Residents Neighbours Greater

want green spat over transparency

lung, not illegal with sunshine
septic tank p 7 barriers p 2 law p 12 & 13

community April 15 — 17, 2011/ issue 20

Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) personnel attempt to extinguish a fire with a fire blanket during a demonstration held in Subang Jaya on Sunday as part of the Rakan
Bomba event. Rusli Abu (right) and his colleague failed to put out the blaze despite several attempts. More stories on page 8.

UK rubbing salt
By Gan Pei Ling

SHAH ALAM: Victims’ families are outraged by Britain’s excuse that

Scots Guards, implicated in the 1948 Batang Kali Massacre, were only
present here “in support of the Ruler of Selangor”.

into wounds
The claim was made to justify the British government’s rejection of a
public inquiry to be reopened to investigate the alleged killings of 24 rubber
tappers and villagers by the British soldiers 63 years ago.
“They’re now putting the blame on the Selangor government at that time,
completely ignoring the fact that they were the colonial power [then].
“It’s a preposterous suggestion to imagine that the British army was work-
ing under the command of the Selangor Sultan at that time,” said lawyer
Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin. Kum Thai, whose father was also this matter,” said Quek. The very first probe ordered by the
Firoz, who is acting for the vic- killed; Loh Ah Choi, who was seven British newspaper The Guardian Malayan Attorney-General in 1949
tims’ families, described Britain’s at that time and claims to have wit- reported last Saturday that Britain had concluded the 24 men would
excuse as “an insult to Malaysia” at a nessed his uncle being shot dead; and had pressured Malaysian authorities have escaped if the soldiers had not
press conference on Wednesday. Chong Nyok Keyu, whose mother in the 1990s to stop investigating the opened fire. However, only the sol-
British soldiers had allegedly witnessed her uncle being shot dead. deaths of the villagers. diers were interviewed, and the
killed 24 men, who they claimed But they are fighting an uphill  Three former Scots Guards had families’ statements were excluded.
were communists, at a rubber estate battle because Britain has discontin- admitted that the 1948 killings were In addition, Britain had admitted
in Batang Kali between Dec 11 and ued the legal aid they had previously a massacre in a BBC documentary that sensitive files from former colo-
12, 1948. received. titled In Cold Blood aired in 1992. nies had been removed before inde-
Britain formally rejected a request Lawyer Quek Ngee Meng, who is That is not the first time an inves- pendence and kept in secret in
by the families to reopen a public under the law of that state”. also acting for the family, said the tigation into the Batang Kali mas- Hanslope Park.
inquiry last November. They also rejected the families’ legal aid renewal was rejected because sacre has been halted. The families’ solicitors in Britain
It said in a written reply that “the demand for an apology and mone- the case has not raised significant In 1970, an investigation commis- had demanded the British govern-
Scots Guards were only present in tary compensation. public and human rights concerns. sioned by British government itself ment hand over the files related to
Selangor in support of the civil Four relatives filed a judicial re- The families’ lawyers in Britain was terminated midway because of a Malaya.
power i.e. the Ruler of Selangor … view against the decision at the Brit- submitted a final appeal for legal aid change in government. “If the British government has
any claim relating to the incident at ish High Court on Feb 25. on Wednesday. The investigation followed an nothing to hide, let the documents
Batang Kali should have been liti- The four claimants are Lim Kok, “The UK government has persis- exposé of the killings by The People, speak for themselves and the truth
gated in the courts of Selangor and whose father was beheaded; Wooi tently tried to cover up the truth of a daily newspaper. prevail,” said Quek.
2
news
April 15 — 17, 2011

Local councils to take Selangor WEATHER

Friday Saturday Sunday

over cleaning services

By Alvin Yap cal governments said the savings are unaware it’s actually
Morning

SHAH ALAM: Selangor plans to
hand back Alam Flora’s cleaning
contracts to local authorities and
save millions in ratepayers’ money
annually.
Alam Flora currently manages
both solid waste collection and
cleaning services for cities, munici-
palities and district councils.
But the state plans to stop using
the company’s services for cleaning
streets and roads, while maintain-
ing the status quo on solid waste
disposal.
“It’s likely Alam Flora’s cleaning
contracts for all local governments
[in Selangor] will not be renewed
when they expire,” said Ronnie Liu.
The executive councillor for lo-
would come from a 4-10% commis-
sion the councils pay to the waste
and cleaning management compa-
ny to select and manage cleaning
contractors.
If carried out, local authorities
will regain the power to appoint
and manage their own contractors.
The state is looking to save up to
RM10 million annually.
The move follows complaints
against Alam Flora’s poor service
from local councillors and rate-
payers.
“We see the proposal as a move
to reduce expenditure, to improve
service and also to reduce com-
plaints against local councils.
“People who complain about
local councils not doing their job
Afternoon
Alam Flora’s responsi-
bility to keep streets
and roads clean,” said
Liu. Night
Liu hopes the pro- Liu: Authorities are
posal can be carried out currently “spending
at the end of the year. too much”.
Source: Malaysian meteorological department
He pointed out that
local authorities are currently Council (MPSJ), which is carrying ment and cleaning services make up
“spending too much” on cleaning out a pilot project to hold open some 30-40% of the budgets of the
services, but are not getting their tenders for all solid waste manage- larger councils.
money’s worth. ment contracts. From there, Alam Flora takes a
“Our proposal will reduce the The contractors selected by 4-10% cut to select and manage
annual budgets of these local gov- MPSJ will continue to be managed sub-contractors.
ernments,” he said. by Alam Flora. Alam Flora, a subsidiary of
He said the state was studying They will be responsible for rub- DRBHicom Bhd, was awarded the
the proposal and talks were going bish collection in 242 areas, with concession rights for solid waste
on with Alam Flora. the move expected to save ratepay- management in 1998 for the cen-
The idea for the proposal comes ers RM3.5 million annually. tral region covering Selangor,
from the Subang Jaya Municipal Liu said solid waste manage- Kuala Lumpur and Pahang.

Neighbours spat over security barriers

By Basil Foo
SERI KEMBANGAN: Illegal barriers, set
up to improve security in Taman Putra Indah,
are driving a wedge between neighbours.
“The main reason we set up the barriers
[six months ago] is due to the high crime rate
in our neighbourhood,” said Tan See Meng.
A resident of Jalan SR 8/7, the 46-year-
old chief financial officer had his car
stolen last year.
Tan said he was not alone. Others had
been victims of car and snatch thefts as well
a s brea k-ins in the t wo - de cade- old
neighbourhood before the barriers were set
up on Jalan SR 8/7 and Jalan SR8/6.
“The idea was to cut off access to criminals,
and since then there has been zero crime on
these two roads,” said Tan.
On the legality of the barriers, Tan said he
had sought permission and donations from
households on his road and Jalan SR 8/6 for
the installation of the barriers.
He then applied to the Subang Jaya
Municipal Council (MPSJ) after complying
with a requirement that requires support from
more than 90% of residents.
“At a monthly fee of RM60 per house, more
than 90% of residents on these two roads are
paying because they support the initiative of
setting up the barriers here,” he said.
He added that while MPSJ did not
approve the barriers, they “took note” of it
as common practice when dealing with the
installation of such structures in residential
areas under its jurisdiction.
The barriers consist of metal barrels
affixed with metal bars which block off the
side and back entrances, while the front
entrance is a movable bar beside a guardhouse.
The barriers, which limit access to the two
roads to one entrance, have since drawn the
ire of residents staying outside of the
cordoned area.
“As there is only one entrance into the area,
school buses will stop in front of my house to
drop off the children who would cross over
the barriers by foot,” said Melissa Mun.
A resident of adjacent road Jalan SR 8/8,
Mun said MPSJ had told her the barriers did
not in fact adhere fully to requirements.
However, she was told by the council that
they could not do much about the barriers,
only to “take note” of them, and asked her to
take it up with her area’s assemblyperson.
“Roads are there for a reason, and the way
they block it, there is only one exit if there is
an emergency like a fire,” she said.
Mun added that the barriers, which are
now immovable except with the use of heavy
machinery, should only be put up during the
night and removed during the day.
“This would make them legal, and if they
did that, I would not have any grouses,” she said.
When contacted, MPSJ councillor Ng Sze
Han acknowledged that the barriers on the
two roads did not fully comply with the
council’s guidelines.
However, he said gated and guarded
communities are gaining popularity due to
the residents’ worries about their safety and
dissatisfaction with the police.
Ng said the validity of complaints by
residents would be looked into, and if residents
of other roads want to set up their own barriers,
they could also apply to MPSJ.

Contractors,
MBPJ staff, Silara
members and
Roslan.

The entrance to Jalan SR 8/7 with one of the disputed

barriers installed for security measures.

Underperforming
contractors to face axe
Mayor Datuk Roslan
phone (603) 5510 4566
Sakiman.
fax (603) 5523 1188
email editor@selangortimes.com

EDITORIAL By Brenda Ch’ng tors are expected to be on call 24 hours prove their standards.
CHIEF EDITOR KL Chan a day to attend to public complaints “From next year, the course will be
COMMUNITY EDITOR Neville Spykerman KELANA JAYA: Landscape con- immediately. one of the conditions contractors
WRITERS Tang Hui Koon, Chong Loo Wah, Gan Pei Ling, tractors working for the Petaling Jaya They are required to remove fallen have to fulfil before getting contracts,”
Basil Foo, Alvin Yap, Gho Chee Yuan, Brenda Ch’ng City Council (MBPJ) have been trees during storms, repair potholes and said Roslan.
COPY EDITORS Nick Choo, James Ang warned that they face the sack if their to clear debris following floods, among The latest course was held in col-
DESIGNERS Jimmy C. S. Lim, Chin Man Yen standards fall below par. others. laboration with the Association of
PHOTOGRAPHER Victor Chong “I believe contractors who do not Roslan said this after presenting cer- Landscape Industries Malaysia (Silara)
ADVERTISING Timothy Loh, Ivan Looi know how to do their job well or who tificates to 37 contractors who attended on Tuesday and Wednesday.
ADVISORS Faekah Husin, Arfa’eza Abdul Aziz
are unwilling to improve should be pe- MBPJ’s two-day landscaping course. The course included proper land-
nalised,” said Datuk Roslan Sakiman. MBPJ has held the course for the scape maintenance and horticultural
The mayor pointed out that contrac- past two years to help contractors im- activity.
SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ April 15 – 17, 2011 ⁄ 3
4
news
april 15 — 17, 2011

Events
Church growth conference
Glad Tidings Assembly of God will hold
a Fourth Dimension Spirituality & Church
Growth Conference from April 25-27. It aims
to provide an insight into how one can grow
in the Christian faith and how the church
can move forward in the Fourth Dimension.
Registration fee is RM150. Night sessions are
open to the public. For more information visit
www.gtpj.com or call 03-7958 2777 or 012-
325 3003.
Asian musical feast
Artistes from seven Asian nations will be
featured in the Asian Music Festival 2011
on April 30. The festival, which starts from
2pm-midnight, will be held at the Malaysia
International Exhibition and Convention
Centre (MIECC), Mines Resort City, Seri
Kembangan. For more information call 03-
9222 8811. For ticket prices and sales, visit
www.ticketcharge.com.my.
Dyslexic children fundraiser
Giant hypermarkets and Guardian pharmacies
nationwide, together with Proctor & Gamble
Malaysia (P&G), are having a fundraiser to
help children of the Dyslexia Association of
Malaysia (DAM). The public can buy selected
P&G products at Giant and Guardian outlets
in Malaysia from now until May 19. Special
consultation counters are available tomorrow
and Sunday at Giant Hypermarket, Kota
Damansara, and from April 23-24 at Giant
Hypermarket, Shah Alam.
‘Inaccessible’ land
office irks residents
puchong: While the new Petal-
ing District Land Office in Section U5
Shah Alam is almost fully operational,
complaints about its inaccessibility are
mounting.
“It’s just too far and too hard to
find,” said 70-year-old Chik Chum.
The president of the Puchong
Resident Associations Coalition
(PRAC) added that many residents
were also complaining because there
is no public transportation to the land
office, which used to be based in
Subang Jaya.
He pointed out that the building
also houses the Social Welfare Depart-
ment and many seeking aid had prob-
lems travelling to or finding the office.
He also claimed that some people
who rely on monthly aid have to spend
RM50 on taxi fares to get their RM300
welfare cheques.
Chik, who frequently goes to the
land office to help those having prob-
lems with land titles, said it took him
a frustrating two hours to find the
new building, and that the journey
was made worse because of the poor
signage.
The building also houses the Drain-
age and Irrigation Department (DID)
and the Public Works Department.
To solve the problem, Chik has ap-
pealed to the state to establish a branch
in Puchong.
Chik (right) and Lim with their appeal
letter to the state.
He added that the branch should be at
a strategic location, either at the promi-
nent   IOI Mall or where the proposed
Light Rail Transport (LRT) stations are
going to be built.
PRAC treasurer Lim Geok Tham, 54,
echoed a similar sentiment.
But as a stop-gap measure, developers
Gapurna Builders are offering to work
with the relevant agencies to set up feeder
bus services from the old office in Subang
Jaya to the new building in Shah Alam.
Gapurna Builders spokesperson Imran
Salim said this measure would be part of
the company’s corporate social responsi-
bility.
“We understand that there are trans-
portation challenges that need to be
addressed, and we are trying to assist by
engaging all the stakeholders relevant to
this issue,” he said . 
Imran said they want to come to a
quick and effective solution to the issue
so that the public need not be burdened.
Imran added that unfair claims were
levelled against Gapurna Builders, which
built the new office, by state lawmakers
who visited the building late last year.
Sekinchan assemblyperson Ng Suee
Lim had alleged that the building, con-
structed in 2009, was ill equipped and
lacked security facilities.
He also claimed that the building’s
strong room, which will be used to store
important documents like land titles, did
not have sufficient protection from fires
and floods.
“These allegations are [all] unfound-
ed,” said Imran, who lamented that the
company never had an opportunity to
refute the claims.
He pointed out the building was still
under renovation at the time, but is
fully equipped and functional now.
Imran added that fire-prevention
sprinkler systems cannot be installed in
strongrooms because important docu-
ments are stored there, but measures are
in place to protect the room, like fire
extinguishers and smoke detectors, as
required by the authorities.

