community July 1 — 3, 2011/ issue 31

MBSA ready to take over from Alam Flora

Laidback charm amid the rubbish

p 7 p 12 & 13

competition to promote biodieseL

p 10

MPSJ makes whistleblower history

By Brenda Ch'ng

subanG JaYa: The Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) became the first local authority in Malaysia to encourage whistle-blowing to combat corruption and malpractice.

However, councillors at the MPSJ full board meeting on Wednesday argued that the move does not go far enough.

R Rajiv expressed scepticism over the move because MPSJ's own staff, rather than third parties, had been appointed to receive information from whistleblowers.

"MPSJ staff as well as the public will not have the confidence to provide information if those respon-sible for receiving the information are not independent," he said.

In addition, he said informants will fear reprisal and will not coop-erate if they cannot be assured that their identities will be protected. 

A whistleblower is a person re-sponsible for informing the author-ity about alleged wrongdoings and malpractice happening within a government department or in pri-vate companies. 

Being a whistleblower means taking full responsibility that the information provided is true, and one has to be willing to testify as a

witness if necessary.Examples of wrongdoings in-

clude corruption, fraud, violation of laws and abuse of power. 

According to MPSJ legal adviser Anita And Jalil, whistleblowers will have to fill in an official form with their full details and signature be-fore their information can be taken seriously.

After that, officers appointed will take in all complaints and check if the information is legitimate before bringing the case to a selected com-mittee, which is still being decided upon as the system is still in its early stages.

Once a decision is made, a do-mestic enquiry will be held for guilty parties to further the investi-gation and questioning.

Any information on graft will be handled by three MPSJ officers who have been appointed from the Hu-man Resource, Disciplinary and Management Services Department.

At the meeting, Rajiv reiterated that it was crucial for an independ-ent company to be appointed to receive the information and to carry out investigations, rather than an MPSJ officer already involved in daily council dealings.

"An external regulatory body is very much needed to help maintain check and balance within the

council," he said.He said the presence of an unaf-

filiated body will give whistleblow-ers more confidence, which will subsequently encourage more whistleblowers to come forward.

However, Anita pointed out that the Whistleblower Act 2010, Act 711 states that only council officers can be appointed to receive com-plaints.

This Whistleblower Act was ap-proved by Parliament early last year to protect all informants and is ap-plicable to all government agencies, including local councils.  The Act does not allow third party bodies to be hired and appointed as informa-

tion receivers.She added that the Act empowers

the MPSJ legal department to per-secute officers who leak sensitive information that may cause harm to whistleblowers.

This Act also empowers the legal department to take action against whistleblowers who provide false information.  

By electing someone internal, MPSJ will be able to exercise their legal rights as clearly stated in the Act.

Councillor Low Kheng Min nevertheless insisted on the appoint-ment of someone neural to better protect the identity of whistleblow-

ers and to conduct an unbiased in-vestigation.

"The public who wish to com-plain about MPSJ malpractices would prefer to speak with third parties with no vested interest in the council," he said.

Council president Datuk As-mawi Kasbi stepped in during the dispute and offered for all informa-tion from whistleblowers to be di-rected to him. But this was shot down because he is still part of the council and not an external party.

Ampang Jaya Municipal Councillors at their full board meeting on Wednesday, donning yellow shirts in solidarity with Bersih 2.0. From left are Yazid Alias, Abdul Jalil Hasan, Meor Rithuan Mohamed Said, D Nallan, Hamsar Djabir and Dorothy Cheong.

• Story on page 6

2 July 1 — 3, 2011

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Morning

Friday Saturday Sunday

afternoon

night

Selangor WeaTHer

Source: Malaysian meteorological department

First land premium briefing in Hulu LangatSHAH ALAM: The state is holding the first public briefing for its Private Residen-tial Ownership Scheme in Kampung Bukit Sungai Putih, Hulu Langat on Saturday.

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the briefing will provide an opportu-nity for the public to understand how they can benefit from the scheme, be it to ex-tend their lease or secure land titles.

“We’ll distribute 5A forms to [qualified holders of Temporary Occupation of Land (TOL) licences],” said Khalid after chairing the executive council meeting on Wednesday.

The state had announced the scheme

in early June, which allows leasehold property owners to extend their lease, and TOL licence holders to obtain leasehold status by paying RM1,000 instead of the full premium.

Owners need only pay the remaining of the premium when they transfer or sell their properties later. This is to encourage owners to keep their properties.

However, the scheme is limited to residential properties and does not apply to owners whose property status is still in limbo, such as squatters.

Khalid said the scheme is part of the state’s Merakyatkan Eknonomi Selangor programme.

Pick peaceful route for marches, Bersih tells IGPBy Gan Pei Ling and Alvin Yap

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have been asked to suggest the route for the  Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) to ensure a peaceful rally on July 9.

“We’ve asked them to please consider it, from a point in Kuala Lumpur to Taman Jaya or whatever. [They] choose, we’ll follow,” said Bersih 2.0 chairperson Datuk S Ambiga, after meeting with the police chief yesterday afternoon.

Ambiga said they had a “very friendly” half-hour meeting with Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Ismail Omar.

She said the IGP expressed concern over what would happen during the rally, but Ambiga assured him that Bersih 2.0 has arranged for 5,000 crowd marshals to ensure a peaceful gathering.

“We promise to do everything we can to make sure the rally remains peaceful,” said Ambiga.

Bersih 2.0 will also have 100 volunteer doctors on standby during the rally, said its steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah, who attended the meeting with the IGP.

 Ambiga urged the police to be open-minded and work with Bersih 2.0 to make sure the rally goes on without a hitch.

“We’ve asked for another meeting next week. Tan Sri (Ismail Omar) didn’t say no. I think I ’m free to arrange another meeting with him,” said Ambiga.

However, she declined to comment on Bersih’s next course of action should the police continue to refuse to allow the peaceful rally to take place.

The lawyer stressed that the people have the rig ht to assemble peacefully, and that police are duty-bound to protect peaceful rallies.

“Bersih has never threatened vio-lence [against anyone]. The police should be taking action against par-ties who’re doing so,” said Ambiga.

Made up of over 60 civil society groups, Bersih 2.0 is organising a rally on July 9 to demand for improvements to the country’s electoral process and to submit a memorandum to the King.

The memorandum will outline its eight immediate demands to improve the electoral process, including cleaning the electoral roll, reforming postal ballots, using indelible ink to prevent voter fraud, and extending the campaign period.

However, Perkasa and Umno Youth have said theywould organise counter-rallies on the same day as

they do not agree with Bersih 2.0’s demands.

They have accused Bersih’s rally of being politically motivated.

Police have said they would not issue any permit for the rallies and would do all they can to prevent it.

Both Ambiga and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin have received death threats, and police have detained or questioned more than 100 people linked to Bersih and for wearing Bersih 2.0 t-shirts.

Police also raided Bersih’s secre-tariat in Section 4, Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, while Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had declared any Bersih-related material including “shoes, cars and buses” illegal.

So far, five lawmakers, all from

Perak – two members of Parliament (MP) and three state assemblyper-sons – have been nabbed by police for being linked to Bersih.

On Saturday, Sungai Siput MP Dr D Jeyakumar along with 30 Parti Sosialis Malaysia members were arrested onboard a bus at the Sungai Dua toll plaza in Penang.

Yesterday, state lawmakers Leong Mee Meng ( Jalong) and Chang Lih Kang (Teja) were hauled up for giv-ing out the national flag at a morn-ing market in Sungai Siput.

They were part of a group com-prising 12 DAP and two PKR members.

In addition, Gopeng MP Dr Lee Boon Chye was arrested at a morn-ing market in Ipoh for distributing Bersih flyers.

Also hauled up were Simpang Pulai state assemblyperson Chan Ming Kai, and two other unnamed PKR members.

The dragnet has also targeted local government councillors in Selangor. Yesterday, 20 Kajang Municipal (MPKj) Councillors were asked to go the district police station to have their statements recorded.

This was following the council’s full board meeting on Wednesday, during which some councillors had dressed in yellow, in support of the movement to call for free and fair elections.

According to Eddy Wong, the cops quizzed them separately, asking the same questions they had directed at other lawmakers.

“They asked us why we wore yellow to the council meeting, and if we were coerced to do so,” he told Selangor Times via telephone, adding that the cops were “polite” in their line of questioning.

Wong and seven other councillors spent more than an hour in the afternoon at the station, with Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng as their legal counsel.

O n l i n e n e w s p o r t a l T h e Malaysian Insider also reported that the federal government has warne d broadcasters ag a inst mentioning the Bersih rally or its date, and to warn the public against attending the rally.

The first Bersih rally in 2007 attracted around 50,000 people to the streets, but the gathering was later dispersed by police with the use of tear gas and water cannons.

The rally, together with others such as those organised by Hindraf, has been credited in part for the political tsunami during the 2008 general election, in which Pakatan Rakyat denied Barisan Nasional a two-thirds majority in Parliament and won five states.

Ambiga speaking to reporters after meeting with the IGP.

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ July 1 – 3, 2011 ⁄ 3

4 July 1 — 3, 2011

News

Selangor plans welfare schemes for housingBy Alvin Yap

SUBANG JAYA: The state govern-ment will look into setting up a fund to subsidise rental for families that cannot get loans to buy their own homes.

“Hard as it is to believe, there are those earning RM800 who cannot sat-isfy the requirement for securing a bank loan,” said state executive councillor Is-kandar Samad.

The minimum salary to qualify for a housing loan is RM1,100.

Iskandar ,who holds the portfolio for housing , housing management and squatters, said the scheme would pay half the rental of hardcore poor households.

As many as 50,000 squatter families were relocated to low-cost flats from 2000 to 2008 under former Menteri Besar Dr Khir Toyo’s Zero Squatter policy.

It is not known how many families in Selangor are able to meet the mini-mum requirements to secure loans to purchase low-cost houses.

The Cempaka assemblyperson said of 56 low-income households in his con-stituency, only five who earned more than RM800 a month each have man-aged to secure loans.

Low-cost homes are priced at RM35,000 a unit.

In addition, Iskandar also proposed Selangor create a “shared equity” scheme to promote more home ownership.

The scheme allows a buyer to own the title to the unit by paying half of the purchase price, with the other half borne by the state.

“The buyer can buy over the share from the state later and eventually own a full share of the dwelling,” Iskandar said.

He said this when presenting a paper on the list of housing welfare programmes for Selangor to the Menteri Besar.

Earlier, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the administration would earmark RM700 million for welfare programmes, and a portion of it would fund housing projects.

Selangor has already embarked on plans to build medium-cost homes with its Affordable Homes Scheme.

Last month, Khalid officiated at an earth-breaking event at Bandar Baru Bangi where the state will build an initial 2,000 units of homes in a 700 sq ft area. Each unit will cost RM79,000.

It will target those who earn between RM2,500 and RM5,000 a month.

There will also be a seminar on afford-able homes organised by Selangor at the Shah Alam Convention Centre on July 5.

State to re-look low-cost housing policySUBANG JAYA: Housing quota requirements for developers to build low-cost housing will be reviewed by the state to better meet demands for these homes.

Currently, developers must build low-cost, medium-low-cost and me-dium-cost homes according to a 20:20:10 percent ratio in any prop-erty development.

However, executive councillor for housing Iskandar Samad said the poli-cy has resulted in  poor demand for low-cost homes in certain locations in Selangor. 

Instead, he proposes  that low-cost homes be built according to market demand for them.

“We have to let market forces show us how many low-cost homes to build in an area.

“These dwellings may be snapped up in Bangi, but might have lower demand in parts of Petaling Jaya or Subang.” 

Iskandar said the  state would work closely with property developers and especially with the Real Estate and Housing Developers Association to conduct market surveys on the demand for low-cost homes. 

He did not disclose how many low-cost units in Selangor are unsold.

On Tuesday, Iskandar presented to the Menteri Besar the summary of the discussion with industry players during the 2012 budget dialogue.

EvEntsBlood donation drive

A blood donation drive will be held on July 16-17 from 11am to 4pm at Centro Mall, Klang, organised by the mall and supported by Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah. Contact Centro Mall’s customer service at 03-33433011 or visit www.centro.com.my.

Sudoku tournament

The Selangor Book Fair, held at the Shah Alam Conven-tion Centre, features 114 booths of exhibitors, including book publishers and suppliers. The fair will end on Sunday (July 3). Visitors can take part in novel readings, competitions, and presentations by cartoon mascots Upin and Ipin. The annual fair is organised by the Selangor Public Library Corporation and state government. More information at www.pestabukuselangor.my.

MBSA meets the people

The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) will hold their meet-the-people session today (July 1) at the MBSA Gallery (ground floor) at the MBSA building from 9am to 11.30am. The programme offers a chance for the public to meet with officers from various departments to voice their complaints. It is held every first Friday of the month. Mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan will personally answer queries. For more information, call MBSA’s Public Relations Department at 03-55222734 or 03-55222741.

Oral health talk

A talk on aesthetics, preventive care, and oral health by medical experts will be held at the DEMC Specialist Hospital in Section 14, Shah Alam, tomorrow (July 2) from 9.30am to noon. The talk is in conjunction with the hospital’s new service, DEMC Wellness. Visitors can attend free consultation sessions by medical experts. Call 03-55151965 or email dew@demc.com.my for more information. Admission is free.

Dive expo

The 6th Malaysia International Dive Expo 2011 will be held at the Putra World Trade Centre from today (July 1) till Sunday (July 3). Visitors can learn safety tips, witness a dive fashion show with latest products from top manufacturers, and buy diving equipment. There will also be photo and children’s colouring contests. Starting from 10am to 7pm, visitors can register at the event entrance or online at www.mide.com.my.

SUBANG JAYA: Selangor intends to slash profit margins for public proj-ects from 30% to 7% to ensure maxi-mum value for ratepayers’ money.

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who was speaking at the Selangor budget dia-logue, said the move will ensure state finances are used to pay for public proj-ects and not to enrich contractors.

“Taxpayers will receive more out of government spending,” he said during his opening speech on Monday.

The Menteri Besar pointed out that contractors’ profit margins are factored into price quotations for tender contracts.

He explained that in the past, the practice of giving contractors the 30% mark-up was due to the inherent risk of doing business with the state govern-ment.

“Sometimes the company will only receive payments very late, so they need to charge more for the late collection [of money owed them],” Khalid explained.

However, Khalid said the 30% mar-gin was too high, and added that the public was not getting their money’s worth from state government spending.

He said the decision was reached after meeting with the state economic plan-ning department, executive council, and various department heads.

“The decision will be [made] notified [through] state circulars as soon as pos-sible,” Khalid said during a press confer-ence at Holiday Villa here.

He said among the departments that will be notified earliest possible are the state Public Works Department and other departments that tender the most contracts.

Earlier, during the opening speech, Khalid said the two-day budget dia-logue will address the needs and con-cerns of both private investors and public welfare.

“We will discuss economic scenarios, about balancing growth and public spending,” he concluded.

Contractors’ profits to be reduced

Extra power means more incomeSHAH ALAM: Ratepayers should get ready to cash in on generating their own energy and selling the excess back to energy distributors.

