selangor times oct 28-30, 2011 / issue 46

community OctOber 28 — 30, 2011/ issue 46

Erosionof workers’ rights

Aren't we All dirty minded?

p 12 & 13 p 14

AffordAble centre for diAlysis pAtients p 7

End to f lood woesBy Gan pei ling

KlAnG: Flash floods on Jalan Tengku Kelana will be a thing of the past once new flood mitigation ponds are built and the drainage system upgraded next year.

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said RM3.5 mil-lion will be allocated to end the problem at Little India once and for all.

The announcement by the Menteri Besar, who visited the area on Monday, was well-received by business owners who have been plagued by the problem for more than a dec-ade.

“We’ve sent countless memorandums to the authorities and we are thankful that the state and local council are finally making a serious attempt to address this problem,” Klang Little India Traders Association presi-dent T Muthusamy told Selangor Times.

Floods are a bane in this area, often de-stroying goods in the 200 shops and stalls besides driving away business.

Executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar also told the press during Selangor's Deep-avali celebration on Monday that construc-tion is expected to start next year.

“An underground retention pond will be built at the car park in front of the Methodist church (near Jalan Kota),” he said.

The Klang Municipal Council (MPK) is also proposing a second retention pond be-neath the Padang Chetty field.

“The retention ponds will retain rainwater and divert it to the Klang River,” said a spokesperson from the engineering depart-ment. He said the existing drains will be wid-ened and cleared to ensure water can flow smoothly, especially during downpours.

Funding for the project will be jointly pro-vided by the Selangor Economic Planning Unit (UPEN) and MPK. The Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) and Public Works Department ( JKR) will work with UPEN and MPK to carry out the project.

The flood mitigation project is in line with Selangor’s move to continue promoting Lit-tle India as a tourist destination in Selangor.

Another RM50,000 is being allocated to build an arch at the entrance of the street.

“Construction will start soon and will be completed by the end of the year,” said Dr Xavier.

Meanwhile, the state also gave out RM235,000 to 11 Hindu temples from Klang, Kapar, Banting and Shah Alam on Monday night. Four Chinese temples and

five churches also received contributions ranging from RM10,000 to RM35,000.

Present at the event were Selangor Speak-er Datuk Teng Chang Khim, executive coun-cillors Teresa Kok, Rodziah Ismail, Elizabeth Wong and Ronnie Liu, Klang MP Charles Santiago, Kapar MP S Manikavasagam, Kota Alam Shah assemblyperson M Manoharan, Telok Datok assemblyperson Philip Tan, MPK acting president Ikhsan Mukri and lo-cal councillors P Sundarajoo and V Maney-vannan.

FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Alzheimer Disease Foundation president Datuk Jeffrey Ng Chin Heng (second from left), MBSA mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan and Orang Besar Petaling Datuk Emran Kadir (second from right) with Alzheimer patients prior to the walkathon to raise awareness about the disease last Sunday. Story on 0

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

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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 28 — 30, 2011

news

Smooth transitionBy Selangor Times team

SHAH ALAM: Despite the short notice, local governments are coping well after retaking solid waste man-agement from Alam Flora Sdn Bhd.

Local authorities were initially caught off guard after the conces-sionaire withdrew their services on Oct 15.

While some delays in garbage collection have been reported, most councils said the transition has been smooth.

On a positive note, councils in Klang, Kajang and Selayang said there have been fewer complaints after taking over garbage collection.

Most resident associations in Petaling Jaya also told Selangor

U13 pasar malam declared the longest

Rubbish is collected within six hours.

100,000 copies weekly

By Alvin Yap

SHAH ALAM: The Malaysian Book of Records has confirmed that the Setia Alam night market at U13, which stretches 2.2km end-to-end, is the longest in the country.

The night market, a popular spot for Klang Valley food bloggers, was officially declared the Longest Pasar Malam in Malaysia during a ceremony at the site on Saturday night.

“I’ve always known we deserve the title,” said Khoo Lim How, deputy chairperson of the Night Traders As-sociation U13, describing the area as more of a “glutton’s corner” than a night market selling non-food items.

He said the association submitted their application to the national re-cord-keeper last year.

It is also one of the most visited in the city, according to Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) deputy mayor Mohtar Hani.

Food bloggers say patrons are spoilt for choice, with culinary offerings from nearly all the ethnic groups in

Malaysia available from 6pm to 11pm.The night market lays claim to hav-

ing the only stall in the country to offer authentic wood-fire baked pizza.

“It’s affordable, delicious and you can have your pizza outdoors here,” said Danny Hong, who was waiting for his take-away chicken and mush-room pizza.

A few stalls have been featured on local television food guides like Astro’s Ho Chak.

One of them, Master Bean – pun intended, said the owner Bowen Lum – sells almost 400 bowls of velvety soft tau foo far, with ice-cold lychee on top.

The other is Pak Jawa’s murtabak - a local dish where pastry is stuffed with beef, chicken or mutton and pan-

fried.“I’m glad we got recognised as the

longest night market,” said stall owner Tajuddin Rosli Wan Hamsah, adding that nearly 150 pieces of murtabak he churns out on Saturday nights are bought by Chinese patrons.

Homemaker Hwa Sze Yenn said U13 traders come from other night markets, notably from Taman Chi Liung in Klang.

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibra-him attended the ceremony and pre-sented a plaque and certificate to the Night Traders Association and its committee members.

The pasar malam on Jalan Setia, Prima A U13/1 Setia Alam also sells fresh produce, clothing and other household items.

Times that their household waste collection has been efficient.

“We think the contractors are being managed efficiently,” said Taman Megah Residents’ Associa-tion chairperson Francis Lee.

Taman Gasing Indah Rukun Tetangga chairperson Alfred Ch-uah and Section 21 Sea Park Resi-dents Association president Gan Keng also said they have yet to receive any complaints on garbage collection from residents.

On Oct 19, household waste collection in SS2 was delayed for a day, but Petaling Jaya city council-lor Tony Cheong said the council had responded to public com-plaints by sending a back-up con-tractor to speed up the service.

In Klang, MPK environmental services director Wan Mohd Sofian Wan Husain said recent afternoon rains had delayed garbage collec-tion in certain areas.

MPK contractors and staff are working into the night to ensure all rubbish is collected and public complaints are acted upon within six hours since they were lodged, he said.

“We’re doing our best. We’ve received 29 complaints (all on late collections) since the takeover two weeks ago, compared to an average of 50 complaints a week previ-ously,” said Wan Mohd Sofian.

In Kajang, the municipal coun-cil has only received 146 com-plaints on garbage collection in

October, compared to around 200 complaints per month in the past.

In Selayang, MPS public relations director Mohamad Zin Masoad said the council had everything under control and no disruption had been reported since Oct 16.

“All contractors are under MPS control. We are making sure they cover their areas on time,” said Mohamad Zin.

Local councils have retained existing contractors to ensure minimal disruption during this transition and would be calling for

open tenders to select new con-tractors within the next few months.

Apart from solid waste removal services, local governments also took over public cleaning duties from Alam Flora in August.

As such, the private company no longer handles any services for local councils in Selangor.

The move is expected to col-le ctively save loca l counci ls RM100 million annually. Alam Flora was previously paid RM400 million a year.Morning

Friday Saturday Sunday

afternoon

night

Selangor WeaTHer

Source: Malaysian meteorological department

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ OctOber 28 – 30, 2011 ⁄ 3

4 OctOber 28 — 30, 2011

News

Selangor vows to continue free-water policy

Kathina CeremonyChempaka Buddhist Lodge is conducting their annual Kathina Ceremony, which marks the end of rains retreat, tomorrow (Oct 29) from 8.30am-noon. The programme includes Dhamma talks, robe offering, sharing of merits and lunch for members of Sangha and devotees. The event will be held at 60, Jalan SS23/25, Taman Sea, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. For details, call 03-78803936 or email [email protected].

Exercising the brain

A Sudoku clinic will be open to the public at the Senior Citizens Association of Selangor & FT’s Bangunan Secita on Monday (Oct 31) from 9am-10.30am. Those interested can head on down to the building at 4A, Jalan SS5D/6, Kelana Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya. Call 019-3118174 (Lim) or 016-9160033 (Roger) for details.

World Animal Day

In conjunction with World Animal Day 2011, SPCA Selangor will organise an event for animals in collaboration with Sunway Volunteer Society on Nov 13 at 3pm. For more details on highlights and happenings, call 016-4451007 (Helen), 017-3739391 (Ying Zhao) or 017-6940668 (Li Jean).

Jog with the mayor

Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan will jog with the public at 7.30am tomorrow (Oct 29) at Taman Tasik Shah Alam during the council’s 11th anniversary celebrations. Participants will also be entertained by local bands like Balle-Balle Group, Kumpulan Fourteen, Kombo MBSA and singers Ana Raffali and Shaz. The entertainment will start from 10am-6.30pm. For more information, call 013-3380551 (Sharin).

Blood campaign

The CAC Methodist Church, Chinese Assembly Hall and Confucian Private Secondary School will hold a free blood screening and blood donation campaign at the secondary school’s main hall on Lorong Hang Jebat in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (Oct 30) from 9am-4pm. For details, call 016-2892470 (Jacob).

Charity calenders

The Shelter Home for Children will be selling their colourful calenders 2010 themed “Children are a precious gift from God” to raise funds. Each calender will be sold at RM10 each. Call 03-79550663 (Edwin/Brian) for details.

Diabetes walk

Putrajaya Hospital, Perbadanan Putrajaya and Novo Nordisk Pharma (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd will hold a World Diabetes Day Walkathon in conjunction with World Diabetes Day on Nov 13 from 6.45am-10am at Taman Wetland, Precinct 13 Putrajaya. Call 03-22977200 (Nurita) or visit www.facebook.com/putrahayadiabeteswalk.

Cancer fundraiser

The National Cancer Council and Columbia Asia Hospital Cheras will hold a carnival to raise funds for poor cancer patients on Sunday (Oct 30). The carnival will be held from 8.30am-4pm at the hospital on Jalan Suakasih Cheras. There will be talks on cancer and free clinical breast examination for women. Call 03-90869999 for details.

EvEnts

Hotel owned and managed by:Pasti Mulia Holdings Sdn Bhd

Alami Garden Hotel Shah Alam1–13 Blok 1, Presint Alami,No. 2 Persiaran Akuatik,Seksyen 13, 40100 Shah Alam,Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.Tel: 603-5518 1223 Fax: 603-5518 1226Email: [email protected]: www.alamigardenhotel.com

By Alvin Yap

SHAH ALAM: A paper loss of RM122 million by Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Berhad (KDEB) will not deter Selangor from con-tinuing its free-water programme.

A statement from the Menteri Besar’s office on Tuesday said the free-water policy for the first 20 cubic meters – funded by KDEB as part of the state’s move to share its revenue with the people – would stay.

The statement comes in the wake of the Auditor-General’s 2010 report which criti-cised KDEB for racking up the losses from funding the programme.

KDEB was also criticised for paying out some RM576,563 in bonuses to its 30 em-ployees despite the losses.

The state GLC had previously recorded profits in 2007 and 2008 before going into the red.

However, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s ad-ministration refutes claims that KDEB was suffering losses because of the scheme.

“This is because funds for the programme are being channelled directly by the state government to KDEB for payment of the water subsidy,” the statement said.

It also said that the state subsidiary had benefited “tremendously” from being awarded land, property development proj-ects from the state.

It said Shah Alam was managing the public resources and profits responsibly when it chose to use KDEB’s revenue to fund the water subsidy.

“As such, profits from state subsidiaries will be channelled directly to the rakyat,” the statement said, adding that the public were “owners” of state government-linked companies.

The water subsidy has benefited some 1.2

million households since it was launched in June 2008.

