community March 18 — 20, 2011/ issue 16

Greater transparency with FOI bill

From communities to ghettos

p 4 p 12-13

mrt project: residents disappointed

p 8

• Turn To page 6

By Gan Pei Ling

suBang jaYa: There are films, literature and even songs dedicated to the old saying of “dog eat dog”, but in an innovative swoop by a local municipal coun-cil, the “dog” will soon be replaced by a mosquito.

In a pilot project to be under-taken soon between the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ), Uni-versiti Sains Malaysia and CIMB Bank Bhd, mosquito larvae will soon be used to combat dengue.

The larvae of the Toxorchynchites Mosquitoe, which preys on other species of mosquito larvae, will soon be employed to reduce the dengue threat. 

The pilot project to release the “mosquito eater” to reduce Aedes mosquitoes is being carried out by the MPSJ. 

A Toxorhynchites larvae can eat up to 158 to 400 Aedes larvae during its lifetime, said  USM

representatives during a briefing with  MPSJ officials on March 11. 

Unlike other mosquitoes, adult Toxorhynchites mosquitoes do not

feed on human blood but nectar.The local council is working to-

gether with the university on a pilot project to release Toxorhynchites mosquitoes at an abandoned area in USJ 1 to see if it can reduce the population of Aedes mosquitoes effectively.

Asked whether the release of the mosquitoes would disturb ecosystems, USM science officer Adanan Che Rus said it would not as Toxorhynchites mosquitoes is a natural specie.

This project between MPSJ and

USM, which cost RM60,000, is fully sponsored by CIMB Bank.

If the trial is successful, the local council plans to apply the method to other areas within its municipality.

However, Adanan also pointed out that Toxorhynchites mosquitoes can only thrive in areas with vegeta-tion, so the method cannot be used in flats and apartments.

“This is only one of the tools to help curb the spread of dengue,” said Adanan.

He said they will begin the trial

this month by monitoring the Aedes mosquito population at the aban-doned area in USJ 1.

Later, they will release around 600 Toxorhynchites mosquitoes in the area, with 100 males and 100 females in each batch.

The entire trial will take around six months to complete.

Adanan, who visited Subang Jaya in January to identify suitable loca-tions to conduct the trial, said the area in USJ 1 was chosen because it

MPSJ to unleash “mosquito eater”

reaDY To HIT THe SKIeS: Workers preparing to launch a hot

air baloon in the shape of “Star Wars” character Darth Vader

during the putrajaya International Hot air Ballon Fiesta yesterday.

– Picture by Victor Chong

2 March 18 — 20, 2011

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phone (603) 5523 2288fax (603) 5523 1188

email editor@selangortimes.com

EDITORIALCHIEF EDITOR KL Chan

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

Foo, Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin, Alvin Yap, Gho Chee YuanCOPY EDITORS Nick Choo, James Ang

DESIGNERS Jimmy C. S. Lim, Chin Man YenPHOTOGRAPHER Victor Chong

ADVERTISING Timothy Loh, Ivan LooiADVISORS Faekah Husin, Arfa’eza Abdul Aziz

Pillars of one of the buildings in Taman Jasmine visibly eroding.

Morning

Friday Saturday Sunday

afternoon

night

Selangor WeaTHer

Source: Malaysian meteorological department

By Alvin Yap

PETALING JAYA: A movement to convince Petaling Jaya residents to grow their own organic produce and to enjoy the fruits of their labour is slowly gaining popularity, thanks to the support of the city council here.

“The movement to grow our own high quality vegetables without chemicals is moving slowly but surely,” said Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) planning and development director Norani Roslan.

Norani said among the benefits of going green is waste reduction at home, as it is recycled for growing organic produce.

She said the MBPJ would promote greater awareness of going green by holding an Organic Day on March 26 at SS2/63 with Centre for Environment, Technology and Development, Malaysia (Cetdem).

Cetdem is a non-government organisation that champions sustainable development and “environmental friendly” practices like organic farming and energy conservation.

“We will conduct classes on recycling waste products, like turning cooking oil into bio-diesel and kitchen waste into compost. We will also hold cooking classes on the preparation of organic produce,” said Cetdem programme coordinator Tan Siew Luang.

Tan, who is promoting Organic Day, said they were encouraging the production of locally grown organic products as the country was losing out to imported ingredients.

The movement has the support of residents’ associations (RAs) in Petaling Jaya.

Betty Chuah and Lee Kwee Cheng, of RA SS2 South and RT SS2 respectively, said housewives in their areas had started organic farming on their premises.

“They all tell me their papayas are sweeter, the fruits bigger and say that they enjoy eating their own produce,” said Lee.

Councillor Richard Yeoh said the practice of locally growing produce was a step in the right direction to reduce climate change.

“Transporting food across the world is contributing to climate change. If we can spread the practice of growing produce in our own backyards, it will make this world a better place,” he said.

Green thumbs and good food

Selangor offers nursing aid to Japan

SHAH ALAM: Selangor Menteri Besar led a delegation to convey the state’s condolences to the Japan Embassy over the loss of lives and properties following the earthquake and tsunami disasters following the devastating tsunami which hit the country last Friday.

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim was received by the embassy’s deputy chef-de-mis-sion, Koichi Ito on Monday. In the meeting, Khalid told Koichi that the state and its people will continue to pray for the Japan to overcome the hardship that the country is facing.

He also offered to send nurses’ ser-vices to treat the victims of earthquake and tsunami during the rehabilitation period, adding that the state’s Selangor International Islamic College (KUIS) nursing school will have the capacity to provide aid.

He said the state will not hesitate to finance the dispatch of nurses to help Japanese patients.  

“This may not be much, but we are

willing to provide help within our ca-pacity. We continue to pray for the people of Japan and for the country’s speedy recovery. We believe Japan will be able to recover quickly as they have in the past,” said Khalid.

He also extended the condolences from Dewan Rakyat opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who is also the state economic adviser.

Meanwhile, Koichi said Japan thanked Selangor and Malaysia for their thoughts, prayers and offers to help.

“Their voice of concern is valuable to us.  We are confident of overcoming this disaster. The Japanese government highly appreciates the solidarity shown by the Selangor government and the

people of Malaysia,” he said.Koichi said he would refer Selan-

gor’s offer of help to his government in Tokyo.

Khalid was accompanied by Selan-gor Exco members Elizabeth Wong, Rodziah Ismail and Ronnie Liu, as well as Pakatan Rakyat members of Parlia-ment, including Datuk Kamarul Baha-rin Abbas (Teluk Kemang), Tian Chua (Batu), Nurul Izzah Anwar (Lembah Pantai), Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, (Kuala Selangor) Loh Gwo Burne (Kelana Jaya), William Leong (Selayang), Aziz Kadir (Ketereh), Amran Ghani (Tanah Merah) and Rashid Din (Merbok), and KUIS’ Dean of the Nursing School, Dayang Annie Abang Naru-din.

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Contact Timothy Loh at 019-267 4488or Ivan Looi at 014-936 6698

By Gan Pei Ling

PORT KLANG: As if floods, stench and robberies were not bad enough, occupants of shoplots in Taman Jasmine are now concerned about the safety of their building.

Owners and tenants of two blocks of four-storey shoplots want the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) to act after noticing that the pillars of the building looked like they were “eroding”.

MPK councillor Yeo Boon Lye, who met the owners on Wednesday, said he would ask the municipality to appoint consultants to determine if the building was safe.

The owners also lamented that they had to put up with calamity after calam-ity for far too long.

Grocery shopowner Liaw Kim Huat told the press that they had been facing problems of bursting sewage pipes for the past three to four years.

“We have complained to (sewerage company) Indah Water (Konsortium) several times. They would come to fix it, but the pipes would burst again,” said the 53-year-old.

Apart from having to endure the strong stink due to leaked sewage, Liaw said his grocery shop had also been robbed three times in the past five years.

Fed up with calamity

Shopowners also have to put up with frequent floods.

“This area can be flooded within 30 minutes of rain,” said Liaw, who has increased the height of the barrier in front of his front door to about a metre to fend off floods.

The problems have caused many shopowners to move away, causing a sharp fall in property prices.

Liaw said he bought his ground floor unit for RM185,000 but he could not sell it for RM100,000 now.

Koo Soo Wah, 32, who has been working as a mechanical technician in Taman Jasmine for close to10 years, said the site had also become a breeding spot for mosquitoes due to the clogged drains and leaked sewage.

Another landlord, Lim Poh Heong, 42, said he had lodged complaints with the local council’s Commissioner of

Buildings since 2004, hoping they could help address their woes but to no avail.

Yeo acknowledged that he had re-ceived complaints from the residents. He visited the site with officers from the Public Works Department ( JKR), In-dah Water Konsortium, Alam Flora and three other local council departments.

After a preliminary survey of the site, JKR Klang engineer Ashrul Nizam said the structure of the shop houses did “seem weak”.

However, he added that a more de-tailed evaluation would have to be conducted to determine the next course of action.

He said the matter fell under the local council’s jurisdiction. 

Meanwhile, Yeo suggested the land-lords form a management council to take charge of management affairs as the developer was bankrupt.

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ March 18 – 20, 2011 ⁄ 3

4 march 18 — 20, 2011

news

EvEntsTalk on 2D/3D animation

The Malaysian Institute of Art will hold a talk on animation on March 23, from 3-4pm at its campus in Taman Melawati, KL. The talk, titled Creative Process Involved in 2D/3D Animation, will be presented by Helena Serafin, the principal lecturer in Creative Visualisation from Teesside University. The talk is open to the public. Admission is free. For registration, contact 03-2163 2337 or email mia.ems@gmail.com.

T4YP auditions at KLPac

The KL Performing Arts Centre’s Theatre for Young People (T4YP) programme, which was launched three years ago, is back. KLPac will hold auditions on March 27 for young people between the ages of 16 and 25 to be part of the T4YP ensemble for Season 2011, which runs from April to September.

The season will feature three main stage productions in Pentas 2, and a two-week season of experimental theatre in the Indicine.

Compulsory weekly rehearsals are conducted on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights as well as on Saturday afternoons. For more details, go to www.klpac.org.

Buddhism course

The Subang Jaya Buddhist Association is conducting an introduction to Buddhism course every Friday from 8.30-10pm at the temple at Lot 12593, Jalan Kewajipan SS 13, Subang Jaya. The course will run for nine consecutive weeks. The course started on Feb 25 and will end on April 22. For details, contact Lily at 03-56348181.

Youth baking classes

The House of Bread offers baking courses for youths who seek skills training. The training also includes Moral and English classes. For details, call 016-3178778 or 016-3435478.

Bonsai class

Create your own bonsai masterpiece by attending the Malaysia Bonsai and Suiseki Society’s series of Sunday workshops at the society’s clubhouse at 95, Jalan Rukun 5, Taman Gembira (Happy Garden), Kuala Lumpur. Lessons will be conducted by experienced bonsai masters at 10am every Sunday for eight weeks. Call Ms Lim at 012-6140379 for registration.

School holiday workshop

The Department of Extra-Mural Studies of the Malaysian Institute of Arts (MIA) will be holding a series of workshops during the school holidays. They are Creative Designer Animal Plush Sewing Workshop (March 19), Batik Workshop for Beginners (March 20-April 10), and Bead Jewellery Workshop (March 26).

The workshops will be held at the MIA Art Centre on Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur (near KLCC).

More workshops such as Art Clay Silver Workshop, Shibori Tie and Dye Workshop, and Acoustic Guitar Workshop will be offered soon. For registration, contact MIA Art Centre at 03-21632337 or email mia.ems@gmail.com or log on to MIA’s website at www.mia.edu.my.

Korean food fair

A Korean food fair will be held at Sungei Wang Lower Ground Main Stage from today until Sunday. The event, organised by KMT Trading Sdn Bhd and the Street Cafe, also features the “On Fire Ramen Challenge”, where shoppers compete to be the first to finish hot and spicy Korean ramen noodles. The contest will be held tomorrow, on Sunday, and March 20 at 5pm.

Greater transparency with FOI billBy Gan Pei Ling SHAH ALAM: Red tape will no longer be an excuse to refuse the public’s right to information if amendments to Selangor’s Freedom of Information (FOI) bill are accepted.

Under the amendments, civil serv-ants in Selangor can no longer get away with refusing to provide information.

“The public can expect better trans-parency and efficiency in the civil ser-vice … We also expect to receive tremen-dous requests for information espe-cially at the local councils and land of-fices,” Saari Sungib (pix) told Selangor Times.

The chairperson of the  select com-mittee set up by Selangor’s legislature to examine the FOI bill said the amend-ments will be debated by lawmakers on March 28.

The Hulu Kelang assemblyperson said he is not allowed to divulge details of the amendments before the select committee tables them at the state as-sembly.

However, Saari assured the public that recommendations made by the select committee aim to make the FOI bill as “people friendly” as possible.

“The first draft has been [heavily] criticised as it creates many barriers for the public to obtain information,” said Saari.

For instance, the public had to give a reason for requesting for information. In addition, they faced a potential pen-alty of up to RM50,000 or five-year jail term or both, if they were found to have used the information for reason(s) otherwise provided.

If nobody responded to their re-quest for information within 30 days, their application would simply be

deemed rejected.“Information is not a monopoly of

the government. The government is elected by the people and is running the state using the people’s money … the public has the right to know,” said Saari.

