Selangor 3rd Councillors No end

anniversary want JKR to water

supplement woes?
to act
12-page pullout p 6 p 9

community March 11 — 13, 2011/ issue 15

ACP Mohamad: Will increase car

patrols between 2am and 5am.

By Basil Foo

PORT KLANG: Police will

step up patrols in neighbourhoods
here following requests from resi-
dents who have been living in fear.
“We will increase car patrols be-
tween 2am and 5am because break-
ins often occur around 4am,” said
Police Assistant Commissioner
Mohamad Mat Yusop. Residents at the dialogue with police.
Last week, Selangor Times re-

Police step up
ported the community’s claim that
there were 40 break-ins in the vicin-
ity of Jalan Kastam. These included
an incident where two residents
were injured.
The South Klang police chief met
residents last Saturday to allay their

fears and promised to beef up police
presence in the neighbourhood of
about 1,000 households.
At a dialogue organised by Klang
Member of Parliament Charles
Santiago, police assured residents
that more officers would be sta-
tioned there in shifts.
The beat bases would consist of
umbrella stands, as these could be
easily packed up once the police
officers complete their shifts.
“We don’t want to use perma-
nent structures as beat bases de-
spite requests because they can be
defaced and vandalised when of-
ficers leave,” he said.
Additional efforts to galvanise
residents include the promotion of
the “Rakan Cop” programme and
the formation of a residents’ com-
mittee to liaise with police.
“The formation of the committee
should reduce crimes as previously,
a high crime area in Seri Perantau
improved after we focused our ef-
forts there,” said Mohamad.
“Usually when we focus on one
area, another area will flare up.
That’s probably what happens with
this area, which had fewer com-
plaints two months ago,” he added.
patrols in Klang
About 200 residents attended the
dialogue with several victims relat-
ing their experiences.
John Aruldass reported an in-
crease in crime over the past several
months at his home on Jalan Tengku
Badar, with his neighbours’ houses
being broken into daily.
“I faced an attempted break-in
myself, along with an attempt to
steal my car, and an assault by
several people armed with metal
rods,” said the 46-year-old secre-
tarial officer.
“My neighbours and I have also
been harassed by two flashers in the
area,” he said.
Aruldass said he did not report
the incidents due to insufficient
evidence.
A resident who only wanted to
be known as Joanne faced a trau-
matic experience in which she fell
unconscious after being hit with a
crowbar.
She woke up to find her sister’s
head bleeding after being hit with
a baseball bat, and her brother tied
up.
“Police called me to identify the
robbers from a lineup, but I could
not recognise them,” said the clerk,
who lives on Jalan Damar Minyak.
A resident who lives behind the
nearby Tshing Nian school was at
work when her neighbour called to
report knocking and sawing noises
from the roof of her house.
“I drove home with my two
daughters and though we were
afraid, we went into the house with
some sticks but found no one,” said
Li Choo, 39.
The flight attendant still worries
for her safety as she suspects the
criminals could have covered up a
hole in her roof and might return at
night to enter her house.
Residents from the affected ar-
eas, including Jalan Kastam, Jalan
Tengku Badar and Jalan Gelam, will
form a committee to liaise with
police.
Residents’ committee pro-tem
chairperson Francis Cruz plans to
share ideas with police on how resi-
dents can help prevent crime.
“We also have received RM1,000
from Klang councillors Robert
Choo and S. Selvadurai to kick-start
activities,” he said.
Santiago commended police for
responding immediately after the
issue was highlighted in the press.
“I was told that policemen came
to the neighbourhood soon after
the story was published and distrib-
uted contact numbers to residents,”
he said.
He urged residents to co-operate
with police and  foster better ties
with their neighbours.  
“People have to be more vigilant
and call or SMS each other when
they see any suspicious activity or
hear noises,” he said.
 He said the committee would
follow up commitments made by
police and communicate with
them daily.
“The committee will meet police
under Inspector Shukri monthly
and the police chief every three
months,” he added.
2
news
March 11 — 13, 2011

Selangor WEATHER
Friday Saturday Sunday Third reading of FOI bill
Morning
tabled in March sitting
Afternoon By Gan Pei Ling cised the bill as lacking in substance and Under the Official Secrets Act
creating unnecessary red tape for the (OSA), the federal government can
SHAH ALAM: Selangor will table public to access information. classify any documents as “secret”. Con-
the final draft of its Freedom of For example, the public is required cerns have been raised that the state’s
Night Information (FOI) bill at the upcoming to pay a fee to seek information, but the FOI bill would clash with the OSA.
state assembly sitting from March 28 to FOI bill did not stipulate the amount. “But we’ve been very open,” said
April 5. In addition, the public must provide a Khalid, adding that the FOI select com-
Source: Malaysian meteorological department When asked about possible amend- reason for accessing information. They mittee has invited interested parties to
ments to the FOI bill on Wednesday, could be fined up to RM50,000 if they provide their feedback on the bill.

No plans to ban Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim

said he has yet to see the final draft.
Selangor made history last July when
were to use the information for other
reasons.
One of the clauses in the bill also
Chaired by Hulu Kelang assem-
blyperson Saari Sungib, other FOI se-
lect committee members include Han-

gambling in it became the first state to table the FOI

enactment, which is expected to
strengthen the public’s right to access
states that the application for informa-
tion is deemed rejected if there is no
response to the application within 30
nah Yeoh (Subang Jaya), Nik Nazmi
Nik Ahmad (Seri Setia), Dr Ahmad
Yunus Hairi (Sijangkang) and Amiru-

Selangor information held by the state and its

SHAH ALAM: Selangor does not plan to impose a blanket
ban on gambling, said Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim
on Wednesday.
“We’ve not discuss anything on the subject, neither do we
agencies.
The implementation of the bill is also
supposed to promote transparency and
accountability among the state’s institu-
tions.
However, civil societies have criti-
days, or seven days for matters of life
and death.
Khalid acknowledged that the FOI
bill has been “watered down” to prevent
potential conflict over information
which the state and the federal govern-
ment both have control over.
din Shari (Batu Caves).
“Most likely, if it’s for the best of the
bill, it will be amended accordingly,”
assured Khalid.
He said he was very eager to see the
new changes that have been made to the
final draft.

Free insurance coverage

plan to introduce anything new,” Khalid told the press after
chairing the executive
council meeting.
Khalid had made the Hotline

for village chiefs

comment in the wake of the
recent controversy MBSA
surrounding Kelantan’s 20- 03-5510 5133
year gambling ban. 
Kelantan’s statewide no- MPSJ
g ambling polic y came 03-8026 3131
under fire from political MPK
parties from both sides of 03-3375 5555
the divide after it was
reported that the  Kota MBPJ
Bharu Municipal Council 03-7956 3544
had raided two bookshops MDHS
and summoned the premise 03-6064 1331
owners who were selling
lottery tickets illegally. MDKL
MCA had described the 03-3187 2732
gambling ban as an MDKS
infring ement on non- 03-3289 1439 / 6311
Muslims’ “right” to gamble
while DAP chairperson MDSB
Karpal Singh had urged 03-3224 1655 / 1000
Kelantan to lift its 20-year MPAJ
ban. 03-4296 8000
Pas has defended its
blanket ban on gambling on MPKj
the grounds that not just 03-8737 0112
Islam, but all major religions MPS
oppose gambling. 03-6120 3127 / 2126
Pakatan Rakyat leaders
are expected to meet to MPSepang
lo o k for an am icable 03-8319 0200 / 0300
solution on the issue.

Village chiefs such as those from Pandamaran new village stand to get free insurance cover soon.

By Basil Foo 

SHAH ALAM: The state is providing free

phone (603) 5523 2288
fax (603) 5523 1188
Takaful insurance coverage of up to RM30,000
for all village chiefs in Selangor in recognition of
To place your Advert in
email editor@selangortimes.com
their contribution.
EDITORIAL Village heads from traditional Malay kam-
pongs, Chinese new villages, Indian communities
CHIEF EDITOR KL Chan
as well as Orang Asli villages are expected to
COMMUNITY EDITOR Neville Spykerman
benefit from the scheme.
Contact Timothy Loh at 019-267 4488
WRITERS Tang Hui Koon, Chong Loo Wah, Gan Pei Ling, Basil
Foo, Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin, Alvin Yap
“The duties and commitments of village chiefs
have increased these day.
or Ivan Looi at 014-936 6698
COPY EDITORS Nick Choo, James Ang
“So this is a sign of appreciation from the state
DESIGNER Jimmy C. S. Lim
for the sacrifices and contribution they’ve made,”
PHOTOGRAPHER Victor Chong
said executive councillor Dr Yaakob Sapari on
ADVERTISING Timothy Loh, Ivan Looi
Wednesday. disability due to accident, and critical illness.
ADVISORS Faekah Husin, Arfa’eza Abdul Aziz  Compensation will be provided to the village chiefs in The scheme also covers the funeral costs of the village
the event of death, accidental death, permanent disability, chiefs’ families, including their wives and children.
SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ March 11 – 13, 2011 ⁄ 3
4
news
March 11 — 13, 2011

Two-decade wait
for CFs over RAWANG: After a wait of almost 20 years, homeowners
at Taman Kanching Jaya were all smiles after receiving
their Certificates of Fitness (CFs) from the local council
last Saturday, March 5.
The Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) had
refused to issue the CFs because the developer,
Pembangunan Serendah Sdn Bhd, had not built a
playground in the housing estate as specified in the
original development plan.
Ramanujam Naidu Velood, 53, who was among those
who first bought the houses, said although the playground
had yet to be fully upgraded, the residents were glad they
had finally received their certificates.
The 98 homeowners had moved in despite the lack
of CFs. “Without [it], we would have trouble claiming
insurance if anything were to happen to our house,”
said Ramanujam.
Selayang MP William Leong, Rawang assemblyperson
Gan Pei Nei, Sepang councillor Sabri Mohd Taib, and
representatives from MPS were also present at the event.
Leong and Gan said they were working with residents
and the land office to resolve other long-standing land
issues in the constituency, particularly in Batu Arang,
Kundang and Kampung Sg Bakau.
Leong added that the state aims to issue around
100,000 land titles to deserving settlers in Selangor in the
next two years.
They also took note of complaints about potholes,
faulty streetlights, and other concerns raised by residents’
Gan has been working with residents and the associations from nearby areas who were also invited to
land office. the event to have a dialogue with the authorities. Ramanujam (left) receiving his CF from Gan.

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SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ March 11 – 13, 2011 ⁄ 5
6
news
march 11 — 13, 2011

Councillors urge JKR to act

By Alvin Yap From left: Loka
Ng Sai Kai, Tai
SUBANG JAYA: Local munici- Chin Heng, Ng
and Keshminder
pal councillors here are urging showing the
the  Public Works Department complaint letters
( JKR) to improve roads in Serdang to the media on
Raya for the sake of public safety. Wednesday.
Councillor Ng Sze Han said JKR
should act without further delay
before accidents occur.
The Subang Jaya Municipal
Council (MPSJ) has bore the brunt
of public complaints – 20 in the last
three years – but their hands remain
tied because the roads, including
Jalan Utama, Serdang, is under
JKR’s jurisdiction.
“We can’t use MPSJ’s funds to
maintain the road,” Ng said during
the press conference.
Ng alleged on  Wednesday that
among the main complaints were
missing manhole covers and pot-
holes. 
He also denied claims by former
Serdang Member of Parliament Da-
tuk Yap Pian Hon that MPSJ coun-
cillors were neglecting their respon- also said he was “frustrated” over the for the upcoming year to make re- funding is not coming, why? And sponsibility, but said they would
sibilities with regard to the road public works department’s lack of pairs. who is it that is cutting the money pass the complaints on to the rele-
condition of Jalan Utama. response over complaints concern- “As councillors, we want lights to off ?” he asked, saying that the con- vant federal authorities.
Ng said JKR was the one “not ing the road conditions. be installed, we want the roads to be dition of Jalan Utama could cause The councillors, Keshminder
taking responsibility” for the main- “They ( JKR) always say that they maintained for people’s safety and “unnecessary” accidents. added, want to meet JKR officials
tenance of the road and streetlights don’t have the budget,” said Kesh- security,” he said. The councillors said the public to get a briefing on the situation and
on Jalan Utama. minder, who added that the agency “Why is the federal government could not differentiate whether the also to forward the complaints from
Councillor Keshminder Singh should have applied for allocation holding back the money? If the road was under JKR or MPSJ re- Serdang residents. 

