selangor times dec 2-4, 2011 / issue 51

24
community DECEMBER 2 — 4, 2011/ ISSUE 51 M'sia corruption ranking falls to 10-year low TNB HALTED BY STOP-WORK ORDER p 2 p 4 WALK FOR FREEDOM – A WASTE OF TIME? p 14 Unsuitable for buildings Carboard cartons and other refuse are placed on a service chamber hampering maintenance works. By Alvin Yap SHAH ALAM: e land on which 56 nursery operators are currently occupying in Sg Buloh is unsuitable for buildings or devel- opment aſter all. According to a study by Ikram Centre for Engineering Forensic and Consultancy Services (Ikram), nursery operators in the area were putting life and property at risk by continuing to occupy the land due to the presence of high-pressure water pipes beneath. e report, which was obtained by Selangor Times this week, said temporary and permanent struc- tures at the nursery will impede maintenance and upgrading works now and in the future. Ikram was appointed by Yayasan Selangor to carry out a feasibility study on developing the 14.58-hectare land in Sungai Bu- loh in June. e issue erupted aſter the operators were told that the Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) was given to Yayasan Sel- angor instead of them. e operators had argued that they should have been given the rights to the land as they have been developing the area since 1999. Yayasan Selangor said it had planned to turn the area into a nursery theme park. The Ikram report said radar and sonar mappings of the area confirmed that there were five water pipes ranging from 1,000mm to 2,200mm in diame- ter under the nurseries. At certain locations, the 5.25km- long pipes beneath were being sub- jected to heavy stress loads from structures above ground and addi- tional weight could cause the water pipes to rupture. Around 50m of the largest pipe is exposed above ground and can be accidentally breached by the slightest construction work, said the report dated Nov 29. e report said both scenarios could happen if settlements con- tinued, and a rupture at any point could cause a release of high-pres- sure water. “The blast or spray from a rup- ture would be dangerous to any structure or life in the immediate area.” e study also found that struc- tures the operators had already built would severely impede access to maintenance valves and service chambers. e report explained that regu- lar servicing of the pipes would have to be carried out to ensure Klang Valley consumers received adequate water supply. A number of the maintenance valves were now situated behind fences and locked gates belonging to operators. e report pointed out that a nursery operator had discarded cardboard cartons and other re- fuse on top and around a service chamber. “Accessibility to these facilities must remain unimpeded round the clock in case of emergencies,” the report said. Essentially, details of the report put to rest the issue of whether nursery operators should be al- lowed to continue operating on the site. It also means that Yayasan Selangor may not be allowed to continue their plans to develop the area. e state, however, has yet to announce its next course of action. e Menteri Besar had said in June that the state would retain administrative control of the 14.65-hectare plot in Sungai Bu- loh to ensure access to the pipes and integrity of water supply to a large part of Klang Valley. Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said as water security is paramount, the state has to ensure that accidents will not take place that would dis- rupt water supply or compromise on water safety.

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Page 1: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

community December 2 — 4, 2011/ issue 51

M'sia corruption ranking falls to 10-year low

TNB HALTED BY STOP-WORK ORDER

p 2 p 4

WALK FOR FREEDOM – A WASTE OF TIME? p 14

Unsuitable for buildings

Carboard cartons and other refuse are placed on a service chamber hampering maintenance works.

By Alvin Yap

SHAH ALAM: The land on which 56 nursery operators are currently occupying in Sg Buloh is unsuitable for buildings or devel-opment after all.

According to a study by Ikram Centre for Engineering Forensic and Consultancy Services (Ikram), nursery operators in the area were putting life and property at risk by continuing to occupy the land due to the presence of high-pressure water pipes beneath.

The report, which was obtained by Selangor Times this week, said temporary and permanent struc-tures at the nursery will impede maintenance and upgrading works now and in the future.

Ikram was appointed by Yayasan Selangor to carry out a feasibility study on developing the 14.58-hectare land in Sungai Bu-loh in June. The issue erupted after the operators were told that the Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) was given to Yayasan Sel-angor instead of them.

The operators had argued that they should have been given the rights to the land as they have been developing the area since 1999. Yayasan Selangor said it had planned to turn the area into a nursery theme park.

The Ikram report said radar and sonar mappings of the area confirmed that there were five water pipes ranging from 1,000mm to 2,200mm in diame-ter under the nurseries.

At certain locations, the 5.25km-long pipes beneath were being sub-jected to heavy stress loads from structures above ground and addi-tional weight could cause the water pipes to rupture.

Around 50m of the largest pipe is exposed above ground and can be accidentally breached by the slightest construction work, said the report dated Nov 29.

The report said both scenarios could happen if settlements con-tinued, and a rupture at any point could cause a release of high-pres-sure water.

“The blast or spray from a rup-ture would be dangerous to any structure or life in the immediate area.”

The study also found that struc-tures the operators had already built would severely impede access to maintenance valves and service chambers.

The report explained that regu-lar servicing of the pipes would have to be carried out to ensure Klang Valley consumers received adequate water supply.

A number of the maintenance valves were now situated behind fences and locked gates belonging to operators.

The report pointed out that a nursery operator had discarded cardboard cartons and other re-fuse on top and around a service chamber.

“Accessibility to these facilities must remain unimpeded round the clock in case of emergencies,” the report said.

Essentially, details of the report put to rest the issue of whether nursery operators should be al-lowed to continue operating on the site. It also means that Yayasan

Selangor may not be allowed to continue their plans to develop the area.

The state, however, has yet to announce its next course of action.

The Menteri Besar had said in June that the state would retain administrative control of the 14.65-hectare plot in Sungai Bu-loh to ensure access to the pipes and integrity of water supply to a large part of Klang Valley.

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said as water security is paramount, the state has to ensure that accidents will not take place that would dis-rupt water supply or compromise on water safety.

Page 2: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

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

email [email protected]

EDITORIALCHIEF EDITOR KL Chan

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

Basil Foo, Alvin Yap, Gho Chee Yuan, Brenda Ch’ngCOPY EDITORS Nick Choo, James Ang

DESIGNERS Jimmy C. S. Lim, Chin Man YenADVERTISING Timothy Loh, Ivan Looi, Tony KeeADVISORS Faekah Husin, Arfa’eza Abdul Aziz

2 December 2 — 4, 2011

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By Gan Pei Ling

SUBANG JAYA: Malaysia’s ranking in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2011 has dropped to a 10-year low, placing 60th, while neighbouring country Singapore was ranked among the top five out of 183 countries.

Out of the total score of 10, Malaysia only received 4.3, significantly lower than Singapore’s 9.2 and Brunei 5.2.

“The results showed that our leaders are not doing enough to combat corrup-tion,” said corruption watchdog Transpar-ency International Malaysia secretary-general Josie M Fernandez, at the launch at Grand Dorsett Subang Hotel yesterday.

The CPI ranks countries and cities on how corrupt their public sector is per-ceived to be by drawing on data compiled from 17 reputable sources such as the World Bank, World Economic Forum and Asian Development Bank’s assess-ments.

Fernandez noted that while the Malay-

sian government has introduced the Cor-porate Integrity Pledge in a bid to address corruption in the business sector, it con-tinues to award mega projects and con-tracts without open tenders or competi-tive bidding in the public sector.

“[There is] also limited access to infor-mation which contributes to a culture of secrecy and lack of transparency,” she said.

The corruption watchdog urged Putra-jaya to introduce a Freedom of Informa-tion Bill and amend the scope of the Of-ficial Secrets Act.

“The top four countries in the index, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, have excellent Freedom of Infor-mation Act,” said Josie.

She urged the government to pursue corruption cases at the highest levels to re-store public confidence and demonstrate that it is serious in combating corruption.

“We must enhance the autonomy and independence of the Malaysian Anti-Cor-ruption Commission (MACC),” she said, adding that there must be a protective framework to encourage whistleblowers

to come forward.Former Transparency International

Malaysia chief Tan Sri Ramon V Navarat-nam urged all cabinet members and po-litical leaders to declare their assets and liabilities to curb corruption.

“Political leaders who are living be-yond their means ought to be investigated and sacked if found to be corrupt,” said Navaratnam, who is also chairperson of the Centre for Public Policy Studies.

Meanwhile, Transparency Internation-al Malaysia also released results of another survey – the Corruption Barometer – on the same day.

A thousand Malaysians across gender, age and geographical regions were inter-viewed, and the study found that the po-lice and political parties were identified as the most corrupt institutions.

However, close to half of the respond-ents believe that the Malaysian govern-ment is effective in fighting corruption.

In addition, the percentage of respond-ents who paid bribes dropped from 9% in 2010 to 1.2% this year.

Malaysia’s CPI from 2002 to 2011

Year Ranking Countries Score surveyed

2002 33 102 4.9

2003 37 133 5.2

2004 39 146 5.0

2005 39 159 5.1

2006 44 163 5.0

2007 43 179 5.1

2008 47 180 5.1

2009 56 180 4.5

2010 56 178 4.4

2011 60 183 4.3

Rank Country Score

1 New Zealand 9.5

2 Denmark & Finland 9.4

4 Sweden 9.3

5 Singappore 9.2

44 Brunei 5.2

57 Czech Rep, Namibia, S. Arabia 4.4

60 Malaysia 4.3

61 Cuba, Latvia Turkey 4.2

CPI INDEX 2011

State executive councillor Elizabeth Wong (left) pressing a pearl to launch the 1Utama Christmas Winter Waterland theme on Thursday, accompanied by 1Utama Shopping Centre director Datuk Teo Chiang Kok. Special events and performances are lined up at the mall from now until Dec 26, including the Selangor Christmas state-level celebration, which will be held at 6pm on Dec 10.

During the launch, Wong congratulated 1Utama for coming up with new products to attract tourism, such as its Farmer's Market and rooftop garden. Selangor will have welcomed close to six million tourists by the end of 2011 thanks to the initiatives of local businesses.

Page 3: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ December 2 – 4, 2011 ⁄ 3

Page 4: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

4 DECEMbEr 2 — 4, 2011

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By Gho Chee Yuan RAWANG: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) personnel were stopped from resuming work on a controversial high-tension cable project at Kampung Sungai Terengtang yesterday after a stand-off with villagers that lasted several hours.

Villagers in Kg Sg Terengtang were alerted by the presence of over 100 TNB personnel equipped with cranes, excavators and other tools entering their village at 6.30am, said village head Goh Ah Kow

“I alerted the villagers and quickly went to lodge a police report,” said Goh, who was visibly upset.

The villagers subsequently brought benches to stage a sit-in at the construction site, preventing TNB workers from placing culvert pipes into freshly dug earth channels.

The TNB workers stopped working altogether on the Central Area Reinforcement project at around 2.30pm after receiving a stop-work order from the Selayang Municipal Council.

Selayang Member of Parliament William Leong and Rawang assemblyperson Gan Pei Nei also rushed to the scene to negotiate with TNB.

Journalists and photographers were prevented from entering the site by auxiliary police, and had to find another route into the village to reach the location of the stand-off.

TNB general manager (asset development department delivery unit) Faezah Ahmed said the company had

TNB halted by stop-work order

informed the state last week it would resume work.“We did not receive any response from the Menteri

Besar’s office,” said Faezah in a statement.She added that the project has been long delayed and

is almost 100% completed, except for the installation of five high-tension towers over a kilometre stretch in Kg Sg Terentang.

She further claimed that the entire Peninsular Malaysia risked facing major blackouts if the project is not completed soon.

However, Leong said based on an independent study conducted by an Australian consultant this year, two alternative routes proposed by the villagers are feasible and affordable.

The first suggestion was that the high-tension towers be moved away from the houses so that none of the villagers would have to be vacated.

The second proposal involves rerouting the high-tension cable to TNB reserves along Jalan Perdana instead.

Gan said the state was scheduled to meet with TNB representatives during the Selangor Economic Action Council yesterday.

