p 12 – 13 - Selangor Times

PeMandu 

Being 

unrealisTic 

p 12 – 13 

community JUNE 8 – 10, 2012/ issue 77 

Beef up security, malls told 

By Gan Pei Ling 

selangor: Selangor is working with 

shopping centres to develop a set of “best 

practices” to improve security in the wake of 

an attempted kidnapping and robberies at 

malls over the past fortnight. 

“We want to make sure visitors and tourists 

feel safe and secure. There’s no standard guidelines 

now, malls have their individual guidelines,” 

said executive councillor Elizabeth 

Wong after chairing a meeting with over 30 

mall representatives yesterday. 

She added that the state would meet up 

with the Selangor police chief to urge them to 

speed up the operators’ application to set up 

auxiliary police units to guard their complexes. 

Malaysian Association for Shopping & 

Highrise Complex Management president 

Chan Hoi Choy, who was among those at the 

meeting, welcomed Wong’s suggestions. 

“It’s in their (shopping complexes) commercial 

interest to ensure people feel safe in 

the malls,” said Chan. 

He said 80 out of the 320 malls in the 

country were located in Selangor and a popular 

mall received around two to three million 

shoppers per month. 

Chan said crimes were bound to happen in 

populated areas but shopping malls in Malaysia 

were still safer than the streets. 

However, he was unable to supply the crime 

statistics in malls to back up his claim when 

asked by reporters. 

It has been claimed around 100 guards are 

usually stationed at small shopping centres 

while larger ones may have up to 300. 

“What happened at The Curve was an 

isolated incident,” said Chan, adding that The 

Curve had won international awards for their 

management. 

On May 27, Internet marketeer Chin Xin- 

Ci, 25, was almost abducted by two men at 

the carpark at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara, 

The Sri Damesh Brass Band with its bagpipers and drummers stole the show at the opening of the 61st Gurdwara Cup 

– Sikh Festival of Sports tournament at the MBPJ Stadium in Kelana Jaya recently. The event was officiated by Menteri 

Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. Story on pg 6 

at 5.22pm. 

Chin published her harrowing 

experience on social networking 

site Facebook, where it was shared 

50,716 times. 

Her story also went viral on 

Twitter and made it into the media 

the next day. 

Two robbers struck in The 

Curve again, on the morning of May 28, when 

they threw curry powder at two female em- 

EC urged to 

back Selangor 

cleanup 

p 2 

The 

‘singing’ 

MB 

p 18 

ployees of Japanese store Daiso 

and snatched their bag containing 

RM80,000. 

On Monday, a woman was 

assaulted at a carpark near a 

well-known shopping mall in 

Bandar Utama. 

The robber held her up with 

a parang, took her to an automated 

teller machine and forced her to withdraw 

all her savings. 

The cases have revived fear among shoppers 

as it brought back memories of the gruesome 

murder of Canny Ong, who was abducted 

from the carpark of Bangsar Shopping Complex 

in June 2003. 

She was raped, stabbed, strangled and 

dumped into a manhole before her assailant 

Ahmad Najib Aris returned the next day to 

set her corpse on fire. 

The murderer was sentenced to death by 

the Federal Court in March 2009.

news 

2 JUNE 8 —10, 2012 

Back Selangor electoral cleanup 

Morning 

afternoon 

night 

Selangor WeaTHer 

Source: Malaysian meteorological department 

Friday Saturday Sunday 

phone (603) 5523 2288 

fax (603) 5523 1188 

email editor@selangortimes.com 

EDITORIAL 

CHIEF EDITOR KL Chan 

PRODUCTION EDITOR C Gunasegaran 

COMMUNITY EDITORS Neville Spykerman, Liu Wu Chiu 

WRITERS Tang Hui Koon, Chong Loo Wah, Gan Pei Ling, 

Basil Foo, Brenda Ch’ng, Alvin Yap, Gho Chee Yuan 

COPY EDITOR James Ang 

DESIGNERS Jimmy C. S. Lim, Chin Man Yen, Alan Wong 

ADVERTISING Timothy Loh, Samantha Sim, Tony Kee, 

Kenneth Koh, Adila Majid 

ADVISORS Faekah Husin, Arfa’eza Abdul Aziz 

By Gan Pei Ling and Basil Foo 

SHAH ALAM: Election watchdogs 

Bersih 2.0 and Tindak Malaysia are urging 

the Election Commission (EC) to work 

with Selangor in its inaugural voter verification 

exercise, but the commission remains 

non-committal. 

“It’s a good initiative. Why’s the EC so 

resistant?” asked Bersih 2.0 committee 

member Maria Chin Abdullah. 

She said every state government should 

emulate Selangor and carry out door-todoor 

checks to verify new electors’ identities 

before the 13th general election to 

ensure it will be clean and fair. 

“If the EC can work with government 

agencies (to register new voters), why 

can’t it work with a state government?” 

she asked. 

Political scientist Dr Ong Kian Ming 

had highlighted last Saturday in online 

portal Malaysiakini that several federal 

agencies have been actively registering 

foreign-born citizens as voters in Selangor. 

In addition, he revealed that 444 out 

of 506 foreign-born citizens registered as 

voters by these agencies did not have 

house numbers and street addresses. 

They were found to be primarily in the 

Ampang, Gombak, Kelana Jaya and Serdang 

parliamentary constituencies. 

He added that Ampang, Gombak and 

Kelana Jaya were marginal seats which 

were won by Pakatan Rakyat, with less 

than 60 per cent of the popular votes in 

2008. 

More dubious voters found 

By Lee Choon Fai 

Seri keMbAngAn: More 

irregularities have been found in the 

electoral roll of the Serdang parliamentary 

constituency despite the 

Election Commission’s (EC) reassurance 

that the roll is clean. 

Serdang member of Parliament 

Teo Nie Ching yesterday said she 

found 271 new voters in the electoral 

roll provided by the EC, which 

had incomplete address and who 

were all registered in the first quarter 

of this year. 

“Some of these addresses have no 

house numbers, no street names, no 

post codes and some don’t even have 

addresses at all.” 

Teo said the lack of complete 

addresses is highly suspicious and 

made door-to-door voter verification 

impossible. 

She said that it was not a new 

problem and she had raised the issue 

at the EC’s briefing during the parliamentary 

sessions in April. 

“The EC said the voters were 

people who registered themselves 

before submitting a full address was 

made mandatory, but now there are 

new voters who do not have complete 

addresses too,” said Teo. 

She said if the EC’s explanation 

was true, the number of voters without 

complete addresses should be 

decreasing instead of increasing. 

According to Teo, currently 4.5 

per cent of Serdang voters do not 

have complete addresses and this is 

an increase from the 4.3 per cent 

from the last election. 

She said voters without complete 

addresses should not have been approved 

in the first place, adding 

applications submitted by her office 

have been rejected due to incomplete 

addresses. 

“Although it is only a slight increase, 

it is very suspicious and I 

hope the EC can provide an explanation.” 

She also highlighted an irregular 

increase of voters in Serdang after 

EC chairperson Tan Sri Abdul Aziz 

Yusof had told the press on Tuesday that 

the commission could not reject incomplete 

voter addresses that have been verified 

by the National Registration Department 

(NRD). 

But Ong said the move was worrying 

and could just be the tip of the iceberg. 

“Could there be a ‘Project IC’ happening 

right now in Selangor - to give ICs to 

the many non-citizens who are working 

in the Klang Valley so that they can vote?” 

he wrote in the Malaysiakini expose on 

June 2. 

Meanwhile, DAP national publicity 

secretary Tony Pua pointed out that the 

EC had in fact rejected incomplete voter 

applications submitted by party workers, 

contrary to Abdul Aziz’s claims that they 

could not reject voters with incomplete 

addresses. 

To curb potential electoral fraud in the 

upcoming elections, Selangor initiated a 

statewide voter verification exercise on 

April 19 and allocated RM5 million for 

the Selangorku Bersih programme. 

Village chiefs were tasked to go houseto-house 

to verify the identity of some 

400,000 new voters registered since 2008, 

with Batang Kali selected as the first seat 

to be checked. 

Another seven constituencies –Pandamaran, 

Port Klang, Selat Klang, Sri 

Serdang, Kota Anggerik, Batu Tiga, Sri 

Muda and Sri Andalas – have been selected 

under phase two of the project. 

Tindak Malaysia chief Wong Piang 

Yow said the EC should welcome Selangor’s 

pioneering initiative with “open 

arms” instead of trying to sabotage it. 

Selangor Umno deputy chief Datuk 

Seri Noh Omar and the EC were reported 

to have told the public to boycott 

the campaign, claiming only the commission 

had the authority to verify voters’ 

identities. 

But when contacted, EC deputy chairperson 

Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar 

denied that the commission told the 

public to snub Selangor’s voter verification 

exercise. 

“I never tell people not to cooperate. 

It’s entirely up to the voters. I only said 

the voters cannot be forced to show their 

IC (identity card) to others,” he said over 

the phone. 

Wan Ahmad added that Selangor 

never informed the commission about its 

statewide verification exercise, which he 

thinks is the first of its kind in the country. 

“Usually such verifications are done by 

political parties. We aren’t aware of it. 

Selangor should approach the EC properly, 

tell us what they are checking, how 

they are doing it,” he said. 

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim 

said on Wednesday that the EC and Noh 

should thank the state government for 

initiating the campaign. 

He said the campaign was only initiated 

after the EC admitted they did not 

have the capacity to conduct their own 

voter verification exercise, which was last 

done in 2006. 

Teo (centre) pointing out the irregularities in the electoral roll in 

Serdang. With her are Serdang DAPSY chief Duncan Lee (right) and 

Seri Kembangan service centre chief Thong Kim Fatt. 

the 2008 general election. A total 

of 30,775 new voters have been 

registered in Serdang which 

amounts to an increase of 32.44 per 

cent. 

The average increase of voters in 

the country is 16.3 per cent and the 

average increase in Selangor is 21.4 

per cent. She said the EC should 

address these problems quickly and 

provide an explanation to restore 

public confidence in them.

A Conference On Building Integrity 

In The Public And Private Sector 

Date : 11 June 2012 | Time : 9.00 a.m. | Venue : SACC Convention Centre, Shah Alam 

SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ June 8 – 10, 2012 ⁄ 3 

Organised By: Co-Organised By: Supported By: In Partnership With: 

Y.A.B. Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Abdul Khalid Bin Ibrahim 

PSM., SPMS., DPMS., DSAP. 

Dato’ Menteri Besar Selangor 

A Conference On Building Integrity 

In The Public And Private Sector 

Co-organised by PKNS and ASLI and Supported by 

Transparency International (M) 

The Conference on Building Integrity in The Public and 

Private Sector is intended to share best practises on 

Ethical and Integrity Management and how adopting 

transparency and good ethics, makes good business 

sense and can lead to higher profit. The Conference will 

elucidate case studies 

of how Open Tenders can result in lower costs and how 

such transparency and good Corporate Governance can 

result in improved profits. 

In business, there is a case for high standards of integrity 

to be practiced and upheld. Corruption in business is an 

unnecessary cost of doing business and should be 

eliminated. Integrity in management will help reduce 

corrupt practised in Public and Private Sector. 

This Conference will address key questions such as:- 

• How Integrity in Management can result in improved 

bottom-line? 

• How to successfully implement Integrity and best 

ethical practises in companies? 

• Are Open Tenders effective and can lead to lower 

costs? 

• How to further enhance good Corporate Governance? 

• How can the Transparency International’s Integrity Pact 

work? 

SPEAKERS 

• Datuk Paul Low, President, Transparency 

International (M) 

• Dato’ Sri Abu Kassim Bin Mohamed, Chief 

Commissioner, Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission 

(MACC) 

• Ms. Margaret Chin, Malaysia Institue of Corporate 

Governance 

• Puan Rohana Binti Ramly, CEO, SME Corporation Bhd 

• Mr. Ravindran, PEMANDU NKRA Director on Corruption 

• Ms. Elizabeth @ Chang Loong Yoke, Assistant Director, 

Integrity Institute of Malaysia 

• Mr. KM Lee, Managing Director, Top Glove 

• En. Othman Bin Haji Omar, General Manager, 

Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor.

News 

4 JUNE 8 — 10, 2012 

EvEnts 

Alternative Medicine Talk 

Traditional naturopathy, nutrition and alternative 

medicine expert Dr Tom Wu will be conducting 

a health talk at The Mines Wellness Hotel in 

Seri Kembangan on June 18 (English) and 19 

(Mandarin). He will share his experience and 

help those suffering from chronic degenerative 

diseases and cancer on how to stay healthy. Dr 

Wu is also the renowned author of “Different 

Approach in Natural Healing”. Those present 

will be taught the pathways to good health and 

caner prevention. Registration is required, and 

fee for the talk is RM698 net per pax inclusive 

of meal. For details, call 019-6001403 (Vicky). 

Ballet Performance 

Prepare to be wowed by world renowned 

dancers who will be at Istana Budaya for a twoday 

performance titled The International Ballet 

Gala on July 14 and 15. Top dancers from San 

Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet in America, 

Northern Ballet in the United Kingdom, Hong 

Kong Ballet and Ena Ballet from Japan will 

perform excerpts from popular performances. 

Among them are A Midsummer Night’s 

Dream, Spartacus, The Sleeping Beauty, The 

Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet. For tickets 

and enquiries visit www.danceworks2012.org. 

Fitness for Charity 

Come get healthy with Celebrity Fitness on 

June 30 at Wangsa Walk Mall while doing 

charity for the National Kidney Foundation 

(NKF). The fitness club aims to help raise 

awareness of obesity and high cholesterol, 

which are contributing factors to kidney 

diseases, while raising funds for the foundation. 

The club will also be introducing three new 

programmes, including DNA Perrea, Element 

and Fast Fit for a good cardiovascular workout. 

Participants will be able to join in their new 

workout routines with Amber Chia and Baki 

Zainal. To register, visit a nearby Celebrity 

Fitness outlet. Registration fee is RM35, the 

first 500 participants will receive a goodie bag 

worth over RM300. For details, call 1-300-222- 

FIT (348) or visit www.celebrityfitness.com. 

Warehouse Sale 

Grab yourselves a great bargain this Friday and 

Saturday at the Focus Point HQ Warehouse 

Sale from 10am-7pm. Clearance items, 

including coloured contact lenses, spectacle 

frames and designer sunglasses, will all be 

priced from RM10. Also on sale are branded 

eyewear from Burberry, Fendi, Moschino, Nike 

and Thierry Mugler. The first 40 customers with 

a printed copy of the Freshkon No 1 logo found 

at www.facebook.com/FreshKon.Malaysia will 

be eligible for the Buy 1 Free 1 Freshkon pink 

contact lenses voucher. The sale will be held at 

their car park in front of Unit 1,3&5 Jalan PJU, 

1/37 Dataran Prima Petaling Jaya. For more 

information contact 03-7880 5520. 

Charity Tournament 

For those in the mood for a game of badminton, 

head on down to Suria Sports Badminton 

Centre in USJ1 Subang Jaya. YMCA KL will 

be organising their first every badminton 

charity tournament on June 16 from 9am-5pm. 

Registration fees collected that day will be 

channelled towards their existing Orang Asli 

Welfare fund. For more details or to register, 

call 03-2274 1439 or email huilei@ymcakl.com. 

Speaking Seminar 

Open University Malaysia will be having a 

toastmasters’ club at their campus to help the 

public improve communication and leadership 

qualities. It will be held on Saturday (June 9) 

from 3pm-5pm at Theatrette, KL main campus, 

Jalan Tun Ismail and on Sunday on 1st floor 

PJ Learning Centre, 2A Jalan 19/1. Everyone 

is welcome. For more information, call 012- 

2130588 (Meng Tze) or 013-3084321 (Robert). 

State aims to keep 

water tariffs in check 

By Basil Foo 

ShAh AlAM: Selangor is promising 

consumers only limited water tarff increases 

should the state take over and consolidate 

the water services industry. 

