community OctOber 21 — 23, 2011/ issue 45

community OctOber 21 — 23, 2011/ issue 45

Temple not spared by thieves

The rising cosT of living

p 13 p 10 & 11

liTTle india emerging in rawang

p 8

Government’s Vision Schools neglected

By Brenda ch’ng

sUBang JaYa: Sekolah Wa-wasan USJ15 was meant to inte-grate students from national, Chi-nese and Tamil schools through the sharing of facilities, but the vernacular schools have gone ne-glected.

“The three primary schools – SJK (C) Tun Tan Cheng Lock, SJK (T) Tun Sambanthan and SJK Dato Onn Jaafar – comprise the first of five Vision schools in the country.

The idea was mooted by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to promote racial inte-gration.

But despite being “fully fund-ed”, the vernacular schools are still hard-pressed to even pay for infrastructure repairs with the money they receive annually from Putrajaya.

“We are labelled as a govern-ment-funded school, but we have not received any additional funds requested for over the years,” said SJK(C) Tun Tan Cheng Lock Par-ent-Teacher Association (PIBG) chairperson Wong Kuan Yu.

To make matters worse, Chi-nese societies and associations re-fuse to help.

“We can’t get financial help elsewhere. People think we are al-ready getting all the money we need,” Wong said.

Though divided and operating as three separate entities, the schools share facilities such as the field, multipurpose hall, canteen and exercise courts.

Over the years, the PIBG of SJK (C) Tun Tan Cheng Lock has had to struggle to get RM400,000

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

Bride-to-be M Umamaheswary (seated, second left), 26, and her future husband R Muthukumaran, 32, shopping for tailored traditional costumes for Deepavali and their upcoming December wedding, at one of the shops on Jalan Tengku Kelana, Klang on Wednesday evening.

• Turn To page 2

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

email editor@selangortimes.com

EDITORIALCHIEF EDITOR KL Chan

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

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

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

2 OctOber 21 — 23, 2011

news

MB: No RM55m lossBy Alvin Yap

SHAH ALAM: Selangor has denied that RM55 million in federal grants was lost through financial mismanagement and described the accusations as a slur to the integrity of public servants in the state.

“Public trust is the core of the state government’s admin-istration. We are working hard to ensure that trust is dis-charged with full responsibility,” said Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim in a press statement on Tuesday.

The Menteri Besar pointed out that the RM55 million left in the 2009 State Road Maintenance Fund was carried forward to 2010.

He said the grants were neither “lost nor misappropriated” as claimed by Selangor Umno liaison secretary Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed, as the amount was reflected in the state’s 2010 financial accounts.

A record of the State Road Maintenance Fund from 2005 to 2011 was provided in the press statement.

Khalid explained that in 2009, the state initially had RM383 million in the fund. This is from RM315.6 million in federal grants, in addition to the RM67.5 million balance from the year before.

Of the RM383 million, the state had used RM78.8 million on road maintenance, while the remaining RM250 million was transferred to the Consolidated Revenue Maintenance Account.

Khalid said the remaining RM54.4 million – which the former works minister claimed is unaccounted for – was carried forward to 2010.

He pointed out that the State Road Maintenance Fund financial transactions were recorded and allocations were

held in trust, as required by the National Finance Council since 1994.

The maintenance fund has strict accounting procedures set by the Treasury.

He pointed out that the Auditor-General had reviewed the books in 2009 and given it a clean bill of health.

Khalid hoped the allegations would cease as the state has already provided the records and explanations to put the matter to rest, but added that the state would not hesitate to take legal action.

He further said he has directed the state civil service, es-pecially the top-level financial officers, to give detailed ex-

planations if parties are not satisfied with his explanation.

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Students falling into uncovered drains

to repair the shared dilapidated halls, pathways, canteen, field and exercise courts.

“This is still not enough as there are over 2,000 students from three schools sharing the same facilities. There are many major repairs that have to be done,” said Wong.

This includes metal covers for drains and additional steel railing for staircases, as well as leaks that need to be fixed.

The school’s former PIBG vice-chairperson, Victor Ho, said Putrajaya keeps telling them they have no budget.

But these repairs need to be done urgently because chil-dren have been falling into the uncovered drains and trip-ping on staircases.

“We are here to look after the students’ welfare, and we hope the federal government will prioritise our needs and come forth to support us financially,” said Ho.

Pupils at SJK (T) Tun Sambanthan are worse off.Since 2005, their computer classes have been conducted

without computers but with books, while most of their class-

rooms and walkways are leaking.“One of the classrooms was even shut down three years

ago due to the badly cracked floor and walls,” said SJK (T) Tun Sambanthan PIBG chairperson S Murali.

The classroom was declared unsafe, and the government promised to repair it three years ago. But it remains in the same condition today and is used as a storage room instead.

Murali said the school was also promised new computers by the Selangor Education Department ( JPS) in April this year. He said 40 old computers were given to the school in 2002, but they broke down after three years and the pupils have gone without since.

Both schools received some funding from Hannah Yeoh on Monday.

“I’ve decided to pledge RM20,000 from my allocations to build a shaded walkway from the schools to the main gate,” said the Subang Jaya assemblyperson.

The 280-metre walkway will also benefit pre-schoolers at a kindergarten located between the schools and the main gate.

• From page one

Morning

Friday Saturday Sunday

afternoon

night

Selangor WeaTHer

Source: Malaysian meteorological department

UM academia objects Abdul Aziz’s suspensionSHAH ALAM: Academic staff of the country’s oldest public higher learning institution, University Malaya (UM), has expressed objection over the suspen-sion of a law professor of the Interna-tional Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) on Thursday.

The University of Malaya Academic Staff Union (PKAUM) said the action taken by IIUM is a gross violation of Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari’s academic freedom as well as his general right to expression.

“From our understanding of the Sedi-tion Act, a criticism of a Ruler is valid if it is intended to constructively show that the Ruler has erred.

“In the case of Abdul Aziz, what he has done is merely to suggest that a Ruler has acted beyond his constitu-tional bounds.

“This is a legitimate comment with no statement, direct or implied, made to incite hatred against the Ruler,” said

PKAUM president Prof Dr Azmi Sha-rom in a statement on Thursday.

Abdul Aziz (left) is currently being inves-tigated under the Se-dition Act for state-ments he made regard-ing the Sultan of Se-langor in an online news website. It has also been reported

that he has been asked for a show-cause letter by IIUM regarding his statements.

“These actions taken by the govern-ment and by IIUM will instill fear in the academic community.

“It is an indication that there is no academic freedom in Malaysia and when there is no academic freedom it is impossible for any development in our nation’s intellectual capacity,” said Azmi, who is also the Associate Profes-sor of Law Faculty of UM.

Meanwhile, Selangor executive councilor Elizabeth Wong has described IIUM’s decision to suspend Abdul Aziz as “very disappointing” and wants the university to withdraw the suspension.

“As an international institution of higher learning, IIUM should be defend-ing the right of its academics to voice their opinions and ideas,” said Wong in a statement on Thursday.

“Universities ought to be encouraging debate and the sharing of ideas and opin-ion for the benefit of society as a whole. If a respected academician such as Abdul Aziz is punished for commenting on a matter related to his expertise, then all academics will be cowed into silence.

“The suspension of Dr Aziz clearly proves why the rankings of our institu-tions of higher learning continue to drop. I call on IIUM to withdraw the suspension immediately. Academic freedom must be defended,” said Wong.

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ OctOber 21 – 23, 2011 ⁄ 3

UEM_SH_Press Ad Selangor Times (o).indd 1 20/10/2011 12:12 PM

4 october 21 — 23, 2011

news

EVENTSCharity at Fairview Fairview International School Subang will hold an open day to raise funds in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month today (Oct 21). The school’s Interact Club will sell home-baked cakes and put on performances, with proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Awareness Society. The school will also showcase works by the International Baccalau-reate programme. The event will be held at 2A Jalan TP2, Sime UEP Industrial Park, Subang Jaya, at 2pm. Call 03-41420888 ext 199 for details.

Creative writing for childrenEnglish Champ @ Literacy World in Petaling Jaya is offering a writing programme titled “Hello Writing” for children aged 8-14. The programme includes fun-filled activities such as role-play and photography to sharpen their writing and analytical skills. This is an ongoing programme, and free transportation will be provided for certain areas. For details, call 03-78802460, 016-2091989 or visit www.englishchamp.com.my.

Summit treasure huntSummit Subang will hold a Hantu Hunt tomorrow (Oct 22) from 8am-2pm, with prizes worth RM15,000 up for grabs. Entry fee is RM70 per person. Call 016-2772909 (Black Hawk), 016-6861107 (Tiger Swan) or 019-2632708 (Jack Swallow) for details.

Support Sarawak BrunchNon-profit organisation Barefoot Mercy invites the public to take part in its Sarawak Awareness brunch tomorrow (Oct 22) at 11am at The Annexe Gallery, 2nd Floor Central Market Annexe, Jalan Hang Kas-turi, Kuala Lumpur. The brunch will highlight prob-lems facing native rural communities in Sarawak and to raise awareness among West Malaysians and propose projects to address the issues. Tickets are priced at RM50. Visit sarawakbrunch@gmail.com for details.

Henry Butcher auctionAn array of affordable art, sculptures and decora-tive items will be auctioned off by Henry Butcher Asset Auctioneers on Sunday (Oct 23) at 11am. Over 200 artworks will be on sale, including works by renowned artists David Kwo, Yusof Ghani, Rafiee Ghani and Maamor Jantan. The art pieces can be viewed today (Oct 22) from 10am-7pm at the Wis-ma Bentley Music Mutiara Damansara. For more information, visit www.henrybutcher.com.my or call 016-2980852, 016-3085825 or email auction@hen-rybutcher.com.my.

Fundraising jumble saleThe Church of Shekinah Glory is holding a jumble sale to raise funds for the poor. They welcome donations such as IT hardware products, clothes, shoes, household appliances, cutlery and decorative accessories. All donated items will be sold at a jumble sale. For details, call 03-33240957, 016-6133955 or email csglory@pc.jaring.my.

World Animal DayIn conjunction with World Animal Day, SPCA Selangor will organise an event for animals in collaboration with the Sunway Volunteer Society on Nov 13 at 3pm. Call 016-4451007 (Helen), 017-3739391 (Ying Zhao) or 017-6940668 (Li Jean) for details.

Free health screeningHead on down to Masjid Al-Husna Bandar Sunway for free medical check-ups this Sunday from 8.30am. Free checkups include pap smear and breast check. The public can also get information about alternative treatments for diseases and sickness during the event. Among alternative treatments promoted are traditional chinese medicine, homeopathy, leech cupping and reflexology for the disabled. This free health check is open to all. For more information, contact 019-2882412 (Farah).

By Basil Foo

PUCHONG: A 135-year-old Hindu temple here will not be force to relocate, thanks to an agreement reached through the intervention of the Selangor government.