Villagers have vehemently opposed this high-tension cable project due to public health concerns. This issue has been in a deadlock for three years, and residents have taken TNB to court.

However, the Federal Court ruled in November 2009 that TNB could continue the project as planned, by compensating the residents RM10.4 million.

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Leong (centre) and Gan (on his left), who rushed to the scene.

Painting workshopThe Malaysian Institute of Arts (MIA) will conduct a painting workshop at the MIA Art Centre on Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. There are two different workshops on watercolour and oil painting, both six hours long. Participants can attend one or both workshops on Dec 3 and 10. In the watercolour workshop, participants will learn techniques like flat and graded wash, and wet on wet, while in the oil painting workshop, they will learn techniques like blending and direct painting. Call 03-2163 2337 or email [email protected] for details.

Meditation retreatThe Chempaka Buddhist Lodge is holding a eight-day medi-tation retreat titled “Awakening Retreat” from today (Dec 2). The retreat, led by Dr Mehm Tin Mon from Myanmar, is from 7am-10pm. To register, call 03-78803936 or email [email protected].

Yoga for beginnersNon-profit organisation Divine Life Society (DLS) will conduct a three-month yoga course for beginners led by experienced instructors at DLS Petaling Jaya, 16, Jalan 18/16, Taman Kanagapuram. Classes will be held every Saturday starting from tomorrow (Dec 3) from 4.30pm-5.30pm. For details, call Sujatha at 017-8810848 or Loga at 019-2406784.

Premises licence renewalThe Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) is opening its doors to premises owners to renew their 2012 business licences from now until Dec 31. Renewals can be made at the MPSJ headquarters in USJ5 or MPSJ branch offices in Bandar Puteri Puchong and Serdang. For details, call the Licensing Department at 03-8026 3176, 03-8026 3177, 03-8026 4321 or visit www.mpsj.gov.my.

Charity fun fairDesa Amal Jireh, a home for underprivileged children and seniors, will hold a charity sale, food and fun fair tomor-row (Dec 3) from 9am to 3pm. The home accepts donated items from the public to be sold at the fair. Those wishing to contribute items are encouraged to deliver them directly or call 03-87245153, 03-87245158 (Catherine/Mala) or fax 03-87245160. Donations by money order, crossed cheque or postal order can be made payable to Desa Amal Jireh and mailed to PO Box 20, 43007 Kajang, Selangor.

Youth leadership programmeExtol Toastmasters Subang Jaya will be conducting its yearly Youth Leadership Programme for students aged between 12 and 18. This programme will be held on Dec 16,17 and 18 at No 2, Jalan SS19/1G, Subang Jaya. For further details, con-tact 019-2319800 (Kwa Ngan Eng), 012-2323578 (SK Rat-nam), 016-2160632 (Patricia Tan) or email [email protected] or [email protected].

EvEnts

Page 5: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ December 2 – 4, 2011 ⁄ 5

Page 6: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

6 December 2 — 4, 2011

News

MBPJ mulls fee for garden waste collection

By Basil Foo

PETALING JAYA: The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) is con-sidering charging a fee for collection of garden waste as the burden is becoming increasingly difficult to bear.

“Although we currently collect 170 to 200 tonnes of garden waste a month, there are still more that goes uncollected,” said MBPJ mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman.

He spoke to reporters during a press conference after chairing the MBPJ full board meeting on Wednesday.

Roslan said the council currently employs 10 contractors to collect garden waste and is charged RM240 per tonne.

“Each contractor has two to three lorries. Garden waste collec-tion is being conducted every day,” he said.

The council has received increas-ing reports of garden waste like

Fewer complaints for MPKKLANG: Replacing garbage collection subcontrac-tors with Klang Municipal Council (MPK) staff has resulted in a drop in ratepayer complaints in several areas.

During the MPK full board meeting here on Wednesday, councillors were also told that the aver-age response time to complaints was now six hours.

“Previously, subcontractors would only rectify a complaint the following day,” said MPK Environ-mental and Cleanliness department head Wan Mohd Sufian Wan Husain at a press conference.

He said MPK had intervened and sent in-house garbage collection lorries to Jalan Teratai (Meru), Jalan Kem in Port Klang, and Simpang Empat (Sun-gai Udang) as subcontractors there have been slow to address complaints.

Wan Mohd said the areas have registered almost zero complaints since MPK staff took over garbage

collection in the areas.He said they were expanding the

initiative to include urban areas in Klang, including Bandar Baru Klang, Kelang Utara and Selatan and Bukit Tinggi.

However, MPK has to spend some RM1.67 mil-lion to buy 12 garbage collection lorries – due next year in staggered numbers – to cover the areas men-tioned in Klang.

MPK currently has six, making it a total of 20 lorries at the municipality’s disposal by the middle of next year.

Wan Mohd said they would ensure that garbage collection would not be disrupted in Klang, and that public areas remained litter-free.

He said MPK would also look into buying an-other 10 tricycles for its staff to collect litter in Klang town.

Open tenders for garbage collection, cleaning jobsSELAYANG: Beginning yester-day, Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) has begun taking tenders for public-area cleaning and solid waste collection jobs under its jurisdic-tion.

OThere are 24 tenders for grass-cutting and public-cleaning tasks, and another 36 for solid waste management.

The existing contracts will ex-pire on Jan 31 next year.

Meanwhile, councillors at a full board meeting on Wednesday urged MPS to blacklist non-per-forming contractors.

MPS president Datuk Zainal Abidin Aala said the municipality was constantly monitoring compa-nies that carry out public cleaning tasks.

Errant contractors are served with a “Notice-To-Correct” notifi-cation, along with details of the complaints.

Companies accumulating three

Roslan (left) with MBPJ councillor Syed Abd Malik Syed A Hamid.

notifications will be blacklisted and their services terminated.

He said MPS has terminated seven companies in the last five years, adding that on the whole, the performance of contractors serving in Selayang has been satisfactory.

chopped trees and branches that is dumped on the side of roads.

He said this is probably due to the change in people’s mindset as they think MBPJ will clear it up after the council took over waste collection from Alam Flora Sdn Bhd.

“Last time they had to contact Alam Flora to clear the waste. But now they just leave it by the roadside and assume the council will take care of it,” Roslan said.

Most of the areas that require heavy collection of garden waste are older parts of the city like Section 5, Petaling Jaya Old Town, and Bukit Gasing.

These areas have a higher produc-tion of garden waste as the trees there are more matured and need

constant trimming.“We also cannot use ordinary

rubbish-truck compactors as put-ting pieces of wood in them will damage the machinery. We need different lorries,” Roslan said.

He explained that in areas with higher waste production, lorries can only collect from three or four houses before going to the dump-sites to unload.

He urged homeowners who em-ploy contractors to trim their trees to also pay them to get rid of the waste and not rely solely on the council.

“We will have to see the situation before charging a fee. We will bring the issue back for discussion with the council’s health department,” he added.

To place your Advert in

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

Applications for CNY SS2 market now openPETALING JAYA: Application forms for next year’s Chinese New Year market stalls are on sale at the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) tower today (Dec 2).

“The forms, priced at RM5 each, are available at the Licensing Depart-ment on level six of the tower from 9.30am to 11.30am.

About 150 forms will be on sale, with 83 stall lots available at the market.Applicants must return their forms with relevant documents to MBPJ

by Dec 6.Interviews will then be conducted, and shortlisted candidates will be

chosen through a ballot system.Applicants must be Malaysian and will go through a screening process

by various MBPJ departments such as licensing, health, and enforcement.

SELAYANG: Farming can be a lucrative industry with the right in-centives, according to Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

The Menteri Besar said yesterday agriculture should not be seen as menial work or “unglamorous”.

With sufficient incentives and biotechnological methods, farming can yield handsome rewards, he said after launching the Selangor Agro Fest 2011 at Melawati Stadium yes-terday

“There will be a new generation of farmers who are going to be one-third scientist and another-third business executive,” he said.

Khalid said farmers has to master scientific skills such as biotechnology to ensure that their land constantly produced the highest amount of fruits, vegetables or livestock. 

He said this was important as over 80% of the land in Selangor is used for urban development.

Khalid also said farmers had to develop their entrepreneurial skills to ensure yields to market their prod-ucts.

He said farmers have to use the internet or other social networking sites to market their products success-fully.

The Ijok assemblyperson said he wanted to see farm products from Selangor in the global market.

“It’s not enough to have our prod-ucts marketed in Malaysia. We must break into the global market,” he said.

Elsewhere, state executive council-lor Yaakob Sapari said Selangor is on track to become the largest producer of bananas in the country.

The fest attracted a big crowd

comprising families with young chil-dren, who took took advantage of the school holidays.

Families thronged the zoo set up by the Sri Melor Rabbit Farm, as well as the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) mini-farm.

“We set up the display booth to show the public how livestock is kept on a farm,” said DVS public relations officer Mohd Helmi Atan.

He said the booth had registered some 600 visitors by Monday after-noon.

Food manufacturers also set up booths, mostly selling hotdogs, burg-ers and keropok lekor.

Children thronged entreprenuer Mohd Noor Wan Ismail’s booth to receive samples of his famous prod-uct, the jumbo-size chicken frank-furter.

Selangor eyes incentives to spur farming

Page 7: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ DECEMBER 2 – 4,2011 ⁄ 7

NEWS

Three-fold increase in PJS 7 apartment projectBy Basil Foo

SUBANG JAYA: Residents living in the PJS 7 neighbourhood may experience a further increase in traffic density with a new service apartment in the works.

An application to the Subang Jaya Mu-nicipal Council (MPSJ) for the construction of two blocks of service apartments amount-ing to 332 units was approved in 2007.

However, the council recently approved an amended submission to increase the number of units to 961 at their full board meeting on Tuesday.

This came despite councillors objecting to the move.

Councillor R Rajiv urged the MPSJ One-Stop Centre (OSC), which approved the application, to reconsider their deci-sion as the plans include increasing the number of floors in the apartments.

The main worry was that PJS 7 already experiences heavy traffic due to being iso-

lated by the neighbouring Shah Alam Expressway (Kesas), Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP), and New Pantai Express-way (NPE).

The nearby Taylors University College, which has enrolled about 20,000 students, has also been a factor in the traffic conges-tion.

The number of units was increased from 166 to 332 in one tower and 166 to 629 in the second tower.

Chairing the meeting was MPSJ presi-dent Datuk Asmawi Kasbi, who said the increase in units would still fall within the plot-ratio guidelines of 1:5.

“The plans outlined changes of some apartment units to smaller Soho (small office, home office) units which does not affect the plot ratio,” he said.

He agreed that the residents’ worries of increased traffic congestion should still be heard, and said the council will hold a talk with the residents in January.

Hotels urged to step up dengue prevention

Asmawi (middle in gray) with families who received monetary aid from the council on Nov 29 after their homes were damaged in natural disasters.

SUBANG JAYA: Hotel operators in the municipality were urged to step up efforts in the war against dengue after multiple breeding grounds were found on their premises.

Major hotels in Subang, Seri Kemban-gan, and Sunway recorded three to five breeding grounds on their premises throughout the year.

“We urge these operators to take the appropriate actions to monitor their sur-roundings to avoid becoming breeding areas for Aedes mosquitoes,” said Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) president Datuk Asmawi Kasbi.

He spoke to reporters after chairing the council’s full board meeting on Tuesday.

He said it was important that these

places were kept Aedes-free as they were frequented by the public, especially tour-ists.

“If they (the hotel operators) don’t take heed, we will issue compounds. If that is still not enough, we will take the issue to the courts,” Asmawi said.

He added that the water features in the interior design of the hotels potentially serve as Aedes mosquito breeding grounds.

MPSJ health director Dr Roslan Mo-hamed Hussin, who was at the meeting, said for every breeding ground found on site, a compound of RM500 will be issued.

“From January until Nov 19, the total compounds issued for Aedes mosquito breeding grounds found in public and residential areas is 506,” said Roslan.