The Renewable Energy bill, which was passed in Parliament in April, allows premises to generate power from renewable sources and sell the electricity back to Tenaga Nasional (TNB) for extra income.

“Households can apply for an account with a special meter and connect it to solar photovoltaic generators to generate renewable electricity and sell it to utility com-panies at a premium,” said Ahmad Hadri Haris on Tuesday.

Two meters will record the electricity used and the power that households have generated respec-tively.

The Feed-in Tariff (FIT) allows individual consumers or compa-

nies to generate renewable electric-ity and sell it to utilities at a pre-mium price for a fixed period of time, likely to be 20 years.

This is to enable those who opt to sell renewable energy to regain the capital investment to instal renewable energy generators.

Hadri, who graduated from University of Manchester, is chief technical adviser for renewable energy at the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water.

Solar panels are the most com-mon and easiest to instal at homes and business premises.

It costs around RM25,000 to RM30,000 to install one unit of solar panel to generate 1 to 1.5 kW of power. The average usage of a semi-detached house is about 2 kW.

Hadri pointed out that a home that has spent RM90,000 to install solar panels to generate 600 kWh a month will break even in around

eight years.He acknowledged that the tech-

nology is still too costly for most people, and pointed out that solar panel producers cannot lower their prices because demand is low and remains low because prices are still too high for consumers.

Hadri hopes Selangor will lead the adoption of green technology by installing solar panels en masse in government and local govern-ment buildings.

He briefed state executive coun-

cillor Elizabeth Wong on the FIT during a discussion on renewable energy at the 2012 Selangor Budget dialogue.

Wong, who holds the Con-sumer Affairs and Environment portfolio, said residents’ associa-tions could apply for FIT accounts and combine the power generation to sell to TNB.

However, she did not disclose what incentives the state government would give to residents to spur the adoption of green technology.

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim speaking at the 2012 budget dialogue.

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ July 1 – 3, 2011 ⁄ 5 12 UTAMA

Selangorkini 1 - 8 Julai 2011

Skim pemilikan tanah kerajaan untuk bangunan kediaman persendirianBerkuatkuasa mulai 1 Jun 2011

lMemberikan hak milik kepada individu yang telah lama menduduki tanah kerajaan secara haram;

lMelanjutkan hak milik tanah individu yang telah luput tempoh pajakan dengan pengenaan premium yang mam-pu dijelaskan;

lMemutihkan hak milik individu yang telah melanggar syarat kegunaan tanah; dan

lMenyeragamkan pengenaan premium kepada semua rak-yat negeri Selangor tanpa mengira kawasan dan lokasi ta-nah tersebut berada.

lMenyelesaikan permasalahan orang ramai ber-kaitan ketidakmampuan menjelaskan bayaran pre-mium tanah;

lMemberi peluang kepada rakyat negeri Selangor membuat pilihan untuk menentukan kaedah pem-bayaran premium mengikut kemampuan masing-masing; dan

lMembantu kerajaan negeri menyelesaikan isu pen-dudukan setinggan di atas tanah kerajaan

Syarat-Syarat tanah yang Dipohon

pemberimilikan

Tanah kerajaan yang telah lama diduduki/didiami.

Pemohon yang berke-layakan seperti yang dijelaskan di dalam Seksyen 43, KTN

perlanjutan tempoh pajakan

Tanah hak milik pejabat pendaftaran atau hak milik pejabat tanah;

Permohonan oleh pemilik berdaftar atau waris pemi-lik berdaftar sahaja;

Masih dalam tempoh atau telah luput tempoh paja-kan;

Kaedah pembayaran ini hanya ter-pakai kepada hak milik tanah individu sahaja.

Hak milik tanah individu bermak-sud hak milik yang dimiliki oleh nama-nama individu sama ada perseorangan atau berkumpulan dan bukan berupa syarikat, persatuan atau kelab.

Kaedah pembayaran kedua tidak akan terpakai sekiranya membuat pindah mi-lik kasih sayang atau melalui perintah

Kaedah Bayaran Premiun

1Bayaran secara sekali gus dalam tempoh masa yang ditetapkan dengan pemberian 30% diskaun

daripada premium yang dikenakan pe-ngiraan berdasarkan Formula Bayaran

AtAu(IndIvIdu SAHAJA)

2Bayaran premium nominal RM1,000 bagi setiap hak milik-dan bayaran tanah pada kadar

Formula Bayaran apabila tanah terse-but hendak dipindah milik melalui proses jual beli atau permohonan me-ngubah kategori atau syarat nyata tanah yang lebih tinggi seperti ban-gunan perniagaandan industri. Hak milik akan dikenakan sekatan ke-pentingan tambahan. Pemilik tanah hendaklah menjelaskan bayaran khas tanah berdasarkan Formula Bayaran sebelum apa-apa urusan pindah milik melalui kaedah jual beli atau permo-honan mengubah kategori dan syarat nyata tanah baru didaftarkan.

Tempoh Bayaran Premium1.Dibayar dalam tempoh enam (6) bulan

dari tarikh Borang 5A diterima.2.Tiada tempoh lanjutan dibenarkan.

Pemohon dikehendaki mengemuka-kan permohonan baru kepada Pen-tadbir Tanah Daerah (PTD) sekiranya tempoh Notis Borang 5A telah luput

Contoh pengiraan

andaian

Nilaian Tanah = RM400/m2atau RM37.15/k2

Tempoh Pajakan = 99 tahun

Luas = 4,000k2 atau 371.61m2

Jenispermohonan

Pemberi-milikantanah

kerajaan

Pelanjutan tempoh pajakan

Pelanjutantempohpajakan

Luputtempohpajakan

perubahanKategori?

Ya

Tidak

Dalamtempohpajakan?

Ya

Ya

Luput

Daripada

Kategori

Pertanian/Bangunan/ Industri

Bangunan

Syaratnyata

Pertanian/Bangunan/ Industri

Bangunan Kediaman

Kepada

Kategori

Bangunan

Bangunan/

Bangunan

Bangunan

Syaratnyata

Bangunan Kediaman

Bangunan Kediaman

Bangunan Kediaman

Bangunan Kediaman

Kadar (Formula Bayaran)

a = (¼ x 1/100 x nilaian tanah yang diluluskan

x Luas)

A x Tempoh Pajakan

A x Tempoh Pajakan

Ax Tempoh Pajakan - Baki Pajakan

A x Tempoh Pajakan + [Premium Khas iaitu (RM200 x setiap tahun kelewatan) + (Cukai Tahunan x Tempoh lama mengusaha)]

KaDar Bayaranpermohonan

penurunan kuasa mengikut Akta Harta Pesaka Kecil 1955 atau Probate and Ad-ministration Act 1959. Sekatan kepen-tingan tersebut akan terus berkuat kuasa sehingga berlakunya urusan jual beli.

Pindah milik kasih sayang bermaksud

pemberian secara kasih sayang daripada individu kepada individu lain yang mem-punyai hubungan perkahwinan (suami/ isteri) atau pertalian darah (ibu/ bapa/ datuk/ nenek/ adik-beradik/ anak-anak/ anak tiri).

Jenis permohonan

Pemberi milikan untuk tujuan bangunan kediaman dan Perlanjutan Tempoh Pajakan (Dalam Tempoh Pajakan)–Perubahan kategori dan syarat nyata kepada bangunan kediaman

Perlanjutan Tempoh Pajakan – Dalam Tempoh Pajakan

Andaian:• Baki Tempoh Pajakan = 30 tahun

Luput Tempoh PajakanAndaian:•Cukai Tahunan = RM120•Premium Khas Kelewatan = RM200•Berapa lama luput = 2 tahun•Tempoh lama mengusaha = 2 tahun

pengiraan

¼ x 1/100 x nilaian tanah yang diluluskan x 99 tahun x luas= 0.25 x 0.01 x RM400.00 x 99 tahun x 371.61m2=RM99.00 x 371.61m2Jumlah perlu dibayar = rM36,789.40

¼ x 1/100 x nilaian tanah yang diluluskan x (99 tahun – baki tempoh pajakan)x luas= 0.25x0.01 x RM400.00 x (99 tahun–30 tahun) x 371.61m2= RM69.00 x 371.61m2Jumlah perlu dibayar = rM25,641.10

¼ x 1/100 x nilaian tanah yang diluluskan x 99 tahun x luas + [premium khas iaitu (RM200.00 x setiap tahun kelewat-an) + (cukai tahunan x tempoh lama mengusaha)]=[0.25x0.01 x RM400.00 x 99 tahun x 371.61m 2 + [(RM200.00 x lewat memohon 2 tahun) + (cukai tahu-nan RM120.00 setahun x 2 tahun)]= RM36,789.40 + RM400.00 + RM240.00Jumlah perlu dibayar = rM37,429.40

oBJeKtiFraSionaL

6 July 1 — 3, 2011

News

Making a point with yellow By Brenda Ch’ng

SHAH ALAM: Dark suits were traded for Bersih t-shirts, yellow ties and even headscarves by councillors attending full board meetings of the city and local councils in Selangor on Wednesday.

The extraordinary move by councillors was to demonstrate support for the non-governmental organisation seeking along with electoral reform.

In Subang, 24 councillors took several min-utes before the start of the Subang Jaya Mu-nicipal Council (MPSJ) full board meeting to pass a resolution so that they could wear the now outlawed yellow Bersih t-shirts during the meeting.

Similarly at the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) full board meeting, all the local council-lors decided to don yellow to stand in solidarity with the Bersih activists.

While the men came in yellow ties, the women councillors donned yellow headscarves and yellow ribbons.

In Kajang and Ampang, councillors also wore

Council seeks chemical for sticker removal

MPSJ offers RM10 flat rate for parking arrears

SUBANG JAYA: Residents are getting a last chance for settling all parking summonses issued by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) at a re-duced rate of RM10 from July 1 to Aug 31.

“Do it now while the offer lasts to avoid paying so much more,” said MPSJ president Asmawi Kasbi.

He is urging everyone to take advantage of this Flat Rate campaign and clear off their summonses dating back to 1999.

To date, the council has a record of 1,278,388 uncleared summonses, which add up to a massive RM100,478,670 million worth of revenue.

“We are organising this one-off flat rate campaign to help MPSJ recover its loses and to reduce the summons record in our system,” he said during the council’s full board meeting.

However, this flat rate does not apply to sum-monses issued for heavy vehicles which park ille-gally in residential areas.

It is also not applicable to uncollected old cars

that are left by the roadsides or in residential areas.From Sept 1, a new campaign called The More

You Delay, The More You Pay will be launched, fol-lowing the Flat Rate campaign.

This programme will see that lawbreakers pay more the longer they delay paying off their sum-monses.

For the first two weeks, summonses will be re-duced to RM20 and will increase to RM30 if paid in the third or fourth weeks.

Any further delay into the following month will cost RM50, and RM80 after two months.

SUBANG JAYA: The Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) is search-ing for an effective way to remove illegal loanshark or Ah Long stickers.

“I hope we can be the first council to introduce a new method to remove il-legal stickers and stop it al-together in the future,” said council president Datuk Asmawi Kasbi during the council’s full board meeting.

Currently, the MPSJ Engineering Department is experimenting with mul-tiple chemicals to find the best one that is not only effective but cost-saving.

They are also experi-menting on a special con-coction of paint that will prevent stickers from get-ting stuck onto public fa-cilities.

This paint will be used to refurbish signboards and facilities after the chemical is used to scrape

Libraries should be free, says councillor

the Bersih t-shirts for the duration of their full board meetings.

The scene was similar at the Pet-aling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) full board meeting, which was also held on Wednesday.

At the Selayang Municipal Council full board meeting, coun-cillors used yellow-coloured files to show their support for the electoral reform movement.

However, in the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) meeting, which was held on Tuesday, none of the councillors turned up in yellow.

Police raided Bersih’s makeshift operations centre, located at Em-power’s office in Section 4, Petaling Jaya, on Wednesday afternoon and confiscated Bersih materials and detained seven activists.

SUBANG JAYA: Despite the reduction of council library fees from RM37 to RM17, the lower-income group still finds it expen-sive.

“I believe the council should not charge any fee, just like the national library,” said councillor R Rajiv dur-ing the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) full board meeting.

Rajiv said abolishing fees would encourage more people to visit li-braries.

Currently, MPSJ’s three libraries are located in Subang Jaya, Puchong and Seri Kembangan.

According to him, there is mini-mal traffic flow in MPSJ libraries, and the council should look into making them free so that everyone can make full use of them without incurring any cost.

However, MPSJ president Datuk Asmawi Kasbi is not keen on the proposal as the fee reduction had just been approved.

“We’ve just reduced the library fee. Let’s see where this takes us before we start doing another study to abolish all fees,” he said.

Asmawi explained that fees help the council to maintain the libraries.

Councillors of the Selayang Municipal Council (top left); Subang Jaya Municipal Council (bottom left); Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (centre); Petaling Jaya City Council (top right); and Kajang Municipal Council (bottom right) at their full board meetings.

Selangor commits to improve quality of lifeBy Alvin Yap

SUBANG JAYA: The state is proposing to allocated RM700 million of its 2012 budget of RM1.5 billion for welfare spending.

The Menteri Besar said the various state executive councils have notified him of the proposed welfare programmes they intend to carry out next year.

“The state executive councillors have approached me to ask for funding for various projects they want to carry out,” Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim announced at the 2012 Selangor budget dialog ue on Monday.

His administration is committed to using part of the allocation to fund existing microcredit loans for the rural and urban poor.

It will increase the budget for the fledgling microcredit scheme to RM70 million.

The state government aims to reduce the income gap between the lower- and higher-income group, he said.

Khalid said the annual dialogue is an opportunity for the state administration to hear proposals from academicians, the private sector, and non-g overnment organisations on the public spending options available.

The welfare spending will also address environmental, transporta-tion and energy-saving issues in local governments.

Khalid said the state would spend the allocation to provide better amenities and services in the various councils and municipalities.

Among the initiatives currently in place or at the planning stage are the Affordable Housing scheme, free intra-state bus service, and recycling bins for every household.

“We want to increase ratepayers’ quality of life,” Khalid said.

Other initiatives include setting up infrastructure for broadband internet access.

The annual dialogue is the third since the Pakatan Rakyat formed state government following the March 2008 general election.

and the department might need more time to decide on the right one.

However, he is urging the depart-ment to work faster so that the local council can start their Ah Long sticker removal pilot project, and that other councils may follow suit if it succeeds. 

Meanwhile, MPSJ is working with agencies to discontinue mobile numbers plastered on the illegal stickers.

From September 2009 to January 2011, MPSJ has sent in 1,397 mo-bile numbers to be discontinued by the respective phone companies. However, only 125 numbers were successfully discontinued.

The council is working on ter-minating the remaining numbers urgently.

From January to June this year, the council sent in another batch of 480 mobile numbers to be dis-continued.

the stickers off.Asmawi said there are numerous

options and chemicals to explore,

7July 1 — 3, 2011

news

SHAH ALAM: The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) has yet to receive any new directive from the state regarding the takeo-ver of cleaning duties.

“We’re ready to take over,” said Shah Alam mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan, adding that the city council is hiring additional staff and buying equipment to facilitate the takeover.