The statement also criticised the Audi-tor-General’s reports for not taking into account Selangor’s policy of sharing its wealth with the people.

It said the profits were channelled to residents in a transparent and accountable manner, adding that the practice was differ-ent to the past when revenues were given away in Corporate Social Responsibility programmes without accountability.

It cited Petronas as an example, saying that the government-linked company gave away billions in revenue to the federal gov-ernment with less transparency.

“Petronas hands billions of ringgit in profits to the federal government, but we don’t know how these profits are being spent on the people,” the statement con-cluded.

The council’s seven-seater Proton Exora.

MBSA’s new car to oversee seniors’ welfare

By Brenda Ch’ng

SHAH ALAM: Free transporta-tion is available every Monday to Friday for seniors and the disabled here to get to public hospitals for their medical checkups.

“This service will be available for all seniors, especially dialysis pa-tients who need to go for treatment a few times a week,” said Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) mayor Da-tuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan.

He said seniors no longer have to worry about taking public trans-port and paying a huge fee for taxis just to get to their weekly medical appointments.

“Some appointments, espe-

cially dialysis, take a few hours to complete. It’s tough and tiring for patients to wait for public transport to go home after that,” he added.

With the seven-seater Pro-ton Exora, donated by Proton Holdings Bhd, senior citizens will be driven around by the council’s appointed chauffeur to one of six listed hospitals.

Among them are Klinik Kesihatan Seksyen 7 and Seksyen 19 in Shah Alam, Klinik Kesihatan Bukit Kuda in Klang , Hospital Besar Sungai Buloh, Pusat Peru-batan Universiti Malaya in Petaling Jaya, and Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Ma-laysia in Cheras.

“All residents have to do is inform the council before-hand and we will pick them from their homes and send them back accordingly,” said Mohd Jaafar.

He urged residents to take advantage of this free service and put in their requests early so that everyone’s ap-pointments can be fitted into the daily schedule.

However, the wheelchair-bound are not advised to use this service because the car is not properly equipped to ca-ter to their needs.

“We regret this slight flaw, but we are now working to get a wheelchair-friendly vehicle next year,” Mohd Jaafar said.

The council also has a list of 100 volunteers registered to help and accompany the senior citizens during their medical appointments.

Operating hours for the free service are from 8am to 5pm every weekday. Book-ings can be made by calling 03-55222742, faxing 03-55138513, or emailing [email protected].

To advertise in

Contact: Timothy Loh 019-267 4488,

Ivan Looi 014-936 6698, Tony Kee 016-978 2798

news6 ⁄ OctOber 28 – 30, 2010 ⁄ SELANGOR TIMES

Students tell of sexual harassment and threats

Syabas NRW remains highSHAH ALAM: Selangor is concerned that the percentage of Syarikat Bekalan Air Se-langor Sdn Bhd’s (Syabas) Non-Revenue Water (NRW) remains high despite claims of efforts to reduce it.

”Syabas’ inability to reduce NRW to a satisfactory level only proves that the water concessionaire has failed to maintain the water pipes as stated in the concession agree-ment between the state and the company,” said Selangor executive councillor Elizabeth Wong in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the Water Services Com-mission (Span) report, Syabas has failed to cut NRW to less that 30%.

“Although NRW was reduced to 32.38% in 2009 as compared to 38.42% in 2005, NRW has gone up again last year with Span predicting that NRW will rise to 40% till 2020,” said Wong.

“Without sufficient clean water, it is not impossible for a water shortage in Klang Valley to occur although the seven dams in

Selangor provide enough raw water,” she added.

According to an assessment of Selangor’s water assets conducted by Ranhill, there are two water treatment plants (Kalumpang and Sg Sireh) which need major improvements while another 18 need to be upgraded.

“This shows that Puncak Niaga has failed to do the necessary upgrading works for these water treatment plants,” said Wong.

As such, it is not surprising that these plants are functioning below their capabili-ties, she added.

While the federal government is pursuing the construction of the Langat 2 treatment plant, this project will only bring more raw water from Pahang, but does not solve the issue of clean water to Selangor residents, said Wong.

“Selangor is confident of cutting the NRW to 10% if the state is allowed to take over the concessionaires, thus meeting the needs of the people.”

Charles (fourth from left) and parents of the Form Six students hold copies of their police reports.

UNISEL INTAKE 36x4 SGOR TIMES.indd 1 25/10/11 5:46 PM

By Basil Foo

KLANG: Complaints of sexual harassment and threats at a secondary school here will be brought to Par-liament as they have been ignored by authorities.

“I will raise this issue dur-ing the discussion of the Ministry of Education’s ex-penditure,” said Charles Santiago yesterday.

The Klang MP has re-ceived complaints from sev-eral Form Six students about teachers making threats and sexually inappropriate re-marks.

“Our teacher ridiculed the Indian Bharatanatyam dance and Hindu temple idols for having sexual elements,” said a student who spoke on con-dition of anonymity.

The 19-year-old, along with four classmates and their parents, held a press conference at Santiago’s of-fice on Oct 21.

The remarks were alleg-edly uttered by their Visual Arts Education teacher dur-ing an examination on Oct 6.

“As we are History stu-dents, we had to sit aside while the others sat the Art exam. That was when the teacher made the remarks,” she said.

As a result, another class-

mate brought a pornograph-ic book depicting images of the Kama Sutra to taunt the student.

Reacting to the uproar caused by the book, the teacher called the students for a meeting to defuse the situation on Oct 14.

But the teacher spent two hours behind closed doors trying to convince them that sex was a normal part of life by using lewd metaphors.

“We believe the teacher was trying to protect the student who brought the book,” said the student.

Five parents subsequently sent a letter to the school principal to demand an in-vestigation on Oct 20.

Copies of the letter were forwarded to the Klang Dis-trict Education Office, the Selangor State Education Office and the Ministry of Education (MOE).

But on Oct 21, the stu-dent was hauled up to the principal’s office where she was verbally threatened.

She was told that she would face repercussions if the case was exposed.

“The teacher said if some-thing were to happen to me in the school compound, the school would not be respon-sible for it,” she said.

Two police reports were filed by a parent and student on Oct 18 and Oct 21 over the incident.

“It is totally unacceptable for teachers to threaten their students. This is a blatant misuse of power,” said San-tiago.

He said the Visual Arts teacher should be sent for counselling.

Santiago added that he had yet to receive a response from the Education Ministry or the school principal.

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ october 28 – 30,2010 ⁄ 7

news

Affordable centre for dialysis and stroke patients

By Alvin Yap

SUBANG JAYA: The founder of a community-based charity medical centre here understands the burden shouldered by poor patients seeking dialysis and rehabilita-tive care.

“For those who come to seek help, we deeply understand the physical pain and fi-nancial constraints they and their families are facing,” said Rev Sze Chang Heng during the launch of the Sau Seng Lum (SSL) Di-alysis and Stroke Rehabilitation Centre in Puchong.

Sze said the centre is committed to pro-viding quality and affordable medical ser-vices to the needy in the surrounding areas.

The centre is known for its physiotherapy sessions for stroke patients and haemodialy-sis treatment for people suffering from kid-ney failure.

Sze said healthcare for the poor should not be compromised by low incomes, adding that the medical centre’s mission was to benefit those in need of help.

“[For] those who can’t afford the treat-ments, we provide free services,” Sze told a 1,000-strong audience comprising state of-ficials and corporate and private donors.

Sze said the centre has some 150 certified and experienced medical personnel and is ISO 9001: 2000 certified.

She later took guests on a tour of the centre before visiting patients undergoing dialysis treatment.

She said SSL patients pay only RM50 to RM60 per session compared with RM200 to RM300 at private establishments.

Dialysis patients must go for treatment three times a week, and unsubsidised treat-ments can set a family back by some RM1,000 a week.

The centre treats about 300 kidney pa-tients weekly, with most coming from the

lower-income group.Patient Sarimah Mohd Yunus, 55, said if

not for the affordable treatment, she would have had to fork out almost RM1,000 a week at private care providers.

The Kampung Subang resident said she was thankful there were charitable organisa-tions operating to ease the burden of poor patients.

“My treatment is going well, and my fam-ily doesn’t worry now that I’m coming here,” said the mother of three.

The centre, apart from offering dialysis treatment and stroke rehabilitation, also runs rehabilitation sessions for those recov-ering from injuries and accidents.

It also operates the paediatric rehabilita-tion centre for children and adolescents who have autism, cerebral palsy, polio, down syndrome and other learning disabilities.

Haslina Omar, 46, said her 11-year-old adopted daughter Atikah, who has severe autism, is responding to the weekly reha-bilitation treatments.

“I’m happy and thankful that such a centre exists for my daughter to come for her rehabilitation classes,” she said, referring to the paediatric rehabilitation programme at the centre.

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who toured the facility, said he was very impressed with the quality healthcare given to poor patients.

The Menteri Besar said the quality of care offered by the charity organisation is on par with private clinics, adding that he was thinking of sending a team to study Sau Seng Lum’s operations.

Khalid and state executive councillors Teresa Kok, Dr Rodziah Ismail and Puchong MP Gobind Singh also met patients and their caregivers.

The organisation has another medical centre at Section 1, Old Town, to serve Petaling Jaya residents.

Front row: (From left) Rodziah, Kok, Sze, and Khalid at the opening ceremony.

8 october 28 — 30, 2011

news

By Brenda Ch’ng

PUCHONG: A new flyover will be built to address traffic congestion at the Setia Walk development if the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) deems it necessary.

SP Setia Bhd reiterated their commitment to build the ramp directly into the develop-ment during a meeting on Sunday.

“We are already doing a soil test to ensure the flyover can be safely built there,” said SP Setia deputy president and chief operating officer Datuk Voon Tin Yow.

A preliminary underground survey has also begun to ensure there are no pipes or obstruc-tion where the flyover’s pillars will be placed.

The mixed development, which includes service apartments, retail shops and office blocks, is due to open in two weeks.

This has raised the concern of residents in the neighbouring Taman Wawasan.

MPSJ will also be conducting a traffic study at the site, which is located along the busy Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP).

“We’ll wait for MPSJ to come back with their study, and they will have the final say on

the necessity of the ramp before developers undertake the project,” said Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo.

He said the proposal to build a ramp will only be approved by the council if their study shows that the current road system is unable to keep up with the foreseeable increase of traffic.

“MPSJ will also decide on when, how and where the ramp will be built,” said Gobind.

If built, this ramp is expected to reduce the weaving traffic cutting into the development.

It is also aimed at reducing traffic conges-tion, especially during peak hours, at the Persiaran Wawasan and LDP junction.

“This traffic study will only commence in two weeks, after the developer completes their infrastructure works and opens the building to some tenants and residents,” said MPSJ’s engineering department spokesperson.

He said the traffic study will be more ac-curate if conducted after the roadworks are completed and the building is opened.

“The developers have made a promise to bear all costs to build the ramp to create a more conducive environment for the residents

here,” said MPSJ coun-cillor Tan Jo Hann.

He said the ramp will be about 350 me-tres long and will take off from the service lanes on the LDP straight into the main entrance of Setia Walk.

Currently, there is a two-lane slip road par-allel to the LDP, which leads into the building.

However, residents are unsatisfied with the existing slip road, which will be controlled by traffic lights, and wants the ramp built to prevent future traffic congestion.

According to residents, they foresee this slip road to be the cause of weaving vehicles coming from the LDP and from Taman Wa-wasan Puchong.

“It’s obvious the traffic congestion here is terrible, and it will only get worse when the building is up and running,” said Action Com-mittee Against Setia Walk Traffic Layout

chairperson SY Yong.Yong, who is also a resident of Taman

Wawasan, hopes MPSJ will approve the flyo-ver soon, and for the developer to build it immediately as the project will take almost 24 months to complete.