Page 8: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

8 December 2 — 4, 2011

News

Shah Alam Stadium closed for renovation

By Gan Pei Ling

SHAH ALAM: Selangor’s largest stadium, Shah Alam Stadium, will be closed until next April for upgrading works.

The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) will spend RM3.4 million to renovate the stadium.

Mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan said renovation work started three weeks ago.

“We’re upgrading the lighting system to meet international standards. We hope to attract top international football teams like Manchester United and Liverpool to play in the stadium,” said Mohd Jaafar, after inspecting upgrading and repair works with councillors on Wednesday.

Apart from upgrading the cables and floodlights, the RM3.4 million will be used for roof repairs, new grass for the pitch, as well as to replace vandalised seats, upgrade players’ dressing rooms, washrooms and other facilities.

Work is scheduled to be com-pleted by March.

Mohd Jaafar said the last major renovation of the stadium was in 2005.

He said MBSA would get the contractor, FZ Maju Resources, to repaint the stadium and improve its sound system, as suggested by councillors.

Councillors Kamarudzaman Sanusi, Izham Hashim, Halim Redzuan, James Ng, Tan Ah Kow, Sarimah Lisut and V Vembarasan were also present during the inspec-tion.

With a capacity of 80,000, Shah Alam Stadium is slightly smaller than the 87,411-capacity Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

Mohd Jaafar inspecting the

site.

Take care of your health, residents urgedBy Basil Foo

PETALING JAYA: Participants who attended free health camp here on Nov 20 were reminded about the importance of regular checkups.

“You can have a disease like diabetic maculopathy, which can lead to vision loss, because you are not aware of what’s going on in your eye,” said Dr R Sethu-nath.

The health camp was held at the Da-mansara Jaya Residents and Owners As-sociation (DJROA) community centre.

Dr Sethunath gave a talk on “Diabetes and the Eye” to about 50 residents, mostly senior citizens, at the event.

Important tests to carry out are monitoring blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure levels, and an annual eye

check, he said.“This is the first time I’ve attended

such an event. I’ve gotten a check for diabetes, body mass index, and a vision check here,” said resident Shirley Wong, 73.

She said the event was a good re-minder to senior citizens like her to keep a check on their own health as they age.

Resident Ng Chee Keong said the health camp, which provided free health screenings, was a good alternative to private clinics that may charge a fee.

“Rather than go outside, this event has been well-organised with checkups for the residents’ convenience,” said the 55-year-old.

DJROA president Datuk Yew Cheng Hoe said apart from the health camp, the association conducts bi-monthly health

Built in 1994, the stadium is primarily used to host football matches. Companies also rent the place for family-day functions.

Doing it the roundabout waySHAH ALAM: The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) will hold a public competition to redesign the landscape of 28 roundabouts in the city.

“We want a more cheerful image and identity for our roundabouts,” said Shah Alam mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan at the launch at the council on Wednesday.

The council is looking for unique landscape designs that will instill a sense of revival and wel-coming in visitors via the roundabouts.

The competition started on Nov 19 and is open to individuals, consultants, as well as students from higher learning institutions.

Registration fee is RM150 for individuals and consultants, and RM50 for tertiary students.

The winner will take home RM6,000, runner-up RM5,000, third place RM4,000, fourth place RM3,000, fifth place RM2,000, and sixth place RM1,000, with a certificate.

Ten consolation prize winners will also receive RM500 and a certificate each.

The competition closes on Jan 19, 2012, and contestants should receive a CD containing the basic plan of the roundabouts.

Among the 28 roundabouts are:

• Bestariroundabout,Section2• Permairoundabout,Section4• SetiaJasaroundabout,Section5• Mestikaroundabout,Section6• Megawatiroundabout,Section20• Amanroundabout,Section25• PanglimaHitamroundabout,Section35• Subangairportroundabout,SectionU3

Judges comprise professionals and academics from Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Mara and MBSA engineering, planning and build-ing departments.

Registration forms can be downloaded from www.mbsa.gov.my.

For more information, visit the Parks and Recreation Department, MBSA, 7th floor, Wisma MBSA, or call 03-55105133.

talks at their community centre.He urged residents to arm them-

selves with knowledge to take care of their health, rather than being forced to spend money when they fall ill.

The event was jointly organised by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), Forrest Medical Centre, and DJROA.

Also at the event were Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, MBPJ councillor Terrence Tan, and Dam-ansara Jaya Senior Citizens Associa-tion president Wee Beng Khim.

Dr Sethunath delivering his talk on diabetes during the health camp.

Repair and upgrading works in Shah Alam stadium.

Page 9: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

9December 2 — 4, 2011

news

Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo Burne (third right), Liu (fourth right), Asmawi (fifth right) and MPSJ deputy president Abdullah Marjunid, together with MPSJ councillors, youths and JKP members.

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What’s Your Property Worth Today?

Condo residents want sinking fund preserved

(From left) Cheam, Nik Nazmi, Harun, and residents of Kelana Mahkota.

By Basil Foo

PETALING JAYA: Residents of Kelana Mahkota condominium here launched a petition to re-elect their Joint Management Body ( JMB) and to safeguard their sinking fund worth over RM1 million.

“The JMB is planning to transfer the sinking fund from fixed deposit and move it into the operational current account. This could be misused later,” former Kelana Mahkota JMB member Felix Cheam claimed.

The unit owner of the SS7 condominium spoke to reporters during a press conference on Nov 24.

He said of the 712 units in the condo, they had signatures of over 25% of the owners.

According to the Building and Common Property (Maintenance and Management) Act 2007, getting the consent of 25% of owners is the legal requirement to remove a JMB member.

“We have saved the sinking fund for years, which has now grown to over RM1 million, for major works in the future like repainting the whole condo,” Cheam said.

He said should the sinking fund be used

for day-to-day expenses, they would be caught off guard should emergency repair work need to be done.

On another issue, the residents com-plained that they had not received their strata titles since moving in six years ago.

“The problem is caused in part by Kelana Mahkota sitting on one plot of land, and another part sitting on a plot shared by mixed development done by Zenith,” Cheam said.

He said they were told by the developer that it will now cost RM24 million for the re-demarcation of the plots.

“They should have realigned the plots before the building was built,” said resident and former JMB member Harun Mizam.

He revealed that the cost for demarcation of the plots was included in the initial pur-chase price, and wondered why they paid for something that has ended up not being done.

At the press conference was Seri Setia assemblyperson Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who said he will be writing to the Commis-sioner of Buildings and the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).

“I will also be notifying the Selangor Housing and Property Board of the issues highlighted by the residents,” he added.

Street festival to showcase PJBy Alvin Yap

SHAH ALAM: Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) will hold a street festival and cultural show here on Sunday.

“The day-long event will show-case Petaling Jaya as a tourist city,” said Mayor Datuk Roslan Sakiman at a press conference at Kelana Jaya Lake on Tuesday.

MBPJ will cooperate with Sub-ang Jaya Mun ic ip a l Counci l (MPSJ ) and Shah Alam Cit y Council (MBSA) to ensure the success of the event, he said.

The main highlight of the festi-val is a competition for anglers, with RM10,000 awaiting the con-testant who nets the biggest ikan patin. The runner-up will get RM4,000.

Last April, an angler caught a whopping 18.7kg ikan patin in

another competition.Wak Jali Event, the organisers,

released some 1,000kg of ikan pa-tin into the lakes for the contest.

There will also be a sandwich-eating competition sponsored by food maker Adabi Sdn Bhd.

The Selangor Cultural Council will hold a workshop on tradi-tional Malay games like congkak followed by a competition.

The festival will start at 8am, beginning with an aerobics class and a kompang performance by a musical group from Ulu Langat.

Roslan said contestants stand to win electrical goods such as micro-wave ovens and other items, while visitors can try their chance with the lucky draw.

State executive councillor Rod-ziah Ismail will launch the event at Kelana Jaya Lakes, near the MBPJ stadium.

Local leaders feted by MPSJBy Brenda Ch’ng

SUBANG JAYA: Members of resident committees and youths leaders from throughout the municipality were feted by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) recently.

The annual appreciation din-ner, held on Nov 23, was to rec-ognise community leaders for their efforts in improving their communities.

A total of 24 youths and 24 committees from each zone in MPSJ were represented at the dinner.

“A big ‘thank you’ to everyone who has been helping the council act as a medium of communica-tion between us and the resi-dents,” said MPSJ president Da-tuk Asmawi Kasbi.

Asmawi said MPSJ would not have been able to serve the public as effectively had it not been for close cooperation with the com-mittees and youth leaders.

During the course of the year, these committees, which com-prise at least 15 residents and a

local councillor, work with MPSJ to ensure the well-being of their communities.

MPSJ annually allocates RM110,000 to each committee to run events and infrastructural repairs.

The money can be utilised for festivals, to help welfare organisa-tions, and repair potholes.

MPSJ also allocates RM5,000 annually to youth groups in every area to organise sports, dance or tuition classes for all.

The council wants youths in-volved in these programmes to develop leadership and other skills.

“I think it’s time we consider increasing the amount … as RM5,000 is too little and the events organised have been quite impressive,” said state executive councillor for local councils Ron-nie Liu.

Liu, who launched the dinner, said the youths have proven their worth and can be trusted with additional funds to run more activities throughout the year.

The state will discuss and de-

cide how much additional money to allocate for them.

“I hope all councils will follow in MPSJ’s footsteps and organise annual appreciation dinners such as this,” Liu added.

Page 10: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

10 DECEMBER 2 — 4, 2011

news

By Brenda Ch’ng

SUBANG JAYA: Prasarana Negara Bhd has agreed to build an additional 50m of sound barrier near apartments which will be affected by the new light rail transit (LRT) tracks.

Representatives from the company, who met residents from Saujana Residency, initially refused to undertake the measure, but relented after hearing out their concerns.

“Prasarana will build the extra 50m sound barrier in addi-tion to the proposed 100m [which are in the plans],” said Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) president Datuk Asmawi Kasbi, at the meeting with esidents and Prasarana on Nov 19.

The LRT, to be built between Empire Shopping Gallery and Saujana Residency apartments, is part of the Kelana Jaya line extension project by Prasarana.

Residents had earlier voiced concerns that the original 100m sound barrier would not adequately reduce noise pol-lution.

“A longer sound barrier should be built, especially at the

section where the train turns five metres away from the apart-ment block.

“The screeching sound the train makes when it turns at the corner will be too loud,” said resident Cheah Hai Su.

The 80-year-old was among residents who voiced their concerns during the dialogue session.

Prasarana had also earlier argued that proposals from resi-dents were impractical.

“We can’t built such a long, fully enclosed sound barrier because it will affect the train’s operating system, and for safety reasons as well,” said Prasarana project director Faudzilah Razali.

He said access to broken-down trains in the tunnel would be hard, and it would also be dangerous if there is a fire.

But his explanation did not sit well with the residents, who demanded for an extended sound barrier.

“If the fully enclosed sound barrier is not a suitable choice, why not consider putting up a half-open barrier, like a wall along the rail?” said Cheah.

Reiterating his point was a representative from the Subang

Resident Committee, AB Naicker, who said the current pro-posed sound-barrier tunnel would only reduce the noise level by three decibels.

“This area (SS16) has a heavy traffic flow and the noise is already bad. With the train, the sound will be amplified, and I don’t think reducing the noise level by three decibels will help much,” he said.

Prasarana said it will also monitor the noise level after the LRT is up and running, and will take additional measures to reduce the noise if necessary.

Also at the meeting was Subang Jaya assemblyperson Han-nah Yeoh.

“I hope Prasarana will carry out their noise-monitoring operations monthly and minimise as much noise as possible for the sake of the residents,” she said.

Yeoh pointed out that the elevated LRT line will be built just five metres away from the second- and third-floor units of the apartments.

She urged Prasarana to monitor construction to ensure no damage is done to the apartments.