Brown and murky, but still quite a catch

Sri KDU open day

Sri KDU welcomes prospective primary,

secondary, international and international
Baccalaurete Diploma Programme students
from 10am-4pm tomorrow. Call 03-6145
3888 for details.
Sunday Dhamma classes
The Ti-Ratana Buddhist Society in Klang is
having a Sunday Dhamma School for children
aged 6-16. Registration is open to everyone
at 99, 1st floor, Pusat Perniagaan NBC, off
Jalan Meru Klang. Classes, conducted in
English and Mandarin, will start on May 8. For
details, contact Foo at 016-278 7962.
Blind harmonica concert
In support of blind harmonica players, Suzuki
Harmonica Masters will hold a concert for
them tomorrow. The concert, titled The
Glorious Sound of Harmonica, starts at
7.30pm at the 4th floor Summit Auditorium,
Summit USJ Subang Jaya. Admission is by
invitation only. Call Anna at 012-699 6088 for
details.
Wesak festivities
The Chempaka Buddhist Lodge will celebrate
Wesak festivities with the public from now until
May 18. There will be events like Wesak eve
chanting, float procession, blood donation
and health campaigns, water festivals and
Wesak float-lighting ceremony. Contact the
centre at 03-7880 3936 for details.
Youth baking classes
The House of Bread offers baking courses
for youths seeking skills training. Training
includes Moral and English classes. For
details, call 016-3178778 or 016-3435478.
By William Tan and Basil Foo
klang: Due to the murky brown reputation
of its waters, many would assume the Klang
River to be devoid of marine life, but anglers here
would tell you otherwise.
“The chances of a catch are decent, and you
can fish with just bread as bait,” said Mohamad
Hafiz at a fishing competition here on April 9.
The 18-year-old, who has been fishing for as
long as he can remember, said the weight of fish
he catches tends to average around two kilo-
grammes.
Though no one would encourage you to eat
them, the two most common fishes you will find
are ikan patin and keli Afrika, both part of the
catfish family.
Sightings of otters in certain stretches of the
river have also been reported.
“We even have stories of crocodiles appearing
under a nearby bridge,” said Mohd Ikhsan Top: A young participant
Mukri. shows the way.
The Klang Municipal Council (MPK) vice- Right: Mohamad Hafiz
president, who was at the competition in Taman Below: Shafie Karsibi
Pengkalan Baru, said the crocodiles could be
well fed with discarded food from nearby res-
taurants.
He believed that the competition could re-
sult in some interesting catches, and admitted
he was personally curious about what lives be-
neath the brown river surface.
To the surprise of everyone, a monitor lizard
showed up in the middle of the competition,
swimming past fishing lines.
“This is a rare sight, though I still think I’m
only going to catch empty bottles today,” said
civil servant Shafie Karsibi.
The 40-year-old has been fishing at various
spots for the past 10 years, but has not obtained
a single catch in his two trips to the river.
 SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ April 15 – 17, 2010 ⁄ 5

News
MPSJ told to appoint
officer to oversee market

Yeoh (second right) listening to a hawker’s complaints at the SS15 wet market
as Loi (far left) and MPSJ officers look on.

By Basil Foo months,” she said.

She added that stall
SUBANG JAYA: The owners were responsible
Su b a ng Jay a Mun i c i p a l for cleaning their own
Council (MPSJ) has been traps, and called for in-
urged to appoint an officer creased monitoring and
to oversee the departments enforcement to deal with
responsible for maintaining the issue.
the SS15 wet market. “Most of the hawkers
“As many departments are are not aware of their re-
involved like licensing, engi- sponsibility as far as the
neering and landscape and usage of utilities here is
town ser vices, an officer MPSJ councillor Rajiv concerned,” said Loi.
should be appointed to coor- Rishyakaran. Having conducted bi-
dinate all parties,” said Sub- monthly visits to the mar-
ang Jaya assemblyperson ket to address hawkers’
Hannah Yeoh. complaints, he acknowl-
Yeoh visited the market on edged that there was a
Tuesday in response to com- need to increase awareness
plaints by the hawkers. Also of market-goers and stall
present were councillors Dr owners about rubbish dis-

discounts on top
Loi Kheng Min and Rajiv posal methods.
Rishyakaran, and representa- Rajiv said there was a
tives from MPSJ departments mistake in the market’s de-
and Alam Flora. sign as they should not have
Among the complaints to depend on stall owners to

of heavily
was a malfunctioning shutter maintain their individual
door leading to the market’s Food stall operator drain covers.
rubbish containment unit, Farida Sahad. “There should be a main
which remained ajar and grease trap just before the
emitted a foul smell. entrance to the main drain,

discounted items.
Yeoh advised solid waste which will be more man-
mana g ement contractor ageable as the waste con-
Alam Flora to lift the shutter tractor can clean it from
door properly, and suggested there,” he said.
that they collect the rubbish He added that redesign-
earlier if traffic congestion ing the current market
was an issue. would be too costly, but
“ We have asked Alam they would be applying les-
Flora to come earlier because sons learnt from this prob-
if they come after 8am, the lem in the construction of
car park would be too con- future markets.
gested for trucks to carry out Farida Sahad, operator
Vegetable seller Ping
rubbish collection properly,” Yow Phai. of a food stall on the sec-
she said. ond floor of the market,
She also called for better coordination said she had been complaining to MPSJ
between MPSJ, which is responsible for for for the past three years.
cleaning up the area, and Alam Flora, “The roof above our shop leaks when-
which disposes of the rubbish, to deal ever it rains, which causes our business to
with the smell. suffer,” said the 40-year-old.
Other complaints included clogged Vegetable seller Ping Yow Phai com-
drains caused by the removal of flow trap mended the council for attending to their
covers, which are supposed to prevent problems through frequent visits to the
solid waste from entering drainage pipes. market.
“Some hawkers have taken the easy The 56-year-old, who has been operating
way out by removing the covers, causing at the market for 30 years, said the main
clogging, which, [once repaired by the problem was the market’s congested park-
MPSJ], tends to recur within a few ing lot, which is used by outsiders.
6
NEWS
APRIL 15 — 17, 2011

New centre to recycle for

charity
By Basil Foo
SERI KEMBANGAN: The Subang Jaya
Municipal Council (MPSJ) has teamed up
with charity organisation Tzu Chi Malaysia
to launch a recycling centre here.
“I urge residents to come and help. If they
have anything they don’t need, just send it
here,” said Tai Cheng Heng.
The MPSJ councillor said the centre, on
Jalan Indah 2, would recycle plastic, tin, pa-
per, aluminum, glass and old clothing.
The 1200 sq ft centre is large enough to
cater to the surrounding 2,000 households in
Taman Universiti Indah.
Tai said the centre was vacant for six years
because it did not meet MPSJ specifications
and standards.
A week after the issues were rectified by
the developer, the council handed over the
centre to Tzu Chi so that it would not go
unused any longer.  Also at the launch to hand over the centre’s
He said further plans by the council to
organise a joint recycling programme with the
charity organization in the second half of the
year would be announced soon.
“A recycling station [like this] is useful as
the public can bring their recyclable items here
every day,” said Song Quek Khian.
The Taiwan Buddhist Tzu-Chi Foundation
Malaysia vice-chief executive officer said they
had previously carried out monthly recycling
campaigns at 160 centres in the Klang Valley.
But they felt that was inadequate as people
generate rubbish every day and recycling has
to be done frequently.
“People throw away a lot of rubbish, [of
which] up to 90% is still reusable and only 10%
is unusable waste,” he said.
The foundation’s mission is to reclaim the
reusable resources for the benefit of the less-
fortunate and for environmental protection. (From left) Azura, Tai, Ean Yong, Song, Tzu Chi volunteer Gladys Leong and Mohd
He said volunteers would separate the items Hafiz.
for reuse or sale to private recycling contractors
and scrap collectors. assemblyperson Ean Yong Hian Wah. cycling activities to reduce the amount of
“We welcome more volunteers and also of- Ean Yong said the centre was offered to Tzu waste,” he added.
fers of vacant land or abandoned buildings to Chi after they expressed their wish to acquire Also present were Subang Jaya councillor
be converted into recycling centres,” he added. another recycling facility, having already oper- Loka Ng Sai Kai, Town Services Department
ated one in nearby Sri Serdang. assistant director Azura Mohd Don, and En-
keys to the foundation was Seri Kembangan “I encourage residents here to support re- vironment Unit officer Mohd Hafiz.

Operafest laments
lack of local support
By Brenda Ch’ng
PETALING JAYA: A chorus
of voices from the international
award-winning Operafest Chil-
dren’s Choir proclaimed their
dismay over the lack of musical
recognition and financial support
here in Malaysia.
“The children and I have been
invited to most countries around
the world to perform, and we
were honored by some countries
mayors, governors and presidents.
“But when we are back home
here, we are nobody, despite ob-
taining an international choir
ranking,” said Kam Sun-Yoke.
The founder and artistic direc-
tor of the group said Operafest is
the first local choir group to have
won and been ranked at interna-
tional level.
With invitations aplenty from
musical affiliates globally,   Kam
said she is still surprised that
Operafest receives no funding
from the Ministry of Culture,
Arts and Tourism.
“Twenty years ago, before we
achieved international status, I
single-handedly coached these
children in a garage.
“Now, years later and with
multiple achievements, my group
still does not have the proper sup-
port it needs,” said Kam.
Kam said Operafest continues
to rely on sponsors, but hopes the
government will help lessen the
burden of international travelling
costs as well as expenses for prop-
er training facilities.
This non-profit group, which
started 1986, propelled into the
international circuit following
their success in winning both
second and third place in choir
competitions in Wales and Hol-
land in the 1990s.
Kam emotionally expressed
how ashamed she feels every time
her foreign counterparts question
how much her home country
treasures the group.
She also lamented on the lack
of musical inclination in Malay-
sians.
This year, the Operafest Chil-
dren’s Choir will be performing
at Hong Kong in November, fol-
lowed by Singapore.
Kam added that they are also
preparing to perform at Jaya One
in Petaling Jaya on Aug 27 and
28.
She, however, reiterated that
the group is struggling finan-
cially and is looking for sponsors.
Operafest also performs in
Christmas recitals and is looking
to recruit more children.
Kam can be contacted at op-
erafest@gmail.com or mail@
operafest.net.

The group
on tour in
India in
2004. Kam
is centre,
in red.