“We have met landowner IOI (Holdings), and they have agreed, through a letter of undertaking, to give the plot of land to the temple,” said Teresa Kok.

The state executive councillor and Kinrara assemblyperson said IOI’s decision to preserve the Sri Maha Mariamman Dev-asthanam temple was part of their corporate social responsibil-ity and not for any reward.

But she said there had been extensive negotiations before the agreement was reached to allow the temple to remain in Bandar Puchong Jaya. 

“They (IOI) understood the community’s needs and sug-gested alternate sites for the temple. But the temple committee refused as it was not suitable,” said Kok.

The landowner finally relented because they still had many development projects in Puchong and wanted to keep religious harmony intact.

At the press conference was state executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar, who said the process would take up to 60 days.  

“Work to gazette the temple land can begin once IOI hands the land over to the state,” he said.

IOI Holdings must inform the Land Office of their inten-tion to give up the 0.31-hectare plot to the state, which will then allocate the site for religious purposes.

The temple committee will then have to apply for the land before it can be gazetted and preserved. 

“This is not a new procedure. The state government has taken up issues like this with other places of worship,” he added.

Dr Xavier said more than 120 plots of land have been gazet-

ted by the state government for places of worship of various religions in the past three years.

Temple secretary K Poobalan thanked the state government for their efforts in retaining the location of the temple, which has seen several different land owners in its long history.

“The history of this temple goes back to when it was sur-rounded by the Castle Field Estate, which was owned by Eu-ropeans,” said temple committee member P Yugapuriyan.

The land was bought over by IOI in 1992.He stressed on the importance of the temple, which he said

caters to tens of thousands of devotees and is also an education centre for schoolchildren and the needy.

Also present were Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo and Subang Jaya Municipal (MPSJ) councillors K Arumugam and T Michael.

Gobind, whose office is situated on the same road as the temple, said the steps to solve the land dispute had been carried out despite the long and complex history of the issue.

He also congratulated the temple committee for their per-sistence in pushing for their temple to remain at the site, where it has been located since the 19th century.

Temple gets to stay, own land

Poobalan (seated left) and Yugapuriyan (seated right).

By Brenda Ch’ng

SUBANG JAYA: Rampant acts of vandalism on park fa-cilities and indecent behaviour by youths on the USJ12 field at night are leaving residents and authorities at a loss for answers.

“At least once a fortnight, youths will be seen drinking whiskey and brandy from midnight till early morning under the trees, near the gazebo,” said resident W K Tan.

Tan, who has been living in USJ12 for over 16 years, said the situation is getting worse.

After nights of drinking, the youths will smash the alcohol bottles on the jogging tracks, filling the place with broken pieces of glass.

Tan has even seen them setting the rubbish bins on fire.Despite having eight spotlights installed to deter crimes, the

youths easily darken the park by breaking into the locked fuse-box to cut off power supply.

“All this happened two years ago when the gazebo was built in the park,” said Tan.

The youths also spray graffiti on benches, gazebo walls and around the basketball court.

“There is nothing much the council can do as it is hard to catch these culprits,” said the Subang Jaya Municipal Council-lor (MPSJ) R Rajiv.

He said police officers have agreed to patrol the area at night. However, no one has been caught so far.

“I hope the police will look into this more seriously and

patrol the area every night,” said Rajiv.

MPSJ has also been receiving complaints about the bald football field adjacent to the park.

“Residents have been calling for new grass to be planted as it’s hard to play football on the grassless pitch,” said MPSJ’s De-partment of Youth, Sport and Culture senior assis-tant director, Muham-mad Zaki Yusoff.

He sa id the com-plaints have been so over-whelming that MPSJ decided to upgrade the turf by planting new grass, changing the football goal nets and drawing lines on the field.

After two months of refurbishment that cost MPSJ RM15,000, the field is finally open to residents.

“To make sure the field is in good condition, MPSJ will do a monthly maintenance costing about RM4,000,” said Zaki,

Among maintenance works needed are cutting of grass, fertilising, pulling out weeds and drawing lines on the field.

He added that MPSJ also allows residents to book the field for tournaments.

Application forms are available at the council, with appli-cants expected to pay a cleaning deposit of RM250.

“If the field is dirty after a tournament, we will deduct the money. But a full refund will be given if the field is clean,” said Zaki.

There are only five football fields in Subang Jaya, at SS15, USJ11, USJ2, USJ4 and USJ12.

“We don’t have that many fields or parks in the area. I hope people will start learning how to take care of it,” said Subang Jaya assemblyperson Hannah Yeoh.

“To keep repairing the facilities every time we receive com-plaints is just too costly. Every repair costs taxpayers money,” said Yeoh.

USJ12 park an eyesore

Graffiti on the basketball court.

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ OctOber 21 – 23, 2011 ⁄ 5

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ORANG RAMAIDIJEMPUT HADIR

6 october 21 — 23, 2011

news

By Gan Pei Ling

PETALING JAYA: Residents at Kampung Tunku have started a campaign to protest against a private de-veloper’s plan to convert a green lung for commercial development.

“We’ll approach the school, kindergartens and resi-dents. We target to collect 1,000 signatures by mid-December,” said Save Kampung Tunku Green Lung Committee chairperson Datuk Dr M Rajen.

He said the signatures will be given to Kampung Tunku assemblyperson Lau Weng San and relevant au-thorities such as the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).

The green lung concerned is a 2,989.89 metre sq tri-angular lot located opposite SK Kampung Tunku on Jalan SS 1/22.

Residents are concerned that traffic congestion would worsen, especially during peak hours, if a multistorey commercial building is built right next to the traffic junction.

Rajen added that there are 38 trees in the park, some of which are over 40 years old as they were planted when the housing estate was established.

Lau, who was also at the press conference on Wednesday, said the land is classified as an “open space” in the Local Plan, but the land title is commercial.

Originally owned by Malaysian Government Officers’ Co-operative Ltd since 1981, the freehold property was sold to a private developer in December 2011.

However, the space has always been managed by MBPJ, and Lau said Malaysian Government Officers’ Co-operative Ltd should have returned the land to the city council.

“This is an open space, they shouldn’t have sold it,” said Lau.

Rajen said residents were alerted to the proposed development when the developer fenced off the area three months ago.

Last month, residents received a letter from MBPJ seeking their views to convert the area from “open space” to commercial land.

Lau said MBPJ would have to hold a public hearing before it could amend the Local Plan.

In 2007, there was another proposal to build a three-storey private hospital at the same location, but the plan was later shelved.

Residents oppose plan to develop green lung

A private developer has proposed to develop this green lung, located opposite a primary school and within a residential area, into a multistorey commercial building.

RAWANG: An independent con-sultant engaged to evaluate Tenaga Nasional Berhad’s (TNB) controver-sial high-tension cable and tower project here is expected to conclude its studies this month.

The company is also determining the viability of alternative sites to avoid building the towers in the high-density Kampung Sungai Terentang.

Rawang assemblyperson Gan Pei Nei told the press on Tuesday that the Australian company had con-ducted an onsite survey in Rawang from Sept 4-14.

“The consultant was surprised that a high-tension cable project is being proposed at a densely populated area like Rawang,” said Gan, when asked to comment on the initial observa-tions of the consultant.

She said the consultancy was very experienced, but the state has refused to identify the company involved to avoid political interference in the outcome of the report.

Selangor had earlier this year en-gaged another Australian consultancy to conduct an independent study on TNB’s Central Area Reinforcement

project in Kampung Sungai Terentang.But they cancelled their trip to

conduct an onsite survey in April a week prior to arrival, citing political pressure from certain parties warning them against working for a Pakatan Rakyat-led state.

Gan said the independent consul-tancy would also evaluate the feasibil-ity of two alternative proposals sub-mitted to the state.

The first proposal involves moving the proposed high-tension towers away from homes so that none of the houses would have to be vacated.

The second proposal involves re-routing the high-tension cables to TNB reserves on Jalan Perdana Raw-ang instead.

The issue has been in a deadlock for three years, and residents have taken TNB to court.

However, the Federal Court ruled in November 2009 that TNB can continue the project as planned by paying RM10.4 million to compen-sate the residents.

Residents have vehemently op-posed the project due to public health concerns.

High-tension cable study ready this month By Brenda Ch’ng

PUCHONG: Motorists will experience smoother traffic flow with the new flyover bridge along the Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong (LDP) which opened early this morning (1am, Friday).

The two-lane bridge, connecting IOI Puchong to Putrajaya, the Puchong Intan Interchange and Shah Alam, is meant to alleviate the evening peak-hour congestion on the LDP.

“Now road users can avoid congestion at the Puchong Intan Interchange heading towards Putra-jaya and Shah Alam,” said Lingkaran Trans Kota Sdn Bhd (Litrak) CEO Sazally Saidi.

The project, which commenced in September 2009, cost Litrak RM105 million and was com-pleted two months ahead of schedule.

Measuring 550 metres, the bridge is part of the RM312 million highway enhancement project an-nounced by Litrak in 2009.

Litrak also upgraded the traffic lights at the Pu-chong Perdana Interchange intersection, and wid-ened the lanes between Kg Bharu Puchong and

Puchong Intan Interchange.Meanwhile, upgrading works from the Petaling

Jaya Toll Plaza at Sunway heading towards Puchong are underway and are scheduled to be completed by early 2013.

“This upgrading is meant to complement the new bridge, to further ease traffic flow,” said Sazally.

For more information, call the LDP Helpline at 03-74947333, or visit their website at www.litrak.com.my.

New bridge to improve LDP traffic

Sazally on the new bridge.

By Basil Foo

SERI KEMBANGAN: A bottleneck at the tail end of Jalan Besar is causing daily traffic snarls for thousands of motorists in the township.

The 50-metre gridlock stems from a traffic t-junction to and from the Sungai Besi Highway.

“It gets worse if it rains and if there’s a function at the Mines Con-vention Centre nearby. It takes me an hour just to get through this short stretch,” said Yap Kok Weng.

The resident from Serdang Perdana 5 was among those who met Ean Yong Hian Wah to express their grouses.

The Sri Kembangan assemblyper-son pointed out that traffic studies give the route a Service Level F rating, which indicates that it cannot cope with the traffic volume.

He proposed that additional lanes be built to ease traffic flow onto the

Sungai Besi Highway.However, the Subang Jaya Municipal Council

(MPSJ) and state can only offer advice as the stretch is under the jurisdiction of the Federal Public Works Department ( JKR).

Ean Yong and MPSJ councillor Ng Sze Han said the problem was highlighted to JKR at a meeting after visiting the area on Monday.

Ng said JKR needed time to conduct further stud-ies before deciding what to do in the next meeting in a month’s time.

New lane proposed to ease gridlock

Section of Jalan Besar prone to congestion, leading onto the Sungai Besi Highway.