“If the restructuring is accepted by Putrajaya..... 

the price of water will not increase 

higher than 12 per cent for seven years,” said 

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim at a 

press conference after a state executive 

council meeting on Wednesday. 

He said the state objected to a 37 per cent 

increase in water tariffs in 2009 and is ob- 

ShAh AlAM: Selangor has accused 

Putrajaya of failing in its public responsibility 

to provide National Higher Education Fund 

(PTPTN) loans to Universiti Selangor 

(Unisel) students. 

“By restricting Unisel students from their 

right to a loan, the Federal government is 

not doing its duty,” said Menteri Besar Tan 

Sri Khalid Ibrahim at a press conference 

after the state executive council meeting on 

Wednesday. 

He said the PTPTN should provide 

education loans to all students, irrespective 

of which university they belonged to. 

“Although Unisel is a state-owned university, 

it also provides opportunities to 

jecting to another 25 per cent hike this year, 

and a further 20 per cent rise slated for 2015. 

He explained that the water restructuring 

exercise was important so consumers can 

avoid having to pay additional tariffs. 

“We also want to make sure that, by restructuring, 

Non-Revenue Water (NRW) 

will be reduced,” he added. 

Non-Revenue Water is treated water 

which is lost through leakages and theft and 

currently makes up about 32 per cent of the 

total water produced. 

He said a target set by Syarikat Bekalan 

Air Selangor (Syabas) to reduce NRW to 

students from Terengganu, Sabah, Sarawak, 

and from all over Malaysia to get an education.” 

Responding to Higher Education Minister 

Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin’s call for the 

state to waive the tuition fees for Unisel to 

fulfil Pakatan Rakyat’s free education promise, 

Khalid said they would only do so after 

capturing Putrajaya. 

He said once they have the opportunity 

to manage the Treasury, they could fund free 

education using money derived from the 

reduction of allocation in other areas of 

government. 

“There are allocations that can be reduced 

to find free education. If BN gives up now 

Watch legend Foo strut his stuff 

19 per cent is far from being achieved. 

Khalid also said the state currently cannot 

gives allocations for repairs or maintenance 

of water treatment plants. 

“Only after the restructuring can the state 

give allocations. It is not the state’s jurisdiction 

now,” he said. 

There are currently 33 water treatment 

plants in the state, with 29 owned by Selangor 

and four others privately owned. 

Though owned by the state, they cannot 

upgrade the treatment plants as operational 

rights were awarded to Puncak Niaga Holdings 

Bhd by the former state government. 

Khalid: Be fair to Unisel students 

By Lee Choon Fai 

ShAh AlAM: Malaysian badminton 

legend Foo Kok Keong will be taking part 

in an inaugural inter-club championship 

being organised to commemorate his sporting 

contributions to the country. 

The former international will be playing 

under Shah Alam Club Team Alpha in the 

Foo Kok Keong Cup Championship from 

June 22-24 at the Shah Alam Club badminton 

hall. 

“Everyone is invited to watch the legend 

play and there will be no admission charge,” 

said organising chairman Soon Ee Hooi. 

Foo was rated as one of the best players 

in the world from the late 80s to the mid 

90s and has several titles under his belt, 

including being part of Malaysia’s Thomas 

Cup winning team in 1992. 

and we go to Putrajaya, after 100 days, it can 

be done,” he added. 

Meanwhile, the Higher Education Ministry 

was told not to “punish” Unisel students 

by denying them the loans. 

“The act of withdrawing PTPTN loans 

only burdens the students,” said state executive 

councillor Dr Yaakop Sapari. 

He said in a statement on Thursday that 

the burden would cause suffering amongst 

the students’ parents, who are supporters of 

parties from both sides of the political spectrum. 

He added that it was unfair as the students 

involved were not only from Selangor 

but from other states as well. 

Foo (front row, centre) will be participating in the inaugural Foo Kok Keong Cup Championship. Also in the picture is Soon 

(front row, second from right). 

The competition also features RM38,500 

worth of prizes, the highest yet in inter-club 

competitions. 

Eight teams from Selangor, Perak, and 

Penang will be participating. 

The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) 

is also sending a team to take part in the 

competition and endorses the event by offering 

free publicity via banners and advertisements.

Voters urged to challenge 

EC in court 

By Brenda Ch’ng 

KLANG: Voters who find 

their names missing from the 

electoral roll were urged to take 

the Election Commission 

(EC) to court to ensure they get 

to vote in the upcoming general 

election. 

“We already have lawyers 

who are willing to work pro 

bono. All we need now is for 

the voters to acknowledge their 

names are missing and want to 

sue them (EC),” said Klang 

member of parliament Charles 

Santiago. 

He explained that a gazetted 

electoral roll can only be challenged 

in court if the voter 

concerned agrees to take legal 

action. 

His office had already identified 

3,457 voters whose information 

has been missing from 

the EC’s database. 

In addition, 2,195 voters 

from the Klang parliamentary 

constituency have been transferred 

to 184 different constituencies 

nationwide. 

“Some Selangor-born residents 

have also been transferred 

to Sabah and Sarawak. How 

and why would they want to 

vote there when they are living 

in Klang?” he said. 

To expedite the legal action 

plan, Santiago will be mobilising 

volunteers from his office 

to visit the voters at their homes 

and ask them if they know their 

names are missing. 

From there, the voters can 

decide if they want to challenge 

the EC in court to find out why 

their names have been removed 

and be registered as a voter 

again. 

Santiago hopes that the 

thousands of people suing the 

EC will cause them to take 

cleaning the electoral roll more 

seriously. 

“This will further be proof 

that there are numerous discrepancies 

in the electoral roll 

which must be addressed immediately 

before the upcoming 

election,” he said. 

He said this during a post 

Bersih 3.0 gathering in his of- 

fice last Friday, where some 50 

people shared their rally experiences 

and gave ideas on how to 

have a clean and fair election. 

Some present also suggested 

for Santiago to set up booths at 

supermarkets and in public 

areas to help people check their 

information on the EC’s database 

online. 

“This is certainly a good 

idea, at least we can help those 

who don’t know how to check 

their voter information,” said 

Santiago. 

Also present at the gathering 

was Bersih 3.0 steering 

committee member Maria 

Chin Abdullah who said many 

people had told her that their 

names have been missing from 

the electoral roll. 

“My advice to everyone is to 

news 

June 8 – 10, 2012 

Yuktesvaran talking about his experience at the Bersih 3.0 rally. (Inset) Sundari 

come out to vote. If we can get 

a 100 per cent turnout then it 

might even out all the phantom 

voters and fraud,” she said. 

They will be organising seven 

forums nationwide to raise 

awareness of the issue and to 

encourage everyone to vote. 

“Don’t think that your vote 

is meaningless as each and every 

vote will make a huge difference,” 

she said. 

In addition, she is calling 

those who were beaten or assaulted 

by police officers during 

the April 28 rally to come forward. 

“We need them to come to 

us so we can help them lodge a 

report with Suhakam (Human 

Rights Commission of Malay- 

sia) and prove that the police 

were really violent.” 

Maria explained that out of 

85 people who claimed they 

were assaulted and beaten, only 

20 were willing to go to Suhakam. 

“The government was fearful 

of what will happen and so they 

started attacking the people. 

“I think this is their way of 

warning the people that if they 

come out again next time, this 

is what they will get,” she said. 

During the gathering, some 

present shared stories about 

how they were beaten up by 

police officers at the Bersih 3.0 

rally while some others talked 

about the carnival-like atmosphere. 

5 

“I was dragged, beaten and 

hit so badly that my stomach 

ulcer ruptured. When I lay on 

the pavement, the police officers 

started mocking me and told 

me to stop sleeping and stop 

being lazy,” said M Yuktesvaran. 

The 25-year-old said he felt 

the true spirit of racial unity 

there when a Malay man held 

his head on his lap while another 

Chinese guy ran around 

looking for water for him. 

“My son didn’t want to 

register as a voter but after 

running for his life at the 

Bersih 3.0 rally he finally understood 

what thousands of 

Malaysians are fighting for 

and registered himself,” said 

55-year-old BG Sundari.

news 

6 June 8 – 10, 2012 

Tribunal to decide field’s fate 

SHAH ALAM: The status of Kelana Jaya’s 

football field been left in the hands of the 

Selangor State Appeal Board which will 

start 

investigations next week. 

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim 

said the independent tribunal will listen to 

all parties including the Selangor State 

Development Corporation (PKNS), which 

has proposed to develop the land, and residents 

who are against the move. 

“The public is welcome. We want to 

make it transparent so the public will know 

what happened. The Board will then decide 

the right thing to do.” 

He said if the Board determined the area 

was indeed a “green lung”, it was then the 

state’s responsibility to honour their decision. 

He said the directive had already been 

issued to MBPJ to set up the meeting and 

it should be carried out in a week. 

The meeting is scheduled to clear a mixup 

as the field was gazetted as a commercial 

site by the local council and as a recrea- 

Selangor hosts Sikhs’ sports event 

PETALING JAYA: Some 1,000 sportspersons 

from the Sikh community from 

Malaysia and Singapore will be vying to be 

outstanding athletes during the 61st Gurdwara 

Cup, Sikh Festival of Sports tournament, 

which is hosted by Selangor this year. 

The event, which kicked off at Petaling Jaya 

City Council (MBPJ) Stadium here on 

Wednesay, started yesterday and will continue 

until this Sunday and will see participants 

competing in hockey, football, netball, 

golf and badminton. 

“It is our hope that in the coming years, 

other sports can be added on. A sport is included 

if there is participation by a minimum 

of four states,” said Selangor Sikh Association 

president Amarjeet Singh. 

The Gurdawara Cup championship was 

last held in Selangor in 1998. It had its beginnings 

in 1952 when it started in Ipoh. 

States vying for this year’s medals and 

trophies are Selangor, Federal Territory, 

Perak, Penang, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Pahang, 

Malacca, Johor, Sabah and Singapore. 

Amarjeet said the games this year had attracted 

the largest turnout, both at junior and 

senior levels. 

“It’s going to be a challenge for the organising 

committee of the Selangor Sikh Association 

to accommodate all the sporting 

events as there are 1,000 participants and 

officials involved,” he said in his opening 

speech. 

Event venues include the Royal Selangor 

Club at Bukit Kiara, the Tun Razak Stadium 

at Jalan Duta, the Education Ministry 

The Selangor contingent 

marching at the opening 

ceremony of the 

Gurdwara Cup. 

Hockey Stadium in Pantai as well as the MBPJ 

Stadium in Kelana Jaya and Tasik Puteri Golf 

Resort. 

While many participants at previous editions 

of the cup started out as amateur-level 

sportspersons, some have gone on to represent 

the country at international level in hockey, 

football and athletics, notably Datuk Santokh 

Singh and Serbegeth Singh. 

The event was officiated by Menteri Besar 

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and was also attended 

by PJ mayor Datuk Roslan Sakiman. 

“This is a great event that not only fosters 

healthy living, but gives many the chance to 

make friends and compete in a friendly manner,” 

Khalid told the athletes gathered there. 

The Sri Damesh Brass Band with its bagpipers 

and drummers accompanied the contingents 

from the participating states as they 

marched into the stadium. 

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here 

has ruled that Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua 

is liable for defamation in his remarks against 

water concessionaire Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor 

(Syabas). 

Justice Amelia Tee Hong Geok Abdullah 

ordered Pua to pay RM200,000 in damages 

with a four per cent interest per annum, dismissing 

the lawmaker’s defence of qualified privilege 

and fair comment in making the statement. 

“The defendant by failing to present all relevant 

facts such as the CAPEX (capital expenditures) 

freeze, the rights to tariff increase and 

the refusal of the state government to any increase, 

would result in the impugned words to 

be not a fair comment,” she ruled in chambers 

here on Wednesday. 

Pua was sued for statements reported in a 

Chinese daily where he said Syabas was incompetent 

in managing water supply, as it was mired 

in debts and unable to replace old water pipes 

as a result. 

The Nov 16, 2010 Nanyang Siang Pau article, 

titled “Tony Pua: Selangor government 

must have water rights to prevent rate hike”, also 

reported Pua as saying that the water producer 

was making improper claims to raise the tariff 

by 37 per cent, to the detriment of consumers 

in Selangor. 

In her 49-page decision, the judge said Pua 

tional site by the state planning department. 

Redevelopment of the 30-year-old field 

in SS7, which once hosted cricket matches 

during the 1998 Commonwealth Games, 

has been strongly opposed by residents. 

It was reported that a protest by 200 

people against the redevelopment was held 

at the field on June 3. 

Read more, Tweet less 

PETALING JAYA: Instead of focusing 

on social media, Malaysians should spend 

more time reading books to become a 

matured society, said Bukit Lanjan lawmaker 

Elizabeth Wong. 

She was speaking to a crowd of several 

dozen parents and children at the launch 

of the Story-Telling Festival last Sunday in 

Bandar Utama. 

"If more Malaysians loved books and 

read them widely, I believe we could be a 

tolerant, knowledgeable, and progressive 

society with fewer banning of books. Unfortunately, 

Malaysians don't read as much 

as we ought to," said Wong. 

She was referring to the recent banning 

of Allah, Liberty, and Love, a book by 

Canadian author Irshad Manji. 

Wong said it can be hard to find time to 

read in this day and age, but it is important 

for people to spend time doing so. 

"Books don't just contain words, they 

carry within them wonderful stories, inspired 

imagination, powerful ideas and 

passionate arguments." 

Jointly organised by the Bukit Lanjan 

Community Service Centre and the Picture 

Books Fan Club,, the story-telling 

festival at the Petaling Jaya Municipal 

Council (MBPJ) multipurpose hall, 

Bandar Utama, was well received by the 

community. 

The event featured prominent storytellers 

"Uncle Fat" from Taiwan, "Mama 

Tok", Judith Anne Shaik, Sophie Lee, Kang 

Lee Eng, Isis, Lim Meng Sin and Yeow 

Fong Wei. Also present was MBPJ councillor 

Chan Chee Kong. 

Pua ordered to pay Syabas 

had failed to prove Syabas’ failure to repay its 

debts or replace water pipes was due to incompetence 

or mismanagement or that the proposal 

to increase water tariff by 37 per cent was 

improper. 

She also upheld an injunction on Pua from 

repeating the claims. 

Syabas claimed in its January 2011 suit that 

Pua’s statements had affected its reputation and 

goodwill and had subjected it to public ridicule, 

resulting in it suffering injury to its trade and 

business. 

Pua, in defence, said his statements came 

following articles published in The Star, The Sun 

and The Edge as well as statements issued by 

Puncak Niaga Holdings Bhd, which owns a 

majority stake in Syabas. 

The MP, who is also a member of Selangor 

Water Review Panel, said he took reasonable 

steps to verify his information, which was based 

on those news reports. 

He applied for Syabas’ suit to be dismissed 

with costs and furthermore filed a counter-claim 

alleging that the claim was unwarranted and 

without basis. 

He claimed the suit was frivolous, vexatious 

and an abuse of the court process, which resulted 

in him suffering losses and damages due 

to unnecessary harassment and expenses, including 

legal costs.

news 

JUNE 8 — 10, 2012 

State slams TV3 over claim 


shah alam: Claims broadcast on a 

private TV station that homes below 

RM150,000 are unpopular last week has been 

rubbished by Selangor executive councillor 

Iskandar Samad. 

“Such a claim is not true at all,” Iskandar 

said last Friday in response to a story on TV3’s 

evening news segment Buletin Utama the 

night before. 

The Selangor executive councillor for housing 

said affordable homes priced below 

RM100,000 in Bangi, currently being built by 

the Selangor Development Corporation 

Vacancies for 

councillors filled 

By Brenda Ch’ng 

petaling jaya: A combination of new and old 

faces filled local councillor vacancies at the Petaling Jaya 

City Council (MBPJ) and Subang Jaya Municipal Council 

(MPSJ), after a delay of four months. 

Malaysian Care consultant Michael Noel Jalleh was the 

sole new face appointed at MPSJ. 

He was joined by R Rajiv, Cheah Sang Soon and Loka 

Ng Sai Kai, who have all been MPSJ councillors since 

2008. 

“I don’t know what to expect as a councillor but I’m 

expecting to learn a lot day by day. I hope my experience 

at Malaysian Care will benefit both the council and people,” 

said Jalleh. 

The 53-year-old, who filled the DAP quota, works at 

Malaysian Care, a non-government organisation which 

helps the poor. 

“I’ll continue fighting for disabled rights and facilities 

in MPSJ, just like I was doing last term,” said Ng. 

The 47-year-old, who is also chairman of the Selangor 

BuddhistDevelopment Committee, filled the last spot for 

the non-governmental organisation quota. 

Joining him at the swearing-in ceremony was Rajiv, 

who has been assigned to look after the SS12 to SS19 

areas. 

Meanwhile Cheah, who used to serve the community 

in Kinrara, has yet to be informed of which area he will 

be assigned to this term. 

The 46-year-old mechanical engineer, who runs his own 

business, filled the PKR quota. 

“We only have 23 councillors in total. We normally 

have a maximum of 24 but the state only gave us 23 names 

so we will have to make do,” said MPSJ president Datuk 

Asmawi Kasbi. 

He said it was not necessary to fill all 24 seats, but if 

the state decided to fill the last slot, the council will move 

(PKNS), have been sold out. 

He added that the Selangor Housing and 

Property Board sold over 2,000 application 

forms and received over 500 applications to 

purchase the 124 apartment units in Bangi. 

He expects another 136 units of affordable 

homes being built in Sungai Long, Kajang, by 

a private developer to be snapped up after they 

are open for sale. 

Iskandar said the state executive council 

had approved nearly 1,000 units of affordable 

homes, priced between RM85,000 and 

RM150,000, to be constructed in Shah Alam 

and Damansara. 

Iskandar also refuted claims that low-cost 

homes, priced between RM35,000 and 

RM42,000, are difficult to sell. 

He said it’s true that low-cost homes built 

by the previous state administration remained 

vacant but it was due to their awkward locations 

instead of a lack of demand. 

“Some are built next to a sewage pond or 

the substation of Tenaga Nasional,” said Iskandar. 

He added that these low-cost homes were 

built far from public transport, schools, shops 

and recreation facilities. 

He said the previous state government 

should be held accountable for approving the 

construction of these homes without taking 

Roslan (centre) congratulating (from left) Suresh, Azman, 

Lee and Anthony after the ceremony. 

(From left) Jalleh, Ng, Rajiv and Cheah taking their oath 

at MPSJ. 

to swear him in immediately. 

Meanwhile, three new faces and a reappointment have filled 

all vacancies at MBPJ. 

They include lawyer Lee Chin Cheh, businessman Azman 

Yusof and trader G Suresh, who filled the remaining three 

PKR party quota positions, while Anthony Jeyaseelan retained 

the non-governmental organisation slot. 

Suresh, from PKR Subang division, said he received his 

appointment letter last Friday. 

Lee, who runs his own law firm, said he does not know 

what to expect. 

Anthony said he will continue representing NGOs on 

matters affecting the disabled. 

“I would like to congratulate all four councillors and I hope 

they will carry out their duties and serve the people well,” said 

MBPJ mayor Datuk Roslan Sakiman. 

7 

into consideration their location. 

He added that Selangor now allows developers 

to convert low-cost homes to affordable 

homes if developers found there is a lack of 

demand or the area is unsuitable for low-cost 

homes. 

Iskandar also stressed that despite lobbying 

by some parties to abolish low-cost homes, the 

state will not bow to the pressure as it needs 

to protect low-income earners’ needs. 

“Forty percent of the households in Malaysia 

still earn below RM1,500 a month. If we 

don’t build low-cost homes, this group is unlikely 

to be able to afford their own homes,” 

said Iskandar. 

RM3 million for 

PPR repairs 

petaling jaya: Residents of two People’s Housing Projects 

(PPR) flats can now go about their daily lives without hindrance 

from faulty elevators and broken water pumps. 

From November to April, the Petaling Jaya City Council 

(MBPJ) spent approximately RM3.2 million to repair a total of 

29 elevators and the water pumps of PPR Kota Damansara and 

PPR Putra Damai. 

The repairs came about after residents expressed their grouses 

to Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim during a site 

visit on Oct 23 last year. 

Khalid in turn instructed MBPJ to carry out the repairs, 

“In addition to the repairs, MBPJ also improved security by 

putting up grills and fencing to prevent theft,” said state executive 

councillor Iskandar Samad. 

Last year, the two PPRs were plagued by theft of elevator 

circuit boards and steel cables, rendering the elevators inoperable 

and forcing residents to use the few remaining elevators or the 

stairs. 

MBPJ also provided two security guards to patrol vulnerable 

areas in day and night shifts to prevent further theft. 

Although the repairs have been done, Iskandar said residents 

must change their mindsets and do their part to keep the facilities 

in good condition. 

“We hope the residents will start treating it as their own property 

and not the government’s property, people can’t just see 

someone vandalising the lifts and ignore it,” said Iskandar. 

He suggested to the Residents’ Association and Rukun 

Tetangga in the area to organise community programmes and 

educate residents on their responsibilities instead of relying on 

security. 

“It is impossible to stop vandalism by guards alone, society 

must change, and punitive action must be taken.” 

MBPJ also added a rent-collection office that opens every 

Wednesday in the flats for the residents’ convenience. 

Residents previously had to go to MBPJ headquarters to pay 

their rent.

News 


Minister defends 

funding cut 

petaling jaya: The Natural 

Resources and Environment Ministry has 

denied the drastic drop in federal funding 

for flood mitigation projects in Selangor 

was politically-motivated. 

“If you study the distribution of the 

projects approved (across the country), 

you don’t have to accuse us (of ) that,” said 

Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah 

Embas (pic) when asked by Selangor 

Times at a climate change seminar in 

Petaling Jaya. 

He said the ministry approved projects 

proposed by its Department of Irrigation 

and Drainage (DID) state offices 

after taking into consideration the 

frequency of floods, urgency of the 

problem and budget limit. 

Uggah said at least RM40 billion was 

needed to tackle the problem of flash floods nationwide 

but the ministry was only allocated RM2.4 billion 

for 2012 and 2013. 

“I don’t have details of the projects. Some are in 

Johor, Perak, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis. We’re looking 

at a creative mechanism to split up the projects.” 

He said flood mitigation projects in Selangor will 

be submitted for consideration under the third rolling 

plan of the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011 to 2015). 

To advertise, 

call us 

In other words, Selangor may only 

receive more financial aid from Putrajaya 

to tackle its flash floods in 

2014 or later. 

It was revealed in a public inquiry 

in April that Selangor DID only received 

RM1.9 million for a project in 

the Petaling district last year while 

flood-prone districts like Hulu Langat 

and Klang received zero funding. 

Putrajaya had previously allocated 

RM67 million to Selangor DID 

under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006 

to 2010) and nearly RM112 million 

under the Eighth Malaysia Plan 

(2001 to 2005). 

The severe drop in federal funding 

had raised eyebrows at the Special 

Select Committee on Competence, 

Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) public hearing 

on April 17. 

The Selcat inquiry was carried out to find out the 

causes of the flash floods that happened in Hulu Langat 

and Klang in March that affected thousands of 

residents and businesses. 

The state had allocated RM5 million to the Klang 

Municipal Council and Selangor DID to carry out 

urgent flood mitigation measures. 

erbuka 

uasa 

Sekolah Agama Rakyat Nurul Ehsan students receiving the desktop 

and laptop from Teng (right). 

Goodies for children 

klang: One hundred and fifty 

children were all smiles after receiving 

goodie bags from Sungai Pinang 

assemblyperson Datuk Teng Chang 

Khim last Sunday. 

In addition, around 30 students 

from Kampung Batu Tiga, Jalan 

Kapar who did well in public examinations 

also received RM50 and a 

certificate in recognition of their 

achievements. 

Teng also gave a cheque for 

Ramadan is a time of fasting where Muslims learn the virtues of patience and humility by 

refraining from eating or drinking during daylight hours. 

The fast is broken at sunset and the “berbuka puasa” is a special time for families, loved 

ones and friends, who come together to share specially prepared meals. 

Due to the increasingly busy routine of those working in the Klang Valley, the responsibility 

for preparing those meals has been left to restaurants and hotels where hungry diners 

would throng to at the end of the day. 

Selangor Times invites your esteemed hotel or restaurant to participate in our Buka Puasa 

supplement to share the delicious joy of your good food with our readers. 

or 

Timothy 019 267 4488 

Samantha 019 382 7121 

Tony 016 978 2798 

RM5,000 to Sekolah Agama Rakyat 

Kafa Integrasi Al-Falah as well as a 

desktop and laptop to Sekolah Agama 

Rakyat Nurul Ehsan at Masjid 

Jamiul Hasaniah. 

The mosque itself received a brand 

new computer and printer from 

Teng. He also pledged to donate two 

air-conditioning units each to three 

suraus in his constituency: Surau 

Batu Tiga, Surau Rautau Panjang and 

Surau Sungai Pinang. 

Publication Date 

13 July & 3 August 2012 

Story/Booking Deadlines 

3 July & 24 July 2012 

Material Deadline 

11 July & 1 August 2012 

Kenneth 012 906 2523 

Adila Majid 016 288 9555

Faulty toilets to 

remain open for now 


KLANG: Traders at the Meru market are 

relieved at having a place to relieve themselves 

after leaning that the municipal 

council here would only close half out of 

the 12 faulty toilets while the other six are 

being renovated. 

The initial misunderstanding was cleared 

by Klang municipal councillor (MPK) Lim 

Lip Suan who added that the remaining six 

should be reopened in two to three months. 

“Now the council is evaluating the cost 

of renovation and we’ll select a contractor 

based on open tender (to carry out the 

renovation),” Lim said in a phone interview. 

Around 30 traders had held a protest on 

May 12 against the toilets’ closure since 

(From left) Yasmin, Salbiah, Wan Azizah, Anthony Tan from Cetdem, Wong, Lee, 

Yong, Lim and Wong Pui May from MYCAT at the cheque presentation. 


PETALING JAYA: A research firm, a village 

committee and three green groups received 

grants totalling RM250,600 from Selangorku 

Grant recently to carry out environmental projects. 

Environmental research firm Resource Stewardship 

Consultants Sdn Bhd (Rescu) was 

awarded RM47,000 to embark on a mangroves 

mapping project. 

Consultant Lim Teck Wyn said satellite mapping 

and ground checks will be used to identify 

mangroves forests in Selangor that have yet to be 

gazetted as forest reserve. 

“Some of the reserves were gazetted in the 

1940s and their boundaries, which change due 

to coastal erosion and accretion, have not been 

updated since,” Lim told Selangor Times after a 

cheque presentation ceremony at Armada Hotel. 

He said Rescu will complete the survey by 

this year and propose to the state to gazette the 

mangrove forests that are still unprotected in 

Selangor. 

Meanwhile, the Sungai Chua village security 

and development committee ( JKKK) from 

Kajang was given RM20,000 for organising an 

environmental carnival on Earth Day on April 

22. 

JKKK chief Yong Swan Khong said over 500 

villagers attended the carnival and planted 100 

trees around the mining pond to beautify the 

site which has been turned into a recreation spot. 

The three environmental organisations that 

also received the Selangorku Grant were the 

Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tiger 

(MYCAT), the Center for Environment, Tech- 

May 10 after concerns that it would inconvenience 

them and the estimated 7,000 

customers who shop at the market each day. 

Meanwhile, the traders also appealed to 

the local council to leave alone the shrine 

they constructed around a deity “Datuk 

Gong”, located at the back of the market. 

Klang Public Market Traders Association 

executive adviser Goh Chong Seng 

told the press the shrine was built in Ja 

nuary to prevent foreign workers from 

dumping trash at the site. 

However, Lim said the shrine was built 

on the local council’s property without 

permission. 

As such MPK had issued a notice to the 

traders last month to tear down the illegal 

structure or the council will take further 

action. 

Groups get state grants 

for green programmes 

nology and Development Malaysia (Cetdem) 

and EcoKnights. 

MYCAT received the largest amount of 

RM80,000 to organise community outreach 

programmes in Selangor to raise public awareness 

on wildlife conservation while Cetdem was 

awarded RM50,000 to run environmental 

seminars. 

EcoKnights was given RM53,600 to organise 

a digital photography competition to get the 

public to appreciate their natural environment 

by submitting images of majestic trees in Selangor. 

Its president, Yasmin Rasyid, said the best 12 

images will be used to make 2013 calendars and 

the sales will be channeled to the Reforest Selangor 

fund. 

Executive councillor Elizabeth Wong said the 

state was still reviewing 10 proposals related to 

the environment under the first phase of the 

Selangorku Grant. 

She said RM5 million had been allocated for 

the environment under the RM300 million 

Selangorku Grant and she hoped more groups 

including residents and youths will apply for the 

fund to run green projects. 

PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah 

Wan Ismail and Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan 

Amal Wanita Selangor chief Datin Seri Salbiah 

Tunut, which is part of the grant’s judging committee, 

and assistant executive councillor Lee 

Kim Sim were also present at the cheque presentation 

ceremony. 

For more information on the Selangorku 

Environmental Conservation Grant and its application 

process, visit http://bit.ly/SelEnvGrant. 

news 


Know Your Councillor: Foo Weng Fui 

SEPANG: Cleanliness and irregular 

rubbish collection at Bandar Baru 

Salak Tinggi, Sepang, has led councillor 

Foo Weng Fui (pic) to initiate a 

Zon Bersih (Clean Zone) to solve the 

problems there. 

“I hope this programme will help 

educate both residents and traders 

to keep their area clean and to refrain 

from littering,” said the Sepang municipal 

councillor (MPSepang). 

Foo, 26, said the main areas 

badly affected by rubbish and cleanliness were 

Taman Chempaka and the two commercial areas, 

Medan 23 and Medan 88 Bandar Baru Salak 

Tinggi. 

The three-term councillor explained that 

residents living near the commercial areas had 

been dumping their waste at the shop lots since 

two months ago. 

“The contractors appointed had not been 

following their schedule and residents moved to 

throw their rubbish at the shops hoping it will 

be collected there,” said Foo. 

Complaints and warnings were given to the 

contractors but they still continued to ignore them 

and only collected rubbish as they pleased. 

Two weeks ago, MPSepang moved to terminate 

the six rubbish contractors who failed 

to heed the warnings. 

“We’ve hired new contractors and so far, 

the rubbish collection has been smooth and 

regular. We hope it stays this way,” said Foo. 

In addition, he initiated a gotong-royong 

at Taman Chempaka last week to clean the 

drains and the neighbourhood. 

He is worried that floods might occur if the 

rubbish continues to pile up in the drains and 

block the flow of water. 

9 

During the programme, he also 

gave out flyers and educational talks 

on how best to keep the area clean, 

dengue prevention and littering. 

“By educating the residents, I 

hope it will help them see how 

important looking after the environment 

is,” he said. 

Together with the council, they 

recently organised a pilot Zon 

Foo Bersih Weng event at Pentas Budaya 

Fui 

Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi to give 

residents and traders an opportunity to raise 

their concerns about rubbish and cleanliness. 

The response was overwhelming and MPSepang 

got the chance to listen to problems and take 

notes on some suggestions given by the public. 

In addition, MPSepang also put up a signboard 

on the rubbish collection schedules, contractor 

contact numbers and MPSepang’s hotline number. 

“The signboard is near the commercial area 

so that everyone can see it. We also distributed 

the schedule and contact numbers to each 

house,” sad Foo. 

In his three years as a councillor, Foo hasn’t received 

any major complaints so far, apart from the 

normal infrastructure complaints and uncut grass. 

However, he did receive a complaint 

about uncut trees inside Sekolah Menengah 

Kebangsaan Sri Sepang, which had been 

neglected for over two years. 

Foo pointed out that the school is funded by 

the Education Ministry and they are responsible 

for cutting and maintaining their own trees and 

cleanliness. 

Despite explaining that the council’s hands are 

tied, the school claimed that they didn’t receive 

enough funds from the ministry and hoped MPSepang 

would help.

News 


A transparent 

cemetery fund 

By Basil Foo 

petaling jaya: Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim 

has allayed fears of mismanagement in the 

state’s cemetery fund. 

The Menteri Besar told a 300-strong crowd 

at a forum at the PJ Civic Centre on Tuesday 

( June 5) that the fund would be scrutinised at 

the state assembly annually. 

“You can ask your state assemblyperson to 

raise it (at the assembly sitting). That’s the way 

we should run the government – transparent,” 

Khalid said. 

The trust fund is used by the state to acquire 

suitable land for burial sites and was first imposed 

in October 2001. 

Concerns were raised when compulsory 

contributions to the fund were increased last 

April from a previous amount of RM62.50. 

The contribution for each residential lot 

now is RM500 for Petaling, Klang, Gombak, 

Hulu Langat, Sepang, and Kuala Langat, and 

RM300 for Kuala Selangor, Sabak Bernam, and 

Hulu Selangor. 

The increase was based on valuation by the 

State Department of Valuation and Property 

Services as the previous amount was deemed 

too low compared with rising costs of land. 

Homeowners renewing leases or changing 

property ownership and developers changing 

land statuses have to make the contribution to 

their respective land offices. 

Many of the residents at the forum were 

from the older parts of PJ city who only had a 

short time left on their leases and were surprised 

they had to pay the fee. “If last time you have 

paid the contributions to the cemetery fund, 

now when renewing your 99-year lease, you still 

must pay again,” Khalid said. 

He explained that the state still needed the 

funds as there was a dire shortage of burial land 

in Selangor, especially in Petaling Jaya. 

He revealed that the shortage was caused in 

part by developers lobbying 15 years’ ago to 

move land meant for cemeteries further from 

their housing projects. 

“There is even land meant for cemeteries 

which now have 15-storey buildings on them. 

We cannot afford to have this situation any 

more,” he said. The forum was told of the four 

proposed cemetery sites in Selangor: Lot 3366 

in Labu, Lot 5756 in Sepang, RRIM in PJ, and 

an integrated cemetery in Hulu Langat, which 

cover a total of 300.63 hectares. 

Dr Tai (right), Ahmad Khalif (centre) and Dr Mohamed Mustafa signing the 

MoU at Urban Park 2, Damansara Damai, on Tuesday. 

Urban parks 

connected by 

bicycle lanes 

petaling jaya: Damansara 

Damai’s four Urban Park Forest will be 

connected via a 60km bicycle lane under 

PJ City Cycleways Networks which aim 

to build dedicated lanes for cyclists 

around the city. 

“Our planning department is working 

on the plans and sorting out the 

necessary documents. We hope to get it 

ready by next year,” said Petaling Jaya 

City Council (MBPJ) deputy mayor 

Puasa Mohd Taib. 

Upon completion, residents will be 

able to cycle through forest reserves 

which collective make up 48 acres owned 

by the area’s developer, M K Land Holdings 

Berhad. 

“We will also be gazetting the area as 

a green lung for recreational purposes to 

prevent it from being developed in future,” 

he said. 

The areas which will be gazetted are 

Urban Park 1 (Bicycle Park), Urban Park 

2 (Exploration Park), Urban Park 3 ( Jogging 

Park) and Urban Park 4 (Family 

Park). 

He said this during a press conference 

after launching World Environment Day 

on Tuesday at the 17.14 acre Urban Park 

2 forest. 

Also at the event were Emkay Group 

chief executive director Ahmad Khalif 

Mustapha Kamal, who signed a memorandum 

of understanding with Universiti 

Putra Malaysia (UPM) and University 

Utara Malaysia (UUM). 

The MOU will allow students from 

the two universities to conduct research 

at forest reserves and utilise Emkay 

Group’s research facilities. 

“It’s a significant day to be signing this 

memorandum on World Environment 

Day as students now will be able to research 

ways to maintain forests and 

identify endangered flora and fauna,” 

said Ahmad Khalif. 

Apart from researching forest reserves 

around the area, the students will also be 

part of the Effective Forest Management 

project at Royal Belum forest reserve in 

Perak. 

“The students will be the first people 

to explore the whole forest as it was only 

recently opened to public by the government,” 

he said. 

For six months, students will be stationed 

at the company’s research centre 

in Pulau Banding which is equipped with 

the necessary tools fortheir experiments. 

Ahmad Khalif said the 300,000 hectare 

Royal Belum forest will be a good 

opportunity for students to tap into its 

natural resources and study the exotic 

plants there. 

“Our School of Technology Management 

will be doing their research and 

training at the forest. 

“A report on sustainable forest management 

will be presented after they are 

done,” said UUM vice-chancellor Professor 

Datuk Dr Mohamed Mustafa Ishak. 

He hopes the research will benefit all 

forest reserves in Selangor and ensure 

that green areas would be maintained for 

future generations to enjoy. 

Also present at the event was UPM 

vice-chancellor Prof Dr Tai Shzee Yew, 

who was happy his students are getting 

a chance to explore the Royal Belum 

forest. 

“This is an amazing opportunity for 

them as the students only got to conduct 

research near our Serdang campus,” he 

said. 

Among faculties which will be involved 

are the Faculty of Environment, 

Forestry and Science. 

Previously, the university had worked 

with the Subang Jaya Municipal Council 

(MPSJ) and Kyoto Institute Technology 

to convert biomass into fuel for energy. 

Biomass is the mass of living organisms 

in a certain area which can be used 

as a renewable energy source or to generate 

power and electricity. 

Also there were some 20 Orang Asli 

children who were taught how to reuse 

and recycle natural materials found in 

the forest for their art and craft work, by 

their teachers. 

During the event, schoolchildren 

were also entertained with an ecohunt, 

which required them to hunt for a few 

plants found in the forest.

And so it begins... 

going the 

distance 

Azmi ShArom 

T he 

scare 

tactics that 

a r e s o 

beloved by the 

ruling coalition. We 

have seen it before 

of course. Like an evil babysitter, the BN has constantly 

thrilled at telling horror stories to keep us in our place. 

There is of course the old chestnut of 1969. They like 

to pull that out of their Compendium of Frightening 

Bedtime stories every now and again. They haven’t been 

using it much recently, but you never know; when they 

run out of ideas, it’s always there, just waiting. 

Then there is the race card. The main culprit for this 

particular horror story is of course Umno. “If Malays 

do not vote for us, you will be doomed! Doomed to be 

left behind! Doomed to have your institutions 

destroyed! Doomed to be ruled by heathens! And by 

heathens we mean the DAP specifically! Doomed I tell 

you! Doomed!” 

But it is not fair to just single them out. The MCA 

too does its fair share of playing the race game. The 

funny thing of course is that if you listen to the MCA, 

they are saying the same thing as their fellow partners 

but with an alternative twist. “If you don’t vote for us 

you will be doomed to be ruled by an Islamic party! No 

more bah kut teh for breakfast! No more Carlsberg in 

a tiny little glass with your supper! PAS will chop off your 

hands and whip you! Doomed I tell you!” 

So which one is it? If the people vote for Pakatan, are we 

going to have a heathen DAP state or are we going to have 

PAS fundamentalists running around with cleavers and cats 

o’ nine tails? But then, fairy tales aren’t meant to be logical 

anyway. 

The latest story they have cooked up is that if Pakatan 

lose the next general election they (the dastardly Pakatan) 

PROPERTY 

& Lifestyle Supplement 

100,000 

copies distributed weekly throughout Selangor & Klang Valley 

will resort to mass demonstrations to wrest power from the 

Barisan. They will use violence. 

OK, let’s take a look at this violence theory. The main 

ammunition used by the Barisan against the opposition is 

the Bersih 3.0 rally. During Bersih 3.0 a police car was 

overturned and a few barriers were pushed down. Oh my 

goodness! How horrific. I’ll have to sleep with my lights on 

now. 

But then, any event or ceramah deemed to be against the 

Ads of half page and above will be 

entitled for editorial write-up. 

Press release to be submitted before the deadline. 

Interviews to be granted at the discretion of writers. 

Size of write-up to be at editor’s discretion and 

will be laid out as per the Selangor Times’ style. 

views 

June 8 — 10, 2012 

11 

government has been pelted with eggs and stones, gangs 

of thugs have set of fireworks and cut power supplies, 

private property have been purposely damaged, people 

have been threatened in their own homes, intimidation 

has become something that one expects not a rare 

anomaly. All these things happen, and happen 

consistently yet there is hardly a peep of protest from 

the top leaders of the Barisan. 

So who is being violent? 

But here is the funniest thing. The BN have taken to 

playing the victim. They say that any opposition to them 

is so unfair especially since: “Our election system is 

wonderful. After all the Pakatan won five (oops, sorry 

four) states and they managed to take away Barisan’s 

two thirds majority in the last elections. How can our 

elections be dirty? Boo hoo hoo. They are so mean to 

accuse us of being dirty! Sniff, sob, sob”. 

Actually, the way I see it, the progress made by the 

opposition in the last general elections happened 

despite a flawed electoral system. It happened even with 

the magical mystery floating postal votes, and the 

amazing disproportionate electoral boundaries, and the 

incredibly complete and utter lack of fair coverage in 

the mainstream media. 

The fact of the matter is the people’s voice in 2008 

was too strong, too overpowering and too determined 

to be nullified by a poor electoral system. The question 

is will it be stronger now? 

Who knows? But one thing is for certain, it is doubtful 

that scary bedtime stories told by wrinkly old babysitters 

are going to make any difference. 

If only the playing field was truly fair and the referees are 

unbiased, then the results, whatever they may be could be 

accepted by all and even if it is not a happy ever after ending 

for the losers, they will know that there will always be chance 

for a sequel. 

Selangor Times’ Property & Lifestyle Supplement 

focuses not only on property developments and 

launches but also on the latest trends affecting the 

home and décor. 

Join us to bring up-to-date news and insightful lifestyle 

features affecting the property industry, real estate sector and 

interior design. 

Publication Date 20 July 2012 

Booking & Story Deadline 10 July 2012 

Material Deadline 18 July 2012 

For bookings and further information, 

contact your advertising agency or the following: 

Call us 03 5510 4566 Email: marketing@selangortimes.com 

Timothy - 019 267 4488 Tony - 016 978 2798 

Samantha - 019 382 7121 Kenneth - 012 906 2523 

Adila - 016 288 9555

Views 

12 June 8 – 10, 2012 

Dissecting the ETP report - Part 2 

Pemandu’s unrealist 

The Performance Management 

and Delivery 

Unit in the Prime Minister’s 

department (Pemandu) 

in its inaugural Annual 

Report of the Economic Transformation 

Program (ETP) 

claimed many successes including: 

1. Economic growth being ahead 

of its target; 

2. 72 out of 131 EPPs (entry 

point projects) taking off; 

3. EPP investments totalling 

RM179 billion, creating RM130 

billion of GNI and nearly 

314,000 new jobs. 

Last week, in Part 1 of our series, 

we gave Pemandu an A+ for 

obfuscation, for being less than 

clear and truthful about its economic 

growth targets. 

This week, we drill down to 

Execution – the first E in our 

DEEDS framework for evaluating 

the ETP. Acolytes of Pemandu 

would surmise that business 

and economic management 

is effortless. Hardly a hint of 

difficulty is ever expressed in 

Pemandu’s rhapsodic reports. 

Those grounded in reality will 

not be surprised to learn that 

REFSA finds at least two major 

issues with the claim of entry 

point project successes: 

1. Some major EPPs announced 

during the ETP Updates given by 

Pemandu last year were strangely 

omitted in the Annual Report; 

2. A number of projects, including 

big-ticket projects such as 

Karambunai Integrated Resort 

City, Tanjong Agas Oil and Gas 

Hub and LFoundry Wafer Fab, 

may not pass muster under close 

scrutiny. 

Let us start with the wafer-thin 

foundations of the RM1.9 billion 

LFoundry Wafer Fab project in 

the Kulim High-Tech Park. 

The shifting 

sands of 

LFoundry 

The very first entry point project 

(EPP) stated under the Electrical 

and Electronics NKEA (National 

Key Economic Area) is 

“Executing a smart follower strategy 

for mature technology fabrication.” 

In Update 1 on Oct 25, 

2010, Pemandu said LFoundry 

Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Germanbased 

Landshut Silicon Foundry 

GmbH would undertake this 

RM1.9 billion project. 

Subsequently, the ETP Annual 

Report proclaimed that the ‘construction 

of the 200mm wafer fab’ 

had been completed by Dec 2011 

and Pemandu gave itself full 

marks for delivering on this EPP. 

Oddly enough, nothing was 

mentioned in the ‘Achievements’ 

section of the ETP Annual Report. 

Instead, a much smaller 

RM100 million equipment refurbishment 

and training centre 

project was highlighted, as shown 

below. 

We were very surprised that 

this astounding execution of 

completing a wafer fab way ahead 

of schedule and within just 12 

months was not trumpeted. And 

indeed, we would have supported 

such publicity as well-founded 

and a wonderful example of Malaysian 

construction and engineering 

prowess. 

This uncharacteristic coyness 

of Pemandu in choosing to highlight 

a much smaller RM100 

million ‘refurbishment’ project 

instead of a spanking new RM1.9 

billion wafer fab plant completed 

in record time spurred us to do 

more research. We found 

that LFoundry in Germany 

is declaring itself 

insolvent and going into 

bankruptcy proceedings! 

In fact, there is no mention 

of this project on: 

1. L Foundry’s 

In October 2010, PEMANDU announced the RM1.9 billion 

L Foundry project 

Investment To Date: 

NKEA Electrical and Electronics KPI (Quantitative) 

No KPI Target (FY) Actual(YTD) Achievement 

own website; or on 

2. Kulim Hi-Tech Park’s list of 

tenants. 

Note that L Foundry’s 

financial woes had been 

in the news 

as far back 

as November 

2011. 

But this 

fact was never 

mentioned in the 

ETP Annual Report published 

in April 2012 when Pemandu 

took “100%” credit for 

LFoundry Malaysia Sdn Bhd 

LFoundry Malaysia Sdn Bhd will build 200-mm water fab in 

the Kulim High-Tech Park (KHTP). Building work is expected 

to start in December and will be completed with 18 months. 

The water fab should start production of analogue, mixedsignal 

and high-voltage devices on a 130- to 110-nm process 

technology. It had set a target to set up five fabrication clusters 

in KHTP in the next 10 years. Investment RM1.9 billion 

(US$543 million) 

Source: ETP website http://etp.Pemandu.gov.my/25_October_2010-@-LFoundry_Malaysia.aspx 

In the ETP Annual Report, Pemandu gave itself full marks for 

completion 

the achievement in constructing 

a 200 mm wafer fab. 

It was only later that Chris 

Tan, Pemandu director for the 

Electrical & Electronics NKEA, 

revealed the following in the ETP 

blog : 

“…the German partners ran 

into operational difficulties … 

and were forced to pull out. The 

project as originally envisaged 

was scrapped … MIDA … shifted 

to Plan B, and facilitated capacity 

increases via other companies.” 

Taking Tan’s comments at face 

Method 1 Method 2 Method 3 

% % 

EPP 1 Per cent completion of construction of 200mm wafer fab 100% by 100% 100% 100% 1.0 

Dec 2011 

Number of MoUs signed with local companies for 1 1 100% 100% 1.0 

vendor development program 

Source: Reproduced from ETP Annual Report (p123, Exhibit 7.2). Note that Pemandu graded its NKEA 

achievements on 3 different methodologies, which we delved into in Part 1 of this series. 

Tenants beginning with the letter “L” in the Kulim Hi-Tech Park – No 

mention of LFoundry 

Source: Kulim High Tech Park website as retrieved on 30 May 2012. Available at www.khtp.com. 

my/tenants/default.asp?letter=L 

value, Pemandu’s achievements 

are even more breathtaking. It 

surmounted difficulties with the 

original German partners and 

managed to find ‘other companies’ 

and still complete a 200mm 

wafer fab factory all within 12 

months! 

The story behind such ‘remarkable’ 

execution should certainly 

be shared with all Malaysians. 

It would indeed help in 

transforming the economy if Pemandu 

were to share its knowledge 

with all entrepreneurs:

y Research for Social Advancement (Refsa) 

ically perfect world 

1. Who are these ‘other companies’ 

who stepped in and filled the 

gap so quickly? Please name them 

so that we may study and emulate 

their abilities; 

2. Better still, please set up a site 

office and a case study. How was 

construction fast-tracked? Our 

contractors might learn a thing or 

two about project management. 

Or is the truth more prosaic, 

and the reality is that there is no 

200 mm 100% completed wafer 

fab as claimed in the Annual Report? 

We conjecture that Pemandu 

gave itself full marks for completion 

on the basis that while the 

original projected floundered, it 

still managed to ‘facilitate capacity 

increases via other companies’. 

We could debate this point further 

– are full marks deserved if 

the total investment is less than 

originally targeted? Furthermore, 

increasing capacity at existing 

companies is less valuable than 

introducing a new player who can 

broaden and deepen the industry. 

However, there are other pressing 

issues – such as missing projects. 

These are EPPs which were 

proudly presented during Pemandu’s 

numerous ETP Updates 

in 2010 and last year, but which, 

very oddly, received no mention 

in the ETP Annual Report released 

in April this year. 

We shall highlight just two 

examples – Damansara City 2 

and the Marina Island Pangkor 

extension. 

What happened to Damansara 

City 2? 

The Damansara City 2 project 

by GuocoLand (Malaysia) 

Berhad was unveiled in the 3rd 

ETP Progress Update on Jan 11, 

2011. This mixed development 

comprising retail and office blocks 

and a hotel and service apartment 

was by far the largest project mentioned 

under EPP 7: Creating 

Iconic Places and Attractions in 

the Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang 

Valley NKEA (National Key Eco- 

nomic Area). 

We shall set aside the questions 

of how ‘transformative’ really are 

property development projects 

such as this, as well as the process 

which resulted in GuocoLand’s 

proposal being granted EPP status 

and thus, at least implicitly, being 

more iconic and transformative 

than, say, the KL Eco City and 

Icon City projects by SP Setia and 

Mah Sing, respectively. 

What is shocking is that this 

EPP, which at RM1.9 billion is by 

far the largest project in EPP7 in 

the Greater KL/Klang Valley 

NKEA, receives no mention at all 

in the ETP Annual Report. There 

was no status report, and in fact, 

it was not even mentioned in the 

‘Moving Forward’ section. Instead 

three additional Heritage Routes 

and the upgrading of Masjid Jamek 

were highlighted instead, as shown. 

Marina Island 

washed away? 

Moving on from the LFoundry and 

Damansara City 2 projects on the 

shifting sands of dry land, we come 

to seaside projects which may have 

been ‘washed away’. 

The Marina Island Pangkor’s 

International Resort & Entertainment 

Extension Project was showcased 

in the 4th ETP Progress 

Update on Mar 8, 2011. This 

‘World Class Integrated Passenger 

Seaport Transportation 

Hub and a World Class Waterfront 

Development’ which ‘will 

position Malaysia well into the 

future’, appears to dovetail nicely 

with EPP6: Creating a Straits 

Riviera Cruise Playground in the 

Tourism NKEA. 

Strangely though, no progress 

update was given in the Annual 

Report on this huge project which 

will require RM600 million of 

investments, and is expected to 

provide 27,000 jobs and contribute 

RM9 billion of GNI (Gross 

National Income) by 2020. 

Instead, the ETP Annual Report 

points out that the Cruise and 

Ferry Integrated Seaport Infrastructure 

Blueprint for Malaysia 

identifies Penang, Klang and Kota 

Kinabalu as the three ports with 

‘potential to contribute significantly 

to the Malaysian cruise industr 

y’. 

Whatever happened to Marina 

Island Pangkor? The Blueprint, 

no doubt, was commissioned by 

the Economic Planning Unit. But 

surely Pemandu in its Annual Report 

should have stated where this 

important EPP stands in the overall 

scheme of things. 

Let’s be frank 

Uncertainty and adjustments are 

part and parcel of the business 

landscape. It is normal for projects 

to be varied, postponed or even 

abandoned. Companies do get into 

financial difficulties. Some go bust. 

It would be irrational to expect all 

the entry point projects (EPPs) 

under the ETP to progress with 

smooth precision. Problems are to 

be expected, which good project 

managers recognise and surmount. 

Glossing over and ignoring 

issues as Pemandu is wont 

to do is a terrible approach. 

Plans, assumptions and forecasts 

must accommodate changing 

circumstances. Pretending that 

all is going perfectly to plan merely 

results in an escalating divergence 

between reality and delusions 

of grandeur, and the facade 

will ultimately come 

crashing down. 

Pemandu must be transparent 

about the EPPs 

which are facing difficulties. 

The contribution of 

these troubled EPPs to investment, 

GNI and jobs 

created should be stated 

clearly and transparently so that 

shortfalls caused by the affected 

EPPs and the effects on their respective 

NKEAs can be addressed 

and given extra attention 

moving forward. 

In addition, it is also good 

practice and would be very helpful 

to other entrepreneurs if Pemandu 

were to disclose what went wrong 

and the remedial steps taken. Pemandu’s 

experience and knowledge 

gained may well help others avoid 

making similar mistakes. 

This kind of transparent evaluation 

regarding the execution challenges 

faced by entrepreneurs and 

entry point projects was sadly lacking 

in the ETP Annual Report. The 

pace of private investments is well 

behind the ETP targets in terms of 

the share of private to public investments. 

In the next installment of this 

series which will cover Enterprise, 

the second E in our DEEDs framework 

to dissect the ETP Annual 

Report, we shall uncover more evidence 

showing why the gaudy investment 

figures highlighted under 

the ETP should not be taken at face 

value. 

About this series and DEEDS 

Earlier this year, we published a 

series assessing Pemandu and the 

ETP on the goals, plans and targets 

stated in the ETP Roadmap document. 

To facilitate constructive 

discourse and in keeping with the 

spirit of the alphabet soup of NK- 

EAs, NKRAs, SRIs, EPPs, and 

GNI surrounding the entire GTP, 

we evaluated Pemandu and the 

ETP on its DEEDS - Data transparency, 

Execution, Enterprise, 

Diversity and Socio-Economic 

Impact. The 8 Focus Papers in 

this Critique of the ETP Series, 

together with related infographics 

and a powerpoint presentation 

can be found at www.refsa. 

org. 

About the 

authors 

Visiting contributor Dr Ong 

Kian Ming holds a PhD in 

Political Science from Duke 

University and Economics 

degrees from the University of 

Cambridge and the London 

School of Economics. He is 

attached to UCSI University, 

which has been named as the 

project owner of two entry 

point projects (EPPs). To 

avoid any potential conflict of 

interest, he will not make references 

to or analyse these two 

EPPs. He can be reached at 

im.ok.man@gmail.com. 

REFSA (Research for Social 

Advancement) Executive Director 

Teh Chi-Chang holds a 

first class degree in Accounting 

& Financial Analysis from 

the University of Warwick, an 

MBA from the University of 

Cambridge and the CFA 

(Chartered Financial Analyst) 

charter. Prior to joining REF- 

SA, he headed highly-regarded 

investment research teams 

covering Malaysia, and was 

himself highly-ranked as an 

analyst. He can be reached at 

chichang@refsa.org.

views 

14 June 8 — 10, 2012 

Campaigning for Robots 

D ear 

Lord Bobo, by law, what 

is the campaigning period 

in the lead-up to the 

General Elections? SK Chan, 

via email 

Well, according to Section… 

eh wait, isn’t this an 

example of one of the most 

pointless pieces of legislation 

in the country? Campaigning 

period? Surely we 

have been in the midst of an 

intensive election campaign 

for at least 12 months already. 

Hardly a day goes by that 

the mainstream and alternative 

media does not scream out a political 

scandal or two. Almost every weekend 

there is some sort of ceramah, forum, talk, or debate. 

Not to forget those ceramahs disguised as “debates”. 

Which really is a shame for Malaysia. Instead of making 

decisions based on merit, and what’s right or wrong, or what’s 

good for the people, Malaysian politicians seem to weigh 

decisions based on what will get them more votes. Similarly, 

when contentious issues crop up, politicians seem to only be 

passionate about the ones where their party – or someone 

connected to their party – is not at fault, rather than considering 

at oh-so-irrelevant considerations such as justice and citizen 

welfare. 

Even if it’s a blatant injustice, if it has a chance of making 

“their side” look bad, our politicians will conveniently go silent. 

Even the more vocal ones on Twitter suddenly don’t reply to 

@mentions and go offline for a couple of days until the “heat” 

dies down. If they are somehow cornered into addressing the 

issue, there’s always the good-ol “bring up another scandal/ 

accusation” technique. 

Police gang-beating citizens? “Hey look at these hand 

signals that Anwar was making!” Sex video? “Submarine 

scandal!” Police brutality condemned by Bar Council? “I 

challenge the Bar Council President to be a man and come 

contest the next elections on my homeground!” And it goes 

on and on and on. 

So, campaigning period? As far as His Supreme Eminenceness 

is concerned, it is an ever-present and never-ending 

campaign period. It has no beginning, and for now it looks 

like it has no end. 

L ord 

Bobo, I’ve noticed an increase in those robot 

construction workers at roadwork zones lately. Do 

you think these are effective, and if so should these 

robots be used in other sectors? R3D3, via email 

Where to get your 

LRT Stations (Distribution by hand) – 

Morning 

Ampang – Sentul Timur 

Ampang 

Cahaya 

Cempaka 

Pandan Indah 

Pandan Jaya 

Sentul Timur 

Sentul 

Kelana Jaya – Terminal Putra 

Kelana Jaya 

Taman Bahagia 

Taman Paramount 

Asia Jaya 

Taman Jaya 

Universiti 

Sri Rampai 

Wangsa Maju 

Taman Melati 

Sri Petaling – Sentul Timur 

Taman Melati 

Sri Petaling 

Bukit Jalil 

Bandar Tasik Selatan 

Salak Selatan 

Shopping Malls 

(From Saturday noon) 

1 UTAMA 

Tropicana Mall 

Sunway Pyramid 

The Curve 

IOI Mall 

Plaza Damas 

Ikano Power Centre 

Empire Subang 

MetroPoint 

Centro Mall, Klang 

Bangsar Shopping Complex 

Hypermarkets 

(From Saturday noon) 

Tesco (Puchong, Kajang, Mutiara 

Damansara, Rawang, Bukit Tinggi, 

Setia Alam, Ampang, Extra Shah Alam, 

Kepong) 

Now that you mention it, those things do seem to 

be everywhere! 

In the beginning, they seemed to be waving 

red flags up and down, which we suppose served 

a good purpose of getting motorists’ attention 

and convincing them that slowing down 

around a roadwork site would be a good idea. 

But, after some time (ie a couple of days, 

tops) they would break down and stop moving, 

holding the flag at random angles. 

After a few more days, the flag would 

disappear, and they’d just end up being things 

that look like people doing work, but actually 

are just holding a rotting stick. Lord Bobo sniffs 

some symbolism here. 

As for using these robots in other sectors, we 

suppose that could work somehow. But the problem 

is, they’re not really “robots” are they? The word “robot” 

somehow implies the presence of some form of artificial intelligence. 

They’re more of machines; mechanical inventions that 

do repetitive tasks without applying any thought to it. 

They wouldn’t be responsive to even constructive criticism. 

At most they could be pre-programmed to repeat the same 

things over and over again, no matter how illogical or unsuitable 

the response is to the situation at hand. They would just 

Giant (Puchong, 

Kajang, Bandar 

Kinrara, Klang, 

Pandamaran, 

Bandar Selayang, Kota Damansara, 

Taman Setiawangsa, Putra Heights, 

Taman Connaught, Kelana Jaya, Bukit 

Antarabangsa, Subang Jaya, Bukit 

Tinggi, Setia Alam, Kota Kemuning) 

Carrefour (Bukit Rimau, Subang Jaya, 

Wangsa Maju, Sri Petaling, Kepong, 

Puchong, Ampang, Jalan Peel, Jalan 

Kapar, Bandar Tun Hussein Onn, S23 

Shah Alam) 

Jusco 

(Bukit Tinggi, 

Tmn Maluri, 

Wangsa Maju, Bandar Baru Klang, 

Mahkota Cheras) 

Commuter Stations 

(Distribution by hand) – Morning 

Sentul – Port Klang 

Port Klang 

Bukit Badak 

Shah Alam 

Subang Jaya 

Jalan Templer 

Petaling 

Rawang – Seremban 

Kuala Kubu Baru 

Sungai Buloh 

Kepong Sentral 

Kepong 

Morning Wet Markets 

(Saturday morning) 

Jalan SS2/62 

Taman Medan 

Jalan 17/27 

SS15 Subang Jaya 

Taman Kuchai Lama 

Taman OUG 

Pasar Taman Megah 

Pasar Jalan Othman 

Pasar Jalan 17/2 

Pasar Sek 14 

keep doing what 

they’re doing in the 

face of obvious error, 

until they break down 

or are shut down. 

Wait, are you 

thinking what we’re 

thinking? 

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 @ 

Ask Lord Bobo is a weekly 

column by LoyarBurok (www. 

loyarburok.com) where all 

your profound, abstruse, erudite, 

hermetic, recondite, 

sagacious, and other thaesaurus-described 

queries are 

answered! 

LoyarBurok and using the hashtag #asklordbobo. What 

the hell are you waiting for? Hear This, and Tremblingly 

Obey (although trembling is optional if you are 

somewhere very warm)! Liberavi Animam Meam! I Have 

Freed My Spirit! 

By William Tan 

may 13: 

recollections & 

reconciliation 

p 12 & 13 

TI-M head 

disputes 

Christian 

state claim 

Wesak Day: 

a time for 

giving 

community May 20 — 22, 2011/ issue 25 

Petaling Jaya: Dilapidated 

low-cost flats throughout Selangor 

may get a new lease of life if 

a pilot programme to rehabilitate 

such homes is successful. 

The ambitious and first-of-itskind 

project is being carried out by 

the Petaling Jaya City Council 

(MBPJ) in collaboration with Veritas 

Design Group, a private company, 

and Rumah Air Panas, a 

community-based charity. 

The single block at the Taman 

Maju Jaya apartments here, which 

houses 59 families, will be the first 

to undergo the transformation, 

which includes renovations and refurbishments 

while keeping the 

physical aspects intact. 

"All works are based on the decisions 

made by the residents," said 

social activist Wong Hay Cheong. 

Wong, who mooted the idea, 

pointed out that many of the residents 

were forced to move into the 

flats when squatter settlements were 

demolished, but the buildings and 

facilities were hardly adequate. 

“The entry of Veritas Design 

Group, which has contributed Wong said the private firm is car- 

RM100,000 and the skills [of their rying out the project as part of its 

architects], means that is going to Corporate Social Responsibility 

change,” said Wong. 

(CSR) programme, having spent the 

As many as 50,000 families were last two years laying the groundwork 

relocated to low-cost flats between for the project. 

2000 and 2008 under former Men- The company has been liaising 

teri Besar Dr Khir Toyo's Zero with the families regularly to get 

Squatter policy which has been crit- feedback on their needs and help 

icised for creating high-rise ghettos. them decide on practical solutions. 

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

Keeping abandoned babies 

safe: Faizah Mohd Tahir (left) 

demonstrating the use of the 

baby hatch as local celebrity 

Datin Sofia Jane looks on. 

• STory on page 10 

p 4 

Facelift for old flats 

p 15 

Their architects, using the latest architect Iskandar Razak. 

obtain what they need from their 

technologies and techniques, will Iskandar added that it was very business contacts. 

remodel the building on a tight difficult to obtain commitments “Despite it all, this is a very im- 

budget, which is estimated to be less from various parties at the start of portant project for us as we believe 

than RM500,000. 

the project, with funding still a seri- that a city should not be inhabited 

“It is very challenging; almost ous issue. 

by the wealthy only, but by every 

everything needs to be redone. The The success of the project rests on strata of society. In a way, we are re- 

wiring is horrible, the roof is leaking, sponsorships for the various compojuvenating the city,” said Iskandar. 

and the septic tank emits an awful nents, such as the supply of metal If the pilot is successful, the comstench,” 

said Veritas Design Group parts, and the company hopes to 

Pasar 

Seri Setia 

SS9A/1 

Pasar Kg Chempaka 

Taman Tun Dr Ismail 

Hospital 

Forrest Medical Centre 

• Turn To page 2 

Colleges 

Help Institute 

College Bandar Utama (KBU) 

Universiti Kebangsan Malaysia

news 


Straight look at Malaysian politics 

By Alvin Yap 

it as I see it” 

should be political 

commentator Kee 

“Calling 

Thuan Chye’s latest 

book offering, but no one is missing 

much from it being titled “No More 

Bullshit, Please, We’re All Malaysians”, 

as it is a straightforward read that focuses 

on what ought to matter to all 

Malaysian – governance, accountability 

and transparency. 

Penang born and bred Kee’s 404page 

book is a compilation of the sum 

of his thoughts on the period after the 

March 8 ,2008 general election, from 

SHAH ALAM: Fans of current 

affairs are in for another treat this 

weekend as two writers make their 

debut this weekend. 

Prolific newspaper and magazine 

commentator Tricia Yeoh will be 

making her debut on Saturday with 

“States of Reform: Governing Selangor 

and Penang”. 

The former Selangor government 

research officer, who has regular 

columns in Selangor Times, Penang 

Monthly magazine and The Sun, has 

compiled her columns from 2008 to 

material that were originally published 

by online news portals and the mainstream 

press. 

Getting down to the issues, Kee 

drives home his points by breaking up 

the topics into 10 sections, namely on 

personalities such former premier Tun 

Dr Mahathir Mohamad and current 

prime minister Datuk Seri Najib 

Razak. 

Of course, current issues receive, at 

times, acerbic and very witty remarks 

and commentaries by the former journalist: 

The Other Side (meaning, the 

Opposition), Sex, Lies and Videotape 

and Bersih 2.0. 

It makes for a fun, yet informed read 

2012 and put them into a neat little 

book. 

As the title suggests, “States of 

Reform” contains critical assessments 

of the Pakatan Rakyat governments 

in Selangor and Penang over the past 

four years. All the commentaries are 

taken from Penang Monthly. 

The forewords for the book are 

written by member of Parliament for 

Lembah Pantai Nurul Izzah Anwar 

and author Dr Ooi Kee Beng. 

“States of Reform: Governing 

Selangor and Penang” will be 

of the forces and arguments 

that should (or shouldn’t, 

being Kee’s point) shape 

Malaysia’s future. 

The theme in his book 

published by Marshall Cavendish 

is about the dangers 

or the irrelevance of racial 

politics, of unfair and unfree 

elections, among other 

things. 

Telling it as it is, Kee, 

who is a playwright and 

stage actor, doesn’t beat around the 

bush, with attention grabbing titles 

from the word go. 

As an example, he takes to task Ba- 

Book treat for political fans 

launched by Selangor Menteri Besar 

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim at The Annexe 

Gallery in Kuala Lumpur on 

Saturday at 10am. 

Also making a debut is Roshan 

Jason’s biography entitled “Teresa 

Kok: Partner in Democracy”. 

“States of Reform: Governing 

Selangor and Penang” is priced at 

RM28 while “Teresa Kok: Partner in 

Democracy” (includes a DVD) retails 

at RM25. 

Both books are published by 

Genta Media. 

MPK Health Department Officers inspecting the cleanliness of the hawker center’s back alley and 

drains 

Hawker centres, mini markets inspected by MPK 

KLANG: Some 22 compounds were 

issued to errant traders from 15 shops 

around the Sungai Puloh neighbourhood 

for flouting regulations during 

an operation by the Klang Municipal 

Council yesterday. 

“Five mini markets selling wet and 

dry food along with 11 other restau- 

rants were inspected by five different 

departments,” said an MPK spokesperson 

He said five workers at hawker 

centres were not properly immunised 

while some shop owners were fined for 

not keeping their premises clean. 

Several were also fined for display- 

ing their goods along the five-foot 

walkway while others were summoned 

for dumping their restaurant’s waste 

into the drains. 

The check was conducted by officers 

from the council’s licensing, health, 

enforcement, engineering and environment 

departments. 

risan Nasional’s MCA 

and MIC (Tweedledee 

MCA, Tweedledum 

MIC, is the title) with 

liberal amounts of 

scathing humour. 

He aims his pen, so 

to speak, on leadership, 

especially that of Mahathir, 

Najib and his 

cousin, Home Minister 

Datuk Seri Hishammuddin 

Hussein for his 

remarks in the aftermath of the cow 

head incident in 2009 in Shah Alam. 

The book is easy to read, even for 

those who might be newbies on what 

We the undersigned are 

alarmed at the 

increasing rate 

of hostilities 

levelled against 

certain publications, 

leading to 

either their outright 

banning and 

seizures, or even in some 

cases, hostility against and/ 

or the arrest of their authors, 

publishers and booksellers. 

While there has been uproar 

against Irshad Manji's 

"Allah, Kebebasan dan Cinta" 

recently, the trend started 

much earlier with the banning 

of works by Karen Armstrong, 

Salman Rushdie, 

Khalil Gibran, Irvine Welsh 

and Iris Chang, among others. 

Even the works of local 

authors such as Faisal Tehrani 

and Kassim Ahmad and 

cartoonist Zunar have not 

been spared. It seems this 

banning frenzy led by the 

Home Ministry knows no 

limit. Zulkifli Noordin, 

Member of Parliament for 

Kulim-Bandar Baharu, also 

recently called for the ban of 

"Kahwin Campur antara 

Muslim dengan Non-Muslim" 

published by Institut 

Kajian Dasar. 

Not only do such measures 

contradict the government's 

supposedly moderate 

or wasatiyah stand on issues 

of diversity and tolerance, it 

stifles discourse and views 

required by any mature and 

developing democracy. In a 

healthy democracy, progress 

can be measured by space 

given to different views 

without fear of retribution. 

It also provides a pretext 

for the wanton exercise of 

power under the guise of 

religious order, with not only 

the Home Ministry's Publications 

Control and Quranic 

Text Division carrying out 

15 

has been happening on the political 

landscape of the last decade or so. 

His writing is clear and the paragraphs 

contain enough explanations to 

laymen, a feat which is honed by his 

stint as a political commentator- journalist-playwright-dramatist-actor. 

The book includes two of his poems, 

excerpts from three of his plays (1984’s 

“Here and Now” which was first staged 

in Kuala Lumpur in 1985, “We Could 

**** You, Mr Birch” first staged in 1994 

also in KL, and “The Swordfish, Then 

the Concubine” which premiered in 

Singapore in 2008), and five interviews 

with him by various media from 2001 

to 2010. 

Book banning 

frenzy must end 

seizure of books but 

also the Federal Territories 

Islamic Affairs 

Department 

( JAWI) and the 

Selangor Islamic 

Affairs Department 

( JAIS). 

These measures blatantly 

favour only one or two interpretations 

or solutions to key 

issues affecting Malaysian 

life and society at the expense 

of others. 

Book banning is a draconian 

measure that is not only 

ineffective but contrary to 

the spirit of dialogue and 

engagement that Malaysia 

desperately needs. 

Malaysia as a nation of diverse 

identities, religions and 

cultures should embrace and 

welcome the complex interaction 

and exchange of ideas 

that is rapidly expanding in 

this era of globalisation. In 

that, the ethics of agreeing to 

disagree is crucial to ensure 

mutual respect for diverging 

ideas and dissenting views. 

We call upon the authorities 

in Malaysia to put an end 

to book banning as the first 

step towards promoting diversity 

and respect in our 

society. 

Aliran, All Women’s Action 

Society (AWAM), Centre 

for Independent Journalism 

(CIJ), Islamic Renaissance 

Front (IRF), Perak 

Women for Women Society 

(PWW), Persatuan Kesedaran 

Komuniti Selangor (Empower), 

Persatuan Masyarakat 

Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan 

(Permas), Persatuan Sahabat 

Wanita Selangor, Pusat 

KOMAS, Saya Anak Bangsa 

Malaysia (SABM), Sisters in 

Islam (SIS), Suaram, Tenaganita, 

Women's Aid Organisation 

(WAO) and 

Women’s Centre for Change 

(WCC)

news 


Demolition 

exercise 

called off 

SELAYANG: An exercise to 

demolish the illegal extension of a 

house at Taman Batu Caves 2 was 

postponed after a tense standoff 

between the local authorities and 

residents there. 

“On advice by the police, the 

Land Office and we decided to 

call off the demolition exercise,” 

said Selayang Municipal Council 

(MPS) head enforcement officer 

Azmi Ismail who led a 40-strong 

team in the operation which 

lasted some four hours. 

The Gombak Land Office had 

requested for MPS to provide 

logistics support to tear down the 

storeroom, as the illegal extension 

had encroached into reserve 

land. 

The owner, who declined interviews 

with the media, said his 

premises was unfairly targeted 

for demolition by the Land Office 

and MPS. 

“Don’t just tear down my extension, 

how about the other 

lots? I ask, out of compassion, 

don’t tear down the extension,” 

he told MPS enforcement officers 

at the scene. 

The owner, a trader and restaurant 

owner, was using the 

storeroom to keep the chairs and 

tables for his business. 

Members of Malay Rights 

non-governmental organisation 

Perkasa were also present at the 

scene and its members were seen 

trying to persuade the authorities 

to stop the exercise. 

A crowd later gathered at the 

location and the exercise, which 

also included tearing down the 

illegal extension of four other 

houses along the road, was called 

off as advised by the police. 

The police were part of the 

task force which included, among 

others, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, 

Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor 

and the Department of Irrigation 

and Drainage. 

Azmi said the Land Office had 

sent numerous notices to the 

owner informing him of the violations 

and asked to meet with 

him to discuss the matter, but to 

no avail. 

He later told the press that the 

Land Office had given the house 

owner one week to carry out his 

A notice announcing the canteen being closed for another two weeks. 

Canteen closure extended 

PETALING JAYA: A closure 

order on the Petaling Jaya City 

Council’s (MBPJ) canteen for failing 

to meet basic health standards 

has been extended a further two 

weeks to facilitate repairs. 

The canteen, at the MBPJ building 

at Jalan Yong Shook Lin, was 

sealed on May 17 by the city council’s 

Health Department after a 

routine inspection found mouldy 

tile floors and dirty drains. 

“We can’t reopen the canteen yet 

because it’s still not up to standards. 

I’ve requested for the engineering 

department to carry out repairs and 

upgrades,” said PJ mayor Datuk 

Roslan Sakiman. 

He said MBPJ had decided to 

take on the repairs by themselves as 

the current operator who is renting 

the place cannot afford to pay for 

repairs. 

Roslan further pointed out that 

it was also the council’s responsibility 

to ensure that their canteen was 

MPS enforcement officer Rosmidi Harun explaining to the owner (in yellow shirt) that the illegal 

extension needed to be torn down as residents and bystanders look on. 

own demolition on the illegal 

extension. 

“After that, MPS and the Land 

Office will carry it out.” 

Meanwhile, MPS also demolished 

six abandoned illegal food 

stalls around Taman Perindustrian 

Sri Batu Caves here. 

clean. 

During the routine inspection 

last month, the canteen only scored 

a 50 per cent cleanliness rating level. 

Based on the low rating, it was 

decided that the eatery be closed as 

a health precaution. 

“It’s an inconvenience to have the 

canteen closed but this has to be 

done,” said Roslan. 

Currently, the city council has to 

hire a caterer to serve food at events 

or meetings at the headquarters. 

“We had issued summonses and 

we sealed the premises one year 

ago. They have moved their operations 

to other areas to escape our 

enforcement,” Azmi said. 

He said the food stalls have 

been abandoned for some seven 

months and their presence was an 

eyesore at the factory area opposite 

Batu Caves across the Middle 

Ring Road II. 

He pointed out the premises 

were also torn down to prevent a 

health hazard as there might still 

be food items in the abandoned 

roadside eateries. 

State savings 

benefit flat dwellers 

SHAH ALAM: A 25 per cent assessment 

rate reduction will be 

enjoyed by low-cost flats residents 

across Selangor thanks to savings 

accumulated from solid waste management 

services in the state. 

“The reduction will be effective 

immediately after the state executive 

council approves the discount,” 

said Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid 

Ibrahim (pic). 

Khalid pointed out that Selangor 

had, in less than a year, been able to 

save RM100 million after local 

governments took over solid waste management services from 

Alam Flora Sdn Bhd. 

He said 50 per cent of the money saved will be allocated 

for the scheme 

However, only owners who actually stay at the flats, and 

not those who rent them out, will enjoy the benefit. 

Owners can apply for the scheme from their respective Joint 

Management Bodies ( JMB) which must verify that they actually 

stay at the flats. 

“We will also provide incentives to JMBs to ensure the 

discounts are enjoyed by only those who are eligible,” said 

Khalid. 

He added the savings were achieved through transparent 

and responsible management which prioritises the public’s 

welfare. 

“This (move) is what’s called state profits for the people. 

The more profits amount to more benefits,” said Khalid. 

Khalid said the public did not get maximum benefit via 

privatisation under Alam Flora. 

“We are not only providing better services but at cost which 

is appropriate.”

Rebates for PJ homes that 

use less energy, water 

news 


Residents hot under the collar 

By Alvin Yap 

55-year-old K Arunanthan at the 

carnival at Kampung Muhibbah 

kuala lumpur: Some 400 

low cost flat residents who turned 

(Block H). 

She complained about having to 

Khalid handing 

over food 

up to meet Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim 

at a family day carnival here on Saturday 

found themselves sweating 

under the hot sun after Kuala Lumpur 

City Hall (DBKL) refused to 

allow organisers to put up tents for 

sit at the car park’s road shoulder 

with her five-year-old granddaughter 

throughout Saturday morning’s 

event, pointing out that DBKL was 

“putting up obstacles” for residents 

to meet their member of Parliament. 

items to Tan 

Aih Khoon, who 

is wheeled by 

daughter Lisa, 

as Dr Idris (right) 

looks on. 

the event. 

“Any event for the rakyat to meet 

Organisers, including Khalid’s their leader is good. DBKL shouldn’t 

Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary place restrictions on such functions,” 

constituency office and the Resi- said Khalid, who spoke to the crowd 

dents’ Association, had sought per- who were forced to squeezed into a 

mission to place tents and seats for small hall on the ground floor of the 

300 people at a car park in Kampung flats. 

Muhibbah, near Bukit Jalil, a month He later told the press that he had He pointed out that, as Menteri their respective jurisdiction. 

Khalid was earlier greeted by a 

before the event. 

asked Dr Idris Ahmad, who repre- Besar, he has instructed the 12 local He later handed out food items performance from a silat group. The 

“Why didn’t DBKL give the sents Selangor in DBKL’s Advisory governments in the state to permit comprising rice, sugar, flour, Milo carnival also included a colouring 

permission for the tents and chairs Board, to bring up the matter with events organised by both Barisan and other necessities to some 120 competition for children below 

to be placed here for us to sit?” asked City Hall. 

Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat in poor families there. 

eight and five years of age. 

petaling jaya: Residents here can 

qualify for 100 percent rebate on next year’s 

assessment rate by using less energy and water 

and installing resource efficient appliances at 

home. 

“We want to encourage people, and to reward 

them for using less water and electricity,” 

said Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) deputy 

mayor Puasa Md Taib on Monday. 

He said households can earn the rebate if 

they use no more than 202 litres per day as well 

as consume no more than 112 kilowatts/hour 

energy per month. 

This combined with other green initiatives 

such as installing water and energy efficient 

appliances will allow ratepayers to receive a full 

rebate for 2013 which could amount to 

RM500. 

“Homes that have energy saving LED lights 

along with “half-flush” toilets can qualify for 

New compactors to 

tackle garbage woes 

shah alam: Both the Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya city councils 

have taken delivery of an initial batch of 50 trash compactor 

trucks costing RM14.5 million to improve solid waste management 

under their jurisdiction. 

The trucks were bought by KDEB Waste Management Sdn Bhd, 

a subsidiary of government-linked company Kumpulan Darul Ehsan 

Berhad (KDEB), which will also be in charge of servicing and maintaining 

the trucks. 

“Compactor trucks are on the road almost 365 days a year. As 

such, regular servicing and preventive maintenance are vital to 

minimise disruption of garbage collection services,” said KDEB board 

member Raja Idris Kamarudin. 

Of the 50 compactors, MBSA will get 28, MBPJ 18 while two 

units will be allocated to KDEB Waste Management subsidiary 

Hebat Abadi Sdn Bhd and the remaining two will be used by KDEB 

Waste Management as backups. 

The trucks will also be leased out to contractors who do not have 

enough trucks. 

The trucks were bought from Intercoach Sdn Bhd, which sourced 

the vehicle parts from China and assembled them in their plant in 

Bukit Beruntung, Selangor. 

Raja Idris said all 50 trucks will have Automated Vehicle Locating 

Systems (AVLS) to facilitate real-time tracking of performance and 

management. 

“With this system, we are able to react faster to provide backup 

the rebates,” he said. 

He said owners who turned their waste into 

compost or recycled their solid waste would 

also qualify for the discounts. 

He was launching MBPJ’s 100% Green 

Rebate Scheme, now in its second year. 

The city council has allocated RM100,000 

for rebates under the scheme. 

Last year, 100 green homes chosen by a 

panel of environmentalists benefited from the 

RM50,000 allocation under the programme. 

Global Environmental Centre programme 

coordinator Dr K Kalithasan said the average 

daily domestic water consumption in Selangor 

is now estimated at 267 litres per household, 

adding that the figure was too high and “unsustainable”. 

“I think a usage of 202 litres is good to aim 

for, as the national usage is around 237 litres 

daily,” said Dr Kalithasan, who is among 

17 

Puasa (left), councillors Khairul Anuar (second from left), Terence Tan (third 

from left), Cynthia Gabriel (second from right) and Tiew Way Keng (right) and 

head of building engineering Mohd Zakri (middle) and Lee (back) at the launch 

of the rebate scheme. 

judges for the 100% Green Rebate Scheme. 

He said that ratepayers could achieve the 

requirement set by MBPJ if homes practise 

rain-water harvesting or instal water saving 

features in bathrooms such as “half-flush” 

cisterns for toilets. 

Meanwhile, MBPJ senior town planning 

assistant director Lee Lih Shyan said that 

energy consumption in homes could be kept 

below the 112 kilowatt/hour if owners used 

electricity wisely. He said the electricity 

consumption in an average-sized home in PJ 

(From left) Dr Halimah, Raja Idris, Yaakop, Liu and Khalid watch 

waste being loaded into a compactor truck. 

services to any breakdown of compactor trucks,” said Raja Idris during 

the handover ceremony near Wisma MBSA on Monday. 

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the move was to address 

waste management problems in the state and urged the public to do 

their part to help. 

“Waste management can be done properly if all parties are disciplined. 

People should put their waste in plastic bags before they place 

them in bins so that contractors will be able to load them easily,” he 

said. 

Also present at the handover were state executive councillors 

Ronnie Liu, Dr Halimah Ali, Dr Yunus Hairi, Yaakob Sapari, MBSA 

mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan and MBPJ mayor Mohammad 

Roslan Sakiman. 

was 170 kilowatt/hour to 212 kilowatt/hour 

for a bungalow unit. 

Ratepayers who want to qualify for the 

green rebate scheme must include a copy of 

their last three months’ utility bills with their 

applications. 

Entry forms for the rebate scheme, which 

closes on July 6, can be downloaded from the 

city council website at http://www.mbpj. 

gov.my/web/guest/home, and are also available 

at residents’ associations or Rukun 

Tetangga. 

ISUZU D-MAX & 

Lori Baru 

Stok sedia ada. 

Servis ke tempat anda. 

Tawaran hebat! 

Lawat : www.isuzu2u.com 

Hotline : 017-312 7222 Liza 

019 329 2222 

Mr. Lum

News 


MB meets FB, 

Twitter followers 

Khalid (left) belting out a song. Inset: Nadarajan. 

By Basil Foo 

subang jaya: Fortunate 

Facebook and Twitter followers of 

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim got to see a 

lighter side of the menteri besar 

who took to the stage to sing during 

a high-tea event at Holiday Villa 

recently. 

Khalid also mingled with some 

200 guests at their tables and took 

questions regarding election promises, 

local council elections and 

cleaning up the Klang River. 

“Out of the 36 promises we 

made, more than 30 are done, like 

free water and allocating land for 

Chinese, Tamil and religious 

schools,” he said. 

He added that reducing assessment 

rates by 20 per cent was unlikely 

to happen as the operational 

cost for local councils increases 

every year. 

He said the state would try to 

pass a law to restart local government 

elections during the next state 

legislative assembly sitting in July. 

“In a democracy, we must be able 

to choose our representatives from 

local government, to state government, 

to Parliament.” 

He told guests Selangor will look 

into whether the law for local elections 

can be reinstated. 

Khalid was also asked what steps 

the state government was taking to 

clean up the Klang River. 

He said state government-linked 

company Kumpulan Darul Ehsan 

Berhad (KDEB) will be signing an 

agreement with a company from 

China on June 25 to clean up the river. 

“The programme will be 

launched then. The costs will also 

be explained then,” he added. 

Kuala Selangor resident Azianie 

Manap, who started following the 

menteri besar on Facebook last 

month, said it was her first time 

meeting Khalid up close as she only 

previously saw him on TV. 

The 32-year-old lauded the 

state’s policies for being peoplecentric 

but hoped for more development 

in her district as most of 

her neighbours had to travel to the 

city everyday for work. 

“It would be great if we could 

work where we stay,” she said. 

Marketeer Thomas Lim said the 

state should increase the promotion 

of its economic stimulus policies in 

Banting, where he lives, so that more 

people could reap the benefits. 

The 36-year-old, who added the 

menteri besar on Facebook three 

years ago, said his area had many 

school leavers who needed jobs. 

“More opportunities for Indians, 

especially on the contract side,” 

was what 45-year-old sales executive 

S Nadarajan said was his most 

pressing request to the MB. 

Also present at the function 

were Lembah Pantai MP Nurul 

Izzah Anwar and Khalid’s political 

secretary Faekah Husin, who celebrated 

her birthday by cutting a 

cake. 

Khalid, to wrap up the function, 

gave out lucky draw hampers and 

joined the band onstage to sing 

“Bossanova” by Saloma. 

Subang residents raise LRT concerns 

subang jaya: Residents of 

Goodyear Court apartments 3, 4, 

and 5 in USJ 8 are appealing for 

barriers to be built to ensure privacy 

between their homes and a 

nearby LRT station which is under 

construction. 

“The (elevated) station will be 

26 metres high, which is about four 

to five floors. People waiting for the 

train can see what goes on in nearby 

apartments,” said Subang Jaya assemblyperson 

Hannah Yeoh. 

She was speaking during a press 

briefing at her office on June 1 on 

the outcome of a meeting between 

Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd 

(Prasarana) and Goodyear Court 

residents. 

She added that during an earlier 

meeting with Prasarana in April, 

USJ 6 residents had asked for a wall 

to be built while construction of the 

station was going on for security 

reasons. 

“Because the houses have no 

guards, the residents don’t feel safe. 

They are open to the ongoing construction 

and feel intruded,” she 

explained. 

She said Prasarana had agreed to 

consider the residents’ requests and 

will approach the residents again in 

a few months to present their ideas 

to tackle the issues. 

Residents have also asked for less 

intrusive piling work as their houses 

currently vibrate during construction 

work. 

“Anyone who has cracks in their 

homes can lodge a complaint with 

the Subang Jaya Municipal Council 

(MPSJ) to see if the cracks are 

caused by the piling work,” Yeoh 

said. 

Residents are also concerned 

that indiscriminate parking may 

become a problem due to a lack of 

enforcement at Station 8 of the 

Kelana Jaya-Ampang LRT extension 

line. 

Vehicles can only drive through 

to pick up or drop off passengers at 

Station 8, which sits along Persiaran 

Kewajipan, between USJ 6 and 

Goodyear Courts 3, 4, and 5. 

The LRT is scheduled for completion 

in 2014 and Yeoh said 

MPSJ has two years to ensure that 

parking does not become a problem 

– by hiring more enforcement 

officers or outsourcing the jobs. 

A good feeder bus system, provided 

by the transport company, 

can also help address the issue of 

indiscriminate parking. 

“But the buses must be regular. 

We have asked Prasarana to furnish 

us with more information about 

their plans for the buses as soon as 

possible,” Yeoh said. 

Station 7, which sits about one 

Azianie and her five-year-old son Advin Ahmad Waliuddin. 

Lim and his eight-year-old nephew Tan Wei Han. 

Khalid (middle) and birthday girl Faekah (right). 

Yeoh addressing the concerns of residents. 

kilometre away, is slated to have 600 

parking lots at a fee, which Prasarana 

says is needed to cover some of their 

costs. 

Yeoh said the company needed to 

ensure that parking would be either 

cheap or free as otherwise, residents 

might just go to nearby neighbourhoods 

to park for free – and possibly 

causing congestion due to indis- 

criminate parking. 

Also present during the press 

briefing was USJ 6 Residents’ Association 

committee member Mohd 

Yunus Ismail. 

The next dialogue will include 

residents from USJ 13 and will be 

coordinated by MPSJ through the 

housing area’s Residents’ Association 

or Rukun Tetangga.

PKNS launches 

Indonesian venture 

SHAH ALAM: PKNS Academy is bringing 

onboard PT Artechs Min Indonesia to assist 

with the setting up of a training and development 

centre in that country. 

Representatives from both parties met in 

Batam to sign a Memorandum of Understanding 

(MoU) recently. 

The signing involved PKNS deputy general 

manager (Administration and Development) 

Noraida Mohd Yusof and PT Artechs 

Min Indonesa director Rosina Nainggolan. 

The academy is in the process of obtaining 

full university-college status in 2014 and is 

planning on having a series of seminars and 

training. 

On the same day, PKNS general manager 

Othman Omar presented a working paper at 

the “Strategic Leadership Towards Globalisation” 

seminar in the Harris Hotel in Batam 

Center. 

The paper titled “The New Economy and 

Human Capital Development in the Competitive 

Environment of the 21st Century” 

was part of his three-day working visit to the 

district. 

He also gave the opening speech for the 

seminar which was attended by Batam mayor 

Ahmad Dahlan. 

Othman spoke on how the wave of globali- 

SMK Jugra top 

‘entrepreneurs’ 

SHAH ALAM: By turning a profit from 

the sale of fried kerepek over four days, 

SMK Jugra in Banting beat 34 other schools 

in the recent Selangor Young Entrepreneur 

Programme. 

The programme, which aims to provide 

students first-hand experience and exposure 

in the business world, is organised annually 

by the Selangor State Development 

Corporation (PKNS) and Selangor Education 

Department. 

“The school formed a company named 

Legasi Jugra Sdn Bhd and managed to collect 

RM5,538.50 just by selling kerepek at 

PKNS complex Shah Alam,” said a PKNS 

spokesperson in a statement. 

A total of 28 secondary schools and four 

primary schools were involved in the programme 

which also aims to show youths 

Noraida signing the MoU while (from left) Othman, Rosina and Ahmad look on. 

sation could contribute to economic 

growth. 

“In a world made smaller by information 

technology, it is difficult for a country 

to isolate itself. Hence, the most important 

strategy is to improve management skills 

by building business relationships,” he said. 

The one-day seminar was jointly sponsored 

by PKNS Academy and PT Artechs 

Min Indonesia. 

It saw an attendance of about 300 

guests from the public and private sectors, 

Selangor Young Entrepreneur Programme consultant Allif Rashid showing 

students from SMK Rantau Panjang how to record inventory and sales. 

how to be successful entrepreneurs in future. 

Under the programme, students had to 

form a company, manage inventory, advertise 

and market their products and find 

ways to sell their products more effectively. 

“They will also learn how to compete 

with other businesspeople and find ways to 

improve their own business,” said the 

spokesperson. 

In addition, all participants also gathered 

at Dewan Melawati, Hotel De Palma 

for a show-and-tell session to share what 

they had learnt from this programme. 

PKNS hopes the programme will show 

students how competitive the business 

world is and that they have to work hard 

and be more creative if they want to be 

successful entrepreneurs. 

academicians and Malaysian and Indonesian 

business practitioners. 

PKNS subsidiary PKNS Academy offers 

academic and skills training to corporations, 

government bodies and individuals 

in Malaysia. It also offers programmes 

at executive diploma and Masters levels. 

It has acquired strategic partners like 

the International Professional Managers 

Association, the Paris Graduate School of 

Management and Pusan National University. 

media 


19 

A chance to 

run for charity 

KuALA LuMpur: Athletes up for a challenge 

can do their bit for two charities by taking part in 

the Intermark Charity Tower Run 2012 on July 7. 

The 62-storey vertical race up Vista Towers, one 

of the tallest in Malaysia, is organised by The Intermark 

Sdn Bhd and proceeds will be channelled 

to SOS Children’s Villages and Shelter Homes 

Malaysia. 

“The run marks the success of the Intermark 

development, its tenants and the communities 

who made this achievement possible. 

“We feel the best way to celebrate it was to come 

together for a run which will benefit the children 

who represent our country’s future and growth,” 

said The Intermark Sdn Bhd director Patrick Liau 

in a statement. 

Corporate companies are also welcome to send 

teams with a maximum of three participants each, 

but must be categorised according to age and 

gender. 

Participation fees for individuals are RM50 and 

RM1,000 for each corporate team of three. 

SOS Children’s Villages aims to provide a new 

family and home for over 78,000 children housed 

in 500 centres around the world. 

Shelter Homes Malaysia on the other hand 

strives to provide better education for their children 

aged between four and 17 years. 

“Besides benefiting the charities, we also want 

to spread an environmental message which is ‘Take 

the Stairs!’,” said Liau. 

For registration or enquiries, call 03-21750380 

or email angelia.kau@mgpa.com.

travel 

20 june 8 — 10, 2012 

By all means, head 

towards Klang and 

partake of its varied 

delights but if you 

wish to explore a town 

that sits comfortably 

in its own natural 

space, LIN ZHENYUAN 

recommends Banting. 

After making a planned trip down a 

road less travelled somewhere in 

the outskirts of Klang town where there was 

an allegedly marvelous koay teow stall, the travel bug 

in me went into overdrive. 

I am unable to explain now why I suddenly 

thought of visiting Banting. According to a highway 

sign which I have seen several times in Klang town, 

Banting seems to be only about 27km away. 

So in a fit of motoring insanity, I put “pedal to 

metal” and zoomed down the narrow highway after 

making a wrong turn. I had earlier gone in the opposite 

direction despite the presence of a GPS unit. 

Klang is a beloved town for those who have lived 

there for decades and know it well. 

For me, it is just a town that is slightly famous for 

its “cendol” and for its rows and rows of colourful 

Indian shops, reminiscent of Brickfields. 

After what seemed like a fairly long journey, a 

town that has all the signs of robust development 

loomed into view. 

I had to ask several people walking in town 

whether it was Pekan Banting. 

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, I suddenly 

recalled that I had made a pit-stop here several years 

ago when I was on my way to Morib. 

At that time, I didn’t bother to identify the town 

because I thought it was Kuala Langat. As it turned 

out, Kuala Langat is the district and Banting is its 

main town. 

With a population fast approaching 50,000, Banting 

is situated on the banks of Sungai Langat. 

There seems to be some truth to whisperings that 

The best of Banting cendol 

from one of the shops in town. 

Banting springs 

some surprises 

Banting has got some 

fine seafood restaurants. 

Since my sojourn in 

Banting was limited to 

hours and not days, I 

was disinclined to have 

another meal. Earlier, I 

had had lunch in Klang. 

However, I did come 

across a notable cendol shop that has options of 

“Minum, Bungkus, Rojak”. 

One of the workers who had a pleasant personality 

told me that he wasn’t a Malaysian but he was 

from India. So besides the shop’s “famous cendol”, 

there were also “sup ayam” and “sup kambing”. 

As if the management had a complete understanding 

of the Malaysian culinary preferences, there were 

multiple trays of Indian-Muslim dishes in the rear 

section of the slightly decrepit building. 

At 3.30pm, when most of Banting’s population 

had retired indoors because of the enervating heat 

and humidity, I was consuming rapid spoonfuls of 

cendol. 

Earlier, the cendol man had asked me if I wanted 

my bowl of cendol to be “kurang manis” (less sweet). 

I hastily agreed and regretted my decision later on 

because the gula Melaka was clearly insufficient to 

provide the much needed boost. 

The ice shavings were obtained beneath a wooden 

contraption that was clearly a product of a bygone 

Cendol ice shavings extracted the old fashioned way. 

The road sign leaves no doubt that you are in Banting town. 

A restaurant worker proudly displays his teh tarik and the dishes 

available.

All the places you want to visit in Banting are indicated here. 

era. The last time I saw this “ice machine” was back in my 

school days. 

A worker sporting a well-trimmed beard thought my 

photography session would be incomplete if I didn’t capture 

him in the prime of his life. 

So I readily obliged his request to have his picture 

taken holding a glass of hot teh tarik and wearing a wide 

smile. 

Not many outsiders know that Banting has a reputation 

for its homestay residences for foreign visitors. 

On that matter, other places near Kuala Selangor and 

Sabak Bernam also have their own homestay programme. 

Banting goes one up on the other towns because it is 

home to the National Space Centre located in Kancong 

Darat. Somewhere nearby is the Teluk Panglima Garang 

free trade zone but you probably wouldn’t want to go there. 

If you step on the gas, you will reach the seaside resorts 

of Tanjung Sepat, Bagan Lalang, Pantai Kelanang and 

Morib within minutes. How long those minutes are depends 

on the model and make of your vehicle. 

Places like Jenjarom, Jugra and Teluk Datuk are located 

within the boundaries of Banting. 

To motorists who are just passing through, Banting may 

create the impression that it is a “one-road town”, a little 

bit like Kampar. 

However, nothing can be more further from the truth. 

But what raises the eyebrows of a visitor to Banting are 

clusters of residential estates away from the town centre. 

If you keep your eyes peeled, names like Taman Sari, Taman 

Bunut, Taman Muhibbah and Taman Delima are just a 

couple of turns away. 

Women’s clothes seem to be in high 

demand in Banting town. 

Short of making an exaggeration, suburban 

Banting is more picturesque than outsiders like me 

would give it credit for. 

It would make a nice residence for those individuals 

who cherish tranquillity at most hours of 

the day. If only, the town is not so far away from 

Petaling Jaya. 

The town centre has many shops that have facades 

that ooze flavours of the 1960s. This impression 

comes from the old architectural style of the 

shophouses and the way their merchandise is displayed 

within and outside their premises. 

These shops display their goods and household wares 

well into the five-foot way. The town seems to be struggling 

to emerge from the cocoon of its present status of between 

an awakening town and a commercial hub that caters to 

villagers and a rapidly expanding middle class. 

There is an unusually large number of hardware shops. 

A shop owner explained that the higher-than-normal 

number of hardware stores could be due to the agro-based 

industries that are located further afield. 

Historically, Banting has links to the Selangor Sultanate. 

Sultan Abdul Samad Almarhum Raja Abdullah is buried 

near Bukit Jugra. The Ruler’s reign was in the second half 

of the 19th century. 

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah was born in Banting. 

He was also the 11th Yang di-Pertuan Agong. 

Although Banting is not crackling with activity at all 

hours of the day, it does have some side attractions that 

would give Klang town a run for its money. 

One would be hard put to pinpoint elusive charms of 

Euro fever in Shah Alam 

SHAH ALAM: An inaugural football tournament 

held by the city council in conjunction 

with the European football championship 

saw 64 teams from Selangor battling it 

out on the field. 

“The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) 

hopes the event will spur more sporting 

events in the city and also a healthy lifestyle 

among the youth in the state,” said MBSA 

deputy corporate affairs manager Shahrin 

Ahmad. 

The teams were organised into groups of 

actual competing countries similar to those 

in the Euro 2012 tournament which is slated 

to kick-off tonight. 

The Shah Alam Euro Fever football chal- 

lenge at Dataran Kemerdekaan saw Team 

Kiddo Kickers A, playing as Greece, emerging 

winners in the under-10 category, while Harimau 

Malaya playing as Sweden were runner 

up. 

In the under-12 category, Bank Rakyat 

emerged winners with a team from Sekolah 

Rendah Agama Intergrasi (SRAI) Seksyen 19 

placed second. 

The winning teams took home, together 

with medals, RM1,000 while the runners up 

won RM800. All the losing semifinalists took 

home RM400 each. 

Shah Alam mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar 

Mohd took a penalty kick to signal the start 

of the tournament on May 27. 

travel 


There are at least two big shopping complexes in Banting. 

21 

this town. Nevertheless some parts of Banting are beginning 

to show that the district is ready to keep pace with 

its bigger and more successful towns in Selangor. 

The road to Banting is heralded by the presence of an 

impressive “high-rise” flyover ( Jambatan Teluk Datuk) 

that demarcates two sections of Banting. Beneath the 

flyover is the Langat river. 

If you are ready for a steady jaunt and a quick foray into 

Banting, then you need to go before noon. These days, the 

weather is not exactly forgiving. 

Besides, the heat and dust are sure to throw a spanner 

into your best laid-out road trip if you enter Banting when 

the afternoon sun is at its most ferocious. 

Banting has been around for more than a hundred years. 

It has taken its time in joining the mainstream of urban 

progress. 

Maybe it doesn’t really want to because the folks here 

are contented to revel in the town’s sanguine ambience 

coupled with a slower pace that is much more conducive 

for healthy living. 

Mohd Jaafar is surrounded by the participating teams, MBSA staff 

and the public as he gets ready to take a penalty kick to launch the 

tournament.

Gallery 


Klang Municipal Council (MPK) management services director 

Zaireezal Ahmad Zainuddin (left), finance director Zahrin Md 

Nasir (right) and enforcement director Andry Arman Masrom 

preparing to destroy contraband items including pirated discs 

and computers which were seized in raids last year. 

Selat Klang assemblyperson Dr Halimah Ali (front row, left) with volunteers 

and family members of an arthritis patient who only wants to be known only 

as Meah (in wheelchair). Halimah presented Meah with a wheelchair to help 

her move about more easily. In addition, Halimah also helped her sign up 

for the state’s Golden Age Friendly Scheme which will entitle her family to 

RM2,500 for funeral expenses. 

Petaling Jaya deputy mayor Puasa Mohd Taib (centre holding watering can) 

with Emkay Group chief executive director Ahmad Khalif Mustapha Kamal (fourth 

from right), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr 

Mohamed Mustafa Ishak (third from left), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) vicechancellor 

Prof Dr Tai Shzee Yew (second from left), Yayasan Pulau Banding chief 

executive officer Dr Daniel Baskaran (second from right) together with supporters 

and other representatives who planted a tree each at the Urban Park 2 Damansara 

Damai to celebrate World Environment Day on Tuesday. 

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim (sixth from right) and DBKL 

Advisory Board member Dr Idris Ahmad (fifth from right) and 

silat master Ahmad Mohd Karno ‘Pak Din’ (in black martial arts 

uniform) with Khalid’s special officer Chin Chee Kong and Kampung 

Muhibbah low-cost flat committee members watching a silat 

performance during the flat’s carnival event recently. 

The Bandar Mahkota Cheras Residents’ Association publicising their 

upcoming World Environment Day celebrations on June 16. Association 

chairman Lim Chee Yuan (fourth from left) and Kajang municipal councillor 

Lee Kee Hiong (fifth from left) said the programme was aimed at creating 

community awareness.

By Dominic Luk 

From June 21 to 24 be sure to catch the amazing 

voices of Caipifruta as they perform songs from 

the abstract musical, Songs For A New World. 

Songs For A New World will run for only four 

days at The Actors Studio (Lot 10). Directed by Boh 

Cameronian award winner Christopher Ling, the show 

is a collection of scene-songs which are linked through 

common themes and threads: anger, betrayal, fear of 

commitment, and regret. The characters in each song 

are forced to confront a change in their circumstances 

and enter a ‘new world’, for better or for worse. 

The musical was written by Tony award-winning 

composer Jason Robert Brown (who also wrote The 

Last Five Years which was staged at KLPAC last year). 

Caipifruta was originally started by Susanna Saw 

and Tay Cher Siang as a quartet for the Young KL 

Singers’ jazz production, Breakin’ It Down. Ever 

since then, the vocal quartet has evolved into a 

predominantly a cappella ensemble consisting of Tracy 

Wong (soprano), Lai Suk Yin (mezzo-soprano/alto), 

Aaron Teoh (tenor, and Joel Wong (baritone). Their first 

major project in July 2010, competing in the 6th World 

Choir Games in China, resulted in a Gold diploma 

for the Pop and Jazz categories. At the World Youth 

Choir Championships 2011 in Austria, they obtained 

two silver medals. They were also nominated for an 

Anugerah Industri Muzik award in 2011 for Best Vocal 

Group Performance. 

It is definitely a show worth watching; a beautiful 

and heart-warming musical like this with the voices of 

an amazing Malaysian vocal ensemble is something 

absolutely worth your time and money. It’s also a 

great way to show support to our local performers 

EDITOR’S PICK 

Indicinelive 4! 

Comedy: June 7-10, 12-17 (8.30pm); The Actors 

Studio @ Lot 10 Rooftop; 03-21422009/03- 

40479000; www.klpac.org/; RM28-RM38. 

Step aside SNL, Little Britain and MADtv! The 

Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre’s soughtafter 

sketch-comedy revue returns this year with its 

biggest and boldest installment to date! Premiering 

in 2010, INDICINELIVE! (in-dee-SEE-nee-live-!) 

satirizes the insane society we live in through a 

high-octane line-up of every-day characters, familiar 

situations, and parodies of songs we’ve heard and 

It’s About 

One 

Moment 

who have worked hard to make themselves achieve 

international awards. 

Tickets are sold at RM43, or RM23 for students and 

for the disabled. There is also a promotion to receive 

one complimentary ticket if you purchase 10 tickets 

under a single receipt. Tickets can be bought through 

the Actors Studio’s website at www.theactorsstudio. 

com.my or you can call 03-4047 9000. 

are all too familiar with. INDICINELIVE! is, essentially, 

a generous serving of how we see the world in 

fun-sized pieces – nothing quite like laughing at 

ourselves at the end of the day. 

INDICINELIVE! IV keeps to the tradition of the 

previous episode, bringing together another 

eclectic ensemble of old and fresh faces: Siti 

Farrah Abdullah, Dinesh Kumar, Erin Marie, 

Matthew Ong, Jeremy Ooi, Aliaa Sharif, Shiva 

Shobitha, Calvin Tan and Freddy Tan. The prolific 

writing team includes Ariff Kamil, Patrick Lee, Nina 

Shah, Freddy Tan and Sharad Vemalanathan. Erna 

Mahyuni from INDICINELIVE! 3 returns as a cameo 

writer to complement the line-up. 

CALenDAR 

EuroFest 

Arts: June 9-10 (2pm); MAP@Publika. 

culture 


23 

It’s the school holidays! Look out for the Polish Folk Art Trees inspired by 

the Poland Cultural Arts in Publika’s First EuroFest! Make haste to Publika 

over the weekend as there are mimes & jesters and children activities!The 

Carousel and Inflatable will be at Publika from 28 May to 10 June. 

Musical 

Adventures 

Music: June 9 (3pm), June 10 

(2.30pm & 4.30pm); Dewan 

Filharmonik Petronas; RM20- 

RM80. 

Under the baton of Nicolae 

Moldoveanu, the MPO will 

explore two of the many 

compositions that paint, in 

notes, scenes from real life; 

one of a battle and the other, 

of a river. First, the MPO 

will present 1812 Overture, 

composed by Pyotr Ilyich 

Tchaikovsky. Its scoring 

calls for a full orchestra, 

a brass band and a wide 

range percussion. It is, in 

essence, a musical tableau 

of the Battle of Borodino 

which took place in Russia in 

1812. The second work to be 

performed by the MPO is Moldau (Vltava) composed by Bedrich Smetana, 

who was considered the ‘Father of Czech music’. 

Dinnertime 

Theatre: June 14-17; Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, KL; 03- 

40479000; www.klpac.org/; RM15. 

There are two things in the world that rarely does what you ask of them – 

technology and dinner guests. Sometimes its harmless but sometimes … 

Chink! Devices become hostile, steaks go cold over icy glances and some 

guests should just be kept apart in this collection of three short plays 

about how quickly the wine can go sour to both hilarious and dramatic 

results. T4YP alumnus Tung Jit Yang (2009) directs this mix-bag of plays 

from British playwright Michael Frayn and T4YP Team member Alex Chua.

Daulat Tuanku 

Merafak Sembah dan Ucapan Seti nggi-ti nggi Tahniah 

kepada 

SERI PADUKA BAGINDA YANG DI-PERTUAN AGONG XIV 

ALMU’TASIMU BILLAHI MUHIBBUDDIN TUANKU ALHAJ ABDUL HALIM MU’ADZAM SHAH 

IBNI ALMARHUM SULTAN BADLISHAH 

D.K., D.K.H., D.K.M., D.M.N., D.U.K., D.M.K.,D.K.(Kelantan), D.K.(Pahang), D.K.(Selangor), D.K.(Perlis), D.K.(Negeri Sembilan), D.K.(Johor), D.K.(Terengganu), D.K.(Perak), D.K.(Brunei), D.P.(Sarawak), D.U.N.M, 

S.M.D.K, S.H.M.S, S.G.M.K, S.P.M.K., S.S.D.K., Grand Cordon of The Order Of The Rising Sun of Japan, Bintang Maha Putra Adipradana (Indonesia), Order of The Rammata Thailand, Honourable Knight Grand Cross 

Order of The Bath of U.K.,Asso. Knight Order of St. John., Hon. Ph.D (UUM). 

Sempena 

Sambutan Ulang Tahun Hari Keputeraan Rasmi Baginda 

Pada 

2 Jun 2012 Bersamaan 12 Rejab 1433H 

Sembah Takzim Daripada: 

Ahli Perbadanan, Pengurus Besar & Kumpulan Pengurusan, 

Kumpulan Syarikat Anak serta semua Anggota PKNS 

Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor 

Tingkat 2 - 9, Menara HPAIC, Laman Seri Business Park, No. 7, Persiaran Sukan, Seksyen 13, 40100 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan 

Tel : 603 - 5520 1234 | Fax : 603 -5510 2186 | Email: general@pkns.gov.my 

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.

p 12 – 13 - Selangor Times

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?