He added that the right to informa-tion is a fundamental human right that governments should respect and up-hold.

During the select committee’s public consultations last year, civil societies pointed out that the public should not need to provide any reason to seek in-formation from government bodies.

The media was also allowed to attend public consultation sessions.

It has been reported that apart from state departments, local councils and government-linked companies should be included under the jurisdiction of the bill.

The select committee collected feed-back not just from law experts, but from human rights groups, business associations and religious groups as well.

The select committee also had a dia-logue with civil servants, whose coop-eration is crucial in implementing the bill effectively.

When asked how the state plans to change the public service’s widespread culture of secrecy even if the FOI bill was passed, Saari acknowledged that enforcement would take time.

“During the Selcat (Select Commit-tee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency) hearings, public servants were not used to being scrutinised ... [But once they accept and get used to it], we believe with better flow of infor-mation, it will reduce red tape and make their work smoother,” said Saari.

He added that the state would need to train information officers to handle the requests for information.

He estimated that it would take six months to a year for the state to enforce the bill.

“We hope the bill can be passed in the upcoming sitting,” said Saari.

The select committee will table its recommendations to the state legisla-ture during the sitting, which will be held from March 28 to April 5.

Apart from Saari, the six members in the select committee are Hannah Yeoh (Subang Jaya), Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Seri Setia), Amirudin Shari (Batu Caves), Dr Yunus Ahmad Hairi (Sija-ngkang), Dr Karim Mansor (Tanjung Sepat) and Shukor Idrus (Kuang).

Selangor made history when it be-came the first state to table the FOI bill in July 2010.

Already, close to half of the countries worldwide, including Asian countries like Indonesia, Thailand and India, have FOI laws to protect the public’s right to access information held by government bodies.

SHAH ALAM: Selangor state ex-ecutive councillor for tourism, consum-erism and environment Elizabeth Wong has joined the chorus of leaders who are asking the federal government to reconsider plans to build a nuclear power plant following nuclear blasts in Japan.

“Within the last 24 hours, govern-ments as diverse as Germany, Switzer-land and the Philippines have suspend-ed or reversed their nuclear plans. Tai-wan has announced that it is reviewing all of its plants in light of the Japan disaster,” said Wong on Tuesday.

Green Technolog y, Energ y and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin said on Monday that the government would not rush into building nuclear plants in the country until all safety aspects and public feedback were con-sidered.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin was also reported on Tues-

day to be noncommittal when asked whether Ma-laysia intended to pro-ceed with its plans to build a nuclear plant.

Instead, he said, the local agencies knew what they were do-ing and would do their best to ensure public safety.

“Muhyiddin’s stance is not science- and fact-based policymaking. Approval should not precede assessment,” said Wong.

“At this rate, are we going to have two nuclear plants constructed before safety assessment has even been completed?” she asked.

Wong urged the federal authorities to suspend approval for nuclear power until a transparent, independent and credible assessment and consultation process was completed.

“The consideration of nuclear pow-er must be done alongside assessment

Wong: Don’t proceed with nuclear plant

Graphic source: sxc.hu

of our increasing capacities in the field of renewable energy.

“Malaysia is set to become the world’s number three producer of solar cells, while we have zero production capacity for nuclear.

“The federal government must start incorporating logic into its energy-planning policies,” said Wong.

5march 18 — 20, 2011

news

By Alvin Yap

Subang jaya: Local councillors must not be denied full impact assessment reports on traffic and infrastructure in order for them to determine if develop-ment projects are feasible.

“There must be no more summarising of assessment reports,” said lawyer Gobind Singh Deo.

The Puchong Member of Parlianent was responding to protests by residents against Subang Jaya Municipal Council’s (MPSJ) approval to convert a 0.35-hec-tare piece of land belonging to TM Fa-cilities into a commercial lot.

In this case, local councillors were not furnished with complete information before approving the project. He pointed out that they were given a summarised report at the end of 2008, which was too late for them to properly vet the project.

“Short of being misled into approving the project, they didn’t have enough time and information to make a decision,” said Gobind.

He said the state government should

stop the “practice” of councillors being given “highly summarised” assessment reports.

“I call on Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to intervene in such cases where decisions were made without full reports,” he added.

Gobind is representing the disgruntled residents in USJ 6, who are concerned about increased traffic if the nine-storey commercial lot is built.

A traffic impact assessment (TIA) study carried out in 2008 by consultants hired by developer Pujannga Budiman, who is partnering with TM facilities, said the area around USJ 6 was “already expe-riencing severe traffic jams”.

It further reported that traffic would “come to a standstill” in the future if the commercial lot was built.

“The study suggests that presently, traf-fic the jams are bad enough in USJ 6. How can MPSJ give its approval for the com-mercial lot to be built?” asked Gobind.

A traffic consultant who carried out the study told Gobind at the appeal hearing on March 4 that a Mass Rapid Transpor-

tation system would “hopefully” mitigate the traffic situation after the commercial lot was built.

MPSJ rejected the applications to convert the land for development at its full board meetings in November 2005 and February 2006.

The council later gave conditional ap-proval to the project in 2008 but revoked its order in 2009.

It subsequently reversed that order, a decision that was not endorsed by the State Planning Committee (SPC) last year.

The case is still before the state appeal’s board.

Subang Jaya assemblyperson Hannah Yeoh, who was at the press conference, pointed out that the municipality  was overdeveloped.

She said two major roads – Jalan Ke-wajipan and Jalan Tujuan – were experi-encing traffic jams during peak hours in the mornings and evenings.

Ad hoc planning without taking into account traffic congestion will result in the need to build a “mess” of flyovers, ramps and highways, she said.

Councillors call for full reports

Gobind

Factory owners want compensationrawang: Owners of small factories and businesses which will be relocated to make way for a highway here want the Public Works Department ( JKR) to compen-sate them.

Forty owners held a protest while JKR officers and contractors came to inspect the site on Tuesday.

While acknowledging they only held Temporary Occupation Licences for the land, the owners main-tained they should be entitled to some compensation.

CW Swee, whose car workshop is among the busi-nesses affected, said JKR should take into consideration they had invested a lot of capital on their buildings and contributed to the infrastructure of the area.

“We don’t object to the development, we just want to be compensated fairly,” said Swee.

He added that their premises were worth more than RM7mil.

JKR rejected their request for compensation at a meeting last week.

The owners were shocked when they first received the eviction notice early this year, asking them to vacate the land within two weeks.

They were told to make way for a 1.6km elevated highway connecting the Rawang toll station to Bandar Baru Rawang to ease traffic congestion in town.

The owners had requested an extension due to the short notice, and authorities agreed to extend the dead-line to March 15.

However, only a few factories have moved. The rest are unwilling to vacate the land until they receive com-pensation.

Rawang assemblyperson Gan Pei Nei has been as-sisting the owners to look for a suitable site to be relo-cated. After negotiations with the district office and Selayang Municipal Council, it was decided that the factories would be relocated to Bandar Puteri.

Hannah

6 March 18 — 20, 2011

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School land turns into stinking dumpsite

By Chong Loo Wah

CHERAS: A primary school reserve land in Pandan Perdana has been turned into a stinking illegal dumpsite, posing health problems to residents.

The local council did not clear up the debris after demolishing a golf driving range and restaurant at the reserve land last November. As a result, the site has been treated as a garbage dump by irresponsible business operators and residents.

“Two to three truckloads of garbage are being dumped at the site daily,” said Pandan Glades Rukun

Tetangga chief Terence Ee.Ee alerted the police and Ampang

Jaya Municipal Council immediately when he caught a lorry dumping waste there last month.

“The local council issued a summons to the lorry driver, but others kept coming back,” said Ee.

Besides construction waste, household and food waste from restaurants was also dumped at the site, attracting rats and insects.

Ee had complained to a MPAJ councillor three weeks ago, after which Alam Flora started clearing the site, but that did not stop the dumping.

Business operator Yong Nan Lee,

45, urged the council to barricade the place after clearing up the site once and for all.

He said the stink was so bad that even closing the office windows did not help.

Wanita MCA Pandan chief Cindy Leong urged the council to address the problem immediately at a press conference on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, MPAJ councillor Che ong Chye Wa h sa id she understood the residents’ woes as she is a resident in the area as well.

She said she would ask the council to clean up and barricade the site as soon as possible.

SUNGAI LONG INDUSTRIES SDN BHDBatu 11 3/4, Jalan Hulu Langat, 43100 Hulu Langat, Selangor Darul EhsanTel : 03-90212400 (Hunting Line)Fax : 03-90212425Website : www.sglong-ind.com

has sufficient vegetation and is not located near residential areas.

Commonly found in forests, Toxorhynchites mosquitoes are much larger than normal mosquitoes, av-eraging 19mm in length. They are also more attractive with blue or green metallic stripes on its body, depending on species.

They usually lay their four to five eggs at a time, white or yellowish in colour, in tree holes, bamboo stumps, and abandoned plastic containers or tyres.

Adanan said Toxorhynchites mos-quitoes adapt more slowly to urban settlements as their eggs are less drought-resistant than those of Aedes mosquitoes.

MPSJ has consulted the Health Ministry, Department of Environ-ment and Institute for Medical Re-search in July 2010 before embark-ing on the trial.

The Health Ministry had advised the local council to inform the pub-lic about the project and any com-plications that may arise from it, while the Department of Environ-ment said it would only be involved if the mosquitoes were “living modified organisms” such as the genetically modified mosquitoes released in forests in Bentong, Pa-hang last December.

Executive councillor for health Dr Xavier Jayakumar was also pre-

sent at the briefing with other MPSJ officers and USM representatives.

Xavier said Selangor has the highest recorded dengue cases in the country, and the state is working hard to curb its spread.

Last year, 35.4% of the cases (16,367 out of 46,171) occurred in the state, with 45 deaths. It was a drop from 45% (18,676 out of 41,486) of total recorded cases, with 48 deaths, in 2009.

As of March 5 this year, Selangor has recorded 1,439 dengue cases, with one death, according to the Health Ministry’s latest press state-ment.

Biological war on mosquitoes• From page one

Toxorhynchites larvae

(From right) ee, Leong, Yong and residents at the illegal dumpsite.

7March 18 — 20, 2011

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For some, the waiting continuesHULU SELANGOR: Despite pending land applications for more than 40 years, the wait is still not over for some residents of Ulu Yam Baru New Village.

“There are more than 30 applications from this village, but they mostly come from third-party applicants, and not the house owners themselves,” said state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah.

He said under a new ruling, once an application is received, checks have to be done on the land to identify the residents.

Admitting that this problem affected many new villages, he said Ulu Yam Baru recorded the highest number of application irregularities in Selangor.

He said previously, there had been cases where some of the residents were denied land titles due to deception which resulted in third parties receiving

the titles.“After checking the 30 applications,

we found only three of them had houses built and the others were empty land,” he said.

The empty lands would not be given to any applicant, but instead would be gazetted by the state as government re-serve land.

As some of the applicants have died, he said the state would ensure that the land was given to their children after checks had been made.

He said the costs of land titles would depend on the leasehold.

Ulu Yam Baru village head Lai Swu Chong said the state had given out more than 20 titles to residents for the past three years.

“Out of 650 houses in the village, there are still about 50 applications which are still being processed,” he said.

Villagers get land titles after 40-year waitBy Basil Foo

HULU SELANGOR: Residents of Rasa New Village, who have been living here for over 40 years, have finally received their land titles.

“We have been living in our home for three generations since our grandfather’s time, but only now did we receive the 5A form,” said resident Liow Mei Yan.

The 44-year-old said they applied for the title three times before receiving the form on March 15, which requires them to pay a premium before receiving their title.

She said although she still needed to pay a hefty premium of RM16,000, she was happy because she could finally take ownership of her residence.

Rasa village head Lim Ken Seng said the village

still had more than 80 residents who have not received their titles, with their applications still pending.

“These people have been living here for more than 40 years without receiving replies to their applications but now we are trying to resolve the problem,” said state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah.

Ean Yong, who was at the village to hand out the forms to residents, encouraged them to pay their premiums promptly.

“Once they have paid their premiums, the district officer will hand over the titles,” he said.

He said 13 homes had received forms for the 99-year housing title, and added that the state would check whether the owners in the applications corresponded with the people actually living in the houses before awarding the titles.

Ean Yong (centre in blue) with residents of Rasa New Village holding their land title forms.

Ean Yong (centre in blue) with Lai (second from right) checking on the identities of land title applicants.

8 march 18 — 20, 2011

news

Anti-dengue campaigngets poor response

Residents disappointed By Gan Pei Ling

KAJANG: Close to 1,000 con-cerned residents from Cheras and Kajang returned home disappointed from a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) public dialogue last Thursday night.

Residents expected to get more detailed information about the MRT project, but representatives from MRT project delivery partner Gamuda-MMC and project owner Prasarana did not turn up.

Kajang assemblyperson Lee Kim Sin said a general manager from Gamuda had promised to come to respond to the people’s queries but cancelled at the last minute.

Not wanting to disappoint, Lee and Kajang councillor P Narayanan presented the limited information they had received from the authori-ties and attended to concerns raised.

Most of the public stayed to lis-ten to their briefing, but almost half of the crowd left after the first dia-logue ended.

Residents raised their concern about land acquisition and traffic congestion during construction. Many also lamented a lack of de-tailed and accurate information on how the MRT would affect them.