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SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ OctOber 21 – 23, 2011 ⁄ 7

8 OctOber 21 — 23, 2011

News

Syabas subject to audit

By Alvin Yap

SHAH ALAM: Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) accounts and operations will be audited by two international firms appointed by the state, which is disputing claims of an impending water crisis.

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the audit needs to be carried out to determine how much Non Reve-

Aid for fire victimsSERI KEMBANGAN: Two families, whose homes here were damaged in separate fires only hours apart two weeks ago, received state assistance on Monday.

“The fire in my unit started at around 10pm on Oct 5. Thank-fully there was no one at home when it happened,” said Mohd Zahrain Zakaria.

The 32-year-old resident of Ta-man Muhibbah low-cost flats here received RM500 from Seri Kemban-gan assemblyperson Ean Yong Hian Wah during a visit on Monday.

Mohd Zahrain said he was grate-ful for the aid. His total repair bill is estimated to be more than RM3,000.

“We had to repaint the whole interior as it was charred, and change the wiring, electrical appliances and doors,” said Mohd Zahrain.

The fire is believed to have been caused by a short circuit in his kitchen.

Mohd Zahrain

receiving the financial

aid from Ean Yong.

Looking on is Ng (right).

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nue Water (NRW) is actually lost by Syabas.

Both Putrajaya and Shah Alam are at loggerheads over the urgency of the Langat II water treatment plant, which will treat water chan-nelled to the state from Pahang.

“Claims by Datuk Seri Peter Chin that we should not delay ap-proval for Langat II as we could have a water supply crisis by 2014 are not true,” said the Menteri Besar on Wednesday.

Ananthan showing some of the prayer and altar items for sale at one the shops on Jalan Welman.

Living two floors above him was Senthamarai Dewi Munusamy, whose unit caught fire at around 1am on Oct 6.

“I don’t know what happened. The fire just came. I was scared be-cause another fire had just happened a few hours before,” she said.

Senthamarai said she did not know the cause of the fire in her unit because her husband, who is out of town, had the report. 

Her neighbours helped to douse

the fire, but the blaze destroyed al-most everything , including her daughter’s school uniforms.

“She hasn’t gone to school since the fire, but the teachers understand our situation,” Senthamari said.

The family is temporarily renting another unit at the flats, and she, too, expressed gratitude for the RM500 assistance.

Also at the visit was Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) coun-cillor Ng Sze Han.

He was referring to the Energy, Green Technolog y and Water Minister, who had recently said the Klang Valley would face shortages in three years.

However, the Selangor Water Management Board (LUAS) has determined that the state’s seven dams provide enough water for fu-ture consumption.

Khalid said if there was a water supply problem, it would be be-cause of Syabas’s inability to pro-duce enough clean water and to

contain NRW.“The existing water treatment

plants operated by Syabas are poor-ly maintained, and they currently do not produce enough treated water,” he said.

He said the auditing firms will go through Syabas operations with a fine-toothed comb, and if the latter is found to be negligent, then action will be taken to rectify the situation.

Khalid further said that Selan-gor will not be compelled into ap-

proving the new water treatment plant as the project would not benefit the people but only profit “interested parties”.

He added that Putrajaya must sit down with his administration and conclude the restructuring of the water services industry in Selangor before Langat II is approved.

Selangor is seeking to regain control of water services, and has promised to reduce tariffs and con-tinue its free first 20 cubic metres water policy for households.

Little India emerging in RawangBy Gan Pei Ling

RAWANG: Indian traders on Ja-lan Welman in Rawang old town want to turn the area into a thriving business hub that rivals Jalan Teng-ku Kelana in Klang and Brickfields.

““We want to create our own Little India. We want to attract locals and people from Selayang, Serendah and Batang Kali to come here to shop instead of going all the way to Klang or Kuala Lumpur,” Rawang Indian Businessmen As-sociation vice-chairperson R Anan-than told Selangor Times.

Ananthan said there are over 25 Indian traders and shops selling a variety of products including sweets, religious items, clothing and accessories on Jalan Welman.

Both the association and the

local authority here are already working to promote Jalan Welman ahead of the Deepavali celebration.

“This is the first time we’re or-ganising a carnival from Oct 5-25, with the help of the Selayang Mu-nicipal Council,” he said.

He added that most of the shops have been around for more than a decade.

Canopies have been set up in front of the shophouses on Jalan Welman, and businesses are offer-ing various promotions and dis-counts ahead of the festival.

“You can see the crowd after 4pm and especially on weekends,” said Ananthan. 

He said local council enforce-ment officers and traffic police have been helping to regulate traffic flow.

Ananthan said this association

Chinese schools: Ean Yong slams MCASUBANG JAYA: Selangor has refuted MCA’s allegation that the state has not approved land for Chinese schools in Serdang.

“My office and the state have not received any request to reserve land for the building of Chinese schools,” said Seri Kembangan assemblyperson Ean Yong Hian Wah yesterday.

The state executive coun-cillor for new village develop-ment and Serdang Member of Parliament Teo Nie Ching held a press conference on one of the empty lands in Puncak Jalil here, which the state has earmarked to build a Chinese school.

Ean Yong said MCA Ser-dang division chairperson Datuk Liew Yuen Keong’s claim was “baseless”.

He also furnished proof that the state has approved seven plots of empty land in Serdang and Seri Kembangan to build Chinese schools.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Education should forward its request to the state for the reserved land, saying there is a need for Chinese schools in the area.

“The population here is al-most 150,000 with the major-ity ethnic Chinese,” he said.

Ean Yong reiterated that if the Ministry approved the building of the schools, the state would speed up the hand-ing over of the land to them.

is considering organising cultural performances in conjunction with Hindu festivals next year.

Meanwhile, Rawang assem-blyperson Gan Pei Nei said the state is holding a celebration in

Rawang on Nov 7 to celebrate Deepavali.

The public can look forward to cultural performances and good food from 7pm to midnight on Jalan Maxwell in Rawang old town.

9OctOber 21 — 23, 2011

views

Dear Lord Bobo, what’s a judicial review? Is it reviewing the judiciary? Also, can a judicial review be reviewed? What’s that called? Rearviewmirror, via email

JUDICIAL review is the name given by lawyers and the courts to give the illusion that some semblance of the rule of law re-mains in Malaysia. Okay, sorry, we should take off our cynic’s hat for this. Let’s start again.

Judicial review is the mechanism for the judiciary to review the actions of the Executive branch of government (meaning the prime minister and cabinet, or civil servants) or laws passed by the Legislature. It is sometimes confused by laypersons (which is not people who like to lie down a lot, it is just a poofy way of referring to “normal folk”) with the process of reviewing a judicial decision, which is technically an “appeal” or “revision”.

In Malaysia, to judicially review governmental action, you must file your application for leave to apply for judicial review within 40 days of the decision you are aggrieved by. If the government refuses to make any decision, you’re better off peeling bananas than hoping to find some way to appeal.

If you miss the 40-day deadline, too bad for you, Mr Ag-grieved Citizen, as the courts seem to have forgotten that they have the discretion to extend time (not in an altering the space-time continuum sorta way, we mean they can extend that 40-day deadline). Oops, sorry, that cynic’s hat slipped on again – tak-ing it back off.

The Attorney General’s Chambers can choose to come and object to leave (meaning they can ask that someone not be allowed to judicially review a decision) if they feel the applicant is a trouble maker. The AG is meant to be acting in the public interest rather than as lawyer for the government. Of course, that is based on the assumption of having an AG who under-stands there is a difference between the public interest and the government’s interest.

Malaysia does not have such an AG. Hence, the AG will always come and object to your leave application if you are actually seeking to review government action, and 8.5 times out of 10 the courts will buckle under and dismiss your ap-plication for leave on grounds that it is frivolous. The 10th time, the Court of Appeal will dismiss your application for you. That 0.5 is where the court will begrudgingly give you leave for a part of your application.

Wait, are we wearing that cynic’s hat again? As what we are saying is based on solid fact and not mere theory or hypothesis, perhaps it is not a cynic’s hat after all, but a realist’s one.

Anyway, if you by random chance happen to be in that 0.5 position, once you have your leave, the AG will come back as lawyers for the government department and by reason of a plethora of legal machinations (all legitimate, of course), be able to convince a judge that the government did no wrong.

It is curious – most Malaysian judges are incapable of find-ing that the government has ever done anything wrong. Perhaps we should all chip in and buy them some glasses?

My husband wants me to buy a copy of that new sex book by the Obedient Wives Club. But I think it’s degrading to women, don’t you? Gertrude Tham,

via email

FIRST of all, His Supreme Loveship does not think sex is degrading. Through sex, Sir Alex Ferguson was born so that legions of men around the world may eat and sleep football and thus escape from their responsibilities quasi-legitimately. Through sex also, George Lucas was born and bestowed upon us a good Star Wars trilogy. (Ok, so the bad Star Wars trilogy was later conceived and tortured us with terrible CGI and Best Performance by a Piece of Wood Playing a Human Being in the form of one Hayden Christensen. But still.) Sex is a bio-

logical necessity for both the survival and progress of human-kind (and monkeykind as well, mind you).

Yet, humans, particularly those occupying Asia and that famous middle belt of North America, get all flappy and flus-tered whenever the topic of sex is discussed both brazenly and publicly. Perhaps some of us still have conservative views about sex. We coyly believe it’s a private matter best confined to the bedroom where it’s experienced by two people (or more, based on that OWC book), in whatever gender permutation, or man to animal ratio preferred. Even though we have probably done more things with a glow-stick than a Jacky Cheung fan.

But what if religious law says you can have four wives? What if the law – at least according to the OWC – also suggests that sex on demand is the best way for women to prevent their husbands from straying? We don’t have to subscribe to the same laws or even the interpretation of such laws.

But surely, we can allow ourselves to be awed by the openness to sex by a bunch of supposed fundamentalists who have even created an alternative to the great Kamasutra? His Supreme Awesomeness is, for sure. And this is coming from the ape-x of awesomeness. The title alone blew us away: Islamic Sex, Fighting Jews to Return Islamic Sex to the World – holy banana muffins!

As to the reason your husband would want this book – well, perhaps he’s researching wars and wonders if “sex” here is a metaphor for “sleeping enemies”. Or perhaps he’s recently found interest in contortions after befriending a fakir. And he now wants to push his body to the limit – with some help.

Or perhaps he just wants some good old-fashioned TLC – with a twist or two. Whether you want to satisfy his curios-ity is entirely up to you – unless of course you’re actually an Obedient Wife who happens to be a bit on the rebellious side. In this case, maybe you could start the Disobedient Wives Club. That way, every time your husband asks for some, you can ignore him or point him to the cactus.

Judicially reviewing New Kamasutra

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10 OctOber 21 — 23, 2011InsIght

Aileen Tan lai Mooi is a programme officer in a non-governmental organisation, while her husband Ricky is a bank manager in Klang.

The Petaling Jaya family has to plan a monthly budget as they spend too much on food and household bills.