Waste management concessionaire Alam Flora had filed a judicial review and obtained a stay order against the state last month to stop the handing over of cleaning duties back to local councils.

Mohd Jaafar said there are currently 163

cleaning contractors within Shah Alam, and if the takeover goes ahead, the city council is expected to take over 15% to 20% of the duties.

“We’ll outsource the rest to contractors as we don’t have the capacity [yet] to handle 100% of the cleaning jobs,” he added.

Selangor’s decision to hand over the cleaning duties back to local councils is ex-pected to help the state save up to RM20 million.

Local councils used to handle their own cleanliness and maintenance tasks before waste management was privatised and cen-tralised in 1998.

SHAH ALAM: The city council (MBSA) is giving out 10 iPad2 in a bid to encourage more ratepayers to pay their assessment on time and clear their arrears.

“Owners who have paid their assessment for the second half of the year and do not have any outstanding taxes by Aug 31 will qualify for the lucky draw,” said MBSA public relations assistant officer Zaidah Zakaria.

The campaign is a joint effort between MBSA and Bank Muamalat.The public can check and pay their assessment online via www.mbsa.

gov.my/cukai.

SHAH ALAM: The city council (MBSA) will name and shame traffic offenders with outstanding com-pounds in the media and its website starting this month.

More than 1,000 offenders’ names and their vehicle numbers will be published in major newspapers.

“These are stubborn offenders who have refused to settle their fines despite the many chances given by MBSA,” said its public relations assistant officer Zaidah Zakaria.

Zaidah advised these offenders to settle their com-pounds as soon as possible.

“Once the list is published, they must make the pay-ment within 14 days or MBSA will take them to court,” said Zaidah.

The public can pay their compounds online at www.mbsa.gov.my via Maybank, Hong Leong Bank, CIMB, Public Bank, RHB Bank and Bank Islam, or visit MBSA counters in Shah Alam.

MBSA ready to take over Alam Flora’s cleaning duties

Pay your assessment and win an iPad2

Traffic offenders will find names in newspapers

MBSA councillors at their full board meeting.

8 July 1 — 3, 2011

NEWS

By Alvin Yap

PETALING JAYA: The mayor will present a detailed report on the operations of PJ Palms Sports Centre to the Selangor Economic Action Council.

The report by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) will include the refurbishment work and operations at the former Kelab Syabas.

“We will present the report to the Menteri Besar and state executive councillors soon,” Roslan Sakiman said on Wednesday after the council’s full board meeting

The move follows complaints from Bukit Gas-ing assemblyperson Edward Lee that the private operator, Sepang Mekar, has been given a lease of RM15,000 per month for the 60,000 sq ft area.

Lee said it was unfair for Sepang Mekar to make its sub-tenants fork out triple the rent they used to pay to the previous operator.

PJ Palms is within Lee’s state constituency, and sub-tenants have complained to him that they are paying high rental rates.

Two traders, Waikiki Bar, a pub, and a barber-shop called Barber Joe claim that the new man-agement’s policy of charging RM4.50 per sq ft rental space has caused a threefold increase

in rental.Waikiki Bar has to pay over RM19,000

instead of the usual RM5,000, and Barber Joe, which used to pay RM500 monthly, now has to pay RM1,800.

Roslan said MBPJ would review the lease rates to Sepang Mekar every three years.

“We will likely increase the monthly rates then,” he said at a press conference.

He pointed out that Sepang Mekar had given the sub-tenants rental discounts.

Roslan said Sepang Mekar was spending RM4.2 million to renovate and refurbish PJ Palms.

He said the previous operator operated a slot-machine gambling business and neglect-ed the olympic-sized swimming pool.

A comprehensive audit report on the finances and work carried out by Sepang Mekar will be presented at a later date, he said.

Councillor Derek Fernandez said the club was in disrepair, adding that MBPJ had at one point planned to demolish the 30-year-old club, which was turning into an eyesore in New Town.

Report on PJ Palms to be handed to state

By Basil Foo

AMPANG: Fed-up residents who want action against a hostel converted from a four-story shop lot in Kampung Baru Ampang have found no solution despite appeals to authorities.

“We have been complaining since two years ago, but we have not received a solution from the Ampang Jaya Munici-pal Council (MPAJ),” said 65-year-old businessperson Lew Pin.

He said the shop lot, called Bina Kott, was the cause of daily traffic congestion due to buses ferrying the factory workers to and from work several times a day.

Lew, a resident of Sunrise Park Apartments next to Bina Kott, said the buses also pose a danger to pedestrians and students of two primary schools nearby.

“The buses are so big that they can’t see them (the schoolchildren),” he said.

Sunrise Park resident A Kumaresan also raised the issue of an eyesore caused

by rubbish being thrown out of the shop lot windows.

Meeting residents after MPAJ’s full board meeting on Wednesday was coun-cillor Tan Hua Meng, who said he has raised this issue with the council before.

However, he was told by various de-partments that there was no law that could be taken against the converted shop lot, which houses about 400 work-ers from a nearby factory.

“I was told that the shop lot was under an individual rental agreement, so there is no law to tackle this,” he said.

The management of the hostel has appealed to MPAJ for the premises to be for residential use. But Tan pointed out that even the Fire and Rescue Depart-ment has deemed the premises unsuita-ble for a hostel.

Tan said since MPAJ could not ad-dress this issue, he has assisted residents by sending a letter of appeal to the state secretariat in April. They are still awaiting a response.

Residents given runaround over illegal hostel

(From left) Resident S Yogambiai, Kumaresan, Tan, and Lew holding a copy of the appeal letter sent to the state secretariat.

AMPANG: The annual Ampang Residents Committee ( JKP) Sports Carnival from July 2 to 17 is expected to foster greater community spirit in the municipality.

“Since its inception in 2008, the carnival has attracted participants from all 24 JKP zones. We expect the same this year,” said MPAJ Youth and Sports Department administrative officer Hazliza Kamarulzaman.

The Sports Carnival’s indoor games – bad-minton, ping-pong, carom, darts, chess, and dam aji – will be held on July 2 and 3.

With the exception of badminton, which will be held in the Pandan Indah Municipal Hall, the indoor games will be held in the MPAJ tower.

Outdoor games, which include sepak takraw, basketball, football, 10-pin bowling and petanque, will be held on July 16 and 17 at the Pandan Indah Municipal Field.

“All the sporting events will be held as competitions to motivate participants to strive harder for trophies and prize money,” said Hazliza.

She said the various JKP will compete with each other for points. The winner for each sport will receive 5 points; 3 points for second place; and 1 point for third and fourth.

The JKP which emerges with the highest points will be deemed overall champion of the carnival and will win RM2,000.

“The carnival’s officiating ceremony will be held on July 16, where there will be telematch-es, colouring contests for children, and food stalls,” she said.

There will also be fencing , kabaddi and petanque demonstrations on the same day.

The sports events are only open to Ampang residents. Those interested to register are en-couraged to sign up with their local JKP.

Sports carnival to unite residents

AMPANG: The Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) has set up assessment tax coun-ters in several hypermarkets for the convenience of residents here.

“MPAJ assessment tax counters have been set up in supermarkets Tesco Ampang and Carrefour Ampang, and at Ampang Point shopping mall,” said Datuk Mohammad Yacob.

The MPAJ president, speaking to the press after the council’s full board meeting on Wednes-day, said the counters were to make dealings with the council more efficient.

He said the counters have been set up since June 13 and will remain open until Aug 15 from 6pm to 9pm on working days and 12pm to 9pm on weekends and public holidays.

“This convenience has been provided by MPAJ for years. The booths are set up in the beginning and middle of the year,” said MPAJ

councillor Dorothy Cheong.She added that this round of booths were for

assessment tax payment for the second half of the year, which is due by Aug 31.

Assessment payments made easy

Datuk Mohammad Yacob

By Brenda Ch’ng

KLANG: The Klang Municipal Council (MPK) will bear all costs for the replacement of stolen streetlight chokes, which left the Klang Town flyover in darkness for weeks.

“More then three quarters of the streetlight chokes are missing, and it will cost RM150 to replace each,” said MPK secretary Mohd Ikhsan Mukri.

The Klang Town flyover is currently main-tained by the contractor that built the bridge, who is, however, refusing to pay for acts of van-

dalism, forcing MPK to step in.   The contractor only covers maintenance of

faulty facilities, and their contract ends in Febru-ary next year. 

However, Mohd Ikhsan said the maintenance cost of the flyover is too high for the council to bear, and they will be handing it over to the Public Works Department.

“In the meantime, we will have to bear the costs of replacing chokes, plus other damages that are not covered by the contractor’s warranty guidelines until it is handed over,” he said at the MPK’s monthly full board meeting.

MPK to ensure lights on bridge

PJ Palms.

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ July 1 – 3, 2010 ⁄ 9

News

Lights out for old guidelines

Councillors: Act against unlicensed event

By Brenda Ch’ng

KLANG: The Klang Municipal Council’s (MPK) unilateral decision to change guidelines on light-emitting diode (LED) lamps for all streetlights came under fire from councillors at a full board meeting on Monday.

MPK’s guideline previously made it compulsory for all contractors to install the cost-saving LED street-lights in all residential areas, but this has been amend-ed to “encourage”.

The amendment was made based on the previous meeting with the Public Works Department ( JKR),” said MPK secretary Mohd Ikhsan Mukri.

JKR insists the maintenance of LED lights is too high, contrary to claims that the lights last longer, re-duce cost and are 50 to 60% more efficient than normal bulbs.

“JKR says LED lights are not money or energy savers, so they shouldn’t be used,” said MPK Engineering De-partment deputy director Zamri Othman.

But Zamri’s explanation has failed to satisfy council-lors, who insist that the original guidelines be restored.

Their objection will be raised at next month’s meet-ing of MPK’s One-Stop Centre.

Proper lots for hawkersKLANG: The Klang Municipal Council (MPK) hopes properly designated lots drawn in yellow will help ease longstanding complaints against morning traders at Taman Chi Liung.

“We want to ensure all vendors are licensed and only trade in their allocated lots to avoid misunderstanding,” said MPK Licensing Department assistant director Nurul Huda Baharom.

She told the council during its full board meeting that the move would enable MPK to monitor traders who have been accused of causing traffic congestion and dirtying the neighbourhood.

Roslan

KLANG: The Klang Munici-pal Council’s (MPK) failure to act against organisers of an unlicensed event at Klang Central raised eyebrows dur-ing the council’s full board meeting on Monday.

The organisers have accu-mulated rental arrears amount-ing to RM63,000.

“ Why is the unlicensed event still allowed to go on even though the organisers don’t have a permit and have not paid the licensing fees?” MPK councillor Nor’ain Eu-soff.

MPK’s Licensing Depart-ment assistant director Nurul Hada Baharom said the com-pany had been given numerous warnings to stop operating.

She explained that the com-pany did apply for a licence which was approved, but failed to pay the fee for a permit.

Councillors urged the En-forcement Department to close down the function.

Mayor refutes accusations of foot dragging by councilBy Alvin Yap

PETALING JAYA: The mayor has refuted criticism that the council is dragging its feet to repair a collapsed retaining wall of a condo-m i n i u m a l o n g S u n g a i Penchala here.

Datuk Roslan Sakiman said the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) financial board had to wait for the Selangor Economic Action Council to vet and approve a shortlist of engineers to repair the collapsed wall at Ken Damasara 3 Condo -minium in SS2 here.

“We had to look closely at the fees the engineers were asking for,” Roslan said after a full board meeting here on Wednesday.

He said the bill to repair

and strengthen the retaining wall, which had collapsed into the river, would cost RM1.28 million.

Work is slated to start on Thursday, three months after the retaining wall collapsed, and will take three months to complete.

A 32-metre length of the wall started to crack late last year, exacerbated by the fast-moving Sungai Penchala which had eroded the soil at the base of the retaining wall, and collapsed in late April this year.

Roslan said the developers of the condominium should have borne the cost of repair-ing the wall.

They had refused to ac-cept responsibility, but con-ceded after negotiations to being billed for the construc-

tion costs, which MBPJ will pay first.

Earlier during the full board me eting , counci l lor Ma k Khuin Weng blasted MBPJ for being slow in responding to the situation.

“Why does it take more than two months to engage a con-tractor?” he asked Roslan.

Mak said the collapsed wall posed a threat to the 200 resi-dents at Ken 3 Damansara condominium.

He also claimed that his re-quest for the building plans for Ken 3 Damansara condomini-um had been ignored by coun-cil staff.

Mak claimed that the ap-proved building plans stipu-lated 18 storeys, but another two floors had been included without approval.

Roslan has instructed both the engineering and planning departments respectively to verify if the additional floors were approved.

10 JULY 1 — 3, 2011

NEWS

By Brenda Ch’ng

PETALING JAYA: A competition to get communities to recycle their used cooking oil for biodiesel is under way to promote a sustainable green environment in the city.

This competition, starting July 9-Aug 12, will be the first phase of the project targeted at staff of the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), school students and neighbourhoods. 

The second phase of this project will be long-term, aimed at individual households and restaurant operators around PJ.

“We hope this competition will act as an awareness pro-gramme to educate all restaurants and house owners to recycle used cooking oil the proper way,” said MBPJ deputy mayor Puasa Md Taib.

While prizes for the competition have yet to be determined, Puasa hopes the move will curb the illegal dumping of oil into drains.

He said the effort will also put a stop to the unscrupulous who buy used oil for RM 3 per litre before mixing it together with new oil and reselling it to the public for consumption. 

For the competition, residents are encouraged to dispose used cooking oil into containers which will be provided by CGV Industries Sdn Bhd, a company specialising in the col-lection of used cooking oil.

These containers will be given to all participating schools, residents associations (RA) and MBPJ departments to be placed at a central location. The barrels will be collected daily by CGV lorries and sent to Sime Darby for processing into biodiesel.

“We will pay the public RM1.20 per litre of oil disposed to help encourage more people to see this as a rewarding project,”

said CGV managing di-rector Cha Guang Voon.

Cha said there are cur-rently 200 containers available for the project, which will be given out for free to all participat-ing schools and RAs.

The containers come in four different sizes: 25kg, 50kg, 100kg and 200kg.

“Our aim is to get the community involved in recycling oil and to create an awareness that convert-ing oil into biodiesel can help preserve the environ-ment for generations to come,” said Cha.

On an average basis, one household can accumulate up to minimum 1.5 litres of oil every month. Imagine what would happen to the environ-ment when a whole neighbourhood of 500 houses disposes oil into their back-alley drains daily.

Already agreeing to participate is the RA of Taman Gasing Indah, which has 450 houses in the area.

“We will be needing the biggest container due to the num-ber of residents and restaurants in my area,” said Taman Gasing Indah RA vice-president Eric Chew.

Chew is already in the midst of educating \residents about the benefits of this project by writing about it on the com-

munity blog and giving out flyers and sending e-mails.To date, 13 schools and 10 RAs have already registered to

participate, along with the 13 departments in MBPJ.Other schools and RAs in Petaling Jaya are encouraged to

apply with MBPJ by the end of the month. Those interested in learning more about the benefits of

biodiesel and how it is converted can visit IKEA Mutiara Da-mansara for the launch of the programme on July 23 from 10am.

