community November 11 — 13, 2011/ issue 48

MBPJ budget: RAs seek more participation

MPs and councillors: distinguishing their roles

p 9 p 12 & 13

state asseMbly third sitting p 6 – 8

Cattle challenge accepted By alvin yap

shah alaM: Datuk Seri Noh Omar’s challenge to the federal opposition to take over the loss-making National Feedlot Corpo-ration (NFC) has been accepted by the Selangor government.

Yaakob Sapari said the Selan-gor  Menteri Besar has given him the green light to accept the chal-lenge by the  minister for agricul-ture and agro-based industry.

Noh had on Wednesday issued a challenge to the Pakatan Rakyat to operate one of the 30 satellite farms under the NFC, and prove they could produce 600 heads of cattle as currently done by the cor-poration.

“The state and livestock breed-ers in Selangor and Negeri Sembi-lan are ready at any time to take over,” said the state executive councillor for agriculture during a press conference on the sidelines of the Selangor state assembly yes-terday. 

Yaakob said he will contact Pu-trajaya and assume control of the NFC in Negeri Sembilan.

Operating on a 5,000-acre plot in the neighbouring state, the

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim informing nursery operators and Yayasan Selangor officials that the state government will not hand out TOL for Green Lane.

Sultan of Selangor Sharafuddin Idris Shah with Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim during a ceremony to hand out awards to residents of the Petaling Jaya Spastic Centre who successfully climbed Mount Kinabalu on Oct 16. Also present were president of the Spastic Children's Association of Selangor Datuk Dr Lam Peng Chong, Rotary International District Governor Dr S Raveendra Kumar, and Rotary Club USJ chairperson Datuk Jimmy Lim. Story on Page 2.

• Turn To page 2

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2 November 11 — 13, 2011

news

Pua: Kedai Rakyat not cheapKUALA LUMPUR: Claims by Putrajaya that goods at Kedai Rakyat 1 Malaysia (KR1M) are cheaper by 30-50% have been proven untrue by Tony Pua.

The Petaling Jaya Utara MP said on Wednesday  that although some goods at KR1M are cheaper, the difference in price is not significant.

“For example, KR1M claims to sell a 425g can of sardines for RM2.99, ‘saving ’ the customer a whopping 51%. However, a check at Carrefour showed that a 425g can of sardines sells for RM2.49, or 20% less than KR1M,” said Pua.

He also compared the price of a one-litre bottle of bleach, which cost RM1.29 at Tesco and RM1.90 at KR1M.

Based on 23 household items he picked up from Carrefour, Pua said consumers would save at least 8% there compared with shopping at KR1M.

Among the household items he purchased were rice, minced meat, chilli sauce, detergent, toilet paper and dishwashing liquid. 

New building for spastic association

State to support farmers taking over the project

NFC has been criticised by the Au-ditor General for not meeting pro-duction targets.

The AG reports single out the runners of the business venture for mismanagement, inefficiency and incompetence.

It said a field study of the farm showed that only 3,289 cattle were roaming the land, which was over-grown with prickly shrubs.

“Whatever funds are left, give it to a group of livestock breeders and we will manage the NFC,” said Yaakob, who is in charge of farming and modernisation in Selangor.

Yaakob said he could muster up 300 farmers from Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Malacca to take over the project.

He explained that the farm could be divided up into 15-acre lots for the farmers to breed the cattle.

The remaining funds, he said, should be given to the Department of Veterinary Service to disburse to the would-be farmers.

He said the massive undertaking would be easier to manage if the land was partitioned, adding that each farmer would set a target of raising 1,000 to 1,500 heads of cattle.

The Kota Anggerik assemblyper-son said the project should have been managed by farmers or live-stock operators to begin with.

“It’s easier to handle, and better to benefit so many of our farmers and livestock breeders than just one private company,” he said.

The initiative, which started in 2008 under the Ninth Malaysian Plan with a soft loan of RM250 mil-lion, has been linked to Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

Yaakob reiterated that the chal-lenge was not to the Selangor gov-ernment but to the Pakatan Rakyat.

“But I’m sure the state will sup-port farmers taking over the pro-ject,” he concluded.

• From page one

By Brenda Ch’ng

SHAH ALAM: The Spastic Chil-dren’s Association of Selangor and Federal Territory will be able to accommodate more children with better facilities once their new building is completed in 2015.

State ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah was present yesterday for the groundbreaking of the new nine-storey building, located next to their current centre on Lorong Utara A. 

“This new centre, which will cost RM18 million, will be part of our Spastic Redevelopment Pro-gramme,” said association presi-dent Datuk Dr Lam Peng Chong.

The programme includes pro-viding better services and facilities for children with cerebral palsy, who face difficulties coordinating movement and suffer from speech impediments.

“We hope to extend our ser-vices to other disabled people in the community after the building

Morning

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Source: Malaysian meteorological department

He urged Putrajaya to stop claiming that KR1M can help cut living expenses when other hypermarkets are offering much lower prices.

Pua said KR1M and federal ministers s h o u l d b e i nve s t i g at e d f o r th e i r “irresponsible and misleading” claims.

He said their misrepresentation has bre a c h e d th e Ma lay s i an C o d e o f Advertising Practice (MCAP).

“In fact, it is the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry which is responsible for regulating the industry and ensuring consumers are not cheated by misleading claims.

“However, when the ministry itself is guilty of such offences as a result of the BN government’s vested interest in KR1M, it becomes a gross breach of its responsibility to the people,” he said.

Pua said it is good for KR1M to sell products at a cheaper price, but they should also allow other companies that are capable of delivering low prices to do the same.

is up,” said Lam.Construction will start as soon

as the necessary approvals are ob-tained from the authorities.

The association currently ac-commodates 150 spastic children, free of charge.

The centre offers therapy, voca-tional classes, computer lessons, and a library for the children to study from 8am to 1pm.

“This is a non-profit organisa-tion, and we are thankful to all the donors, fundraisers and events which helped us fund the associa-tion,” said Lam.

Meanwhile, 18 disabled people, three from the spastic centre, were brought on a climb up Mount Kinabalu on Oct 16.

“The climb was titled ‘Climb Beyond Disabilities’, and we wanted to show the world that the disabled can still achieve ex-traordinary goals,” said Rotary Club USJ chairperson Datuk Jimmy Lim.

Jointly organised by Rotary

Club Bandar Utama, the climb cost them RM200,000, which was used to fund the disabled partici-pants, volunteers and trainers.

Three representatives from the centre – Mohd Irwan Hakeem, Mohd Asman and Janice Yim Kam Choo – each received a cer-tificate of achievement from the Sultan.

 

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah in the driver’s seat during the groundbreaking ceremony.

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4 November 11 — 13, 2011

news

Land titles at last for 800 familiesRAWANG: A three-decade-long wait for titles is drawing to a close for residents of a Chinese New village here as their applications are finally being processed.

Some 800 families from Kundang Tambahan, Pekan Kundang and Se-layang Tin have been trying to get titles to legally own the land that they have settled on and developed since the early 1970s.

“Our family has applied many times to the Land Office, paying a processing fee of RM700, but we never received news of our applica-tion,” said Yap Yin Lan, 56.

Yap and other villagers in the area submitted their details and relevant documents to state executive council-lor Ean Yong Hian Wah, who visited the area on Tuesday.

Ean Yong was leading a taskforce to look into the plight of the villagers near Rawang.

The Seri Kembangan assemblyper-son in charge of New Village develop

ment said his team was also checking applicants’ details to verify their settlement on the land.

He said it would take up to two weeks to verify the records.

Staff from the Land Office are on hand to help speed up the applica-tions.

Barring any discrepancy or other delays, villagers will be issued forms to support their ownership, and they

can pay the premiums at the Land Office.

In a related matter, Ean Yong said Land Office records show that a group of unknown individuals had applied and received a master title for the area.

He said the priority was to inves-tigate the matter and check the identity of the group that had per-formed a “land grab” on the location.

Heritage Park FunTreat Every Environment Special Sdn Bhd (TrEES) will organise a community event to celebrate heritage parks in Selangor on Saturday (Nov 19). Come join in the fun and participate in the heritage eco-treasure hunt, a race, family fun games, jungle trekking and picnic by the riverside. Attractive cash prizes are up for grabs. The event will start from 9.30am-1.30pm at Ampang Recreational Forest, Jalan Ampang. To register, email treateveryenvironmentspecial@gmail.com or visit www.trees.org.my.

Deepavali open houseThe office of Parliament Subang will hold a Deepavali open house at Pusat Komersial TSB Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh on Sunday (Nov 13) from noon to 3pm. Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim will head the guest list. Call the office at 03-61571842, 012-2583797 (Bala) or 012-9059948 (Peter) for details.

Meditation retreatThe Petaling Jaya Chempaka Buddhist Lodge will hold a five-day Vipassana meditation retreat from Nov 19-23 from 6.30pm-9pm at the Chempaka Buddhist Lodge. Guided by Ajahn Suthep Chinawaro from Thailand, the retreat is open to beginners and meditation practitioners. Admission is free, but contributions are welcome. Call 03-78803936 or email info@chempaka.org.my for details.

Youth leadership programmeExtol Toastmasters Subang Jaya will hold their annual youth leadership programme for students aged between 12-18 from Dec 16-18 at 2, Jalan SS19/1G, Subang Jaya. Call 019-2319800 (Kwa Ngan Eng), 012-2323578 (SK Ratnam), 016-2160632 (Patricia Tan) or email nganeng@gmail.com or skratnam2011@gmail.com for details

Cultural festivalIn conjunction with the 84th birthday of the late actor Sivaji Ganesan, the Sivaji Ganesan Cultural Society of Malaysia will hold a cultural event on Nov 17 at 7pm at the Tan Sri KR Soma Auditorium in Kuala Lumpur. The highlight will be the presentation of the Sijavi Ganesan Awards to two local artistes. The guest of honour is prominent philanthropist Ratnavali Vijayaraj. For more information, call 012-3728081, 016-6880455 or 016-3310288.

Writing coursesUniversiti Tunku Abdul Rahman will offer a course on effective business writing skills next Tuesday (Nov 15) at its Centre for Extension Education, Petaling Jaya campus, 9, Jalan Bersaru 13/4 from 7.30pm-9.30pm. They will also be offering Thai and Japanese language classes on Monday (Nov 14) from 7pm-9pm. Call 03-79572818, 016-2233563 (Eileen/Swee Leng), email cee@utar.edu.my or visit www.facebook.com/UTARCEE for details.

Sign-language courseYoung Men’s Christian Association of Kuala Lumpur will hold a sign-language course on Nov 14 or Nov 30. The course will be divided into basic and express levels. For more information, call 03-22741439 (Eeyong), 017-2320833 or email eeyong@ymcakl.com.

Dinner for charitySMK Perempuan Pudu will hold a dinner at SJK (c) Naam Kheung on Saturday (Nov 12) at 8pm to raise funds for the maintenance and upgrading of the school. Call 03-92212584 for details.

Citizen empowerment

Everyone is invited to attend a two-day workshop from Nov 19-20 that will equip you with the necessary information and knowledge to empower you as a Malaysian citizen. The workshop will be held at Rumah Anak Bangsa Malaysia, 66, Lorong Setiabistari 1, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur. To register, log on to https://sites.google.com/site/citizenempowersch/tests. Call 03-7982 7101 or email ces@mclm.org.uk for details.

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Fundraising dinner for school, surausBy Brenda Ch’ng

PUCHONG: Two suraus and an Islamic school will soon have new roofs, thanks to a fundraising dinner here on Wednesday night.

Kinrara assemblyperson Teresa Kok, who organised the dinner, said the money would be used to repair di-lapidated roofs at the suraus and build a roof over the school’s open assembly area .

“They came to me for help, but I couldn’t give them any money due to insufficient funds. I then decided to hold a fundraiser for them,” she said.

Proceeds from the dinner, which was attended by more than 400 guests of all races, will be given to Sekolah Rendah Agama Batu 13 Puchong, Surau As-Sidek, and Surau Ar Rahman.

Kok said with over 48% Muslims in Puchong, the amount of money allocated to her by the state annually isn’t enough to help all suraus and mosques in her area.

However, she will strive to help them by organising more fundraising dinners.

Joining her at the dinner were Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, Pas deputy president Mohamad Sabu, and Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad.

“I’m so glad we are fi-nally getting some financial help to build a roof for the children, which costs RM150,000,” said Parent-Teacher Association chairperson Ghazali Abu Hanifah.

After building a shade for the assembly area, Ghazali said the school will upgrade their computer lab and buy more books for the library.

“We have many other infrastructure maintenance to do but lack the funds. I appreciate the good effort from all races who are here tonight,” he said.

Ghazali: School will upgrade computer lab.

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ November 11 – 13, 2011 ⁄ 5

News

Kok rebuts naysayers on school landBy Chong Loo Wah

PUCHONG: A l o c a l MCA leader is being urged to lobby Putrajaya to ap-pro ve an d b u i l d thre e schools on land approved by Selangor, rather than make baseless allegations against the state.

“ M C A P u c h o n g cha ir[ p erson] (Datu k) Wong Hock Aun is barking up the wrong tree by falsely accusing the state of not having approved the land … but merely ‘supporting’ the schools,” said Teresa Kok.

The Kinrara assemblyperson said the Subang Jaya Municipal Council had ga-zetted the land allocated for SJK (C) Yak Chee, SMJK Katholik, and the National Autism Society of Malaysia (Nasom) as school reserves.

“As MCA Puchong chair[person], he should know better that education is on the federal list, thus the construction of schools must be approved by the federal government, not the state…

“He should be chasing after the Educa-tion Ministry to approve the construction of the schools,” said Kok.

Kok, who held a press conference with the chairperson of SJKC Yak Chee, and

president and two vice-presidents of the Yak Chee board of directors last Friday, pointed out that both schools had al-ready applied for branch-es to set up in Puchong.

“SJKC Yak Chee wrote to the education minister on June 20 requesting to set up their branch school. SMJK Catholic have writ-ten to Muhyiddin on March 2 requesting to set up their branch school.

“Both have received no positive response to date,”

said Kok.She pointed out that the state has done

their part in approving the reserve land for the construction of those schools.

