community April 8 — 10, 2011/ issue 19

Free tuition for needy SPM students

Chaos at land briefing

p 12 & 13 p 9

bill amended to proteCt forests

p 4

Mourners carrying the remains of Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed into Surau Ar-Rahman at the Kelana Jaya Customs quarters yesterday afternoon. Stories on Page 2. – Pictures by Victor Chong

Anti-human trafficking unitsBy Gan Pei Ling

shah alam: Enforcement of-ficers from local governments will be trained to spot victims of hu-man trafficking and alert relevant authorities as part of Selangor’s initiative to stop the trade.

“We have instructed all local councils to set up special units for the task,” said Ronnie Liu.

The state executive councillor said while local enforcement offic-ers did not have powers of arrest, they  could still raid places sus-pected of trafficking and alert the police and immigration depart-ment immediately.

Liu, whose portfolio includes local government, pointed out that enforcement officers were already raiding entertainments outlets

under their jurisdiction.The units, to be set up in all 12

local authorities, will be specially trained to identify victims. 

The move was announced at a press conference on Monday by Liu and executive councillor  Rod-ziah Ismail, who chairs the Selan-gor Anti-Human Trafficking Council (Mapmas). 

Rodziah said that Selangor was collaborating with Tenaganita, which champions the rights of mi-grant workers.

The non-government organisa-tion will handle the case manage-ment of victims for Mapmas. 

Meanwhile, local councils will also revoke business licences of companies found to be harbouring victims. 

Briefings are also being organ-

ised for local councils, said Map-mas task force vice-president Ro-zaini Mohd Rosli.

The Klang Municipal Council and its councillors were the first to be briefed at its monthly board meeting last week.

The Shah Alam City Council and Subang Jaya Municipal Coun-cil are expected to be briefed at the end of the month.

Rozaini expressed hope that they would appoint a councillor to champion the initiative at each local council.

When contacted by Selangor Times, Petaling Jaya councillor Cyn-thia Gabriel said the move would help to increase awareness among enforcement officers.

“It’s part of their job to raid il-legal settlements (they usually treat all illegal migrants the same way), but there could be potential hu-man-trafficking victims among them,” said Gabriel.

Daniel Lo, a member of the Mapmas task force, said it was im-portant for enforcement officers to distinguish between the victims and treat them well.

“Victims are at the heart of prosecution. They are usually the

sole witnesses,” said Lo, adding that the victims would be afraid to speak up if they were intimidated or abused by officers.

Lo noted that both legal and illegal migrants could be potential victims of human trafficking, with women being the predominant victims.

Meanwhile, Selangor has de-manded access to victims as only the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is allowed to interact with them.

“We must determine the [human traffickers’] operational process in Selangor, who are the agents, [and]how it is happening in order to be able to intervene effectively.

“That’s why access to victims is important,” said Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez, who also attended Monday’s press conference.

2 April 8 — 10, 2011

news

phone (603) 5510 4566fax (603) 5523 1188

email editor@selangortimes.com

EDITORIALCHIEF EDITOR KL Chan

COMMUNITY EDITOR Neville SpykermanWRITERS Tang Hui Koon, Chong Loo Wah, Gan Pei Ling,

Basil Foo, Alvin Yap, Gho Chee YuanCOPY EDITORS Nick Choo, James Ang

DESIGNERS Jimmy C. S. Lim, Chin Man YenPHOTOGRAPHER Victor Chong

ADVERTISING Timothy Loh, Ivan LooiADVISORS Faekah Husin, Arfa’eza Abdul Aziz

Morning

Friday Saturday Sunday

afternoon

night

Selangor WeaTHer

Source: Malaysian meteorological department

SHAH ALAM: Seventy-three groups have called for the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the death of a Customs officer in the custody of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The non-governmental organisations said there must be an “independent and thorough” probe into the officer’s death, including MACC personnel involved and its power structure.

They added that half of the members should be nominated by civil societies to ensure its credibility.

Human rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia coordinator E Nalini spoke on five demands on behalf of the groups at a press conference on Thursday.

The NGOs include Amnesty International Malaysia, All Women’s Action Society, Malaysians for Beng Hock and Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia.

Besides the establishment of the RCI, they also want the police to buck up and conduct a professional and independent probe into the MACC to restore public confidence.

The groups took the police to task for not investigating or acting on the 59 complaints lodged against MACC in the past five years, resulting in the death of former political aide Teoh Beng Hock in 2009 and now Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed.

They said MACC investigation director Datuk Mustafa Ali and other officers involved should be suspended until the RCI completed its investigation to prevent cover-ups or interference.

They also urged the government to enact the Coroner’s Act and set up a coroner’s court to investigate all deaths in custody.

The NGOs lastly reminded the government to set up the long-delayed independent police complaints and misconduct commission to investigate abuse of power among enforcement bodies.

Eric Paulsen, from Lawyers for Liberty, said there have been 147 deaths in custody since 2000, but nobody has been held accountable for the deaths.

Selangor Customs assistant director Ahmad Sarbani, 56, was found sprawled on the first floor of the MACC building on Jalan Cochrane in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday morning.

His death came in the midst of a RCI into the death of Teoh, who was found dead at Selangor MACC’s former headquarters in Shah Alam in 2009.

His death is being investigated openly for the second time following dissatisfaction with an open verdict by a coroner’s inquiry.

Civil societies call for RCI

State condemns latest MACC deathSHAH ALAM: Selangor has condemned the death of Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission building on Jalan Cochrane in Kuala Lumpur.

“The state regrets that another MACC witness has died under suspicious circumstances,” said Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

The 56-year-old assistant director from the Selangor Customs Department, who was under investigation for graft, is believed to have fallen from the third floor of the building.

Khalid said it was shocking that another tragedy could happen.

“It looks like the MACC has not learnt anything from [Teoh Beng Hock’s] case and is still not responsible for the safety of witnesses or those detained by them,” he said.

Khalid also extended his condolences to the victim’s family.

He said this illustrated to all Malaysians that without justice for cases such as Teoh’s, similar tragedies would continue to occur.

“The lack of serious action against those responsible for Teoh’s death has led certain parties to think they are immune from the law,” said Khalid.

A Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) is being conducted into the death of Teoh, the former political secretary to executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah.

Teoh was found dead on July 16, 2009 on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam, where the Selangor MACC office was then located.

Khalid said the incident has strengthened the state’s resolve to protect its civil servants.

The legality of Selangor’s circular preventing its civil servants from being questioned by the MACC after office hours and only while accompanied by a lawyer is being challenged in court.

“We will appeal right to the Federal Court, the decision [of the High Court] to nullify the circular,” he said.

He said the instruction was appropriate in the wake of the two deaths.

By Alvin Yap

PETALING JAYA: Overwhelmed with grief, the mother of Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed collapsed while viewing his body on Thursday.

Aishah Abdullah Rauf, 75, was seen being carried out of the Ar-Rahman Surau in the Customs quarters in Kelana Jaya.

She had earlier been among loved ones and colleagues who had waited since 10.30am for his body to arrive.

Over 200 mourners were seen wak-ing along with the hearse when it ar-rived from Hospital Universiti Ke-bangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) at about 5pm before it was taken into the surau, where it was prepared for burial

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who ar-rived shortly after, was seen expressing his condolences to family members.

“I am sad for the family, we have to find the truth. It is a great tragedy, but we must ensure there are investigation into MACC’s methods of interroga-tion and conduct,” said the Selangor Menteri Besar.

Ahmad Sarbani’s body was taken to the Kota Damansara Muslim cemetery soon after.

Meanwhile, there was widespread disbelief over suggestions that he had committed suicide.  

“How could someone who is loved by everyone, someone who is helpful and smil ing , commit suicide ?” asked Aznijar Ahmad.

The University Malaya aeronauti-cal engineering lecturer, who knew the deceased when they stayed in Klang, said Ahmad Sarbani had been a reli-gious man.

“Our family is extremely sad. He was a surau committee member,” said the lecturer, whose wife is also a Cus-toms officer.

He said Ahmad Sarbani  had also been the treasurer for the surau com-mittee and had discharged his duties conscientiously.

“Are they going to write that he  committed suicide?” said a uni-formed customs officer to his col-league.

“We do not know what happened. We are sad and we are angry. His death should not have happened,” said another officer, who did not wish

to be identified.Ahmad Sarbani was found dead on

Wednesday and is believed to have fallen from the third floor of the Ma-laysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters on Jalan Coh-crane, Cheras.

The Selangor Customs assistant director had been among 62 Customs officers reportedly picked up for al-leged graft. But the 56-year-old father of five was released on bail on Monday.

A relative who spoke to the press pointed out that Ahmad Sarbani’s death was now a matter of speculation in the media.

“There are many reports, and all conflict with each other. Are the re-ports verified? Is it true?” said the man, who refused to be identified.

Others who knew the deceased described him as  a  person who had always been smiling and helpful.

Among other VIPs who came to visit the grieving family were state ex-ecutive councillor Dr Halimah Ali and Shah Alam Member of Parliament Khalid Samad.

Dr Halimah was seen hugging members of the family and consoling them over their loss.

Khalid Samad said nothing short of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) would suffice to find out the actual circumstances behind the death.

“This is a high-profile case, involv-ing millions of ringgit in graft, and the death of a senior civil servant needs nothing less than a RCI,” he said.

The MACC has suspended two of-ficers for the purposes of investigation into the death of Ahmad Sarbani on Wednesday.

According to a MACC statement issued from its headquarters in Putra-jaya, the officers were suspended be-cause they had breached regulations pertaining to witnesses and visitors to MACC offices.

“Two officers have been suspended for the breach of regulations on wit-nesses or visitors to MACC premises, whereupon the officers had failed to be with the witness or visitor during the whole time that they were at the MACC office,” the statement read.

“The internal investigations will be forwarded to the MACC Complaints Committee, which is headed by former Court of Appeals judge Datuk Mohd Nor Abdullah and has three other members,” it added.

Grief and disbelief

Friends and relatives carry 75-year-old Aishah Abdullah after she fainted upon seeing Ahmad Sarbani’s remains being taken to the surau at the Kelana Jaya Customs quarters late yesterday afternoon.

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ April 8 – 10, 2011 ⁄ 3

4 april 8 — 10, 2011

news

State to launch micro credit financing

EvEnts

TI Malaysia wants independent study

SHAH ALAM: Selangor became the first state to make public inquiry com-pulsory before a forest reserve can be de-gazetted.

The state assembly passed an amend-ment to the National Forestry Act 1985 Enactment on March 31 in an effort to further safeguard its forest reserves.

“We want to provide an opportunity for the public to give their opinion, sug-gestion and constructive criticism before a forest reserve can be de-gazetted,” said executive councillor on environment Elizabeth Wong at last week’s state as-sembly.

Wong said the people could provide feedback during public inquiry and help protect forest reserves that are constantly under pressure from development.

“A few years ago, the Kota Damansara Forest Reserve was de-gazetted to make way for a luxurious residential area.

“The transfer of land was only cancelled after Pakatan Rakyat took over the state’s administration,” said Wong.

She added in her press statement that thousands of hectares of forest reserves were cleared without public knowledge from 2000 to 2007.

Wong said the state has yet to finalise the mechanism for the public inquiry.

However, she gave assurance that the public inquiry would be advertised on billboards and newspapers early so that residents and non-governmental organisa-tions would be well informed of it.

Meanwhile, environmentalists have applauded Selangor’s move. Environmen-tal organisation TrEES congratulated the state for its commitment towards protect-ing Selangor’s forest reserves.

Its directors, Leela Panikkar and Chris-ta Hashim, hoped input collected from the

Yoga for Japan

Manasa Yoga, in collaboration with Tropicana Golf & Country Resort, will hold an outdoor yoga charity event for Japan’s earthquake and tsunami survivors on April 17. The programme, which starts at 7am, will be conducted by Manasa Yoga guru and founder Manoj Kaimal and his wife, Sandhya. Proceeds will be donated to Red Cross Japan. For details, contact Susan at 012-3375955 or via email: susan@manasa-yoga.com.

Kinabalu climb

Shelter Home for Children will organise its annual Climb of Hope to Mount Kinabalu to raise RM100,000 to help the abused and refugee children’s education, healthcare and protection from July 13-16. Those interested are required to submit their registration details before May 29. For more information, call Edwin at 03-79550663, email shelter@po.jaring.my or visit www.shelterhome.org.

Old boys’ dinner

The Malacca High School Old Pupils Association will hold its annual general meeting and dinner at Dewan President, Kelab Golf Negara Subang, on May 7. For details, contact Robert Lim (012-2029116), Leo Ann Mean (012-6068265) or Lim Koh Chin (012-2136148). You can also visit www.mahsopa.net or emaildmin@mahsopa.net.

Soka Gakkai exhibition

Soka Gakkai Malaysia will hold an exhibition titled “Seeds of Hope – Visions of Sustainability, Steps toward Change” tomorrow until May 1 at Wisma Kebudayaan SGM, 243 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. The exhibition will be in Bahasa Malaysia, English and Chinese. Opening hours for public viewing are from 11am to 6pm. Admission is free.

World Parkinson’s Day

Lloyd Tan Parkinson’s Trust Fund, together with Negri Sembilan Parkinson’s Society, Lions Club of KL Central and Pantai Hospital Cheras, will hold a meeting at Crystal Crown Hotel PJ in conjunction with World Parkinson’s Day tomorrow from 2pm to 4pm. Parkinson’s patients, caregivers and the public are invited to the event that pays tribute to two Parkinson’s community leaders. For details, call Patricia at 02-40240060 or 012-2110065.

