selangor times aug 5-7, 2011 / issue 36

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  • 8/6/2019 Selangor Times Aug 5-7, 2011 / Issue 36

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  • 8/6/2019 Selangor Times Aug 5-7, 2011 / Issue 36

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    Ensure rolls arecurrent and error-free

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

    [email protected]

    EDITORIALCHIEF EDITORKL Chan

    COMMUNITY EDITORNeville Spykerman

    WRITERS

    Tang Hui Koon, Chong Loo Wah, Gan Pei Ling,Basil Foo, Alvin Yap, Gho Chee Yuan, Brenda ChngCOPY EDITORS Nick Choo, James Ang

    DESIGNERSJimmy C. S. Lim, Chin Man Yen

    ADVERTISINGTimothy Loh, Ivan Looi

    ADVISORS Faekah Husin, Arfaeza Abdul Aziz

    Mog

    Friday Saturday Sunday

    afeoo

    ngh

    Selangor WeaTHer

    Source: Malaysian meteorological department

    2 July 22 24, 2011news

    Te report said she was a permanentresident with a red MyKad but was is-sued a blue MyKad our hours laterollowing checks with the online Na-tional Registration Department (NRD)system.

    When her name and her MyKadnumber were entered into the EC online

    verication system, Mismah appearedas a newly registered voter.

    Khalid insisted the public had theright to demand an electoral roll that isree rom irregularities.

    Echoing Khalids call, Syed Ibrahimsaid the g overnments move was a stepin the right direction. He said thegroup had encountered a case where 60individuals were listed to be residing in

    one house.When we arrived at the address, weound only six persons on the list stayingat the house, he said.

    Syed Ibrahim pointed out that atRM10 per name, it would have cost the

    petitioner RM600 to le the case.Te chairperson and co-ounder o

    the polls watchdog said such cases wereprevalent as Marel had encountered thesituation many times since its ound-ing in 2003.

    He said the public was more con-cerned that oreign residents are beingincluded in the voter rolls and given theright to vote.

    It is an issue o democracy when il-legal migrants are given the right to vote,

    he said.On Wednesday, Pakatan Rakyat MPsgave Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razakseven days to call an emergency parlia-mentary sitting this month to debate theissue o permanent residents who havebeen registered as voters.

    Bersih 2.0 has also came out to sup-

    From page one

    State probesraid on church

    ByAlvin Yap

    SHAH ALAM: he SelangorIslamic Aairs Department (Jais)has been told to account or a raidon a church in Petaling Jaya duringa multiracial dinner on Wednes-day night.

    an Sri Khalid Ibrahim said heregretted the incident and has in-structed Jais to prepare a report.

    Te Menteri Besar has also spo-ken to the Damansara UtamaMethodist Churchs (DU MC)senior pastor Daniel Ho about theincident.

    I called personally and toldhim that the state has instructed

    Jais to provide a ull report detail-ing the incident, including their

    justications or their actions thatnight.

    Wong: Selangor not facing water crisisSHAH ALAM: Te state has re-uted the orecast by a water conces-sionaire that taps will run dry withcurrent usage patterns.

    his is because the data is out-dated as the study was commissionedin 2000, and was based on economicgrowth that has slowed down sincethe global economic crisis o 2009.

    Te projected water shortages will not happen, said ElizabethWong (pic) during a post-state excopress conerence on Wednesday.

    Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor(Syabas) chie Datuk Lee Miang Koihad claimed recently that taps

    would run dry with a surge in de-mand or water.

    he state executive councillorpointed out that Syabas and Putra- jaya were relying on the NationalWater Resources Study (NWRS),commissioned by the Economic

    To place your Advert in

    Contact Timothy Loh 019-267 4488,Ivan Looi 014-936 6698

    Planning Unit over a decade ago.he NWRS study said water

    consumption in 2010 would be rom500-1,224 litres per capita per day(l/c/d).

    However, Wong said the gure was inated and higher than othermajor cities like Singapore (328l/c/d), Sydney (214 l/c/d) and evenNew York City (420 l/c/d).

    She said Selangor was commis-sioning its own water managementstudy to ascertain the amount usedby consumers, and said preliminarygures suggested that current anduture water usage in the state wouldbe 30% lower than the NWRS num-bers.

    She reiterated that Selangors ownstudy showed that there is sucient

    water production with additionalreserve capacity.

    Wong claimed that the inated

    estimates were also used as a basis to justiy the costly Pahang-SelangorWater ranser Project, which couldsee water taris in the state balloon.

    She said Non-Revenue Water wastage and water leakage throughold water inrastructure was one othe reasons or the discrepancy indemand estimates between Syabasand Selangor.

    I that is the case, Syabas has beenunable to contain its gross waterlosses, Wong said.

    Wong also slammed the waterconcessionaire or suggesting that anincrease in water taris would pre-

    vent water wastage and reduce de-mand and usage.

    She pointed out that the hike intaris would be passed on toratepayers.

    Wong nevertheless advisedconsumers to be wise and prudent inusing water, saying one way to addressthe issue was to adopt recycling andrainwater harvesting methods.

    port the move by the stategovernment.

    We are even consideringthe possibility o utilising theunds or our own petitionsto the EC, said chairpersonDatuk Ambiga Sreenevasanin a phone interview.

    She said the state shouldnow ollow up by publishingthe erms o Reerence toidentiy which kind o voterirregularity cases can be ledto qualiy or the unds.

    Does the unding includeall kinds o voter raud? she asked.Bersih 2.0 has also expressed concerns

    about multiple persons registered undera single address, or nonexistent addresseson the electoral roll.

    Bersih 2.0 steering committee mem-ber Wong Chin Huat said Selangor wastaking positive steps to address the serious

    problem o ast-tracking oreigners topermanent residency and allowing themthe right to vote.

    He pointed out that it was the ECsand NRDs responsibility to ensure thatresidency and voter rolls are current anderror-ree.

    Wong suggested that petitionersshould also lodge police reports against

    any voter irregularities, with the view thatthe move is illegal and unconstitutional.I anyone inds their voting area

    changed, say, rom Petaling Jaya to Sub-ang Jaya without their approval, someoneis tampering with public and private re-cords, he said.

    In light o that, he said giving oreign-

    ers permanent-resident statusand registering them as voters

    was treason.Someone or some group

    is allowing oreigners to gaincitizenship. Its same as sellingrights, a danger to our sover-eignty, he explained.

    he EC on Wednesdayreuted claims that perma-nent residents have beenregistered as voters in thelatest drat supplementaryelectoral rolls.

    Its chairperson, AbdulAziz Yuso, urther denied that theirstatus had been upgraded to that ocitizens in just a ew hours in the NRDonline verication system, as claimed inthe news reports.

    He reiterated that only Malaysians canapply to register as voters, and shifed theblame to the NRD, saying it was techni-cal negligence on the departments part.

    Meanwhile, Petaling Jaya Utara MPony Pua also welcomed the substantialRM1 million und that Shah Alam issetting up.

    He pointed out that political parties,who are obviously concerned over voterirregularities in the electoral rolls, do nothave the nancial means to support such

    a project.Pua said the state government shouldalso identiy a pool o lawyers and otherlegal experts on electoral-raud cases tosupplement the initiative.

    We need people to evaluate the caseswe are going to le with the EC when thetime comes, he said.

    pu: nd xtst vlut thcss.

    I hope to meet the pastor againonce the report is completed, saidKhalid in a press statement.

    A group o ocers rom Jais andthe police raided the DUMCbuilding in Section 13 during athanksgiving dinner or HarapanKomuniti social workers.

    Jais has questioned Malay guestsat the dinner.

    Khalid said the state viewed theincident seriously as Selangor ullyrespects reedom o religion and

    the rights o religious groups tomanage their aairs.

    Selangor is always open to en-gagement and dialogue to reachharmonious and mutually respect-ul coexistence among dierentreligious communities, he said.

    Ho yesterday told the press thatbetween 20 and 30 religious o-cers and police personnel had en-tered its Dream Centre premises

    without warrant.Tey subjected guests, including

    Muslims,t o q u e s -tioning, he said.

    Ho said not all o the enorce-ment ocers had been in uniorm,and they ailed to produce a copyo the complaint when asked.

    We call on all Malaysians notto condone this breach o reedomo assembly and association as

    provided by provided Article 10 othe Federal Constitution o Malay-sia, but to live in mutual trust and

    love, to promote peace, harmonyand unity in the true sp irit o 1Ma-laysia, he said.

    Te pastor said the dinner wasattended by 120 guests o all races,including 15 Malays.

    he dinner was non-religiousand was to celebrate the work o

    volunteers among HIV/AIDSsuerers and victims o naturaldisasters.

  • 8/6/2019 Selangor Times Aug 5-7, 2011 / Issue 36

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    3August 5 7, 2011news

    Selangor welcomes Aussie investmentsSHAH ALAM: Selangor welcomes Australian

    usinesses along with assurances that the state willdo all it can to acilitate investments here.

    Australians can make Selangor the gateway toAsean countries where markets are large and

    MB: Be prudent

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    SHAH ALAM: an Sri Khalid Ibrahim urgedMuslims to be thriy when planning their personal

    nd amily expenditure during the asting month.Te Menteri Besar reminded his ellow Muslims

    o be moderate and mind ul as they prepare or HariRaya, and avoid excessive spending on meals while

    reaking their ast.ake advantage o Ramadan to enhance and

    mprove our [spirituality], said Khalid said in a presstatement issued on Aug 1, the rst day o Ramadan.

    He also encouraged Muslims to take thepportunity to share knowledge and stories aboutslam with non-Muslims.

    Hopeully this will instill tolerance and osterloser relationships among us all, he said.