Residents want longer sound barrier near LRT tracks

PUCHONG: Residents of Jalan Puchong want the authorities to explain why the land they have been occupying has been leased to an-other party.

Eight former residents of Lot 14235 6 ½ Mile Jalan Puchong said they had been staying or operating their businesses on the land since the 1970s, and had applied to the government to lease or sell the land to them in January 1997.

But according to one resident, Mehedhar Singh, they did not re-ceive any reply from the govern-ment until a letter arrived from the Federal Land Office in 1996 asking them to vacate the land.

The premises were subsequently

destroyed on May 3, 1997. The same plot is now leased to used-car dealers, he said.

“We were offered compensation between RM6,000 and RM7,000 each, but there were no reasons given to us on why they chose to lease the land to a used-car dealer instead of us,” said former me-chanic Leong Kam Tim.

While some have already ac-cepted the compensation, there are two more residents who have not received their money.

Lembah Pantai Member of Par-liament Nurul Izzah Anwar told reporters that she has written to the Federal Land Office to obtain an explanation about matter.

PUCHONG: Living right next door to a construction site is no joke – more so when the construction of two blocks of 26-storey condominium is less than 20m from your backyard.

For owners of five single-storey terraces along Jalan Taman Tan Yew Lai 4, the nightmare was made worse this year when wall cracks and minor landslides began happening.

“The cracks in the wall started appearing around July when they began construction work,” said Mahendran Kutty during a press conference at his house on Wednes-day.

Pointing to the back of his house to a damaged wall separating house No 51 and a construction site, Mahen-dran said they raised the issue with the developers, Bauer (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, in July.

“They have since appointed a con-sultant, T-Corp Engineers Sdn Bhd, to look at the extent of the damage and the report is already out,” said Mahen-dran, who lives in house No 50.

According to the report, the five houses directly facing the construction area had suffered damage to the back brick fencing, roofing structures and ground beams.

Part of house No 52 was also se-verely tilted and declared unsafe for occupation, according to the report dated Nov 9.

“The extended kitchen for houses 51 to 54 had also settled and moved backwards towards Lot 3799 (con-struction area),” said the report.

“We hope that the developer will agree to repair all the five houses,” said

Mahendran. According to him, the developer had already agreed

to repair three houses, but the residents want restoration extended to the remaining two.

“We met the developer last week and they said they will only repair 50 to 52,” he added.

According to Lembah Pantai Member of Parliament Nurul Izzah Anwar, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had also visited the houses and agreed that the damage was caused by the adjoining construction.

“The owners’ request is supported by DBKL and we hope that the developer will take this into consideration when deciding to extend the repair works,” Nurul said.

Nurul Izzah (left), showing the engineer’s report as Mahendran and another resident, KK Tan, look on during the press conference on Wednesday.

Developer urged to extend repairs to other houses

The construction site.

Nurul Izzah and the residents of 6 1/2 Mile Jalan Puchong.

Residents unhappy over land lease

MPK counters open for licence renewalKLANG: Renewal of business li-cences for 2012 can be done through-out December at various Klang Mu-nicipal Council (MPK) counters around town.

Counters will be opened at selected Giant and Jusco stores in Bukit Raja and Bukit Tinggi, and at Pasar Besar Meru.

“All licenses can be renewed at those counters except for permits relating to massage parlours, cybercafes, illegal

factories, kindergartens and eateries,” said MPK Public Complaints and Communications director Norfiza Mahfiz in a statement last week.

She said those licences can only be renewed at the MPK building during office hours at the respective counters.

All other licences can be renewed at the various counters every day, includ-ing on weekends at some locations.

The counter at Giant Klang will be open on Saturdays Dec 3 and 10; Giant

Bukit Tinggi on Saturdays Dec 17, 24 and 31; Jaya Jusco Bukit Raja on Sun-days Dec 4 and 11, and Jusco Bukit Tinggi on Sundays Dec 18 and 25.

These counters will be operating from 10am-10pm every weekend.

The counter at Pasar Besar Meru will be operating from 8am-4.30pm every Monday to Friday, and 8am-1pm on Saturdays.

The schedule is also available at the council’s website at www.mpk.gov.my.

Page 11: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

11december 2 — 4, 2011

views

A few Fridays ago, I received an email from my neighbourhood security-watch committee about a new project

that had suddenly mushroomed in our little corner of Taman Tun Dr Ismail: a futsal court.

It was a nervous email, wherein the com-mittee queried the residents what they thought about the project, the location, the timing of this project, and our general senti-ments regarding the matter. 

They also posted a photo, which made the project even more nervewrecking. It was of a billboard near the proposed site, and there was a date that stated the project began on Oct 27, 2011. Residents only realised the project was happening about two weeks later.

Suffice to say that the residents were jolted and up in arms about the matter. Within a day of that email, most of the feedback they re-ceived was evidently negative.

The committee subsequently planned a petition, and everyone who lived within that area was invited to sign the petition as a mark of protest. 

I decided I would meet these organisers, learn a little bit more about the project, and

decide if I want to sign the petition or not. And as a bonus, try and figure out why other residents may be against such a project. 

Saturday evening. I drove by the terraced public field, but did not immediately spot the project site.

I parked by the side of the road and walked onto the field, where I met the residents who had gathered to collect the signatures. They pointed me to the other end of the field to where the futsal court was to be built.

I walked over, and instantly came to realise how badly and poorly maintained this public field was – the grass was overgrown, litter

everywhere, and playground equipment such as swings was clearly broken or rusting. 

“Oh dear,” I thought to myself. “Once this futsal court is up and running – if the resi-dents don’t put up a fuss, that is – would the court also face the same maintenance culture as this field?” 

As I neared the planned construction site, I noted that the area had been fenced up. I spotted the DBKL sign.

One side of the fence appeared to have been torn down, but why it wasn’t clear – it may have been kids who wanted to climb in to get their football, maybe. But otherwise, there was nothing else to suggest that the project had been initiated. 

I walked back to the group of residents and asked them what they thought about the project. 

“I don’t think we need this project, because Taman Tun Dr Ismail already has a futsal court just 2km away, at the community centre.

“Anyway, have you seen the proposed site? It’s so close to the road – what if those balls fly out and hit cars?” said one. 

“Look at this field. I brought my daughter here and had to spend about 15 to 20 minutes just picking up glass from the ground before she can play. Glass! Can you imagine!

“I think, instead of building a new futsal court, they should spend that money to up-grade these already available facilities” was another comment. 

“I think they’re just trying to make some quick money. It’s a project because the elec-tions are close, no?” another naysayer opined. 

All in all, there were nearly 50 residents who had signed their names within that hour.

While I am not sure as to the total number of petition signatories to date, for me this incident indicates a greater need for all levels of governance – particularly local – to be sensitive to these voices of dissent, as their grouses, at the outset, appear legitimate.

To ignore such discontent would be disin-genuous, and bearing in mind the looming 13GE, it may be wise for any and all parties to listen to the people a little bit more.

TTDI residents ready for futsal ‘match’

Kthxbai!Fahmi Fadzil

The offensive billboard in question.

10th December 2011, Saturday6:00pm onwardsEntrance Of New Wing, 1Utama Shopping Centre

Selangor StateChristmas Celebration

Guest Of Honour:TAN SRI DATO’ SERI ABDUL KHALID BIN IBRAHIMChief Minister of Selangor

Entertainment:Reshmonu, Francesca Peters,Selangor Philharmonic Choir. Deafbeat, Boys Brigade, Church Group Performances

Free Food !!Burgers, Roti Canai, Rojak and loads of Malaysian delicacies

Come join us to spread the Christmas cheer. This event is organised bySelangor Pakatan Rakyat State Government in conjunction with thePetaling Jaya Council (MBPJ), 1Utama Shopping Centre, and Tourism Selangor.

All are welcome!

Page 12: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

12 December 2 — 4, 2011InsIght

(From left) Edmund Bon, CPPS chairperson Tan Sri Datuk Dr RV Navaratnam, CPPS director Ng Yeen Seen, and UndiMsia! campaigner Adam Adlin at the launch of Laporan Rakyat on Nov 18.

By Brenda Ch’ng

“Can you name your state as-semblyperson or Member of Parliament?” asked one of our

reporters during a quick survey.The reply was brief but telling. “I

don’t know. Why should I care who they are or what they do?” answered the man as he hurried towards the LRT station.

That is just one of the many replies I got when I asked around during a quick survey in Klang. For city dwellers like that man, lawmak-ers only surface during election campaigns or talks.

And the fact is, as more and more urban folk become independent, their lawmakers have less and less direct impact upon their busy lives. They listen to election speeches, de-cide on who to vote for, and choose the one whose promises resonate with them.

But how do they know for sure that the elected politician they’ve

Laporan Rakyat: Evaluating the voted

Age Sex Constituency Ethnic background

Are you a registered voter? Yes No

1• Who is your ADUN? • How many years/terms has he/she been your ADUN?• Where is his/her service centre?• Describe your ADUN in 50 words:

• What is the most important thing your ADUN has done which positively affected you and your community?

• Who is your MP? • How many years/terms has he/she been your MP?• Where is his/her service centre?• Describe your MP in 50 words:

• What is the most important thing your MP has done which positively affected you and your community?

2

Take Action: Think, Fill Up, Return This To Your Community Mover

MACAM MANA NI?What is Laporan Rakyat?It’s a report card which allows the people to evaluate the performance of their elected repre-sentatives, Members of Parliament (MPs) and state assemblypersons.

With Laporan Rakyat, the public can assess and judge for themselves if the politicians they elected have lived up to all their promises.

This can be done by answering all the questions in Laporan Rakyat, with topics ranging from “Who is your MP?” to issues on corruption, crime and democracy.

Who’s behind it?A joint initiative by the independent youth movement Un-diMsia! and the Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS).

Together, they came up with the five-part report card to help the people question and decide if this is the politi-cian they want to vote in the upcoming General Election.

Why?“We want to encourage critical thinking among voters. The report card will help the rakyat ask the right questions and assess their wakil rakyat’s performance,” said UndiMsia! campaigner Edmund Bon.

With this report card, they hope that the public will be more aware on the importance of electing a representative they are familiar with.

“This survey is open to all Malaysians. We welcome the public to fill up the Laporan Rakyat and send it back to us,” said CPPS director Ng Yeen Seen.

She said they will also using the Laporan Rakat to conduct a national survey on the people’s rating and expectations of their representatives.

How does it work?Step 1: Get your hands on a copy of Laporan Rakyat.Step 2: Gather information on your elected reps and answer all the questions in the report.Step 3: When you’re done, snail mail it back to 1718 Jalan Le-dang, Off Jalan Duta, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, fax it to 03-20933078, or email the online copy to [email protected].

LAPORANRAKYAT

WHAT IS THIS? IN A DEMOCRACY, THE

PEOPLE PLAY A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN

ENSURING THAT THOSE ELECTED OR ARE TO

BE ELECTED TO POWER CONDUCT

THEMSELVES WELL AND WORK EFFECTIVELY.

THIS LAPORANRAKYAT IS TO GATHER

INFORMATION FROM YOU ABOUT YOUR

WAKIL RAKYAT, AND TO ASSIST YOU TO ASK

THE RIGHT QUESTIONS IN ASSESSING

THEIR PERFORMANCE.

www.cpps.org.my

www.UndiMsia.com

Where to get a copyLaporan Rakyat is downloadable from the CPPS website www.cpps.org.my or UndiMsia! at www.undimsia.com. Forms can also be obtained through certain newsportals and newspapers (right). For more information, contact [email protected] or call 03-22011454.

Page 13: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

Khalid Samad: Laporan Rakyat can also be seen as a process to educate voters.

voted for is one who will keep their word?

Now, with Laporan Rakyat, people will get a chance to evaluate their elected representatives and assess them based on their perfor-mance and services, even before elections. 

Through this report, people can keep tabs on their representatives and have a clearer picture about the person they are voting for.