“We find that we’re using almost 60% of our combined salary for food and other payments,” says Tan, 31, who was originally from Kajang.

She has also seen her monthly take-home pay slashed, as the economic downturn has also affected funding for the non-profit organisation she works for.

“Times are tough”, says Tan, who has just returned to the workforce after a four-month maternity leave. The couple have a six-month-old baby who is taken care of by Ricky’s mother when they are working.

She has embarked on a plan to cut down on spending for food and household items, and plans her shopping to take advantage of offers from hypermarkets and warehouse clearance sales.

She keeps track of food prices and knows how much an item costs. For example, she knows that long beans cost RM1.50/kg on average in hypermarkets in Petaling Jaya, or that a whole chicken now costs RM6.70/kg.

“My daily chores include reading the newspapers and listings from hypermarkets to look for offers,” the social worker says, adding that she has tried to reduce food and utility expenditures to below 50% of the couple’s combined salary.

Tan takes care of the family budget and is always looking for the “best deal” in town.

She proudly shows off her fridge, which is stocked with packets of carrots, spinach and other greens, purchased in bulk from a hypermarket.

“Yellow stickers” are Tan’s must-buy item when she is shopping for groceries: they are food or even non-edible items that are marked to clear.

“i look for vegetables that have been on the shelves for more than a few days, or shampoo or soap that is less than a year away from its expiry date,” she said, adding that the savings from purchasing such items can add to a substantial amount.

She reiterates there are many ways families can save on monthly expenditure.

Tan also looks out for warehouse clearance sales, where prices for items such as soap, detergent, toothbrushes and washing liquid are marked down.

Her budget and no-frills shopping habits mean that she stays away from upmarket grocery stores.

On the other hand, the family is comfortable with its spending on utility bills.

Tan says the recent hike in electricity tariff has not affected the family as their usage is below the amount below the price hike bracket.

However, Tan hopes there will not be an increase in the petrol prices as Ricky has to drive daily from PJ to his new workplace in Klang.

“i don’t know much about economics or how inflation works, but housemakers like me have to budget if we are to survive in tough times,” she concludes.

Surviving tough timesBy Alvin Yap

H omema ker Ann L o oi budgets RM1,500 at the start of every month to purchase

food and other items.The 35-year-old housewife and

mother of two, however, finds it in-creasingly difficult to get by with less than RM2,000 to place food on the table every month for her family of four.  

The Johor Baru native does not care about keeping up with her neighbours’ life-

style, explaining that she has her hands full keeping up with dearer food prices.Families in urban centres are finding it hard

to get by on the wage levels that have stagnated for a few years now, says the part-time dressmaker.Economists and consumer groups like the Federation

of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) say that middle-income groups in urban centres are being hit hard by

stagnant wages and increased living costs.Inflation, they say, is as certain as death and taxes.But what is inflation? Economists define it as the rate at which

the general level of prices for goods and services rise, and, subse-quently, purchasing power falls.

“Inflation is a general increase in the prices of items so that we buy less with our money compared to a time, say, five years ago,” explains lawmaker Charles Santiago, who says that Malaysian wages have not increased to keep up with the rising cost of living.

The Klang MP explains that as prices increase for items, each ringgit unit buys fewer goods and even services.

Consequently, the former eco-nomics and finance lecturer points out that inflation reflects a “lower-

ing” of purchasing power of money.He explains that an increase in

inflation means that the ability of our ringgit to buy specific quantities is lessened.

Giving an example, Santiago says that in 2000, RM10 could buy three chickens, while the same unit of money today can only get the shop-

per one and a half chickens.To put it another way, he says a

prospective car buyer would have to fork out, for example, RM50,000 to buy a compact-sized car this year, when it was only RM47,000 last year.

The first-term MP explains that price increases are a burden to every worker whose salary is not only fixed but also stagnated.

Malaysians are getting a raw deal, he points out, as inflation is exacer-bated by wage levels that have stayed flat over the years.

“Increasingly, businesses are pass-ing on the costs of goods to con-sumers whose wages are the same as it was 10 to 15 years ago,” says Santiago, a trained economist.

He says economists unflatteringly call inflation the “Big Squeeze”, and the description, while unsophisti-cated, is quite apt.

Families, he explains, are facing the brunt of rising costs of living, with wage increases nowhere near enough to keep up with dearer goods and services.

Santiago, who heads a non-gov-ernmental organisation think tank, says that families “feel the squeeze”

The Big Squeeze:

The rising cost of living

Santiago: Malaysian wages have not increased to keep up with the rising cost of living.(Source: thehindu.com)

when they fill the fuel tank in their car, or when they go shopping for clothes, food, or when they pay their utility bills.

What causes inflation?Santiago says supply and de-

mand – that is, that a greater demand for items will push prices up due to limited availability – can no longer account for a marked increase in prices.

He takes the most essential item – food – to illustrate how inflation is no longer solely caused by sup-ply and demand, but by external factors.

Santiago says the public at large does not know that food prices globally have skyrocketed due to climate change, monopoly on food production, and agriculture policy that is weighed towards producing cash crops.

“Firstly, climate change is de-stroying land that is suitable for ag-riculture. There is less arable, fertile land for planting paddy, wheat and other staple food source,” Santiago explains.

He says monopolies and cartels are also selling essential food items like rice, wheat and soy at higher prices to maximise profits.

International agriculture corpora-tions, Santiago says, have put profits ahead of feeding “a hungry world”, as they, instead of governments – who should do more to eradicate hunger and poverty – determine the prices.

In Malaysia, the problem of bal-looning food prices is due to depend-ence on food imports as agriculture is slanted towards producing cash crops like oil palm and rubber.

“We are net importers of rice, vegetables and other staple food ingredients as we don’t produce sufficient amounts,” Santiago says, adding that Malaysians are at the mercy of foreign food producers and their profit-oriented prices.

A reduction in our food import bill, he says, can only be addressed

by a return to food-producing ag-riculture.

Fomca says middle-income and lower-income families are increas-ingly in debt due to outstanding payments incurred from paying for essential items such as food, petrol and utility bills.

According to the centre’s research and policy advisory committee, inflation touched 3.3% in August 2011, making essential items dearer to purchase.

According to Fomca’s Datuk Paul Selvaraj, households now use more than a third of their income just to purchase food, fill the car with petrol, and pay electricity and water bills.

“In some households, families are using half of their income to pay off debts incurred from mortgages, rental, car ownership and food pur-chases,” says the consumer advocacy group’s chief executive officer.

Selvaraj says it is alarming to note that inflation, among other things, has caused households to spend more to purchase essential items.

According to Bank Negara’s An-

The Big Squeeze:

The rising cost of living

nual Report 2010, household debt at the end of 2010 was RM581 billion, or 76% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Selvaraj says the figure is wor-rying, as it signals that households are using as much as half of their incomes to pay off debts.

According to the central bank’s statistics, the Malaysian household debt service ratio was 39.1% in 2006, rose to 49% in 2009, and dropped slightly to 47.8% in 2010

“This means that after paying off the debt there is not much left to spend on education,  and especially during medical emergencies and savings,” he says, adding that homes will find it hard to make ends meet if breadwinners fall sick or lose their jobs.

“That is the issue with infla-tion. It affects everyone, especially wage earners and households,” says Selvaraj.

He says the federal government should do more to ensure that basic items such like food, petrol, telecom-munications and transportation charges do not rise too much due to

inflation and profiteering.A nuclear family of four, Selvaraj

says, spends a lot on food, adding that petrol and transportation costs also factor in household spending.

Fomca updates its weekly record of prices for essential items, and Selvaraj notes that a whole dressed chicken now costs RM6.70/kg at hypermarkets, while green vegeta-bles cost around RM1.50/kg.

Selvaraj says consumer groups like Fomca want to educate and inform the average consumer to spend wisely.

Like Santiago, he acknowledges that market forces of a global nature are driving prices up. He urges the public to do their part in spending wisely.

Selvaraj says prices were “very much influenced by external factors”, but nonetheless wants the people to play their role in facing inflation.

He says the short- to medium-term plan is to educate the public on sustainable purchases, explain-ing that people have to practise an economical way of life and strive to be frugal.

However, the government should not abdicate its responsibility to protect the poorest from the burden of price increases.

He says the government needs to take action, including using the Price Control Act and Anti-Profiteering Act, to curb profiteering.

Recently, he called on the govern-ment to take stern action against traders who raise food prices follow-ing last month’s increase in egg price by two sen.

Fomca and other advocac y groups, notably the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) – which speaks out on workers and wage issues – have said the government must do more to tackle inflation.

Selvaraj says the 2012 Budget tabled recently in Parliament chose to continue with subsidies, as their removal would hit the middle- and lower-income groups the hardest.

He points out that rising inflation cannot be kept at bay, and the gov-ernment should implement a wage floor of RM1,500 so that the public can cope with living costs.

Inflation: when the general level of prices for goods and services rise, and, subsequently, purchasing power falls.

(Source: ~ezs @ Flickr)

(Source: MyLifeStory @ Flickr)

12 october 21 — 23, 2011

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In my conversation with Malaysian parents, the topic almost always steers back to the issue of the country’s education system. They are most often in a dilemma about which

schools they should place their children in, and which system to opt for.

Most parents who have been through the national education system in their youth, and benefited from its multiracial at-mosphere, want their children to experience the same thing, yet fear the consequences of the combined effects of poor syllabus content, low-quality teachers, and an atmosphere that just does not encourage critical thinking, growth and develop-ment of the child.

As a result, parents of different ethnicities have gravitated towards national-type Chinese schools, national-type Tamil schools, and other types like government-assisted religious schools, mission schools, private schools, international schools and the new kid on the block: home schooling.

The government is surely aware of the urgency of the matter, that if we do not correct the education system that produces unemployable graduates with a poor command of English, this will be the major source of economic slowdown, no matter the sophisticated infrastructure that Malaysia already possesses.

And what has the budget got to show for improving the quality of education in Malaysia?

The government will spend RM50.2 billion in education in 2012, out of which RM1.9 billion will be contributed to national schools, national-type Chinese and Tamil schools, mission schools and government-assisted religious schools; as well as RM1 billion for construction, improvement and main-tenance of schools.

One of the interesting announcements was the removal of primary and secondary school fees, which will cost the govern-ment RM150 million in total (schoolchildren currently pay

RM24.50 and RM33.50 annually for primary and secondary school fees).

And then, a slew of incentives for private and interna-tional schools (if registered with the Ministry of Education and in compliance with regulation): income tax exemption of 70% or investment tax allowance of 100% on qualifying capital expenditure for five years; double deduction for over-seas promotional expenses to attract more foreign students; import duty and sales tax exemptions on all educational equip-ment.

It is all well and good for the government to increase incen-tives for private and international schools – they have in recent years been given greater liberalisation to operate on home ground. And there have been an increasing number of such schools, which raises the variety of options available to parents.