Move to keep
Taman
Melawati clean
MPAJ vice-president Hamid Hussain (left) and Saari signing on a banner to
launch the campaign while Yazid (centre) looks on.
By Basil Foo
KUALA LUMPUR: Residents and shop
owners of Taman Melawati must start using
private rubbish bins by March 21 or risk
being fined.
“Although a provision in the law re-
quires them to have rubbish bins, many
residents do not have one,” said Majlis
Perbandaran Ampang Jaya (MPAJ) coun-
cillor Yazid Alias.
This has led to more litter in drains and
makeshift dumps under trees, made worse
by patrons to the three bazaars in the area.
He said MPAJ planned to close rubbish
collection facilities, or “rumah sampan”, due
to their failure to stop outsiders from
dumping their rubbish there.
“ We used to find industrial and
construction waste dumped at the facilities
which were only meant to hold rubbish
from the bazaars and food stalls,” said Yazid,
who was launching a cleanliness campaign
Financial education the
way forward for women
By Brenda Ch’ng
SHAH ALAM: The state government is
prioritising educating women on financial
security, in light of the alarming increase in
abuse and divorce cases victimising women.
“The problem we face with single mothers
is that they do not know how to survive by
themselves because they are shielded from
the financial world and are clueless about
financial security,” said Rodziah Ismail at a
ceremony commemorating the 100th Inter-
national Women’s Day on Tuesday.
According to the executive councillor for
welfare, women’s affairs, science, technology
and innovation, the number of single moth-
SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ March 11 – 13, 2010 ⁄ 7
News
at a bazaar along Jalan Negara last week.
“Through this three-week-long campaign,
we aim to increase the public’s awareness
with flyers and banners, and change their
attitude with community programmes,” he
said.
Alam Flora also sponsored 10 bins at the
event, which will be put at locations deemed
to be hotspots for rubbish dumping.
“Enforcement by MPAJ will ensure the
campaign’s success. We will start issuing
compounds after March 21,” Yazid added.
The event was also attended by Hulu Kelang
assemblyperson Saari Sungib, who gave away
prizes for children’s colouring contests and
awards for the cleanest food stalls.
“Gotong-royong activities will be held
through surau committees and residential
associations, along with concerts, futsal, and
paintball for the youngsters,” said Saari.
Rahmat Mad Dom, a winner of the clean
stall award, agreed with the council’s move
to shut down rubbish collection facilities.
ers registered in the Single Mother’s Portal
Selangor rose from 4,000 to 26,000 entries
as of last year.
“All these single mothers in the system are
confirmed by Jakim to be either a victim of
abuse, divorce or death,” she said.
According to Rodziah, empowering
women to ensure their financial security is a
big challenge as the lack of education has
prevented women from becoming more
aware of the importance of money and their
rights as wives.
As such, Selangor has launched schemes
like Mikro Kredit (MiMBAR) and gender
budgeting, which includes not only women
but also disabled groups and children.
8
news
March 11 — 13, 2011

Councillor denies
targeting illegal factory
By Alvin Yap
PETALING JAYA: A Petaling
Jaya c ouncil lor ha s ref ute d
allegations that an illegal factory in
Kampung Cempaka was being
singled out for demolition.
On Tuesday, factor y owner
Lam Chen Yon, 61, accuse d
councillor Cynthia Gabriel of
“selectively” targeting his factory,
and dramatically threatened to set
himself on fire in front of police
and Petaling Jaya City Council
enforcement officers in a bid to
stop his four-storey commercial
building in Kampung Chempaka
Chinese new village from being
demolished.
The council has issued three stop-
work orders in the past three years
to the furniture factory, and even
offered to compromise with the
owner to have only one of its four
floors demolished, after which the
council would help “regulate” the
business operations.
“This family and their factory
wasn’t targeted selectively. It’s
MBPJ ’s job to control illegal
buildings from sprouting up,” said
councillor Cynthia Gabriel (pix) on
Wednesday.
Lam’s son, Chee Hoong, also
made the same accusation.
At the stand-off on Tuesday, Lam
tried to set himself on fire after
dousing himself with kerosene.
Policeman managed to snatch the
kerosene-filled container before
Lam could pour more kerosene on himself to stop the demolition.
himself. Many of the building s in
Cynthia said the owner had not Kampung Cempaka, Cynthia
submitted design and architectural added, had illegal extensions and
plans to the council and had ignored were run as factories.
their orders as he continued to She said residents in the new
expand the size of the factory. village had forwarded complaints to

Aid for Malay entrepreneurs MBPJ Building Control

SHAH ALAM: Selangor will continue to render
assistance to Malay entrepreneurs in all sectors in the
state.
“The state has  channelled  RM3 million in
allocation to entrepreneurs in the small and medium
industry from the Small Industry Fund,” said Dr
Yaakob Sapari.
The state executive councillor for entrepreneur
development said the fund was created to help
them purchase equipment or machinery to increase
WD_SATA6_SelangorTimes_r2.ai 1 3/9/11 5:44 PM
their productivity.
However, Yaakob said the funds are only awarded
to those who qualify and who have been in business
for at least two years.
“Almost 350 entrepreneurs have succeeded in
expanding their businesses and increase their sales
revenue since this policy was introduced,” he said in
a statement.
He said the ultimate aim of the programme is to
help entrepreneurs be competitive.  non-governmental organisation
Department deput y director
Ismathinoon Abdul Rahman and
MBPJ legal assistant Mohd Yusof
Che Aziz were also present at the
scene.
Cynthia said thugs were hurling
insults at her. “I was a bit worried
for my safety,” she said, adding that
the thugs unfurled banners which
described her as “incompassionate
and mean”.
The college lecturer and former
leader said she “regretted” that the
owner had resorted to harming
the council as the building in
question was operating in the midst
of residential lots.
The illegal extensions have also
blocked the drains and road
shoulders to the anger of residents
there.
“The owner is being cited under
Act 133 on the illegal construction
and usage of his premises,” Cynthia
said.
She said MBPJ would meet Lam
in two weeks’ time, adding that the
council was willing to reach a
compromise to settle the matter
amicably.

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 news
march 11 — 13, 2011 9

No end to
water woes
By Gan Pei Ling
puchong: Residents of Ru-
vena Villa Apartment entered their
second week without water as a
group attempts to solve the prob-
lem with another group suspicious
of its motives.  to Selangor Times last week, pointed
Clerk Sani Awang, 44, has re-
cruited volunteers to help collect
outstanding arrears, but some resi-
dents of the 22 blocks of apartments
at Taman Putra Perdana are  ques-
tioning the legitimacy of collecting
such a huge sum of money.
“We are just trying to solve the
problem,” Sani told Selangor Times,
adding that the apartment’s manage-
ment company, LT Sdn Bhd, owed
Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Sya-
bas) more than RM300,000.
Bypassing LT, Sani said they had
reached an agreement directly with
Syabas to reconnect their water sup-
ply if residents could pay half of the
outstanding amount and settle the
remainder in instalments.
Syabas corporate affairs execu-
tive director Halem Mat Som con-
firmed that his company had
reached such an agreement with
Ruvena Villa residents.
However, some residents are
sceptical of Sani’s intention. One of
them lodged a police report on
Tuesday, alleging that some residents
had been harassed into paying their
overdue bills.
“Who appointed Sani and his
group of people to collect money?
... How do we know for sure if the
money will go to Syabas?” asked
Alice Nurulzila, 35.
Alice, who was among four resi-
dents who highlighted their plight
out that the receipts issued did not
have an official stamp from Syabas.
The insurance agent also claimed
some of the “volunteers” had been
knocking on the residents’ doors,
asking them to pay up.
“Some of them are acting like
gangsters,” she alleged, adding that
residents were living in fear.
Alice said she had gone to the
state government’s office on Tuesday
to seek help to intervene as an inde-
pendent third party.
This is not the first time water
supply at Ruvena Villa, with around
800 occupied units, has been cut. Desperate residents getting water from
In November 2010, Syabas re- a fire hydrant.
connected their supply after the
residents collected about RM30,000 Inset: Receipts without Syabas’ official
and agreed to pay the remaining stamp or letterhead.
arrears in instalments.
However, Syabas cut off the supply their water back soon. about RM120,000. cluding taking showers at highway
two weeks ago when monthly instal- He said they had collected about He further said they were trying rest stops and drawing supply from
ments were not serviced as agreed. RM20,000 from 153 people since to initiative similar initiatives in fire hydrants and petrol stations.
Sani claimed they had obtained last Thursday. neighbouring apartments that were Despite staying in Selangor, these
from LT the list of people and the He said there were around 100 facing similar problems. residents do not enjoy the 20 cubic
amount they owed, and that they units with outstanding arrears of Meanwhile, desperate apartment metre free water from the state and
were taking the initiative to collect over RM500, with some as high as residents of Taman Putra Perdana are being charged RM1.38 per cubic
the outstanding amount to pay Sya- RM4,800, and that the combined will have to continue resorting to metre by LT, which then pays the
bas so that the residents could get arrears of these 100 units was various measures to get water, in- lump sum collected to Syabas.

Automatic release does not

Know Your infringe Bumiputera interest
Councillor: shah alam:

 The automatic re- unable to sell the Bumiputera quota

Lee Khai Loon lease of Bumiputera real estate quota,

By Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin
selayang: The most recent complaint re-
ceived by second-term Selayang Municipal
councillor Lee Khai Loon (pix) concerns the
traffic congestion near SKJ(C) Desa Jaya.
“SKJ(C) Desa Jaya is the biggest Chinese
vernacular school in Malaysia with over 4,000
students. The  amount  of traffic during school
hours due to parents dropping off or picking up
their children is staggering,” he says.
Residents near the school have been com-
plaining about the traffic congestion, and
the solution Lee and MPS have reached is to
come up with one-way roads and new traffic
arrangements.
Apart from this, other common problems he
faces are potholes in the roads, issues with street
lights, and garbage collection.
“For these, I will contact the contractor and
enquire why the problems have not been taken
care of, and I make sure the contractors comply
and handle the complaints,” he says.
Lee adds that he is able to help ratepayers in
three ways. “The first is by making policies that
will benefit the residents. The second is by solv-
ing their problems when they come to complain.
Lastly, by organising community programmes to
help strengthen the relationship between the
community and council.”
Lee is in charge of Desa Jaya, Desa Aman Puri,
Bukit Desa, Usaha Jaya, Sri Ehsan, Ehsan Jaya, Ta-
man Perindustrian Tago and Puncak Desa.
A political activist, he hopes there will be a local
council election so that the community will get
more involved with their local council.
Lee, who is single, says despite his work in his
political party and as a councillor, he still has some
free time for his hobbies, which are jogging and
travelling.
announced by the state recently, will
not negate the interest of the Bumi-
putera community.
Executive councillor for housing
Iskandar Samad issued this statement
following criticism of the implementa-
tion of this mechanism.
“According to this new rules, auto-
matic release of the Bumiputera
quota can be given once the develop-
ment of the project at the site has
reached 50%, 75% and 100% comple-
tion,” he said.
Even though it is automatic, the
developers have to apply to the Sel-
angor Housing and Real Estate Board
(LPHS).
“However, if the developers do not
receive a reply within the set time, they
will get automatic release for the al-
lowed percentage,” Iskandar explained.
LPHS has to reply within seven
working days for each application.
“For 50% completion, the release
is 20% from the balance amount of the
quota. For 75% completion, it is 30%
from the balance amount of the quota;
and for 100% completion, it is also
30% from the balance amount of the
quota,” he added.
If the developers find they are still
six months after receiving the certifi-
cate of fitness, they can apply for re-
lease of all their Bumiputera quota
from a special committee.
“This committee will be chaired by
myself as the executive councillor for
housing, and we will make the decision
within 14 working days from the date
of application,” said Iskandar.
With this measure in place, the de-
velopers cannot sell the Bumiputera
quota as they see fit because they still
have to refer to the state. Release is only
automatic if the state fails to respond
within the specified time.
In preparing this release mechanism,
the Menteri Besar and state executive
councillors have frequently met with
the developers’ representative, the Real
Estate and Housing Developers Asso-
ciation (Rehda).
This has drawn questions from cer-
tain parties on why the state only nego-
tiated with Rehda when this  mecha-
nism also affects the Bumiputera com-
munity such as non-governmental or-
ganisations and respected individuals.
“As a matter of fact, the state always
had an engagement with these people.
Their views are not ignored. This
mechanism took into account every
party’s views,” Iskandar clarified.
10
news
March 11 — 13, 2011
Events
Buddhism course
Subang Jaya Buddhist Association is conducting an
introduction to Buddhism course every Friday from
8.30pm to 10pm at the temple at Lot 12593, Jalan
Kewajipan SS 13, Subang Jaya. The course will run for
nine consecutive weeks. The course started on Feb
25 and will end on April 22. Everyone is welcome to
attend. For details, contact Lily at 03-56348181.
Youth baking classes
The House of Bread offers baking courses for youths
who seek skills training. The training also includes
Moral and English classes. For details, call 016-
3178778 or 016-3435478.
Bonsai class
Create your own bonsai masterpiece by attending the
Malaysia Bonsai and Suiseki Society’s series of Sunday
workshops at the society’s clubhouse at 95, Jalan
Rukun 5, Taman Gembira (Happy Garden) 58200 Kuala
Lumpur. Lessons will be conducted by experienced
bonsai masters at 10am every Sunday for eight weeks.
Call Ms Lim at 012-6140379 for registration.
Metrojaya sale
In conjunction with the Malaysian Grand Prix,
Metrojaya will kick off its Mega Sale at all Metrojaya
departments today till April 15. Men will enjoy
discounts of 50%-70% on Ashworth and Renoma
Polo tee shirts and 50% on office wear by Daniel
Hechter, Orlando, Charles Monsier and many more.
There will also be RM40 gift vouchers with purchases
of RM150 from participating brands. Similarly ladies
can enjoy good discounts on beauty products from
brands such as Estee Lauder, Lancome, Dior, Clarins,
Clinique, Channel and lots more. For more details
check out wwwmetrojaya.com.my
Holiday workshop
The Department of Extra-Mural Studies, Malaysian
Institute of Arts (MIA), is having a series of workshops
in the coming school holidays. They are Intensive Clay
Workshop for Instructors (March 14-18), Super Memory
and Study Skills Workshop for Secondary Students
(March 15), Creative Designer Animal Plush Sewing
Workshop (March 19), Batik Workshop for Beginners
(March 20-April10), and Bead Jewellery Workshop
(March 26). The workshops will be held at the MIA
Art Centre on Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur (near
KLCC). For  registration, contact MIA Art Centre at
03-21632337, email mia.ems@gmail.com, or log on to
MIA’s website at www.mia.edu.my.
Korean food fair
A Korean food fair will be held at Sungei Wang Lower
Ground Main Stage from today until March 20. The
event, organised by KMT Trading Sdn Bhd and
the Street Cafe, also features the “On Fire Ramen
Challenge”, where shoppers will have to compete to
finish spicy and hot Korean ramen. The contest will
be held tomorrow, Sunday, and on March 20 at 5pm.
Dog show
Learn more about German Shepherds at the first
German Shepherd speciality show on Sunday from
8am to 2pm at SJK (T) Vivekananda, Jalan Templer.
It is organised by the German Shepherd Dog Club of
Malaysia.
Band auditions
The KLPac Symphonic Band will be having auditions
for its 2011 season. The auditions are open to anyone
18 and above who share a passion for music and want
to continue playing after leaving their high school
band. To book an audition slot, e-mail Gan at gan@
klpac.org, and include your instrument, full name,
telephone and e-mail contact details. The audition will
be held on March 19 from 9am-1pm and from 2pm-
5pm. Venue: Indicine, 2nd floor, KLPac.
Residents worried
about traffic snarls
By Gan Pei Ling
kota damansara: About 30
residents’ associations leaders from
around Kota Damansara have expressed
concern that traffic congestion in their
areas will worsen once the Klang Valley
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project
kicks off in July.
They are supporting a joint petition,
spearheaded mainly by the Bandar Utama
RA and Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI)
RA, for the MRT stations affecting their
areas to be built underground.
The residents made their point at a
meeting last Saturday, claiming that
traffic conditions in Kota Damansara,
especially along Persiaran Surian, are
already bad enough without any con-
struction going on.
While the leaders welcomed the
public transport project, they wanted to
find out the steps the authorities would
take to mitigate congestion during and
after construction.
The proposed Sg Buloh-Kajang line
starts at the existing KTM commuter
station in Sg Buloh, and passes through
Kampung Baru Sg Buloh and the Rub-
Residents at the dialogue last Saturday.
ber Research Institute Malaysia’s land
before arriving in Kota Damansara. MRT as there are other RAs who mental impact assessment (DEIA) re-
After the Kota Damansara and Ta- couldn’t make it,” said Kota Damansara leased in February, owners of 473 lots
man Industri Sg Buloh stations, the assemblyperson Dr Nasir Hashim, who of land are expected to make way for
MRT line will run along Persiaran Su- organised the meeting. the MRT project.
rian until The Curve. Three stations – He said the RAs would have to delib- The railway scheme for the Sungai
PJU5, Dataran Sunway and The Curve erate further before they could come out Buloh-Kajang line, the first of three
– will be built along the already con-
gested Persiaran Surian.
with a joint position on the matter.
Bandar Utama RA president Lim
MRT lines, is currently on display in
seven locations for public feedback from
The line will continue along the See Meng was also at the meeting to Feb 14-May 14, and also on www.kvmrt.
Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong and rally the Kota Damansara RAs to sup- com.my.
cross over to TTDI. port their joint petition for under- Residents can also assess the DEIA
Apart from traffic congestion, resi- ground MRT stations. for more information on the social and
dents who will be living near the MRT With 35 stations along the esti- environmental impact of the project at
line are also concerned about noise and mated 51km line, the MRT line has www.doe.gov.my.
dust pollution. been opposed by residents in TTDI Land acquisition for the project is
Many residents say while property and Kajang. expected to take place in May and June,
prices near the MRT are expected to Residents and shopowners are con- with open tenders for construction work
cerned that their houses and shops will to be called in April. 
increase, prices of property too close to
the rail line are likely to depreciate. be acquired for the project. Construction will begin in July and
“This is just the first dialogue on the According to the detailed environ- end in 2016.
Consultant fails to justify traffic study
SHAH ALAM: A consultant repre- ment results in the past, but to no avail. USJ 6 residents have been demanding
senting the developer of a proposed However, he failed to provide a satis- an independent traffic study of the nine-
building in USJ 6 was hard-pressed on factory answer when asked by the Ap- storey commercial tower, a joint venture
Friday to justify his claims that the pro- peals Board how the developer would between TM Facilities and Pujangga
ject would have little traffic impact on deal with traffic congestion spillover to Budiman, since 2008, but their request
surrounding residential areas.
“In my experience, generally [consult-
nearby residential areas as a result of the
development.
has not been met.
Subang Jaya assemblyperson Hannah
ants] feel pressured by their clients to Datuk Abu Bakar Awang, who was Yeoh said the larger issue at stake is the
come to a certain conclusion [favourable chairing the appeal hearing, had to re- approval of a development project on
to the clients] … have you ever, in any peatedly ask him the question. At one Telecoms reserve land. “It’s a serious
case, recommended no development [to point, Abu Bakar even left his seat to concern to Selangor if such a precedent
your clients]?” questioned one of the explain the question by tracing USJ 6 was set,” said Yeoh after the hearing,
Selangor Appeals Board members, Ho roads on a map. which was adjourned to March 30.
Khong Ming, at the appeal hearing.
Consultancy representative Amir
A traffic expert engaged by USJ 6 The Subang Jaya Municipal Council
residents had earlier told the Appeals (MPSJ) rejected applications to sub-
Ramlan Abdullah said he had not felt Board at the hearing that the commercial divide the 0.35ha reserve land for devel-
“any pressure” from the developer to tower should not be allowed. opment in its full board meetings in
compromise on their traffic impact as- Prof Dr Leong Choon Heng from November 2005 and February 2006.
sessment (TIA) of the proposed nine- Malaysia University of Science and The council gave conditional ap-
storey commercial tower on Telecoms Technology said the commercial tower proval to the project in 2008 but revoked
reserve land. would worsen traffic congestion in the its order in 2009. It cancelled the revoke,
He said other clients had tried to put area, which would spill over to nearby which was not endorsed by the State
pressure on and influence their assess- residential areas. Planning Committee, last year.
2 ⁄ march 11 – 13, 2011 ⁄ SELANGOR TIMES
A thousand days
in office
By Neville Spykerman
& Brenda Ch’ng
A fter being in office for 1,000
days, Menteri Besar Tan Sri
Khalid Ibrahim spoke
frankly to Selangor Times on March
8 about what his administration has
achieved, the challenges and what’s
to come.    Secondly, we collected Talam’s
Has your administration achieve
what it set out to do in the first
three years in office?
I believe excellence is continuous
improvement but are we satisfied so
far?
Yes, there is something we can
look back with satisfaction but oth-
ers, we need to improve our delivery
system.  in the consolidated fund, the state
Some of our programmes need
to be designed in a much more
simpler mode.
 Overall, the concept of “Meraky-
atkan Economi Selangor” (MES)
seems to take off well.  reacquired 3000 acres of land from
Firstly, people understand that is
not a brand or political ploy but a
mechanism to translate a vision. It’s
clear and people don’t laugh at it.  micro-credit schemes and to set up
People may laugh at 1Malaysia
but not at MES.
Secondly, it’s also been translated
into a Malaysian manner, for exam-
ple when we give free water it goes
to everybody, irrespective of race,
religion which is not relevant in the
programme.
Similarly our other welfare pro-
grammes for the elderly or the young
are open to everyone.   year to listen to the people’s wish
There is widespread acceptance
without reservations, and it is satis-
fying.  There were 200-300 people from
Can we have both examples of
these reforms and the challenges
you have faced so far?
Channeling the resources (profits)
from sand to benefit the people re-
sulted in one and a half years of ir-
ritating noises, which got on our
nerves.
But now people realise that the
sand mining industry was carried
out  (previously) in a haphazard
manner with enormous stealing go-
ing on, and that a proper system is
now in place.  We understand there is a pro-
No consideration was given to
the environmental impact, but now
under Kumpulan Semensta Sdn
Bhd (KSSB), there are regulations.
Under the previous administra-
tion, the state only managed to
collect no more than RM4 million
a year in royalty, but today, the
numbers have increased to at least
RM10 million while KSSB, a state
subsidiary, is targeting profits of
RM40 million.  
This is an example of state inter-
vention to resolve a problem.
Some people argue that the state
shouldn’t get involved in business
operations, but I think this has to be
done to create a standard of disci-
pline in the industry. 
sizable debts to the state amounting
to RM390 million by translating the
debts into the state’s consolidated
fund but the  “spin” was that we were
bailing out the company.
That was never the case and peo-
ple now realise this. The move of
“round tripping” the debt is a regu-
lar excercise in the corporate world.
But by recognising Talam’s debts
could legally move for compulsory
acquisition of the company’s assets,
if they defaulted in repaying their
debts.
In addition, the state has now
Talam.
The state is using RM50 million
of the money recovered to fund two
a web-based land title registry which
will be   available for public viewing
in April.
The state will soon launch the
Selangor’s People Agenda (Arus).
Can you outline the plan and tell
us how it will benefit the public?
A series of town hall meetings was
held at all 12 local governments last
lists, criticisms, grievances and ex-
pectations. 
all walks of life at each meeting and
the conclusion of the meeting has Khalid: Still need to improve on delivery system.
now been summarised and trans- In other words, we are creating a ard. If minimum wage is given, a Council (MBPJ) or at the Subang
lated into a broader (reform) pro- catalyst for private companies to certain outputs are to be expected Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ).
gramme named the Agenda Rakyat come in and provide the service in with the working hours. Under the plan, 30% of council-
Selangor (Arus). the long run.  lors will be nominated and elected
Arus has given us an insight into So the idea is preliminary?   by referendum at town hall meet-
the  expectations of the people Is the plan feasible and how will The idea will be presented and de- ings. 
and will be launched next month. it be funded? bated at the state assembly on March The mechanisms have yet to be
We will go back to the town hall The local governments have the re- 28.  worked out but the move is ex-
meetings to tell the public “these are sources and we may also charge a fee pected to take off after June.
the programmes for you” to get their to cover petrol costs as well as driv- Selangor has planned for elec- Anyone can stand, regardless of
reactions.  ers’ salaries. tions to be held for village heads political affiliation, but it would be
in three new villages. Can the better if they are not politicians
There is talk of a minimum wage public expect a move towards the because they have to serve all.
posal (under Arus) to set up for Selangor.  restoration of local government
community buses?  There will be a paper to be presented elections?  There has been little news about
Yes, each local government may have in the Pakatan Rakyat economic On a selected basis. The Election the Klang River Rehabilitation
up to three buses to supplement conference this month.  Commission does not recognise Project. Has there been any con-
current public bus services.  The idea is possible with all state local government elections, so we crete development? 
The additional buses will be used government-linked companies will have a selection of leaders rep- The state has pulled back the project
to open up routes at new housing (GLC) taking the lead. It can be resenting people in local govern- a bit because Putrajaya has come up
estates and to show private compa- carried out with a certain under- ment.  with programmes for the develop-
nies that the routes are commer- standing of productivity measured.  We are looking to have a test case
cially viable.  There has to be a certain stand- either at the Petaling Jaya City • Turn to page 7
SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ March 11 – 13, 2011 ⁄ 3
4 ⁄ march 11 – 13, 2011 ⁄ SELANGOR TIMES