There will be demonstrations by Sime Darby on how oil is converted, along with other environmental exhibitions.

The recycling project event will be launched by executive councillor for environment Elizabeth Wong.

Competition to promote biodiesel

School, RA and MBPJ representatives with the containers for disposing used cooking oil.

By Alvin Yap

PETALING JAYA: Human rights lawyer Latheefa Koya was selected as one of the 24 city councillors here because of her professional background.

The first-term councillor is now in her 10th year practising public interest law, which includes migrant, refugee and criminal cases.

“While I am a political appointee, I was also chosen because people recognise that councillors should be well-versed in legislative and development policies,” Latheefa says.

She is responsible for parts of Old Town here, in-cluding Sections 1, 1A, 3, 4 and 18.

As the area has been settled since the early 1950s, the infrastructure, especially drainage, is in need of replacement.

She points out that residents in the area approach issues with a sense of urgency and want their grouses to be solved immediately.

She understands their concerns, as some issues have been outstanding since 15 years ago.

Latheefa says ratepayers now have better access to Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) policies, claiming that the latter has been more transparent since the Pakatan Rakyat coalition formed the state government.

“Residents are empowered nowadays, and they work closely with residents associations and their re-spective councillors to get information,” she explains.

She says the practice of ratepayers making com-plaints through their state assemblypersons and even the Menteri Besar’s office is over.

She says councillors and MBPJ will try to channel complaints to other authorities like the Public Works Department, the state, or other concessionaires.

Latheefa believes that communities should run their own programmes, and their agendas should

not be dictated by any level of government.

She feels that residents should d e c i d e o n th e community pro-g r a m m e s a n d activities the y want to hold.

M B P J , s h e says, will provide the material and logistics support like providing tents, chairs and other equipment.

Latheefa, an adviser to Lawyers for Liberty, a pro bono public interest group of legal practitioners, sits on various committees of the local council.

She is on the Audit, Corporate and Good Govern-ance Committee, as well as the Health and Licensing Enforcement Committee.

She also sits on the Sustainable Development Committee, as well as the One Stop Centre com-mittee that deliberates on approving development projects in the city.

She is the chairperson of the Committee on Hy-giene and Cleanliness, which oversees the hygiene standards of food service outlets in Petaling Jaya.

The work of a local councillor, while categorised as part-time, is in practice a 24-hour job.

“The city never sleeps, issues don’t sleep or take a back seat when we are on the job,” she explains.

She salutes her peers in the council and wants to learn from their own experiences as decision-makers in MBPJ.

“We are all from various walks of life, and we are increasingly exposed to different ideas on how to make Petaling Jaya a better place to live and work in,” she concludes.

Know your councillor: Latheefa Koya

AMPANG: Residents whose homes incurred cracks due to development in Taman Melur have secured assurance that the damage will be fixed.

“I’ve met with developers and they have agreed to fix all houses af-fected,” said the Teratai assemblyperson Jenice Lee last Friday.

Cracks began to appear on the walls of the homes after digging and construction work began on the project in the neighbourhood.

Lee said owners of nine houses have so far complained, but there could be others who have yet to come forward.

She said it was hard to identify other houses that might have been damaged because the owners are not allowing developers to enter their premises to conduct checks.

“I hope all house owners on Jalan 35, Taman Melur will cooperate with us so that developers can fix all houses at once,” she said during a site visit on Saturday.

Developers will have to enter the houses to check on the cracks before a date for repairs can be fixed.

Residents can also rest assured that all digging work at the construc-tion site is completed.

Developer to fix damaged homes

Lee on a visit to a home where cracks have appeared on the walls.

11July 1 — 3, 2011

views

A play of lightsTripping Zero 3 Sharyn Shufiyan

A s we turned the corner, bright lights greeted us from a distance. With the dark of the night in the background, shades of red,

blue, green and white burst into view. We were entering a neon forest.

At the entrance, we had to pay RM10, although the ticket said RM5. “It’s a weekend,” said the ticket woman. The lights are switched on for the same duration whether on a weekday or weekend, so paying for electricity must not be the reason behind the price hike.

Regardless, there was a queue. It was a busy weekend at i-City. There were a lot of people out and about – families and friends. It was my first time there. The lights were intoxicating, piercing through my pupils, forcing their way into my retinas. But the spectacle left an unconvincing feel on me. The mash-up of colours seemed gaudy, distasteful.

The accompanying figures of a life-size giraffe and Santa Claus complete with his reindeer seemed disjointed and awkward, as if they were just plonked there. There is no specific theme to this light show – is it winter wonderland, is it Africa, is it supposed to be local with the Chinese lanterns?

Yet none of the other visitors seemed unperturbed. They were happily posing and snapping pictures with the LED-infested trees, coloured shadows cast upon their figures. Those with Instagram would have had a blast.

There is a Tourism Malaysia office at the business centre. I wonder if i-City is meant for tourists or locals, but I would think tourists would not be impressed. The only localised displays would be the Chinese lanterns and peacock designs. It would have been great to have a traditional Malay house with the festive lights just to complete the Ali, Ah Chong and Muthu formula. But instead, the displays were very much foreign.

Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen believes that the “Snow Walk would be a great tourist-puller, especially those from the Middle East, Asean and South India”. Dubai already has Ski Dubai; just north of India is Nepal, which only houses the high-est mountain in the world. And let’s not even talk about Eastern Asia. So who are we really attracting?

To me, i-City seemed utterly pointless. I sarcastically muttered that it was no wonder we want nu-clear energy to power such ostenta-tious displays. i-City is fundamen-tally kitsch, a worthless and preten-tious form of art which largely ap-peals to the masses. Ouch.

Whitney Rugg wrote that kitsch “tends to mimic the effects pro-duced by real sensory experiences, presenting highly charged imagery, language, or music that triggers an automatic, and therefore unreflec-tive, emotional reaction”.

But then I walked around and saw that people were actually having the time of their lives. It was a night outing, and I, for one, have always encouraged people to spend time outside and make use of public spaces rather than being cooped up in malls. So I bit my tongue.

They didn’t care that Santa Claus appears six months prior to Christ-mas; they didn’t care that the exis-tence of dinosaurs contradicts their concept of creation; nor were they bothered that a giraffe stole the show rather than our own Malayan tiger.

The displays were just displays for photo ops. It was a smart move: us-ing light as its main attraction, people get to enjoy the night’s cool air so that they actually do want to venture out.

Thomas Kulka wrote: “If works

of art were judged democratically – that is, according to how many people like them – kitsch would easily defeat all its competitors.” I don’t know how much the visitors to i-City actually consider the dis-plays a work of art, as it seems that for Malaysians, the concept of “art” is still confined within the walls of the National Art Gallery or Petro-nas Art Gallery.

There’s no doubt the magic of i-City lies not in its art form, but in its ability to wow us with a play of colours. But it also goes beyond colours; the displays are representa-

tions of things beyond our reach. Blogger Triplets plus One wrote:

“[S]ince this was the closest we could get to snow, it was okay I guess.” Perhaps we like to see things we do not have, and unlike the art that hangs in solitude on a cold wall somewhere obscure, the displays at i-City are approachable, warm and friendly, and it doesn’t take much for the public to enjoy them.

Only idiots like me would try to comprehend something that doesn’t need comprehension. And maybe we should also adjust our views on art, that art transcends mere aesthet-ics. After all, art, as we have come to know it, is largely a Western concept. And the real prized possession, I think, lies in the human bond among the people who visit such places.

Maafkan kamiI’M not sure if you’ve been follow-ing the news, but earlier in June I was kind of in the news as I had to apologise for some things that I had tweeted in January.

I can’t really talk about the mat-ter because – as my meticulous lawyer advised – I shouldn’t do anything that may jeopardise the settlement. And so I won’t. But what I would like to do is to maybe just go through some thoughts about the idea of saying sorry.

What does it mean for someone to say “I’m sorry”? What does it take for people to say sorry? And in fact, how does apologising affect the wider society?

First of all, what is an apology? It is, as my laptop’s dictionary puts it, “a regretful acknowledgment of an offence or failure”. I guess we can also see it as an attempt of cor-recting an erroneous stance, posi-tion, or observation by first stating one’s cognizance of said error. It is,

in effect, a confrontation with one’s self, whereby the idea of “the self is the measure of all things” is disputed, challenged, and replaced.

Basically, someone proved you wrong and you’ve accepted it.

But what is the value of an apol-ogy, particularly in our Malaysian context? In these turbulent and interesting times, do apologies re-ally amount to anything more than that feeling of “I’m right and you’re wrong”? Is it about “bragging rights”? Or is there something more to this acknowledgment?

I propose that there is, and that it is virtuous action in the form of accountability, transparency, and responsibility for one’s actions. It is, in my thinking, about integrity and credibility – something that often appears to be in high demand in the high-octane contact sport that is Malaysian politics.

To me, when someone says sorry, that person is taking respon-

sibility for the statement or action that he or she had made. What does “taking responsibility” mean? Perhaps it means that whatever after-effects of that statement or action is attributable to him or her.

This involves another concept which is thought to be rather mythical these days: honour. When you own up to your mis-take(s), you are also saying that you have caused your honour disrepute, and that your honour is an important quality of your self that must be restored.

Okay, maybe that’s a bit roman-tic and too bushido-like (I’m see-ing Japan’s Tepco administrators saying, “We are extremely sorry for the grievances we’ve caused the world due to the Fukushima nucle-ar plant’s near-meltdown”), but I think you get my point: that some things are worth more than any ringgit figure we stamp on it.

And this brings me to my next

point: the act of apologising has many ramifications beyond the act, and this demands consider-ation as much as the idea of the apology itself.

Forcing a person to grovel in public may potentially be damag-ing not just to the person making the apology, but also to those who thought up the act; likewise, let-ting someone off with a gentle slap on the back of the hand leaves little room for thinking about the mis-take that was made.

In this sense, an apology is also about the image that one wants to impart beyond the act itself. “It is not only you, but all of us must learn from this” I think is the key take-away from the act of an apology.

Ultimately, an apology is about justice – as much as it is to those wronged as it is to the wrongdoers. Just remember that while justice should be blind, it should never be without heart.

Kthxbai!Fahmi Fadzil

12 JULY 1 — 3, 2011InsIght

By Danny Lim

Here’s a wild idea: surround an island with barricades from the seabed up, effectively damming the waters around it in order to stop trash from washing ashore, and cultivating freshwater shores that will allow for agriculture.  

That, according to Pulau Ketam village chief Cha Keng Lee, was the ambitious plan that the Selangor state government had in mind for the island 30 years ago. “My friend took the government officials on a boat around the island to make measurements,” he says. “The plan was to be implemented within 10 years. Then people won’t call this place Garbage Island.” 

That loopy, gargantuan plan came to nought. And garbage drifting through the Klang and Langat rivers all the way from Kuala Lumpur and beyond con-tinues to wash up on the coast of the islands that sit just off the Port Klang river mouth.  

Pulau Ketam village, almost entirely perched on wooden stilts, is suspended a few metres above the water level. Beneath the shops and houses of approximately 6,000 residents is where decades worth of imperishable refuse come to rest.  

Plastic bags, styrofoam boxes, glass bottles and rubber tires congeal in a colourful morass that is almost inviting from a distance, like a children’s playpen filled with strange, exotic toys; until, that is, you catch a mild whiff of rot permeating the air. Ah, the funky reek of modern-day detritus. 

It’s why taking out the trash is of utmost concern to Cha, and for many of his predecessors. “We feel this village has been neglected in terms of waste disposal over the years,” Cha laments. “Until just over 10 years ago, we used to dump everything into the sea. This is because we had nowhere else to dispose of it. Please don’t think we are uncivilised people.” 

In 2000, Alam Flora, the concessionaire for solid waste management, was given the contract to collect rubbish and maintain cleanliness in the village. The village’s waste was collected and hauled back to the mainland for proper disposal.  

“But there’s still not enough manpower to take care of the rubbish,” says Cha. “There used to be eight Alam Flora workers, now there’s only six. That’s only six workers to take care of 6,000 people’s rubbish. [Plus] they also have to collect the rubbish from the nearby Sungai Lima village [which is also on the island], which has about 1,000 people.” Cha suggests adding more workers and assigning villagers the responsibility to organise collections.   

Despite the evidence accumulating beneath the homes, Kampung Pulau Ketam today is rather undeserving of its unsavoury nickname. Above the stilts and all along the narrow concrete pavements that serve as the village’s main thoroughfares, the place is clean and well maintained.    

The faint odour is not discernible from that of any other fishing village; cer-tainly it does not distract from all the idyllic charms of a seaside settlement that has survived for over a hundred years. For the village’s saving grace is also its raison d’être: the sea.  

As much as the rivers bring in the trash, it is the powerful sea breeze that washes away the stench, not to mention the haze. On the peninsula, Klang is usu-ally the worst-afflicted place when the haze wafts in from Sumatra’s smouldering peat, and Pulau Ketam bears the brunt of the smoke. “It’s very thick, but it also comes and goes very fast, because the sea wind is very strong,” says Cha.  

“People come here to look at the sea,” says Cha. “Tourists find it cheap and con-venient to come here for a getaway. It’s only RM4.30 by KTM Komuter from KL Sentral to Port Klang. And then it’s half an hour by ferry.” 

They also come here to savour the fresh sea breeze, clean and unpolluted, and the quiet ambience of a village that has banned all motorised forms of transport since 2007. A “traffic jam” here consists of cyclists ringing their bells as they wheel down the concrete pathways between shops and houses. 

In one of those shops is Hong, a 57-year-old shopowner, who enjoys the serenity. “The best thing about this place is the quality of air. And the relation-ship between villagers is very close. We have no worries, no problems. [Where-as] KL is very bad.” 

The difference lies in the surrounding seas that form a natural moat that helps to impede criminal elements and maintain that kind of peace. “No crime, no problems. It’s very safe here,” says Cha.  

“Night and day, we have maritime police and customs doing their rounds. The last time there was any incident was 20 years ago when somebody tried to rob the floating oil gas station. They came in a speedboat and tried to escape with about RM6,000, but they were killed by the police.” 

The number one attraction, though, is the glorious plethora of seafood – every-thing from oysters and prawns, to pomfret, garoupa and threadfin fish. And of course, crabs. 

The village was started by Hainanese fishermen who came to this island to catch

crabs and dock their boats. They found this spot to be the outermost landing for their fishing trips that was also well-protected from the robust tides of the Malacca Straits, their boats safe and unmolested even during the fiercest storms. 

Fishing remains the chief industry of the village, with almost 80% of the villagers being fisherfolk or involved in fish farming, which feed the numerous restaurants around the island. Fresh seafood is also shipped to the mainland, where most of it end up in wet markets as far as Selayang. 

Cha, who has spent all 45 years of his life on this island, was himself a fisherman, as was his father. “I was very happy being a fisherman,” he reflects. “You can catch as many fish as you want, you don’t want to go back also can. You just stay in the sea as long as you want, and catch until your boat is full.”   