    In addition, Khalid urged Muslims not to use

    Ramadan as an excuse or tardiness in work.o be honest and trustworthy in work is a virtue,e said.

    May this Ramadan bring us more enlightenmentnd strength to be the best and most aithul servants Allah in everything we do, Khalid added.

    Te Menteri Besar wishes every Muslim selamaterpuasa.

    By Brenda Chng

    KLANG: Mosques andurau were among the

    parties that received aotal o RM35,400 in aidrom the state last Satur-ay in conjunction withhe asting month.

    Te state unds wereanded out by Sri Anda-

    as assemblyperson DrXavier Jayakumar.

    Also receiving the aidwere two Islamic schools,wo residents associationsRA) and two Parent-

    eacher AssociationsPIBG), in addition to the3 surau and ve mosques

    n the constituency here.he aid is a token

    rom the state and can bepent on ood or necessi-ies during the asting

    month, said Dr Xavier.Each mosque and

    urau was given RM500nd RM300 respectively,

    while the Kampung Pan-an and elok Menegunslamic schools each re-eived RM10,000.

    Te PIBG o SekolahRendah Agama Kg Jawa

    nd SMK Sri Andalaswere given RM1,000ach, and RM500 wasiven to the RA o aman

    Bunga and aman BukitJadi each.

    Boxes o dates werealso distributed to allmosques and surau in ad-dition to the nancial aid.

    Im thankul or theunds. It may seem like asmall amount, but thereis plenty we can do withit i used wisely, saidelok Menegun villagechie Mohd Sadek Wali.

    Te 61-year-old, whohas nine surau and amosque in his area, hasbeen receiving the Rama-dan unds since 2008.

    However, the alloca-tion will only be enoughor ood, but not or re-

    pairs or maintenance othe mosque and surau.

    Tere are several oldermosques and surau thathave holes in the roos

    that need to be repaired.Ofcers rom the Pub-lic Works Department,the Klang District Ofceand other governmentdepartments were onhand to address theircomplaints directly.

    I hope their issueswill be noted and tackledby heads o those depart-ments immediately, saidDr Xavier.

    welcoming, said eresa Kok during a visit to thecountry last week.

    he state executive councillor or investment,trade and industry met investors in several cities.

    She said the political situation in Malaysia wasstable due to warm relations between the ederaland state governments.

    While in Melbourne, Kok attended a dinnerwith Members o Parliament rom Victoria, andmembers o the Australia Malaysia BusinessCouncil and Melbourne City Council.

    Also present were Malaysian consul-general DrMohd Rameez Yahaya and Sydney-based MalaysianInvestment Development Authority director(Investment) A Khairuddin.

    Kok also held meetings in Brisbane and Sydneyto promote Selangor.

    Kok speaking during a dinner to promote investments in Selangor.

  • 8/6/2019 Selangor Times Aug 5-7, 2011 / Issue 36

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    4 August 5 7, 2011 SELANGOR TIMES

    he Selangor StateDevelopment Corporation(PKNS) was once known

    only as one of the developers inSelangor, but today, it hasexpanded its property activitiesand is undertaking luxury andhigh-end projects to benefit itsCorporate Social Responsibility(CSR) programme.

    Its general manager OthmanOmar said PKNS is involved inseveral huge projects such asDatum Jelatek, PJ SentralGarden City, Kelana Jaya SportsCity and PJ Elevated City. Theseurban regeneration projects areset to transform theunder-developed brownfields.

    PKNS Executive CommitmentIndex or ECI increased from 7.6to 8.7 through the cultivation ofa new vision, mission andshared values, as well as workculture and staff commitment.

    Currently, PKNS has morethan 60 projects under its wingsin Selangor, not including 30subsidiary-operated projects.PKNS is also involved in 50

    projects in strategicpartnerships with the privatesector.

    PKNS is utilising all itsfinancial resources and900-strong workforce to ensurethe success of the projects.Through this ventures PKNShopes to attract more foreignand local investors, thusproviding more jobopportunities, he said at hisoffice in Shah Alam recently.

    PKNS excellent work

    culture has earned it severallocal and international awards,and established it as a reputabledeveloper.

    Among the triumphs arethe International BusinessReview Excellence Award forthe implementation ofsmart-private partnerships;BrandLaureate Top 10 Masters

    Awards 2010 for propertydevelopment in the Asia Pacificcategory; BCI Asia Top 10Property Developers Award bythe Building ConstructionInterchange based in Australia;and on July 22, PKNS wasawarded the Global Leadership

    Award 2011 in theInfrastructure Developmentcategory.

    PKNS also collaborated withTransparency InternationalMalaysia in executing anintegrated corporate integrationsystem (Integrity Pact).

    Because of all these, PKNSexperienced a positive effect inthe form of improved creditratings from A1 to AA by the

    credit rating company, RAMRating Services Berhad. This hasled to a reduction in fundingcosts for upcoming propertyprojects by PKNS.

    PKNS recorded a pre-taxprofit of RM206.3 million in the2010 fiscal year, an increase ofRM40.2 million from 2009. This

    year PKNS is targeting a higherprofit of RM480 million.

    "PKNS also saved RM115million through theimplementation and calls for

    open tenders, e-procurementand value engineering. This isan increase of RM100 millioncompared with 2009, he said.

    The corporation is alsofocusing on the SelangorScience Park 2 project inCyberjaya (SSP2) which will behome to industries andresidential SoHo units (smalloffice home office), developingthe first Science Center in Asia andhigher learning institution hubs toincrease the attractiveness of SSP2and the population.

    Other projects includeinternational hotels, theme

    parks, commercial centres andfactory outlets.

    Othman added that PKNS isaware of the importance ofsustainable development. Itgoes to great lengths to ensure

    very little damage is done to theenvironment in all its projects.

    A project that was identifiedfor the Green Building Index(GBI) was the WorldwideTower in Jalan Bukit Bintang,Kuala Lumpur. It was the firstbuilding developed by PKNS to

    receive the GBI standard andMSC status.

    The new PKNS headquartersin Shah Alam, known as LamanPKNS, will be completed in2013. It is expected to receiveGBI Platinum, while Datum

    Jelatek will receive GBI Gold.In line with its corporate

    philosophy, PKNS has launcheda new concept of affordablehousing for people of lowerincome households by ensuringsafe, comfortable and organizedhousing facilities. This concept

    was initiated in line with PKNSendeavours to assist

    low-income people to own aproperty.

    The purpose of theaffordable housing program isto improve the quality of life byproviding better access to allfacilities, ensuring better livingfor residents at their owncomfort. The development iscarried out to create anintegrated and caringcommunity in line withneighbourhood values andadapting lifestyles of city life.

    T

    Othman Omar- PKNS General Manager

    Presently, PKNS has more

    than 60 projects under its

    wings in Selangor, not

    including 30 subsidiary-

    operated projects. PKNS is

    also involved in 50 projects

    in strategic partnerships

    with the private sector.

    Global Leadership Awards 2011(Infrastructure Development)by The Leaders International

    Top 10 Property Developers AwardBest of Malaysia 2011

    by BCI Asia

    BrandLaureateTop 10 Masters Award

    by Asia Pacific Brands Foundation(Property Development) 2010

    Business of The Year Award- Best State Economic Development

    Agency (SEDC) 2009by SMI & SME Worldwide Network

    International Business Review - Excellence Award 2009

    for Excellence in GovernmentDelivery Services

    Leading propertydevelopment in Selangor

    Recognition

    PJ Sentral Garden City (GDV RM2.6 Billion)

    Aquavilla @ Section 7 Shah Alam

    47 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE47 YEARS OF EXCELLENCEIn conjunction with the 47th Anniversary

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    SELANGOR TIMES August 5 7, 2011 5

    The new PKNS headquarters in Precint 8.8 Tasik Indah Shah Alam

    is expected to be completed in 2013 with GBI Platinum Rating

    PJ Elevated City (GDV RM2.2 Billion)Kelana Jaya Sports City (GDV RM1.8 Billion)

    PKNS Urban Regeneration Projects

    Kristal View

    @ Section 7 Shah Alam

    Hijauan Enclave

    @ Alam Nusantara

    SOHO @ TSSP2

    Datum Jelatek (GDV RM900 Million)

    47 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE47 YEARS OF EXCELLENCEIn conjunction with the 47th Anniversary

    PKNS is adamant to provide betterfacilities for potential owners. Physicaldevelopment includes mosques, communityhall, kindergarten, library, tuition centers,shops, playgrounds, parks, cultivation areas,management offices and covered walkways

    will be built to cater the needs of residents.Furthermore, residential units are built in

    various structures with dedicated unitsmade available for the elderly, disabled,single parents and families with no income(hardcore poverty), as well as to newlyemployed youths and physically-challengedpeople.

    The capacity of the houses is not lessthan 850 square feet and tagged not morethan RM120, 000 per unit. These houses will

    only be offered to those who are trulyeligible with household income of not morethan RM5,000 per month, as the units arelimited. As such, priorities will be given to

    first-time buyers and those who are underthe age of 35. In addition, PKNS will alsocooperate with other private developers todevelop 30,000 units of affordable houses

    within the next five to seven years.The development of affordable housing

    projects are also boosted with profitsgenerated from the high-end projects,ensuring the meet to high demands foraffordable houses. Six areas have beenidentified for developing new projects, suchas at Bangi, Antara Gapi, Kota Puteri,Selangor Science Park 2 (SSP2), Bernam Jayaand Gombak.

    Visit our website www.pkns.gov.my/ www.pknsproperty.com or call

    03-5520 1234.