“I’m glad that the developer is being so-cially responsible and has agreed to build it. But they have hurry so that the traffic con-gestion can be tackled before it gets too late,” she said.

Building of Setia Walk ramp to be decided

Voon (right) explaining the benefit of the ramp to residents while Gobind looks on.

A shopowner presents a garland to Anwar while Dr Xavier, on his left, looks on.

KLANG: Little India was filled with pre-Deepavali buzz when thousands mobbed Datuk Seri Anwar Ibra-him during his visit to greet traders and shoppers last Sunday.

Upon his arrival, passers-by, shoppers and traders alike pushed their way through the crowd for a chance to garland the Selangor economic adviser as he visited shops on Jalan Tengku Kelana.

“It’s such an honour to be here, and I feel so at home being warmly welcomed by all my Indian friends here,”

said Anwar.The federal opposition leader ex-

pressed his well wishes and enter-tained the crowd with a talk about the importance of light during Deepavali.

“The light represents a glimmer of hope in a dark world, so lets brighten our world and give lights to the people this festive season,” he said.

Accompanied by roaring laughter and applause, his speech ended with tokens of appreciation from Klang Municipal Councillors (MPK) and the Little India Business Association.

Anwar also urged the community to be pennywise when purchasing items for the festive day.

“Prices are increasing now, and I hope everyone is careful not to over-spend. Spend in moderation and have an enjoyable Deepavali celebration with family and friends,” he said.

Joining him were MPK secretary Ikhsan Mukri, state exco members Ronnie Liu and Dr Xavier Jayakumar, and MPs Charles Santiago (Klang), R Sivarasa (Subang) and S Manikavasagam (Kapar).

Little India comes alive during Anwar’s visit

Lighting an oil lamp to celebrate Deepavali.

Coming together for the elderlyBy William Tan

KELANA JAYA: Some 200 elderly folks here got a chance to spend their RM100 vouchers under the state’s Jom Shopping programme at Giant Kelana Jaya last Saturday.

The senior citizens were ac-companied by Hannah Yeoh and volunteers from the First Baptist Church’s Senior Citizen Ministry.

“We find Yeoh’s and the state’s objective to reach out to the old and destitute to be aligned with our own beliefs, and we are more than happy to help,” said 64-year-old volunteer Robert KK Chee, who is part of the First Baptist Church.

Chee said they take care of over 200 seniors within the Klang Val-ley with monthly food donations to old folks homes.

This was the first time the min-istry has worked with a state initia-tive. “Jom Shop-ping” is part of the Selangor’s w e l f a r e p r o -gramme for the elderly.

“There is a lot of logistics in-volved, and we need the help,” said Yeoh, who is the Subang Jaya assemblyperson.

She said the event was a good way to reach out and directly as-sist the elderly, and added that

the RM100 sponsored by the state could go a long way for some, al-lowing them to purchase up to a month’s worth of toiletries.

The participants gladly agreed with her. “It is good that they are giving a thought about us, a thought that the elderly must be happy,” said T Henry, 75.

However, the senior, who still freelances as a technician, felt it would have been better if they had been given the shopping coupons earlier, rather than only receiving them at the checkout.

He explained that it was quite crowded, and the citizens had to wait in a long queue behind the two counters assigned for the event.

This was echoed by 64-year-old Ooi Kah Soon, who was pleased with the policy but hoped that it could be better organised.

“The idea is good as the elderly are more dependent,” said Ooi.

(From left) Yeoh with participants Lee Poh Lan and Chiew Cheong Beng, both in their 70s.


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10 october 28 — 30, 2011

news

By Basil Foo

SERI KEMBANGAN: Four families received financial aid after their homes were razed by a fire in Seri Kembangan New Village on Tuesday evening.

“We are grateful for the help,” said Loh Choon Lan after receiving financial aid from Seri Kembangan assemblyperson Ean Yong Hian Wah and Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching.

She received RM1,000 each from Ean Yong and Teo, who paid a visit to the site of the fire on Wednesday (Oct 26).

Loh lived at lot 1314 on Jalan SK 9/6 with her mother and younger sibling, who were at home when their house caught fire.

“We could smell gas before the fire started. It spread from our neighbour’s house to ours at about 5.30pm,” she said.

The 47-year-old clerk revealed that there had been the smell of gas in the area for the past 10 years, which had not been looked into despite complaints to the authorities.

She is now staying at her sister’s house down the road, and was presented with the cheque there.

“My mother cried when she received the cheque as she has been living in that same home for over 40 years,” said Loh.

Jong Chean Hin, who lived at lot 1315, also received RM1,000 from both Ean Yong and Teo.

He was at home with his wife, three children and younger brother when the fire broke out.

“We heard a scream from the bedroom and saw fire burst out. We managed to run out of the house but did not manage to retrieve anything,” said Jong.

The 49-year-old gardener said the home which he had lived in for over 30 years was razed to the ground despite firefight-ers battling the blaze for half an hour.

He lost a lorry, three motorcycles, and RM20,000 in cash as he had just returned from selling fruits and kept the money in his shirt.

“My brother’s back was burnt when he tried to put out the fire. He was admitted to the Serdang Hospital,” he said.

Ean Yong and Teo present-ed another RM550 each to

Loh Tham Yin of lot 1316 and residents of a fourth neighbour-ing lot that were both damaged by the fire.

Families receive aid after fire

After the fire that broke out on Tuesday evening.

By Gan Pei Ling

RAWANG: Residents on Jalan Waterfall near Rawang old town are pleased that the road is finally being widened and upgraded, after appealing to the authorities for more than two decades.

Resident Ruth Gabriel, 45, said as the road was narrow, only one car could make the turn at its sharp corner at a time.

Furthermore, dense bushes were blocking motorists’ view of oncoming traffic.

“It’s a very dangerous corner. I’m glad they’ve finally removed the bushes and are widening the road,” said Gabriel.

Seventy-five-year-old Chew Leong Kean, who has lived there for 31 years, added that fights used to break out when car owners refused to allow each other to pass first.

To rectify the problem, Rawang assembl-yperson Gan Pei Nei said Jalan Waterfall would be widened to seven metres, and that a streetlight would be added for motorists to have a clearer view of oncoming traffic.

She said con-struction work started on Oct 19 and is expected to be concluded on Nov 4.

“The contrac-tor should be able to complete the work on time if the weather remains fair,” Gan told the press.

She said the project cost RM146,210 and is funded by allocation provided by Malaysia Road Records Information System (Marris).

Selayang Municipal Council engineering director Othman Idris and local councillor Tan Hui Chuan were also at the site with Gan to inspect the progress of the road upgrade.

Gan told reporters that authorities also plan to reevaluate the drainage system at the residential area to alleviate floods in the area.

“The current drainage system can no longer handle the water volume. We’re look-ing at diverting the water to Sungai Rawang,” she said.

Jalan Waterfall closed for upgrade

Ruth Gabriel

SHAH ALAM: Hundreds filled Taman Tasik Kota Kemuning last Sunday to join 10 Alzheimer’s patients for a walk to create awareness about the degenerative disease.

The 2km walk around the lake, which kicked off at 7.30am with a round of aerobic warm-up exercises, was organised by the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) in conjunction with its 11th anniversary.

Together with the Rotary Club of Shah Alam and Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation Malaysia (ADFM), MBSA successfully or-ganised medical checkups and educational booths about the disease.

“I hope this event will bring more aware-ness to the public on Alzheimer’s disease and the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle,” said Shah Alam City Council

(MBSA) Mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan.

He also expressed his appreciation for the masses who spared their Sunday morning to support the event with their families.

“I’m glad for this huge turnout, and it is a good sign to know people are more aware of Alzheimer’s disease,” said ADFM president Datuk Jeffrey Ng Chin Heng.

Joining him were Orang Besar Daerah Petaling Datuk Emran Kadir, and ADFM chairperson Datuk Dr Yim Khai Kee.

The event was also filled with talks titled What is Alzheimer’s? and I Am Losing My Memory by representatives from the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital. Those present were given free eye tests, bone-density scans, blood analyses and checkups for diabetes and high blood pressure.

Walk for Alzheimer’s awareness

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11OCTOBER 28 — 30, 2011

VIEWS

Dear Lord Bobo, I live in PJ, and my neighbours are always going on and on about how the area is so much “better” to live in since BN is no longer in charge.

To be honest, I don’t see much of a difference. Is it just psychological? Unconvinced, via email

AH – those rose tinted glasses have finally worn away, and the cold hard political realities of life in Malaysia hits hard on the Unconvinced!

Our minions, many of whom live in the Malaysian state of Selangor, have complained that their drains still keep clogging and the roads are still potholed (especially Jalan Gasing and Jalan Universiti – what is up with that?!) despite the political tsunami of 2008 more than three years ago.

Most of these problems can and should be solved by the local councils like Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya. Yet, because there are yet to be any elections for local government posi-tions, the members of the local councils are not answerable to the actual residents of their locality.

Local councils are appointed by the Menteri Besar. Al-though representatives of some grassroots organisations and non-governmental organisations were given a limited amount of seats on the councils, this is still a far cry from voters actu-ally electing members of their local council and directly holding them accountable for the job they are doing.

Of course, there are some differences between Selangor and other states.

For example, the very popular land premium scheme in-troduced recently, which makes it easier for landowners to extend their leasehold titles, is not found in any other state. The Islamic authorities are particularly zealous in Selangor to enforce the laws against religious proselytisation to Muslims.

And after all, this wonderful newspaper is a symbol of something that no one in any other state in Malaysia can enjoy – a print newspaper that is “pro-opposition”!

Lord Bobo, what is contempt of court? Who can be said to be in contempt of court? What’s the penalty? Can someone be cited for contempt even if one is not

actually in court?

THE classic case of contempt of court is when a person diso-beys a court order. Another kind of contempt is contempt in the face of court, which includes things like basically disrupt-ing court proceedings.

A rather more ancient type of contempt is an offence called “scandalising the court”, which nowadays is more often used to stifle discussions of ongoing court cases. Much criticism has been directed at the offence of scandalising the court, which many say should not apply in cases where there is no jury trying a case.

The penalties for contempt of court are very serious. They range from an admonishment (sort of like a scolding from the judge), to a fine or committal to civil prison (which is not all that different from criminal prison, but you are housed separately).

Given the seriousness of contempt of court, many safeguards have been put in place by the law to ensure that a person is not easily held in contempt of court. The order must be personally delivered to the person who must comply with the order, though there are some limited instances where this may not be necessary.

The alleged “contemnor” is then given an opportunity to defend his or herself. An apology goes a long way, and will significantly reduce the punishment usually.

Let us look at the case of a breach of a court order in practice. The cases of non-Muslim mothers whose husbands convert to Islam, and convert their children to Islam as well has recently been in the news, and two cases show the dif-ferent ways in which contempt of court by disobeying a court order can operate.

There is the case of Shamala Sathiyaseelan. In the case, the

mother was given custody of her chil-dren, but with a con-dition that she gave access to the husband and also on condi-tion that she could not expose the chil-dren to her own Hindu faith. If she failed to comply with these conditions, she might lose the custody of her children.

Shamala left the country unable to comply with the condi-tion banning her from exposing her children to her own reli-gion. The Federal Court held that since Shamala was in con-tempt of court, she could not proceed with her appeal to nullify the conversions of her children to Islam without her consent.

In the case of Indra Gandhi, the mother was given custody of all three of their children by the Ipoh High Court without any conditions as to their religious upbringing. One of those three children – the youngest, now aged two but who was taken from the mother while the baby was still being breastfed – is with the husband. He refuses to deliver the baby to the wife, ostensibly relying on a syariah court order in his favour given in the absence of the wife.