The fortunes of Pulau Ketam are thus intimately linked to the fishing industry. “If the fishermen don’t earn enough, they don’t have spending power, and don’t buy clothes,” says Hong.  

In the 1980s, the island had as many as 20,000 people. “But fishing has declined, that’s why the population has shrunk,” says Cha.  

It’s not that the catch has dwindled, he insists, but it has become more dangerous to fish. “We got harassed by the Indonesians when we fish near the borders of In-

donesian waters,” Cha explains.  Thirty-odd years ago, his uncle was caught by Indonesian authorities and taken

to Tanjung Balai, off Singapore, along with his boat. He was only released after a ransom was paid, Cha claims. “Since then, a lot of fishermen have left to fish in other places like Johor or Penang.” 

Hong, who was himself a fisherman until 10 years ago, has a different perspec-tive. “The industry is short of manpower. If you hire Indonesians and take them out to sea, they might get arrested for not being legal workers. The government should be more understanding, and make it easier to hire foreign workers.” 

Surrounded by mangrove swamps, the village has little room to expand or de-velop. Old-timers like Hong are determined to spend their twilight years on the island, but faced with a dwindling population and declining fishing industry, they are pragmatic about the future. 

“I don’t know what will happen to this place,” says Hong. “The population is going to go down. Only the elderly live here. All my children live on the mainland. I wouldn’t encourage them to do fishing. It’s a hard life … the old gets old, the young goes out, while more Indonesians come here to live and work. Who knows, maybe it will turn into an Indonesian island.”

Laidback charm amid the rubbish

Ten-year-old Hua Lien relaxing by the river after school. A “traffic jam” at the village’s busiest street. Locals peeling fresh prawns for the seafood restaurants.

donesian waters,” Cha explains.  Thirty-odd years ago, his uncle was caught by Indonesian authorities and taken

to Tanjung Balai, off Singapore, along with his boat. He was only released after a ransom was paid, Cha claims. “Since then, a lot of fishermen have left to fish in other places like Johor or Penang.” 

Hong, who was himself a fisherman until 10 years ago, has a different perspec-tive. “The industry is short of manpower. If you hire Indonesians and take them out to sea, they might get arrested for not being legal workers. The government should be more understanding, and make it easier to hire foreign workers.” 

Surrounded by mangrove swamps, the village has little room to expand or de-velop. Old-timers like Hong are determined to spend their twilight years on the island, but faced with a dwindling population and declining fishing industry, they are pragmatic about the future. 

“I don’t know what will happen to this place,” says Hong. “The population is going to go down. Only the elderly live here. All my children live on the mainland. I wouldn’t encourage them to do fishing. It’s a hard life … the old gets old, the young goes out, while more Indonesians come here to live and work. Who knows, maybe it will turn into an Indonesian island.”

Laidback charm amid the rubbish

Village founded by Hainanese fisherfolkPULAU Ketam consists of two villages on the island – Kampung Pulau Ketam and Kampung Sungai Lima. Only sea transport links the two villages.

According to PulauKetam.com, three Haina-nese fishermen from Bagan Hainan near Port Klang were the first to arrive on the island to catch crabs. They built huts in the mangrove swamps to stay in. By 1883, the population reached almost a hundred. Later, Chinese Hokkiens and Teo-chews came to the island to earn a living, living in wooden houses.  

World War II saw an influx of people from the mainland seeking safe haven from the Japanese Occupation. This population boom continued in the 50s with the advent of diesel engines and fishing technologies spurring the industry.

The big fires that destroyed about 300 homes in 1967 and 1972 saw the formation of the Vol-unteer Fire Department. In 1991, a new jetty was built and water was piped in from Pulau Indah. Twenty-four-hour electricity supply was only available from 2001 via an underwater cable. Previously it was provided via generators, with daily interruptions.  

The island’s infrastructure includes a post office, a hospital, a Maybank outlet with ATM facilities, three kindergartens, three primary schools, a secondary school, a police station and a surau frequented by a handful of Chinese Muslims.  

Fishing boats docking after a day’s work.

Trash from the Klang river mouth washes up in Pulau Ketam, giving it the unwanted nickname “Garbage Island”.

A Buddhist temple gate, which has the words “Great gain in fishing industry” engraved on it.

More garbage.

Locals peeling fresh prawns for the seafood restaurants. The dwindling youth population spends their free time playing foosball by the street.

The main jetty to the village was built in 1991.

14 JULY 1 — 3, 2011

VIEWS

Is my biggest dream become lawyer. How should I do become good lawyer practise? But no need is famous. Tanks you. @Fengtau_2901, by email

WELL, uh, first up, Mr Fengtau_2901, we’re not sure whether that is a Chinese or Russian accent you’re writing in. But anyway. 

One of the key things that a lawyer requires is a good com-mand of the language of trade. In Malaysia, this means Ba-hasa Malaysia and English. This duality of language use is not a hindrance but rather a necessity, and one that lends its certain charm and flavour to the practice of law.

More importantly, it demonstrates the court’s flexibility and width of accommodation. A good command of the lan-guage facilitates articulating an argument or opinion in a re-ceptive manner. 

The next thing is industry – i.e. diligence, thoroughness and meticulousness in one’s work. This part in truth is the nuts and bolts of lawyering. This is the research or thinking part. This is the part that the television series like Ally McBeal, Boston Legal, etc. don’t really show the layperson.

There is nothing exciting about watching a person pore over the book or type while gazing at a computer screen for hours interrupted only by lunch, toilet or smoke breaks. Real lawyers don’t wear sharp suits or pencil skirts every day, perform mi-raculous and hilarious feats of justice-preserving eloquence in court, and hang out at the bar downstairs laughing their cares away. It is hard work, but a fulfilling profession. 

Intelligence, if applied, will ensure that industry is prop-erly directed and spent. You do not have to be terribly clever to be a lawyer. What is important is that you have a healthy dose of common sense and reasonableness about your approach to problems and have an awareness of the situation. Your job as a lawyer does not entail showing off and doing things that are not in the client’s interest. 

But industry and intelligence are dangerous if corruption guides them. That is why a lawyer must have integrity. By this is meant honesty, accountability, and discretion where necessary. This is very important because as a lawyer it is likely that you would at one time or another act as stakeholders for some legal transac-tion involving important documents or large sums of money. 

Then there is independence. A lawyer must be able to think and work things out for themselves for the most part. They should be independent in thought as well as ethics, in the sense that they cannot be swayed with tempting offers from other parties. It is difficult to trust a lawyer who is not confident in or trusting of his own opinion. 

Finally, all that would be futile if you lack initiative. This means keenness to do things enthusiastically with the right attitude. This means looking forward to challenges, and being

eager to develop oneself. This is the fuel for all the other traits. Regrettably, this trait is especially lacking in many graduates. 

It is sufficient if you are competent, which means you avoid mistakes as much as possible. But there are many more traits that one requires to be a competent lawyer – never mind a good lawyer, which is much more difficult. 

I will be celebrating my 21st birthday soon. Some friends are asking me to register as a voter but I’m not sure why I should vote.

Does it really matter? @StopNagging, via email

ACCORDING to the Election Commis-sion, 15.8 million Malaysian youths are eligible to vote, but only 11.8 million have registered as voters. Out of this, not all will actually vote during elections. 

In the previous general election, 76% of the voter population turned up to vote. In fact, we’re n o t doing too bad when compared with the United King-dom, which sees a declining voter population year after year. However, Indonesia scores higher than us. Hence, it is under-standable when one asks whether voting matters or not. 

Well, it matters in Malaysia. The 2008 political tsunami proves that everyone’s vote does matter. Here are top six rea-sons why you should vote: 

1. You get to shape your future. Twenty years from now, most of the people running the country will not be there (note: the operative word here is “most”). So, why would you let them shape your future, especially if they haven’t been looking out for your interests? 

2. National issues such as economic growth, inflation, budget allocation, education, health, employment, wages, secu-rity, human rights, and environmental policies often affect you

more than you realise. By voting, you’re telling the government who you think is more competent and capable of running the country. By voting, you’re choosing who should represent you. 

3. If you don’t vote, you’re actually saying that you don’t care if you’re being represented by a moron. No amount of teeth gritting, hair pulling and name calling would change the fact that you are more than happy to accept this moron to be your state assemblyperson, member of Parliament or prime minister. You can either choose to lose your teeth and hair by the time you reach your 30th birthday, or you can vote for someone better. 

4. You should vote simply because you can. It hasn’t always been like this for many other people. Malaysians are blessed because we didn’t really have to fight hard to earn the right to vote. This wasn’t the same for countries like the US. Voting in

America started as early as 1776, but for close to a century, only white men with property were allowed to vote. Women could vote only in 1920, and American In-dians in 1924. Women could not vote in the Unite

Kingdom until 1928, France in 1944, and Por-tugal as late as 1975. Your right to vote is not permanent and can be taken away. This happened

in Spain when women could vote from 1931 to 1936, but when it fell under Franco’s regime, women lost their right to vote for the next 40 years. 

5. Voting makes you feel good. In 1960, a documentary about John F Kennedy called The

Primary showed multiple shots of people’s toes curling up while they vote.6. It’s the easiest thing you can ever do for your

country. Really. 

Have a question for Lord Bobo? Call on His Supreme Eminenceness by emailing asklordbobo@loyarburok.com, with your full name and pseudonym (if you want), or tweeting your questions by mentioning @LoyarBurok and using the hashtag #asklordbobo. The first 100 ques-tions published will receive monkey-riffic LoyarBurok merchandise courtesy of Selangor Times.

Ask Lord Bobo is a weekly column by LoyarBurok (www.loyarburok.com) where all your profound,

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

queries are answered!

The qualities of a lawyer, and why vote?

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

The legal geniuses of Boston Legal.

15July 1 — 3, 2011

News

Miracle girl needs assistanceBy Brenda Ch’ng

PORT KLANG: Waking up from her five-month-long coma was a miracle, but  Fatin Farhana, who has part of her skull implanted in her abdomen, needs financial aid to get a fighting chance for full recovery.

The 20-year-old was on a motor-cycle which was involved in an ac-cident with a car when she fell and hit her head on a rock. 

To save her life, doctors at the Sungai Buloh Hospital had to re-move part of her skull and implant it inside her abdomen to keep it viable while swelling in her brain subsides.

Fatin, who is paralysed, is now on a waiting list to surgically reat-tach her skull.

She was discharged from the hospital three weeks ago and is now under the watchful eyes of her older brother and mother in their two-room wooden home in Kam-pung Raja Uda.

“Handling her is hard. I’ve to make sure she is held the right way or it might hurt her stomach a lot because of the implanted skull,” said Norlia Mat.

The 53-year-old single mother of four said she faces daily financial

challenges, in addition to taking care of her daughter.

On a daily basis, Fatin consumes two bottles of special-formula milk powder which costs RM40 each, making it RM80 a day.

Due to her paralysis, she has to be fed via a tube, which is surgi-cally placed, to take the food straight to her stomach.

She has another drainage tube known as the shunt placed between her brain and her abdominal cavity to eliminate internal pressure and drain off fluid. 

The brain fluid will flow to the abdominal cavity where it will be absorbed back into the blood.

To make matters worse, she also suffers from bedsores, which are also known as pressure ulcers, on various parts of her body.

Fatin has to be turned on her sides carefully by her mother and brother to ease blood flow and to relief pressure off her body.

However, friction while chang-ing positions can also cause more tearing to the wound, making bedsores worse.

Property development the way up for Hartanah Selangor

Batavia Demons (in yellow) and majority-female team Nova before their group match on Saturday.

The wounds also have to be tended to frequently with the dress-ing changed and washed properly.

“No one is working in the fam-ily now. Even my oldest son stopped working just to look after her sis-ter,” said Norlia.

She has four children, with the oldest aged 29, the youngest aged 16, and the third aged 18.

Every month, she has to come up with at least RM3,000 just to cater to the needs of her daughter.

She also has unpaid medical bills in the hospital amounting to RM1,000.

To help ease her burden, Klang MP Charles Santiago has pledged to help pay off her hospital bills.

“My office has made a commit-ment to support her and will be giving her RM1,000,” he said last Sunday.

Joining him is Klang local coun-cillor Ismail Arsat, who will be donating RM400 to the family.

“This won’t be the last of it. I will

Bringing back the heyday of inline hockey

By Basil Foo

PETALING JAYA: The girls battled it out with the boys at the third Malaysian Inline Hockey Tournament on June 24 and 25.

During a match on Saturday, fe-male-dominated team Nova from Singapore fought tooth and nail against all-male team Batavia De-mons from Indonesia at the group stage before being knocked out by the boys.

The tournament, held at the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) Arena, saw local and international teams competing against each other.

The tournament was founded and hosted by local inline hockey team Team Underdogs, who aimed to further promote the game.

“The good thing about this sport is that the players are doing it for the growth of the sport,” said Team Un-derdogs captain Craig Matthew Lee.

Lee said the weekend saw teams from Singapore, Indonesia, and Hong Kong bearing their own travel costs to attend the tournament.

He said as there were no cash prizes for the winning teams, the players were in it to help elevate the sport in the Southeast Asian pub-lic’s eye.

“Since 2009 ... we have received a positive response as more new teams join the tournament each year. The RM400 entry fee per team is also considered quite cheap,” he added.

Lee said the tournament was an attempt to bring back inline hockey, which enjoyed a more bustling tour-nament over a decade ago.

He said inline hockey tourna-ments in 1995 managed to attract enrolment from more than 30 teams, from under-12 categories to adults.

“The sport is coming back. It is gaining popularity. Through this tournament, we hope more people will see and join,” Lee said.

International referees certified under the International Roller Sports Federation were present to oversee the games.

The games were executed in a round-robin manner, consisting of 12 minutes per half with two halves

per match.As it was an open tournament,

the teams consisted of both genders and players, whose ages ranged from 14 to 56.

Participating teams consisted of locals Inferno Ice and Under-dogs Selangor; Project Strikers, Piranhas and Nova from Singa-pore; Wild Panthers and Batavia Demons from Indonesia ; team Hong Kong KPCC ; and team International.

First-placed Strikers, second-placed Hong Kong KPCC, third-placed International, and fourth-placed Underdogs were presented trophies by MBPJ mayor Datuk Roslan Sakiman.

Sponsors for the event included Tourism Selangor and Bukit Gasing assemblyperson Edward Lee, who paid for a temporary roof for the competition.

Norlia, Ismail and Santiago (right) with Fatin in the room where the whole family sleeps.

conceptual development plans for Bestari Jaya , but insufficient infrastructure in the area is expected to delay development.

“As long as the infrastructure is not there, even if we build, there will not be any buyers,” said Raja Idris.

He said discussions with the state for installing infrastructure like roads have commenced, and response has been encouraging.

It is learnt that the state has earmarked the Bestari Jaya area for development and has included Hartanah Selangor’s development in its plans.

The 607 hectares to be developed in Pulau Indah come out of the 2,023.4 hectares owned by the company in the area.

“Rather than just houses and industrial units, we are looking at developing resorts and water theme parks,” said Raja Idris.