Towards the citizen’s agenda
Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim (in orange) with fellow Pakatan Rakyat members at the launch of Buku Jingga on March 5.
By Ben Suffian
A
bdul Hamid, 48, works as an opera-
tions manager in a large clothing retail
chain. He lives in a typical, neatly ar-
ranged suburban housing area in Batu Tiga, 10
minutes from the state secretariat building in
Shah Alam. I ask him how he feels things have
changed since the general election in 2008.
“Some things are different now, but many
things are still the same,” he says. “Many of my
friends who run their own small businesses say
it is now much easier to register and apply for
licences. The level of ‘sharks’ asking for ‘coffee
money’ has dropped significantly. I also think
the local council is a little more responsive in
handling public complaints about cleanliness
or patching up potholes.”
But he sighs: “Despite some of the good
things we’ve seen, I am worried about the
politicking that goes on. While these politi-
cians argue and fight to topple each other,
who’s going to solve our problems?”
Hamid talks about the crime rate, rising
inflation, and how his pay rises never seem to
catch up with his household expenses. He’s con-
cerned over how Malays in the state will fare,
and if in the end “we will go under” – a coded
phrase that highlights his latent fear that Malay
political position will end up being eroded,
because “both sides seem keen about pander-
ing to voters that they end up selling ‘us’ out”.
Conversations like this are fairly com-
mon, especially among working voters in the
key belt of suburban seats such as Batu Tiga,
Batang Kali, Sri Serdang and Bukit Antara-
bangsa. From the results of the 2008 elections,
the swing of voters towards Pakatan Rakyat
was most pronounced, where more than 10%
voted on the back of resentment over poor
local government services, rapid inflation,
and the perceived weakness of the previous
national and state leadership.
Much of the sentiment in these parts then
was “anything but Umno (and Barisan Nasion-
al)”. It was further compounded by the emo-
tional angst of the Indian community, whose
momentum intensified after the crackdown
on Hindraf activists in late November 2007.
The very mixed ethnic composition of
these constituencies, the combined effect of
inflation and the protest against leadership,
along with ethnic Indian unhappiness brought
down many long-serving BN assemblypersons
and took in many unsuspecting PR candidates
– the so-called “tsunami representatives”.
Landscape changes
The period succeeding the 2008 election can
be broadly categorised into three phases: eu-
phoria, consolidation, and re-contest.
The days following PR’s unexpected vic-
tory in Selangor was marked by theatrics such
as the burning of documents by officials of
the former state administration, the unseen
drama of backroom dealings in selecting the
chief minister, and the subsequent formation
of the state executive committee.
Citizens were treated to long lines of hope-
ful applicants for local councillors’ positions
in their respective municipalities and districts
– a welcome improvement from the previous
practice, but still short of the much-hoped-for
local elections.
This period was also marked by the disclo-
sure of shortcomings of the previous admin-
istration, which included junkets to Disney
World, expensive watches, and property sold
to insiders at ridiculously low prices.
The public had begun to think it possible to
imagine an alternative to the BN that has ruled
the country since Independence. Our survey
for the period ending December 2008 showed
that at least half of the voters in Peninsular
Malaysia felt that PR would do as well as, if
not better than, the BN in running the country.
However, running a government is a much
more complex task than being in opposition.
By the end of 2008, the heady days of victory
gave way to the grinding process of learning
statecraft and managing a bureaucracy. As PR
attempted to consolidate its hold over Selangor
and put into motion the platform that brought
them to power, so did their opponents.
Starting from sporadic protests over the
proposed integrated pig farm in Sepang, the
opposition began coalesce and gain structure.
What emerged was a remarkable transforma-
tion for BN in Selangor. Having been in power
for more than five decades, the federal ruling
coalition had to learn to become the opposi-
tion in the state.
This transformation appeared to take
place on two levels. On the surface, the pub-
lic began to see the formation of numerous
non-government organisations, ostensibly
to represent citizens’ interests over anything
capable of demonstrating the inability of the
new state government to deliver improved
services and make good its electoral pledges.
On another, deeper level, one began to
notice a more systematic exploitation of the
weaknesses among PR’s many “accidental MPs
and assemblypersons”. These included media
exploitation of issues brought forth by PR
representatives that brought them into con-
flict with the new state government, typically
over attempts to undo unpopular commercial
or developmental decisions of the previous
administration: the bus terminal in Klang, a
hypermarket in Kota Damansara, or develop-
ment in Petaling Jaya – unpopular with some
segments of citizens but contract-bound to be
honoured by the state government.
These issues clashed with popular imag-
inings of what the PR government should
deliver, and its public image was further un-
dermined by mainstream media exploitation
of internal disagreements over such matters
as sand mining and the administration of the
chief minister.
True to the cliché that in politics “percep-
tion is reality”, the less-than-favourable image
of PR in power has stymied its attempts to
consolidate and solidify public support. In
spite of its popular policy to “merakyatkan
ekonomi Selangor”, which provides households
with free 20 cubic meters of water each month,
death benefits, contributions to young people
who gain entry to tertiary education, and as-
sistance to plantation workers and low-income
SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ March 11 – 13, 2011 ⁄ 5
households, public opinion was more shaped
by perceptions of ineptitude and disunity.
Disagreements over the leadership style of
the chief minister from among his own party
members leaked to the media and precipitated
a decline in public approval, from more than
60% in 2009 to around 50% in late 2010.
At the same time, PR national leader Datuk
Seri Anwar Ibrahim continues to be mired in
the second sodomy trial. Public attention on
him has diverted from his core struggle to that
of his defence against allegations made by his
former aide, a process that has distracted and
taken precious time from other pressing matters.
Correspondingly, controversy has sur-
rounded the acts of more than 10 of its repre-
sentatives crossing the floor in both Selangor
and other states, along with adverse reporting
of real and imagined discrepancies within
Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s party election process.
This has degraded public trust in PR being
able to run the country, dipping significantly
from 50% in 2008 to just 30% in 2010.
Making up for lost time
Three years on, PR in Selangor is still in con-
solidation mode and is putting great effort
to make up for lost time. While no measure-
ments have yet been done, the level of internal
issues has significantly reduced.
PR has now introduced the Buku Jingga,
outlining the coalition’s initial platform of
pledges to the Malaysian public should it be
in power. In Selangor, the administration is set
to unveil its Agenda Rakyat Untuk Selangor,
a blueprint for its public service delivery for
the coming three years, which, among others,
commits the state to delivering on local de-
mocracy, improved local government services,
housing, as well as initiatives to address local
public safety issues.
How these positive and people-centric
initiatives can turn public opinion will depend
on the vigour with which its publicity is car-
ried out to reduce dissonance with realities
on the ground. The next election will be a
contest like no other. In reaction to public
6 ⁄ March 11 – 13, 2011 ⁄ SELANGOR TIMES

TERESA KOK
Investment, Industry
Exco’s wishlist YAAKOB SAPARI
Agriculture, Natural
and Trade Resources and
DATUK HASSAN ALI Entrepreneurial
For 2011: “I want to con- Development
tinue promoting the devel- Chairperson of the
opment of 1,500 acres of Standing Committee of
international zone in Ber-
For 2011: The state will
Islamic Affairs, Malay be promoting organic
nam Jaya. I want to attract
FDI to this international
Customs, Infrastructure farming this year to help
and Public Utilities farmers lower produc-
zone as it will help spur
tion costs, produce better
economic activity by creat-
For 2011: “To bring Islam quality food, and adopt more environmentally friendly
ing more business and job opportunities.”
to the heart of the people, agricultural practices.
She also intends to keep improving Selangor’s pub-
for it to be understood and Yaakob hopes to increase the state’s sand-mining
lic service delivery for investors, both domestic and
practised according to its royalty, estimated at RM10 million in 2010, by continu-
foreign.
teachings. ing to crack down on illegal sand mining.
The state investment arm, SSIC Berhad, will con-
We believe many problems we are facing today like  He also wants to attract more people to the state’s
tinue to be proactive in interacting with industrial-
corruption, illegal abortion, selfish leadership, admin- entrepreneurship seminars.
ists through Industrial Park Management Committee
meetings and seminars that provide a platform for istrative inefficiency and so on can be solved if the In 2010: The state provided RM1 million in loans to 95
manufacturers to raise issues with the state. values promoted by Islam are being practised. small and medium enterprises in Selangor.
In 2010: Selangor has achieved 325 new industrial And we always believe that the people are mature “We have increased farmers’ incomes through a
investment projects with a total investment capital of enough to understand what the teaching is all about – programme to increase their padi yields. We have
RM10.6 billion, creating 28,000 jobs in the process – justice, tolerance and patience. also resolved the problem of illegal cattle in the Pet-
the highest job count of all states. We also want to uphold Malay customs as we enter aling Jaya and Subang Jaya municipalities by moving
A total of 111 programmes have been carried out the new decade, as urbanised Selangor is in danger of them to Hulu Selangor.”
over the past three years, both locally and overseas, falling prey to negative cultural values.
to attract more investors. In 2010: We established the Yayasan Dar Al Qard Al
She says 146 factory-related issues were resolved Hasan Selangor on July 8 to manage the micro-credit
after conducting 151 site visits and 135 meeting ses- scheme in the state. Rural residents with incomes of DR HALIMAH ALI
sions with factory owners. less than RM1,500 applied for the loans to start busi-
nesses. They were also guided on entrepreneurial
Education, Higher
skills in order to effectively run their businesses. Education and Moral
Allocations were given to infrastructural projects, Character Development
and monitored closely for accountability and transpar-
RODZIAH ISMAIL ency. The allocations are for new projects and main- For 2011: “We’ll be focus-
taining existing infrastructure. We continued with the ing on organising healthy
Welfare, Women’s open tender system for contracts to ensure fairness, programmes like concerts
affairs, Science and accountability and transparency.” this year to prevent youths
Technology from getting involved in
bad activities.”
For 2011: “One of the on- The state has also increased the monthly allow-
going issues I will be tack- ances of Quran and Fardhu Ain teachers serving in
ling this year is to translate
DR XAVIER religious schools from RM1,000 to RM1,300 starting
the welfare policy into con- JAYAKUMAR this year.
crete action. For example, I Health, Plantation In 2010: The state allocated RM6 million for Chinese
want to help single mothers Workers, Poverty and schools and RM4 million for Tamil schools last year.
and the poor achieve financial security. The state also provided free tuition classes for SPM
I want to fight for their rights. To this end, the Mi-
Caring Government students through state assemblypersons’ offices.
kro Kredit Miskin Bandar (MiMBAR) scheme will help Committee Chairperson
boost the earnings of the poor.
To complement the already existing 700 Wi-Fi tow- For 2011: “We will focus
ers already put up last year, there will be more this year on overcoming poverty by
to ensure free Wi-Fi service around Selangor. identifying and addressing RONNIE LIU
In 2010: We have managed to track down 26,000 people’s needs. Poor es- Local Government and
single mothers in Selangor and launched the free tate workers will be trained to start small-scale busi-
nesses. To this end, Selangor will give micro-credit Research
mammogram Satu Juta Wanita Sihat programme,
and also to educate them on their rights and help loans to the urban and rural poor.”
them earn a living. In 2010: He says Selangor has one of the lowest For 2011: “This year,
dengue cases. we plan to make munici-
The One Stop Crisis Centre, which was launched
Selangor has embarked on providing subsidies palities and communities
two years ago, has helped numerous victims of gen-
on housing and scholarships for estate workers to cleaner, greener and safer.
der violence and abuse in Selangor.
attend vocational training courses. This includes our Zone
On social ills, issues regulating cybercafes have
Selangor has also started pre-school classes, and Bersih programmes, and
been resolved with new guidelines to ensure that li-
funding for educational books and computer labs for clear regulations on gated
cences will be issued after stringent vetting.”
the Indian community. and guarded communities
The state has earmarked 100 plots of land for to improve security.”
places of worship. The state has imposed guidelines on new town-
ships, which must set aside 10% of their land for
green lungs and public amenities.
ISKANDAR ABDUL In 2010: Five out of the 11 local councils which re-
SAMAD ceived the Ministry of Housing and Local Government
Housing, Building ELIZABETH WONG four-star awards last year were from Selangor.
Tourism, Consumer Eleven out of 12 local councils also recorded
Management and budget surpluses.
Squatters Affairs and the
Environment
For 2011: The state will
launch an affordable For 2011: “In line with the
housing programme this United Nations Internation- EAN YONG
year. Selangor Develop- al Year of the Forest, we will Hian Wah
ment Corporation (PKNS) further address problems New Village
is building 800 low- and medium-cost homes in affecting forest conserva-
Bandar Baru Bangi, Shah Alam and Gombak for the Development and Illegal
tion. We will also promote
first phase. our public parks as tourist destinations. Factory Task Force
The homes are targeted at young couples with a In 2010: Our ‘No Plastic Bag Day’ campaign was a
combined monthly income of between RM3,000 and success. We also tabled the Freedom of Information For 2011: This year, more
RM5,000. bill in the state assembly. people can apply for land
In 2010: “We have revived and completed 23 aban- As for environmental care, we gazetted significant titles and leasehold titles in
doned projects since 2008. Another seven aban- forest reserves, including Kota Damansara and Ayer new villages.
doned projects have also been taken over by new Hitam. Other plans include the
developers and are currently being revived.” We also launched Selangor Shines campaign to building of infrastructure for 78 new villages. The state
The state also resolved the long-standing problem attract more tourists. We received 5.8 million visi- currently allocates funds of RM5.5 million, as com-
with Bukit Botak settlers by offering the 1,400 set- tors last year. The promotion of composting, rainwa- pared with only RM200,000 three years ago.
tlers discounts to buy houses worth RM170,000 at ter harvesting and renewable energy is also on our In 2010: More than 500 applications for new land and
RM99,000. agenda this year. lease hold titles have been approved and given out.
The state also lowered the peoples’ housing proj- We have attracted six millions visitors yearly. We “We have also successfully reinstated direct
ect monthly rent from RM250 to RM124. aim to break the mark.” elections for village chiefs.”

continued from page 5
dissatisfaction, the federal ruling party is rolling out an aggressive plan to
address public transportation issues by embarking on the Mass Rapid Transit
project, the country’s most expensive public infrastructure endeavour to date.
It has initiated a slew of other projects ranging from entrepreneur assistance
to foreign direct investment drives under the banner of its Economic Trans-
formation Programme.
Premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak has rebuilt his image and is now seen to
be a competent and dynamic leader. On the seamier side of politics, actions
by right-wing Malay organisations are firing up the community’s feelings of
insecurity and imagination of losing political power. Meanwhile, the rush to
deliver on development projects means that a number of the good practices in
transparency and prudent governance will have to take a backseat to expediency.
The issues landscape, too, has seen some changes. Food and fuel prices con-
tinue to increase, though the federal government continues to cushion some
of its impact with subsidies. This will probably go on until the next election,
but some sectors of the public are already affected by this, notably those in
the key suburban battleground seats. The rural voter – few in industrialised
Selangor – are reaping the benefits of the current boom of commodity prices,
and will most likely keep to their previous mode of voting.
All these point to the ongoing dichotomy between rural and urban seats.
The outcome of the contest between PR and BN in Selangor will, among oth-
ers, be determined by the degree to which ethnic politics will shape the electoral
debate; the ability of governments, both state and federal, in cushioning the
impact of inflation on urban voters; and, most importantly, the persuasive
power of competing leaders in articulating their vision and reshaping voters’
imaginations to their advantage. It is difficult to say where things will lead.
Wistful thinking
As the light of the afternoon gives way and the muezzin calls the faithful to
prayer, Hamid says, “I am not so sure who to vote for. I don’t want to go back
to the old days where friends and insiders of politicians rule the place, but I
can’t tolerate politicians who bumble and fight one another, especially from
within the same party.
“We are just small people looking to make a living and get our family along.
If our leaders spend more time looking after their own interests instead of ours,
who will be left to fight for us?”
Time to solve
water impasse
continued from page 2
-ment of greater Kuala Lumpur and the Klang
Valley, which includes cleaning up Klang River.
Rather than push alone, we want to combine
our efforts and tap into federal funds to clean up
the river.
Crime and security: Putrajaya has rejected
the state initiative to fund and establish an
auxiliary police force, besides funding CCTVs.
What else is being done?
We still continue to show our dissatisfaction with
the rejection but the Federal Government says
police have been successful in reducing crime rates
by up to 15-20%.  in the long run that they will be the losers in court.
But we still feel there is a shortage of police for
patrols in streets.
In the long term, the state is promoting pro-
grammes to bring communities together so that
the public themselves will work together and keep
their neighbourhoods safe.  Preferential treatment, or affirmative action, will
Can the public expect a resolution in the
deadlock between Shah Alam and Putrajaya
over the restructuring of the water services
industry soon?  companies but we are looking at using “owner
We hope the Ministry of  Energy, Green Tech-
nology and Water will come up with a proactive
SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ March 11 – 13, 2011 ⁄ 7
proposal after considering the state offer to the
concessionaires, which they rejected.  
The state still feels that the offer is genuine and
commercially fair.
Therefore if the federal government wants to be
seen to be fair, they should use the power under the
law to compel the companies to accept the offer.  
But these companies can still exercise the right
to request international arbitration to determine
the price for extra payments. 
That is our stand. It is time to come up with a
solution.
Every side seems to be resorting to court action
but the biggest “aggressor”, Syarikat Bekalan Air
Selangor (which is suing everyone), will find that
I think everybody wants to resolve the problem
this year. 
What other new initiatives will be launched
this year?
soon be given to “owner operator entrepreneurs”
in awarding contracts by the state and local gov-
ernments. 
Previously, contracts were handed out to
operators” as a basis of selection. We will give
them priority and grants.
8 ⁄ March 11 – 13, 2010 ⁄ SELANGOR TIMES