On the one hand, this may seem a positive thing, which allows private and international schools the option to price down (with their incentives and such, but only if the school chooses to do so), thereby making quality education available to a wider spectrum of people.

But on the other hand, let’s not kid ourselves. Ultimately, only those in the highest income categories would be able to afford private education, whereas 60% of Malaysians have a household income of less than RM3,500 on average.

This creates silos of the educated, a fundamental problem with greater liberalisation of the education sector, where you have the rich and educated layer of society versus the less well-to-do hav-ing no choice but to receive education in national schools.

Sure, a budget on its own accord would not be able to solve all of the country’s education policy problems. But it does seem as if more efforts have been channelled to boosting the popu-larity of private education this time round.

Education is one of the National Key Results Areas under the helm of Pemandu in the Prime Minister’s Department. The four sub-areas are focused on pre-school education, lit-eracy and numeracy, high-prestige schools (a target of 20), and giving achievement-based incentives to school leaders (head-masters in particular).

These four sub-areas, combined with the lack of descrip-tion within the 2012 Budget on how to actually improve the quality of syllabus and of educators itself, are of great concern and worry. The country does need a severe overhaul of the national education system, right from its roots of the teachers’ training colleges. (The flip-flop policies on Eng-lish in Science and Maths are an added problem, but much has been said about this).

In short, parents want to feel secure in the knowledge that when they drop their children off at school every morning, the kids are maximising their potential, absorbing knowledge and being enthusiastic about learning, being exposed to the right material and being developed as better human beings.

If the current national school system fails to deliver on this, we will get a situation of increasing fragmentisation, where the poles draw slowly apart in the contexts of not just race and religion, but of socioeconomic status.

Of schooling and the Budget

(Pic by esharkj @ Flickr)

Just selangorTricia Yeoh

Occupy Wall Street protest in New York. (Pic by David Shankbone / Wiki commons)

2011 will have to go down as the year of the

occupied square. The Occupy Wall Street month-long encamp-

ment at Zuccotti Park in Manhattan follows a motif painted from Tunis’ Kasbah Square to Cairo’s Tahrir Square, among the more epic places of revolutionary gathering.

Of course, we must press the comparison lightly. Protesting an economic injustice, corporate greed and unaccountable power is not as dangerous and momentous as fighting – and triumphing over – vicious tyrants.

But who can deny they got the world’s attention? The spread of Occupy Wall Street to American cities, and to tributary gatherings at symbolic places around the world (including Dataran Merdeka), shows that people around the world share the movement’s evoked sentiments.

A Time magazine survey found Americans’ impressions of the protests to be 54% favourable and 23% negative. Accord-ing to an NBC/Wall Street Journal survey, 37% “tend to support” while 18% “tend to oppose” Occupy Wall Street.

The public square settlers chanted, “We are the 99%!” Not the top 1%, who in the United States take a fifth of national income and a third of national wealth, who live plushly while the unemployed worker and underfunded student grope for scraps, and who recently had the expiring Bush tax cuts re-newed. Not the top 1%, who spend lavishly in political lob-bying to secure tax breaks and lax regulations, discredit and defund public institutions, and who escaped penalty after causing the financial crisis.

This is really a battle of access to political power and control of the policy agenda. The choice to take to the streets befalls those barred, by lack of money, crony connection or party representation, from the corridors of power.

Lower- and middle-class people are feeling the financial squeeze and government budgets around the world are straining. In response, should countries raise revenue or slash expenses?

The response in the US, and more severely in the UK, is to

cut spending and to let finance loose, again.How about increasing tax rates? Notably, billionaire inves-

tor Warren Buffett implored the government to tax him higher and stop coddling rich folks. His message has not gained critical mass.

Away from much of the media spotlight, throughout June-August, students in Chile rallied around public education, boycotting classes, occupying schools and protesting in the streets. They demanded more, and better targeted, funding for public education.

Here in Malaysia, the financial sector’s power may not be as widespread, visible and entrenched as it is in the US, and we have sustained public funding for education.

But there are indications that financial interests dominate, and not in the most productive ways. We continue to ignore potentially large and socially productive public revenue sources. Education expenditure, while substantial in quantity, fails to meet the challenges of declining quality.

Manufacturing’s share of debt securities issued in Malaysia fell from an average of 21.0% over 1990-1997 to 2.2% over 2007-2010. Across the same interval, the share of the finance

and business services rose from 15.3% to 52.2% – mostly in the form of asset-backed bonds. Parlaying money to make more money is alive and growing.

Between 1990-2001 and 2009-2011, the average annual amount of loans disbursed for manufacturing activities in-creased by a mere 30% in real terms, compared to 460% for credit cards and 280% for property purchases. Our system is veering towards buying inflatable assets rather than making things of real value and innovation.

Pre-budget chatter every September-October, it seems, ponders whether the upper bracket’s income tax will be re-duced. In recent years, we’ve tangoed with the goods and services tax (GST).

Throughout all this, we retain zero capital gains tax on eq-uity. In Malaysia, you can earn income buying and selling shares and pocket all the difference. The absence of a capital gains tax is not only a foregone legitimate source of government revenue, it also inclines investment to short term horizons. The rationale of a tax to penalise rampant profiteering underlies the real property gains tax – is there any reason it should not apply to equity? The top 1% will be happy with the status quo.

Our 2012 federal budget allocates funds to cover remaining bits of standard school fees. This is welcome, but how about delivering not just free schooling but also good schooling? How about recruiting and retaining a mass of good teachers?

Of course, the budget speech mentions “quality education”, but devotes little toward rejuvenating public schools. For teachers, there is an exit policy for deadwood and a retention policy for the perseverant, but no entry policy to attract the brightest and best into the profession. There are plenty of incentives for private schools. The 99% will not have much to do with private schools.

Occupy Dataran’s peaceful, community-building Oct 15 congregation – just half a day from afternoon to late at night – was prematurely broken up by police.

I wonder what will be sadder in 10 years: youth being unable to do write a decent sentence, or being too indifferent and intimidated to occupy a public square to protest the deficient public education they’re dealt?

Malaysia should focus on educationwit pleasureLee Hwok Aun

13october 21 — 23, 2011

news

By Gan Pei Ling  

RAWANG: Thieves made off with nine bronze censers and in the process desecrated the Kim Ying Temple here last Thursday (Oct 13) despite security cameras.

The images of the two culprits hauling away the 40kg pots, which devotees use to place joss sticks, was captured on two close-circuit television cameras (CCTV).

“The censers are worth around RM20,000 in total. This is the second time the temple has been robbed,” temple spokesperson Tong Ming Kong said on Tuesday.

He said the first theft happened in September when five oil lamps made of bronze, each worth around RM800, went missing.

As a result, the temple committee decided to spend RM3,000 to install CCTVs around the temple.

The footage also showed the men using bolt cutters to cut open temple’s side door entrance at around 4am before carrying out the censers from the 48-year-old temple.

To add insult to injury, the men dumped the ashes from the pots inside the temple.

“They should have taken it with them – we had to clean up after them” said Tong, who was visibly annoyed. 

The temple committee was alerted by joggers who discovered the theft, and subsequently lodged a police report.

Rawang assemblyperson Gan Pei Nei urged police to use the CCTV footage to nab the culprits. 

“Crime is on the rise here; robberies are happening even during daytime. The police should take immediate action

against the suspects,” said Gan.She pointed out that the Gombak district police head-

quarters had in 2009 applied for Rawang to set up its own police district because of the rapid population growth.

“We’ve over 200,000 people living in Rawang now. We need more police to tackle rising crime and increase patrols around the area,” said Gan.

Temple not spared by thieves

 SHAH ALAM: Good demand for Se-langor Development Corporation’s (PKNS)  Virtual Office (VIO) here is spurring plans for new outlets in other cities.

“The response has been overwhelm-ing,” said PKNS general manager Othman Omar.

Othman said VIO has amassed over 50 clients since it commenced in November 2010.

“All of our 13 executive suites are oc-cupied, so we’re focusing on promoting our virtual office package which is avail-able from RM300 a month,” said Othman.

Located on the second floor of PKNS Biz Point in Shah Alam Section 7, Oth-man said PKNS is considering expanding VIO to the first floor, as well as the pos-sibility of opening VIO in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur as it has properties in both cities.

Othman said emerging entrepreneurs or existing companies looking to expand their businesses in the Klang Valley can reduce traditional office costs by renting a virtual office.

VIO provides fully furnished work stations, meeting rooms, telephone, fax, internet services, as well as administration and receptionist support for businesses. Businesses will so have a dedicated busi-ness address and telephone number for their company.

PKNS expanded its reach by signing a memorandum of understanding with FAA Corporate Advisory and the Selan-

gor branch of the Malay Businessmen and Industrialists Association (Perdasama) on Monday.

PKNS will be giving promotional VIO rates to FAA Corporate Advisory’s clients and Perdasama Selangor’s members.

FAA Corporate Advisory will be avail-able at VIO to provide corporate advice, while Perdasama Selangor will organise a free social media marketing seminar every week for VIO customers.

“We want to provide a conducive en-vironment for entrepreneurs to exchange ideas and share success stories at VIO,” said Othman.

FAA Group managing director Fawzi Abd Aziz and Perdasama Selangor chief Ami Mohd Salleh were present to sign the memorandum, witnessed by state executive councillor Yaakob Sapari.

PKNS mulls expanding Virtual Office

(From left) Ami, Yaakob, Fawzi and Othman signing a memorandum of understanding to collaborate with PKNS on Monday.

KLANG: More than 1,000 people showed up to apply for 50 vacancies for garbage collection workers at the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) on Tuesday.

Klang councillor Lim Lip Suan said the overwhelming response was “surpris-ing”.

Lim said they only wanted to hire another 50 workers to handle garbage

collection, which the local council took over from Alam Flora on Oct 16.

He said most of the applicants who came for the one-day walk-in interview were former Alam Flora workers.

Lim said successful applicants would receive RM1,500 a month, inclusive of salary and allowances, from MPK, and are expected to start work next week.

Overwhelming response to job openings By Brenda Ch’ng

KLANG: Ratepayers can call Klang Municipal Council’s (MPK) new hotlines to complain about garbage collection and cleaning services.

MPK secretary Ikhsan Mukri said the council has set up hotlines for ratepayers to complain about uncollected rubbish and street cleaning after it takes over from Alam Flora Sdn Bhd.

Solid waste management concessionaire Alam Flora’s contract with local governments was originally supposed to end in Jan 2012.

Ikhsan said residents can call in to report cases of disruption to garbage collection after Oct 16.

All 12 local governments in the state are now responsible for handling garbage collection

from that date.The move is expected to save the local govern-

ments some RM20 million annually.“We are prepared and ready to take over the

services. Contractors have also been chosen to ensure the whole of Klang is rubbish-free,” said Ikhsan.

He also urged local leaders and residents to help the council monitor rubbish collection in their respective areas.