    New concept of aordable housingby PKNS

    Building Communities, Enriching Lives...Realising Dreams

  • 8/6/2019 Selangor Times Aug 5-7, 2011 / Issue 36

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    6 AUGUST 5 7, 2011NEWS

    PORT KLANG: Anticipation is growing among residentsin Kampung Baru Pandamaran ahead o their village chieelection rom Aug 7-14.

    Unlike the Jenjarom and Pulau Ketam New Villages,which went to the polls on July 31, most villagers here are

    aware o the election andits signicance.

    hey will be able toelect their own villagesecurity and developmentcommittee chie or the

    rst time.Weve heard our el-ders talking about it, saiddried-meat seller LimSeng Koon, 26, when metat a coee shop duringlunch hour on uesday.

    Nomination alls thisSunday, and the expectedmulti-corner ght amonglocal community leadersis adding to sense o ex-citement in the village.

    rader Lee YongHock, 30, said it does notmatter which candidate

    wins, as long as the win-ner is sincere in wanting

    to serve the public.However, 41-year-oldmother Tew Kim Hong hopes to see a woman candidatein the election, even though chances are slim.

    I would support a woman candidate to be our villagechie, said Tew, who runs a traditional Chinese pharmacy

    with her husband.

    Most residents learnt about the village polls rom re-ports in vernacular press on the Pulau Ketam and Jen-jarom elections, as coverage has been scant in the Englishpress. But there are residents who remain unaware o theelections.

    Te Klang District and Land Oce, which is organising

    the elections as the ederal-controlled Election Commissionhas reused to lend a hand, has yet to put up banners ornotices to inorm villagers about the polls.

    A total o 13,896 voters in the Chinese New Village willbe eligible to cast their vote on Aug 14.

    A 50-year-old grocery store owner, who wished to remainanonymous, praised the state or its pioneering eort torestore local democracy in Selangor.

    [But] this is just the rst step; I hope we will be able toelect our own local councillor too in uture, said the owner.

    Selangor is holding the three village polls in Jenjarom,Pulau Ketam and Pandamaran as test cases.

    Te state may hold elections or all villages, includingtraditional Malay kampung and Orang Asli villages, i thethree pilot village polls are organised successully and are

    well received by the people.Te move is seen as a precursor to the restoration o local

    government elections in Selangor as Pakatan Rakyat had

    promised to reinstate local elections in their 2008 generalelection maniesto.Local government elections were suspended and later

    abolished by the Alliance government in 1965 due to theConrontation, an undeclared war between Malaysia andIndonesia over Borneo rom 1962 to 1966. It was not rein-stated afer the Conrontation.

    Excitement builds ahead of historic polls

    Thew (let) hopes or a woman to contest in the village polls.

    By Gan Pei Ling

    PORT KLANG: A multi-cornered ght is expected in theelection or the Kampung Baru Pandamaran chie on Aug 14.

    Seven nomination orms were sold at press time, and Sel-angor Timesspotted community leaders Yap Kim Huat andan Yu iam getting their orms rom the Klang District andLand Oce yesterday.

    Nomination will be held at the Pandamaran village secu-rity and development committee hall on Sunday.

    Former local councillors ee Boon Hock and Ang MahChai, and ormer village chie Yap Hock Siew are said to bestill weighing their options.

    However, ee is doubtul because he could be disqualieddue to his run-ins with the state.

    ee was sacked in August 2010 rom the local council andDAP or allegedly issuing a support letter to a company in

    which his son was one o the shareholders. But ee has deniedthe accusation.

    Ive asked my [representative] to get the nomination orm,ee told Selangor Timesin a telephone interview yesterday,but reused to conrm i he would contest.

    He said he would only make an ocial announcementtoday at 10.30am at his service centre in Pandamaran.

    Te state has specied that candidates must contest on apersonal basis and not on party platorms, but party politicscould still come into play in the New Village election.

    Another contender, an Yu iam, 54, is a DAP memberand retiree.

    an said he was not araid o competition. Te residentswill have more choices i there are more candidates.

    Born and bred in the Chinese New Village, an is a re-spected grassroots leader in Pandamaran and sits on many

    temple and school committees.Another contender, Yap Kim Huat, is seen as an independ-ent candidate as he is not known to be linked to any political

    party.Yap, who heads the Klang Night Market Hawkers Associa-

    tion, expressedhis readiness orthe polls.

    He told Sel-angor Timesthathis supportersare sponsoringthe printing ohis campaignba nne r s a ndRM1,000 de-

    posit to stand inthe election.

    he villag-ers have beenreally support-ive, they are theones who havebeen encourag-ing me to con-test, said Yap.

    He grew upin Pandamaran,but now lives inneighbouringBandar Bukitinggi. He also leads the community policing teams in BandarBukit inggi 1 and 2.

    Meanwhile, ormer village chie Yap Hock Siew remainedtightlipped about his candidac y. Well see on Sunday, he said.

    Yap was sacked rom his post and DAP last year or issuinga support letter to a company in which he was a partner.

    Another ormer municipal councillor, Ang Mah Chai, is

    one o the avourites, but he toldSelangor Times

    that he isunlikely to contest despite encouragement rom villagers.Ang said his business dropped by 30% when he served as a

    local councillor rom 2008 to 2009 due to diculty in jugglingtwo demanding responsibilities.

    Te villagers have been very supportive but I need to lookafer my business rst, said the seaood distributor.

    MCA Klang youth division chairperson Datuk Dr ChingEu Boon said none o their members are likely to contest.

    (Executive councillor) Ean Yong (Hian Wah) had openlysaid that the state does not welcome candidates who opposeits policies.

    In other words, the state may reuse to appoint the winneri he or she is seen as a rebel, so whats the point in ourmember(s) contesting? asked Ching.

    Nevertheless, the polls in Pandamaran look set to be moreexciting than the previous two in Pulau Ketam and Jenjarom.

    Tight race for Pandamaran

    chief s post

    Klang District and Land Ofce ofcers put up a notice about the upcoming village polls on thedoors o the Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK) hall.

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    7AUGUST 5 7, 2011NEWS

    ByAlvin Yap

    PULAU KETAM: Being elderly andnvalid did not stop 88-year-old Choo

    Hock Son rom coming out to cast his voteuring historic village head elections here

    ast Sunday.He wanted to come to vote or the

    illage head. He was adamant to vote orur village chie, said Choos neighbour,ee, who pushed the octogenarian to theoting centre on a makeshi trolley.

    I remember voting or local councillorsround the 1960s. We knew the candidatesnd what they aspired or Pulau Ketam,aid Choo.

    Choo, who lost the use o his legs a ewears ago, insisted on casting his vote thisme around.

    He recalled that in the 60s, candidatesarried out door-to-door campaigns or met

    with villagers in coee shops and restau-ants to canvass or support.

    Direct elections or village head weretopped in 1965 when the Alliance govern-

    ment suspended and later abolished locallections due to the Conrontation, anndeclared war between Malaysia andndonesia over Borneo.

    Pulau Ketams direct election or itsillage security and development com-

    mitee is Selangors initiative to revive locallections in the state.

    an Hee Kow voted with his 76-year-oldmother, Lee Fui Chin, to determine i in-umbent Cha Keng Lee would be retained

    or replaced by rival Chua Chin Song.During the door-to-door campaign,

    Lee said both candidates had visited herhouse on separate occasions to canvassor votes.

    When asked what developmentprojects she wants or Pulau Ketam,Lee said: I want the village head toask the government to build a seweragesystem. When its low tide, the smellis awul due to the human waste wedischarge into the water.

    Similarly, an said the state shouldnot neglect developing Pulau Ketamas the island had the potential o be-coming a top-class tourist attraction.

    Te state government should builda resort on the side that aces theStraits o Malacca, he said.

    He pointed out that local as well asinternational travellers ocked to theisland in search o cheap and deliciousseaood.

    an said Selangor should develop theisland so that the younger generation wouldnot be orced to nd jobs on the mainland.

    He explained that the younger genera-tion did not want to toil in the shingindustry, but there were limited vacanciesin the service sector.

    Seah Chin Mooy was beaming whenshe came out o the voting centre, and

    proudly showed her yellowed thumbnailwhere ofcers had painted it with indelibleink as proo that she had voted.

    Pulau Ketams oldest resident, Tia Yee

    Keong, also voted or his choice o villagehead in the tig htly knit island community.

    Tia, who appeared sprightly despitebeing 101, was ussed over by the civilservants running the counters.

    His attendance stopped conversationand turned heads when he arrived, accom-

    panied by his relatives.He declined the use o the wheelchair

    and walked into the hall while supportedby well-meaning ellow voters.

    Its good that we can choose the villagehead again aer all these years, Tia saidas he was escorted out o the voting centre.

    Age and illness no barrierto voting

    A senior citizen who said she didnt wantmiss out on the chance to vote for her villagehead.

    PULAU Ketams incumbent village head retainedhis position with a tally o 749 votes over chal-lenger Chua Chin Sons 450 votes.

    Cha Keng Lee, 46, a hotel owner, is the islandsrst elected head in 46 years.

    he direct elections saw the two challengerscampaigning and canvassing ellow islanders ortheir votes until the close o polls on Sunday at 4pm.

    Te oldest resident on the island, 101-year-oldTia Yee Keong, also voted.

    Residents and voters said they want Selangor tourther develop Pulau Ketam into a tourist hotspot.

    Tey also want the state to build a much-neededsewerage system, as well as barriers and walkways sothat people do not all into the water.

    When the result was announced at 5.35pm, Chawas declared the winner with 299 majority by KlangDistrict Ofcer Datuk Bakhtiar Husin.

    urnout was 34.2%, with 1,221 votes out o3,568 eligible voters.

    In his victory speech, Cha said: I am happy thatmy ellow Pulau Ketam residents saw t to retainme as village head.

    I will use this opportunity to develop the island,and ask the state or more inrastructure projects.