“I went to the local council to get more information during lunchtime a week ago, but the officer in charge

KAJANG: Apprehension at the possibility of losing their homes to the Mass Rapid Tran-sit (MRT) project is growing among residents in the municipality.

Homeowners with properties along Batu 9 and Batu 10 Cheras as well as Kampung Sungai Balak, who are most at risk of land acquisition, expressed their fears at the town hall meeting last Thursday. 

“They’ve already taken some of our land for the Cheras-Kajang [Expressway], now they want to take our homes too,” lamented a civil servant who declined to be named.

The 55-year-old, a long-time resident of Ta-

man Sri Raya, said he had been looking forward to retiring in peace after having completed his home-loan repayments a few years ago.

“Now I’ll probably have to buy a new house [and service a loan] again,” he said.

Other residential areas in Batu 9 Cheras likely to be affected by land acquisition in-clude Taman Suntex and Kampung Sungai Raya.

Further down the proposed MRT line, owners of Malay reserve land in  Kampung Sungai Balak Balak may have their land taken away for the third time in a decade.

The villagers had to give up some of their

land for the Cheras-Kajang Expressway in 2000 and the Silk Highway six years later. This time around, it would be for the proposed 25-hectare MRT depot.

Kampung Sungai Sekamat, which is also on Malay reserve land, is likely to be affected by land acquisition for the MRT line as well.

Residential areas aside, 39 shopowners on Jalan Besar in Kajang town have also received preliminary acquisition notices. But they raised their objection with the local council in a meeting on March 1.

They have proposed an alternative route for the MRT line as they said the current

alignment would worsen traffic congestion, affect local businesses, and diminish the his-tory of Kajang town. Many of the shops have been there since before Independence.

Kajang councillor P Narayanan urged resi-dents from these areas to check with the au-thorities for more information on how the MRT line would affect them.

Open tender for construction work on the MRT project is likely to be called next month and land acquisition is expected to take place in May and June.

The government targets to start construc-tion in July and complete it in 2016.

By Chong Loo Wah

serdANG: Municipality offic-ers armed to combat the spread of dengue were left disappointed by the poor public response to their campaign in Sri Kembanagan last Sunday.

The officers, from the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) health and urban services depart-ment, had  arrived early at the playground in Pusat Bandar Putra Permai, but few residents turned up after an hour.

MPSJ health director Dr Roslan Mohamed Hussin said four dengue cases were reported in the area so far this year, and it was the residents themselves who had asked for the

anti-dengue campaign.They had planned to distribute

insecticide to residents besides briefing them on the ways to re-duce the breeding areas for Aedes mosquitoes.

But as it turned out, there were more officers than residents at the event.

The area’s residents’ association head, John Lim, attributed the poor turnout to lack of publicity.

Despite the setback, Roslan said MPSJ was planning a series of anti-dengue programmes, includ-ing distributing dengue-preven-tion information flyers, holding gotong-royong activities, and car-rying out mosquito fogging in the municipality.

Property owners living in fear of land acquisition

John Lim (second from left) pouring anti-dengue solution into a container.

Residents at the dialogue to discuss the MRT project.Inset: Kajang assemblyperson Lee Kim Sin.

wasn’t there,” Rosalind Ng, 64, told Selangor Times.

The MRT public display at seven locations, including the Kajang Municipal Council, is only available during office hours from Feb 14 to May 14.

Ng operates a clinic on Jalan Su-laiman in Kajang town, close to Jalan Besar, where 39 shopowners have

been notified their lands are likely to have to make way for the MRT line.

“My father opened the clinic during Independence time,” said Ng, who wanted to make sure that her clinic would not be affected by the MRT line.

She was given a fright when the officer in charge at the MRT display at the local council confused her

land lot number and wrongly in-formed her that her clinic would be affected.

The officer also told her to at-tend the public dialogue to get more information. Ng said she tried to email her feedback and query to feedback@kvmrt.com.my but had not received any response.

Meanwhile, Kajang assembly-

person Lee Kim Sin said Prasarana or Gamuda-MMC would be hold-ing a briefing on the MRT for all elected representatives in Selangor soon.

He urged residents to send feed-back to his office so that he could collate their input and share it with the state. 

The state assembly is expected to discuss the MRT during its scheduled seating from March 28 to April 5.

Touted to be the new “back-bone” of public transport in Klang Valley, the MRT is part of the fed-eral government’s plan to address declining public transport usage, from 34% in 1985 to 18% in 2009.

Once completed, the MRT is expected to ease traffic congestion on Jalan Cheras and the Grand Saga Highway, according to the detailed environment impact assessment released on Feb 14.

The MRT system will be the third rail network after the Light Rail Transit and monorail. The Sg Buloh-Kajang line is the first of three MRT lines. It has 35 proposed stations along an estimated 51km-long line and is expected to cost more than RM36.6 billion.

The Land Public Transport Commission, a government agency, is supervising the project.

9March 18 — 20, 2011

news

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Friendly bacteria to fix smelly farmsBy Gan Pei Ling

KUALA LANGAT: Effective micro-organisms (EM) are commonly used to clean polluted rivers. Now, Selangor is promoting the use of EM to keep pig farms clean and odourless.

The state has allocated RM500,000 to promote the technology among 128 farmers in Kuala Langat by selling them EM solution and mud balls at cost price.

“It is part of the state’s effort to promote environmentally friendly farm-ing methods,” state executive councillor Yaakob Sapari said on Tuesday after visiting pig farms in Kanchong Laut.

Two of the pioneer farmers who have been employing the Japanese tech-nology say it is more cost-effective and reduces pollution.

“My farm is cleaner and not so smelly any more,” said farmer Chia Boon Seng, 44, who has been rearing pigs for more than 20 years.

Chia was one of five farm-ers selected by the district Veterinary Services Depart-ment to join its programme last year.

He was given one month’s supply of EM solution and mud balls, and was taught to use the technology on his farm, which has around 2,000 pigs.

“Initially I sprayed it ev-ery day, but now I only have to spray [the EM solution] two to three times a week,” said Chia.

EM breaks down harmful micro-organisms and toxins that emit foul odour or spread diseases.

He has also been using mud balls to treat his farm’s waste water before it is re-leased back into the river.

After seeing the positive effects, Chia is now using

EM to feed his pigs. He has found his pigs to be healthier and less susceptible to disease.

Chia added that it was cheaper to use EM rather than antibiotics to fend off diseases.

Lim Chai Huat, 57, also found it more cost-effective than using traditional disin-fectants to keep his farm, which has 1,500 pigs, clean.

Kuala Langat Pig Farmers Association chairperson Chu-wa Leong Kim said they would be working together with the state and Veterinary Services Department to en-courage more farmers to adopt the technology.

Selangor is not the first to employ EM in farms; Penang has been promoting it since 2008.

Yaakob, who is in charge of modernising agricultural practices in the state, said they would promote the technology to other farms that raise chickens, goats and cattle.

Yaakob (second from left) visiting Chia’s farm in Kuala Langat on Tuesday.

SHAH ALAM: Selangor wants Putrajaya to explain why the state is sidelined in the River of Life project to clean up the Klang River.

The project, part of Putrajaya’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), is aimed at cleaning, beautifying and developing the river, which flows through both Kuala Lum-pur and Selangor.

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has written to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to express his disap-pointment over the sidelining of the state and concern about the transparency of the project.

In his letter dated March 15, Khalid pointed out that there had been no substantive developments so far despite high-level meetings chaired by Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Minister Raja Nong Chik.

He also questioned the decision to appoint MRCB-Ekovest as the project development partner, asking if it was via open tender.

Khalid is calling for the financial plan and agreement between Putrajaya and the company to be disclosed, along with how much they will be paid to complete the project.

He also wants to know why Lembaga Urus Air Selangor was not given the responsibility of cleaning up parts of the river that are under Selangor’s jurisdiction.

Khalid said RM2 million should be allocated to all local governments along the river. They include the Shah Alam and Petaling city councils, as well as the Subang and Klang municipalities.

Murky River of Life

10 March 18 — 20, 2011

News

By Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin

AMPANG JAYA: Meeting ratepayers and going on the ground to gauge the conditions of the community is a big prior-ity for three-term councillor with the Ampang Jaya Mu-nicipal Council (MPAJ ) Jafrien Muhammad.

One of the issues he has to deal with is the issuance of li-cences to businesses.

“Sometimes there are busi-nesses situated in inappropri-ate areas and the council has to tear it down, so [also] among my duties is to help the businesses relocate to a suit-able area,” he says.

Jafrien, who is in charge of Zone Two in Ulu Klang , holds frequent dialogues with residents to hear their com-plaints or requests, which he then forwards to MPAJ.

Ratepayers in Ampang Jaya also have a Customers Day, held once a month, when they can come in and air their grouses to MPAJ and contractors such as Alam Flora Sdn Bhd.

“I want to give the best service to the ratepayers and

ensure they have a comfort-able living environment,” Jafrien says.

Jafrien, who has a service centre in Taman Permata, adds that he occasionally has trouble fulfilling his commit-ment to the residents when they do not cooperate with him.

“ S o m e ti m e s I d i r e c t the  complainant  to the rele-vant department in MPAJ which can solve their prob-lems, but instead they go to a different, unrelated depart-ment.

“This will delay the process of solving their problem, and [then] they complain, when in fact it was their uncooperative ways that caused the delay,” he says.

Jafrien finds his job chal-lenging and feels that the most important attribute of a coun-cillor is to be familiar with the residents in order to better grasp their problems.

Jafrien, who is married with one child, still finds time be-tween his commitment to his family, his engineering job, and his duties as a councillor to play football.

Know Your Councillor: Jafrien Muhammad

Residents seek junction upgrade

By Alvin Yap

SHAH ALAM: Residents at a Chinese new village here are asking the Public Works Department ( JKR) to reopen and upgrade a junction on Jalan Pekan Subang for convenience and safety.

Residents and factory owners at Section U6 have to make a U-turn some 500m at the intersection of Jalan 2D and Jalan Sungai Buloh to get back to the town centre at Kam-pung Seri Subang or Shah Alam.

“It’s not the distance, but heavy vehicles have to mount the road shoulders to make the turn,” said village head Chang Chan Man last Friday.

The proposed junction, Chang explained, would ease traffic as it would be in front of the only main road leading into Section U6.

The existing junction was closed six months ago due to “major” up-grade works to the 4.6km stretch of road linking Monterez Golf and Country Club to Kampung Seri Subang town.

The existing road will be widened to double and dual-carriageway lanes in order to smoothen traffic from Sungai Buloh to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang.

The village committee, Chang added, has received 400 signatures to petition the federal and state JKR to reopen and upgrade the junction.

Church, mosque and RA come together for clean-up

By William Tan

PETALING JAYA: Members of the Community Baptist Church PJ, Masjid Aminah binti Abdullah, and  SS2 Selatan Residents Association (RA) joined forces in a gotong-royong last Saturday.

Despite only a week’s notice, between 150 and 200 people gathered on Jalan SS2/6 to clean up their neighbourhood with the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).

“This is a really good activity, a great place to exercise a sense of civic responsibility. I just hope they can keep up the momentum,” said a long-time resident who only to be known as Chua.

The gotong-royong also served as an op-portunity for MBPJ officers and members

of the RA to hear out grouses from the com-munity.

MBPJ depu-ty mayor Puasa Md Taib said it was a change of approach for the city council as it was no longer about the peo-ple coming to them but them having to go to the people.

He also pointed out that the success of any programme depended on the close co-operation between MBPJ and the local

community.“Achieving results is not

that difficult if you choose to be open, patient and very specific whenever possible, especially in working with the MBPJ,” added RA pres-ident Lim Theng Kau.

Lim said even though his team mainly consisted of retirees, they were the best people he could have as they got the job done.

The gotong-royong was part of state’s Zon Bersih initiative, and is held every month in selected areas earmarked for a clean-up.

Sections of the road project are being built by Seri Siantan, which won the bid from JKR last year.

Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah, resi-dents and village committee mem-bers later met the company’s road engineer, Mohd Yusmadi Yusof.

Yusmadi said engineers had to consider widening the road to three lanes if the junction opposite Jalan 2D is to be built.

This includes the proposed dou-ble lanes, plus a lane for traffic to make the turn onto Jalan 2D.

However, he said precise calcula-tions had to be made as buildings were located beyond the existing road shoulders.

A traffic light might also have to be built at the proposed junction, Yusmadi added.

Engineer Mohd Yusmadi Yusof (second from right) showing the road project to Sivarasa (second from left) and residents.

Residents pointing to yellow barriers that they want reopened and upgraded into a proper junction.

The gotong-royong in progress.

Puasa Md Taib, deputy mayor of PJ.

SS2 Selatan RA president Lim Theng Kau.

11March 18 — 20, 2011

Views

W hen I first heard of Broga, I thought it was in Spain or Latin America. It didn’t sound local to my ear. Located

on the border of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, it is believed that Broga earned its name from Buragas, a mystical beast that lives in the forest.

I only knew of Broga when I returned from New Zealand in 2008. I had just started work with an environmental organisation, and came across the story of the Broga community oppos-ing the incinerator project. Later I had the op-portunity to meet and work with Ong Ju Lin, who had filmed Alice Lives Here, a documen-

Tripping Zero 3 Sharyn Shufiyan

Making use of the great outdoors

sharyn shufiyan works with an organisa-tion working to promote environmental and social sustainability. sometimes you can find her sitting in a coffee shop with her nose plastered to a book.

nearby towns of Semenyih and Ka-jang.