By Basil Foo

SHAH ALAM: Kumpulan Hartanah Selangor Bhd (Hartanah Selangor) is hoping to turn around its balance sheets and make a profit this year through major projects in the state.

“We are targeting the current year to be profitable for the property arm,” said Hartanah Selangor chairperson Raja Idris Raja Kama-rudin (pic).

Har tana h S elang or i s the property division of Kumpulan Perang sang Selangor Bhd (KPS), of which Raja Idris is also the chair-person.

He spoke to report ers after Harta nah Selan gor’s ninth annual gene ral meeting on Monday, and said he expected a turnaround after a loss of RM35.1 million in 2010. 

He said the company is looking to develop 3.64 hectares of land in Section 14 Petaling Ja ya, and 2,023.4 hectares in Bestari Jaya, Kuala Selangor, including 607 hectares in Pulau Indah.

“We have acquired land in the Section 14 commercial zone. This development should bring in a gross deve lopment value of RM800 million in the next five years,” he said.

Hartanah Selangor’s develop-ment plan for their commercial zone in Petaling Jaya is expected to be launched this year.

This development will consist of shop offices, SOHOs (Small Office, Home Office), office towers, and service apartments.

The company has also looked at

be giving them more money, espe-cially during the coming festive season,” he said.

Ismail will also be helping them apply for welfare funds and look for other means to help them. 

Donations and contributions from the public are welcomed. Those interested, contact Norlia Mat at 010-2998933 or contact the MP’s service centre at 016-6267797 or 03-33232122.

16 July 1 — 3, 2011

NEWs

PETALING JAYA: On top of offering a great variety of restaurants and the PJ Live Arts centre, Jaya One is also now host to three exciting flea markets.

From limited-edition garments and handmade accessories to organic and eco-friendly products, the 3-in-1 market at-tracted hundreds of youths and families as the goods were unique yet competitively priced.

“They want to know what they’re buying is not one of thou-sands of factory line products,” said Charles Wong, who is the executive director of Jaya One developer Tetap Tiara Sdn Bhd.

Now jointly called Markets @ Jaya One, the three markets – Chic Pop Street Market, Crafty Art Market and Bettr Week-ends – were combined for the first time and held at Jaya One last Saturday.

 Fashion, handmade cosmetics and crafts

The Chic Pop Street Market, which focuses on fashion, has around 50 stalls selling clothes, cosmetics and skincare products.

One of the vendors that stood out for Selangor Times was Shelby from Bisou Bonbon, which sells handmade body scrubs, lip balms and other body products.

“I have a passion for bath and body products and have learnt to make them myself,” said Shelby, who is a doctor by profession.

She added that she does not use any artificial fragrance, preservatives or colouring in her products, and usually sells them online through her blog bisourose.blogspot.com.

Another vendor Sal from the Crafty Art Market also sells handmade skincare products such as facial cleanser, toner, serum and face powder using natural ingredients.

“I started making my own products when I began to de-velop sensitive skin at [the age of ] 25 and stopped using com-mercial chemical-based products,” said the homemaker, 30, from PJ.

Sal has been selling her skincare products online through her blog preciousmecares.blogspot.com since two years ago.

There are 30 other interesting stalls in Crafty Art Market, which sell handmade accessories, soaps, notebooks and sta-tioneries, art prints and various handcrafted items.

Melysa Yeap, 26, makes her own jewellery including neck-laces, earrings, rings and jewellery organisers and markets them through www.carbriniceart.com.

“All designs are unique and none has a duplicate,” she told Selangor Times.

Yeap, who is an advertising executive during the day, sells

her items at a reason-able price range from RM5 to RM30.

 Healthy living

Besides fashion and crafts, consumers can also find home-made bakeries, or-ganic and eco-friend-ly products from the 20 stal ls at Bettr Weekends.

Lee Fook Sun, 47, and Simon Rayan, 52, are two free-range farmers Selan-gor Times met at the market.

Lee, who was pre-viously in the financial industry, set up the farm more than three years ago.

“Our chickens are naturally bred. They are only fed with natural food, no antibiotics or growth hormones are used,” said Lee.

He added that the chickens and ducks are given sufficient space to run around, and are fed following the day and night cycle instead of every 24 hours as with commercial farms.

Sick birds are treated with natural herbs as alternative medication, and only under extreme circumstances would they be treated with appropriate veterinary medicine.

The chickens and ducks are priced from RM16 to RM25 per kilo depending on species.

The farmers welcome visitors to their farm and also offer home delivery for their products. They can be contacted at 016-2019621 or www.happyfarmer.webs.com.

Customers are also encouraged to check out the homemade breads and cookies and other stalls.

 Community-driven markets

Market organiser Adrian Yap said 80% of the selected vendors are part-time entrepreneurs who are doing their busi-nesses out of passion for their craft.

“Indirectly, our markets help to support and nurture local entrepreneurship and creative development,” said Yap.

He added that these markets are more per-sonal as customers get to meet the vendors who made the products face-to-face, unlike in shopping malls where customers often have to deal with shopping as-sistants.

Yap added that the vendors are not select-ed based on a first-come-first-served basis but based on their product quality and potential.

“Customers may not see the same vendors at the next mar-ket. This also helps to keep the vendors on their toes,” said Yap.

Markets @ Jaya One is held once every two months from 10am to 6pm on Saturday, and the next is scheduled for Aug 20.

Interested vendors for Chic Pop Street Market can find out more information at www.tonguechic.com, Crafty Art Market at www.etsymalaysia.com and Bettr Weekend at www.bettr.com.my.

Three-in-one flea markets at Jaya One

Flea market in progress.

KEPONG: Families enjoyed an educational and fun day out learning all things about eco-friendly living at Hari Organik last Sunday.

Held at the Tesco Kepong Village Mall, the event hosted around 30 vendors from organic farms and home grocery deliv-eries to health and eco-friendly household products.

Among them, Cottage Farm (www.cottagefarm.com.my) delivers organic groceries to working parents and single people around Klang Valley who have no time to shop.

Its co-founder and marketing manager, Clarissa Chong, said their most popular products among families is the classic cooking package (3kg for four people), which is priced at RM45 per week.

“We plan the meals and always include leafy and non-leafy vegetables, roots, fruits, and a variety of organic food in our package,” Chong told Selangor Times. 

Organic farms like Tito Eco Farm Resort, Vision Eco Farm and Ho Organic Farm were also present to sell their fresh grocer-ies to the public.

The public also had the opportunity to learn about compost-ing and green living through demonstrations on how to recycle your waste into compost and the making of eco-enzyme.

Talks on organic living, food, and recycling of used cooking oil were also held. 

The event was launched by Datin Nafesah Raja Nong Chik Abidin, wife of Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Min-ister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin.

Hari Organik is organised by the Centre for Environment, Technology and Development, Malaysia (Cetdem) every three to four months in various locations around the Klang Valley. 

Participants are encouraged to bring their own shopping bags and food containers to the event.

Cetdem also published a Malaysian Organic Guidebook that listed organic wholesalers, retailers, importers and food opera-tors for the public in 2009.

To find out more about organic living or information about future Hari Organik, visit www.cetdem.org.my, or call 03-78757767.

Going organic in KepongKLANG: Lorry drivers who park their vehicles in-discriminately on road shoulders are warned that they risk fines from the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) for posing a danger to other motorists.

“These lorries also endanger the public when ob-structing roadways in residential areas,” said MPK acting president Ikhsan Mukri.

MPK’s Enforcement Department have to date issued 2,524 compounds since operations started throughout the municipality in March.

Ikhsan said the compounds issued by MPK offic-ers were based on the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974, and MPK bylaws.

“The highest number of compounds issued was 1,077 in March,” he said.

He explained that the decline in the number of compounds subsequently issued was due to the strict enforcement by the council.

He added that MPK officers are regularly sent out to ensure road shoulders are free of illegal parking.

Ikhsan warned that MPK would not compromise on the matter because it involved public safety.

MPK has also put up signs on road shoulders warning lorries and heavy vehicles not to park there.

Summonses for indiscriminate parking

The public shopping for fresh organic groceries at Hari Organik at Tesco Kepong Village Mall last Sunday.

Lee (right) and Rayan.

17JULY 1 — 3, 2011

MEDIA

Fiction by Julya Ooi

“I can believe how dumb boys are!” Stephanie threw her hobo bag on the floor and jumped onto the sofa next to her mother. “He doesn’t even know I’m angry with him!

Let alone what I’m angry about!”Sylvia, her mother, removed her reading glasses and set aside

the novel to accommodate her daughter’s teenage crisis of being in love. She held back a tickling sensation rising from her throat as she patted her daughter’s clenched hands.

“Mom, is it always like that?”“Like what?”“Boys! Men! Are they … will they always be so – so dumb

as to not know how women feel?”Sylvia could not restrain herself anymore and released the

giggles she had accumulated over the years from having gone through the battle of the sexes herself.

“What’s so funny, mom?”“I said the same thing once when I was about your age,”

she said, stifling her laughter. Her body shuddered from the humour.

“So why is it funny?”Sylvia looked into her daughter’s eyes and smiled. “I don’t

know how it started or whether it is a true fact that men are that way. But I was in the same dilemma as you are now when I first met your dad.”

“But you and dad look so good together.”“It wasn’t always that way,” Sylvia said. “There was a lot of

give and take on our part.”“What, does one have to compromise to make a relationship

work?” Stephanie cringed.“Compromise sounds like a business transaction. It’s not

like that. Or at least it shouldn’t be.”“What is it then?”“Well, it’s not about sacrificing the things you love for the

sake of the other person. It’s about sharing yourself with some-one while keeping your personal space at the same time.”

“Sounds impossible.”Sylvia smiled. “You’ll know what to do when the time comes.”“I don’t know if it will ever come. I’m, like, so fed up already.

I mean, it’s not like I’m asking too much is it? I only want them to know how I feel.”

Sylvia clasped her hand over her daughter’s. “This thing about love is quite a handful.”

“Mom, how did you and dad end up knowing you were meant for each other?” Stephanie propped herself up sideways to realign her gaze at her mother.

Sylvia fell into a quick reverie as she recalled the times when she was young and restless like her daughter. “We didn’t. In fact, we didn’t even want to be together in the first place.”

“Really? Then why did the two of you get married?” Steph-anie suddenly turned ashen and opened her mouth wide enough to let out a sigh. “You didn’t plan to have me?”

“Of course we did,” she reassured her daughter. “You were and will always be a part of our plans. When your father and I met, we started out as friends. It was through our heart-breaks and failed relationships that we found each other. At first, I was reluctant to start anything because your father was not my type. I was always searching for that ‘true love’s kiss’ and waiting to fall head over heels in love. Although I did experience that feeling a few times, it didn’t happen with your father even once.”

“You mean never? Not at all?” Stephanie juggled her hands in disbelief.

“No.”“But, but…”Sylvia laughed. “I know. I thought so too. All my friends

said it wasn’t real love when that happens, but I continued seeing your father. And through the years we learnt to love each other much more than we both realised.”

“How did that happen? I mean, is he romantic?”“You father is far from romantic. He always gets me the

things that I don’t like or the things that I have no use of. His romantic dinner is going to a pasar malam, and his idea of romance is going for a hike in Gasing hill.” Sylvia laughed heartily and her daughter laughed along.

“He’s not as good-looking as the other guys I used to date and he cannot even charm a cat to a bowl of milk. But his ability to make me laugh and look at the world from the bright side is more than anything anyone has ever given me. We are

both two of a kind. We are so different in so many ways, and everyone thought it would be over before it could even get started.

“I really don’t know much about love, Stephanie. I don’t know what are the rules or criteria to make it last for as long as it can. But the one thing I learnt from your father is the honesty of being who we truly are to each other. It’s because we had no expectations, we also didn’t have any pretenses.”

The door creaked open to draw their attention away.“Dad!”“John, you’re back early.”“Hey, Stephanie.” He waved. “Look Sylvia, I found this vase

at a garage sale which I thought you may like.” He presented it to them with his hand held high: a gaudy-looking vase em-bellished with mismatched beads and shells.

Sylvia and Stephanie laughed so hard and got John to laugh along, although he didn’t know what exactly he was laughing about.

Two of a Kind

KOTA DAMANSARA: Suzanna Ain Abdul Rahman, an English teacher and regular Giant customer, has a hobby of taking part in contests, especially those that require slogan writing.

Her hobby paid off handsomely when she was named the grand-prize winner in Giant’s Famous Word Search contest.

The 36-year-old teacher from Taman Melewar said, “I never expected that I would one day be a grand-prize winner of one of Giant’s contests. I have participated in many, many contests, including Giant ones, over the years and twice won small prizes, but not the grand prize and never a car!”

The Famous Word Search contest, which ran from March 25-May 5, was held in conjunc-tion with the hypermarket’s annual Famous Brands promotion.

It was open to all shoppers who spent a minimum purchase of RM70 in a single receipt. Each receipt had to include items from two participating brands that were featured in the Famous Brands catalogue.

The participants only had to find all the “Famous” words hidden in a crossword puzzle that was in the contest form and complete a sentence in under 15 words, stating why they loved the Giant Famous Brands promotion.

Suzanna received the keys to the car from GCH Retail (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd marketing director Ho Mun Hao at a prizegiving ceremony held at Giant Hypermarket Kota Daman-sara recently.

Besides the grand prize, Giant also gave away a total of RM100,594 in prizes. In addition to the grand prize of a Proton Exora 1.6MT worth RM62,500, there were two

prizes of RM10,000 travel vouchers, three Samsung 42-inch LED televisions worth RM3,299 each, four Apple iPads (16GB) worth RM1,599 each, and 10 prizes of RM500 Giant gift vouchers.

Suzanna said her win was timely. “I had plans to buy a new car for my father this year. I am now able to give this car to my father as a special present for father’s day. It is really a dream come true for me.”

Ho said the contest was organised to reward its loyal customers as well as promote the Fa-mous Brands that are partners of the business.

“It is one of the many ways we say ‘thank you’ to our loyal customers who have helped us to maintain our position as Malaysia’s leading hypermarket chain.”

Teacher bags car in Giant contest

All the winners of Giant’s Famous Word Search contest.

Grand-prize winner of Giant’s Famous Word Search contest Suzanna, accompanied by her daughter, receiving the “keys” to the brand-new Proton Exora 1.6MT from Ho recently.

18 JULY 1 — 3, 2011

MEDIA

By Brenda Ch’ng

KUALA LUMPUR: A wide range of Liver-pool Football Club (LFC) merchandise is now available at Reject Shops, the official retailer for the club’s Asian Tour 2011. 

On the shelves at all Reject Shop outlets are genuine LFC  T-shirts, caps, scarves, mugs, keyrings and much more, with prices ranging from RM 29.90 to RM 79.90.

“We have more than 30 styles of T-shirts for fans to choose from. I don’t think fans here had this many choices before,” said Metrojaya ex-ecutive director Pel Loh Pooi Ling.

She said men, women and children of all ages can choose which shirt to buy based on their favourite Liverpool player. The shirts are uniquely printed with the image of the foot-baller on the front and his respective jersey number on the back.

The shirts are styled in both round-neck and polo tees, with three colours to choose from: red, white and black.