The husband refuses to disclose his location to the wife, and so the wife’s lawyers cannot serve the court order on the husband. Without this service, it is arguable that they cannot cite him for contempt of court for disobeying the High Court order and failing to give his estranged wife custody of their young daughter.

However, if it can be shown that he is clearly aware of the order and still not obeying it, he might well be considered to be in contempt.

Contempt for politicians?Ask Lord Bobo is a weekly column by LoyarBurok (www.loyarburok.com) where all your profound, ab-

struse, erudite, hermetic, recondite, sagacious, and other thesaurus-described queries are answered!

LAMAN BUDAYATAMAN TASIKSHAH ALAM

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ORANG RAMAI DIJEMPUT HADIR

12 OctOber 28 — 30, 2011InsIght

The employment (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament on Oct 6 after it was withdrawn last July to further refine the proposed amendments.

Amendments include provisions on sexual harassment; maternity leave benefits for female employees; work on rest days and public holidays; and overtime payment.

however, the amendments have drawn some flak not only from trade unions for eroding workers’ rights, but also from local employers for various reasons.

“The amendments to the employment Act recently passed in Parliament put additional burdens on the employers,” says Shamsuddin Bardan.

The Malaysian employers Federation (MeF) executive director says local employers now have heavier financial burdens and more responsibilities to fulfill.

he says the financial aspect of the Act has been extended to cover employees earning RM2,000 and below from the previous level of RM1,500 and below.

This is a 33% increase in coverage, and more employees will come within the ambit of the Act.

“ T h i s m e a n s more employees will be eligible to c l a im ove r t ime , work on rest day pay, and work on public holiday pay. This wil l amount to additional cost to employers,” he says.

Amendments to the Act also extended the coverage of maternity leave to all female employees irrespective of wages.

however, the MeF maintains their stand that maternity leave should not be applicable to employees outside the scope of the Act – those earning above RM2,000.

Shamsuddin says his would be akin to “rojak” as the Act originally sought to protect a certain class of employees, but will now be extended to cover all female employees.

“This particular move by the Ministry of human

Resources (MOhR) was made despite objections by the MeF. This really adds to the bureaucracy on employment,” he says.

T h e M e F a l s o p o i n t s o u t u n c e r t a i n t i e s i n

the amendments on sexual harass-ment at the workplace.

MeF says the definition of sexual harassment at the workplace fails to address instances where an employee sexually harasses a client of the company.

“This shortcoming needs to be addressed on an urgent basis,” Shamsuddin says.

Another burden placed on employers are requirements to report on the employment of foreign workers.

he says the MOhR could easily liaise with the Ministry of home Affairs to get the necessary data on foreign workers employed by local employers.

Malaysian Employers Federation not happy

By Basil Foo

T he relationship between an employer and employee is set to change drastically with the latest amendments to the Employment Act 1955.

Instead of being directly responsible for the contracts with work-ers, companies can now delegate the role to a labour contractor.

Passed in Parliament on Oct 6, the amendments give a greater role to labour suppliers, according to the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC).

The main bone of contention with the new amendments is that the labour supplier will now come between workers and businesses.

“In any economic undertaking, the presence of [an intermedi-ary] will only incur a loss for the workers. Workers will become a commodity,” says MTUC executive committee member Bruno Pereira.

Pereira says labour contractors have existed illegally for the last 14 years.

Instead of workers being directly employed under principal employers, labour contractors have acted outside the law as sup-pliers of workers.

With the amendments in place, the labour system in Malaysia is on the verge of a big shift where future workers would need to look for contractors to get the jobs they want.”

This has led to workers experi-encing a reduction of pay, loss of benefits, and an inability to form effective unions to protect the inter-est of workers.

“The government is supposed to stop this. But instead of punishing the culprits, they are trying to legal-ise this,” he says.

Pereira says contract workers, who make up an estimated 30% of the nation’s workforce, are ex-pected to be affected by this new scenario.

According to him, these contract workers are forced to work overtime, sometimes up to 12 hours a day, with few days of leave.

He says while labour contrac-tors should provide adequate pay and benefits, they do not have the

Other shortcomings of the amendments would be the inability of workers to form effective unions.

means to do so and need to rely on the principal employer.

“The principal pays the contrac-tor, who then pays the worker. So whether the contractor pays in full, or pinch here and there, is in ques-tion,” Pereira explains.

He cites the example of a factory owner who decides to provide medi-cal coverage for his workers and pays an amount to the labour contractor.

The erosion of workers’ rights

Shamsuddin Bardan: Act recently passed in Parliament put additional burdens on the employers.

MTUC’s concerns The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has come out against recent amendments to the employment Act 1955 in Parliament.They state that amending the term “sub-contractor for labour” to “contractor for labour” under Section 2 will not protect the rights of contract labourers.The MTUC also shares these concerns due to the amendments to the Act:• Contract workers cannot be organised into unions

and this would weaken existing unions;• Rights of contract and part-time workers will not

be protected;• Agencies supplying workers to a third party as

labour contractors would gain employer status to the workers;

• Workers will not have job security as they would be under the labour contractor’s payroll and not

be under the principal employer;• Discrimination will occur in the workplace as not all

workers will enjoy the same wages, benefits and rights despite doing the same work;

• The amendments remove the obligations and duties of employers to their workers; and

• The amendments go against the Prime Minister’s platform for a high-income nation as labour suppliers are allowed to gain commission from the wages of workers.

Resources (MOHR) was made despite objections by the MEF. This really adds to the bureaucracy on employment,” he says.

T h e M E F a l s o p o i n t s o u t u n c e r t a i n t i e s i n

the amendments on sexual harass-ment at the workplace.

MEF says the definition of sexual harassment at the workplace fails to address instances where an employee sexually harasses a client of the company.

“This shortcoming needs to be addressed on an urgent basis,” Shamsuddin says.

Another burden placed on employers are requirements to report on the employment of foreign workers.

He says the MOHR could easily liaise with the Ministry of Home Affairs to get the necessary data on foreign workers employed by local employers.

“This is really a waste of time to require employers to report employment of foreign workers when the data is already available within the government machinery,” he says.

On the amendments concern ing labour contractors, Shamsuddin says legislative changes will not alter the longstanding issue.

“MEF is of the view that contracting out certain operations of companies has taken place since the early years and amendments would not change the scenario,” he says.

He adds that MEF will be disseminating the amendments to employers to explain their obligations to them.

They will also be pursuing MOHR to modernise the Act, especially where it comes to self regulation of employers.

“Currently, there are many provisions in the Act requiring employers to apply for approval from the Director-General of Labour,” he says, adding that there is no need for such applications to be made.

“Employers should just abide with the conditions set by the MOHR to operate without interruptions.”

Malaysian Employers Federation not happy

Batches of contract workers may be sent to different factories depending on their peak production periods.

With the amendments in place, the labour system in Malaysia is on the verge of a big shift where future workers would need to look for contractors to get the jobs they want.”

Amendments to the Act will affect maternity leave of employees.

However, the contractor may pass down less than the given amount, or in some cases nothing at all.

“It is impossible to protect every single worker from this. The govern-ment is talking as if they are going to micromanage everything,” Pereira says.

He adds that maligned workers in town can go to the Labour Office to complain, but those from out of

town would find difficulty in get-ting help.

Shift in the labour systemPereira also speaks of instances

where a labour contractor can not fulfill its financial commitments and had to close down.

The concern is that if a company goes bankrupt and shuts down, the directors would not be charged and could easily move elsewhere to start a new company.

“If the contractors don’t pay and run away, how can the workers get their rights? The contractors are so mobile,” Pereira says.

He also says labour contractors in rural areas might not even issue con-tracts and would get their labourers to just work on the spot.

He says the principal employ-ers – the factory owners, those with assets, wealth, and who make profits from the workers’ efforts – should be direct employers.

“The principal employers are the ones who should take care of work-ers’ welfare directly,” he says.

With the amendments in place, the labour system in Malaysia is on the verge of a big shift where future workers would need to look for contractors to get the jobs they want.

The company may decide to pay workers a certain amount, but the amount would be reduced because

The erosion of workers’ rights

of the labour contractor.“Why should the [intermediary]

come in when the principal would be easier to regulate? We will not allow the system to take advantage of labourers,” Pereira declares.

In response to the amendment and the potential worker rights violations it may cause, MTUC has decided to hold a nationwide picket on Nov 3 (Thursday).

The picket will be held at various venues throughout the country in industrial areas after work, as it falls on a working day.

“The MTUC has divisions in all the states. Sabah and Sarawak will also be taking part, of course,” adds Pereira.

Injuries on the jobA parliamentarian has also come

out against the amendments by say-ing it will harm workers from across all industries, especially low income earners.

Klang MP Charles Santiago says the amendments will deny low-wage earners protection from injuries sustained on the job.

“I was doing a study of a factory in Shah Alam when I saw a worker injure his leg on a forklift. He was sent to the hospital but denied medi-cal coverage there,” he says.

When asked who his employer was, the worker replied with the name of the factory he was work-ing at. The factory owners then responded that they were not his employer, and that he worked for a labour contractor and was not enti-

tled to receive any medical benefits, Santiago recalls.

“The worker was surprised at this claim and had no choice but pay for the medical expenses,” he says.

He says more cases like this will surface due to the amendments, because labour contractors are not obligated to give worker benefits like larger companies are.

Other shortcomings of the amendments would be the inability of workers to form effective unions.

“Labour contractors may send workers to a company for three months, and then send them to

another company for the next three months after,” he says.

As and when the need arises, batches of contract workers may be sent to different factories depending on their peak production periods.

Santiago predicts a drop in union membership as the simple majority required to form a union would be hindered by the incessant shuffling of workers between companies.

“If a company has 100 workers, they need 50 plus one to form a union. But if workers are sent from one place to another, it will be the end of trade unions,” he says.

Charles Santiago: Predicts a drop in union membership.

14 october 28 — 30, 2011

views

Taking shelter from the rain, I walked into a Chinese coffee shop occupied by uncles playing mahjong. In small towns like Kuang, an outsider stands out

like a sore thumb. At one point while I was on the phone, the uncles stopped playing and stared at me. “They thought you are a police,” said Uncle Chong, who came to sit next to me.

I ended up in this small town in search of the Kuang landfill. I failed miserably, so I traded waste for yit cha instead. Uncle Chong told me that collecting rubbish is a lucrative business, as the landfill charges RM30 per tonne. I can imag-ine – KW Mak reported on The Nut Graph news website that the waste industry raked in RM52 million a year.

That’s expected for an urban consumer society such as ours. Malaysians generate over 30,000 tonnes of waste daily. But this number means nothing to most of us, because what we can’t see won’t hurt us.

I was in a car one day waiting for the traffic light when the driver of the car in front of me threw a plastic bag out of the window. I got out of my car, went over and knocked on the window. A young corporate-looking man looked bewildered as I threw the plastic bag back into his car.

Another incident happened just in my neighbourhood when a lady threw tissue papers on the ground as she got out of her car while the rubbish bin was just a few steps away. Unfortunately for her, I was right behind, so I asked her to pick them up and throw them away properly. Not in my hood, you don’t!

Sometimes, being proactive can backfire, though. My mother had done the same thing to a woman who had thrown a KFC box out of her car. As she drove off, she chucked the box out again, probably out of spite.

Once, I was snorkelling near the jetty in Tioman collect-ing floating plastic bags as I went along, and I could have sworn the tourists threw them over on purpose just to watch me pick them up, because every time I surfaced, there seemed to be more!