Buku Jingga:
By Rafizi Ramli

P
olicy announcements are a conundrum. It takes a lot of effort
and time to research and develop new policies that contrast
the existing ones by the Barisan Nasional. And more often
than not, such policy announcements come and go without much

A testament
impact on the public.
As such, the staying power of Buku Jingga thus far is a source of
minor pride for those of us in the Pakatan Rakyat secretariat, who
not expect it to stay in the news for this long.
I joined the cogs and wheels of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, and by
extension the coalition, almost two years ago, armed with the ide-
alistic aim of contributing to the emergence of a two-party system

to political
in Malaysia so that our fledgling democracy could make leaps and
bounds into the future.
I remember the early days of questioning and criticising the
policy weaknesses of PR. Sometimes I grumbled that we did not un-
veil new policies; sometimes I complained that we spent too much
time engaging in non-productive political rhetoric. “People want to
evaluate our policies,” I said repeatedly to the younger party leaders.

communion
As I was given more tasks, I realised that the bigger challenge
for PR was not the formulation of policies – we are never short of
policy ideas, as there are many things to fix after the 54-year rule of
Umno/BN – but rather how to promote new policies so that the
public could make informed choices. And also how to maintain
attention on the new policies long enough for them to reach the
public in a media environment that was generally hostile to PR.
I remember working with representatives from DAP (Tony
Pua and Liew Chin Tong) and Pas (Dr
Dzulkefly Ahmad) on PR’s response to
the New Economic Model (NEM). We
spent weeks producing a thick document
that set out our core criticisms of the
model. In the end, in spite of its unveiling
in Dewan Rakyat, it only lasted in the
news for a day. To this day, PR is accused
of not responding to the NEM.
I became quite cynical towards the
middle-class’s assertion that to function
as a national opposition coalition, PR
must constantly unveil policies. I took
comfort that there were enough people
volunteering behind the scenes to focus
on policies and provide the right input
to the top leadership of PR. Until the
media in Malaysia is liberated, too much
focus on policy developments is akin to
training our guns on a wrong target, as
elections are not won purely on the merits
of policies – at least, not in Malaysia.
Buku Jingga was developed with this
reality check, knowing that it might not
gain traction. But the team was deter-
mined to expand the Common Policy
Framework into a decent document as a
basis for future policy discussion. It was
important to articulate the common
principles spelt out in the framework
endorsed by PR in 2009, not just because
it would boost our policy credentials, but
because it would be an important test of
cohesion among the three parties in the
coalition.
The idea to come up with a pocket-
book that could be easily memorised
originated from Khalid Jaafar, who,
along with Saifuddin Nasution Ismail,
Tian Chua and Datuk Chua Jui Meng,
represented PKR. Pas’s representatives
– Salehuddin Ayob, Dr Hatta Ramli,
Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Dr Mujahid
Yusuf – vetted the text and made changes
throughout the book. Anthony Loke,
Tony Pua, Liew Chin Tong and Theresa PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail at the launch of Buku Jingga on March 5.
Kok from DAP insisted on a summary
of programmes that the public would and potent achievement than our ability to matter what challenges lie ahead.
remember each time they talked about present the rakyat with a set of alternative This pocketbook is a manifestation of the Buku Jingga was
Buku Jingga. policies. political maturity in PR. The jury is still out developed with this reality
If there is one memorable achieve- Our political enemies may try to drive a as to whether Buku Jingga has the staying check, knowing that it might
ment of Buku Jingga, it is that the process wedge and use the full media force at their power to capture the public’s imagination not gain traction. But the
to produce it – the ease with which the disposal to break this political union, know- and make a difference in the next general team was determined to
representatives discussed and worked ing full well that a united PR is the surest sign election, but one can only be optimistic.
towards a common solution for each issue that BN’s reign will come to an end soon. But After all, we did not expect it to last one
expand the Common Policy
– has proven that the parties within PR our single-mindedness goes beyond mere po- week in the news! Framework into a decent
have passed the stage of nascent political litical expediency; it binds individual leaders document as a basis for
cooperation. This, to me, is a much bigger and activists in PR to stay on this path, no Rafizi Ramli is PKR’s director of strategy. future policy discussion.”
 SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ March 11 – 13, 2011 ⁄ 9

LE X
M P
C O
IS T IC
L O G
R E S
AT U
N FE
E E
GR

EIGNRETEP GROUP
Lot: 2-53 & 2-55, Lion Industrial Park, Jalan SU 8,
Phase II, Seksyen 22, Off Persiaran Tengku Ampuan,
40300 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
Tel: 03-51917848; Fax: 03-51917867
website: www.eignretep.com.my

Branches: Shah Alam (HQ) • Johor • Penang • Kota Kinabalu

• Tawau • Kuching • Miri • Bintulu • Guangzhou • Jakarta
10 ⁄ March 11 – 13, 2011 ⁄ SELANGOR TIMES

By Arfa’eza A. Aziz

D
uring a visit to Batang Ber-
juntai just before the Chi-
nese New Year celebration
recently, I met an elderly Chinese
trader who ran a small sundry shop
in the middle of town. He had
earlier accepted mandarin oranges
from Selangor Menteri Besar Tan
Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, who had
been making his rounds around Ijok
to share the festive atmosphere with
his constituents.
“We want to live cordially with
everyone. We are not rich. Those
who are in need and poor should be
helped, too – irrespective of anyone,”
the elderly man said with a smile.
He, like millions of Malaysians,
realised how important it was for
the country to move beyond racial
politics in order to address poverty.
Indeed, it is upsetting that after 54
years of Merdeka, some political
leaders continue to discuss poverty
in terms of race instead of class.
One need only Google it to see
the array of discussions on the New
Economic Policy (NEP). Its goal
was to eradicate poverty and re-
structure the economy to eliminate
the identification of ethnicity with
economic function; to move the
ratio of economic ownership from
a 2.4:33:63 ratio of Bumiputera,
other Malaysian, and foreigner
ownership to a 30:40:30 ratio.
But as affirmative action, does it
work? According to Forbes maga-
Affirmative action wages
war against rentier class
Robert Kuok
zine, Sugar King Robert Kuok
and Maxis’s Ananda Krishnan are
the top two of Malaysia’s rich. The
richest Malay is Syed Mokhtar Al
Bukhary, who is in eighth place with
US$2.5 billion. And the Malay race
hasn’t fared stupendously, either.
What is worrying is that the
NEP allows one to be given business
opportunity because of race instead
of capability. Subsequently Malay
cronies to the ruling government
are awarded business contracts, but
sub-contract it to others. This gives
rise to a “rentier class” among the
Malays, who get their cuts from the
real operators. This is one of the
Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhary
reasons why Malay entrepreneurs
have failed to catch up.
Khalid has said repeatedly that
the current affirmative action policy
will further jeapordise the future
of the Malays as it hinders the em-
powering process that would allow
them to compete with the Chinese
in Malaysia, and even on an inter-
national level.
As such, Selangor is trying its
best to provide recognition to the
“owner operator” to reduce the
rentier class that has caused leakages
of public funds.
“The state gives preferential
treatment to the poor,” Khalid often
tells the media. “The state provides
assistance to the operators, and
not the agents who lobby for the
business projects. We help the real
players.”
This applies to land and home
ownership. Now those who live
on TOL (temporary occupation
licence) land need not apply to the
Land Office for titles, as the current
system allows the office to recog-
nise, through public enquiries and
personal interviews, the owners and
subsequently offer them the titles.
Elsewhere, the formation of
Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd ensures
that only owner operators can take
part in the sand-mining industry,
thus increasing state revenue as there
are no intermediaries to muddy the
transactions.
Since 2008, PR has introduced at
least 15 new welfare and social pro-
grammes under the Merakyatkan
Ekonomi Selangor (MES) agenda.
This term was specifically chosen by
Khalid to reflect the state’s intention
to return the state’s economic wealth
back to its rakyat.
“It’s the people’s economic pro-
gramme, not the state’s,” he often
reminds his officers.
Half of the programmes were
launched within a 100 days of PR’s
administration. They include Skim
Mesra Usia Emas, Tabung Warisan
Anak Selangor, Hadiah Masuk
Universiti, and Program Tuisyen
Rakyat, to name a few.
To Selangor, MES is affirmative
action. Unlike the NEP, MES does
not cater to a certain race. All its
programmes are for the poor and
low-income irrespective of ethnicity,
religion or political affiliation.
Pakatan is a relatively new gov-
ernment that has been severely
criticised for many things. But those
who have seen how the MES agenda
has helped thousands of poor people
– characterised as those who earn
RM1,500 or less per household
– have little to criticise. To date,
RM500 million has been spent to
benefit poor Selangor residents. This
is no small feat, by any means.
In a recent interview, the Men-
teri Besar was asked on his policy
over the past three years. Khalid’s
answer, again, was to “merakyatkan
ekonomi Selangor”. I don’t think
many would disagree with him.

PKPS Oil Palm Estates

Selangor Fruits Valley

Perbadanan Kemajuan Pertanian Selangor

Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation
Wisma PKPS, Tingkat 10 – 11, Persiaran Perbandaran, Seksyen 14,
40675 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Tel: 03-5519 2621 / 2 / 3 Fax: 03-5519 2625 Website: www.pkps.gov.my
PKPS Red Talapia Farm
 SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ march 11 – 13, 2011 ⁄ 11

Why does Selangor “underperform”?

By Wong Chin Huat

S elangor is among the most

shining of PR-held states, and
has introduced many reforms.
Among them, household consumers
have 20m3 of free water; university
students get RM 1,000 upon entry;
newborn babies will get RM 1,500
upon reaching 18 years old; and the
families of senior citizens will get
RM 2,500 to aid funeral expenses.
Selangor has set up the powerful
select committee, Selcat, which can
call politicians and bureaucrats to
explain allegations of misconduct.
And the state is on the way to enact
Malaysia’s first Freedom of Informa-
tion (FOI) law.
However, three years after the
2008 political tsunami, many are
disillusioned. They don’t see much
change. Crime rates are still high.
Traffic jams still haunt the roads.
Potholes remain unfilled. School
quality continuously declines, while shared between the federation and have not only substantial control on and effective local governments FOI bill has far-reaching implica-
red tape has not improved much. its constituent states. Unitary states, education, health and transport, but would make the state governments tions to better the health of our
“So tell me, why should I care to on the other hand, treat states or also their own police units alongside hollow, especially smaller states like political system. Even the PR states’
come out to vote in the next gen- provinces as branches rather than the federal police, which is more Perlis, Malacca and even Penang. successful opposition of sport gam-
eral election?” cynics ask. partners, and hence with substan- specifically tasked for cross-border Under the current federal-state bling through local governments,
The answer lies in our overly tially less power. crimes. In Canada, the provinces power-sharing arrangement, Malay- which some may not agree on, is
concentrated federalism. Most Under our constitution, the ju- have exclusive rights to make laws sia might be better run with only rewriting the power equation.
roads are under the federal Public risdiction of state governments is on property and civil rights. two-tiered elected governments. By empowering the states, we are
Works Department, while public limited to matters like Islam, land, Even in the UK, a unitary coun- But the larger states would have to making both the federal and state
transportation is under the Land agriculture, local government, state try, the county (the second tier be cut into a few smaller ones, which governments more accountable.
Public Transport Commission. government machinery, and state government in England) controls is politically impracticable, consid- Unfortunately, there is not a con-
Schools, of course, are under the public works. They share control matters like education, transport ering the state-based monarchies are crete and clear agenda for federal-
Education Ministry. Policing is with the federal government on planning and passenger transport. the backbone of our political sys- ism, despite demands by states like
under the Home Ministry – so matters like social welfare, scholar- Most opposition would blame tem. Selangor, Kelantan and Penang for
while the Sunway Group can have ship, animal husbandry, town plan- Barisan Nasional for mismanaging In other words, if we want thor- greater share of public finance.
its own auxiliary force in Bandar ning, fire measures and housing. the country. The fact is, any party ough reform, we can’t just change As we celebrate the third anni-
Sunway, the Petaling Jaya City Important matters such as for- would not be effective and efficient the state governments. We can’t even versary of March 8, let us not be
Council (MBPJ)’s application for eign relations, defence, internal se- as long as the federal government is just change the federal government. trapped in the past by lamenting
the same has been turned down. curity, administration of justice, biting off more than it can chew. We need to create a real federal how little change the tsunami has
Even state bureaucracy is not citizenship, federal government And this is a largely unknown country where more power will be brought. Let us be forward-looking
spared. As part of the federal civil machinery, finance, trade, shipping, secret behind the dysfunction or transferred from the federal govern- by imagining elected local govern-
service, employees can therefore be fisheries, communication, transport, underperformance of local govern- ment to the states, and from the ments; and a police force, a public
more loyal to Putrajaya than to Shah education, health, labour, and pub- ments, and the reluctance of both states to the municipalities and transport system, water, and perhaps
Alam. lications are all in the federal hand. BN and PR to introduce local elec- districts. even schools run by the state govern-
Federalism means that sover- This is in sharp contrast with tions: with so little power vested in The fight by Selangor for control ments, upon whom we would have
eignty and substantial power are other countries. In Australia, states the hand of the states, functioning of water and the power to enact an greater control.