He said North Klang ratepayers can lodge garbage complaints by calling 016-2720406 (Kamachy), while South Klang residents can call 016-2506796 (Razif ).

For cleaning services complaints, North Klang residents can call 019-2245387, while South Klang ratepayers can call 03-33726781.

New hotlines for rubbish complaints

Gobind (left), Ahmad Idzam (second left), and Hashina (right) next to Mohamad Rosli’s bed.

By Basil Foo

PUCHONG: Life for Mohamad Rosli Abdul Rahman, who suffered a stroke while working at a printing factory in Shah Alam in 2008, has now become easier.

Bedridden since, the 50-year-old can leave home for the first time in three years after a wheelchair was delivered to his doorstep on Tuesday.

“We are thankful for the donation as he has been inactive for a long time and we cannot afford a wheelchair on our own,” said his sister, Hashina Abdul Rahman.

She received the wheelchair from Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, who had heard about the family’s plight from their neighbours.

Gobind said he hoped the contribution will ease the burden of the family.

The 45-year-old single mother, with five schoolgoing children, has been struggling to also look after her elder brother’s basic needs.

Hashina, who is unable to carry him, also has to feed, clothe and bathe him.

“He hasn’t been able to go outside at all in three years. The neighbours have never seen him,”

she said.Haslina, who receives RM300 in aid month-

ly from the Social Welfare Department, is look-ing to donors for a medical bed.

“It is hard to change his diaper and move him from side to side to alleviate the rashes on his back. A medical bed will help,” she said

Those interested in making contributions to Haslina’s family are urged to contact Gobind’s service centre at 03-58850616.

With Gobind during the visit was PAS mem-ber Ahmad Idzam Ahmad, who donated RM300 to the family.

Bedridden patient gets wheelchair

CCTV footage showing the criminals at work.

1) 2)

3) 4)

14 october 21 — 23, 2011

media

PETALING JAYA: Property developer Bolton Bhd reached out to bring cheer and colour to the children of Pusat Penjagaan Kanak-Kanak Cacat Taman Megah (PPKKCTM) SS3 branch through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme recently.

More than 40 Bolton management and staff turned up in full force on Saturday (Oct 8) to transform the home, which was in need of a facelift.

PPKKCTM is a non-governmental, non-profitable home for the disabled and underprivileged. The SS3 branch houses 40 children with various disabilities.

The employees turned up in the morning and spent half the day scraping and repainting the walls in order to transform and improve the façade and compound of the home.

After the painting session, they took the opportunity to spend time and interact with the children and residents over lunch sponsored by Bolton.

Bolton Executive Director Chan Wing Kwong, who led the team of staff, said: “It is heartwarming to see our people taking part in this noble cause and supporting Bolton’s CSR efforts …

“Bolton has a full calendar of CSR activities and there will be many more.”

Bolton staff also donated food provisions, basic necessities, gifts and a wheelchair to the children.

PPKKCTM president R Umah Devi said: “We are thankful to Bolton for their effort in transform-ing our home. The bright colours provide a more comfortable environment for the children.

“I am also glad that today’s activity brought a lot of joy and cheer to the children.”

The main sponsor for the painting activity was Nippon Paint Malaysia, one of the major paint manufacturers in the country.

Bolton brings cheer to disabled children

Bolton staff with PPKKCTM children and residents.

SHAH ALAM: Three food and beverage staff from Mines Wellness Hotel brought home a Silver, Bronze, and Diploma awards for their participation in Culinaire Malaysia 2011, held in conjunction with Food & Hotel Malaysia (FHM).

Muhammad Ramli Mohd Shamad won the Silver award in the Hot Cooking – Fish/Seafood Main Course category, with his delightful marinated atlantic cod fish fillet with ginger buerre, prawn avocado custard and sweet vanilla balsamic vinegar.

The Bronze award in the same category was won by Mohd Fauzan Denan, a Chef De Partie, for his seared red snapper fillet with potato prawn drumpling and stir-fried crunchy vegetable dragon fruit salsa served

with cranberry sauce. Khairul Azmi Abdul Aziz won the Di-

ploma award in the Mocktail category with his Dizzling Green creation.

Mines Wellness Hotel general manager Eusebius Samm said: “We are very proud to have our food and beverage staff to be re-warded with such honours.

“We hope that this motivates more of our staff to participate and compete in competi-tions to come”

FHM is an international exhibition that features a wide range of products from around the globe, designed specifically for the hotel and catering industry, including technologically advance machinery for the food production and packaging industry.

Mines Wellness Hotel bags culinary awards

(From left) Winners Muhammad Ramli Mohd Shamad and Mohd Fauzan Denan with their mentors, Chef Hasnor and Chef Saiful.

Seared red snapper fillet, Mohd Fauzan’s winning dish.

Muhammad Ramli’s prize-winning

marinated atlantic cod fish fillet.By Chin Man Yen

DAMANSARA: Good music and a good cause seldom come together as one. But last Friday, musical lovers of the Seventies went home happy thanks to a stroll down mem-ory lane with Teresa Teng’s music and the satisfaction of having done a good deed.

Organised by the Andaman Group, a charity concert in aid of SMJK Sam Tet and

Yayasan Pendidikan John Moh was held at the Bentley Music Auditorium in Mutiara Damansara.

The two-hour concert, themed The Jazzy Sounds of Teresa Teng, was led by pianist and music director Tay Cher Siang and accom-panied by guitarist Roger Wang.

The icing on the cake was 2000 Astro Talent Quest champion Winnie Ho, who is known as one of the best Chinese jazz singers in Malaysia. During the musical treat, Ho gave a jazzy and modern interpre-tation of Teng’s hits.

The concert, which drew almost 400 patrons last Friday, managed to raise around RM100,000.

According to Andaman Group, the funds will be shared equally between the two organisations, and will go towards upgrading educational facilities and helping underprivileged students.

The next charity concert themed In the Mood for Love will be held at Syuen Hotel in Ipoh on Nov 25. This concert will be led by vocalists Lydia Chew and Z Yan.

For more details, call ticket hotline 012-2083790 or log on to www.airasiaretix.com.

Andaman raises RM100k for school, foundation

Winnie Ho

By Brenda Ch’ng

SUBANG JAYA: A fusion cuisine food court called the Market Place is now open  for business at the lower ground floor of Subang Parade.

The  Market Place offers dinners both  local favourites and western de-lights.

“It’s all about fusion, bringing in the right mix of Subang Jaya, Malaysia, Asia and the world to one purposeful place,” said Subang Parade centre manager Chay Siew Mun.

Among the selections are JM Bariani House, Kafe Bawang Merah, Noodle Express and Siam Express.

Western food lovers will also get a chance to indulge themselves at Caprici-ossa, an up-and-coming Japanese Italian

restaurant.It also houses the Country Farm Or-

ganics store, located right opposite Ro-sie Melaka Snacks and Dessert, which offers a delectable selection of kuih and coffee.

“Since our tenants started operations last week, the response has been encour-aging.

“ We saw a demand for more F&B outlets in our centre, and we feel that Market Place is the perfect response to meet what our shoppers want,” said Chay.

Market Place was officially launched on Tuesday by Subang Jaya assemblyper-son Hannah Yeoh, along with repre-sentatives from Hektar Group and Hek-tar Property Services.

Yeoh also sampled what was on offer from each stall.

New food court at Subang Parade

15october 21 — 23, 2011

fiction/news

Fiction by Anusha Bai Paramasivan

There’s a skeleton hiding in my closet. Then again, when you think about it, skeletons of all shapes and sizes have the tendency to

hide in people’s closets – although I can assure you, if I placed a bet that no one’s skeleton would ever even remotely come close to mine, I’d win the bet hands down.

The only thing preventing me from winning the bet is that once won, the skeleton has to come out. That certainly seems to beat the purpose of having a skeleton in the closet in the first place. So, no. I’m not placing any wagers. The skeleton stays in the closet for as long as it possibly can!

As you can see, the skeleton is all I seem to be able to talk about these days. You could say that like most skeletons, it all began with a stupid idea, which seemed like The Greatest Idea on Earth at that time. They all start that way – a stupid bet, for instance:

“I bet you can’t hotwire that bright orange Myvi over there.”

“Oh really? Watch me.”Next thing you know, you are branded a car thief,

albeit the stupidest one that ever lived because you were caught. And that’s your skeleton right there. If it gets out, no one will want to have anything to do with you. Ever. True story? Not really – it’s perhaps closer to a bad example. But still.

This whole skeleton in the closet thing scares the hell out of me. People who still care – about three and a half of them altogether – have told me that I’m acting like a paranoid lunatic. But they don’t know what it’s like to live through each day fearing that your closet door might finally open at any given moment.

There’s a skeleton in my closet, and it’s like no other out there. Why? Because it is not your average reference to a bloody secret – it’s an actual skeleton.

Remember The Greatest Idea on Earth? I had one a long, long time ago, when I had single-handedly and secretly discovered a flawless and complete Neanderthal skeleton.

Greatest Idea on Earth #1: Let’s keep it. Don’t ask me how I pulled such a stunt off. Carting off an archaeological find halfway across some undisclosed location without ever being found out by the authorities was one thing; doing it without your colleagues knowing while fooling them into helping you

had enough adventure in it to give Harry Potter and his friends a run for their money.

As if The Greatest Idea on Earth #1 was not enough, the mad scientist in me decided that is was appropriate to call upon The Greatest Idea on Earth #2. Can we resurrect a Neanderthal person from their complete bones?

Only one thing stood in my way of successfully pulling off the idea: osteoporosis. Don’t worry, I’m still youthful

enough to escape it for the moment. Not the Ne-anderthal, though. His bones were insanely brittle.

In the name of science, I filled long, exciting nights tinkering with the bones, drawing inspira-tion from Mary Shelley and Dolly the Sheep,

although she did die eventually. When things didn’t progress, I sat up and

watched Bride of Franknstein, wondering if my Neanderthal skeleton would someday want a bride himself, and where was I going

to find one when the time arrived. Now I have a skeleton in my closet and I think

it’s alive. The small skin tissue sample on the back of its hand has started spreading around,

slowly covering the fingers on one side, working its way up its right arm, skin as smooth as a baby’s bottom.

While it looked as though The Greatest Idea on Earth #2 was

about to become a reality, the insane reality of the situation hit me. What on earth

do you do with a Neanderthal after resurrecting one? And no, The Greatest Idea #3 – whatever it

might be – did not arrive to rescue me from this predicament. In a state of panic, I picked up the bones

and stuffed them in the closet, closing the door care-fully and locking it up.

Curiosity drives me to check on the skeleton every single day. Some days, growth is pretty much

stagnated; other days, it progresses rather well. This morning, I swear that the skull grinned at me like it had

this big plan I was not privy to. I’m sure it’s up to no good. And I’m scared. Help!

The Skeleton in the Closet

By William Tan

SUBANG JAYA: The Sri Varatharajah Perumal Temple here received RM12,000 in financial assistance from the state in conjunc-tion with Deepavali last Saturday. 

