selangor times aug 12-14, 2011 / issue 37

community August 12 — 14, 2011/ issue 37

MB: Give Jais time for report

Palliative care in Malaysia

p 4 p 12 & 13

living next door to oPen burning

p 10

• Turn To page 2

Expedited citizenship raising alarm bellsBy Alvin Yap

sHaH alaM: Allegations that for-eigners are getting citizenships with voting rights have become a cause for concern among civil society groups.

“There will be anger, backlash at the polls if locals are threatened by foreign-ers getting citizenship and all the ac-companying rights,” said former Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Su-hakam) member Tan Sri Simon Sipaun.

Sipaun said the public is already feel-ing threatened by the presence of mi-grant workers, and the move to fast-track permanent residents to make them Malaysians will have long-term negative repercussions.

His statement comes in the wake of recent news reports that permanent residents are being given MyKad or citizenship and are being included in the electoral roll to influence the out-come of the next general election.

Recently, a news portal carried an expose that a permanent resident, one “Mismah”, had been included into the voter roll within a matter of hours.

The report said she was a permanent

resident with a red MyKad, but had been issued a blue MyKad four hours later based on checks with the online system of the National Registration Department (NRD).

When her name and MyKad number were entered into the EC online verifi-cation system, Mismah had appeared as a newly registered voter.

Sipaun, who is also an adviser to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commis-sion (MACC), said a sudden influx of permanent residents turned citizens will adversely change the economic and political landscape in the immediate and long term.

He pointed out that a large number of permanent residents are lower edu-

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.

With six people contesting in the pandamaran village polls, the candidates are trying their best to outwit one another to woo voters. one of them, Yap Kim Huat, decorated his lorry with campaign banners and drove around town to attract residents’ attention.

• STorY on page 6

‘Foreigners being used by certain groups’

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2 August 12 — 14, 2011

news

cated and will opt for unskilled or semi-skilled jobs. As such, an influx of foreigners getting residency rights will depress the wages of locals in the country, he explained.

While people will “praise” the availability of affordable labour, Sipaun cautioned that foreigners have contributed to a rise in crime, notably in his home state of Sabah.

Sipaun, a former state secretary, said the main complaint among Sabahans against the state and federal governments is about the overwhelming presence of foreigners within its borders.

He pointed out that the problems in Sel-angor could similarly take a turn for the worst if the allegations concerning permanent resi-dents are proven true.

He reiterated that the application of citizenship should be carefully vetted, and the process should be drawn out to ensure the right individuals qualify to receive the status.

Sipaun made it clear that he is not demon-ising migrants and permanent residents, but is questioning those who received their citi-zenship status through “questionable means”.

He also lambasted the National Registra-tion Department (NRD) for delaying applica-tions from individuals born on Malaysian soil but who did not register their births due ig-norance or illiteracy.

Meanwhile, the Selangor Election Com-mission (EC) has rejected all 583 complaints of permanent-residency holders having been registered as voters, claiming that they were

found to be citizens.Selangor EC chief Dzulki-

fli Ab Rahman said his or-ganisation had verified that all 583 voters have become Ma-laysian citizens with the legal right to register as voters.

He explained that these individuals had been given citizenship in January this year as cited by the NRD.

Other non-governmental organisations have also made it clear that increasing the quota or fast-tracking permanent residents into citizens would make life difficult for locals.

“It will be difficult for Ma-

laysians who are competing for jobs, espe-cially lower-salary jobs in the country,” said P Ramakrishnan, president of the Penang-based social reform movement Aliran.

Ramakrishnan reckoned that foreigners are being used by certain groups to ensure the security of their political bases. But, he said, their citizenship could well be withdrawn after voting for the group that had authorised the NRD to give them their MyKad.

University lecturer and political scientist Wong Chin Huat believes Malaysia is a nation of migrants, but reiterated that the country has laws and procedures that permanent resi-dents have to follow to apply for citizenship.

"The reason we have to be selective is that we can’t take everyone who wants to be a Malaysian,” Wong said.

He pointed out that the process is not transparent, and concerned parties are unable to ascertain who are being given citizenship in the country.

He also pointedly said that Malaysia’s immigration policy is being undermined by its own gatekeepers, namely the NRD, whom he claims has fast-tracked applications with-out proper vetting.

Wong said citizenship should be given to those who can prove they can contribute to their adopted country. “In other countries, applicants must demonstrate that they

have the talent or financial contribution to-wards their adopted land,” he said.

He also agreed that there might be political backlash against the ruling government for giving “undeserving” individuals citizenship.

Wong lambasted the NRD squarely for being at fault in this matter.

Migrant rights NGO Tenaganita said the issue is creating an anti-migrant feeling among Malaysians, and if left unaddressed by the authorities will result in xenophobia.

“It will create a racist atmosphere against all migrants and permanent residents. They are just pawns in a political act.

"The real issue is that the NRD has allowed permanent residents to be Malaysians without a lengthy application period,” said its executive director, Irene Fernandez.

• From page one

Villagers fear homes will be demolished

PANDAMARAN: Villagers in Kampung Bukit Kerayong, which is earmarked for development, are liv-ing in fear after being threatened by contractors hired to get them to vacate their homes.

Some 25 households in the village have refused to vacate until the de-veloper, who obtained the land for commercial development under the previous state government, keeps his promise by giving them compensa-tion and homes.

“We no longer feel safe. Contrac-tors even threaten to burn our houses down if we do not move out,” said Dominic See Chee Yong.

The 40-year-old Kampung Ker-ayong Urban Pioneers Committee chairperson said contractors tried to demolish their homes four times in the past two months.

“We managed to unite and stop them, but there is always the fear they will come back and bulldoze our homes down without warning, even when we are asleep,” he said.

Santiago, who urged the developer to stop threatening the villagers.

“Villagers told me the contrac-tors are acting like gangsters. They threaten and intimidate villagers to force them out immediately,” he said.

“Developers should also have the decency to meet with villagers and find a place to relocate the factories and shoplots,” Santiago added.

There are only 25 houses, four factories and three shoplots left in the village.

A meeting between state repre-sentatives and the developer will be held today (Aug 12) to come up with a solution.

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Contractors have so far demol-ished plantations and vegetable patches.

The dispute has been ongoing since 2005, when the villagers were issued eviction notices.

According to the developer, the land was sold to them for commer-cial purposes. The villagers were promised RM7,000 in compensa-tion and new affordable houses.

However, the villagers are still waiting for their new homes. “We will not move out until we get our compensation and new home,” said See. “We have nowhere else to go.”

He said the villagers have been living there since before 1957.

See also pointed out that the de-veloper is not working with them to find a solution. “We are not against development, we just want what was promised,” he said.

Meanwhile, villagers staged a protest last Sunday against the devel-oper and contractors. Joining in was Klang Member of Parliament Charles

Santiago with the villagers.

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ August 12 – 14, 2011 ⁄ 3

4 august 12 — 14, 2011

news

Khalid (right) after the exco meeting on Wednesday. Looking on is state executive councillor Yaakob Sapari.

EvEnts

greater transparency with FOI bill

Roundtable on diabetes

The Malaysian Association of Certified Coaches (MACC) will hold their 7th roundtable on Saturday (Aug 27) from 9.30am to 12pm. A certified trainer with 15 years’ experience who has practised in Britain and the Malaysian healthcare industry will talk about Diabetes Wellness Coaching. Participants will be taught to coach diabetic patients. The talk will be held at MACC’s office at 62B, Lorong Rahim, Kacai 14, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur. For more information, call 017-223 8293 (Rachel) or visit www.malaysiacoaches.com.

Transforming cities

Rehda Wilayah Persekutuan (Kuala Lumpur/Putrajaya) will hold a conference titled “3rd International Conference World Class Sustainable Cities 2011 (WCSC 2011) on Sept 20. It will showcase successful practices and experiences of world class cities and inform participants about Malaysia’s transformation. The event will be held at the Sime Darby Convention Centre from 8am-5pm. For more information, call 03-7877 0637 (Mip) or 03-2693 4182 (Pam).

Free coaching handbook

Corporate Coach Academy (CCA), which is a ICF coach-learning institute, and the Malaysian Association of Certified Coaches (MACC) will offer free coaching handbooks and information on learning coaching power tools to enhance your performance and capability. For more information, call 03-6205 4488 (Ng Koon Kow) or visit www.corporate-coachacademy.com.

Free porridge for Ramadan

KDU University College’s School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts will provide free lambuk porridge at the entrance to its Damansara campus on Aug 19 from 2pm-5pm.

Heritage tour

A Central Market heritage walk for tourists and locals is on until Aug 31. The tour will be useful for anyone who wants to know more about the history of Kuala Lumpur and its early establishment. Show up at the Central Market information counter at 10.30am daily to join the walk. For details, visit www.centralmarket.com.my.

Tai chi lessons

Tai Chi Huang OUG KL is conducting tai chi lessons every Monday and Thursday from 8pm-9pm. For details, call 016-289 8793 (Yeo) or 014-621 4621 (Tey).

Free psychological talk

Turning Point Integrated Wellness will hold a free public talk tomorrow (Aug 13). The talk will be on psychological-based intervention at workplaces to enhance employees’ wellness and organisational effectiveness. The talk will be held at Welcafe Turning Point, 10-2,Jalan Puteri 2/4, Bandar Puteri, Puchong. Registration is required. For more information, call 03-8063 8981 or visit www.turningpoint.org.my.

Ramadan buffet

The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre’s Ramadan buka puasa buffet offers more than 500 dishes with specialties from around the world. An ablution area and prayer room with on-site imam will be available for Maghrib, Isya’ and Tarawih prayers. The buffet will be available daily from Aug 11-23, 6-10pm, at RM98++ pax for adults and RM49++ pax for children aged between four and 12.

By Basil Foo

shah alam: The Menteri Besar has called on all quar-ters to avoid speculation and allow the Selangor Islamic Religious Department ( Jais) to complete their report.

“The best policy is to give Jais enough time to carry out their duties in an orderly manner and without any specula-tion,” said Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

Speaking to reporters after a state executive council meet-ing on Wednesday, he said the gag on state executive coun-cillors and government servants from commenting on the issue remained.

However, it does not apply to individuals, non-govern-mental organisations or political parties.

“We must decide on clear facts, not judge hastily, to en-sure the harmony between races and religions in Selangor as well as the whole country is maintained,” he said.

Khalid said he had met the Selangor Sultan, but main-tained that the Jais report had to be completed before he could give his views or receive the Sultan’s views.

“We can still evaluate the report once it has been com-pleted if we want to,” he assured.

shah alam: Harapan Komuniti (HK), the organisation that held a multicultural fundraising dinner which was raided by Islamic authorities last week, have insisted that their in-tentions were noble.

“Harapan Komuniti has helped many needy Malaysians, regardless of race, religion and creed,” said executive director Raymond Koh.

The organisation was holding the dinner on the premises of the Daman-sara Utama Metho dist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya when it was interrupted by officers from the Selan-gor Islamic Religious Department ( Jais).

Koh said the “peaceful and harmoni-ous charity event” was attended by 120 donors, friends, and beneficiaries from various backgrounds.

In a press statement on Wednesday, he stressed that HK was a non-profit organisation that assists the needy, children, women, and HIV and AIDS patients.

He said the thanksgiving dinner on Aug 3 was to raise funds, and featured a meal catered by Muslims, a live per-formance, 1Malaysia dance, a quiz, and a general prayer.

“At 9.30pm, 30 officers from Jais and the police came to the premises without a search warrant or permission, despite repeated requests,” said Koh.

He said the officers, who were both in uniform and plainclothes, took pho-tos and videos of participants and re-moved pamphlets from the hall without permission.

Quoting the organisation’s lawyer, Annou Xavier, Koh said such a raid was uncalled for and should not happen again to avoid causing unnecessary anxiety to Malaysians.

Meanwhile, the lawyer representing 10 of the 12 Muslim individuals who attended the dinner has asked for more time to advise their clients.

“Our clients were issued a Notice Order by Jais, dated Aug 3, requiring them to appear before Jais for a pre-

counselling session on Aug 9,” said Lim Heng Seng.

Lim said the 10 sought a deferment of the session after noting discrepancies in the reason they were summoned by Jais.

Lim said he raised his queries in a letter on Aug 8 on whether the session was indeed intended for pre-counsel-ling, or whether it was for interviews to assist Jais in its investigations.

“Specifically, whether our clients are to attend as witnesses or are they deemed offenders or suspects in Jais’s investigations,” he said in a press state-ment on Wednesday.

Jais issued a reply on Wednesday morning, informing Lim that the case was being investigated under the Non-Islamic Religious Enactment 1988 in-volving the offence of persuading, influ-encing or inciting a Muslim to change his [or her] faith.

Due to the no-show by the 12, Jais said they would be applying for arrest warrants from the Syariah Court.

petaling jaya: Three flyovers will be built to mitigate traffic after the first phase of the mammoth Icon City development is completed in 2014.

The upmarket project offering busi-ness suites is situated at the intersection of Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong (LDP) and the Federal Highway op-posite Western Digital.

The 7.93-hectare site was formerly the Matsushita factory.

The first flyover will be built on the opposite side of the LDP to Icon City. This connection will let vehicles enter the commercial blocks without having to drive further down the LDP and make U-turns at the Western Digital underpass near Kelana Jaya.

The second will be from Federal

Highway near the Guiness Anchor brewery to accommodate traffic from Shah Alam.