Not Indian, just Malaysian

By Lingswaran Singh Malaysians, as it has kept us with a racial ble urban living, which would in turn attract tion of race-based politics. And while things
mindset. investment. have generally improved in areas where PR

I n my opinion, the politically motivated

struggle of Hindraf not only goes against
Hindu dharma but is also contrary to the
teachings of Lord Krishna. The Bhagavad
Gita’s knowledge does not postulate any
sectarian ideology or secular view. Hinduism
conceives the whole world as a single family,
and therefore accepts all forms of beliefs and
dismisses division of identity.
Thus, if we want to be acknowledged as
Malaysians, then we should start acting as
one. Instead of looking as itself as being
sidelined, the Indian community should re-
alise that Malay, Chinese and other Malay-
sians face the same problems.
Recently, Hindraf organised a demonstra-
tion in Kuala Lumpur protesting against the
government’s decision to include the Malay-
language novel Interlok in the school cur-
riculum. They alleged that Interlok contains
disparaging remarks against Indians and is
deemed racist. This, too, has weakened us as
Our economic woes today are due to acute
economic and political mismanagement, not
racial discrimination. Malaysians share a
culturally rich heritage, but today, this shared
heritage is in demise due to race-based poli-
tics. It is time we put a stop to racial politics,
and we should start with ourselves. Stop
believing that we are different, stop behaving
like second-class citizens, and start speaking
out against injustice not only towards our
own ethnic group but towards anybody any-
where.
The reason we face socioeconomic woes
is because we have allowed it to happen. We
are responsible for who we vote into the
Dewan Rakyat. So let’s stop victimising our-
selves.
When the PR came into power in Selan-
gor in 2008, it focused its policies on clean,
green, sustainable and livable environments
for its citizens. It recognised that economic
growth and development require comforta-
So Selangor has been handling crime and
public transport, even though it is not neces-
sarily the responsibility of the state govern-
ment. It introduced a Freedom of Informa-
tion enactment to ensure greater transpar-
ency and accountability in awarding of state
government contracts. It initiated the Integ-
rity Pact for some of its state companies, and
policies aimed at assisting the elderly, ver-
nacular schools, religious schools, the disa-
bled, and mosques. And it has welfare ben-
efits for victims of domestic abuse and chil-
dren of estate workers, a fund for all children
born in the state, and a policy of free water
for the first 20m3 used per household.
Note that in all this, there is no mention
of Indians or any ethnic group. Why? Be-
cause there is something larger going on –
namely, that the PR’s policies are aimed at
resolving the issues faced by all Malaysians.
Collectively, we all need to do our part
come the next elections to ensure the eradica-
is in power, the lack of quality on the opposi-
tion bench of the Dewan Undangan Negeri
is worrying. We need better opposition to
ensure that PR itself is well behaved.
Perhaps in the next state elections, we
could consider candidates from the alterna-
tives like the Parti Kesejahteraan Insan
Tanah Air (Kita) or the Malaysian Civil
Liberties Movement (MCLM). We need to
engineer a credible opposition front, and it
would be good if that opposition front con-
sisted of young visionary Malaysians of vari-
ous ethnic origins.
All Malaysians regardless of race and reli-
gion are working together for a better tomor-
row. If we can unite Tamils, Malayam, Tel-
enggu, and Punjabi as Indians in Malaysia,
what is stopping us from uniting Malays,
Chinese, Indians and others as Malaysians?
All of us want a brighter future, and we
can make it happen – but not by being exclu-
sively Indian.

Gold ransom recovered
By Basil Foo
KLANG: RM1.4 million in gold bars was recovered
from suspects who were arrested for kidnapping a
security company owner on Monday.
“Three of the suspects were caught at 1am along
Jalan Pos Baru and another two at 7am in Taman
Sentosa on Wednesday,” said Selangor police chief Tun
Hisan Tun Hamzah.
The 64-year-old victim, who was ill when he was
abducted, was released at 12.45am after his family paid
10 1kg gold bars as ransom.  Also at the press conference South Klang police chief
Police also confiscated a black pickup truck, a high-
powered motorcycle, a stun gun, and five handphones
used by the suspects.
The truck was emblazoned with logos and words
Tun Hisan
(left) holding
a recovered
gold bar as
Mohammad
looks on.
like ‘K-9 Unit’, which the suspects used as cover as
dog trainers.
“Those remanded are a Malaysian man and four
Nepalese men in their 30s,” said Tun Hisan.
The Nepalese suspects were found to have
entered the country illegally, while the 33-year-old
Malaysian was previously an air steward with no
prior criminal record.
“The success of solving the case within 48 hours is
due to the teamwork between the Selangor police and
Bukit Aman,” Tun Hisan said.
Mohamad Mat Yusop and Selangor Crime Investigation
Department chief Mohd Adnan Abdullah.
The suspects face the gallows or life imprisonment if
convicted for kidnapping.
Electronic
quit rent bills
for Selayang
SELAYANG: Selayang residents
can choose to receive electronic quit
rent bills starting next year instead
of the traditional printed copies via
snail mail.
The move will help to save
ratepayers’ money as the Selayang
Municipal Council (MPS) currently
spends around RM213,000 annually
for postage to send the bills to some
178,000 property owners. The
savings is greater once printing and
paper costs are included.
MPS public relations director
Zin Masoad said 3,000 landowners
have already expressed support for
the cost-saving measure. The local
council had sent out notices
seeking public feedback along with
quit rent bills late last year.
“ We hop e more S elayang
residents will accept and support
this cost-saving measure,” Zin told
Selangor Times.
Some landowners still prefer to
receive their quit rent bills through
News 11
March 11 — 13, 2011
the mail as they are not confident
with electronic bills.
Zin said MPS cannot force
people to adopt the measure, but
they hope to garner at least 50%
support from Selayang land-
owners. They will send out notices
to seek public feedback again
along with the quit rent bills due
this August.
Those who opt to receive
electronic quit rent bills will no
longer receive the print copy via
post. They can pay their quit rent
at MPS after downloading and
printing out the electronic bill
themselves.
The state and other local councils
have supported MPS’s move to
adopt modern technology to save
cost and improve efficiency.
Other local councils are also
considering adopting the measure.
MPS received RM81.5 million
in quit rent last year and aims to
collect RM87 million this year.
12
News
march 11 — 13, 2011

Wong wants public holiday

for women
By Tang Hui Koon

SHAH ALAM: Declare International Women’s Day a public holiday in

Selangor to recognise women’s positive contribution to society, executive
councillor Elizabeth Wong suggested on Tuesday.
“I hope to get Rodziah’s (Ismail, executive councillor in charge of
women’s affairs) support to propose the idea to the state executive council,”
Wong said.
She said at least 30 countries worldwide have recognised March 8, In-
ternational Women’s Day, as a public holiday. This year marks the 100th
anniversary of the celebration.
Wong said although women’s lives have improved significantly compared
with a century ago, the political and business fields today are still domi-
nated by males.
She pointed out that Malaysia still has a significant gender gap, and is
ranked at 98th place out of 134 countries surveyed by the World Eco-
nomic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2010.
Scandinavian countries such as Iceland, Norway and Finland are the
most gender-equal countries in the world, according to the report.
Countries are ranked based on their women’s economic participation
and opportunity, political empowerment, educational attainment, and
health and survival compared with different countries.
Wong also highlighted that Malaysia lags behind all other Southeast
Asian neighbours except Myanmar with its low representation of women,
only 10%, in Parliament.
She called on political parties to enforce a 30% quota for women can-
didates in future elections.
Currently, only two out of the 30 cabinet ministers and 22 of the 222
elected representatives in the Dewan Rakyat are women.
“I hope one day Malaysia will have a woman prime minister and 100
women in Parliament,” said Wong in a statement. Wong celebrating International Women’s Day at the Desa Jaya morning market in Kepong on Tuesday.