In September, Selangor’s executive council approved in principle the two vernacular schools’ application for 11 acres of land, provided that the schools received the green light from the Educa-tion Ministry to build their branches.

Another 2.5 acres were approved for Nasom to set up a school for autistic students.

Kok added that the developer has also informed the National Land and Mines Department that the two plots of land have been reserved for schools.

Iskandar: Don’t be fooled by low-cost home ‘agents’By Gan Pei Ling

SHAH ALAM: House buyers are being urged to be wary of agents,  including politicians, who claim to be able to secure low-cost housing for them.

“The state has never ap-pointed any agent or [inter-mediary] to facilitate the purchase of low-cost [flat units or houses],” said Iska-dar Samad.

The state executive coun-cillor for housing issued the warning after  20 people staged a protest in front of the state secretariat yesterday af-ternoon.

The protesters claimed to represent 686 house buyers at Taman Botanik Klang, Ta-man Selayang Mulia, Taman Harmoni Balakong and Taman Intan Cheras who have been cheated by the state.

Their representative, Durrany Izam, al-leged that a PKR politician had promised to help them secure low-cost housing from “political quota”, and they had each paid him a RM2,100 deposit.

Durrany said the “Datuk” had claimed to be a special assistant to the Menteri Besar and a board member of the Selangor Hous-

ing and Property Board (LPHS).

“We want our hous-es... Otherwise, the state should return the de-posit to us,” he said.

However, Iskandar said he had never heard of anyone by the name provided by the victims.

In addition, political secretary to the Menteri Besar Faekah Husin said the state has lodged three police reports against this individual, and confirmed that there was no such person working for the Menteri Besar and in LPHS.

She said the LPHS letterhead had been forged by the individual to mislead the victims.

In a separate case, 32 people were each cheated of RM2,500 by a politician who claimed to be able to help them secure housing at Impian Seri Setia Apartments in Sungai Way.

Iskandar said LPHS had lodged four police reports against this politician in the past six months.

“Don’t believe anyone claiming to be an agent from LPHS or the state,” he said.

Iskadar Samad: State has never appointed any agent

Iskadar Samad: State has never appointed any agent.

6 November 11 — 13, 2011

News

State GLC profits to fund social programmes

SHAH ALAM: Starting next year, employees of Selangor-owned companies will be the first to enjoy a minimum wage of RM1,500 per month, the Menteri Besar an-nounced at the tabling of the state budget on Wednesday.

“The minimum wage increase is to deal with the rise in cost of liv-ing,” Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said while unveiling the 2012 budget, which has increased to RM1.6 bil-lion from 2011’s RM1.43 billion.

Khalid said financially stable companies like Selangor State

D e v e l o p m e n t C o r p o r a t i o n (PKNS), Permodalan Negeri Se-langor Bhd (PNSB) and World-wide Holdings Bhd would be able to fund their own minimum wage increase without assistance from the state.

Companies unable to absorb the costs will be able to utilise a RM10 million allocation the state will set up to fund the wage rise.

He also revealed that state civil servants will receive a half-month bonus or at least RM500 paid out in December.

RM1,500 minimum wage from next year

By Alvin Yap

SHAH ALAM: Prudent financial management and an increase in revenue have raised the state’s bud-get from RM1.4 billion in 2011 to RM1.9 billion in 2012, enabling Selangor to fund more social pro-grammes.

The Menteri Besar announced that RM300 million from dividends paid by state government-linked corporations (GLCs), royalty from sand mining and other revenues would be used to fund Selangorku social initiatives.

“We are using the revenue to

fund social programmes,” Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said when tabling the 2012 budget on Wednesday.

He attributed the balanced bud-get of RM1.9 billion in part to the infusion of RM300 million from the GLCs, adding that profits were due to the state firms’ adherence to strict financial management.

Khalid said the dividends would fund some 17 initiatives under the Geran Selangorku programme next year for the benefit of Selangor residents.

“The profit is for the people, and not cronies or the elite,” he said, adding that the state would spend

the allocations under the Selan-gorku programmes with account-ability.

Khalid also said part of the RM300 million grant is also funded by debts collected from Talam Corp Bhd which were owed to the state.

The Ijok assemblyperson said the funds would be controlled by Men-teri Besar Inc, which is the parent organisation of state subsidiaries.

Tax revenue for 2012 increased by RM43.69 million to RM574.67 million, compared to RM530.98 million in 2011.

Non-tax revenue increased by 40% from RM467.16 million in 2011 to RM654.60 million for 2012.

Selangor’s actual budget for 2012 stands at RM1.6 billion, of which RM1 billion is used for operating expenditure and the remaining RM600 million for development.

Infrastructure projects will re-ceive the largest allocation of RM411 million for road and drain-age maintenance.

In comparison, the social sector will get RM100 million to fund the Selangor Children Heritage Fund (Tawas) as well as the Golden Age Friendly Scheme (SMUE).

The environment will also get a boost with RM8.5 million allo-cated to rehabilitate former dump-sites in Selangor.

Among the areas targeted for clean-up and maintenance are for-mer landfills in Sungai Kembong, Sungai Kertas and Kubang Badak.

These areas are near vital rivers that supply water to major water treatment plants in the state.

Khalid also said RM4 million would be allocated for purchasing and installing closed-circuit televi-sion cameras (CCTVs) in crime hotspots.

Grant RM (Million) Proposed programme

Minimum Wage 10 Competency and re-skilling courses

Eradication of Corruption 15 Non governmental and Fraud Programmes organisations (NGO) yet to submit proposals

Empowering Women 30 Training and entrepreneurship courses

From Welfare to Work 20 Vocational training

Young Entrepreneurship 30 Business trainings and Programme platforms to do business

Education Support 30 Computers, tuition lessons, Programmes libraries, educational tools

Infrastructure 50 Road upgrades, drains and repairing ditches

Sports Infrastructure 30 Adding of sports Construction infrastructure like futsal courts and others

Preservation and 5 Conducting researches Conservation of the and conservation Environment programmes

Urban Life 10 Free Wifi

Bring services to 20 Upgrading the state’s the people information system online

Cultural Strengthening 3 Art programmes Programmes

Democracy Strengthening 5 Improving voter Programmes registration system

Disseminating State 10 Billboards and Phamplets Information

Programme to Increase 5 Study and improve the Quality of Life health sector

Upgrading Public 5 Training, courses Office Skills and workshops

Rural Development 22 Infrastructure and economic development

ThirdSitting

Operating Expenditure 2012 (RM 000) %

Emolument 323,085 32.3

Supplies and Services 371,387 37.1

Assets 8,080 0.8

Payments 284,183 28.4

Other Expenses 13,265 1.5

Total 1,000,000 100

Development Expenditure 2012 (RM 000) %

Infrastructure 411,092 68

Social Development 100,060 17

Economy 84,240 14

Urban Development 4,608 1

Total 600,000 100

2011 (RM 000) 2012 (RM 000) %

Tax Revenue 530,980 574,674 8.23

Non Tax Revenue 467,164 654,604 40.12

Other Receipts 431,856 370,722 -14.16

Total 1,430,000 1,600,000 11.89

State Budget 2012Revenue

Expenditure

State’s RM300 million grant

7November 11 — 13, 2011

news

ThirdSitting

New social welfare schemes in the pipelineSHAH ALAM: Dividends amounting to RM300 million from state-linked companies will fund 17 welfare programmes under the Selangorku initia-tive next year.

“Three years after we formed the state govern-ment, we are at another phase of our social initia-tives,” Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said when unveil-ing the 2012 budget here on Wednesday.

The Selangorku Grant will fund a host of pro-grammes, from minimum wage for workers of state-owned firms, to working with corruption watchdog Transparency International to combat graft.

Among the initiatives that will receive the largest allocations from the funding are infra-structure-maintenance projects, used to build and upkeep roads and drainage systems.

RM50 million has been earmarked to fund the building of roads, drains and ditches in Selangor.

State-linked educational institutes such as schools, colleges and universities will receive RM30 million to upgrade computer labs, librar-ies and other equipment.

Khalid said the money will also be used to fund free tuition for the needy and lower-income group at all education levels under the Education Support Programme.

The money will also be used to make centres of learning disabled-friendly, by building ramps or other facilities to aid the blind and deaf.

The Menteri Besar said the youth would not be left out of entrepreneurial programmes, such as those from the urban microcredit scheme.

He revealed that the Young Entrepreneur Scheme will receive RM30 million to run busi-ness programmes and other commercial-related initiatives.

For sports and recreations, RM30 million will be allocated to increase the number of futsal and basketball courts in the state.

“We want to promote healthy living among the youth and also older residents,” he said.

Khalid said the state was looking to address gender equality by running part-time vocational classes for women from the lower-income group, by allocating another RM30 million to fund the training programmes.

“There will be classes for people to learn and master trade skills and other kinds of training so that people will be less dependent on welfare,” he said.

Similarly, the Welfare-to-Work programme will receive RM20 million to run vocational training under the Selangor Welfare Department.

Among some of the initiatives to improve the delivery system is the setting up of online infra-structure for ratepayers to check the status of the land premiums and titles.

The Information Technology (IT) equipment will also allow residents to pay their bills online.

Khalid also said the Land Office and Land and Mines Office will be able to purchase vans to be converted into mobile counters with the RM20 million fund.

Furthermore, RM22 million will be set aside to fund infrastructure projects such as maintain-ing jetties for fisherfolk and running marketing programmes for farmers.

He also announced that RM15 million would be earmarked to set up an anti-corruption pro-gramme with Transparency International.

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8 November 11 — 13, 2011

News

Better evaluation of free tuition needed

By Gan Pei Ling

SHAH ALAM: The state admitted that it has failed to monitor the re-sults of needy Form Five students under its free tuition programme.

“We haven’t been able to keep track of the students’ SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) results,” execu-tive councillor on education and human capital development Dr Halimah Ali said at the state as-sembly yesterday.

She said this in response to a question from Amirudin Shari (Batu Caves-PKR).

Amirudin had remarked that students’ results is one of the key measurements of the effectiveness of Program Tuisyen Rakyat Selan-gor, which offers free tuition class-

es in 56 state constituencies for 100 SPM students whose families’ in-come is lower than RM1,500 per month.

Priority is supposed to be given

to students with average grades to help them improve via free tuition in four subjects – Malay, English, Mathematics and History.

In defence, Dr Halimah urged the state assemblypersons to ap-point an efficient and capable programme coordinator in their constituencies to implement and record the students’ achievements.

Dr Halimah: Appoint an efficient and capable programme coordinator.

“We rely on your coordinators to track the students’ progress throughout and after the pro-gramme,” said Dr Halimah.

Established in 2009, the state allocates RM3.45 million for the programme and targets to recruit 5,600 students annually.

Students are taught by experi-enced school teachers recruited by

Councils still owe Alam Flora RM40 milSHAH ALAM: Local governments in the state have repaid more than half of some RM90 million owed to Alam Flora Sdn Bhd.

“As of Oct 30, the local governments have settled RM50 million they owe to Alam Flora,” said state ex-ecutive councillor Ronnie Liu (pic) during a supplemen-tary question at the state sitting here on Wednesday.

He said the initial amount owed might actually be lower as Alam Flora also owes monies to local au-thorities, having received assets and equipment from them in 1998.

Liu, responding to a question from Yap Ee Wah (MCA-Sungai Pelek), said Alam Flora received equip-ment and other assets from the municipalities when it took over garbage collection 13 years ago.

Liu, who portfolio includes local government, said the amount owed by local authorities would be lower if the assets surrendered in 1998 was contra with the debt.

The arrears is due to disputes between the work

carried out by the company and local authorities.

On a related mat-ter, Liu refuted Yap’s allegations that ten-ders have been award-ed to contractors with-out suitable equip-ment such as trash compactors.

“There are two categories. One is public cleaning and the other garbage collection,” said Liu, explaining that contractors who failed to get solid-waste collec-tion contracts were successful bidders for public-cleaning tasks.

Liu, who is also Pandamaran assemblyperson, said the state has been coping well since the Oct 16 hando-ver when local governments took over garbage collec-tion from Alam Flora.

ThirdSitting

Rising tourism spots in S’gorSHAH ALAM: The swiftlet ecology park Kuan Wellness in Tanjung Sepat, Strawberry Leisure Farm, and tubing and white water rafting in Hulu Selangor are among the growing tourist attractions in the state.

Agro-tourism in Sekinchan, Gold Coast Morib, and petting zoo Rabbit Fun Land in Semenyih are also attract-ing an increasing number of visitors, executive councillor on tourism Elizabeth Wong told the state assembly yester-day.

Responding to a question from Gan Pei Nei (Rawang-PKR), Wong said Selangor had 13.5 million domestic tourists from 2007 to April 2011.

The bulk of domestic travellers were from Kuala Lumpur

(3.69 million), followed by Selangor (2.74 million), Johor (2.0 million) and Penang (1.21 million).

Wong, who is also Bukit Lanjan assemblyperson, said the 11 locations below remain the top tourism spots in Selangor: 1. Blue Mosque, Shah Alam 2. Bukit Melawati, Kuala Selangor 3. Galeri DiRaja Sultan Abdul Aziz, Klang 4. Sunway Lagoon 5. Firefly Park, Kuala Selangor 6. Dong Zen Monastery, Jenjarom 7. Sepang Gold Coast 8. Batu Caves, Gombak 9. Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong 10. Kanching Recreational Forest, Rawang 11. I-City, Shah Alam

Wong said the state had also developed the Heritage Walk in Klang to promote its historical and heritage sites.

“Little India (in Klang), which is part of the Heritage Walk, has become a main competitor to Brickfields’ Little India,” she said.

Wong added that Tourism Selangor is actively promot-ing various unique products in the state, including the handicraft of Orang Asli Mahmeri from Carey Island, In-dian pottery of Kuala Selangor, as well as songket and batik of Shah Alam and Sepang.

Council accounts open to public scrutinySHAH ALAM: The  financial statements of all 12 local governments in Selangor are open to public scrutiny.

“The financial records are made available at state departments like the Land Office, state agencies, in community libraries and even school libraries,” said state executive councillor Ronnie Liu.