The third will be built for traffic from Icon City and Puchong, Kesas Highway and the New Pantai Expressway.

Mah Sing Group Bhd will also build nine entry/exits into the development to further disburse traffic. The plans have been approved by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).

The head of MBPJ’s One Stop Cen-tre (OSC) said Mah Sing has carried out its own traffic study and submitted the findings to the city council along with the proposed traffic dispersal plans.

Lee Lih Shyan said the peak traffic volume on the Federal Highway from Subang Jaya side to PJ Hilton (near the

Asia Jaya LRT station) is 2,000 to 6,000 vehicles per hour.

The same figure applies with the LDP at peak hours.

The main concern is that the RM3.2 billion development will cause traffic jams, notably on the Federal Highway and LDP.

Lee said the traffic there is projected to rise by a “medium” amount when Icon City is completed.

He pointed out that Mah Sing’s proposed system of flyovers will ensure traffic will enter and exit Icon City in SS8 efficiently.

Mah Sing is also building ramps alongside the Federal Highway and LDP for vehicles to enter and exit the premises.

Harapan Komuniti: We did no wrong

MB: Give Jais more time to prepare report

Traffic mitigation for mammoth project

The report on Jais’s raid on the Damansara Utama Method-ist Church (DUMC) last Wednesday night is also being de-layed due to legal reasons.

Khalid’s office has received a letter from law firm Lee Hisha-muddin, which is representing 10 of the 12 Muslims who were at the dinner.

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ August 12 – 14, 2011 ⁄ 5

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Valid from 12 - 14 AUGUST 2011

6 AUGUST 12 — 14, 2011

NEWS

By Gan Pei Ling

PORT KLANG: The Pandamaran village election is setting the stage for many firsts for the New Village, which go to the polls on Sunday.

Besides getting the opportunity to elect their village chief for the first time, a woman, Low See Mee, is in the six-corner fight for the traditionally male-dominated post.

While the week-long campaign has been marred by some mudslinging, the village has taken another extraordinary step, one hardly done even in national polls – holding public debates among the candidates.

One was organised last night and the other scheduled to-night (Friday) for residents to make their choice.

The six candidates have been canvassing for votes at morn-ing markets, coffee shops, and even Hindu temples to woo minority Indian voters in the Chinese-majority town.

Currently, the top favourites among the six are ex-local Klang Municipal (MPK) councillors Tee Boon Hock and Low.

Tee, 52, may have been sacked by DAP due to a support-letter scandal in August 2010, but the veteran community leader insists on his innocence and remains popular among grassroots members in Pandamaran.

Around 50 supporters marched to the nomination centre with Tee last Sunday, while the other candidates only brought 10 to 20 supporters.

Tee also told the press during nomination that the village

chief election is a do-or-die battle for him: “If I lose, it could be the end of my po-litical career.”

In contrast to Tee, who is well-prepared and going all-out to win the village chief ’s post, Low only de-cided to contest in the polls at the eleventh hour.

Low, 55, was formerly from MCA but is now in PKR.

Although the candidates are contesting on a personal basis and not on any party platform, party politics will still come into play.

Low is expected to bank on PKR supporters’ and women’s votes to beat Tee.

Most male voters in the traditional Chinese village have made up their minds who to vote for while some women are hoping to see the first female chief in Pandamaran.

Women residents such as Cheng Juan Kwee, 58, and Thew King Hong, 41, told Selangor Times they would be rooting for Low as the previous state-appointed village chiefs were all men.

“It’s time for a change,” they said.Most villagers appreciate the chance to elect their own vil-

lage chief, considering that in the past, they had no say at all. The state and Pandamaran Residents Association also took

the opportunity to organise debates for the villagers to find out the candidates’ manifestos.

Hundreds of villagers are expected to attend the debates organised by the state last night and by the residents association tonight at 8pm at the town’s indoor basketball court.

Among the other four candidates, Yap Kim Huat is seen as the only underdog capable of upsetting the top-two favourites or at least diluting the votes for both candidates.

As the only candidate without any political party back-ground, Yap had seized upon the opportunity to stress on his independence when canvassing for votes and in his campaign materials.

“I can speak out for the people without fear as I don’t have to toe the party line,” he said.

Also the leader of Klang Night Market Hawkers Associa-tion, Yap is relying on the support of traders and that of their family and friends to win the polls.

Another candidate Tan Yu Tiam is close to Pandamaran assemblyperson Ronnie Liu, but Liu had suffered a drop in support due to his falling-out with Tee Boon Hock last year.

Tan had tried to discredit Tee Boon Hock as a tainted candidate, but his comments are unlikely to sway voters, most of whom have already made up their minds.

Incumbent and sacked Pasar Pandamaran DAP branch chief Yap Hock Siew has been visiting Hindu temples, desper-ately banking on minority votes to increase his share.

Last candidate Tee Kim Huat was rarely seen canvassing for votes publicly. Both Hock Siew and Kim Huat are unlikely to make waves.

Barring any incident that would sway the voters’ opinion during the weekend, villagers are likely to see the return of Tee Boon Hock or their first woman chief when they go to the polls on Sunday.

Intense race in Pandamaran

Tee (second right) and his supporters.

Low See Mee and Yap Kim Huat shaking hands on the main street on Wednesday.

PORT KLANG: Kampung Baru Pandamaran candi-dates have voiced their support for a veteran community leader who was barred from contesting the New Village election this Sunday due to his age.

“I think the state shouldn’t set the age limit at 60, let the voters decide themselves if they want the can-didate,” said former Klang councillor Tee Boon Hock, who is among six candidates vying for the Pandamaran chief ’s post.

Sixty-six-year-old Chew Kim Swee’s nomination was rejected by returning officer Datuk Bakhtiar Hussin last Sunday as the state stipulates that only villagers aged between 21 and 60 can stand in the polls.

“I can’t even be an election agent or observer because I’m over 60 … This is unfair,” said Chew after his nomina-tion was formally rejected by the Klang District and Land Office, which is running the elections in place of the Election Commission.

Chew, from DAP, said it is undemocratic for the state to set an age limit arbitrarily. “The voters should have a choice to decide if they want a candidate older than 60.”

Businessperson and former local councillor Low See Mee, who is the only woman candidate among the six, also spoke out against the ruling.

“I think as long as the candidate is still healthy and fit, the person should be allowed to contest even though he [or she] is older than 60,” said Loo.

Other candidates, including Yap Kim Huat and in-

c u m b e n t Ya p Hock Siew, also s a i d th e s tat e should scrap the age limit if Selan-gor wants to ex-tend the village polls to the entire state in future.

Klang MCA Youth also said the age cap is un-constitutional.

“The Federal C o n s t i t u t i o n states that as long as a person is over 21, he [or she] can vote and stand in elections,” said its division chief Datuk Dr Ching Eu Boon.

He pointed out that there is no age limit for a person seeking election as a Member of Parliament or state as-semblyperson, so the same should apply when electing a village chief.

However, executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah explained to reporters yesterday that according to the Housing and Local Government Ministry’s ruling, state-appointed village chiefs nationwide must be below 60 years old.

State urged to scrap age limit for village polls

Chew Kim Swee

Banner war in Pandamaran.

7August 12 — 14, 2011

news

Six-corner fightPORT KLANG: Villagers in Kampung Baru Pandamaran are spoilt for choice as they have six candidates, including a woman, to choose from as their new village security and development committee ( JKKK) chief.

Candidate 1: Yap Hock SiewAge: 46Occupation: Transpor-tationEducation: Form 3Political background: Former Pasar Pandama-ran DAP branch chief. Joined DAP in the late 1990s to protest against the evacuation of squatters on Jalan Papan, but was sacked in September 2010 for alleg-edly issuing a support letter in his capacity as a JKKK chief to a company in which he was a partner. Yap insisted he was innocent and framed by a friend.Community involvement: JKKK chief for four months before he was sacked due to the support-letter scandal in August 2010.Campaign strategy: Plans to woo Indian votes by visiting Hindu temples to canvass for support.Campaign manifesto: “If I win, I’ll try my best to resolve the villagers’ problems. I was working together with Klang Municipal Council to solve Pandamaran’s cleanliness problem when I was the village chief.”

Candidate 2: Yap Kim HuatAge: 50Occupation: Drinking water supplier and fruit traderEducation: Form 2. Left school early to work, and is currently studying part-time to improve his Eng-lish and Malay.Political background: None

Community involvement:1. Klang Night Market Hawkers Association

chief2. Bandar Bukit Tinggi community police

chief3. Handles and addresses public complaints

on community issuesCampaign strategy: As the hawkers associa-tion chief, Yap plans to use his position to woo voters. Campaign manifesto: “I will help to resolve the problem of cleanliness, especially on Jalan Papan. I think there are not enough road signs leading to the New Village. If I win, I’ll request the local council to set up more road signs. But even if I lose, I’ll continue to help the public address their complaints. I think a vil-lage chief must have the passion to serve the people regardless of the many challenges.”Quirk(s): Teaches people to sing in his free time.

Candidate 3: Tee Kim HuatAge: 47Occupation: Farmer and businesspersonEducation: Secondary schoolPolitical background: Formerly from MCA, joined DAP after the 2008 political tsunami.Campaign strategy: Born and bred in the New Village, Tee hopes his village boy image will help him garner votes.Campaign manifesto: “I’ll focus on cleanli-ness problems if I win. I hope the villagers will give me a chance. I’ll try my best to serve them. If they are unhappy with my performance later, I’m willing to resign so that a better candidate can replace me.”

Candidate 4: Tee Boon HockAge: 52Occupation: Businessper-sonEducation: Diploma in Business AdministrationPolitical background: Sacked from DAP in Au-gust 2010 for allegedly issu-ing a support letter under the official letterhead of a Selangor executive councillor to secure a contract for a company in which his son was a shareholder, but Tee has denied the accusation.Community involvement:1. Three-term local councillor2. Special assistant to Pandamaran assem-blyperson Ronnie Liu from 2008 to 2009Campaign strategy: Is relying on his past service record. Campaign manifesto: “Many villagers have received summonses from authorities for failing to convert their residential properties, which some of them now use as warehouses for com-mercial use. If I’m elected, I’ll help them resolve the problem by working together with the relevant government agencies.”Additional note: Three objections were sub-mitted against Tee’s nomination last Sunday accusing him of corruption, but all three ob-jections were rejected by the returning officer. Tee was never convicted in court for alleged misuse of power in the letterhead scandal.

Candidate 5: Tan Yu TiamAge: 57Occupation: Morning market hygiene monitor.Education: Form 3Political background: Joined DAP in 2004

and is currently Pandama-ran Kawasan 3 vice-chair-person.Community involve-ment:1. Pandamaran assem-

blyperson Ronnie Liu’s service centre welfare unit chief

2. Sits on three temple committees in Pan-damaran

Campaign manifesto: “I will focus on im-proving the villagers’ welfare, village security and cleanliness if I win. I’ve already heard this would be a multi-cornered fight so I’m not surprised. I hope the villagers will pick a clean candidate as their chief.”

Candidate 6: Low See MeeAge: 55Occupation: Business-personEducation: Form 5 with honorary degree in busi-ness administration.Political background: Formerly from MCA, but now in PKR.Community involve-ment:1. Former local councillor2. Women’s Development Organisation Ma-

laysia treasurer3. Yayasan Kebajikan Klang vice-president4. Malaysia Chinese Women Leaders Working

Committee social welfare division chief5. United Moral Uplifting Society Malaysia

women’s section chairCampaign manifesto: “I decided to contest at the eleventh hour. I hope my participation will encourage more women to take part in politics as there were no female candidates in the Jenjarom and Pulau Ketam elections. If I win, I will work together with the JKKK com-mittee to address community problems.”Award(s): Tokoh Khas Wanita Selangor 2003

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SUBANG JAYA

8 AUGUST 12 — 14, 2011

NEWS

By Basil Foo

SHAH ALAM: The state Economic Planning Unit (Upen Selangor) is hosting a series of dialogues to obtain public input on how next year’s budget should be allocated.

“We are planning to cover the whole state, through the local councils, with these dialogues,” said Upen Selangor deputy director Norazmie Biron.

The dialogue serves as a platform for civil society to raise issues and voice their concerns regarding the Selangor State Budget 2012, which will be tabled in November.

About 100 guests were invited by the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) last Friday for the morning dialogue.

“In order to create relevant and effective policies, we need the input and ideas of the state’s stakeholders – its people,” said MBSA mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan.

He expressed hope that the private sector would play a larger role in economic and investment activities in the state.

The issues dis-cussed were divided into four categories: Infrastructure, Social, Local Economy, and Others.

Under the Infra-structure category, guests mainly dis-cussed the upgrading and maintenance of roads in the outskirts

of Shah Alam.The Social category saw issues

like monitoring foreigners to curb social ills, controlling budg-et hotels, and activities to bridge the gap between different reli-gious bodies.

The issues of illegal stalls and slow approval of microcredit loans were raised in the Local Economy category; while in the Others category, the topic of river cleaning and beautifica-tion was discussed, as well as how to create a unique Shah Alam identity that its residents could relate to.

V Murugeswaran, who at-tended the dialogue, also raised issues like disabled-friendly fa-cilities in public buildings.

“While there has been an improvement in the number of disabled-friendly buses in the Klang Valley, there is a shortage of disabled-friendly bus stands,” said the Damai Disabled Persons Association Selangor president.