So I’m beginning to believe that Malaysians are a spiteful bunch of people. When there is a signboard that says “Dilarang

Membuang Sampah, Denda RM500”, that’s where you’ll find heaps of rubbish. Maybe they think it’s funny and that they’ll get away scot-free because you can’t really trace who the rub-bish belongs to, and enforcement is as much rubbish as the things they throw away. So goes our mentality of “out of sight, out of mind” that plagues many Malaysians.

It’s not like we can’t clean up after ourselves – after all, cleanliness has been inculcated since young. I remember in school we had duty rosters and took turns to clean our class-rooms before we left; and the concept of gotong-royong is a core value to many Malaysian communities.

Yet when you take a Malaysian out of their homes, they don’t have the same regard towards cleanliness and the envi-ronment. We expect that we have other people who will clean up our messes.

Even so, our streets are relatively clean; we’re not Singapore, but we’re all right. Rubbish disappears from our immediate eyes thanks to the hard work of Alam Flora and DBKL work-ers. They are whisked far away to places like Kuang for other people to sort out.

But maybe we should allow rubbish to accumulate. Maybe

we should start “seeing” the problem. We should move away from ineffective signboards and crappy PSAs to more creative ways of educating the public. Maybe we should bring landfills into public spaces; I mean, really, how many of us would drive to Kuang just to see the state of our landfills?

Last year, photographer Suchen SK was commissioned by the Danish International Development Assistance (Danida) to take pretty pictures of ugly trash that was then turned into a coffee-table book. Unfortunately, the book, Wonderland... Beyond the Bin, is not for sale and now sits on the shelves of government organisations and libraries, beyond the eyes of the public! Another hit and miss.

Wouldn’t it be better to have these books in cafes as we dine? It would have been an unconventionally tasty meal. After all, half of our garbage comprises organic kitchen waste such as leftover and unconsumed food. If Malaysians turned freegan, we wouldn’t be complaining about increased food and goods prices anymore.

In Paris, architect Clèmence Eliard and artist Elise Morin created a waste landscape of 60,000 unwanted CDs sewn together by hand and displayed it in an arts centre. HA Schult created an army of “Trash People” from crushed cans and electronic waste. These life-sized sculptures were displayed in public areas such as parks, and even made it around the world to places such as the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids of Giza. Tim Noble and Sue Webster created figure shadows from piles of trash; one installation even included a pair of dead seagulls! These installations are a visual reminder of how much we consume and discard.

Environmental messages have been so conventional and didactic that they are, well, boring. Sometimes it takes a bit of creativity to drive the message across, especially for an issue that is conveniently invisible.

Urbanites are living in such a fast-paced environment and constantly bombarded with information and in-your-face marketing that it’s easier to switch off from these “holier-than-thou” messages than to actually internalise them. A psycho-logical barrier to learning is also the reactionary attitudes to such environmental messages; this notion that the green movement is part of a social class structure. It is easier to ridi-cule someone for caring than to actually make an effort, even if that effort requires you to walk five steps to a dustbin.

We should start worrying when we come to a point where we’re actually comfortable living alongside garbage. Frankly, we’re not that far off from that future.

Aren’t we all dirty minded?Tripping Zero 3 Sharyn Shufiyan

OF late I’ve been thinking a lot about neighbourhoods – all these places where we grew up, started our own families, and basi-cally watched the nation go by.

Neighbourhoods are supposed to be safe places. Safe enough that we should be able to let our children wander through the alleys and play by themselves in the fields. Safe enough that we should really be able to leave our doors unlocked during the day, and maybe even at night. Safe enough that we can sleep easy knowing that tomorrow morning, everything in our house would be where they were the night before.

Yet the perception these days is that that is not what our neighbourhoods have become.

Take Taman Tun Dr Ismail (yes, I know, it’s technically KL, yet before 1974 it was Selangor, so can consider it cukup syarat lah). Recently, TTDI residents were shocked to read about the case of six parang-wielding young men on motorbikes who pounced on an unsuspecting victim in the Burhanuddin Helmi area of TTDI at 9.30pm.

Unfortunately for one of them, their un-suspecting victim was none other than an off-duty policeman. When he brought out his pistol, they attempted to flee, yet for one of them it was too late – the policeman opened fire and the robber was killed on the spot.

Incidences like this used to be more regu-

lar a few years ago in most parts of TTDI. Residents in neighbouring Bandar Utama and Damansara would vouch the same for their areas as well.

Yet so many months ago, many of these neighbourhoods decided that they had had enough and went on a “gated and guarded scheme” spree. Security booms and check-points were erected, residents’ support was canvassed and money collected, and meet-ings with various local authorities were held.

While I don’t have the official crime sta-tistics, anecdotally many residents in these areas reported fewer incidences of crime, at least in our mailing lists.

Yet such a haphazard approach to neigh-bourhood security is indicative of a larger systemic problem, and begs the question: “Why are residents relying on other than the police for their security?”

Could it be that we do not have enough police personnel? Evidently not. According to a research paper prepared by Research for Social Advancement (Refsa), our current police officer per capita ratio is just about

right: 1 for every 270 Malaysians (Interpol recom-mends 1:250).

Yet some 41% of these police officers are tasked with mana g e-ment or adminis-tration, leaving just about 9,000 police personnel assigned to the crucial Criminal Investigation De-partment.

So instead of adding 50,000 more personnel – there are such plans in the pipeline – we should be clamour-ing for the redeployment of police officers!

(As an aside, the Refsa paper Staffing the Police points out that the General Operations Force, which was set up to combat the com-munist insurgents during Malaya’s Emer-gency years, has nearly 15,000 personnel.)

What, then, is stopping those in power from such redistribution of resources? I’m not sure, to be honest. But let’s hope that with PDRM’s move to embrace social media – they

already have a Facebook page and have re-cently started @PDRMsia on Twitter – much more two-way conversations can happen.

So while we cannot immediately do away with the cones, barrels and booms that bar-ricade the outskirts of our neighbourhoods, we also cannot immediately do away with such outsourced security as we would be overly exposing our homes to danger.

What we can do away with, I believe, is the feeling of being powerless to change the condition that we are in.

Neighbourhoods under siegeKthxbai!Fahmi Fadzil

Illegal barriers in a residential area.

15october 28 — 30, 2011

news

By Gan Pei Ling

SHAH ALAM: A fatal fall from Pulau Ketam’s wooden pathways early on Monday morning has villagers spooked.

Village chief Cha Keng Lee said some in the fishing village, which is built on stilts, believe the roads are haunted, but he attributes the deaths to the lack of safety railings along the pathways.

The latest victim, a 44-year-old Lim Ka Peng, was last seen cycling near the police station in the century-old village.

The body of the seafood distributor was discovered by villagers at around 7am on Monday.

“He was cycling when he fell, and probably injured his head when he hit the concrete near the seabed.

“By the time villagers found him, he was already dead,” said Cha.

Two other deaths had occurred on Jalan Gombak and Jalan Timur earlier this year.

“These tragedies wouldn’t have happened if there were railings along the roads,” said

Cha, who is appealing to the state to provide funds to construct barriers along the walkways to prevent further accidents.

Cha said previously, villagers would fall into the muddy seabed if they weren’t careful, but such incidents are now more dangerous

because of concrete laid to protect electricity cables below.

Cha was speaking to the press after receiv-ing his formal appointment letter after being elected village chief during historic polls in July and August.

Two others, Low See Mee and Tan Cheng

Hin, also received their appointment letters as the Pandamaran and Jenjarom village chief respectively from state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah.

Their terms formally ends on Dec 31, 2012. Also at the event was state executive coun-

cillor Ronnie Liu.

Fatal accidents spooking Ketam folks

Cha’s banner on the Pulau Ketam jetty in the days leading up to the village election in August.

(From left) Low, Cha with executive councillors Ean Yong, Liu and Tan.

By Alvin Yap

PETALING JAYA: The selfish act of building an illegal car park, with concrete covers on top of a monsoon drain, has now led to floods in SS9A, Sungai Way.

The homeowner responsible is being blamed for flash floods because his con-struction is preventing rainwater from entering the six-foot-deep monsoon drain.

The construction was completed in mid-October.

“When it rains, the rainwater flows into my shop and causes a two-foot-high flood,” said stall owner Latief Ibrahim Saad, 53.

Residents at the Chinese New Village said the area is prone to floods during heavy downpours, but the situation has been made worse after the drain was covered.

Loh Kuan Paw, 70, whose house is some 200 metres away, has also been hit by flash floods.

“Before the drain was covered, it took at least two hours of heavy rain before it

flooded. Now, it floods after an hour,” he said here on Tuesday.

Ratepayers met with Kampung Tunku assemblyperson Lau Weng San, who said the floods are inconveniencing residents there.

He said floods are now an almost daily occurrence in view of the rainy season that will last until end of the year.

Lau said the house with the illegal car park is rented out to migrants, and he had received rumours that the extension will be used to operate a car wash facility.

He pointed out that the house, which is situated on higher ground than the homes surrounding it, does not have a permit for the extension.

An engineer from the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) also conducted a site visit and confirmed that the renova-tions were illegal.

“No permit was received,” said the of-ficer.

He said MBPJ would send a notice to the house owner to compel him or her to demolish the concrete covers.

Floods caused by illegal extension

Lau (fourth right) and residents at the illegal car park.

By Brenda Ch’ng

A C H A N C E to ser ve residents of Taman Eng Ann by solving their daily w o e s c o mp e l l e d I v a n H o F o o k Keong to become a councillor in Klang three years ago.

“I took up the councillor’s job to

make a change for the betterment of the people here, and it is my mission to see all the problems solved,” says Ho.

To ensure problems are attended to, the three-term councillor forms a bridge between the residents and authorities.

The 51-year-old lawyer feels that a good communication flow between councillors, residents and the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) is key to solving problems.

He touches base with the grassroots by or-ganising site visits, dialogues and meetings with residents and MPK officers.

“I think the communication has improved over the years as MPK officers have warmed to the residents and cooperating with me to re-solve issues,” says Ho.

Among the main issues he has been working on are cleanliness, infrastructure, flooding and rubbish collection.

“When I first became a councillor, I was appalled by the state of cleanliness in Taman Eng Ann and Jalan Meru. Rubbish was every-where, in drains and on the streets,” he says.

Since then, he has been liaising with the coun-cil’s environmental department to monitor litter picking, rubbish collection and dirty streets.

However, Ho still receives numerous com-plaints about flooding on Jalan Meru due to rubbish-filled drains.

“The complaints come every time a heavy downpour occurs, causing floods in shoplots

and inconveniencing traders,” says Ho.Ho once inspected the drains opposite a

row of shops with MPK officers, and was shocked to find underground drains being clogged with rubbish.

“What surprised me was that the drains were not properly maintained or cleaned for decades. One can imagine the amount of rubbish down there,” says Ho.

If we don’t clean it now, rubbish will con-tinue to accumulate, and soon the whole Jalan Meru will be flooded, he says.

“To prevent that, I have proposed a plan to clean up underground drains from Persim-pangan Lorong Sireh to Sg Klang (Batu Be-lah),” says Ho.

The project, which costs RM73,000, started a few weeks ago, and is scheduled for comple-tion in a month’s time.

Ho is also determined to patch up all pot-holes and resurface worn-out roads in Taman Eng Ann. “This is a challenge as there are lim-ited funds allocated for infrastructure repairs, but I’ve worked out a plan with the council to patch up and resurface roads in phases,” says Ho.

His plan, which began two years ago, lists all the roads which are in dire need of repair.

From that list, the council will appoint contractors to fix the worst ones first before moving on to the rest.

Ho is also identifying missing metal drain covers and getting the council to replace them.

“Many drain covers are stolen, leaving a big gap on the road where people walk,” he said.

For the future, Ho hopes to ease daily traffic congestion at the Taman Eng Ann morning market.

“The place is too congested and narrow, and I’m currently looking for a new place nearby to relocate the stalls selling wet products,” he says.