“Laporan Rakyat is a good move forward. It gives people a chance to better understand the roles as-semblypersons and MPs play,” says Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad in an email interview.

He says this can also be seen as a process to educate voters to elect the best candidate to represent them.

However, he also points out that the results of this report may be lopsided, as most Malaysians are confused between what their elected representatives are supposed to do

and what is expected of them.For example, a resident may

choose to rate his or her representa-tives poorly on the Laporan Rakyat because of their rubbish woes or drainage issues. They might wind up judging the lawmakers based on the job scope of a councillor and not what they do in Parliament or at state level, Khalid says.

“Only a handful will assess MPs on what they do at Parliament level, while others might evaluate them based on local council issues,” says the first-time parliamentarian.

He says the public firstly has to be educated on the different roles local councillors, assemblypersons and MPs play, before answering the questions on the card.

They must also be made aware of the challenges each politician faces in Malaysia, which has two different governments in power in the federal and state level.

This clearer understanding will

allow for a more accurate result for the Laporan Rakyat.

“Once they are clear on who does what and understands the limitations we face, then only can they judge us fairly and decide if we are suitable to represent them,” Khalid says.

Agreeing with him is Subang MP R Sivarasa, who points out that the methodology of Laporan Rakyat needs to be finetuned in order to produce fair and accurate results.

“This report has to be circulated to the right demographic to fit each social profile, racial background and so on,” Sivarasa tells Selangor Times during a telephone interview.

He explains that if the Laporan Rakyat only reaches a handful of people from the same area in one constituency, the results generated might distort the perception of as-semblypersons and MPs.

For example, it would be unfair to deduce his performance as a Subang

Laporan Rakyat: Evaluating the voted

MP just by the results generated from Kayu Ara. Though Kayu Ara is one of the 38 voting districts in Subang, it only makes up a minority of the 100,000 voters living in the constituency.

“This will end up misleading the people’s impressions on their elected reps if a balanced demographic is not reached.

“I fully support ideas such as Laporan Rakyat, which lets the public speak out, but I think it has to be randomly done and be applied to the whole constituency,” he says.

Laporan Rakyat, which was launched on Nov 18, is currently used as a pilot project by the in-dependent youth movement Un-diMsia!.

UndiMsia!’s community movers will be going to the Hulu Langat parliamentary constituency to con-duct 500 face-to-face interviews with locals.

Data collected from the inter-views, based on questions in Laporan Rakyat, will be analysed by the Cen-tre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS), and are due to be out in March 2012.

Hulu Langat constituency was chosen due to its racial demographic of 52% Malays, 36% Chinese, 10% Indians and 2% other ethnicities, which is similar to the country’s population.

Results from this pilot project will show the voters’ assessment and expectations of their elected representatives.

“I doubt the results of the find-ings will be accurate, but at least it can be used as a gauge to see how much the people like or dislike their

representatives,” says Sungai Pelek assemblyperson Yap Ee Wah.

He says the results can be used to gauge their performance level and used as a reference to see what the people really want or need from them.

Yap further points out that the results may also influence the voting process in the upcoming General Election.

“Of course, people might vote for a candidate based on the results from the report. This may turn out to be unfair, because some people may dis-like a politician and rate them lowly even though they are performing well and efficiently,” Yap says.

However, he says this may also help politicians improve their per-formance and find ways to connect with the people who dislike them.

“Politics is about winning the hearts and minds of the people, but at the same time politicians are judged by their actions as well,” says Meru assemblyperson Dr Abdul Rani Osman.

With the results of the Laporan Rakyat, assemblypersons and MPs will now get a chance to focus more on issues they have overlooked and reel in the community groups they have left out.

“All elected representatives should be given copies of the results and used as a future referrals to see what they did or didn’t do,” says Dr Abdul Rani.

He adds that it is time the people make sure their elected representa-tives fulfill all their promises, and use the Laporan Rakyat as a check-and-balance tool.

Age Sex Constituency Ethnic background

Are you a registered voter? Yes No

1• Who is your ADUN? • How many years/terms has he/she been your ADUN?• Where is his/her service centre?• Describe your ADUN in 50 words:

• What is the most important thing your ADUN has done which positively affected you and your community?

• Who is your MP? • How many years/terms has he/she been your MP?• Where is his/her service centre?• Describe your MP in 50 words:

• What is the most important thing your MP has done which positively affected you and your community?

2

Take Action: Think, Fill Up, Return This To Your Community Mover

MACAM MANA NI?HAVE YOU HEARD OR READ OF YOUR ADUN/MP TALKING ABOUT THEFOLLOWING ISSUES IN YOUR COMMUNITY?

Issues

a. Crime b. Corruption c. Democracy e.g. participation of people in decision-making

d. Education e.g. access to schools & higher education

e. Employment e.g. job opportunities

f. Environment

g. Freedom of Expression & Information

h. Gender Equality

i. Healthcare

j. Infrastructure e.g. roads

k. Prices of Food & Goods

l. Prices of Houses

m.Public Transportation

n. Racial Unity

o. Others, specify:

3

4

I don’t know /I don’t care

ADUN MP

No

ADUN MP

Yes

ADUN MP

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Sivarasa: Methodology needs finetuning to produce fair and accurate results.

Yap: Results can be used as a gauge on how well a representative is liked.

Page 14: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

14 DECEMbEr 2 — 4, 2011

views

Dear Lord Bobo – So the lawyers walked, but the Peaceful Assembly Bill was passed a few hours later anyway. Is it guaranteed to become law now?

If so, wasn’t the walk just a waste of time? Jalan-Jalan, via email

THE Peaceful Assembly Bill was indeed passed on Tuesday. However, it is not yet guaranteed to become law, as it has to first be approved by the Dewan Negara (which sits next week). If it’s passed by the Dewan Negara, it then goes for Royal Assent, and thereafter needs to be gazetted before becoming law.

Oh, who are we kidding? Yes, the Peaceful Assembly Bill is as guaranteed to become law as a monkey is guaranteed to chomp into a fat, juicy, ripe banana. But that does not mean that the Walk For Freedom was a waste of time.

First, His Supreme Eminenceness must declare that we were there for the Walk for Freedom. Of course we were. Although Lord Bobo was not there physically, we were ably represented by scores of LoyarBurokkers. Wherever and whenever there is a good cause to be fought for, and justice to be upheld, the minions of the monkey can be counted on to be there. And by all accounts, it was a beautiful walk.

Approximately 1,000 people gathered in the cloudy sunshine of the Lake Gardens, chatted, laughed, smiled, hugged and bonded, before taking a short walk together towards the Parliament building.

Although the walk was led by the Bar Council, there were hundreds of non-lawyers present, walking together for their freedom, and the freedom of future Malaysians.

Shoulder-to-shoulder, hand-in-hand, we walked, sang, chanted and smiled. The memorandum was handed over to Parliament, and after a short closing speech by the Bar Council president, the people dispersed peacefully.

Could there ever be a more beautiful picture of partici-patory democracy in action? The rakyat came together to voice their dissatisfaction, in a civilised and peaceful man-ner. No one needed to be gassed or drenched with chemi-cally laced water. No one needed to be chased and cornered

like animals. No one needed to be beaten up with sticks.

This picture-per-fect democracy was stained by the fact that the government chose not to listen to the people.

Un f o r t una t e l y, with the Peaceful As-sembly Bill immi-nently to be passed into law, these gath-erings may be a thing of the past . L ord B o b o h o p e s n o t . Lord Bobo does not

Walk for Freedom – A waste of time?

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

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

queries are answered!

Members of the public participating in Tuesday’s protest against the Peaceful Assembly Bill.

community

May 20 — 22, 2011/ issue 25

TI-M head disputes Christian state claim

Wesak Day: a time for giving p 4 p 15

may 13: recollections & reconciliation p 12 & 13

• Turn To page 2

Facelift for old flats

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If the pilot is successful, the com-

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

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

• STory on page 10

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

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

Sri Petaling – Sentul TimurTaman MelatiSri Petaling Bukit Jalil

Bandar Tasik SelatanSalak Selatan

Shopping Malls (From Saturday noon)1 UTAMA Tropicana Mall Sunway Pyramid The CurveIOI MallPlaza Damas Ikano Power CentreEmpire Subang MetroPointCentro Mall, KlangBangsar Shopping Complex

Hypermarkets (From Saturday noon)

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

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

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

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

Commuter Stations (Distribution by hand) – Morning

Sentul – Port KlangPort Klang Bukit Badak Shah Alam Subang JayaJalan TemplerPetaling

Rawang – SerembanKuala Kubu BaruSungai BulohKepong Sentral Kepong

Morning Wet Markets (Saturday morning)Jalan SS2/62 Taman Medan Jalan 17/27SS15 Subang Jaya Taman Kuchai Lama Taman OUG Pasar Taman Megah Pasar Jalan OthmanPasar Jalan 17/2Pasar Sek 14

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

HospitalForrest Medical Centre

CollegesHelp InstituteCollege Bandar Utama (KBU)Universiti Kebangsan Malaysia

believe that the many right-minded and justice-seeking Malaysians will allow their rights to be trampled on in such a manner.

To answer your question: No, it does not mean that the Walk for Freedom was a waste of time. It is never a waste of time to stand up for justice. It is never a waste of time to speak up and be heard if you are speaking up for what is right.

It is disappointing that the government decided to pro-ceed and rush the Bill through with such haste, but His Supreme Eminenceness knows that the LoyarBurokkers – and all the good men and women who walked on Tuesday – will not be so easily discouraged. Those who were there can be proud to say that they went out of their way to fight for the rights of all Malaysians.

Page 15: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

15december 2 — 4, 2011

news

By Alvin Yap

SUBANG JAYA: The tourism industry should move to fill the untapped market for disabled travellers in Malaysia and the region, says the handicapped community.

“We want travel agencies to take notice that the disabled population in Malaysia is some 600,000.

“More than 250,000 of disabled people have the fi-nancial means to travel and see the world,” said Beautiful Gate assistant director Elaine Sia here on Sunday.

Beautiful Gate is a non-governmental organisation that runs training and outreach programmes on public awareness of disability issues.

She said tour agencies should approach the disabled community to work together to create tourism itinerar-ies in Malaysia as well as Southeast Asia.

Elaine, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, said public facilities like shopping malls and other tourist attractions must also cater for people with physical impairment, and include ramps for wheelchairs and Braille signs for the blind.

She was speaking on the sidelines of the Accessible Tourism For All campaign here in Sunway Pyramid.

Earlier, some 200 handicapped participants and their volunteers went for a 7km relay walk around the neighbourhood to demonstrate the difficulties the disabled face.

“I was struggling to push my partner on a wheelchair over a shoddily built ramp. It is difficult for them to negotiate these obstacles on a daily basis,” said first-time volunteer Jeremy Tan, who came with a friend, Shirley Teng.

The father of three said the able-bodied should assist the handicapped, and stressed that the public should

Disabled community walk for accessible tourism

campaign for shopping malls and other facilities to include amenities for the disabled.

Nurul Adilah, 21, said the event was a good way to showcase the difficulties the disabled face moving about their workplace and public areas.

The Islamic Studies stu-dent suffers from muscular dystrophy, although it only affects her lower legs, which requires her to rely on crutches to move around.

“I don’t have to use a wheelchair, but I still find the walking difficult,” she said, adding that she hopes the public will gain more awareness of the mobility problems the disabled community face daily.

Nurul’s volunteer, Ames Tan, said the disabled could only be truly independent if public facilities are built with their needs in mind.

The self-employed Shah Alam resident said public infrastructure in the country must be built with ramps, Braille signs and other amenities to fulfill corporate social responsibility.

Japanese writer, motivational speaker and wheelchair traveller Hideto Kijima said the fledgling domestic tour-ism in Japan had now grown into a multimillion-dollar industry because of disabled-friendly public facilities.