Residents Representative Council (MPP) Zone 21 com-mittee member Susan Lim raised the issue of insufficient signage.

“There is a lack of signage in our area with regards to pro-moting places of interest to spur the growth of tourism,” said the Setia Alam Hawkers Association committee member.

Lim said there is a lack of signs to the market in her area, which has been recognised by the Malaysian Book of Records as the longest night market in the country.

The Menteri Besar’s Economic Analysis and Research senior officer, Abdul Halim Mohamed Yusof, said the dia-logues have also been held in Sabak Bernam and Hulu Selan-gor so far.

“We will be going to the other local councils from Aug 12 to 19,” he added.

Communities invited to have their say in state budget

Norazmie

Datuk Mohd Jaafar (right) meeting members of the public.

By Brenda Ch’ng

KLANG: Traders with Ramadan licences from the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) will face hefty fines if caught selling or renting their stalls.

“We have previously received complaints of vendors selling their lots for up to RM3,000 or more, depending on the location,” said MPK licensing department head Azhar Samsudin at a recycling cam-paign on Tuesday.

Executive councillor for environ-ment Elizabeth Wong launched the campaign at the Ramadan bazaar in Sri Andalas.

Also present were Sri Andalas assemblyperson Dr Xavier Jayaku-

mar, MPK councillors, traders and residents.

Azhar said stricter measures would be taken this year to prevent the unscrupulous practice.

He added that enforcement of-ficers would monitor bazaars and haul up irresponsible traders.

Azhar said traders are also ex-pected to keep their stalls clean, re-frain from selling prohibited items, and minimise the use of plastic bags, styrofoam and recycled cooking oil.

He said used cooking oil would be collected in a barrel which would be sent for recycling into biodiesel.

“This recycling effort by vendors and residents will help reduce pol-lution,” he said.

Traders warned against sub-leasing lots

Azhar (right) with Xavier and Wong at the launch of the campaign.

SHAH ALAM: A charity golf tournament to build a much-needed kinder-garten in Long Lawen village in Sawarak is being organised by Sel-angor Times.

Th e matc h will take place at Kelab Rahman

Putra on Aug 19. The scoring system is Stableford, in three different divisions with its own handicap group. Entrance fee is RM250 per person; closing date is Aug 12.

Long Lawen is an isolated village, with 600 inhabitants who make their living by fishing , hunting and working in the padi fields and pepper plantations.

Sale of the produce brings in RM100 a month.Primary and secondary education are a financial

burden for parents who eke out a subsistence living.Kemajuan Masyarakat (Kemas) currently con-

ducts a kindergarten class in the village for children aged six years old.

The village intends to operate another kindergar-ten class for 35 children aged four and five.

It would require RM 17,000 to construct the proposed kindergarten, which will include a class-room, bedroom, kitchen and dining area.

It will serve children from two ethnic communi-ties: the Kenyah from Long Lawen, and the Penan from Long Lunkwat.

The Penan children, currently numbering 15, will board in Long Lawen and will be sponsored by the village.

After completing kindergarden, the children will proceed to the primary school in Kampung Sungei Asap, where they will live in a school hostel.

The kindergarten will also require cash donations amounting to RM66,969 for a three-year operation, or RM22,323 per year.

Your participation in this event will help towards improving the lives of the less fortunate. Contribu-tions are also welcome; cheques should be made out to Koridor Mesra Sdn Bhd.

For registration, email [email protected].

Selangor Times charity golf tournament

SHAH ALAM: For the Raya celebration, state gov-ernment employees can look forward to a bump in their bonuses to match that of their federal-level counterparts.

“Selangor has increased the bonuses that its em-ployees will receive to standardise with the amounts given by the federal government,” said Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

The Menteri Besar, during a press conference on Wednesday, announced the hike in Hari Raya bonuses

from an earlier announcement of RM500 last week.Selangor government staff of Grade 54 and below

will now receive at least half their monthly salary or a minimum of RM500, whichever is greater.

“We are giving this amount because we don’t want to discriminate between state and federal public serv-ants,” he explained.

Khalid also reassured that the state was well able to afford the increase as they were awarding the bonuses according to their financial capacity.

Raya joy for state employees

9AUGUST 12 — 14, 2011

NEWS

By Brenda Ch’ng

KAPAR: Residents who have been slapped with penalties for alleged electricity theft are crying foul at Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).

“I was shocked when I opened the letter. I was told to pay RM19,433.32 within 14 days or my electricity will be cut off,” said Kuala Selangor resident Phun Hee Shin.

The 42-year-old fisherman, from Jeram in Kuala Selangor, said he received the notice on Aug 1.

He said a new meter had been installed at his home in February.

According to Phun, TNB staff accompanied by the utility company’s auxiliary police officer had told his mother that their old meter was faulty and needed to be changed.

When his mother asked for further explanation, she was denied answers and was directed to fill in a form and sign it for TNB’s records.

“There weren’t any warnings, they just appeared when no one else was home, and my mother was caught off guard.

“She just did what she was told because she couldn’t under-stand much,” said Phun.

Despite power-cut threats, Phun denies the allegation of electricity theft and refuses to pay the huge sum.

He said his electricity bill, which averaged between RM300 and RM400 based on his old-meter reading, has remained similar even with the new meter.

Joining him is Chong Teck Meng, who was charged RM14,556.65 for alleged electricity theft.

The lorry driver in his thirties received the notice in May, after hav-ing changed his electricity meter in January this year.

“My monthly bill is only RM35 usually, and even with the new meter installed, the bill hasn’t increased much,” said Chong.

He said the majority of his neigh-bours at Bukit Kapar 1, Taman Melawati have been issued similar notices.

“This is unacceptable. If residents really are stealing electricity, wouldn’t their new bills be much higher compared to their previous bills?” said Kapar Member of Parlia-ment S Manikavasagam.

He said TNB should apologise and waive all notices and fees issued to residents affected.

To date, Manikavasagam has received nine complaints from residents in Kapar and Kuala Selangor, but said many more people could be facing the same predicament.

Manikavasagam said he is doing his best to identify other

residents in the two areas who are affected and to get TNB to waive the high fees.

He will also be following up twith TNB Kuala Selangor and TNB Meru next week.

When contacted, a TNB spokesperson told Selangor Times that they would investigate the allegations.

Residents shocked by electricity fines

Manikavasagam with Phun (second left) and affected residents.

KLANG: A traffic mitigation proposal by a kindergarten operator has been rejected by the Bandar Botanic Resident Association (BBRA).

Traffic in the gated community is grid-locked at peak hours due to five kindergartens, four of which are operating illegally on resi-dential land, while a sixth is being built on a commercial plot.

The proposal by the new kindergarten operator was shot down during a roundtable

at the Klang M u n i c i p a l C o u n c i l ( M P K ) c h a i r e d b y c o u n c i l l o r Yew Boon Lye on Wednes-day.

“Their plan isn’t solid as the study was based on an-other area in Bandar Bo -

tanic. We do not accept it because the plan doesn’t go far enough,” said BBRA chairperson Jacob Mathews.

The 48-year-old resident expressed hope that the kindergartens can come back with a better plan, one which reflects traffic flow in Jenaris Bandar Botanic.

However, kindergarten owner David Foong said their traffic management plan could help solve traffic woes and ensure the safety of children.

“If this plan is implemented, I’m certain traffic can be reduced in the area,” he said.

The 52-year-old Jenaris resident hopes resi-dents will give them a chance to show their suggestions are workable.

Among the suggestions are installing

closed-cir-cuit televi-s i o n ( C C T V ) c a m e r a s , having traffic wardens to guide traffic a n d u s i n g walkie-talk-ies among his staff to i m p r o v e traffic during peak hours.

F o o n g added that a suggestion box would also be put up for residents to offer feedback and solutions for better traffic management.

There will also be a Botanic Residents Emergency Hotline where residents are en-couraged to report traffic and security matters.

The gated Jenaris residential area comprises 420 households.

Daily frustrations run high when residents are faced with morning and evening traffic snarls at the single exit and entrance to the neighbourhood.

“I will make sure MPK’s licensing depart-ment takes the necessary action next week to close down unlicensed kindergartens,” said Yew.

Yew said the illegal kindergartens would be shut down at the end of the year after the se-mester ends.

“We have to consider the children studying there as well. Shutting them down immedi-ately will be unfair to parents and children,” said Klang Member of Parliament Charles Santiago.

He said an independent traffic study must also be carried out, apart from closing down all illegal kindergartens in Jenaris.

Kindergarten fails to allay traffic concerns

By William Tan

SUBANG JAYA: Being officially still being on maternity leave did not stop Hannah Yeoh from personally distribut-ing much-needed state funds to six mosques and 16 surau in her constituency.

The Subang Jaya state assemblyperson gave out RM28,000 in financial aid to help these Muslim houses of worship dur-ing Ramadan, last Saturday.

Yeoh said her office has made it a point to hand to use her state allocations to help mosques and surau annually.

The money is distributed during the first week of Ramadan, and this is fourth year running that the funds are being distributed.

“Rather than spend the money on open houses, we have, since 2008, given the money back to the people who can actu-ally use it,” Yeoh said.

Representatives from mosques were given RM2,000 each, while those from surau received RM1,000 each.

Yeoh said up to August this year, her office has allocated RM78,400 to houses

of worship and religious schools based on their needs.

“We have given allocations to church-es and temples as well, regardless of reli-gion, particularly when we are invited religious festivals,” she said.

Zulkanian Ismail from the Masjid Al Irsyad said the RM2,000 contribution will be used for the numerous activities they run during the month of Ramadan.

He said costs during the holy month could rise to at leat RM30,000.

“I am still happy with what we have, particularly the fact that we get it consist-ently,” said Zulkanian.

He expressed hope that the govern-ment and the mosque will eventually work more closely to aid the poor and to pro-mote activities such as the teaching of the Al Quran.

Yamin Yahya, who represented Surau Al Hikmah, said the RM1,000 he received will go to feeding the community after nightly prayers during the fasting month.

“Every little bit helps, especially when our electricity bills alone for our surau can go up to RM800 per month,” he said.

Yeoh (centre) with mosque and surau representatives at Masjid Darul Ehsan in Subang Jaya.

Mosques, surau receive RM28,000 in financial aid

Charles Santiago

Yew Boon Lye

10 august 12 — 14, 2011

news

By Basil Foo

KLANG: Open burning of rubbish and electrical wires here has left residents of Kampung Rantau Panjang gasping for air from the thick fumes.

The burning is said to have been occurring on 20 hectares of state-owned land situated off Jalan Kapar’s five-and-a-half mile stretch.

Village residents have been complaining that the burning was too close for comfort as their homes were a mere 100 metres away from the dump site.

The villagers claimed that rubbish was being dumped ille-gally at the site for years, but the burning only started three months ago.

They also said unscrupulous individuals were burning the

rubber coating around elec-trical wires to get to the copper underneath, which could be sold to scrap metal dealers.

A resident who wanted to be known as Mustapha said the fumes posed a health hazard to 1,000 residents, some of whom were suffer-ing from asthma, including himself.

Another resident who identified himself as Lee said the burning usually start at 10pm, and strong winds oc-casionally carried fumes as far as Jalan Kapar’s eighth mile.

It was learnt that the road to the dump site runs through private land, and efforts by the Fire Department to put out the burning last week were thwarted by barriers erected on the road.

A site visit was carried out by Kapar assemblyperson S Manikavasagam, as well as representatives from the Department of Environment (DOE) Selangor, Klang Municipal Council (MPK) and the District Office on Monday.

As a short-term measure, Manikavasagam has asked for the dump site to be cordoned off, and for the dumping and burn-ing of rubbish to be investigated by the authorities.

DOE Selangor assistant director Abdul Mazli revealed that his department had been conducting investigations into the issue since May.

He added that legal action against those behind the open burning could be carried out using the Environmental Qual-ity Act of 1974.

Living next door to open burning

The open-burning spot, still smouldering.

Manikavasagam (right) with DOE Selangor officers during the site visit on Monday.

By Alvin Yap

SUBANG JAYA: Fifteen needy families from the SS19 flats here received shopping vouchers from Han-nah Yeoh in conjunction with Ramadan, and to help ease the burden of escalating food prices.

“Please buy what you need,” said the Subang Jaya assemblyperson.

Each family received Mydin vouchers worth RM200 at the Abu Bakar as-Siddiq mosque on Tues-day night.

The mosque’s welfare committee identified the families and forwarded the names to Yeoh’s office.

Mosque committee president Nazir Abdul Razak Yaakob said he looked forward to continuing to work with the lawmaker to improve the welfare of ratepay-ers in the SS19 area.

This is the second year that Yeoh is giving out shop-ping vouchers to needy families in her constituency. Her office had organised a breaking-of-fast dinner during Ramadan in 2008 and 2009.

This year, they felt it was more practical to use the state allocations to provide the needy with shopping vouchers.

Last week, Yeoh gave out vouchers to residents in SS13, Seri Angsana flats and USJ 1.

Yeoh also informed those gathered at the mosque about the state’s urban microcredit scheme, and said interested applicants should visit her service centre to find out more.

She explained that the microcredit fund is used for individuals to set up their own small-scale businesses,

especially food stalls.“With this microcredit scheme, you can start your

own business. There’s no need to work for anyone, you can be self-employed,” she said.

Yeoh joined the women in the mosque for breaking of fast after the vouchers were handed out.

