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JUNE 15 17, 2012/ issue 78

Imagine the financial burden on poor patients. Some of them come to us cr ying.
Yeoh.

Dialysis outrage
By Tang Hui Koon and Gan Pei Ling

FACT BOX
Formed in 1908 by a group of medical officers, under the British administration in Malaya, for the army. In 1935, St John Ambulance formed an association, and held their first annual general meeting in 1937. They extended their work and services to outside the army and other states in Malaya. In 1971, the then Health Minister Tan Sri Sardon Jubir, who was also St John council chairman, decided to merge St John Ambulance Association with St John Ambulance Brigade (formed in 1938) to become St John Ambulance of Malaysia. Members of the brigade were initially recruited as stretcher-bearers before getting first aid training. In 1972 the St John Ambulance of Malaysia (Incorporation) Act No 74 was passed by the Malaysian Parliament. Their vision is to provide good quality first aid training to as many people as possible, with the target of having one first aider in every school, home and work place. They also provide home nursing training to carers of the sick and old at home. St John Ambulance of Malaysia also provides ambulance services, haemodylasis and first aid services.

SHAH ALAM: St John Ambulance Malaysia (SJAM) have threatened to surrender all their dialysis centres to Putrajaya after unreasonable requirements were imposed on them with the enforcement of the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 2008. If the government doesnt amend the law, were giving up. We cannot cope, its Selangor state commander Datuk Bernard Yeoh said in a phone interview. Some 500 kidney patients who visit the non-profit organisations 14 dialysis centres nationwide up to 13 times a month at affordable rates will have most to lose. Nine out of SJAMs 14 dialysis centres are lo cated in Selangor, with three in Klang, two in Rawang, and one each in Balakong, Banting, Shah Alam and Kuala Selangor. Yeoh questioned the rationale of imposing the Private Healthcare Act on SJAM as they are a non-profit organisation and their centres fulfill the international standards of ISO9000:2008. We started running these centres in 1993. Were the pioneer (in this field) and we are experienced. We know whatre doing, he said, adding that patients have been satisfied with their services. The new law compels private haemodialysis centres to have at least 4.5 sq metre of space for each patient.

In addition, a dialysis centres water treatment room, reprocessing room and store room must be located separately from the dialysis room. SJAM commander-in-chief Datuk Dr Low Bin Tick said it was unreasonable for Putrajaya to impose such requirements on them as their centres have limited space compared to private hospitals. To add insult to injury, the health ministry has suspended the RM50 subsidy per treatment for new patients in SJAMs dialysis centres since June 2010 due to their failure to comply with the new law. Why punish the patients? questioned Yeoh. He said SJAM has been forking out money from their own pockets and sourcing for sponsors and public donations to subsidise their needy patients. He e xp l a i n e d that S JA M charge RM110 per treatment, which is three times cheaper than the rate at private hospitals, and if a patient receives the RM50 government subsidy, he or she only needs to pay RM60 per treatment. Without the subsidy, a patient will have to pay an additional RM650 per month. Imagine the financial burden on poor patients. Some of them come to us crying, said Yeoh. SJAM are also frustrated that their three new dialysis centres

have yet to receive the health ministrys green light to begin operations despite waiting nearly a year. The ministry has refused to issue an operating licence to SJAMs fully-furnished dialysis centres in Serdang, Cheras and Bidor due to their failure to comply with the space requirements. The health ministry declined to comment when contacted by Selangor Times.

State executive councillors Dr Halimah Ali (front row, second from right), Ean Yong Hian Wah (behind her) and Ronnie Liu (centre, back row) handing over a cheque for RM100,000 to SJK(C) Yu Hua, Kajang, school board chairman Lee Hing. The school was severely damaged in a recent fire. Story on pg 2

School blaze: State extends help

By Lee Choon Fai

news
JUNE 15 17, 2012

kajang: Selangor has allocated RM130,000 to SJK(C) Yu Hua which was severely damaged in a fire here on Tuesday afternoon. State executivecouncillor Dr Halimah Ali handed over the allocations to help pay for repairs during a visit yesterday. Dr Halimah, whose portfolio includes education, said the state was thankful there was no fatality in the fire which started while the school was still in session. The staff and teachers did an excellent job in evacuating the classrooms, everyone managed to escape unharmed, said Halimah. The library was also destroyed. Halimah expressed hope the Education ministry would help theschool repair the damage and urged the public to donate. The Education Ministry should show more concern, the fire wasreally bad and many classrooms were destroyed, said state exco RonnieLiu, who also visited the school. He called on the ministry provide air-conditioned cabins as temporary classrooms until repairs are completed. The school board chairman, Lee Hing, thanked the state governmentfor their support and generosity and expressed hope the federal government would also extend a hand. Lee said the fire started at about 3pm when about 1,500students were packed in the classroom. The teachers said the fire started in the conference room.... teachers and the school staff triedto put out the flames but it could not be contained, hesaid. Lee said the school is now temporarily closed and the board is appointing engineers and architects to assess the damage. Also at the scene was state executive Dr Halimah surveying the damage to the classrooms. councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah.

Illegal hotel ordered to close

night

Selangor WeaTHer
Friday Morning Saturday Sunday

afternoon

Source: Malaysian meteorological department

phone (603) 5523 2288 fax (603) 5523 1188 email editor@selangortimes.com

MBPJ enforcement officers confiscating beds, pillows and other electronic items from the budget hotel.

EDITORIAL
CHIEF EDITOR

KL Chan C Gunasegaran

By Brenda Chng

PETaling jaya: A budget hotel which had been operating illegally for more than a decade in Jalan 227 has been given a fortnight to close or face legal action. Weve issued a notice for them to remove all illegal extensions done in the building and close down the business within two weeks, said Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) building control

department assistant director Ismathinoon Abdul Rahman after a raid on the premises yesterday. The operators of Star City Hotel could be fined up to RM25,000 if they failed to comply with the notice to shut down. Ismathinoon said the budget hotel, which has 52 rooms, opened in 2001 despite its application being rejected by the city council. Numerous compounds were issued to them between 2001 until

now, but the owners ignored them. Theyve been paying all their compounds, RM1,000 each, and continue operating after settling their fines, he said. Three years ago, the hotel installed spa facilities without submitting building plans or applications to the city council. MBPJ finally decided take firmer action against the operators last month and haul them to court if they still fail to comply.

PRODUCTION EDITOR COMMUNITY EDITORS WRITERS

Neville Spykerman, Liu Wu Chiu

Tang Hui Koon, Chong Loo Wah, Gan Pei Ling, Basil Foo, Brenda Chng, Alvin Yap, Gho Chee Yuan COPY EDITOR James Ang Jimmy C. S. Lim, Chin Man Yen, Alan Wong

DESIGNERS ADVERTISING

Timothy Loh, Samantha Sim, Tony Kee, Kenneth Koh, Adila Majid

SELANGOR TIMES June 15 17, 2012 3

News
JUNE 15 17, 2012

EvEnts
Harmonica Lessons
YMCA KL Senior Citizens Club will be conducting harmonica beginners courses for those aged 50 and above. Classes will be held at their premises in Brickfields, KL, from 10am11am from June 16-Sept 1. There will be 12 sessions in total. For details and registration, call 03-2274 1439 ext 119 or email ginnie@ ymcakl.com.

Internet: Guilty until proven innocent

Public Forum
Tropicana Medical Centre Kota Damansara is organising a Pregnancy & Child Development forum on July14 from 10am-1pm. Conducted at their auditorium on level 7, the talk will help empower the public, especially couples with children and those who are planning to get pregnant. There will be talks on pregnancy nutrition, development of your child and immunisations for your child, given by a paediatrician, dietician and gynaecologist. Admission is free but registration is necessary. To RSVP call, 03-6287 1106 (Phoebe), 018-211 6789 (Ai Lin) or email your full name and contact number to allee@tropicanamedicalcentre.com.

Participants are all ears at the forum.

Ballet Performance
Prepare to be wowed by world renowned dancers who will be down in Istana Budaya for a two-day only performance titled The International Ballet Gala, on July 14 and 15. Top dancers from San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet in America, Northern Ballet in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong Ballet and Ena Ballet from Japan will be performing excerpts from popular performances. Among them are A Midsummer Nights Dream, Spartacus, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet. For tickets and enquiries. visit www.danceworks2012.org.

By Basil Foo

Playgroup for Toddlers

Children aged two to four are invited for a weekly playgroup session at Life Chapel in Section 17, Petaling Jaya. They can spend their Wednesday mornings, from 9.30am to 11.30am, to make new friends and have fun with other children. For details, call 016-201 3458 (Catherine Perara) or 019-382 8053 (Lim).

kuALA LuMPur: Internet users whose accounts are hacked into will be presumed guilty for unlawful online posts by the actual perpetrators under recent amendments to the Evidence Act, something that is beingcriticisedasabsurd. The Evidence (Amendment) (No 2) Act 2012 will reportedly hold Internet users liable for any content posted through their registered networks or data processing devices. For example, if someone parks outside your house and uses your Wifi to post (illegal content online), said KL Bar Council IT committee co-chairman Foong Cheng Leong. He was speaking during the Section 114A Evidence Act: Crime-busting or Online Control? forum at the KL-Selangor

Chinese Assembly Hall recently. Foong said laws presuming guilt have always been around, including for individuals who were deemed to betraffickers if they were arrested with a certain amount of drugs. The Dangerous Drugs Act (discourages) people from carrying drugs. Will this Act (discourage) people from using the Internet? he asked. Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ) director Jac SM Kee said the Act was illogical as victims who sought help after their accounts had been hacked or report the crime to police may find themselves behind bars. Even if someone else posts an offensive comment on a persons Facebook wall, the latter could be found guilty. Business will be affected. If they provide Wifi (and offensive items are posted through

their connection), they are responsible, said BFM Media Sdn Bhd producer Jeff Sandhu. He said if restaurants in the city are required by law to provide free Wifi and their Internet connections are open to abuse by irresponsible users, business owners will find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. Digital News Asia executive editor A Asohan said the Act put average Internet users at the mercy of tech-savvy users who could abuse the formers unsecure Internet connections. He said an analyst from investment firm Mackenzie traced 4.1 per cent of the nations Gross Domestic Product (GDP) coming from online activities. You want to create a high income nation, this is going to put damper on it. You cant have an Internet community when people fear to go on the Internet, he added.

Writing Workshop
Those wanting to improve or learn how to write are invited to attend a two-day workshop titled Writing for the Media on June 20 and 21. The workshop, organised by Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) through its Centre for Extension, will feature interview pieces and reviews for media and in-house publications. For details, call 03-7957 2818 (Jennifer).

Public must do their part, says Teng

By Cindi Loo

Alternative Medicine Talk

Traditional naturopathy, nutrition and alternative medicine expert Dr Tom Wu will be conducting a health talk at The Mines Wellness Hotel in Seri Kembangan on June 18 (English) and June 19 (Mandarin). Dr Wu is the renowned author of Different Approach in Natural Healing. Those present will be taught the pathways to good health and caner prevention. Registration is required, and fee for the talk is RM698 net per pax inclusive of meal. For more enquiries, call 019-600 1403 (Vicky).

Charity Badminton Tournament

For those in the mood for a game of badminton, head on down to Suria Sports Badminton Centre in USJ1 Subang Jaya. YMCA KL will be organising their first every badminton charity tournament on June 16 from 9am-5pm. All registration fees collected that day will be channelled towards their existing Orang Asli Welfare fund. For details or registration, call 03-2274 1439 or email huilei@ymcakl.com.

kLAng: Residents living in the vicinity of recreational parks were urged to do their part in preserving them rather than just leaving it to the authorities. Residents who stay around parks can help by looking around to see if they have been maintained. Ifnot, they should inform the Klang Municipal Council about it, said Sungai Pinang state lawmakerDatuk Teng Chang Khim. In his efforts to beautify the nine recreational parks within his constituency, Teng said he allocatedabout RM550, 000 since 2008 to install exercise equipment and plant trees so that the residents canuse these public spaces. Over the last two days, weve planted about 100 trees, which are the Bushida and Eugenia species,around the area. Teng was with volunteers from the Rainbow Volunteer group and the Taiwan Buddhist Tzu ChiFoundation Malaysia (Klang) to oversee the cleaning up of recreational parks in ajoint gotong-royong event. The volunteers gathered at around 6.30am and began cleaning up the recreational park in Lebuh Pulau Pinang 2 in Meru before the event ended with a tree-planting ceremony by Teng.

Teng planting a tree at the recreational park.

news

BANDAR UTAMA: After a successful run of food adventures last year, the second Selangorlicious Food Blogging Competition 2012 is back, and promises to feature more variety of food, more creative writing, and bigger cash prizes to be won. The blogging competition, which is open to Malaysians and foreign visitors to Malaysia of all ages, encourages foodies to go out and eat at any eater y ( big or small) in Selangor, write about their experiences on their blogs in English, Malay or Mandarin, and submit the write-up to the website at http ://www.selangorlicious.my together with photos of their visits. These entries will then be collected to be printed in Selangor Food Guide, a book that will feature the best eating spots in Selangor as part of the Selangorlicious campaign to promote food

Selangorlicious food blogging competition is back!

tourism. Bloggers are considered trusted voices of the public with their written thoughts, especially when it comes to food, so it is thanks to the bloggers support that we can make it bigger this year, said Selangor executive councillor Elizabeth Wong at the event launch in Paradox Art Caf, Bandar Utama. Manager of Events & Marketing of Tourism Selangor Fazly Razally said the competition this year was also open to non-bloggers to make the blogging experience more fun. Non-bloggers are those who may not have blogs, but they may have a Facebook or a Twitter profile. So if they do not have blog s, the y can upload their write-ups on their Facebook page and tag Tourism Selangor, then theyre qualified for the competition. He added this year theyre

June 15-17, 2012

Wong (second from right) dons an apron at the event launch of Selangorlicious Food Blogging Competition at Paradox Art Cafe, Bandar Utama. With her are (from left) Fazly, Amri Rohayat, founder of Storm Studio, also the co-organiser of the competition, Jessica Mok, editorial representative from myc!, the Youth sponsor for the competition, and co-founder of the Paradox Art Cafe James Chong.

looking for winning entries based on creativity in writing, uniqueness in eating place and good photography. I hope to find many entries that compel us to try out these foods in Selangor the moment we

read their entries, he said. Blog entries can stand a chance to win up to RM5, 000 for first prize, RM3, 000 second prize and RM1, 500 for third prize for each language category. They can also win RM1, 000

prizes each for Overall Best Blog and Overall Best Photography. The competition runs from June 15 to July 15. For more information, log on to http://www.selangorlicious. my

news
June 15-17, 2012

Thrilling water sports in Puchong

By Basil Foo

PUCHONG: The Asian Water Sports Village is offering fun-seekers a respite from the heat with exhilarating water rides on an 80-hectare lake next to Taman Puchong Prima. The sports village sits on the lakes edge and boasts a multitude of inflatable rides with visitors towed by jet-skis or speed boats at breathtaking speeds. The 260 horse-power racing jet-ski goes from zero to 80km/h in 2.8 seconds, said Asian Water Sports Village Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Yong Chen Hui. He was speaking during a visit by staff of Tourism Selangor and Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) who tried out the water sport activities yesterday. Apart from the Banana Boat, which beach-goers would be familiar with, the centre boasts the Evo Pro 3, Graphic Deck, and Turbo Blast in its arsenal of entertainment. The Evo Pro 3 is a 175cm-long inflatable craft with handles for riders to hang on to, and the catch is that all three riders will be lying stomach-down on the platform, Superman-style.

The name of the game is just to hold tight. If you dont hold tight enough, the worse that can happen is you fall into the lake, Yong said. The Graphic Deck is a similar set-up but only fits two people. The Turbo Blast is also tugged to blistering speeds but its passengers adopt a sitting position on the craft. An awe-inspiring ride which elicited oohs and aahs every time it passed by was an inflatable craft the water sports village workers called the Flying Fish. The ride has a capacity of three persons, is pulled headwind by a speedboat, and when a strong gust of wind hits, the whole craft lifts into the air, along with its human cargo. Yong said one of their unique selling points is the location, being the first and only licensed water sports centre in the Klang Valley with water entertainment previously only found at tourism spots like Bali, Phuket and Batu Ferringhi. We also have a play-all-you-can concept which is unlike other places where tourists are charged per ride. Here, you pay one price for an unlimited number of rides. He added that the equipment

Yong (standing, second from right), with staff of Tourism Selangor, MPSJ and Asian Water Sports Village at the event.

they use have been examined and comply with US Coast Guard guidelines and his staff are trained in first aid, CPR and aquatic rescue. The current packages available

are three-hours of unlimited motorised water sports at RM39 per person, or a six-hour lakeside party with water sports and a barbecue at RM59 per person.

For more information, call 016262 1030 (David), 016-227 1030 (Nadia), email david@asianwatersportsvillage.com, or check out facebook.com/AWSV.info.

erbuka uasa
Ramadan is a time of fasting where Muslims learn the virtues of patience and humility by refraining from eating or drinking during daylight hours. The fast is broken at sunset and the berbuka puasa is a special time for families, loved ones and friends, who come together to share specially prepared meals. Due to the increasingly busy routine of those working in the Klang Valley, the responsibility for preparing those meals has been left to restaurants and hotels where hungry diners would throng to at the end of the day.

Publication Date 13 July & 3 August 2012 Story/Booking Deadlines 3 July & 24 July 2012 Material Deadline 11 July & 1 August 2012

To advertise, call us

Selangor Times invites your esteemed hotel or restaurant to participate in our Buka Puasa supplement to share the delicious joy of your good food with our readers. Timothy Samantha Tony 019 267 4488 019 382 7121 016 978 2798

or

Kenneth

012

906 2523 288 9555

Adila Majid 016

NEWS

MP to bring up traders grouses

By Alvin Yap

JUNE 15 17, 2012

petaling jaya: Poor infrastructure and repairs were among grouses aired by traders toPJ Selatan member of Parliament Hee Loy Sian during his visit to the Old Town wet market recently, The traders pointed out that themarket was poorly lit and that repeated appeals to the Petaling Jaya City Concil (MBPJ) to install more lights had fallen on deaf ears. Foodstall owners also told the lawmaker the chairs and tables were in need of repairs due to wear and tear. The tables move around, like theyre doing a disco dance, said trader Jacqueline Soong, referring to a few of the table tops which had been broken off at the legs. Fishmonger Lee Lian Shiau, 44, told Hee the drainage in the market needed upgrades to prevent stagnant water from accumulating on the floor. She said that instead of using concrete slabs to cover the drains inside the wet market, MBPJ should replace it with grills. Other traders said that business had fallen due to stiff competition from hypermarkets. Im satisfied18 x 8cols_0080.pdf with the ameniSTimes

ties, but Im earning less as more customers prefer going to supermarkets, said butcher Abdul Mahmood Shah. However, Section 3 resident Arthur Monteiro said he still bought his groceries from the market, adding that most of the traders there had resisted increasing their prices. The 76-year old former college lecturer said the produce sold there was fresher as well as being offered at cheaper prices. Hee spent three hours at the citys oldest wet market and visited the food court, dry goods section as well as the fish and poultry stalls. Over the last few months, Ive received a report on the condition of the market. Im here to listen and will bring the complaints from the traders to the MBPJ at the next full board meeting, he said. The lawmaker said the wet market, also known as Pasar Besar Jalan Othman, serves the Sections 2, 3 and 4 neigbourhoods. Hee was accompanied by Old Town Petty Traders president Lee Heng Kuang and officers from MBPJs environmental health department. 12/6/12 11:16:58 AM

Hee (right) talking to traders at the market.

news
June 15-17, 2012

Better facilities at Sungai Chua market

Planning your own career
SHAH ALAM: Career consultant K Krishnan, who has more than 25 years of experience in the field, will be sharing his knowledge with those wanting to learn about career planning on June 20. There will be a free session at the Armada Hotel in Petaling Jaya on that day, which includes career testing, guidance, planning and career talks. Students, school leavers, young working adults, parents and teachers are all invited to the event, which will be held from 1pm to 6pm. Krishnan will be teaching participants how to plan for their future and what is meant by Career Planning is Life Planning. The noted career consultant has written more than 30 books on career planning and was a career columnist for the Star, Daily Express and Borneo Post. He insists that failure to plan when making the life decision of choosing which career to pursue can cause disappointment and wasted resources if things dont pan out. Planning becomes even more important given the fact that the average person changes careers four to six times in their lifetime. Despite the advantages of planning, many students choose to leave their careers to fate as they feel that if they are fated to be a doctor, one day they will be a doctor. Some who leave school are so ignorant about career planning that they decide instead to leave their future in the hands of their parents. If things work out well for them in the future, there is no issue, but if things go wrong, they will blame their parents. Gripes like this would then ensue: My father wanted me to become an accountant so I became one. Look at me, I just wasted my life. Some even decide to pursue their careers based on following where their peers go and enroll in courses just because their friends are in it. What they fail to realise is that while Sam is learning IT because he likes IT, Max should not study IT just because he likes Sam! Then there are those who get influenced by relatives, friends, or even the media which espouse success stories like real estate agents earning RM10,000 in a day. While it may be true, when times are bad, they may not earn anything; so they should not just see the positive but also weigh in the negatives of a career and not be carried away. For further information on the career planning event, contact: krishnan@ark.com. my.
Ean Yong (second from left) examining the just completed upgrades for the Sungai Chua market with Lim (second from right). With them are Hulu Langat Rural Development Officer Tan Kok Poh (left) and Ean Yongs confidential secretary Hiew Kim Boon.

KAJANG: Sungai Chua residents can now expect hassle-free convenience at their market with the completions of infrastructure upgrades which are expected to ease traffic congestion around the area. Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah said RM47, 000 was allocated to create more parking space and to build a better drainage system. We have paved the roads around the market area and have create an extra 30 parking spaces forthe residents who live around the area, said the Seri Kembangan state lawmaker. The Sungai Chua market is a popular spot for many Kajang residents, having more than 180 stalls to cater to the needs of the popula-

tion of about 35, 000 residents around the area. The market is always filled with people, and there is a ready made parking area nearby, but manypeople still find it hard to find parking space during weekends. So many resort to parking illegally by the roadside and cause traffic jams, said Kampung Baru Kwantung Village Development and Security Committee chairman Lim Thian Ser. We hope these new parking spaces will help improve traffic conditions. In addition a new drainage system, spanning about 50 metres whichconnects toexisting drains nearer the market, has also been completed.

The owl who was afraid of the dark

PETALING JAYA: Come join Plop the baby barn owl as he embarks on a journey to overcome his fear of the dark, during a one-week only theatre performance. From June 19 23, Blunderbus Theatre Company is calling on all children aged three to seven to witness Jill Tomlinsons bestselling book The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark come to life. If you love the book, you will love watching the charming tale retold with an irresistible blend of live theatrical music, storytelling and puppetry against the colourful set of props. Featuring actors from the United Kingdom, children will be thrilled and find themselves singing to the songs while being surprised by the beautiful props and puppet owls designed by the shows artistic director Bill Davies himself. Reading the book over and over again helped me see Plops home in the tree and since it was such an English story, I wanted to reflect the rolling fields and countryside of England on stage, said Davies over an email interview. He explained that the village was also specially designed to look as though it was in the distance, so various sizes of Plop the owl puppet could be either seen flying in the distance or up close. All it took was four months and about six people working on the project to make the set and story come to live, based on Daviess imagination and ideas he gets as he reads the story. Davies further explained that the hardest part of it all is determining what size should the owl puppets be and which one to be used throughout different scenes in the play. For example, we couldnt use the large flying Plop to fly over the village as the scale would have been all

wrong. And in the same way, we couldnt use the smallest puppet when Plop and Dad are in a scene together because he would have got lost against the actor playing Dad, he said. Altogether, there are four different versions of Plop the owl in the show, one live actor who plays him, a medium sized flying puppet, another medium sized sitting owl puppet and a smaller flying puppet. Daviess aim was to show the audience the different stages in Plops development, from a timid owl who was afraid of the dark to a confident owl who becomes brave enough to go hunting with his dad at night. To get it right, numerous rehearsals had to be done to help determine which puppet to use and change it when the owl in a particular scene doesnt play out right. So, to see how the lively puppets and experience Plops world, visit PJ Live Arts @ Jaya One from June 19 to June 23. Ticket prices start from RM50 and showtimes are at 10am from Tuesday to Friday and on Saturday 11am or 3pm.

news

Student activist stands firm

JUNE 15 17, 2012

MIC-Pakatan debates can benefit Indians

THE 2nd DAPMCA debate between Lim Guan Eng and Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has been scheduled to be held on July 7 and it will be in English which will enable the debate to have a wider appeal. Previously, Umno and PAS had similar debates between their politicians to state their stand and also enlighten the public on numerous issues in anticipation of the upcoming 13th general election. The election will be intense and passionate as can be seen by the momentum being built by street protests, monetary handouts, mass gatherings, controversies, protests, wish lists, pressure groups and NGOs, rallies etc. and political parties are eager to state their stand on various issues to win popular support and the debates are one way to help the parties keep up the temperature and tempo in the run-up to the general elections. However, there has been nothing of this sort with regard to the Indian community. The MIC and its supportive NGOS and other groups as well as the Indian leaders in the Pakatan Rakyat and allied NGOs can similarly hold a debate to enlighten the Indian community which is now at a crossroads as to which party to support in the polls. There are many problems and grievances affecting Indians ranging from political, socioeconomic, educational, business, unemployment, crime, the governments delivery system, sports, social ills that are crying out for attention and action. With political parties and their leaders explaining issues and their stand on various matters it could enable the Indian community to form their own informed opinion concerning community and national issues. The debate can follow the concept of the Pattimandram a forum-like arrangement with a moderator and about three to five debaters on either side. The Pattimandram is very popular in India, especially Tamil Nadu, as it allows various serious, contentious and controversial issues to be discussed in a friendly and witty atmosphere. There is also plenty of wit, humour and banter when one party confronts the other but most importantly the debaters keep their cool despite heated exchanges. I am sure that if one or more of these forums were held between the MIC and Pakatan Rakyat it will be informative, decisive and entertaining. The debaters should adhere strictly to forum rules and decorum to ensure that the debates are a success and do not descent into a shouting match. Since not all speakers from the political parties are fluent in Tamil, English and Bahasa Malaysia can be used as the situation warrants. Astro can organise and telecast the debates live in its Tamil channels. V Thomas Sg Buloh

Dr Jeyakumar (right) discussing with Khalid (second from right). With them are (from left) KAMI treasurer Nurul Aiman, student activist Ahmad Bakhtiar and KAMI president Haziq Abdul Aziz.

shAh ALAm: University activistKhalid Mohamed Ismath,who has been suspended byUniversiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM),has yet to decide if he will go to another higher education institution to continue his studies. Instead the Kumpulan Aktivis Mahasiswa Independen (KAMI) vice-president, who was suspended for18 months for his antiNational Higher Education Corporation (PTPTN) activities, hopes togo on the road to push for free education and highlight the burden of student loans. Youth involvement in politics should be respected and celebrated, and not be looked down upon and be accused as a political tool, he said in a statement to UiTM vicechancellor Datuk Professor Dr Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar. Selangor executive councillor Dr Xavier

Jeyakumar also slammed Sahol Hamid for misusing his powers in suspending the 22-year-old first-year law student. A university student should not just be receiving education and knowledge, but they must also be able to practise the knowledge they get, even in works of politics and current affairs, he said. He added that the Selangor government had been giving study loans to 1,665 UiTM students since 2008, totaling up to RM9.65 million. We also gave RM 1,000 to each Selangor student who got a university placement since 2008, spending a total of RM7.42 million based on our Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor policy, he said. They were not rewarded based on their political affiliations.

Cycling fun for villagers

KLANG: Some 100 cyclists turned up in full cycling gear last Sunday morning at Dataran Surau Haji Musran in Kampung Rantau Panjang for their first cycling expedition. Under the watchful gaze of policemen, they rode 35 km to Taman Pertanian Bukit Cahaya in Shah Alam. Sungai Pinang state assemblyperson Datuk Teng Chang Khim, who officiated at the expedition, expressed hope theevent would encourage more villagers to use bicycles for short distance travel instead ofmotorbikes. Chairman of the Kampung Rantau Panjang Village Development and Security Committee ( JKKK) Mohd Salleh hoped the event would be an annual affair. For this year we only have a relaxed event so that the cyclists can enjoy the scenery up to TamanPertanian Bukit Cahaya. But hopefully for the next few events we will organise a more challengingcycling expedition.

Teng (centre) riding with the cyclists.

News 10
JUNE 15 17, 2012

Sleepless in SS7
petaling jaya: Late night construction work at Paradigm Malls mixdevelopment site in SS7 has got residents longing for the sounds of silence and a peaceful nights rest. Though the mall opened its doors a month ago, work continues on the 12acre site which will include an office tower, serviced apartments and a hotel all scheduled for completion between two and three years time. They work throughout the night, round the clock for a few days in a row. They are disturbing the peace with all the hammering, drilling, and honking, said Kelana Puteri Condo resident Stanley Ng. Ng, 37, who lives in the apartment block right behind Paradigm Mall along the Damansara Puchong Highway (LDP), said the noise keeps him up all night. The sounds from the construction site are magnified at night when its quiet. Many residents here have to work and need sleep, so is there no consideration at all for us, said the IT manager. He explained that this had been happening since the middle of last year and construction workers will work for a few days in a row, stop for a day or two and then continue again. Ive noticed them doing construction work past midnight. They will bring their tractors and park the vehicles along the inner road of the mall and leave at around 7am, said Kelana Puteri condo joint management committee ( JMC) secretary Alan Asir. The 37-year-old lives in the block furthest away from the mall and explained that he cant really hear the noise from the construction site. However, those living in the blocks directly behind are affected by the noise. We brought this up two years ago

and there was an understanding that construction work will stop at 7pm, he said. This was also brought to the attention of the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) who agreed that construction work cannot go on at night. According to Asir, residents didnt bring up the issue of noise during the JMC meetings or directly to the committee. Since no one brought it up, we didnt know it was bothering them and so we didnt bring it up with MBPJ or the mall operators, he said. When contacted, an MBPJ spokesperson told Selangor Times that theyve extended the working hours to 10pm The agreed construction work hours are only from 10am till 10pm, said the spokesperson. Meanwhile, Paradigm Malls corporate communications manager Wendy Kok said exterior fittings and installation works at the mixed-development did take place late into the evening. The work carried out during these times was for safety reasons and to avoid disrupting the traffic flow during peak hours as it would require closure of a lane, said Kok in a statement. She explained that Paradigm Malls management team is sensitive to local residents concerns and they are attempting to minimise the impact and inconvenience caused. Weve listened to their concerns and after being alerted to the situation, weve made a number of changes; night work after 10pm has now stopped. All workers will also be supervised to ensure noise levels are controlled from 6 to 10pm. Residents with any further queries or concerns about the development should email feedback@wct.com.my.

Ravi (standing, right) together with his colleague and students from SJK (T) Sungai Buaya.

Read, even if its for a few minutes a day

kuala langat: Some 1,000 students gathered at Dataran Banting recently to take part in a 15-minute reading programme aimed at inspiring the young to take up reading. The programme, titled 15 Minutes Reading Break, was organised by Selangor Public Library Corporation (PPAS) in collaboration with the Kuala Langat District Library Corporation and attended by students from around the district. I think this is a good programme to create awareness of the benefits of picking up reading as a habit, especially among the young, said SJK(T) Sungai Buaya teacher Ravi Chandran. The 48-year-old was present with eight students aged 11 years, who were seen reading magazines, books and comics. During the event, everyone was required to sit and read anything for 15 minutes together. Students present were told to bring their own reading material and were also given a free magazine from PPAS to read. They look like they are really enjoying themselves, to be out in the open, sitting on the grass and reading together with all their friends, said SK Labohan Dagang teacher Siti Rosmah. The 44-year-old English teacher explained that they had allotted reading times in their school timetable to encourage students to read more. This programme might also encourage students to bring their families to this park on weekends, have a picnic and read a book, she said. Last Saturday, Hulu Langat students were also treated to a half-day trip to participate in this reading programme. In the weeks to come, PPAS will be moving to other districts like Sepang and Sabak Bernam to encourage students to read more. We decided to limit it to only 15 minutes of reading because we want them to know they can always find time to stop and read, even for a few minutes, said PPAS district services department head Fadzli Fauzi. By reading, students will be able to gain more knowledge, strengthen their language skills and improve their writing, said state executive councillor for education Dr Halimah Ali. She was there together with PPAS director Mastura Muhamad and Kuala Langat district officer Mohd Yasid Bidin to launch the event.

MPSJ to develop disputed land

subang jaya: Selangor has decided to evict a squatter restaurant on a 1.3-acre land at Serdang here following public outcry over the outlets illegal land status. The plot, located at a commercial area at Persiaran Serdang Perdana, will be given to the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) for the local authority to build a multi-level car park along with up to a dozen shoplots for rental. It will be built and managed by MPSJ for the benefit of the ratepayers there, said Seri Kembangan assemblyperson Ean Yong Hian Wah. Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, he said, decided during a Selangor Economic Action Council (MTES) meeting on May 31 to hand over the land to MPSJ and not to a private developer to manage. He said the state arrived at the decision based on many factors, one of them being that residents and businesses at the location had been asking MPSJ for more parking spaces. He said the public would be able to rent both the parking bays seasonally, while the shoplots will be rented out on long-term basis. He said the Land Office and MPSJ would be issuing eviction notices to the restaurant. The restaurant had been operating illegally for about 10 years without applying for a Temporary Occupational land (TOL) permit, he said. Selangors move to return the land to public status follows repeated allegations by Serdang MCA members that the state was protecting the restaurant owners there. Its party members had been asking Shah Alam to evict the restaurant and to build a bus station and an Immigration department branch there for residents convenience. Ean Yong, who is also state executive councillor for new villages development, refuted the allegations last week in the Chinese press and instead pointed the finger at the previous state government for not taking action.

Ean Yong (left) and his aide Thong Kim Fatt announcing the decision at his service centre on Jalan Sekolah.

Decentralisation the way forward?

t the launch of my book, States of Reform: Governing Tricia Yeoh Selangor and Penang last Saturday, three esteemed panelists, YB Liew Chin Tong (member of Parliament, Bukit Bendera), YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (state assemblypersom, Seri Setia) and Dr Ooi Kee Beng (Deputy Director, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore) took on the increasingly popular, but also controversial, subject of decentralisation of government in Malaysia. The session was moderated by Fuad Rahmat, Research Fellow at the Islamic Renaissance Front. It was an honour to have each of them present at the launch. After the event, I asked friends, relatives and colleagues who attended how they felt about the forums discussion. Those present were either highly enthusiastic over the contents of the session, stating it was an honest reflection of the current state of Liew politics in the country, whilst others felt the speakers were too technical and spoke in jargon not easily understood. Perhaps it is true those within the public policy circle tend to use a language, accompanied with specific terms, that many are not familiar with. This does not mean the issues themselves should not be spoken of, or discussed. On the converse, those with the advantage of access to information, and sufficient time to interpret and decipher such information, are armed with the responsibility of translating these messages to peers and colleagues. Take decentralisation for example, which in the context of todays government and politics, simply refers to the act of releasing control from the central government, and passing this on to the lower levels of government. There are three tiers of government in the country, namely the central, or federal government; state governments; and local government. Nik Nazmi

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June 15 17, 2012

Just selangor

In Malaysia, people are elected into government only within the first and second layers, whereas those in the third layer are appointed. In a time when policy and political competition is at its peak, just prior to the 13th general election, it is almost impossible to make comparisons between the two political coalitions, the Barisan Nasional (Barisan) and Pakatan Rakyat (Pakatan), precisely because of the nature of a centralised government in the country. In South Africa , for example, state governments have control over education policy within their respective states. This then allows citizens within that particular state to make comparisons with the previous state government on things that matter, and are real to them on a daily basis. The recent move by the Higher Education Minister, for example, for initially attempting to withdraw all PTPTN (higher education student fund) loans from students at Universiti Selangor (Unisel), is a perfect example of how a highly centralised government currently makes decisions all on its own for students living, and studying. in a state university. Although they eventually backtracked, this example goes to show the magnitude of power concentrated in a single entity, which then governs all states across the country. In an ideal world, decentralisation would therefore allow us as voters to pick and choose from a host of different political parties based on their accomplishments in their different state, or local governments. Just as how libertarians take pride in their utopian world where there is perfect choice in a free market system, likewise such marketbased policies would allow for perfect competition amongst voters who are armed with perfect knowledge of the options available to them. Or so in theory. Despite my personal advocacy for decentralisation, I recognise the challenges that would be faced were this system to be adopted without simultaneous measures being executed. This is what one of the panelists, Liew, referre d to when h is c ond ition for

decentralisation was that democratisation should take place concurrently. Meaning that there ought to be full efforts made towards ensuring a free and fair society a free and independent media, a strong civil society, an independent civil service, and the many other fundamental freedoms many have pushed for in the past. Without these institutions being put into place, it would be fairly difficult to ensure a level playing field despite a more equal distribution of powers between federal and state governments. One of the interesting questions from the floor was to what extent should we push for decentralisation? Which are the areas which ought to be devolved from the central administration, and distributed to the lower tiers of government? One could possibly begin with the areas which were formerly of the states to begin with, such as water treatment and distribution, and solid waste management. The reason the federal govenrment has given for centralising these functions is that they can be better and more efficiently managed given financial support comes from them. The real reason, however, in these two instances, is that these functions have been privatised under lucrative concessions to private companies. Thus, when centralisation of power takes place, it is only inevitable that there exists a centralisation of decision-making (and contract-selecting) as well. Although decentralisation may also incur a decentralisation of corruption, with the emergence of new local warlords, these problems might just be easier to solve than dealing with large corporations given mega-projects of contracts to handle, which is presently the case. We are a long way indeed from anywhere near a decentralised government. But we were not always this centralised. And we are, on paper at least, a federalism. Other federated countries like Australia would be a good case study to learn from, in terms of financial and operational separation of functions. In all of this, however, it requires political will from both sides, where right now there is insufficient incentive from the incumbent Barisan coalition to want to give up anything, least of all power and control. Tricia Yeoh is author of States of Reform: Governing Selangor and Penang. The book is available at bookstores nationwide, at RM28.

Malaysia a safe country: The spinning goes on

he morning newspaper had on the front page a story about security in housing estates. How foreign guards are better than local ones. How illegal foreigners are getting jobs as security guards. How if we pay peanuts we get monkeys as security for our family and property. That evening I tuned in to a radio station and was, at first, pleasantly surprised to hear that master of spin, Idris Jala, guesting on a show. And one of the things that he was talking about, in answer to a listeners question, was how safe Malaysia was compared to some other countries. Idris Jala said that before we all start to laug h at that statement we should remember that the sur vey took into account the safety of the whole country and not just cities. For example, he said there is no crime at all in the kampung that he comes from. So added all together it makes Malaysia the safest country in Southeast Asia. I do not remember the context but Idris Jala also referred to the fact that a lot of housing estates are operating their own security systems with boom gates and security guards paid for by the residents. He indicated that this was a good thing. And that got me pissed off. Why? I suppose you, like so many urban

Teohlogy
patrick teoh

Malaysians have forgotten that home security is our basic right for paying taxes. And here is one guy from government saying in effect that paying to augment our home security is the done thing. And so many of us are falling for it. These days we happily pay up to RM1 million for a house that would have cost a fraction of that just two decades ago. And being a typical Malaysian house we would then have to spend up to a couple of hundred thousand ring g it more to renovate the house to a standard that we deem liveable. And these renovations will include fitting in a state-of-the-art water filter. Why ? Because the water that comes through the system is undrinkable. And so we go out and buy the best water filter we can find or afford. Not just because we want to keep our family and children safe from polluted H2O but also because we cannot have anything less than that diamond standard water filter that the next door baarger has installed. Hmmmphh! Action only. See? Now ours better than theirs.

But it never occurs to us that our rights have been violated. Ok la maybe violated is too strong a word la. But our rights certainly have been compromised right? Clean, potable water is a basic right. Isnt it? If those who can afford to dole out the moolah for water filters etc. what about those who cant? Are they going to just be poisoned by whatever it is that the other people filter out of their drinking water? Of course there are some YBss who tell us that our water is quite drinkable. Its just a bit of discoloration due to old pipes and all. Oh really? Id like to visit these YBs homes and see if they have installed water filters. But then theyd probably say, Its just to filter out the colour la. You see, my wife doesnt like the colour brown lor. You know how fussy women are. Heh heh heh. And so it goes. As more and more of what we used to take for granted become things that we need to pay for. We pay taxes, we should get clean water. We pay road tax we should get roads to drive our expensively-taxed cars on. No? Well, yes. But you will have to pay tolls to private companies awarded the concessions to operate the highways. But why? Because government cant be expected to build highways and all. It is (this is where they pull out the U word) unsustainable.

In other words government thinks it cannot afford to spend taxpayers money to build these roads because it cannot sustain la. But of course a year later you will read in the newspapers about the huge profits that the highway companies are making. Butbutbut if the private companies can make money from these highways why cant the government have done it and let the citizens benefit from the profits instead? But I suppose by the time that question comes along you will be hearing another Idris Jala type fler telling you about how good Malaysias road systems are. Therell be more talk about sustainability and how the rakyat must not be burdened and all. Worse you might have to organise a group of friends just so its safe to go to market. And if you can afford it some minister might tell you that it is advisable to hire a bodyguard or two to protect yourself and your family. Because what used to be your right is now your personal responsibility. And you will definitely be thinking of how you are going to make enough money to pay for the upgrade to your domestic water filtration system. Excuse me now. I have to go put coins in the air meter for clean air to breathe. Thanks.

12 June 15 17, 2012

Views

How effective was

By Lee Choon Fai

ccording to the Population and Housing Census Malaysia 2010, there are currently more than two million non-citizens in Malaysia, with approximately half of them being labourers, legal or otherwise. Foreign worker non-governmental organisations such as Tenaganita say that the figures were conservative and claimed that the number of illegal immigrants could be twice as many. As many of them are spread out in illegal squatter settlements, documenting them is near impossible. To address the issue, the government started the 6P Amnesty Programme to register illegal immigrants in the country in order to monitor their activities better. According to the Home Ministry, 1.3 million immigrants have already been registered under the biometric system, but only 480,995 have been legalised while 146,979 illegal workers have chosen to return to their respective countries as of May 15. So what has happened to the other 700,000?

The crackdown is on and workers are being arrested, if they get deported then no agency will be made accountable, the veteran migrant workers rights activist said. The lack of monitoring of 6P agents has resulted in the proliferation of dodgy companies.

6P?
any clear policies to protect the rights of migrant workers has further opened up venues of abuse by unethical parties. Many workers when arrested are unable to produce their passports to show proof of their legal statuses as their passports are held by employers or agents, said Fernandez. In these cases, she said the workers are not at fault and its the employers who need to take responsibility. According to the Immigration Department, 80 per cent of the migrant workers who registered under the 6P programme came into the country legally but some do not have passports or work permits. Fernandez landed in hot water recently when she told The Jakarta Post that Malaysia is not a safe destination for Indonesian migrant workers due to the lack of foreign labour policies. This drew flak from various quarters and from the government, who called her ignorant and a traitor to the country. Lawyers for Liberty campaign coordinator Fadiah Nadwa Fikri agreed with Fernandez, and said the government shouldnt have started 6P without a clear legal framework in place first. 6P is aimed to regularise undocumented migrant workers. However, before embarking on this programme, the government failed to address the reasons why these workers have become undocumented in the first place, she said. Furthermore, she said many undocumented workers were victims of fraud, again, due to the lack of a clear foreign labour policy to safeguard their rights. The majority of them have been cheated by recruitment agents and through labour trafficking which is disguised under an outsourcing practice which is endorsed by the Home Ministry, said Fadiah Nadwa. She also said that some migrant workers who were cheated when they first came into the country are now forced to pay an additional fee for a work permit, which causes severe financial strain. Migrant workers have to pay between RM2,500 to RM4,000 according to their industry and jobs to 6P agents to get themselves registered, legalised, and to get a work permit. This is burdensome as most of them are already facing debts and left without money as a result of being cheated by the recruitment agents, and in other cases they are not paid by their employers, said Fadiah Nadwa. Instead of starting the programme, she said the government should have assessed the cases of fraud and provide assistance to the workers to state their claims against their employers. The failure of the government to take action against the perpetrators has allowed the abuse to continue, she said. She also said that the management and recruitment of foreign workers should be under the purview of the Human Resource Ministry instead of the Home Ministry. The Human Resource Ministry has the capacity to look at the number of foreign workers needed in the country. This will prevent over-

Fraudulent 6P agents
In a press conference on May 4, Fernandez highlighted one case where a 6P agent, Akhwan Group, had cheated dozens of Bangladeshi workers. She claimed that Akhwan Group, led by a Bangladeshi national, Sirajul Amin, had registered about 5,000 migrant workers in the 6P programme. According to Fernandez, 32 cheated Bangladeshi workers are currently left in limbo after failing to get their work permits despite registering with Akhwan Group. The 32 also claimed that their passports were not returned to them, leaving them vulnerable to arrests and deportation. The group of illegal workers claimed that Akhwan Group had threatened to hand them over to the police when they asked for their passports to be returned. The company had advertised their services as a 6P agent despite the Home Ministry having already rejected their application to be one. A police report was lodged on behalf of the migrant workers at the Commercial Crimes Department of the Bukit Aman police on May 4, but there is yet to be clear progress in the investigation. All we know to date is that the Commercial Crime division has passed the buck to Immigration to investigate. Sirajul continues to threaten workers whenever they ask him about their status, said Fernandez. As there is no mechanism for illegal workers to lodge complaints, there may be more cases like that.

Lack of transparency
According to Tenaganita executive director Irene Fernandez (pic), the lack of transparency makes it very hard to determine what has happened to the remaining illegal immigrants who did not obtain work permits or were deported. The government approved 340 agencies to be involved in the registration and the legalisation process, yet there was no oversight mechanism to monitor the agencies, Fernandez said. She suspects the lack of oversight may have opened up the programme to fraud, resulting in 700,000 workers not getting their work permits. With the enforcement stage well in progress, victims of fraud have no way to prove that they were cheated or that they have tried registering themselves, leaving them vulnerable to arrests and deportation.

Lack of a clear foreign labour policy

Fernandez also said that the lack of

flow of foreign workers who would end up jobless, said Fadiah Nadwa. She said the situation with migrant workers is presently considered a security issue which has caused abuse and xenophobia against migrant workers. Fadiah Nadwa also disagreed with suggestions that the illegal workers should be charged and deported instead of being granted amnesty. She said the workers were victims of a flawed system and the government should rectify the problem first. The workers who have been abused by the existing system must be regularised and allowed to work, and the perpetrators must be brought to justice in order to end the abuse against the migrants.

Its just poor implementation

However, not everything about the 6P programme is bad. Malaysian Employers Federation executive director Shamsuddin Bardan (pic) said the initiative was, to an extent, able to address some of the issues concerning migrant workers. In the 6P programme, illegal foreign workers are invited to have their biometric fingerprint recorded by the authorities. Having gone through the biometric registration such illegal foreign workers

may apply for the legalisation of their status, he said. Shamsuddin said some employers from the federation have benefitted from the programme, as their workers are now legalised and will no longer be harassed by authorities. Employers too, if caught by authorities to be harbouring illegal foreign workers, can be subjected to fines and jail terms. However, he said that some employers have complained that a portion of the foreign workers have used the 6P registration exercise to extend their own contracts. Other workers seeking higher wages have also used the registration process to change jobs by applying for a different work permit. He added that amnesty programmes should not be carried out too often as it will send the wrong message to foreign workers and encourage them to enter the country illegally. It is better for the authorities to enforce the laws strictly to discourage illegal foreign workers and would-be illegal foreign workers from using the programme to stay in Malaysia illegally, said Shamsuddin.

How effective was 6P then?

Close to 2,000 illegal workers have already being deported while an-

other 7,000 are being investigated or are in the process of deportation under the 6P enforcement stage. But due to the lack of monitoring of agents, it is unknown how many illegal workers have been cheated by 6P agents. Perhaps the 6P programme was

started with the right intentions, but it has been marred with poor implementation, delays, and possibly fraud. As Fadiah Nadwa and Fernandez said, there has to be a clear foreign labour policy in order to safeguard migrant workers rights and im-

proved transparency to prevent exploitation and abuse of migrant workers. Failing the objectives above and without proper implementation, the effectiveness of any future programmes similar to 6P is questionable.

Timeline of 6P Amnesty programme

July 11, 2011 The 6P Amnesty Programme is launched July 13, 2011 - Biometric registration begins, deadline on July 31 July 29, 2011 Biometric registration period extended indefinitely due to overwhelming response Aug 31, 2011 Registration period ends, 2.3 million foreigners registered, with 1.3 million illegal workers among them. Oct 10, 2011 Amnesty starts, with Jan 10, 2012 scheduled as deadline, later extended to Feb 15. Oct 15, 2011 Home Ministry announces that four million personnel will be involved in 6Ps enforcement phase. Feb 14, 2012 Legalisation deadline further extended to April 10 due to poor turnout. Feb 27, 2012 Only 19 per cent of the registered 1.3 million illegal workers are legalised. April 10, 2012 Legalisation period over, crackdown on illegal workers and employers begins. May 15, 2012 480,995 workers out of 1.3 million legalised, 146,979 given amnesty and returned to their home countries. 1,809 illegal workers have been deported, 7,084 are under investigation.

Facts & Figures

According to the 2010 Population and Housing Census there are currently 2.3 million or 8.2 per cent of 28.3 million of the population are non-citizens. 7.2 per cent or two million of the population are Malaysian Indians. Most foreign workers are in the 3D (Dirty, Dangerous and Demeaning) industry. Foreign workers in Malasia come from Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Bangladesh. Malaysia moved from Tier 3 to Tier 2 of the US State Departments watch list in its annual Trafficking in Persons Report after Parliament passed the Anti-Human Trafficking Act 2007.

views 14
June 15 17, 2012

ear Lord Bobo, I head the Human Resources Department at the Malaysian office of a multinational company. Ive been instructed by the Regional Head to clamp down on people who slack on their work due to watching too much football now that the European Championships are on. Whilst I understand that our offices in Europe and Hong Kong have issued warning notices and the like, is this possible in Malaysia? Any practical advice would be greatly appreciated. Bad Cop, via email It really depends what is meant by people who slack on their work due to watching too much football. This could refer to those whose productivity drops due to increased bouts of daydreaming at their workstations, fantasising about that Wesley Sneijder pass, or the way Andrea Pirlo caresses the ball with his velvet boots. Or it could possibly mean an increase in errors in documentation, where people type offside instead of office, steve gerrard instead of best regards, or GOOOAAAAALLLL!!!! instead of, well, anything really. The previous examples would be pretty hard to clamp down on, aside from telling them off or asking them to drink more coffee. More obvious examples would be where employees are absent from work, or turn up for work unreasonably late due to having stayed up until almost 5 am. Absenteeism is a valid excuse for sacking someone. However, as with any other reasons for dismissal, it must be shown that the employer acted fairly, both in terms of the reason, as well as the procedure that was implemented. Sacking an employee who has had a spotless record for 20 years just because he missed half a mornings work due to oversleeping is unlikely to be seen as fair. The best thing you can do is to issue a friendly email or memo to all employees to remind them that, whilst they can enjoy as much football as they want, its important to be fair to the company as well to ensure that they continue to work responsibly. You

Football Fever MCs, and Election Date Prediction!

could also consider mentioning that football fever is not an accepted illness that would justify them taking sick leave. Nor is I twisted my ankle trying to copy Ronaldos stepovers. Depending on the nature of your business, and the importance of having employees around at particular times, you may also consider implementing more flexible hours for those who wish to take this option. For example, you could allow them to come in an hour or two later, in exchange for them staying back an hour or two at the end of the day. At the end of the day, Euros or not, employment laws and expectations are the same. After all, its not like its Malaysia in the World Cup or something (in which case there would possibly be a month-long public holiday declared anyway).

ord Bobo, when do you think the general election is going to be? Tan TY, via email

Oh boy. His Supreme Eminenceness doesnt know you, Tan TY, and its quite unfortunate that you caught us on a bad day (banana supplies are low). Lord Bobo has received this question more than 20 times this year. We do not understand the obsession that Malaysians seem to have with this. Even more perplexing is the fact that editors publish articles by people predicting when the elections are going to be. At last count, Lord Bobo believes that we have had five sure dates since the middle of 2011. Best of all is when columnists predict June, for sure because of (insert random seemingly intelligent reason here) and then when June passes, they write another column saying September, for sure because of (insert random supposedly more intelligent reason here). Come on, do you really think that there is an intelligent or rational reason for choosing the election date?

To be fair, we suppose it is a good thing that Malaysians are looking forward to the elections. Since 2008, the expectation of elections has changed people seem to believe that the outcome is actually not cast in stone, and hence politicians and the public are Ask Lord Bobo is a weekly quite excited about the go- column by LoyarBurok ings-on leading up to elec- (www.loyarburok.com) tions. But, as loyal readers of where all your profound, this column will know, His abstruse, erudite, hermetic, Supreme Eminenceness is of recondite, sagacious, and the view that too much other thaesaurus-described queries are answered! weight is put on elections democracy does not begin and end with the elections every four or five years or so. To answer the question, Lord Bobo does not think when the elections are going to be. Lord Bobo knows when the elections are going to be. No, not because were shopping buddies with the First Lady. Have you forgotten that were omniscient?

Have a question for Lord Bobo? Call on His Supreme Eminenceness by emailing asklordbobo@loyarburok. com, stating your full name, and a pseudonym (if you want), or tweeting your questions by mentioning @ LoyarBurok and using the hashtag #asklordbobo. What the hell are you waiting for? Hear This, and Tremblingly Obey (although trembling is optional if you are somewhere very warm)! Liberavi Animam Meam! I Have Freed My Spirit!

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CIJ to scrutinise media during GE

By Gan Pei Ling and Edmund Teoh

news
JUNE 15 17, 2012

15

petaling jaya: The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) is embarking on a project to monitor 29 local print, broadcast and online news organisations coverage at the 13th general election. CIJ executive officer Masjaliza Hamzah said this media-monitoring exercise, which will include English as well as the vernacular media, is the largest of its kind undertaken by local civil society. People always have the idea that mainstream media is biased towards Barisan Nasional, we want to see if its true by analysing their election coverage, said Masjaliza at a press conference recently. Newspapers selected include English dailies The Star, The Sun and New Straits Times, Malay dailies Sinar Harian, Harian Metro and Utusan Malaysia, Chinese dailies Sin Chew Jit Poh, China Press and Oriental Daily and Tamil dailies Makkal

Osai and Malaysian Nanban. CIJ will also keep an eye on three newspapers each from Sabah and Sarawak including the Daily Express, Utusan Borneo, See Hua Daily and Borneo Post. Online news portals that will be scrutinised are Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider and Bernama while TV1, TV2, TV3, ntv7 and 8TV prime time news programmes will also be examined. Masjaliza said CIJ selected the news organisation based on their influence, circulation, viewership and ownership. When asked why Utusan Malaysia and New Straits Times were included despite their falling circulation, she said the Umno-owned papers are read by policymakers. Theyre seen as a gauge of how the establishment thinks about issues. Masjaliza added that Bernama, TV1 and TV2 were included because these were publicly-funded media and CIJ would like to see if they were playing their role as a watchdog of the government.

The media watchdog has trained over 80 volunteer monitors to examine media content published from the day Parliament is dissolved till three days after polling. The data collected will be analysed by academics from CIJs project partner University of Nottingham Malaysia campus and other universities including Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, among others. Masjaliza said CIJ will release statistical analysis of the media coverage every three days during elections, a more detailed interim report in the middle of the campaign period, and a final report two weeks after elections. The monitoring project is funded by the Asia Foundation, Global Fund for Women, Freedom House and Open Society Institute. Also at the press conference were Professor Zaharom Nain and Dr Tessa Houghton from the University of Nottingham.

Know Your Councillor: Lee Suet Sen

p e ta l i n g jaya: Firstterm councillor Lee Suet Sen (pic) aims to address traffic snarls in his zone by coordinating monitoring efforts by the Petaling Jaya City C o u n c i l (MBPJ). The councillor for Zone 9, which includes Damansara Kim, SS19, and SS17A, says residents are far from happy with construction works along Jalan Damansara. He says the ongoing development along the boundary separating Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur bogs down traffic heading onto the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP). We are getting the MBPJ Engineering Department to do a study on how to alleviate the problem, says the 42-year-old civil engineer. The PJ mayor has also called for a meeting between the council and the developers, which he hopes will be held in a months time. Lee, who has his own business and attends to council matters in his free time, says the most challenging aspect of being a councillor is following up on plans. Small or big matter, we must have consistent follow-up. We need to have a culture of making things happen, he stresses. He gives an example of how a collapsed riverbank in Damansara Bistari was not promptly addressed which he blames on unresponsive government departments. The councillor says his own organisation, which has many ideas to improve traffic and landscaping, has to work harder to put thoughts into action. Lee operates from his service centre at the basement level of Menara MBPJ but he also keeps in touch with the public mostly through phone and email. I also meet them at residents association meetings. In fact, we are having a town hall meeting on June 21 at the SS20/26 basketball court at 8.30pm, he says. Despite his hectic schedule, the father of four still finds time for sports and reading.

Education may be better than ban

By Lee Choon Fai

subang jaya: Pet ownership education programmes may be more effective in reducing the number of violent dog attacks instead of banning specific breeds. The Malaysian Kennel Association (MKA) along with Subang Jaya lawmaker Hannah Yeoh is proposing three main guidelines to the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) in the wake of the recent attack that killed an elderly jogger. The first guideline is to educate dog owners and the public on the responsibilities required to own a dog and how to properly train their pets. Dogs are just like children when they are born, you have to raise them properly. They are not like fish or birds where you can just put them in cages or aquariums and feed them, said MKA president Larry Yuen. According to Yuen, 80 per cent of dog attacks occur outside of the owners property when the dogs are left unrestrained. When dogs are allowed to run loose, they can create problems. If they can be restrained at all times, these incidences can be limited. Yuen said puppies have to be put through socialisation programmes during their developing stage to let them get used to human contact as nervous dogs are prone to attacking as well. He added that the MKA was ready to help the public with educational programmes regarding dog behaviour, factors that could provoke aggressive behaviour from dogs and how to train them properly. Yuen added the MKA was strongly against the banning of specific breeds as such policies were discriminatory and not effective in curbing attacks. Case studies from overseas actually show that breed-specific legislations are a failure and do not decrease the number of dog attacks. He also said if the banning of specific breeds is enforced, many present dog owners will have their dogs taken away and euthanised when their ownership licence expires. Some of these dogs are already a part of the family, its like taking away a part of the family, he said. Yuen also said negative media portrayal of violent breeds was unfair as dogs from all breeds can bite if they were not trained properly. The second proposal is to implant microchips in dogs via injection for authorities to be able to easily identify the owners.

Yuen and Yeoh say pet ownership education is important for new or potential dog owners.

Owners cannot disclaim ownership when an attack occurs if microchips are in place. An implant procedure typically costs RM30 or less depending on the veterinary clinic. The third is to implement laws and regulations that encourage owner responsibility. For example, the requirement of a medium to large breed dog to be handled by a person of 18 years old and above when outdoors. We will be starting at the Subang Jaya level first, and if they are effective we can consider moving onto a state-wide level or even national level, said Yeoh. She said a letter of proposal had already been sent to MPSJ on May 23, which the council replied saying they will consult with the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) and other relevant bodies before embarking on such programmes. Yeoh said instead of using ways that had been proven to be a failure, MPSJ should instead try educating the masses and promoting pet ownership responsibilities. We dont have the solution to all the problems, but if it is cheap and feasible then why not? she said. The MKA is also seeking a dialogue session with DVS regarding their proposals. The breeds that are currently banned from importation are the Pit Bull\Pit Bull Terrier, American Bulldog, Neapolitan Mastiff, Japanese Tosa, Akita, Dogo Argentino and Fila Braziliero. Breeds that are subjected to restrictions and special conditions are the Rottweiler, Doberman, German Shepherd, Bull Mastiff, Bull Terrier, and the Perro de Presa Canario\Canary Dog.

NEWS 16
June 15 17, 2012

A trees not just a tree

By Yasmin Rasyid

To many, a tree is a tree. And then theres that special tree. For me, that special tree is a majestic rain tree (local name: Hujan-Hujan; scientific name: Samanea Saman) that has been standing proudly for at least 50 years or more in the sports field of my alma mater, Methodist Girls School Ipoh. The rain tree grows up to 25 metres tall with a widespread umbrella-shaped crown. The bark is fissured and chocolate coloured whilst the trunk is slightly crooked. Mention MGS and most alumni would agree that the rain tree is one of the most memorable elements of school. This rain tree brings back amazing memories of my friends and me seeking shelter and shade under it during a hot sunny day, especially during sports practice. We shared ice-creams under the tree, talked about boy crushes, teenager gossip and strategised on our sports day track competition. Since my class was also located next to this tree, I often catch myself looking out of the class window and imagining a stronger me climbing those tall and huge branches. The tree does take me and my imagination to places that I can only wish to go especially during Puan Darinis mathematics class. Yet these days, trees are nothing more than just aesthetic items. We make trees fit into our lives despite the fact that trees have played a significant role in the evolution of mankind and the development of human cultures and communities. We feel that we are doing nature a service by planting a tree, but in actual fact, it is the tree that is clearly doing us the favorus in return. Trees are the largest and longest living organisms on earth. To grow tall the tree has become a

miracle of engineering and a complex chemical factory. It is able to take water and salts out of the earth and lift them up to the leaves, sometimes over 400 feet above. By means of photosynthesis the leaves combine the water and salts with carbon dioxide from the air to produce the nutrients which feed the tree. In this process, as well as wood, trees create many chemicals, seeds and fruit of great utility to man. Trees also remove carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, from the air. Trees are of continued importance to the environment. Tropical rain forests have of particular significance; although they now occupy less than 6 percent of the land surface of the earth they probable sustain more than half of the biological species on the planet. Thanks to the creative people at EcoKnights, the public is now challenged to pay attention and document images majestic trees found in Selangor. Called the Sentinels of Time digital photography competition, it aims to raise awareness on the species and locations of majestic trees in Selangor. Around RM25,000 worth of cash and prizes are to be won in this competition and participation is through an online submission of a digital image (between 2Mb to 5MB in size) with a detail description of the location of the image. The contest started on June 1. Contestants can submit single or multiple entries by Aug 30 to sentinelsoftime@ecoknights. org.my. More information about the competition can be obtained from www.ecoknights.org.my/sentinelsoftime To get an idea of what kind of images of majestic trees the competition is anticipating, do log on to their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ Sentinelsof Time.

Note: The rain tree was introduced to Peninsular Malaysia before 1876 and is now a common sight as a roadside shade tree throughout the country. Cross cuts of the tree are used as table tops due to the excellent growth rings they display. This article is written by the EcoKnights president, Yasmin Rasyid.

Go green and be rewarded

PETALING JAYA: Section 19 residents were urged to reduce energy and water consumption at home to qualify for the City Councils 100 per cent rebate on next years assessment. For the second consecutive year, the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) would like to reward environmentally friendly residents through their 100% Green Rebate Scheme. I think this is a very good scheme, as the more people do for the environment, the more benefits they get, said Section 19 resident TG Phang. The retiree explained that he pays a yearly assessment rate of about RM400 and the rebate would definitely help him save some money. Households can earn the rebate if they use no more than 202 litres of water per day and consume less than 112 kilowatts/hour energy per month. However, this initiative will only entitle them to a certain percentage of the discount. To get more discount, residents will have to combine the above with other green initiatives like installing light emitting diode (LED) lights, half-flush toilets, plant more trees, rain water harvesting and composting. Im going to install LED lights in my house along with solar paneling. I also do composting and rain water harvesting, said Section 19 resident Chong Yet Moi, 59, adding she will also try to plant more flowers in her garden and reduce the consumption of water and electricity. Chong, who lives with her two sons, pays assessment of about RM450 to MBPJ and hopes to reduce it to only RM50 by taking part in their Green Rebate Scheme. Last year, 100 green homes were chosen by a panel of environmentalists to participate in the scheme and benefited from the RM50,000 allocation. Those environmentally conscious were rewarded with a rebate of up to RM500. There are about 400 houses here in Section 19 but not even one took part in the scheme last year, said Section 19 Residents Association chairman Tan Yew Leong. The 52-year-old explained that the residents were not aware of the scheme and the few that knew didnt know what to do. To spread the word, Tan together with MBPJs one-stop centre (OSC) head Lee Lih Shyan organised a briefing session last Saturday at the neighbourhoods field. Lee was there to brief residents about the things they could do to qualify for the rebate and hand out the forms for them to fill. We will be giving them some forms to take home and pass it around to their friends and neighbours so more people will know about it, said Lee. To encourage them further, Lee allocated RM500 to the RA to purchase 120-litre and 30-litre barrels for composting and rain water harvesting purposes. Those interested will be given a maximum of two barrels each, free of charge. Residents who are interested to participate in the rebate scheme can contact 013-3330202 (Tan) or email tyleong@ fastmail.fm for forms. Entry forms for the scheme, which closes July 6, can also be downloaded from the MBPJ website at www.mbpj.gov.my/ web/guest/home. Ratepayers must also include a copy of their last three months utility bills when submitting their application.

Tan showing his barrel full of compost and a bottle of eco-enzyme generated from the compost.

food 17
June 15-17, 2012

Fathers Day guilty buffet indulgence

By Brenda Chng

reat your dad to a well-deserved meal of steaming traditional halal dim sum specially prepared by renowned chefs at the Holiday Villa Hotel and Suites this Fathers Day. The chefs with Steal the keys to his heart by part of the buffet filling his stomach on an all-youspread that is can-eat dim sum buffet for only bound to make RM45+ per adult and RM32++ your dad happy. per child, at Holiday Villas The Inn of Four Season Chinese Restaurant. Located on the third floor, this restaurant serves the best of both worlds by blending both authentic Japanese delicacies and traditional Chinese dishes. Be prepared to feast both your eyes and taste buds on over 120 delectable dishes lining up the buffet counter, from steamed and fried bite-sized dim sum to noodles, sushi and rice. And just for Fathers Day, the chefs also want to make it a special Deep Fried Paper Wrapped chicken. day by introducing their specialty dishes like garlic based yam puff or also known as wu kok in Chinese. which replicates the ones boiled at home, try Normally, these fried and crispy yam puffs out their double boiled chicken soup with are served at dim sum restaurants stuffed with Chinese ginseng and fungus. meat, chopped shallots and mushroom If you are one who misses the sweet soups cooked in brownish sauce. boiled by your mums, this is one to try. However, at Four Season Chinese RestauAs part of the dim sum culture, whats siu rant, patrons can try out both the garlic based mai (shrimp dumpling) or hakau (shrimp yam puff and Nyonya curry flavoured ones. wrapped in translucent white skin) without For the less adventurous, there is a selection a serving of chee cheong fun (rice noodle of dim sum both fried and steamed in tradi- roll). tional bamboo containers, served with black Walk along the buffet line to reach the sweet sauce and chilli. stall serving steaming hot rice noodle rolls, In addition, the buffet will have three types served with a choice of stuffing and chili of Chinese traditional cold cut dishes and six flakes on a bed of soy sauce. varieties of Chinese hot and flavourfully Not forgetting the Chinese turnip/carrot cooked dishes. cake, fried to a crisp, usually made of shredThose who would like a warm bowl of soup ded radish and plain white flour. If you are still hungry, make your way towards the Japanese section serving ramen noodles and cold soba. Also stop by the Tepanyaki counter and ask for a serving of beef, chicken or vegetables seasoned and cooked to perfection on an iron plate. To add on more taste, scoop yourself a bowl of garlic fried rice to accompany your Tepanyaki dishes, before heading back to the table. Complete your Japanese food journey with a serving of sushi, California roll and an assortment of tempura, a choice of fried prawn, vegetables and sweet potato. If all these isnt tempting you enough, detour down to a Fathers Day Brunch at Palm Terrace Coffeehouse to enjoy a sumptuous buffet meal featuring international and local delights. The buffet, priced at RM58++ per adult and RM35++ per child will tanMochi with red bean filling. talise your taste buds with an array of

Cold cuts. Prawn wrapped with wan tan skin.

favourites like pasta, fried rice, curry and seafood. While you are there, try out their specialty dishes such as spaghetti aglio olio with clams, young mango fried rice, fish vindaloo, stir fried beef, deep fried enchi kebin and sausage fire crackers. Meanwhile, their dessert corner features

sinful sweet stuff like air batu campur, fresh fruits and five selections of ice creams. Dim Sum buffet is available on June 16 and June 17 while Fathers Day Brunch at Palm Terrace Coffeehouse is only available on June 17. For reservations or enquiries, call 03-5633 8788 ext. 222/220.

food 18
June 15 17, 2012

Surprises at neighbourhood eatery

Restaurant exterior.

By Basil Foo

riving around the SS2 commercial square is usually a mindnumbing affair, with each turn and hole in the road already committed to memory, the hands go into autopilot. However, an unfamiliar sight would greet British Malaya Special Fried Rice. those who have frequented the square recently with an addition to the myriad of eateries in the form of the British Malaya Coffee House. Sitting at the location of the old Hong Kong-style Prince caf, the coffee houses clean white signboard can be seen quite starkly amongst other dusky-looking shops. The interior still retains some of the layout of the previous caf with a partition separating the indoor and outdoor seating and an elevated Asam Laksa. platform where couches can be found. This time the walls and ceilings are adorned with pictures of old colonialera buildings, wayang kulit puppets and wooden lamps. Their staff are friendly and helpful, with suggestions forthcoming without the need to ask. Drinks at the coffee house arrived briskly, followed soon after by the food, despite hosting quite a sizeable crowd for a midweek night. The ice lemon tea, assam laksa, and soup of the day came together under the Daily Set Specials which can be seen promoted on bunting outside the eatery. The daily specials feature different dishes Spaghetti Chicken Carbonara. for lunch and dinner every day of the week with most Asian set meals costing RM11.90 The humble fried rice was a mix of savoury and Western set meals RM14.90. and spicy flavours which had just the right The ice lemon tea was noticeably not as amount of oil so that the grains wont clump sweet, while the soup was savoury and broth- together and make eating a labourious task. like in consistency. It was tasty, filling and came with some Assam laksa seems to be a dish that is quite papadum, which the waitress kindly refilled difficult to pull off with swanky restaurants after a piece accidentally dropped to the table. offering bland concoctions while the aromas The coffee house had bangers and mash on from some roadside stalls draw long lines. the menu but was unfortunately out of stock The coffee house seemed to have got the for the day it would have been great to try a balance between spicy, sour and fishy tastes very British-sounding meal. right while their glass noodles were smoother Instead, the shepherds pie, at RM12.90, than the average. was a salty and meaty alternative with the pie After heating up ones palate with the laksa, arriving in a deep bowl with mashed potato another recommended dish to try would be forming a soft crust on its top. the British Malaya special fried rice for The pie was another filling dish with the RM11.90. soft mash offering a contrast to the tangy to-

Restaurant interior Chicken Cordon Blue.

mato sauce it is recommended for diners to just mix the whole thing together and enjoy. The shops chicken cordon blue, at RM19.90, was touted as a deep-fried breaded chicken breast stuffed with turkey and cheese and topped with mushroom sauce. The chicken, which came served on a bed of mashed potato, came apart easily but could have been filled with more cheese as the plain meat was hard to go down. As far as carbonaras go, their spaghetti chicken carbonara, at RM15.90, was above average with an abundance of the distinctive creamy sauce flooding the dish with flavour. Interspersed between bites of soft noodles were pieces of chicken, which felt like they were fried and were rather difficult to munch on. An alternative could be thin chicken ham slices, while the uncharacteristic spaghetti used for a dish normally using fettuccini did not

interfere much with the transportation of sauce to mouth. For after-meal palate sweeteners, the shops soya milk cendol with gula Melaka, priced at RM7.50, tastes just like what it says, needing a quick stir to mix the sugar and milk together. It was strange for a coffee house to have only a handful of coffee choices with hot and iced variants of kopi, kopi O, cham and white coffee. Nonetheless, the large glass of thick iced coffee, at RM4.80, provided a satisfying endnote to the meal. The British Malaya Coffee House was a hit and miss affair with some dishes standing out quite distinctively from the others. For a neighbourhood eatery, the coffee house meets expectations while providing the adventurous diner some hidden surprises which may end up being their next favourite dish.

MEDIA
JUNE 15 17, 2012

19

Its showtime at Paradigm, Setia City

petaliNG jaya: Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) will be celebrating its 25th anniversary by treating movie fans to free screenings at its two new cinemas in Paradigm Mall and Setia City Mall. The nine-screen GSC cinemas in Paradigm Mall, Kelana Jaya, and Setia City Mall, Shah Alam, will be showing the free screenings from June 16-20. The movies selected for the free screenings in GSC Setia City Mall are John Carter, Titanic 3D, Mirror Mirror, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Wrath of the Titans 3D, The Hunger Games, Adnan Sempit 2, Hong Kong movie Simple Life, and Tamil movie 3. Over at GSC Paradigm Mall, the movies will be John Carter, Titanic 3D, Mirror Mirror, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Wrath of the Titams 3D, Star Wars Episode 1 3D, Jangan Pandang-pandang, Din Tao and Nanban. All in, there will be 440 free screenings for the public in both locations for five consecutive days. More details of the free screenings are available at gsc.com.my, facebook. com/gscinemas, or by calling 03-7806 8888. To get the free movie tickets, just print out the GSC Setia City Mall and GSC Paradigm Mall free screening coupons from the GSC website. Alternatively, the original GSC cinema listings in newspapers can be cut out and brought to either cinema to redeem two tickets for the free screenings, while tickets last.

Perangsang goes into oil and gas

shah alam: State-linked company Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor Bhd marked its first venture into the oil and gas industry after its subsidiary signed an agreement to purchase 40 per cent equity stake in NGC Energy Sdn Bhd. NGC Energy had on May 9 purchased a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) business from Shell, which is the second largest LPG supplier in Peninsular Malaysia with a 22 per cent domestic market share and annual sales volume of 230,000 tonnes. The LPG business is expected to contribute RM7 million to RM8 million in dividends a year (to Perangsang Oil and Gas Sdn Bhd) from 2014, said Perangsang Selangor managing director Suhaimi Kamaralzaman at a press conference. Perangsang Oil and Gas signed the subscription and shareholders agreement with NGC Energy and its parent company NGC Consolidated Holdings Sdn Bhd at Quality Hotel on Monday. Suhaimi said the company was paying RM40m to NGC Energy for the 40 per cent stake, which will be financed by internal funds. NGC Energy chief executive officer Goutam Sukhamoy Sen said the LGP business purchased from Shell was the Middle Eastern companys first investment in Malaysia. He said NGC Energy expects to secure an operating licence from the government within the next six to eight weeks now that it has a bumiputra partner. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who said he was very proud of Perangsang Selangor for securing the deal with a reputable foreign company. NGC Energy and NGC Consolidated Holdings are owned by Omans National Gas Company SAOG. Its chairperson Sheikh Abdulla Suleiman Hamed Al-Harthy also attended the event.

Suhaimi (third from left) exchanging documents with Sheikh Abdulla, witnessed by Khalid (centre). Also on stage are (from left) Perangsang Oil and Gas director Azlan Alifiah, Perangsang Selangor chairperson Raja Haji Idris Raja Kamarudin and Goutam.

Each person will be limited to four tickets and the redemption exercise will start at 10am, June 16. Tickets can only be redeemed for the free movie screenings on the same day of the redemption itself at the respective locations as no advance redemption will be entertained. Besides the free movies, the public can also look forward to fun activities and freebies during the opening weekend from June 23-24. Over at GSC Setia City Mall, there will be clowns to keep the children and families entertained while the rest can take up the Spiderman Puzzle Challenge and stand a chance to walk away with Spiderman gifts. A photo opportunity in the form of posing with movie characters will be on from 2pm to 4pm. Over at GSC Paradigm Mall, the public can take part in the Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter shooting game and Ice Age Playstation game for the kids. There will also be free balloons and candy floss giveaways to add to the festivity in the two new cinemas. Over at the concession counter, GSC patrons will be rewarded with a special eco-friendly Note Book with every purchase of a large Caramel Combo 3 from June 21 onwards, while stocks last.

GM Klang expands into wholesale trade

KlaNG: More business opportunities will now be available for wholesale traders to expand their business, with the construction of General Marketing (GM) Klangs second phase. So far, 200 new tenants have booked their lots in one of the 750 units available in the new 10-storey building scheduled to be completed in September. GM Klang is very pleased to welcome on board all the new wholesalers and partners, said TSI Group managing director Datuk Lim Seng Kok. To expand the market and bring in foreign wholesale products, a memorandum of understanding was signed between GM Klang and its new partners from China. The three partners, SM International Wholesale (China) Centre representative Xia Bao Wen, Pearl Harbour Industrys Adam Tan and businessman Alex Li Shang Xin, will be assisting in overseas product sourcing and marketing efforts. In line with the Chinese governments economic objective of expanding businesses out of China, we are thrilled to be able to provide such a platform for them to grow their business here, said Lim. GM Klang is the brainchild of TSI Holdings and was also recognised by the Malaysian Book of Records as the largest wholesale plaza in Malaysia. Their first phase opened in October 2009 and houses 350 wholesalers selling merchandise ranging from apparel, information technology (IT) products, accessories to toys. When the new building is up, these 350 wholesalers will also be moving in to make space for wholesalers selling car parts,

Khalid (third from right), Kok (fourth from right) and Lim (right) looking at the products on display.

construction material, hardware and tools. The wholesale city was initially set up with the aim of becoming a platform for wholesalers, manufacturers and traders from Asia to start or grow their business. I would like to congratulate GM Klang for being the first wholesale city in the country and the biggest one in Selangor, said

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. He was present with state executive councillor for industry and trade Teresa Kok, Klang Municipal Council (MPK) acting president Ikhsan Mukri and MPK councillors. Khalid said the existence of GM Klang was important, both for its locality and benefit to traders.

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travel 20
June 15 17, 2012

When darkness falls over Bukit Belimbing

If you have seen the light, you may be a wise man but LIN ZHENYUAN finds out that the lights in the swamp are something else.
The gateway that leads you to the firefly adventure.

or several years now, one of our dinner table conversation topics has been kelip-kelip (fireflies). Every time somebody brings up the subject, I shoot it down. Who wants to go out into the marshland and watch fire- The fireflies thrive along this part of the Selangor river. flies? Fireflies or lightning bugs, or even glow worms as they are sometimes called, are not and watched the Discovery Channel. unfamiliar to me. As it were, the Eighth Wonder Back in my schooldays, I had caught a few flying in my of the World, as some people backyard and temporarily stored them in a bottle as a kind of have described it, had low-tech toy. These days apparently, one doesnt see them a predestined rendezanymore, unless one goes to Kuala Selangor. vous with me. Fireflies However, I was most surprised recently to see a solitary emit what scientists firefly making its way into my hall in the evening. I took that call a cold light, that as a sign that I have been summoned to the swampland. is, light that has no And so one weekend when nothing important was marked ultraviolet or infrared in my social schedule, my family and I made a hastily planned frequencies. trip to Bukit Belimbing in Kuala Selangor. The l ig ht that I learned that it was the so-called Firefly Park Resort. The comes from the lower brochure claims that there were millions of fireflies flashing abdomen of the firelight may be in synchrony. I think that may be true years ago. yellow, green or pale-red in colour. While there are only a When I finally witnessed the natural phenomenon, it was handful of common species in Southeast Asia, there are about more like a sight of thousands, or more realistically, hundreds 2,000 species of these kelip-kelip or fireflies elsewhere on the of kelip-kelip dancing in the dark. planet. Pteroptyx tener (firefly) is but one of several species found The reasons why Kuala Selangor is so rich in fireflies are the in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Sarawak and Peninsular presence of the berembang trees and the natural vegetation Malaysia. But in Kuala Selangor, this particular species reigns along the river banks. supreme. The berembang trees are the playgrounds of fireflies and If not for the unquenchable curiosity to see how they thrive the snails that dwell below the trees along the river banks in their natural habitat, I probably would have stayed at home provide the kind of food that fireflies prefer.

This kind of vegetation is preferred by fireflies. Apparently, monkeys like them too.

Several years ago, FRIM (Forest Research Institute of Malaysia) researchers found out that that the fireflies lay their eggs on the soil of the river banks. Apparently, the naturalised sago that grows abundantly in the area increases the survival rate of the firefly population. Thus, an undisturbed environment was the best option for the proliferation of our own home-grown kelip-kelip. However, the sad story is that close to 50 per cent of the land in Kuala Selangor has been converted into oil palm plantations. A study carried out four years ago revealed that the adult firefly population had decreased by about 40 per cent compared with 2007 and 2006. There are about seven sites stretching a distance of 1.6km

travel 21
June 15 17, 2012

along the Sungai Selangor where fireflies are known to be The chalets at the Firefly Resort Park in Kuala Selangor. spotted. Shortly after sunset, around 8pm, we put on the mandatory life-jacket and boarded one of the toneless fibreglass boats and headed towards the designated sites. The electrically-powered boat was one of the quietest water vessels I have ever sat on. Nobody talked aloud. Some of us whispered for fear of scaring our tiny winged friends who used the berembang trees to perform their courting game and find mates. Of course, it was understood that no flash photography was allowed. Nevertheless, I took a chance with my amateur photographic skills and my even more amateur brand of camera. While I was snapping away, I could see that I was merely recording a sequential order of scenes in almost total darkness. It was definitely nothing to brag home about or to friends. However, the sight of hundreds or perhaps thousands of fireflies blinking in symphony with the quiet rhythm of the night was a rare privilege. It was just like a row of Christmas trees illuminating a dark avenue. That night when about eight of us were cruising silently along the shallow river very near the banks, the moon was partially hidden and there were few stars in the sky. The air was still and I was wary about lurking crocodiles although I knew for sure there was none in the waters. Being an individual of dubious courage, I couldnt help thinking of the worst case scenario. Later I learned that Kampung Kuantan further down the fireflies came to entertain us with their road was another firefly site where the population of the natural gifts. lightning bugs was allegedly larger. I have to admit that the nocturnal river But my family and I were quite satisfied that we had finally trips in the Firelfy Park Resort are well assuaged our curiosity and secured a memorable evening when organised. Adults pay RM15 per trip and for children from ages three to 12, it is RM8. The trip lasts about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the speed of the boat. Firefly sightseeing time is between 7pm and 10.30pm. You will be mildly surprised with the number of tourist buses ferrying foreign visitors to witness one of Malaysias most fascinating insect wonders after 6pm. If you like, you can spend the night at one of the 12 You can always buy a T-shirt as a memento. chalets located on a manmade pond where lotus flowers thrive and bloom. overall experience. Each chalet has two air-conditioned rooms and it For those who are slightly tired of roaming shopping comcan accommodate four people. plexes, and wish to have an outdoors adventure, all details with Even though it was a man-made environment, regard to the Firefly Park Resort can be seen at its website: the chalets were located so close to the marshland www.fireflypark.com. that it lends a certain degree of authenticity to the Watch your step as you walk down the passageway to the boats.
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may 13 recoll: reconcections & 12 & iliation

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Wesak a time Day: giving for

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Where to get your

LRT Stations (Distribution by hand) Morning Ampang Sentul Timur Ampang Cahaya Cempaka Pandan Indah Pandan Jaya Sentul Timur Sentul Kelana Jaya Terminal Putra Kelana Jaya Taman Bahagia Taman Paramount Asia Jaya Taman Jaya Universiti Sri Rampai Wangsa Maju Taman Melati Sri Petaling Sentul Timur Taman Melati Sri Petaling Bukit Jalil Bandar Tasik Selatan Salak Selatan Shopping Malls (From Saturday noon) 1 UTAMA Tropicana Mall Sunway Pyramid The Curve IOI Mall Plaza Damas Ikano Power Centre Empire Subang MetroPoint Centro Mall, Klang Bangsar Shopping Complex Hypermarkets (From Saturday noon) 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) Sentul Port Klang Port Klang Bukit Badak Shah Alam Subang Jaya Jalan Templer Petaling Rawang Seremban Kuala Kubu Baru Sungai Buloh Kepong Sentral Kepong Morning Wet Markets (Saturday morning) Jalan SS2/62 Taman Medan Jalan 17/27 SS15 Subang Jaya Taman Kuchai Lama Taman OUG Pasar Taman Megah Pasar Jalan Othman Pasar Jalan 17/2 Pasar Sek 14

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By Will iam Tan Petal ed low- ing Jaya: cost Dila angor may flats through pidata pilot progget a new lease out Selsuch hom ramme to rehaof life if es The amb is successful. bilitate kind proj itious and first the Peta ect is being carr -of-itsKeeping (MBPJ) ling Jaya City ied out by in safe: Faizabandoned tas Design collaboration Council bab demons ah Mohd Tahi ies pan y, and Group, a privwith Veritrati baby hatc ng the use r (left) commun Rum ah Air ate comof the Datin Sofi h as local ity-b Pan as, celebrity a The sing ased charity. a STory Jane looks on. Maju Jaya le block at on pag the houses 59 apartments here Taman e 10 families , which to und ergo , will be which inclu the tran sfor the first mation, des reno furb ishm vations physical ents whi le keep and reaspects inta ing the "All wor ct. sions mad ks are based on social active by the resid the decients," said ist Won Wong, g Hay pointed who mooted Cheong. out dents were that many the idea , of flats whe forced to mov the resie demolishn squatter settleme into the ed, but nts were facilities were the building The entr hardly adequates and y of Veri . Gro up, tas RM100 whi ch has con Design ,000 and architect the skill trib uted Wong said change, s], means that s [of their ryin the priv is going said to Cor g out the proj ate firm is carAs man Wong. ect as part porate Their relocate y as 50,000 fam Social of its (CS d technolo architects, usin 2000 and to low-cost flats ilies were last R) programme, Resp onsibilit g the gies y teri Besa 2008 under formbetween for two years layin having spent the rem ode l the and techniqu latest arch itect Iska g the grou es, the proj Squatter r Dr Khi r Toy er Menect. ndwork budget, whic buil ding on a will Iskandar ndar Razak. The tight than RM h is estimated LB_24 added that icised for policy which has o's Zer o with company 6391_ 500,000 to be less difficult to has been creating Sun_m14.ai critbeen obta the fam . It is high-rise liaising 1 from vario obta in comit was very busi in what they feed ghettos.5/12/11 back on ilies regularly need from ever ythi very challeng ing; ness cont 9:56 the proj usparties at mitments to get them deci PM their need acts. their ect, with the De wiring is ng needs to be redo almost s and de on prac funding start of port spite it all, ticalsolu help and the horrible, the roof ne. The ous issue. this is still a seriant proj tions. The that a city ect for us as a very imstench, septic tank emit is leaking, spon success of the should not we believe saidVer itas Des s an awful nent sorships for the project rests on by the wea lthy only be inhabited ign Gro up part s, such as the various compo- strata of soci , ety. In a but by ever y supply of s, and the juvenati way, we met ng the compan y hopes al If the pilo city, said Iska are reto t is successfu ndar. l, the com Turn To pag e2

Facelift for old

flats

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

Pasar Seri Setia SS9A/1 Pasar Kg Chempaka Taman Tun Dr Ismail Hospital Forrest Medical Centre Colleges Help Institute College Bandar Utama (KBU) Universiti Kebangsan Malaysia

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

Gallery 22
June 15-17, 2012

ion during a the exercise sess stretch as part of yasan Kebajikan SSL Strok rming a by Ya Participants perfo ramme organised ntre over the weekend. Traincare training prog foot Rehabilitation Ce physiotherapist. d Stroke e and a at its Dialysis an e included a nurs in the programm ers

No, these children are not stud ying for an exam nor have they been banished from class for some mischievous deed! They were among the some 1,000 students from schools around Kuala Langat district who gathered at Dataran Banting to participate in a 15-minute read ing programme organised by the Sela ngor Public Library Corporation (PPAS) in collaboration with the Kuala Lan gat District Library Corporation.

Sungai Pinang state assemblyperson Datu k Teng Chang Khim (third from left) posing with the 100 cyclists before they began the relaxed cycling expedition from Kampung Rantau Panjang to Taman Pertanian Bukit Cahaya, Shah Alam, recently.

king photo frames ee and eight years ma w to ildren aged between thr ght by their teacher ho Orang Asli ch h al items. They were tau mai in conjunction wit decorations from natur and 2 Damansara Da ycle at the Urban Park reuse and rec y recently. World Environment Da

Selayang member of Parliament William Leong (sixth from right) officiating a new futsal court and competi tion in Kampung Cempedak last Sunday. Selangor had allocated RM1 20,000 to upgrade this and another futsal court in Kampung Setia, Kuang, to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Khalid to Putrajaya: Dont abuse public funds

SHAH ALAM: Selangor on Monday slammed the federal government for abusing the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) for political expediency. Putrajaya had suspended PTPTN loans to stateowned Universiti Selangor (Unisel) students early this month to the distraught of hundreds of newly-registered students and parents. Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said Putrajayas move was tantamount to an abuse of public funds as PTPTN was created to give every Malaysian a fair chance to pursue higher education. If our countrys (politicians) cant distinguish between public and private funds, something is very wrong. (These are) public funds, youre not the owner, just the trustee. You must make sure you do the right thing with the resources, he said. He said this after giving a keynote speech at a conference titled Building Integrity in the Public and Private Sector at the Shah Alam Convention Centre. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had admitted on June 7 that the loans were temporarily suspended to test Selangors ability to provide free tertiary education. However, the move was met with fierce opposition
By Gan Pei Ling

news 23
June 15 17, 2012

culture cAlenDAr
FrequenC Stages of Life
Music: June 15 (7pm); PJ Live Arts Theatre @ Jaya One; 03-79600439; http://pjlivearts. my/; RM25-RM100. Live acoustic concert by students of HELP University College. The evenings programme will feature music depicting the five stages of a persons life: Childhood, Adolescence, Young Adulthood, Middle Adulthood, and Late Adulthood. Performed in Mandarin & English with subtitles.

even from within Barisan Nasionals own ranks, particularly from young politicians such as Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah and Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Gan Ping Sieu. The PTPTN loan freeze was lifted on June 8, a day after Selangor announced it would liquidate Unisels assets to raise RM30 million to help the students finance their studies. In his speech at the conference, Khalid said it was important to create a culture of integrity in the public and private sectors. He said in order to create a culture of integrity, there must be two elements - trust, which needs to be built and earned over time, and transparency to ensure fairness. Khalid said studies had shown that countries with less corruption tend to grow faster while ethical companies tend to earn more rewards in the long term. The conference was organised by the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) jointly with the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) and supported by Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M). Other notable speakers at the conference included the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed, TI-M president Datuk Paul Low and Asli director Tan Sri Dr Michael Yeoh, among others.

The Universe of Ballet

Music: June 16-17; Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, KL; RM30-RM120. The concerts will be led by Chinese conductor Zhang Yi who has a vast repertoire and has shown great passion for Chinese and Western contemporary music. Besides China, he has demonstrated his musical brilliance in North Korea, Australia, Cuba, Sweden, Stockholm, London and Paris. The concerts will open with The Nutcracker Suite (Op.71a), composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Next come Copplia Suite composed by Lo Delibes, one of the most important composers of ballet music. The colourful work was premiered in 1870 in Paris. The concerts will close with Leonard Bernsteins Fancy Free, his first foray into ballet. The work was a big hit when it was premiered in 1944 and established him as the rising star of the American music world.

Intimate Encounters
Music: May-June; Urban Lounge; www.damaorchestra.com; 032092 9592 & 03 6201 9108 Intimate Encounters is a 60-minute showcase presented in two sets (9.30pm-10.00pm & 10.30pm-11.00pm) with piano accompaniment and/or minus-one music. Dining patrons can savour the specially prepared pre-show two-course or three-course dinner that promises to titillate the taste buds. Dinner will be served from 7pm onwards. It includes a first drink at the show. Non-dining patrons will also enjoy a first drink at the show.

In-depth look at states of reform

Dinnertime

Theatre: June 14-17; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, KL; 0340479000; www.klpac.org/; RM15. There are two things in the world that rarely does what you ask of them technology and dinner guests. Sometimes its harmless but sometimes Chink! Devices become hostile, steaks go cold over icy glances and some guests should just be kept apart in this collection of three short plays about how quickly the wine can go sour to both hilarious and dramatic results. T4YP alumnus Tung Jit Yang (2009) directs this mix-bag of plays from British playwright Michael Frayn and T4YP Team member Alex Chua. Yeoh (centre) together with Khalid (third from right), Dr Ooi (second from right), Nik Nazmi (third from left), Liew (second from left) and supporters at the book launch.

KUALA LUMPUR: Fans of politics can now indulge in an in-depth criticism about reforms and current issues surrounding Selangor and Penang with Tricia Yeohs new book. Yeoh, who is former Selangor government research officer and has regular columns in Selangor Times, Penang Monthly magazine and The Sun, launched her book States of Reform: Governing Selangor and Penang last Saturday. I think this book is important because it will allow voters to see what an alternative government would look like, she said after the book launch at The Annexe Gallery. She explained that readers would be able to relate to the compiled columns from 2008 to 2012 in her book as it touches on everyday issues like water. The book also takes a harder look into policies that have been executed by both the Penang and Selangor government in the past four years.

By looking into the policies, I hope this book will form a road map for other states to follow and to take up some of them, said Yeoh. There to launch the book and show support was Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim who urged Malaysians to read the book. Joining him was Bukit Bendera member of parliament Liew Chin Tong, Seri Setia assemblyperson Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Institute of Southeast Asia Studies, Singapore deputy director Dr Ooi Kee Beng. All three were there to conduct a forum and answer questions from the floor about reforms and decentralisation. Dr Ooi also wrote the foreword for the book, along with Lembah Pantai member of Parliament Nurul Izzah Anwar. States of Reform: Governing Selangor and Penang which is published by Genta Media is now available in stores and is priced at RM28.

Laugh for Charity

Comedy: June 17 (8.30pm); Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, KL; 03-40479000; www. klpac.org; RM100. The show is to raise fund for two NGOs Pink Ribbon which is about cancer awareness and the recovery after that and Mobility, develops transportation for people on wheel chair to go anywhere within the Klang Valley for just RM5 only. The show is organised by the Rotary Club of Bangsar with the support Bolehman Comedy Theatre, of KLPAC, Comedy Court, Comedian Zak and Ras Adiba Radzi who have generously come in to support this cause. The Rotary Club of Bangsar plans to raise RM 100,000.00 from this and all profits will be shared equally with the two mentioned organisations.

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