Liu, whose portfolio includes local government, said the ac-counts are also available on the websites of each local authority.

He said this in response to a question from Wong Koon Mun (MCA-Kuala Kubu Bharu)

Liu, however, explained that not all the local authorities could supply ratepayers with a copy of financial statements free-of-charge as this would incur “unnecessary costs”.

He singled out Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) as the only council that gives out its financial statements for free to rate-payers.

He said local governments follow a set of procedures and pro-cesses to ensure that the financial accounting is above board.

Liu explained that local government departments follow strict guidelines according to ISO standards, which are verified by an audit committee and also by accrediting bodies.

He said local government staff follow the National Integrity Plan to ensure that their work adheres to guidelines.

Liu added that councils and municipalities also carry out sur-prise checks on its departments to ensure that the work is accord-ing to standard.

RM3.54 bil highway in the worksSHAH ALAM: A mega highway connecting the state to the north of Perak is expected to cost some RM3.54 billion.

“The project is still under the planning stage The Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) is de-termining the locations of tolls in the state,” said state executive coun-cillor Datuk Hassan Mohd Ali.

He was responding to a supple-mentary question at the state as-sembly here yesterday.

To a question from Ng Swee Lim (DAP-Sekinchan), Hassan Ali said the connection will be from Banting to Sabak Bernam, and nine toll booths are expected to be built.

The cost in Selangor includes the

acquisition of some 77 acres of government land and 1,523 acres of private land.

Hassan Ali said the project un-der the 10th Malaysia Plan is ex-pected to cost RM6.5 billion, and the LLM is working closely with the state to ensure that the highway does not encroach upon rivers and forest reserve land.

Upon completion, the highway is expected to be a catalyst for the northern part of the state, namely Sekinchan, Sabak Bernam and Tanjung Karang.

The cost of construction of the 288km-long major arter y would be borne by concession-a ire Kons or ti um L e b u hraya Pantai Barat.

programme coordinators.The free tuition programme is

particularly well-received in semi-rural and rural constituencies such as Sungai Panjang, where over 190 students have registered this year.

Dr Halimah said the state would look into developing a more effec-tive mechanism to evaluate the programme’s effectiveness.

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ NOVEMBER 11 – 13,2010 ⁄ 9

news

By Alvin Yap

PETALING JAYA: Residents Asso-ciations (RA) here are asking for bigger roles in making the initiatives unveiled recently in the Petaling Jaya City Council’s 2012 Budget a success.

Among the initiatives the RAs have given a thumbs-up to are free parking for hybrid cars, free installation of Light-Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs, and the move to landscape parks in the city.

However, they lamented that the city council (MBPJ) had not sought their feedback in implementing the policies.

“We could have participated more in the policy discussion on how to imple-ment the projects,” said Jeffrey Phang of Friends of Kota Damansara, a community group that won the battle to re-gazette the nearby 340-hectare Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve.

He said MBPJ’s initiatives to address both security and the environment with the installation of LED bulbs in back lanes are steps in the right direction to combat crime and lower carbon emissions.

But Phang said the RM100,000 allo-cated for the project is not enough, owing to the fact that the initiative might be hugely successful.

The academic and community activist lauded the council’s efforts at reducing carbon emissions through its one-off free three months’ parking for hybrid cars in the city.

Section 5 RA chairperson Johan Tung concurred that ratepayers should be con-sulted on the city council budget.

“The unveiling was a ‘done deal’, there was no [opportunity for] feed-back,” said the former All Petaling Jaya, Selangor Residents Association Coali-tion president.

Tung gave thumbs-up to the initiatives, but said MBPJ did not allocate enough funding to the programmes.

For example, he said, RAs would have pressed the city council for more money to fund the free LED lighting.

He roundly criticised MBPJ for setting aside RM57 million for garbage and street cleaning services, saying the city council should have allocated a bigger amount to ensure no disruption to solid waste man-

agement and public cleanliness.“When Alam Flora was handling it

[last year and this year], they had a larger allocation. I don’t think you should cut back,” he said.

MBPJ and other local governments have taken over garbage collection from concessionaire Alam Flora Sdn Bhd since Oct 16.

On the whole, Tung said, MBPJ’s policies are on the right track. “The city council is doing a good job, but more can be done to ensure that PJ is sustainable,” he said on Monday in a telephone inter-view.

SS2B (Selatan) RA treasurer Betty Chuah expressed hope that her area will receive a portion of the RM3.4 million allocation to upgrade and build new car parks in the city.

She said the lack of parking bays in the neighbourhood is causing inconvenience to shoppers in the area.

Chuah also took to task MBPJ for its “paltry” allocation of RM400,000 to maintain the parks in the city, adding that her area alone has two large parks and four smaller ones.

“We don’t have green lungs here, and parks are all the more important for rate-payers to jog and exercise,” she said, adding that MBPJ should allocate more funds to build jogging paths and other amenities.

She also said MBPJ is “finally willing” to build a roof over the SS2/63 basketball court, referring to a RM200,000 alloca-tion for the location that attracts teenagers every afternoon and evening in eight-a-side matches.

“It’s about time,” she said, adding that residents there had petitioned the city council since 2006 for a covered basketball court.

PJS 10 RA chairperson V Pulevendran zeroed in on RM700,000 to upgrade food stalls and hawkers in neighbouring PJS 1, but asked if his area had been sidelined in the annual budget.

He said PJS 10 also has problems with illegal hawkers, who are causing clogged drains and traffic snarls in the area.

Pulevendran is asking MBPJ to con-sider building a food court for vendors to operate in.

Taman Datuk Harun RA president Zainudin Abdul Junid said MBPJ should not limit the free LED light installation to houses, as his area in PJS 1 consists of low-cost flats.

He said the LED bulbs will help deter crime in the neighbourhood by lighting up the alleys behinds the flats.

Zainudin also expressed disappoint-ment that MBPJ did not seek feedback from ratepayers in his area before tabling and passing the 2012 budget.

He said infrastructure development in parts of Petaling Jaya is not consistent throughout, as some are places are more or less developed than others.

“The best way is to have a comprehen-sive discussion where we can offer feed-back,” he said.

MBPJ budget: RAs seek more participation

10 november 11 — 13, 2011

news

copies distributed weekly throughout Selangor & Klang Valley100,000

community

November 4 — 6, 2011/ issue 47

MBSA to weed

out errant contractors

Greener budGet

for pj

p 11p 8

WHitHer tHe

money? p 12 & 13

Halal H

ub, market

in AG’s spotlightBy Gan pei Ling

SHAH

ALAm: The Selangor

Halal Hub in Pulau Indah, Port

Klang, has been described as un-

competitive for failing to attract

local and foreign investors.

The Auditor-General, in his an-

nual report, noted that only two

companies are operating at the

951-acre hub that was launched in

2003 and touted to be the first of

its kind in Malaysia.

Lack of promotion, marketing

strategies and difficulties in ob-

taining bank loans are among the

reasons for the slow development

of the commercial centre.

“No feasibility study was con-

ducted before the project was im-

plemented,” the report noted as

another reason for the hub’s stalled

progress.Th

e project is being carried out

by state property arm Kumpulan

Hartanah Selangor Bhd’s subsidi-

ary Central Spectrum (M) Sdn

Bhd.Divided into three phases, 10

companies bought 220 acres of

land during the first phase of its

development from 2003 to 2007,

but only two have started operat-

ing.The second phase started in

2008, but as of April 2011, only

120 acres have been sold to nine

investors while another 117.7

acres remain vacant.One of the purchasers also owes

Central Spectrum RM6.02 mil-

lion in arrears.Th

e AG also reported that the

decade-old Selangor Wholesale

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim

informing nursery operators and Yayasan Selangor officials that

the state government w

ill not hand out TOL for Green Lane.

Cheras residents protesting irregular bus services at the Jalan Alam Jaya 15 bus stop on Thursday. Irate residents carried out a signature

campaign on Thursday to send to Rapid KL over the m

atter. Story on Page 4.

• Turn To page 2

community

November 4 — 6, 2011/ issue 47

MBSA to weed

out errant

contractors

Greener

budGet

for pj

p 11p 8

WHitHer tHe

money?

p 12 & 13

Halal Hub, market

in AG’s spotlightBy Gan pei Ling

SHAH ALAm: The Selangor

Halal Hub in Pulau Indah, Port

Klang, has been described as un-

competitive for failing to attract

local and foreign investors.

The Auditor-General, in his an-

nual report, noted that only two

companies are operating at the

951-acre hub that was launched in

2003 and touted to be the first of

its kind in Malaysia.

Lack of promotion, marketing

strategies and difficulties in ob-

taining bank loans are among the

reasons for the slow development

of the commercial centre.

“No feasibility study was con-

ducted before the project was im-

plemented,” the report noted as

another reason for the hub’s stalled

progress.The project is being carried out

by state property arm Kumpulan

Hartanah Selangor Bhd’s subsidi-

ary Central Spectrum (M) Sdn

Bhd.Divided into three phases, 10

companies bought 220 acres of

land during the first phase of its

development from 2003 to 2007,

but only two have started operat-

ing.The second phase started in

2008, but as of April 2011, only

120 acres have been sold to nine

investors while another 117.7

acres remain vacant.

One of the purchasers also owes

Central Spectrum RM6.02 mil-

lion in arrears.

The AG also reported that the

decade-old Selangor Wholesale

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim informing nursery operators and Yayasan Selangor officials that

the state government will not hand out TOL for Green Lane.

Cheras residents protesting irregular bus services at the Jalan Alam Jaya 15 bus stop on Thursday. Irate residents carried out a signature

campaign on Thursday to send to Rapid KL over the matter. Story on Page 4.

• Turn To page 2

Tel: 03-5510 4566 Email: marketing@selangortimes.com http://selangortimes.com/

Your free community paper

For more informationContact:

Timothy Loh 019-267 4488,Ivan Looi 014-936 6698, Tony Kee 016-978 2798

By Basil Foo

CHERAS: Residents irked by irregular bus services have carried out a signature campaign to highlight their problem after claiming their complaints were ignored by RapidKL.

“We have to endure a one- to two-hour wait at the bus stop. It’s very inconvenient for the 30,000 residents of over 20 residential areas here,” said Praba Ganesan.

The Cuepac Cheras Community Centre (4C) pro-tem chairperson has collected more than 700 signatures over the past few weeks.

The petition demanded a reduced interval between trips and an increase in number of buses. Residents also want RapidKL to monitor the frequency of trips.

A protest was also held at the bus stop on Jalan Alam Jaya 15, on Thursday (Nov 3).

“We have written letters and hand-delivered them to the RapidKL office, but we have yet to get a reply or seen any action taken,” said the 39-year-old media practitioner.

Praba, who has been living in Taman Cuepac for the past three decades, said there were three buses serving the area in the 1980s, which has been reduced to one  for the past few years.

Taman Cuepac Phase Two Residents As-sociation chairperson A Ramakrishan said the absence of regular buses had caused much in-convenience.

“It takes us about an hour to wait for a bus to take us to the Bandar Tasik Selatan LRT, which is just 5km away,” he said.

The 66-year-old, who has lived here for 25 years, said he had even seen drivers taking naps in buses parked nearby.

“The inefficient service is caused by the lack of competition for RapidKL,” said Joseph Doraisamy, 63.

The Taman Cuepac Phase One Residents Association chairperson said the company’s monopoly was forcing residents to use taxis.

He said residents have to fork out RM20 for a single trip to the city centre, an amount many cannot afford.

“If I start waiting at the bus stop at 6.45am, I would only reach my college in KL at 8.30am,” said Sharanya Gangatharan.

The 18-year-old student said it would take even longer to wait for a bus for her afternoon classes – about two to three hours.

When contacted, Syarikat Prasarana Ne-gara Berhad (Prasarana), the parent company of RapidKL, said allocation of buses of each route was always based on demand.

“We will increase buses and their frequencies if there is demand. Route T405 buses (Taman

Cuepacs to Bandar Tasik Selatan) are scheduled at 30-minute intervals,” said Prasarana media affairs manager Azhar Ghazali.

He said another bus for this route had been added early this month to meet increased demand.

But he said there are occasions when the services are affected by traffic snarls at MRR2 and drivers having to make a turn on Jalan Sg Besi to reach Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS).

However, Praba was not convinced, saying that residents have always been told that there will be buses every 30 minutes.

“There is no excuse to let anyone wait longer than an hour for a bus. Would executives in RapidKL survive going to work in Bangsar everyday under these conditions? Are they

telling us, the poorer people of Selangor, not to live in this area if we wanted jobs outside these taman?” he asked.

He added that demand for buses is there because it is a middle-class area with a larger number of students and retirees.

Residents fume over irregular buses

Cheras residents protesting irregular bus services at the Jalan Alam Jaya 15 bus stop on Thursday.

Ramakrishnan (left) and Joseph.

Sharanya signing the petition.

11november 11 — 13, 2011

views

Cyberspace was on fire last week after the Auditor-General’s 2010 annual report revealed a host of financial

irreg ularities perpetrated by severa l government agencies and government-linked companies.

Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) was among six GLCs reported to have paid up to two months’ bonus despite having suffered RM354.91 million in losses in 2009. IWK suffered losses amounting to RM33.35 mil-lion that year (The Malaysian Insider, Oct 24, 2011).

It isn’t too difficult to understand why people are angered each year when these scandals are unveiled. As taxpayers, they feel indignant that their hard-earned money is being thrown about – and worse, to line the pockets of those they feel are undeserving.

But this is the epitome of everything that went wrong with the country’s privatisation scheme. Sewage treatment was privatised in 1994, taking over the functions of local gov-ernment authorities to improve service effi-ciency and effectiveness. Again, the argument that under a privatised company, things would be better managed.

But in 2000, the government had to dish out RM200 million to nationalise IWK be-cause it was debt-ridden, and today it is

wholly owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated.

Just last month, the Finance Ministry said the government had spent RM1.2 billion to cover its operational deficit. In fact, its total liability (up to June 2011) is made up mostly of “government support loans”, which means that it operates at a loss and could not pos-sibly survive without such grants.