Shopping vouchers for the needy

Yeoh with recipients at Abu Bakar as-Siddiq mosque.

KLANG: After waiting for a decade, bedridden Alaguselvam Ayyavu, 23, was finally issued his MyKad last Friday.

He received his identification card from Kapar MP S Mani-kavasagam, who had intervened on his behalf by raising the issue with the National Registration Department.

Alaguselvam’s mother, R Pa-kiam, had been worried that the process had taken a decade, and approached Manikavasagam for assistance last year.

“I hope the relevant authori-

ties will take note of MyKad applications from those who are invalid and expedite them,” the lawmaker said to the press at Alagulselvam’s house on 9 ¾ mile Kampung Perepat.

He explained that without the necessary documents to prove his citizenship, Alagulselvam would not be able to receive welfare assistance from the gov-ernment.

In light of that, Manikavasag-am promised to provide a wheel-chair to Alagulselvam to help him move around.

Invalid receives MyKad after 10-year wait

Manikvasagam (right) with Alaguselvam and family.

11august 12 — 14, 2011

views

A s u b v e r s i v e d o c u m e n t l i e s b e f o re

me. Brazenly, some Malaysians think “only those countries

that undertook a systematic programme to transform the underlying structure of their economies … were able to rise from middle-income status to become high-income countries”. And these people say we should do likewise.

Transform the underlying structure? Who do they think they are to disrupt the current system?

Well that’s what the Economic Transformation Pro-gramme’s roadmap for Malaysia wants to do to us.

Subversive, according the Oxford Dictionary, means “seek-ing or intended to undermine the power and authority of (an established system or institution)”. Merriam-Webster defines subvert as “to overturn or overthrow from the foundation”.

Here are more subversive lines: “The 1Malaysia concept has at its core, the principle of social justice. This principle necessitates a renewed focus on championing the interests of each and every community, ensuring no group is left behind or marginalised in the course of the nation’s development.”

That bold declaration appears in the Tenth Malaysia Plan, published last year under the auspices of the Prime Minister’s Department.

Social justice appears in none of the previous development plans. By drawing in the ideas of justice and social interest, the ongoing Tenth Plan rhetorically shifts the framework from the government’s prerogative to dispense ‘redistribution’ to people’s rightful claim to a fair share of national wealth. This is subversion alright, albeit of a subtler form.

So make no mistake, the Economic Transformation Pro-gramme and Tenth Malaysia Plan possess subversive elements. Not to overthrow a government, but to overturn a system or institutional framework right from its base.

No one has been arrested for these attempts to subvert – and no one ought to be. In the course of life we are sometimes compelled to say difficult things that challenge an existing order or confront entrenched privilege.

To be fair, not all subversive content emanates from within BN. The opposition supplies a fair share, too.

Pakatan Rakyat’s Buku Jingga subversively asserts that na-tional prosperity can be achieved and sustained only if it is but-tressed by the principles of social justice and shared humanity.

But not all subversives are equal. The cost to BN of talking about social justice is, at worst, to have the agenda smothered and popularity diminished.

The cost to others can be violated freedom and official op-pression. I refer, of course, to the PSM6: Parti Sosialis Malay-

sia’s Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar, deputy president M Sarasvathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai and M Sukumaran, Youth chief R Saratbabu, and Sungai Siput branch secretary A Letchumanan. They were detained without trial under the Emergency Ordinance for 28 days, walled in solitary confinement, and nastily interrogated.

Upon their release on July 29, like a deflating tyre PM Najib Razak hissed how Malaysia respects the rule of law and that the police decided based on “their observations”.

Through the month of observing, we heard only ding-donging and stonewalling on the grounds for detention without trial. And after the 670 hours of observing, no charges were made, no evidence found and no confessions extracted. No apology also from the authorities who locked up and played mind games with citizens, with zero account-ability and no qualms about trampling on basic human rights, dignity and decency.

On Aug 2, four days after their release, the PSM6 were charged with being in possession of “subversive documents”.The insatiable appetite to repress socialists baffles many.

Are we witnessing a real time demonstration for history students of the irrelevance and backwardness of archaic laws? An act of scapegoating and scaremongering, or an

attempt to save face by actually bringing on some charge, any charge, in court? A preemptive strike by an absolutely power-over-principle establishment at a grassroots political organisation that exemplifies grassroots consistency and courage of conviction?

Whatever the intent, desperation comes across loudly in resorting to attach the subversive label on adversaries.

At the same time, without in any way condoning the in-justice against them, it’s worth acknowledging that their critique of the current political economic system “out-sub-verts” most others’. (I’m sure PSM folks will take this as a compliment.) Socialism does not merely call for transforma-tion of economic structures or fairer income distribution, it piercingly analyses class structure and rejects the very legiti-macy of the capitalist system.

As capitalism continues to be in crisis, in a world where millions eke out their survival at the mercy of rising prices and volatile markets while millionaires live lavishly, should we not ask deeper, more fundamental questions about the economic system that assimilates us? Shouldn’t we all be a little more subversive?

Let’s not allow our minds to be put in detention without thought.

Subversion and division wit pleasureLee Hwok Aun

JUST a few days ago a friend of mine sent me a Tweet message in which she referred to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as our Condi-tional Prime Minister. I laughed out loud when I received that. What a wonderfully apt description of the man, I thought.

I forwarded the new title of the monarch of Putrajaya to other friends and we spent most of the day having ourselves good belly laughs. But after the mirth dissipated a little I thought about it and realised that it isn’t that original. Except that it took a person like my friend to put it into words. Conditional Prime Minister.

Okay, okay for those of you who may have come in a little late, let me explain. For as far as I can remember, actually since Najib was shoved into the Putrajaya driver’s seat he has been exhibiting traits that are required to earn him that very distinguished title, which in my mind is much better and much more relevant and meaningful than those dato’s and sri’s. Tan or otherwise. There’s a racist joke in there somewhere but I shall resist. But you can have some fun if you want.

Okay, getting back on track. Why is Con-ditional Prime Minister such an appropriate

title for Najib? Well, since he came into office – and he did just ‘come’ into the office didn’t he? I mean nobody voted him in what! – he’s been going around the country making all those “conditional” speeches to the rakyat.

I am sure you remember some of the more famous ones that became YouTube Top 10 hits overnight. The most famous or infamous example was when Najib was campaigning for Barisan Nasional candidates in the elec-tions in Sarawak. Yes, who can forget his promise to issue a RM5 million check on the Monday after the election if it is proven that the local flers there had voted for the BN candidate? I give you the money IF you vote for us. Condition ma.

And I am sure that if you raise this topic at your next session with your friends at the mamak stalls, you will remember many more such “conditional” promises that Najib has made.

Oh ya before I forget, Najib laid down another condition recently. He said that in order for Putrajaya to properly “jaga” the Indian community’s needs and wants, the MIC flers must bring in the votes for BN. Condition ma.

And of course the latest stories about how conditions are so much a part of Malaysian life has to do with this registration of legal and illegal foreign workers. There are stories circulating the internet, stories only la, not confirmed or anything, that these foreigners are being offered blue MyKad if they prom-ise to vote for the right candidates in the next General Election. Conditions ma.

In Malaysia sure got so many conditions one. You want better driving then you have to pay tolls lor. You want money to build schools then you must vote for me lor. You want better healthcare then you must go to private hospital and pay lor. Eh? Well, that last one is not always true la.

But after laughing for a while, my friends and I stopped and thought about things for a bit. Najib a Conditional Prime Minister? Yes. But… have we really had any other kind? No, right? Every prime minister in living memory came with conditions what. No meh?

Remember Badawi? He said that in order for him to be effective we must not work for him but with him. And see where that got us. And him!

Dr M? I am sure you will need no help from me in remembering all the conditions he laid on us. I don’t remember if Hussein Onn laid any conditions on us, but his pre-decessor did. He said that Malaysia can only be maju if we share the wealth among all the races. And boy! Did we share! But it’s a condition ma.

So I guess we can’t and should not rib Najib so much for being a Conditional Prime Minister. After all, he is just doing what has been the long-accepted practice ma.

See? Now even the television flers have joined the condition game. They tried to tell us Malaysians that even celebrating each other’s festivals comes with conditions. We must not wear certain clothes la. We must not be obnoxious la. We must not go “over-board” wor.

It’s like we all Malaysians don’t know all this meh? That we all Malaysians will know-ingly dish other Malaysians’ sensitivities meh? No, right? But anyhow just set some conditions la. After all, our country also led by a Conditional Prime Minister ma. Sorry la, I just had to add that last bit in. Minta maaf ya, Jib?

Conditional love…?teohlogy pAtrick teoH

Protesters in solidarity against the detention of the PSM6.

12 august 12 — 14, 2011InsIght

By Brenda Ch’ng

In this modern era of medicine, some doctors scramble from patient to patient, trying their best to treat diseases. But in

the midst of curing, sometimes proper care and comfort are forgotten.

In the limited time they have at work, doc-tors can only check charts, summarise a pa-tient’s medical report, prescribe medicines and admit them to hospital if necessary.

They are often unable to empathise, listen to patient woes, teach family members how to cope, or tend to a patient’s spiritual and emotional needs.

“Doctors are seldom trained in medical schools to communicate beyond words or give attention to detail when trying to manage patient complaints.

“They are eager to treat the disease and often forget that they need to treat the pa-tient,” said Dr Nick Chong.

The 36-year-old palliative care specialist said treating the patient and tending to their spiritual and emotional needs is as important as combatting the disease.

“When a patient is scared and confused, giving them more drugs is seldom enough. You listen and explore their concerns, expecta-tions and goals. You try your best to reassure them that you’ll be with them all the way providing guidance and support while they fight their ilness,” said Dr Chong.

Dr Chong, who studied palliative care in London, is now back home and hoping to make some positive changes in the less ideal palliative care situation here.

Most families are not equipped with medi-cal knowledge to be able to give their sick loved ones quality care or comfort and pain relief.Family members are also often devastated and are at a loss for what to do or how to relieve their sick loved ones of pain.

“It makes letting go of a loved one that much harder because of the guilt family members feel in not doing enough to make the patient more comfortable and pain-free,” he said.

Currently, there are only eight palliative care specialists in Malaysia, including Dr Chong himself, who are trained to offer spe-cial care services to patients.

However, there are many trained doctors and non-governmental organisations in Ma-laysia that are doing an excellent job in provid-ing palliative care to terminally ill patients.

But still this is not enough.“In United Kingdom, the country with the

best palliative care services in the world, there is a ratio of one palliative care specialist to 150,000 patients. Here the ratio is one to one

million,” Dr Chong said.Awareness of palliative care, which focuses

on pain management, counselling and all-round care, needs to expand to allow families and patients suffering from chronic and incur-able diseases to receive proper guidance.

However, in Malaysia, the main reason palliative care has not been implemented or recognised is because most people see the word “palliative” as a taboo.

Patients do not want to be registered with palliative care because the term generally means end-of-life treatment.

“Patients and family members get dis-heartened when referred to palliative care. They put up barriers thinking that if they are in it, they will die soon,” Dr Chong said.

But that is not always true as so much more can be done for the patient beyond medicinal means to help improve their quality of life, he added.

Hospice home care cervicesHospital-based palliative care can be im-

proved with the involvement of community-based care centres like hospices.

With the link between both services, on-cologists can refer cancer patients for hospice

care while at home, and hospice staff can alert the respective doctors if the patient’s health is deteriorating.

Palliative care carried out in hospitals should ideally continue at home as 70% of patients stricken with terminal illness prefer to spend their final hours at home.

A good homecare hospice system can make this last wish possible.

Being the arm of palliative care, Hospice Klang caters to patients diagnosed with cancer and leukaemia, regardless of the disease’s progress.

“We aim to offer support to both patient and family members while aiming to improve

BEFORE the existence of palliative care, terminally ill patients were left to deal with pain, grief and their dis-eases alone. Unfortunately, many family members would not fully comprehend their pain or suffering.

As the disease progressed, patients would likely feel the strain and burden of their affliction affecting their mental, emotional and physical state. This would cause them to withdraw from social interaction, and even reject

any form of comfort and help given by family members and friends. This immense pain and isolation would be dealt by doctors with more painkillers, intravenous therapy (IV) drip, or sent home if nothing else could be done for them.

With the growing number of terminally ill patients in Malaysia, the need for palliative care grew as well. However, not all doctors are able to offer palliative care to their patients. Doctors will have to undergo a sepa-rate degree course to become a qualified palliative care specialist.

Palliative care in Malaysia

1992 - Hospice Malaysia was formed in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur, with 44 patients registered under its care. Gradually, 20 more hospice centres sprouted all around Malaysia to cater to patient needs within the neighbourhood.

1995 - Seeing the work Hospice Malaysia and its branches were doing, the first dedicated unit for palliative care was formed in Kota Kinabalu Sabah at Queen Elizabeth Hospi-tal called the Palliative Care Unit. It had only four beds and

History of palliative careOxygen concentrator.

Hospice facilities available for loan.

Dr Chong (left) with Dr Yoong.

CURE SOMETIMES, RELIEF OFTEN, COMFORT ALWAYS

Goals of palliative care:• Aimstoprovidepainreliefandhandlepainmanagement;• Providesemotionalandmentalsupportforpatientsandfam-

ilymembers;• Abackbone forpatient’s families to leanonwhentimesget

rough;• Integratesthepsychologicalandspiritualaspectsofpatientcare• Goesbeyondtheaspectsofphysicalhelpandmedicinalhelp

whichmodern-daydoctorsprovide;• Tomaketerminallyillpatientscomfortableandpainfreedur-

ingtheirlastfewdaysonearth;• Toconsolidate apatient’smedical informationandbreak it

downtosimplewordstocurbconfusionandfear.