    Te election also saw the inaugural use o indel-ible ink or the voting process to prevent multiple

    voting and raud.It is proven to work. Te ink is cheap and avail-

    able in the market, said state executive councillorEan Yong Hian Wah.

    Selat Kelang assemblyperson and state executivecouncillor Dr Halimah Ali congratulated Cha, andalso spoke to Chua and said the two should worktogether or Pulau Ketams uture.

    Te ofcial result was delivered to Menteri Besaran Sri Khalid Ibrahim at the State Secretariat onMonday or endorsement.

    Incumbent staysas village head

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    8 August 5 7, 2011News

    Residents suffer whileMPK and JKR argueover turf

    By Brenda Chng

    KLANG: Longstanding ood woes aceby residents in Bandar Puteri are set tocontinue as the Klang Municipal Council(MPK) and Public Works Department( JKR) use jurisdiction as an excuse to donothing.

    Jack an Yew Lee said it took ivecomplaint letters over the span o sixmonths beore he nally got a responserom MPK.

    Ive been sending in the complaintssince I moved in early this year. All I gotin reply was my complaint number, butno explanation or eedback, said the30-year-old resident

    He was let inuriated when MPKresponded to his latest complaint on July29 aer ash ooding hit the housingestate again.

    According to the municipality, theclogged drains, which are the main causeo the ash oods, are under the purviewo JKR.

    an was asked to reer his complaintto the department.

    Following MPKs advice, he calledJKR, only to be told that the drains are

    under MPKs jurisdiction.an pointed out that

    both MPK and JKR shoulds t o p s h i r k i n g t h e i rresponsibilities and x the

    problem.It shouldnt matter

    whose jurisdiction thedrains are under, a solutionmust be ound, he said.

    a n, l ive s on J a l a nK e r o n s a n g 1 0 , t o l dSelangor imes that he getsinto a state o panic everytime it rains.

    L uc k i l y th e wa te rdoesnt seep into houses asit is on a slightly higherground. I it did, it woulddenitely spell disaster, hesaid.

    But the two eet o wateraer heavy downpours arean inconvenience to carsand pedestrians.

    Ive been putting up with this or hala year, but my 30 other neighbours on thesame street have suered or about ve

    years, an sa id.

    an said he reerred the complaintback to MPK but has received littlereassurance rom the council, which toldhim that the matter would be studied bytheir engineering department.

    Selangor acceptsresignation of V-CSHAH ALAM: Selangor has acceptedthe resignation o Datuk Dr Rosti Saru-

    wona as Universiti Selangors (Unisel)Vice-Chancellor.

    an Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said hisresignation was received by the state on

    uesday.he Menteri Besar said a temporarythree-person committee comprising DatukDr Muhamad Zohadie Bardaie, Datuk DrAdnan Alias and Datuk Dr MohammadArifn Aton will manage Unisels aairs.

    Tey are highly qualied and have ex-tensive experience in administration, said

    Khalid on Wednesday.He added that the committee was also

    established to look into the universitysinternal problems.

    Khalid reuted claims that Rosti re-signed due to pressure rom above to dis-

    miss three Unisel ofcers.He said the matter had already beendiscussed in advance with the vice-chancel-lor and his three deputy vice-chancellors.

    Dr Rosti was involved in this discussion[to dismiss the three ofcers], and he knewthe decision was made. In act, he hadsigned it, Khalid said.

    EvEntsRamadan buffet

    The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centres Ramadanbuka puasa buet oers over 500 dishes withspecialties rom around the world. A speciallyconstructed ablution area and prayer roomwith on-site imam has also been prepared orMaghrib, Isya and Tarawih prayers. The buetwill be available daily rom Aug 11-23, 6-10pm,at RM98++ pax or adults and RM49++ pax orchildren aged between our and 12.

    Pre-wedding course

    Ever wondered about the stages involvedin planning a wedding? Join a ree previewwedding course and learn about the latest trendsand ideas in planning a wedding rom start tonish. A certied wedding specialist will be onhand to impart industry knowledge. For moreinormation, contact Emily at 017-6389168.

    Jumble sale

    The Passionately You 2011 campaign will holda donation drive in the orm o the Buy4LoveJumble Sale at Jaya One on Aug 20. Proceedswill go to the Assunta Foundation, which helpsund treatment or breast and cervical cancerpatients rom the low-income group. Otherundraisers include the Dont Duck It Party inJaya One on Oct 22. At the party, participantsmay buy Passionately You t-shirts and rafetickets, and take part in the Go-Kart Mania andQuacky Kart Race telematch.

    Election agent training

    A training session or polling agents andcounting agents will be held at the Petaling Jaya

    City Council (MBPJ) headquarters this Saturday,Aug 6. Attendees are expected to watch severalvideos on the training beorehand which can beound on www.tindakmalaysia.com. Part 1 o thetraining or polling agents will be rom 9.30am-12.30pm, while part 2 will be or counting agentsrom 1.30-4pm. Limited copies o the videos,Election Commission guidebooks and electionlaws will also be prepared.

    Book sale

    The Payless Books Warehouse Sale is back atYMCA Kuala Lumpur this Aug 5-7 between 10amand 7pm in the Lee Kong Chian Hall. The YMCAcan be located on Jalan Padang Belia with GPScoordinates E03.13372, N101.68997. For moreinormation, visit www.paylessbooks.com.my.

    Town Hall meeting

    A meeting or residents in Section 20 PetalingJaya will be held or them to know the goings-on in Parliament, the state assembly, and thePetaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ). Residentscan engage in Q&A sessions with their electedrepresentatives. The meeting will be on Aug11, 8pm, at the basketball court on Jalan20/19. PJ Utara MP Tony Pua, Kampung Tunkuassemblyperson Lau Weng San and MBPJcouncillor A Jeyaseela will take questions romresidents.

    Raya funds forcivil servantsSHAH ALAM:

    Civil servants o level 50 and below who are celebrating Hari Raya will receiving a cashtoken o RM500 rom the state.

    Te money is a bonus to help them celebrate the es-tive season, said the Menteri Besar.

    an Sri Khalid Ibrahim announced the allocation ounds on Wednesday, during the states executive council-lor meeting.

    Flash foods in Bandar Puteri are testing residentspatience.

    More irregularitiesfound in electoral roll

    Mohamad: Suspects theindividuals are oreigners.

    By Basil Foo

    SELAYANG: Te inclusion o 31 newvoters in the aman empler state con-stituency has raised eyebrows among lo-cal Pas leaders here.

    Mohamad Abdul Rahman, who is Paselection coordinator or the Barisan

    Nasional-held constituency, said they

    suspect the individuals are oreignerswith Permanent Resident status.

    We urge the police to investigate thisissue in detail and expose this subversiveactivity which can undermine nationalsecurity, he said in a statement sent toSelangor Times.

    A police report was lodged at the

    Gombak district police headquarters onWednesday morning.Mohamad, who is also a member o

    the Pas Selangor state committee, saidthe irregularities were detected aterchecking the recent voter dra list.

    Aer checking the Second-quarterAdditional Voters dra list 2011 pub-lished by the Election Commission(EC), we grew suspicious o the citizen-ship o the new voters, he said.

    Te newly registered voters owned ICnumbers bearing the state code 71,

    which does not correspond with anystate codes in Malaysia.

    Mohamad suspects the 31 were givencitizenship so they could be registered asnew voters.

    Te move involves both the EC andNational Registration Department(NRD), and he wants both agencies torespond.

    Mohamad added that they are readyto cooperate with the police to ensurespeedy investigation o the case to restorethe peoples aith in the EC and NRD.

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    9August 5 7, 2011news

    Teoh Pin Yee was reported missing on July 21, 2006.

    Living in the dark,faced with evictionBy Lee Choon Faind T Tharshinaa

    CHERAS: An ailing widow whoas been living without electricity

    or the past six years is now acingviction unless she pays RM9,663.28n outstanding rent and bills.

    Lee Bee Kooi, who has been su-ering rom high blood pressurence her husband passed away in000, was told to pay the overduemount beore Sept 2.

    She has been served a court ordery the Kuala Lumpur City HallDBKL) to pay RM2,000 beorehe deadline and RM638 in theubsequent months.

    I dont have enough money tove. How can I suddenly ork outo much? said the 47-year-old,

    who has been living in the DBKLri Johor Public Housing Unit or5 years.

    Lee said as she still needs moneyo survive, she currently only worksdd jobs because her medical con-

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    Roundabout trafc

    conversion delayed

    dition prevents her rom workinglong hours.

    She stopped paying rent aerher eldest o our sons and solebreadwinner, eoh Pin Yee, did notreturn home rom his work as adelivery boy in 2006. He was 20

    years old.Lee said she lodged a police re-

    port on July 31, 2006 and another

    on July 6 this year, but has not re-ceived any updates rom the policeon the search or her son.

    Lee continues to hope that shewill someday be reunited with herson.

    She was also orced to send hertwo youngest sons to a welarehome, and her second son, who ismentally ill, to live with her sister.

    Aer losing her amily, she al-most lost all her possessions saveor a Buddhist altar, some kitchen-

    ware and a chair when her unit wasburgled.

    She is not bere o help, how-ever, as close riend Ong Joo Tye

    plans to use his Employee Provi-dence Fund (EPF) money to payo her debt.

    I tried to ask DBKL to delaythe payment or one and a hal

    years as I will get my EPF by then,but they wouldnt allow, said the

    53-year-old odd-job worker.He said the pittance Lee earns

    every month mostly goes towardsher medicine.

    DBKL Housing ManagementDepartment director could not bereached as he was away when con-tacted.

    Ong is pleading to the public ormonetary assistance.