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Rawang celebrates
Women’s Day
Gan handing out flowers at the main market in Rawang.
Lawyer to monitor
trial in alleged
molest case
By Alvin Yap
AMPANG: Sunkai assemblyperson A
Sivanesan has been appointed to hold a
watching brief for 11 students whose
teacher is due to go on trial for allegedly
molesting them.
The lawyer, who was approached by Ter-
atai assemblyperson Jenice Lee to represent
the teenaged girls, told their concerned
parents “to let the law take its course”.
“This is a case of concern to these parents
whose children are affected and trauma-
tised,” said Sivanesan at Lee’s service centre
here on Tuesday.
He explained the court procedures to the
parents and told them that he would coop-
erate fully with the deputy public prosecutor
in the trial.
He added that the accused had the right
to find a lawyer to represent him.
On March 4, chief discipline teacher
Ismazi @ Megat Ismazi Ismail, 49, pleaded
not guilty in the Magistrate’s Court to
molesting 11 female students of a second-
ary school, aged 15 and 16, in Pandan In-
dah last month.
The students alleged that the teacher had
touched their chests, backs and cleavage on
the pretext of checking their pulse before
Y.A.B. Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Abdul Khalid Bin Ibrahim
he caned them.
Some of the students also claimed that he
touched their thighs as he patted them down
to check if they were carrying handphones.
They also claimed that he took photos of
them with his handphone.
The students had been caught for skipping
morning assembly by a teacher who brought
them to the accused’s office for disciplinary
action. There was no female teacher in the
room at that time, the students said.
The accused has been charged under Sec-
tion 354 of the Penal Code, which provides
for jail up to 10 years or fine or whipping or
any of the two, if convicted.
The trial will be mentioned in court on
March 25, when a date will be set for the
trial proper to begin.
“The chief judge has promised me that a
hearing date will be set as soon as possible,
and similarly a decision will be made as soon
as the hearing ends,” said Sivanesan.
He praised the police for wrapping up its
investigations quickly. He, however, said the
Education Department should have sus-
pended the accused and not transferred him
to a desk job.
“The teacher is charged in court. If he’s
found not guilty, then he can be reinstated
with full back pay,” he said.
Congratulations!
3rd Year Anniversary
Of The Selangor State Government
Under The Rt. Hon. Chief Minister of Selangor
With Best Compliments
PORT KLANG, SELANGOR
CENTRAL SPECTRUM (M) SDN. BHD. (183136-D)
NO. 7, JALAN PERIGI NANAS 8/6, INDAH POINT, PULAU INDAH, 42920 PORT KLANG, SELANGOR, MALAYSIA
TEL : 60-3-3101 2020 l FAX : 60-3-3101 3030 l EMAIL : marketing@pulauindah.com.my
WEBSITES : www.pulauindah.com.my l www.selangorhalalhub.com.my
A Subsidiary of Kumpulan Hartanah Selangor Berhad
News 13
march 11 — 13, 2011
By Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin
SELAYANG: In conjunction with
the celebration of the 100th Interna-
tional Women’s Day on Tuesday, Gan
Pei Nei handed a flower to each
woman present at the main market.
The flower giving was done out of
appreciation to the women for having
helped and supported Gan as state
assemblyperson for Rawang.
The Rawang service centre is also
organising two events in conjunction
with International Woman’s Day: a free
pap smear screening, as well as the
Women-Friendly Programme, which
will see the handing over of contribu-
tions to single mothers.
The main aim of this programme is
to show appreciation for Rawang
women and to provide aid, especially
to single mothers living in poverty.
The free pap smear screening will be
held on Sunday, March 20, from 11am
to 3pm, specifically for Rawang women
aged 40 to 60.
Pap smear screenings are vital in
preventing cervical cancer, the leading
cause of death in women today.
The Women-Friendly Programme
and handing over of contributions will
be held on Sunday, March 27, from
2pm to 4pm at Kampung Kuala Garing.
Contributions will be given to single
mothers whose monthly family income
is less than RM1,000.
Participants for either event will
need to register at the service centre
office. For inquiries, contact Givitha at
03-60937033.
ISO 9001 : 2008
MS ISO/IEC 17021:2006
No. Akreditasi
l A Member of Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Berhad
QS 29072008 CB 08
Certificate No. AJAMY06/1064
14
News
March 11 — 13, 2011
Selangor vows
better resource
management
By Alvin Yap
SHAH ALAM: Tan Sri Khalid Ibra-
him’s administration has vowed to
continue to address graft and wastage in
order to better manage public resources.
Th e Menteri B e s ar s a i d th e
state would be accountable in managing
its budget while collecting debts in-
curred in deals and projects by the previ-
ous administration.  26 at a location to be announced.  SUNGAI BULOH: A decade-old slip road is
So far, Selangor has collected RM392
million in debts.  ernment’s claim that implementing
“Of that, we have used RM50 million
and RM20 million to fund microcredit
loans for the rural and urban poor re-
spectively,” said Khalid.
Speaking during the state’s three-
year anniversary celebrations at Stadi-
um Malawati on March 5, Khalid also
announced a  series of incentives,  in-
cluding moves to increase the pay and
allowance of religious teachers, and to
give away a one-off amount of RM1,500
to senior citizens.  grammes we have set out to accom-
Most importantly, Khalid said, on-
going reforms would give the people
the right to know what the state admin-
istration was doing.
He said the recent Freedom of Infor-
mation enactment would give them the
opportunity to become stakeholders.
Khalid further said Selangor was the
first state to implement town hall meet-
ings at local government level to hear
public feedback on various issues.
The public’s views, he said, have been
included in the Selangor Three-Year
Plan, which will be unveiled this March
Khalid dismissed the federal gov-
the programmes listed in the Buku
Jingga would cause the state to be-
come bankrupt.
He said that monies lost through
corruption and wastage was enough to
fund Buku Jingga reforms at federal and
state levels.
“Imagine the cost overrun at Port
Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) of RM4.6
billion. The money wasted is enough
to pay for the socioeconomic pro-
plish,” Khalid said.
He added that the state had registered
a surplus in its budget for 2010, and had
balanced the books for 2011.
Smoother traffic for Sg Buloh
being upgraded to provide a smoother ride for
residents here who have come to rely on it.
Kota Damansara assemblyperson Dr Nasir
Hashim, who is using his RM1million allocation
for the roadworks, said the upgrade could be
completed by the end of the year.
He said the current muddy and potholed road
led to  main entry points into Kampung Baru
Sungai Buloh.  another entry point on Jalan Kebun Teh to reduce
“We have the money. We will talk to Public
Works Department ( JKR) officials and local
council engineers to ensure the road can take the
weight of trailers and lorries,” said Nasir.
The upgrade will also reduce traffic congestion
as heavy vehicles can bypass the town centre.
Residents who met Nasir yesterday said they
welcomed the move as it would reduce rush-hour
traffic jams.   comes under both municipalities,” he said.
In a latest attempt to get Malaysian heads
bopping and to fill the minds inside them,
the MyConstitution campaign released
their inaug ural album titled Radio
Demokratika.
Chock-full of local musicians, the full-
fledged album includes 12 tracks by acts
like Azmyl Yunor, Carburetor Dung and
The Panda Head Curry?.
The third track in the album, Azmyl’s
Low Of The Land, brings to mind the final
scene in an old Western movie in which the
protagonist rides off into the sunset.
Morose and full of thought, the former
street musician’s lyrics betray the attitude
of a world-weary traveller in lines like,
“The same land you
bled on… the same
land you’ll be laid
down.”
After a hiatus and
personnel changes from
their original lineup,
five-piece band
Carburetor Dung
continues their foray
into the scene with their
contribution Ugly, Ugly,
Ugly.
The melodic rock
tune starts off with an extensive bass and
drums build-up which sounds like how the
band would probably play it live.
Lead singer Merde’s rasping vocals when
he yells on the track, “This world you’re
selling, you know I won’t be buying”
characterises the band’s defiant attitude.
Satirical band The Panda Head Curry?,
well known for their thinly veiled jabs at the
absurdities of topical personas, wraps up the
album with their Joget Melayu Liberal.
The melody is an apparent spoof of
patriotic songs from the past, and the lyrics
attempt to weave points about the
Constitution and voting in between listing
Nasir (in red)
meeting with
residents.
“The jam in the morning starts as early as 7am,
and people have to wait for up to 90 minutes to
get in and out of the village,” said Chong Fatt.
The 46-year-old village affairs coordinator said
Jalan Welfare, the main road to the area, was too
narrow to accommodate big vehicles.
He added that traffic sometimes came to a
standstill when lorries trailers stalled on the road.
The residents also urged authorities to reopen
congestion.
It was closed more than two years ago because
of fast-moving traffic when Jalan Sungai Buloh was
upgraded to a highway.
Nasir said local councils should look for contrac-
tors in his constituency for the project. “Funds will
come from both Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya
municipal councils as Kampung Baru Sungai Buloh
Music to drive
campaign on
various animals.
If there is a need for just one reason to
get this album, this song would be it, with
ridiculous lines like: “Kalau kita tiada
perlembagaan, kita akan hidup sama macam
haiwan, seperti arnab, rusa, landak dan
angsa, harimau bintang, dan ikan kelisa.”
A lawyer involved with MyConstitution
and singing for the band Lord Bobo’s
Minions, Fahri Azzat provides vocals for
the track Better Than
This.
He said the song is
about how something
simple as a love
between two people
can be made
complicated, if not
prohibitive, by
religion, culture, and
the political
environment.
“This should serve
as a showcase that
Malaysian lawyers’ talent doesn’t only lie
in the law. We just practise law because it
pays better than making music!” he said.
Other acts featured on the album
include barcode, Thin Izzy, Temporary,
The Sounders, An Honest Mistake, MC
Stiff, the maharajah commission, and Rule
of Rock.
The CD sleeve comes with messages
from the non-profit outfit: “Music is an
assertion of democracy ... We could think
of no better way to demonstrate the
fundamental rights we are all guaranteed
under the Federal Constitution than to
make an album about it.”
 Fiction 15
March 11 — 13, 2011

One of them
Fiction by Julya Oui

“
She’s one of them,” Mrs
Govindasamy said to her
neighbour, who was craning
her neck across the fence to get a
conversation going.
“How do you know?” Mrs Chi-
ang asked. “She told you ah?”
“Of course not! I wouldn’t even
speak to her if I could help it.” Mrs
Govindasamy was perturbed by
the notion. “I’d rather befriend a
monkey than that ... that kind of
woman.”
“Ya, but that’s her problem la.”
“Not when she’s in our neigh-
bourhood.” Mrs Govindasamy
raised a finger to the heavens,
partly to proclaim the truth,
partly to shade the rising sun
from blinding her eyes.
“Ya, can be quite an embarrass-
ment hoh.” The gold of Mrs Chi-
ang’s earrings and necklace out-
shone the colour of her skin.
“What to do – people like that.”
“If I had the right mind I would
report her to the authorities. For
being a bad influence to our chil-
dren,” Mrs Govindasamy said.
“She’s always coming back with
strange people. You know, people
like her. Urgh!”
“But that doesn’t make it wrong
wat, right?”
“Maybe not for her, but it is for
me,” Mrs Govindasamy said.
“Aiya, Mrs Govinda, get so upset
for what leh?”
“Hello – the two of you, what
are you gossiping about?” Puan
Kusnah approached them after
driving her Waja to the shaded side
of the road adjacent to her heavily
renovated house.
“Eh, Puan Kusnah, you just
come back from marketing ah?”
Mrs Chiang asked.
“Of course not, the maid al-
ready buy earlier. I go and have
breakfast at the hotel with my
husband.”
“You are so lucky to have a hus-
band who still eats with you. The
only time I see my husband is when
he is home watching something
ridiculous on TV.”
“That’s why I every time make
sure he do that.” Puan Kasnah
shifted her Louis Vuitton handbag
from one arm to the other.
“Wah, he work so hard hoh.”
“Of course, men must do that.”
Puan Kusnah patted the two
women’s arms to get them to agree
with her. “Men make money we
spend la!” She broke out in a shrill
laughter. The other two women
joined in.
The cool morning air suddenly
heated up from the warmth of the
sun as the rays streaked upon their
faces to expose their aging skin. For
a moment they could see each
other’s flaws and furrows under the
expensive foundation and makeup
they padded onto their faces to
cheat the ravages of time.
Awkward upon seeing each
other’s topographic formations,
they averted their eyes to focus on
something less tragic.
“Er, what two of you talking just
now?” Puan Kusnah stepped away
from the light that gradually peeled
away the top layer of her makeup
to allow droplets of perspiration to
pop up.
“Oh we talk about the woman
la, that house one.” Mrs Chiang
used her nose to point in the direc-
tion. “Mrs Govinda say she’s one
of them.”
“I know,” Puan Kusnah said.
“Terrible kan?”
“I wish I could do something
about it,” Mrs Govindasamy said.
“I don’t like the idea of someone
like that living in our neighbour-
hood.”
“What do you want to do?”
Mrs Govindasamy leaned closer
to her neighbour’s ears, which were
cocked to receive what was about
to germinate from the dirt.
“Ma! Ma!” A boisterous call
shook them up from their curious
communion.
“What is it!” Mrs Govindasamy
shouted back.
“Ma! Ma!” It repeated like an old
vinyl on skip. “Ma! Ma!”
“Sorry ladies, I have to go.” Mrs
Govindasamy hurried off without
turning back. “Boy, I’m coming
boy.” She fluttered away with the
sweep of her feet and the jangle of
her accessories.
The two ladies shook their heads
and continued, “Her son getting
married soon hoh?”
Puan Kusnah’s handphone rang.
She put her neighbour on hold
while she answered it. “Yes, bang?
What? Again? But this is too much.
I wish I could
do something
about it. I don’t
like the idea of
someone like
that living in our
neighbourhood.”
Can’t you tell your boss you can-
not? Okay la. Ya la. Emm.”
She dropped the phone back
into the handbag she was bearing
on her arm.
“My husband cannot come back
for dinner again. Always like that.
Got meeting la, got work la. Eh, I
better tell the maid not to prepare
too much food.”
She hurried off as she waved.
“See you ya, Mrs Chiang. I go in-
side first.”
“Bye.” Mrs Chiang waved lightly
and felt the humidity lining her
neck and armpits. She trudged back
to the majestic semi-detached
double-storey structure, listening to
the vacuum cleaner heightened only
by the sound of distant laughter.
She wondered if it had come from
the woman who wasn’t one of them,
and what there was to laugh so
heartily about in the first place.

Jasmine wreaths
for Women’s Day
Express your municipality or utilities complaints...
let our reporters get a response.
email to editor@selangortimes.com

Kok (right) talking to a flower vendor about International Women’s Day.
By Basil Foo
PUCHONG: In conjunction with International
Women’s Day, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok gave out 500
jasmine flower wreaths to women here.
“We gave out roses and carnations [in the past], but
the idea for giving out jasmine flowers this time came
from the revolutions in Egypt,” said Kok.
Initial protests in Tunisia were dubbed the Jasmine
Revolution, which led to similar uprisings in Egypt and
other countries including China.
“We need to have a revolution of ideas for the bet-
Selangor sends
students back
to Egypt
SHAH ALAM: The state will
ensure that no students from this
state will be left out in its mission
to send back the students to
Egypt starting tomorrow.
“Each student will be treated
fairly to enable them to return to
Eg ypt and to continue their
deferred studies due to the
political unrest there,” said Tan Sri
Khalid Ibrahim.
The Menteri Besar said the
terment of our country; only then can we see progress,” cost of sending the students back
Kok said. to Egypt will be borne entirely by
She said women played an important part in the the state irrespective of whether
country as they had a big role in determining the out- the students were on state or
come of elections. private scholarships.
The flower-giving exercise, which is usually car- “It is the state’s responsibility
ried out in markets, was held during a walkabout at and duty to help these students.
the Taman Kinrara 1 morning market on Jalan Financially we have nothing to
TK1/1. worry about because Selangor
Also present were Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya has enough savings thanks to
councillors Norhesni Ismail and Robert Tan Siang our thrifty spending habits,”
Chiok, who assisted with the flower giving.
said Khalid.
According to Khalid, the state
has sent officers to Eg ypt to
ensure the process of sending the
students back there will proceed
without any hitches while
Tourism Selangor arranges for the
flight back for these students.
Khalid explained that all of the
students will be placed in one
centre to ease the process of
sending them to the airport.
“We will also be managing the
arrangement with the Malaysian
Royal Customs and Immigration,”
said Khalid.
Five flights have been slotted
to send these students back to
Egypt starting from tomorrow to
March 16. All students have to
register at Sultan Salahuddin
Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque, Shah
Alam from today to March 15.
16
Media
March 11 — 13, 2011

Celebs to
wow during
Secretary’s
Week
By Basil Foo
E xperience the revelry of
Secretary’s Week at the Shah Alam
Convention Centre (SACC) this
April 6 with artistes Anita Sarawak
and Noryn Aziz, who will present a
special showcase with guest hosts
Zizan Razak and Juliana Evans from
12pm to 3pm.
There will be surprise
performances, with different
arrangements of crowd favorites.
Guests will bring home attractive
souvenirs while standing a chance
to win outstanding lucky-draw
event puts a twist on Secretary’s
Week with the theme Divas Las
Vegas. Every secretary in attendance
will be treated like a “diva”, and guests
with the most eye-catching attire will
be crowned “Best Dressed”.
“To show appreciation to the
hardworking assistants and secre-
taries, I believe the price is justified
by the quality of entertainment and
food prepared,” he said.
Prices to attend Secretary’s Week
with Anita Sarawak and Noryn Aziz
are RM550, RM490 and RM420 Anita (second from right) and Noryn signing their autographs while Zulkifli looks on.
per person.
For booking s, contact 03-