Who is eligible:• Peoplewhoaresufferingfromanimmenselevelofpain;• Terminallyillpatientswhohavebeendiagnosedwithincurable

diseases;• Patientswhohavebeendiagnosedwitha long-termcurable

disease;• Patientswhohavebeendiagnosedwithmultiplehealthcondi-

tions,or• Onewhoaresickanddonotknowwheretoturnto.

You are qualified to receive palliative care if:• Youhavesixmonthsorlesstolive;• Youneedanalternativetocopewithpainmanagement;• Yousufferfrombreathlessness;• Youbearsymptomsofsleepreversalpatterns;• Youfaceconstantanxietyandworryduetothedisease;• Youhaveemotionalandmentalproblems;• Youhavenausea,orif• Youaresimplyillandlonely.

Who provides palliative care:• Palliativecarespecialistsinhospitals;• Non-governmentalorganisationslikehospicecentresaround

Malaysia;• Trainedvolunteers,nursesanddoctors.

Places that provide palliative care:• HospitalSelayang’sPalliativeCareUnit;• 20hospicecentresinPenang,Perak,Selangor,KualaLumpur,

NegeriSembilan,Melaka,Johor,Kelantan,SarawakandSabah.

cateredtotheneedsofterminallyillpatientswhohadbeensenthomebytheirdoctors.

1996 - Recognitionoftheneedforpalliativecaregrewimmenselywithin theyear, and fourbedsmushroomedinto10.Duetothelimitednumberofbeds,theunitex-tendeditsservicestohomecare.Withthehighdemandandpositivitygeneratedfrompalliativecare,theMinistryofHealthsoonacknowledgeditsimportanceandtookaninterestinexpandingittootherhospitals.

1998 - TheMinistryofHealthrequestedallhospitalsinSelangortohaveapalliativecareunit, just liketheone inSabah.However,therewerenotenoughpalliativecarespe-cialiststoruntheunitsinmosthospitals,anditdidn’ttakeoffwell.

2000 - Twelvehospitals inMalaysia tookpalliativecaremoreseriouslyandprovidedittopatientswithterminallyilldiseases.However,duetolackoffundsandstaff,thesehos-pitalsstillfailedtoaccommodateaspecialisedpalliativecareunitintheirhospitals.

2002 -SelayangHospitalbecamethefirsthospitalheretohaveadedicatedspecialistpalliativecareunitwith12beds.Itwasrunbyfourtrainedpalliativecarespecialistswhoeachdealtwithmorethan25patientsaday.

2005 -Palliativecaretrainingsoongrewintotheacademicsectorandwarrantedalluniversitystudentstoundergopal-liativecaretrainingaspartoftheircourse.Thishelpedcreateawareness thatpalliative care is ahighly recognised andsought-aftermedicalfield.

one’squalityof lifeas thediseaseprogresses,” said thechairpersonofHospiceKlang,DrMichaelYoong.

AlsothedoctorinchargeofpalliativecareinHospiceKlang,he, togetherwithhisteamof full-timenurses,volunteerdoctorsandnon-medicalindividuals,careforpatientswhoare inremission,andterminally illoneswhoareoutofhospitalcare.

HospiceKlanghasaround20volunteersandhalfadozenfull-timestaff.Thecentrevisits60to70patientseachweek.

“Thesehomevisitscomprisemorethan85%oftheworkinHospiceKlang;andatpresent,weprovidehomecare forabout120patientsat anyone time,” saidDrYoong.

Theyalsoloanouthospitalbeds,wheelchairs,walkingsticks,commodes,portableoxygenconcentrators,andripplemattressestocurbbedsores.

Besidesthat,nursesanddoctorsvisitpatientsintheirhomeseveryday,togetherwithatleasttwonon-medicalpersonswhoprovidetransportforthenursesandcom-fortforthepatients.

“Ivisitaminimumofsixpatientsaday,spendinganhourormorewiththemduringeachvisit,”saidnurseSirumalarSelvi.

From9amto5pm,shewilltravelwithtwovolunteers,

whonotonlydriveheraroundbutkeeppatientscompanyandpreoccupiedwhilesheischeckingonthem.

Her routine is toproppatientsup, teachpatientsandtheirfamilyhowtodealwithpainmanagement, teach breathing andmassagetechniques,changewounds,listentotheirwor-riesandreferthemtoadoctorwhennecessary.

The30-year-old,whoisatransfernursefromChennai, India, saidherexperiencehereasapalliativecarenursehasopenedhereyestohowapatient’smoodanddiseasecanimprovewiththehelpofsuchcare.

Echoing her sentimentswas PhilomenaSelvaratnam,whoisanurseatHospiceKlang.

The65-year-oldjoinedthehospicefiveyearsagofollowinganursingcareeratahospital.

“Nursing ismypassion. I lovebeingwithpatients,giving themmy full attention and listening to theirproblemsandtrymybest tomake themcomfortableandhappy,”shesaid.

Shehelpsentertainpatientswithactivitieslikecook-ing,handicraft, games, exercise and reikimassage (ahealingpainrelieftechnique)everySaturday.

“It is amazinghow these patients seem to forgettheyhavecancer.Withpalliativecareandsocialac-tivities, I think it provides some sort of escape forthem,”shesaid.

“Icheckmycalendar,anticipatingSaturdaytoarrive.ItistheonlydistractionIhavetolookforwardtoapartfromgoingforchemotherapyanddoctorcheck-ups,”saidapatientinhisseventieswhoonlywantedtobeknownasYap.

Sufferingfromcancer,Yap is as active andhealthyasanyotherper-son.

“I love dancing, andwhenIwasaffectedwithcancer I thought Icouldn’tdanceanymore.But I rea l ised I waswrongafterbeingpartofpalliative and hospicecare,”saidYap.

He saidhe does notfeelanymorepainandheismoreconfident incombatting thediseasewith thehelpofthehospicestaff.

Joininghim is 62-year-oldbreast cancer survivorShamsiahMatSom,whoisinremission.

“I’msothankfulforcareandattentionIgethere.Idon’tknowhowIwouldbeabletosurvivewithoutit,”shesaid.

ShamsiahisvisitedbyhospicenursesonceeverytwomonthsandattendshospiceactivitieseverySaturdaytogivesupporttoothercancerpatients,someofwhomarestillundergoingchemotherapy. Volunteer doctor (middle) with cancer patients.

CURE SOMETIMES, RELIEF OFTEN, COMFORT ALWAYS

Volunteers entertaining patients with song.

Patients required to use their other senses to identify an object.

Sirumalar Selvi

Hospice Klang

14 AUGUST 12 — 14, 2011

VIEWS

Lord Bobo, I’ve been seeing some interesting graffiti around KL. What’s a “volcano massage”? Avid Reader, via

email

Ah, His Supreme Eminenceness did notice those spraypainted graffiti on road dividers, walls, and flyover pillars around KL the last time Lord Bobo was in town to visit the Pusat Rakyat LoyarBurok. We assumed there was a sudden surge in demand for massage services. As well as motorcycle tyre-tube-changing assistance.

As to what a “volcano massage” is, one can only speculate. Lord Bobo assumes it has some-thing to do with, erm, eruptions. His Supreme Eminenceness even spotted a “cheese massage”, which is even more mysterious.

Having received your question, we tasked a few minions to dial up the numbers on those notices (just to research for this answer, obvi-ously), and they all were told “wrong number” by various irritated individuals. Which leads us to think that all these seemingly exotic massage notices are perhaps an elaborate prank!

Most disturbingly, a minion reportedly saw a “banana massage” advertisement. Now that’s just plain wrong. Lord Bobo is of the view that bananas are to be eaten, not massaged. No, not in that way.

I am so upset. My neighbour called me a “fat, untalented panda” at the wet market. What legal recourse do I have? @junkradar, via

Twitter

His Supreme Eminenceness is delighted to inform you that you live in Malaysia, the land where the rule of law reigns supreme, and justice is upheld above all else. You therefore have numerous op-tions of legal redress for your grievance.

You can sue the Election Commission for causing your neighbour to be your neighbour. If not for the EC’s lackadaisical attitude towards phantom voters and gerrymandering, your neighbour would have won the seat he was run-ning for last year and become a closet millionaire living in a gated community instead of slumming it in your neighbourhood.

You can sue Utusan Malaysia for making you constantly paranoid about being invaded by Jews, Christians, Commu-nists, Americans, Europeans, Martians, and even Jews from Uranus! Go ahead and claim that the paranoia gave you such severe anxiety attacks that had to be quelled by 20 packs of Twisties per day, thereby causing you to be fat.

You can sue the Registrar of Societies for branding Bersih illegal, thus deterring you from participating in the July 9 rally, and denying you some much need exercise (not from the

walking, but from the running from the tear gas and water cannons) to mitigate your obesity.

You can sue the government for misprioritising expenditure on defence procurement instead of human development, thereby depriving you of quality and a well-rounded education to cultivate your innate talents.

As the above advice is given free of charge, Lord Bobo hereby disclaims in perpetuity and slightly thereafter any re-sponsibility or liability for any loss, damage, cost or expense whatsoever, whether direct, indirect or consequential, howso-ever, whensoever, and in whomsoever arising, covering all known and unknown points on the space-time continuum, in connec-tion with and/or in relation to and/or occasioned by the said advice. Or not. Amen. Caveat emptor. Res ipsa loquitor. Waka waka. A licky boom boom down. Qui vadis. Et tu, Brute?

Lord Bobo, what’s your take on the MAS AirAsia deal that has set Corporate Malaysia abuzz? Flight of Fancy, via email

His Supreme Eminenceness is slightly bemused by this concept of “Corporate Malaysia”. Who does this include? How many Malaysias are there? Is the opposite “Unincorporated Malay-sia”? Or “Can’t Be Arsed About Business News Malaysia”?

Anyway, it’s just another piece of business between the business elite, isn’t it? Many of the characters involved are from the same familiar cast (or friends or close business partners of former cast members). It’s difficult to predict how it will affect the average Malaysian, though you can be certain that bringing MAS towards profitability will not involve cutting ticket prices or offering free air fares. Short, figure-hugging air stew-ardess uniforms may help, though.

Dear Lord Bobo, why do people go out for drinks or meals and spend so much time looking at their phones, instead of each

other? Is this a sign of the apocalypse? Are the machines taking over? Nostrildamus, via email

Lord Bobo knows what you mean, and is not happy about this trend. In fact, His Supreme Eminenceness has on numerous occasions advised his minions to minimise Tweeting, BBM-ing and emailing other people while sitting down for a meal with friends. It’s just plain rude. It’s sad how basic human interaction seems to be such a difficult task for so many.

Just the other day, Lord Bobo was enjoying a meal in KLCC (His Supreme Eminenceness frequently visits the excellent bookstore there), and a family was seated at the next table. The father was on his iPhone, mum was on an iPad, the older daughter was franti-cally typing away on her BlackBerry, and the youngest kid was sat there watching cartoons on a portable DVD player. And this was while eating.

Lord Bobo has been told that some parents buy iPads for their pre-school-age children to play with because it’s too tiring to make conversation with them. This is just plain lazy and irresponsible parenting. Why bother having children if that’s your attitude?

Similarly, why bother being in the presence of other human beings if most of your interaction is going to be on Twitter, or about it? “Eh you men-tioned me on Twitter ah? Wait wait I go reply.” Is the apocalypse upon us? Perhaps. Not that these people

would notice of course, unless it was tweeted, BBM-ed or emailed to them.

Have a question for Lord Bobo? Call on His Supreme Eminenceness by emailing [email protected], stating your full name, and a pseudonym (if you want), or tweeting your questions by mentioning @LoyarBurok and using the hashtag #asklordbobo. The first 100 questions published will receive monkey-riffic LoyarBurok merchan-dise courtesy of Selangor Times. What the hell are you waiting for? Hear This, and Tremblingly Obey (although trembling is optional if you are somewhere very warm)! Liberavi Animam Meam! I Have Freed My Spirit!

Volcanoes, lawsuits, airlines and the apocalypse

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

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

described queries are answered!

15AUGUST 12 — 14, 2011

NEWS

By Brenda Ch’ng

SUBANG JAYA: Getting their hands dirty has become part and parcel of the lives of students of two schools taking part in a project to recycle waste into compost here.

SMK Subang SS14 and SMK SS17 were the first secondary schools chosen to par-ticipate in the project, where students recy-cle garden and kitchen waste naturally into fertiliser.

The three-month project, which began in February, was organised by the local Resi-dent Committee ( JKP) and funded by CIMB Bank.

“I’m proud of my newfound interest in

gardening. I never thought I would ever express my passion for making compost and growing vegetables,” said SMK SS17 student Kevin Low.

The 17-year-old president of the Eco Sev-enteen Club said he never knew that saving the environment could be so easy and fun.

Low and the other 24 members of the club collect peels, vegetables and recyclables for decomposition every day.

It will then be dumped into compost bins in their school and stirred 12 times a day for three months.

“It is not advisable to throw in shells and bones because they take a long time to decom-pose,” he said.