Residents want green
lung, not septic tank
Residents protesting against plans to turn their neighbourhood playground into
a sewerage system.
By Alvin Yap
SEKINCHAN: Residents of Taman
Sekinchan Damai held a protest on
Wednesday against plans to convert a play-
ground here into a septic tank site for a new
housing project.
“It is not fair to build a sewerage system
next to our homes and also to deprive us of
the only green lung in the area,” said a resi-
dent on Wednesday.
The residents claimed that the construc-
tion will deprive about 200 families of the
green lung.
They were also concerned with the
negative impact of living with a large sew-
age tank in their backyard.
“We are worried about the foul odour if
the septic tank is built,” said another pro-
tester.
The sewerage system is to accommodate
Sekinchan Perdana, a newly built 280-unit
condominium.
Residents have written to the state and
Andrew Gopal (fourth from right) with club members.
UKRC seeks end to status limbo
By Brenda Ch’ng
AMPANG: Members of Ulu Klang
Recreational Club (UKRC) are pressing
authorities for a definite date for a public
hearing to finally determine the fate of
the club.
Hulu Klang assemblyperson Saari Sun-
gib had tabled a motion in the state as-
sembly earlier this month for the land,
which was gazetted by then Menteri Besar
Dr Khir Toyo in 2004 as “open space”, to
be changed to “recreational”.
However, a public hearing is needed
before this can be done, and for the club
to finally get its title.
“We need this public hearing soon
SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ April 15 – 17, 2010 ⁄ 7
News
also to Sekinchan assemblyperson Ng Suee
Lim to lodge their protest.
However, Sekinchan Perdana project
director Yong Choo Kong said the techni-
cal plans for the septic tanks had already
been approved by the local council in
February.
He allayed residents’ fears that the septic
would emit “stinking smells”.
“The septic tanks are built with the latest
technology. There will be no smell,” he said.
He pointed out that the plan was to
widen existing septic tanks and not to
construct new ones.
Yong explained that the Sabak Bernam
District Council (MDSB) had approved
plans for the upgrading works.
He added that the playground, which
will be acquired, was actually on Drainage
and Irrigation Department (DID) land
reserve.
Yong, however, added the playground
would be relocated to a different location
in the vicinity.
because without the title, we can’t repair,
renovate or upgrade the club,” said An-
drew Gopal.
The UKRC president fears that with-
out proper procedures taken, the status of
the land will continue to be vague, and
controversies that have dogged them for
the past 20 years will never end.
He pointed out that a public hearing
could also help settle the dispute over the
land title.
“All the community wants [now] is to
be able to call the club theirs,” he said.
UKRC was established in 1957, but
the controversy started in 1994 when its
football field was allocated for a primary
school and 10 bungalows.
8
NEWS
APRIL 15 — 17, 2011

Fun day with the Bomba

By Gan Pei Ling
SUBANG JAYA: Handling fire extin-
guishers and learning how fires should be
doused were part of the excitement for resi-
dents who attended a firefighting awareness
programme on Sunday.
More than 100 members of the public,
including children, learnt first-hand about
tackling fires by hanging out with firefighters
at the Subang Ria Park.
Six-year-old Siti Rania Farha learnt to use
a fire extinguisher for the first time at the
event organised by Rakan Bomba for the
third year running.
Siti Rania said she was scared but thrilled
as Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba)
officer Rusli Abu helped her to put out a
small fire.
Nine-year-old Lee Xuan from SMK USJ
8 also learnt to handle a fire extinguisher for
the first time. “I’ve only [previously] learnt
about it in a textbook,” said Lee.
Let the Bomba put it out,” said a fed-up
Rusli to laughter from the crowd.
The public also witnessed a display of the
Bomba’s skills in water rescue at the Subang
Ria Park lake.
The K9 unit showcased how dogs are used
by the Bomba to assist them in their search-
and-rescue operations during emergencies or
disasters.
With their sharp sense of smell and hear-
ing, dogs can be trained to help detect life-
signs post-calamity, as well as look for the
cause of a fire.
“It’s good exposure for the kids,” said
Liow Kam Sum, 40, who attended the event
with his wife and two children. Owen Liow,
four, and three-year-old Zoey Liow were
very taken by the Bomba mascot, Edie.
Children surrounded Edie from time
to time to take photos and shake hands
with him.
Enthusiastic children were also allowed Six-year-old Siti Rania Farha during the firefighting demonstration.
to check out the fire truck and motorcycles

Rusli also demonstrated to the crowd how
to use a 3kg dry-powder fire extinguisher as
well as a fire blanket to put out small fires.
However, there was a small hiccup when
Department supports
under the guidance of the firefighters.
“Such activities bring together members
of the Bomba and the community,” said
Subang Jaya assemblyperson Hannah Yeoh.

Rusli and his colleague failed to extinguish
the blaze using the fire blanket despite sev-
eral tries.
“I think they’ve poured too much petrol.
Children and parents meeting the Bomba mascot, Edie.
volunteer firefighters
“I wish I had such a chance to mingle
with the authorities when I was young.”
Certificates were awarded to the children
at the end of the event.
By Gan Pei Ling
SUBANG JAYA: The Fire and Rescue De-
partment (Bomba) has issued a challenge to
residents here to step up and establish their own
volunteer firefighters.
In turn, the department has promised to sup-
port the volunteers with specialised training at
the SS17 fire station.
“The interest that the community has shown
in Bomba activities shows that they have the
potential to set up a volunteer Fire Brigade in
Subang Jaya,” said Ahmad Fisal Ahyat.
The Petaling District Fire chief made the
observation after speaking at the Rakan Bomba
event at the Subang Ria Park.
Ahmad Fisal said Bomba was always willing
to work together with local communities to help
prevent fire that could rob lives and damage
properties.
He said the voluntary fire brigade could help
support Bomba in the event that they are short-
handed at the scene of an emergency, and also
The Rakan Bomba event, which offered a
chance for the public to mingle freely with the
firefighters, was held for the third time running
at Subang Ria Park this year.
The first was organised at the SS17 fire sta-
tion in 2009 and the second in Subang Parade,
with Bomba personnel abseiling down the roof,
in 2010.
Participants have increased from 40 in 2009
to more than 100 this year.
Subang Jaya assemblyperson Hannah Yeoh,
who attended the event, said she supported the
idea of starting a voluntary fire brigade in
Subang Jaya.
“This provides an avenue for young adults to
contribute back to society,” she said.
Yeoh said she had written to the Housing and
Local Government Ministry to ask for a mobile
fire brigade to be stationed at USJ1.
She added that there are many factories in
USJ, and that the SS17 fire station is the only fire
station servicing the Subang Jaya area currently.

New chief for Subang

during fire-prevention awareness programmes.
“They will also become the Bomba’s ambas-
sadors among the Subang Jaya community. We’re
ready to help you form the voluntary fire bri-
By Gan Pei Ling gade,” said Ahmad Fisal.
The mobile fire brigade could help in the
event of a fire before the fire truck arrived.
She also encouraged residents to equip their
homes with a fire extinguisher, and to educate
themselves on the correct way to use it.

SUBANG JAYA: Mohd Khairi Daud is

the new Fire and Rescue Department
(Bomba) chief in Subang Jaya.
Khairi, who assumed the helm on April
4, said his main focus would be on educat-
ing citizens on the correct way to use a fire
extinguishers and react in emergencies.
He said most people would run away in
fear when a fire starts, but they should try
to put out the fire when it is still a small Mohd Khairi Daud
blaze.
Khairi also hopes to get more citizens to “Most of the time, senior citizens and
adopt the fire hydrants near their homes. children are left at home while the adults go
“It’s a simple programme … they just to work.
need to make sure the fire hydrant is in “It is important that they know how to
good condition and report any faults to the prevent fire and use an extinguisher,” she
Bomba,” he said. said.
Meanwhile, Subang Jaya assemblyperson Khairi and Yeoh were attending a Rakan
Hannah Yeoh encouraged the Bomba to Bomba event with Petaling district Bomba
educate more senior citizens and children chief Ahmad Fisal Ahyat in Subang Ria
on the correct way to use a fire extinguisher. Park on Sunday.
Yeoh and Ahmad Fisal in front of a mobile fire brigade. Yeoh has written to the Housing
and Local Government Ministry to ask for one to be stationed in USJ 1.
 NEWS
APRIL 15 — 17, 2011 9

Sikh temples get land By Brenda Ch’ng
KLANG: The Gurdwara
Sahib Klang Sikh temple is
finally getting land to ex-
pand their premises to
better serve their commu-
nity after almost a decade-
long wait.
“For more than nine
years I have been fighting for
the piece of land behind my
temple, but we were rejected
without any reason,” said
Sardar Jagdev Singh.
The president of the Gur-
dwara Sahib Klang said the
temple has been paying for
the Temporary Occupa-
tional Licence (TOL) for
that plot of land for about
seven years but had not been
allowed to build on it.
The state has now ap-
proved the temple to acquire
Dr Xavier (third from left) tending to land acquisition matters for the Sikh community of the triangular 0.23-acre
Petaling Jaya. Seated second right is Kota Alam Shah assemblyperson M Manoharan.
plot, which will be used to The state executive coun-
house classrooms and librar- cillor, who oversees non-
ies for Punjabi classes. Muslim religious affairs, at-
There are also plans to tended the Gurdwara Sahib
build prayer rooms and Klang’s Vasakhi prayers on
restrooms for foreign wor- Tuesday night.
shippers. The Sikh community
“With more space now celebrated the harvest festi-
available in the temple, I’m val of Vasakhi on Thursday.
glad we will have a proper
hall to pass down our cul-
ture and language,” said
Jasbir Singh, vice-president
of the temple.
Further, the state has al-
located RM300,000 to all
registered Sikh gurdwaras as
of last year to help with
maintenance.
“Apart from Klang, other
Sikh communities in Sub-
ang Jaya, Ampang, Hulu
Selangor and Shah Alam
were able to acquire more
religious land,” said Dr Xa-
vier Jayakumar. Sardar Jagdev Singh

Dismal recycling rate

in Klang
By Chong Loo Wah Foundation for the Disabled has
  launched a recycling drive for Ja-
KLANG: Klang folks are urged to pan earthquake victims.
step up their recycling effort as less Foundation president pastor Sia
than 1% of the waste they generate Siew Chin said the foundation will
annually is recycled. donate the income generated from
Klang councillor Lim Lip Suan sale of the recyclables to Japan.
said on average, 600 tonnes of gar- Sia was speaking to the press
bage are thrown out every day. after launching a recycling drive Lim Lip Suan
In other words, the town gener- with Klang councillor Lim Lip
ates about 219,000 tonnes of trash Suan at Taman Rakyat in Seri take this opportunity to repay their
annually, but only 1,900 tonnes Andalas on Sunday. kindness.
(0.87%) are recycled. He said this is the first time the Interested donors can drop
Lim urged the public to recycle foundation has started a donation their recyclable items at Beautiful
their paper, glasses, plastic contain- drive for another cause. Gate’s recycling bins – blue in
ers or any other recyclable items in He added that the Japanese colour in Klang, and maroon in
order to reduce the amount of waste. Embassy in Malaysia has continu- Petaling Jaya and Kepong.
He said Klang’s garbage is trans- ously provided generous assistance Alternatively, the public can
ported to the Jeram landfill, but the to the foundation. also bring their recyclable items to
landfill is expected to be full and Therefore, they would like to the locations below.
closed within the next five years.
Operated by Worldwide Land- Branch Contact no. Address
fills, the Jeram landfill also receives
solid waste from Shah Alam, Subang Klang 03-33736094 74, Lebuh Turi, Taman
Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Ampang Jaya and Chi Liung, 41200 Klang
Kuala Selangor.
The 64-hectare landfill was Petaling Jaya 03-78736579 / 29, Jalan SS2/59, 47300 PJ
opened in January 2007 to replace 78758609
the Air Hitam landfill in Puchong,
which only lasted 13 years before Kepong 03-62763690 91 & 92, Persiaran Mergastua
it was full and had to be closed in ( Jalan 56), Kepong Baru,
December 2006. 52100 KL
Lim said Selangor has yet to
identify a suitable new site to replace
the Jeram landfill as there is limited Weekly collection Days
land.
He said the Klang Municipal Paramount Garden First and third Saturday
Council had suggested to the state Residents’ Association, PJ
to build an incinerator but has yet
to receive a response. SS2/75, PJ (beside BHP station) First Sunday
 
Recycle for Japan Spectrum shopping centre, Ampang Third Sunday
Meanwhile, Beautiful Gate
10
NEWS
APRIL 15 — 17, 2011

Unlicensed hawkers
welcome move

(From left) Councillors Ng Sze Han, Loka Ng, Tai and Chong having
a discussion before the hawker registration programme.

Hawkers lining up to register for stall lots at the new market.
By Basil Foo
SERI KEMBANGAN: Illegal
hawkers operating in Sungai Besi
welcome a move by local authori-
ties to legalise and relocate them to
a more conducive site.
Under the plan by the Subang
Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ),
hawkers on Jalan SB Indah 1/4
will shift about 300m to Jalan SB
1/21.
“It’s a good move; we know
there are complaints about rubbish
and clogged drains caused by our
businesses,” said Chong Piang Wa.
The Hawkers Association chair-
person acknowledged that the
current location was right in front
of residential homes, while the new
site is located next to shoplots and
a playground.
Four MPSJ councillors were on
hand at a community hall here on
Monday to register the hawkers for
relocation to the new site.
“Over 200 hawkers came to ap-
ply for the lots today, but we only
have a maximum of 144 lots avail-
able,” said Loka Ng Sai Kai.
The councillor said they had to
determine which hawkers were
qualified to move. Priority would
be given to those from the old
market site, he said.
Nevertheless, the council would
try to fit in all applicants into the
new market, Ng added.
“To maximise lot usage, we will
to 10am in order for the new mar-
ket to be set up, with alternative
access roads opened around it.
Hawkers at the new morning
market will also have to clean up
rubbish left over from their busi-
ness sessions as part of the deal.
Ng said there are no other sites
available in the zone as it has been
filled with residential homes for the
past 30 years.
“As of now, MPSJ has no further
plans to build additional markets.
Residents will have to go to this
one,” he added.