    Tose who wish to help Lee orhave inormation about her son cancontact Ong at 016-6536974 and017-2697814.

    Lee Bee Kooishowing hermedicine for

    high bloodpressure.

    ByAlvin Yap

    PETALING JAYA: Tepgrade o the Rothmansoundabout to convert itnto a trac junction, whichwas supposed to have beenompleted this week, has been delayed and

    will only be ully completed at the end o

    eptember.Engineering consultants involved in theRM4.28 million road upgrade have detectedwater pipes under the construction area.

    Te delay is due the realignment andepositioning o a ew pipes that the consult-ng frm did not detect during the start ohe project, said Petaling Jaya City CouncilMBPJ) head engineer Cheremi armanuring a press conerence at the site on

    uesday.Cheremi pointed out that the old pipes,

    which are o non-metallic material, had noteen detected by metal detectors when con-truction begun in March this year.

    Te pipes were only discovered when ex-avation work was carried out a ew weeksater.

    he realignment o the 0.3m-diameterpipes, which cut across the length o theoundabout, will take about a month.

    he consulting irm, Produkti SepakatConsulting Engineers Sdn Bhd, and city coun-il engineers will meet with Syarikat Bekalan

    Air Selangor (Syabas) to move the pipes.Te additional work is estimated to cost

    RM300,000, which will be ooted by MBPJ.He said the process will not disrupt water

    supply to the surrounding areas o Section 13,

    14, 17 and 19.Te roundabout near the headquarterso Chinese daily Sin Chew is being con-

    verted to a our-way junction to route tracrom SS2, Section 19, Jalan Universiti and

    Jalan Semangat.Te cost o the project is borne by a group

    o developers in the area as a requirement toreceive their development licence rom thecity council.

    Petaling Jaya Selatan MP Hee Loy Siansaid the delay in converting the roundaboutto a junction was causing inconvenience toroad users.

    Ive been receiving a lot o complaintsrom residents that traic congestion is adaily occurrence, he said.

    He expressed disappointment in the delay,

    and hoped that the parties will meet as soonpossible to expedite the project.On a related matter, Hee said the round-

    about on Jalan Othman in Old own will alsobe converted into a trac junction by middleo next year.

    He confrmed that MBPJ has earmarkedallocation or the engineering works.

    Hee (left) andCheremi with

    consultingengineerslooking at

    draft plansat Rothmansroundabout.

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    10 august 5 7, 2011news

    By Gan Pei Ling

    PETALING JAYA: Te Petaling Jaya City Council(MBPJ) is developing a tax rebate scheme to reward own-ers o houses with environmentally riendly design andeatures.

    Were still in the process o nalising the scheme, butit should be ready by the end o this year, said mayorDatuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman ater chairing theMBPJ monthly ull board meeting last Friday.

    He said house owners will have to register with MBPJ,and the city councils Green Building team will assess

    whether their houses are qualied or a rebate.Tere will be a point system. For example, i owners

    have solar panels installed, theyll receive a certain num-ber o points; and i they have a rainwater harvestingsystem, theyll receive additional points, Roslan ex-

    plained.He added that the amount o tax rebate given which

    is expected to be around a ew hundred ringgit willdepend on the total points calculated.

    Well announce the details once the scheme has been

    nalised, said Roslan, adding that MBPJ plans to allocateRM50,000 to und the tax rebate scheme.

    Tis scheme or eco-riendly residential houses inPetaling Jaya is part o a series o MBPJ initiatives toencourage city dwellers to go green.

    Te city council is also having an ongoing competitionto encourage residents, schools and MBPJ departmentsto recycle their used cooking oil instead o pouring it intothe drains and polluting the citys waterways.

    Computers, cash prizes o up to RM2,000, and elec-tronic products are up or grabs respectively or schools,residents and MBPJ departments that collect the mostused cooking oil to be recycled.

    Te city council is also cracking down on litterbugs withthe launch o its anti-litterbugs campaign on July 21.

    Tose who are caught throwing small items like ciga-rettes butts or tissue paper will be ned RM50 on thespot, while those littering larger items will be inedRM100 starting Aug 16.

    Roslan said the campaign not only a ims to keep Petal-ing Jaya clean, but also to instill civic-mindedness amongits residents.

    Tax rebate soon

    for PJ green homes

    Mayor Datuk Roslan Sakiman.

    By Basil Foo

    SHAH ALAM: Bubur lambuk is being distrib-uted daily aer evening prayers at the Sultan Sala-huddin Abdul Aziz Shah (SSAAS) mosque duringthe asting month.

    We will hand out 1,000 containers o buburlambuk every day o the rst and ourth weeks oRamadan, said Datuk Abu Bakar Abd Hanid.

    Te representative o the state mosque said dueto high demand in previous years, the mosque willdistribute 1,200 containers daily during the second

    and third weeks.Datuk Abu Bakar said the containers this yearwere also bigger, or parents who wish to share theporridge with their children at home.

    We have also been taking orders or the porridgerom various groups. Just let us know in advance,he added.

    Menteri Besar an Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who at-

    tended the event,said the distribu-tion o buburlambuk duringRamadan is ameaningul tra-dition.

    He said them o v e w o u l dhelp oster clos-er relations be-tween the Mus-

    l im a nd non-Muslim commu-nities.

    W h i l e w emay pray or theMuslim commu-nity to succeed, dont orget to help those who needour charity, said Khalid.

    Bubur lambukdraws Shah Alam crowd

    By Brenda Chng

    SUBANG JAYA: Filthy ood stallswill be notied, summoned and thenshut down, warned the MunicipalCouncil (MPSJ) president during his

    visit to the USJ 4/5 Ramadan bazaaron Monday.

    We take hygiene very seriously,especially when it comes to oodhandling. We will not tolerate ven-dors who do not adhere to our clean-liness standards, said Datuk AsmawiKasbi.

    He said all 160 lots had beenbrieed and given a set o guidelinesto ollow when they applied or li-cences to trade.

    During the month, random visitswill be made by MPSJ enorcementofcers to check on cleanliness andstall operations.

    Ofcers will then issue notices orsummonses on the spot as necessary.

    Last year, MPSJ issued a total o167 summonses, one warning letter

    and 154 written notices to vendorswho violated the rules.

    Te same thing will be done thisyear i the vendors do not cooperatewith us. Worst-case scenario, theirlicences will be revoked and theirstalls shut down, said Asmawi.

    Tis year, he is aiming to attain azero-summons and notice-ree Ram-adan bazaar.

    Meanwhile, 12 Ramadan bazaarshave been selected by the council togo green.

    Tese bazaars have been asked touse styrooam and biodegradable

    plastics, and to recycle their cook-ing oil.

    Cooking oil will be collected by

    MPSJ contractors every day at 8pmto be sent to actories or recyclinginto biodiesel.

    Among the 12 chosen are bazaarson Jalan SS18/6, USJ4/5, JalanPerdana 2, Jalan Prima 5/3, JalanBK 5A/1, Jalan 18/35 and JalanPUJ3/2.

    MPSJ warnsRamadan bazaarsto maintain hygiene

    Asmawi and MPSJ members during the visit to the USJ 4/5Ramadan bazaar.

    Datuk Abu Bakar

    Containers o bubur lambuk being handed out by SSAAS mosque ofcials to the crowd onMonday evening.

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    12 August 5 7, 2011InsIght

    In the Uited Kigdom, rights are eorced uder theHuma Rights Acts 1988.

    The Freedom o Assembly ad Associatio is oududer Article 11:1. Everyoe has the right to reedom o peaceul

    assembly ad to reedom o associatio with others,icludig the right to orm ad to joi trade uiosor the protectio o his iterests.

    2. no restrictios shall be placed o the exercise othese rights other tha such as are prescribed bylaw ad are ecessary i a democratic society i theiterests o atioal security or public saety, or theprevetio o disorder or crime, or the protectio ohealth or morals or or the protectio o the rightsad reedoms o others. This Article shall ot prevetthe impositio o lawul restrictios o the exerciseo these rights by members o the armed orces, othe police or o the admiistratio o the state.There are two aspects to Article 11.

    It protects the right to peaceul assembly, whichicludes the reedom to hold public or private meetigs,demostratios, rallies ad sit-is, without itererecerom the State.

    This may iclude a positive obligatio o the State toesure that demostrators are protected rom couter-demostrators tryig to prevet their demostratio.

    Article 11 also protects the reedom to associate withothers, icludig the right to orm or joi a political partyor other group or associatio, ad the right to belogto a trade uio.

    Like some rights, it is ot absolute, ad stateitererece is justifed to protect the rights o others.

    Like Malaysias Police Act 1967, whether aassembly or processio o Eglish soil is permitted orwith certai restrictios is vetted with a iterpretatioo the Public Order Act 1986.

    The act draws a distictio betwee publicassemblies ad public processios.

    Orgaisers do ot have to otiy police o theproposed assembly.

    However, seior police oicers may imposerestrictios o the orgaisers i the latter believes thatthe assembly may result i harm to lie ad property.

    There will be a limit to both the assembly duratioad participats allowed to atted, amog other terms.

    This is doe, i the ofcer believes that the assemblymy result i harm to lie ad property.

    However, there is o questio o prevetig theassembly rom takig place, as coditios are olyimposed to avoid ay utoward icidets.

    For processios, orgaisers are required to otiyauthorities six days beore the scheduled evet.

    Iormatio must iclude date, time ad proposedroute.

    I seior police ofcers have a reaso to believe thatthe processio may brig harm to lie ad property,restrictios are set to the timig ad routig, amogother coditios.

    Uder this the sectio the processio will ot beprohibited.

    Prohibitio o processios is oly carried out icircumstaces exist that may result i serious publicdisorder, or damage to lie ad property.