Echoing his enthusiasm was Low’s school-mate Rishendrakumar Nadarajan, who said the first-hand experience had compelled him to become an environmentalist.

“I used to turn a blind eye to recycling projects and campaigns as I didn’t see how my slight initiative could help make a difference to the environment,” he said.

The 17-year-old member of the Eco Sev-enteen Club now realises that a little can go a long way. Apart from making organic fertilis-ers, he helps the club look after a vegetable patch that grows onions, okra, brinjals and pumpkins.

This project also drove him to make com-post at home to organically fertilise his herb garden.

“I’m really happy with the results of this project. My mission of getting youths to recycle and apply it in their everyday lives has been a success,” said Subang councillor Loi Kheng Min.

Loi, who is also chairperson of the resident

committee here, said the RM10,000 project was money well spent.

He said the project would be launched in SMK Subang Utama next, followed by other schools that show interest.

He urged participants to share their expe-rience and encourage their friends, both young and old, to go green.

Students get their hands dirty for good cause

Loi collecting organic fertiliser to enrich the vegetable patch.

Rishendrakumar and Low.

By William Tan

SHAH ALAM: Some 100 senior citizens got a chance to spend RM100 provided under the state’s Skim Mesra Usia Emas (SMUE) programme, at Tesco here last Saturday.

The group, compris-ing old folk from Sec-tions 16 and 18, were accompanied by volun-teers and officials from the state overseeing the Jom Shopping initiative.

“This is part of the state government’s efforts to help the elderly cope with the rise in the cost of living,” said state ex-ecutive councillor Dr Yaakob Sapari.

The Kota Anggerik assemblyperson said the welfare initiative is more critical now in light of the fasting month and the upcoming Hari Raya celebration.

He said the state will be organising simi-lar shopping sprees in areas with the highest concentration of seniors who are registered under SMUE.

SMUE was introduced by the state government for Selangor residents aged above 60.

Yaakob said RM10 million has been al-located for the scheme, and the state is look-ing to work closely with retailers to obtain better deals and bargains for participants.

On Saturday, Tesco Shah Alam gave out

goodie bags to the participants.The event was a delight to participants

such as Salehah Mohdzin, 68, who said it was “helpful, especially with the rise in prices of items such as oil, sugar and rice”.

Saleha said she was happy that the state remembers the elderly.

Her thoughts were shared by Ahmad bin Harun, 73, who applauded the unique event.

“I don’t normally go to Tesco as it is so far for me, but I’m taking this opportunity to get some essentials like rice, sugar and syrup for Ramadan,” he said.

The retiree said he had been informed of the scheme by friends who saw banners and posters at the local mosque.

Senior citizens among the shoppers at Tesco Shah Alam on Aug 6 to spend their RM100 gift vouchers.

Jom Shopping lauded by the elderly

KLANG: The Klang Municipal Council (MPK) has launched a charity fund to help the less fortunate celebrate Hari Raya.

The MPK Cares Charity Fund was un-veiled by the council last Thursday.

MPK Communications and Public Com-plaints director Norfiza Mahfiz said pro-ceeds from the fund, which will run until Aug 15, will be channelled to the poor in the Klang district.

“We set up the fund at our headquarters to give our staff an opportunity to partici-

pate in the blessed religious duty of donat-ing to the needy,” she said.

She said Klang residents could also donate during the holy month of Ramadan.

MPK councillors will visit the poor in Klang to distribute the donations.

“This contribution is specifically to ease the burdens of the less fortunate during their Aidilfitri celebrations,” said Norfiza.

Those who want to contribute can con-tact the MPK careline at 1800-88-23826 for further information.

MPK fund to help needy celebrate Raya

KLANG: A total of RM58,600 in contributions was distributed to various organisations and plac-es of worship in Teluk Menegon here on July 30.

The contributions were handed out by state executive councillor and Sri Andalas assemblyperson Dr Xavier Jayakumar to lighten the burden of the needy.

The recipients included reli-gious schools, surau, mosques, parent-teacher associations, resi-dents associations, and needy individuals.

The sum comprised RM38,200 from the state government, RM17,400 from the Sri Andalas state assembly office, and RM3,000 from the Association of Wives of Members of Parlia-m e nt a n d St a t e A s s e m b l y p e r s o n s (Pekawanis).

At the ceremony were Pekawanis repre-

sentative Sheila Devaraj, Klang Municipal Council (MPK) councillor Azmi Jusoh, and village heads. Apart from cash contributions, every mosque and surau received Al Quran publications and two boxes of dates each.

Religious schools, organisations receive aid

Xavier (seated, fourth left) with representatives of Pekawanis, MPK, village heads, and recipients of monetary aid during a ceremony at Teluk Menegon on July 30.

16 AUGUST 12 — 14, 2011

NEWS

By Alvin Yap

SHAH ALAM: Some 300 orphans, single mothers and the poor joined Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim at his official residence for buka puasa last Saturday.

“Thank you for attending the dinner, and giving us the opportunity to get to know you more as we break fast together,” said the Men-teri Besar to his special guests for the evening.

He said Ramadan was not only an oppor-tunity to fast by withholding food and drink,

but was also a chance to de-velop character and integrity.

Khalid pointed out that Selangor was doing its bid to fulfil its promise of providing welfare for its citizens.

“We hope that our contri-butions will make your Rama-dan and the coming Syawal more meaningful,” he said, before giving out cash dona-tions to the orphans and sin-gle mothers.

Executive councillors and state lawmakers were seen

handing out gifts to the guests.Earlier, Khalid also “toured” the back of

his official residence in Section 7, where in-dustrious cooks had turned the area into a Ramadan bazaar.

Successful applicants of the state’s Mimbar microcredit programme had set up stalls to dish up their food.

Mohd Tarmidi Borhan, from state exco

member Rodziah Ismail’s constituency of Batu Tiga, told Khalid that he had received the initial grant and set up his burger stall in time for the Ramadan bazaar around Klang and Shah Alam.

“I only use high-quality buns and cheese for my Ramly burgers,” said Mohd Tarmidi, who has been doing a roaring trade since start of the fasting month.

MB breaks fast with the needy

Khalid and Rodziah distributing religious booklets to orphans.

By Basil Foo

MANAGING an increased amount of applications for stalls during the Ramadan month has been keeping Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) councillor Mariam Abdul Rashid busy.

“There has been an increase in demand for stall licences recently, so I have been helping stall op-erators to legalise their business-es,” she said.

The three-term councillor has been monitoring licence applica-tions from her jurisdiction, Zone 23, which she said is made up of mainly traditional Malay villages.

Included in the zone are six villages, namely Kampung Mer-bau Sempak, Kampung Kubu Gajah, and the Hulu, Tengah, Dalam and Hilir parts of Kam-pung Paya Jaras.

“Sometimes I receive com-plaints from locals regarding foreigners setting up stalls, so we have conducted many mon-itoring operations in the area,” she said.

Mariam also tends to two other residential areas in her zone, which she said does not generate as many complaints as the villages.

Villagers in her jurisdiction have been languishing in the dark due to the absence of streetlights and have become prey to snatch thieves.

“As the area is quite dark, we

are looking into their applica-tions for more streetlights for increased security after a few cases of snatch thefts,” said the 50-year-old councillor.

Mariam, whose service centre is in the MBSA hall in Paya Jaras, cited her interests as reading and doing welfare-related work.

The mother of eight was for-merly chairperson of an organisa-tion in Selangor that looked into the welfare of orphans – a posi-tion that she held for three years.

She is now a full-time council-lor, having answered the call to fulfill MBSA’s quota for council-lors from non-governmental or-ganisation backgrounds.

“My hope is for my zone, which is under Shah Alam’s boundaries, to receive more development and reflect the image of the city it is located in,” she said.

Know Your Councillor: Mariam Abdul Rashid

PETALING JAYA: A competition to find the cleanest, most affordable and most presentable Ramadan food stall in the city is under way.

Organised by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), the competition is added incentive for operators to improve the standards of their stalls.

Prizes will be announced by the city council at a later date.

“There will be a special committee who will visit Ramadan bazaars in plain clothes to judge the stalls there,” said MBPJ mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman.

During a visit to the Ramadan bazaar on Jalan SS6/1, he said the stalls will be judged in three separate catego-ries: most presentable, cleanest, and cheapest.

The prizegiving ceremony for the competition will be held at the annual MBPJ open house during the Raya celebration.

“I think the stalls here would do well as they look attractive, and their goods are priced reasonably,” he said during the visit last Friday.

He added that Ramadan stalls should be presentable as they are also part of the tourist attractions of the state.

Roslan met with stall owners, gave out MBPJ-sponsored aprons and caps to the cooks, and even stopped to stir-fry some mutton.

On the use of polystyrene, he said bazaar operators still had to be reminded to use biodegradable food

containers.“We did a Go Green campaign, but exposure needs

to be built up more as we are still lenient about the use of polystyrene,” he said.

The mayor said enforcement against the use of non-biodegradable products through the issuance of com-pounds will hopefully be launched next year.

He added that stall operators should use biode-gradable products like containers made of sugarcane stalk fibres.

Search for best Ramadan stall

Roslan trying his hand at frying fish at the SS6 Ramadan bazaar.

Roslan presenting an apron and cap to a blind stall operator at the SS6 Ramadan bazaar.

Music troupe entertaining the participants.

17AUGUST 12 — 14, 2011

FEATURE

By Alvin Yap

Whether we salute them or think they’re criminals, hackers say they are misunderstood.

Hackers like Andrew Yong, 21, say it’s a case of curiosity getting the better of inquisitive minds that want to understand how computer programmes, or software, work.

Via anonymous email (of course), Yong says: “My dad tinkers around his car. He opens up the hood, disas-sembles the engine and mod-ifies it.

“For me, I like to ‘hack’ an application to see how it all works.”

The engineering student says even a legitimate com-puter programmer can be a thought of as a hacker.

Yong started hacking two years ago when he began to tweak the Operating System (OS) of his old, hand-me-down computer to make it more responsive.

The OS is the software that runs a computer.

These days, Yong does not buy proprietary software that one has to pay for. Instead, he downloads Open Source software that includes the source code, which are lines of programming that make up the software.

He customises the software by reprogramming it to run according to his needs. The modified software that he churns out is smaller, uses less memory, and runs more quickly and responsively on his computer.

“In effect, a hacker is someone who is not satisfied with the status quo. We want to make software better by tweaking it. That is hacking,” says Yong, who is studying for a mechanical engineering degree.

“We’re curious folks.”Yong points out that he would find it difficult to maintain

his “hobby” if not for affordable broadband services, which allow him to download even the largest software for him to modify – in this case, a Linux OS, which is available free thanks to the work of pioneer hackers 30 years ago.

Linux was born from the efforts of a global hacker com-munity that took the programming codes from a proprietary software to alter it into a free OS.

The free OS, Linux, runs most servers and even supercomputers in the world.

“I’ve modified a few of the features in the OS, which I think will make it run better,” Yong says, adding that he has shared the changes in the codes with the hacker community.

He admires the hackers of the early 1990s who “socialised” the creation of computer software like Linux.

However, Yong dismisses the idea that he is pursuing the wrong career path by being an engineer.

He says he can still pursue hacking as a hobby, even though it is almost a full-time engagement.

Yong laughs off the notion that he is typifies the image of a hacker, as he is active in college sports and the English club, among other things.

But he admits to being glued to his computer screen at home, typing out programming codes and running the modified software repeatedly to see how it works

Yong says he will not break the law by hacking into com-puter systems like what the now-infamous Anonymous group had done two months ago.

Freedom of expressionOn the flipside, a veteran hacker who wants to be known

only as Zero_Null says he sees governments being increas-ingly intolerant of free speech and expression on the internet.

“The internet is the last line of defence against censorship because governments know that if they block it, they’ve won,” the 40-year-old tells Selangor Times via chat message.

Zero_Null says he is of an older generation of hackers, and remembers the “good old days” during the late 1990s when users “dialed up” to connect to the internet.

He took the cyber nickname from a computer-program-ming language called C, which is generally argued to the hardest one to learn but is also most rewarding.

He sees himself as the archetypal hacker – but not of the Hollywood kind, and certainly not the Jonnie Lee Miller character in the cult 1995 movie Hackers.

Zero_Null explains that he devotes most of his time in front of the computer because he is in charge of setting up and maintaining an “underground network” of the internet here in Malaysia.

But he denies that it is an illegal network, insisting that it is a private computer network restricted to outside users.

He points out that he was part of a hackers group that set up the network to head off the possibility of massive censorship on the internet.

Zero_Null says he started programming computers on an Apple II E computer in the 1980s.

“The language was called Basic, and I wrote simple pro-grammes,” he shares, adding that his hobby continued into the 1990s and beyond, when he settled on a degree in computer science.

He says most hackers, while operating as individuals, are also part of an “in crowd”, often speaking in their own lingo, which is technical jargon.

“Don’t let us talk shop, because just two of us can have an endless debate and discussion over computer systems,” he warns.

Zero_Null, who works as a systems analyst, received his Security Consultant rating in January.

The rating is a “licence” for him to audit computer systems for vulnerabilities and to, ironically, install safeguards against hackers like him.

“To catch a hacker, one must think like a hacker. Simply put, you must be a hacker,” he quips.

He has approached top companies to offer his services of making their computer systems hacker-proof.

This, he says, is vital as connections to the internet are get-ting increasingly faster and more data can be hacked or com-promised as a result.