This seems to be the same story for so many of our country’s public utility GLCs. Over the years, we have observed the same drama unfold-ing within water services and solid waste man-agement as well: privatising and taking over services from the state authorities with the in-tention of better management, but failing and eventually requiring government assistance.

So, it is most strange that recent reports indicate that the government, after national-ising IWK in 2000, is reverting to the solution of privatising it all over again.

1MDB, a strategic development company wholly owned by the government, has stated that it plans to form a consortium to take over the national sewerage company for a nominal fee. The consortium would secure RM800 million from 1MDB as seed capital and help to clear IWK’s debts, which stand at RM1.5 billion (Business Times, Sept 9, 2011). Puncak Niaga Sdn Bhd, dominant player in Selan-gor’s water services industry, is also reported to be involved in the consortium.

Although details of the takeover seem to be unconfirmed, it is certain that the sewerage industry is undergoing major restructuring. This is something all Malaysians should pay

careful attention to, for several reasons. One, as ratepayers, we would be directly

impacted by any changes made to the sewage management tariff and payment system, not to mention the service quality itself. Sec-ondly, any debts that are paid off by govern-ment in acquiring IWK would consist of taxpayers’ funds.

Finally, this is a crucial mega deal that

should not be hidden away from the public eye. In light of the furore sparked off by the Auditor General’s report, anyone in public service ought to realise by now that transpar-ency and accountability are key in winning the hearts of the many.

It is of great concern that these important negotiations are taking place without any participation from parties external to the deal. A monitoring body or watchdog group like Transparency International could pos-sibly be invited to ensure transactions take place in an open, transparent manner.

The fact that year after year, billions of public funds seem to disappear in an instant – poof ! – is truly astounding. The clarion calls repeat themselves in vain, to improve the system of governance and monitoring.

And these deals that seem to be opaque and obscure really do not help public percep-tion of the administration. One would imag-ine that we would have learnt from past mistakes on several counts, namely that pri-vatising public utilities does not work in this country. If and when these deals are made, they must ultimately be watertight to protect consumers’ interests.

Before the deal is signed, it is hoped that the officials representing all Malaysians (read: government) are carefully scrutinising every line of the concession agreement, making sure the terms and conditions of the document are favourable to the people. It would be a ridiculous affair if, several years down the line, the same pattern of being financially unviable and the need for public funds arises yet again.

Sewerage privatisation once again?

Just selangorTricia Yeoh

For a very long time now there has been almost complete anarchy on Malaysian roads. There appear to be no laws governing traffic, nor does there appear to be anyone

bothered to obey them if there were. I am sure you see, as I do, on a daily basis motorcycles and

motorcars ignoring red lights, double lines and stop signs. Most times right before the eyes of traffic police who seem to always be looking the other way.

Okay, let’s play some blame games regarding this chaos on Malaysian roads. Who is to blame for the sad state of traffic disobedience? Who is responsible for implementing and enforcing some semblance of law and order for Malay-sian motorists?

I can almost hear some of you shouting, “The police la! Useless baargers! It’s their job what!” True or not? That would be the initial reaction from most people I think. After all, they are the police and they are supposed to enforce the law. And that includes traffic laws.

But they don’t seem to be doing too great a job. A drive around the busy streets of Kuala Lumpur and/or Petaling Jaya and its surroundings will attest to that. And of course we all know about their limp attempts at controlling and enforcing parking rules at the airports. KLIA as well as LCCT.

So are the police alone responsible for our traffic woes? Maybe it is the responsibility of the driving schools to give better training before they approve and pass out to Malaysian roads indisciplined and poorly tutored drivers. Or is it the responsibility of the min-istry of transport to make sure that the criteria for being approved to drive/ride on public roads is up to some mark, which can erase our dubious reputation of hav-ing one of the highest road death scores in the world?

Who is responsible? I guess in the final analysis we are re-

sponsible. We know what the rules are. We just don’t give a crap. Why? I guess it’s because we’ve learnt that we can get away with not giving a crap. About almost everything.

Take a look at the latest “hot” topic. Our teaching the kids Math and Science in English and/or Bahasa Malaysia, Chi-nese, Tamil or whatever. The whole big mess started years ago when some wiseguy in his infinite wisdom decided to tell everybody that the English language is a colonial shackle that we must shake off, and that Malay was our national language and therefore must be protected and blah… blah… blah.

And so we threw out a system that was working just fine and pretended that we were all nationalistic and proud of our national language a n d that that alone would be enough to prop el Ba ha sa

Malaysia to the status of a global language of communication. Well, some of us didn’t believe that at all, but we all kept quiet. We didn’t really give a crap la. Either children all grown up and done with school and universities. Or children not born yet so no need to worry yet.

Then suddenly it came crashing down. Huh? Our school children can’t speak the international language of communica-tion? Our university graduates are unemployable? What hap-pened? Who is responsible for this mess? Must be the govern-ment la. The ministry of education. Or is it anybody’s respon-sibility to take charge of our lives and our future except us?

As the PPSMI issue has proven beyond what Bersih 2.0 and others started, things start to happen when we take charge as the only element that really matters in the final equation. We collectively told the authorities that we weren’t happy about how things were being done. And suddenly the ding-donging swung things our way. Now, if this carries on, I think we might just be able to do our part in determining the kind of future we want for ourselves, our families, our children and our country come the next general elections. Wouldn’t that be cool? For once.

Who is responsible for the policing of the traffic rules on our roads? Us.

Who is responsible for the education that we deserve for our children? Us.

Who is responsible for the kind of country we want to live in? Us.

I guess, as in the past, goodies will still be thrown at us. As if to say, “Nah! Don’t worry. We’ll take care of things for you. Just let us do things our way!” And it will be tempting.

But I think it will be fun to test out just how far we can go in taking the reins ourselves and steering things the way we think we should be going.

Time to take the wheelTeohlogy patrick teoh

12 November 11 — 13, 2011InsIght

Derek: New policies have allowed residents to be more involved in council-related matters.

By Brenda Ch’ng

L ightning strikes during a heavy thunderstorm, causing trees to fall onto the road, obstruct-ing cars driving through and almost injuring

residents living in houses nearby. A phone call is then made to the first person that comes to the complain-ant’s mind – a face they elected two years ago, their Member of Parliament (MP) or assemblyperson.

Regardless of what the complaint is – be it uncol-lected trash, neighbourhood squabbles or potholes – most residents usually file complaints to politicians, hoping it will be resolved with a snap of the finger.

These residents tend to be unaware that such com-plaints should be directed to local councillors, they who represent the people’s voice at local councils. 

“There is often a misconception of roles by residents on what a councillor should do and what a Member

Tan at a recycling session with local residents leaders in Taman Wawasan.

Santiago (with sunglasses) and councillor Yew Boon Lye (on his left) listening to complaints over traffic caused by the construction of a

kindergarten in Klang.

MPs and councillors:Distinguishing their roles

of Parliament should do,” says Klang MP Charles Santiago.

Being an MP, he is expected to pre-pare for debates in Parliament, be up to date on parliamentary issues, and make laws on a federal level.

However, over the years, MPs have become the person expected to handle anything and everything a resident comes to them with.

“About 50-60% of my daily tasks are handling local council issues like garbage collection and flood woes,” says Santiago.

He even received a threatening note from a resident requesting him to solve crime problems in an area because they voted for him.

“The thing is, I can’t solve that as it’s a police matter, and I can only highlight it to the respective authorities,” he says.

Even so, he never turns a complain-ant away, but tries to help them by redirecting straightforward complaints to councillors and intervening where it comes to the more complicated matters.

“I usually only step in when residents are finding it hard to negotiate certain matters with authorities, or when both parties can’t see eye to eye on things,” says Santiago. For example, matters like hawker relocations or major infrastruc-ture problems.

However, there is a limit to how far he can help, as MPs have no control over the council’s budget, councillors’ decision-making, or the councils’ operat-ing systems.

Bridging the gapMeanwhile, councillors who have

the power to get matters solved are often not recognised or acknowledged by residents, some of whom don’t even know they exist.

“Being part of the local council has made me realise how some issues could be resolved because we have the power to do so. But many residents are still unfamiliar with the roles of a councillor,” says Subang Jaya Municipal Councillor

(MPSJ) Tan Jo Hann.The three-term councillor since 2008

explains that the responsibility of a councillor is to act as the bridge or facili-tator between residents and the council.

“We organise dialogue sessions with residents and officers to discuss issues and ensure residents get a fair hearing, especially when it is an issue concerning powerful developers,” Tan says.

Councillors are also expected to draw up policies on a local-government level.

“Our role is to act as the highest body in the local council to set new policies and help implement them in the com-munity,” Tan says.

In addition, councillors are placed in different committees within the council to tackle different issues such as infrastructure, finance, environment and audit.

Tan, who sits in the audit committee, environment committee and infrastruc-ture committee, also chairs the cleanli-ness sub-committee and abandoned-building sub-committee.

It is crucial that councillors are placed in different committees so that they can come up with policies to help solve long-term issues like project development, traffic congestion, and development on slopes. 

Motions are made in the respective committees and brought into the coun-

cil’s monthly full board meeting for the resolution to be passed and approved by the board.

Once approved, the council will move to implement them in the community in a bid to create a more conducive living environment for the people.

Examples of policies set by council-lors over the year are a new hostel guide-line for houses in MPSJ; one-hour timed parking system at Taipan, USJ; and green-building policies by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).

Green buildings, policies and other duties

“We are the first council to manifest the mandatory green-building certifica-tion if developers want to get a higher plot ratio,” says MBPJ councillor Derek Fernandez.

The three-term councillor said poli-cies are made by council-lors to benefit all parties, especially residents.

Recently, MBPJ ap -proved a policy to invite residents to hear and dis-cuss the council’s budget. 

It was the first open budget session that al-lowed residents to sit in and listen, and voice out their comments or objec-tions regarding the Budget 2012.

Apart from that, MBPJ councillors approved a policy allowing all resi-dents to object or voice out concerns over develop-ments in their neighbour-hood.

“Previously, only direct neighbours can make an objection, but now we overwrote the bylaw and extended the opportunity to all residents to have a say,” Derek says.

With the new policy,

signage with details about a particular development will be put up at a con-struction site, and residents can write in to MBPJ with their concerns for the council to try to solve.

Policies can also be made to help earn more revenue for the council, like implementing a rental fee for billboard advertisers, or forming an independent audit committee to monitor council spendings.

“These two policies actually helped the council earn over RM7 million with the billboards, and saved us a few million each year on contract malpractices,” says Derek.

Though the councillors have a hand-ful of policies to draw up and implement, their daily duties don’t end there. 

Ever y day, council lors wil l be swamped with complaints ranging from general ones like rubbish, drains and

floods to sensitive ones like neighbour disputes, house-renovation problems, and licensing issues.

Residents would rather call the coun-cillor to personally address the issue or set up a meeting to see them individually, for fear their problems would fall on deaf ears otherwise.

“They have this mindset that it’s bet-ter to complain personally to a council-lor in order for their complaints to be addressed and solved faster. They don’t trust the system,” said Hulu Selangor District Councillor (MDHS) Chua Yee Ling.

The two-term councillor said the system, which the council adopted over 50 years ago, has given the residents the perception that their complaints will be left unattended. 

“I don’t blame the staff because it’s the system that’s at fault. They are so used to

Member of State assemblyperson Local councillors Parliament (MP) (Adun) (in Selangor only)

Level Federal government State government Local government

No. in Selangor 22 56 24 x 12 local councils = 288

Enter office via Election Election State-appointment

Term Max 5 years Max 5 years Previously 3 years, now renewed annually

Commitment Full-time Full-time Part-time

Responsibilities National lawmaker – State lawmaker – Local lawmakers – parliamentary actsenactments by-laws

 Areas  • Education  • Land  • Urban / rural  • Healthcare  • Agriculture    and public  • Defence and   • Natural resources    infrastructure    internal security  • Local governments  • Local businesses  • Tourism and others     and others (as provided  • Solid waste    (as provided under     under the State and    management    the Federal and     Concurrent list in  • Cleaning services    Concurrent List in     Ninth Schedule of the  • (as provided    Ninth Schedule of the     Federal Constitution)    under Local    Federal Constitution)        Government Act 1976)

Basic salary   RM6,580 / month  RM6,000  RM1,000 / (excluding   (proposed raise  (raised from  month for city & other allowances)  in Oct shelved)  RM4,113 in  municipal councillors;     April 2011)  RM750 for district councillors

AT A GLANCE: Similarities and differences

Santiago with participants of a dumpling-wrapping competition held in conjunction with the Chinese dumpling festival in June this year.

Tan monitoring roadworks with Residents Association leaders.

Chua: Ratepayers have this mindset that it’s better to complain personally.

By Gan Pei Ling

Malaysians used to be able to vote for their own local councillors. in fact, Malaysia had been holding local government elections way before it achieved independence in 1957.

The first local election was held in Georgetown in 1857, and was abolished in 1913 and reintroduced in 1951. Kuala lumpur follow suit in 1952. By 1958, there were elections in several city, municipal and district councils in Malaya.

However, local government elections were suspended in March 1965 due to the Confrontation with indonesia. local councillors have since been appointed by the state.

Consequently, local councillors became political appointees as they were selected mostly based on political affiliation rather than merit.

in the past few decades, despite having to continuously pay taxes to local governments, Malaysians have been effectively denied their right to elect representatives to look after their interests in local councils.

as a result, members of the public have come to rely on their federal and state elected representatives – Members of Parliaments and state assemblypersons – to resolve their daily problems.

Pakatan Rakyat-led selangor and Penang have been intending to restore local government elections to fulfill their election promise, and commissioned studies on its possibility in 2009.

Made up of 49 civil society groups and established in 2008, the Coalition for Good Governance (CGG) conducted the study for selangor and has lobbied hard for the state to restore the third vote for the people.

Due to legal restrictions under the local Government act, states are unable to restore local government elections, but selangor has held three test-case village head elections for the people this year.

Election watchdogs, including the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0), Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (Mafrel) and CGG, have lauded selangor’s initiative and encouraged the state to implement village chief elections in selangor.

The third vote

Santiago (with sunglasses) and councillor Yew Boon Lye (on his left) listening to complaints over traffic caused by the construction of a

kindergarten in Klang.