    It is oly ivoked i it is ot possible to stop seriousdamage rom occurrig eve with coditio imposedo orgaisers o the processio.

    (Sources: Suhakam 2001 FOA report and The National

    Council for Civil Liberties UK)

    Freedom ofAssembly

    in Britain

    ByAlvin Yap

    Liyana Ridzwan, 25, shortened her holiday tour o Europe

    when she decided to return or the Bersih 2.0 rally.Te political science graduate is no stranger to street dem-

    onstrations, having taken part in numerous street demonstrationsagainst what she claims are unair neo-liberal economic policies.

    Liyana, who is rom Ipoh, pays her own way to travel to placeswhere G8 and G20 summits are held or heads o industralisednations to discuss global trade and economics.

    Most o the locations are in western countries, where individualshave the right to peaceully march and hold protest rallies.

    Tat is democracy at work, she said.Democracy is not representative enough i its a round o

    general election every fve years. It certainly isnt representative de-mocracy i, like in Malaysia, its 27 million citizens are representedby a mere 222 Members o Parliament, she said.

    She said the peoples reedom to assemble is a constitutional

    so as to paint the ormer as heavy-handedand authoritarian to ellow Malaysian and

    oreigners.Te Malaysian Bar Council and the Hu-man Rights Commission o Malaysia (Su-hakam) have stayed out o the political wran-gling, preerring to debate the issue rom alegislative and human rights perspective.

    In universal human rights law, as es- poused in the UnitedN a tion s ounding Universal Declarationo Human Rights andthe International Cov-enant on Civil and Po-litical Rights, Freedomo Assembly is a basichuman right.

    Malaysians oughtnot look urther to

    ind the right to as-semble as it is ound inthe Federal Constitu-tion the highest lawin the land.

    Freedom o Assem-bly is the right andreedom o Malaysians

    to gather together and express their viepeaceul manner, said Bar Council preLim Chee Wee.

    Te constitution guarantees thiby providing that all citizens have thto assemble peaceably and without

    he explained.However, the right is subject to rtions imposed by parliamentary lawsclamp down on rallies and marchesinterest o national security and public

    Lim pointed out that Malaysians arnarrow liberties and broad restrictiexercise their rights.

    Freedom oF Assem

    Twin pillArs oF righTs Toexpression & congregA

    right o any democratic country, some-thing that constitutionalist supportersenvisioned to saeguard against a powerulexecutive branch o the government.

    Liyana explained that rallies mobilisecitizens to act politically towards issuesthey eel strongly about, and that supportor any political party is the last thing oncivil societys mind.

    Liyanas comments bring the debateon Freedom o Assembly to the orerontagain, as the Barisan Nasional (BN) gov-ernment has always declared marches andrallies without police permits illegal.

    Te ederal government says the cultureo street protests is not Malaysian

    which historians have pointed out is nottrue, as the decades beore Merdeka werereplete with street protests against the thenBritish administration.

    As or the July 9 Bersih rally, PrimeMinister Datuk Seri Najib Razak sa id theevent was to pressure Putrajaya to accedeto electoral reorms and was thereore notnecessary, or elections were air and reein Malaysia.

    Najib, who is widely expected to call an

    election beore the ull parliamentary termis up, says rallies such as Bersih have beenhijacked by the opposition Pakatan Rakyatto gain support o the masses.

    Te ederal government also claims thatBersih supporters went down to the groundto provoke the authorities to take action,

    Police presence during the Bersih 2.0rally. (Pic by Hafz noor Sham / Wiki commos)

    Citizens assembled and holding posters calling for therelease of police detainees. (Pic by Ag Chug Vi)

    (Illustratio by nick Choo)

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    For a rally to take place, organisers haveto apply or a permit rom the police, basedon the Police Act 1967.

    However, the Bar Council and Suhakamsay the government and authorities haveincluded too many restrictions or civil

    society to receive rally permits.Tis, they say, is unconstitutional andsties the peoples right to exercise theirdemocratic reedom.

    Teir twin reedom o assembly andexpression is curtailed, Lim explained.

    He said it is ironic that Malaysia sitson the UN Human Rights Council and

    was even elected to chair a committee onthe upcoming General Assembly sessionto tackle social, humanitarian and humanrights issues.

    Lim pointed out that there is a discon-nect between the domestic policies andthe image o a moderate and progressivenation the leaders have oen showcasedto the world.

    Te government must speak and actconsistently, both domestically and inter-nationally, by protecting and promotingdemocracy and human rights, not restrict-ing or stiing their exercise, he said.

    Lim brushed aside claims by certainquarters who are adamant that rallies anddemonstrations constitute mob rule, say-ing that such acts, i carried out peaceully,are democracy in action.

    On whether the police is justiied in

    using orce to disperse rallies, Lim said thethreat and application o heavy-handedaction had not stopped gatherings.

    He said the government had resorted tousing more orce to disperse participants inthe Bersih 2.0 rally as the ormer was aceto ace with the will o the people.

    He said Putrajaya should see the in-creased articulation o viewpoints by the

    public as a positive development in oursociety.

    Lim urther pointed out that the govern-ment should provide the democratic spaceor discourse to ourish.

    He said the recent turn o events sig-nalled that the government was unwillingto review Section 27 o the Police Act toallow more latitude or public rallies.

    In a Suhakam report on Freedom o As-sembly published in 2007, the commissionsaid the government should recognise thebasic right to hold peaceul assemblies.

    However, it also said the reedom canonly be restricted by legislation or the

    purpose o preserving national security orpublic order.

    According to its committee, the PoliceAct 1967 also known as PA does in actrestrict the peoples constitutional right to

    peaceul assembly.It said the current enorcement and im-

    plementation o the Act was unduly strictand rendered unattainable the right oMalaysians to assemble.

    Suhakam also reported that the deault

    mindset o the authorities was to thinko assemblies as dangerous and liable tobecome a threat to national security and

    public order.Tis is seen rom statements made by

    them and reported in the media each time alarge gathering is proposed , the report said.

    However, Suhakam, which had deployedits considerable resources to investigate caseles on previous assemblies and rallies, saidit is possible to have peaceul gatherings.

    It is denitely possible in present-dayMalaysia to have peaceul assemblies where

    participants can voice their views about is-sues that are a matter o concern or them,the report said.

    It cited that several peaceul assemblieshad taken place, during which time the

    police had maintained law and order.Te human rights watchdog also men-tioned an anti-ISA event in May 2001,

    where participants made speeches, sangsongs and distributed leaets in a one-hour

    programme which ended peaceully withno untoward incidents.

    Similarly, a walk organised by the Bar

    Council during that period saw 100 par-ticipants marching with police cars in tow,and personnel controlling the trac alongthe way in the heart o the city.

    he group walked through the busyshopping areas o Kota Raya, Central Mar-ket and Bangsar Utama, with n o untowardincident occurring.

    Te point the report was making is that

    the government should allow rallies, andthat gatherings with or without permits donot necessarily descend into chaos as earedby the authorities.

    Members o these assemblies disperse peaceully, with some measure o satis-action that their concerns have beenexpressed and may be considered.

    Peaceul assemblies are a healthy wayor members o civil society to express dis-satisaction over matters that afect theirlives, it said.

    It also reported that peaceul meantthe absence o violence, but does not neces-sarily mean silent.

    Speeches and cheering do not render anassembly not peaceul, it explained.

    Suhakam said civil society had strength-

    ened, and the demand or civil and politicalrights was bec oming louder.It said the government could no longer

    expect the public to remain silent whenundamental rights were inringed, addingthat Putrajaya had to respond positivelyto the changing political climate in civilsociety.

    ly:

    on

    The crowd during the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9.(Pic by Hafz Noor Sham / Wiki commons)

    Police charging atprotesters who wereregrouping duringthe Bersih 2.0 rally.(Pic by Hafz Noor Sham /

    Wiki commons)

    Holding litcandles and

    singing songs toexpress solidarity.

    (Pic by Ang Chung Vi)

  • 8/6/2019 Selangor Times Aug 5-7, 2011 / Issue 36

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    14 AUGUST 5 7, 2011vIEWS

    Dear Lord Bobo, why is my Member o Parliament soslow in fxing that clogged drain in ront o my houseand the broken row o lamp posts by the community

    hall? Is he sleeping on the job or what?! @Unhappy Monkey,via email

    HERE are a ew things wrong with your question, and a ewmisconceptions that need to be addressed with regards to the

    job description and role o a Member o Parliament (MP).First, we must understand the role o an MP as a mem-

    ber o the legislative (Parliament), which is to legis-late and make laws. Te problems that you areacing like clogged drains and broken lamp posts,and other similar matters like volcano massagegrati on your walls and badly parked neigh-bours are not within the power or authority othe MP. Tose are issues which local councillorsshould solve. Tis misconception o the roleo legislators results in misplaced expecta-tions o MPs.

    I these problems are not solved by theMP/ADUN (Ahli Dewan Undangan Neg-eri, or State Legislative Assembly Members),they are labelled as not working or sleepingon the job. Which is unair.

    Here is an easy (though overlysimplistic) way o remembering thediering roles and unctions. MPs/ADUNs are rom the legislative, thereore they deal withlaws and policies through their lawmaking power. Issuesrelating to ederal inrastructure should be directed to ed-eral agencies (JKR, or example), and matters related tolocal inrastructure such as wonky trac lights, lamp posts

    and potholed roads, should be directed to local authoritiesor local councillors.

    So please, think beore haranguing your MP/ADUN. Letthem ocus on what they should be doing, which is pushingor good laws and air policies instead o spending their timeon issues that are not within their job scope.