Fun activities aside, campsites such as Outbac teach our children and youths essential values such as teamwork, and build mental and physical endurance. Spending time

outdoors a lso gives us a mo-ment to appreci-ate the gift of nature we too easily neglect.

E x p o s i n g children to their n a t u r a l s u r -roundings at an early age would

heighten their appreciation towards nature, and this is important to en-sure that the environment continues to be protected and conserved for our children’s future.

Perhaps I am just jaded with a

world obsessed with technology, and living in a society where self-worth is measured by material gain, that an initiative such as Outbac is – figuratively and literally – a breath of fresh air. It is only when we make use of our natural environment that we start to appreciate its value and take ownership of our inheritance.For more information on Outbac Broga, visit http://www.outbacma-laysia.com.

Outbac also hosted an open day for the public to use their facilities for free. They had visitors from the nearby towns of Semenyih and Kajang. Fun activities aside, campsites such as Outbac teach our children and youths essential values such as teamwork, and build mental and physical endurance. ”

tary on the issue which won Best Film at the 2005 Freedom Film Festival.

Broga is famed for the hike up Bukit Lalang. Less than an hour away from Kuala Lumpur, it is a convenient location for a day’s re-treat, and the hike is friendly enough for people of various fitness levels.

But there is another aspect of Broga that caught my attention. Recently, a colleague of mine shared stories of facilitating a children’s camp at an adventure site called Outbac Broga.

With two girlfriends on tow, I paid Outbac a visit one Saturday afternoon.

“Outbac started eight years ago as a community service. When it first started, it only had a field and public toilets. As it progressed and became popular, more facilities were added,” explained Dr Yap, who man-ages Outbac.

Previously a lecturer in Singa-pore, Yap came back to Malaysia after six years to contribute to the community.

Outbac’s main target market is young people, from primary school-children to college students. During a brief walkabout of the campsite, we saw groups of college students laughing and shouting words of encourag ement as they went through the obstacle courses.

The courses looked like a whole lot of fun – from flying-fox, water and rope obstacles and a 15m climb-ing wall, to the Leap of Faith, a tra-peze-like challenge 7m high up in a tree – but I bet it takes a lot of courage and determination to com-plete some of these tasks.

“The instructor is very friendly and the activities are exciting. They are mentally and physically chal-lenging, so it’s good training,” said Juliana Rosli, project leader from Orange International College, amidst excited screams as a team member missed the trapeze bar and dangled in mid-air.

Another group of students was from the Inti College Business Club. Sandra, from the organising com-mittee, explained that the trip was to improve the relationships among some of the club members who were new.

“It’s good for young people to come together. We learn about teamwork as we help each other to go through the obstacles,” she said.

Outbac is also committed to the environment and the community. Last year, the campsite host-ed a clean-up day at Bukit La-lang with 160 volunteers and collected 100kg worth of rub-bish.

“We need to do this since it’s our responsibil-ity as we bring people up there. We plan to do it again this year,” Yap said.

Outbac also hosted an open day for the public to use their facilities for free. They had visitors from the

Whole lot of fun in the water and rope obstacles.

A friend enjoying the serenity.15m wall climbing: Takes a lot of courage and determination.

12 MARCH 18 — 20, 2011InsIght

FROM COMMUNITIES TO GHETTOSBy Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin

The Setinggan Sifar policy was introduced by the previous administration in Selangor in 2001, by then Menteri Besar of Selangor Datuk Dr Khir Toyo.

The policy targeted “zero” squatters by 2005.Khir, who shared his vision on March 1, 2000, intended

to create quality housing for the citizens with his motto “One family one house, perfect family comes from perfect homes.”

According to the Malaysian census conducted in 2000, the population was estimated at 23.27 million people.

This was an increase of 2.6% compared with the result of the census conducted in 1991, which showed 18.38 million people. This was an increase of 4.9 million people in 10 years.

Findings revealed that the population in urban areas increased from 50.7% in 1991 to 62% in 2000.

As such, housing in urban areas became not only scarce but expensive, and as a result, squatter areas become more rampant.

Squatting is defined as an activity of settlement or building on land that does not belong to the individual, such as government land, reserved land, government agency land, communal land, and private land.

Several problems have been identified with land squatting, including congested living areas, the rise of social depravity, poverty, depreciation in the quality of environmental aesthetics, and inadequate infrastructure, not only in the squatter area but surrounding the settlement as well.

Under the previous administration, housing executive councillor Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Ahmad Dahlan initiated an action plan and created the Zero Squatter in Selangor Action Plan 2005, which was approved by the State Meeting Council on March 1, 2000.

This action plan was prepared with the philoso-phy of human capital development. It was an action framework for each agency or party involved in solving the squatter problem through the building of low-cost houses in Selangor for a period of five years from February 2000 until December 2004.

It was hoped that this framework would help achieve the goal of solving the squatter problems in Selangor by 2005.

Siti Aishah Ahmad (pix), hails from Kedah. In the early 1980s, she moved to Sunway to join her husband, who was then working at the Sharp factory.

The 46-year-old, who is blessed with eight children and two grandchildren, said the family was relocated to Kota Damansara nine years ago. They have been staying at Block B since the launch of the flats.

Unlike other families, they have opted to stay put, because, as Siti puts it, the family is trying its best to form a community among the residents there.

“My children’s friends are here, their school is here. We’re okay here,” she said.

She added that her elder sons provide her with a sense of security by accompanying her when she moves around the low-cost flat.

Siti has a teaching certifcate she obtained as a gov-ernment replacement teacher in Kedah. She puts it to good use, as she runs free tuition classes for the youths in the foyer of Block B.

“I’m doing it voluntarily and I bear the expenses solely,” she said, adding that her closest friends and

family members contribute to pay for the teaching materials, exercise books and other monetary requests.

Among the equipment she has bought with her own money is a television set, which she uses to screen educational videos. It is now broken, and she is waiting for donations from her friends to buy another set.

She also teaches some 40 orphans, who were intro-duced by the local religious authorities.

During the school holidays, she runs more classes so that the youth are not “idle” during the long semes-ter breaks. 

She hopes that the state government will fund her tuition programme for the youths in her flats.

“I have been waiting for it, I welcome it,” she said.She has forwarded a request for funds to run her

tuition programme from the state through Kota Da-mansara assemblyperson Dr Nasir Hashim’s office.

“I hope I can get the money soon, as I can and like teaching the youths here,” she said.

By Alvin Yap

Torn from their com-munities and homes, many of the 50,000

families relocated during the Selangor’s Setinggan Sifar or Zero Squatter policy are to-day living in squalour.   

Unlike the Briggs Plan, which successfully reset-

tled 500,000 squatters in New Villages to deny resources to the

communists during the Emergency,

Setinggan Sifar created ghettos by moving the settlers to low-cost flats.

“We’ve creat-ed ghettos. All we did was move them from being ground squatters to an elevated squatter environ-ment,” said exec-utive councillor Iskandar Samad.

In the 1970s there was an in-flux of people who flocked to U l u K e l a n g , Shah Alam and Sungai Way in search of work at the beginning of th e c o untr y ’s manufacturing and industrialisa-tion era. 

Unable to afford housing or find cheaper alternatives, the early workers opened up tracts of land by cutting down trees and building their own roads to establish village communities amidst the urban crawl in the Klang Valley.

But under Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo’s administration, the settlers were regarded as squatters and were forced to move.

From 2001 to 2008, Selangor undertook the controversial step of clearing the urban landscape of squatter villages under the Zero Squatter policy.

The aim of the Zero Squatter policy was to address the environmental and social conditions of living in congested surround-ings, social depravity, and poverty issues.

However, the policy has created the very problems that the previous state government had wanted to “get rid of ”, Iskandar said.

The People’s Housing Project (PPR) flats in Section 8, Kota Damansara is a good ex-ample. Many residents at Block A and B claim to have been victims of petty theft and robberies.

They also admit that the flat they stay in is an eyesore. Equipment and facilities are constantly vandalised or go missing.

Sundari Arumugam, 47, prefers to keep her motorcycle outside her unit on the 12th floor rather than park it in the ground-floor bays. Metal chains bind the bike to the grille and stand pipe.

“I’ve had my motorcycle stolen once be-fore,” she said, adding that other residents have also had their motorcycles stolen or cars broken into.

Downstairs, most of the motorcycles are locked with multiple locks, chains and pad-locks to frustrate would-be thieves.

Worse still, she said, thieves broke into her unit last year when she was out to fetch her son from school. It took the thieves 20 minutes to break both the padlock on the

grille and the pick the lock on the door, Sundari said.

She lost her money, handphone, and jewellery. However, she is more fearful for herself and her children’s physical safety.

Last month, two unidentified youths fol-lowed her son from the ground floor to their unit. They were, she said, part of a gang that was responsible for snatch thefts.

“The women in this flat are hesitant to enter a lift alone if there’s a man in it,” Sundari said, adding that she makes sure her husband accompa-nies her if she needs to take the lift.

The situation has grown so bad that residents think twice about holding wed-ding ceremonies at the flat.

This, Sundari said, was because families have had their units broken into by thieves looking for gold, money and dowry.

“We are easy victims to these gangs,” said Sundari, who moved to Kota Damansara from Kampung Kedondong in Sungai Buloh in 2006.

She said youths have stripped the flat of wiring, broken padlocks, and carted away the fire extinguishers for scrap metal.

In the past, living in a squatter village meant that residents knew who their neigh-bours were. The sense of community was reassuring, she said, adding that people in the squatter village looked out for one an-other and often kept watch on each other’s homes.

“Here, we only care for ourselves,” she lamented.

Similarly, Tan Ah Fatt @ Chua Ah Fatt, 65, said would-be thieves have tried at least

four times to force the grille on the door and window of his unit during the early morning hours.

If not for his daughter who was awake at that time, they might have broken in, he said.

His friends, who live alone, were not so lucky. He has seen them move out over the years because they were victims of multiple break-ins, when they were away at work or on outstation trips.

The thieves, Tan said, would check if residents were at home late at night by knocking on the doors.

“Someone will knock on our doors, and we open it to find no one there but people walking quickly away from our unit,” Tan said, adding that his family had encountered such situations “too many times”.

For this reason, Tan makes sure he does not leave his unit unguarded, but he admit-ted of being more afraid of stepping outside his unit.

“There have been cases of criminals spray-ing pesticide to blind and choke their victims before relieving them of their possessions,” he said.

Tan said telephone cables together with the public telephones on the ground floor have been removed and sold for their copper content.

Residents at the flat had approached Telekom Malaysia to have the cables re-placed, but the utility provider told them to provide a bond for the replacement.

Last year a friend who visited Tan in the evening parked his car in the bay, only to find his window broken and his radio stolen an hour later.

Younger female residents, Tan said, have been harassed by youths staying in the flat.

His youngest daughter, he added, was “groped” by a drunken male on the ground floor one evening three months ago.

Tan, who relocated from Sungai Way in Petaling Jaya, said the flat used to have a guard on duty on the ground floor, but he quit because he had not been paid for six months.

He said the police also “rarely” patrolled the area or the flats. Perpetrators that were caught, he added, would be released some-time later.

Tan claimed the community in Sungai Way had been able to distinguish between strangers and residents.

“If someone in the community there com-mitted a crime, we would know who that person was,” he said.

Similarly, the distrust of strangers has become so bad that a 35-year-old resident who only wanted to be known as Lee gave this interview from one corner of her living room behind her locked grille door.

“Sorry, but this is how one of the residents was held at knifepoint. She was tricked into opening the grille. I don’t trust anyone now,” said Lee.

Lee, who also relocated from Sungai Way in 2006, has had her unit broken into three times last year.

Lee lost her handphones, ang pow, money and CD player, among other things.

She said she did not want to experience another break-in, and rarely goes out these days. The new front-door grille is installed with three stout padlocks for added measure.

The difference between a new village and squatter area, Lee said, is one of space and community.

“In Sungai Way, we had one plot of land for each house,” she said, adding that she knew who her neighbours were.

Zero Squatter policy

Doing her bit for youths

From squatters to settlersFrom 2000 to 2008, under the administration of Menteri Besar Datuk Khir Toyo, Selangor embarked on the controversial policy to clear the state of squat-ters by relocating families to low-cost flats around the state.

When the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition formed the state government, it put an end to the practice, said Housing, Building Management and Squatters executive councillor Iskandar Samad (pix).

In an effort to acknowledge the role squatters have played in opening of new land in the Klang Valley and Selangor in particular, the state chose to recognise them as “settlers”.

The “urban settlers”, Iskandar said, opened up vast tract of lands in the mid 1970s as they migrated into the Klang Valley in search of jobs that were abundant as Selangor industrialised.

“They flocked to Shah Alam, Ulu Kelang, Selay-ang and Sungai Way in search of jobs, and set up their squatters near there,” said Iskandar.

He added that the settlers provided ready and cheap labour to the factories in those areas, contrib-uting to the growth and development of the nation at the beginning of its industrialisation era.

Iskandar, however, said the authorities have not treated the settlers fairly. The relocation under the Zero Squatter policy “threw people out of their homes”. 

The policy, Iskandar said, uprooted a major-ity of Malay families, with Indian and Chi-nese families closely behind.