Plants and green bins

ask hawkers to alternate business Also at the registration pro-
days as some of them only open one gramme were MPSJ councillors Ng
to two days a week,” he said. Sze Han, Chong Hoon Ming, and
Roads will be closed from 6am Tai Cheng Heng.

to beautify Klang Schools urged to

By William Tan

KLANG: Over 100 trees and shrubs were planted

by the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) and mem-
bers of community here in an effort to beautify the
Royal Town.
Mohd Ikhsan Mukri said the two variety of plants,
pokok janda merana and bunga tasbih, were donated
by the municipality’s contractors.
“ The programme is to generate awareness
among the public on the importance of maintain-
ing our environment,” said the MPK deputy
president.
The programme was also in line with the state’s
efforts to clean and rehabilitate the Klang River.
Plants were planted along river from Taman Peng-
ensure food hygiene
kalan Batu to Taman Pengkalan Kampar.
Over 200 members of the community and MPK
staff participated in the event last Saturday.
Also unveiled during the event was the smart bin,
made out of 85% recycled material and jointly devel-
oped by MPK and the Department of Environment.
Mohd Ikhsan said the new bins were smaller and far
more practical for rubbish.
He added that 50 such bins would be placed
throughout the town.

Iskandar visiting a pupil in hospital.

By Brenda Ch’ng The Cempaka assemblyperson

AMPANG: Principals are being
urged to closely monitor canteen
hygiene to avoid a similar outbreak
of food poisoning which occurred
in  Sekolah Kebangsaan Pandan
Indah recently.
“Schools have to respond im-
mediately to any complaints by
students or parents. No complaint
Mohd Ikhsan Mukri (centre in orange) unveiling the smart bin. He is accompanied by Norasiah Bee
Mohd Haniff (far left), deputy director of Selangor Country and Town Planning. should be taken lightly,” said Is-
kandar Abdul Samad.
issued the press statement after
visiting 16 affected pupils from his
constituency last Thursday. 
The Standard Two and Four
pupils were  admitted to the Am-
pang Hospital the day before. It was
reported that one pupil was in
the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The pupils are believed to have
fallen ill with diarrhea and purging
after consuming food sold at the
canteen. 

The dead have rights, too
M
alaysia is in desperate need
of a reliable and
trustworthy institute to
conduct autopsies, especially in
relation to deaths in custody.
Last week, the body of customs
officer Ahmad Sarbani was found
on the grounds of the Malaysian
Anti-Corruption Commission
(MACC) Federal Territory office.
The incident was tragic, but it
seemed absolutely ridiculous as this
is the second time in three years that
a body was found under similar
circumstances: interrogation by the
MACC, then death from (apparent)
fall from height.
This brings to mind Shakespeare’s
“There is something rotten in the
state of Denmark”. Political intrigue,
possible cover-ups, and a series of
mysterious deaths in the state of
Malaysia, perhaps?   forensic pathologists repre-
Deaths in custody  There is a list of criteria
It is reported that since 2000, at
least 147 people died in police
custody.
Although it is difficult to extract
data on the actual number of deaths
a year (as official statistics provide
varying figures for varying periods of
time), it is noted that there were 150
deaths from 1990 till 2004 (10.7 per
year), which has increased to 85
deaths between 2003 and 2007
(21.25 per year). (Hector, Aliran,
November 2010).   nised by the Malaysian gov-
Some cases we can recall. In
January 2008, a police constable
was charged with causing hurt to
extract a confession from A Kugan,
22, who died in police custody. In
July that year, P Gunasegaram, 31,
was found dead in the Sentul police
station. In 2010, sawmill worker P
Bapu, 28, was found dead in the
Jempol police station.   pitals and healthcare facilities
The statistics above may not even
include deaths “outside” the lock-up
– for instance, in detention centres
due to illnesses or negligence. And
they definitely do not include freak
incidents such as of Teoh Beng
Hock ( July 2010), and Ahmad
Sarbani, who both fell from a height
at MACC offices.
One thing that ties all these
Raja Idris is KDEB
exec consultant
SHAH ALAM: Selangor has
appointed Raja Idris Raja Ka-
maruddin as executive consul-
tant and adviser to Kumpulan
Darul Ehsan Bhd (KDEB).
He replaces Datuk Karim
Munisar, who has resigned, and
has been tasked with monitor-
ing and overseeing the affairs of
the state investment arm and its
subsidiaries.
His appointment will allow
him to sit on the KDEB board
of directors and chair all com-
panies under the group.
Menteri Besar Tan Sri Kha-
lid Ibrahim, speaking after the
state executive council meeting,
said the appointment was made
views 11
april 15 — 17, 2011
Just Selangor
Tricia Yeoh
deaths together is that the stitute of Forensic Science Against Torture, and form an In-
immediate reaction from the (CIFS) at the Thai Ministry dependent Police Complaints and
authorities was to claim at first One thing that ties all of Justice. Very public about Misconduct Commission.
instance that these were suicide these deaths together is her stand-offs with the Thai The Malaysian Bar has most
cases. It is almost like a that the immediate reaction police, she is nevertheless recently called on the government
predictive tool that whenever a from the authorities was to still given the independence to introduce a Coroner’s Act and
death in custody – or now, to carr y out the work at establish a Coroner’s Court, and “to
under interrogation – occurs, claim at first instance that CIFS. This is perhaps be- conduct a comprehensive review of
authorities will allude to these were suicide cases.” cause her team is considered the manner in which inquiries into
suicide, the family calls for a a pioneer in many new meth- deaths are undertaken”. 
second independent autopsy, and Buloh Hospital, representing the ods, including setting up a DNA Finally, autopsies conducted by
the government forms an enquiry government of Malaysia, although database for local authorities in the the g overnment and their
into the matter. This has practically the government was gracious south of Thailand, and actually conclusions which follow after are
b e c om e stan dard op erating enough to allow foreign pathologists assisting the police in their work increasingly seen to be biased. Is it
procedure by now. present as observers.  on identifying terrorists.   time to think of independent
Human rights activists have autopsies from an institute that
Autopsies in Malaysia  What shall we do? long called for the Malaysian gov- Malaysians can grow to trust?
What this really highlights is the Malaysians were taken by sur- ernment to act immediately to, in After all, you and I have every
growing distrust of Malaysians to- prise at Dr Porntip Rojanasunan, Dr Porntip’s words, work for the right to demand a system of justice
wards an official line taken on the who represented the Selangor gov- “rights of the dead”. These include we have absolute faith in, a system
causes of death. In Malaysia, all au- ernment in the Teoh case. She is urging the government to ratify of justice to protect us in the time
topsies are conducted entirely by director general of the Central In- the United Nations Convention we most need it.
senting the government.  
required to qualify one as a
“Forensic Pathologist” under
the National Specialist Regis-
ter (NSR) that must eventu-
ally be approved by the Foren-
sic Pathologist Specialty
Committee.
For instance, medical de-
grees have to be recognised by
the Malaysian Medical Coun-
cil, and postgraduate degrees
in Forensic Pathology recog-
ernment. There are other de-
tailed requirements that can
be found on the NSR website,
but as a general rule, all medi-
cal practitioners who practise
in the country have to be
registered with the Malaysian
Medical Council, and those
working in government hos-
must be gazetted by the Min-
istry of Health.  
Even in the cases where a
second autopsy took place,
this needed to be conducted
by a pathologist approved by
the government. For example,
Teoh’s second autopsy was
carried out by Dr Shahidan
Md Noor from the Sungai
with the consent of the Selan-
gor Sultan and is effective from
April 5.
Raja Idris is a member of the
Institute of Bankers and the
Institute for the Management
of Information Systems.
He also currently serves as
consultant to Rototype Inter-
national, Significant Technolo-
gies Sdn Bhd and the Markfield
Institute of Higher Learning in
Leicester, England.
Raja Idris was previously
TDM Bhd group managing
director and Siemens Malaysia
information and communica-
tions network vice-president,
among others.
 Insight
12 April 15 — 17, 2011

Greater transp
By Gan Pei Ling

S
elangor made history when it became the first state
in Malaysia to pass the Freedom of Information
(FOI) Enactment at its state assembly on April 1.

sunshine law
The state now joins more than 90 countries, including
our neighbours Thailand and Indonesia, with an FOI law
that recognises citizens’ right to information.
The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) has
hailed the passing of this law as a “breakthrough” amid
an entrenched culture of secrecy among our government
bodies backed by the Official Secrets Act (OSA). 
Compared to its original draft information in good faith are pro- Saari Sungib (Hulu Kelang) had told
tabled last July that was heavily tected from prosecution, sanctions Selangor Times previously that the
criticised by civil societies, the FOI and suits. state expects tremendous requests
Enactment passed last Friday has seen   for information at local councils and
several improvements. Impact on general public  land offices once the law is enforced.
  When asked by Selangor Times One can anticipate concerned
Greater transparency and how the FOI Enactment would residents requesting information
accountability benefit the people, CIJ executive on the state and local councils’ ex-
Firstly, civil servants can now be officer Masjaliza Hamzah said the penditure, tenders awarded and land
fined up to RM50,000 or sentenced law had far-reaching impacts in very transactions, to name just a few.
to five years’ jail, or both, if they are practical ways. Despite that, it should be noted
convicted of intentionally giving “If there’s a landslide and the state that filing an application and pur-
false or misleading information. sets up a committee to inquire into it, suing it would still take time and
It is also considered an offence if under the FOI Enactment, one could energy.
civil servants intentionally restrict or Saari Sungib: FOI select argue that the public should have ac-  
deny public access to information, committee chairperson cess to reports about the proceedings, Limitations of the FOI
unless that information is specifically including statements recorded from Enactment
exempted under the law. Civil serv- have been rejected. those who testify. Nevertheless, Selangor’s FOI
ants were not liable to such a penalty Under the law, the State Informa- “In other words, we don’t have Enactment has certain limitations.
in the original draft of the FOI Bill. tion Board must be led by former to wait for the Menteri Besar to Information classified as official
Secondly, the FOI Enactment legal practitioners and independent declassify it,” said Masjaliza. secrets under the OSA is beyond the
now covers not only state depart- members not holding any political “If the playground near your state law’s jurisdiction. public interest or if it
ments, but local councils and all office or position in any political party. house is in a bad state, you can ask Individuals’ private information or is for the investigation
state-owned or state-controlled CIJ also pointed out other im- the local council for the amount trade secrets obtained by the state in of an offence or misconduct.
bodies as well. provements in the law, such as a spent on maintenance and find out confidence, as well as information that Besides that, a good FOI law
Thirdly, the Appeals Board has narrower list of exemptions and a 20- who built it. would “severely jeopardise” the state’s should keep the application fees
been replaced by a more independ- year time limit for keeping exempted “Of course, all these are just policy implementation or develop- low, but this was not stated in the
ent State Information Board to information confidential. scenarios; the law will need to be ment, can also be kept confidential. enactment.
review appeals from applicants In addition, information offic- tested,” she said. However, such information can “Costs should be kept low. Other-
whose requests for information ers and civil servants who disclose FOI select committee chairperson be disclosed if there is an overriding wise, it can become an administrative

Freedom of Information law in Southeast Asian and South Asian countries

NEPAL
The Right to Information (RTI) Act was enacted in
2007, but there are serious weaknesses in the law.

VIETNAM
Ministry of Justice
BANGLASDESH introduced draft
RTI Act, enacted in Law on Approach
INDIA 2009, overrides the THAILAND
The Central to Information at a
Official Secrets Act of Official Information Act seminar on July 2,
Government enacted 1923, while retaining passed in 1997.
the Indian FOI Act in 2009, inviting public
legitimate concerns comments.
2002, which represents about security.
an important step
towards actualising the
right to information, but
has been criticised for
not going far enough.
CAMBODIA
Drafting an Access PHILIPPINES
to Government An FOI bill was rejected
Information law. in early June 2010 by
the Senate.

MALAYSIA
Selangor passed the
FOI Act on April 1,
2011 after tabling the
bill on July 14, 2010.

INDONESIA
Parliament passed an RTI Act on
April 3, 2008 after eight years of
delays, but there exist contradictions
that have raised concerns.

Source: Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)

parency with
obstacle that denies the public af-
fordable access to information,” CIJ
pointed out in its April 1 statement.
CIJ also highlighted that the
enactment did not specif y the
appointment process of the State
Information Board.
“This must be an open and trans-
parent process where the public
can nominate candidates and the
shortlist is published. This will
strengthen the independence of the
board,” CIJ added.
The law also does not mandate
the periodic publication of infor-
mation to make information more
Lawmakers listening to the Sultan’s speech during the opening of the Selangor state assembly on
March 28.
accessible to the public.
“Routine publication will help
to reduce the administrative burden
on information officers and increase
transparency across all public bod-
ies,” said CIJ in response to the
shortcomings in the law.
The state’s FOI taskforce chief,
Elizabeth Wong, said the FOI En-
actment is a “dynamic, living legisla-
tion” and the legislature can improve
the enactment from time to time.
“This is only the beginning of our
journey to introduce a culture of
openness and transparency in public
administration,” said Wong.
Freedom of
Information
FAQ
Compiled by Gan Pei Ling
What is Freedom of Information (FOI) and why do we need
laws to ensure it?
As tax- and ratepayers – income tax, service tax, road tax, assessment
rate tax, quit rent – the public has a right to know how governments use
and manage public funds. FOI laws empower the public with access to
information, and allow inspection of files and scrutiny of government
administration. 
In other words, a good FOI law helps promote transparency,
accountability and reduce graft.
Does Malaysia has a FOI law?
We do not have a FOI law at the national level, but Selangor passed
the FOI Enactment in its state assembly on April 1. It is the first state
to do so.
Following Selangor’s footsteps, Penang also tabled its FOI bill in
November 2010, but the draft has came under fire from civil societies
as lacking in substance.
The Selangor FOI bill also came under severe criticism when it was
first tabled in July 2010. However, the legislature appointed a select
committee to consult civil societies and civil servants to improve the bill.
An amended version was tabled on March 28 and passed without
objection on April 1.
When will Selangor’s FOI Enactment come into force? 
Elizabeth Wong, who is leading the Selangor’s FOI taskforce, said it
would take around six months for the state to enforce the law.
She said they would need to appoint and train information officers
in all relevant bodies to handle information applications, draft the
application forms, and set up a fee structure.
Selangor also needs to set up the State Information Board, which
would review appeals from applicants whose request for information
has been rejected.
Wong, who is also the executive councillor on tourism, consumer
affairs and environment, estimated that Selangor would need to allocate
RM1 million to enforce the FOI law.
                                                 
Who will give me information? Is there a fee?
An information officer will be trained and appointed in each department
to handle public requests for information. The information officer is
required to respond in writing to your application within 30 days from
the date of acknowledgement of the application.
Illiterate or people with disabilities may make a verbal request to the
information officer, who will then make a written application on behalf
Wong: FOI taskforce chief. of the applicant and provide a copy of it to the applicant.
The fee structure has yet to be ironed out by the state.
What is covered under Selangor’s FOI Enactment?
Once the FOI law comes into force, you can request for
information from any state department, local council,
or any entity owned or fully controlled by the Selangor
government. For example, you can request for information
on the state and local councils’ expenditure, tenders
awarded, and land transactions.
However, information classified under the federal
Official Secrets Act, individuals’ private information, and
trade secrets obtained by the state in confidence are
exempted under the FOI enactment.
Secrets from states or international organisations may
also be kept confidential if its disclosure would affect
Selangor’s relations with other states or international
organisations.
The information officer may also refuse to disclose
information that is likely to severely affect Selangor’s
development.
Despite that, information must be provided if there
is an overriding public interest that outweighs the risks
stated above.
The information officer may also allow access to
exempted information if it is required for the investigation
of an offence or misconduct.
However, all exemptions lapse after 20 years.
What if my application is rejected, or if I’m not
satisfied with the information provided? 
You can appeal to the State Information Board, made
up of former legal practitioners and independent members,
within 21 days after you receive the notice from the
information officer.
Sources:
FOI Enactment (Selangor)
www.cijmalaysia.org
www.righttoinformation.org
14
VIEWS
APRIL 15 — 17, 2011

Latin heart-throbs and Ask Lord Bobo is a weekly

column by LoyarBurok
(www.loyarburok.com)
where all your profound,

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

C
an I know why is Latin often quoted and used in law? a spate of other languages.
I only know of one: Liberavi Animam Meam! @ So whoever uses Latin must accept that they are a lusus
Cunning Linguist, via email  naturae if not a complete membrum virile for doing so. Since
English is the lingua franca of the world, tempora mutantur,
THE average Malaysian probably knows the meaning of a nos et mutamur in illis. Dominus illuminatio mea! 
maximum of two Latin phrases. The first would be a school

motto, which would have been drilled into one’s head for the
better part of the first two decades of one’s life. The second
would be the motto of one’s chosen football club.
But many Malaysians use a great variety of Latin phrases
without knowing their actual meanings. Phrases like alma
mater, bona fide, carpe diem, de facto, ex gratia, id est (i.e.), in
vitro, inter alia, ipso facto, prima facie, and quid pro quo.
There are also many English words that originated from
Latin. So you see, Latin isn’t just used by lawyers. However, it
is true that lawyers do indulge in some of the more obscure
and pompous-sounding Latin phrases.  logic, having seen a widely used photo of him looking par-
According to a LoyarBurok theorist, Latin is used simply
because it is cool to use a technical language nobody speaks
anymore. This cunningly allows lawyers to avail themselves
when they are compelled to give an opinion on an issue of law
they don’t know much about.
For example, “If company X nukes country Y, what is their
scope of liability?” An appropriate response could be, “De
Bono Umbra Stupent.” It is meaningless, but sounds rather
thoughtful and authoritative.
An extension of this theory is that people – particularly
men – who use Latin often imagine that it makes them sound
like some Latin heart-throb like Enrique Iglesias (or his dad
Julio, depending on who tickles your fancy). And let’s admit
it: using an exotic language does make one sound smarter, does
it not?
This is the same reason Lord Bobo always advises young
footballers to consider choosing sexier names before launching
their careers. Someone called Jim Johnson or Fred Smith has
a far better chance of being hailed in the headlines with a name
like Jimozinho or Fredildo.
Enrique
Another theory would require approximately 400 pages
(not including footnotes) to explain. The short version is that
the law often applied in Commonwealth countries is that of
common law – i.e. judge-made on a case-by-case basis – which
originated sometime in 12th-century England, around the
time Roman Law was re-discovered and exerted a powerful
influence in Europe.
Some of the first common-law scholars and early common-
law judges were accustomed with Roman law; so its influence
was still pervasive because it formed some of the very founda-
tions of common law.
Since Classical Latin was the official language of Rome, the
concepts of Roman law were expressed in Latin. When these
concepts were introduced to the common law, its description
in Latin was similarly imported. Quod erat demonstratum. 
It should be mentioned that Latin is not often used in
Malaysian courts. Lawyers and litigants have enough to con-
tend with: poor English, hardly passable Bahasa, and made-up
Manglish for the most part, with a further mix of several
Chinese-language dialects, a smattering of Indian dialects, and
D
ear Lord Bobo, if my car is stolen, can I call for a
Royal Commission? @abbyshahrin, via Twitter 
ONE would think not. Then again, that “think” part is argu-
ably irrelevant when it comes to goings-on in Malaysia. It has
recently been suggested that a Royal Commission can be called
to look into a certain video footage of hotel-room shenanigans
to find out whether there was an act of prostitution involved,
because, after all, we need to find out if a law was broken!
We are slightly reluctant to name the source of this flawless
ticularly tough, complete with muscly-finger-wagging action
– though we have been reliably informed that he was in fact
not making some forceful point of law, but was rather insisting
that he had specifically mentioned he wanted five types of kuih
to nibble on during the interview. 
As for a Royal Commission being called to look into the
theft of your car, it depends. If the theft was allegedly carried
out by a senior opposition politician, then yes. If the theft
supposedly took place in the presence of a senior opposition
politician, then probably. If there is a chance that the theft
took place in the parking lot of a building in which a senior
opposition politician was having dinner, then possibly.
In short, if you can somehow link the theft to a senior op-
position politician member, you’ve got a chance. 
Have a question for Lord Bobo? Call on His Supreme
Eminenceness by emailing asklordbobo@loyarburok.
com, stating your full name and a pseudonym (if you
want), or tweeting your questions by mentioning
@LoyarBurok and using the hashtag #asklordbobo

Tripping Zero 3
Sharyn Shufiyan Our seafood sins
A
friend of mine always told me of his
fishing getaways to Pulau Ketam
whenever we meet. It’s amazing that
just one and half hours away from Kuala
Lumpur sits this quaint little fishing village
just off Port Klang.
Pulau Ketam was founded circa 1880 by
Hainanese fisherfolk who frequented the area
to catch crabs. Population on the island
gradually increased as more people settled on
the island, mostly of Hokkien and Teochew
descent. One of the oldest structures on the
island is the Hock Leng Keng temple, believed
to be as old as the island.
I met Koh, 47, a local resident and restaurant
owner. Before setting up his restaurant, he was
a boat maker. Boat making is still an economic
activity on Pulau Ketam, albeit dwindling with
the rising price of cengal. But above all, Pulau
Ketam is famous for its seafood and infamous
for the case of abandoned dogs.
Many of us would travel far to satisfy our
crustacean cravings. Eating seafood has always
been a family affair and incorporated into our
culture; for example, shark’s fin soup is a must
at Chinese weddings.
Over on the east coast of Peninsular Malay-
sia, turtle eggs are a delicacy, and people are still
selling them openly since there is no proper ban
in place to prohibit sale and consumption.
Some consume sea life for health benefits, like
the seahorse and sea cucumber.
But how many of us are aware of the impact
our taste buds have on Poseidon’s posse? Ac-
cording to WWF Malaysia, Malaysia is the
highest consumer of seafood in the Southeast
Asia region, and figures in 2007 revealed that
there are more than 120,000 licensed fisher-
folk. The fisheries industry garnered a total
revenue of RM5.8 billion that same year. No
doubt, the sea has supplied us with the protein
we need and income to sustain economically.
Pulau Ketam
But our sea life is facing immense pressure to
meet demands for seafood. Irresponsible fishing
methods such as trawling, blast fishing and cya-
nide fishing are detrimental to the marine
ecosystem. Trawling often results in by-catch
such as turtles and dolphins, while blast and
cyanide fishing are destroying coral reefs.
Overfishing is also a worry. Already 90%
of bottom-dwelling species, such as the floun-
der and grouper, have declined. Shark finning,
a very touchy subject, has contributed to the
depleting number of sharks off our shores.
When something is enculturated, it’s hard
to detach oneself and look at the wider picture.
I was appalled by one of the comments by a
reader regarding shark’s fin: “For me, shark,
cows, chicken = food. I have no problem eating
them. As for shark’s fin, if you can afford to eat
the real thing, why not? It is food.”
Perhaps, when chickens become endan-
gered, we will get the message. Perhaps, when
chickens become the top predators of the food
chain and a healthy population ensures a
healthy ecosystem, we would understand the
importance of conservation. Perhaps, when
hormonal injections no longer work on chick-
ens and they start producing one egg per
chicken, we would start paying attention.
Perhaps, when sharks become a reared
commodity, conservationists would finally
shut up.
The problem is, we rarely think about
where our seafood comes from. Yes, the sea,
but what fishing method was used, and what
other creatures were sacrificed for this beauti-
fully steamed grouper in soy sauce served in
front of us? And because the problem is far
from our eyes, on some boat somewhere off
the shores of west-coast Malaysia, we don’t
think there’s anything wrong.
This is not to say we should refrain from
eating seafood. I’m working towards shifting
my diet to consume more seafood than meat,
source: sxc.hu
but I’m mindful of what kind of seafood I
choose to eat.
WWF Malaysia, in its bid to create aware-
ness on the impact of fishing and the declining
health of the marine ecosystem, has initiated
the Save Our Seafood campaign to help guide
us make more responsible choices by catego-
rising which species are recommended for
consumption and which should be avoided.
There are also products certified by the
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) that
could guide you to make the right choices.
If you are a lover of tuna, be mindful of the
canned tuna you choose to buy. Some tuna cans
are branded with a “dolphin-safe” logo, which
means that the tuna caught did not harm or kill
any dolphins during fishing. Dolphins are often
a by-catch for tuna, especially yellowfin tuna,
since they often swim together.
Of course, not all fish supplies are in the
red – some are thriving, and some types are
reared in fish farms. But it is imperative that
we know where our seafood is sourced from,
because if we keep consuming mindlessly,
there will come a time when seafood is no
longer just a weekend treat but a real luxury.
 NEWS 15
APRIL 15 — 17, 2011

Walking blind for charity

By Alvin Yap
PETALING JAYA: It will literally be the
blind leading the blind at a charity walk this
Sunday to raise funds to eradicate blindness.
Expect to be blindfolded and feel what it’s
like to walk as the blind do at the event or-
ganised by Lions Club Petaling Jaya.
Mak Siew Fong said each participant will
be led by a member of the Malaysian Asso-
ciation for the Blind (MAB) and a volunteer
with sight.
“I actually walked blindfolded, with a
friend leading me. I cannot describe the sensa-
tion, but losing one’s sight is disorienting,”
said the Lions Club organising chairperson.
The walk on April 17 is aimed at creating
awareness of eye diseases and to raise
RM250,000 in corporate sponsorship to
eradicate blindness.
The money will be used for the organisa-
tion’s Sight First Programme to fund free
cataract surgery at Tun Hussein Onn Na-
tional Eye Hospital. The international pro-
gramme has restored sight to some 1.2 million
people worldwide.
This year, some 6,000 Malaysians from the
lower-income group will benefit from the
initiative.
Most importantly, the programme will
educate the public that blindness can be pre-
vented.
“Seventy-five percent of blindness is avoid-
able,” said Mak.
Roads along the route will be
closed in stages by police and MBPJ
enforcement units.
“I encourage people to come for
the walk. Understand what the
blind go through, and then we ap-
preciate our own sight,” Roslan said.
He added that  MBPJ was em-
barking on creating a disabled-
friendly city. New property develop-
ments in Petaling Jaya are required
to construct “tactile guidance
blocks” at footpaths and five-foot
ways to aid the blind.
“We will not support the devel-
oper getting the Certificate of
Compliance if they do not build
these items that the blind need to
find their way around,” said Roslan.
He said the aids include Braille
lettering on buttons inside lifts,
among other things.
During the press conference at
MBPJ on Monday, Roslan was
A Malaysian Association for the Blind trainer leading mayor Datuk Roslan Sakiman for a
walk. blindfolded and led by a blind per-
son from MAB.
Participants who complete the 3km walk Mall. From there, they will walk on Jalan “It is very disorienting,” he said, while walk-
will receive a voucher for a free eye screening Pantai to Jalan Gasing and back to MBPJ. ing around the briefing room at MBPJ’s office.
worth RM160 at the eye hospital. There will There will be a brass band and cheerleaders He also urged MBPJ staff to participate in
also be a free health check-up at the event. to encourage participants, and free isotonic the walk, and agreed with Mak that it was a
The non-competitive walk starts at 7am drinks and snacks will be available. perfect family-day outing.
and flags off at MBPJ car park near the Civic Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Roslan Sakiman Roslan also met with candidates for the
Hall. Participants will proceed to Jalan Yong said MBPJ and police outriders will ensure Lions Club’s First Sight free cataract surgery
Shook Lin, then on to Jalan Sultan to Amcorp the safety of participants. programme.

Rainbow Volunteers
to improve community

Teng hard at work.

Kampung Tunku
roads to be upgraded
By Chong Loo Wah sulting in a bottleneck during
The volunteers.
  peak hours.
“They can act as a support to government agencies PETALING JAYA: The Petal- Consequently, those who
By Gan Pei Ling by providing food and water to the victims,” he said. ing Jaya City Council (MBPJ) want to turn left into Taman
Teng, who is the speaker of Selangor’s assembly, said will spend RM200,000 to up- Bahagia are also stuck at the
KLANG: “Out with the brown and in with green” is three traditional Malay villages in the area also have their grade Jalan SS1/36 in Kampung traffic lights.
the objective of the new Rainbow Volunteers, who are own volunteers and support groups. Tunku to ease traffic congestion. By adding an additional lane,
working to beautify their neighbourhoods here. He added that the Rainbow Volunteers are open to Kampung Tunku assemblyper- these cars will be able to turn left
Some 80 volunteers rose to the occasion to improve anyone, regardless of age and race. This means that son Lau Weng San said MBPJ had into Taman Bahagia without hav-
the landscape in a public field in Taman Eng Ann as youths and senior citizens are invited to join, but new recently approved the plan to ing to wait for the traffic lights.
part of the group’s official launch on Sunday morning. volunteers are expected to participate regularly in ac- straighten the winding road as Lau added that Jalan SS1/36
Among those getting their hands dirty was Datuk tivities before they will be formally recognised. well as widen it to three lanes. also experienced heavy traffic
Teng Chang Khim, who helped set up the group. “This is to make sure they are committed in volun- Lau said the bottleneck is lo- flow as it is one of the main roads
The Sungai Pinang assemblyperson said the Rain- teering for the group,” Teng said. cated at the traffic lights in front leading to SS2 and Lebuhraya
bow Volunteers would also be organising community “For those who cannot commit, they can attend of SMK Taman Sea. Damansara-Puchong.
activities such as paying visits to orphanage and old our activities as temporary volunteers as and when Due to a sharp corner right Lau, who visited the site on
folks’ homes. they are free.” before the traffic lights, Lau said Monday, said MBPJ had called
Apart from charity, they also hope to train the vol- Teng also used his constituency allocations to provide the existing two-lane road is for tenders for the project. Work
unteers to be able to provide support in the event of facilities for light exercise and to replace old basketball effectively reduced to one, re- is expected to take three months.  
disasters like floods and fires. posts in Taman Eng Ann.
16
food
April 15 — 17, 2011

Sweet and sour grilled fish. Juicy cuttlefish.

Grilled to perfection
By Brenda Ch’ng mint sauce to be able to savour
the authentic marination of the

T
ucked away in semi-rural
Kampung Jawa about 15
minutes away from Klang
Town is the unassuming Hing Ket
Grill House.
Nestled between two rural
Malays villages, the restaurant,
which looks more like a hawker
eatery,  was surprisingly packed
with hungry Chinese patrons,
their tables laden with grilled
specialties.
The first thing that caught my
attention wasn’t the sight of the
place, but the scent from the
smoking grills.
While there was nothing spec-
tacular about the layout of the
restaurant, the scrumptious food
made up for the limited decor.  It is advisable to know which
We tried out their house spe-
cialties recommended by the
waitress. The first dish that came
was the grilled lamb (RM30),
which was big enough for three to
four people.
The succulent, tender lamb was
chargrilled to perfection. Every
bite brought a sweet flavour to our
taste buds.
It is preferable to eat the lamb
on its own before coating it with
lamb.
The next dish was the grilled
devil fish/stingray (RM29), a
generous, fleshy portion enough
to feed a group of three.
To get the most out of the fla-
vour, squeeze the lime provided.
This adds a little sourness to the
spiciness of the dish. Eaten piping
hot, the fish was delicious with a
tinge of sweet-and-sourness.
The last dish recommended was
the grilled cuttlefish (RM12), cut
up into tiny pieces and served with
a chili-like sauce on the side.
The cuttlefish itself was already
coated with fragrant spices, grilled
in a way that made it neither
chewy nor tough.
portion size to order as the dish
comes in three different sizes, each
served in a different style.
The small portion we ordered Succulent bite-sized chunks of lamb.
was enough for three people.
The medium-sized portion is adventurous food experience if
served whole and should prefera- one is craving for grilled cuisine. 
bly be eaten unshared, as there are Hing Ket Grill House is located
juices in the cuttlefish. However, at Lot 3569, Batu 3 1/4 Kampung
the cuttlefish can be cut upon Jawa. It is open from 11.30am to
request. 2.30pm, and from 5.30pm to
All in all, the restaurant is an 10.30pm.

Fake fish oil supplement

KUALA LUMPUR: A report has been
lodged with the police on a fake fish oil supple-
ment posing as an established fish oil brand.
Police are investigating claims of imitation
Pristine fish oil capsules being sold openly on
the market.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has also
been informed and is likely to conduct raids on
medical halls suspected of carrying the fake fish
oil product, according to a media statement.
Mediharta Sdn Bhd, the Meditag hologram
provider approved by MOH, has confirmed
that the hologram on fake Pristine packs do not
match those on the authentic product.
“From our observation, this problem is cur-
rently prevalent in medical halls,” said Datuk
Dr Rajen M, Chief Executive Officer of Ho-
The genuine packaging (left) versus the imitation pack. lista CollTech (Australia) Ltd, the marketer for
Pristin in Malaysia.
“Pharmacies nationwide have been alerted
via emails, [mail] and text messages in order to
nip this issue in the bud,” he added.
Genuine Pristin Toxin-Free Fish Oil can be
distinguished by the Meditag hologram serial
number, which starts with either the numerals
05 or 06. The counterfeit product uses Meditag
holograms that begin with the letter A followed
by a series of numerals.
The fake pack also contains a spelling error
in the word “Answer” found on the side of the
pack. 
For further information, call Pristin Info
Zone at 1-300-88-2700 or visit www.pristine.
com, where a list of authorised pharmacies
selling the genuine product is provided along
with tips to spot the fake Pristin.
 FICTION 17
APRIL 15 — 17, 2011

The captivity of Joyce

Fiction by Chua They Hua stood bare; her mobile phone, keys, laptop and broadband
modem had been confiscated by Mrs Lim.

S
ince Mrs Lim woke up at 5am, Joyce had to escape by Joyce opened the window. The busy traffic rushed past, and
4am. Mrs Lim had locked Joyce in the room with a the police pondok stood on the opposite side of the road. She
pregnant lizard. It hauled its swollen belly – as if it had shouted for attention.
swallowed a bag of peanuts – across the cracked ceiling. In response, Mrs. Lim pounded on the room door. “Stop
Joyce’s captivity had begun when she had refused Mrs Lim’s it! You’ll disturb Kenny!”
offer of free board and lodging. “Unlock this door!”
“Please stay. We both like you.” Mrs Lim smiled. In a rattan “No,” Mrs Lim said. “Unless you behave.”
rocking chair in front of a TV set, 20-year-old Kenny Joyce tried another tactic. “Give me my phone. I need to
maintained a perpetual backward and forward motion. call my mother.”
“Big sister!” Kenny called to Joyce. “Want to play?” “No need. I called her already. I told her that you’re going
“Thank you, Mrs Lim, but I can’t accept,” Joyce said. to live with us.”
Joyce had only wanted a cheap and safe room in a block of Joyce screamed and kicked the door.
flats. Mrs Lim, a widow, and her handicapped son seemed safe Mrs Lim went to prepare Kenny’s lunch.
enough for a single girl looking for a job in Kuala Lumpur. After lunch, Mrs Lim passed a shiny bedpan and toilet
During her first day of imprisonment, Joyce woke in her paper over the transom. Joyce scrawled messages on the toilet
room with a headache. She remembered last night’s congee paper and flung the sheets out of the window. Some landed
tasting bitter, with a powdery white residue at the bottom of on the roof of the covered walkway below. She saw the road-
the bowl. The lizard chirped from above the bed. The desk sweeper scooping her messages into a rusty bin. She flung open
the window, yelling at him. The road sweeper looked up at
Mrs Lim was a retired Joyce and walked away, shaking his head.
In the evening , Mrs Lim unlocked the door. “It’s
kindergarten assistant. She dinnertime. Promise to behave?”
cooked soups for Joyce while Joyce nodded and followed Mrs Lim to the kitchen.
Kenny rode his rocking chair.” Kenny sat at the table, playing with his fried rice. “Make
sure he eats properly.” Mrs Lim pushed a big bowl of chicken-
feet soup to Joyce. “Here’s your soup.” She went to watch TV.
Know Your Councillor: Joyce found the same white powder in the chicken feet.
She dumped Kenny’s rice into her soup and he delighted in source: sxc.hu
Pulanthran Munisamy slurping his dinner from the bowl. Soon he dozed with his
head on the table. Joyce found the backdoor padlocked. Mrs wall as she let herself down. The line wore through the rubber
Lim returned to the kitchen. gloves and chafed her palms.
By Basil Foo Joyce pointed at Kenny. “He’s not feeling well.” Once Joyce reached the end of the line she would jump
Mrs Lim bent over her son. Taking a chance, Joyce rushed down on the roof. Breathing hard, she planted one foot after
FOUR-term Sepang Mu- to the front door. It was sealed shut with new padlocks. the other on the sheer wall. Settling into a tentative rhythm
nicipal Council (MPS) While Mrs Lim hauled Kenny to the bathroom for a wash, she descended.
member Pulanthran Mu- Joyce searched the kitchen cupboards. She found two coils of “Big sister!” Joyce heard Kenny knocking on the door of
nisamy has bemoaned the unused nylon laundry line and a pair of rubber gloves. She hid her room. He had slept off his dinner and would wake his
abysmal state of cleanli- them under her t-shirt and returned to her room. mother!
ness in his jurisdiction and At 3am, Joyce tied the laundry lines together. She secured Joyce slid down and the line seared her palms. She lost her
vowed further action. one end to the foot of the bed and opened the window. After grip and fell onto the zinc-covered roof with a thud. Joyce
“As my area has many throwing out the line, she was dismayed that it reached a metre only felt pain when she rolled off and landed onto a parked
residential gardens and a above the roof of the covered walkway. The lizard chirped Honda. The car alarm sounded. Joyce saw lights switch on in
few industrial areas, there again, as if in encouragement. the block. Two police officers emerged from the pondok to
have been many cases of Wearing the rubber gloves, Joyce gripped the line, tested inspect the commotion.
illegal dumping and open its strength, and put her legs over the window sill. The line Before Joyce passed out, she heard Kenny yelling at his
burning of rubbish,” said the 39-year-old. held, although the bed creaked. Her bare feet scuffed the outer mother that ‘“big sister” was playing outside.
The councillor for Taman Mas and Putra Prima
told Selangor Times of an instance when a public
complaint ended up in the rubbish contractor’s
hands.
He said the contractor, appointed by the council
to clear rubbish in his area, threatened the complain-
ant for lodging the report.
“Because of what they did, their contract with
MPS will be terminated,” said Pulanthran, who is also
in the council’s Town Beautification Committee.
He gave this as an example of how the council can
take direct action towards the cleanliness of their
jurisdiction, unlike their dependence on Alam Flora.
The private solid-waste management company is
said to have reduced their rubbish collection in areas
from three times a week to twice a week.
“Even for collecting used furniture, they have to
come once a month, but sometimes they come once
in three months, which causes residents to complain,”
Pulanthran said.
The Selayang Municipal Council reportedly re-
ceived much flak from the public over waste manage-
ment issues due to delays in Alam Flora’s operating
schedule.
Pulanthran, whose service centre is on Jalan Da-
gang Mas 3 in Taman Mas, said he hoped the council
would hire more of their own private contractors to
increase waste management efficiency.
When not managing the issues of his community,
he lives with his wife and child in Taman Puchong
Hartamas and works in sales.
As he does not have much time for other personal
pursuits, Pulanthran says he would enjoy taking an
overseas vacation when he gets the chance.
18
TRAVEL
april 15 — 17, 2011

Country life beneath the

highway
“Take me home, country
road”could not be more apt when
one travels to Kampung Sungai
Penchala. LIN ZHENYUAN pays
the village a courtesy call

I
t would be fair to conclude that the population of Klang
Valley today is about seven million, given that about four
years ago, the number of people living in the valley was
estimated at six million.
Presently, it is home to a growing number of migrant work-
ers who come from India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand,
Cambodia, Indonesia and Nepal. And a sizeable number of
Indonesians of various ethnic communities have made Kam-
pung Sungai Penchala their home.
Because of historical, cultural and religious similarities, the
diverse Indonesian people like the Javanese, Kerinchi, Bawean
and Minangkabau have inroads into rural areas and have
blended in with the locals. The Kerinchi people were origi-
nally from the eastern coast of Sumatra. Later they moved to Village shops and homes nestled among tall trees and rolling hills.
Bukit Barisan, their current location. They are said to have
links with the Minangkabau of western Sumatra.
The Baweanese or Boyanese came from Alam, Bukit Raja, Klang, Sri Hartamas,
the Bawean island or Pulau Puteri somewhere Sungai Buloh, Gombak, Ampang, Cyberjaya
in the Java Sea. The literal translation of and Putrajaya.
Pulau Puteri is the Island of Women, because Even though the transportation network
apparently, there are more women on Pulau has drawn the tiny village closer to its more
Puteri than men. Today, there are Bawean developed neighbours,  Kampung Sungai
communities in Singapore, Australia, Malay- Penchala continues to hold fast to its iden-
sia, and other regions of Southeast Asia. tity and its way of life. It is relatively serene
Kampung Sungai Penchala is a relatively on most days. Traffic is light, but there seems
small Malay village. It was gazetted as Malay to be a pulsating rhythm in this village of
reserve land in Kuala Lumpur years ago. hardworking people.
However, in the last decade, development has Kampung Sungai Penchala can be divided
knocked vigorously at its doors because of its into three villages, namely Kampung Pen-
proximity to Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), chala Indah, Kampung Palimbayan and
Mutiara Damansara, Bandar Utama and Kampung Palimbayan Indah. There are two
Bandar Sri Damansara. mosques in this village, Masjid Al-Hidayah
Consequently various highways have and Masjid Jamek Tengku Abdul Aziz Shah.
sprung up in recent years leading to Kampu- During a recent foray into the village, I
ing Sungai Penchala. These are the Daman- was surprised to find two warung beneath the
sara Puchong Expressway (LDP), the Sprint Penchala Link highway. The one that caught
Highway, the New Klang Valley Expressway my attention was Warung Cherry, which was
(NKVE), and the Damansara-Ulu Klang directly under the highway.
Expressway (Duke). These expressways con- It was an amazing sight. Business seemed
nect Kampung Sungai Penchala to Shah to be thriving. There was an advertisement A plate of ulam, petai mixed with different curries at Warung Cherry.

The entrance of Warung Cherry in Kampung Sungai Penchala. The other eatery, Apek Corner.

Business goes on uninterrupted beneath the highway at Kampung Sungai Penchala.
that said bubur was free at lunchtime every day.
The variety of lunch dishes was impressive. The sight
of local residents and visitors from nearby areas having
lunch at this warung was an experience worth remem-
bering, and the distant noise of fast-moving vehicles
added to the uniqueness of the place. Who would have
thought that commercial activity could exist beneath a
wide highway in a developed area so close to TTDI and
Bandar Utama?
Opposite Warung Cherry was its competitor, Apek
Corner. Apek Corner wasn’t as structured as Warung
Cherry, but it seemed to have its own lunch crowd.
From the cemented steps of Warung Cherry, one gets
a wide view of the rolling green hills beyond and the
rooftops of the houses amid lush tall trees. The warung
has orange-coloured table cloths and a TV to keep
Free bubur at lunchtime only at Warung Cherry.
Customers have a wide view of the village road beneath the highway.
customers entertained during meal times. The eatery
policy is strictly self service, as clearly stated in English
on a prominent signboard.
The dishes at Warung Cherry were above average.
Whoever thought of free bubur for customers was
obviously endowed with exemplary business acumen.
There are a couple of well-known restaurants in
Kampung Sungai Penchala, among them Sambal Hijau
Restaurant, which comes highly recommended because
of its range of dishes and affordable prices, and Muhib-
bah Seafood Restaurant, which used to be located in a
shop lot in TTDI.
Kampung Sungai Penchala is one of those places
that people like me like to “escape” to for a while to
get reacquainted with the rustic comfort of a home
away from home.
TRAVEL 19
ARPIL 15 — 17, 2011
✂
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.
Ibu pejabat Polis Daerah Subang Jaya
Tel: 03-5637 3722 Fax: 03-5631 9815
Borang maklumat
Memaklumkan tentang meningalkan rumah kediaman untuk
bercuti.
Kepada Kawasan Pentadbiran Balai Polis
..............................................................................................
Butiran penduduk:
Nama: ..................................................................................
Alamat: .................................................................................
..............................................................................................
..............................................................................................
Nombor telefon bimbit/kediaman: ........................................
Nombor telefon yang boleh dihubungi: ................................
..............................................................................................
Tarikh meninggalkan rumah: ................................................
Tarikh dijangka balik ke rumah: ...........................................
Kenderaan yang ditinggalkan (jenis model & nombor daftar
kenderaan).
1. ..........................................................................................
2. ..........................................................................................
3. ..........................................................................................
Lain-lain maklumat:
..............................................................................................
............................................... .......................................
Tandatangan Tarikh
Have you checked
your electrical
switches before
leaving home?
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
20
TECHNOLOGY
APRIL 15 — 17, 2011
Sleek, easy-to-use
Android-powered HTCs  to its next version, Ginger-
HTC Desire HD
By Edwin Yapp  apps for you to choose from.  texts to another phone, send a message to
Last issue, I spoke about how Google’s
Android software operating system has be-
come so prevalent that it has begun to fea-
ture in most major handset manufacturers’
roadmap for the future.  Some of the apps I would recommend
One of the first handset makers that
zoomed in on using Android has been HTC.
The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer has
introduced no fewer than a dozen phones
based on Android. The latest smartphones
in its portfolio include the HTC Desire
HD, HTC Desire Z and HTC Incredible
S, just out this month.  One of the biggest issues faced by An-
All three smartphones come equipped
with the most up-to-date software, which is
Google’s Froyo 2.2, and users can upgrade
bread 2.3, sometime in June.  and consume the battery.
Ease of setup, use
One of the best features
that struck me when I first set
up all three smartphones was
the ease with which I could
do so. This is especially so
when you are already a Goog-
le account holder as upon
turning on the phone, the
software will take you through
a series of quick setup menus
that help guide you through
the process. In a few minutes,
you’ll be up and running
without much problems.  on in the Settings menu, set a password for
What’s more impressive is
that Android even has the
option for you to back up the
applications you’ve already
downloaded over the air on
Google’s servers. So when I
switched phones during the
review, all applications I’d
downloaded on the HTC
Desire HD were also imme-
diately available to me on the
Desire Z and the Incredible S.  software such as HTC Sense.com and HTC
After setting your phone
up with your contacts and e-
mail synchronised, the next
thing to do is to download
various applications. Al-
though the application store,
called Market, is not as com-
prehensive as Apple’s App
Store, there are quite a few
The common ones range from social
media apps, productivity, music and enter-
tainment, location-based services, finance,
widgets to news and magazines, and many
more.  sages and call history from a PC browser,
are: Tweetcaster as a Twitter client; Face-
book for Android; TuneIn Radio for stream-
ing Internet radio; Tap Tap Revenge for
games; and Documents to Go for productiv-
ity. Most of these apps are free with some
having the option to purchase full versions
by paying for them online.  to your maps without incurring expensive
droid users is that certain applications run
on in the background without your know-
ing. This basically means that even after
you’ve switche d
screens, the applica-
tion you’ve used is
running behind the
scenes, which could
HTC Incredible Z
slow down your smartphone’s performance
 
To deal with this, there are applications HTC Desire HD
that specially “kill” the processes that run in Pros: Large 4.3-inch screen, good for
the background. One good app to consider video and gaming experience, high defini-
is Quick Task Killer, which gives you the tion 720p video, 8MP back camera. 
option of what you want “killed” in order to Cons: Battery life is poorer than other
save your battery life. That said, the typical similar phones due to the large screen and
usage you’ll get out of smartphones these background running processes. 
days is about one day, so that’s the bench-
mark you should aim for.  HTC Desire Z
Perhaps one of the coolest features that Pros: Good for those who want a virtual
comes with the HTC is their ability to turn and physical keyboard, solid build design. 
them into a personal Wi-Fi hotspot connec- Cons: Its weight at 180g would be heavy
tion for you to share your 3G connection for most people. Keyboard feels stiff and
with your friends.   hard to press. 
Setting it up is relatively easy: just turn it
HTC Incredible S
your Wi-Fi connection and you’re ready to Pros: The right compromise of screen size
go. But do note that using your phone as a (4-inch) and weight (135g), 800x480 super
personal hotspot means you’ll be draining LCD screen, high definition 720p video,
your battery and consuming your data plan.  8MP back camera, 1.3MP front camera. 
Cons: No major flaws.  
Add-ons
While all major handset makers use An- For more information on all phones, go
droid as an underlying operating system, to http://www.htc.com/sea/product.aspx.
each handset maker has the flexibility to put
in its own software on top of the core system.
In HTC’s case, this includes proprietary
Locations. 
HTCSense.com is more like a service, to
help its users better manage their smart-
phones. For example, people can easily lo-
cate a missing phone by triggering the
handset to ring loudly, even if it is set to si-
lent, or to flag its location on a map. If the
phone’s been lost or stolen, users can re-
motely lock the phone, forward calls and
the phone to arrange its return or even re-
motely wipe all personal data from it.   
It also allows users to access archived
mobile content such as contacts, text mes-
customise their phones with exclusive HTC
content like wallpapers, HTC scenes,
sounds or plug-ins. 
HTC Locations is a useful tool that stores
mapping information onto the phone doing
away with the need to have an active mobile
connection thereby giving you a faster access
data charges, especially when abroad. 
In my tests, both Locations and HTC
Sense.com were easy to use and they work
to a tee. At the end of the day, my tests of all
HTC smartphones left me with a good
impression overall.  
HTC has come a long way since its begin- HTC Incredible S
ning and with some cool extras, this phone
is certainly worthy to be considered. 
 Media 21
April 15 — 17, 2011