“There are tourist sites in Japan that have lifts and ramps and Braille signs for the disabled,” said Kijima, who has been wheelchair-bound since suffering a spinal-cord injury in 1990.

Beautiful Gate executive director Sia Siew Chin said she hopes the public will press the state and federal governments to look into regulations to make public facilities disabled-friendly.

She said such a move would not only benefit the disabled but also the elderly, as they are face problems in walking around shopping malls or other tourist locations.

Sia said providing ramps, lifts for wheelchairs and other amenities is a long-term investment for society and will also contribute to nation-building.

She also said the tourism industry should approach disabled groups so that both can work together to identify and create tourism packages that cater for the handicapped.

Participants and volunteers returning from the convoy.

Elaine Sia

By Brenda Ch’ng

SELAYANG: Kampung Rajah and Lim Tan may have been without proper drainage for decades, but Tan Hui Chuan is confi-dent he can improve the situation during his tenure as local councillor.

The 57-year-old lawyer, who has served three terms at the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS), says residents in Kampung Rajah and Kampung Lim Tan deserve bet-ter facilities and infrastructure.

“These villagers should have facilities like upgraded drains to prevent flooding and additional parks for recreational ac-tivities,” says Tan.

He says villagers live in fear of flash floods, while stagnant water left in the af-termath has turned the place into a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

A project to improve drainage along Sungai Rajah has been approved, which Tan hopes will resolve the issue once and for all.

Concrete walls are being installed along the river to prevent flood waters from over-flowing into the villages.

The project will begin this month and is scheduled to be completed by January 2013.

Tan has also called on MPS to upgrade Jalan Waterfall, which caters to hundreds

of motorists in the area.

The narrow one-lane street is prone to acci-dents.

“For decades, the road has been a hazard. Too many near misses and fights on the narrow road. A boy even got hit by a car and died on the spot,” he recalls.

The road is being widened by eight me-tres, which is big enough to cater to two lanes.

Tan has also managed to convert two abandoned houses into a multipurpose hall for the villages, thanks to cooperation of the Land Office and RM40,000 obtained from executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wan.

“We painted it, cleaned it and did some renovations. It’s now available to the villag-ers,” he says.

Tan wants to add more playground fa-cilities, upgrade roads and replace rusty railings along monsoon drains.

He can be contacted at 03-60925728, fax 03-60927151 or at 33-1B, Jalan Bandar Rawang 1, Pusat Bandar Rawang, 48000 Rawang.

Know Your Councillor: Tan Hui Chuan

‘Harness positive thinking for the environment’

PETALING JAYA: Individuals can harness the power of positive thinking and change the climate for the better, said a leader on “mind over matter” self-management.

“Anyone can harness their healthy mental state to change the world,” said Meera Nagunanda, director of Brahma Kumaris-Malaysia, at a press conference at the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) office here on an upcoming seminar on positive thinking and its relation to the environment.

The Malaysian chapter of the Brahma Kumaris Spiritual University (BKWSU), a non-governmental organisation that advo-cates spiritual living, will hold a seminar on Dec 5 on spiritual consciousness and its ef-fect on the environment and climate change.

Nagunanda said humans give off positive vibrations that can influence the surround-ing environment and matter, such as oxygen or carbon that make up the atmosphere.

The talk on Monday will feature inter-national lecturer and former BKWSU

student Anthony Strabo on how science and spirituality can complement per-sonal development, and also “mind over matter” management.

Environmental Protection Society Malaya president Nithi Nesadurai is also a key speaker on the environment, as he was a delegate to the United National Conference on Parties summits on climate change from 2000 to 2009.

The one-day seminar titled “Effects of Consciousness on Environment and Cli-mate Change” will be held at the PJ Com-munity Library. Admission is free.

MBPJ councillor Khairul Annuar said the seminar is important, and that the talk would give people tips and methods on how to be aware of caring for the environ-ment in their daily routine.

He said no amount of council by-laws or legislation could change personal habits such as consumption or promote recycling.

“When we developed the Low Carbon Framework for Petaling Jaya, we knew that personal awareness was important,” he said.

(From left) Guru Soon, Nagunanda, Khairul, and MBPJ Sustainable Development director Lee Lih Shyan.

Page 16: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

16 December 2 — 4, 2011

news/Media

Palace Of The Golden Horses wins luxury golf award

A unique MBA experience with UniselUniversiti selangor’s (Unisel) Graduate school of Management is addressing the demand for post-graduate studies in supply Chain and Logistics Management by of-fering a curriculum that is created and taught by experienced lectur-ers from the industry.

Unisel is a member of the sup-ply Chain Council (sCC), where it plays a key role in enhancing the knowledge of supply Chain and Logistics Management.

Unisel takes advantage of its presence in the sCC by sending highly qualified and experienced lecturers to supply Chain Council forums, conferences and regional meetings. in turn, Master of Busi-ness Administration (MBA) stu-dents are guided by the latest tech-nology, skills, methods, and knowl-edge in the supply chain field.

The most recent method taught in classes are the sCOr and GsCF models. recently, the Malaysian Qualifications Agency accredited Unisel’s MBA programme, and said its MBA-supply Chain and Logistics Management is innova-tive as it trains and gives students the ability to apply theoretical sCOr models in real working environments.

the sCOr model leads stu-dents to review how supply chains are managed, understanding the financial aspects of supply chain costs and developing a student’s project management skills. stu-dents also develop negotiation skills and learn to work with suppliers and customers to achieve optimum

efficiency and profitability.these experiences will help

them with the topics in the course.The subjects incorporate com-

pany-related projects to ensure that students receive an educational experience relevant to their spe-cific career objectives in supply chain management.

in industry feedback on supply Chain and Logistics Management, companies have reported that there is a lack of capable and qualified employees.

While companies are spending greater resources to upgrade their supply chain capabilities, there is still a shortage of postgraduate students who focus on supply Chain and Logistics Management.

in the past, companies em-ployed supply chain managers from diverse areas such as manufactur-ing, operation or finance. However, companies today are looking at hiring supply chain professionals who have formal educational qual-ifications in specific areas.

While it is common for people working in supply chain manage-rial positions to possess a general business degree or an MBA, such curricula do not cover supply chain functionality, making it difficult for employers to hire professionals with proper skills.

Unisel is unique as it has been providing supply chain manage-ment education at postgraduate levels for almost six years.

The MBA course offers formal education for leaders in the supply chain management of tomorrow.

SERI KEMBANGAN: Palace of the Golden Horses bagged their first-ever award for Country Winners – World Luxury Golf resort during the World Luxury Awards 2011 in Croatia recently.

The ceremony, which celebrates the world’s finest hotels, is held annually to recognise hotels that have taken the extra step to provide guests with excellent services.

the Mines resort and Golf Course, which was awarded best golf course, has been the host to world-class events like the 1999 World Cup for Golf and the recent CiMB Asia Pacific Asian PGA tour.

“We are very proud to be honoured with this award and to be associated with such a prestigious organisa-tion,” said Country Heights Holdings Bhd Group chief executive officer Dianna Lee.

Built in 1997, the hotel and golf course is one of the properties under the Hospitality and Health Division of Country Heights Holdings Bhd, and is described as

an oasis amid the concrete jungle of Kuala Lumpur.Going by their new tagline “Beyond Hospitality”,

the hotel offers business, leisure and wellness solutions.Apart from 472 exquisite guest rooms and suites, the

Palace of the Golden Horses is also home to the inte-grated Mines Wellness City, which has a shopping mall, golf course, water sports and entertainment park.

With this award, it will further strengthen their status as a world-class hotel which offers their guests only the finest things in life.

“This award is dedicated to the hardworking team of the hotel. if not for their perseverance, dedication and loyalty to the company, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve it,” said Lee.

The hotel is currently undergoing refurbishment to upgrade its decor, and is scheduled for completion by the end of next year.

For more information on the hotel and other facili-ties, log on to www.palaceofthegoldenhorses.com.my.

Move to tackle flash floodsBy Brenda Ch’ng

KLANG: An existing two-foot-wide drain at taman Chi Liung, Pandamaran will be widened to 10 feet to put an end to frequent floods in the neighbourhood.

Construction to widen the 200m-long drain located on Jalan Batu Unjur will cost the Klang Mu-nicipal Council (MPK) rM130,000, and is scheduled for completion at month’s end.

“The (existing) drain is too small to cater to rainwater, which over-flows and floods the neighbour-hood,” said Klang Municipal Coun-

Azahari (left) explaining to Yew what remains to be done.

Ricky Yip (front left), chief sales officer, and Robert Menzies, resident manager of Palace of the Golden Horses, with the winning team.

cillor (MPK) Yew Boon Lye.The neighbourhood, with 1,000

homes, only has a single outlet for floodwater, which is often clogged up with rubbish despite the best efforts of the council to keep the waterway open.

He said a second outlet is being built to channel floodwater into a nearby retention pond.

“We started work on nov 1 and are scheduled to complete it in one month,” said project contractor Azahari Mat Yusof.

He added, however, that the

completion may be delayed as some approvals are needed from the Fire and rescue Department, syarikat Bekalan Air selangor sdn Bhd, and tenaga nasional Bhd. “some cables and fire-hydrant lines are under-ground, and these have to be relo-cated and checked by the various departments,” he explained.

Yew also pointed out that sec-tions of drains were prone to col-lapsing due to the weight of heavy vehicles illegally parked by the side

of the road.“We’ve issued summonses and

even repaired a few collapsed drains in the area,” said MPK engi-neering department project super-visor idura Alias.

she said MPK does not have enough money to keep repairing collapsed drains in the neighbour-hood, and added that the council has moved quickly to remove the debris to ensure it does not ob-struct water flow. 

Yew with representatives from the MPK engineering department inspecting the collapsed drain.

Page 17: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

17December 2 — 4, 2011

Media

PT+ for better skin

(From left) Nurul, Norman Chong, G&G executive director Pang Kui Yun, and Belle Theng.

KUALA LUMPUR: Beauty ex-perts Glow and Glamour (G&G) launched new skin therapy PT+ and anti-aging drink Sparks at a ceremo-ny on Nov 24.

PT+, or Photothermolysis+, transmits a broad spectrum of visible light through a smooth and transpar-ent lamp placed over the skin.

This skin therapy is deemed to be a more comfortable method of beautification compared with its predecessor, the IPL.

While traditional IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) treatments have sharp pulses and emit high energy that tends to burn skin, PT+ pro-duces an accurate pulse with med-ically certified safe output energy.

“There is no pain involved with the treatment, just a warm sensa-tion,” said G&G brand ambassador Belle Theng at the ceremony.

The Miss Astro Chinese Inter-national Pageant 2009 winner, who used to spend long hours playing golf under the sun, said the main problem her skin faced was pig-mentation.

After a three-week PT+ course, Theng was satisfied with the results of reduced pigmentation, which have lasted since she underwent the treatment four months ago.

The treatment targets the second layer of skin, the dermis, to stimulate collagen production for a healthier glow from the inside.

For those exposed to air pollu-tion and unhealthy diets, the Sparks Phyto-HA Collagen drink will help to replace lost collagen to keep skin healthy.

“I’m happy with the taste, and although it usually takes a few weeks, I saw results in two days after drinking it,” said G&G brand am-bassador Nurul Wahab.

The singer said the drink, certified halal, has improved her skin condi-tion as she puts on make-up daily.

Also at the ceremony was G&G managing director Norman Chong, who said the PT+ treatment and Sparks drink will address customers’ demands for modern age-defying products.

“People will say you don’t look your age. This is the secret of how to look younger,” Chong said.

PT+ treatment and Sparks drinks are now available at all G&G slimming and beauty studios.