“It is the second year that the state has given us money and we are very appreciative of the gesture,” said temple president R Sub-ramani.

The temple received RM 20,000 last year. This year’s aid will be used to pay for renova-tions.

Subramani said the temple wanted to build a Rajagopuram, an elaborate entrance usually found with larger Hindu temples, which will cost an estimated RM1.2 million.

“It is our main goal, but we may have to deal with some of our local  issues first, such as a poor pedestrian crossings and unpaved roads,” said Subramani.

He received the cheque from Hannah Yeoh during a simple ceremony.

The Subang Jaya state lawmaker said the do-nation was inclusive of RM2,000 from her allocation, while the rest was from the state.

Temple gets financial assistance

(From left) Temple Association President R Subramani, Subang Jaya assemblyperson Hannah Yeoh, and councillor Loi Kheng Min at the Sri Varatharajah Perumal Temple last Saturday.

SUBANG JAYA: Homeowners who unwittingly left their addresses in piles of trash got a visit from an irate Hannah Yeoh last Saturday.

The Subang Jaya assemblyperson, accompanied by Subang Jaya Municipal councillors Dr Loi Kheng Min and Rajiv Rishyakaran, decided to confront the culprits in an effort to curb the irresponsible behaviour.

The culprits were identified by addresses on letters and receipts found in garbage bags tossed on sidewalks in SS18 and SS19.

The man who greeted them at the first house was con-fused and then embarrassed when told of the purpose of their visit.

“I didn’t even know about this, it was probably my wife. I am really sorry, I will talk to her,” said the man.

However, the next visit was less successful because the

residents refused to answer the door.Undeterred, they called the house using the phone num-

ber on a receipt found a few streets away, but were told that the people responsible for dumping the trash had all re-cently passed away.

“It seems that a call from us was like a call to heaven,” said Rajiv.

He pointed out that illegal dumping was due to the lack of civic-mindedness by sections of the community and not because of lack of action by MPSJ.

“If you doubt they are doing their job, come to me; I want everyone, especially the residents, to play their part in solv-ing this issue,” he said.

Yeoh said she hoped the culprits realise that their actions affect the whole community.

“Confronting them will make them think twice,” she said.Subang Jaya assemblyperson Hannah Yeoh pays a visit to an illegal dumper, accompanied by MBSJ councillors Rajiv Rishyakaran (left) and Loi Kheng Min.

Shock visit for irresponsible resident

16 october 21 — 23, 2011

travel

Deepavali is just around the cor-ner. In Brickfields, the celebra-tions have kicked off in the form

of the 10th Deepavali Carnival, which began on Oct 14 and ends on the eve of the Festival of Lights, on Oct 25.

Business begins at noon and stretch-es until 10.30pm, Monday to Sunday, at the KL Sentral open car park.

Apart from the sarees, costume acces-sories and 101 varieties of kacang putih (some from Ipoh), there are scores of entrepreneurs from different states in India plying their wares.

The celebrations that are going on full steam ahead in Brickfields are gen-erally divided into “two zones”.

The official site is the Deepavali Carnival. However, other traders and shop owners along the main thorough-fare, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, have also set up their own stalls.

This year, the traders have gone that extra mile to generate interest with their myriad products. With the Monorail hovering overhead opposite KL Sentral, the flow of pedestrians in the area is constant and strong for the better part of the day.

Over at the air-conditioned tents in the KL Sentral open car park, there are dozens of stalls offering a very wide range of products. Many of these Indian traders come annually during the Deepavali season to promote and sell their goods in Brickfields.

The biggest advantage that the air-conditioned carnival tent has over the street stalls is the cool atmosphere, which would be appreciated deeply by many Malaysians given the present sweltering conditions.

Imran, a 20-something enthusiastic young man from Rajasthan, India, is here with his elder brother Fahmi. Both siblings are selling handmade bejewelled handbags, festive dresses, and trinklets like necklaces, jewel boxes and iodised silver walking sticks.

Like most of his countryfolk, Imran speaks excellent English. He also has the gift of the gab, which he uses to his maximum advantage.

This is Imran’s third time taking part in the Deepavali Carnival. When he noticed my keen interest in one of two engraved silver walking sticks, he remarked: “Sir, this stick is designed for the pleasure of Maharajahs!”

I quickly responded with: “I am a simple peasant who does not entertain thoughts of living like royalty.”

Imran flashed a big smile and urged me to take a few steps with the cane to “feel the elegance of the handmade walking stick”.

We quickly got into a haggling session about its price, which Imran claimed he normally doesn’t offer any cus-tomer below RM200. However, since he had just set up his stall and I was his first customer, he was willing to accept a small reduction.

He exploited my passion for walking sticks by urging me to “name my price”. When I replied that I could only afford RM100, he almost fainted.

Half an hour later we struck a deal. For the sake of friend-ship and a bond between two brothers across the Indian Ocean, the final price shall remain a secret.

This is what I always like about the Deepavali Carnival: every year, I return to make new friends and learn new and interesting facts.

This year’s carnival has a preponderance of women’s cloth-ing. It is ample proof that women are much better shoppers than men. Perhaps the foreign entrepreneurs knew this from experience, and set up more stalls selling products and cos-tume jewellery that would catch the eye of the fairer gender.

There was one exception – a particular booth that offered spiritual enlightenment. It was knowledge pertaining to the awakening of Krishna consciousness.

The young lady who responded to my discreet inquiries said Lord Krishna is the central being in Bhagavad Gita. Krishna is the prime figure of Hinduism and an avatar of Vishnu.

Being one who believes that all spiritual paths eventually lead to one final destination, I quickly accepted her offer to wave the lamp of light seven times in front of the altar.

In Hinduism, as it is with other major religions, when the heart seeks nothing, everything is possible. With that intention, my spiritual path and that of Amrita, the kind soul who attended to me, runs along parallel lines.

Deepavali or Diwali is not solely about celebrations and family reunions. It is also a spiritual event that is highly significant in Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism.

Besides Malaysia, Deepavali is also a public holiday in Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Mauritius, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Singapore, India and Fiji.

I conducted a walking tour of both Deepavali shopping zones and came across a stall that was plying, among others, posters of the late MGR or MG Ramachandran, who was probably the most famous Indian film star of his time.

MGR, as he is more popularly known, was also a director and producer, and later became the chief minister of the state of Tamil Nadu.

Deepavali for many of MGR’s fans and admirers is some-times never the same without the pictorial presence of the

great Indian actor.I do not know how Deepavali is celebrated in other coun

tries, but over in Brickfields, there is a sense of merriment, quiet joy and high expectations.

Our Indian brothers and sisters will make the occasion last as long as possible. Other Malaysians, like me for exam-ple, will try their best to keep up with their Indian friends and share their joy as they open their houses and hearts to everybody.

Deepavali lights, gifts and joyIn parts of Klang Valley, the Deepavali celebrations have already started. LIN ZHENYUAN visits a carnival in Brickfields and returns with a few souvenirs

Operators putting the final touches on their stalls inside the air-conditioned tent.

Costume jewellery and accessories that bedazzle

many customers.

Rows of women’s clothing.

Pictures and posters of Indian film stars are hot items.

The engraved silver walking stick that started a haggling session.

Imran, looking confident, shows signs of being a successful trader.

17october 21 — 23, 2011

technology

Website design of the Yale School of Art. (Source: art.yale.edu)

By Edwin Yapp

One of the best things about the World Wide Web is that it is bidirectional in

nature. This means you can not only get information off it, but you can also publish your own information.

There are many free options for you to put up your website such as blogs or service providers, which provide free web hosting services.

However, if you own a business, be it small or large, you would need to build a website that is secure and reliable.

Also, you will need proper cus-tomer service support, so you’ll probably be better off choosing a web hosting provider to host your site and a web designer to design your website.

Choosing a web hosting provider

Web hosting companies are a dime a dozen these days. So how do you choose one? It’s good to begin by understanding that a web hosting company is only as good as the service it provides. So it’s im-portant to note that it’s not just about getting the cheapest package on offer so that you can save a few bucks but later live to regret it.

Get started by asking if the company you’re considering is reputable. Ask questions like, “What is its track record?” “How long has it been in service?” “Who are its customers?” “Do other peo-ple recommend its services?”

Note that there are basically two types of hosting providers – budg-et players and corporate players. Most basic hosting packages for small businesses start from RM200, while larg er businesses pay up to RM2,500 for advanced packages. Generally, a corporate web hosting provider might charge anywhere from 15% to 25% higher than budget hosts.

The advantage of a corporate hosting provider is that you get peace of mind as they do give a

lot of value -added ser-

vices such as good customer service

and the ability to scale up when you need to. For instance, you may want to do e-commerce on your website at a later stage, so your provider must have the ability to do so when the time comes.

Next up is to get a personal domain that reflects your name or your company name. Again, a good hosting pro-vider will help you apply for your domain. Domain name prices range anywhere from RM55 to RM170, depending on the type of registration.

You also have the option to buy a domain online, and this can be as cheap as US$10. Shop around online for some of these name providers and see what others are saying about them before committing.

Dos and don’ts of a good websiteNow that you’ve chosen the web hosting

provider the next thing to do is to design your website. Because your website is very much

the “face” of your company, everything you do, or don’t do, reflects on you as the business owner.

When designing your website, always begin with the end in mind as it’s important to visu-alise what pertinent information needs to go onto your website.

Questions you must ask yourself include the “what, when, who, why, where and how”, as these questions form the basis of a good website.

One of the most frustrating things about many websites is that you can’t get the relevant information you want, when you want it. For instance, if you’re a service-oriented company, ensure that your customer service phone number is clearly posted for your customers to get to.

And speaking of relevant information, always ensure that your “About Us” page has informa-tion like the history of the company, biographies of the founders, contact numbers etc.

It’s also a good idea to include a Site Map/Navigation – a one page map of all the URL links on your website – clearly marked on your website so that your visitors can find the infor-mation they need at the click of a button.

Always ensure that the information pre-sented is relevant for your audience and not what you think should be on the website. For example, if your business is supplying toys for children, your information must make sense to parents and/or potential mums and dads.

If you’re selling something on the website, you must know the demographics of your visitors. Are they youths, young adults, mid-dle-aged adults or senior citizens?

It’s also important to try to anticipate ques-tions your visitors may ask so that you can provide FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) so as not to leave your visitors wanting more information.

If you have a lot of products and services, try organising them by laying them out with tabs instead of putting everything onto one page. Also, try to use visual thumbnails to il-lustrate your products instead of just using text.

Another important point is to always en-sure that your website is updated, as a dated

website only tells your visitors that if you have no time to pay attention to your own business, you can’t be of service to them.

As for creativity and design, feel free to make your site visually exciting but pleasing at the same time. For instance, don’t use psychedelic colours on your website because it turns people off. Also, it’s a good idea not to use highly contrasting colours such as bright red and blue on the same page as they are the opposite ends of the colour spectrum.