However, he warns that no safeguard is complete foolproof: someone smarter than he could try to exploit vulnerabilities in the system

Zero_Null says he would consider becoming a “hacktivist” if circumstances warrant it, meaning, for instance, if democ-racy comes under threat of censorship.

He believes that getting caught for hacking into a com-puter to expose the truth against unac-countable govern-ments is ethical and morally sound.

“I like to think of us hackers as whistle-blowers,” he opines.

So, who is his hero in the fraternity of hackers out there? “Julian Assange, who else?” he replies, re-ferring to the founder of Wikileaks.

Curious folks and global whistleblowers

Julian Assange

18 August 12 — 14, 2011

Food

T here are four ways to get to Rawang town. The first is by car, second by bus, third by rail and fourth on foot. I seriously don’t recommend

the last option. Since most of us have already experienced the first

option, the third option seemed quite interesting to one of my friends. He thought it was about time he got back on the tracks since he has been driving all his life.

There we were at KL Sentral at 9.15am, waiting for the third member. The commuter train for Rawang which we missed left at 9.45am because the third guy turned up late.

my friend’s favourite restaurant called Peng Nam.

He has been a regular there for a couple of years. He claimed that the dishes there suited his palate. On top of that, the ma yau mun tofu was absolutely great. That is a fish dish that comes with marinated tofu and cooked the way the Hakka

people like very much.Since my friend didn’t want to

compete with the lunch crowd, we arrived early. It was 12.20pm when we arrived at Peng Nam after a short walk from the Rawang railway sta-tion.

We were shocked to be greeted by closed doors. Two of us turned

Smooth rail ride to Rawang for lunch

Sometimes in life one has to make a little effort to secure a memorable lunch. LIN ZHENYUAN finds out that the railway tracks can lead to a fine restaurant

But we managed to board the one at 10.46am. As we discovered, not many passengers hopped on board at KL Sentral that morning. But the train was almost full after a couple of stops. It was a smooth ride all the way, and the trip took only about 35 minutes.

I have always liked trains, espe-cially since those days when the dining coach was manned by those Hailam chaps who could really cook up a storm. If you ask your dads or even grandfathers, they may just regale you with a couple of interest-ing tales about travelling on board the old Malayan Railway.

The commuter train to Rawang was just like a bus except it was air-conditioned and there were no traffic jams along the way. There were scheduled stops, but the rail journey wasn’t hurried.

That was the way we liked it. The main objective of the rail journey to Rawang town was to have lunch at

to our colleague and quipped: “We thought you say this place only closes on Monday.”

From the looks of it, he was wrong. After some downcast looks, we made our way to another restau-rant across two streets.

By the time we finished our lunch it was 2.20pm. We walked back the same way we came. As we walked past Peng Nam, we noticed the place was packed with people.

Again, we registered shocked expressions. It looked like we were all wrong. It was open for business after all. We later found out from a pretty waitress that sometimes the restaurant opened a little later.

The owners were not in a hurry because of their fine reputation. It was probably one of the most popu-lar restaurants in town.

After a little debate, the person who guided us to Rawang decided,

Peng Nam is located next to the jewellery shop on the main street of Rawang.

Peng Nam enjoys a good mix of customers.

against our better judgment, to have a second lunch. Why we did that, only Providence knew.

Naturally, we did not order rice because we’d just had that about an hour ago. Instead we ordered a plate of noodles and a plate of restaurant’s specialty, the marinated tofu with pieces of fish. It was too bad that we had already eaten a fair bit, other-wise we would also have ordered fried wantan, which Peng Nam is famous for.

But just to be inside the restau-rant and have a second lunch of sorts made our trip worthwhile. At least we didn’t have to return to KL and tell other friends the sad story of us not making it to Peng Nam.

According to people who are familiar with Peng Nam, the restau-rant is presently in the hands of the third generation. From the impres-sion of the interior décor, or what’s

Full occupancy on the commuter train before reaching Rawang station.

Passengers disembarking at the Rawang station.

Fish tofu with special gravy is a proven popular dish.

19August 12 — 14, 2011

food

Have you cHecked your electrical switcHes before leaving Home?

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

Take 5 minutes to fill this form up and drop it off at the nearest police station to have regular checks at your house while you are away.

Borang maklumaT Memaklumkan tentang meningalkan rumah kediaman untuk bercuti.

Kepada Kawasan pentadbiran balai polis

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

BuTiran penduduk:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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lain-lain maklumat:

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

Before ieaving your home for a holoday, have you checked all your electrical switches and turned off your gas tanks?

Call the SS17 BomBa for advise at

03-5634 9444

left of it, it certainly looks like a third-generation business.

But its loyal customers don’t re-ally care about the lighting, decora-tion, condition of the furniture, they are only concerned about the qual-ity of the food served.

As far we could tell, the dishes are still way above average. I am Hok-kien, so I can’t really judge if Peng Nam cuisine really scores five stars.

But I can say with confidence that the dishes are very well-cooked and they are fairly delicious. The food tends to remind some of us who have been around that there are still some

great cooks left, and most of them are residing in small towns like Rawang.

Peng Nam is on the main street of Rawang. If I am not mistaken, it is called Welman Street. It is right next to Kedai Emas May Lee.

It was the first time in a long time for the three of us to have two lunches within three hours. Gastro-nomically it was quite a feat, but I won’t recommend that kind of glut-tony to anyone.

Since we had come by rail, we returned the same way. But first we had to walk back to the railway sta-

tion. It was exercise that we all needed. There’s nothing like burn-ing up a few extra calories before our bodies degenerate into a couple of big, fat walking potatoes.

Before our train arrived, I was surprised to learn that the KTM had introduced the women-only coaches – even though it was really stale news by the time I discovered this fact.

For those who fancy a quick trip to Rawang for the specific purpose of dining at Peng Nam, its contact number is 03-60916948. Call be-fore you go, just in case you encoun-ter closed doors like we did.

The women-only coach, so no more cramped spaces or ungentlemanly behaviour.

The restaurant is always packed during lunch.

Koay teow noodles for those of us who had already eaten.

20 august 12 — 14, 2011

media/fiction

By Basil Foo

KUALA LUMPUR: Orphans from Rumah Titian Kaseh were invited to break their Ramadan fast on Monday during the launch of Domino’s Pizza’s new appetizer set, the Starter Box, at its outlet in The Weld.

“We are pleased to celebrate Ramadan by giving back to the needy,” said Domino’s Pizza Malaysia and Singapore chief operating officer, Ba U Shan-Ting.

The home’s 35 children and five caretakers were treated to scrumptious sets of the Starter Box on Monday.

Each box contains Roasted Chicken Drummets, Garlic Cheese Onion Rings, and Cra-zy Chicken Crunchies Original Flavour with Salsa sauce and Spicy Tomyam with tang y cheese dip.

“The new Starter Box sets are perfect appetizers for customers to break their fast with family and friends before moving on to the main course,” said Ba U.

Customers can choose to order the Awesome Foursome Starter Box set with all four side dishes, or the Dynamic Duo, which has the chicken drum-mets and original chicken crunchies.

The Foursome Box set is priced at RM44.20 and the Duo is going for RM25.60.

They can be added on to a regular pizza purchase at RM34.80 for the Foursome Box set and RM19.80 for the Duo.

“We are glad to be here as this is our first time being in-

vited to a restaurant for buka puasa,” said Rumah Titian Kaseh founder Sharifah Adlan.

She said this was indeed a joyous experience for the orphans, who usually have food delivered to them at the home.

To date, more than 40 homes have had their celebrations of various festive occasions enlivened by the contribution of Domino’s Pizza.

Orphans break fast with Domino’s

Orphans treated to pizza and various foods for breaking fast at the Domino’s Pizza outlet in The Weld on Monday.

Ba U with Domino Pizza’s latest Ramadan offerings: the Awesome Foursome Starter Box and Dynamic Duo Starter Box.

SHAH ALAM: In conjunction with the upcoming Hari Raya fes-tivities, Sunway Pyramid has turned to one of the east coast’s most enduring symbols, the wau.

Using the giant kites as the main focus, Sunway Pyramid has deco-rated the popular shopping mall with Terengganu’s traditional craft.

At the centre of the exhibition, Terengganu master wau-maker Muhd Ariff Mazlan will also hold wau craftsmanship demonstrations.

There will also be Raya dances and roving Cheer Raya Dance

performances. Sunway Pyramid mascot, Leo

the Lion, will also be moving around the mall dishing out doodles.

There is also a Raya Bazaar on the lower ground promoting Ma-laysian craft.

Besides uniquely designed Raya packets, shoppers also stand a chance to win prizes during this shopping promotion.

For more information, call Sun-way Pyramid at 03-74943100 or log on to www.sunwaypyramid.com.

Be wau-ed at Sunway Pyramid this Raya

Fiction by Eileen Lian

Where are the b lo o dy tablets?

I vaguely remember hiding yesterday’s vitamins in the flowerpot next to the stack of legal files that I really need to return to the office. Must throw those babies out – the pills, not the files – before Loong finds them. So many pills to swallow, the medication is bad enough, but my kiasu husband in-sists on vitamins as well. My throat hurts from all the swallowing.

Ah! Here they are, today’s meds, all meticulously accounted for in this little red container. I guess I should show more appreciation for my husband’s OCD ways. Okay, what have we here…? The giant red mamma, as always; the big, fat, ugly yellow-green capsule, as always; the pretty brown one gracefully shaped like a fish, as always; the teeny-tiny one the colour of waste (not my waste, healthy waste); and our two seriously officious-looking white ‘uns, here to boss over everyone

else, as always. Now, water. I need water, lots of

water. Great! All downed.Next on the list: hat. Where did

I put it, my beautiful hand-woven, South American straw hat? I could have sworn I left it here on this teak coffee table that Loong had refused for the longest time to let me buy. Please, Loong, I love the look of it. No, it’s too low, I don’t like the colour. Oh, but it’s just perfect, so elegant and natural, so woody, you know. It’s too expensive! But it will fit perfectly in that empty spot in our living room. On and on, until I fell sick and the guilt got to him. Hat, hat, where are you? Dr Nalini said to get some sun, but I’m not going to let anyone, especially stran-gers, see my bald head!

Okay, got it. Hat, check. Sun-glasses, check. Money, check. Hand-phone, check. IC, check. House keys, check, Shoes, check. Oops, must remember to divert all house calls to my mobile. If Loong calls the house phone “just to make sure you are a good girl and resting at home”,

I can tell him that I’m just admiring the roses and heliconias in the garden. “Dr Nalini said to get some sun what.”

Aiyoh! Getting ready to go out is making me ex-hausted. Better sit down a while. My stomach hurts. Okay, relax! Breath in, out, in, out! Deep breaths now, remember what yoga Balan said about pulling the air into the stomach. Oh yes, must remember to dump the brown rice and organic

tofu salad into one of those MBPJ litter bins on my way out. Loong will kill me if he finds them in the fridge tonight, untouched.

Focus now, focus! Starting to feel a little faint here. What if I collapse on the side of the road clutching the brown rice and tofu to my chest? What a spectacle that would be! What if I drop the brown rice and tofu before I even leave the house and don’t have the strength to clean it up, and Loong finds it carelessly strewn everywhere when he gets home? That will mean big trouble! Because there will be not one, but two, things for him to go berserk over: the fact that I obviously did not eat the food, and the filthy state of the house.

What if I…? What if…? No more what ifs! Focus now. Put key into keyhole. Open the front door. Lock the front door. Open the gate. Close the gate. Walk!

At this point, I guess I’m grateful that Loong’s parents insisted on this double-storey terrace in Paramount Garden when we first got married, just so that we could be near them. How I hated the way they twisted our arms with their wallets. How I detested how the neighbours’ hous-es looked – either garishly renovated or horribly rundown and in dire need of repainting. Our house looked the smartest after we’d done it up, but what did it matter when you are located in a neighbourhood that didn’t look smart.

Now, the good thing is I only need to walk about 300 metres and cross one side street.

Okay, be careful. Look left, look right and left again. Wouldn’t it be

funny if I got knocked down right now? I can just see the headlines: Lawyer, 36, survives breast cancer, gets killed by car while crossing road. My colleagues would fall off their chairs in the office laughing. They always liked good jokes.

Okay. Focus. Put. One. Foot. In. Front. Of. The. Other.

Focus. Walk. Focus. You only have this one thing to do right now – walk. Focus. Stay alive. You’re almost there. Dig into your inner reserves, draw on your mental strength.

I see it now! Restoran New Seav-iew! YES!

“One prawn mee, boss. Meehoon mee ah. Lots of chilli.”

Staying Alive

21august 12 — 14, 2011

media

SHAH ALAM: Dental care providers Colgate-Palmolive Marketing Sdn Bhd (Colgate) launched a collaboration with Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd to boost contributions for its Mari Beramal Bersama Colgate charity cam-paign at Tesco Ampang last Saturday.

Mari Beramal Bersama Colgate is an annual charity campaign by Colgate held in conjunction with the month of Ramadan. During the cam-paign period, a portion of proceeds from sales of special Colgate Maximum Cavity Protection or Colgate Kayu Sugi toothpaste packs will be al-located for charity.

This year’s campaign, which will run from Aug 1-Sept 30, aims to achieve RM150,000 in total contributions for 15 orphanages under the Social Welfare Department of Malaysia.

For this year’s campaign, Tesco Malaysia will match Colgate’s 20-sen contribution for every sale of a Colgate toothpaste charity twin pack at any of its 43 Tesco stores nationwide.