MPs and councillors:Distinguishing their roles

floods to sensitive ones like neighbour disputes, house-renovation problems, and licensing issues.

Residents would rather call the coun-cillor to personally address the issue or set up a meeting to see them individually, for fear their problems would fall on deaf ears otherwise.

“They have this mindset that it’s bet-ter to complain personally to a council-lor in order for their complaints to be addressed and solved faster. They don’t trust the system,” said Hulu Selangor District Councillor (MDHS) Chua Yee Ling.

The two-term councillor said the system, which the council adopted over 50 years ago, has given the residents the perception that their complaints will be left unattended. 

“I don’t blame the staff because it’s the system that’s at fault. They are so used to

a particular way of doing things that it’s hard to change,” she said.

Chua added that local governments and councillors should think of new ap-proaches and creative means to replace the old ways.

Money mattersHowever, Chua is unhappy about the

small allowance councillors get, which doesn’t justify their huge job scope.

“How can you pay a councillor RM750 and expect them to do their job properly when they have to earn a living and pay bills at the same time?” she asks.

She says with the many issues a coun-cillor needs to focus on and tackle, that amount of money isn’t enough for a full-time councillor.

Before this, Chua and her fellow dis-trict councillors were paid RM250 per month. This figure was increased this year by RM500.

The small pay rise raised eyebrows of Selangor MCA deputy chairperson Datuk Teh Kim Poo.

“The raise given to councillors is too quick. Less than two and a half years and the councillors are getting a second increase... it is absurd as the number of them throughout Selangor are inefficient and not service-oriented,” he said.

Agreeing with him was Selangor MCA Public Complaints Bureau chief Datuk Theng Book, who said the allow-ance was not meant to cover their living expenses.

“A councillor is appointed to serve the people, it is not a full-time job. If you think you cannot survive with the allowance you receive, I advise you not to take the post,” he said.

However, Monash University’s po-litical scientist Wong Chin Huat thinks that councillors should be paid what they deserve, judging on the work they do.

“They should be paid like a middle-level manager but less than an MP and assemblyperson,” Wong says.

He says those paid a higher amount

should be a full-time councillor respon-sible for taking care of daily complaints, supervising site visits and following up on grievances.

Part-time councillors can be paid less and are only expected to do half of what full-time councillors do.

“With one zone in the urban area having a population of about 10,000 to 20,000 people, it is impossible for one councillor to handle the whole lot,” Wong says.

Member of State assemblyperson Local councillors Parliament (MP) (Adun) (in Selangor only)

level Federal government state government local government

no. in selangor 22 56 24 x 12 local councils = 288

Enter office via Election Election state-appointment

Term Max 5 years Max 5 years Previously 3 years, now renewed annually

Commitment Full-time Full-time Part-time

Responsibilities national lawmaker – state lawmaker – local lawmakers – parliamentary actsenactments by-laws

 Areas  • Education  • Land  • Urban / rural  • Healthcare  • Agriculture    and public  • Defence and   • Natural resources    infrastructure    internal security  • Local governments  • Local businesses  • Tourism and others     and others (as provided  • Solid waste (as provided under under the state and management    the Federal and     Concurrent list in  • Cleaning services    Concurrent List in     Ninth Schedule of the  • (as provided ninth schedule of the Federal Constitution) under local Federal Constitution) Government act 1976)

Basic salary   RM6,580 / month  RM6,000  RM1,000 / (excluding (proposed raise (raised from month for city & other allowances) in Oct shelved) RM4,113 in municipal councillors; april 2011) RM750 for district councillors

AT A GLANCE: Similarities and differences

14 november 11 — 13, 2011

views

I was shocked and aghast that the weekly Ask Lord Bobo column was not in my trusty Selangor Times last week! What happened to the Lord? Traumatised, by email

TRAUMATISED – you need to get out more. But anyway, if you must know, the Lord was busy averting an intergalactic catastrophe that would have reduced Earth to the size of a marble. And no, you don’t need to thank the Lord. We’re quite used to your ungrateful ways.

Lord Bobo. I’ve been reading a lot about this UUCA UKM4 thing. What’s the big deal? Is my life as a university student going to get better? Will I pass my

exams more easily? Salahuddin, by email

YOU will recall that the UKM4 consists of four political sci-ence students studying at the National University of Malaysia who were disciplined for, well, taking part in politics! Muham-mad Hilman bin Idham, Woon King Chai, Muhammad Ismail bin Aminuddin and Azlin Shafina binti Mohamad Adza, had been found in the constituency of Hulu Selangor during the campaign period for the parliamentary by-election there.

Disciplinary charges were brought against them by UKM because of this. UKM accused them of infringing section 15(5)(a) of the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971. That section provides that no student “shall express or do anything which may reasonably be construed as expressing support for or sympathy with or opposition to any political party, wheth

er in or outside Malaysia”.

The UKM4 argued that this provision was unconstitu-tional since Article 10(1)(a) of the Federal Constitution provides that “every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression”.

However, this right is subject to Article 10(2)(a) which provides that Parliament may by law impose “such restrictions as it deems necessary or expedient in the interest of the secu-rity of the Federation or any part thereof, friendly relations with other countries, public order or morality and restrictions designed to protect the privileges of Parliament or of any Legislative Assembly or to provide against contempt of court, defamation, or incitement to any offence”.

The Court of Appeal in a 2-1 majority decision held that s. 15(5)(a) was unconstitutional. One of the majority judges, Hishamuddin Yunos JCA, pointed out the incongruity that these students could vote and enter into contracts, but could not express support for a political party.

The other judge in the majority, Linton Albert JCA, pointed out the manifest “absurdity” in the section by the very facts of the case, where the four were subjected to disciplinary proceedings merely for being present in a place where a by-election was being held.

Court decisions nullifying provisions of law because the law is unconstitutional are very rare in Malaysia, and the Court decision in this case was a huge success for student activists throughout Malaysia.

His Supreme Eminenceness would also like to humbly point out that the most awesome blawg LoyarBurok was the first to highlight the UKM4’s predicament and bring their case to prominence. The ridiculous nature of section 15(5)(a) can be seen in the discrimination it metes out against students in Malaysia – Malaysian students studying abroad are not pro-hibited from taking part in the various Kelab Umno, MCA and MIC overseas.

Will your life as a student get any better? Well, you prob-

ably won’t feel any d i f ferenc e . As Professor Azmi Sharom pointed out in his column in another, inferior, periodical – only a political nerd would g e t excited about this deci- sion.

But if you embrace the spirit of this judgment by the Court of Appeal – which celebrates freedom of expression as a means to achieve a holistic development of Malaysians as participants in our civil society – then you would be well advised to get more in-volved in politics, now that you are able to. There’s no need to join a political party – just come join the wonderful friendly people at UndiMsia! who are seeking to empower Malaysians with the tools to hold politicians to account. What fun!

I was most impressed with the majority of the judges in the UKM4 case. I think this means our judiciary has now proved itself to be independent, and a lot the criticism of

judges (including by you, most revered Lord Bobo) are unwarranted. Will you be apologising and retracting your criticism? Chong, via email

AS my good friend and pupil Aristotle is famously supposed to have said, “One swallow does not a summer make, nor does one day; and so too one day, or a short time, does not make a man blessed and happy.”

A few weeks ago, the judiciary also denied MP Michael Jeyaku-

mar Devaraj permission to bring judicial review to question the Special Constituency Allocation, which is apparently only being given to Barisan Nasional MPs to distribute.

These same courts also ratified the “coup” in Perak, which saw the democratically elected government unceremoniously replaced by the State opposition in dubious circumstances. (Read LoyarBurok’s first book, Perak: A State of Crisis, for the full low-down). And yes, Lord Bobo does indeed claim to be the inspiration for much of Aristotle’s ideas and words. Dis-believe it at your peril.

Missing Bobo, and the UKM4

community

May 20 — 22, 2011/ issue 25

TI-M head disputes Christian state claim

Wesak Day: a time for giving p 4 p 15

may 13: recollections & reconciliation p 12 & 13

• Turn To page 2

Facelift for old flats

By William Tan Petaling Jaya: Dilapidat-ed low-cost flats throughout Sel-angor may get a new lease of life if a pilot programme to rehabilitate such homes is successful.The ambitious and first-of-its-

kind project is being carried out by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) in collaboration with Veri-tas Design Group, a private com-pany, and Rumah Air Panas, a community-based charity.The single block at the  Taman

Maju Jaya apartments here, which houses 59 families, will be the first to undergo the transformation, which includes renovations and re-furbishments while keeping the physical aspects intact."All works are based on the deci-

sions made by the residents," said social activist Wong Hay Cheong.

Wong, who mooted the idea, pointed out that many of the resi-dents were forced to move into the flats when squatter settlements were demolished, but the buildings and facilities were hardly adequate.

“The entry of Veritas Design Group, which has contributed RM100,000 and the skills [of their architects], means that is going to change,” said Wong.As many as 50,000 families were

relocated to low-cost flats between 2000 and 2008 under former Men-teri Besar Dr Khir Toyo's Zero Squatter policy which has been crit-icised for creating high-rise ghettos.

Wong said the private firm is car-rying out the project as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, having spent the last two years laying the groundwork for the project.The company has been liaising

with the families regularly to get feedback on their needs and help them decide on practical solutions.

Their architects, using the latest technologies and techniques, will remodel the building on a tight budget, which is estimated to be less than RM500,000.“It is very challenging; almost

everything needs to be redone. The wiring is horrible, the roof is leaking, and the septic tank emits an awful stench,” said Veritas Design Group

architect Iskandar Razak.Iskandar added that it was very difficult to obtain commitments from various parties at the start of the project, with funding still a seri-ous issue.

The success of the project rests on sponsorships for the various compo-nents, such as the supply of metal parts, and the company hopes to

obtain what they need from  their business contacts.“Despite it all, this is a very im-

portant project for us as we believe that a city should not be inhabited by the wealthy only, but by every strata of society. In a way, we are re-juvenating the city,” said Iskandar.

If the pilot is successful, the com-

LB_246391_Sun_m14.ai 1 5/12/11 9:56 PM

Keeping abandoned babies safe: Faizah Mohd Tahir (left) demonstrating the use of the baby hatch as local celebrity Datin Sofia Jane looks on.

• STory on page 10

Where to get your Where to get your LRT Stations (Distribution by hand) – MorningAmpang – Sentul TimurAmpangCahayaCempaka Pandan IndahPandan JayaSentul TimurSentul

Kelana Jaya – Terminal PutraKelana JayaTaman BahagiaTaman ParamountAsia JayaTaman JayaUniversitiSri Rampai Wangsa MajuTaman Melati

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 MallPlaza Damas Ikano Power CentreEmpire Subang MetroPointCentro Mall, KlangBangsar Shopping Complex

Hypermarkets (From Saturday noon)

Tesco (Puchong, Kajang, Mutiara Damansara, Rawang, Bukit Tinggi, Setia Alam, Ampang, Extra Shah Alam, Kepong)

Giant (Puchong, Kajang, Bandar Kinrara, Klang, Pandamaran, Bandar Selayang, Kota Damansara, Taman Setiawangsa, Putra Heights, Taman Connaught, Kelana Jaya, Bukit Antarabangsa, Subang Jaya, Bukit Tinggi, Setia Alam, Kota Kemuning)

Carrefour (Bukit Rimau, Subang Jaya, Wangsa Maju, Sri Petaling, Kepong, Puchong, Ampang, Jalan Peel, Jalan Kapar, Bandar Tun Hussein Onn, S23 Shah Alam)

Jusco (Bukit Tinggi, Tmn Maluri, Wangsa Maju, Bandar Baru Klang, Mahkota Cheras)

Commuter Stations (Distribution by hand) – Morning

Sentul – 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 17/27SS15 Subang Jaya Taman Kuchai Lama Taman OUG Pasar Taman Megah Pasar Jalan OthmanPasar Jalan 17/2Pasar Sek 14

Pasar Seri Setia SS9A/1Pasar Kg ChempakaTaman Tun Dr Ismail

HospitalForrest Medical Centre

CollegesHelp InstituteCollege Bandar Utama (KBU)Universiti Kebangsan Malaysia

Ask Lord Bobo is a weekly column by Loyar-Burok (www.loyarburok.com) where all your

profound, abstruse, erudite, hermetic, recondite, sagacious, and other thesaurus-described

queries are answered!

Michael Jeyakumar

15November 11 — 13, 2011

News

Half-million grant for century-old school

Agricultural fest to promote local produce

By Brenda Ch’ng

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Agrofest (SAF 2011), which pro-vides a platform to boost the local agriculture industry, will be held from Nov 28 to Dec 4 at Stadium Malawati.

“This is a chance for the farmers, business[persons] and traders to sell their products directly to the public during this one-week SAF carnival,” said executive councillor Dr Yaakob Sapari last Friday.

The executive councillor for agriculture, speaking during a press conference, said farmers and traders will get an opportunity sell fresh produce and products directly to the public.

The annual event has been held since 2008 to create awareness and promote local agriculture.

Previously known as the Selan-gor Ria Programme, the SAF car-nival this year will bring together farmers, producers and traders in-volved in the agriculture industry.

“We hope this opportunity will enable everyone to create business ties with one another to help im-prove the agricultural industry,” said Yaakob.

Students from the three schools presenting a drum performance during the celebration on Saturday.

By Gan Pei Ling

KLANG: Chung Hua Independent High School, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last Saturday, will receive RM500,000 from the state for its multipurpose hall.

“Thanks to the state, we’ve reached our RM5.5 million fund-raising target,” said Chung Hua’s Board of Directors chairperson Datuk Chua Chon Wee during a press conference at Saturday’s cel-ebration.

Apart from the state’s grant, the public collectively donated RM2 million, while its alumni, board of directors and Parents and Teachers Association raised RM3 million.

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim made the surprise an-nouncement during the event at the school.

“The state will underwrite the remaining RM500,000… The funds may come from state-owned com-panies as well,” said Khalid.

Applications for the construction of the multipurpose hall have been approved by the relevant authorities, and the school can begin construc-tion soon.

Khalid’s administration has con-sistently allocated state funding for vernacular and Chinese indepen-dent high schools, which often rely on public donations to sustain op-erations.