Chee solves TRON puzzle

prizes worth almost RM100,000.
These will include jewelry pieces,
luxury furniture sets and other
enticing items.
“As a gift to my fans, I will also
give out almost RM40,000 worth of
gifts, but I won’t be giving them
outright,” Anita said. “The audience
will need to participate.”
She said this during the Secretary’s
Week pre-launch ceremony on
Tuesday, March 1.
SACC chief executive officer
Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad said the
Metrojaya Sale in
55118858 or 03-55118814, 019-
3053858 (Rawi), 019-3073858
(Aizat), 019-3963858 (Hidayah),
019-3952858 (Sarah), or 019-
3582858 (Syaiful).
Guests can also make bookings
through the Ticket Charge hotline
at 03-92228811, or via their website
at ticketcharge.com.my.
Tickets are also on sale at over 50
outlets in shopping malls around
town, including Speedy Video,
Rock Corner, Chambers Music, and
TelVenture.
SHAH ALAM: TGV Cinemas’
quest for a TRON Saviour finally
came to a thrilling conclusion after
an action-packed month-long
search, when 39-year-old Chee Wei
Hook from Setapak Jaya solved The
Case of the Missing Keys to the
TRON Show Reels.
TGV Cinemas launched Malay-
sia’s first Alternate Reality Game
(ARG) in the movie industry with
The Case of the Missing Keys to the
TRON Show Reels, in conjunction
with the release of TRON: Legacy.
fictional storyline.
The contest attracted over 2,800
entries and Chee was one of the first
to sign up for this contest which he
discovered through TGV Cinemas’
Facebook page.
As the winner of the grand prize
worth RM20,000, Chee received a
brand new Panasonic 50-inch 3D
HDTV complete with a 3D Blu-
Ray DVD Player and a 3D Com-
bo Kit.
He also received an entire TGV
Cinema movie hall for an evening
lected in January by a panel com-
prising  representatives from both
TGV Cinemas and Panasonic based
on the best answers and the most
inventive TRON signature submit-
ted in the entry forms.
Other winners of the contest
were Peter Carmen, who won the
se cond prize of a WiM AX-
ready  Lenovo IdeaPad V360 with
free broadband.
Nor Syairah Abdullah, Mark Ng
Ti Chien, and Ma Lam Fatt were the
third-prize winners. They received

conjunction with GP The new game platform enabled

players to go through real-life as well
as online challenges which then
of entertainment with free popcorn
and Coca-Cola combos for up to
200 guests, a reward he has decided
a P14G W1GGY Prepaid Start-
er Kit and a special Razer Gift Pack.
Consolation prizes of 10 limited-

I n conjunction with the Malaysia

GP sale, Metrojaya Mega sale kicks
off at all Metrojaya Department
stores from today till April 15 with a
host of great value offers and special
allowed them to experience real-
world interactions with a
to donate to charity.
Winners of the contest were se-
edition TRON gift packs were also
given out.

buys across a wide range of family fash-

ion and home lifestyle needs.
Men will be happy to see discounts
of 50%-70% on Ashworth and Renoma
polo tee shirts and 50% on office wear by Daniel Hechter, Orlando,
Charles Monsieur and many more.
Customers can get a free RM10 gift vouchers with purchases of
every RM150 from the participating brands.
Ladies can also enjoy beauty therapy on skin and scent products from
international brands such as Estee Lauder, Lancome, Dior, Clarins,
Clinique, Channel and lots more in store.
Throughout the sale, customers will receive free RM10 cash vouch-
ers for every purchase of RM100 from the cosmetics and fragrances
department.
There is a galore of great buys with discount up to 70% from the
shoes/handbags section as well as fashion wear such as the UK-based
Laura Ashley collections.
There is also an exclusive weekend Cosmetics and Fragrance promo-
tion at Metrojaya store in Plaza Bukit Bintang! Customers will be re-
warded with RM30 cash vouchers with every purchase of RM200 nett
from Cosmetics and Fragrances department.
With the school holiday starting from
today, there is a Metrojaya Toy Fairs at East
Atrium, Mid Valley Megamall and Centre
Court , The Curve. For more details visit the
Metrojaya website (www.metrojaya.com.my)
or call 1800 888 865. Grand prize winner Chee (left) and Panasonic (M) Sdn Bhd managing director Jeff Lee trying out the
3D glasses. Chee received a Panasonic 50-inch 3D HDTV, a 3D BluRay DVD player and a 3D Combo
Kit as part of the grand prize from TGV Cinemas.
 Features 17 March 11 — 13, 2011

W
hen conducting FIDE
(World Chess Federation)
seminars for coaches as
the junior lecturer assisting some Tactics, tactics Get smart!
Play chess!

and more tactics

world famous world champion
grandmaster trainer, I am often as-
signed the easier but certainly no
less important topics.
And when teaching what one
of my students termed as “our
daily chess hygiene”, I always refer
to the following extract taken
from the writings of Grandmaster
Yuri Averbakh:
During the course of a game a
player repeatedly has to find answers
to two questions – what to do, and
how to do it. The answer to the first
question is given by chess strategy, and
to the second by tactics.
It is well known that, in warfare,
strategy is assigned the leading role,
and tactics a subordinate one.
But on the chess board everything
is different.
Although here too tactics are
largely subordinate to strategy, their
role is extremely important. After
all, on the chess board, except when
a pawn is promoted, there are no
reserves, and this means there can be
no addition to the existing forces,
which themselves are very limited.
Therefore it is not surprising that
even one tactical mistake, oversight
or blunder may lead to defeat.
On the contrary, a successful tacti-
cal operation may immediately decide
the outcome of a game.
Remember that, however success-
ful your strategical plan, a tactical
mistake can completely ruin it.
Not without reason is it said that,
to win a game, forty moves or more
may be required, but to lose it is suf-
ficient to make one bad one!
As master of the past Richard
Teichmann once aptly put it: “Chess
is 90% tactics!”
Every player, from beginner to
World Champion, has experienced
this at first hand himself.
Chess hygiene
With the national chess calen-
dar kicking off with the National
Age Groups Championship to be
immediately followed by the Na-
By Peter Long
peterlong@aol.asia
tional Closed Championships
during the school term break start-
ing tomorrow, I think it is appro-
priate to offer a series of exercises
to help our aspiring national
champions warm up.
These examples are taken from
World Championship Matches
played by the first official World
Champion William Steinitz. Do try
and solve them before looking at the
answers given.

Steinitz-Chigorin (8) World Championship Match 1889 Chigorin-Steinitz (15) World Championship Match 1889 Steinitz-Gunsberg (7) World Championship Match 1890

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18
Gallery
March 11 — 13, 2011

A contestant focusing hard on decorating her

cake during a baking competition held on the
Donor Gan Liam Chor strikes a gong to launch a dinner to commemorate the International Women’s Day celebrations in sidelines of Pakatan Rakyat’s launch of the
Jenjarom on Tuesday. Looking on (from left) is executive councillor Teresa Kok, Jenjarom village chief Tan Ching Han, Buku Jingga in Shah Alam on Saturday.
Datin Paduka Dr Tan Yee Kew, Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng and Teluk Datok assemblyperson Phillip Tan.

Ladies checking out the literature on sale during the International Women’s Day Worldwide Holdings Bhd human resource and public relations division
celebrations held in the Selangor state government building in Shah Alam on Tuesday. manager Ami Nardin (standing) sharing his experience with blood donors Siti
Badriah (left) and Shahriza during the company’s blood donation campaign
at their headquarters on Monday.

From left: State Exco Rodziah Ismail, Selagor Menteri Besar’s wife Puan Sri
Salbiah Tunut and Rawang assemblyperson Gan Pei Nei admiring some of
Children hard at work during a drawing contest held on the sidelines of Pakatan Rakyat’s the items sold during the International Women’s Day celebrations held in the
launch of the Buku Jingga in Shah Alam on Saturday. Selangor state government office in Shah Alam on Tuesday.

INTERVIEW
Of greed and power in the ring
D
ain Said is probably most widely
known to Malaysians for making a
film that we never got to see. In 2006,
he directed Dukun, a horror/courtroom-
drama flick loosely based on the grisly murder
of Datuk Mazlan Idris by celebrity bomoh
Mona Fandey.
Execs from Astro Shaw axed the movie’s
release after complaints by Mona Fandey’s
family and fears that it would be “too contro-
versial”.
Hopefully, the filmmaker’s sophomore
feature effort, Bunohan (previously known as
Bunga Lalang), won’t suffer the same fate.
Set on the lawless Malaysia-Thailand bor-
der, featuring tomoi (Muay Thai), contract
killings via lawi ayam (a wicked traditional
weapon), and thick Kelantanese accents, the
film’s looking swell.
So are its prospects. Bunohan has already
been picked up by US-based Arclight Films
for sales abroad. At the launch of its trailer last
week, Astro Shaw’s Gayatri Su-lin Pillai re-
vealed that her company was on board for
regional distribution – to “tebus dosa”, as it
were.
I talked to Dain about what Bunohan,
which he also wrote, is about, why he loves the
topography of the East Coast, and where he
thinks Malaysian film is going today.
What’s Bunohan about?
The film is about three brothers – Ilham
(Faizal Hussein), an assassin; Bakar (Pekin
Ibrahim), a schoolteacher and businessman
from out of town; and Adil (Zahiril Adzim),
musical
KL Performing Arts Centre;
March 10-20;
RM35; 03-4047 9000; www.klpac.com
The Last Five Years
Tony Award-winning composer Jason
Robert Brown’s work incorporates a
contemporary, pop-rock sensibility. The
Last Five Years, which Brown staged
in 2001 to critical acclaim, was based
on his own failed marriage. It chronicles
the history of a relationship from the
perspectives of its two participants,
with a nifty chronological twist: you
see Jamie’s story from the first day
the couple meet; Cathy’s side is told
from their break-up, and proceeds
backwards. “Funny and uplifting, the
show captures some of the most
heartbreaking and universally felt
moments of modern romance.”
The Kuala Lumpur iteration of The
Last Five Years features Tabitha Kong
and Jon Chew, with musical direction
by Stephen Tok. Directed by KLPac’s
resident director Christopher Ling.
theatre
Pentas Project;
The Annexe Gallery, Central Market;
March 17-19;
free admission; www.kakiseni.com
A Modern Woman Called
Ang Tau Mui
Yes, there are two separate productions of A Modern
Woman Called Ang Tau Mui – itself one of Malaysia’s
most often-restaged plays – this month. Unlike Five
Art Centre’s offering, experimental theatre group
Pentas Project focuses on a single aspect of Leow’s
a kickboxer – and the relationships between
them. They are a pretty dysfunctional family:
Ilham doesn’t know Adil is his brother, and is
sent to kill him.
It deals with the idea that if you make a
mistake – their father taking on a second wife,
for example – your mistake will affect every-
one. The past comes back to haunt you.
It’s also about greed and the lust for power:
in the boxing ring, in Bakar’s engineering
events to gain control of the family property.
And, with all the pain and regret in the
land, it’s about healing.
Bunohan seems to have a brooding, dark
text, namely her character’s love of cinema, and her
propensity for embarking on flights of fancy.
“She runs away from reality whenever she can and
acts and imagines herself as someone else, hoping
reality will be what her dreams are.”
Directed by Loh Kok Man, featuring Pearlly Chua, with
a video otherworld created by Au Sow Yee. Part of
Kakiseni’s Women:100 festival. Free admission through
online booking only.
culture 19
march 11 — 13, 2011
❚ COMPILED BY ZEDECK SIEW
Between the urban and rural; the old and the
new; the oral histories and contemporary life.
Who are you planning to reach with the
film?
The Malaysian mass audience. When I was
working on it, I just wrote without thinking
about a target audience. And it is getting an
international release.
But I do want to aim for local success. It’s
important that a film does well in its home
ground – particularly a film like Bunohan,
because it is so grounded in its context.
What are your thoughts on the direction
Malaysian film is taking? Are we doing
well?
Malaysian film is one of the fastest-growing
movie industries in the world right now. We’re
in a great place. There’s so much diversity.
atmosphere – East Coast Gothic, in a way. You’ve got the independent filmmakers
You shot in Kelantan and Terengganu; did who are contributing to the growth of the
the locations themselves lend that air to Malaysian film scene.
your film? You have the very commercial films, and
sometimes these are copies of Hollywood –
It is dark and gritty, and I think its setting but that’s okay. And between those two ends
externalises the emotions. of the spectrum you have a lot of people doing
Visually, we set Bunohan in the mangroves, different things.
the swamps, the lagoons of the East Coast –
places that communicate the idea of things Bunohan, produced by Apparat, is directed by
shifting. In those places, some of the islets that Dain Said and stars Faizal Hussein, Zahiril
today exist may have disappeared by next year. Adzim, Pekin Ibrahim, Bront Palarae, Nam-
That sort of confluence became a metaphor ron, Amerul Affendi, Tengku Azura, and more.
for the one of the biggest themes of the It is slated for a wide Malaysian release by the
movie: the clash of different value systems. end of 2011. Watch the trailer online.
Editor’s
Pick
The Celebrities Club, Solaris Mont Kiara;
weekends, March 11-April 2;
free admission;
www.kakiseni.com
Muzik ku, muzik mu
With its absence
often bemoaned
in the scene for
the past year,
online arts journal
Kakiseni has
returned – albeit
under different
management, with
a reduced focus
on content but
renewed resolve
to help get people
to experience
art. It kicks off its
resurrection with
the Women:100
festival, held
in conjunction
with the 100th
anniversary of
International
Women’s Day and
touting “100 hours
of performing arts”.
One of the fest’s
main events is
Muzik Ku: Muzik
Mu, a month-long
music platform
with an all-women
line-up. This weekend, watch people like pop stars Mizz Nina and
Nikki Palaikat; singer-songwriter Diandra Arjunaidi; bands Fluffy and
Star Sally; as well as drag-queen extraordinaire Shelah!!!. Catch
artistes like Elvira Arul, Liyana Fizi, Izlyn Ramli, and Melina William on
other nights, too. Free admission through online booking only.
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.