    Irecently read a statement rom the Minister o HigherEducation that 21 students (or is it 500? Te reports areconlicting) have been identiied as participating in

    Bersih 2.0, and that their names will be sent to theirrespective universities or urther action. Will we see morecases o students being charged under AUKU like the ISA7,UKM4 and KUIN5? @Free Our Students o Learn!, via email

    IS obvious rom crowd photos rom July 9 that many youngpeople participated in the Bersih rally. However, when DatukSeri Khaled Nordin, Minister o Higher Education, said whathe said about releasing the names o these identied studentsto their universities, it begs some questions.

    Out o the tens o thousands (or, well, 5,000 depending onwho you believe) who were there, how were these 21 studentsidentied? How does the Ministry know that they universitystudents? And even i these individuals were students, andtook part in the rally, and the university authorities would liketo scr er discipline them, under what section o the Uni-

    versity & University Colleges Act

    1971 (UUCA) or the university rules and regulations wouldthey be charged under? Tey clearly cannot be charged orcriminal oences (participating in an illegal assembly) be-cause thats the job o the public prosecutor. Bersih is not a

    political party or a union, so they cant be charged

    under the UUCA or political participation and expression.Overall then, that was a very strange statement. Which is

    quite consistent with being a person o authority in Malaysia.Te ability to make strange and unsubstantiated statementsseems to be a prerequisite to being appointed to such positions.

    Iwalked on July 9. Now what? @Patriot, via email

    HANG on. Your pseudonym is Patriot? Does that meanyou walked on July 9 with the Patriot ellas, or does it justmean that youre patriotic? Anyway, it doesnt matter. AllMalaysians need to educate themselves or the good o thenation. Lets not be politically partisan. Lets make decisionsbased on what is best or Malaysia. Lets make a stand on issueshaving made an educated and air assessment o the details.Lets silence the gutter politics and make our politicians serve

    the rakyat again, instead o us rolling out the red carpet orthem all the time.

    Check out UndiMsia!,which is a project being runby a ew riends o Lord Bobo. It is a movement or

    young Malaysians to nd their voice, participate, andact. UndiMsia!supports the need or accurate inorma-

    tion on key civil, political, and socioeconomic rights thatthe lives o the rakyat.

    Learn how to engage your elected representatives. Dothings meaningully, with results that make a dierence tothe community, and the country. Want to know more? Goto http://www.acebook.com/UndiMsia or email [email protected]. His Supreme Eminenceness thinks you cando no better than checking out what these g uys are up to.

    Have a question or Lord Bobo? Call on His SupremeEminenceness by emailing [email protected],stating your ull name, and a pseudonym (i you want), or

    tweeting your questions by mentioning @LoyarBurok andusing the hashtag #asklordbobo. What the hell are you wait-ing or? Hear Tis, and remblingly Obey (a lthough trem-bling is optional i you are somewhere very warm)! Libera-

    vi Animam Meam! I Have Freed My Spirit!

    Laziness, naughty students

    and patriotsAsk Lord Bobois a weekly column by LoyarBurok

    (www.loyarburok.com) where all your profound,abstruse, erudite, hermetic, recondite,

    sagacious, and other thesaurus-describedqueries are answered!

    HE RoyalCommission o

    Inquiry (RCI) into the death o po-litical aide eoh Beng Hock, ater muchdeliberation, has concluded that eoh wasdriven to suicide by the aggressive and harshmethods o the Malaysian Anti-CorruptionCommission (MACC).

    Te RCIs ndings and recommendationsmust be implemented urgently to win backthe condence o the people and the integ-rity o the MACC. Te ocers involvedshould be held criminally responsible, with

    immediate action taken against them. Ordi-nary people who threaten one another canbe charged or criminal intimidation andarrested. So why not these ocials?

    Just because they were doing their duty isno excuse. Even police personnel have beencharged or causing bodily injury, death orsuicide o lockup suspects and detainees.

    Instituting disciplinary measures againstthe MACC personnel or suspending ortranserring them will not suce as govern-ment servants regard these actions as noth-ing more than a short holiday. Tis is whygovernment ocials keep repeating theirerrant ways.

    eohs amily might perhaps be partiallysatised i penal action is taken against thethree ocers. An outright dismissal shouldalso be contemplated.

    Te errant ocers have dented the imageo the anti-graf body. Whistleblowers, in-

    ormants, witnesses and others will be hence-orth reluctant to provide any ino or coop-eration, and this could dry up the commis-sions pool o inormation sources.

    More importantly, the MACC needs tounderstand that bribe-takers are usually

    white-collar ocials, mostly in senior posi-tions, and are usually middle aged. Unlike

    hardened suspects who end up in the policelockups, those taken in by the MACC areeasily intimidated by harsh words or physicalthreats.

    Tese people could break down easily andbe earul and do the unthinkable. heMACC has to be more psychoanalytical or

    psychological to coax the evidence, notblackmail or threaten them to get answers.

    Te MACC needs to get quality staerswith good personal attributes, who are dis-ciplined and well-trained or this tactul job.It would also be better i the MACC be-

    comes more multiracial as diversity cancontribute to creativity and proactivity in theanti-graf body.

    Te image o the MACC has been badlydamaged by the two unexplained deaths

    within the last two years. o what extent itcan win back public condence depends onthe organisational reorms. A new batch o

    investigation ocers and competent headso department are also needed, to ensurethat the commission becomes an eectiveorce to ght graf in both the public andcorporate sectors.

    Corruption is a major problem in Malay-sia, and what is needed is not more hal-baked oot soldiers but a small and highlycapable unit o graf busters.

    he government, too, should take theinitiative to eliminate corruption by gettingrid o overlegislation, excess bureaucratic redtape, cronyism and avouritism.

    It should ensure good g overnance, trans-parency, accountability and ecient audit-ing, and not expect the MACC to create amiracle o a corruption-ree environment

    when many government practices and pro-cedures breed corruption.

    V Tomas

    Act against MACC ofcers in Teoh case

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    15AUGUST 5 7, 2011FICTION

    iction by Lee Ee Leen

    Waves are disturbances in a commonmedium, such as air or water. When

    you travel to the northern coast, youee waves rom the South China Sea hurlinghemselves against the sea walls, propped up

    with boulders rom an inland quarry.Last year you witnessed the ront sec tion o

    he village pier collapsing into the sea. Tewalkway and struts oated away like a ship-wrecked ra, while the supporting sand crum-

    led into the warm water like brown sugar intohe local coee.

    Now only timber houses teeter on crookedtilts and aded batik utters on laundry lines.

    Te ribs o shing boats jut out o the sand likehe remains o beached whales.

    You step up onto the remains o the pier andght a cigarette. Te truncated structure is stillturdy, but you eel the wood creak when aeenage g irl ollows you onto the walkway. Youick ash into the sea and walk past her to nishour smoke away rom the pier.

    She angles her head down towards theplintered slats, and yet, she keeps looking at the packet oigarettes in your shirt pocket. Aer making sure no one isear the pier, you oer her a cigarette.

    Are you waiting or someone? you ask aer you light herigarette. You stay on the opposite side o the walkway to

    maintain a discreet distance rom her.No one will miss me, the girl replies. She shakes her head,

    djusts the hood o her sports jacket and continues staring athe waves through a square gap in the walkway.

    From this position, the oam ripples like static intererencen a V screen. Tese low-amplitude waves will never appearn the news, not big enough to be tsunamis; they belong in a

    childs wading pool.You make out the shape o a large bottle concealed under

    the bulky olds o her jacket. When she begins to talk you lookaway and consider returning to the ruined beach. As a tourist,

    you dont want to be seen with her.oo late, she traps you on the pier. Her lilting local diale ct

    lends rhythm and cadence to her rambling monolog ue aboutthe stars. But she stuns you with ashes o lucidity when shereels o scientic acts. Te light rom the moon is reectedrom the sun as electromagnetic waves travelling through space.Te constellation above the beach is called Orion. Te sun isa star like many others in our galaxy.

    Glowing orange ash rom her cigaretteplummets into the sea.

    Te girl takes a detour rom listing acts toexpressing a series o statements. She haddreams o becoming an astronaut. But she can-not leave the village and go to college. Heramily has shunned her since they knew abouther problems.

    Which teenager doesnt have any problems?You just nod and mumble something about theglobal recession and how too many young

    people are moving away rom villages to the bigcities.

    Youre leaving? she asks when you toss thebutt o your cigarette through the hole in the

    walkway.Soon, you mumble as you check your

    watch. Buses back to town are scarce atersunset.

    Te girl staggers to the end o the ruined pier and unzips her jacket. You glimpse herrounded belly. Te child inside her already

    practises space walking, just like an astronauttethered to the side o a cra. Te pregnancyexplains her awkward gait. But not why she was

    concealing the large blue and white plastic bottle.She counts down rom ten to zero as you walk away rom

    her. You think shes still lost in astronaut dreams until sheupends the bottle over her open mouth.

    Te acrid tang o bleach leaps at you across the walkwayand you run towards her. Mouth dry, you yell at her to putdown the bottle. Instead, she drops it and alls backwards othe pier. Ripples disperse as they mark the spot where shelanded. You inhale and jump in aer her. Mother and childhave crossed the boundary between air and water. Althoughsound waves travel aster through water, your screams will notsummon her back.

    Amplitude

    By Basil Foo

    EING a lone emale in a testosterone-ueled activity likemotorsports, Leona Chin is determined to hold her own by

    eying stereotypes and working on what she loves.Cars are powerul, and they give me an adrenaline rush

    when I drive them. Its something I love very much, the5-year-old tells Selangor Times.

    Chin shares that was bitten by the racing bug when she

    ot to sit in a dri car or the rst time ve years ago. Sheas since has participated in over 20 dierent racing andriing events, most o which were held in race trac ks aroundhe Klang Valley.