The combined 40-sen contribution from each charity pack will go on to help provide necessities for the 15 orphanages from all over Malaysia.

Colgate managing director Issam Bachaal-ani said: “Colgate is very happy to join hands

with Tesco Malaysia in boosting contributions for the campaign. Last year’s highly successful campaign garnered a total of RM200,000, which far exceeded the original target of RM120,000 and demonstrates the continuous and generous support of Malaysians.”

“The campaign strikes a chord with Tesco Malaysia’s motto of ‘Because We Care’ – a simple phrase that represents our belief that our people, customers, suppliers, and the communities we operate in should do their part to help others and make a huge impact in everyone’s lives,” said Tesco Malaysia chief operating officer Tim Golding.

“It is Tesco Malaysia’s pleasure to partner with Colgate in this simple yet meaningful charity campaign, which gives Malaysian shoppers the opportunity to practise generosity especially during the month of Ramadan through the sim-ple act of buying toothpaste – a daily necessity,” he added.

This is the fourth consecutive year of the Mari Beramal Bersama Colgate charity campaign. Since 2008, Colgate has collected a total of RM386,000 over three campaigns, which has helped orphanages and charity homes through-out the country.

Colgate, Tesco pair up for charity

Children from one of the charity recipient homes present a thank-you card to Golding and Bachaalani.

SHAH ALAM: This Ramadan, Nikon (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd is spreading the spirit of giving and sharing by taking a team of 22 un-derprivileged children from various orphanage homes, aged between 10 and 18 years old for a photo shoot adventure at the KL Bird Park.

This CSR initiative themed Through the Eyes of Children held this morning is a joint effort between Nikon, Persatuan START Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur (StART) and Purplehouz Fine Arts.

The children were selected from several orphanage homes around Klang Valley, and priority was given to those who have shown interest and passion in photography but lack the opportunity to do so.

“Nikon is very passionate about photogra-phy and would like to provide an opportu-nity for these underprivileged children to discover and develop their photography skills enabling them to capture joyful and memo-rable moments in their lives,” said Nikon (Malaysia and Singapore) managing director Masanobu Tsunoda.

The children were taken on an educational expedition, where they participated in a photog-raphy workshop at the StART premises and at the KL Bird Park.

The 22 children selected to participate in this programme were each given a Coolpix camera, courtesy of Nikon.

Following this initiative, 19 Nikon repre-sentatives will continue to provide moral and technical support by monitoring the quality of the pictures captured by the children.

This is to create a continuous relationship between Nikon and the underprivileged children in a “mentor-mentee” manner.

Nikon together with StART will select the best photographs captured by the children to be exhibited at the Purplehouz Fine Arts Gallery.

The public can view and buy any of the dis-played photographs from Sept 1-11. Proceeds from the sale of the photographs will be chan-nelled directly to the individual children.

The photographs will be also be showcased at PJ Civic Centre from Sept 12-13 during a concert recital by underprivileged children, organised by StART.

Through the eyes of children

SHAH ALAM: Initiated as a test of endurance and to do something exciting in their lives, two “city” ladies, Doreen Wan and Kattie Hoo, have turned the Climb of Hope campaign into a fund-raising drive in aid of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM).

Over the last two months, Wan and Hoo, with the endorsement of NCSM, have garnered enough awareness that there are now 16 other climbers involved in the campaign.

The climbers, including Miss Malaysia-World 2009/NCSM Ambassador Thanu-ja Ananthan, will scale to the peak of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah on Aug 26.

To date, they have received pledges to the sum of RM40,000.

Wan and Hoo strongly believe that the Mount Kinabalu climb is very much like cancer patients facing a long road ahead of them in recovering from the processes of radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy.

The climb was then named the Climb of Hope to reflect the uphill journey of cancer

patients seeking treatment and their hope to survive and lead a meaningful life.

Both have had some personal experi-ences with NCSM and the support they have provided: their friend, Ron Brooks, succumbed to bone cancer in 2009, and Wan’s sister, Alice, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010.

The duo aim to raise at least RM50,000 from the Climb of Hope campaign and give hope to other cancer patients.

All pledges made will be fully chan-nelled to NCSM, a registered tax-exempt charity body and the first cancer-related NGO in the country that provides educa-tion, care and support services for people affected by cancer.

Through this fundraising event, NCSM hopes to spread the message that cancer is not to be feared, and that there is hope beyond the disease.

Those who wish to contribute or re-quire further information on the Climb of Hope campaign can contact Anrie Too at 03-26987300/[email protected].

Climb of Hope for cancer

(From left) Saunthari Somasundaram (president of NCSM), Doreen Wan, Alexis Sue-Ann, Thanuja (Ms Malaysia-World 2009), Kattie Hoo, Cheryl Chang (Timberland), and Datuk Vincent Tiew (executive director, Andaman Property Management).

The children receiving their brand-new cameras given by Nikon Malaysia.

Nikon team and the children at the KL Bird Park.

22 August 12 — 14, 2011

Gallery

State executive councillor Datuk Yaakob Sapari (centre) helping senior citizens shop as part of the government’s Jom Shopping event last Saturday at Tesco

Shah Alam.

Subang councillor Loi Kheng Min cutting the ceremonial ribbon off a compost bin to launch a green project involving secondary schools in Subang, where stu-dents recycle garden and kitchen waste into fertiliser.

Orphans from a welfare home during a buka puasa event at the official residence of Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim last Saturday.

Petaling Jaya Mayor Datuk Roslan Sakiman stir-fying mutton at a Ramadan bazaar on Jalan SS6/1 last Friday (Aug 5).

Klang Municipal Council (MPK) officers donating to the MPK Cares Charity Fund, which aims to help the less fortunate celebrate Hari Raya.

23August 12 — 14, 2011

Culture

Manor murder mayhemCompiled by Nick Choo

Send your events to nick@selangortimes.

Knocking…Theatre/Music; 12-14 Aug; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; www.klpac.org, 03-40479000, [email protected]; RM68 / RM48

Hands Percussion presents Hands I in Knocking… the first concert by the six pioneer members in two years. They were last seen together in Dreams in November (November 2009), which won Best Group Performance (Instrumental), Best Production Values, and Best Musical Direction for Bernard Goh, the artistic director, in the music category of the 8th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards in April 2010. Knocking… will feature several brand new pieces composed and choreographed by the team: Jimmy Ch’ng, Thong Yoong How, Cross Chin Chun Ket, Leow Sze Yee, Ng Siu Yee and Boyz Chew.

CartoonTheatre; 18-27 Aug; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; www.klpac.org, 03-40479000; RM35 / RM25

A black farce of global proportions. It’s a War on Terror™ in Toontown! Chaos ensues after mischievous urchin Trouble steals the oversized yellow sledgehammer that bratty, Hitler-esque Esther commands her toonizens with. Paranoia, violence and gore follow a zany goose chase, as a band of mismatched cartoon stereotypes find themselves increasingly stuck in an existential rut – will there ever be a way out? Played through a series of TV episodes, Cartoon is a response to the rapid coalescence of media, politics and consumer giants – an in-your-face satire of a forthcoming totalitarian world, if you like. Written by American playwright Steve Yockey; directed by resident director Kelvin Wong.

White TrashTheatre; 24-27 Aug; Black Box @ MAP KL; RM5 (minimum donation for 24 Aug performance) / RM23 / RM18 (students and flat rate for matinee performances)

Mourning the recent passing of her husband, Evelyn pays a visit to the home of her friends, Ollie and Minerva, in search of solace and comfort in the familiar. Little does she know that their home and facade hides an uncomfortable and dark history. As the night wears on, Evelyn’s visit becomes increasingly surreal and disturbing as

she finds herself trapped and drawn ever deeper into Ollie’s and Minerva’s world – a world of discontent, malice and abuse. Forced to dwell deeper and deeper into the darker reaches of her mind, Evelyn will have to answer questions she never thought needed answering: Was her marriage to her husband that perfect? And regardless of the answer to that question, is life worth living without him? Written by Jody Lancaster; presented by the Electric Minds Project, directed by Alex Chua and featuring Michael Chen, Bella Rahim and Adeline Ong.

A Darker Shade of RedTheatre; 24-28 Aug; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; www.klpac.org, 03-40479000; RM23 / RM15

A combination of six short plays wrapped around a central theme, this production is about the secrets we keep from ourselves, the lengths we go to on a “maybe”, and that strange moment in love when violence seems perfectly reasonable. From a post-apocalyptic western to a cramped confessional in a dusty abbey; from the future where the Mars colony is no longer a dream, to the locked confines of a man’s past. Directed by Marvin Wong.

Roar: Brutalism Art Exhibition

Exhibition; 1-31 Aug; Core Design Gallery; 012-6674348 (Anni), email: [email protected], www.coredesigngallery.com; free admission

Unlike what its name suggests, Brutalism is far from anything to do with being brutal. The term is derived from Swiss-born French architect’s “Béton brut”, French for “raw concrete”, a form of architecture largely unused today. Roar features the latest raw, anomalous and original artworks as presented by 15 emerging local artists, based on the Brutalism style. Bear witness to their different designs and plans, painstakingly research and be marvelled as stiff, un-pliable raw materials: concrete, metal, stone and wood are crafted into curious sculptures and intricate installation artworks.

Tragedy

Exhibition, 8-21 Aug; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; www.klpac.org, 03-40479000; free admission

Ten Shakespearean posters with psychological references, presented by Iranian graphic designer Kouroush Beigpour.

REVIEWBy Terence Toh

IT is always a pleasure to see young people on stage. Where would theatre be without the exuberance of the young? The medium seems tailor-made for them: after all, there is no higher platform than the theatre for expression and escapism, two things that have always appealed to youth. Some of the best, most memorable performances in film and theatre history have come from actors and actresses barely out of puberty, with Judy Garland and Shirley Temple coming to mind.

Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) based Theatre For Young People (T4YP) is one of the most prominent local theatre groups for young people. First started in 2008, T4YP has produced many acclaimed shows over the years, with many of its ensemble members eventually going on to become prominent theatre personalities.

T4YP recently staged a double bill at the KLPAC indicine theatre: a production of Tom Stoppard’s play The Real Inspector Hound, staged from July 28-31; and the T4YP Sweatshop (main pic), from July 28-31, a showcase of original plays all written, directed and produced in a single day. While The Real Inspector Hound (inset and below) proved to be a delightful watch, the Sweatshop proved to be quite lacklustre.

The Real Inspector Hound was directed by Alex Chua and featured Amanda Tan, Amir Yunos, Umesh Logandran, Sharon

Lam, Vincent Lai, Shane Capri Chin, Banun Atina Idris and Calvin Tan, all members of the T4YP ensemble. The comedy focused on two second-string theatre critics, Moon and Birdboot, who come to review The Real McCoy, an overdramatic, hilariously over-expository murder mystery set in an old English manor.

Both critics, however, have more on their minds than reviewing, and literally get caught up in the events of the play, leading to unexpected results. The result was a rip-roaring piece of meta-theatre, as tongue-in-cheek jabs were taken at everything from soap opera clichés to pretentious theatre critics, and even the nature of reality itself.

Inspector Hound was well staged. The production spared no expense in making the world of the play as real as possible, with elaborate stage decorations, convincing props (particularly a dead body) and even fake programmes being printed for the show’s play-within-a-play.

Critics Moon and Birdboot were seated in the audience throughout, the stage area mostly set apart for the action of The Real McCoy. This proved to be an inspired way of establishing the barriers

between fiction and reality, and the scenes where elements from both aspects began to interact were suitably hilarious.

Acting was under par, with most of the young performers giving shaky performances. Line delivery felt unnatural, and most of the cast seemed ill at ease with Stoppard’s verbose, tongue-twisting dialogue.

Chin proved quite wooden as the titular Inspector, and it was quite difficult to hear Logandran at times,

due to the actor’s propensity to swallow his words as he spoke.

The highlights of the cast proved to be Idris, as the temperamental Lady Muldoon, and Lai, as the crotchety Major Magnus: both actors infused their characters with a delightful charisma that was fun to watch. Lam also proved to have quite a knack for physical comedy, stealing the show as the nosy, high-strung Mrs Drudge.

Following The Real inspector Hound was the T4YP Sweatshop. Facilitated by Alexis Wong, the Sweatshop also featured a mix of present and past members of T4YP: in this case Amir Yunos, Vincent Lai, Ashley Tan, Shobana Murugiah and Yusof Amin. Each cycle of the performance would feature unique plays, and the pieces showcased on July 31 were The Sweatshop Guide to Evolution, The Greener Intelligence Parts 1 and 2, and Monologues on Science.

The Sweatshop plays proved to be extremely over the top, relying heavily on exaggerated mannerisms and improvisation. Overall, they were too slapstick to be effective. However, as mentioned, the plays were all created in an extremely short time, and thus a critique of their quality would perhaps be unfair.

There were flashes of brilliance in Monologues of Science; however, this was offset by most of the monologues being far too long-winded, or trying too hard to be profound.

Of the cast, Lai shone due to his excellent comic timing, while Yunos was surprisingly endearing as a gibberish-spouting alien.

All in all, both productions were not perfect. The young actors, however, show promise and should be commended for their efforts. It will be interesting to see them in a couple of years: with a bit of experience under their belts, all of them have the potential to go very far.

CALENDAR

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.

selangor times aug 12-14, 2011 / issue 37

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