Other creative tips include being consistent with your look and feel, such as font sizes and types, and ensure that your colour schemes are consistent throughout the website.

One up-and-coming trend is to embed video links onto your website using YouTube. Others might want to try pod-casting – an offline voice recording that can be downloaded by your visitors. Still others might want to use Flash anima-tion to illustrate graphics.

Whatever you do, don’t overdo your website by using these fancy features ad nauseam as they are only a means to an end. If you’ve ignored the aforementioned basics, your website will not resonate with your readers no matter how many cool features you’ve used.

Getting yourself online

Screenshot of a now-defunct website that just might be the worst-designed site ever.(Source: webpagesthatsuck.com)

18 OctOber 21 — 23, 2011

Gallery

State executive councillor Yaakob Sapari trying out the receptionist system of Selangor Development Corporation’s (PKNS) Virtual Office in Shah Alam on Monday.

Homemaker and mother of eight B Vithiyamala, 31, from Taiping, Perak, shopping for accessories ahead of Deepavali (Oct 26) with her sister Greethamala, on Jalan Tengku Kelana in Klang on Wednesday evening.

Hulu Kelang assemblyperson Saari Sungib (in blue shirt) giving out Skim Mesra Usia Emas donations worth RM1,000 to beneficiaries of the late Mohamed Idriss Yasik.

Gobind Singh, Teresa Kok, Dr Xavier Jayakumar, K Arumugam, and T Michael after being given floral and traditional garlands as a gesture of gratitude by the committee of the 135-year-old Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam temple in Puchong, which, following intervention from the state government, is allowed to remain in its current location.

Staff of Bolton Bhd giving a facelift to the Pusat Penjagaan Kanak-Kanak Cacat Taman Megah in SS3 Petaling Jaya on Oct 8 as part of the property development company’s CSR activities. The home houses 40 children with various disabilities.

Brisk business on Jalan Welman in Rawang in the lead-up to Deepavali on Oct 26.

19OctOber 21 — 23, 2011

CultureEditor’s PickShort+Sweet Theatre Theatre; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; 26-29 Oct; 03-40479000, www.klpac.org; RM28

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

In Perfect HarmonyTheatre/Music; until 23 Oct; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; www.klpac.org, 03-40479000, www.damaorchestra.com; RM93-RM303Set against the backdrop of a radio broadcasting station, this musical concert production pays homage to the multitude of popular music that tugged at our heart strings in the last four decades. It’s a showcase of fabulous songs and dances. Exquisite vocals. Great music. Superb fun and entertainment all the way. Featuring Chang Fang Chyi, Tria Aziz and Tan Soo Suan, with special guest appearances by David Arumugam (19-23 Oct) and The Seasons 4 (12, 16, 19, 23 Oct). Presented by Dama Orchestra.

The Selfish CrocodileTheatre; until 22 Oct; PJ Live Arts @ Jaya One; 017-2289849, www.tix.my; www.gardnerandwife.com/11_croc.asp; RM48-RM78A funny forest adventure about a snappy crocodile and a brave little mouse. This bestselling children’s story by Faustin Charles and Michael

Terry comes to life in this delightful stage adaptation by UK’s Blunderbus Theatre Company. The 50-minute show tells the story of a crocodile who terrorises the frightened forest animals who attempt to get near the river, and how one kind and courageous mouse changes everything! The Selfish Crocodile teaches positive messages like honesty, compassion and the importance of friendship, while reminding kids that sometimes the smallest acts of kindness are the ones that often have the greatest impact. This story is written especially for children aged four to seven, but adults will find the show thoroughly entertaining, too. Presented by Gardner and Wife Theatre.

MaYa: Gong IllusionsConcert; 20-23 Oct; Shanthanand Auditorium, Temple of Fine Arts, Brickfields; RM53“Tapping into the world of dreams, MaYa opens an unexpected door into the surreal and inspiring realm of the gong resonance. It is a beautifully bizarre journey between the world of light and shadow, and the embracing of its dualistic nature. It is through this mystical dual path that Rhythm In Bronze would like to invite their audience to explore with them, the many facets of their music style, performance and even views.” Featuring collaborations with choreographer Joseph Gonzales, artistes Reza Salleh, Zailan Razak, Batteryheadz Percussion and many more.

Life Sdn Bhd 7: Refugees

Theatre; 24-30 Oct; The Actors Studio @ Lot 10; www.theactorsstudio.com.my, 03-21422009

“What’s it like to be a refugee? To witness your family torn apart by war and conflict? To lose everything you value – family, friends, your home – and be forced to flee in order to save your life? To travel hundreds of miles, on foot through dense jungles and in leaking boats across dangerous seas?” Actors as well as non-actors share true stories, on stage, on issues that affect people living in Malaysia; featuring songs by local singer-songwriters, which were specially commissioned for this show. Presented by The Actors Studio, in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); directed by Faridah Merican.

Syncopated Simulacra and Other Hallucinatory Flashbacks

Exhibition; until 28 Oct; The Annexe Gallery @ Central Market; free admission“Don Salubayba continues his investigation on unfamiliar tableaux.

These new works feature proverbial plates from the Western Art tradition and turn-of-the-century photographs, exploring the tenuous nature of reading historical precedents, the vagaries of personal and collective memories, and the unmistakeable allure in finding methods of reconciliation with existing institutions of thought.”

Irresistable Wear

Exhibition; until January 2012; Galeri Petronas, Suria KLCC; galeripetronas.com.my, 03-20517770; free admissionShowcasing 48 new artwear pieces designed by Malaysian artists and fahion designers, namely Datuk Radzuan Radziwill, Datin Sharifah Kirana, Edric Ong, Faizal Abdul Hamid, Adnan Hassan, Akma Suriati, Asliza Aris, Zainol Salleh, Eddie Yap, Fion Poon, Associate Professor Hasnul Jamal Saidon and Abdul Hamid Hassan. “A form of expressing art about clothing the human body; the notion of ‘wearing art’ instead of just looking at it.”.

reVIeWBy Dominic Luk

DAMA Orchestra, which recently staged Glitz And Glamour and I Have A Date With Spring, has once again captivated the Malaysian audience with an outstanding production: In Perfect Harmony – A Malaysian Musical Journey – a show that was both memorable and educational.

Patrick Teoh played the narrator, and he brought the audience through a chronological musical journey starting from the Seventies to today. The audience was reminded of events in each decade that have impacted on our country and the rest of the world. The performers then sung songs that were popular during each decade.

The song selection was entertaining, with the likes of YMCA and Lennon’s Imagine. It would have been better if the singers had been tighter on all their entrances and endings for each phrase of the songs; perhaps this was because the conductor was placed on stage behind all the singers. Regrettably, the singing was inaudible at some points as the music from the orchestra drowned out everything else. Fortunately, many of the songs were well known, allowing the audience to sing along.

The show was made even more memorable thanks to comedian Douglas Lim, who played a radio DJ who starts off in the Seventies, and finally retires at the end of the show when the new millennium arrives. His wit, coupled with Teoh’s humour, left the audience smiling and laughing.

A highlight of the show were the special-guest celebrities who would perform on different nights throughout the run, including Zainal Abidin, Sean Ghazi, David Arumugam, and The Seasons 4.

On the night I attended, Zainal Abidin did a splendid performance of his signature song, Hijau.

Special mention should go to the three leading ladies who brought life and colour to the production: Tria Aziz, Tan Soo Suan, and Chang Fang Chyi. They played three very different roles, interacting with one another at different points of the musical journey. Each brought a unique feel to the stage: Tria did an excellent job singing in Cantonese and Hindi, displaying her amazing vocals; while Tan and Chang, too, were fabulous as they crooned many well-loved Chinese tunes from the Seventies and Eighties. I am sure the Sam Hui medley they performed brought back memories for many in the audience.

Further, Tan did a good job with her rendition of Gemilang (even though I still take my hat off to the original singer, Jaclyn Victor). But for all their vocal strength, it’s sad that we hardly got to hear the three of them sing together at any point in the show.

The choreography was generally nicely done, staying true to the styles of each decade.

The performers could have been sharper and more confident with their movements, but this was understandable seeing how many of them might not be trained dancers. In most cases, the songs stayed true to their original styles and arrangements, which was good as this is how everyone remembers these songs to be.

The musical journey ended with hits by Michael Jackson. Interestingly, Wacko Jacko’s songs, which should have been part of the 80s or 90s segment, were included at the culmination of the performance – perhaps in commemoration of his death in the new millennium. The new millennium also included Bad Romance by Lady Gaga, much to everyone’s enjoyment.

In Perfect Harmony was also inspiring: a patriotic outreach that didn’t try too hard to be one. It reminded Malaysians of the struggles that our country has had to go through – with the mention of Ops Lalang and the economic crises that took place over the last four decades, among others – and ended up being a good historical lesson by inviting the audience to walk with the narrator through each decade. In that regard, a sense of nationhood could, indeed, be developed overnight.

When the performers and crew members came on for the curtain call, each of them featured a different single word printed on their white t-shirts. The words uniquely described each person – among them, “shy”, “adorable”, “awkward”, “abused”. This was a beautiful way to end the show, not just because of the visual impact, but also because it emphasised the fact that we are all different – and yet we all want to live in perfect harmony.

cALeNDAr

WEEK two’s line-up of 10-minute plays comprises:

Echo – What happens when you can’t see where your dreams will take you? You follow your heart.

Significant – A late-night cigarette prompts two women to ponder their significance.

Failing Elijah – Elijah has been a very naughty girl and now she is called in to see the headmistress – a meeting that will decide her fate in the school.

These Things We Talk About – Moments captured through unadulterated conversations that explore the ambiguity faced in our everyday lives.

Cargone – Life as it could be living between the reality of the stage and reality itself.

Birthday – Man, and his illusion of true love.Sh*t Gets Too Personal – The struggles of a

woman who has decided to come out of the closet. But with so many skeletons in her closet, will this prove to be a haunting experience instead?

Thank God We’re Italians – A comedy of errors

The cast performing Madonna’s Like A Virgin.

with prima donnas, mama’s boys, padres and godfathers.

The Rise of the Kaiser – In order to eliminate the Juice, sometimes all you need is a beer hall putsch. Sometimes a shove. And for dessert: Luffwaffles.

Malaysia’s First Catholic Hippo – An unexpected visitor throws a church into disarray. Is he a visitor or a curse?

Cast Adrift – Water, water everywhere, not a drop to drink. Ocean-stranded four are there, pushed on to the brink.

Rupert and the Seven Email Russian Brides – When Petra meets Rupert one day at work, he seems quite nice. Maybe they could go out sometime. But first she has to fight off the competition: Darya, Tatyana, Vera, Alena, Sabryn B, Natalia and Olga!

History through Harmony

20 ⁄ OctOber 21 – 23, 2011 ⁄ SELANGOR TIMES

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.