Reject Shop, which is a subsidiary of Metro-jaya Berhad, was appointed official retailer due to the strategic locations of its 40 stores across Malaysia.

“I believe the abundance of stores will be able to cater to all Liverpool fans, and I can assure them that the merchandise is brand-new, [of ] quality [and] affordable, and not rejects,” said Loh.

Loh launched the merchandise on June 22 at Reject Shop Midvalley together with Retro Development director Richard Liaw.

Retro Development is the official licensee for the merchan-dise of the LFC Asian Tour 2011. 

During the launch, Liaw presented Loh with an original signed LFC jersey as a token of appreciation.

Tickets for the Liverpool vs Malaysia match at National Stadium Bukit Jalil on July 16 are also sold in stores.

In addition, Reject Shop is giving away exclusive free gifts with every purchase of LFC merchandise.

Customers who spend RM 150 will receive an invitation pass to watch the Liverpool in action during their training sessions, and RM 200 spent will get you a collectible LFC poster worth approximately RM80.

Those who spend RM1,000 will be presented with a VIP pass for the match.

For more information, contact 03-21175899 (Alice Tan) or email alicetan@metrojaya.com.my.

Liverpool FC products available at Reject Shops

Liaw (right) presenting the framed original jersey to Loh.

SHAH ALAM: GSC Dataran Pahlawan will turn three on Sunday, and this special occasion will be marked with freebies and special offers for GSC Data-ran Pahlawan patrons.

The first 500 patrons who use the GSC Self-print ticket or GSC iPhone app at the checkpoint will be rewarded with a GSC Buy 1 Free 1 voucher, while the first 1,000 patrons who purchase a minimum of two tickets from the box office counter from July 3 onwards will receive a GSC Buy 2 Free 1 voucher.

Vouchers are limited, so head over to GSC Dataran Pahlawan before it runs out.

At the concession counter, GSC patrons will receive a free Real Steel folder with every purchase of a GSC Combo 3. The offer begins July 3 at GSC Dataran Pahlawan and will only be valid while stocks last.

After the movie, GSC patrons can redeem a free personal pizza from US Pizza in Dataran Pahlawan Mall, valid for dine-in or takeaway with a minimum purchase of a regular pizza at a normal price. This promotional offer is only valid from July 3-Aug 7, on condition that GSC customers produce two GSC Dataran Pahlawan ticket stubs upon ordering the pizza.

GSC Dataran Pahlawan turns three

Accounts cum Administrative Executive

We are community newspaper which focuses on events and happenings in Selangor. If you are interested to join a passionate team of young people bent on contributing to Selangor’s develop-ment through the media, join us.

(Basic salary + allowance + commission)We are looking for young men and women with the following qualities:• Responsibleformediasalesandmarketingactivities• Proactiveandselfmotivated• Pleasantdispositionwithinterpersonalskills• Diplomaordegreeinanydiscipline• AbilitytoconverseinEnglishand/orMandarin• Targetandsalesoriented• Possessowntransport• Computerliterate• Thosewithsalesexperiencewouldbeanaddedadvantage• Trainingandcoachingprovided.

• CandidatesshouldhaveaDiplomaorDegreeinAccountingorLCCIHigher

• Minimum1yearexperienceinkeepingfullsetofaccounts• Familiarwithaccountingsoftware–SQLAccountingSoftware• Computerliterate• AbletospeakgoodBahasaMalaysiaandEnglish• Selfmotivatedwithgoodcommunicationskills• Abletoworkwithminimumsupervision

Job Description• Prepareandsubmitmonthlyaccounts,billingstatements,

monthlypayrollandexpensesstatements,prepareanddistrib-uteemployeesmonthlypayslipsandyearlyEAForms.

• Monitorandupdatestaffleave• Otheradministrativefunctionsasassigned

Attractive remuneration package will commensurate with qualification and experience. Interested applicants must send resume and letter to editor@selangortimes.com

Shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Sales and Marketing Executive

19July 1 — 3, 2011

Food

By Basil Foo

T he first thing that strikes you when you walk into J Tean Kitchen, located on the ground floor of SStwo Mall, is its bright white interior.

A far cry from the dusky cafes that have sprouted up in vast numbers around town, the restaurant’s design has a modern youthful appeal.

“From the colour theme to the fusion dishes, we are hoping to attract the younger generation,” said managing director James Tean.

in Bak Kut Teh spices in a tangy concoction – true fusion cuisine, indeed.

A seemingly innocuous-sound-ing pie, the J-Porky Pie (RM19.90), arrived looking like something out of a menu for Western dishes.

Topped with puff pastry, it could

have been easily mistaken for a mild-tasting chicken pie. But once the pastry was pierced through, the dish burst with flavour.

Chunks of tasty pork pieces in-fused with a mild spiciness were uncovered, which lent an interest-ing take on the restaurant’s attempt

S e ver a l sma l l w o o d en couches with red cushions sit on the alfresco balcony area, which Tean ca l ls “opium chairs”, overlooking the mall’s indoor garden.

The replicas from a bygone era – of those used by opium smokers, who would recline on them – lend the restaurant a traditional feel.

J Tean Kitchen specialises in Bak Kut Teh, a traditional Chinese dish of pork ribs in herbal soup that many in Klang would claim to have started.

Born and raised in Klang himself , Tean to ok thre e months to come up with the wide variety of fusion pork dishes on the menu.

“Our specialties include the J-Ribs and pork knuckles. Our spaghetti is also different as it is cooked with curry,” he said.

The J-Ribs (RM34.90) was a savoury dish, firm enough for a satisf ying bite ; a definite crowd-pleaser that would ap-peal to those hungering for pork.

Pre-stewed with a herbal spices recipe, marinated with a special sauce and cooked to tenderness, the meat fell off easily from the bone.

A large hunk of golden-brown pork knuckle, the J-Knuckle (RM38.90) was a mammoth un-dertaking requiring the appetites of everyone at the dining table.

Bound to be the centrepiece at family reunions and gatherings of friends, the pork knuckle was oven-baked, leaving its interior tender and its exterior delightfully crispy.

Both dishes come with side dishes of salads, potato wedges, and a customer’s choice of one of three special sauces: char siew, pumpkin, or salted egg.

T h e C u r r y R i b s P a s t a (RM19.90) was an interesting local twist on an Italian favourite, with spaghetti or fettuccine topped by curry pork ribs.

Not as spicy as it looked on the menu, the curry sauce blended with the ribs which were pre-marinated

at fusing cuisines together.With his long career in the food

industry, Tean has not been a stranger to trying out new dishes. He presented his new creations, the J-Burgers and Hoggy Buns.

The round burgers and oblong buns came in choices of pork and chicken, both of which retained the rich taste of meat that has sat for hours in Bak Kut Teh broth.

The buns were slightly fried to give it a crispy texture, and custom-ers can look forward to sinking their teeth into these creations in the coming month.

Of course, the meal would not be complete without including the mainstay of the restaurant and the source of Tean’s inspiration – Tean’s Bak Kut Teh.

The dish comes in choices of Single Bone (RM10.90), Pork B el ly (R M10.90) , Pork L e g

(RM10.90), or a mixture of all three in Combi 1 (RM20.90).

Stewed in a broth of 17 herbs using high fire to bring out the taste of myriad ingredients, Tean adds salt using an in-house secret timing method.

“Only after softening the meat do we add the salt into the broth for the meat to absorb,” he dis-closed.

A practitioner in the art of cook-ing Bak Kut Teh, he pegs the suc-cess of his method on his own tastebuds.

“I won’t let people try bad food. I’ll usually try it myself while cook-ing until I’m satisfied before letting close friends try,” he said.

With that assurance of satisfac-tion, customers dropping by the SStwo mall can be assured their interests will be piqued, appetites sated and bellies filled.

Pig out at J Tean Kitchen

J-Knuckles.J-Ribs.

The bright interior of the restaurant.

Tean: Fusion dishes to attract the younger generation.

J-Porky Pie. J-Burgers.

Tean’s Bak Kut Teh.

20 July 1 — 3, 2011

Food

F ather’s Day is one of the few days when dads of all ages do not get to have their say, because daughters, sons and wives all want to take the

“old man” somewhere and give him a treat, even if he can’t really eat that much any more.

At the wide river that separates Carey Island and the mainland in Klang are two restaurants. One is called Kang Guan Restaurant, and the other, Seri Langat Seafood Restaurant.

Kang Guan Restaurant has the lion’s share of cus-tomers for very good reasons. On public holidays and weekends, the restaurant is filled to the brim.

It is admittedly less attractive than its opposite

The size of the crowd is a good indication of its popularity. The surroundings are not only pleasant; the environment acts like a balm for tired city eyes.

Right now, there are few build-ings on Jalan Bandar Lama, Telok Panglima Garang , where Kang Guan is located. So serenity is very much part of the package.

If your hearing is keen, you may just hear the chirping of birds in the distance and notice the slight shift-ing of the water beneath the restau-rant which partly rests in the river on stilts.

Occasionally, a boat cruises down the wide, lazy river. On the day I was there, three people on a small boat were out to catch some-thing. They pulled aside the river-bank and a man was seen casting a net. It wasn’t exactly the kind of place where one would cast a net, but he did it anyway. As far as I could see, he caught nothing.

Lonely anglers usually park them-selves on the large boulders next to the restaurant to try their luck. I haven’t seen any angler catching anything on my numerous trips there, but I presume there must be fish in

By the riverside on Father’s Day

Imagine a place where sun, sea and sand meet and there’s great food available. LIN ZHENYUAN returns to a familiar seafood haunt that always creates happy moments

neighbour, but regulars at this place like it because it has “charac-ter”. And more importantly, the dishes are preferred.

I have been to a number of places in Klang for seafood, but I always return to Kang Guan be-cause of its proximity and its won-derful food.

From Petaling Jaya, on a public holiday when the traffic is light, it would take about 35 minutes on the North Klang Valley Expressway to reach the restaurant.

Parking space is not a problem because of the ample empty land around the eatery.

There are about 40 ceiling fans to generate cross-currents of air in and around the restaurant. For those who prefer cooler climes, there is an air-conditioned, en-closed space that has about eight tables. It is just nice for private parties.

I believe Kang Guan has been in existence for more than 25 years. There were several old newspaper cuttings which have turned yellow from age. Due to the aging of the papers, it is presumed that Kang Guan had humble beginnings and made much business progress through word of mouth.

Today, Kang Guan is the spark-plug of Carey Island. It draws out-siders and local residents from near and far.

Kang Guan probably has the most mixed clientele on Carey Is-land. On any given day, there will be Malays, Indians and Punjabis sitting at different tables.

The number of mixed races who frequent the restaurant regularly is ample proof that Kang Guan is not only popular for its dishes but also for its ideal location.

the river, other-wise these an-glers wouldn’t come here re-peatedly.

There is a m a j o r r o a d project in prog-ress next to the restaurant at pres-ent. The huge cranes in the distance reveal that Carey Island is experi-encing a revival of sorts.

Other than that, there are just oil palm trees and a couple of Orang Asli villages on the island.

It is easy to identify the new customers at this restaurant. The newcomers gather near the veran-dah and scan the surrounding landscape. Regular customers just plunk themselves on the chairs and rattle away their orders in the local dialect, Hokkien. That’s Klang Hokkien, mind you.

Our dishes on the recent Fa-ther’s Day were Oh Chien, or fried oysters with eggs; veggies; yam basket; bittergourd soup; butter prawns; and a separate plate of mantis prawns.

As usual, the cooks did them-selves proud and gave us a jolly good time. The portions were just adequate for a table of four people. Not too much and not too little.

I don’t know about the others, but the dishes were not oily for me. The yam basket was superb. It had a certain crispiness on the outside that belied its ordinary appearance.

The prawns were from the sea and not reared on a farm, declared the “domestic engineer” sitting at our table. How do you tell the sea prawns from the farm ones? From experience, of course, said the chief chef at our house.

The restaurant is pork-free, as it proudly proclaims on a sign plas-

New customers find the surrounding views at the restaurant fascinating.

Butter prawns that make your mouth water even before you taste them.

Mantis prawns are a favourite among Chinese diners.

Greens to complement a hearty meal of six dishes.

tered outside its air-conditioned-room window.

The mantis prawns were excel-lent, while the fried oyster was definitely better than a lot of places in Penang that claim that they have the best Oh Chien north of the peninsula.

The bittergourd soup must be personally sampled for its authentic flavour.

If you don’t want to pay KL prices for Klang seafood, Kang Guan may just be the place for you. The final tally on our bill was RM93, and that included four wet towels, a plate of dessert peanuts, and a pot of hot Chinese tea.

It is more than reasonable, con-sidering the beautiful and tranquil scenery comes free of charge. And you don’t have 10-tonne trucks hauling huge containers rushing down the highway within earshot.

Kang Guan is open from Mon-day to Friday from 12pm to 2.30pm and 6pm to 11pm.

On Saturday, it is open from 12 to 4pm, and 6 to 11pm. On Sunday, from 12pm to 4pm; and from 5.45pm to 10pm on public holi-days.

It is located on the left next to the bridge that goes into Carey Is-land. You can’t miss it. If you do, backtrack or ask the locals.

Yummy yam

basket.

21July 1 — 3, 2011

Features

I have been struggling with this bi-monthly column, neither being able have current reports

nor to announce upcoming events effectively. I have come to the con-clusion that it is best that I provide a commentary of the most impor-tant local happenings, together with the big news of the moment and an in-depth featured game.

I would like to touch on the Malaysian performance at the re-cent Asean+ Age Group Champi-onships organised in Tarakan, Kalimantan, by the All Indonesia Chess Federation (Percasi).

The Asean+ Age Group Cham-pionships is now in its 12th edition and is held in multiple age group categories with open sections and for girls only, beginning with un-

Get smart! Play chess!

By Peter Longpeterlong@aol.asia

der eight years old all the way up to the under-20 category plus seniors (a special above-50 category).

The Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) in the last year or so has been try-ing to rationalise its selec-tion criteria and develop a policy regarding the par-ticipation of young players in the numerous international events, which, besides permitting for the official national chess fed-eration entries, allow anyone who can afford the entry fees to par-ticipate.

So now only the top three fin-ishers at the National Age Group Championships have the right to play in the World Youth and Asian

Youth Championships. As a result, the Asean+ Age Group Champi-onships has become less important.

But with the Asean+ Age Group Championships designed to cater for more groups of players, this event remains very attractive. With the inclusion of the under-20 sec-tion, which gives the winner an automatic international master ti-

Asean+ still very attractivetle, it is no surprise that our current national champions decided to take part.

Despite still being jun-iors, Lim Zhuo Ren and Nur Nabila Azman Hish-am are both very experi-enced players and were seeded sixth and 16th re sp e c t i ve l y. L i m i s

coached by IM Mok Tze Meng, and his winning the national cham-pionship this year was his real breakthrough. Meanwhile, Nur Nabila benefits from a strong chess-playing family that includes her father-coach and an elder brother who is the current National Junior Champion.