“We believe everyone in Selangor should have equal opportunity to have an education of their choice,” he said.

He added that the 2011 Selangor budget would continue to allocate funding for vernacular and Chinese independent high schools as it has in previous years.

Chung Hua is one of the oldest schools in Klang. Founded on Nov 1, 1911, the school weathered through the Japanese occupation (1942-1945) and Emergency period (1948-1960).

It split into three separate schools after Independence. In 1959, its primary section was nationalised and became SJK (C) Chung Hua. The secondary school was nation-alised in 1962 and renamed SMJK Chung Hua.

A minority of the school popula-tion that refused to be nationalised then set up Chung Hua Indepen-dent High School.

The three schools still share the same compound, and their students performed jointly during Saturday’s celebration.

Also present were Selangor Speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim, executive councillor Ronnie Liu, Klang Municipal Coun-cil (MPK) acting presi-dent Ikhsan Mukri, and MPK councillors Rob-ert Choo, Yeo Boon Lye and Tan Heng Kim.

Speaker Teng, Khalid, school director Chua,

executive councillor Liu and invited

guests at the groundbreaking

ceremony.

The event is also open to non-agricultural per-sons to learn about new farming technologies, and to be kept updated on the status of our farming economy.

There will also be awards given out to local businesses that have suc-ceeded in expanding their agricultural sales.

Agricultural exhibi-tions, seminars, funfairs and demonstrations to entertain all participants will be held, in addition to petting zoos, paint-ball , futsal matches, drawing and dodol-cooking competitions, and a marathon run.

Admittance is free. For more information, log on to www.saf2011.com. Yaakob checking out the Selangor Agrofest website.

16 november 11 — 13, 2011

news

Feedback on dangerous intersection soughtBy Gan Pei Ling

BUKIT LANJAN: The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) is seeking public feedback for its proposal to close an accident-prone intersection at Persiaran Perdana that allows entry to Jalan Cempaka SD 12/1.

City councillors Chan Chee Kong and Syed Abdul Malik A Hamid Al Jafree told the press that MBPJ had received several public complaints on accidents in front of the two petrol stations and McDonald’s outlet at the intersection.

“There have been a few fatal accidents and several minor ones over the years,” said Chan last Saturday.

MBPJ’s engineering department has surveyed the road and proposed to close the intersection in view of public safety.

“This is a main road with fast ongoing traffic, and motorists are using the intersection to make u-turns from both sides of the road, and as a point of entry to and exit from Jalan Cem-paka SD 12/1. It’s dangerous,” said Chan.

He said motorists could still make u-turn further ahead at the traffic lights if the intersection was closed.

Bukit Lanjan assemblyperson Elizabeth Wong, who was also present at the press conference, said installing speed bumps to slow down traffic is not an option as Persiaran Perdana is a main road.

“Unless there’s a school or worship place along the road,

speed bumps cannot be in-stalled on a main road,” said the executive councillor.

However, Wong encour-aged residents to suggest other alternative routes if they do not want the intersection to be closed.

Resident Abdul Razak Idris, 57, who lost his aunt in an accident here three years ago, supported the proposal to close the intersection.

“Our safety should always come first,” he said.Another resident, Tan Chin Hang, 75, agreed that the city

council must act to prevent further accidents.The public can provide their suggestions and feedback to

the city council’s engineering department at 03-79552243 / 79584221 by Nov 30.

Motorists at Persiaran Perdana intersection attempting to u-turn and cross the main road to enter Jalan Cempaka SD 12/1.

Chan

By Brenda Ch’ng

SUBANG JAYA: A walk with the disabled over 7.1km around Sunway is being or-ganised on Nov 27 to pro-mote “accessible tourism” and raise awareness of the need for more disabled-friendly facili-ties.

The Disability Awareness Campaign 2011 main organ-iser, Beautiful Gate Founda-t i on For th e D i s a b l e d (BGFFD), is also aiming to reduce architectural and transportation barriers that hinder the disabled from be-ing independent.

The event is co-organised by Heap Hope Angels and the Subang Jaya Mu-nicipal Council (MPSJ).

“By promoting accessible tourism for the elderly and disabled, we hope to change the perception of providing disabled-friendly facilities from ‘extra cost’ to ‘investment’,” said BGFFD executive direc-tor Sia Siew Chin.

The convoy route will start at Sunway Pyramid to Sri KL school, Taylors College, Monash Univer-sity, Sunway Medical Centre, and Sunway Pyramid.

Sia said this event is crucial because many people still refuse to provide disabled-friendly facilities in their buildings as they see it as unnecessary extra cost.

“We believe that this event will raise the aware-ness of the importance of accessible tourism and help bring about a tremendous impact to Malaysian tourism,” she said.

According to Sia, Malaysia is moving towards an aging society, with the number of seniors and disa-bled expected to reach 3.4 billion by 2020.

By 2013, the population of seniors aged 60 and above will make up 20% of the society.

“It is time we created an obstacle-free zone to adapt to the needs of seniors and disabled who want to move about independently,” said PJ Utara MP Tony Pua.

He said the disabled should be able to enjoy all

the benefits and services as everyone else, like watch-ing movies, dining out, taking public transport, and shopping.

“This walk is a good move to getting people to become aware of how neglected the disabled and seniors are. We can also be known as the best desti-nation for disabled and senior travellers all around the world,” he said.

The first-ever disabled conference will also be held on Nov 26 to educate participants on accessible tourism and allow them to better understand the latest in disabled facilities.

The conference will be participated by interna-tional representatives from the disabled society, as well as foreign key speakers from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, India and the Philippines.

MPSJ councillors Loka Ng, R Rajiv and Ng Sze Han, and the Facilities for Disabled People Com-mittee will help in coordinating the events.

“We are happy to be part of this programme, and it is such a good timing for [these events] to take place just as our committee is formed,” said Loka Ng.

The committee, which was formed two months ago by MPSJ, oversees infrastructure and facilities for seniors and the disabled.

He said MPSJ will be present with officers who will manage traffic during the walk on Nov 27.

Walking with the disabled

(From left) MPSJ councillor R Rajiv, Ng, Japan International Cooperation Agency Malaysia Officer Okubo Miho, Pua, MPSJ councillor Ng Sze Han, with representatives from disabled organisations and Sia (receiving token from Pua).

KLANG: Pupils of Sekolah Kebang-saan Batu Unjur, Bukit Tinggi here got their hands dirty on Wednesday plant-ing saplings as part of project to create environmental awareness.

Primary children, teachers, repre-sentatives from the parent-teacher as-sociation (PIBG) and Klang Municipal Council (MPK) officers planted the 10 saplings.

In less then an hour, five rubber clone trees – which do not produce latex – and five various kinds of forest trees were planted in the garden behind the school.

“This programme is to help the ur-ban young generation understand the importance of the environment, and teach them how to plant and look after trees,” said the school’s senior assistant, Rosnani Ibrahim.

She said the majority of city children are clueless about how certain plants look like, and are even confused about where vegetables and fruits come from.

Rosnani hopes this programme can teach children how to identify rare spe-cies, and encourage them to plant more trees for the environment.

The project is also a platform for children to learn about the world of agriculture, farming and plantation.

“We will be teaching the children how to plant trees the proper way, look after them, fertilise and multiply the rare species so they do not go extinct,” she said.

Joining the event was MPK Depart-ment of Management Services Director Zaireezal Ahmad Zainudin, who stood in for the council’s vice-president.

“It’s important for schools to have lots of greenery, and it’s good that they are also taught how to plant and look after them,” he said.

Zaireezal said this will be a good opportunity for the children to get hands-on experience in planting trees.

This programme is also part of the council’s 2015 mission to create a sus-tainable development in the town.

“We only have about three years left, and I hope more projects like this will be carried out to help us achieve our mission for a greener town,” he said.

The council donated soil, fertiliser and educational planting courses for the

children.Thirteen rare species of

plants were donated by Klang’s Department of Agri-culture; 23 forest trees from Klang’s Forestry Department; 13 rubber clone trees from the Malaysian Rubber Board; and 20 oil palm trees from the Malaysian Oil Palm Board.

These trees will be planted by the children in phases from now until next year.

Pupils plant saplings for the environment

Zaireezal demonstrating how to plant a rubber clone tree.

17november 11 — 13, 2011

news

By Alvin Yap

SUBANG JAYA: Marking the end of the annual Haj pil-grimage to Mecca, some 300 families from Pangsapuri Sri Tanjung received fresh cuts of beef from their neigbourhood surau on Sunday.

“We are like a close-knit family here. Each recipient receives two kilogrammes of beef donated from the nearby mosque and Surau Nurul Ehsan,” said Hamzah Mohd Anwar, treas-urer of the surau serving the community of the USJ 16 low-cost flat here.

This year, the surau committee members decided to buy two cows in addition to two donated by the state and Kinrara assemblyperson Teresa Kok, to accommodate the increased number of people who have moved into the flats.

Hamzah said the community congregated in the morning to perfom Eid prayers, after which the men stayed on to slaughter the cows.

This is practised during Hari Raya Aidiladha, also known

as Eid al-Adha or “Feast of Sacrifice”.

Kok and the surau committee members handed out the packets of beef to the community.

“This is an important thing for us, to provide for all in our community. All who come receive the donated beef,” Hamzah said, adding that sin-gle mothers and the poor are given priority at the queue.

The leftover bones are used to cook sup tulang, which is served to the poor and needy. On Sunday, a huge pot of the soup was boiling, tended by the committee members and their wives as they tasted and added seasoning to the stock.

During Hari Raya Aidiladha, Muslims commemorate and

remember the trials of the Prophet Ibrahim.Kok said the celebration was meaningful as it brought

Muslim communities together and provided for the needy.

Kok handing out the beef to orphans, single mothers and the elderly.

Feast of Sacrifice for the needy

SELAYANG: Over 3,000 residents in Rawang attended the Selangor Deepavali open house on Jalan Max-well here on Monday night.

“Thank you for letting us celebrate the festival of lights with you here in Rawang,” said Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim in his opening speech.

He later handed over two mock cheques for RM15,000 to an orphan-age and a disabled home in Rawang.

The event was jointly organised by the state and the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS), and was attended by Speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim and executive councillors Ronnie Liu and Dr Xavier Jayakumar.

Rawang and Batu Caves assemblypersons Gan Pei Nei and Amirudin Shari were also present at the celebration, which was marked by a fireworks display.

The open house was also attended by MPS Presi-dent Datuk Zainal Abidin Aala and his senior staff.

Organisers set up food stalls serving Indian and Malaysian favourites such as roti canai, nasi briyani, curry chicken and cendol.

Deepavali joy at state open house

SHAH ALAM: Residents are invited to apply for lease extension at a special counter set up for their con-venience from Nov 22 to 24 at Dewan Jejarum, Section 11 Shah Alam.

“We’re setting up a counter here so that residents don’t have to go all the way to Section U5 (where the Petaling Land Office has been relocated) to submit their applica-tions,” said Kota Anggerik assemblyperson Yaakob Sapari.

The executive councillor said the campaign is tar-geted at private residential owners from Sections 2 to 4, 6, 8, 10 and 11, whose 99-year leases are expected to end in a few decades.

The counter is jointly set up by the Petaling Land Office and Yaakob’s service centre.

Selangor’s Private Residential Ownership Scheme, implemented since June 1, allows property owners to extend their leases by paying RM1,000 up front, while the remaining land premium only needs to be paid when they sell their houses.

The public can get the application form from Yaakob’s service centre at 3A, Jalan Tengku Ampuan Zabedah 9/B, Seksyen 9 Shah Alam (tel: 03-55117781), or the Petaling Land Office in Section U5, Shah Alam.

Documents that need to be presented for the lease

extension application are:1. Official search (record of leasehold title at the

Selangor Land and Minerals Office);2. Original title;3. Two copies of location plan certified by Petaling

District Office’s surveyor;4. Photocopy of applicant’s identity card;5. Photocopy of payment receipt of latest quit rent;6. Photocopy of payment receipt of latest assessment

tax;7. Bank’s letter of authorisation (if the property is

mortgaged).

Lease extension campaign in Shah Alam

Yaakob (right) distributing application forms.

Guests at the celebration included residents from the Independent Living & Training Centre (above).

By Basil Foo

SABAK BERNAM: Addressing people’s complaints directly is one of the ways Sabak Bernam District Council (MDSB) councillor Low Tek Lem touches base with the grassroots.

“Because this is a small area, most residents know my number and will call me directly if they have any complaints,” says the first-term councillor.

He manages an area encompass-ing Taman Sekinchan Jaya, Taman Sri Sekinchan, Taman Harmoni, Taman Sekinchan Damai and Bagan Sekinchan.

The usual complaints concern rubbish collection, poor road conditions and faulty streetlights.

“After receiving a call, I usually inform the council and the responsible departments to take action,” he explains.

He gives an example of a dumpsite in Bagan Sekinchan re-cently, which, after persistent complaints, was cleared by rubbish contractors Alam Flora Sdn Bhd.

The council then erected signage at the site to warn against further dumping.

Among the problems he faces are delays by departments in carrying out tasks like rubbish collection, which he says should only take a day but usually takes three.

“Excuses like insufficient manpower or unavailable staff mem-bers are normal. But this isn’t that big of a problem to me,” he says.

He says the council plans to keep the existing rubbish contrac-tors for the time being despite Alam Flora’s withdrawal of its services.

The part-time councillor, who also works in insurance, says Alam Flora contractors will continue to collect rubbish in the district for the next three months.

“The council will use this time to find other contractors to take over rubbish collection,” says the 40-year-old.

Low enjoys travelling in his spare time, having visited Sweden recently.

He can be contacted at No 137, Site 3, Site A, 45400 Sekin-chan, Selangor.

Know Your Councillor: Low Tek Lem

18 november 11 — 13, 2011

food

By Basil Foo

Wanting to address the lack of authentic Mexican food joints in town, a small group of friends started Frontera Sol of Mexico in Jaya One three years ago.

“There weren’t many Mexican restaurants in town then. Those that were around were rather commercialised,” says Frontera restaurant manager Ramesh Vadiveloo.