Among the stalls which will be relocated are those selling meat, vegetables and fish.

Ho says these stalls not only contribute to the traffic congestion, but also leave behind awful smells and dirty roads.

Know Your Councillor: Ivan Ho

16 october 28 — 30, 2011

news

By Alvin Yap

PETALING JAYA: Residents of poorly maintained low-cost flats in Kota Daman-sara and Lembah Subang have been assured by Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim that their com-plaints will be addressed.

“I have instructed the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) to solve ratepayers’ woes here within three months,” said the Menteri Besar last Sunday.

Khalid made a surprise visit to the flats to listen to the grouses of residents, and met with representatives from the Joint Management Board ( JMB).

JMB committee members from the two low-cost flats relayed their frustrations over what they described as MBPJ’s neglect.

The two communities of Section 8 Kota Damansara and Lembah Subang pointed out that their lifts and lights have not been repaired, while broken water pumps have left taps dry.

They also complained about the lack of security guards.Khalid’s visit on Sunday was a follow up to a town hall

meeting at MBPJ’s headquarters a fortnight ago, where

residents expressed their disap-pointment at the city council’s slow response to their grievances.

The Ijok assemblyperson said he has asked MBPJ to review its contract with the company that carried out maintenance on the lifts at the low-cost flats.

He said MBPJ will increase security guards at the loca-tions, as well as carry out immediate repairs.

MBPJ will also build motorcycle parking lots with metal bars for residents to lock their bikes.

The city council, Khalid said, has sufficient funds in its maintenance account to carry out the repairs and upkeep of the flats.

But he also urged residents to work with MBPJ and help maintain the facilities.

Khalid was accompanied by state executive councillor for Housing and Housing Management Iskandar Samad, local government state executive councillor Ronnie Liu, Kota Damansara assemblyperson Dr Nasir Hashim, and Subang MP R Sivarasa.

Also present was also MBPJ Mayor Datuk Roslan Saki-man.

MBPJ to address residents’ woes

The MB and other leaders meeting with residents in Lembah Subang.

(From left) Roslan, Sivarasa (in background), Khalid, Iskandar and Dr Nasir.

By Brenda Ch’ng

PUCHONG: Some 1,200 hampers were given out to the needy by Gobind Singh Deo in conjunction with Deepavali.

“The aid is to help reduce some of their financial burden during Deepavali,” said the Puchong MP.

He acknowledged the aid is only a small gesture, but hopes it will help these families enjoy the celebrations.

These hampers were given out at 10 sepa-rate functions around Puchong.

“Instead of the usual one-time grand

celebration at one specific location, I’ve de-cided to organise multiple smaller functions to reach out to all the less-fortunate families here,” said Gobind.

He said the poor families were identified through the help of community leaders and temple organisations.

Gobind also urged the government to improve the quality of living for these com-munities by focusing more on proper educa-tion for the young.

He hopes the government will provide a more accessible education system for chil-dren.

Deepavali in Puchong

Gobind with some of the recipients of Deepavali hampers in Bandar Kinrara 6.

SHAH ALAM: The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) will be organising a jogging event with mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan this Saturday in conjunction with the city’s 11th anniversary.

“ We hope the public will join the jogging event to get to know each other more.

“It is also aimed at inform-ing the public on healthy liv-ing and physical exercise,” said MBSA press officer Shahrin Ahmad on Monday.

T h e e v ent k i c k s o f f a t 7.30am.

Nutrition supplement com-pany Herbalife will hold a seminar on healthy eating and nutrition, while medical care provider KPJ Selangor and the Faculty of Health Sciences Universiti Teknologi Mara will

also conduct free health check-ups.

Singers from MBSA Kombo are set to entertain the crowd from 10am to 6.30pm at the Laman Budaya stage.

There will be also poetry readings, cultural dances, as well as a martial arts display.

In addition, media group Kumpulan Karang kraf wil l showcase its publ ications, which can be read and pur-chased on the spot.

Maybank, CIMB and Bank Muamalat will also set up infor-mation booths, where the pub-lic can receive information on financial matters.

“The city council hopes that people around the Klang Valley, and not just Shah Alam resi-dents, will attend the event to make it a success,” Sharin said.

Jogging in conjunction with MBSA’s anniversary

SHAH ALAM: Selangor will allocate RM4 million to help Ta-mil schools in the state, to improve examination results over a period of three years.

“We are giving out RM1.48 mil-lion in allocations to Tamil schools for the 2012 academic year.

“This is the first phase of Sel-angor’s plan to boost academic standings at these schools,” said state executive councillor Dr Halimah Ali.

Dr Halimah, whose portfolios

include education, said Selangor had identified 43 Tamil secondary schools that will receive the fund-ing.

The allocations will be given to Parents Teacher Association (PIBG) committees, which can use the money to purchase com-puters and other resources for the schools.

“The equipment should be used to boost learning skills, as well as life skills such as computer litera-cy,” she said recently.

More state funding for Tamil schools

Dr Halimah Ali

KLANG: Thirty families re-ceived RM100 cash each on the eve of Deepavali on Tuesday from the Selangor Women’s Welfare and Charity Org anisation (Peka-wanis).

Among the beneficiaries was former Alam Flora Sdn Bhd worker M Murujan, 35, who is unemployed after the solid waste management company stopped providing ser-

vices for Selangor on Oct 15.Murujan and his wife R Muni-

ady, 32, who works as a cleaner for the Klang Municipal Council, have three children aged one to six.

“We plan to use the money to shop for clothing for Deepavali,” he told Selangor Times.

Murujan and the other families received the RM100 cash from Pekawanis committee member

Datin So Soh Koon.So is the wife of Sungai Pinang

assemblyperson Datuk Teng Chang Khim.

She said Pekawanis, which is made up of assemblypersons’ spous-es, regularly gives out aid to needy families during festive seasons.

The association a l locate d RM3,000 for each constituency for Deepavali.

Pekawanis hands out aid to families

17october 28 — 30, 2011

media

SHAH ALAM: Pinafores and olive green trousers made a huge fashion comeback at the Mines Wellness Hotel, with all of its 140 staff reliving their schooldays at its recent annual dinner.

A seven-foot tall school bus, enormous pencils and multiplication tables scribbled in chalk brought the school atmosphere to life in the Hotel’s Parameswara ballroom.

Even the infamous “rotan” made an ap-pearance alongside stern-looking discipline masters who strode authoritatively around with smart perfects, while cheerful “stu-dents” pranced around with their plastic water tumblers.

Sticking to a proper school schedule, the programme began by the raising of the na-tional flag with the national anthem being sung.

Then the festivi-ties kicked off, with groups of “students” performing a series of lively debates, spirit-ed choral speaking, hilarious classroom plays and conducting marches.

The F&B team, who elicited much laughter from the au-dience with their bands and singing, was nominated the best performance of the evening.

True to the envi-ronmentally con-

scious philosophy of the hotel, a unique runway competition also took place, with teams of “students” huddling up to design their very own interpretation of eco-couture.

Armed with recyclables, including a bar-rage of plastic bottles, old magazines, CDs, aluminum tabs, the teams went to work, re-sulting in an awe-inducing catwalk that demonstrated true passion and ingenuity.

The winning design was a creation by the Marcom team, which put together a wedding gown made-out of old magazines.

The evening also saw 20 Long Service Awards (10 years and above) being presente, and concluded with the Group CEO of Country Heights Holdings Bhd, Dianna Lee, drawing the top three lucky winners for three-day, two-night trips.

‘Back to school’ at Mines Wellness

The winning Marcom team with Dianna Lee.

Winner of the Recycling Fashion Walk receiving a bouquet.

Contestants of the Recycling Fashion Walk.

By Basil Foo

EVER dreamt of living the highlife in one of the world’s capital cities where a myriad of sights, sounds, tastes, and experiences await the curious?

Situated within walking distance of down-town Kuala Lumpur’s major food, leisure, and tourist attractions, One @ Bukit Ceylon towers over it all.

For those wanting to be close to the action, the hotel suites are a walking distance from two existing monorail stations – Bukit Bin-tang and Raja Chulan.

Nearby hotspots include Pavilion KL, Lot 10, Starhill Gallery, Fahrenheit 88, Sungei Wang Plaza, KL Tower, Changkat Bukit Bintang, and the renowned food paradise at Jalan Alor.

A single block of 27-stories and 354 units, the hotel suites boast four different types of units available to the urban dweller or savvy investor.

Types A and D are studio units sized at 411 and 453 sq ft respectively with types B and C having two bedrooms each and sized at 927 and 769 sq ft respectively.

The suites are from level 11 onwards and come with a single bathroom.

One @ Bukit Ceylon will be divided into units managed by a hotel operator and live-in units.

Level 12 to 17 comes with hotel services including room service and house keeping.

Upon completion, these floors will be run by the management and rented out as fully furnished hotel rooms to guests.

The units on these floors have a Guaranteed Rental Return (GRR) rate of 6% per annum gross off the purchase price.

The GRR will run for the first three years and will be paid to the unit owner every quar-ter either through bank transfer or direct collection.

All units are fully furnished and features ducted air-conditioning and kitchenette with induction hood, so buyers can move in with ease upon completion.

Unit type C and D face Menara Bousted in the North-East while type A and B face Berjaya Times Square and Radius Interna-tional Hotel in the South West.

Residents stand to enjoy club-facilities on

the 9th floor which include a jacuzzi, infinity pool, gymnasium, reading lounge, private function room, and launderette.

Ample car parks are available in the base-ment and from level 1 to 8 on a season parking basis.

The ground level of One @ Bukit Ceylon features a lush and welcoming hotel lobby complete with restaurants and a concierge to welcome guests.

Take up for the overall project has been overwhelming with 65% of units sold so far and completion of the project can be ex-pected by the end of 2013.

Those interested in living at the epicentre of the city’s Golden Triangle are welcomed to visit the UOA Property Gallery in Bangsar South City or call 03-2282 9993.

Suites in the heart of the city

18 october 28 — 30, 2011

media

SHAH ALAM: Taylor’s Education Group (TEG) unveiled its new state-of-the-art international school campus at Bandar Bukit Puchong during a recent ground-breaking ceremony.

Starting in January 2014, Puchong will have the first Taylor’s International School, which caters to Early Years, Primary and Secondary students.

“Taylor’s can now educate students at a younger age to provide them with the neces-sary foundation for success.

“The campus design of the Taylor’s Inter-national School, Puchong is to facilitate the school in providing the optimum and con-ducive learning environment for students,” said TEG group chief executive officer Datuk Loy Teik Ngan during the groundbreaking ceremony.

The new Taylor’s International School is expected to com-bine the best of East and West, with a globally recognised British curriculum grounded in Asian values.

The school is located on a 7.88-acre site at Bandar Bukit Puchong and will cater for over 2,000 students.

The first phase of the campus in 2014 is for 1,000 students.

“We believe that Tay-lor’s International School has the potential to con-tribute and enrich the growing communities in Puchong and the adjacent areas.

“Being an international curriculum school, we will also em-phasise values like respect and care for family and community as a whole,” said TEG school division president BK Gan.

Easily accessible via the Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong (LDP), the school will be designed to optimise natural light-ing and natural ventilation to reduce carbon emission.

For more information, contact 03-79485373 or email [email protected].

Taylor’s to invest RM110m in Puchong school

Seputeh MP Teresa Kok (second left), Datuk Loy Teik Ngan and Mr BK Gan (fourth right) with the board of governors at the groundbreaking ceremony.

SHAH ALAM: Seventy-five Caltex cus-tomers recently drove away with their dream prizes from the first monthly contest level of the Caltex 75 SurPrizes Contest.

“I was planning to give my wife of 39 years a surprise, and the Tissot couple watch set is a wonderful treat to cherish together,” said Choong Loo Kong, 69, from Kuala Lumpur at the prize-giving ceremony last week.

The watches were one of 75 prizes offered monthly, in addition to the more than 180,000 daily prizes to be given away at all participating Caltex stations.

The contest runs until Oct 31 in conjunc-tion with Caltex’s 75th anniversary celebra-tions, with a grand finale in November offer-ing a lucky winner the chance to become a millionaire.

To reward loyal customers at each par-ticipating station, daily prizes are available every 75 minutes for 7.5 hours for 75 days at all participating Caltex stations the end of the month o allow them a higher chance of driving away with a prize.

Customers are advised to check Caltex 75 SurPRIZES promotional boards at partici-pating stations for their respective prize giveaway times, which change daily, to in-crease their chances of winning.

In the monthly level contests, customers were required to spend a minimum of RM40 at participating Caltex stations or purchase a four-litre pack of Havoline lubricants at participating workshops, and send an SMS with a Caltex-related answer along with their transactions details.

Selected winners then had to produce original receipts as proof of purchase to claim their prizes.

“I didn’t expect to win when I submitted the SMS, so I was stunned to receive a call from the Caltex Customer Service informing that I had won a Philips portable DVD player and a Timex E-Compass watch,” said taxi driver Ahamad Kamal.

SMS participation is still open for contest hopefuls to be in the running as one of the 75 participants selected for the grand finale in November.

In this final lap of the Caltex 75 Sur-Prizes Contest, the 75 contestants will be competing for a chance towards the grand prize of RM1 million cash.

The prizes were presented by Chevron brand coordinator (Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia) Uzma Nawawi.

For full contest details, visit www.caltex.com/my.

SMS surprises for 75 Caltex customers

Some of the Caltex monthly winners with their prizes, accompanied by Chevron representatives.

SHAH ALAM: Sunway celebrated its 38th Family Day at Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach recently with more than 12,500 em-ployees and their family members from all over Peninsular Malaysia.

The full-day event, which was attended by Sunway’s management team as well as employees from its many business divi-sions, was themed “Passion Unites”, reso-nant of Sunway’s recent merger to become one of the largest property construction corporations in the country.

The launch was enhanced by a muhib-bah group percussion performance com-prising nine drummers of different cul-tural and ethnic backgrounds, who gave a rousing rendition of a medley of popular and upbeat tunes.

The cultural drummers represented the diversity of the group’s employees, while their performance represented the power of passion.

Organised by Kelab Sukan Sunway, the day’s programme also included a lively telematch, where staff and their families sportingly participated with lots of fun and laughter.

Winners of the recent Sunway Sports Carnival held from June to September were also announced that day.

The Red Team emerged as overall winner and was awarded the Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Challenge Trophy.

Sunway Group deputy chairperson Datuk Razman M Hashim, said: “This year’s Sun-way Family Day is especially significant for us as it was our first gathering as one family under the Sunway Bhd banner.

“As a large conglomerate, we hail from different backgrounds, both culturally and professionally – but there is one value that unites us all: a deep passion for excellence.

“At Sunway Bhd, this passion has brought us to new heights, and I truly believe [it] will bring us further in our journey to build com-munities together,” he said.

Family Day at Sunway

Fun and games at Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach.

19october 28 — 30, 2011

fiction

Have you cHecked your electrical switcHes before leaving Home?

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

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

Borang maklumaT Memaklumkan tentang meningalkan rumah kediaman untuk bercuti.

Kepada Kawasan pentadbiran balai polis

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

BuTiran penduduk:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. ..........................................................................................

lain-lain maklumat:

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

✂

...............................................tandatangan

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

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

Call the SS17 BomBa for advise at

03-5634 9444

Fiction by Adlin Z Omar

Morag found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. This should be expected, right? After all, she worked in a bank. Banks got robbed.

“Okay. This is not how I expected my day to start,” Morag said, and someone grumbled an agreement.

“Shut up,” Jason scolded, glaring at the grumbler. “Be serious. Come on,” David urged, holding his

hands up. His curly hair looked a bit out of sorts this morning. Perfect for the situation they were in, Morag mused to herself.

“You know, I’ve had a rethink, and I don’t know if I can work in a high-risk environment,” Morag said, look-ing up at Jason, who was holding the gun. “I have kids who depend on me.” She lifted her shoulders when she saw him frown through the stockings over his head.

Jason sighed and lowered the gun. He rubbed his dark hair with his palm.

This is not working, Jason thought to himself miser-ably. “We have to go through this drill. If we’re faced with this sort of situation, we’d know what to do. Or, at least we won’t panic that we freeze when faced with a gun.”

Jason pulled the stockings off his head impatiently and announced, “All right. Let’s take a break. We’ll go one more round before the bank opens.” His preppy-boy smart looks were clouded by frustration and annoyance at the defiance of the minions working for him.

“Do we have to?” Missy complained, worried that with the drill taking up her time to set up before the bank opened, she wouldn’t have time to do her breast pump. Milk would stain her shirt, and she would have to end up wearing a shawl the rest of the day.

“It’s going to happen, isn’t it? We might as well just die!” moaned Steve the security guard, a pessimistic, anxiety-ridden ex-prison warden who had quit his job at the prison because he had been under stress. No one understood why he kept on winding up in jobs that required guns.

“We can reduce the possibilities of death in these scenarios if only…” Jason was saying, and then stopped when he realised nobody was listening to him. “Why do I even bother?” he muttered to himself, and headed for his office in the back room.

Morag followed him back to the office. “Do we have to do this stupid drill?”

Jason took a deep breath and released it slowly as he sat down in his high-backed chair. “We are not going to do any more drills today. We’ll try again tomorrow.”

“I had better not be your teller in distress, Jason,” Morag warned him before she turned on her heels.

Behind her, David was standing in the doorway with a gun aimed to her chest. “This is a robbery. I want you to go to your till and put money in this bag.”

Morag snorted and narrowed her eyes. “Out of my way.” She stomped over to her counter.

David threw the bag past her shoulder and snarled, “I’m not asking again. Do it.”

“Oh, you boys just want to play with your guns!”Missy breathed, “Boys always want to play with their

guns” to no one in particular, but Mrs Jenis, the cleaning lady, chuckled appreciatively at the double entendre.

David produced another bag and threw it to Missy. “You too, Missy. Fill this bag.”

Jason stood in the doorway, crossing his arms. “Oh, now you girls want to play.”

Morag and Missy were filling the bags David threw at them, Morag fuming and Missy looking impatient.

David turned and aimed the gun to Jason. “You. Move up front where I can see you. Over there.” He gestured with the gun towards the lobby in front of the teller, and Jason complied, arms half up.

“Someone’s supposed to press the button,” Jason drawled, lifting an eyebrow at Morag.

She obliged, but refused to look at him.“Now, zip it up,” David instructed. The two women

complied, looking bored. “Slide it over.”“I hate these drills. Look, I’m going start leaking milk

here if I don’t get to my pump soon,” Missy complained, making Jason grimace in disgust.

“I don’t need to see that,” Jason said firmly.“Can I go, Mr Robber, sir?” Missy asked David, who

was slowly picking up the bags even as he kept the guns trained on them.

Steve had his hands on his hips, saying superior-like, “This is not right. Has anyone pressed the button?” Always. A train too late.

“All right. Everyone stay where you are and nobody gets hurt.” David walked backwards towards the back door, unlocking the doors with his own key. He made it out the door and they saw him jump into his sedan, whooping with joy and laughing.

All eyes fell on Jason. Something was not right here.Morag was the first to ask: “Was that part of the

drill?”“No! That was no drill!” Jason shouted, now making

a run towards his office. “Mo, you pressed the button, right?”’

“Yeah, but isn’t the system offline for this exercise?” Morag asked, unsure.

Jason stopped at the door to his office, head hung low. “Yes! Damn it! Steve! Call the police! We have a robbery.”

“What? A robbery! Oh my God! We’re going to die!” Steve cried, his hand going to the wrong side of his gun belt.

Morag closed her eyes and really wanted to cry her-self.

“You guys don’t pay me enough for this.”

The Robbery

20 OctOber 28 — 30, 2011

Food

By Brenda Ch’ng

N othing is more worthwhile then tossing all worries aside and basking yourself in affordable yet authentic western cuisine

at the one and only Movida Restaurant. Nestled among rows of restaurants, cafes and

pubs on the ground floor of Sunway Giza com-plex, we were instantly drawn to this restaurant

wouldn’t leave.Buried right underneath the

cluster of lamb cutlets and cut-up lamb chunks, we found thin slices of round orange coloured pieces which we thought to be carrots.How wrong we were when the honeyed juices of the sweet potato unfolded in our mouths.

This dish, voted the house favou-rite by customers, should definitely go onto your list of must-try items.

Following that was the grilled black cod, served with roasted cherry tomatoes and sauteed broccoli, dressed with man-go grape salsa and topped with caviar.

With the cod lightly panfried to a crisp, and balsamic vinegar drizzled on the side, the fish must be dipped in sweet vinegar first before moving onto the spicy mango grape salsa. By doing so, one is sure to get a variety of sweet-ness, spiciness and sourness from just one dish.

… every mouthful was a refreshing one, thanks to the freshness of the greens, fish and meat paired with the right amount of dressing.”

Night of delights at Movida

by its name Movida, which means “social- cultural gathering” in Span-ish.

Without a second thought, we walked past the outdoor sitting, and was instantly greeted with a dim and crowded room that rever-berated with chatter and music.

We took our seats in a cosy cor-ner and studied the menu, which was filled with an endless stream of western delights from different parts of the world.

After a short wait, out came the classic Caesar salad with salmon to pacify our growling stomachs while waiting in anticipation of the other delectable dishes.

Made of ample crisp romaine lettuce, croutons, grilled paprika chicken, perfectly smoked salmon, sprinkles of parmesan cheese and a dash of caesar dressing, the appe-tiser is sure to make you come back for more.

Originating from Greece, this all-time favourite dish should be eaten with all components of the salad chewed at once in your mouth.

By doing that, we got to experi-ence the smoky tang of the chunky salmon, the sweet paprika marinade of the chicken, and the crunch of the croutons and lettuce.

To many, it may just be another ordinary salad, but we beg to differ as every mouthful was a refreshing one, thanks to the freshness of the greens, fish and meat paired with the right amount of dressing. As we all know, it’s always a bummer when salad lovers are served soggy greens which have been overdressed.

Feeling completely satisfied with our salad, the bowl was then taken away to be replaced with a serving of chargrilled lamb, artistically as-sembled and drenched with mint jelly pooling at the base of the plate.

Some may find the idea of bath-ing the lamb in mint jelly perplex-ing, but take one bite, and you will never want to put mint sauce on the side again.

In we dug, making sure every bite taken was soaked and dripping with an excess of mint jelly. The flavour was just so exquisite that we couldn’t stop ourselves from stuff-ing huge chunks of meat into our mouths so that the minty taste

flambe, also known as the flamen-kuche or tarte flambee, an Alsatian (Eastern France) classic which re-sembles our well-loved pizza.

Made of bread-dough rolled out to resemble a very thin rectangular paper, the base of this flambe is uniquely covered in fromage blanc (white cheese) instead of tomato paste.

And because of the cheesy base, which is normally seen in desserts, the flambe is also called a tarte (tart) in France.

Fromage blanc, which has the consistency of a yoghurt and ricot-ta cheese, is normally made of cream and milk, whisked to thickness.

However, to provide patrons with a healthier choice, the

restaurant substi-

Chargrilled lamb,artistically assembled.

Classic Caesar salad with salmon.

tutes the fromage blanc with yo-ghurt, topped with an abundance of cheese, turkey ham, mushroom, onions and bell peppers.

Cheese lovers will love this dish as every bite promises a mouthful of cheesy goodness.

Last but not least, our baked apricot cheese dessert completed our night out with a warm, creamy sourness from the passionfruit syrup drenched on top.

This dessert comprised an apri-cot cut in half and filled with cream cheese. It was topped with passion-fruit juice and drizzled with straw-berry syrup and pitted cherries on the side.

It is recommended that you bite into it as a whole to get the whole blend of sweetness, warmth and sourness.

To experience a night of these delicacies, head on down to Movida at Sunway Giza, Block C Sunway Giza, No 2, Jalan PJU 5/14, PJU5 Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya.

Opening hours are from Mon-day-Friday, 12pm-3am. For more information, call 03-61418022, fax 03-61418023 or email [email protected].

Codfish with mango and grape salsa.

Apricot with passionfruit baked and drizzled with strawberry sauce.

French flambe with yoghurt, topped with an abundance of cheese, turkey ham, mushroom, onions and bell peppers.

Made of chopped mangoes, grapes, chili and lime juice, the more well-known Mexican tomato-based salsa was upstaged by the marriage of many flavours in this well-pro-portioned fruit salsa, which is the key to making this dish work.

Next up was the turkey ham

21october 28 — 30, 2011

travel/food

Immediately after the Bukit Lanjan toll plaza, on the right and located next to Ta-man Bukit Maluri, is Bandar Menjalara.

Motorists who work in Kepong or Sungai Buloh will know that Bandar Menjalara is sandwiched between Bandar Sri Damansara and Kepong. The major township is named after the first Malaysian Prime Minister’s mother, Paduka Seri Cik Menjalara.

Property hunters and investors would be aware that some of the hot properties in this township are found in Plaza Menjalara, Men-galara 18 Residences, Plaza Medan Putra, Villa Manja, Desa ParkCity, Sunway SPK and Medan Putra Condos.

Bandar Menjalara’s claim to fame lies in its Recreation Lake, or Taman Rekreasi, and the Kepong Village Mall. But a dedicated seafood foodie had told me some time ago that Bandar Menjalara has a good number of seafood restau-rants. At last count, there were more than 31 restaurants in the township, of which a large number of them serve seafood.

It’s just a short distance from my place to Menjalara. I know for a fact that this township doesn’t have the kind of human traffic that Ke-pong and Jinjang are infamous for. Reaching the township in record time, the roads were rela-tively quiet.

I was contemplating making a pit-stop at one of the numerous Chinese restaurants when Restoran Al Barkath sprung into view on Jalan 1/62D in Medan Putra Business Centre. The double-parking of cars was a real cause for con-cern, but fortunately, an empty parking bay brought a smile to my face.

The façade of Al Barkath was very attractive. It was decked out in yellow and red colours and borders. The corner of its elongated signage clearly states that it is open 23 hours. I reckon that one hour is for tidying up the premises.

Al Barkath specialises in briyani buhari, nasi lemak panas, nasi kandar, naan tandoori, to-myam seafood, sup kambing, rojak special, ABC special (air batu campur) and fruit juices.

Since it was already 3pm, I wasn’t that opti-mistic about getting fresh food items on the table with all the side dishes that I had in mind.

I merely wanted a plate of warm rice, some curries and a big chicken drumstick. I got all these plus a cup of rasam, which I had to order from the waiter. A lover of the local cuisine served at Al Barkath restaurant would be dissatisfied if there is no rasam.

Rasam is a South Indian soup comprising tamarind juice, chilli pepper, tomato and a handful of condiments. Nowa-days a number of restaurants that serve rasam as a side dish tend to use powdered rasam to make the soup. For rasam devotees like me, the difference between the powdered kind and the traditionally prepared version can be discerned in a heartbeat.

The rasam at Al Barkath wasn’t as impressive as others I have tasted elsewhere. Nonetheless the numerous curries which were poured on my plate of rice made lunch a pleasant affair. The chicken drumstick could have been warmer, but I was late for lunch anyway, so I couldn’t blame anyone.

Customer service was well attended to by at least six staff members working in various capacities. I was slightly sad-dened to see that papadum, which used to come in a large plastic container, was now offered in plastic packets. What on earth has happened to the old practice of a customer grabbing a handful from the large container? I guess the old ways might have cost the restaurant manager a reduction in the profit margin.

My lunch partner complained that too many people were smoking inside the restaurant. This seemed to be the phenomenon whenever there is a downpour.

Bandar Menjalara is becoming a fairly popular residential alternative to Taman Bukit Maluri and Kepong Baru because of its proxim-ity to Taman Tun Dr Ismail and Bandar Utama. The view outside Restoran Al Barkath reveals vistas of 30-storey apartment blocks that dot the sprawling landscape of a relatively young township.

The rows of shoplots on the slightly in-clined terrain indicate that commercial space in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur has been exhausted and now business ventures have shifted to places like Bandar Menjalara, where competition is still not that keen.

From certain perspectives, Bandar Men-jalara is a scenic neighbourhood. That rainy afternoon when I sipped my hot Milo at Al Barkath restaurant, the distant hill slopes played host to low-lying white clouds that embraced its fine greenery. It was a beautiful panoramic view of a residential estate that was so close to bustling PJ.

Housing estates with such beautiful natural backgrounds are fast disappearing in the Klang Valley. Bandar Menjalara is perhaps one of the few left that still enjoy scenery touched by the brushstrokes of Mother Nature.

The awakening of Bandar MenjalaraThere are more residential estates in PJ and beyond that most of us would want to count. LIN ZHENYUAN finds solace of spirit in a quiet township near the junctions leading to Sungai Buloh and Kepong

The minarets of a distant mosque peek from behind the skybridge that connects these two tall high-rise apartment blocks.

Truly a Malaysian lunch: Roast chicken, Milo and papadum.

Restoran Al Barkath opens for 23 hours.

Customers come for Al Barkath’s various dishes and curries.

The packets of papadum, curries and vegetables available at Al Barkath.

22 OctOber 28 — 30, 2011

Gallery

Bukit Lanjan assemblyperson Elizabeth Wong handing out allocations to single mothers and senior citizens recently, while Subang Member of Parliament R Sivarasa looks on.

Senior citizens from Semenyih spending their RM100 vouchers on household necessities at Giant Metro Plaza recently, courtesy of the state’s senior welfare programme.

Over 1,000 people showed up to apply for 50 vacancies as garbage

collection workers at the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) on Oct 18. The

local council took over the services from Alam Flora Sdn Bhd from Oct 16.

Subang Jaya assemblyperson Hannah Yeoh receives a garland as a symbol of thanks for helping the Sri Varatharajah Perumal Temple in Subang Jaya on Oct 15. The temple received RM12,000 in financial aid from the state in conjunction with Deepavali.

Hulu Kelang assemblyman Saari Sungib visiting his constituents in Kg Fajar during Deepavali on Wednesday.

Semenyih Pakatan Rakyat coordinator Nor Azlan Mohammad handing a packet of rice to a resident in late September. Looking on is Hulu Langat MP Dr Che Rosli Che Mat.

(From left) State executive councillor Iskandar Samad,

Subang MP R Sivarasa, Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid

Ibrahim and Petaling Jaya Mayor Datuk Roslan

Sakiman visiting a low-cost flat in Section 8, Kota

Damansara. The MB has promised residents there

that MBPJ would address their grievances

concerning the poor condition of the flats.

23october 28 — 30, 2011

culturecALeNDArSend your events to [email protected]

KLCC Seni Festival

Music; 28-30 Oct; Suria KLCC; 03-20517007, www.mpo.com.my; RM58

28 Oct, 8.30pm: Malaysian Diversity, Orkestra Tradisional Malaysia – Showcasing the rich cultural diversity of our country through music and songs featuring guest singers Jaclyn Victor, Iqwal Hafiz and Orang Asli group Bahbola.29 Oct, 8:30pm: MPO’s

Native Foray, Seni Groove Ensemble – A musical concoction inspired by life in Malaysia for the natives and the foreigners. Led by Marques Young, co-principal trombone of the MPO, performing songs inspired by the music of P Ramlee, Siti Nurhaliza, Sheila Majid and James Brown, among others.30 Oct, 8:30pm: Johor Heads North, Badan Kesenian Warisan Johor – Zapin dance and Ghazal music are two cultural gems hailing from the state of Johor. Experience these performances as they take centre stage.

There will also be various activities at KLCC Park on 29 & 30 Oct from 4-7pm, including performance by the Aswara Percussion Ensemble, Aswara Dance Company, No Noise Percussion, Floor Fever, Tony Leo and more.

Life Sdn Bhd 7: Refugees

Theatre; unti 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.

Exhibition; until 27 Nov; Galeri Petronas, Suria KLCC; galeripetronas.com.my, 03-20517770; free admission

Showcasing 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.”

Irresistible Wear

Pekan Frinjan 24

Various; 28 Oct; Kompleks Belia, Section 7, Shah Alam; http://frinjan.blogspot.com

A monthly fringe fest featuring music, poetry, theatre, fashion, books, activism and lots more. The 24th installment of this event will feature Society, Tengku Adil, Iqbal M, Happy Siblings, Cats In Love, poetry by Jadi Senjata, and Fixi’s new novel Zombijaya, among others. Events start at 8pm; stalls open by 5pm.

Double Bill: What’ll Break You

Theatre; 3-13 Nov; KLPac; www.klpac.org, 03-40479000; RM45 (matinee), RM70 (evening shows)

What’ll Break You – Marcus Whitacre has killed someone. He’s not denying it. He’s lost a lot. He’s going to lose more. We can only watch it happen. An interrogation, dressed as a play. Starring Gavin Yap and Zahim Albakri.Apoca-Lips – This New Year’s eve will be a blast. As soon as the clock rings in the New Year, anyone who kisses will blow each other up. Only two people in the city know this, but they’re arguing right now. A play about three just-about-to-fail relationships on the eve of a New Year, with a slight amount of Armageddon. Starring Vince Chong, Stephanie Van Dreisen, Ash Nair, Gavin Yap and Zahim Albakri, and introducing Tania Khan.

Eco Film Festival

Film; 28-30 Oct; Dataran Tunku Canselor, Universiti Malaya; www.ecofilmfest.my; free admission

Addressing local and global environmental issues that impact our daily lives, the Eco Film Festival celebrates some of the best and award-winning environmental films, and is dedicated to screening and rewarding environmental films from around the world that inspire, motivate and encourage mankind to take action for a sustainable planet. Schedule: Friday, 28 Oct @ 4pm: Screening of Malaysian films; Saturday 29 Oct @ 10am: Screening of international films; talks and demonstrations; GreenScapes; Sunday, 30 Oct @ 10am: Screening of international films; workshops; The Rocket Show Steps of Rumah University; talks and demonstrations; GreenScapes.

community

May 20 — 22, 2011/ issue 25

TI-M head disputes Christian state claim

Wesak Day: a time for giving p 4 p 15

may 13: recollections & reconciliation p 12 & 13

• Turn To page 2

Facelift for old flats

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If the pilot is successful, the com-

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

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

• STory on page 10

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

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

Sri Petaling – Sentul TimurTaman MelatiSri Petaling Bukit Jalil

Bandar Tasik SelatanSalak Selatan

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

Hypermarkets (From Saturday noon)

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

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

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

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

Commuter Stations (Distribution by hand) – Morning

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

Rawang – SerembanKuala Kubu BaruSungai BulohKepong Sentral Kepong

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

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

HospitalForrest Medical Centre

CollegesHelp InstituteCollege Bandar Utama (KBU)Universiti Kebangsan Malaysia

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.

Another Prestigious Development by:

selangor times oct 28-30, 2011 / issue 46

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