to allegations made
by “certain parties with political interests”.
There are 694 units in the low-cost
flats at 653 square feet per unit, which To place your Advert in
He added that the PJS1 longhouse in Taman Petaling Utama the developer say is 71% complete.
had always been a temporary “transit” accommodation for urban “The two-year delay was because
settlers until their low-cost homes at PJS 1/51 are completed. nobody was working here as the devel-
The move to Lembah Subang affects some 29 families, mostly opers complained about financial prob-
Indians. He said the state wanted the residents to move as the lems,” he added.
longhouse was too run-down for habitation. The 21-storey flats include shoplots Contact Timothy Loh at 019-267 4488
The residents have been waiting since 2004 for their low-cost
homes. In 2004, residents went to court to obtain an injunction
and recreational facilities covering 2.3
acres.
or Ivan Looi at 014-936 6698
to stop work on the low-cost homes.
Iskandar said the Pakatan Rakyat government had managed
to convince the developer to shift the construction to a new
site, now opposite the longhouses. PKNS fights graft
with integrity pact
“We convinced the developer to change the location which
the previous [state government] had failed to do so,” he said.

SHAH ALAM: Senior executives from the Selangor


Development Corporation (PKNS) have pledged and signed
an integrity pact to ensure proper corporate governance in
the state subsidiary.
Held at PKNS’s headquarters here on March 23, the pact
phone (603) 5510 4566
fax (603) 5523 1188
is to bring PKNS to greater levels of transparency to prevent
email editor@selangortimes.com graft and misconduct.
The event was an extension of the memorandum of
EDITORIAL understanding signed with Transparency International
CHIEF EDITOR KL Chan Malaysia on Jan 3 to carry out an integrated integrity system.
COMMUNITY EDITOR Neville Spykerman PKNS general manager Othman Omar, senior managers PKNS executives singing the integrity pact.
WRITERS Tang Hui Koon, Chong Loo Wah, Gan Pei Ling, and 34 department heads were present.
Basil Foo, Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin, Alvin Yap, Gho Chee Yuan To prevent dishonest practices like bribery among Strengthening efforts to improve transparency in
COPY EDITORS Nick Choo, James Ang employees, the pact includes comprehensive monitoring in government procurement, the Ministry of Finance also issued
DESIGNERS Jimmy C. S. Lim, Chin Man Yen dealings with private companies and joint ventures involving a circular on Dec 6 last year to inform staff of the
PHOTOGRAPHER Victor Chong the corporation. implementation of the pact.
ADVERTISING Timothy Loh, Ivan Looi In a statement, PKNS declared its commitment to run The staff also retook oaths to safeguard the corporation’s
ADVISORS Faekah Husin, Arfa’eza Abdul Aziz
a clean administration as a wholly owned subsidiary of the secrets and to comply with the Official Secrets Act.
state, in accordance with Selangor’s practice of transparency The oath was to remind them to be responsible with
and accountability. company information.
news
April 1 — 3, 2011 3

Temple mulls options Events


By Basil Foo

SUBANG JAYA: The  Sri Veera The Sri Veera Sangili


Karuppan temple and Hands Percussion at KLPac
Sangili Karuppan Temple, which is
power pylon built 10ft
being forced to relocate for the second After two weekends of successful fundraising at
from it.
time since 2002, is appealing to stay at Pavilion for Japan, RM19,533.25 was collected from
its present location. generous Malaysians. As a continuing effort, Hands
The Subang Heights temple, which Percussion will take their fundraising efforts to the
Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre’s (KLPac)
moved 100m to its present location Pentas 1 tomorrow at 2pm and 7pm.
to make way for a housing project, is
now located 10ft from a power Joining Hands, Wadaiko Syo, Tugu Drum Circle and
transmission tower. Dhol Federation are Mokaba Art Groups, Aseana
“We were asked to move out after Percussion Unit, Batteryheadz Percussions, No
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) built Noise Percussion, Steve Thornton, Wakaka Crew
and Dance Style. Tickets are priced at RM50, RM80,
a pylon next to our temple two years RM100 and RM150 will be sold to raise funds for the
ago,” said temple adviser Suthantaran earthquake and tsunami victims. For more details,
Saminathan. contact KLPac at 03-40479000 or Eric Ch’ng at
He said the temple, situated on 012-2772091.
Persiaran Teknologi Subang, was then “Ideally we would like to Earlier at the meeting,
ser ved a demolition order by the stay where we are as only our he pointed out that there Marriage course
Subang Jaya Municipal Council larger building is too close to was a nearby lot earmarked The Buddhist Gem Fellowship Counselling Unit
(MPSJ) at the end of last year, and itsthe pylon, while our smaller for a surau, and suggested (BGFCU) will hold its 12th Marriage Education
premises were sealed. building is within a safe that the temple be relo- Programme on May 28-29 at the BGF Centre,
The temple was allowed to reopen distance,” said temple trustee cated there. 60A, Jalan 19/3 Petaling Jaya. Among the topics
after a month, but it still faces safety
Velasanmugam. A third option was to to be covered include importance of family
issues because of its proximity to the He said they agreed to relocate 300m away to units, discovering our expectations, effective
pylon. TNB regulations require a 20ft move the temple further away land reser ved for the communications, resolving conflicts and many
more. The programme is open to all non-Muslims
buffer. from the pylon if that is what Department of Drainage and is fully sponsored with lunch and tea breaks.
Velasanmugam
it took for them and Irrigation (DID). Couples will need to pay RM50 per couple for the
to be allowed to Committee members SmartStart Programme manual. For more details,
stay. said they would consider the options, contact Hooi Eng at 016-2930684 or Iris Goh at
The landowners, Berjaya but reiterated that they preferred to 016-3025792.
Corporation Bhd, said they stay put.
would have to look into the Vocal workshop
Mohd Noor said he would meet
feasibility of the proposal officials from MPSJ and DID to resolve The Philharmonic Society of Selangor’s first work-
with the MPSJ. the issue. shop for 2011 will be conducted by accomplished
Berjaya project manager  Kelana Jaya Member of Parliament singer, vocal coach and 2008 BOH Cameronian
Mohd Noor Hisham, who Loh Gwo Burne, who also attended the Arts Award winner for Best Actress, Ms Gabrielle
met the temple committee meeting, said the temple was important Maes, who is visiting from the US. The workshop
on Wednesday, said he because it was the only one in a 10km will be conducted in two parts: master classes for
both newcomers as well as experienced singers,
would see whether it was radius, but it did not have a land title. followed by a group singing workshop.
possible to apply to gazette He said he would ensure the temple,
Loh discussing alternative sites with Mohd Noor the current land and which caters to 1,000 devotees, received The workshop will be held this Saturday, April 2,
(left) and Suthantaran (right). legalise the temple. a title. from 3pm to 5.30pm at Global Business Park, Block
A, 1st Floor, 8 Jalan 19/1, Petaling Jaya. Registration

Council appalled by dirty kitchens


begins at 2.30pm. Cost is RM20 for Philharmonic
Society of Selangor members and Ann Perreau
students; RM30 for non-members. For enquiries,
email selangor.phil@gmail.com or contact/sms 016-
2102281.
KLANG: Enforcement officers from A total of 44 eateries were sealed for Zulkifli said most of the restaurants
the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) various offences during inspections by in question were Class C eateries, Fundraising climb
are dumbstruck by the poor cleanliness the Health Department last month. located in shop lots and not in shopping
Shelter Home for Children is organising its annual
of some eateries around town. Zulkifli added that most of these malls or food courts in the municipality. Climb of Hope to Mount Kinabalu to rase RM100,000
“I have asked myself, is this a garage eateries were found to be storing their “I’m losing my appetite. This is to help abused and refugee’s children, healthcare
or a kitchen?” said Zulkifli Abbas. raw and cooked food improperly.  disgusting,” council president Datuk and protection. The climb will be held from July 13-
The MPK health director, who was He said one restaurant served cold Mislan Tugiu said in response to 16. Those interested are required to register before
describing a visit to a restaurant, said drinks with ice from a “contaminated” Zulkifli’s report. May 29 by contacting Edwin at 03-79550663,
during the council’s full board meeting container. Mislan told the health director to emailing shelter@po.jaring.my, or by visiting www.
on Wednesday that some premises were Most of the staff did not have typhoid come down hard on these errant eateries, shelterhome.org.
being used for dual purposes.  injections and were not properly attired explaining that the health risk was Health talk
Zulkifli said his team have chanced to work as food handlers.  unacceptable.
upon kitchens that were more like Some of the restaurants had leaking “I do not want to hear that tens of A health talk on Nutigenomics: The future of
storage spaces for car spare parts, tyres, roofs or broken sewer pipes in the people in a restaurant are down with personalised health, nutrition and healthy aging
wheels and tools. kitchen. diarrheoa after a meal,” he said. is being organised by the Malaysian Wellness
Society on Saturday from 2-4pm. Australian
Exercise Professional of the Year 2008 Matt Patti

From the broom to the stick


will be speaking at the Wijaya International Medical
Centre, 1 Jalan 215, Section 51, Petaling Jaya. For
registration, call 03-79572230.

By Alvin Yap has installed some 230 trash cans in the town centre for the Briefing for landowners
last three months.
Gombak Land Office officers will be meeting
KLANG: After failing with the broom, the Klang Municipal Mislan said Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, at a residents of Taman Ehsan and Desa Jaya to
Council (MPK) will be using the “stick” on litterbugs to shed recent meeting, had ordered all local governments to take brief house owners on the status of their land.
the Royal Town’s unclean image. hygiene and cleanliness issues seriously. The meetings, organised by Bukit Lanjan state
Datuk Mislan Tugiu did not mince words when he told He said illegal dumping and littering by night- and assemblyperson Elizabeth Wong, will address a
MPK’s Enforcement and Health Department directors to morning-market traders were the main cause of illegal longstanding issue relating to their Qualified Title
issue on-the-spot fines to those caught littering. dumpsites. with the intention of converting it to the Final Title.
“I do not want any appeal, any compromise,” said the MPK The enforcement unit should work overtime and carry a The first meeting will be held at Dewan Serbaguna
president. stake-out after 2am to catch traders in the act, he said. Taman Ehsan tomorrow (3-5pm), while the second
Speaking at the council’s full board meeting on Wednesday, Earlier, a councillor suggested that MPK install “hundreds” meeting with Desa Jaya residents will be held at
Mislan said  people had the impression that it was MPK’s of closed-circuit television (CCTV) to monitor hotspots for Dewan Jalan 19, Desa Jaya on Sunday (3-5pm).
responsibility to pick up after them and to organise gotong- illegal dumpsites. For more information, contact Lee Khai Loon (012-
royong to clean up areas when rubbish piled up. He called it “MPK is watching you,” and urged the 2250687).
He said there was no excuse for people to litter as MPK municipality to adopt a “see, record and summons” programme.
4
news
April 1 — 3, 2011

First
Sitting

Briefs State mulls OA history,


Air surveillance used
to curb illegal logging
culture modules
By Gan Pei Ling
Selangor spends RM150,000 to RM200,000 a year
to reduce illegal logging cases by using helicopters SHAH ALAM: To help the Orang
to monitor its forests, the state assembly was told on Asli (OA) community learn about their
Tuesday. history and reduce the dropout rate
Elizabeth Wong, who is the executive councillor among school-going children, Selangor
in charge of the environment, said the funds are is contemplating introducing a special
channelled to the state forestry department via Projek curriculum for the indigenous people.
Pembalakan Haram Sifar.
Wong was responding to Kajang assemblyperson Elizabeth Wong told the state as-
Lee Kim Sin’s question on illegal logging sembly yesterday, the state is developing
She added that 38 illegal logging cases were a special module for the OA in an at-
reported last year, all in mangrove forests. Eight people tempt to reduce school dropout rates
were charged. Five were sentenced to 11 months’ jail, among teenagers.
while the rest received 10 months.  “This alternative curriculum will be
Selangor has imposed a moratorium on logging
since 2008. based on their unique history and cul-
Wong said the state is also producing a conservation tures as it is not integrated into main-
blueprint to protect its existing forest reserves from stream education currently.”
encroachment, especially from oil palm or rubber Wong said OA village chiefs have
plantations. often complained that their children
are not interested to go to school as
Constant vigilance they cannot relate to the subjects
against spying device taught there.
“Malay, Chinese, and Indian history Selangor lawmakers listening to the Sultan’s speech at the opening of the
Security sweeps have been conducted at the Menteri are taught in school and the OA want state assembly sitting on Monday.
Besar and executive councillors’ offices from time to their childen to have the opportunity
time after a spy cam was discovered in Tan Sri Khalid to learn their own unique culture and ment, now renamed Orang Asli Devel- In addition, Wong said the state will
Ibrahim’s office last August.
Khalid said the state had hired security consultants
history in schools too,” said the state opment Department, have not been be gazetting OA customary lands as OA
Akhbar Associates to conduct searches at the state executive councillor in charge of tour- doing their job. reserves under the Aboriginal Peoples’
secretariat for any spying devices such as recorders or ism, consumer affairs and environment Kajang assemblyperson Lee Kim Sin Act.
video cameras. yesterday. suggested that the state could offer the “This is the government’s initiative to
The state assembly was told on Tuesday that a She said the state would try to intro- special curriculum as home or commu- recognise their land rights so that they
comprehensive search was conducted from Dec 27-29 duce the special curriculum in a few nity education. no longer have to live in fear or being
last year. schools once the syllabus is fully devel- Wong said the state would take his called squatters in their own land,” said
However, the state has yet to find out the culprits
and their intention of installing a spy cam in the Menteri oped. suggestion into consideration. Wong.
Besar’s office. Dusun Tua assemblyperson Ismail Meanwhile, Selangor has saved 296 She told the press later that the plots
Khalid found a spy cam hidden behind the curtains Sani asked Wong if education fell under acres OA customary land and resolved of land were approved for mixed devel-
in his office on Aug 10 last year when the device started the federal government’s jurisdiction the indigenous people’s land conflict opment in 1999 and another for com-
beeping as it was running low on battery. and whether it was right for the state to with developers thanks to its mapping mercial agriculture in 2006.
Responding to Taman Templer assemblyperson intervene. project. The developers have not been able to
Datuk Subahan Kamal’s question, Khalid said
investigations are ongoing and the findings would be However, Wong said that the special The state has been using the Global start work as they were unable to resolve
made public once the probe is completed. curriculum’s purpose is not meant to Positioning System to map out OA the issue of resettling the OA.
replace the existing syllabus, but will customary land boundaries since mid- She was responding to Kota Daman-
State-sponsored health serve as an alternative for the OA. 2010. sara assemblyperson Dr Nasir Hashim’s
In a heated exchange with Ismail, Wong that that three development question on the state’s policy for the
programmes for people Wong also said the state has been provid- projects in 296 acres of land in Sepang Orang Asli and the progress of the map-
 
Executive councillor in charge of health Dr Xavier ing electricity, water and roads for OA have been cancelled after it was con- ping project.
Jayakumar reported to the state legislature on Tuesday villages although this is under the fed- firmed that the lands belonged to the However, Wong said the progress of
that the state has spent close to RM179,000 to help eral government’s jurisdiction. OA community. mapping out the lands has been hin-
needy patients as of March 2011. She said the state has had to step in A hundred families from three OA dered by the lack of human resource and
Selangor patients whose income is lower than as the federal government and the villages were saved from being evicted the state is looking for more people to
RM1,500 per month can apply for financial aid to treat former Orang Asli Affairs Depart- from their own lands. help with the project.
their eye cataract, undergo small-scale surgery or

RM16 million for schools


dialysis.
The breakdown is as below:
 
Aid No. of patients Amount (RM)
Dialysis 48 79,430
SHAH ALAM: The state provides gious schools were rejected as they were less than RM1,500 through its Program
RM16 million in financial aid to reli- not officially registered with Jabatan Tuisyen Rakyat Selangor.
Eye cataract 23 6,354 gious, Chinese and Tamil schools Agama Islam Selangor or the Education Only students with average or weak
Small-scale surgery 32 53,529 every year. Ministry. grades are selected for free tuition
Executive councillor in charge of The state also sponsored school bags classes for four core subjects – Bahasa
TOTAL 103 178,813
  education Dr Halimah Ali said RM6 for students in 2009 and exercise books Malaysia, English, Mathematics and
Dr Xavier was replying to a question posted by million is given to religious schools, in 2010. It also subsidised bus fees for History.
Tanjung Sepat assemblyperson Datuk Dr Karim RM6 million to Chinese schools and children from poor families and estate More than 8,800 students have ben-
Mansor. Apart from the above financial aid, the state RM4 million to Tamil schools. workers. efited from the classes in the past two
also offers free mammograms for women above the She said at the state assembly on Halimah said the state also provided years.
age of 35. Wednesday that all applications for fi- scholarships for poor students through Halimah, who is also Selat Klang
Executive councillor in charge of women’s affairs
Rodziah Ismail said more than 4,300 women have
nancial aid from vernacular schools were its foundation, Yayasan Selangor. assemblyperson, was responding to
benefited from the free breast cancer screening approved as they were officially regis- In addition, since 2009, the state questions from Teratai assemblyperson
programme since 2010. tered with the Education Ministry. provides free tuition for SPM students Lee Ying Ha and Balakong assemblyper-
She said some applications from reli- from families with monthly incomes of son Yap Lum Chin.
news
April 1 — 3, 2011 5

First
Sitting

Stiff penalty Briefs


for Fairy Park
By Gan Pei Ling Teng had pointed out that at over ber that the state would allow Fairy
State maintains Bumi housing
quota and discount 
Selangor does not plan to abolish its 30% housing
quota and discount for Bumiputeras, said executive
RM82 per square metrem, the price was Park to continue operating as long as councillor Iskandar Samad.
SHAH ALAM: The Select Committee more expensive than some houses. its operator converted the 55.04 hec- Iskandar had lashed out at TV3 last month for
wrongly reporting that Selangor intended to end its
on Competence, Accountability and “Just imposing a penalty is insufficient, tares into commercial land and settled Bumiputera housing quota.
Transparency (Selcat) has recommend- there must be law to [regulate] those run- all fines, fees and arrears it owed the He told the state assembly on Wednesday that
ed hefty fines be imposed on Fairy Park ning such businesses,” said Teng. authorities. state-owned companies’ real estate quota is as high
Cemetery and its owners blacklisted.    Selcat had proposed to the state to Executive councillor Ronnie Liu had as 70%.
The recommendations, to the state establish a new law to standardise the said the state had to take into account “So far, state-owned companies have managed
assembly this week, were based on size and price of cemetery plots and ban that people were already buried at the to achieve their quota and sell 70% of their housing
units to Bumiputeras,” said Iskandar, who is also the
public inquiries into Fairy Park’s op- pre-booking of plots. site in Meru, and that the company had Cempaka assemblyperson.
erations last year.   “Otherwise, [the prices of the ceme- sold other lots. Developers are only allowed to release Bumiputera-
“Heavy penalties should be imposed tery plots] would be subject to specula- More than 20,000 people are buried reserved units if they are unable to sell the units after
on Fair y Park [and its operator tion … It has become a booming busi- at Fairy Park, but only 20 acres in use a certain period.
Premivest] to serve as a deterrent to fu- ness,” said Teng. have been approved for commercial use. Bumiputeras are also given 7% discount when
ture operators,” said  Selcat chairman When asked if disallowing pre-pur- The Shah Alam City Council purchasing residential properties and 10% discount
Datuk Teng Chang Khim on Tuesday. chasing of plots would upset the Chinese (MBSA) and the Klang and Petaling for commercial and industrial properties.
“The discounts are given to encourage potential
Teng, who is also speaker of the state community, Teng said Chinese in Hong land office have also been criticised by Bumiputera buyers and indirectly increase Bumiputera
legislature, said the company’s share- Kong and Singapore did not usually Selcat for not taking tougher action property ownership in the housing industry,” said
holders should not be allowed to operate pre-purchase their plots. against Fairy Park in the past. Iskandar, who is in charge of housing, building
private cemeteries in Selangor.  Selcat also recommended that devel- Shah Alam mayor Datuk Mazalan development and squatters affairs. 
The state watchdog also advised Sel- opers be required to apply for licences Md Nor admitted during the public He was responding to a question by Dengkil
angor to regulate commercial cemeteries to operate private cemeteries. Currently, inquiry that the council lacked experi- assemblyperson Datuk Marsum Paing.
in the wake of the Fairy Park fiasco. there are no state or by-laws regulating ence in dealing with private cemetery
Fairy Park  had admitted to having the industry. operators.  Selangor tops investment race
illegally converted 55.04 hectares of In addition, Selcat also proposed to Apart from Mazalan, four other wit-
Selangor attracted the most investment, totalling
agricultural land into a cemetery at a the state to set up a task force to monitor nesses were called to testify in front of RM29.3 billion, for the period 2008 to 2010. Second
public inquiry on Sept 1, 2010. private cemeteries and take tough action Selcat, including representatives from was Sarawak with RM27.6 billion followed by Penang
It was also found to have charged as against errant operators. Premivest, Klang Land Office and at RM24.6 billion.
high as RM316,000 for a 48ft x 80ft plot. Selangor Times reported last Decem- MBSA. Executive councillor Teresa Kok said in a statement
on Wednesday that the investors were from the United

Auxiliary States (RM4.7 billion), Germany (RM3.5 billion), Japan


(RM3.4 billion) and Singapore (RM1.8 billion).
Consequently, Selangor also had the most number

police still of industrial projects – 905 projects during the past


three years and created 80,000 job opportunities for
the people in the process.

on hold
Kok also told the state assembly on Wednesday
that Selangor encouraged investors to invest in high-
tech, knowledge-based and eco-friendly industries.
She said the state welcomes all investors especially
SHAH ALAM: Selangor cannot set those from electrical and electronic industry, renewable
up an auxiliary police force without the energy industry, life sciences industry, and services
Home Ministry’s approval, the Menteri industry, among others.
Besar told the state assembly on However, Selangor does not offer any financial
Wednesday. incentives to investors as such incentives can only be
Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim was respond- given by the International Trade and Industry Ministry
and Malaysian Industrial Development Authority.
ing to Bangi assemblyperson Dr Shafie The Selangor State Investment Centre, however,
Abu Bakar’s proposal that the state pass provides free assistance to investors to obtain
a new law to carry out its plan to reduce approval from state and local authorities for their
crime in Selangor. projects, said Kok.
Khalid explained that national secu-
rity is under the jurisdiction of the fed- From left: Selangor deputy speaker Haniza Talha (Taman Medan), FOI debate on Friday
eral government. assemblypersons Elizabeth Wong (Bukit Lanjan), Rodziah Ismail (Batu
Shafie urged the state to replace the Tiga), Hannah Yeoh (Subang Jaya), Jenice Lee (Teratai), Gan Pei Nei The much-anticipated Freedom of Information (FOI)
term “auxiliary police” with night pa- Bill is likely be debated today (Friday, April 1), said
(Rawang) and Dr Halimah Ali (Selat Klang) after the opening of the
Speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim.
troller (Peronda Malam) and security assembly on Monday. The select committee tabled its findings and
monitor (Pemantau Keselamatan). recommendations to the legislature on Wednesday.
However, Khalid said the auxiliary Khalid said the local council had even asked Nik Nazmi. “The amendments will see better transparency
police force is regulated under federal used a method called “crime base map- The Menteri Besar said he had writ- and efficiency in local governance,” Hulu Kelang
laws. Like normal police officers, they ping” to identify high crime areas in ten an appeal letter to the Home Min- assemblyperson Saari Sungib said on March 20.
need to undergo training and are pro- Petaling Jaya in order to plan effective istry last July, but had yet to receive a “We expect people to request and receive
information at local councils and land offices in their
vided with uniform and equipment, strategies to assist the police. reply. area,” explained Saari, who is the chairperson of the
hence the term, “auxiliary police”, could Seri Setia assemblyperson Nik Nazmi Meanwhile, sparks flew at the usually select committee.
not be changed at will. Nik Ahmad asked if the Home Minis- calm state assembly proceedings in the Under the beefed-up amendments, civil servants
The Home Ministry had rejected the try’s rejection of the proposal was due to afternoon when Pakatan Rakyat and will not be able get away with restricting information
state’s pioneer project to train Petaling political reasons. Barisan Nasional engaged in a heated by citing secrecy. Rights groups and other non-
Jaya City Council (MBPJ) enforcement “If auxiliary police units [can be set debate on 1Malaysia. governmental organisations are hoping that the bill will
officers as auxiliary police in 2009. up] in Felda settlements, airport and by Speaker Teng Chang Khim had to be passed in the current sitting.
Selangor made history when it became the first
MBPJ had already allocated RM4.2 developers in places like Bandar Sunway, turn off the microphones at one point state to table the FOI bill in July 2010.
million for the programme. [why not by MBPJ in Petaling Jaya]?” and issued a warning to some of them.
6
NEWS
APRIL 1 — 3, 2011

Councils urged to start


committee for disabled
By Basil Foo have the experience in and
knowledge of facilities that
SHAH ALAM: All local councils have been their community would need.
urged to set up a technical committee to Also at the meeting was
oversee the implementation of disabled- MBPJ councillor Anthony
friendly initiatives in their constituencies. Thanasayan, who said the
“By the end of this year, we must have set state-level committee will have
up the committees in all of our 12 local coun- people from various types of
cils,” said Ronnie Liu during a meeting at the disabled groups.
state secretariat on March 25. “We can’t have too big a
The state executive councillor said a com- group for working purposes.
mittee has started in the Petaling Jaya Mu- We will have 10 to 12 people
nicipal Council (MBPJ), which offered two in the committee from the
free vans for the disabled and upgraded the blind, deaf, learning disabled,
sidewalks along Jalan Gasing. physically disabled, Parkin-
He hoped other local councils would fol- son’s, stroke, and others,” said
low suit, and said he would follow up with Anthony.
letters to ask them to start up the committees. He added that they cur-
However, he noted that it would depend rently have more than half a
on their financial capability to employ disa- dozen members earmarked for
bled-friendly facilities. the committee, but will con-
“For the vans, I think MPSJ (Subang Jaya tinue looking for more.
Municipal Council) can afford; maybe Sabak For the state-level commit-
Bernam (Sabak Bernam District Council) tee, Liu said he would start
cannot, but Ampang (Ampang Jaya Municipal with an allocation of
Council) can,” he said. RM10,000. He added that the
To lend assistance to the councils that may cost for committees in local The meeting between the state, local authorities, and representatives from various disabled
not have the expertise or experience to set up councils will be borne by the groups. Liu is at the head of the table.
the technical committees, Liu said a state- councils themselves.
level committee will be formed. A forum is being planned for bled and hosted by MBPJ. people who have an interest in helping the
Members for the state-level committee June this year, which will be organised by the “We will do a national forum and invite all government create a barrier-free society for
will include the disabled themselves, who state-level technical committee for the disa- the experts, including the stakeholders and the disabled,” said Liu.

mrt pr
reside oject:
disapp nts
ointed Greater
transp
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From

Where to get
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ettos
p 12-13
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Study Medicine
March
18 — 20,
2011/
issue 16

reaDY
Workers To
preparin HIT THe SKI
air balo g eS:
on in the to launch a
War sha hot
during s” character pe of “Sta
the Dar r
Hot air putrajaya Inte th Vader
Ballon
Fiesta rnational
yesterd

At
– Pictu
re by ay.
Victor Chon
g

Kursk State Medical LRT Stations (Distribution by Empire

University,
Unversity, Russia
hand) – Morning Subang
Ampang – Sentul Timur Amcorp Mall
Klang Centro
By Gan

Ampang
Pei Lin

MPSJ to
g
su Ba
ng
films, liter jaYa:
dedicated ature and even There are

Cahaya
eat dog to the old sayi

“mosqu unleash
songs
swoop by”, but in an ng of “dog
inno
cil, the “doga local municip vative
by a mos ” will soon be al coun-

Hypermar-
quit

Cempaka
replaced
In a pilo o.
taken soon t project to
Municip between the Sub be under-

ito eater
al
versiti Sain Cou ncil (MP ang Jaya

kets
Ban k Bhd s Malaysia andSJ), Uni-

Pandan Indah soon be , mosquito


used
CIM
larvae willB


The larv to combat
Mosqui ae of the Toxo dengue.
toe,
species of which prey rchynchites

Pandan Jaya (From Satur- be employe mosquit s on othe feed on


o larv r hum
threat.  d to redu ae, will soon The loca an blood but
ce the den
The pilo gue gether with l council is wornectar.
the univ king to- USM , which
“mosqui t project to project ersity on
a pilot fully sponsoredcost RM60,000,

day noon)
mosquit to release Toxorhy

Sentul Timur
mosquit to eater” to redurelease the If the trial by CIMB Ban is this
the MPSJ.  oes is bein ce
g carried Aedes USJ 1 tooes at an abandon nchites coun is succ k. mon
out by populat see if it can ed area in othe cil plans to appl essful, the loca mosquit th by monitoring
A Toxorhyn ion redu l don o pop the
effectively. of Aedes mos ce the r areas y the met ed area ulation at the Aedes
up to 158 chites larv
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Tesco
quitoes aban-

Sentul
dur ing to 400 ves Asked whe out that , Ada lity.
its life Aed
tim e, saides larv ae with  MPSJ dur ing a brie mosquit ther the Toxorhyn nan also poin 600 Toxo they will rele
  US M Unlike officials on Mar fing USM oes would distu release of the can only thrive chites mosquit ted the area rhynchites mosase around
othe ch in areas ,
Toxorhyn r mos
chites mos quitoes, adu
11.  said science rb ecos ystem tion , so
it would officer Adanan Che s, in flats the method cann with vegeoes females inwith 100 malesquitoes in
quitoes lt not as Toxo and apar ta- each batc and 100

(Puchong,
do not mosquitoes is Rus tments. ot be used The enti h.
rhyn “Th
This proj a natural specie. chites help is is only one six mon re trial will take
ect betw curb the of the tool ths to com around
een MP spread of Ada nan plete.
SJ and Adanan. dengue,” s to in January , who visited Sub
He said said tion to ang
they will s to con identify suitable Jaya

Kelana Jaya – Terminal Putra Kajang, Mutiara,


begin the area in USJ duct the loca-
trial 1 was cho trial, said the
sen beca
• Turn use
To pag it
e6

Kelana Jaya Bukit Tinggi, Setia Alam, Am-


Taman Bahagia pang, Extra Shah Alam, Kepong)
Malaysian graduates of June 2010
Taman Paramount Giant (Puchong, Kajang,
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other equivalent qualification can apply for direct entry to 1st year medicine Bandar Tasik Selatan Port Klang Pasar Sek 14
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or Feb 2012 Pasar Kg Chempaka
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• Assistance for loans and others provided
(From Saturday noon) Jalan Templer
For Further Information Contact www.ksmu.com.my 1 UTAMA Petaling Hospital
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news
april 1 — 3, 2011 7

Walking tall for women Why Walk


and Rawk
By Alicia Mun
for Change?
kuala lumpur: More than 300 peo- • Every day, 10
ple gathered at Central Market last Saturday women report
morning in support of the Walk and Rawk for physical, emotional,
Change event. and sexual abuse.
The hot weather during the early hours of the • 9,575 statutory
weekend did not deter the participants from rape cases were
reported over the
marching proudly over 1.3km from Petaling past five years.
Street to the final destination at Kuala Lumpur • Every day, four
and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. women are raped
People from all walks of life donned purple in Malaysia.
scarves and joined the walk to advocate for • Migrant workers are
increasingly abused,
women’s rights. tortured, and enslaved.
Many youngsters and foreigners also came • Basic, decent
prepared with their own colourful signs bearing minimum wages
statements to show their support. do not yet exist for
Empower (Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti all Malaysians.
• Women in the
Selangor) executive director Maria Chin Abdul- plantation and informal
lah inspired the crowd with her speech at the sectors earn well
end of the walk. below the poverty line.
“We walk for all women who remain hidden, • Amendments to
silenced, and discriminated,” she said. the Employment
Walk and Rawk for Change was organised by Act remove work
security and erode
Empower, Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO), the rights women
Sisters in Islam, Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas gained at work.
( Jerit), Suara Rakyat (Suaram), Tenaganita, All set and ready to go at the • The Federal
Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), starting point at Central Market. Constitution has
Malaysia Youth and Students’ Democratic clauses that continue
Inset: American student Crystal to discriminate
Movement (Dema), Persatuan Sahabat Wanita against women.
Selangor, and All Women’s Action Society. Corman (left) and her friend joined
• Amendments to
The event, which was held in commemora- the public march.
the Islamic Family
tion of International Women’s Day, aims to Law Act have
highlight the issue of 100 years of women’s of income who are working in the plantation and He added that women had already occupied diminished the rights
struggles and call upon parliamentarians, state industrial fields are struggling to earn a living.” half of Parliament in Sweden 20 years ago. of Muslim women.
• Representation of
assemblypersons, government representatives, Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez agreed American student Crystal Corman, 31, said women in politics has
and Malaysians to improve women’s rights. with Meera on the issue of minimum wage. that it was encouraging to see women in Malay- been less than 10%
WAO president Meera Samanther said, “The “Women must be visible with what they sia being so vocal. for the past 20 years.
objective of this event is to inform the state and want and not be silenced because of public She was also impressed with how well the • Women labour force
educate the public as well as create awareness fears,” she said. different organisations worked together in the participation has
stagnated at 47% for
of the need for women’s representation at all Tenaganita is a non-profit organisation that event. the past 20 years.
levels of decision making.” focuses on promoting and protecting the rights However, she also felt that there was room for • Foreign wives with
She explained that the organisers believe that of women workers and migrant workers espe- improvement to highlight the issue of women’s more than 10 years
all women have the right to be seen, heard, and cially women in free trade zones. rights in Malaysia. of residency are still
respected as equals. Selangor state executive councillor Ronnie Low Ngai Yuen, a mother of three who denied permanent
“It has been 54 years since Merdeka, yet the Liu was also present at the event to show his brought her children to join the event, echoed residence.
women of Malaysia still don’t have what we are support. Corman’s sentiments. Source: Walk and
all claiming for, especially in terms of minimum Liu said, “As a man, we must show our ap- “It is very sad that we still have to do an event Rawk for Change
wage,” she added. preciation to women, and husbands must share like this in 2011 to create awareness of women’s
“For example, women in the lower bracket half of whatever they have with their wives.” rights,” she said.

A venue for all events


By Basil Foo which will host performances like live music
and magic shows.
SHAH ALAM: The Shah Alam Conven- To give the audience a preview of what
tion Centre (SACC) showcased its latest to expect, singer Zainal Abidin, magician
promotions, food and event options for Kabir Khan, Teh Tarik King contest winner
public functions at a dinner on March 25. Fakir Mohamad, the APE drum crew and a
“These are our latest offerings as we con- choir highlighted the night’s performances.
tinue to explore opportunities to reinvent our Also in the audience were members of the
products and meet market demand,” said Puchong Bikers Club, who were invited by
SACC chief executive officer Datuk Zulkifli Zulkifli to make the Westside Bistro their
Mohamad. regular haunt.
The dinner saw several showcases on dis- Also offered by SACC are meetings,
play, including wedding set-pieces filled with conventions and exhibition facilities, in-
flowers, candlelight, and nuances of Greco- cluding nine function rooms of various
Roman design and its accompanying food. sizes, two ballrooms, and a three-level ple-
With a helicopter, antique cars, superbikes, nary hall.
and a yacht for a cruise at the nearby Shah Recent events held at SACC included the
Alam Lake, wedding couples can look to Selangor Lifestyle and Property Expo, Ma-
SACC for unique outdoor wedding concepts. laysian Film Festival and a live broadcast of
Another set-piece displayed decorative Astro Raja Lawak.
birthday cakes, accompanied by mascots of Upcoming events include a Secretaries’ Members of the Puchong
Bikers Club with cartoon
local cartoon characters Upin dan Ipin, which Week show themed Divas Las Vegas, which characters Upin dan Ipin.
are meant for children’s birthday parties. features singers Anita Sarawak and Noryn
“We aim to be a venue that serves all seg- Aziz, on April 6. Inset: Teh Tarik King Fakir
ments of the market, like leisure, lifestyle and “With these packages, clients can opt for Mohamad showing his
business for all ages,” said Zulkifli. the best solution that complements their stuff.
Zulkifli also announced the launch of event and budget while ensuring a quality
their newly refurbished Westside Bistro, experience for their guests,” said Zulkifli.
8
News
April 1 — 3, 2011

Amnesty fast
expiring Unlicensed factories
By Alvin Yap

KLANG: Unlicensed fac-


tories that fail to submit
building plans after the June
advised to legalise
By Basil Foo
30 deadline are courting
trouble with the Klang Mu- PUCHONG: Illegal factories in the Ta-
nicipal Council (MPK). man Kinrara Section 2 Industrial Park have
An amnesty was offered until June to switch from agricultural to
to these factories four years industrial lots and apply for their permits.
ago, but MPK said in a “They should convert while the state is
statement to the press that still offering a 50% discount on the premi-
there has been  poor re- Mislan: Making their ums,” said Ean Yong Hian Wah.
sponse to a series of dia- business legal. The executive councillor, whose portfo-
logues between the owners and the municipality. lio includes managing the issue of illegal
“Only the factories in Telok Gong have commit- factories, said owners could opt for terrace,
ted to regulating and making their business legal bungalow, or semi-detached industrial lots.
by stating that their premises is being used as fac- They would also have to hire a consul-
tories and getting a Certificate of Fitness,” said tant to prepare a master plan listing
Datuk Mislan Tugiu. spaces for roads, drain reserves and other
The MPK president said only  120 of the 396 technical requirements in their permit
unlicensed factories in the municipality have ap- applications.
plied for business and operating permits, while only “The master plan has to be prepared
90 have submitted building plans. before building approval,” Ean Yong said. 
“The rest have failed to respond to our require- He met the owners on March 24. Ean Yong (third from left) at the meeting with Lau (second from left) and
ments,” he said. The Kinrara Section 2 Industrial Park representatives from MPSJ and the land office.
MPK has offered incentives to get the factories Owners and Tenants Association secretary
to legalise their operations. These include a waiver said 31 of its members have switched to in- for permits, the association and its existing until they got approval from authorities. 
in fines and landscaping requirements, among oth- dustrial lots but 17 others have yet to do so. members would submit the building plans “The state has given a lot of leeway
ers, but to no avail.  He said the industrial lots now are made and request for permits themselves. through this factory-upgrading pro-
Some of these factories are a problem in terms up of mostly car workshops and furniture “We will submit the building plans as gramme, like the discount on premiums
of safety and health because they are poorly de- manufacturers. soon as possible – within the next three and technical requirements,” she said.
signed and built. Hygiene and cleanliness are other “Some of them don’t want to convert months – and once the premiums are paid, The programme’s technical require-
major concerns for the municipality. “But they are because they are scared of being cheated or we hope to get the permits within six ments include a 20ft parking lot reserve for
not cooperating with us,” Mislan said. worried about being charged additional months,” said Lau. each factory lot, which is a reduction from
Mislan said MPK will not compromise with the fees,” said Lau Boon Laing. Also at the meeting were representatives 40ft normally required by MPSJ.
owners once the deadline is over. The council will The association secretary said they from the Subang Jaya Municipal Council She said the discounts and looser re-
issue circulars at the end of the month as a final would try to persuade the other dissenting (MPSJ) and the District and Land Office quirements would end in June.
reminder to these factories to submit the necessary factories to join them and convert their Selangor, as well as state executive council- “If they delay in entering this pro-
paperwork and documents. lots in order to submit the building plans lor Teresa Kok. gramme, the premiums may be more expen-
Factories that continue to defy the council will together. Kok pointed out that while some of the sive and they may not be able to sell their
face hefty fines. If the rest still rejected the move to apply factories were modern, they remained illegal land,” Kok added.

From left: Dr Halimah, a new couple, and Hasan at the wedding


ceremony last Saturday. A mass kenduri (above) was held after the event.

44 couples
By Brenda Ch’ng others involved in the state’s Generasi The couples made a prayer vow to be
Idaman Selangor (GeMS) youth pro- forever true and just in their marriages.
KLANG: A state-sponsored mass wed- gramme.  Hasan also reminded them of their
ding enabled 44 couples to tie the knot She added that the couples were off roles and duties towards their religion

wed in mass together at Masjid Nurul Amin Klang


last Saturday.
“I’m extremely happy to give my
to a good start, and that it was impor-
tant for the new brides to know their
rights as wives, mothers and women.
and spouses.
Both state executive councillors also
encouraged other youths who are facing

ceremony
blessing to these 44 couples here today,” Dr Halimah, whose portfolio in- troubles to seek help by joining the
said Dr Halimah Ali. cludes education, was accompanied by GeMS programme.
The executive councillor said the her colleague Datuk Dr Hasan Ali, who The state is considering hosting big-
newlyweds were a shining example for is in charge of Islamic Affairs.   ger mass weddings in the future.
NEWSAPRIL 1 — 3, 2011 9

Little Mermaid steals the show

Finalists, organisers,
sponsors, Yeoh and Loh
posing for a picture at the
Subang Jaya Talent Quest
2011.

By Alicia Mun of Most Talented Dancer in the Little Miss laysian Philharmonic Orchestra concert hall. an extra requirement for the participants of
Santarina pageant last December, and first She also plays in Chinese-instrument or- the talent quest.
SUBANG JAYA: Four-year-old “mermaid” runner-up of the Miss Little Qi Pao (cheong- chestra Yi Ler Xiang. “If they want to participate in any group
Amelia Lee Zi Yuen beat six other finalists to sam) competition during Chinese New Year Lok finished eighth in the 2nd Interna- entry, they must have a multiracial composi-
emerge grand champion and win RM3,000 at earlier this year. tional Zheng Qualification Contest Open tion. This is to ensure that the young will learn
the Subang Jaya Talent Quest here last Sunday. Multiracial dance group Resurrection recently. to work together with people of other races,”
Lee, who performed a cute self-taught walked away with the title of first runner-up Among the other finalists were Sharifah she said.
dance routine to the song Under the Sea from and received RM2,000 cash. Zamaera, 17, who played the keyboard and Also present at the event was Kelana Jaya
The Little Mermaid, won the hearts of both Comprising seven girls aged between 12 sang her rendition of Jar of Hearts by Chris- MP Loh Gwo-Burne.
judges and the audience during the finals at and 17, the group did extremely well despite tina Perri; dance duo Hijau with their routine
Sunway Pyramid’s main concourse. differences in race, age, and dance style. using the song Hijau by Zainal Abidin; Aiza
She also blew the judges away when she The girls, who are also ballet dancers, Jasmin, 14, who performed the song Ben by
performed the popular dance routine of the worked hard and practised their routine for a Michael Jackson; and Nehemiah Ting, 17,
song Nobody by Korean group Wondergirls. month to perfect their performance. who played the drums.
Her mother, May Lim, said her daughter’s Dressed in white outfits with make-up re- Local celebrity Liang was the emcee of the
other achievements include winning the title sembling zombies, they managed to pull off grand finale, while the judges of the talent
stunning choreography with quest were singer-songwriter Juwita Suwito,
dramatic effects. writer and performer Fahmi Fadzil, and local
Resurrection leader Siti band Paperplane Pursuit frontperson John
Amelia said, “The idea of our Oommen.
performance is actually based Beatboxer Shawn Lee, who also performed
on Michael Jackson’s Thriller at the event, did a great job entertaining the
as we wanted to do some- crowd with his incredible sound effects.
thing similar to that concept.” The talent quest was open to residents
Madeline Ashlee Lok, here aged 17 and below, and was organised
16, bagged the second run- by the service centre of Subang Jaya assem-
ner-up title with a cash prize blyperson Hannah Yeoh to provide a plat-
of RM1,000 with her excit- form for young people to shine and explore
ing instrumental perfor- their talents.
mance on the Chinese zith- “I wholeheartedly believe that we need to
er or gu zheng. help them channel their energy and passion
Despite only learning in the right direction and spur them more in
Judges (front row, from left) Fahmi Fadzil, Juwita Suwito how to play the instrument healthy activities because they are the hope of
and John Oommen; (second row) Loh Gwo-Burne and five years ago, she has al- this nation,” said Yeoh. Winner Amelia Lee Zi Yuen with her
Yeoh enjoying the performances ready performed at the Ma- She also explained how she decided to add mother, May Lim

Funds for Tamil school students


By Alvin Yap the money to provide for the welfare of less
fortunate students, and to ensure all the
SUBANG JAYA: SJK Tun Sambanthan students get study materials for their exams,”
Tamil school here received a RM8,000 dona- said PIBG chairperson S Murali.

tion from Subang Jaya assemblyperson Han- Earlier, Hannah told residents to ap-
nah Yeoh on Sunday.
 proach her office to register for the state’s
“I hope the money will further increase welfare programme, including the RM2,500
students’ performance in UPSR exams,” she allocation for senior citizens.

said during the cheque presentation to Par- Hannah also spoke on the state’s poverty
ents-Teachers Association (PIBG) commit- eradication programme and urged single
tee members.
 mothers to register for Mimbar, a micro-
The donation, funded by Hannah’s state credit financing scheme.

allocation, will be used to run the school’s She said single mothers earning RM1,500
UPSR Excellence Achievement Awards or RM2,000, with two or more children,
programme for 2011.
 should apply for the funds to set up their own
This is the third year Hannah’s office has small businesses.

provided funding for the Tamil-language “If you want to be independent and run
school, which is part of a vision school lo- your own small-scale business, please come
cated in USJ 15. 
 and apply for the scheme at my office,” she Yeoh with SJK Tamil Tun Sambanthan PIBG commitee members. Chairperson S
“The PIBG committee members will use told the participants at the event. Murali is on her right.
10
NEWS
APRIL 1 — 3, 2011

LRT extension?
Not in our backyards 


Assemblyperson for Sri Muda Shuhaimi Shafiei (fifth from left) and residents of Taman Subang Alam protesting the building of an LRT line in their backyards.

By William Tan
 The nearby man-made lake is also a danger it only applied to people who lived between Medical Centre, Hospital Universiti Kebang-
zone. “If you drained it without a thought, the five and seven metres away from the tracks.
 saan Malaysia (HUKM) and Hospital Kuala
SHAH ALAM: Fearful for their health and whole area will probably collapse in because “Honestly, what use is insurance? Money Lumpur (HKL) that residents close to the
safety, residents of Taman Subang Alam and of the weak soil,” he said. can’t replace a lost life. Who is going to collect LRT were 45-60% more likely to develop
Putra Heights here said they are against the Inadequate safety measures may cause a if we all were to die from a major accident, cancer.

extension of the Kelana Jaya LRT through their rush of water to flow down to nearby schools, like a derailed train?” he said. He based this on the results of the number
backyards.
 which are built on lower ground than the He also believes that students of the nearby of people diagnosed with cancer in Kelana
Last Saturday, the residents voiced their surrounding areas.
 schools are going to find it very difficult to Jaya before and after an LRT line was built
objections during a press conference held with Jamaluddin said the cost of building the study because of the noise. near to them.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) pro- track would be phenomenal. He also claimed Ng Wai Ming, a businessperson who has He argues that the electromagnetic dis-
fessor Dr Tajul Anuar Jamaluddin.
 that even if the developers succeeded in ex- been living in the area for the last four years, charge from the rails would beat that of a
The protest was organised by Sri Muda tending the LRT line, it would require con- agreed, saying it escapes him how no-one transmission tower.
assemblyperson Shuhaimi Shafiei. stant and detailed maintenance, and runs the seems to have conducted a feasibility study At the moment, all residents are petition-
The coordinator of the university’s geologi- risk of possible collapse within 20 or 30 years.
 before deciding on the extension project. 
 ing the state to relocate the line to an alterna-
cal disasters programme explained the poten- Furthermore, the plans indicate that the The lives of 156 families in the area and over tive route suggested by the Shah Alam City
tial dangers of building the tracks in the area.
 tracks are going to be some seven metres away 600 from nearby estates are at risk or are going Council (MBSA).
“Why do they even want to build it here? from a row of houses. This implies that some to be directly impacted.
Ng said the most the Prem Kaur, who is in charge of the resi-
There are so many other better places,” he said.
 families are expected to put up with  nearly authorities had done was to conduct a survey dent task force on the matter, said that the
Tajul Anuar said he was expressing his 300 trains passing by daily, just a stone’s throw with all residents of Seksyen 27, which found alternative route would cost RM500 million
personal opinion, and that he is not biased as away from their homes.
 that only 49% opposed the proposed line. more, but it would mean no risks of a major
he is not even a resident of the area.
 “No one even asked my opinion. It is not However, Ng believes that the 51% who disaster, and the alternative route would al-
He explained that the soil in the area was just the noise pollution; I worry for the safety voted yes have no clue of the dangers the line low three times the current proposed number
improper for such construction as it is main- of the children, what would happen if they will bring.
“I don’t think our feedback was of passengers.
ly made up of clay and is similar to the type accidentally climbed onto the tracks,” said even seriously considered by them,” he said.
 “To be fair, the current allocated budget
found in Bukit Antarabangsa, which experi- Ahmad Shukri Mohammad Lazim, whose Mohan Krishnan, a pilot and a resident of for this stretch is undervalued at RM7 million.
enced massive landslides in 2008 and 1999.  house is about seven metres away from the the area for the last three years, has been It has grown to RM40 million, and I believe
A nearby hill is also made up of the same proposed tracks. conducting personal studies on the health in the end it will be in the billions,” she
said.
soil, which makes it all the more dangerous.
 Ahmad Shukri, who has lived in the area effects of building the LRT rails so near to In two weeks, they will be bringing the
He added that even the granite found in the with his family for two years, said they were residences.
 matter up to the Selangor Economic Action
area was cracked, which would make putting offered compensation in the form of free insur- Beyond noise pollution, he found through Council in hopes that a final decision will be
down rails an expensive and dangerous process. ance from the Menteri Besar of Selangor, but records and interviews with the Subang Jaya made to halt construction.

Know your councillor: Chan Chee Keong


CONVINCING Petaling Jaya rate- councillor (MBPJ) said. their complaints. of cooking oil or harvesting rain
payers to become stakeholders in Chan said the challenge is in meet- He said the city council, through water,” he said.
making the city a better place is ing the high expectations of residents its respective sub-committees, is try- One of Chan’s most cherished
Chan Chee Keong’s priority. who want better conditions and sur- ing its best to solve issues, big or small. memories was his part in organising
Chan, 48, does not adopt a “sit and roundings where they work and live. Chan works as a videographer and the MBPJ Symphony Orchestra
wait” approach as he is always walking He wants ratepayers to work to- produces reports for MediaRakyat, a Concert in 2009 and 2010.
the “beat” in search of problems be- gether with the city council to im- “citizen journalism” initiative that “There is a lack of cultural events
fore they turn into complaints. prove the delivery system. was set up in 2006. He supports such as musicals and orchestras in
“I do not think as councillors we To this end, Chan said ratepayers freedom to information and educa- Petaling Jaya,” he said.
can sit and wait for complaints. We in his zone comprising Bandar Uta- tion programmes on how to be re- He said there was a gap between
have to deliver what the local govern- ma, Pelangi Utama and Kayu Ara sponsible citizens. the infrastructure and cultural devel-
ment promises to carry out by being should make full use of MBPJ’s “I want more public education in opment in the city, and hopes there
proactive,” the Petaling Jaya City Online Complaints website to lodge environmental matters like recycling will be more cultural events.
Views 11
April 1 — 3, 2011

The Malaysian resistance


actually be financed, or who will would residents living in close prox- As one politician put it, “[SPAD]
Why are really reap the rewards of the largest
these Taman infrastructural roll-out the country Kthxbai! imity to the tracks have to endure
on a daily basis? And if noise barriers
was like the Sheriff of Nottingham”.
In under a day, word went straight
Tun residents so has ever seen. Fahmi Fadzil were erected, how would it impact to the top about the intense displeas-
selfish ah?” / “Ya, I don’t want to bring up in full the the visual landscape for the affected ure of the residents, thanks in no
they’re so rich is arguments that have been posited by homeowners? small part to the very vocal and re-
it, don’t need MRT various parties – on how the project sentiment was evident: residents Next came the discussion on ceptive online media. In fact, a very
may or may not benefit certain mega were in principle supportive of the land. Some of these tracks, accord- hasty meeting was arranged between
is it?” / “But we all joint ventures; on the increasing pile MRT, but the main point of conten- ing to unfinalised alignment re- the residents and Datuk Seri Idris
need it kan, petrol of debt that certain public bodies tion was how the entire project had cords, appear to be running over Jala, so that some of their sentiments
price getting so will have to sustain without them been foisted onto their lives. Slowly, privately owned land. Would these and anxieties could be relayed to the
much higher, how having any clear way of earning more the magnitude of the mega roll-out be acquired by the federal govern- head of Pemandu.
to afford driving income to pay off said debts; on the began to be felt. ment? How would such a massive And what came of said meeting?
lack of transport services integration First, it was the debate on station “buying” project actually be fi- Back-pedalling: SPAD said no such
around in KL?” / being potentially the greatest flaw of locations. Were the stations going nanced? Would residents have to acquisition of land was to take place,
“Nak buat macam the entire project. to be near the TTDI wet market? relocate from where they’ve been and essentially blamed it on obscure
mana...” Instead I’d like to take a look at Or would the trains completely living for decades? legislation.
how residents have come together bypass the entire middle-class en- In a way, the straw that not only So, to date, the MRT project in

T
hese are “artistic impressions” when faced with something as colos- clave and head straight for One broke but pulped, mushed, and re- TTDI appears set to continue, de-
of thoughts circumambulat- sal as the MRT. In particular, I’d like Utama shopping centre? gurgitated the camel’s back into a spite the very public displeasure of
ing the increasingly contro- to take a look at how residents in the Was there anywhere else these pile of anger was the manner in residents. And from the looks of
versial Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) leafy neighbourhood of Taman Tun stations could be located? How which the Land Public Transport http://kvmrt.blogspot.com, the
project. I chose to say “increasingly Dr Ismail (TTDI) responded. would traffic flow increase or de- Commission (SPAD) personnel resistance to blanket acceptance of
controversial” because we all know The TTDI residents have held a crease during construction and once had pasted the notices on trees and the project is not just limited to
we need this infrastructure and thus number of public meetings since the the stations were operational? And lamp posts about how residents’ TTDI anymore. It appears that
any opposition to it appears to reject idea of the MRT was first broached. how would this impact on the land may be acquired for purposes more and more residents are want-
a very public need. These meetings – which I’m told homes nearby? of the project. ing the MRT to go underground.
Yet at the same time we don’t were mainly self-organised – were Then it was the question of the The residents went from bewil- Which only means that the cost
entirely know how it will all go. As initially aimed at clarifying the pe- train tracks. Would they be above- dered to berserker mode. It was not would go even higher...
I write this, many residents are still rimeters of the mega project and ground or below-? How close would only the uncertainty of losing their It makes me wonder, yet again:
unsure if their homes will be bought which areas would be affected most. these tracks be to residents’ homes? homes, but it was the manner in Why oh why didn’t we build the
or not, or how this mega project will At these meetings, the recurring Once operational, how much noise which the notice was given to them. MRT system 20 years ago?

Youthology A refuge for the


young ones
Lee Lian Kong


We lived on farms, then we lived in cities,
and now we’re going to live on the inter-
net!” Sean Parker, The Social Network.

At least the young ones are. age teenager thinks, I’d rather have them with like-minded people and gain solidarity. Jeremy was the title of a song by grunge band
They should be the ones who know about mute.” With support comes strength, no? Pearl Jam about a 15-year-old boy who shot
one Rebecca Black, the most talked- (or Fa- They certainly aren’t mute. The internet is If Rebecca and the Azwan Ismail fiascos himself in front of his class. Using this song as
cebooked- or Tweeted-) about 13-year-old a thriving avenue for youth expression, both are anything to go by, hatred seems to come an analogy, Yench, 21, hypothesised: “If Jer-
these last couple of days. Her music video good and bad. Like honey to bee (or twee- more easily than help. Says Khairul, “People emy had the internet, he’d write an emo blog
Friday went viral with more than 17 million nyboppers to Justin Bieber), teenagers flock are now famous for being the object of so post or rage on Youtube and still commit sui-
hits on YouTube. to the internet to express themselves. It offers much hate. It’s like we’re parasites who feed cide afterwards anyway”.
The reactions to her video are powerful but a wall for the shy or timid to say what they on hate, jumping from one target to another.” It will be a bold and unwise move to tackle
also painful. At best, the lyrics are inane, the want. There is now even a special category for this problem by erasing its source. Teenagers
music unremarkable and the video forced. Being so, it becomes a double-edged sword. suicides induced by internet, like the case of will always be angsty. They will always have
It starts with her singing about waking up Girls like Rebecca and a g irl who was unlimited sources of rage. Malaysia’s usual
for school, having cereal, deciding whether to Marie Digby get their tricked into think- reactionary way in handling problems (re-
sit in front or back, excited about Friday and big break, thanks to the Whether or not there ing she had a love member the Valentine’s Day crackdowns?)
the weekend. Maybe a little too excited about internet. Friday is now is a direct correlation interest when it was may potentially bring more harm than good.
the weekend when she sings: “Yesterday was No 19 on the iTunes between the internet all a prank . She The effects of the internet are starting to
Thursday, today is Friday, we so excited, we chart, just behind En- hanged herself in show, and the sight is not very pretty. It is a
gonna have a ball today, tomorrow is Saturday, rique Iglesias and just offering a place for solace her bedroom. good indication of what our humanity is like,
Sunday comes afterwards.” ahead of Grammy-win- and expression, and Surprisingly issuing death threats to innocent 13-year-
Comments range from Hypervocal.com’s ner Zac Brown Band. thus decreasing youth enoug h, suicide. olds or forcing homosexuals to die. The
“Truly, undeniably awful” to SF Gate’s “… the Conversely,  many suicides, remains yet to org, a suicide aware- Malay saying goes: “Kalau melentur buluh,
ultimate combination of horrible lyrics, hor- have committed sui- be confirmed. What is ness and prevention biarlah dari rebungnya (To bend a reed, start
rible songwriting, horrible auto-tuning (ap- cide because of cyber- non-governmental from the shoots).”
parently to hide horrible singing) ... horrible bullying. There is no definite is that the young organisation, noted There is a solution to this. Teenage angst
dancing and horrible horribleness…”  escaping bullies even are turning to the internet that youth suicide can be channelled elsewhere other than death.
They are also personal, like: “I hope you get on the internet. Re- to articulate their angst or in the United States Imagine what an artistic world it would be if
an eating disorder so you’ll look pretty, and I member the “Saya gay, sadness.” started to decrease all this raging angst were channelled into
hope you go cut and die.” Saya OK” (“I’m gay, from 1990 on- learning to play guitar, to write, to draw?
The most-liked comment is how she makes I ’m OK”) YouTube wards. The 90s was If we are serious about this, the time is ripe
Justin Bieber look good. video by a 33-year-old engineer last year? He when the internet began to be used publicly. to start looking for and paying attention to
Why so much hate? Singing about school was humiliated, chastised, and had even re- Whether or not there is a direct correlation our youths. And the internet would be a good
and parties sounds like pretty standard ceived death threats. between the internet offering a place for solace place to start. 
13-year-old material. One would think that with the internet and expression, and thus decreasing youth
Zapa, 32, a journalist, says, “What do you comes a platform for expression not possible suicides, remains yet to be confirmed. What
expect? Can’t have her talking about Nato’s within the confines of school, universities, is definite is that the young are turning to the Lee Lian is not a Belieber. She
strike on Libya, innit?” workplace and families. On the internet there internet to articulate their angst or sadness. welcomes all feedback at
  On the other hand, Khairul, 23, a law are blogs, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Tum- This may not exactly prove to be enough to leeliankong@gmail.com.
student, expects more. “If this is how the aver- blr, etc. to vent. These are also places to bond stop them from killing themselves, though.
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14
VIews
April 1 — 3, 2011

Blacklisting gutter politics


W
hat do you think about our country’s
current situation, and where it is head-
ing? @abbyshahrin, via Twitter.

There is never a dull moment in this country. In the


midst of so much suffering and injustice, here we are,
obsessed with a sex video. It’s like we are a country
of pubescent teenagers.
Unfortunately, as the mainstream media is con-
trolled by the ruling government coalition; they get
to choose was is published and what is not. For days,
we were bombarded with news on who the mysteri-
ous man in the video was, as only “high-ranking
media representatives” were allowed to watch this
video at a private screening hosted by the elusive
“Datuk T”. You can’t make this stuff up.
It was finally revealed that “Datuk T” was in fact
a trio – Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Chik, Datuk Shazryl
Eskay Abdullah and Datuk Shuaib Lazim. As ex-
pected, the video became the centre of attention for
supporters of both the government and the opposi-
tion. Everyone was so busy elbowing each other out
of the way as they attempted to get on their soapbox
having mounted their moral high horse, that the
questions of how, why, and who were forgotten. Have a banana, courtesy
Hidden camera? Nevermind lah. Political ploy? of LoyarBurok’s rakyat
It’s okay lah. Is it even who they say it is? Doesn’t centre
matter lah!
Unfortunately, gutter politics seems to be the norm
in Malaysia. This is not to say that it laysia!, is about voter edu- Many people do not understand Based on the constitution then,
is not normal elsewhere – even the cation, and making the their rights as citizens of Malay- if this denial is without any legally
US and British elections are almost rakyat aware of what issues sia. The Federal Constitution is the justifiable reason, the RTD should
always affected by some sensational to discuss when it comes supreme law of the state. It guaran- compensate the vehicle owner.
issue or other, be it some old photo to politics, and exercising tees the right of all Malaysians, re- This is not some theoretical legal
being dug up, a candidate being their right to vote. Say no gardless of religion, race, ethnicity, argument dreamt up in a haze of
caught slagging off a group of people, to gutter politics, don’t let and political affiliation. All citizens purple banana shakes; the courts
or someone forgetting to turn off his yourself be distracted from are guaranteed equal rights. have actually ruled that the RTD
mic and making damaging state- the real issues that politi- One of the rights guaranteed by cannot blacklist vehicles because of
ments. We all love a good scandal, cians should be addressing. the constitution is the people’s right an offence that has not been proven
and a nice juicy piece of news. To find out more, turn to property. Article 13 provides that in court, and that any such action
But while the sensationalist gut- to page 16 of this issue of (1) no person shall be deprived of is contrary to Article 13. In fact, the
ter politics are a part of election Selangor Times. Join the property except in accordance with RTD has been directed to pay
campaigns worldwide, most devel- army. There may be free law; and (2) no law shall make pro- compensation to a successful ap-
oped nations (and societies) do fo- bananas. And hey, we may vision for the taking or use of prop- plicant because he had to rent an-
cus on other, real, issues too. In Ask Lord Bobo is a weekly column by be politically nonparti- erty by force, without adequate other vehicle.
Malaysia, gutter politics seems to be LoyarBurok (www.loyarburok.com) san, but we sure love a compensation. Hence, vehicle-owners please
where all your profound,
just about the only kind of politics abstruse, erudite, hermetic, recondite,
party, son! Article 13 is often used in land note: your rights are protected by
everyone gets excited about. sagacious, and other thesaurus- acquisition cases. However, Article the constitution, and the authorities

I
But hey, let’s not be too depressed described queries are answered! s it lawful for the 13 actually does not only encompass cannot arbitrarily deny your right to
about Malaysia’s current state. It is, government to immovable property such as land, renew your road tax. If you are pre-
after all, still peaceful and harmoni- blacklist a driver and but includes movable property such vented from renewing your road tax
ous with no mass civil unrest. Lord centre” in Bangsar Utama. The centre prevent him from renewing his as vehicles.  Therefore, if the Road without a valid reason you should
Bobo is all about channelling posi- was set up as a place to gather, mobi- road tax just because he has an Transport Department (RTD) pre- ask the RTD for a written reason for
tive vibes everywhere. lise and empower more people to join outstanding traffic summons, if vents someone from renewing his or the prevention. And remember,
And this is where the Pusat Raky- the LoyarBurok army. he has not been convicted of the her road tax, the RTD is denying there is always the possibility of you
at LoyarBurok comes in – that awe- What does this “army” fight for? alleged traffic offence? @Boleh that person’s constitutionally grant- suing the RTD for damages, includ-
some brand spanking new “rakyat Well, our current initiative, UndiMa- Settle?, via email ed right to property. ing for the loss of use of your vehicle.

Appreciation night for With members of


Rukun Tetangga

men and women in blue


Gasing Indah

In honor of the 204th Na- person Alfred Cheah to


tional Police Day, Rukun Arjunaidi and Wan
Tetangga (RT) Gasing Indah Bari, who represented
organised an appreciation their districts, for their
night with guests of honor supp or t o f R u kun
ACP Arjunaidi Mohamed Tetangga and the neigh-
(OCPD Petaling Jaya), ACP bourhood’s voluntary
Wan Abdul Bari (OCPD patrol scheme, or SRS.
Brickfields), and unity offic- Last year, RT Gasing
ers from the Department of National police headquarters) Petaling Jaya, IPD Indah activated three SRS zones com-
Unity and Integration ( JPNIN) Dae- Brickfields and various balai were prising 65 members: two in Petaling
rah Petaling. treated to a nasi briyani buffet dinner Jaya and one in Kuala Lumpur, as Ta-
Among other guests were repre- at a Gasing Indah restaurant. man Gasing Indah is separated by the
sentatives from various RT: Taman The evening kicked off with the sing- boundary between Selangor and the
Carey, Section 3, PJS9, Mentari Block ing of the birthday song and cake-cut- Federal Territory.
7, SS23, SS4C, SS5D, Kelana Jaya and ting ceremony. RT Gasing Indah also won the
Paramount Garden. This was also followed by the giving MBPJ prize in 2010 for Best Neigh-
Arjunaidi (right) and Wan Bari cutting the “birthday” cake Police personnel from IPD (district of a token of appreciation by RT chair- bourhood Security.
news 15
April 1 — 3, 2011

Creative art to beautify


By Alvin Yap

PUCHONG: Creative art by


design and graphic students will be

up-market property
used to beautif y parts of The
Wharf, a lakefront commercial
development here.
Property developer Bolton Ber-
organised a Wharf Hoarding com-
petition here on Sunday (March 27),
which saw 14 teams apply their
creative and artistic talents to win the
chance to have their art displayed at
the entrance of the project site.
“The competition will provide a
platform for the promotion of the
arts and showcase young creative
talents,” said executive director
Chan Wing Kwong.
He added that the organisers are
planning to make the competition
into an annual event.
Chan said the talents shown by
the students from various art and
design faculties were “impressive”.
The top spot went to team De-
sign Ninja of art and design college
One Academy. Each member won
an iPad and a share of the RM5,000
Arts and graphics students competed for the chance to have their artwork
cash prize.
displayed.
Second place went to Saito Col-
lege’s team Warrior. ment in Puchong. rate social responsibility pro-
A lakefront commercial hub of- “My memory of Puchong is that grammes, and said the group was
fering business, retail and leisure it was a tin-mining area, a backwater balancing its “profitability and re-
blocks, The Wharf is situated on town. Now it is a bustling urban sponsibility” to the rakyat. One
eight hectares of commercial land in area,” she said. “The state government is ever Academy’s
Taman Tasik Prima, Puchong. “It is now one of the sought-after ready to lend a helping hand to all team Design
State senior executive council- places to live and work,” said the property developers to discharge Ninja, who
lor Teresa Kok said she was im- state assemblyperson for Kinrara. their social responsibility,” she won first
pressed by the upscale develop- She commended Bolton’s corpo- added. place.

New roof for school after fire


SEMENYIH: A school is seeking cation from the state government, to rely on public donations to
additional funds to repair part of its with one third of the amount re- build three blocks, which cost
building which was damaged in a fire. ceived in 2009 and the rest last year. RM35 million.
Fire swept through Block B of “We built the roof so that rain During a visit to the school on
SJK(C) Sin Ming on Nov 16, 2009, wouldn’t fall into the building’s March 23, Kajang assemblyperson
damaging the headmaster’s office second floor and damage the struc- Lee Kim Sin said the state allocated
and the wiring on the first-floor ture,” he said. RM4 million for all SJK(C)s in
classrooms. As the school is considered to Selangor.
The school’s board of directors be fully funded by the federal gov- “The allocation for SJK(C) Sin
chairperson, Lim Chin Kuan, said ernment, Lim called for speedy Ming last year was RM400,000,
the damaged wiring rendered the assistance so that the classrooms which was the highest in Selangor,”
classrooms unusable although they were not left unutilised. said Lee.
were not damaged in the fire. He said while they had received He also pledged an additional
SJK(C) Sin Ming’s Block B with the newly installed roof after the A roof for the two-storey block RM300,000 in federal allocations RM30,000 to the school for repairs
fire in 2009. was built using RM150,000 in allo- over the past 20 years, they still had of Block B’s wiring, with more to
be allocated in the second half of

Roving hawkers get


the year.
Lee also announced that the
state would give RM360,000 to 10

permanent home
SJK(C)s in Hulu Langat.
“There are 11 SJK(C)s in Hulu
Langat, but only 10 applied for
allocations,” he said.
By Basil Foo on private land but were The allocations will be disbursed
forced to move due to by the Menteri Besar in April.
SERI KEMBANGAN: A permanent site works initiated by the de-
for 11 roving hawkers has been found at velopers.
the Selesa Jaya Industrial Park. They were relocated by
The new site for the traders, who have been MPKj to a lane behind some
forced to move to different locations for the shoplots as a temporary
past five years, was found by Teo Nie Ching. measure two weeks before
“We moved them here because this is a the Chinese New Year.
better place for them to set up shop, and today “Because this area
marks their first day of business,” said the doesn’t have reserve land Teo (in red) with Yap (fifth from right) and Cheong (sixth from
Serdang MP on March 23. for markets, these hawkers right) visiting the market on March 23.
During a visit to the site in Balakong, she had to move twice before
said the hawkers would be issued licences to finally settling here,” said Balakong assem- MPKj councillor Cheong Siow Foon, who
enable them to operate legally.  blyperson Yap Lum Chin. also visited the site, thanked the Selesa Jaya
However, she said the Kajang Municipal Yap said the state government encourages Industrial Park Association for offering the
Council (MPKj) would not allow more hawk- private parties to build permanent markets for hawkers a place to run their businesses.
ers to move to the site as it is not designated hawkers, and that private contractors who “As this is the only market in Taming Jaya,
as market location. were willing to come forth would have the residents here don’t want them to close or
The hawkers previously set up their stalls cooperation of their respective local councils. move again,” he said. Lee (left) being shown the
extent of the damage in SJK(C)
Sin Ming by Lim (centre).
16
FEATURE
APRIL 1 — 3, 2011

Far from the


madding crowd
By Gan Pei Ling In a LoyarBurok article, Long Seh Lih, who will be manag-
  ing the centre with another LoyarBurokker, Lim Ka Ea, said

T
ired of personality-driven politics, lawyers, students and the centre would focus on mainstreaming human rights.
an orang utan conservationist are embarking on an A library, resource centre and a reading room will be set
ambitious plan to take matters into their own hands. up in time.
“It’s always about (Datuk Seri) Najib (Razak) or (Datuk Based on an open-space concept, youths and NGOs are
Seri) Anwar (Ibrahim), who has sodomised whom … what free to use the space to host discussions, training sessions or
about the people? film screenings to promote their causes.
“What about the issues [that directly impact on people’s “We welcome any group to use it as long as it fulfils a
lives]?” said human rights lawyer Edmund Bon during the purpose … we want to be as inclusive as possible,” said Bon,
unveiling of the tentative plan of voter-education project adding that this was part of their efforts to promote more
UndiMalaysia! last Saturday. intellectual discussions.
UndiMalaysia! aims to redirect the people’s attention from
personality-driven and partisan politics to issue-based poli- Making activism fun
tics. Whether human rights, women’s rights or environmen-
tal issues, Bon said they want to engage all relevant non- Despite the serious issues they are taking on, they try not to
governmental organisations (NGOs) onboard their voter- take themselves too seriously.
education project. The rakyat centre’s opening launch was called Ops Pisang,
Part of their plan is to highlight issues during elections and aptly, the 200-odd visitors were given a free banana each.
and question the candidates on their stand over topics such “Pisang stands for People’s Initiatives for Social Activation
as the environment or the Internal Security Act. and New Governance, but honestly, that was just an excuse
Stressing that the initiative would be nonpartisan, Bon for us to use Pisang as the name,” said another LoyarBurok-
said they would be holding closed-door consultations with ker, Pang Khee Teik.
the NGOs in the coming months He said bananas fit Lord Bobo’s image.
to gather their feedback on Undi- The organisers also invited indie bands like the Sounders, LoyarBurokker and lawyer Fahri Azzat performing
Malaysia!. MC Stiff and Lord Bobo’s Minions to perform at the launch. at the launch. He is the only band member in Lord
UndiMalaysia! will be the first There were also quizzes on politics and LoyarBurok his- Bobo’s Minions right now.
project under LoyarBurok Rakyat tory. LoyarBurok merchandise was given to those with the
Centre, also known as the Malay- correct answers. foreign as well as local, to fund their projects.
sian Centre for Constitutionalism Bon said one of the problems with civil societies in Ma- The collective is also looking for volunteers. Individuals
and Human Rights. laysia was that they had forgotten that activism could be fun. interested in UndiMalaysia! can email undimalaysia@gmail.
“Many are just doing it for the sake of doing it. There’s no com, stating their name, contact details and expertise.
A centre for the people more excitement,” he said.  
The lawyer-activist
Located near the Bangsar LRT highlighted that one could
Bon
station, the LoyarBurok Rakyat b r i n g a b o ut p o s i ti ve
Centre was officially opened on changes in society while
March 19. The centre is the brainchild of the LoyarBurok having fun.
collective, which now has more than 200 volunteers. Through the rakyat cen-
Despite its name, the collective is no longer made up of tre and the UndiMalaysia!
only lawyers, but students, environmentalists, concerned initiative, Bon said they
citizens, and anyone who has written for the blog www.lo- hoped to unite civil socie-
yarburok.com. ties and spark new ideas in
The “blawg”, as they prefer to call it, was started in 2006 local movements.
by Bon and five other lawyers: Fahri Azzat, Amer Hamzah However, he stressed
Arshad, K Shanmuga, S Sharmila and Edward Saw. that what was revealed
Last year, blog articles on the Perak constitutional crisis during the launch last Sat-
in 2009 were compiled and published as a book titled Perak: urday was only the “bare
A State of Crisis. bones” of their master
Bon claimed they were “mind-controlled” by a monkey plan.
called Lord Bobo Barnabus that exists solely in cyberspace “We still need to con-
to start the blawg and publish the book. sult the NGOs [to fine-
“We’ve never met him before, but he’s the one who gives tune it and come out with
us the inspiration to do the things we do,” said Bon. a workable action plan],”
Later, due to the increasing number of members in the said Bon.
LoyarBurok collective, some felt there was a need for a He added that they
physical space to expand their activities. Hence a space was would be looking to foun-
rented in Bangsar. dations and corporations, The crowd with the free bananas at the LoyarBurok Rakyat Centre launch.

LoyarBurokker and orang utan conservationist June Rubis presenting a special wall at the rakyat centre for people to scribble their wishes for the country. She was one of
the emcees at the launch. 
FICTION 17 APRIL 1 — 3, 2011

The Mongolian
By Zed Adam Idris had stitched it well, fortunately. But the ex- Running and not knowing where to go was take a right after a hollow tree, and so I did.
plosive device had to come out, and I was a feat. I rested on a moist spot where veins of As I ran I could feel the device inside me, like

T
he crash was a convenience. The door running out of time. I had forgotten to look a yellow fungus blossomed on the forest floor. a ticking tumour with a push-button trigger.
swung open. They were unconscious. for the detonator. It could be stuck some- It was soft and cool. For a moment, I thought I ran faster and it wobbled harder.
I crawled out like a tripedal creature where in the wreckage. I had to keep moving. I was home. I lay my ear on a vein, hoping it Endorphins nursed me well, lulling the
awkwardly manoeuvring its steps. They All I could do was to stay out of signal. That would divulge me its secret, that I would be pain when I moved. I reached a creek. I
bound my hands but I managed to slide the was my lifeline – out of reach. its new keeper. scooped some to drink. As the water settled
blindfold down to my neck. I felt damp and Finding a sharp tool in the middle of a The yellow fungus whispered, “Those in my palms, I could see the bruise on my
sticky, a mixture of sweat and blood since the rainforest was almost a fairytale. I tried look- men are on your trail. The blue fungus told cheek and the five-o-clock shadow poking
tears had dried up. I ran into a clearing, ing for patches of bamboo. There wasn’t any, us so.” Or it could be the lightheadedness through dried blood. It was getting dark and
trudged through some bushes, and lost myself but I felt relieved. Instinct wanted it removed talking. I was losing time.
in the forest. from my guts, but logic told me otherwise, I got up to my feet, and a map of blood The leaves rustled behind me. And there
My hands were still tied together. I that I would bleed to death if I couldn’t stitch showed itself on my shirt. they stood. I could smell their fury. We eyed
couldn’t let myself free, they were very tight. the wound shut. So I stood there under a I closed my eyes. I could hear the crackling each other. They had the detonator in one
I raised them closer. I eyed the bind and sky-scraping tree, numb and overwhelmed. of dried leaves, and the furious footsteps hand and guns in most of them, aimed at me.
tracked the loops like I would a maze. My I hadn’t done anything evil to deserve this. stomping the ground. They were tracking me. I knelt and closed my eyes. I saw every-
wrists were crossing each other on diagonal. I was merely a journalist hired as an inter- I shut my eyes tighter and my ears took me thing. I could feel the swaying grass in my
I took my shoes and socks off, wriggled my preter. They had made some business abroad back to the tumbled car. At some point before hands, and the gentle breeze on my cheek
toes. I turned my wrists and locked my palms and settled me a commission, but I’d thought the crash, I heard the flicking of a lighter, the softened the pain. I lay on my arm on the
together. It loosened slightly. I forced my big it wasn’t enough. I was that ambitious. If they cracking of knuckles that reddened my cheek, grass, watching a family of foxes cuddled into
toes between the loops and pulled them away. had a ten-ringgit deal, my cut was only a sen. and the nonchalant discussion of destroying a giant ball of fur. I could see the galloping of
Palms together like a Buddhist monk, I I demanded half a ringgit, or else, I said. the evidence – my body. the Takhis down a subtle slope, and the horde
prayed it would loosen further. And it did. And I was that naive. I assumed I had the A gibbon called. His voice swooped and of gazelles herding across the great steppe,
I unravelled the loops and buried the rope upper hand, that the secret I had known wavered. He was calling to me, warning me moving with the wind.
under a fallen trunk. My stomach had would quake the entire country into ruins that they were moving quicker than before, And there on the swaying grass, I saw
stopped bleeding but for drop or two. They and rubble. cattle-prodded by their master. He said to myself. J’avais perdu ce jeu.

Eat, blog, win RM5k


By William Tan campaign, described “unique- Seni Budaya dan Warisan Ke-
ness” as such: “It is one thing bangsaan (Aswara), Rayza
WANGSA MAJU: Tour- to [write about a] really good Mukmin.
ism Selangor is introducing the mee bandung no one knows Rayza, who is also known
public to Selangorlicious!, a about. But then someone finds as Dark Ray at tanpabukti.
food campaign to boost food us a mee ketam version – now blogspot.com, usually writes
tourism in the state. that is unique.” on humour, current issues and
The campaign kicks off The judges for the competi- short stories, but is willing to
with a food-blogging competi- tion include four professional take a detour and participate
tion which was announced last writers, Chuah Guat Eng , in the competition for a shot
Saturday at Shani Cafe here. It Bernice Chauly, Amir Hafizi, at the prize money.
starts today until the end of the and Hafiz Hamzah, as well as For more infomation visit
month, and is open to any- state executive committee selangorlicious.com.my or
body. member Elizabeth Wong. search Selangorlicious on Fa-
All you have to do is go to The competition marks the cebook.
your favourite hang-out or beginning of a larger campaign
new food venue in Selangor, launched by Tourism Selangor,
take at least two pictures of the which is to be carried out
food you order, and write a throughout the year.
review of between 400 and Fazly and Amri at Shani Cafe on March 26 to introduce Selangorlicious!.
Fazly said Tourism Selangor
800 words in either English or will be using the entries to
Bahasa Malaysia. Then visit the identify popular venues or
selangorlicious.com.my web- must-try dishes, and then
site, register and upload your
reviews to be judged.
compile it all into a directory.
“We will then send out PKA board
has duty to act
The grand prize will be groups of a random mix of
RM5,000, as well as a family bloggers or our Facebook and
holiday package. Twitter fans to check them
“There are two main cate- out again, to make sure they
gories in the competition, are indeed the best of the best,”
which is Best Overall Content he said. THE decision by the present Board of nancial scandal and allowing the perpe-
and Best Food Photography,” Fazly added that this direc- Mutalib Uthman Directors of Port Klang Authority not trators to keep the fruits of their unlaw-
said Amri Rohayat, managing tory would be useful as a trig- to sue the previous directors and to re- ful acts. 
director of Storm, the elected ger for municipal councils to cover losses incurred as a result of the As a consequence, PKA and ulti-
contractor for the event. check out the top spots, as well Port Klang Free Zone issue is a breach of mately the people of Malaysia will have
Amri said the grand prize as to ensure that hygiene and their fiduciary duties owed to Port Klang to bear the burden of the losses, which
for Best Photograph will be food safety are enforced. Authority (PKA) and the government may amount to RM12 billion.
RM1,000 and a digital SLR Among the registered par- of Malaysia. The present board owes a fiduciary
camera, with prizes available ticipants are boutique owner By not proceeding to sue within the duty to act honestly, diligently and in the
for second and third positions Mutalib Uthman, who is limitation period, the previous directors best interest of the company. The decision
as well. known online as LucaDK. who were involved in the financial scan- not to sue is a gross violation of this duty.
He explained that the crite- A blogger at lucadeketiak. dal have now been released.  I call upon the government to com-
ria for the competition include blogspot.com since June 2009, The present directors made the deci- mence action against the present board
overall creativity, use of lan- Mutalib loves to find food sion despite advice from two legal firms and to claim the losses from each and
guage, content, promotional stalls that look as if they have that PKA ought to commence the legal every one of them.
efforts, and the uniqueness of no stars but nevertheless have proceedings. 
the dishes. long queues. This decision amounts to those pres- William Leong Jee Keen
Fazly Razally, Tourism Sel- Another participant is a ently in charge of PKA burying the fi- Member of Parliament, Selayang
angor’s event manager for the theatre student of Akademi Rayza Mukmin
18
Travel
April 1 — 3, 2011

The Langat River


separates the island
and the mainland.

The entrance to the Mah Meri


village in Sungai Bumbun.

A
lmost everybody who stays

Island of
in Klang Valley has heard
of Carey Island, or Pulau
Carey. Selangor folks will tell you
It is not an island of great natu-
ral wonders. In fact, if you took a that Crab Island (Pulau
Ketam) is more exciting than

tranquillity
drive to Carey Island, you would be
surprised by how little awaits you.
But looks can be deceiving. Be- Carey Island. LIN ZHENYUAN Keroncong
music from
hind the veneer of an island that
boasts nothing but Sime Darby oil
goes to Pulau Carey to get to
traditional
palm plantations, there’s a peaceful the truth of the matter. fills the
instruments
sanctuary that is home to the Mah hall where
Meri, an aboriginal tribe famous for fabric
their carved ancestral masks and materials
wooden artworks. are sold.
The Mah Meri is just one of the
18 sub-ethnic groups of Orang Asli Langat Seafood Restaurant. century. He was born in Ceylon in From the 1880s, European plan- He retired in 1910, and four
in Malaysia. There are three main The Seri Langat Seafood Restau- 1865. tations in Malaya were mainly years later, died at the relatively
Orang Asli communities compris- rant looks like it has recently been His father was Arthur Edward growing coffee. After Edward came young age of 49.
ing the Semang , Senoi and the renovated, but residents around the Carey and his mother was Margaret to Malaya, he studied the global The Mah Meri had settled on the
Proto-Malays. area say it has been in business for Maingay. Edward followed in his trend regarding coffee and decided 35,000-acre island long before
The Proto-Malays are found about two decades. father’s footsteps and joined the to switch to rubber. Edward showed up. Their main
mainly in the southern region of Kang Guan, however, is pre- profession of coffee planters. Thus by 1905, rubber had out- livelihood was fishing, and they
the peninsula, the Senoi in the ferred and appreciated for its old- The young man spent 11 years in stripped coffee in importance. By were found in large numbers along
central part of the country, and the style plank- and zinc-roof structure Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) learning then, Edward had been put in the river estuaries.
Semang in the north. According to on stilts on the river edge. It is very all about planting coffee, tea and charge of three huge plantations The Temuan tribesmen on the
2008 statistics, Orang Asli account popular among those who love cinchona, a plant that is known for covering more than 2,000 acres. mainland described the Mah Meri
for about 148,000 of the total seafood. its quinine properties. Later, Ed- Two companies, Carey United and as “Hma Besise”, or people with fish
population of 27 million. By word of mouth, Kang Guan’s ward became manager of Liberian Jugra Land, were later set up to scales. The description alluded to
Carey Island is about 40km reputation for fine seafood cuisine Coffee, a company based in Selan- manage the plantations. the fact that they were natural-born
away from the capital city of and affordability has made it a gor. At the height of his career in fisherfolk.
Kuala Lumpur. Most visitors come popular choice among 1892, Edward was Temuan villages are mostly
only as far as the edge of the bridge Chinese, Malays and made chairperson of found in Johor, Selangor, Malacca,
over Langat River that divides the Indians.  Today, the Mah Meri are the Federated Malay Pahang and Negri Sembilan.
Selangor coast and the island. Carey Island is named well-known for their wooden States Planters Asso- The Mah Meri speak a language
The short bridge joins the island after Edward Valentine artworks and carvings which ciation. In recognition called Besise, which is a component
from Chondoi and Teluk Panglima Carey, a senior British reflect their beliefs in ‘ari muyang’, of his significant con- of the Austro-Asiatic, Mon-Khmer
Garang. Those who have been officer who was in charge or mythological ancestors. The tributions, he was giv- language. These people were given
there are mainly diners who are of several rubber planta- en control of the island a 1,000-acre reservation on Carey
regular patrons of the Kang Guan tions during colonial muyang are said to be supernatural that subsequently car- Island in 1966.
Seafood Restaurant and the Seri Malaya in the late 19th beings who are called Orang Alus.” ried his name. With development of the island

The bridge (right) links Teluk Panglima Garang to Carey Island. This long row of wired boulders acts as a wave breaker.
Travel 19April 1 — 3, 2011


Nearby residents on
Carey Island beach
for a family picnic.

Take 5 minutes to fill this form up and drop it off at


the nearest police station to have regular checks
at your house while you are away.

Ibu pejabat Polis Daerah Subang Jaya


Tel: 03-5637 3722 Fax: 03-5631 9815
Borang maklumat
Memaklumkan tentang meningalkan rumah kediaman untuk
bercuti.

that spread from the 1960s to the Kepada Kawasan Pentadbiran Balai Polis
1990s, the Mah Meri were system- The narrow
atically alienated from the shore- road ..............................................................................................
line.  Today, their three villages – inside the
Kampung Sungai Bumbun, Kam- Mah Meri Butiran penduduk:
pung Sungai Mata and Kampung settlement.
Sungai Salang – are located within Nama: ..................................................................................
320 acres of forest land.
There are about 83 families in Alamat: .................................................................................
the three villages, with a total of
500 people, based on 2007 statis- ..............................................................................................
tics. The villages are provided with
clean water, tarred roads, electric- ..............................................................................................
ity, a clinic and a school.
Today, the Mah Meri are well- Nombor telefon bimbit/kediaman: ........................................
known for their wooden artworks
and carvings which reflect their Nombor telefon yang boleh dihubungi: ................................
beliefs in “ari muyang”, or mytho-
logical ancestors. The muyang are ..............................................................................................
said to be supernatural beings who
are called Orang Alus. sandy and slightly untidy Tarikh meninggalkan rumah: ................................................
The Mah Meri believe in the stretch of shoreline, there is
existence of the seven-layered di- nothing but tiny pebbles Tarikh dijangka balik ke rumah: ...........................................
mension, in which humans occupy and small heaps of debris,
the sixth layer. They have their own probably washed up by the Kenderaan yang ditinggalkan (jenis model & nombor daftar
shaman in their own villages, and waves. kenderaan).
honour the muyang on Ancestors’ Ships can be seen sailing
Day, which is determined by the slowly across the horizon. 1. ..........................................................................................
shaman who bases his calculation Nobody swims here. The
on the lunar movement. conditions are not suitable 2. ..........................................................................................
The length of Carey Island is for such an activity. How-
about 12km. On a leisurely drive, ever, it is possible to collect 3. ..........................................................................................
it should not more than 15 minutes shells.
to get to the edge of the sandy The rows of wired and Lain-lain maklumat:
beach on the far end. stacked boulders along the
The two-lane straight road is upper reaches of the beach ..............................................................................................
relatively free of traffic except for are there to break the waves
Oil palm fruit ready for collection at a
the occasional car or a few passing during high tides. plantation.
motorcycles. There are long stretch- The island has seen more
es of oil palm plantations. than 150 years of slow changes, but indicate that something is brewing
Somewhere on the island is the it has little to show for it. Recently, in terms of development. ............................................... .......................................
Carey Island Golf Club in the West road projects from the direction of Perhaps Carey Island’s time has Tandatangan Tarikh
Estate. At journey’s end on the the bridge to the island seem to finally come.
Have you checked
your electrical
switches before
leaving home?
Before ieaving your home for a holoday, have you
checked all your electrical switches and turned off
your gas tanks?

Call the SS17 Bomba for advise at


The Mah Meri craft centre in Kampung Bumbun.
A house half hidden by trees inside the
aboriginal village. 03-5634 9444
20
TECHNOLOGY
APRIL 1 — 3, 2011

Android attack!
By Edwin Yapp plenty of options for you to choose from.

T
here is no doubt that the world is HTC Incredible S
embracing the smartphone more and Arriving in Malaysia as recently as last
more. Much of this successful adoption week is the Taiwanese maker’s model called
is due to the fact that smartphones are not HTC Incredible S. The phone is equipped
only getting cheaper, but also because the with a 1GHz processor, and 4-inch super
number of models out in the market is LCD screen at 480 x 800 WVGA resolu-
growing at a furious pace. tion, making it far clearer and brighter than
This phenomenon was first seen when Ap- its predecessors.
ple introduced the iPhone to the public in It has an 8-megapixel rear camera with
2007. Since then, Apple has produced four flash, and a 1.3-megapixel front camera
iterations of the iPhone. Today, it’s a hugely 720p high-definition video recorder.
popular phone. The Incredible S has all the bells and
But the growth of smartphone adoption whistles you could want from a smart-
has also been driven by the rise of Google’s phone. It is available for a limited time
Android operating system. Just last month, through a partnership with DiGi packages.
Canalys, an analyst tracking the global smart- As for the standalone handset, you’ll
phone market, reported that Android have to wait a little over a month more for
(33.3%) has now overtaken Symbian (31%) it. The handset-only version of the Incred-
as the world’s bestselling platform in the last ible S comes at a recommended retail price
quarter of 2010, with Apple further back at of RM1,999.
16% and BlackBerry at 14.6%.
Here in Malaysia, this growth is being felt Maxis (Google) Nexus S
almost every quarter as mobile phone players Essentially a Google Nexus S, this smart-
begin introducing Android-based phones. phone has been brought in and is exclu-
This trend is expected to exacerbate as every sively available through Maxis. The Nexus S
major phone maker – HTC, Sony Ericsson, is very similar to the Incredible S, but there
LG, Samsung, Motorola – adopts Android as are a few notable differences. The Nexus S
its core platform. does not sport high-definition video-record-
Most of these phones come equipped with ing capabilities; its front camera is only tagged The HTC Incredible S.
the Android version 2.2, also known as Froyo, at 5-megapixels, and it does not have a mi-
with the exception of Google’s own phone, croSD expansion slot. materials and is only 8.7mm at the thinnest retail price of just RM899, the Optimus
dubbed the Nexus S, which is equipped with However, the Nexus S has a feature known part of the phone. sports a 3.2–inch HVGA LCD screen,
Android version 2.3 codenamed Ginger- as NFC (near field communications), which Coupled with a 4.2-inch multi-touch ret- 3-megapixel camera, 4GB of on board
bread. is effectively a chip embedded within the ina display (same as iPhone 4), 8.1-megapixel memory and expandable up to 32GB through
But for those of you contemplating buying device and used to support wireless micro camera, and built-in HDMI connector, the a microSD card.
an Android-based smartphone, don’t worry. payment in conjunction with payment opera- Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)-powered Arc is
Even if you opt for the 2.2 Froyo version, tors such as Mastercard or Visa. expected to be a hit. Motorola Defy
upgrades will become available later in the The Nexus S can’t be officially found in Slightly older but still available on the
year. Malaysia, though people have been known to LG Optimus One market is Motorola’s Defy. Available via
Android-based smartphones have come a go across the Causeway just to get one. For those who are more cost-conscious but Maxis, the Defy has a 800MHz processor with
long way since its introduction to the market would still like to own an Android phone, try 512MB of RAM and 2GB of on board stor-
two years ago, and I believe that it’s only going Sony Ericsson Experia Arc the LG Optimus One. At a recommended age. Memory can be upped to 32GB.
to get better as the days go by. Announced at the Consumer Electronic
In my next column, I will look further into Show in January, the Arc is the Anglo-Japa-

Hasan to remain
two Android models that came out at the nese firm’s latest smartphone which should be
beginning of the year. For now, here’s a list of available here sometime in April/May.
Android-based smartphones that arrived on Visually sleek and curvaceous to behold,
our shores in the first quarter of the year, with the Arc boasts of being crafted from premium

MPKj president
By Chong Loo Wah Liu after launching Taman Suntex in Batu
  9 Cheras as Zon Bersih on Sunday.
CHERAS: Selangor has agreed to allow Meanwhile, Liu expressed hope that
Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) the state’s 12 local councils would be
president Datuk Hasan Nawawi Abd strong contenders for a five-star rating in
Rahman to continue his term. the annual national competition organ-
Executive councillor in charge of local ised by the Housing and Local Govern-
government affairs Ronnie Liu said ment Ministry.
Hasan’s term officially ended last month. He said five out of the 11 most out-
He said Hasan had reported to the standing councils chosen last year were
Statistics Department of Malaysia on from Selangor.
March 1, as instructed by the Public Ser- Subang Jaya Municipal Council fin-
vices Commission. ished second, while Petaling Jaya City
However, Liu said Hasan would like Council was placed third, with Kuala
to continue working in MPKj to complete Lumpur City Hall taking top spot.
his plans such as the Kajang Square pro- However, all the 11 winners only re-
ject, which is 30% complete. ceived a four-star rating. They were rated
Selangor has asked Chief Secretary to for their service quality and efficiency,
the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan to among others.
reappoint Hasan. “We hope they will continue to im-
“He should be able to return to the local prove their performances, and at least
council once he receives the re-appoint- one of them can achieve a five-star rat-
ment letter from the Chief Secretary,” said ing,” Liu said.
MEDIA 21
APRIL 1 — 3, 2011

‘Green’ day at Sunway


for Earth Hour
PETALING JAYA: On March 26, millions of people Earth Hour was officiated by Sunway Pyramid chief
across the globe switched off their lights for an hour from executive officer HC Chan, chief operating officer Kevin
8.30pm to 9.30pm, collectively taking a stand against cli- Tan, WWF Malaysia executive director and chief executive
mate change and demonstrating that every individual officer Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma, Rina Omar from 8tv
counts in altering the course of a warming planet. Quickie, and RED.fm deejays Jeremy Teo, Mynn and Li-
Sunway Pyramid participated in this worldwide initiative nora. The event was attended by the media and members
by organising a full “green” day leading up to Earth Hour. of the public.
Outside the Orange Entrance, a World Wildlife Fund During Earth Hour, candles were lit and members of the
(WWF) Malaysia Bazaar added a splash of colour with public joined in the “Dance in the Dark”, led by dancers
four booths selling WWF t-shirts, reusable shopping bags, from WWF Malaysia with support from local colleges.
SMK Bandar Sunway’s handmade handicraft, and Sunway This was followed by a wayang kulit performance titled
Pyramid’s newly launched Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) Empty Earth by the Tree Theatre Group, which incorpo-
trolley bags. rated the songs Tears of Trees and Heal the World. Leo the Lion with Earth Hour participants.
Throughout the mall, huge pledge boards were located A reprise of the “Dance in the Dark” featured the song
on all levels urging shoppers to pledge to switch off all The Lion Sleeps Tonight, which was appropriate given Sun- Other green initiatives by Sunway Pyramid besides Earth
non-essential lights during Earth Hour and to take small way Pyramid’s iconic lion. Hour and BYOB trolley bags include the Go Green with
actions towards a more sustainable lifestyle. Yayasan Anak Warisan Alam, which consists of young Leo programme running from March 29 to July 27, where
Before Earth Hour began, there was a one-minute mo- percussionists aged 10 to 18, wrapped up Earth Hour with Sunway Pyramid mascot Leo the Lion will visit five kin-
ment of silence in memory of the recent tsunami-quake in beats played using recycled items such as plastic bottles, dergartens to instill the value of green living by teaching
Japan where many lives were lost and properties destroyed. pots, pans, basins and plastic bags. children everyday green habits.