Page 18: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

18 December 2 — 4, 2011

food

Surprises on the Portuguese front

Food is many things to different people. LIN ZHENYUAN crosses an unfamiliar threshold and makes a delightful culinary discovery

F or several years now, whenever I join a large crowd of other shoppers at Amcorp Mall on Persiaran Barat, Petaling Jaya every other

Sunday, I would head towards a nasi kandar res-taurant for lunch. Then one Sunday, on impulse, I decided that it was time to try something different. One shouldn’t always trudge on the same old beaten path.

On the lower ground floor of Amcorp Mall, there is an inconspicuous eatery called Restoran Atap Atap, which extols its signature dishes, among them the Portuguese ikan bakar. Up until then, I had ignored the place. Somehow it wasn’t much of a gastronomical lure. From outside, the façade wasn’t impressive. My view was probably shared by the other shoppers.

But on that occasion, I took a closer look at its promotion banner outside its premises. There were so many choices that for a few moments I was stumped. When a pretty wait-ress smiled and beckoned me in, she won me over, hook, line and sinker.

I scanned the comprehensive menu for long minutes. Finally, I relied on my gut instinct and zeroed in on the Atap Atap fried rice, which was priced at RM7.90. It seemed to be a reasonable offer.

As usual, even on a Sunday, there were not that many customers. Hu-man beings are such that whenever we pass by a restaurant and it is not crowded, we quickly assume that it is really not that good.

But that Sunday, I yielded to an irresistible hunch. Service was not swift. I understood that it always takes time to cook up a good dish.

The waitresses, who looked like Myanmar nationals, were friendly and courteous. That was certainly a plus. Waitresses who are compelled to work too hard usually do not dispense the best kind of service.

In time, my dish arrived. It looked

quite good, but looks aren’t every-thing, as I have learnt from previous experiences. I hesitated with the first spoonful. But upon the first mouth-ful, my sensory faculties went on an overdrive.

Well, it seemed people have judged Atap Atap rather poorly. It certainly was their loss. It is my bi-ased opinion that its signature dish is one of the best I have ever tasted.

The rice portion isn’t large, but it is adequate. The restaurant is very generous with its portions of top-pings on the rice. Cucumber, lettuce and tomato are in sufficiently large pieces to make it a satisfying meal.

The fried egg on top of the rice was the icing on the cake, so to speak. For RM7.90, it was a value-for-money meal.

Coincidentally, an overseas rela-tive of mine who was in Malaysia for a visit had taken some foreign guests to Atap Atap as well. He did not know that I had dined there a few days earlier. When he remarked that Atap Atap was a really fine dining area, I knew my opinion about the place wasn’t wrong.

Atap Atap also has a number of notable Portuguese ikan bakar dishes. Among them are Pariwi rice, shark with rice, la-la with rice, squid with rice, Portuguese beef with rice,

and lemongrass chicken with rice. I haven’t sampled anyone of these yet, but I will in the near future.

Other specialties of this restau-rant are nyonya kerang, nyonya kembung, Portuguese ikan pari, sambal udang and sambal petai. If all these do not satisfy your cravings, then you are in the wrong restaurant.

Atap Atap, like a host of other eateries found in Amcorp Mall, en-joys a surge in business every Sunday because of the large and very popular flea market.

It is said that Amcorp Mall on Sundays is like an unofficial country club for retirees. There are groups of silver-haired men who mill around the scores of stalls selling knick-knacks and other old stuff that sellers could salvage from their grandpar-ents’ cupboards and storerooms.

If you are looking for this restau-rant, keep a sharp lookout for a life-sized poster of former national badminton player Rashid Sidek. Rashid is the brand ambassador for Atap Atap.

Apparently, there is another Atap Atap outlet in Negri Sembilan, lo-cated at 9 Avenue, Taman Corporat in Putra Nilai.

If you are tired of dining at your usual joints, you may want to bring a few friends to Atap Atap for a nice meal. Make somebody else pay, of course. After all, it is your recom-mendation.

The flea market

stalls located

opposite Atap

Atap.

Atap Atap on the lower ground floor next to the Giant supermarket.

Rice dishes and Portuguese grilled fish choices aplenty. Sturdy chairs and tables at Atap Atap.

Page 19: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

19December 2 — 4, 2011

food/fiction

Fiction by Zedeck Siew

She always tried not to think nonsense-thoughts, but nonsense-thoughts always came to her, unbidden. That morning, yawning in the passenger seat of their red

hatchback, Pn Rubiah thought: I want to go on a holiday. Her husband was driving her to work. They had break-

fasted at dawn, then set out at 7.30. Her husband didn’t like the radio on because he said it was distracting, so they sat in quiet air-conditioning. 

Rubiah watched the skittles of the onramp recede. I want to go to the beach, she thought. Developer oversight meant that their neighbourhood, a

late-Mahathir-style, sparsely occupied township built in the middle of palm-oil country, only had road access to the coast-ward direction of the highway – the direction leading away from her office. So Rubiah’s husband had to: 

drive to the end of the highway and exit; make a U-turn at the traffic lights; get back on the highway; drive all the way to the other end, passing through the toll gate; exit and turn around; re-enter again; and drive back to the highway’s midpoint, where there was a rest-stop complex. 

Besides its empty toilets and shuttered, untenanted food stall lots, this rest stop also contained the Tourism Malaysia Holiday Beaches Info Centre, where Rubiah worked eight to five.

Rubiah knew that going to the beach was nonsense-thinking. She couldn’t do it – not while being as pregnant as she was. She could barely walk, much less frolic in wet sand. 

Silly me, Rubiah thought. She was only feeling this way because they hadn’t done anything exciting for many months. 

Her husband yawned. To get to town, where he worked, he would have to repeat the circuit: all the way down the length of highway and all the way back again. The toll operators let him through, free of charge, because they had come to recognise his red hatchback. 

THE office had a chronic damp-carpet smell, and by late morning this smell – today as on every other day – was mak-ing her head ache. 

She heaved herself from her seat, turned the air-condition-ing off, and lumbered to the office entrance. There was a gust of wind and dust from the highway when she opened it. 

She stood there awhile, enjoying the warm, moving air. She looked at her shadow, in its doorframe of sunlight, on the two racks of state- and district-level tourist brochures. She had arranged the brochures according to size and type first thing that morning. 

Rubiah felt some pride. She was particularly pleased with the cut-out letters that spelt “Welcome to the Holiday Beaches” on the wall; she had done them by hand, and glue had not smudged at all. 

There was another shadow in the door. The man had milk-

chocolate skin and close-cropped hair; he wore a pair of wrap-around sunglasses. 

“S’ammualaikum?” he said, one boot on the step. “Mualaikumsalam?” Rubiah straightened the apron of her

tudung over her swelled belly. The man’s pepper moustache lifted into a mischievous grin. “Yes, anything?” Rubiah asked, adjusting the forehead-arch

of her tudung. The man came in, looking around, fists on hips, holding a

cigarette pack in one hand and a bunch of keys in the other. “What place is this?”

“Oh? It’s a Tourism office,” Rubiah said, as the man fingered the brochures on the counter. “Encik can take that, it’s free. Encik is going where?” 

“To nearby the beaches. This Te l u k

Kemang, is it good?” “Oh, it is very nice, Encik,”

Rubiah said, moving back behind the counter. “Encik can camp, ride jet skis, even ride the banana boat.” 

“Banana boat?” said the man, propping the sunglasses on his crown as he flipped the pamphlet apart. 

“Yes, banana boat. It is yellow and long and many people can ride on it at once. Good for families. If Encik–?” 

“Abang Zul,” the man said, smiling. “Encik Zul, does Encik already have a household?” Rubiah

asked. She thought he had a nice, adventurous air about him. “Haven’t found my match yet,” the man answered. “Oh, like that,” Rubiah replied, fiddling with the crystal

tassel of her tudung. “Encik is holidaying alone, then?” He laughed. “No, no. I drive a trailer. I’m on a job. Taking

air for a while, because I was feeling drowsy. This highway is too straight, too smooth! Very dangerous. Easy to fall asleep.” 

“Oh.”“My first time using this highway,” he explained. “Interesting

place for a Tourism office, ya? You are quite far away from the beach.” 

“Well, the beaches are only about 20km away,” Rubiah said. “At the highway turnoff after next, Encik will already be there. We are here so that we can provide information to travellers.” 

“Do you get many visitors stopping here?”

“Yes, many.”“Ah.” He put his sunglasses back on. “I go first, then.” He

looked at the brochure he was holding, then waved it. “Thanks! I can take this, ya?” 

“Yes. Come again,” Rubiah said, half-heartedly. The man gazed out at the highway, intently, as if he was

making some serious decision. Then he slapped the pamphlet on his thigh and wandered off. 

Style like a tourist! Rubiah thought to herself, making sure her brochure display was in order. Turned out he was just a truck driver. 

AT five, Pn Rubiah locked up the Tourism Malaysia Holiday Beaches Info Centre and waited on a bench outside. The red hatchback arrived a half-hour later. They were eating out to-night. There was a tom yam restaurant in their neighbourhood, but she had gotten food poisoning there once – so this meant her husband, fresh from town, would have to: 

pick her up; drive past the turn-off to their housing park; go right up to the end of the highway, exit and turn around; drive the entire length of the highway back; and drive into town again. 

Her husband did not complain. They were going to a café that served expensive meehun and cheesecake for dessert: his

favourites. This is just like a date, Rubiah thought. I should feel

excited about it. She saw the many streetlights of the town come into

view, and idly wondered whether Zul, that truck-driver man, would use her brochures and visit the beach. After ordering dinner, to break the silence, Rubiah’s

husband told her about how one of his colleagues had missed a deadline and was yelled at by their boss. 

They ate quietly, absorbed with chewing. Soon Rubiah’s husband had his hand up to call for the cheesecake. She picked at her plate. 

“Biah?” her husband said, suddenly, tentatively, as if a train of thought had completed a loop in his head. “I was wonder-ing whether Biah would like to go to the beach this weekend. For so long we haven’t gone, isn’t it? I think it might be fun. Just two of us, like we used to.” 

Rubiah giggled aloud. “What nonsense are you talking, Abang? Look at me. How am I supposed to go to the beach like this? I can’t fit into my swimming dress. I can’t even walk properly.” 

“Ala, we can do it,” he said. “It will be fun. It will be like we are dating.” 

She frowned playfully, then shook her head. “Don’t want, Abang. Don’t want.” 

“Come la. With me.”“Don’t want,” Rubiah answered. “Nonsense la you.” “All right,” he sighed, but not without mischief. “Later I go

with some other woman, then you know.” Rubiah pinched his arm. They laughed about it. After shar-

ing a slice of cheesecake, they paid for dinner, got into the car, and started heading for home in the middle of palm-oil country.

Her husband yawned, and said nothing. Pn Rubiah told herself: I am happy.

NonsenseYou may want to have a good meal after spending some money at the flea market.A glass of teh tarik makes it a complete meal.

Page 20: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

20 December 2 — 4, 2011

Travel

By Basil Foo

For those who do not want to spend an-other expensive weekend mall crawling, head on to Kuala Kubu Baru.

Besides been known as a quaint little town with some of the best chicken chops this side of Selangor, the Hulu Selangor capital is famous for white-water rafting.

In the heart of Kuala Kubu Baru lies the scenic Batu dam and Sg Selangor. Travellers can find it by taking the North-South Highway past Rawang, Batang Kali, and Rasa or by driving north from Batu Caves up Jalan Sungai Tua.

Be prepared for narrow two-lane roads as

White-knuckling it (sort of) in Kuala Kubu Baru

the traffic in the outskirts of the state begin to give way to large slow-moving lorries.

The Batu dam, constructed under the Kuala Lumpur Flood Mitigation Project, collects enough water to turn the area into a pictur-esque lake surrounded by hills as far as the eye can see.

“A beautiful mist can be seen when the water plunges down the main outlet,” said Khersonese Expe-dition Sdn Bhd sales and marketing executive Syed R Safiq Al-Attas.

During the dry months of Janu-ary and February, when water treat-ment plants downhill experience water shortage, water is released from the dam through Sg Selangor.

It is this veritable torrent that lends the river its signature deep and fast-flowing water that white-water rafting enthusiasts have been coming back to.

“We have been doing this (raft-ing) for more than 10 years. Many foreign tourists and local compa-nies doing team-building come here to raft,” said Safiq.

Sg Selangor comes in at Grade Four, where Grade One is slow-moving and scenic, while the water in Grade Five rivers are swift-flow-ing and only for experts.

However, the press corp I was in when traversing the river last Saturday endured few rough patches in the water as the dam gates were closed.

Due to the recent wet spell in the city, local authorities did not allow

for the dam to release its stored wa-ter so as to avoid floods downstream.

The 7km course that Safiq takes visitors on is divided into three sec-tions, the first and third being rafting sections and the middle being a calm floating section.

“To float, you put on a helmet and a lifejacket, get into the water, lie down, and be swept downstream by the current,” he said.

He advised “floaters” to travel feet-first to see where they are going and paddle with their hands to steer themselves.

Paying a fee for merely floating down a river may not sound like much, but I personally enjoyed the almost 30-minute-long journey.

Carried away by an inexorable body of water, it was peaceful to just let loose and surrender my body to the elements, opening my eyes every so often to steer myself.

The rafting that Khersonese organises comes complete with helmets, rafts, life jackets, paddles, a short snack break, and a buffet lunch at the end of the journey.

As the water was not gushing as we had hoped it would, I only managed to experience going down a solitary rapid, which was an almost four-feet drop.

With just a tinge of fear, our four-rower raft with guides at the front and back stopped rowing right before the precipice and fell with hoots of surprise.

We did not capsize despite our attempts to shake the raft in our

excitement, but even if we had, observant guides stood by in the waist-deep water.

“We have experienced guides whom we have trained over the years from local indigenous people,” said the adventure company’s general manager, Illyaz Yushaak.

The rafts are able to fit four to six people, with a guide in each to help with steering and giving directions on when to paddle.

The trip up to the north of Selan-gor is well worth taking by adrena-line junkies or even city-dwellers wanting to get away from it all for the weekend.

I am awaiting the dry spell, which usually hits around Chinese New Year, to make the drive up once again and hope for a churning Sg Selangor.

White-water rafting packages cost about RM180 per person, depending on the size of the group and the season.

Interested travellers can email [email protected] or call 03-77223511 or 03-77223516 for more details and booking.

The trip was organised by Tour-ism Selangor in its effort to promote white-water rafting in Kuala Kubu Baru.

The rafting that Khersonese organises comes complete with helmets, rafts, life jackets, paddles, a short snack break, and a buffet lunch at the end of the journey.”

View of the Batu dam from the visitor’s area.

Rowing down Sg Selangor on inflatable rafts. Visitors being briefed on rafting safety tips.

Waterfalls can be found along the river.

Page 21: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

21December 2 — 4, 2011

Gallery

Carrying yellow balloons, the protesters assembled at KLCC Park on Saturday at 2pm, singing songs and chant-ing slogans against the Peaceful Assembly Bill.

Over 300 people came together at the fountain lake at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) Park last Saturday (Nov 26) to protest against the Peaceful Assembly Bill.

Temme Lee, a human rights activist, demonstrating the irony.

About 1,000 lawyers turned up during the Walk for Freedom and marched along Jalan Parlimen on Tuesday (Nov 29) to hand over a memorandum to the federal government to protest against the Peaceful Assembly Bill, which was passed in Parliament on the same day.

Orang Asli supporters all the way from Pahang came

out to support the cause.Lawyers responding to speeches by Bar Council leaders on why people’s constitutional rights to gather peace-fully must be upheld and protected.

Page 22: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

22 December 2 — 4, 2011

Gallery

Participants having a splashing good time on Sg Selangor, during a trip organised by Tourism Selangor to promote white-water rafting in Kuala Kubu Baru.

Participants of the Hulu Selangor Sepak Takraw Cup held next to the public multipurpose hall in Taman Melawati on Nov 19.

Member of Parliament for Hulu Langat Dr Che Rosli Che Mat (in red) with Kampung Sentosa leaders and residents in Semenyih on Saturday,

taking part in a campaign to promote the consumption of local fruits.

Nurul Adilah, 21, with her friends after participating in the Accessible Tourism For All campaign at Sunway Pyramid. Nurul, who has muscular dystrophy, was among some 200 disabled participants who took part in a 7km relay walk on Sunday.

Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) Mayor Datuk Roslan Sakiman checking ikan patin with organisers of a street festival and cultural show to be held on Sunday. The fish were released into Kelana Jaya lake for an angling competition during the event.

Page 23: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

23December 2 — 4, 2011

CultureEditor’s PickKlue,Doh! Theatre; 2-17 Dec (preview 2 Dec); Black Box @ MAP, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur; www.tix.my, 017-2287849, www.terryandthecuz.com; RM68/RM38

Compiled by Nick ChooSend your events to: nick@selangortimes.

Magic Mirror: The Musical

Musical; until 4 Dec; Istana Budaya; 011-12828859 / 8860, 011-12880399, www.guanyin.org.my; RM100-RM300

In the Western Pure Land of Great Bliss, the embodiment of all the Buddha’s compassion, Guan-yin is entertained by the singing and dancing of her attending goddesses, but her heart, however, is perturbed. She contemplates the welfare of beings, and, hearing their laments, decides to help by teaching villagers and bandits about love, compassion, patience, tolerance and concern. Presented by Yayasan Guan Yin.

STOMP ‘ll

Theatre/Musical; until 4 Dec; Plenary Hall @ KL Convention Centre; 03-78807999, www.ticketpro.com.my; RM78-RM268

London’s West End theatrical sensation returns. With unstoppable energy and toe-tapping exuberance, STOMP takes the clutter and junk of everyday life – bins, lighters, and even the kitchen sink – and transforms it into a pulsating, witty, utterly irresistible theatrical even.

Animal Farm

Theatre; 8-11 Dec; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; www.klpac.org, 03-40479000; RM48/RM28

Premiered October 2008, Pentas Project’s Animal Farm received six nominations in the 7th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards and won the Best Director, Best Set Design and Best Costume Design. Adapted from the legendary story written by George Orwell in 1945, Animal Farm points on the scathing destruction of the dictatorial governance of Communism, hauntingly similar to the situation of our society today. It will again boldly question the complications of power and greed, capitalising upon the boiling discontentment of the people, and strange political and social phenomena that are real for many up till today.

Malaysian Girls

Theatre/Musical; 10-26 Dec; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; www.klpac.org, 03-40479000; RM38-RM100

An original musical about the beautiful world we live in; about the friendship between Malaysian girls, and how this fragile friendship can be more beautiful than the crown one aspires to wear. “Put on your tiaras, pucker up that smile, and brace yourself, for really, with 14 beautiful girls on a glitzy stage, how ugly can it get?”

Aladdin: The Musical

Musical; 25 Nov-2 Jan 2012; Sunway Lagoon; 03-87754666 (AirAsia RedTix), 03-56390000 (Sunway Lagoon ticketing); www.airasiaredtix.com/Events/Aladdin; RM50-RM300

Get whisked to a land far, far away, filled with adventure, magic, and excitement in this production from the West End! Set against the mystical kingdom of Askabar, go on a musical journey featuring international artistes and dancers with exotic costumes, a flying carpet and a stunning stage. Witty dialogue, hit songs and a spellbinding spectacular.

reVIeWBy Nick Choo

AN unfaithful husband, a hedonistic lover, an apathetic father, a shrewd brother in-law, a ruthless businessman, a merciless moneylender: Datuk Jackson Mo had many faces – one too many. When he is found brutally murdered in his mansion, everyone has a reason, and everybody is a suspect.

With such a premise set on Malaysian premises – and with a creative team comprising Malaysians and Australians – how could we not want to know more? Selangor Times turns the heat up on producer and performer Terence Conrad, one of the prime suspects behind this interactive original murder mystery.

What are some of the inspirations behind Klue,Doh!, and how much have you drawn on these sources in the process of creating the show?

We started writing Klue,Doh! about almost four years back while the idea for the show goes back even further. It started off as a comedy-murder mystery but evolved over time.

The writing of the script was influenced by many sources and experiences including movies like 8femme, Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, The Usual Suspects and Gosford Park.

The staging of the show was actually inspired by a show we saw in Flinders Street Station called Small Metal Objects by Back2Back Theatre, and our visit to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the audience is taken out of their comfort zone, making the experience truly memorable.

Klue,Doh! runs for 50 minutes, and our audience are split into two spaces, which are the living room and the study. After intermission the audiences swap sides and the show starts all over again, completing the experience.

How did the collaboration with the Australian creative team come about, and what was the process like?

TerryandTheCuz has been working in Australia since 2004 and have collaborated with Australia-based artists on projects all over the world since. We are a Malaysian company, and so we

have always wanted to work on projects in Malaysia. So it was a natural process when it came to staging Klue,Doh! that we continue working with an Australian creative team.

Our set designer Matthew Kneale flew down in December 2010 to design our set, while we liaised with the rest of the team via working visits to Australia, and via Skype and email during the creative design process.

Ideas were bounced back and forth this way, and once we were all here, things really starting coming together!

Klue,Doh! is a multilingual work. How easy or difficult was it to explain the Malaysian-isms to the Australian creative team, as well as your vision for this project? What makes Klue,Doh! a show that will appeal to all audiences?

Great question. It was hard explaining the speech, behaviours and mannerisms of a multilingual Malaysian play to them. There’s English, Malay, Cantonese, and even a bit of Tamil in Klue,Doh!. So rehearsals were very interesting, to say the least. Our comedy is another thing that required some explaining, haha!

I think audiences will connect to the dynamics of the show, which is about a murder in mixed-marriage household and the Malaysian police who just happen to stop by! Also, most of the dialogue is everyday Malaysian conversation which you would hear in the market or at the mall. So even if you don’t understand the language being spoken, you will get the idea or message or feelings the character is trying convey.

I hear that the photo shoot for Klue,Doh! was done in an

actual prison. What was that experience like? Tell us a thing or two about your time “behind bars”.

Yes! The police were amazing in the access and hospitality granted to us. It was quite strange being there as there were real inmates in the holding cell next to us, and here we were putting on make-up, costume changes and voluntarily being locked up. They must have thought we were quite mad. Every time we would look behind or to the left and right, there would be 20 inmates behinds bars staring right at us. So it was interesting!

What has been the biggest challenge in producing/directing Klue,Doh!? Ultimately, what do you hope the audience will take away from the production?

The biggest challenge is the staging in two rooms as the play happens in real time. So characters are moving in and out of two rooms simultaneously while things are happening, and this took a lot of time and patience from the actors especially. Everything is about [timing] and movement between rooms … the result of a lot of planning and hard work by the actors and creative team.

The interesting thing about Klue,Doh! is that it is not a “whodunnit” but a “whodunnit first”! Everyone killed Datuk Jackson Mo – it’s up to the audience (and the cops in the play) to figure out who killed him first!

We hope everyone comes and has thoroughly enjoyable evening, even if they don’t figure who actually killed him. It’s the experience of watching Klue,Doh! that we hope will linger in their minds.

cALeNDAr

A collaboration between theatre makers from Australia and Malaysia, Klue,Doh! is an interactive experience aimed at exploring the art of voyeurism within the confinement of the domestic space, where the audience is taken out of their comfort zone and brought on a roller-coaster ride that baffles at every turn! “One Murder. Two Perspectives. Three Weapons. A whodunit set in a household filled with lies, lust, betrayal, secrets and the policemen trying to get to the bottom of it all.” Featuring Anne James, Davina Goh, Nabihan Yaacob, JD Menon, Terence Conrad and Jon Chew. Presented by TerryandTheCuz.

Page 24: Selangor Times Dec 2-4, 2011 / Issue 51

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.