Marriage course

The Buddhist Gem Fellowship Counselling Unit will hold its 12th Marriage Education Programme on May 28 and May 29 at its centre at 60A, Jalan 19/3 Petaling Jaya. The programme includes the importance of the family unit and effective communications. The programme is open to non-Muslims. Couples will have to pay RM50 for the SmartStart programme manual. For details contact Hooi Eng at 016-2930684 or Iris Goh at 016-3025792.

Youth baking classes

The House of Bread offers baking courses for youths who seek skills training. The training also includes Moral and English classes. For details, call 016-3178778 or 016-3435478.

Bill amended to protect forests

petALing jAyA: Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) is calling for an  independent, transparent and speedy inquiry into the death of Ah-mad Sarbani Mohamed.

TI-M president Datuk Paul Low said in a statement the  inquiry should also cover the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission’s (MACC) current standard procedures, processes and guidelines for the investigation of cases of corruption. 

“Any person in MACC’s care, be they a witness, suspect or visitor, must be ac-corded fundamental protection at all times,” Low said.

He also called for the immediate im-plementation of recommendations and proposals by the MACC  complaints committee, chaired by former Court of Appeal judge Mohd Noor Abdullah, made on March 31. 

It includes for MACC interrogation rooms to be placed in the lobby or base-ment area to prevent untoward incidents,

and closed-circuit television cameras in the interrogation and waiting rooms. 

“This is to prevent allegations of rough tactics used in  interrogation and any untowardly incidents,” Low said.

While expressing condolences to the family  of the deceased who died tragi-cally at the MACC building on  Jalan Cochrane, Low said it should not in any way undermine ongoing  investigations involving Customs officers.

TI-M strongly urged MACC to inves-tigate without fear or favour and act on all parties,  including any “big fish” in-volved in corrupt practices. 

“The ongoing joint operation investi-gating Customs and the Freight Forward-ing industry must continue without outside influence or interference.”

It has been reported that MACC’s preliminary investigations found bil-lions of ringgit were lost annually from underdeclaration of imported goods and money-laundering activity.

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor govern-ment is ready to launch the third phase of the People’s Economic Agenda, ac-cording to Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim yesterday.

During the “Developing Selangor’s Economy” Maqasih Syariah seminar at the state government office yesterday, the Selangor Menteri Besar said that the state has already incorporated the establish-ment of a RM70 million micro credit financing scheme in the Budget 2011 last year.

A RM20 million fund has been set aside for urban areas while RM50 million has been allocated for rural areas in the micro credit financing scheme.

The seminar was attended by the state civil service and held at the Dewan Jubli Perak.

Besides Khalid, Datuk Dr Siddiq Fadhil and Selangor economic adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also delivered their lectures.

public inquiry would be a key factor in deciding whether a forest reserve would be de-gazetted.

They also noted that public inquiry should be held for land-use conversion that does not require a change in land status, such as the building of roads through forest reserves.

Forestry expert Lim Teck Wyn also welcomed the state’s amendment to its forestry enactment.

“As a professional forester and some-one who is born, bred and resident in Selangor, I am very proud that the law has been changed to protect our forests,” said Lim in an email interview.

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ April 8 – 10, 2011 ⁄ 5

6 APRIL 8 — 10, 2011

NEWS

By Alvin Yap

PETALING JAYA: Stiff penalties for polluters and biological filters are being proposed by Petaling Jaya Municipal council-lors to save the city’s dying lakes.  

“MBPJ has to stop polluters from spoiling our lakes, We also have to look into using wetland plants to filter and remove [remain-ing ] pollutants reaching the lakes,” said councillor Chan Chee Keong. 

Last week, Selangor Times reported that six lakes were in danger of becoming stagnant pools because no contingencies were in place to tackle widespread pollution.

MBPJ  will also monitor nearby restau-rants to ensure solid food waste is not thrown into drains which ultimately end up in lakes. 

“It will now strictly enforce the [three-strike] rule, where eateries found to be flout-ing cleanliness and environmental by-laws three times a year will be shut down by MBPJ,” said Chan. 

More checks on grease traps in these res-taurants will be carried out to ensure the system is working to filter oil from waste water.

MBPJ is also looking into building “mini” wetlands to trap and filter waste water flow-ing into the lakes. 

The lakes, which are dying due to decades of pollution, are Taman Jaya, Taman Aman and Kelana Jaya, which has four.

It was reported that RM1.8 million was spent to clean the lake annually, but state ex-ecutive councillor Elizabeth Wong has clari-fied that the cost is actually RM3 million. 

Wong pointed out that MBPJ should en-force a “no dumping and no grease” ruling as a condition for licence renewal for restaurants.

“I don’t think restaurants will dare to dump food into the drains or leave their grease traps uncleaned if we enforce the [three-strike] rule,” she said.

She also said MBPJ should conduct more checks on sewage tanks with Indah Water Konsortium.

“IWK must inform the Department of Environment of any treatment facilities that

are leaking raw, untreated sewage,” she said.Councillor Cynthia Gabriel agreed that

drastic measure have to be taken to ensure the lakes are no longer polluted. 

“Restaurants found throwing food or rubbish repeatedly into the drains will be shut down by the city council,” said Ga-briel.

Under the “three-strike” rule, local au-thorities can close eateries for offences com-mitted for 14 days.

She said MBPJ was finalising a pilot project that involves regular inspections of grease traps at restaurants in the surrounding Taman Jaya lake area.

Gabriel said the city council was also car-rying out studies on converting the monsoon drain that flows into Taman Jaya lake into mini wetlands.

Councillors want stiff penalties for polluters

SHAH ALAM: The water disruption that af-fected around 9,000 consumers in Klang Valley last Saturday was due to a sudden spike in demand.

“Increased water demand on March 31 and April 1 has resulted in decreasing water levels [in the reservoirs], causing unscheduled disruptions in some areas, including Subang Jaya,” Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) said in a statement on Tuesday.

“This incident shows that densely populated regions in urban areas have started to experience water shortages due to high consumption. The main plants have reached their maximum capacity.

“Syabas would like to take this opportunity to urge consumers to use water economically,” said Syabas corporate affairs executive director Abdul Halem Mat Som.

He said the disruption initially affected a small area in Subang Jaya on March 31, but later spread to more areas on April 1.

Areas affected in Subang Jaya on April 2 in-cluded SS12 to SS19, Wangsa Baiduri, U1, PJS1 to PJS12, USJ 1 and USJ 2.

SS1 to SS3, Section 14 and Section 22 in Pet-aling Jaya, Taman Lian Hoe, Kuchai Lama and Taman Gembira also experienced disruptions due to low water levels in reservoirs.

Abdul Halem said Syabas had deployed tankers to supply water to residents after sourcing alterna-tive supply from neighbouring reservoirs.

He added that reduced demand on April 2-3 had indirectly restored water levels in the three reservoirs – Effingham, Bukit Gasing and Subang Airport – to normal.

He said the current supply was exceeding de-

mand in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.The water distribution company urged the

government to develop alternative sources to meet growing demand.

On Monday, the state demanded an explanation from Syabas over the disruption.

 “Syabas must clarify this matter with the state at the MTES (Selangor Economic Action Coun-cil) meeting,” executive councillor Elizabeth Wong said at a press conference.

Wong said water levels in the four dams in Selangor were 94% to 100% full as of March 28.

“We will instruct Luas (Selangor Water Man-agement Board) to investigate why water levels in a few reservoirs have gone down,” said Wong.

Subang Jaya assemblyperson Hannah Yeoh also criticised Syabas for failing to alert consumers.

“Why wasn’t there an alert when water levels in these three reservoirs dropped? Why didn’t consum-ers receive any notice before and during disruption?

“What happened to (Syabas customer service centre) Puspel, and what is its call-handling capac-ity, especially during a crisis?” asked Yeoh.

She said her office had been “flooded” with calls from residents who were unable to reach Puspel last week.

Abdul Halem said Syabas would usually issue a notice seven days ahead of any scheduled water disruption, but they were unable to alert consum-ers last week as they did not anticipate it.

They issued a notice on April 2, which was published in the media the next day.

Abdul Halem said Puspel had 60 lines to handle calls from public, and some of the callers might not have been able to get through.

Syabas: Water disruption caused by demand spike

By Gan Pei Ling

SHAH ALAM: The state plans to restructure the Selangor Development Corporation (PKNS), which has been in the spotlight in recent months due to alleged mismanagement and wastage.

Part of the state’s reformation plan is to introduce a new audit committee made up of “experienced and well-re-spected” practitioners to scrutinise the state-linked company’s operations.

“We want to change the culture of PKNS from a closed organisation to an open and well-informed one,” said Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim after chairing the executive council meeting on Monday.

He said PKNS will also adopt a more transparent decision-making structure by setting up an email system to ensure free flow of information to

the board of direc-tors and new man-agement.

Previously, board members only met four to five times a year.

With the ne w email system, Khalid said board members can be informed of decisions made by the management im-mediately, regardless of the amount of fi-nancial transaction involved.

“[So] that it be-comes a collective

decision-making … the board members can comment or give suggestions,” said Khalid.

Meanwhile, the Menteri Besar re-mained tight-lipped on the fate of PKNS general manager Othman Omar, whose two-year contract has expired and was supposed to have been renewed in February.

Othman’s contract is being renewed on a monthly basis until the comple-tion of the corporation’s ongoing audit ordered by Khalid.

“ We’ll announce accordingly,” Khalid told the press.

PKNS’s misconducts were first brought to light at the state assembly in November 2010 by Hulu Kelang assemblyperson Saari Sungib.

Khalid subsequently ordered an audit on PKNS.

Selangor to reform PKNS

Executive council members Ronnie Liu and Dr Xavier Jeyakumar with Khalid during a press conference on Monday.

MBPJ and other agencies show the environmental condition of Taman Jaya. Class III means very significant pollution.

Gabriel and Chan pointing to a layer of oil at Taman Jaya lake.

7April 8 — 10, 2011

news

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Statewide futsal competition from Saturday

Amirudin (far right), Selangor State Sports Council director Nor Zamri Ishak (second right) and local council representatives at the launch.

By Basil Foo

SHAH ALAM: A state-wide District Youth Futsal competition starts on Saturday with RM70,000 in prizes up for grabs.

The third annual Selangor Gen-S Futsal Championship Tour will see contestants from each district compete for the local title before battling it out in the finals for the state title.

“The first- and second-placed teams from each local council will join the finals at a state-level competition,” said Amirudin Shari during the competition launch on April 7.

The Youth and Sports exco assistant said

futsal is a popular sport among youth nowadays, and they are expecting a turnout of 5,000, including futsal team members and spectators.

Amirudin, who is also the Batu Caves assemblyperson, added that a female category was added for the competition this year, which will be held only during the finals.

“ We will see the turnout of female contestants this year. If it is good, next year we will have a separate female category,” he said.

Prizes for the district level-teams include RM1,000 for first place, RM500 for the runners-up, RM250 for third place and trophies.

Prizes for the state-level finals will be RM3,000 for first place, RM1,500 for the runners-up, and RM1,000 for third place and trophies.

The first stop of the competition will be at Ferro Futsal in Subang Jaya on April 9, which will be organised by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ).

The last stop of the tour will be at the state-level finals at Real Sports Arena in Teluk Pulai.

Those interested in registering must be between 13 and 35 years old and must live in the district they register in.

Payment is RM120 for a team of five players and three substitutes, which must be given to their respective local council officers before the respective deadlines.

For more details on the competition and registration deadlines for the respective local councils, contact 012-6879936 or visit www.gen-s.com.my.

8 april 8 — 10, 2011

NEWS

By Alvin Yap

PETALING JAYA: A former landfill in Taman Manja here should not be developed if the land is found to be toxic and emitting harmful gases, said state deputy speaker Haniza Mohd Talha.

“We engaged an environmental consult-ant who said there should not be any devel-opment in the area for 15 years, maybe even 30 years,” she said.

The former landfill is private property and a developer has started building a supermarket on the edge of the area, she said.

The Taman Medan assemblyperson claimed the mining pool-turned-landfill is still toxic and unsafe even after seven years of treatment.

The toxic level reached dangerous levels in 2004, and the Petaling Jaya municipality spent some RM4.8 million to treat the waste from 2004 to 2006.

Haniza also refuted the Petaling Jaya City Council’s (MBPJ) claims that the area is free of toxins.

“They can say that there’s no more toxic-ity, but the [former] landfill is very huge,” said Haniza.

She said the city council should take sam-ples from “all areas” in the sprawling former

landfill which borders PJS 1, PJS 2 and PJS 3.“It is impossible for them to say that it is

safe without extensive testing,” she added.She also claimed that illegal dumping in

the area still takes place even with warnings from MBPJ.

“There is still illegal dumping there, espe-cially domestic waste,” she said.

Haniza said she was still receiving health- and environmental-related complaints from residents there, some three years after their health woes were highlighted.

An environmental consulting company that was engaged to treat the contamination in 2006 had said they had managed to bring the situation under control.

But solid waste and environment experts cautioned against starting new projects.

In November 2008, Malaysian Waste Water Association secretary Ismail Abdul Aziz said the area at the landfill and its sur-roundings should not be developed further.

He said the soil could sink if it rained continuously, and would pose structural flaws to buildings.

Experts say landfills and garbage dumping grounds should only be used as recreational areas.

In view of the land being unsuitable for

development, Haniza has suggested to the state and MBPJ to convert parts of the de-commissioned landfill into recreational use.

However, she said the toxicity and gas emission issues would have to be tackled first.

Haniza also said illegal settlers were put-

ting their lives at risk by cultivating the land.“The land there is toxic, some places may

blow up [from gas build-up]. The fruits and vegetables are not safe for consumption as they are grown in toxic soil,” she said.