The authorities re-sorted to using the Emergency Ordinance to clear the settle-ments, which Iskandar said was “ironic” as Chinese new villages were founded during the Communist insurgency with the same legislation that was used to evict the squatters now.

As the previous Barisan Nasional state govern-ment had used a federal law to evict the squatters, the directive still stands, said Iskandar.

He, however, reiterated that the present PR state government “was not in a hurry” to evict the remain-ing 7,000 families that were occupying land and river reserves.

The state government, he said, recognised the social impact of relocating the settlers to temporary or permanent housing consisting of low-cost flats.

Firstly, he said, the low-cost flats – which cur-rently cost RM42,000 – are constructed with low-quality materials resulting in poor workmanship.

This, he explained, “demoralises” the residents as amenities and fixtures are constantly broken.

The youths in the flats, he added, vandalise the building as they do not have recreational facilities and open spaces.

Similarly, he said, residents are frustrated as some of the low-cost flats are situated near sewage treat-ment plants and large power substations.

The flats are also placed some distance away from job centres and public transport, making residents commute further and longer.

“It was a raw deal that the previous state govern-ment struck with the settlers to have them trade their squatter land for low-cost flats,” said Iskandar.

Iskandar said the state was working to remedy the problems.

The state, he explained, was carrying out the “Pangsapuri Kita Bersih, Ceria dan Harmoni” cam-paign by organising community cleaning (gotong-royong) projects.

A RM2mil fund will also pay for the repairs and maintenance of lifts, to repair roofs and repaint the flats.

The Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) has also started a RM5mil fund to repair its 18,000 units of low-cost flats.

More importantly, the state is embarking on a pilot project to provide better-quality housing

for some of the 7,000 squatters in Gombak and Hulu Kelang.

The new housing project, to be developed by PKNS, will sell for RM89,000 on the open market. Squatters, he said, will get to own the homes for

RM42,000.“Low-cost flats units currently have 650sq ft of

space. The pilot project will have 850sq ft of space, with better amenities, parks, playgrounds and open spaces,” Iskandar said. 

Only one lift is working in this block.

Block A of the People’s Housing Project low-cost flats in Section 8, Kota Damansara.

Sundari

Tan

14 march 18 — 20, 2011

views

Lee with officials and participants at the launch of the badminton academy.

Dear Lord Bobo, I have been hearing of the @pusatrakyatlb and @undimalaysia cam-paigns. What are these, pray tell? @ange-

line_tung, via Twitter

It’s like this. A mosque is a place where faithful Muslims congregate. Likewise, a church is where faithful Christians congregate. Pusat Rakyat LoyarBurok, or the LoyarBurok Rakyat Centre (LBRC), is a place where rakyat of any faith congregate in one common belief – that Malaysia is home, and it can be a better place for all.

Lord Bobo has felt the time was right for a physical manifestation of LoyarBurokness on earth and play a larger role in the nation’s drive towards being a civilised society.

Aside from being a base of operations, LBRC hopes to provide space for today’s youth to constructively engage, discuss and educate themselves about political, social and cultural issues, as well as provide a platform and/or catalyst for other beneficial rakyat-oriented initiatives.

If you are a rakyat who wants to see Malaysia as a country governed by core values such as human (and animal as well; let’s not forget them, please) rights, justice, democracy and the rule of law, and if you’re wondering whether there is something you can do, then LBRC is the place for you.

LBRC does not seek to claim that all these goals will be achieved overnight, but it believes in building a stronghold of rakyat who are willing to participate in realising these goals.

It is important to note that LBRC is politically non-partisan, although we love a party, son.

For a start, LBRC will focus on creating awareness of important issues that affect the rakyat through its blawg, training and resource centre.

At the same time, it will launch its first voter education project a.k.a. Undi Malaysia.

Undi Malaysia is a bit like American Idol without the glitz and glamour. And oh, no idols too. And, come to think of it, nothing American either. Er. But the idea is there.

We want to help Malaysia vote for the best election candidate in their respective constituencies through grass-roots voter education activities.

Through this campaign, LoyarBurok intends to de-velop its offline presence in an inimitable, politically and socially relevant, yet rakyat-oriented approach.

Undi Malaysia is a voter education initiative that is de-signed to empower citizens to take ownership of their own country instead of leaving it to the negligence, despotism and corruption of their representatives.

Centre for the rakyat

The goal is to provide information and issues that will assist the rakyat in deciding whom and why they choose someone or which party to represent them.

Crucial to this is to also provide useful information regard-ing the political institutions such as the legislature, the ex-ecutive and the judiciary and their roles and responsibilities.

By empowering them, we hope that citizens will come to understand that demanding accountability and transparency from their representatives is not a privilege or a blessing, but a constitutionally enshrined right that they can and are en-couraged to exercise reasonably and bona fide.

A wise guy by the name of Edmund Burke (not Edmund Bon; don’t misquote) once said: “In order for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing.” LBRC aspires to build an army of rakyat who will do something.

To find out more about what LBRC does, please come to the official launch (codename “Ops Pisang” – People’s Ini-tiatives for Social Activation and New Governance) tomor-row from 3pm to 6pm at 3-4, 4th Floor, Jalan Bangsar Utama 3, Bangsar Utama.

For more details, go to www.loyarburok.com. Come on down. Bring your friends. Bring your enemies.

Become a LoyarBurokker. Touch a LoyarBurokker. There will be fun. Music. Prizes. Chat. You don’t need to be a lawyer to be a LoyarBurokker. See you there.

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

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

By Basil Foo

PUCHONG: A badminton training pro-gramme has been launched for the benefit of less fortunate children by Michael’s Badmin-ton Academy (MBA) in Bandar Puteri Pu-chong on March 16.

“I believe these kids have the talent in badminton and our role here is to work to-wards nurturing it,” said academy director Lee Kok Choong.

The children will be trained at the academy on weekdays following a staggered schedule that takes into account the children’s school commitments.

Costing RM100,000, the programme has enrolled 53 children from seven to 17 years old who will be trained by the academy’s 11 coaches.

“Apart from the training, we will bring them to the Badminton Association of Ma-laysia (BAM) to let them have a feel of how national players train and to meet some of the players,” said Lee.

He said they will also visit the Bukit Jalil Sports School as it is a stepping stone to the national squad as well as other tournaments organised by the BAM.

The MBA-IOI Properties Hope For Change is a 10-month-long badminton programme to provide children from three shelter homes an opportunity to learn and enjoy sports.

The children are from House of Joy in Ta-man Kinrara, Rumah Shalom in Taman Pu-chong Indah, and Rumah Amal Limpahan Kasih in Kampung Sri Aman.

Badminton fun for needy children

SHAH ALAM: Pelangi Damansara flat resi-dents can heave a sigh of relief after their water supply was reconnected by Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) this week.

Residents had their water supply disconnected last Thursday due to a hefty bill amounting to RM199,021.93 was owed by the developer.

The supply was reconnected after four days.Following the disruption, Selangor executive

councillor Elizabeth Wong held a series of dis-cussions with representatives from Syabas, the developer and Surau An-Nuur.

“Members from all parties then went door-to-door to collect payments to settle the out-standing bill,” said Wong in a statement yester-day.

According to the Bukit Lanjan assemblyper-son, the free water coupon programme was also expiated after a discussion with the housing, building management and squatters executive councillor Iskandar Samad.

“The coupon amounting to RM38,577.60 for phase two, which began in January, has al-ready been issued to Syabas,” said Wong.

Meanwhile, she urged the developer to apply for individual water meters as soon as possible so that the issue will not recur.

Pelangi Damansara water woes resolved

“Children from any home tend to be academically weak but are very enthusiastic in extracurricular activities like sports,” said Rumah Shalom representative G. P. Joseph.

He said six children from the home will be taking part in the programme, and he may add more participants depending on their progress.

A 14-year-old Rumah Shalom child, Theeban Anandan, hoped to learn more about badminton through the programme.

“I am new to badminton. My favourite badminton player is Lee Chong Wei,” said the Form One student from SMK Bandar Puchong Jaya B.

Rumah Amal Limpahan Kasih hostel manager Nor Hayati Wan Abib said she

chose participants for the programme based on their interest and health.

“This programme may unearth badmin-ton-playing skills in the children, but unfor-tunately some of them had to be excluded due to asthma and disabilities,” she said.

Faris Faino, 15, from Rumah Amal, said his favourite badminton player was Lin Dan.

 “I enjoy badminton because it strength-ens my muscles and trains me to think quickly,” said the Form Two student from SMK Puchong Utama 1.

 IOI Properties property director Da-tuk David Tan, who was also present at the launch, said the programme allowed the children to have fun while developing a new hobby.

15MARCH 18 — 20, 2011

NEWS

Stickers to beef up neighbourhood security

By Basil Foo

PUCHONG: Villagers from four traditional kampungs under the Subang Jaya Municipality (MPSJ)came together for the first time at a carnival to promote unity last weekend.

“We had a good response with about 3,000 people taking part,” said MPSJ Youth, Sports and Cul-ture assistant director Muhamad Zaki Yusoff.

He said Kampung Kenangan, Kampung Batu 13, Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru and Kampung Tengah were the first to come under their jurisdiction when the municipality was created in 1998.

Villagers of all ages took part in

a variety of events like football, ketupat weaving and cycling.

The  programme started in the morning with an aerobic session and entrepreneur workshop, which in-cluded sewing classes for house-wives, single mothers and the poor.

This was followed by seven-a-side football, gunnysack racing, coconut shaving , coconut tree trunk sawing, coconut bowling and tug-of-war in the evening.

“We even had our own cycling competition around the villages, which we called Le Tua De Kam-pung. The race attracted 52 com-petitors,” he said.

The carnival ended with a poultry hunt, where villagers tried to capture 100 chickens released in a field.

By Basil Foo

KAJANG: The long wait for Cer-tificates of Fitness (CFs) for owners of 10 three-and-a-half-storey shop-lots on Jalan Pasar Baru, Semeny-ih, ended on Monday, March 14.

“The shoplots were completed in 1995 by the developer who didn’t follow the building plan, which was originally set as three-storey buildings,” said Majlis Per-bandaran Kajang (MBKj) council-lor Lee Kee Hiong.

Lee said the developer was asked to resend the building plans and to fulfill their promise of building traffic lights in the area.

However, in the process of meeting MPKj’s demands, the de-veloper faced bankruptcy, leaving the shop owners to run their busi-nesses without CFs for 15 years.

“In the three years since our service began, we asked the shop owners to send their building plans, and after some procedures, MPKj approved the CFs in Janu-ary,” Lee said.

He explained that there were seven projects without CFs in the constituency, due to some of them having structural problems and is-

sues with the developer.He said the council had so far

solved the problems of three pro-jects, including 2,642 units in the Riching housing area, 30 factories in Cheras, and the shoplots on Ja-lan Pasar Baru.

Handing the CFs to shop own-ers, state assemblyperson Ean Yong Hian Wah said there were 14 problematic projects within MP-KJ’s jurisdiction, of which three had been solved.

“These projects include those without CFs, and those aban-doned by the developers after they became bankrupt,” he explained.

He said the state government was flexible in solving problems faced by building owners.

The law requires developers to pay an infrastructure fund to the state government for the construc-tion of additional infrastructure like roads and traffic lights.

Upon the developers’ bank-ruptcy, the responsibility will be taken up by the local councils to pay the infrastructure fund.

“If a company becomes bank-rupt, they are blacklisted, and un-less they pay their debts, they can-not start new projects,” Ean added.

CFs for Semenyih shop owners

Carnival time for traditional villages

Muhamad Zaki said a talk on drug addiction, including the expe-riences of former addicts, was held the night before as part of the programme.  

“These events enable the villagers to get together and know each other better,” said MPSJ councillor Azizan Jamaluddin.

She said the event took two we ek s to org an ise and cost RM11,000.

“Maybe MPSJ can organise more low-budget events,” she said.

Kinrara state assemblyperson Teresa Kok handed over prizes to the winners. “These events should be held more often as they help to promote better ties between villag-ers and councillors,” she said.

Kok giving away a cheque for RM700 to seven-a-side football winners Bulan Penuh. Looking on are Azizan and councillor Norhesni Ismail.

By William Tan

SUBANG JAYA: Car stickers to distinguish friend from foe are being used in some neighbourhoods here in a bid to step up security.

The Vehicle Sticker Plan (VSP), for housing estates in Zone 1, was launched at the Subang  Jaya  Mu-nicipal Council (MPSJ) auditori-um last Saturday (March 12).

“Car stickers are to be given for free to all residents here to enable easy identification of cars that be-long or come from a particular area,” said AB Naicker.

The engineer, who is among the Zone 1 resident committee mem-bers involved in the move, said the VSP covers homes in Taman Wang-sa Baiduri as well as SS12 to SS19.

The  stickers include the street names where the car owners reside, so  that suspicious vehicles that enter the housing estates can be easily spotted by neighbours.

The backs of the stickers will also

include a list of emergency num-bers such as the local police station and nearby hospitals.

Registration for the stickers also means that residents who sign up would automatically join the Sub-ang Jaya Resident Association (SJRA) and receive the MPSJ mes-saging service known as SJAlert.

The residents will also receive an “Infokad” containing emergency

numbers and spaces for an indi-vidual’s personal emergency con-tacts.

Naicker believes that the move will encourage neighbours to rally together for the sake of mutual se-curity. But he added that the VSP is still within the early stages and will require local heads to gather and inform residents to register for the stickers.