Meaning “border” in Mexican, Frontera has stuck to its guns by serving up traditional Mexican dishes alongside crowd favourites hailing from the Texas-Mexico border.

Likewise, its newly launched Christmas set meal contains traditional festive Mexican dishes and original creations sure to tantalise the tastebuds.

The set meal presents a choice of two starter courses, which are the traditional tamales or the roasted butternut squash soup.

The tamales begins with a dough made from corn, called masa in Mexican, which is steamed in cornhusks or banana leaves, depending on the region it comes from.

“It is usually prepared by a communal cooking method, combining the efforts of friends and family during tamale-making parties called tamalada,” explains Ramesh.

Savoury and smokey, pieces of the Frontera tamales crum-ble easily in the mouth, releasing a sweet aroma given to it by the banana leaf wrapping.

It has a slight peppery tinge, which adds to the whole Mexican charm of spice-infused food, but not overwhelming as to turn off those with tender palates.

The tamales comes with a choice of added chicken or beef.

A typical Christmas dish, the butternut soup is rich and made of a melon similar to the pump-kin, but which produces a thicker soup.

It is creamy, sweet, and topped with drops of sage pesto – a paste made of blended sage herbs, which lend a slightly sour tinge to the concoction.

Thicker than the usual soups served in restaurants, the butternut soup is perfect for dinner celebrations.

Frontera’s Christmas set comprises four main courses, which include the mesquite smoked turkey with four side dishes.

The turkey itself is tender and not too juicy, with a slight spiciness that probably comes from the mesquite wood used in the barbeque.

Served with the turkey is a cranberry chipotle relish made predominantly of cranberries, onions and parsley, giving the relish a sweet taste and crunchy texture.

Another side dish is the jalapeno cornbread dressing: chunks of crumbly cornbread, filling to the stomach and pack-ing a punch in the spice department.

The candied sweet potatoes and broccoli florets topped with chili con queso (chili with cheese) were two side dishes with opposing flavours and textures.

The sweet potatoes were firm and tasty as they were well sweetened, while the broccoli florets were crunchy and savoury thanks to the cheese drizzled on them.

Another main course dish is the Veracruz-style fillet of red snapper with Mexican rice and Sonora vegetables.

With a cooking style hailing from the Eastern Mexican city of Veracruz, the fish is tender, juicy, and breaks away easily when prodded.

It is cooked in foil and placed skin-down to protect the white meat, which is covered in capers, olives, onions, raisins, tomatoes and jalapenos.

This dish outperforms the others in terms of spici-ness, and is well recommended for those looking forward to a satisfying kick.

The Mexican rice that accompanies the fish is made from chicken stock, tomato, onion, and garlic.

Taste-wise, the rice does not fare as well as the other dishes on the menu, but provides a wholesome grain addition to the meal.

The Sonora vegetables are not unlike our own mixed veggies, but contains a smattering of sweetcorn, the ever prevalent Mexican staple, which proved to be a tasty addition.

Other main courses featured in the Christmas

set are the homemade Puebla-style turkey mole, and Frontera menu staple BBQ beef ribs.

For desserts, the set serves up a peach tres leches cake and key lime pie.

The pie is a traditional South American dessert that is slightly sour but mostly creamy and sweet. It is refreshing and is highly recommended.

Included in the set are drinks 1919 Sangria and water-melon agua fresca, the former being an alcoholic beverage.

The Sangria, which is made of red wine, rum, cranberry and apple juice, and fruit slices, is pleasantly strong and not overly sweet – a fruity cocktail to please the palate.

The watermelon beverage is a simple Mexican street drink with chopped fruit and sugared Evian water. After the rich food, this was light and refreshing.

The Frontera Christmas set is available for dinner on Christ-mas Eve, and lunch and dinner on Christmas Day.

Mexican Christmas at Frontera

Frontera Sol of Mexico, Jaya One

1919 Sangria and watermelon agua fresca

Roasted butternut squash soup

Veracruz-style fillet of red snapper

Mesquite smoked turkey

19november 11 — 13, 2011

food/fiction

Fiction by How Han Ming

The bars stand strong. Unyielding… and cold. They refuse to bend to my will. I can hear their mocking laughter as I

gripped my calloused hands around them. The ghostly mist crawls in – wrapping

those icy arms around me, comforting me. But even the densest fog can’t shield me from the cruel reality. There’s no bending of the authority. There’s no breaking away from this hell.  

I wait in the rain and listen to the whisper-ing rain drops… Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.

Tiny droplets amalgamate into larger tears that run down my face. The bars are crying for me. I can taste the sweet relish in my mouth: a tinge of freedom – but then, it’s gone. Gone, just like me.

I no longer exist; I have disappeared. Just like the once lively droplets from the sky – with the limitless freedom to grace the earth; to exist. But my liberty has been stripped away from me; I am a nonexistent prisoner wasting away in a God-forsaken cell.

What has happened to the passionate speaker of fairness and democracy? What has happened to the fighter of justice in me? Justice? What is justice? That word seems strange yet familiar to me. It has disappeared.  

How ironic. I have always thought that they were guardians sent from heaven to protect us, to ensure our justice.

But I was wrong. We were all wrong. They turned out to be evil, corrupted beings that sow the seeds of silent destruction and prejudice in society.  

I was a young man then, albeit a vocal and observant one. The greedy goblins dug their gold deep in the taxpayers’ pockets and kept it in their secret vaults. There came a time when we finally decided to remind the goblins that it was we who el-evated them to their throne.

So we started to speak out loud. We went on a strike. We campaigned. We protested. We demonstrated. All in the name of de-mocracy. But the goblins were ruthless and firm in their rule; people began to disappear. One by one, vanishing without a trace. And then it was me. They were adept at their vanishing tricks – they wanted me to be si-

lent. So, here I am. Alone in a cold cell. Waiting for the moment when I can hold my wife’s hands again.  

Yes. I have a family. A glimpse of the sun shines through the bars of the cell window and lands on an old photograph in my hand. A lovely-looking lady wearing a white-laced dress flashes her gentle smile – oh, I miss you so much, dear Ai Ling. I can still remember the day when we walked down the aisle; the wedding bells were ringing, and you were the most beautiful bride I have ever seen in my entire life, and ever will.

It hurts me to think that the last thing I have said to you is, “You don’t understand.” You told me not to go. You told me to stay for the sake of our child. Our child who sleeps in your womb. You wished that we could live a simpler life; you have given up fighting, you have given up hope.

But there is still hope, my dear. I am go-ing to fight for you. I am going to fight for our child. I am going to fight for our com-munity. I will speak up against oppression; I will defend the rights of the people; I will protest against the brutal dictate.  

The raindrops on the prison wall remind me of your tears, Ai Ling, when I left our home to join the street protest. Oh dear… After all these years… you must have thought I have disappeared, just like everyone else. However, I am still alive, darling. I am still here. In this prison cell.

Where are you now, Ai Ling? Are you sleeping soundly with our baby at home? Are you still looking for me? Or have you forgotten me?

I hope you have not obliterated me from your life, for I persist to live for you. I persist to live for our family – our daughter. Is she growing healthily? I’m sorry for having to miss all those precious years of watching our baby grow up. But she will understand why I did what I did. Why I sacrificed my liberty. I hope our child will understand I was trying to build a better world for her. A world where all families reunite. A world, where justice prevails. 

I still wait in the rain. Waiting to savour the taste of freedom and reunion. As the cold fog floats into my dark prison cell, I think: Someday, I’ll be free. Someday. Someday…

The Disappeared

By Brenda Ch’ng

KLANG: The Klang Municipal Council (MPK) has called on the public to boycott unhygienic or ‘Category C’ restaurants. 

Restaurants that fail to meet the required standards are classified under Category C, while those that fall under Category D will be shut down by the council.

“Avoid eating at these restaurants because there is always a possibility of going down with food poisoning,” said MPK councillor Azmizam Zaman Huri (pic).

During a recent operation before Deep-avali, 24 restaurants in Little India were is-sued warnings and compounds in addition to earning a C grade.

The restaurants are located on Jalan Tengku Kelana, Jalan Dato Hamzah, Jalan Station and Jalan Besar.

During the operation on Oct 18, MPK enforcement officers found that many eater-ies were using dirty cooking utensils besides having unsanitary kitchens.

“The council has zero tolerance for unhy-

gienic restaurants,” said Azmizam.“The cleanliness of restaurants here is get-

ting from bad to worse. We will be shutting down those that fail to clean up after warn-ings,” said MPK councillor Yew Boon Lye. 

Joining Yew in the Little India operation were fellow councillors Robert Choo, Wendy Ong, and Tan Heng Kim.

Meanwhile, MPK has an ongoing compe-tition to find the cleanest restaurant. 

The competition, which began in January this year, will end in December, and winners will be given cash incentives. 

Public urged to boycott dirty eateries

Christmas Eve & Day Set Dinner

StarterTraditional tamales steamed in banana leaf wrapping

(choice of chicken or beef)or

Butternut squash soup with sage pesto

MainsHomemade Puebla-style turkey mole

with herb roasted potatos and grilled vegetablesor

Mesquite smoked turkey with cranberry chipotle relish, jalapeno cornbread dressing, candied sweet potatoes

and broccoli florets topped with chili con quesoor

Veracruz-style baked fish with Mexican rice, Sonora vegetables with epazote

orBBQ beef ribs (additional RM15++)

with mashed potatoes and Sonora vegetables

DessertPeach tres leches cake

or Key lime pie

DrinksSangria or

Watermelon agua fresca (non-alcoholic)

PricesThree-course meal (without ribs) with watermelon agua fresca: RM55++

Three-course meal (without ribs) with Sangria: RM 65++Please add RM15++ for beef ribs

Ala carte items will be on the menu from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve, based on availability.

Traditional tamales

Key lime pie

20 november 11 — 13, 2011

food

The restaurant can easily accommodate more than 150 diners.

It was an evening the Thai people could understand. It took almost an hour to crawl by car from Taman Tun Dr Ismail to SS2 and back. The sky opened up and the torrential

rainfall created puddles of water everywhere and little streams by the roadside.

Despite my in-depth knowledge of all the backroads and light-traffic detour lanes, long lines of congestion greeted me at every turn. The only positive consequence of the slow jour-ney home was ample time in Googling for a restaurant of fine repute.

But first, certain conditions must be met. The restaurant must not be located in a place that would further exacerbate the problem of travelling on congested PJ roads. And it must allow easy passage from home to the targeted dining destination.

After almost 30 minutes of anxious internet search, one name surfaced with some fine pictures. It was Restaurant Pin Xiang in Aman Suria.

My co-navigator and I quickly came to an agreement that this restaurant seemed to have everything we desired. It was 10 minutes by car from our place, and the chef ’s dishes were most appealing.

It didn’t take much persuasion for the family to agree to dine at Pin Xiang Restaurant. When we arrived at the place, with some help from the GPS, it was infatuation at first sight.

Pin Xiang was impressive. It was brightly lit and its ambi-ence gave us a slight tingly feeling as we walked in.

There were about 25 tables. The crowd wasn’t there; it had been raining practically the entire afternoon and evening.

Since we had done some research on the restaurant, we ordered foo chuk yee mai, or beancurd sheet with lotus seeds and boiled barley. The waiter agreed wholeheartedly with our choice. He even gave us the thumbs-up.

Our next order was the signature vegetable dish of eight varieties. One of its main ingredients was the crunchy sliced lotus root.

A member of our group was a bit obsessed with anything that had yam, so her choice was the yam basket with a mixture of sweet and sour pork with veggies. The yam basket turned out to be one of the more popular items at  Pin Xiang.

Pin Xiang only opened for business in March this year. For newcomers like us, it was a revelation to learn that this eatery is owned by one of the more familiar faces in the Malaysian film industry, Alan Yun, who made a name for himself in the late director Yasmin Ahmad’s movie Gubra. It seemed that Yun has dipped his toes in the pool of culinary interests.

Expectant guests like us couldn’t help scanning the horizon for the handsome boss. But we were disappointed. He had obviously other engagements that evening.

The champagne spare ribs added to our growing list of dishes because it sounded so exotic. Of course, I had serious doubts that real champagne was added to the

spare ribs.To round off the eve-

ning’s orders, we swiftly added braised tendon with fish maw and a bowl of seaweed soup.

Since five out of the seven of us were “small eaters”, we decided not to order the restaurant’s signature shark’s fin soup and its signature crab.

The special promo-tion was a single crab would cost only a ringgit if the bill totalled a minimum of RM100. But we had to forgo the offer because nobody was keen on crabs.

Of the all the dishes we tasted, the three outstanding ones were the champagne spare ribs with iced water melon balls, the fish maw with braised tendon, and the yam basket.

At least three in our group weren’t altogether pleased with what they had sampled. They had reservations with the sea-weed soup, which they concluded was ordinary; and the eight-vegetable dish was less than satisfactory because of the way it came out of the hot wok.

A keen observer noticed that portions served were smaller than expected. For a bill that amounted to about RM163, inclusive of drinks, we had expected bigger servings. Malay-sians like to be surprised by an establishment’s generosity if it goes that extra mile to please its customers. It is not that local diners are fastidious with their selections, but when the food portions do not match the numbers on the bill, somebody is going to wear a frown.

My personal assessment of Pin Xiang was that we had not done the restaurant justice by ordering some of its lesser-known dishes. There were the signature tau fu that we had left out, and the marmite crab that we overlooked.

Other items not on our list were the Pin Xiang fried tilapia and the prawns with vermicelli in claypot.

We would consider a second visit – if not out of respect for Alan Yun, then definitely out of a sense of culinary adventure that we felt was not com-pletely fulfilled.

Nevertheless, Pin Xiang has 36 choice items on its main menu for all discerning diners. The address is H-18-G, Jalan PJU 1/45, Aman Suria, Daman-sara. Tel: 03-78040798.

We can’t be regarded as true professional food

critics, but like all hungry and sometimes greedy folks from PJ, we like to be pampered by Chinese restaurants that go out of their way to please customers on a rainy night.

Culinary adventure at Pin XiangIt is common for restaurants to set up base in residential areas these days. LIN ZHENYUAN checks out one of the newer ones during a dark and stormy evening

Aman Suria is well insulated from the bigger and busier roads that surround the housing area.