Selangor Department of Environment of-ficials could not be contacted for comment.

Former landfill a problem seven years on

Illegal dumping is still happening at the former Taman Manja landfill.

By Basil Foo

TIRELESSLY serving the public for his second year now, Klang Municipal Council (MPK) member Tan Heng Kim sometimes equates himself to hav-ing two jobs.

“As I am also the president of the Chinese Society for the Handicapped in Malaysia, I feel like I not only take care of the public, but also take care of the handicapped,” he said.

In a phone interview with Selangor Times, the councillor for Jalan Meru Batu 8 said Klang has more disabled-friendly facilities now compared with previously.

A member of the disabled commu-nity himself, Tan said there has been an increase in ramps, parking, and toilets to specifically cater for the disabled.

“Even local government buildings such as the halls in MPK have been equipped with ramps up to the stage for the easy access of people in wheelchairs,” he said.

However, there has been widespread misuse of the disabled parking lots, which are frequently occupied by vehicles with-out the “disabled driver” sticker.

“There is a need for increased en-forcement at the parking lots because sometimes when officers come to put compounds, the cars just come back and park again,” said Tan.

He explained that the council had already approved the implementation of car towing and held an open tender meet-

ing in February to acquire tow trucks.Already experiencing some delays in

the tender process, Tan said he hopes the towing will be implemented as soon as June this year, barring any further delays.

“Usually major projects like these take a longer time to settle, like a project to resurface Jalan Pasar Malam in Bukit Kapar last year, which took five months,” he said.

Tan, who is married with four chil-dren, said he is able to drive himself and walk using crutches.

He only relies on a wheelchair if he has to move a long distance.

“As all my children have grown up al-ready, it leaves more time for me to be a councillor. But the only thing is, my zone is mostly rural areas, so it can be difficult to move around at times,” he said.

Know Your Councillor: Tan Heng Kim

By Alvin Yap

SHAH ALAM: The city council here is offer-ing motorists a maximum 70% discount when they pay their outstanding summonses effective April 1 until May 15.

“This is to compel motorists to settle their summonses before we take stern action on them,” said a press release from former mayor Datuk Mazalan Md Noor’s office on Wednesday.

The discount is also carried out to educate the public on settling their traffic summonses on time, the mayor’s office said.

Motorists settling the summonses from April 1 to 14 are entitled to a 70% discount;

those who settle the summonses from April 15 to 30 will get a 60% discount, and those who pay their summonses after this date will get a 50% discount.

“As such, motorists are asked to check if they have summonses and to pay it,” the press state-ment said, adding that motorists with accumu-lated compound summonses would benefit greatly from the discount.

Motorists can go to Shah Alam City Coun-cil (MBSA) counters at G level at Wisma MBSA, or to its branches in Kota Kemuning and Sungai Buloh to settle their summonses.

Online payments can also be made through the MBSA website at www.mbsa.gov.my.

‘Take advantage of MBSA summonses discount’

By Goh Chee Yuan 

SHAH ALAM: Improving this city’s public transportation system will be the top priority of new mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan, who was sworn in on Monday. 

“I intend to set up a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to improve connectivity in the city,” Mohd Jaafar said.

The former director of Selangor’s Town and Country Planning Department is the Shah Alam City Council’s (MBSA) sixth mayor.

He said the BRT could help ferry commuters to train stations.

Mohd Jaafar acknowledged that while the project would require proper planning, he is determined to help reduce the number of cars on the road.

He also said MBSA would monitor the construction of basic infrastructure at the four proposed Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations in the city to ensure that the stations are acces-sible to the public.

Mohd Jaafar further vowed to develop the city sustainably and improve the city council’s service efficiency by adopting modern technol-ogy, including the internet.

Mohd Jaafar succeeded Datuk Mazalan Md Noor, whose term ended on March 31 and who has been transferred to the Public Service De-partment.

Mazalan was appointed as Shah Alam mayor in 2007 and is the longest-serving mayor in the city to date.

His biggest achievement during his tenure was effectively resolving the floods in the city.

MBSA mayor pledges to improve connectivity

9APRIL 8 — 10, 2011

NEWS

By Basil Foo

KEPONG: Confusion over land status of homes in Taman Ehsan here was cleared up, despite some tensions, during a briefing by the Gombak Land Office last Sunday.

The owners were unaware that they had previously been given “qualified” titles to their homes and were informed that their “final” leasehold titles were ready for collec-tion. 

However, some owners thought they could change their leasehold titles to free-hold.

The event started with speeches by Selay-ang councillor Lee Khai Loon and Gombak assistant district officer Nor Zaidi Ratiman to about 300 seated residents.

But midway through the briefings, the  programme  disintegrated into several separate question-and-answer sessions as residents began crowding around the

speaker’s podium.Lee and Nor Zaidi fielded questions from

groups of residents, while Subang MP RSi-varasa took to the floor to address groups of residents personally.

“The purpose of today’s briefing was to help homeowners to change their temporary titles to final titles,” said Lee after most of the crowd had cleared the hall.

He said they came to brief the residents because they had received many calls from them after a land title issue in Taman Kepong was resolved recently.

Most residents have been living here since the 1970s and still hold temporary land ti-tles, while newer house buyers already have final titles.

“The difference between the two titles is only the name, and residents can still carry out transactions with the temporary titles,” Lee explained.

This is because even when the land is sold

to a new party, they still have to reregister with the land office and will receive a final title then.

“They cannot change from leasehold to freehold, and once they change to their final title, they still will have the same conditions – like 99 years, or 60 years,” said Lee.

Residents were also told they had to pay a RM10 fee if they lost their premium pay-

ment receipt when heading to the Gombak district land office to receive their final title.

Suresh Genyeh, a 43-year-old Taman Ehsan resident, said this was the first he had heard of this issue and would go to change his land title immediately.

“A lot of my neighbours are like me, they [didn’t] know about this matter only until today,” he said.

Chaos at land briefing

By Basil Foo

SHAH ALAM: Seventeen lakes, ponds, and mining pools identified as emergency water sources during droughts and short-ages will be gazetted by the state.

“The state has agreed to the move as alternative or additional water sources,” said Elizabeth Wong in statement recently.

The state executive councillor for envi-ronment said the sampling  of quality in these water sources showed it is safe for use during emergencies.

However, the public is also encouraged to implement water conservation tech-niques such as the use of the Rain Water Harvesting System (SPAH), which was launched last November.

Groups that have already implemented the system include the Damansara Jaya Residents and Owners Association, which is using the water for their herb garden in their community centre.

The system is also been used at the  Sri Kelana high school in Petaling Jaya for watering plants, cleaning exercises, and to supply water to their fish ponds.

The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has also made the use of SPAH compul-sory in all landed property projects in their jurisdiction.

MBPJ will also give reductions in the Infrastructure Service Fund for develop-ments in their area that have been recog-nised by the Green Building Index.

Other local authorities in the state have been encouraged to follow Petaling Jaya’s lead in implementing these environmental-friendly initiatives.

The Selangor Water Management Au-thority will also intensify its promotion of the rain-harvesting system. 

Also in the pipeline are projects as well as educational programmes that aim to foster a culture of conservation to en-sure water resources are preserved. 

Selangor moves to protect alternative water sources

Subang MP R Sivarasa (seated right) talking to residents.

By Gan Pei Ling

KEPONG: Residents of Taman Ehsan and Desa Jaya were caught by surprise when informed on Sunday that their final leasehold tiles were ready for collection. 

The residents, some who have been stay-ing at the housing estates for three decades, were unaware that they had been holding “temporary” or “qualified land” titles all this while.  

A resident from Desa Jaya, who only wanted to be known as Mrs Ho, told Sel-angor Times  that she had not previously known the difference between qualified and final titles.

“We only realise now that we can collect our final leasehold title from the land of-fice,” said the 70-year-old homemaker, whose family has been staying in Desa Jaya since the 1970s.

An estimated 1,600 homeowners were also oblivious to this fact and would have remained so had it not been for a briefing organised by Bukit Lanjan assemblyperson

Elizabeth Wong. During the briefing, Gombak assistant

district officer Nor Zaidi Ratiman said most of the homeowners’ final titles were ready but had yet to be collected from the land office.

“They can come and collect anytime,” he said.

Nor Zaidi added that final titles had been given to new owners who bought houses recently or who have applied for change in ownership. 

Wong explained that owners holding qualified titles could still sell their prop-erty but could not subdivide, change the land boundaries, or combine the land with other lots.

Some residents also asked if they could convert their land titles from leasehold to freehold.

Wong said the matter was out of the state’s hands as the change in status could only be decided by the National Land Council chaired by the prime minister with all states’ chief executives.

Owners surprised by final land titles

Around 180 residents attended the briefing on Sunday.

(From left) Nor Zaidi, Wong and councillor Lee Khai Loon taking down notes while a resident asked a question on the land title.

10 April 8 — 10, 2011

News

Harassed worker seeks legal aid

By Basil Foo

KUALA LUMPUR: An employee of a local beauty salon, who claims to have been mistreated and threatened at her job, has sought assistance to take her employers to court.

Wong Huey Siew listed a large number of infractions, including unfair pay, charging employees a severance fee, and sexual harass-ment by customers.

“We were also made to do work which was out of our job scope, like painting and clean-ing,” said the 25-year-old during a meeting on April 4.

She said the unfair pay included a RM5 hourly overtime payment that was given to employees working after 12am.

Her employers also charged her RM9,000 when she requested to leave the company.

Wong also had to work during public

MBPJ to address staff parking monopolyBy Alvin Yap

PETALING JAYA: Claims that City Coun-cil (MBPJ) staff here are monopolising public parking spaces in PJ New Town have been brought to the attention of the mayor.

“Datuk Roslan Sakiman will be speaking to MBPJ’s staff union on the issue,” said Derek Fernandez.

The city councillor was responding to the allegation from the All Petaling Jaya Residents Association Coalition (Apac).

Besides occupying scarce public parking bays, Apac president Johan Tung observed that MBPJ staff parked for free.

Tung also lashed out at MBPJ staff for depriv-ing others of parking space on the first floor of the multi-level  parking  lot behind Standard Chartered bank.

These lots are designated as reserved bays for MBPJ, while the public had to walk two floors up.

Fernandez suggested that the council staff swap their reserved parking space in the multi-level parking lot with that allocated for the public.

Under his proposal, MBPJ staff who need to park their cars from 8am to 5pm would park one floor up to make it easier for those who might only park for a short while.

“Staff should park one floor above so that someone who needs to park temporarily won’t have to park on the higher floors,” he said.

Fernandez also blamed Menara MBPJ for the lack of parking space, saying the imposing tower was built without providing for more parking space for MBPJ staff.

“It should never have been built,” he said.

community

March 18 — 20, 2011/ issue 16

Greater transparency with FOI bill

From communities to ghettos p 4 p 12-13

mrt project: residents disappointedp 8

• Turn To page 6

By Gan Pei Ling suBang jaYa: There are films, literature and even songs dedicated to the old saying of “dog eat dog”, but in an innovative swoop by a local municipal coun-cil, the “dog” will soon be replaced by a mosquito. In a pilot project to be under-

taken soon between the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ), Uni-versiti Sains Malaysia and CIMB Bank Bhd, mosquito larvae will soon be used to combat dengue.

The larvae of the Toxorchynchites Mosquitoe, which preys on other species of mosquito larvae, will soon be employed to reduce the dengue threat. 

The pilot project to release the “mosquito eater” to reduce Aedes mosquitoes is being carried out by the MPSJ. A Toxorhynchites larvae can eat

up to 158 to 400 Aedes larvae during its lifetime, said  USM

representatives during a briefing with  MPSJ officials on March 11. 

Unlike other mosquitoes, adult Toxorhynchites mosquitoes do not

feed on human blood but nectar.The local council is working to-

gether with the university on a pilot project to release Toxorhynchites mosquitoes at an abandoned area in USJ 1 to see if it can reduce the population of Aedes mosquitoes effectively.Asked whether the release of the

mosquitoes would disturb ecosystems, USM science officer Adanan Che Rus

said it would not as Toxorhynchites mosquitoes is a natural specie.This project between MPSJ and

USM, which cost RM60,000, is fully sponsored by CIMB Bank.

If the trial is successful, the local council plans to apply the method to other areas within its municipality.

However, Adanan also pointed out that Toxorhynchites mosquitoes can only thrive in areas with vegeta-tion, so the method cannot be used in flats and apartments.“This is only one of the tools to

help curb the spread of dengue,” said Adanan.

He said they will begin the trial

this month by monitoring the Aedes mosquito population at the aban-doned area in USJ 1. Later, they will release around

600 Toxorhynchites mosquitoes in the area, with 100 males and 100 females in each batch.The entire trial will take around

six months to complete.Adanan, who visited Subang Jaya in January to identify suitable loca-tions to conduct the trial, said the area in USJ 1 was chosen because it

MPSJ to unleash “mosquito eater”

reaDY To HIT THe SKIeS:

Workers preparing to launch a hot air baloon in the shape of “Star

Wars” character Darth Vader

during the putrajaya International Hot air Ballon Fiesta yesterday. – Picture by Victor Chong

Where to get Where to get

lrT Stations (Distribution by hand) – MorningAmpang – Sentul TimurAmpangCahayaCempaka Pandan IndahPandan JayaSentul TimurSentul

Kelana Jaya – Terminal PutraKelana JayaTaman BahagiaTaman ParamountAsia JayaTaman JayaUniversitiSri Rampai Wangsa Maju

Sri Petaling – Sentul TimurTaman MelatiSri Petaling Bukit Jalil Bandar Tasik SelatanSalak Selatan

Shopping Malls (From Saturday noon)1 UTAMA Tropicana Mall Sunway Pyramid The CurveIOI MallIOI Business Park Ikano Power Centre

Empire Subang Amcorp Mall Klang Centro

Hypermar-kets (From Satur-day noon)Tesco (Puchong, Kajang, Mutiara, Bukit Tinggi, Setia Alam, Am-pang, Extra Shah Alam, Kepong)Giant (Puchong, Kajang, Subang Jaya, Bukit Tinggi, Setia Alam, Kota Kumuning)Carrefour (Bukit Rimau)Jusco (Bukit Tinggi)Metro Point, KajangGM Klang

Commuter Stations (Distribution by hand) – MorningSentul – Port KlangPort Klang Bukit Badak Shah Alam Subang JayaJalan TemplerPetaling

Rawang – SerembanKuala Kubu BaruSungai BulohKepong Sentral Kepong

Morning Wet Markets (Saturday morning)Jalan SS2/62 Taman Medan Jalan 17/27 Taman Kuchai Lama Taman OUG Pasar Taman Megah Pasar Jalan OthmanPasar Jalan 17/2Pasar Sek 14Pasar Seri Setia SS9A/1Pasar Kg ChempakaTaman Tun Dr. Ismail

HospitalForrest Medical Centre

CollegesHelp InstituteCollege Bandar Utama (KBU)Universiti Kebangsan Malaysia

Timely intervention gets school its roofPETALING JAYA: Sekolah Kebangsaan Methodist will finally be getting its roof re-placed after Petaling Jaya City (MBPJ) councillors and the Ministry of Education (MOE) intervened.

An initial request for the roof – which was blown off in a storm on Feb 17 – was turned down by the state education department be-cause the school, being a missionary school, was privately funded. (The state education department comes under the purview of the federal government.)

However, a change of heart occurred, and MOE later stepped in to provide RM50,000.

This was after MBPJ councillors contacted them and also held a press conference to highlight the issue.

“The state education department said they could not render assistance as SK Methodist’s land belonged to the church.

“A few of us councillors then held a press conference [the next day] to highlight the issue,” said councillor Richard Yeoh.

The meeting with the press was also at-tended by fellow councillors Derek Fernandez and Tan Suie Ko.

The freak storm on Feb 17 damaged three

classrooms on the top floor of the three-storey Methodist kindergarten building.

Part of the roof of two of the classrooms collapsed, causing rain to damage the desks, chairs and tables.

Petaling Jaya Selatan Member of Parlia-ment Hee Loy Sian and the three councillors also donated RM15,000, with the school board contributing RM10,000.

Yeoh also contacted Deputy Education Minister Dr Wee Ka Siong’s office.

The ministry’s secretary-general, Datuk Dr Rosli Mohamed, toured the school and an-nounced that funds would be provided for repairworks.

Yeoh said SK Methodist was now 51 years old and in urgent need of refurbishment to repair the structure.

Yeoh urged residents in Section 5 and the surrounding area to contribute towards a fund to maintain the school.

The school’s Parent-Teacher Association committee members have been told by MOE to come out with a working paper on refur-bishment plans.

MOE says it will match ringgit-for-ringgit funds that the school board is able to raise.

holidays, and sometimes worked for months with only two days off.

“According to the contract, all therapists get days off but not if they stay in the com-pany hostel, which is in the service apartments above Berjaya Times Square,” said Jenice Lee Ying Ha.

“But according to the labour laws, employ-ees should have at least seven days off in their first year of employment,” added the Teratai assemblyperson.

Lee hosted the meeting with Wong and members of the media at her office in Taman Muda on Monday.

She had previously arranged a meeting with the employers on March 24 to resolve the matter, but reached an impasse as she said they were aggressive and uncooperative.

“Six of them came, two women and a man

who claimed to be directors, but they did not produce any identification and just gave nick-names,” she said.

The other three who came to her office were described as thug-like in appearance and be-haviour, and, when asked who they were, re-acted violently.

“I explained to them [Wong’s] rights but they accused her of leaving to another com-pany for more pay,” said Lee.

She added that Wong has since moved out of the company hostel but had not looked for a new job as she feared retribution from her old employers.

Lee would be assisting Wong in her court case in the coming month.

She advised other employees who might be facing similar situations at their workplace to lodge a report with the labour court.

Lee (second left), Wong (third right) holding employment contracts with other employees of the beauty salon.

11April 8 — 10, 2011

Views

Teohlogy patrick teoh

MAN IN BlACKwong chin huat

Martin Luther King Jr

A s I sit down to write this a lot of funny things are hap-pening in my country. Sex

scandals. Snap elections threats. Detailed explanations of when a Bribe is not a Bribe but a Gift.

The list goes on, so much so that it is almost impossible to have a day pass without something to laugh about. But sometimes, after the laughter ceases, the same events bring tears to our eyes.

Here’s something funny to start with. Some days ago I commented on my Facebook page about the deputy prime minister proudly an-nouncing that he feels that there is “growing public support” for Bar-isan Nasional, which, to him, has boosted the coalition’s confidence in “wresting” back Selangor from Pakatan Rakyat.

I commented that being the rul-ing federal government, there are allegedly quite a number of ways of cultivating “growing public sup-port”. Like postal votes which ap-

Like the Hindraf activists who found an unexpected ally in Pas, Sarawakian Christians may find it unbelievable that Pas is actually more accommodating than they had previously imagined, at least on the word ‘Allah’.”

He who laughs last…pear magically from … somewhere la, because nobody really knows or says where they are from. (As far as I know, only very few Malaysians are allowed to send in postal votes. Well, maybe not that few, actually. No, ah? Anyway.)

Like illegal voter transfers. You know what that is, don’t you? It’s like you’re so very sure that you’re going to be voting in Section This One. “Ya la. Sure one! I do that before ma.” On polling day you go to Sec-tion This One and are told: “Maaf ya. Now you need to go to Section That One to vote because you have been transferred.” Do they need your permission? No. Do they in-form you or need to? No.

Like handing out “goodies” dur-ing or immediately prior to impor-tant elections. Which one minister has already proudly announced that it is not to be considered bribery. It is merely the government’s way of fulfilling its elections promises made during the last elections.

Said minister’s explanation is far funnier. Read this quote attributed to the Yang Berhormat: “For exam-ple, the handing out of sewing machines, if it is not given during election, it would still be given out at a later date. What is the differ-ence? Is this an offence?”

Ha ha ha ha! Of course it is not an offence la. It is merely the gov-ernment’s method of public sup-port cultivation ma. Right?

And as I am writing this I am also reading about the deputy

prime minister fertilising the crops in the state of Sarawak. And boy, is he doing a great job. It’s promis-ing to be a bumper crop I think. RM73million is going to be dis-tributed to schools in Sarawak. Wah! Good innit?

And most of the recipient schools just happen to be missionary schools. A big portion of the funds will also go to Chinese schools. With that kind of manure sure will get bumper crop, right?

But in the same cerita, the best line came from the chief minister of Sarawak when he said: “… A lot of assistance is needed, so the deputy prime minister is giving a little at a time to solve the problem.”

Giving a little at a time to solve the problem? Something has to have been lost in translation!

An online friend of mine lost his mother to cancer some years ago. And although it has been a number

of years since his mother’s passing, this friend still misses her very much.

And so as a loving, filial son he looks forward to each general elec-tion. Why? That’s when his moth-er returns to vote. At least, that’s what the election rolls tell him. Good innit?

If you have lost a loved one, don’t despair. The next GE is around the corner, and I am quite sure that at least some of you will be able to see returning parents, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends very soon.

So, don’t forget to go and register to vote at the next GE and also go and check if your friends and loved ones are going to make the trip back from the other side, okay?

Also don’t forget to ask for your gift from your YB. Don’t need to be shy or feel guilty for being part of this questionable practice. After all, it’s only a gift ma. And what they will give you is rightfully yours anyway. So it’s just taking back what they took from you. No?

A biblical perfect storm?

H istory is often written uncon-sciously.

When the Tunisian po-lice confiscated Mohamed Bouazi-zi’s vegetable cart, then President Ben Ali would never have thought that the innocuous incident would eventually bring him, Housni Mubarak and perhaps a few more Arab leaders down.

When the Shah Alam munici-pal officials tore down a Hindu Temple in Klang on the eve of Deepavali in 2007, little did then Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo – let alone former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi – know this demolition would eventually cost them their jobs.

I believe when the Home Min-istry officials stamped and serial-ised the 35,000 copies of Al-Kitab, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hisha-muddin Hussein also did not know this act would land him, and more importantly Sarawak Chief Minister (CM) Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, into a huge politi-cal storm, when many Sarawakians are already angered by land grabs and deforestation under his 30-year rule.

No, it’s not the taking of a cart, the demolition of a temple, or desecration of 35,000 copies of Malay-language bibles that moves the wheels of history. They are but the last straws that broke the camel’s back.

One year ago, I asked my Sarawakian friend in Kuching if there could be a Dayak version of Hindraf. The answer I got was negative. The most op-pressed among the Dayaks are often uninterested in any fight-backs, I learned.

Even earlier, I had also won-dered if there could be any Martin Luther King Jr-like fig-ure rising from the East. The answer I’d got was negative, too, at least not in the present. Chris-tianity is not a yet a political ideology capable of guiding voters in the polling booth, I learnt.

Today, I am increasingly con-vinced that a Christian version – instead of a Dayak version – of Hindraf is here. They may not be the same as Hindraf, but the churches are now speaking louder for their congregations, much like the Hin-draf lawyers four years back.

No, we haven’t seen any Martin Luther King figure yet, but the churches – in Sarawak and beyond – are certainly resembling more and more like America’s Southern Bap-tist churches which evoked the icon of Martin Luther King alongside Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Man-dela and Barak Obama.

Kuching is a city that shies away from politics. Even outspoken in-ternet opposition supporters hesi-tate to do a “Taib must go” sign in the public.

But three weeks ago, the Kuch-ing Ministers Fellowship held an indoor prayer rally where 2,000 to 3,000 people showed up.

A 100,000-person gathering is scheduled for tomorrow, three days after nomination.

If it really happens, even if just one tenth of the targeted turn out, it would send shockwaves through the whole of Sarawak.

It’s eventually about breaking the taboo that “politics” is “dangerous”, “sensitive” or “simply not to be dis-cussed in public”.

But what’s wrong with voicing concerns in public? Why must public interests be kept to private conversations while the most pri-vate part of life is good for public discourse?

The Peninsular Malaysian Indi-

ans were once firm believers of that apolitical code of conduct. Only after the Hindraf rally have they learnt that a show of strength can be a viable option.

For years, the Hindus had wanted Thaipusam be declared a public holiday in Kuala Lumpur but to no

avail. However, following that rally, there are now specific pro-grammes to help the Indians.

The “pray for religious free-dom” rally in Kuching has forced the PM Department Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jala to dish out a 10-point plan to resolve the Allah 2.0 contro-versy, which is over the banning of Malay-language bibles. The earlier controversy was over the right of the Malay edition of Catholic publication Herald to use the word “Allah”.

But Idris’s 10-point compro-mise was shortlived. Before he could even get all the major Christian groups to sign up, it has already been shot down by Hishammuddin.

Understandably, the Umno heavyweight has to entertain the right-wing Malay-Muslim NGOs,

religious officials and the bureau-crats who are angered by this com-promise, and is worried that this may precede the government’s concession to drop the appeal in the Allah court case.

For the rightwing Muslims, the exclusivity of the word Allah is an ideological battle that they cannot afford to lose. Pas and progressive Muslims who support the right of non-Muslims using the word would have been vindicated.

Just a year ago, Sarawakian Chris-tians were relatively quiet compared with their Sabahan counterparts in the Allah row 1.0. That sense of ex-ceptionalism evaporated when 5,000 bibles were confiscated in Kuching port.

Like the Hindraf activists who found an unexpected ally in Pas, Sarawakian Christians may find it unbelievable that Pas is actually more accommodating than they had previously imagined, at least on the word “Allah”.

But with the Al-Kitab issue head-ing nowhere for now, it’s increas-ingly looking like another perfect storm brewing in Sarawak.

Mahatma Gandhi Barak Obama Nelson Mandela

If you have lost a loved one, don’t despair. The next GE is around the corner, and I am quite sure that at least some of you will be able to see returning parents, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends very soon.”

12 APRIL 8 — 10, 2011InsIght

By Gan Pei Ling

It has become the norm for students to attend tuition classes these days. However, not all parents, especially those from lower-income families, can afford to send their

children for extra classes.As such, in 2009 Selangor began to offer free tuition classes

for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) candidates whose families’ income is lower than RM1,500 per month.

Priority is given to students with average grades. The students are selected based on their Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) and Form 4 year-end results.

“We’re flexible. A student may still be accepted if his or her parents’ income is say, RM2,000 a month but have 10 children to raise in an urban area.

“The point is to reach out to students who need the extra help but cannot afford them,” said Nurul Imma Mansor, the state officer in charge of overseeing the free tuition programme called Program Tuisyen Rakyat Selangor.

The free tuition programme coaches students in four subjects: Bahasa Malaysia, English, History and Mathematics.

“Some have asked why can’t the state offer tuition classes for Additional Mathematics or science subjects, but the state has to be fair to students from all streams.

“So after much consideration, the state decided to stick to the four core subjects that all students have to sit for in SPM,” Nurul Imma told Selangor Times.

The state allocates RM3.45 million for Program Tuisyen Rakyat Selangor each year. The programme falls under state executive councillor Dr Halimah Ali’s education portfolio.

Since 2009, more than 8,800 students have benefited from

the free tuition programme – 4,333 students in 2009, and the number has increased slightly to 4,508 in 2010.

This year, 3,794 students have been accepted into the programme since registration started in February.

 Transcending political divide to reach students

Despite its benefits, Selangor faced several challenges in getting students and teachers to join the programme when it was first implemented in 2009.

“Nobody had heard about Program Tuisyen Rakyat Selangor then, but now it has become increasingly popular,

especially in the semi-rural and rural areas,” said Nurul Imma.In 2010, the state’s free tuition programme was so well-

received that 25 out of the 56 constituencies, mostly semi-rural or rural, reached the state’s maximum cap of 100 students per constituency.

Thirteen out of these 25 constituencies are under Barisan Nasional (BN). Among them, Dusun Tua and Semenyih even exceeded their limit by having 130 and 160 students each.

This year, over 170 students from the Sungai Panjang constituency (BN) have expressed interest in the programme, but they can only accommodate a maximum of 140 students.

Nurul Imma said the coordinators from these constituencies have to look for other sources of funding to support additional students.

In stark contrast, the free tuition programme only received lukewarm response in urban and more affluent constituencies like Subang Jaya, Bukit Gasing, Bukit Lanjan and Kampung Tunku.

Subang Jaya only had 22 students last year, Bukit Gasing 20 students, while Bukit Lanjan and Kampung Tunku did not have any.

Nurul Imma pointed out that students in urban areas have more choices due to the abundance of private tuition centres around town.

However, she said a lot also depended on the programme coordinators’ individual ability to seek out students from poorer families in urban areas.

A coordinator is appointed in each constituency in Selangor to look for suitable students, experienced teachers and places to host the free tuition classes.

The coordinators are central to the programme’s success.

Executive councillor Dr Halimah Ali (front centre) with students who attended the state-sponsored SPM workshop in 2010 in Shah Alam.

FREE TUITION FOR NEEDY SPM STUDENTS

FREE TUITION FOR NEEDY SPM STUDENTS

They must be able to maintain the students’ interest in the classes throughout the programme. Otherwise, the students may drop out halfway.

To recognise the coordinators’ contribution, the state awards the best coordinator with an excellent service award each year.

Not just a free tuition programmeApart from tuition classes, six other free educational

programmes are also included as a package in Program Tuisyen Rakyat Selangor.

Besides the core subjects, students get to attend the Smart Learning Programme during the first quarter of the year to learn how to study more effectively.

Closer to the SPM examinations at the end of the year, they are invited to join Program Pecutan Akhir and a special SPM workshop for tips and techniques to answer exam questions.

“Besides academic performance, Dr Halimah also wanted us to help develop the students’ characters and spirituality through this programme,” said Nurul Imma.

As a result, the state has also introduced a motivational programme called Youth SPIES for the students. SPIES stands for spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional and social. During a two-day, one-night camp, the students are exposed to different modules that aim to develop their capabilities in these five areas.

Besides that, Muslim students also get to take part in Solat Hajat Perdana, where they are brought to visit mosques.

The students’ parents can also join a free programme to polish their parenting skills and learn different psychological tactics to encourage their children to excel in their studies.

Finally, when SPM results are announced, 10 students who have shown the most improvement in the four core subjects are honoured every year.

“These are the students who used to get C or D in Bahasa Malaysia, English, History and/or Mathematics but improved

and scored A or B in SPM after attending our classes,” said Nurul Imma.

Executive councillor Dr Halimah would present the 10 students with an award at the official launch of Program Tuisyen Rakyat Selangor each year.

“This also serves to motivate future students and show them that they can improve their grades too if they put in the effort,” said Nurul Imma.

SIJIL Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) leaver Hazira Aziz used to fail Mathematics, her weakest subject, in Form 4.

“I couldn’t understand what the teacher was teaching,” Hazira told Selangor Times in an interview in Meru on March 27.

Fortunately, she was able to catch up after she joined the state-sponsored free tuition programme last year.

“I like the maths teacher Cikgu Nurhayati (Haroon) as she taught in a way that was easy to understand,” said Hazira, who used to be an arts-stream student from Sekolah Agama Menengah Tinggi Sultan Hisamuddin, Kampung Jawa.

Hazira was able to catch up on the subject subsequently as the tuition teacher re-taught the Form 4 syllabus.

She went on to obtain an A for Mathematics in last year’s SPM. Overall, Hazira scored six As, two Bs and two Cs. But the fourth child out of a family of five children is most proud of her achievement in Mathematics.

Muhammad Zamzurin Faiez Zambry, who was studying in boarding school Sekolah Menengah Sains Muzaffar Syah in Malacca, is another former SPM student who has benefited from Program Tuisyen Rakyat Selangor.

The aspiring computer scientist used to score C or D in his History, but managed to score an A- in SPM last year.

“There are fewer students in the tuition classes here, so I feel more comfortable to ask questions,” said the teenager, who joined the tuition class late last October.

He said the notes provided by the history teacher were also very useful for his revision.

The two students are among many who have benefited from Selangor’s pioneer initiative to provide free tuition classes for needy SPM students since 2009.

They were recruited into the programme last year by Baharom Basiron, the programme coordinator for Meru.

Baharom said his ultimate aim is to help the average students, especially those from families who cannot afford tuition, to improve their grades so that they can enter college.

The students attend the tuition classes every Sunday from 8am to 1.30pm at Sekolah Agama Rendah Meru.

Most constituencies organise their free tuition classes on Sundays. However, programme consultant Mohd Din Che Ramli said some hold their classes at night, too.

He said in Kuala Selangor, for instance, the tuition classes are held from Tuesdays to Thursdays at night.

Mohd Din said it was up to the coordinator to decide the best place and time for the students and teachers, depending on the availability of the centre.

He has to regularly visit the constituencies around Selangor to check on the coordinators and classes to make sure things are running well.

“Initially the schools were a little suspicious [of our programme], but they later realised it’s good for them too if the students improve

after attending our free tuition classes,” said Mohd Din.He added that some of their coordinators such as

those from Ijok and Sungai Panjang are former teachers.As for the teachers providing free tuition for the

students, they are paid RM40 per hour regardless

of constituency. The rate is markedly lower than the urban rate of RM50 to RM60 per hour, but higher than the RM30 per hour in rural areas.

Bahasa Malaysia teacher Zainudin Tarji, 42, has been teaching for 16 years. While acknowledging that teaching tuition is an additional source of income, he said the best satisfaction comes from the students’ improvement in their examination results.

“Without a pass in BM, the students cannot get an SPM certificate, so I always use this to motivate them to study harder,” said Zainudin.

Meanwhile, English teacher Siti Hawa Husin said she would identify the better students in her classes to help the weaker ones.

“We’ve to take a different approach with students of different capabilities,” said Siti Hawa, 38.

She observed that the students tend to ask more questions and participate more in tuition classes if the group is smaller compared to in school.

Siti Hawa said the most common weakness among her students is the lack of vocabulary.

“I always encourage them to read more to increase their vocabulary. As a tuition teacher, I can only guide them. So, they must also put in their own effort and read more to improve their English,” said Siti Hawa, who has been teaching since 1998.

Mathematics, History, English and Bahasa Malaysia are the four core SPM subjects offered in the state-sponsored free tuition programme.

Interested students or parents can visit tuisyenrakyat.blogspot.com for more information and download the registration form.

Priority, however, is given to students from families whose monthly income is lower than RM1,500, with grades of B, C or D in the four core subjects.

Improvements after tuition

Hazira (second from left) and Muhammad Zamzurin (centre) with other former participants of Program Tuisyen Rakyat Selangor in Meru last year.

Students in Meru attending free tuition class for Mathematics on Sunday, March 27.

FREE TUITION FOR NEEDY SPM STUDENTS

FREE TUITION FOR NEEDY SPM STUDENTS

Current participants in Meru taking a break during their Sunday marathon tuition classes from 8am to 1.30pm.

14 April 8 — 10, 2011

VIews

Ask Lord Bobo is a weekly column by LoyarBurok (www.loyarburok.com)

where all your profound,abstruse, erudite, hermetic, recondite,

sagacious, and other thesaurus-described queries are answered!

Free and fair elections?Seriously, will we ever have a free and

fair election focusing on bread and butter issues for once? @firdaus_h via

Twitter.

Free and fair elections are different from bread and butter issues. The truth is we don’t have bread and butter issues. Since we’re in Malay-sia, we tend to have more rice and rendang issues. After all, how many Malaysians eat bread and butter? Even if they do eat bread, they won’t stop at just butter, but add kaya or maybe just eat it with sugar. But hey, whatever rocks your rojak.

The truth is, the rakyat for the most part are focused on those issues. Most of the rakyat are having a hard enough time just eking out a liv-ing, if not a leaving.

The problem is that the politicians are not focused on these meehoon and sambal issues. They are more inter-ested in poorly made sex video clips, sodomy, more sodomy, sexual harass-ment – and did we mention sex?

If the rakyat wants nasi lemak and sambal sotong issues, then they have to tell their state councillors and Members of Parliament their concerns. Tell them to push these issues for you. Don’t let them dictate what the issues are. If they don’t listen to you and address them, then vote them out when you can.

As for free and fair elections, of course we will get there. Eventually. The possibility of that kind of elec-tions has been given an added boost with the recent launch of the Pusat Rakyat LoyarBurok (Pusat LB) – that Rakyat centre of undiluted pure awesomeness in Bangsar Utama –which will soon launch its Lord Bobo-inspired initiative cryptically named UndiMalaysia.

The idea behind UndiMalaysia is

that you, as a voter, should base your choice of candidates on their stand on local community issues. You should not give your votes away simply because someone gives you money or promises you things they

wouldn’t otherwise give you when there are no elections. You should not also choose simply based on a political party.

You should vote the candidate based on their track record and what they will do to alleviate pressing issues in the local communit y such as , “What is your stand on local council elections?”, or “Do you think domes-tic marital rape should be criminalised?”

Ultimately this wind-breaking initiative aims to help Malaysian make an informed choice at the

ballot box. UndiMalaysia aims to educate

voters on their rights so they can make an informed choice and ask meaningful questions to the politi-cians, instead of just relying on their ad-hoc promises made during the

election period. It also aims to educate voters on

how to keep their elected representa-tives accountable and responsible.

So UndiMalaysia hopes to inspire a new political culture where voters make responsible and rational choic-es at the ballot box. When this is achieved, you will find your elected representatives slowly focusing on kuey teow and cincau issues.

Finally, it’s important that you understand that UndiMalaysia is politically non-partisan, but we at Pusat LB love to party, son.

What does Lord Bobo think of affirmative ac-tion? @fareez_shah via

Twitter

Man. You don’t make it easy for us, do you? We could do a three-volume book with this question because Lord Bobo is so very learned. But let’s try our best to address this.

What was the ultimate goal of an affirmative action programme in the first place? It was first imple-mented on a large scale in the 1960s at the height of civil rights move-ment in America.

First mentioned in the executive orders by President John F Kennedy and his successor, President Lyndon Johnson, it was aimed at increasing competitiveness and combating dis-crimination against non-whites and other minority communities, who were displaced and deprived of op-portunities socially and economi-cally because of their race, religion, origin, or the colour of their skin.

Some of the policies were aimed at empowering minority communi-

ties to compete on an equal footing. Providing equal opportunity to them would entail allowing them access to institutions that would al-low them to compete equally. Exam-ples of this are quotas in educational institutions and subsidies in eco-nomic opportunities.

However, as with everything, there are two sides to the story. The pros for such a programme are that it tends to boost competitiveness even for those sidelined economically, due to history of events beyond their control (like slavery and war).

It also facilitates economic re-distribution and helps close the income gap between the rich and the poor, or, at the very least, slows its widening.

The cons to affirmative action are that it discourages true competition and creates a perception of unfairness to those who do not have access to such policies.

Ultimately, Lord Bobo is not in-herently opposed to affirmative ac-tion programmes, but understands that it can be greatly abused if not carried out honestly, meaningfully and fairly.

It cannot also last too long or in-definitely. Affirmative action is sim-ply a temporary measure to assist a community or people who are ham-pered from competing on an equal footing because of their economic, social or political deprivation, which happened to them sometimes with-out any blame on their part.

When it is abused, then af-firmative action programmes be-come a tool of tyranny instead of a springboard to a more equal and just society.

KOTA DAMANSARA: Prizes and holiday packages are up for grabs as the Selangorlicious! Food Blogging Competition gets under way until May 31.

The quest to determine the best foodie is organised by Tourism Selangor to  highlight the state as a food destination and collect entries for a food guide to everything yummy in Selangor.

“The aim [of the competition] is to put Selangor on the map as a food destination for local and foreign tourists,” said Elizabeth Wong.

The state executive councillor for tourism said just as health and education tourism have proven to be viable ideas, food tourism will appeal to those who are keen to try something new.

The joint organisers are Storm Studio and Bright Lights After Midnight, two Klang Valley-based creative agencies that came up with the unique idea to promote food tourism.

A series of activities has been planned throughout the year, making food tourism in Selangor an ongoing programme.

June has been earmarked as the official food month for Selangor, and the competition will kickstart the event by highlighting the state as a food haven.

“The competition is a short cut to identifying the best food available in Selangor by mobilising bloggers to uncover delicious delights,” said Fazly Razally.

The Tourism Selangor events and marketing manager

said the blogs would encourage people to visit the various districts of Selangor as the competition covers the entire state.

Existing and new bloggers are encouraged to take part in the competition, which begins on May 1. Participants can visit www.selangorlicious.my for more information.

The competition is open to people of all ages. Participants can write about their meals at any food outlet, big or small, in 400 to 800 words. Blogging about home-cooked meals is not accepted.

Each entry must be accompanied by photos of the meal and submitted via the website.

Promoting Selangor as a food haven

Wong is joined by Storm Studio managing director Amri Rohayat, Adam Swee, and Fazly at the launch of the competition.

Prizes:1st – RM5,000 and a holiday package.2nd – RM3,000 and a holiday package.3rd – RM1,500 and dinner vouchers.Consolation – 3xRM500 cash prizes and dinner vouchers.Best Food Photography – RM1,000 and a digital SLR camera.Best Food Photography (Runner-up) – a digital camera.Best Food Photography (Consolation) – a digital camera.Weekly prizes – Goodie hampers.

Source: sxc.hu

15April 8 — 10, 2011

newsBy Basil Foo

PETALING JAYA: A free car park has been built in Section 10 on Jalan Gasing to alleviate the longstand-ing problem of insufficient parking space and traffic congestion.

“We are thankful for this great project, which we were also involved in during the input-gathering ses-sions,” said Ronald Danker at the car park launch on April 2.

The Section 10 Residents Association president said the traffic congestion, which had occurred for over 10 years, was made worse by the nearby SMJK Katholik school.

There were also regular occurrences of double or sometimes triple parking because of the nearby St Fran-cis Xavier Church.

“One of the problems of urbanisation is parking. This is to ease some of your problems,” said Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillor Derek John Fernandez.

He said the budget for the project, at a cost of RM465,000, was approved in 2009. But the car park was only constructed this year and took three months to complete.

The parking lot contains 116 bays and is only open to light vehicles like cars and vans. Heavy vehicles like lorries and buses are barred using a height limit barrier.

Members of the public will be able to park their cars from 7am to 9.30pm every day, but their vehicles might

Plan to ensure taps run cleanBy Alvin Yap

PUTRAJAYA: World Health Organisation (WHO) standards are now being used to safeguard vital fresh water from the Seme-nyih river and dam.

Konsortium Abass Sdn Bhd (Abass), which treats the water, said the new standards are part of the company’s water safety plan to safeguard drinking water. 

Abbas  chief executive Abas Abdullah said they continue to face ecological and envi-ronmental challenges in treating water from upstream. 

“The challenges at Hulu Semenyih are from landfills at Sungai Kembong and Sungai Pajam. We are also af-fected by illegal sand-mining activities,” he said.

“Another problem is ammonia content due to old Indah Water Konsortium treatment plants upstream.”

Abas said the plan is part of the National Water Ser-vices Commission’s (SPAN) move to ensure safety of drinking water through the use of risk assessment man-agement from “catchment to consumer”.

The company is applying for International Standardi-sation Organisation and Risk Management certification with Moody’s Risk Management Agency.

“The auditors from Moody’s will audit us on com-pliance with international standards in water produc-tion,” said Abas during the launch of the programme at its Sungai Semenyih water treatment plant in Pu-trajaya last Friday.

On the ecological challenges, Abas reiterated that the

landfill sites at Sungai Kem-bong and Sungai Pajam are being managed and treated to prevent leachate from reach-ing groundwater.

“That programme is on track. Previously it was dicey as no one was managing the landfill,” explained Abas.

He was referring to an incident in September last year when the water treat-ment plant here was shut

down for the whole day due to leachate leaking into Sungai Kembong and Sungai Semenyih.

The situation, he said, was currently under control due to treatment and monitoring from World Wide Holdings under its subsidiary Worldwide Landfills Sdn Bhd.

Abas said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had visited the landfill site at Sungai Pajam recently, and ex-pressed concern over the environmental issues.

He also said Abass is looking into ways to reduce sludge waste from treating upstream water.

Abas explained that the company is partnering with local universities in carrying out research on turning sludge into biodegradable waste.

The plant is part of the Sungai Semenyih Water Sup-ply Scheme. It produces 135 million gallons of water daily to parts of Bandar Baru Bangi, Klang, Petaling Jaya, Puchong, Shah Alam, Sepang, Seri Kembangan and USJ.

Abass is partly owned by Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor Berhad, a subsidiary of Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Berhad.

Selayang tops dengue cases SELAYANG: The Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) has so far recorded the highest num-ber of dengue cases in Selangor this year.

A report monitoring dengue cases in the municipality showed 151 positive cases from January to March 15.

While there have been no ca-sualties, MPS plans to increase the number of gotong-royong activi-ties to increase awareness on the disease.

“I urge councillors to work with residents’ committees to hold activities that will make people aware of dengue mosquito breeding habits,” said MPS chair-person Datuk Zainal Abidin.

He said dengue could only be eradicated when the public heed warnings that Aedes mosquitoes breed in stagnated water.

In his speech at a council meet-ing on March 30, he announced that 67 cases were reported in February, with the MPS carrying out fogging operations on 45,639 premises.

Out of 1,848 residential and business premises that were checked, 100 were found to have positive cases. 

MPS has also issued 18 com-pounds to land owners who did not adhere to dengue-prevention

methods under the Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act 1975.

“Out of the premises that were checked, three areas have been found to be dengue hotspots (Dahlia and Palma Apartments in Bandar Country Homes and Ta-man Muhibbah Batu 16),” he said.

When asked if MPS would follow the Subang Jaya Municipal Council’s lead in releasing mos-quito eaters to destroy dengue mosquitos, Zainal said, “If MPSJ is undertaking the study to see the effectiveness of the mosquito kill-ers, there is no point in repeating their study.”

Also discussed at the meeting was the collection of assessment tax by the council, which until February had received RM29.5 million from a total of RM35.1 million.

Also collected were assessment tax arrears of RM2.7 million.

“As this is the main income of the council, we will continue to push for payment of the remain-ing assessment tax [owed to us] so that we can proceed with develop-ment projects,” said Zainal.

He added that the council went to 1,979 premises for the collections, with 38 premises hav-ing their properties repossessed for failing to pay up.

Abas Abdullah (left) and Abbas senior manager Sazli Mohd Salleh.

Smoother roads with free car park

get towed if they leave them past the time limit.

“At the moment there will not be any overnight parking to avoid people abandoning their vehicles here,” said Fernandez.

The parking lot, situated next to several well-known chicken rice restaurants, aims to reduce the num-ber of cars being parked on road shoulders, especially along roads 10/1, 10/4, and 10/5.

In a council statement, the police, beginning from April 15, will be issuing summonses along those three roads.

“We will also be installing closed-circuit cameras (CCTV) in the car park at a cost of RM33,000 and a netting above it for RM100,000,” he said.

The netting is a metal wiring to cover the car park as it is situated

under Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) electric cables.

According to Fernandez, TNB had approved the safety aspect of the project, and the netting wire mesh

will be about 12ft above the car park.“We will consult TNB for addi-

tional advice, but putting the netting is a long-term plan to keep the car park safe,” said Petaling Jaya mayor

Datuk Mohammad Roslan Sakiman.Commuters were urged to take

care of the cleanliness of the park-ing lot as it is meant for public use, and as the council cannot afford to have weekly gotong-royong to clean the place.

He also said a task force will be formed to clamp down on litter-bugs by issuing fines within two months. Flyers on the decision will

be out soon.Fernandez also said plans for ad-

ditional free car parks in the city have been considered, and the next area would be near the Asia Jaya LRT (Light Rail Transit) station.

“I have also begun an application process to get the support of the state government to use their fixed reserves [for projects like this],” he added.

The free car park at Petaling Jaya Section 10, which was open for public use recently.

(Front, from left) Bukit Gasing assemblyperson Edward Lee, SMJK Katholik principal Lee Kim Lai, Fernandez, and Datuk Roslan.

16 April 8 — 10, 2011

food

By Basil Foo

C onsisting of indoor and outdoor sections that were always full of customers, The Little Pantry in IOI Mall Puchong seemed to be a favourite among diners here.

The first time we noticed this restaurant was during Valentine’s Day recently, but what attracted our attention most was the prevalent use of pink and flowers.

The outdoor entrance was decorated like a garden patio, and upon entering, we were greeted cheerfully by wait-resses in French maid-like uniforms.

The expansive establishment also included a closed section,

Saying it with pink and flowers

possibly for private parties, which looked like the dining room of a meticulously designed house.

While restaurants usually just throw anything on their walls for a vintage feel, The Little Pantry seemed to have been decorated by a tidy person fond of gardening and tea parties.

The menu presented us with a wide selection of Western and Asian cuisine. We opted for the former this time.

Arriving as soon as our appe-tites were sufficiently whetted from looking at the food on sur-rounding tables, the Spaghetti Beef Bolognese (RM15.90) was a hearty edition of the crowd staple.

While this dish usually suffers from insufficient sauce or overly floury noodles, the flavours of this version were a pleasant blend with a side of Parmesan for taste.

The savoury dish had a good balance of noodles and meat and retained its heat well, but none-theless should be enjoyed as soon as it is served.

The Soft Shell Crab Salad (RM11.90) was a strong-tasting fried soft-shell crab with a mix-ture of greens dressed in creamy cilantro sauce.

It is advisable to divide the crab in enough portions to eat the

salad with, as its seafood taste can be quite overpowering if eaten on its own.

The vegetables were crisp and fulfilled all the expectations of a salad, but the quantity of sauce left much to be desired. It could have been improved with more varieties of greens.

Next up was the centrepiece of the whole meal – the Braised Lamb Shank (RM28.90) – which was arranged standing up on a platform of mashed potato and mushroom sauce.

As an impressive photo of it

was featured on a full page in the menu, we had high expectations of this dish. We were not disap-pointed.

The lamb meat came easily off the bone and was surprisingly ten-der, given that most other lamb dishes we have tried have been of a chewier consistency.

Mint sauce was not included in the original presentation but was available upon request, and thyme was also used extensively in the dish’s sauce.

Another hearty dish was the S t u f f e d C h i c k e n B r e a s t (RM23.90), which comprised several chunks of the meat encas-ing mushroom ragout and served with mashed potatoes.

The dish was a warm blend of wild mushrooms and its accom-panying sauce, but perhaps its flavours could have been better enhanced with some cheese, like a Cordon Bleu.

While probably costing more than your average neighbourhood restaurant, diners would be pleas-antly surprised with The Little Pantry.

Requests were promptly at-tended to by the friendly staff, and overall food quality exceeded ex-pectations.

The Little Pantry is located on the ground level of IOI Mall, Puchong.

Flower decor at the indoor entrance of The Little Pantry.

Soft Shell Crab Salad.

Stuffed Chicken Breast.

Spaghetti Beef Bolognese.Braised Lamb Shank.

Shelf decor.

17ARPIL 8 — 10, 2011

FICTION

You could tell a lot about a guy from the way he behaved to people he considered beneath him.”

By Amir Muhammad

She had six months to find him. She would be reaching a milestone birthday then, and if her friends gave her another

surprise cake, it would come with the customary joke that a fire extinguisher would be needed to extinguish all the candles.

She didn’t need a fire extinguisher; she just wanted a guy beside her to help her blow.

Getting dates was the easy part, as she was an eligible bachelorette. But each guy would need to pass the satay test to go further.

The satay stall was a semi-autonomous region across from a restaurant near her apart-ment. The restaurant really came alive at night, which meant that it was more fun to be there with someone else. Satay orders could be made to the restaurant staff but payment had to be made separately, upon delivery, to the satay-maker Sam.

His stall closed only on rainy nights.On a dry night in the first month, she

brought a guy named Rais. He was full of florid praise for everything about her. But she noticed he didn’t even look at Sam when ordering. Worse, he complained too loudly when there weren’t enough nasi impit cubes for his liking.

You could tell a lot about a guy from the way he behaved to people he considered be-neath him. Rais was rude, and so he didn’t go further.

On a dry night in the second month, she brought a guy named Daniel. He was punc-tual when he picked her up, which was such a rare quality.

But she noticed that he didn’t eat any of the kuah satay. When she asked why, he said,

“It makes things messy.” This made her look at him in a new light. A man who couldn’t handle messiness would also be less fun and spontaneous later.

Daniel was dry, and so he didn’t go further.On a dry night in the third month, she

brought a guy named Ivan. He had great taste in clothes and aftershave. But she noticed something off-putting when he ordered the satay.

“We’ll have only the beef. Chicken’s lame, and mutton’s gross,” he told Sam. She was taken aback. Did she have no say in the mat-ter of which slain animal she might like?

Ivan was inconsiderate, and so he didn’t go further.

On a dry night in the fourth month, she brought a guy named Prakash. He had a very nice car, the kind she could imagine disappear-ing into while forgetting the congestion that might be on the road or in her head.

But something happened as soon as he or-dered 10 chicken and 10 mutton sticks for himself (she was not hungry this time).

“Why?” she asked, since it seemed to be expected of her.

“It’s to remind myself that in life, we can’t always get what we want. We have to deal with even negative eventualities. So if I ordered only chicken, which is what I love, I’d be lulling

myself into a false state of comfort. So I force myself to also eat mutton.”

He went on and on, not noticing that her eyes were glazing over. He didn’t want a date, but an audience.

Prakash was ponderous, and so he didn’t go further.

On a dry night in the fifth month, she brought a guy named Ghani. He was in an industry that was related to hers. So they had many matters of mutual interest, and that helped to keep the conversation lively. In fact, everything seemed to go swimmingly. She thought she’d finally found the ideal guy for the birthday party, which was only a month away.

She had no problems with how he chose, ordered or ate the satay. It was only when he ostentatiously used a stick, now stripped of

meat, as a toothpick that she felt dismay. He kept doing it for the rest of the conversation, which grew less scintillating as it progressed.

Ghani was gross, and so he didn’t go further.Almost a month later, she was at the restau-

rant alone. It was raining.Sam, who couldn’t open his stall, asked

shyly if he could sit with her. She was surprised but was happy for the company.

They started talking. They’d had no reason to speak to each other before; aside from the capitalist barrier of customer/provider, she had always been busy with her dates and he with his orders. But now that they were unoccupied, she found herself having fun. She didn’t even mind not having satay, because they ended up doing other things later.

Sam was sexy, and he skewered his way to the next stage perfectly.

Cinta Satay

image source: sxc.hu

By Alicia Mun

SUBANG JAYA: There was double joy for the Yee broth-ers last weekend as Ryan and Julian Yee managed to top their respective groups during the 6th Malaysia National Figure Skating Championships (MNFSC) held at the Sunway Pyramid ice rink.

Older brother Ryan, who is already a veteran in the figure skating scene in Malaysia, grabbed the Senior Men’s crown with a total of 135.44 points.

However, the 15-year-old, who represented Malaysia in the recent 7th Asian Winter Games (AWG), was the sole entry in the Senior Men’s category.

Ryan said he felt good to be able to compete with expe-

rienced skaters of top level during the AWG in Kazakhstan in January.

“I started skating since I was six as I used to follow my mum to the ice rink,” he said. “Figure skating is fun yet challenging and it is a very good sport.”

Younger sibling Julian managed to edge out three other skaters to bag the Junior Men’s category with a convincing performance.

Julian collected 108.85 points, while second-placed Bryan Christopher Tan finished with 98.2 points. Third-placed Chan Zhen Feng finished with 98.17 points.

In the Ladies Junior event, Raya Willoughby defended her title again after finishing with 74.14 points, edging out the other contestant Ching Siau Chian (66.66 points).

According to competition director Norrizah Ismail, the winners of the respective categories will go on to represent Malaysia in the various junior figure skating tournaments this year.

“The junior season is expected to begin in July and there

are eight Grand Prix tournaments,” said Norrizah. “But we are still waiting for the organisers to decide which

country will host the competitions.”Last weekend’s championships drew 83 participants,

aged from six to 26, from seven countries: Malaysia, Sin-gapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Uzbekistan, India and New Zealand.

The panel of judges consisted of 2006 Winter Olympics (Torino, Italy) referee Rita Zonnekeyn and Malaysia’s first national judge Jennifer Low.

The 6th MNFSC is organised by the Ice Skating Association of Malaysia (ISAM) with the support of the National Fitness Council and sponsored by Sunway Pyramid Ice, 100PLUS, Nestlé Milo and Shaklee.

ISAM president Datin Laila Abdullah said Malaysia’s big-gest handicap now in terms of figure skating is the lack of an Olympic-sized ice rink in the country.

“This has to be looked into urgently if we are looking at being represented and achieving results,” she said.

Double joy for Yee siblings

Ryan Yee Zhi-Jwen, 15, Malaysia’s first skater to pass the International Skating Union (ISU) Senior Test.

Talented 13-year-old figure skater Naomi Peh Ju Xian Haeger from Singapore.

18 april 8 — 10, 2011

TRAVEL

If you are on the road to Tanjung Karang heading north, Sekinchan will soon meet you halfway. Before long, you will be pass-

ing Kampung Sungai Leman.A few more minutes later, Pasir Panjang

and its green acres will rush to meet you. Anytime between 8.30am and 6.30pm, you will probably come across the fisherman’s market, or Pasar Nelayan.

The trading site is under the auspices of the Fishermen’s Association of Sungai Besar. The heartbeat of this place emanates from Kam-pung Pasir Panjang.

Pasir Panjang shares its boundaries with Sungai Besar and Sekinchan. Kampung Pasir Panjang also comes under the jurisdiction of the Besut district council of Selangor. Besut is situated near the border of Selangor and Perak.

More than three quarters of the population of Kampung Pasir Panjang are descendants of Javanese who settled here around 1915. The population of this village is about 3,000.

Since the sea is within cycling distance, a sizeable number of the residents here are

fisherfolk. Others are involved in agricul-tural activities like rice cultivation and the planting of crops like eggplant, fruits, vegeta-bles and chilli.

The rest of the people in this sparsely populated area hold jobs in the private, pub-lic and manufacturing sectors. However, in recent years, development has crept up on the area and the look of Pasir Panjang is undergo-ing a gradual transformation.

About half of the residents are farmers whose average income is about RM1,000 a month. The farmers work on their own plots of about one to 1.6 acres, and are mainly in-volved in oil palm or paddy. Their products are sold to intermediaries and wholesalers who distribute them to nearby towns around the region.

On the day I stumbled upon the fisher-men’s market in Pasir Panjang, business was operating at full throttle. The amount of agricultural produce was a feast to city eyes like mine.

Petai seemed to be rather popular in this

area as it was sold in abundance. There was a market vendor who came from Kampung Lope in Sabak Bernam near the Perak border to do business here.

Others were selling “kue teaw goreng” and keropok lekor. At RM1.50 per packet of the fried noodles, it wasn’t considered costly at all.

Other enterprising women were making good money selling Malay dishes. On a table were plastic bags of beehoon with pre-packed ingredients and gravy that is usually packed separately for customers.

There was an ice-cream seller who sold his sticks of “ais potong” utilising an uncom-mon method. He had an aluminium tub designed with cone-shaped slots. Inside the tub, which could be rotated manually, were chunks of dry ice. The vendor poured chocolate milk or strawberry chocolate milk from one-litre cartons into plastic tubes and stirred the tub. Within minutes, the choco-late milk would solidify and a customer would have his “ice cream á la kampung”. Quite an ingenious way of pleasing and enticing young children.

Near the fishermen’s market was a mini market that looked more like a grocery shop. Nevertheless, the owner saw it fit to advertise his business outlet as a “mini market”.

Fishermen’s market of Pasir Panjang

The sign that tells you business is in full swing.

Life is simple and fairly uncomplicated in Pasir Panjang.

Petai lovers will love Pasir Panjang for its abundance.Fried chicken and nasi lemak are popular among kampung folk.

A highway cruise to nowhere often leads to surprising discoveries. LIN ZHENYUAN feels the heartbeat of Pasir Panjang on a northbound journey

19april 8 — 10, 2011

TRAVEL

Have you cHecked your electrical switcHes before leaving Home?

Ibu pejabat polIs Daerah subang jayaTel: 03-5637 3722 Fax: 03-5631 9815

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.

Borang maklumaT Memaklumkan tentang meningalkan rumah kediaman untuk bercuti.

Kepada Kawasan pentadbiran balai polis

..............................................................................................

BuTiran penduduk:

nama: ..................................................................................

alamat: .................................................................................

..............................................................................................

..............................................................................................

nombor telefon bimbit/kediaman: ........................................

nombor telefon yang boleh dihubungi: ................................

..............................................................................................

tarikh meninggalkan rumah: ................................................

tarikh dijangka balik ke rumah: ...........................................

Kenderaan yang ditinggalkan (jenis model & nombor daftar kenderaan).

1. ..........................................................................................

2. ..........................................................................................

3. ..........................................................................................

lain-lain maklumat:

..............................................................................................

✂

...............................................tandatangan

.......................................tarikh

Before leaving 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

03-5634 9444

Fried mee and koay teow for takeaways.

Past-times in Pasir Panjang generally involve games like sepak takraw, football and fishing. Anglers nor-mally try their luck at the Kampung Pasir Panjang wharf or at the nearby Sungai Nibong.

The Pasir Panjang district consists of 15 villages. There is a local resort called the Nibong Beach Resort located in Kampung Nibong near the Pasir Panjang village.

Visitors who come here on weekends or public holidays are usually from Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. Apparently, the most popular stretch is nick-named the “23-mile beach”.

People from as far as Negri Sembilan and Malacca come here to enjoy the sea, the beach, the food and deep-sea fishing. Boats are available for hire for anglers who “want to catch the big ones”.

But daily market activities centre on Pasar Nelayan. It is the melting pot of Pasir Panjang.

The simple country lifestyle co-exists with the agro-

based culture of this rural settlement, where the spirit of community co-operation or gotong royong is practised in its best form.

Pasir Panjang is also well known for its version of “tempeh”, which is a high-protein food made of par-tially fermented, cooked soya beans.

The origins of tempeh can be traced back to Indo-nesia. Malay housewives who are familiar with this dish will tell you that tempeh can be prepared with other ingredients like red kidney beans, coconut, small white beans, wheat, oats and barley.

How it will all turn out depends very much on the experience and culinary knowledge of the tempeh chef. Apparently, Pasir Panjang has its share of tempeh ex-perts.

Pasir Panjang is one of those small villages that’s hardly a blip on a traveller’s radar, but when you stop and have a good look, the sights and sounds will as-tound you.

The ice cream vendor who makes his own stuff.

20 APRIL 8 — 10, 2011

FEATURES

For this week’s insight into chess, I would like to touch upon a topic of some controversy that has been largely ignored until the French Chess Federation, in an

unprecedented move, took action against members of its own national team.

They had used an elaborate system of SMSes among them-selves to communicate computer analyses of their ongoing games.

What was difficult to understand was how players of such strength would need to do this, and if there were any real practical benefits.

Chess is today regarded as a sport. Computers are widely used in training, from databases of your games and that of your opponents to studying or playing training games from preset positions added by computer analysis.

It was also interesting that a Grandmaster had moaned on Facebook about how his rating was slipping because he no longer studied openings as he wanted to just play chess, but could not help getting into trouble with players who were avid users of technology.

But the shocker came following a game played recently at the European Championship in an article titled Massacre of the Innocents by “Mishanp”, on the website Chess in Translation.

Sergey Fedorchuk (2662) – Saša Martinović (2504)Aix-les-Bains 2011

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.N2f3 Bb4+ 8.Bd2 0–0 9.Bc4

And this is where it begins.

9…e5! (Diagram 1)

Cheating with technologyGet smart! Play chess!

By Peter Longpeterlong@aol.asia

Knowing what followed, it’s easy to recommend withdrawing the knight to e2, but at this point Fe-dorchuk still had not grasped the strength of his opponent’s preparation. He simply didn’t know who he was dealing with. It goes without saying that tak-ing the pawn on e5, without having looked at it beforehand, was problematic.

10.Nb5 e4!I think that after this move Sergey must already

have suspected that he was in trouble. But it was already too late. The fight had begun.

11.Bxd5In the line 11.Bxb4 Nxb4 12.Qxd8 Rxd8 13.Ne5

Nxc2+ 14.Ke2 Nxa1 15.Nxf7 (or 15.Rxa1 Be6 16.Bxe6 fxe6 17.Nc7 Nd7 18.Nxd7 Rac8! -+) 15…Bg4+ 16.Ke3 Nc2+ 17.Kf4

Black would win with the exquisite blow 17…Be2!! followed by 18.Nxd8+ Bxc4 19.Nc7 Nc6! and so on.

11…exf3! 12.Bxb4And if 12.Bxf3 Re8+ 13.Be2 Bg4 14.f3, then even

an amateur would see the elegant mating conclusion 14…Bxf3! 15.gxf3 Qh4+ 16.Kf1 Bc5 17.Be1 Qh3#! Never mind the computer.

It’s also not hard to guess that the line 12.0–0 Qxd5 13.Bxb4 Qxb5 14.Bxf8 Kxf8 15.Qd6+ Ke8 16.a4 Qc4 17.Qg3 Be6 18.Qxg7 Qg4! (with a big advantage for Black) would have been taken care of by the great hurricane.

12…Qe8+!Elegant geometry, don’t you think?

13.Kd2 Qxb5 14.Kc3 A desperate king dashes under fire and has al-

lowed White to keep his pieces, but a new salvo follows.

14…Be6!This was the first move in the game on which

Martinović spent even a little time thinking. Up to that point he still had his original hour and a half on the clock. The 30-second increment for each move had been more than enough to conduct the game.

15.Bxe6 Nc6!This computer trick could no longer have surprised anyone. There

followed:

16.Bxf8 Qe5+ 17.Kb3 (or 17.Kc4 Rxf8 18.Bd5 Qf4+ with mate) 17…Nd4+ 18.Kb4 Qb5+ 19.Kc3 (Diagram 2)

19…Ne2+Black wins the queen. White resigned, not even having managed

to get to the 20-move mark! You’ll agree that was a massacre. A top class player was simply wiped from the board.

KUDOS to the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) for holding both the National Age Groups and Malaysian Closed Champi-onships in March, as there are many international events, both official and traditional, that take off this month.

Since the basis for the selec-tion of national representatives is already in place, hopefully MCF will be consistent in the criteria they have formulated while remaining flexible where necessary, because at the end of the day, most of the top players are not full-time chess players.

First up is the 11th Thailand Open to be held at the Dusit Thani in Pattaya from April 11-17. This is the most “western” of reg ular Asian International Open Championships and is an excellent choice for budding amateurs. For more details, visit www.apcoa.net.

Next is the Asian Cities Team Championship for the Dubai Cup, which will be held in Ja-karta from April 21-29, and where last year’s National Inter State Team Champions Penang will be representing Malaysia.

World Championship quali-fication starts with the super-strong Asian Continental Cham-pionship in Iran from May 1-11,

while all eyes will be on the Asian Youth Championships in Subic, Philippines from May 14-22, where many of our top juniors are expected to play.

Hopefully, Malaysia’s junior champions will also try and make it to the Asian Junior Champion-ships in Colombo, Sri Lanka from June 1-11 as this is the banner event for aspiring young talents, and a great platform for our juniors to vie for an Interna-tional Master title.

Concurrently, the Sri Lanka Chess Federation is also organis-ing the Asian Seniors Champi-onship. The next tournament for young players to look forward to is the ASEAN+ Age Groups Championships which will be held in Indonesia (Kalimantan) from June 12-21.

This year, too, the World Jun-ior Championship returns to Asia and will be in Chennai from Aug 1-16, and is a much bigger deal if Malaysia’s top young tal-ents are serious to see where they rank among their peers.

MCF also plans to send our top juniors to the World U-16 Youth Olympiad in Sanliurfa, Turkey from Oct 23 to Nov 1.

On the local front, the Malay-sian Open will be held from July 20-26.

Feast of international tourneys ahead

Revenue collection improves in SelangorBy Gan Pei Ling

SHAH ALAM: Selangor’s 12 local govern-ments collected more than RM977 million, includ-ing outstanding arrears, from ratepayers last year.

Petaling Jaya City Council topped the list with close to RM172 million in revenue last year, followed by Shah Alam City Council (RM156 million) and Sub-ang Jaya Municipal Council (RM155 million).

Councils from other urban areas such as Kajang collected RM70 million.

In stark contrast, district councils from rural areas such as Kuala Selangor, Kuala Langat and Hulu Sel-angor collected between RM13 million and RM26 million.

Sabak Bernam district council, which has no sub-sidiaries, recorded the lowest income with RM3.65 million in 2010.

 The overall collection rate for all local councils was 90.87% for current collection and 58.57% for out-standing arrears.

Executive councillor Ronnie Liu told the press on Monday that overall, the local councils’ revenue has been increasing steadily since 2008.

Liu advised the local councils to use some of their financial reserve to repair roads and improve local facilities for the people.

On a separate matter, Selangor also announced on Monday that it would fork out RM500,000 to rebuild a burnt-down longhouse and repair mosques in Sarawak.

RM2008 892.52 million2009 928.10 million2010 977.36 million

21April 8 — 10, 2011

Media

Environmen-tal Deck at

Level 1.

GSC Alamanda celebrates third anniversary

Sunway to launch Velocity

SHAH ALAM: Make your way to Alamanda this month as Golden Screen Cinemas Sdn Bhd (GSC) Alamanda celebrates its third anniversary.

From April 3, moviegoers will be rewarded with a GSC “Buy 1 Free 1” or “Buy 2 Free 1” voucher with ever y purchase of two GSC Alamanda movie tickets in a single transaction, while stocks last.

At the GSC concession counter, grab

SHAH ALAM: After the success of townships in Damansara, Shah Alam, Mont Kiara and Semenyih in the Klang Valley, Sunway City Bhd will unveil yet another iconic master integrated development tomorrow.

Located just 3.8km from Kuala Lumpur City Centre, the new devel-opment, Sunway Velocity, is about to change the way people live, work and play.

The mixed commercial develop-ment comprising service apartments and retail shops will merge office and home needs, recreation and wellness with shopping and entertainment.

Sunway Velocity’s Phase 1A, which comprises 124 units of shop offices, is due to be launched tomor-row. Its service apartments are sched-uled to be launched in the second quarter of 2011.

Tomorrow’s launch will be at the Sunway Velocity Sales Gallery from 6.30pm to 9.30pm, and will be held together with the Velocity City Street Party.

The retail shops are priced from RM2.4 million, and office suites are priced from RM1.2 million on-wards. The indicative pricing for the 264 units of service apartments is from RM600,000 onwards.

Unlike other developments, the advantage of Sunway Velocity begins

lifestyle shopping mall of over a million square feet, with more than 5,000 parking bays, a pedestrian-friendly environmental deck and a two-acre Central Park.

Beautifully integrated with luxury service apartments and top-notch shop-offices spread over 22 acres of valuable freehold land, Sunway Velocity embraces the lat-est technologies in design and ar-chitecture to enhance your life, day in, day out.

Sunway Velocity is also where you can inject stylish vigour into your life wheth-er at work, business or at home. The pedestrian-friendly elevated environ-mental deck links all three.

Basking in a lush, bright and breezy ambience, you can enjoy shopping or sim-ply observe the scenes of day-to-day outdoor living. Al fresco dining and wining takes on the ultimate in

style and comfort. In the heart of it all is the huge

Central Park. In line with Sunway embracing the Lohas philosophy, the Central Park is a two-acre green lung offering tranquil and whole-some moments to help balance the pace of work with play and leisure.

For more details about the devel-opment and the launch, contact 03 -92055500 or 012-3189656.

Handbook on coaching standardsSHAH ALAM: Ushering a new chapter in the coaching industry in Malaysia, Corporate Coach Academy (CCA), the Malaysian Association of Certified Coaches (MACC), and media network Omnicom Media Group unveiled the first-ever handbook for the Malaysian coaching industry – Coaching Standards.

Coaching Standards, which was launched last Friday, aims to set the benchmark for the coaching industry, guide coaches and coach aspirants on the path to excellence, and enable the sharing of best practices.

It also aims to educate the public to be more discerning in differentiating between well-trained coaches and untrained ones.

“At PHD and OMD (leading agencies of Omnicom Media), we believe in putting people first above everything else, and we are relentless in our efforts in engaging, motivating and nurturing our staff to excel.

“The launch of Coaching Standards is about success, self actualisation, and achieving outstanding results. As a group, we firmly believe in staying true to our 3Ps principle – People, Product and Profit.

“Sponsoring the first-ever coaching

standards handbook is in perfect sync with our motto of walking the talk”, said Andreas Vogiatzakis, managing director of Omnicom Media Group, Malaysia.

Dr Michael Heah, CEO of CCA and MACC chairperson, stressed that “one of the key aims of this book is to help raise the awareness in our industry, to become a catalyst for change and to set an example for others to follow”.

“Coaching is an increasingly critical tool that is beneficial to both individuals and the

company they belong to. With their people propelled to greatness through coaching , companies will forge ahead of others and accelerate better results”, he added.

Omnicom Media Group is the media services division of Omnicom Group, Inc., a global advertising, marketing and corporate communications company.

ICF is a non-profit organisation formed by professionals who practise coaching. With over 17,000 members, it is the largest worldwide resource for professional coaches, and a source for those who are seeking a coach.

MACC is an independent and non-profit national coach community of certified and/or trained coaches and coach-students of the International Coach Federation (ICF) and other coach-learning institutions

Coaching Standards is available free of cost. However, individual and corporate donations will enable the printing of more books.

To get a free copy, contact MACC at 03-62054488 or email mikeheah@corporate-coach.com.

with superb connectivity. This new hub of activity will be connected via major roads and highways, plus public transportation including the LRT and a proposed MRT station.

Sunway Velocity will also ease the way traffic flows in this booming quarter of KL with a direct tunnel and underpass cutting across Jalan Cheras.

The numbers and the facts are equally impressive as KL’s next landmark development features a

(From left) Vogiatzakis, Heah and Lim during the launch last Friday.

a Combo 2 and be rewarded with a Cars 2 car decal.

The Cars 2 car decals are available in two designs, featuring Lightning McQueen and Mater on the first, and the main characters of the Cars 2 movie on the second design.

This giveaway is for a limited period, while stocks last.

On April 10, GSC will also host the Hop Roadshow, featuring games, activities and movie pre-miums to be won.

Also be sure to catch the upcoming movies in GSC Alamanda this April such as Hop, Cun, Just Go With It, Rio and many more.

For showtimes and further information, log on to www.gsc.com.my or www.gscmobile.com.my.

GSC is the leading cinema exhibitor and distributor in Malaysia, with a total of 180 screens in 22 locations around the country.

Currently, GSC has 40 digital halls nationwide, which includes the larg est d ig i ta l ha l l : the 555-seater GSC Maxx on the 10th floor of Berjaya Times Square.

GSC Alamanda

22 April 8 — 10, 2011

GalleryMore than 3,000 students attended the state-sponsored Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) workshop held in Shah Alam late last year. The state allocates RM3.45 million for this programme, which is open to SPM candidates whose families earn less than RM1,500 a month.

About 300 students from SM Teknik Sepang, Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah, Sekolah Sri Putri Cyberjaya, SMK Precint (16) 1 Putrajaya and Selangor Recreation Club students were taught about the water treatment process by Konsortium Abass Sdn Bhd last Saturday in Putrajaya as part of its public education campaign.

Residents raising their concerns to Bukit Lanjan assemblyperson Elizabeth Wong, councillor Lee Khai Loon and Gombak assistant district officer Nor Zaidi Ratiman after a formal briefing on land and local issues in Kepong last Sunday. Residents of Taman Ehsan And Desa Jaya were surprised to be told that their final leasehold titles were ready, as they were not aware that they had been holding temporary or qualified land titles all this while.

At the launch of a voter-registration campaign – part of Pakatan Rakyat’s Layar Rakyat programme – at a morning market in Taman Greenwood, Selayang on April 3.

Demonstrators protesting against nuclear power plant development at the jetty of Pulau Ketam on Wednesday. The protest was spearheaded by DAP division chairperson Ivan Ho Fook Keong, Pas secretary for the Klang branch Mohd Prasad Hanif, and Klang MP Charles Santiago (second from left). On Charles’s left is Klang Municipal councillor Yeo Boon Lye.

23April 8 — 10, 2011

Culture

Divas bring Vegas to Shah AlamBy Basil Foo

SHAH ALAM: A Secretaries Week luncheon at the Shah Alam Convention Centre (SACC) turned out to be an intimate affair when two celebrities took to the floor to serenade 800 guests.

The show, dubbed Divas Las Vegas, saw invited crooners Anita Sarawak and Noryn Aziz show some personal touches to their performance as they moved table to table greeting the secretaries.

“I hope all of you are having a good time; if you’d like, feel free to sing and dance along with me,” announced Anita after she entered the hall to cheers from the audience.

Dressed in a glittering pantsuit covered by a large blue-feathered coat and looking every inch the diva, she brought her own brand of Vegas-themed entertainment to the show.

Bursting into rock anthems like Queen’s We Will Rock You and lounging on onstage furniture while singing sentimental Malay ballads, she also sang Sinatra’s New York, New York.

“When I was performing in Vegas, and although it is a song about a different city, this song by Frank Sinatra was a crowd favourite,” she said before singing the song accompanied by Broadway-style dancers.

Noryn also took time between her songs to chat up members of the audience and take pictures with them.

Hosted by Raja Lawak runner-up Zizan Razak and actress Juliana Evans, Divas Las Vegas not only treated guests to a lunch spread but also lucky draw prizes.

Up for lucky audience members was a set of luxury furniture from Empire Classic Furniture worth RM45,000, and a set of green agate and pearl jewelry from Elegance Club worth RM60,000.

The most well-dressed secretary was chosen to win the Best Dressed award and went back with a gown from Ashley@Kapas worth over RM3,000.

“It is apparent we have the ability to host events of international standard,” said Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad.

The SACC chief executive officer stressed that not only was a performance by the two celebrities highlighted, but SACC also guaranteed the quality of the food served.

Indicine Live! 3

Theatre; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; April 6-17, 2011; RM35 / RM25; www.klpac.org

Following a sold-out 2010 season, Indicine Live! returns with more sketch comedy highlighting various aspects of Malaysian life, directed by KLPac’s director-in-residence Kelvin Wong. Featuring the writing of Patrick Lee, Ema Mahyuni, Adriana Nordin Manan, Nina Shah, Freddy Tan, Tung Jit Yang and Amir Yunos; starring Siti Farrah Abdullah, Sani Zanial Ibrahim, Oliver Johanan, and Shirin Jauhari, among others.

Madu II

Theatre; The Actors Studio @ Lot 10; April 6-10, 2011; RM33/RM23; 03-21422009 / 21432009; www.theactorsstudio.com.my

Polygamy. We hear about it, we read about it, and often we are told what to think about it. What is it like to be a madu (co-wife) in a modern world? Writer U-En Ng, in his directorial debut, leads the audience to contemplate the extent of polygamy in Malaysia and the controversial issues that revolves around it. Singaporean playwright Alfian Sa’at’s Madu II contains the quiet hopes, shattered dreams, compromised joys and honest humanity of women who live in polygamous households. “It is at once breathtaking as it is

heartbreaking, uproarious in its humour, pathos and outrage.” Featuring real-life sisters Elza Irdalynna and Inessa Irdayanty; in Malay with English surtitles.

Fantastikal Strings

Concert; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; April 9 and 10, 2011; RM35 / RM15; www.klpac.org

Fantastikal Strings’ programme features folk songs and well-known classical pieces such as Pachelbel’s Kanon, Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik and Dvorak’s The New World Symphony. The ensemble will also be playing the theme song from the blockbuster movie Titanic as well as an old favourite popularised by the late Teresa Teng, The Moon Represents My Heart. Conducted by Dr Takahisa Ota, music director and resident conductor of the KLpac String Ensemble.

Odissi Stirred

Dance; Sutra Dance Theatre; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; April 6-10, 2011; RM53/RM33; 03-40479000; www.klpac.org

Featuring works from contemporary Odissi choreographers Sharmila Biswas (Kolkata), Madhavi Mudgal (New Delhi), and Ramli Ibrahim and Guna (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). Comprising three dance performances – Evocations, Pallavan and Kamala – each drawing upon and and inspired by the Odissi tradition, one of the most dynamic Indian classical dance styles. “One takes us back to its folk and rural tradition of games and drums; another moves us beyond to the experimental, creating new works with compelling images and messages.”

TheATre / Music / DAnce

Anita wows the crowd.

Noryn struts her stuff.

Compiled by Nick Choo

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.