By Alvin Yap

SHAH ALAM: Eignretep Sdn Logistics provider ESB

Bhd (ESB) is a logistics provider
that has gone the lean, green way in
its warehousing operations.
The utility savings is fast attracting
multinational companies that save on
electricity and water bills while op-
erating from ESB’s warehouses.
“Our clients like our environ-
mental initiatives as it saves them
money,” said group chief executive
officer and director Dr Shamsuddin
Abdul Rahman.
Shamsuddin said ESB’s existing
and potential clients are “environ-
mentally responsible” and con-
cerned about low carbon emission.
One of its flagship warehouses is
goes lean and green
leased to Panasonic Malaysia as a hub
to store its products in the country,
and is able to accommodate 2,000
containers at a time.
The 385,000 sq ft warehouse here
is constructed with environmentally
friendly features such as rainwater
harvest technology, solar-powered
street lighting, translucent roofing
to let in natural light, and a heat-
reflecting roofing system.
The height of its roof – one of the
ESB’s Sec
23 flagship
warehouse.
highest in any warehouse construc-
tion – ensures that fresh air flows
throughout the premises.
“Our lights outside the ware-
house are solar powered and will run
for nine hours at night before need-
ing to switch over to Tenaga Nasi-
onal’s AC power,” he said.
At night, lights inside the ware-
house complex switch on when
sensors are triggered, before turning
off five minutes later.
Shamsuddin said the warehouse
uses the latest fluorescent system,
which gives off 50% more light for
half the energy consumed.
The gigantic roofing allows rain
to be caught and stored in five
500-gallon tanks for a combined
capacity of 2,500 gallons.
 “Our clients never have to use
Syabas water,” said Shamsuddin,
who uses the same water catchment
system at home.
The warehouse, located in Sec-
tion 23, was constructed with an
investment of about RM65 million,
including land costs.
The rear of the warehouse sits on
the bank of Sungai Klang and in-
cludes a mini park with a jogging
track, gazebos and pergolas.
Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid
Ibrahim has pointed to ESB’s com-
mercial venture as an example of
how to develop and beautify the
Klang river.
Shamsuddin said ESB is partner-
ing Selangor Development Corpora-
tion (PKNS) to construct green-
technology warehouses in the state.
“Selangor is poised to retain its
lead as a logistics centre in the coun-
try, and we want to play our part in
ensuring that happens,” he said.
ESB also manages warehouses for
BSH Home Appliances, Bosch, ICI,
Astro and Hasbro toys.
The company brings in some
RM100 million in revenue from its
Group CEO Shamsuddin Ab
Rahman.
logistics and warehousing operations
and employs some 200 permanent
staff across the country, with affili-
ated partnerships with 50 freight
forwarders around the world.
“We have all the infrastructure
and services to be a major logistics
provider not only in Malaysia but the
world,” Shamsuddin said.
ESB is looking to be a public
listed company with its IPO float on
Bursa Malaysia in two years’ time.
“We are restructuring towards
that goal, and even further than that
as we want to be an international
corporation,” Shamsuddin said.

A sanctuary in Melawati
By Alvin Yap

AMPANG: Located in a roll-

ing green valley here at Mela-
wati hills, Rydgeway luxury
homes are surrounded by the
backdrop of the Quartz Ridge
in Klang Gates.
The 13.8-acre land next to
the Ulu Langat Forest Reserve
comprises 40 units of zero-lot
bungalows and 30 semi-de- Living room at a bungalow show unit.
tached homes.
A zero-lot home is a new concept of living day home, with its modern and sleek clubhouse.
that has become increasingly popular around the Pebbled walkways line the street in this low-
world. Houses are built with the side wall on the density development, leading to each unit’s porch
boundary of the land, allowing for a wider and and patio. The development is based on construct-
more open garden on the other side. ing five units per acre.
This exclusive gated and guarded community “Rydgeway offers the best of modern contem-
Kitchen with the dining area at a bungalow show unit. feels more like an upmarket resort than a day-to- porary homes that is suited for tropical living,”
said Sunwaymas sales manager

Inspiration for the finish line

Nicholas Ng.
The bungalow unit boasts large
living rooms, balconies and an in-
ternal courtyard.
PETALING JAYA: As a lead-up to the moniker “Singapore Blade Runner”.  before he decided in April 2008 to start running The response since the launch in
Energizer Night Race 2011 tomorrow, Au Yong runs for charity by accumulating for his health.  October 2009 has been “over-
Energizer Malaysia, together with Gatorade, funds for each kilometre traversed. Dubbed “I was 45kgs heavier before appearing here whelming”, said Ng.
held an event with three runners at Tropicana “The Extra-Miler”, Au Yong trains by running today. I didn’t start running until one day I Of the 70 units, only eight are
City Mall on April 9. 160-200km each month. In 2009, he ran an overheard my little kid saying a prayer for his dad left, with two tentatively booked.
Mohd Shariff Abdullah, Alexander Au Yong 84km ultra-marathon to raise funds for a to lose weight. From then I made a commitment The bungalow units are priced
and Joshua Lee shared their inspirational stories community centre called the Dream Village to get fit by running,” he said. from RM3.4 million with a built-up
in an hour-long session with other runners and and raised RM32,000.  Au Yong will be attempting the 42km area of 5,039 to 5,345 sq ft.
members of the public. They are among the Lee revealed that he had weighed in at 125kg category tomorrow, while Shariff and Lee will The semi-detached units are
10,000 runners participating in the Energizer be participating in the 21km and priced at RM2.4 million with a
Night Race 2011. 11km run respectively.  built-up area of 3,600 sq ft.
This marks the second time that Energizer The Energizer Night Race 2011 Rydgeway is strategically located
has brought the Energizer Night Race format will be held at the Sepang Interna- 20 minutes away from Kuala Lumpur
to Malaysia, which has already seen success in tional Circuit, and will also mark the via the Ampang Kuala Lumpur El-
South Korea, Argentina, the Philippines and start of a night photography contest evated Highway (Akleh). And using
South Africa.  at www.thruthelenz.net, with the Duta-Ulu Kelang (Duke) Ex-
Mohd Shariff has been wearing an artificial RM18,000 in cash prizes and Ener- pressway, commuters can reach the
limb since he was five years old, and became gizer products up for grabs. Mont Kiara area in 35 minutes.
inspired to run marathons after watching videos Apart from the race, there will also In the vicinity are private schools
of his idol, South African Paralympic runner be exciting activities such as an inline like International School Kuala
Oscar Pistorius. skating competition, a carnival, food Lumpur (ISKL), Sri Inai and TAR
Since he took up running in 2009, Shariff stalls, sponsor stalls, and Transformer College. Ampang Puteri Specialist
has worked his way from 2km runs to 100km movie screenings during the event. hospital and Gleneagles Intan Med-
ultra-marathons. His distinctive blade-shaped (From right) Lee, Mohd Shariff and Au Yong with For more information, visit www. ical Centre are also nearby, as are
running prosthetic leg has given him the representatives from Energizer and Gatorade. energizernightrace.com.my. shopping centres like Giant, Jaya
Jusco, Carrefour and Ampang Point.
22
Gallery
April 15 — 17, 2011

Selangor Sultan
Sharafuddin Idris Shah
(centre) accompanied
to a state award
ceremony on Monday
by (from right) Menteri
Besar Tan Sri Khalid
Ibrahim, Regent HRH
Tengku Amir Shah,
Speaker Datuk Teng
Chang Khim and State
Secretary Datuk
Khusrin Munawi.

Children were
among eighty
people who worked
hard to improve
the landscape of a
public field in Taman
Eng Ann, Klang on
Sunday as part of
the official launch of
Rainbow Volunteers.

Mohd Ikhsan
Mukri (left), vice-
president of the
Klang Municipal
Council, planting
a tree in Taman
Pengkalan Batu
on Saturday as
part of an
initiative to
beautify Klang.

Bomba personnel
demonstrating how
they save victims from
drowning during a
water rescue operation
held as part of Rakan
Bomba in Subang Jaya
on Sunday. The event
allowed members of
the public to meet and
greet firefighters, as
well as learn about fire
safety.

Vegetarian food prepared by the community of Gurdwara Sahib

Klang Sikh temple to celebrate the religious festival of Vasakhi on
Tuesday.
 Culture 23April 15 — 17, 2011
Compiled by Nick Choo

INTERVIEW CALENDAR
Thor Kah Hoong – former
journalist, writer, director, performer,
and owner of Skoob Books
bookstore in Old Town, Petaling
Jaya – talks about the conception
of his semi-autobiographical
theatre show Brickfields Now &
Then, and (almost) spills the beans
on how Kuala Lumpur’s “Little
India” today differs from the place
where he grew up.

How did Brickfields Now &

Then come about? Why was it
meaningful or significant for
you to present your stories on
your life in Brickfields?
Brickfields Now & Then first started
as a series of features that was
going to run in a newspaper. They
were eventually published in a
monthly magazine, Men’s Review
(now extinct). When I thought a
performance could be obtained
from them, I had to rewrite them for
a different medium: the stage.
I play myself as a boy; I represent
kids of that period, the 50s and
60s; and I am myself today.
Brickfields is a particular
community with an identity, but I
also use it to represent Malaya/
Thor Kah Hoong presents a two-
Malaysia.
Editor’s part, tickling account of his childhood
De Todo Como en Botica
What can audiences expect
from the show? And how did
Pick playground in Brickfields Now & Then 1& 2.
First staged as Telling Tales in 1998,
Brickfields Now & Then 1 comprises Art exhibition; April 11-24; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre;
people respond to previous Brickfields Now free admission; www.klpac.org
stagings? short stories such as Brickfields, the
& Then 1 &2 Movie, which centres on Lido Cinema
[It’s] just me and a chair on a bare Theatre; April 12-17; and the influence of film on children, and De Todo Como en Botica, a common phrase in Spanish, literally
stage. Ultimate challenge for an The Actors Studio @ Brickfields, the Sequel, which compares translates into “of everything in the pharmacy” to express
actor: how to keep people focused Lot 10; RM15/33; 03 it with today; Crime and Punishment, “everything you need is here”. Martanoemi Noriega, a visual artist
and laughing for two hours without 21422009/21432009; on punishment in primary school; Like from Panama, uses this phrase to express her feelings of her stay
anything else or anybody to look at. theactorsstudio.com. that Shock Meh?, about a boy trying to in Malaysia. Her exhibition will showcase experimental artwork
My two previous seasons and a riot my understand the mysteries of sex; and I Sent on the variety of colours, styles and textures that converge in
of a dinner show at the Lake Club Him to Boot Hill, on the white man and this multicultural country; of different ideas and moods she has
tells me that it can be scary and Independence. experienced and explored in Malaysia.
exhausting, but it can work. Brickfields Now & Then 2 comprises
My most memorable reaction mostly new material, such as My Education
was a Norwegian lady who came Was Destroying the Country; Rats, about
up to me after the dinner-show at wildlife in modern Brickfields; Stalag VI or
the Lake Club. “Remember me?” Crime & Punishment 2, on punishment in
“Of course, you are back again secondary school, and tales of gangs and
for more punishment.” (She had books, God and death.
seen my first run in the theatre a This one-man show will take audiences
couple of weeks earlier). “I found it back to the time where corporal
very funny, just like what it was in punishment was the norm, fireworks
Norway, and brought two friends were still legal, and 40 sen went a really
to see.” “You grew up in a farm- long way. Presented by the Actors Studio
house near the Artic Circle. What Theater Rakyat.
similarities are there with a little
boy in Malaya in the 50s?” “Kids all
over the world are the same. Some
things and details are different, but
so many things are the same.”
I also remember at the Lake
Club also, there was a table
of five young women. When I
was performing my piece on a
boy trying to find out about the
mysteries of sex, [one of the
women] got into such a hysterical
fit, I couldn’t continue. She had to
leave the hall for a few minutes, Two
and we could still hear her
laughing outside. Dance; April 14-17; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; 8:30pm;
RM25/50/100; bookings: 010-2215262/03-80700890, dance@
What are your thoughts duaspace.com.my
on Brickfields today – the
“Bollywoodisation” of the Little Anthony Meh and Aman Yap, two dance artists/choreographers,
India area; the one-way traffic share their way of looking at life in their 30s: their experiences of
and congestion; its overall living and learning, struggling with complicated relationships, and
development? how they cope with resisting control and constraints. Two premiered
This question is answered in the in 1998, toured locally in 1999 and performed overseas in 2000.
introductory piece Brickfields Now Presented by Dua Space Dance Theatre.
& Then 2 – Little India, so I won’t
reveal anything.
Songwriters Round 26
If you were a child living in Music; April 15 & 16; Alexis Bistro and Wine Bar / Jazz Club;
Brickfields today, how do you 9:30pm; free admission; 03-42602288; alexis.com.my
think your stories might differ
from your existing narratives? Founded and produced by local Pete Teo, the Songwriters’
Too much of a stretch of Round has long been the premium showcase event for singer-
imagination to answer this. Stories,
songwriters in Malaysia. The 26th round features Reza Salleh;
particularly those based on
experience, need the living and a Melina William, lead vocalist of rock band Tempered Mental;
long mulling and absorption. But Japanese indie artist Yohei Miyake; and multiple award-winning
since I haven’t lived in Brickfields artist-producer Pete Teo himself. Free admission, but book early
since 1973...  to avoid disappointment.
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.