The yam basket is something that makes diners remember Pin Xiang.

A bowl of hot seaweed soup

is always a welcome item.

Fish maw and braised tendon for discerning diners.

Champagne spare ribs with ice water melon balls.

21november 11 — 13, 2011

media

SHAH ALAM: Sunway Pyramid shopping mall recently obtained two ISO certificates to represent its fine business practices and interna-tional quality standards.

The International Standardisation for Or-ganisational standards are technical agreements designed to be globally relevant, useful every-where in the world.

While the certification is not new, Sunway Pyramid’s achievement of ISO 9001:2008 for both Standards Malaysia and the more prestig-ious United Kingdom Accreditation Service (Ukas) is another milestone for the mall, in ad-dition to their FIABCI Prix d’Excellence award win this year.

“The objective of the ISO 9001 is to ensure an organisation meets customer requirements

and to enhance customer satisfaction. Customers of Sunway Pyramid includes our shoppers, ten-ants, retailers and various other business associ-ates, which we have always held in high regard.

“Hence it’s only natural for us to obtain the certifications as proof of our professional business ethics, conducts and services nationally and in-ternationally,” said Sunway Shopping Malls chief executive officer HC Chan in a statement.

Sunway Pyramid emerged as Malaysia’s first themed shopping and entertainment in 1997, and expanded in 2007 to boast four million square feet of retail variety today.

Plans are underway for further expansions of Sunway Pyramid, as well as Sunway Velocity in Cheras, and the newly acquired Sunway Putra Mall in Kuala Lumpur.

ISO 9001 for Sunway Pyramid

Societe Generale de Serveillance General Manager Kenny Looi presenting the ISO certs to Kevin Tan (far left), Datuk Ngeow (second right) and HC Chan.

PETALING JAYA: The third installment of Mar-kets @ Jaya One saw shoppers from all over the Klang Valley crowding the site at as early as 10am, eagerly on the lookout for exciting deals, cool items and fun activities.

One of the interesting activities this time around was the SWAP Meet. Guests were encouraged to bring in unwanted items that are still in good condition, and organisers would then determine the value of the items, with “swap tokens” were issued for each.

These tokens enabled shoppers to barter their goods for other items from the swap pile.

Markets @ Jaya One consists of three different sections, namely the Chic POP Street Market, Crafty Art Market and Bettr Weekends. It offers visitors a variety of goods, from fashionable clothing and acces-sories to artwork, handicraft and health products.  

The Chic POP Street Market celebrates style, shop-ping and fun, with exciting fashion- and beauty-relat-ed giveaways, while the Crafty Art Market features unique and interesting handcrafted items by members of EtsyMalaysia, the Malaysian chapter of Etsy, an international online marketplace for all things hand-made, vintage, and arty.

Bettr Weekends is an organic market that focuses on bet-ter living.

The third installment also saw new food vendors Taste of Heaven, Chef Tony’s Gourmet Popcorn, and That Last Slice – the latter a hit among marketgoers with its variety of mouth-watering macarons.

Chic, crafty and tasty at Markets @ Jaya One

Wide selection at the Markets.

A vendor with her wares.

SHAH ALAM: Pizza delivery experts Domino’s Pizz, has added two new flavours with the recent unveiling of Meatasaurus and Ultimate Hawaiian.

Following the success of its First Class pizza range, Domino’s has widened its selection with two new creations inspired by Beef Pep-peroni and Aloha Chicken.

Meatasaurus, Domino’s meatiest pizza ever, boasts 50% more beef pepperoni, double por-tions of tasty ground beef, and triple portions of fresh garden mushrooms on a new smoky blended BBQ sauce.

Meanwhile, Ultimate Hawaiian will come with triple the amount of chicken by adding roasted chicken breast, shredded chicken, juicy pineapples and fresh mushrooms.

Combined with a tomato-based sauce and sprinkled with Italian herbs, these are the new additions to Domino’s First Class range of premium pizzas.

“We are pleased to present customers with a new take on Domino’s two all-time favourite pizzas.

“We’ve taken our bestselling pizzas and given them a First Class touch, giving custom-ers more value and providing tastier pizzas than ever,” said Domino’s Pizza Malaysia and Singa-pore chief operating officer Ba U Shan-Ting.

The Passion Meal is priced at RM55.00 and comes with one regular First Class pizza, one regular Specialty pizza, one Crazy Chicken Crunchies original or tom yam flavour, one Garlic Twisty Bread and Garlic Cheese Onion Rings.

All First Class pizzas are available as an ala carte order with a surcharge of RM3.50 for regular pizzas, RM5.00 for large pizzas and RM7.00 for x-tra large pizzas.

For more information, call Domino’s at 1-300-888-333 or log on to www.dominos.com.my.

Domino’s unveils new pizzas

Ba U and two Domino’s Pizza managers unveiling the new Meatasaurus and Ultimate Hawaiian.

22 November 11 — 13, 2011

GallerySelangor Speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim (fourth left), MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, and executive councillor Ronnie Liu (far right) with school directors launching Chung Hua Independent High School’s 100th anniversary celebration in Klang last Saturday.

Some 106 seniors aged 60 and above

were treated to a day of shopping at

Giant Setia Alam in conjunction with

the Deepavali celebrations. They

were given a RM100 cash voucher each to spend on house-

hold necessities. Joining them

were Kapar MP S Manikavasagam and

Indian community leader Veerasingam

Suppiah.

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim greeting students during Chung Hua Independent High School’s 100th anniversary celebration last Saturday.

Residents of Sri Tanjung flats at Surau Nurul Ehsan cooking sup tulang for the poor and needy last Sunday.

Volunteers from Pusat Komunity Wanita Hulu Selangor taking part in a used cooking oil recycling campaign at Surau Al-Hidayah Keramat Permai AU1B last Tuesday.

23november 11 — 13, 2011

culture

Interview by Nick Choo

DINOSAURS are attacking Selangor this November, as US performers Jim West and Jeremy Wingle (above left) come to town with their unique brand of theatre

driven by puppetry! Classical music, dino-puppet-making ideas and fun facts about these giant creatures of eons past feature in an engaging and funny performance for children.

Selangor Times speaks with these New York performers on their return visit to Malaysia on what we can expect, what’s unique about the art form, and what they think of puppetry in other cultures.

What can we expect to see and experience in Dinosaurs? Jim: We have a blue, host puppet, Fossil the dinosaur, who teaches the audience Dino-Factoids. These factoids introduce stories about different types of dinosaurs, including meat eaters and plant eaters. Jeremy: One of my favorite stories is a shadow puppet story about the Oviraptor, whose name means “egg thief” in Latin. This show includes brightly coloured puppets and lots of demonstrations on how to make puppets at home!

How did you get involved in puppetry, and why does the art form personally appeal to you?Jim: I responded to a call for an audition in 1978 and was hired to be an assistant to a professional puppeteer. I continued to work with other puppeteers for the next 10 years, and then started my own company around 1990.

I’ve very much enjoyed the opportunity to create shows and scripts. The art form of puppetry has allowed me to be a director, performer, writer and producer all at once!

I really enjoy performing for children. I had performed in children’s theatre productions in college, and had found children to be an especially engaging audience. People have described theatre as “the willing suspension of disbelief”, and this is particularly true of children.

Jeremy: After I graduated from drama school at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I moved to New York City, where I began auditioning as an actor. I never would have expected to

become a puppeteer but had auditioned for other types of children’s theatre. When I auditioned for Jim

West, he handed me a puppet to manipulate, we hit it off, and the rest is history! I was eager to learn and the entirety of my training as a puppeteer came from working with Jim West.

We started working together in the spring of 2008, and this is our second trip to Malaysia together.

The art form appeals to me personally because it is an opportunity to be creative. There are stories that you can easily tell with puppets in an imaginative way that would be quite challenging to tell with actors alone. One example would be that we can make puppets fly by simply throwing them in the air. Watching a puppet fly in the air is always very exciting for children to see in a theatrical setting! Nothing is more rewarding than hearing an audience roar with laughter or shriek with excitement.

Would you agree that puppetry has a significant role to play in education, especially for children? Why do you think this art form appeals to them?Jim: Puppetry is live storytelling, bringing characters and stories to life while engaging children’s intelligence and imagination. Making puppets is a particularly important exercise for children because it involves creativity, self

expression and task completion, enabling them to bring a character or story to life themselves.

In our show, the subject matter is condensed into short segments involving various puppet techniques, such as rod puppetry, shadow puppetry and mouth puppets to expand their experience.Jeremy: I think puppetry is very useful in education because it allows children to use their imagination to think outside the box. Puppetry is very easily accessible to children, and that is exactly what our main goal is: to teach them skills they can take home with them. We present puppets on a stage with lights, but they can recreate most of these puppets at home with an old shoebox or yesterday’s newspaper!

Which cultures have puppetry traditions that you find most fascinating, and why?Jim: I have always been fascinated by the Malaysian and Indonesian tradition of wayang kulit shadow puppets and would to see a local performance during this visit. I also admire the Bunraku puppet tradition of Japan. These puppet traditions intrigue me because they represent art forms from other cultures.Jeremy: One of the shows I am most fascinated with involving puppetry is War Horse, which is currently playing in New York at Lincoln Center but originated at The National Theatre of Great Britain. They have created lifesize horse puppets strong enough for men to ride. Along with music and drama they are telling a compelling story about the outbreak of World War I. It is quite a sight to see and goes to show that puppetry is not just for children!

Irresistible Wear

Exhibition; until 27 Nov; Galeri Petronas, Suria KLCC; galeripetronas.com.my, 03-20517770; free admission

Showcasing 48 new artwear pieces designed by Malaysian artists and fahion designers, namely Datuk Radzuan Radziwill, Datin Sharifah Kirana, Edric Ong, Faizal Abdul Hamid, Adnan Hassan, Akma Suriati, Asliza Aris, Zainol Salleh, Eddie Yap, Fion Poon, Associate Professor Hasnul Jamal Saidon and Abdul Hamid Hassan. “A form of expressing art about clothing the human body; the notion of ‘wearing art’ instead of just looking at it.”

CALenDArSend your events to nick@selangortimes.com

Double Bill: What’ll Break You and Apoca-Lips

Theatre; 3-13 Nov; KLPac; www.klpac.org, 03-40479000; RM45 (matinee), RM70 (evening shows)

What’ll Break You – Marcus Whitacre has killed someone. He’s not denying it. He’s lost a lot. He’s going to lose more. We can only watch it happen. An interrogation, dressed as a play. Starring Gavin Yap and Zahim Albakri.Apoca-Lips – This New Year’s eve will be a blast. As soon as the clock rings in the New Year, anyone who kisses will blow each other up. Only two people in the city know this, but they’re arguing right now. A play about three just-about-to-fail relationships on the eve of a New Year, with a slight amount of Armageddon. Starring Vince Chong, Stephanie Van Dreisen, Ash Nair, Gavin Yap and Zahim Albakri, and introducing Tania Khan.

The Drive

Theatre; 16-19 Nov; The Actors Studio @ Lot 10, Kuala Lumpur; 03-2142 2009, www.theactorsstudio.com.my; RM30 / RM15

Three friends went up to visit an old asylum – the perfect spot for the horror-fanatic fans of their blog. For Mo, Stevie and Jerry, a good ghost story on a night’s drive would be expected. But on this drive, the stories come to life. And death. Directed by Ashraf Zain, written by Jude James. Featuring Ariff Faisal Abdullah, Branavan Aruljothi, Omar Ali, Sharon Lam, Ng Boon Ping and Redza Minhat.

Badai Semalam

Theatre; 11-20 Nov; Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur; 03-41498600, www.ticket2u.biz; RM30-RM300

Mazni, the daughter of a household maid who works for a rich family, attracts the attention of her rich employer’s son, the flamboyant Karim, who sets out to woo her despite resentment from his family. The theatre production follows the young couple in the twists and turns of their ill-fated love story, as they deal with discrimination from their families, gossip from

neighbours, and relationship complications. Starring Erra Fazira, Aaron Aziz and Fizz Fairuz.

Dummyland Take 2

Theatre; 17-19 Nov; PJ Live Arts @ Jaya One; 03-79600439, 012-6832099, www.pjla.com.my; RM29

Monti and Logi have done a DNA analysis on the citizens of Dummyland (formerly known as Bolehland). They have come to the irrefutable conclusions that the citizens of Dummyland must have in their DN, a dummy gene. It is the only logical explanation when everything is successfully bulldozed past the dumb citizen. Monti and Logi’s social comedy will take you on a journey of situations through the eyes of the citizen of Dummyland.

Together As One

Music; 4-13 Nov; The Actors Studio @ Lot 10, Kuala Lumpur; 03-2142 2009, www.theactorsstudio.com.my; RM40 / RM30 / RM20 (preview night)

Inspired by the Festival Musica Sacra International, The Young KL Singers will be presenting songs composed to express the faith of each respective religion in harmonious manner. Besides being part of their choral music education process, the concert will also serves as a way to honour all faiths through music without any form of discrimination. The concert will be witnessing members of all religions, races, age groups and backgrounds singing under one roof to promote a sense of openness and understanding towards other religions as well as celebrate our cultural diversity. Songs will be in various languages including Sanskrit, Latin, Arabic, Mandarin and English.

Grrr!! Arrrgh!!

EDITOR’S PICKJim West Puppets’ Dinosaurs 23 Nov-11 Dec; PJ Live Arts @ Jaya One, www.pjla.com.my, www.gardnerandwife.com; RM48-RM78

WATCH as Jim and Jeremy help Fossil, the Dinosaur Detective, search for his identity and unearth new and exciting dino facts. The show is broken down into four parts: building a Tyrannosaurus Rex; a shadow tale about the Overaptor; a story about a little Brachiosaurus; and the finale, the construction of a huge Apatorsaurus – all performed with a rich musical score by Mozart, Beethozen, Mahler, Stravinsky and Prokofiev. There will also be two performances in Malacca on 20 & 21 Nov, which is Universal Children’s Day, at Cheng Ho Cultural Museum. Presented by Garder & Wife Theatre.

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.