Nevertheless, he expects all the stickers to be handed out within two to three months.

However, certain parties have acknowledged that the plan is far from foolproof.

“It is a good initiative, but what is there to stop someone from lend-ing out his sticker or stealing an-other person’s sticker?” said  Ter-ence Thong, a resident from SS17.

He pointed out that people who rent homes are unlikely to return the stickers.

SJRA secretary Tony Loh voiced the same concerns. He also doubts that people would be more obser-vant of suspicious vehicles just be-cause of the stickers.

“The system does have its flaws and a lot of things still need to be worked out,” Loh said.

However, he believes the VSP has its merits, such as bringing new members into the SJRA and allow-ing police to do their job more ef-ficiently.

As of March 12, the plan has cost more than RM 20,000, but it is fully sponsored by the CIMB Community Link foundation.

CIMB has donated RM 50,000 for such community-based pro-jects.

The plan itself comes under the wider-arching programme, Subang Jaya – Towards a Safe Neighbour-hood. 

Naicker Loh

The shop owners with their Certificates of Fitness.

16 March 18 — 20, 2011

news

Volunteer teachers wanted

Bands rock Radio Demokratika launchSHAH ALAM: A soft launch of the Radio Demokratika album was held in conjunction with the 18th edition of monthly flea market and concert Pekan Frinjan on March 5.

“The album has 12 songs by diverse acts, and as music has always been a part of Pekan Frinjan, they opened it up to us,” said Farez Jinnah, who man-aged the album concept.

He said the album was conceived by the constitutional law committee under their MyConstitution campaign, which usually held forums and lectures.

The soft launch was to reach out to the masses, especially youths and the young at heart.

“The whole idea is not to preach a particular ideal, but to let people know

By Basil Foo

SERDANG: More volunteer teachers are needed to teach poor primary and secondary students under a programme by  Persatuan Komuniti Prihatin Selangor (Pri-hatin).

“We have been providing free tuition classes on Saturdays from 2pm to 4pm with three teachers so far,” said Neow Ti Hooi, 25.

The spokesperson from the non-government organisation said they were appealing to the public to contribute to the community.

“It is not necessary for them to be a schoolteacher,” she added.

The tuition classes differ from commercial tuition centres – the first half is devoted to helping stu-dents academically, while the second half comprises activities like arts.

The Saturday classes are divided in two, with Standard One to Three in one class and Standard Four to Six in another.

Neow made the announcement at a press conference with Serdang

Women’s health campaign kicks offKLANG: Selangor’s One Mil-lion Healthy Women campaign kicked off at Pandamaran last Sunday (March 13).

“All 56 constituencies in Sel-angor can register up to 1,000 women each above the age of 35 for free mammograms to check for breast cancer,” said Pandama-ran assemblyperson Ronnie Liu.

Liu said women can register themselves with the state, and transport will be provided for them to clinics and back to their homes once the mammogram is completed. 

“If women were to go to pri-vate clinics, they would normally be charged around RM200, but the state is offering this service for free,” he said.

Costing over RM11 million,

the free mammogram service has yet to begin in all state constitu-encies.

Liu said although breast can-cer can be cured if discovered early, many women are still una-ware of the importance of mam-mograms.

“ This campa ig n is t wo -pronged: one is to create aware-ness, the other is to help some women who may be aware but don’t have the money for the procedure,” he said.

Liu made the announcement during an exercise to give out 1,500 flowers at the morning market on Jalan Papan to mark International Women’s Day.

“We give them flowers to ap-preciate their contributions be-cause they are extraordinary by

Member of Parliament Teo Nie Ch-ing, state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah and Subang Jaya councillor Ng Sze Han. 

“Even without much advertising, the response to this initiative has been overwhelming as currently all classes are full with 25 students,” said Ng.

He said classes were being con-ducted in the community hall, and included Malay, English, Chinese, and Mathematics subjects.

Also present at the press confer-ence was Serdang Educational Welfare and Research Foundation (EWRF) vice-chairperson Kamith-ra Letchume. EWRF volunteers offer free tuition classes on Mondays and Wednesdays.

“The classes started a month ago for students whose parents are un-able to pay tuition fees, especially households with more than three children,” said Kamithra.

She said the foundation carried out a survey with 110 SPM students in Taman Muhibbah 4 last year. They then decided to start giving

tuition for English, Math and Malay since only10 students passed the subjects.

She thanked MPSJ for providing a hall for the classes and giving monthly allowances of RM50 to each volunteer.

“We also have started football

training every Sunday at the hous-ing area in front of SMK Seri Ser-dang in a move to reduce crime rates in the area involving youths,” she said.

“The residents’ committee for Zone 23 sponsored RM5,000 for this training, and we have got coach

Sivam from the Malaysian un-der-17 football team to help us out,” she added.

The foundation will hold guid-ance and counselling sessions for SPM and STPM students at the Seri Kembangan Multipurpose Hall on March 26 from 8am to 5pm.

that it is their right to exercise what-ever it is they feel they have to do,” Farez said.

Another soft launch is planned on March 19 as a run-up to the main launch at Penang’s Fort Cornwallis on April 2.

Featured on the album with their song Let’s Battle It Out With Vesuvius The Great, rock band An Honest Mis-take played several songs at the concert.

“This is a great initiative, and we identify with what they are doing be-cause Malaysian youths should know about what important issues are hap-pening,” said Leonard Chua, 25.

The band’s guitarist, who is also an independent marketer, said youths should learn to judge for themselves what is right and wrong instead of hav-ing people tell them how to think.

Their song featured on the album talks about finding an avenue of hope in the midst of prevalent hopelessness.

Lead singer Darren Teh said with the amount of negativity in society today, he wrote the song based on his experi-ence of finding positivity.

“As a band we want to be part of something bigger than just music be-cause the biggest impact we can make is for everyone to know their rights,” he said.

Local songstress Amirah Ali enter-tained the crowd with her composition Katakanlah, which won in a songwrit-ing competition in the US.

“My genre can best be described as world pop as many traditional instru-ments have been incorporated to try and make traditional music more ap-proachable to the community,” she said.

Accompanied by guitarist Raja Farouk Raja Zaini, keyboardist Grace Cho, and flutist Asrol Affendi, she said events such as this are important as peaceful avenues to get youths engaged and more aware of the constitution.

Her song is featured on the Jom Bangkit album launched by the Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia initiative.

working outside and coming back to take care of their family,” he said.

Running concurrently with this campaign is a state initiative called Layar Rakyat, which be-gan on Feb 19 and will end on March 18 at the Pekan Kapar Klang night market.

“The initiative consists of

tents pitched in the mornings, and night markets in 21 areas in the Klang constituency to pro-mote various state welfare schemes,” Liu said.

The welfare schemes include financial grants to senior citi-zens, students entering institu-tions of higher learning, and young children.

Asrol, Raja Farouk, Cho, and Amirah performing at Dataran Shah Alam last week.

Liu (centre) giving out flowers to women at the Jalan Papan morning market in Pandamaran.

Neow (second from left), Kamithra (fourth from left), Teo (third from right), Ean Yong and Ng at the press conference.

17MARCH 18 — 20, 2011

REVIEW

MINISTER of Energ y, Green Technology and Water Datuk Seri Peter Chin on Monday indicat-ed that Malaysia’s plan to build two nuclear power plants will proceed despite the nuclear emergency and meltdown in Japan.

He suggested that the “government will not do it secretly without informing the public”.

The minister’s response comes two days after what is considered as the worst nuclear emergency involving a nuclear power plant since the Chernobyl disaster 25 years ago.

The tragedy surrounding the March 11 tsunami in Japan also signals a warning about the dangers of nuclear energy. Following the earthquake and tsunami, several Japanese nu-clear power plants are in a state of emergency.

The New York Times reported that partial meltdowns had occurred at two crippled reac-tors and indicated possibilities of a second explosion. Four more reactors are facing seri-ous cooling problems.

Japan declared a nuclear emergency when one reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant Fukushima Daiichi 1, experienced a

partial meltdown and explosion. Fukushima is one of the 25 largest nuclear power stations in the world.

The ongoing crisis at the Fukushima 1, just 150 miles north of Tokyo, suggests that nu-clear plants pose a tremendous risk to the public and environment, even with safety protocols and management expertise de-signed to handle natural disasters.

Japan has had nearly 60 years of experience with nuclear power, yet there has still been a history of accidents. In 1999, there was a major accident at Tokaimura, where a nu-clear fuel-enrichment facility had an out-of-control reaction, leading to radiation leakage affecting hundreds of people and crippling the local agriculture industry.

If a country with as much expertise and experience as Japan can fall foul of nuclear accidents, then Malaysia should not go nu-clear as the risks and costs of failure are too great.

The problem with nuclear power, com-pared to all other sources of electricity, is that if and when things go wrong, the conse-quences are far, far worse.

A problem could occur at a solar power plant that could lead to 200,000 residents having to flee for safety beyond a 10km ra-dius. This is what happened this weekend in Japan as Fukushima went out of control.

In the Fukushima case, ironically, the earthquake knocked out the station’s own electricity supply, leaving the pumps unable to supply coolant to the reactor. The backup diesel generator was also knocked out by the waters of the tsunami.

A nuclear reactor is like a giant pressurised water boiler. It requires vast quantities of water to cool the reactor, which is why nuclear plants are usually next to rivers or the sea.

However, this leaves them vulnerable to water-related disasters such as tsunamis, floods and storm surges, or even droughts. Location near water also means that any pol-lution can quickly spread to other areas.

Malaysia sees more than its fair share of flood-related disasters. Any nuclear plant built locally could well suffer a similar prob-lem.

The misfortune at the Fukushima plant has resulted in radiation levels 1,000 times the

normal level in the control room and eight times over normal immediately outside.

The other problem is the economic cost of such disasters. Not only could a power plant worth billions be rendered so contaminated as to be useless, a surrounding 20km area could also be left unfit for human use.

Furthermore, under Malaysia’s atomic energy law, nuclear plant operators are not liable for any damage resulting from natural disasters.

Japan embarked on nuclear energy because they lacked domestic fossil fuel alternatives, and because their industrialisation took place well before renewable energies such as solar power were widely available.

Malaysia has no such excuse as we have oil, gas, biomass, hydro resources, and abundant sunshine; not to mention that we are now set to be the world’s number three producer of solar cells.

Thus, I call upon Chin to abandon all ideas to continue with the nuclear adventure.

Charles SantiagoMember of Parliament, Klang

By Basil Foo

Deciding to take the road less travelled would lead you to P y o n g y a n g K o r y o

Restaurant, nestled on the second floor of a row of shophouses on Jalan Solaris, Mont Kiara.

Rather than the usual Korean BBQ fare that has proliferated around town over the years, this restaurant sells itself as bearers of North Korean cuisine. This was in-triguing and admittedly had us slightly apprehensive.

Upon entering the premises, we were greeted cheerfully by a cadre of waitresses sporting traditional Korean dressing which, we learnt later, is called the hanbok.

The restaurant’s décor was homely but nothing out of the or-dinary: several booths for diners as found in most barbeque establish-ments; a single long table for spe-cial functions.

A trickling fountain nearby, paintings of natural scenery on the walls, classical music playing in the background, and having to remove

Unique North Korean fare our shoes before entering the booth made for a laid-back dining experience.

Some of those were enjoyable, but the majority needed an adven-turous palate as some of the herbal-tasting shoots were alien to our taste buds.

From the wide selection of bar-bequed beef, chicken, and seafood, we settled on Barbequed Pork Neck (RM25), which came served with sour chilli sauce, garlic, and lettuce to wrap the meat in.

Despite barbeque apparatus on the table, the waitress suggested we let the kitchen do the cooking as it would taste better.

The meat cutlets came out thick and juicy, which would satisfy any barbeque enthusiast, but the por-tions could have been larger. This was probably because we opted for the smaller size due to budget con-straints, there being a larger size priced at RM40.

We also ordered a standard-fare Bibimbap (RM22), which was rice covered in mixed vegetables, kimchi, seaweed, fried meats and an egg, all sizzling in a ceramic pot.

This hearty dish provided us with a complete meal, which was warm and enjoyable during the rainy night and tasted quite different from your usual mixed rice as this had traces of earthy spices.

The Mushroom Gratang (RM15) was presented as a mushroom- and meat-filled dish with a top layer of soft mashed potato. It had a pie-like consistency and even smelt like an oriental Shepherd’s Pie. It could be considered as a safe choice as it tasted more familiar than the ap-petisers we’d had earlier.

The Korean Seafood Pancake (RM25) was a large fried pastry stuffed with vegetables and sea-food like prawns and cockles, which added up to another very

filling dish.As the complimentary barley

water sufficed, we did not order ad-ditional drinks. Fragrant towels were provided at a cost of 20 sen per

packet. The total bill came up to RM95 for three persons, but we could have spent less as the amount of food was more than we could finish.

The overall experience was one of discovery, and would appeal to fans of Korean food and those looking to try something out of the norm.

Immediately after ordering, we were given complimentary barley drinks, pumpkin broth, and an array of small dishes filled with appetisers, from the more familiar kimchi to lesser-known sliced potatoes, green beans, and herbal roots.”

Waitresses in traditional costume. A myriad of appetisers.

Barbecued pork neck.