    When I rst sat in the dri car in 2006, I thought, wow,his is so un! I just had to try it, the Subang Jaya nativenthuses.

    She then converted a Nissan 180SX into a dri c ar, joinedhe Red Bull Female Driver Search, and made it into the team

    with three other girls.Te long process o setting up

    her car with driing capabilitiespaid o when she got to c ompetein the Merdeka Millenium Endur-ance Race in 2008.

    My riends helped me to driand get active in the sport, butbeing the only girl in a male-

    dominated sport, its challengingto reach the podium, she admits.Chin says the challenges are

    mostly due to the dierences in physical strength between gen-ders, as a big actor in driing is the ability to pull the hand-brake in a quic k manner.

    Another challenge she aces with the capital-intensive sportis the amount she has to spend on the primary tool o her trade her car.

    Tis sport is all about the money, because the more youhave, the better components and parts you can aord, liketyres, says the owner o a new Nissan Silvia S13.

    She cites the example o a driver who would perorm betterwith essential driing parts like adjustable suspensions andbucket seats compared with a regular, road-riendly car.

    Other modications that would improve perormanceinclude a Fullbody Roll Cage, a big responsive Garret turbo,

    modied ECU, and bigger tyres.Tese are just some o the parts to consider when goinginto driing. Tey are not cheap as they are mostly imported,the F1 McLaren Mercedes an says.

    She also recalls how, during her rst dri competition, shehad to be more conservative with her tyres to prevent themrom wearing out too qu ickly.

    However, aer getting more experience and help rom

    sponsors, she can now dri without worrying about sufcienttyres to burn during an event.

    Tis is a very tough sport, and it takes guts, lots and lotso time, and mone y spent to take part, the enthusiast warns.

    But she still welcomes girls with the courage and interestin motorsports to get a mentor and develop their skills in asae environment, and not on the road endangering others.

    Chin recommends go-karting as the most basic way to cutones teeth and learn how to control a our-wheeled machineat moderate speeds.

    Tere are a ew go -kart tracks in Selangor like Shah AlamCity Karting, Elite Go-kart track along Kesas highway, andSepang Circuit City Karting track, she says.

    Chin is condent in her ability to progress in the sport as

    more arenas have been opening up, and hopes to one dayrepresent Malaysia internationally.She believes the uture o local motorsports is good, with

    the growth o more events such as driing in Speed City KLand Saturday Night Fever Circuit in Sepang.

    Chin welcomes motorsports enthusiasts and those wantingto know about the latest events around KL and Selangor to

    visit her Facebook page, Girl Drier Leona Chin.

    Defying stereotypesin motorsports

    hin in action during a motorsports event.

    Chin has been racing and driting or the past fve years and isnt about to slow down.

  • 8/6/2019 Selangor Times Aug 5-7, 2011 / Issue 36

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    16 AUGUST 5 7, 2011FEATURE

    DIY cosmetics on the rise

    1. Read the labels. Stay away rom com-mercial products that contain chemicalslisted below whenever possible. Better saethan sorry. Some chemicals like hydroqui-none, ormaldehyde and toluene are alreadybanned by the Health Ministry, but it isgood to remain vigilant.

    Benzalkonium chloride: Especially dan-gerous or people with asthma or skin condi-tions like eczema. Usually ound in cleaning

    products, it is also highly toxic to aquatic lie.Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA): Sus-

    pected human carcinogen and can cause skindepigmentation. BHA is banned rom usein ragrances in Europe.

    Coal tar and selected ingredients such asaminophenol, diaminobenzene, phenylen-ediamine: Commonly ound in hair dye, coaltar is a known human carcinogen and a by-

    product o coal processing.DMDM hydantoi and bronopol: Cos-

    metics preservatives that release known

    human carcinogen ormaldehyde when de-composed.Formaldehyde:Known human carcino-

    gen, asthmagen, and is toxic to our neuro-logical system. Its use has been banned butconsumers need to beware o other pre-servatives that release ormaldehyde whendecomposed.

    Fragrance: Make sure the product listsdown the ingredients contained under this

    vague umbrella term. Otherwise, go ra-grance-ree.

    Hydroquinone: Used to be ound in skin-whitening cream, it can cause skin diseaseochronosis a bluish-black discoloration ocertain tissues such as around the ears and eyes.

    Methylisothiazolinone and methylchlo-roisothiazolinone: Usually used as pre-

    servatives, they are the most common irri-tants and can cause allergy.Parabens (methyl-, ethyl-, proplypara-

    bens, etc): Commonly used as preservatives,parabens contain chemical properties similarto natural estrogen and may disrupt ourhormone system.

    PEG/Ceteareth/Polyethylene com-pounds: hese chemicals are requentlycontaminated with suspected human car-cinogen 1,4-dioxane.

    Phthalatessuch as

    dibutyl phthalate(DBP): Linked to male reproductive systemdisorders, according to a growing number ostudies. Pregnant women should alwaysavoid nail polish containing DBP.

    Resorcinol:Usually ound in hair colourand bleaching products. It is a skin irritantthat is toxic to the immune system.

    Retinyl palmitate and retinol (VitaminA): Vitamin A is a nutrient, but excessive useduring pregnancy may cause birth deects.

    Toluene: A petrochemical commonlyound in nail polish, it is also linked tobirth deects and is toxic to the neuro-logical system.

    Triclosan and triclocarban: Generallyound in liquid or soap bars and used asantibacterial compounds, but are toxic to

    aquatic lie.2. Make your own beauty treatments. In-stead o scrutinising the labels, make yourown skincare treats! Many homemade recipesare available online, and although this wouldtake more time, it is cheaper and you knowexactly what is in your mask and body scrub.3. Only use what you need. Regardless ogender, a person may use 10 or more dier-ent personal care products on a daily basis,including shower gel, hair shampoo, condi-tioner, perume or deodorant, acial cleans-er, toner, moisturiser, sunscreens (one eachor ace and body) the list goes on. Cos-metics companies will try to persuade youto buy as many o their products as possibleto stay beautiul or attractive. Ignore thehype, buy and use only what you need.

    Te tips above are compiled and adaptedto local context rom How to Go Green:Womens Personal Carepublished on US sitesTreeHuggerand Top Tips for Safe Products,available at the US-based Environmental

    Working Groups cosmetics database (www.ewg.org/skindeep).

    Green personal care tips

    By Gan Pei Ling

    M

    ost o us use personal care productson a daily basis, but how many o uscare to nd out what is contained in

    our soaps, shampoos and acial cleansers?Consumers tend to take it or granted that

    cosmetics companies do not use toxic chemi-cals in their products. Unortunately, this de-

    pends on which part o the world you live in.he European Union (EU) has much

    stricter regulations compared with the UnitedStates and Asian countries like Malaysia.Tereore, potential harmul chemicals thathave been banned in the EU might still ndtheir way into personal care products sold inMalaysia.

    A case in point: you are likely to nd so-dium laureth sulate (SLS) in your shower gelor hair shampoo. SLS is a suspected carcino-gen that has been banned in Europe but not

    yet in Malaysia.As concern grows over the use o hazardous

    synthetic chemicals in personal care products,handmade cosmetics using natural ingredientshave been gaining popularity in developedcountries. And the trend is picking up inMalaysia.

    Selangor Timesspoke to two buddingwomen entrepreneurs. Sal, 30, makes her ownacial care products, while Dr Shelby Kho, also30, creates homemade body and bath products.

    Both sell their products online and at ba-zaars or ea markets around Klang Valley.

    Toners, moisturisers and moreHomemaker Sal began developing sensitive

    skin around the age o 25.My skin became really dry and there was

    this constant redness along my jawline. I triedswitching to dierent brands but it didnthelp, she told Selangor Times.

    Frustrated, Sal started to research onlineand discovered hazardous chemicals such assynthetic ragrance and petro-chemicals con-tained in commercial skincare products.

    Handmade skincare was becoming in-creasingly popular in the US then, and I oundsome online recipes to make my own acial-care products, she said.

    Using natural ingredients like essential oils,ower powders, clay powders and our, Salbegan experimenting with various recipes.

    Now she makes her own cleanser that canalso be used as a mask and ace scrub, and atoner that doubles as a moisturiser. So insteado ve dierent products, she only uses two.

    Sal started selling her handmade acial

    products around two years ago to riends,and online via her blog, preciousmecares.blogspot.com.

    Initially business was slow, but customerswould recommend the products to amily andriends afer using them, said Sal.

    Most o her clients are in their mid-20s,and although Sal sets up booths at ea marketsaround the Klang Valley, most o her orders

    come rom online clients.Sal also oers personal-care tips on her

    blog, such as how to make your own bodyscrubs and natural tooth powders.

    For those who are allergic to a particularingredient, Sal can modiy her products tosuit specic skincare needs.

    Recently, she has developed two new prod-ucts or her handmade acial line Back toBasics: ace treatment powder made o silkand pearl powder, and a ace serum.

    She designed and packaged all the prod-ucts hersel.

    Ranging rom RM68 to RM180, Sals products may be pricier than those sold in pharmacies, but they are still cheaper thannatural skincare products such as those soldat NS Skin Lab.

    Customers are encouraged to purchase atrial set o the products, available at a cheaper

    price and smaller size, beore deciding to buythe regular-sized ones.

    Nothing artifcialDr Kho, a g eneral practitioner rom Muti-

    ara Damansara, learnt how to make bodyscrubs, bath salts and other body products

    when she was still in college.Te 30-year-old used to make them as gifs

    or her riends.I didnt think

    o selling themuntil my riendssuggested theidea to me, shetol d Se langorTimes.

    Her amilyand riends havebeen very sup-

    portive o herbudding business,

    which started inDecember 2010.

    Her dad helpsher to deliver the produc