Lights off in Carrefour stores


Good turnout
at I&P event
SRI PETALING: Thousands of the Klang Valley.
potential house buyers thronged Is- The I&P properties on sale were
land and Peninsular Group Sdn Bhd’s located in its Bandar Kinrara town-
(I&P) Mad About Homes 2011 launch ship, Alam Impian and Bandar Baru
here over the weekend. Seri Petaling.
I&P, which put up almost RM340 I&P is one of Malaysia’s leading
million worth of properties for sale, saw developers with vast experience and a
Low (kneeling, brisk sales during the two-day event. strong track record. It was formed in
second from Besides door gifts, prospective buy- May 2009 following a merger and ra-
left) with other ers were treated to a good spread of tionalisation exercise between Island
participants refreshments and food throughout & Peninsular Sdn Bhd, Petaling Gar-
celebrating the event. den Sdn Bhd and Pelangi Sdn Bhd.
Earth Hour. Besides residential property, the The group has won The Edge’s Top
sales included three- and four-storey Property Developers awards for seven
By Brenda Ch’ng notices in all Carrefour stores, shop offices and deluxe apartments in straight years since 2004.
Low expressed hope that the
PETALING JAYA: Dark- concept of Earth Hour would
ness swept through Tropicana be made known and instilled in
City Mall as all non-essential the minds of customers who
lights in Carrefour and other visit their stores daily.
stores were switched off to mark To add value to the Earth
Earth Hour last Saturday. Day cause, Carrefour Malaysia
At 8.30pm, Carrefour Malay- held an hour-long sales special
sia joined 377 world organisa- by giving discounts and ex-
tions in switching off 30% of all changing energy-saving bulbs
lights and electrical equipment, with customers’ old bulbs.
including public announcement The younger generation were
systems, at all 25 Carrefour also educated on the impor-
stores throughout the country tance of conserving energy.
for an hour. Orphans of Rumah Hope
“Though Earth Hour is a made paraded around the shop-
yearly [event] which only hap- ping centre en route to Carre-
pens once a year, Carrefour al- four, carrying paper lanterns
ways makes it a priority to make which they had decorated and
customers aware of the impor- Children of Rumah Hope. coloured themselves.
tance of conserving energy,” said Low said Carrefour Malay-
Low Ngai Yuen. refour Malaysia and Singapore. sia would strive to make Earth
Low is the marketing and With the distribution of Hour a major event for years to Potential house buyers at the I&P launch.
communications director of Car- pamphlets, announcements and come.
22
Gallery
APRIL 1 — 3, 2011

Madeline Ashlee Lok, 16, presenting


an instrumental performance on the
Chinese zither or gu zheng during the
Subang Jaya Talent Quest last Sunday
(March 27). She won second runner-
up, which included a cash prize of
RM1,000.

Rawang assemblyperson Gan Pei Nei (left) and Selayang Member of Parliament
William Leong handing out contributions to single mothers during a function to
celebrate International Women’s Day in Rawang last Sunday. About 80 single
mothers received staple items such as cooking oil, rice and other household goods.
Young participants holding candles during Earth Hour from 8.30pm to 9.30pm on Since Pakatan Rakyat took over Selangor in 2008, the number of single mothers
March 26 at Sunway Pyramid. who have registered with the state has increased from 1,500 to 26,000.

Ampang Member of Parliament Zuraida Kamaruddin checking out the rubbish


problem during a visit to the Kampung Tasik Permai housing estate last Friday
(March 25). During the three-hour visit, Zuraida identified issues raised
during a dialogue session held on March 11, and said she would bring it up to Multiracial dance group Resurrection in a zombie-inspired performance á la Michael
local councillors at the next Ampang Jaya Municipal Council meeting. Jackson’s Thriller. The girls, aged between 12 and 17, bagged first runner-up in the Subang
Jaya Talent Quest held at Sunway Pyramid’s main concourse last Sunday.
Culture 23 April 1 — 3, 2011
Compiled by Nick Choo & Zedeck Siew

INTERVIEW
Singaporean Alfian Sa’at’s play
Madu II was first staged in the
island republic in 1998, and was
presented in Kuala Lumpur in 2001
as part of the double-bill Bulan
Madu with Anak Bulan di Kampung
Wa’ Hassan, supported by the
National Arts Council Singapore
and Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka.
Editor’s
Now theatergoers will again be able Pick
to catch the tale of two wives living
under one roof when The Actors Madu II
Studio Kuala Lumpur presents Theatre; The Actors
Madu II at Lot 10. Studio @ Lot 10;
In this email interview with April 6-10, 2011;
Selangor Times, Alfian tells us RM33 / RM23;
more about the influences behind 03-21422009 /
his polygamous tale, and what’s 21432009;
coming up next for this thirty-three www.theactorsstudio.
year-old poet, playwright and com.my
author.

What was the inspiration


behind Madu II? POLYGAMY. We hear about it, we read about it, and sometimes we
ART
When I first started writing Malay are told what to think about it, but too often we hear only the stories of
theatre, I wanted to document men. What is it like to be a madu (co-wife) in a modern world where the CINTAKASIH
some of the losses faced by the rights of women are, at least in principle, the same as men?
Malay community in Singapore. Writer U-En Ng, in his directorial debut, will be leading the Exhibition; House of Matahati, Ampang; March 19-April 9, 2011; free
As part of my research, I started audience to contemplate the extent of polygamy in Malaysia and the admission; 03-9285 6004; houseofmatahati.blogspot.com
watching films made during the controversial issues that revolve around it.
Golden Age of Malay cinema, How does a madu live her life knowing that the man she loves Superstar painter Bayu Utomo Radjikin is best known for figurative
many of which were produced in exclusively does not love her in the same way? And what of two wives work: portraits that channel the Malay warrior archetype. This
Singapore. One of these was P who live under the same roof, sharing only the love for the same man latest show takes a slightly different track. CINTAKASIH is a series
Ramlee’s classic Madu Tiga, which and little else? Are they empowered? Are they condemned? Or are they of 10 charcoal drawings and four paintings that take the classical
was about a man who secretly entirely something different, beyond our understanding?  Odissi dancer as its subject, “the artist’s first serious attempt at
marries other women without his Alfian Sa’at’s Madu II is contains the quiet hopes, shattered dreams, representing the fairer sex”. Also featuring the work of figurative
first wife’s knowledge. The film compromised joys, and the honest humanity, of many women who painters Marvin Chan and Kow Leong Kiang, with curatorial essay
was of course very funny, and live in polygamous households. “It is at once breathtaking as it is by Anurendra Jegadeva.
the protagonist was served his heartbreaking, uproarious in its humour, pathos, and outrage.”
comeuppance at the end. Featuring real-life sisters Elza Irdalynna and Inessa Irdayanty; in
But I was also struck by how
the film was told primarily through
Malay with English surtitles.
THEATRE / DANCE
the men’s point of view, and
indeed it’s every straight man’s Odissi Stirred
fantasy to have all these lovely
women bickering over him. example, and I think you’d find more Dance; Sutra Dance Theatre;
I wondered how the story differences between a Johorean Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts
might have been different if Malay and a Kelantanese than that of Centre; April 6-10, 2011;
I subtracted the man from a Johorean and Singaporean Malay. RM53 / RM33; 03-40479000;
the setup and told it from the That said, what I’m most excited www.klpac.org
perspective of two women about when doing a Malay play in
married to the same man. Along Kuala Lumpur is the potential of Featuring works from
the way, the play evolved into a reaching out to non-Malays who contemporary Odissi
critique of patriarchal practices. can access the language. choreographers Sharmila Biswas
But in the spirit of the film, the In Singapore, we’re so used (Kolkata), Madhavi Mudgal (New
play is still very much a comedy. to yoking language and ethnicity Delhi), and Ramli Ibrahim and
I have to say this because some together that it’s always refreshing Guna (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).
people think that feminism is to see non-Malays understanding Comprising three dance
rather grim and humourless! the language and bringing their performances – Evocations,
The play might use polygamy own cultural perspectives into Pallavan and Kamala – each
as its premise, but I’m quite their engagement with the play. drawing upon and and inspired
certain that the issues that it Of course we’ll also have English by the Odissi tradition, one of the
deals with are pretty universal. surtitles, but having an audience most dynamic Indian classical
One of these issues is of course that knows the language makes dance styles. “One takes us back
that of women’s experiences the play less of some kind of to its folk and rural tradition of games and drums; another moves
under patriarchy. How much ethnographic showcase. us beyond to the experimental, creating new works with compelling
agency and autonomy do women images and messages.”
have when laws are written by What are you currently working
men? And how do they form question Islam”. The Malay word was on that audiences can look Nightlife Creatures
bonds of solidarity and resist used, which is “mempertikaikan”. forward to?
being manipulated into situations And we know that’s the favourite I’m working on a play, to be Theatre; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; March 30-April 3,
of rivalry? word of various kinds of right- directed by Jo Kukathas, and to 2011; RM15 / RM23 / RM33; 03-40479000; www.klpac.org
wingers, so you’ll hear phrases like be performed later in Singapore
How have people responded to “jangan mempertikaikan ketuanan in June. She’ll be rehearsing with “An urban comedy with over 30 characters that reflect the realities
stagings of Madu II? Melayu”, for example. an all-Malaysian cast, and the of city life.” Two construction workers are going about their business
I think it’s generated some I have to make it clear that it’s play is called Parah. It’s a kind of when they hear tapping sounds that turn out to be Morse code.
interesting discussions, like for not possible to “question Islam”, or mash-up of Yasmin Ahmad’s final They start searching for the source of the signal until they reach a
example, on P Ramlee’s legacy. any religion for that matter. That’s film, Talentime, as well as Abdullah strange apartment occupied by even stranger people: a mystery
Some people think that Madu Tiga just a rhetorical statement. What Hussain’s novel Interlok. I thought man, a lonely artist, a nightclub girl and more. Directed by KLPac
should not be considered a sexist one questions is the interpretation it would make an interesting resident director Kimmy Kiew, written by Japanese playwright Yoichi
film, because it was a product of of religious doctrine, and its juxtaposition between Yasmin’s Kobiyama. Performed in Mandarin with English surtitles.
its time; Hollywood was hardly implementation by fallible human idealistic “cinema muhibbah” and
more enlightened back then in its beings. a novel that is causing such a
firestorm currently. LAT Kampung Boy: Sebuah Musikal
treatment of the sexes.
So I think that’s quite a When Madu II was first The title is of course, an allusion
staged in Malaysia, were you to the P-word, and I’m fascinated by Musical; Tall Order Productions; Istana
productive debate, because one
concerned about the potential the kinds of contestations that can Budaya; March 16-April 3, 2011; RM40;
can also shift this same argument
reaction of certain quarters occur over this single word. It sounds www.istanabudaya.gov.my
to the practice of polygamy – on
whether it, too, is a “product of its who might deem the subject ridiculous on paper to wrangle over,
too controversial for Malaysian, of all things, a word, but of course it’s A star-studded musical-theatre take of
time”. I’m not comfortable with the
especially Malay, sensibilities? not just an argument on semantics. cartoonist Lat’s beloved Kampung Boy
idea that certain practices should
It’s always a fun cultural exercise to It’s also about history, cultural and Town Boy – graphic novels about
be preserved in perpetuity when
compare Malaysian and Singapore stereotypes, the rights of the growing up in rural Perak and Ipoh in the
it is very clear that society has
Malays, but sometimes I’m afraid artist and the rights of minority national adolescence of the 1960s. This
changed.
it’s just that: an exercise, more communities to be protected from stage adaptation doesn’t really capture the
One of the more interesting
theoretical than borne out in practice. offence. I felt I just had to write the tone of the books – simultaneously funny,
responses to the play, I believe,
I find very few differences, actually, play, because I’ve always been, and optimistic and quietly filled with pathos – but still manages to be an
was an SMS that was sent to the
between urban Malays on both still am, fascinated by the multiple entertaining romp. Final shows this weekend. Featuring Awie (as
director. I don’t know who the
sides of the Causeway. We consume realities that exist in a plural country Lat), Atilia, Datuk Rahim Razali, Douglas Lim, and Sandra Sodhy.
sender was, but he (or she) said
the same kinds of pop culture, for like Malaysia. Music by Michael Veerapen and choreography by Pat Ibrahim.
something to the effect of “don’t
Published by Selangor State Government and printed by Dasar Cetak (M) Sdn Bhd No. 7, Persiaran Selangor, Seksyen 15, 40000, Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan.

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