Focus on safer energy supply

18 MARCH 18 — 20, 2011

TRAVEL

Simplicity of Kampung Melayu SubangOn a long and fairly deserted road that veers away from the old Subang airport road, LIN ZHENYUAN stumbles upon an old village that struggles to retain its distinctive identity.

Before the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang was officially opened

in 1998, Subang airport and its surroundings were the “happening” place.

From 1965 to 1998, a period of 33 years, the Subang airport area enjoyed a daily influx of arrivals, domestic and international, who contributed in no small way to its prosperity.

There were numerous seafood restaurants that were situated in what was formerly termed the old airport road. In fact, the restaurants are still there, although evening activities have slackened.

But the Subang airport has since been revived and renamed Skypark Subang. The old Subang airport, which used to have Terminals 1, 2 and 3, now serves Firefly, Berjaya Turboprop Services and Transmile Air Services.

Beyond the Subang airport, the road leads to Kampung Melayu, which is several winding kilometres away from a recently developed township.

New visitors to this place will be surprised by the visible signs urban development. The rows of shops, engaging in various kinds of business activities, loom large as the wide road leads an unsuspecting motorist to Jalan Subang Perdana, and then onwards to Jalan Sungai Buloh.

Just when you think you are lost, you come across a little township called Kampung Baru. According to the townsfolk there, it is actually the commercial outskirts of Kampung Melayu.

Kampung Baru, or Kampung

Melayu town, as some may call it, seems to be haphazardly planned. The roads do not seem to have a logical symmetry.

One section of the town still re-tains remnants of its own façade which consists of a row of old wooden shacks. The only tangible sign of progress is the blue-coloured multipurpose hall named Dewan MBSA Kampung Baru Subang.

This section of old Subang comes

under the jurisdiction of Shah Alam. The main road is Jalan Besar, which has overhead power cables strewn all over the commercial centre.

Some of the power cables are precariously low, propped by thin communication poles. Nearby, there are concrete suggestions that this area is experiencing tug s of urbanisation in the form of multistorey structures.

But a motorist who does not have

a GPS must rely on road signs for guidance. Along the imfamiliar roads, one comes across business establishments l ike Aquatics International, Ayam Wira Food Processing, Metro Driving Acade-my, and BIS Chemicals.

But in the midst of this sprawling landscape is the charming and still relatively undisturbed Malay village cal led Kampung Melayu. Its identity is personified by the narrow

roads and even narrower side lanes dotted with traditional and semi-kampung-style homes.

Roads with names like Jalan Chengal, Jalan Merbau, Jalan Jati and Lorong Melati spring into view. Masjid Annur hugs part of a kampung road.

A s c h o o l nam e d S e ko la h Menengah Kebangsaan  Subang is located right next to Jalan Bukit Badak.

A mixture of traditional kampung homes in a semi-suburban setting.

Traditional snacks like this pancake reveal the tussle between fast food and street food.

Pancake seller doing business in the little township on the edge of Kampung Melayu.

19MARCH 18 — 20, 2011

TRAVEL

Have you cHecked your electrical switcHes before leaving Home?

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

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

Borang maklumaT Memaklumkan tentang meningalkan rumah kediaman untuk bercuti.

Kepada Kawasan pentadbiran balai polis

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BuTiran penduduk:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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lain-lain maklumat:

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

Call the SS17 BomBa for advise at

03-5634 9444

The aura of the old kampung pervades the relatively pollution-free atmosphere and carries with it a sp i r i t tha t e m b o d i e s th e entrenched values of a well-pre-served Malay village.

Like most kampungs in the peninsula , there is a sense of serenity and a relaxed mood in Kampung Melayu.

There are few outsiders here.Most strangers do not venture this far unless they have relatives or friends staying here.

On the leisurely drive through the rustic heartland of Kampung Melayu Subang where speed is obviously unnecessary, one can’t help feeling that perhaps life achieves a deeper meaning when heartbeat takes on a slower rhythm.

Just when a non-kampung resident feels that there’s nothing more to see, out pops a sign that says

“KFC”. Initially, a registration of surprise is not unexpected.

KFC out here in the boondocks is not only unusual but also  most uncommon. As one drives closer to the sign, the mystery is unravelled: it announces “Kelantan Freid Chicklen” (sic).

Beneath the signage that adorns the nondescript eatery that says “Stesen Ayam Goreng” are the smaller words “Resepi Orang Kita, Rasa Macam Dia.”

It was undoubtedly a witty ad-vertisement. But what is rather ambiguous is the following two-word statement: “Peluang Fran-cais”. This demands further investi-gation, but that has to be left for another visit.

Kampung Melayu has been part and parcel of the old Subang land-scape for decades. Only the very curious and the hardcore adventur-

ers have ventured thus far to satisfy their own wanderlust.

But traditional Malay villages like Kampung Melayu, which exist on the fringes of the more developed parts of Shah Alam and Sungai Buloh, are fast disappearing.

They are being edged into semi-oblivion by the inexorable march of 21st-century development that has an insatiable appetite for virgin land.

Perhaps there will come a time when our city developers will come to realise that there are some things worth preserving. The highway to modernisation cannot be stopped, but clearly there must be avenues in which a compromise can be struck between progress and heritage.

Meanwhile, we all wait with bated breath for the next crane to fall, and the incoming sounds of the bulldozer.

KFC, but not the kind that others are accustomed to.

Bolster and pillow – two for only RM10 in this town.

20 march 18 — 20, 2011

fiction

Jebat: A second-class citizenFiction by Ghulam Hussain Bhalwani

He was a talented actor. He wanted to play the courageous warrior Hang Tuah. The director was

impressed with his audition. But the pro-ducer didn’t share the same sentiment. The producer felt he was not commercial enough to pull in the crowd. Like always, the man with the money has the last say.

The role went to a handsome actor who could not act to save his life. He had never acted on stage. He had never seen a theatre performance in his entire life. He was a screen heartthrob. Men hated him, women loved him, and gay men worshipped him.

“I took this role because I wanted to show to the world that I have more to offer than my good looks,” said the handsome actor to the media.

“I am putting my heart and soul into this role. After this performance, people will start seeing me differently. They will take me more seriously as an actor.” 

The talented actor was not entirely for-gotten. He was given the role of Hang Jebat, the best friend to Hang Tuah and the villain of the play. This would be his fourth time playing Jebat. In fact, this role had earned him the Best Actor award, twice

But he was tired of playing a villain. He was tired of playing Jebat. He didn’t want to be on the floor again, g iving his last breath.  For a change, he wanted to be the hero that people cheered for.

In the end, he bit his tongue, buried his

frustrations and accepted the role. He needed money to put a roof over his head, food on the table and prostitutes in his bed.  

The rehearsal was a painful process. The handsome actor could not get into the skin of his character. He kept forgetting his lines. His heart was not into the role. 

His heart was not into the production. He was more interested in winning the heart of the beautiful actress who played the leading role. It didn’t take long for a ro-mance to blossom on the set.   

His incom-p etence, h is lack of dedica-tion, and his roman c e on the set were driving the di-rector nuts.

“I can make cows act but not him,” the director grumbled.  

“Who wants to see him act? Just make sure he looks dashing in his costumes and the audience will love him,” said the producer.

The director made a vow that he would never work with the handsome actor again, even if a gun were pointed at his head.

Looking at the drama that was taking place on the production, the talented actor felt furious and frustrated. 

“I have shown dedication but what do I get? Nothing, nothing, nothing,” the tal-ented actor said to his image in the mirror. 

Out of anger, he smashed the mirror into

many pieces.At the very last minute, the producer

decided his theatre production was going to be short and sweet.  Some of his best scenes were scrapped. This only added salt to the talented actor’s injury.

“This is so unfair,” the talented actor shouted.

“You are in no position to raise your voice,” said the producer. That was enough to end their argument. Like always, the man with the money has the last say  

H e h a d played Hang Je b a t t h r e e times, but this was the first time he truly u n d e r s t o o d Jebat’s pain, betrayal and d i s a p p o i nt -ment.

“Jebat did no wrong,” he said to himself. “He loved his best friend more than him-self. He was just avenging Tuah’s death.

“Yet Jebat was not appreciated for his loyalty and sacrifices. He was treated like a second-class citizen. One is regarded as hero and the other as villain. This is so unfair.”

He felt his fate is not different from Je-bat’s. He had shown dedication. Yet he got punished. His best scenes were edited out. He was treated like a second-class citizen.

It was then that the talented actor could no longer bury his frustrations anymore.

“Jebat must not die,” he said. “He did no crime. I will not allow Jebat to die. I will save Jebat!”

It was the first night of their perfor-mance. The auditorium was packed. Two hours later came the final scene where Hang Tuah would kill his best friend, Hang Jebat, for betraying his country and his king. Eventually, Hang Tuah would be hailed as a hero.

The talented actor didn’t waste any time as he stabbed the handsome actor with his keris. The audience was shocked. They could not believe what they were seeing.

Hang Tuah was on the floor, screaming in pain and blood was oozing from his body. A few minutes later, Hang Tuah was not moving anymore.

Hang Jebat was proudly waving his keris, covered with blood. The audience screamed their heads off. The director shouted on the top of his voice, “Oh My God! Oh My God! What you have done? You have mur-dered him!” 

A year passed. The talented actor was still in a mental hospital. A young journalist managed to get an exclusive interview with his mother, who lived in a small fishing vil-lage.

“My son is not a murderer,” his mother said. “He didn’t know what he was doing. A spirit had possessed him.”

Looking puzzled, the journalist asked, “Who is this spirit?” 

With tears streaming from her eyes, her mother answered, “Jebat, of course. Can you tell Jebat to leave my son alone…?”

Review by Gan Pei Ling

If you have forgotten the euphoria and re-newed hope for democracy around this time three years ago, you should read March 8: Time for Real Change.

Edited by Kee Thuan Chye, the book is a revised edition of March 8: The Day Malay-sia Woke Up, one of the first books to docu-ment the events leading up to the historic 2008 general election and its impact.

I remember everyone being caught by surprise when Barisan Nasional (BN) lost five states and its two-third majority in Parlia-ment. It suffered its worst electoral defeat in history, with many of its big guns, including Datuk Seri Samy Vellu, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, losing their seats. Many Malaysians, including those who were not politically inclined like me, were awed and started to take an active interest in politics.

Malaysian voters have been voting for BN for more than 50 years. Led by then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Badawi, BN had even won 90% of the seats in Parliament back in 2004. So what cause the political tsunami in 2008?

I remember reading March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up with hope. Malaysia is ripe for change, I thought. But then, in 2009, Perak fell because of three frogs. And on Sept 16, 2008, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim vowed, and failed, to take over Putrajaya with BN elected representatives he had purportedly enticed to cross over.

The country has also seen 16 by-elections since 2008. With the constant politicking

between the two coalitions, the people’s re-newed hope for change has been dying down.

Divided into three sections, the first sec-tion of March 8: Time for Real Change chronicles these happenings post-2008. Written by political commentators and aca-demics like Azmi Sharom and Zaharom Nain, the 11 articles in the first section also attempt to evaluate the state of our country in terms of education, economy, judicial independence and media freedom.

Has Malaysia changed for the better since 2008? Have the political and social reforms we desperately hope for been implemented? The first section makes for grim reading.

The second section, Back to the beginning,

comprises 21 articles from the first edition and contains exclusive interviews with the likes of Malaysiakini co-founder and chief editor Steven Gan; political blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, now in self-exile; and Pen-ang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Merdeka on March 8, written by Kee himself, is a must-read. It brings you back to the historic day and reminds us what Malay-sians are capable of when we stand united. The people made history, and they could very well do it again.

The third section, Where do we go from here?, attempts to look to the future.

While echoed throughout the book is the need to eliminate race-based politics, most of the contributors analysed voting trends based on race. This was most disturb-ing – how do we move away from racial politics if we continue to analyse our voters based on race instead of class, age or politi-cal ideology?

What I enjoyed the most were the snip-pets by multifarious Malaysians. The writers of this book are predominantly male, but here there is gender, racial and age balance. Different people may have different opinions on how the country should be run, but ex-pressed throughout is Malaysians’ collective hope for a transparent and just government that is corruption-free and colour-blind.

This is a timely publication to remind Malaysians that the road towards a better country is long. Enthusiasm may have have died down since March 8, and we might be muddling through unchartered waters in the nation’s history, but as Kee writes, “We live in exciting times, and the threshold of change is waiting to be crossed.”

Remembering March 8

But he was tired of playing a villain. He was tired of playing Jebat. He didn’t want to be on the floor again, giving his last breath. For a change, he wanted to be the hero that people cheered for”

KLANG: The speed and quality of service provided to Klang Municipal Council (MPK) ratepayers has improved signifi-cantly since the launch of its Express Micro Bill Payment System (EMBPS).

According to MPK president Datuk Mislan Tugiu, the kiosks, which are located at the MPK office, have enabled residents to pay their bills 24 hours a day, allowing them to save their time and minimise risks.

“The public must make full use of the EMBPS as it has good safety features and it is effective,” Mislan said in a statement on Tuesday.

The kiosks allow ratepayers to pay their assessments and quit rent via debit and credit cards.

According to Mislan, the system also ac-cepts personal and company cheques and can identify problems during transactions.

Express kiosks working well for MPK

21March 18 — 20, 2011

Media

UMobile’s 1+1 promo

Motivational campfor secondary students

SHAH ALAM: Mobile service operator U Mobile will unveil their latest promotion when they relaunch the U Mobile Flagship Store on the ground floor of Berjaya Times Square on March 23.