I have touched upon many times

in the past that our young players (between eight and 10 years of age), can compete successfully with just about anyone else in the world. But those between 12 and14 years of age find themselves middling as just one of the many, and those between 16 and18 years find them-selves unable to match their peers.

In the Asean+ Ag e Group Championships, Lim, who started with three losses, had the indignity of getting a bye before finally end-ing the tournament 17th out of 18th.

Nur Nabila, who is 14 years old, did better than her seeding but still finished 13th out of 19th, 2.5 points behind the three joint win-ners who all picked up Woman’s International Master titles.

Determined Chelsie shows her mettleINDoNeSIA has been grooming three girls who they feel represent their greatest hopes for the future. All three took part in the U-20 Girls Category, hoping for gold and the Woman International Master titles.

one of the three, Medina Warda Aulia, had already won the blitz competition. Going into the last round, it was Chelsie Monica Sihite’s turn at winning the Classical event.Chelsie did so by beating Vietnam’s Thi Van Anh Doan in great fashion.

Doan, Thi Van Anh (1966)–Sihite, Chelsie Monica (2039)

12th Asean+ Age-Group Chess Championships 2011

U-20 Girls, Round 9

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 c5The best reaction to the solid London System.4.c3 cxd4Not the best. Now White can place her Knight on c3.

Better was 4....b6. even 4....Qb6 is a good approach.5.cxd4 Bb4+ 6.Nbd2White plays it safe and goes for the standard set-up.0–0 7.e3 d5 8.Bd3 Nc6 9.0–0 a5I suppose Black was looking at playing a4 after a3 to

get play going on the Queenside with ideas like Knight to a4 and then to b3. But instead we see a lot of drifting.

10.a3 Be7 11.h3 b6 12.Rc1 Bb7 13.Qe2 Bd6 14.Ne5 Bxe5 15.dxe5 Nd7 16.Nf3 h6 17.Bb1 Re8 18.Rfd1

Nf8 19.Bg3DIAGRAM 1

Strong and natural would be 19.Nd4!19.... Rc8 20.Bh4 Qd7 21.Bd3 Na7 22.Ra1 Rc5 23.

Nd4 a4 24.f4 Nc6 25.Qg4 Ne7 26.Be1 Ra8 27.Bb4Ba6White has been trying to win without any risk, while

Black has been content to hold and wait for an error. Now, however, Black offers the exchange!

28.Bxa6 Rxa6 29.Bxc5 bxc5 30.Qe2 Rb6 31.Nf3 Qb7 32.Rab1

Surely 32. Rd2 was a better try? Now Black’s game plays itself.

32....Nd7 33.Qc2 Nf5 34.Kf2 Rb3 35.Rd3 Rxd3 36.Qxd3 c4 37.Qd1 Nc5 38.Nd4 Ne4+ 39.Ke2 Nxd4+ 40.Qxd4

DIAGRAM 2

The decisive blunder. 40.exd4 allows 40...c3 41.Qxa4 Nd2 and ideas like Qxb2, c2, etc. but what was played is worse.

40....Qb5 41.Kf1 c3+ 42.Kg1 Qb3 43.Qb4 c2 44.Re1 c1Q 45.Rxc1 Qxe3+ 46.Kh2 Qxf4+ 47.Kg1 Qxc1+ 48.Kh2 Qf4+ 49.Kg1 Qxe5 50.Qxa4 Qxb2 51.Qe8+ Kh7 52.Qxf7 Qxa3 53.Qxe6 Qc1+ 54.Kh2 Qf4+ 55.Kg1 d4 56.Qd5 Nc3 57.Qc4 Qe3+ 58.Kh2 Ne2 59.Qc2+ d3 60.Qb1 Qf4+ 0–1

Great determination in a very tense game by young Chelsie.

Residents raise RM2,181 for charity at durian party

Glenmarie Court Houseowners Association chairperson David Ting (third from left) handing over the cheque for RM2,181 to CWS vice-president Teoh Teik Hoong (fourth from left).

SUBANG: Residents of Glenmarie Court Houseowners Association raised RM2,181 for the Children’s Wish Society of Malaysia while having a durian feast last Sunday.

More than 200 residents showed up at the neighbourhood gazebo to enjoy their durians, mangosteens and rambutans as part of the community’s regular get-together party, according to organising chairperson Datin Lata Sharma.

“ We o f t e n h a v e s u c h gatherings. over the past few years we have been organising durian parties, and this time around we thought it would be great to do our bit to help the Children’s Wish Society in their efforts to fulfill wishes of less-fortunate children,” she said.

Lata said 500kg of durians were ordered and were consumed in less than an hour.

The youths also took part in a durian-eating contest without using their hands. Their prize, apart from enjoying the durian, was a ticket each for this weekend’s JOM Durian IV at Subang Parade, which is being co-orga-nised with CWS Malaysia.

CWS vice president Teoh Teik Hoong, who joined the residents, said it was heart-warming to receive the donation

from the residents, who had all come out to enjoy durians while having charity in mind.

“We are humbled by their gesture, and hope that many more will think of chipping in for charities whenever they treat themselves to a good time,” he said.

JOM Durian IV, which is taking place this Sunday, is expected to draw a crowd of 2,000 people, who will get to eat all they can in one hour for a donation of just RM20 per person.

The event is expected to experience a sell-out crowd as most of the 1,400 tickets up for grabs have been sold out.

The event will see the highest number of corporates lending their support to raise funds to help fulfill the wishes of terminally ill children nationwide.

They are Hektar Group, New Straits Times, SJ echo, Mydin, empire Shopping Gallery, Sime Darby Property, Pfizer, Cocoa-land, Panda Security, UoB Bank, Telekom Malaysia, Yuki Ha na, Nestle Malaysia and Green hill Residence, together with Subang Jaya assemblyperson Hannah Yeoh, Kelana Jaya Member of Parliament Loh Gwo Burne, and the Subang Jaya Mu-ni cipal Council.

For more information on the durian fest, call 03-50329778.

22 July 1 — 3, 2011

GalleryA Centre for Environment, Technology and Development, Malaysia (Cetdem) representative demonstrating how to compost garden waste during Hari Organik at Tesco Kepong Village Mall last Sunday.

Residents of SS20A Sea Park in Petaling

Jaya during a gotong-royong organised

by MBPJ councillor Anthony Jeyaseelan on

June 19.

An enforcement officer from the Klang Municipal Council issuing summonses to large vehicles parked illegally on road shoulders.

Teratai assemblyperson Jenice Lee with engineer Robert Ang (right), speaking to residents on behalf of developers who have agreed to repair damage caused to houses in Taman Melur, Ampang, following development work in the area.

A Nova player (in pink) tries to steal the hockey puck away from a Batavia Demons player during an inline hockey tournament in Petaling Jaya last month.

23July 1 — 3, 2011

CultureEditor’s PickMain Dalam Stor Theatre; until July 3; Stor Teater Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur; 013-2364846 / 013-3626846, email: pgroundproductions@gmail.com; RM25 / RM20 (group booking)

Compiled by Nick ChooEmail: nick@selangortimes.com

A Night of Cantonese Opera V

Musical; July 1 & 2; The Actors Studio @ Lot 10 Kuala Lumpur; 03-2142 2009, www.theactorsstudio.com.my; RM35 / RM20

Two nights of exciting performances. The first night will see Madam Kam and her troupe performing The Thundering Battle Drums, The Red Tassel, and Goddess of The Luo River. The second night features excerpts from The Lion Roars, Beating the Princess and A Chinese Ghost Story. “A great chance to step into another magical world and relive this extraordinary art form with traditional colourful costumes, distinctive make-up, fascinating voices and music.” Featuring Kam Sin Kiew, Lai Mei Yoke, Lee Yuen Lin, Ronald Poon and Sam Yip.

Alexis International Jazz Series

Music; July 1 & 2; Alexis Bistro Ampang; 03-42602288, www.alexis.com.my; RM25

The Lawrence Wright Jazz Ensemble comprises both locally and internationally acclaimed performers from all over the world. The members of this band have performed in China, US, Japan, Indonesia, Italy, Singapore, UK and Greece. Featuring Greg Lyons and Patrick Terbrack on saxophones; Christy Smith on double bass; Lewis Pragasam on drums; Marques Young on trombone and Wei-Siang on piano. Table booking for diners only.

Surreallusion

Exhibition; until 17 July; Core Design Gallery; 012-6674348, email: anni@coredesigngallery.com; www.coredesigngallery.com; free admission

“Physiological illusions utilise stimulation of contrast, angles, colors and even movement that changes the way our eyes and brain interpret information. Optical illusions play tricks on your mind, by using unconscious inferences to influence what you see. What your eyes visually perceive vastly differs from reality. Nothing is quite as it seems.” Featuring works of 14 artists of diverse arts backgrounds as they challenge to capture these illusions in their own surrealist art style. “Mind-boggling works that will make you rethink your perception of dimensions.”

INTERVIEWBy Nick Choo

IN November 2010, local film actor Redza Minhat (Pisau Cukur) and TV and stage personality Megat Sharizal, along with their friend Tuan Faisal Azmy decided to form a theatre company called Playground Productions.

Their aim was to uncover more original Malaysian plays by providing a platform for performances and bridging the gap between Malay and English theatre communities.

Its debut production, Main Dalam Stor, features four plays, three of which were featured in KLpac’s Short+Sweet Theatre festival – comprising plays spanning ten minutes or less – in 2010 and 2009. Selangor Times speaks to Megat (M), Ashraf Zain (A), Alfred Loh (Al) and Esnani Elias (E) on the plays they directed for Main Dalam Stor.

What is the significance of the title Main Dalam Stor?M: The title came about when we decided to stage it at Stor Teater Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. Literally translated, “main dalam stor” means “play in the store”, which is true in this context. But when translated to Malay, it has different meanings on different levels, depending on how you view it. Plus, it’s a catchy title.

What drew you to the script that you’re directing? What is it that you think audiences will particularly enjoy in your respective plays? M: I’ve always been a fan of science fiction. I’ve watched everything from Star Wars and Star Trek to Stargate – anything with the word “star” in it, I’ve probably watched it. So when it came to Energia, a script that deals with aliens, I jumped at the chance. But worry not, it’s not gonna have aliens with pointed ears or grey skin or Princess Leia in it. The most appealing thing about the script to me is the fact that it actually is a love story and accepting someone the way they are.A: The play I direct is about money, or lack thereof. Since I’m going through a “freelancing” phase right now, the script is close to my heart (laughs).

Anyone who has at any point of their life had to survive with very little money and will do anything

for more will very much enjoy this story. And I think that’s about 85% of the population today.

Al: I think it’s a wonderful testament to Alexis Wong’s writing that we’re still discovering so many facets about Post Modern-isms even though it’s the second time we’re putting it up. That in itself is what drew me to the piece in the first place: it’s

wordy, confusing, complicated, and yet despite all that, still so naturally human. And the wit and variety of options it allows is quite the actor’s and director’s dream come true.

I think this is the kind of play that will make you want to sit up and listen for its wordplay, but also comes across as the kind of conversation that you can’t help but be drawn to eavesdrop on for its entertainment value.E: Faith is about ending your own life. Perhaps audiences will question it; it makes you wonder why. When I first read the script, I wondered why, too…

What are your personal thoughts about theatre in Malaysia today? Is there room for growth, or have we reached a plateau? To play devil’s advocate: local audiences tend to view Malaysian productions with a very laid-back, almost apathetic attitude. If mistakes are made, or if plays are mediocre at best, audiences tend to be too forgiving: “Aiya, it’s local theatre mah, must support.” What is your view of this assumption? A : I beg to differ, the audiences I see in Malaysia are the most critical ever (laughs). Local audiences now are exposed to so many things and their expectations can be quite high even for a local production, because at the end of the day, they want to be entertained and to know that the play is worth the money that they have spent.

There will be always room for Malaysian theatre to grow. More and more groups are coming out with plays, all do-it-yourself, and

this is very exciting. We just need to make sure that the products are at the highest of quality, good publicity, good production teamwork, and the audience will appreciate it.Al: Totally disagree with the plateau. As for audiences, the audience is always an uncontrollable factor in the theatre, and it’s an education that can’t be forced. But I think good work is always appreciated, and I dare say there are many young performers out there who are truly passionate about what they do. I personally feel that it’s exciting times for Malaysian theatre, and it’ll just keep getting better and better. Just keep watching!E: Theatre in Malaysia needs support, obviously, especially from the media. Most of the public

only recognises a theatre production when the media writes about it; otherwise they tend to ignore it. Most local audiences just want something entertainment and fun to watch.M: As long there are people doing it or watching it, it will always have a chance to grow. I personally think, the problem lies with the government. If

only the government supported the arts in this country, we will have a lot more opportunity to grow.

In Singapore, the National Arts Council supports the arts totally, and they even use it as a means to attract tourists. As for the local audiences, I dare say that the audiences in this country consist mostly of friends and family. They usually are the forgiving ones. I say this kind of mentality should be changed.

I myself am notoriously known for being critical. I see a lot of bad acting, bad scripts, bad directing in a lot of the shows nowadays. But when I criticise, they blame me for being snobbish. We have to learn to be critical, and at the same time accept criticism if we want theatre in this country to improve. If every time we see a show and be forgiving, all we will end up doing is community theatre.

Finally: in a nutshell, why

CAlENDAR

A compilation of four plays by local writers: • Energia: “I love you, it doesn’t matter if you were

a can of sardine amongst many other cans of sardines in a production line, even if you came in a body of a cow ... it doesn’t matter because it’s your energy I’m really in love with. I love you.” Written by Redza Minhat, directed by Megat Sharizal. Finalist of Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLpac)’s Short+Sweet Theatre festival 2010.

• Post Modern-isms: Three men discuss the best seat in the theatre. Written by Alexis Wong, directed by Alfred Loh. Finalist of Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (Klpac)’s Short+Sweet Theatre festival 2010.

• Money: “You know that blip sometimes between taking your ATM card out from your wallet and inserting it into the ATM machine? What happens during that blip?” Written by Redza Minhat, adapted from Amir Muhammad’s Rojak; directed

by Megat Sharizal.• Faith: “The story

of a woman who planned her entire life for this one moment: the end. She labels, categorises and boxes her entire existence. Who says death has to be dramatic?” Written by Aminda Faradilla Omar, directed by Esnani Elias. Finalist of Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (Klpac)’s Short+Sweet Theatre festival 2009.

Featuring the talents of Tuan Faisal, Oliver Johanan, Razif Hashim, Phoon Chi Ho, Dino, Nalina and Vicky Vickneshawarn. Playground’s Comedy Ensemble, Projek Disko Baldi, will also be featured during the show.

should people come and see Main Dalam Stor? M: If someone asks you, “Jom main!”, in a store some more, would you decline?A: I don’t know about you, but I always like to main dalam stor. It can be quite uncomfortable at first, but in the end you’ll enjoy it.

Datanglah!Al: Because it’s fun, it’s buatan Malaysia, it’s relatable, and it’s got some pretty good-looking people in it. Okay, three out of four ain’t bad…E: It’s different, it’s fun. Four plays with interesting topics. One will wonder who main dalam stor…

Megat Sharizal Ashraf Zain

Alfred Loh

Esnani Elias

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.