In celebration of the flagship launch, U Mobile will reward its loyal customers with a One-Day- Only Grand Sale, coined the 1+1 Just For U promo.

After successfully simplifying their BlackBerry Data Plan recently, U Mobile will once again offer its customers the opportunity to stay connected in style with their best friend or love ones by offering a chance to purchase the phone and get the second phone for free.

The selected phones available for

By Basil Foo

KLANG: A camp for students preparing for major secondary school exams was organised and h e l d by th e   S e lang or State Development Corporation (PKNS) recently.

“The Summer Camp Bijak Pela-jar is an annual programme which started in 1996, and to date has

enrolled 1,650 participants,” said  PKNS general manager Oth-man Omar.

He said the camp is held specifi-cally for students facing the  Pe-nilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) and  Sij i l Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations.

As part of the company’s corpo-rate social responsibility, the pro-gramme is open to students from

lah in Sabak Bernam and SMK Syed Mashor in Hulu Selangor.

Othman hoped other organisa-tions would hold similar pro-grammes to benefit students.

PKNS Employee Welfare Asso-ciation president Lokman Abdul Kadir, who was at the ceremony to mark the end of the event, said he was happy to coordinate the pro-gramme.

He sa id during the camp, participants from different schools and backgrounds could mingle, interact, and learn from one another.

The participants were also

divided into groups under certain “values”, such as Creativity and Innovation.

“The focus of the programme was to instill values in participants, and increase discipline and teamwork,” Lokman said.

He also hoped the students could continue their relationships with one another after the camp and keep in touch through social networking.

Muhammad Fikri Nazif Azlan, a 17-year-old participant, thanked the camp facilitators who assisted and shared their knowledge with the students.

Puma launches after-hours athletes programmeSHAH ALAM: Puma brings fun to the sports sphere once again with the launch of Puma Social, a new campaign bringing together after-hours athletes from around the world.

Whether its foosball, darts, ping-pong or bowling, the campaign offers everyone a chance to come together online and offline to share in social exchange and friendly competition.

The campaign hinges on a number of elements including a mood video (available in multiple languages on a variety of platforms); cheeky in-store adverts; and a Puma Social website that fuses user-generated content that is updated dynamically on the site.

The website is designed to make it easy for after-hours athletes across the globe to share their own competitive scoreboards, connect with other users,

and view party pictures and video from Puma Social Clubs running in cities around the world.

The site also enables users to generate points and fame by synching their social networking profiles (Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare).

The Malaysian version of the Puma Social Club Tour will be launched this month, and in April, this exciting pop-up After-Hours Sports concept party will travel through several popular bars and clubs in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bahru.

After the kick-off event in Kuala Lumpur last Friday, the Puma Social Club Tour will make its way to Monkey Bar, Penang on April 1, and Roost Bistro, Johor Bahru on April 8, before making its way back to Kuala Lumpur for the grand finale on April 15.

A full listing of events, venues and dates will be released and updated on www.puma-social.com.my.

this promo are Nokia E5, HTC Wildfire, Blackberry 9300 and Nokia 7230.

This promo will be offered on an hourly basis from 1pm to 7pm.

U Mobile will also unveil its freshly packaged Voice + Data Plan specially catering for intensive data users.

PKNS developments, as well as children of the employees of the company and its subsidiaries.

Some 125 students participated in the three-day programme at Bumi Jati Camp, which ended on Sunday.

“We are trying to give students a chance to experience a camp envi-ronment, especially since private camps outside can charge upwards of RM250,” said Othman.

Since the inception of the pro-gramme, PKNS has so far spent RM375,000, with an average of RM25,000 per programme and RM227 per participant.

Othman said the camp was a chance for students from less afflu-ent families to improve their learn-ing capabilities and to give them opportunities to excel.

“It’s tough for people in rural areas. Outside the Klang Valley, they don’t have the same opportunity to study compared to city people who can get access to tuition,” he said.

The camp also included students from sponsored schools in rural areas, such as SMK Munshi Abdul-

Camp participants with Othman (middle in yellow), motivational counsellor Dr Abdul Aziz Sahat, and Lokman at the graduation ceremony.

Motivational counsellor Dr Abdul Aziz Sahat (left) giving the Best Participant award to camp participant Muhammad Fikri as Lokman looks on.

Lokman, motivational counsellor Dr Abdul Aziz Sahat, and Othman at the graduation ceremony.

22 March 18 — 20, 2011

Gallery

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and members of the Pakatan Rakyat on a visit to the Japan Embassy on Monday to convey the state’s condolences over Japan’s recent earthquake and tsunami tragedy.

Executive councillor Yaakob Sapari (in green) on a visit to a pig farm in Kuala Langat on Tuesday. Selangor has allocated RM500,000 to promote the use of effective micro-organisms to keep pig farms clean and odourless.

Members of the Community Baptist Church PJ, Aminah Binti Abdullah mosque and the SS2 Selatan Residents Association who took part in a gotong-royong exercise with the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) last Saturday.

Children competing in a gunnysack race during a carnival in Puchong last weekend. Residents from Kampung Kenangan, Kampung Baru 13, Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru and Kampung Tengah took part in the event.

Two villagers holding up chickens caught in a competition during the carnival organised by the Subang Jaya Municipality last weekend. The event, which was attended by about 3,000 people from four traditional villages, was part of efforts to promote unity.

23March 18 — 20, 2011

CultureThe big performing arts event this month, model-turned-showbiz mogul hans Isaac presents a star-studded musical-theatre take of Lat’s beloved Kampung Boy and Town Boy, graphic novels about growing up in rural Perak and Ipoh in the national adolescence of the 1960s. hopefully the stage adaptation, written by comedians harith Iskander and Kuah Jenhan, will manage to capture the tone of the books, which are simultaneously funny, optimistic and quietly filled with pathos – as all good stories about growing up should be. With Awie as Lat; also featuring Atilia, Datuk Rahim Razali, Douglas Lim, and Sandra Sodhy. Music by Michael Veerapen and choreography by Pat Ibrahim.

Editor’s PickLAT Kampung Boy: Sebuah Musikal Musical; Tall Order Productions; Istana Budaya; March 16-3 April 2011; RM40; www.istanabudaya.gov.my

Compiled by Zedeck Siew

The Last Five Years

Musical; KL Performing Arts Centre; March 10-20 2011; RM35; 03-4047 9000; www.klpac.com

Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown’s work incorporates a contemporary, pop-rock sensibility. The Last Five Years, which Brown staged in 2001 to critical acclaim, was based on his own failed marriage. “Funny and uplifting, the show captures some of the most heartbreaking and universally felt moments of modern romance.” The Kuala Lumpur iteration of The Last Five Years features Tabitha Kong and Jon Chew, with musical direction by Stephen Tok. Directed by KLPac’s resident director Christopher Ling.

Muzik Ku: Muzik Mu

Music festival; Kakiseni; The Celebrities Club, Solaris Mont Kiara; weekends, March 11-April 2 2011; free admission; www.kakiseni.com

One of the main events of Kakiseni’s Women:100 festival (ongoing throughout March) is Muzik Ku: Muzik Mu, a month-long music platform with an all-women line-up. This weekend, listen to the sultry strains of elvira Arul, Vima 2010 winner for Best Female Vocalist (March 18), and the rock-out riffs of indie band Tempered Mental (March 19). Free admission through online booking only.

Women On Top

Dance performance; Aswara Dance Company, experimental Theatre, Aswara; March 17-20 2011; free admission; www.kakiseni.com

This contemporary dance bill features eight pieces, performed by Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan’s (Aswara) dance department. Check out Nasi Putih, an interpretation of how “nasi kangkang” is prepared; Behind the Wall, a dance film about a battered wife; and Tapak 4, a mixed-gender demonstration of the traditionally masculine silat form, among others. Directed by Aswara dance faculty dean Joseph Gonzales. Part of Kakiseni’s Women:100 festival. Free admission through online booking only

theatreA Modern Woman Called Ang Tau MuiTheatre performance; Pentas Project; The Annexe Gallery, Central Market; March 17-19 2011; free admission; www.kakiseni.comLeow Puay Tin’s A Modern Woman Called Ang Tau Mui – about the gamut of issues Malaysian women face, between tradition and modernity – is one of Malaysia’s most often-restaged plays.

There were two productions just this month. Unlike Five Art Centre’s offering last weekend, experimental theatre group Pentas Project focuses on a single aspect of Leow’s text: the titular character’s love of cinema, and her propensity for embarking on flights of fancy. “She runs away from reality whenever she can and acts and imagines herself as someone else, hoping reality will be what her dreams are.”

Directed by Loh Kok Man, featuring Pearlly Chua, with a video otherworld created by Au Sow Yee. Part of Kakiseni’s Women:100 festival. Free admission through online booking only.

Short Eyes

Theatre performance; Rumah Anak Teater; The Actors Studio @ Lot 10; March 16-20 2011; RM35; www.theactorsstudio.com.my

Puerto Rican playwright Miguel Pinero wrote Short eyes in prison, as part of a theatre workshop for inmates; the work’s depiction of life, love and death among the incarcerated (many of them minorities, condemned by mainstream society) so impressed viewers that it eventually made its way to Broadway. By staging Short eyes, Rumah Anak Teater continues on its path as

reVIeW

Malaysian Shorts

Out of the venerable Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia’s (KSFM) many activities, Malaysian Shorts – an evening of filmmaker-submitted, gulp-sized flicks, screened by and for film lovers – is the most fun. The films themselves vary in style, subject matter, and quality.

Twelve films were part of the most recent Malaysian Shorts, held on March 14 at KSFM’s traditional base in heLP University College’s Theatrette. These ranged from awareness-campaign advisories (Yihwen Chen’s Like Toy Dolls, which won the BMW Shorties 2010 Grand Prize, about baby-dumping); beautiful, moody road drama (Margaret Bong’s Fatiha, about a young daughter’s ride with her mother’s corpse to her hometown); and 90-second visual poems (Isazaly Md Isa’s Corridor, a nostalgic look at Singaporean hDB-flat corridors).

My personal favourite was Belon Biru by Al hafiz Burhanuddin. About a boy’s preparations for asrama life, the short ends by having its protagonist woken up by bullies, who cut up his new shirt – a most harrowing scene (though relatively non-violent) that sums up all the violations young men are prone to in school dorms.

Better than watching the films, though, is getting a chance to hear directors talk about them. Newly minted film graduate Nadiah hamzah (who made Sub Rosa, about cross-cultural love) spoke about getting a pair of sneakers from one Spike Lee (he was a teacher of hers). Fikri Jermadi (Bound, a comedy thriller with two kidnapped Korean dudes cussing at each other) explained that he shot his short in a single take as a personal challenge. When asked about the smoothness of a long, tracking shot in Famous Last Words, ho Yuhang revealed the ingenuity of funding-starved Malaysian filmmakers (even award-winning ones): “I put the camera in a Kancil and pushed the Kancil down the road,” ho said. “Actually you can make films with a very low budget. We spent RM300 in total.”

Malaysian Shorts used to be one of the incubators of Malaysia’s nascent independent film community; I saw my first Liew Seng Tat film there. As our cinema matures, however, its import seems to have waned, supplanted by more “official” things like the aforementioned BMW Shorties. Still, things like this, by virtue of being enthusiast-driven, will always have a place. If you’re looking for a place to meet Malaysian cinema, this is it.Join the Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia group on Facebook!

Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa

In comparison to the no-budget stuff of Malaysian Shorts, KRU Studios’ hikayat Merong Mahawangsa

a young theatre outfit prone to social commentary. Featuring Zahiril Adzim as a Clark Davis: white, middle-class, and – wrongly accused, but self-admittedly – a paedophile. With Taiyuddin Bakar, Amirul Affendi, Tayanithi, and others. Directed by Ayam Fared, with artistic direction by Nam Ron.

(international title: The Malay Chronicles – Bloodlines) was made with RM8mil; it took a decent RM2.2mil on its opening weekend. These are big numbers for local cinema.

But my overriding feeling, watching the movie, was that they needed to spend more. If you want to imitate action-adventure blockbusters, it’s going to cost you – and the worst thing an epic film can do is look cheap. The sets looked like they were built by city-born Boy Scouts, and the Roman cuirasses were obviously too big for their actors.

Yes, Romans. hikayat Merong Mahawangsa’s plot involves the unlikely diplomatic marriage between a Latin prince (Gavin Stenhouse) and a han princess (Jing Lu). Merong Mahawangsa (Stephen Rahman-hughes), reputed descendant of

Alexander and future first king of Langkasuka, acts as a chaperone – and, along the way, finds a place to call his own.

Anachronisms aside, I didn’t mind the writing so much; it’s a cool premise. But stripping away the hikayat – a classical Malay text about the founding of Kedah and the struggle between Islam and hinduism in this region – is a disservice; the film ended up taking place in a generic fantasy nowhere, full of hollywood tropes.

In this light, the convenient Aesop of hikayat Merong Mahawangsa’s narrator Phra Ong Mahawangsa (according to the source material, the first Kedah monarch to embrace Islam) about not forgetting the past is ironic. The filmmakers addressing the audience at Malaysian Shorts.

MusIcal / dance

Published by Selangor State Government and printed by Dasar Cetak (M) Sdn Bhd No. 7, Persiaran Selangor, Seksyen 15, 40000, Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan.