Beauty of Illegal hostels CNY road

fighting irk Sunway safety

fish campaign
18 residents 9
p p 7 p

community January 28 — 30, 2011/ issue 10

National heritage status?

By Gan Pei Ling

SUNGAI BULOH: The long

awaited promise to preserve the
leprosy settlement here looks close
to being fulfilled but its residents
are sceptical about their future.
A spokesperson from the Na-
tional Heritage Department con-
firmed that the government was in
the midst of gazetting the 81-year-
old leprosarium. Once the world’s
second largest, the settlement is
likely to be recognised as a national
heritage this year.
“We are still checking with the
Health Ministry and Gombak Land
Office to make sure there are no
developments planned in the area
we want to gazette,” he said in a
phone interview with Selangor
Times on Wednesday.
However, residents who are still
in the dark said they will not cele-
brate until the authorities disclose
how much of the settlement will be
preserved.
“There shouldn’t be anymore
development, we want the remain-
ing 78 hectares to be preserved en-
tirely. Otherwise, residents might be
required to move again,” said Lee
Chor Seng, who has lived in the
settlement since 1958. He is also a
settlement council member. Residents of the settlement in Sg Buloh are hopeful their home will be recognised as a national heritage soon. – Picture by Victor Chong
Lee said the best Chinese New
Year gift to the residents would be Over the past two decades, the settlement is the only home she The National Heritage Depart- an inventory list of the important
for the entire 78ha were to be gazet- original 230ha leprosy settlement knows. She has lived there since ment officer said they do intend to structures to be conserved.
ted. has been subdivided to build the 1936. conserve as much of the remaining The officer added that once they
Health Minister Datuk Seri Sungai Buloh Hospital and medical Still housing 230 leprosy survi- area as possible. have settled land issues with the
Liow Tiong Lai had verbally prom- faculty of Universiti Teknologi vors like Lee, the settlement is now “The leprosarium has historical Health Ministry, it would take
ised the residents that the settlement Mara (UiTM). a living testament to humanity’s significance, especially to our medi- around four to six months to offi-
would be gazetted as a national The oldest resident, Lee Saw triumph over the once incurable and cal history,” he said, adding that his cially gazette the site barring any
heritage last Chinese New Year. Cheng, 89, pointed out that the fearful disease. department is currently compiling • Turn to page 2
2
newsJanuary 28 — 30, 2011

Selangor WEATHER
Friday Saturday Sunday Residents hopeful
Morning • From page One hall, bank, houses of
public objections. worshi, social club,
A world-renowned centre for lep- prison, and even its own
rosy treatment and research, the Sungai currency for a time.
Afternoon Buloh leprosarium housed over 2,400 Heritage activist Teoh
patients of various ethnicities and na- Chee Keong said the
tionalities at its peak in the 1940s. settlement used to be a
Its size was only second to the leper potential world heritage
Night colony at Culion Island in the Philip- site.
pines. “Unfortunately, they
It was also one of the first leprosaria demolished some of the
Source: Malaysian meteorological department to be modeled after a “garden city” original structures in
concept rather than a prison. The more 2007 so it would be
humane approach was later emulated by difficult to apply for
for
Calling vic
a littl
Red bo
ok
p 14
JURy ane
d
other countries. world heritage status
more ci
ing oU
FigURtR
elec
icity
bills p 12–1
t

3
spaces p 11
Its residents and heritage activists now.
liver y to
— 23, 2011
/ issue
9

have been lobbying the federal “But the site should

Free de
21
January

government to gazette it as a national definitely be recognised

JMB.
RA and heritage for years.
community

as a national heritage for

t:
Contac There was a public outcry in 2007 its contribution to our
r @
edito s. when some structures were demolished c o u n t r y ’s m e d i c a l
n g ortime
sela to make way for UiTM’s medical history,” said the USCI
call:
c om or 2288 faculty. University lecturer.
sion 03-5523
edly
ish alleg
of rubb

eign inva
The Sungai Buloh Settlement The once isolated
mountain
to the
ague point
a colle
t) and
Kam (righ
Chin Chan

For
n
chairperso
ciation
rs Asso Tang Hui Koon
and Trade – Picture by

Council president Tan Him also hoped

Hawkers t traders.

settlement is now
Selayangby immigran
g at the
caused are workin d
here
market turn a y guards e reportestall
Securit rnight havgo
Yap rs at the come back
By Alvin authorities sus- rs could from the
igrant trade illegal trade t ove
marke some people
ng: Imm ess while There are even
selaya ers of busin .
complaintsextorting prote
ction the next
day.
suspects
that the ney from
local hawk
robbing despite numerous Lim alsors are somehow g seeing
be- ing mo
t be
ll collect.”

all of the remaining 78ha would be nicknamed the Valley of

rs migh
blind eyethat some office illegal tradeected” from havinas to sta
l traders. ables at traders
picions the illegawho sells veget illegal ing “prot and goods seized g illegal on. ng
money from Kam, the their stalls been seen givinle. n Commissi te more fundi l
Chin Chan market said mar, are Corruptio
Utama wetly from Myan they haveunidentified peop at g Anti plans to
alloca
stop the
illega
ang
the Selay who are most turn.
y to
mone rity guards work
ing
reported
seein MPS had cement unit to ight but Lim
traders, ing them at everyst them, they and
don’t “Secu ight haveto stall collecting to the enfor operating overn rs’ safety.
et overn from office ion to the
under-cutt compete againicity and water can the mark le go from stall rs,” he said. ed traders concern for the

preserved a historical heritage. Hope and is a haven for

solut
“We can’tead from electr at RM2, they some peop the illegal trade -lipp ssed permanent a joint
n of s are tight pos- expre said a more ed and suggested City Hall
incur overhsell our vegetables is chairperso ia- money from rs themselve discount the He
was need Kuala Lumpur igration
rental. We ,” said Chin, who Traders Assoc The trade Lim does not problem een
ption operation betw the Imm
sell at RM1 ers and se the shop about it, but ption. t be corru police and
ang Hawk ess has trucks becau mers who sibility of corruthat there migh rs. I’ve raised (DBK L), the along
the Selay busin ce from custo jams
e vegetableechoes Chin, unload produ blocked, while to his stall opt “We thinkd among our office toring is rtment. ve traffic into the
tion. Cha, whos rs, are way of moni ings,” he Depa es causing massi leads
l hawk-

He said that it is vital to conserve the

Pek San the illegal trade g a raw deal. a, which

gardeners with its abun-

pavements to make their rs instead. on the groun some form meet Besid
ang Utam village, the illega l rub-
by
been hit hawkers were
gettin hours” hard l trade (MP S) the issue that MPS full board Jalan Selay
te “after (MPS) find it from the illega l Councillor ese illega
new Chin for starting an jurisdiction
saying local l hawkers opera to buy ang Municipa was well needed to the rs will come Selayang
l Council the MPS ed
local trade rs are taking ers are also blam falls under
the
The illegaang Municipa to be off duty. Selay How said that L).
r to g the said.“I hope that the proof if
office which Hall (DBK
when Selaynt officers appearoom from 8pm te Lim Chinthe problem. to us by bish dump ur City
brought seri- and give nt any evi- of Kuala Lump
enforceme150 stalls mushThese stalls opera and aware of issue has been . The council is forward added. to prese
Up to day. s,” he ysian
following 12pm on Satur
days “This March 2008 Lim. have bribe he was ready and the Mala

settlement as few young Malaysians dant nurseries.

8am the s” till traders sinceng into it,” said ity did not Lim said MPS president
“extra hour oot ways looki cipal most, to the
along five-f conges- ously the muni l traders. At thebut the dence
Sundays. stalls are set up Lim said illega s
Their to the road, causin
g traffic local to arrest their stalls and good
to stalls
run by powers
on
and spill blocking access could seize
to MPS
tion and it difficult
traders. him find
traders like

today know about its history. Many of the nurseries

Pek said

Although it used to be shunned by were once owned by Lee Chor Seng

JPJ to focus on killer outside world, the Sungai Buloh leper
colony has always been a self-sustaining
h e a l e d l ep er s , w h o
cultivated the flowers and plants by been taken over by outsiders in recent
stretches in Selangor community.
It had its own school, community
themselves to earn a livelihood. years as the original owners retired or
However, some of the nurseries have passed away.

By Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin

SHAH ALAM: Three “killer stretches” in Selangor will be

History of leprosy
patrolled by the Road Transport Department ( JPJ) in a bid to Leprosy is one of the oldest recorded diseases in human
reduce fatalities this Chinese New Year. history. References to it can be found in Egyptian papyri,
The stretches which will be closely monitored are KM54 Hindu Vedas and the Hebrew Bible.
Jalan Klang-Sabak Bernam (near Kg Belimbing), KM394 Before a cure was discovered, leprosy patients were
North South Expressway near the Selangor-Perak border and generally feared, stigmatised and isolated by society due to
KM1.6 and 2.6 of the Elite Highway near the Ebor toll plaza. the misunderstandings surrounding the infectious disease.
Selangor JPJ director Yusoff Ayob said 24 hour patrolling Leprosy does not always directly cause deformities.
would be carried out on these roads during the festive period, Rather, it attacks the nervous system of the patient’s face
He added that plainclothed JPJ officers on express buses will and limbs. Due to the loss of sensation, patients can injure
monitor and catch errant express bus drivers besides conducting themselves without realising it.
inspections of buses at depots and terminals. In other instances, leprosy may cause small tumours in
the patients’ bodies.
It was not until 1873 that scientist Dr Gerhard Hansen
To place your Advert in discovered the bacteria (Mycobacterium leprea) that caused
leprosy. Since then, it was also known as the Hansen’s
disease.
Although contagious, the bacteria is difficult to transmit
and only prolonged contact with untreated patients would
result in infection.
In the 1940s, a cure – Dapsone – was invented but pa-
tients had to undergo treatment for 20 years or more to
avoid any relapse.
The most effective treatment for leprosy – a multi-drug
therapy (Dapsone, Rifampicin and Clofazimine) – was
discovered in the 1980s.
From then on, leprosy has been eradicated from most
countries globally and patients are no longer admitted to
the Sungai Buloh leprosarium.
The remaining 230 survivors at the settlement, aged
from 60 to 89, are the last batch of patients admitted.

Selangor against online controls

Contact Timothy Loh at 019-267 4488 SHAH ALAM: Selangor has joined
or Ivan Looi at 014-936 6698 the chorus of protests against any move
by Putrajaya to censor online media.
“It is a highly regressive move with
the sole purpose of denying Malaysians
their basic right to information,” said
Elizabeth Wong in a statement to the
press yesterday.
The state executive councillor point-
ed out that it was another attempt by
phone (603) 5523 2288 the Federal Government to renege on
fax (603) 5523 1188
email editor@selangortimes.com
the MSC Malaysian 10 Point Bill of
Guarantees, which stipulates in no un-
certain terms that there will be no
censorship of the Internet.
Home Ministry secretary-general
Datuk Seri Mahmood Adam caused a
stir on Wednesday when he said that the
Printing Presses and Publications Act
(PPPA) will have its scope widened to
include online media content.
Wong said previous attempts by the
Information, communication and cul-
ture ministry to introduce an internet
filter a year ago was greeted with anger
but this has not discouraged the new
plan.
She added that the move to amend
the PPPA was an attempt to silence
critics.
She said the Internet allowed Malay-
sian space to openly discuss important
issues.

EDITORIAL New conditions imposed on developer

CHIEF EDITOR KL Chan
SUBANG JAYA: A developer has been asked to contribute He explained that traffic congestion was a longstanding
COMMUNITY EDITOR Neville Spykerman
to alleviating the traffic congestion at Jalan Kewajipan here problem in the area and the developer must comply with what
WRITERS Tang Hui Koon, Chong Loo Wah, Rahmah Ghazali,
Gan Pei Ling, Basil Foo, Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin
before authorities approve another new  development. he described as a “win-win” solution.
COPY EDITORS James Ang, Deborah Loh
Revenue Concept has submitted a proposal to the Subang The developer is expected to contribute funds to widen
Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) to build service apartments the road from three-lanes to five besides upgrading and syn-
DESIGNER Jimmy C. S. Lim
and shoplots at a 1.6 hectare site next to the Summit shopping chronise the traffic lights along the stretch. The developer
PHOTOGRAPHER Victor Chong
centre. will also be required to build a pedestrian bridge to the
ADVERTISING Timothy Loh, Ivan Looi
MPSJ president Datuk Adnan Md Ikhsan said the coun- neighbouring Light Rail Transit station.
ADVISORS Faekah Husin, Arfa’eza Abdul Aziz cil had approved the project in principle but the developer  Adnan said the developer had yet to respond to their re-
must agree to conditions. quest.
SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ January 28 – 30, 2011 ⁄ 3
4
news
January 28 —30, 2011

Events
Tun Mahathir The Musical
Played by an outstanding local cast, this musical
depicts the life of Malaysia’s longest standing Prime
Minister Tun Mahathir. The musical will shed light on
Tun’s childhood days, his friends and family, his life
journey as a doctor, his successes and dilemmas
during his tenure as the premier and much more. The
show started on Jan 21 will end on Sunday at 8pm.
Admission is from RM32 to RM302. Venue: Istana
Budaya, Jalan Tun Razak, KL

Lion dance in Mines

Catch the Lion Dance performance at the Mines
Shopping Fair at the stage area at Level 3 (in front
of Best Denki). An acrobatic show featuring young
professional acrobats from China will also be staged till
Feb 1 at the mall. Shoppers can also expect to see the
God of Prosperity, who will be giving out goodies. For
details, call 03-8949 6333.

Pay Less Books’ Warehouse Sale The group protesting at the fishing village in Sungai Lima.

Fishermen protest
Feel like browsing through or even buying cheap
books? This warehouse sale is definitely for you. It will
be held from today till Sunday at 10am to 7pm. Venue:
Ground Floor, Dataran Millennium Square, Jalan SS
14/1, Petaling Jaya.

National Classics
Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra will be featuring
Kees Bakels as conductor and Jean-Guihen Queyras
on cello. Writing of the Canadian-born French cellist’s
Proms debut, the Daily Telegraph observed; “Hearing
Jean-Guihen Queyras is always a treat”. There is
even more of treat in store at this concert, for he is
performing one of the greatest of all cello concertos,
full of Dvowák’s nostalgic thoughts for his homeland.
The concert will begin tomorrow at 8.30 pm and end
on Sunday at 3pm. Admission for tomorrow’s show
is RM 95, RM 75, RM 55, RM 25 and on Sunday it
is RM85, RM 65, RM 40, RM 20. Venue: Dewan
Filharmonik PETRONAS, Level 2, Tower 2, PETRONAS
Twin Towers.
By Tang Hui Koon
SUNGAI LIMA: More than 100
fishermen staged a protest here against
the Fisheries and Marine Departments
for curtailing the hiring of foreign work-
ers on their vessels.
The group, led by Kapar MCA chair-
man Datuk Song Kee Chai, gathered at
the fishing village on Sungai Lima, an
island next to Pulau Ketam, to urge
authorities to ease the restrictions.
Song said the fishermen had little
choice but to hire foreign labour because
of the labour intensive work which few
locals were willing to do.
He said they had been hit hard by
strict enforcement of the ruling against
foreign labour, with about 10 fishermen
arrested recently for hiring illegal im-
migrants, besides being fined between
RM3,000 and RM10,000.
This has deterred them from going to
sea for the past week, Song added.
It has also caused a shortage in the
supply of downstream products such as
dried prawns and belacan, and was tak-
ing a toll on the fishing industry, Song
said.
A memorandum has been sent to the
Government calling for a solution. One
proposal is that each fishing boat be al-
lowed to hire two foreign workers.

Kuala Lumpur Scooter Night 2011

This inaugural event is planned to gather all scooter
Councillors slam Comply with
owners in Klang Valley to get to know each other. It
is a fun and meaningful event as you are going to
experienced the brotherhood of riding on two wheels
and showcasing your machine. There will be live
Alam Flora rules, EC told
band playing to accompany this event. The event is
on Sunday at 7pm. Admission is RM 35. Venue: Hotel By Alvin Yap pany to account for every SHAH ALAM: Datuk Teng Chang Khim
Wentworth KL, Jalan Yew. house, every drain and every has reminded the Election Commission (EC)
petaling jaya: Petaling rubbish bin they carried out to fix a date for the Port Klang by-election
Hainan gathering Jaya City Council (MBPJ) their work on. without further delay.
councillors are unhappy with Alam Flora has been asked to “The EC should not be seen to be in collu-
The Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan Hainan Alam Flora Sdn Bhd’s inability provide an “inventory list” of sion with any political party or any individual
Association will usher in the Year of the Rabbit with
thousands of red lanterns hanging over the Thean to account for the work they the services they have provided to delay or avoid the due process of election or
Hou Temple as well as the following events: Winners have done in keeping Petaling to MBPJ, which they did in it would be abdicating its constitutional duty,”
of the 2009 World Magic Championship will entertain Jaya clean of rubbish. November 2010. said the Selangor State Assembly Speaker.
the audience with performances such as “silk hanging At a full-board meeting on The list, however, did not In a statement to the press, Teng noted that
teen beauties in the air”, “double power”, “soft bone Wednesday, councillors wanted state the complete amount of the EC had fixed Jan 27 to discuss the by-
skill” and “umbrella changing”. There will also be the solid-waste management work done and was not up-to- election of Merlimau state constituency in
other activities such as a lion dance and a calligraphy
contest. The event will be on Feb 2 at 11.30pm and
company’s annual contract to be date, Mak said. Malacca with no mention about Port Klang.
Feb 3–6 at 11am, 3pm and 8pm. Admission is free. terminated because Alam Flora At the meeting, Mayor Ro- “I am puzzled why the EC does not want to
Venue: Thean Hou Temple, Jalan Syed Putra. was not covering all the areas it slan Sakiman decided to give fix the same date to discuss the by-election for
is supposed to, according to Alam Flora another week to the Port Klang state constituency,” he said.
Francissca Peter treat councillor Mak Khuin Weng. submit a new inventory list. The seat was declared vacant on Jan 19 after
“Since November, we’ve Mak, however, disagreed its former assemblyperson Badrul Hisham
With 20 No 1 hit songs and voted five years running as been sending notices to Alam Abdullah was allegedly absent for six months.
“Best Female Vocal”; this concert coincides with the
with this move, saying the
release of Fran’s latest compilation album “Keunggulan Flora asking them to explain council should terminate the Teng pointed out the declaration was made
Francissca Peter”. This concert will feature special why they aren’t collecting all the company’s contract. by virtue of the Selangor Constitution and the
appearances by Royston Sta Maria and Imran Ajmain. rubbish from houses and from Mak said he had raised EC was notified on Jan 21.
The concert will be held on Feb 5 and 6 at 8.30pm. public areas,” Mak told Selangor grouses from rate-payers who Teng reminded the EC that the state con-
Admission is from RM 99 to RM 299. Venue: Istana Times. have questioned MBPJ’s award- stitution also provides that “a casual vacancy
Budaya, Jalan Tun Razak. He said the company, which ing of a costly contract to a shall be filled within 60 days from the date on
Charity lunch has a RM60 million contract company that was not perform- which it occurs.”
from MBPJ to carry out waste ing. The issue was first brought He said any delay would raise the public’s
The Very Strong Old People’s Club of Rumah Charis is disposal, has not lived up to the to him in September 2010, he suspicions over the independence and neutral-
organising a Chinese New Year Charity Luncheon on terms in the contract. The con- said. “It’s a headache for MBPJ ity of the EC .
Feb 7 at 11.30am at Golden Dragon City in Paramount tract had ballooned from RM45 and we should be rid of it,” said Teng added that Badrul’s law suit against
Garden. Tickets are for sale at RM50 per person. Call million the year before. Mak, adding that MBPJ should the decision was just an attempt to delay the
Kong at 03-7873 0486 or 016-378 9920.
MBPJ, Mak said, wanted to find other contractors to con- by-election.
know how the money was spent, duct solid waste removal and
adding that he wanted the com- disposal for Petaling Jaya.
SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ January 28 – 30, 2011 ⁄ 5
6
news
January 28 — 30, 2011
Subsidy cut not needed,
says economist
By Rahmah Ghazali
SHAH ALAM: An economist from
the Malaysia Institute of Economic
Research (MIER) has argued against
removing subsidies because there is no
concrete evidence to show that doing
so would distort the economy.
MIER executive director Dr Za-
kariah Abdul Rashid said he disagreed
with the World Bank’s view that
maintaining subsidies would distort
the equilibrium of supply and de-
mand.
“This is not the reality we are fac-
ing now,” he said at a luncheon organ-
ised by the State Economic Advisor’s
Office on Tuesday.
  “ It is uncertain that removing
subsidies would distort the economy.
By removing subsidies, it also doesn’t
necessarily mean we will increase or
improve our social welfare,” he said.
Any removal should not be done
in one go, he added.
  “ We need to have subsidy ratio-
nalisation to reduce the govenrn-
ment’s financial burden,” he said.
  Zakariah, however, stressed that
the government should not consider
giving subsidies as a burden as it was
MIER executive director Dr Zakariah its responsibility to improve social
Abdul Rashid. welfare.
LEE LANDSCAPE SDN BHD
LEE LANDSCAPE SDN BHD (Company No. 433709-X)
46-1, Jalan 8/62A, Bandar Menjalara,
Kepong, 52200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-62731913 (Hunting line) Fax: 03-62750496
E-mail : leescape@yahoo.com
Contact person : Ms Brenda Lai
He further said that subsidies
should be reallocated and used to
improve consumer welfare and living
standards. Rationalisation of subsidies
would also increase market efficiency.
  Meanwhile, state economic ad-
viser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who
was also at the luncheon, said that
subsidies only benefited the rich who
could afford to pay more.
  “ They would not care about the
people, especially those who earn less
than RM1,500 per month. At the end
of the day, the poor barely survive after
spending so much money on daily
necessities,” Anwar said.
  Anwar said the nation was strug-
gling financially after recording a 53.1
per cent deficit in the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP).
  “And this was not even caused by
subsidies to the people. This deficit
trend has been going on for 12 years
and this is certainly not a positive
sign,” he said.
  The Federal Government last year
increased the prices of petrol, diesel,
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and
sugar following a slash in subsidies,
while promising the subsidy adjust-
ment would have minimal impact on
the public.
Roadworks
to alleviate
congestion
By Basil Foo
PETALING JAYA: The Petaling Jaya City Council
(MBPJ) has agreed to widen sections of Jalan PJS 3/22
to alleviate traffic congestion in the area.
The decision was made following a dialogue between
city officials, residents and PJ Selatan MP Hee Loy Sian
on Wednesday night at the Sri Manja community hall.
“The road will be widened from a single lane to two
as soon as possible, depending on our budget,” said MBPJ
councillor Mahharul Ismail, who also attended the
meeting.
The longstanding problem affects 4000 residents in
housing estates around the area.
Heavy traffic has inconvenienced residents of the
apartments, terrace houses and shoplots along PJS 3/22
who have to contend with the noise and danger of
moving vehicles.
The discussions included the road exit from Kesas
highway to Petaling Jaya.
“As there is no main road, traffic has been passing
through housing and school areas,” said Mahharul.
The plan is to build a main road from the Kesas
highway directly onto the New Pantai Expressway which
is currently in the planning stages.
“Consultants have surveyed the area and depending
on the engineering department, it will take about six
months to a year for the plan to be carried out,” he said.
  He said a more efficient traffic light system was
needed and MBPJ will also look into implementing it.
Also present at the meeting were officers from MBPJ’s
engineering and planning department along with 100
residents.
 SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ January 28 – 30, 2010 ⁄ 7

news
Illegally renovated
hostels irk Sunway
residents
By Rahmah Ghazali

SUBANG: Being one of the biggest educa-

tion hubs in the country, Bandar Sunway
never shies away from criticism from the
residents over its poor accommodation to
cater to the increasing number of students.
This time around, the residents of PJS 9
could not contain their anger any longer
when some of their neighbours have “turned”
their homes into hostels.
Worse yet, some of the owners have reno-
vated their homes to 15 to 16-bedroom
hostels, a resident revealed during a town hall
meeting with Subang Jaya assemblyperson
Hannah Yeoh on Wednesday.
“What are the guidelines for these
houses to turn into hostels? Can they turn Abdul Jalil Ali
into more than 10 rooms? This is definitely tions that are being drafted by the local au-
not safe,” said Mohamad Noor Ahmad, thority are looking at bedrooms with a
deputy chairman of the resident’s associa- maximum of two persons each.
tion. “If a house has 10 bedrooms, that is al-
Another resident James Chang con- ready very wrong and MPSJ can come in and
curred, saying that the local authority should summon them for illegal renovations,” she
come out with a clearer guideline when it said.
comes to turning residential homes into Meanwhile, another resident expressed
hostels. his concern over the presence of African
“This would could cause fire hazards be- people who have started flocking to Bandar
cause there are too many bedrooms in one Sunway of late.
small house…but it is not like we do not “These people sometimes get drunk and
welcome these students,” he said. get into fights at a kopitiam nearby and
However, Subang Jaya Municipal Coun- disturb the safety of the public,” said Abdul
cil (MPSJ) councillor Edward Ling ex- Jalil Ali, 44.
plained that there are still no guidelines yet He said their action was usually encour-
to be enforced. aged by a nearby kopitiam which has its
“There is a draft but the general guidelines premises open beyond operating hours.
state that if it is a modern house of 1,000 sq “And it is sad to say that the kopitiam is
ft with three to four rooms, it should be for only a few steps away from a police beat,” he
about 10 people,” he said. said.
According to him, there have been two Bandar Sunway police station chief in-
cases reported previously, where summonses spector R Muniandy, who was also present
have been issued against them. at the meeting, told the residents that it is
“But we couldn’t take any further action MPSJ’s responsibility to check if the prem-
because the guidelines were not in place. As ises operate beyond business hours.
soon as the guidelines are passed, we will “As for the police, it is our responsibility
investigate them from an illegal renovation to take care of public safety. But we cannot
point of view,” he said. act if there are no complaints from the pub-
Yeoh also revealed that the recommenda- lic,” he said.

Know Your Councillor:

Dr Daroyah Alwi
By Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin
SHAH ALAM: Dividing her time
between her dental practice and helping
the community is no easy task for Dr
Daroyah Alwi.
But the three-term councillor with
the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA)
is taking the challenge in her stride.
The 49-year-old mother of four says
helping those in need is part and parcel
of being a councillor.
“I like it when I get to meet the com-
munity, get to know them and help
them whenever possible. When you
meet the people you will learn their
conditions, whether they are well off or
in need of help,”says Dr Daroyah.
A member of the Zone 5 Residents’
Representative Council (MPP), her
area of responsibility includes Sections
15, 16, and stretches to parts of Sungai
Rasa, Padang Jawa and Rimba Jawa.
Bringing relief to victims of natural
disasters is among the challenges she
faces.
Dr Daroyah says she often calls
MBSA’s Disaster Operations Centre
where she coordinates flood relief op-
erations.
She also visits other areas under her
charge with MBSA officers and elected
representatives to meet ratepayers and
attend to the concerns.
Dr Daroyah can be reached at her
service centre in Section 16 near Dewan
Jati in front of the PKNS flats.
Between her career, family and and
responsibility as a councillor, Dr Dar-
oyah says she has time for little else.
8
news
January 28 — 30, 2011
99 Speedmart donates
RM30,000 from campaign
By Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin
SUNGAI BULOH: Thanks to money
collected through the state’s “No Plastic Bag
Day” campaign, 99 Speedmart Sdn Bhd was
able to donate RM30,000 to the Global
Environment Centre (GEC) last Friday.
“I would like to congratulate all retailers
participating in the state’s ‘No Plastic Bag
Day’ campaign for making it a success,” said
state executive councillor Elizabeth Wong
at the event.
“We have managed to reduce at least four
million bags last year while increasing aware-
ness about environmental issues among
Selangor consumers. Today, thanks to 99
Speedmart and GEC, we see another ben-
efit to the campaign with the funds col-
lected being put to good use,” added Wong,
who is the exco in charge of the environ-
ment.
With over 200 outlets throughout the
Klang Valley, 99 Speedmart was a key par-
ticipant and supporter of the “No Plastic
Bag Day” campaign when it was first
launched at the beginning of 2010.
The state’s initiative aims to reduce the
use of single-use plastic bags in the state via
a voluntarily campaign. To date, over 80
retailers are participating in the campaign.
Every Saturday, these retailers encourage
their customers to bring their own recyclable
shopping bags by charging 20 sen for each
plastic bag given. Retailers then channel the
collection to their corporate social respon-
sibility programmes or to charities and
non-governmental organisations (NGO).
Quek Teng Hiong, general manager of
99 Speedmart Sdn Bhd, said that their par-
ticipation in the “No Plastic Bag Day”
campaign was their way to show the public
the importance of protecting the environ-
ment by reducing plastic bag usage.
GEC management Chee Tong Yiew
who represented the NGO at the cheque
presentation said, “We are very honored to
be the recipient of the funds and commend
99 Speedmart for supporting the ‘No Plastic
Bag Day’ campaign.”
“Not only has the campaign reduced the
number of plastic bags used, but it has also
benefited the protection of the environment
indirectly, for example, via this donation.”
added Chee.
Chee said the funds will be used by GEC
to support its environmental awareness ac-
tivities such as the ongoing river care pro-
gramme for schools, the facilitation of
River Rangers water monitoring and recy-
cling activities, as well as the community
mangrove rehabilitation and protection in Wong (centre) with the 99 Speedmart staff during the cheque presentation ceremony
Klang. last Friday.

MPS: Migrants
not our problem
By Rahmah Ghazali
SHAH ALAM: Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) has
disclaimed responsibility for immigrant traders who are
alleged to have forced local hawkers out of business at
Selayang Utama wet market.
Its public relations officer, Mohd Zin Massaod, told
Selangor Times the Immigration Department should in-
stead take full responsibility.
“It is not our responsibility to arrest the immigrants,
we don’t even have a depot to house them,” he said.
It was reported in Selangor Times last week that im-
migrant traders, who are mostly from Myanmar, were
under-cutting local hawkers.
The illegals were allegedly being “protected” from hav-
ing their stalls and goods seized as they have been seen
giving money to unidentified individuals.
Although it was also reported that the incident has
been going on since 2008, Mohd Zin said the local author-
ity had yet to receive any official complaint from the
public.
“If there is any complaint from the public involving the
immigrants, we will forward it to the Immigration Depart-
ment,” he said.
However, he said MPS was doing its part by monitor-
ing the area from time to time. But this attempt was made
difficult as the immigrant traders would run away every
time the local authority inspected the area.
“It would be hard for us to identify each of them. And
every time we seize their stalls and goods, there will be a
local bailing them out,” he said.
Mohd Zin said the MPS wanted the Selayang Hawkers
and Traders association to resolve the matter.
Campaign to curb CNY
road deaths
By Basil Foo
CHERAS: A statewide road safety cam-
paign has been launched to reduce the
number of road fatalities this Chinese New
Year.
“An 8.5% increase in fatal accidents was
recorded during Chinese New Year with
978 deaths in 2009, and 1061 deaths in
2010,” said Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid
Ibrahim.
He said 44 of the fatalities during the
festive period last year occurred in Selangor.
Klang recorded the highest number fol-
lowed by Hulu Selangor and Petaling Jaya.
Khalid said the campaign was aimed at
reminding road users to be courteous and
to keep their vehicles in good condition.
“Those with small children should buy
child safety seats. There are locally made
and used to cost more but are now only
Selangor to protect Quartz Ridge
By Gan Pei Ling
SHAH ALAM: Preparations to apply
for world heritage status for the Klang
Gates Quartz Ridge - potentially the
longest in the world - are expected to
take around two years.
A preliminary study is under way and
is expected to take 18 months before a
formal application is made by the state
to the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(Unesco).
RM300. Quality is not an issue as they
are SIRIM approved and have also been
exported to other countries,” he ex-
plained.
Selangor also recorded 189 deaths
in road accidents during Aidilfitri last
year, which was the highest, compared
to Johor, second with 158, and Perak
(120).
Several accident-prone areas have
recorded the highest number of deaths
every festive season: Kuala Selangor,
Sabak Bernam and Hulu Selangor.
“Road users should be more cau-
tious when travelling in those areas, but
during this festive season, any area can
 “We’re engaging academics, scientists
and other related experts to help us
with the research,” said executive
councillor for environment Elizabeth
Wong.
She said the application was expected
to take an additional six months.
The state executive council had ap-
proved the proposal to apply for world
heritage status for the Klang Gates
Quartz Ridge last November.
The unique geological site was previ-
ously under threat as the Kuala Lumpur
news
January 28 — 30, 2011 9
become accident-prone if caution is not
taken,” he said.
According to studies, motorcyclists
were the most accident-prone with
3,898 deaths, or 60% in 2008 out of a
total of 6527 fatalities.
“That is why it is very important for
every motorcyclist to wear a SIRIM
approved helmet,” he said.
They should also follow the speed
limit of 60kmph and not turn the
highway into a race track,” he added.
He later distributed road safety in-
structions to motorists and new hel-
mets and reflective jackets to motorcy-
clists at Plaza Toll Batu 11.
Outer Ring Road was expected to cut
through the ridge.
Fortunately, the state successfully
persuaded highway developer Ahmad
Zaki Resources to dig a tunnel around
the ridge to avoid damaging the site.
The quartz ridge, also known as Bukit
Tabur, is a popular hiking destination
located next to the Klang Gates Dam
and Gombak forest reserve.
The ridge is also home to five plant
species endemic to the area and moun-
tain goats commonly known as serow.
10
NewsJanuary 28 — 30, 2011

Yeoh calls
for end to
traffic woes
subang jaya: Subang Jaya
assemblywoman Hannah Yeoh has
appealed to the Public Works De-
partment ( JKR) to resolve worsen-
ing traffic congestion at Persiaran
Kewajipan and the Kesas inter-
change.
“We’ve proposed to JKR to
change the four-phase traffic lights
at the Kesas interchange to two-
phase traffic lights.
  “Motorists from Persiaran Ke-
wajipan will only be able to go
straight or turn left onto the Kesas
highway. They won’t be able to turn
right like now, but they can make a
U-turn on the highway before the
toll,” Yeoh said at her office on Tues-
day.
Yeoh said traffic was worst in the
evenings as motorists heading back
to Puchong, Kota Kemuning and
Klang all used Persiaran Kewajipan
to get to the Kesas interchange.
  She said cutting down the num-
ber of traffic lights would help re-
duce waiting time and ease traffic
flow. However, JKR has yet to re- Yeoh: Still waiting for JKR to act on proposal.
spond to or act on the proposal. road to Persiaran Kewajipan via a ened traffic woes as it directed more tions related to traffic congestion.
Yeoh said the proposal had al- bridge across the Federal Highway. traffic onto Persiaran Kewajipan.  “We’re worried that the traffic
ready been mooted when the toll- The link was supposed to reduce  Yeoh said many development condition will get worse when
free Subang-Kelana link was opened traffic congestion in Subang Jaya but proposals to the Subang Jaya construction work for the LRT
in August 2009. The Subang-Kelana the RM315 million project by the Municipal Council have been line begins as some roads are
link connects the Subang airport Federal Government had only wors- turned down because of objec- likely to be closed,” she added.

Drug abuse
in Jenjarom
an ‘old issue’
By Rahmah Ghazali

Speaker shah alam: Although the expose on

Teng a drug haven in Kampung Jenjarom, Banting
(right) has triggered shock among local commu-
with a nity, Kuala Langat OCPD Supt Nordin
State Manan dismissed it as an “old issue”.
Assembly
official.
“This is nonsense. We’ve had this sort of
problem all over the country but it is played
up in the media repeatedly for the past 10
years,” he told Selangor Times.
The Jan 14-16, 2011 edition of Selangor
Times reported the plight of the new village
where youths had fallen into drug abuse,
with some ending in suicide over the past
four years. Parents, too, are at a loss as to how
to stop the situation.
Nordin said the police had done their
part in tackling the matter, where last year
alone, 127 drug offenders from the village

Selangor plan foiled by BN

shah alam: The Selangor State Gov-
ernment’s plan to amend the State Consti-
tution so that it can pick its own top-
ranking officers like state secretary, financial
officer and legal adviser was foiled by Bar-
isan Nasional at the State Assembly on
Monday.
Although all of the ruling Pakatan
Rakyat assemblypersons had voted for the
amendment to Article 52 (1) of the State
Constitution, it could not make the neces-
sary changes as it could not obtain the
necessary two-thirds majority.
While 34 of the PR legislators voted for
the amendment, all 20 of BN’s lawmakers
voted against returning the power to ap-
point officers back to Selangor.
There are 56 assemblypersons in the as-
sembly.
Speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim did
not exercise his vote while Umno’s Port
Klang assemblyman Badrul Hisham Abdul-
lah was not allowed in the assembly hall as
his seat was declared vacant by Teng last
week.
“We are disappointed that BN rejected
the amendment,” said Menteri Besar Tan
Sri Khalid Ibrahim in a statement on Tues-
day.
“What is worse is that they failed to give
concrete reasons for turning down the
amendment. The rejection is proof that
their loyalty is to Putrajaya instead of having
the people’s interest at heart,” said Khalid.
The amendment was aimed at returning
the power of appointment back to the Pal-
ace and the Menteri Besar, instead of the
Public Services Commission (PSC).
The issue came into the limelight when
the PSC, without consulting Khalid, ap-
pointed Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi as
the new state secretary.
were arrested.
But this figure cannot be considered
high, he said, compared to the total number
of residents in the area.
In view of this, he stressed that Kampung
Jenjarom cannot be described as a “drug
haven” as reported.
“Kampung Jenjarom has 46,092 resi-
dents. If we capture about 100 drug offend-
ers in the area, this doesn’t necessarily make
it a drug town,” said Nordin.
According to him, the police had done
their best to ensure village safety but what
hampered their objective to clean up the
village was the repeat offenders.
“The only thing we can do is to monitor
the area. Besides, it is the National Anti-
Drug Agency’s responsibility to punish re-
peat offenders, not ours,” he said.
 SELANGOR TIMES ⁄ January 28 – 30, 2010 ⁄ 11

VIews

PMN 2011:
Road to Organic Skincare - Pure From Nature

Revolution? FACE & NECK CLAY

CLEANSER
Solidarity! Student Power! We want
our rights back!
There was plenty of slogan shouting at Youthology • A gentle 3 in 1 non-foaming cleanser
the Perhimpunan Mahasiswa Negara Lee Lian Kong that removes excess oil, make up,
(PMN) held on the Jan 11 at the Kuala non-wax eye make-up, pollutants and
Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. swanky five-star hotel nor sponsored by
Articulate or not, life-changing or not, greedy corporations seen by naïve youths cellular debris without stripping away
those calls were the resounding grunts of as kind organisations helping to make the
disapproval at the state of Malaysian youths world a better place. nature’s goodness.
today. PMN 2011 may not be the most It is resonant in the type of resolutions
exciting or the revolutionary spark that will passed. Unlike other student conferences
• White clay draws out toxins from your
resurrect the student movements of the where it is All Talk and No Action, PMN skin and flushes cellular waste while
Hishamuddin Rais wonder years. The 2011 was All Talk and Some Actionable
participants burned neither flags nor Resolutions. crushed organic Blueberry Seeds
books. But a fire burned bright that day. It Most notable of all was the resolution gently exfoliate your skin
was the fire of promise. passed to establish a Koperasi Mahasiswa
For far too long, we youths have been to regain financial and creative autonomy. • Anti-oxidant ingredients assist to
slapped around far too much. Shackled To free themselves of the financial depen-
under the Universities and dency of corporations and
scavenge free radicals
University Colleges Act
(AUKU) which bans stu-
Student Affairs depart- • Cleanser leaves your skin clean,
For far too ments, the profits gathered
dent involvement in politics. will be channelled towards non-oily, calmed and hydrated
Instructed to behave like long, we youths subsidising textbooks,
adults, i.e. unquestioning have been funding student events and
obedience to social confor- slapped around if possible, as dividend to
mity. Indoctrination after far too much. students. REHYDRATING &
indoctrination. Trained to be Shackled under Now the question that
robotic consumers slaving
the Universities from here? remains is, where do we go REJUVENATING MOISTURISER
away to the fat cats of capital-
ism. and University Surely, PMN 2011 can-
PMN 2011 showed that Colleges Act not be a one-off show. • Fast absorbing formula that leaves
we have had enough of all (AUKU) which Like bands, there has to your skin hydrated without a sticky
these. There is still hope for bans student be progress. The music has
youths of Malaysia. involvement to evolve. One cannot con- or oily after feel
Yes, the venue was cold tinue playing the same type
and the content was crush- in politics. of music lest we end up like • Helps to prevent premature ageing
ingly boring. The parliamen- Instructed to Coldplay. The mode of
tary-style forum revealed a behave like discourse must be refined. of the skin with anti-wrinkle and
lack of creativity in discourse. adults, i.e. PMN 2011 cannot con- anti-oxidant ingredients that
The hall was only half full unquestioning tinue holding full-day
and representations from the events in parliamentary promote new cell growth and repair
obedience
private universities were only style. It is far too inefficient of damaged cells
a pitiful handful. The debates to social and impractical.
may not have been engaging. conformity. Youths have to dare to • Improves skin texture, elasticity
In fact, compared to the Indoctrination push the boundaries more,
students of the French Revo- after to think bigger. The con- and firmness
lution or the anti-Vietnam indoctrination. tent of discourse cannot
War activist, Malaysian stu- just be limited to campus • Easy to apply make up over the
dents at PMN seemed meek Trained to politics. That would be
and afraid. be robotic wasting a great opportu- moisturiser
B u t P M N 2 0 1 1 ’s consumers nity. PMN 2011 set the
strengths lie not in the num- slaving away to stage; youths now have to
bers or how radical they the fat cats of
were.
capitalism.”
channel their rebellious
streaks to take on bigger, STOCKISTS AND
It lies in the type of stu-
DISTRIBUTORS WANTED
national issues such as re-
dents who attended. They pealing the AUKU, and
were not your Starbucks-swigging, iPhone- reforms in education, economics, and
crazed middle class brats who have the more.
privilege of migrating. Not the type who If there are great ideas, there must be
takes part in human rights activities just to implementation and action.
be seen as cool. If there is a willing army, there must be
Instead, those who attended were those a leader to bring them to victory.
from rural, working class families whose PMN 2011 is proof that there is a grow-
university education is their only ticket out ing potential and promise in Malaysian
of poverty. They represent the majority of youths. They have broken the deafening
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bringing drives their desire for a better them rise again to their grand name of 53-1 Jalan SS23/15, Taman SEA, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Malaysia. “mahasiswa”; radical, spirited and inspired. Tel.: 03 7805 5598 , Fax: 03 7805 7066
It is reflected in PMN’s venue of a mod- Email: taahira@live.com
est hall and plastic chairs. Unlike other Lee Lian is a law student who thinks AUKU Website: www.taahira.com
conferences, PMN 2011 was not held in a is the silliest piece of legislation ever created.
 Insight
A high-tension issue: Maybe it’s time for a simpler billing.

12 January 28 — 30, 2011

By Alvin Yap

Boys’
Yei was the only civilian without a military
background to be given the task of running a camp

T
he 65-year-old history of the Boys’ Brigade with 1,000-odd participants.
in Malaysia has its share of people who His BB captaincy saved the day when he

Brigade
recall their time as members in the oldest advised the NS curriculum planners on how to
uniformed organisation in the world. draw up programmes that would appeal to youths.
The Boys’ Brigade – or BB, as it is better known “The other commanders were ex-soldiers with

– is spoken of fondly by members who credit the
youth organisation for giving them a headstart in
honing their leadership and organisational skills.
They also remember the camaraderie and the
friendship with their fellow BB members as they
spent the time in camps or organising fund-raising
projects.
the rank of colonel. They were wondering why
some of their participants were not enthusiastic
about the NS programmes,” said Yei.
Yei said he explained to the other camp com-
manders that the participants were not recruits
looking to start a career in the armed forces.
“At the end of the day, I felt my BB training
gave me the idea to design a curriculum for the
NS participants,” said Yei.
History
By Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin
The Boys’ Brigade Malaysia has its
roots in Scotland. It was the first uni-
formed youth organisation in the
world.
Sir William Alexander Smith, an
officer of the 1st Lanarkshire Rifle
Volunteers volunteered at a Sunday
school in Glasgow where he took
charge of undisciplined boys.
Smith, who had no problems getting
a hundred grown men to obey his every
word of command on the battlefield,
was at a loss as how to manage the un-
ruly boys.
planned a programme for this new idea
with two friends, and the three leaders
surprised the boys of the North Wood-
side Mission Sabbath School by inviting
them to join a new organisation called
The Boys’ Brigade (BB).
In 1946 the BB arrived in Malaya
with the founding of the 1st Penang
Company by Robert Davis with Geh
Hun Kheng, an educationist, as the
Company Captain.
From Penang, in 1954, the BB began
to spread to other parts of Malaya be-
ginning with the 1st Kuala Lumpur
Company. The movement then began
spreading rapidly to other towns and

BB way to
He would turn the boys into a vol-
unteer band or brigade, with the same
military order, obedience, discipline
and self-respect as the military volun-
teers. He introduced military-type
small rural areas of Malaya.
The movement spread its wings to
East Malaysia in 1961 with the forma-
tion of the 1st Kuching Company in
Sarawak by Charles Henry Ingka.

produce
drills to instill discipline. In 2007, there are 101 BB companies
On Oct 4 1883, William Smith in Malaysia.

HERMEN SHASTRI
Being a pastor is about leadership and com- CHEONG SENG YOON

strong
munications, said Reverend Dr Hermen Shastri. A
teenager’s time in secondary school is the “forma-
tive” years, he said.
“It’s important to have activities that nurture
the physical and spiritual side of a person’s life,”
It was in 1974 that Cheong
Seng Yoon joined 1st Kuala
Lumpur Boys’ Brigade. He was
attracted to the brass-band, which
took part in Merdeka parades all

leaders
MICHAEL YEI
Michael Yei, 55, is director of student sffairs
and sports at Nilai University College. He said
the BB’s programmes gave him the space and
opportunity to lead his platoon in their weekly
Saturday meetings at Kuala Lumpur Wesley
Methodist church.
The fit-looking educationalist said he received
the best training anyone could get in the BB. “You
can go to the best schools. But you can’t get to
learn what the BB teaches you.”
The educationalist said he has never forgotten
the things he had learned in the BB.
When he assumed the leadership of 1st Kuala
Lumpur as the group’s captain, he endeavoured to
teach new members what he had learned as a boy.
Former Boys who were under his care have
called Yei to tell him how thankful they were for
the BB programmes.
“I received a call from a former Boy who’s a
sales manager now. He had just negotiated and
closed a million-ringgit deal.
“He said he got his interpersonal and delega-
tion skills from his time in the Boys’ Brigade,” said
Yei, adding the person had demonstrated good
leadership skills in the BB.
He said the space and opportunity for the stu-
dents to make mistakes while leading, organising
and delegating was provided for in organisations
such as the BB.
A fatal mistake, he said, would be to make the
same errors in a real-world environment, meaning
the workforce.
“It could mean the promotion that you’re gun-
ning for is gone,” said Yei.
In 2003, Yei read news reports of then premier
Tun Abdullah Badawi pleading for more Chinese
volunteers in the National Service (NS) camps.
Yei answered the call and volunteered to lead
a course in the NS camps. The surprise, he said,
was that he was picked as a camp commander in
Camp Bina-Diri in Kuala Kubu Baru.
said the theologian, who has served in Rome,
Germany and the United States.
As a pastor who has served in various towns,
Shastri said he always remembered the interaction
in the BB between members of different races.
There were no “racial boundaries”, recalled
Shastri. He said his time as a BB member in Sen-
tul was memorable, for the times spent laughing,
marching and holding drills and physical training
with friends from other races.
The BB, he said, served a “public function”.
The BB group he belonged to, the 2nd Company
in Sentul, worked closely with the then Sentul
municipality.
In the early 70s, he said, there were no people’s
volunteer groups like Rela. The BB volunteered to
provide traffic control duties in functions.
The Sentul municipality also called on the BB
to carry out gotong-royong work, he said. The then
Member of Parliament for Batu, Dr Tan Chee
Koon, he said, called on his group to help clean
the houses of the elderly.
Shastri, who established a theological training
for indigenous people in Kampar, said he first
encountered the “marginalised community” while
serving as a BB member in Sentul.
“We had members who came from poorer
families. We ran our own fund-raising events to get
money so that some of our members could obtain
the BB uniform and equipment,” recalled Shastri.
Shastri said he supports the formation of
uniformed organisations like the BB and Scouts.
Shastri said his work as a pastor involved
communicating with people the ideas of unity, of
working together for the common good.
The theologian is involved in initiatives to
foster better dialogues between different faiths.
Shastri said his BB training gave him the op-
portunity to hone his communication skills.
“In a way, I wouldn’t be involved with the work
I’m doing if I didn’t got the headstart in the BB,”
said Shastri, who still accepts BB speaking engage-
ments despite his busy schedule.
over Malaysia; it is the parade in
Merdeka Square he remembers
fondly.
“I was attracted to the brass
band as they marched past us at
Dataran Merdeka, and also to the
uniform the Boys wore,” said the
49-year-old entrepreneur, who is
married with two teenage girls
and a son.
Cheong runs a company that
makes and sources gift and souve-
nirs for corporate clients.
He said it was unthinkable
that he would be the businessman
that he is today, saying that he was
a shy and introverted teenager
when he joined the BB.
His officers, Cheong said,
would approach him and tell him
he had to assert himself in leading
his members.
Cheong said he was “thrown
in at the deep end” on many oc-
casions where he had to lead and
delegate responsibility. navigate their way out by dusk.
At a camp organised by the Royal Malay- “Here I was, afraid that the boys would
sian Army, the then 17-year-old Cheong was probably beat me up if we ended up spend-
selected to lead a group of teenagers who were ing the night in the jungle without camping
led into the middle of the jungle. equipment,” recalled Cheong.
“It was a map reading and compass read- Cheong said he would not have been able
ing expedition,” said Cheong. to lead the group if not for the opportunity
The group would soon find out if the map to develop his interpersonal skills in the BB.
and compass reading lessons the army train- “Imagine, when I first joined the BB, I was
ers had given them the day before would get a very reserved person who was quite bad at
them out of the wild and back into civilisa- leading people. Over the years, I grew and
tion, said Cheong. managed to develop myself,” said Cheong.
Apprehensive and elated to be chosen to Cheong wants to reach out to parents
lead the group, Cheong said he formulated and encourage them to send their children
a plan to follow a trail he had picked out. to the BB. He also said parents would have
He recalled delegating the other members to let their children experience life in the BB
in the group to scout the surrounding area. and the wonderful programmes that he says
The group was driven to the middle of is holistic and develops the teenager in his or
the thick jungle in the morning and told to her formative years.
14
views
JANUARY 28 — 30, 2011
Tiger Mothers?
That’s rich!
W
ahai Lord Bobo, bila saya nak kaya? (Oh
Lord Bobo, when will I be rich?) @
dinazaman, via Twitter
We are blessed to be Malaysians in today’s society, for
if one’s goal is to be rich, one need not be hardwork-
ing or smart. Sure, those attributes matter in a
competitive economy but in Malaysia, one can find
many creative ways to chase the almighty ringgit
(almighty as in, compared to the peso, not the dol-
lar).
One might argue that kickbacks from lucrative
government contracts from well-connected political
parties could be the way to go. Or so we hear.
Oil palm ventures or large-scale development
projects are an instant way to personal richness, if one
goes through the right channels and kicks out thousands
of indigenous peoples from their ancestral homelands.
After all, they will understand, one absolutely needs a third
luxury house in Canada to keep one’s stuff, or to throw a
second extravagant wedding for one’s daughter (or yourself ).
Or so we hear.
If one desires not only wealth but also some infamy, one
could always stand for election in a controversial seat, and wait
to be bought off. Voters will understand, after all,
you’re doing it for The People, and in order to help
The People, you gotta have some cashflow. Or so
we hear.
What, you say that you have “principles”, and
“ideals”? And that you would rather not sacrifice
these in the pursuit of wealth?
In that case, you’ll probably never be rich, unless
you change your mindset on what it means to be rich.
Look around you – do you have clean running water, a
house above your head, car, internet, clothing, food?
If so, this puts you in the upper bracket of Malaysian
society. To many indigenous or rural peoples waiting to be
displaced in the name of “development,” or to the badly-paid
and badly-treated migrant workers that we tend to exploit,
you are rich.
The fact is, wealth will never be evenly distributed in any
society which has rampant corruption. Income, and particu-
larly “side income” is definitely not based on merit or hard
work – it’s all about who you know. Of course, there are rare
instances of people who have worked their way to being rich,
but these are few and far between.
We are not trying to depress you, or shame you (actually,
maybe just a little bit), but the reality is that most middle-class
Malaysians tend not to realise what they already have, and are
always lacking for something in materialistic terms.
Once we realise that what we need to truly live are the very
basics that we already have, we can go further improving our
lives and society. We can look beyond chasing a higher income,
to chasing a more open democratic and caring society. This
means having the courage to not only stand up for your rights,
but for others, perhaps at the cost of losing your comfortable
position.
Perhaps if we had the courage to do so, individually and
collectively as a society, we would then be richer than our
wildest dreams.
And oh, maybe skipping a Starbucks latte now and then,
and putting that cash into your savings, property investments
or other financial thingamajigs could also help. Or so we hear.
Dear Lord Bobo, how would you like it if your mother
was like Amy Chua? Tiger Cub, via email
This is a tough question for Lord Bobo, who was famously
kidnapped in infancy and put through a gulag.
Amy Chua is the now-famous “Tiger Mother” who is the
subject of many forwarded emails lately. Chinese women seem
to think that she somehow justifies their claim to be the best
mothers in the world. What rubbish. That’s like saying that
because Lee Chong Wei is one of the best badminton players
in the world, all Malaysian Chinese men are good at badmin-
ton.
But hey, what’s not to like about Amy Chua? She’d be the
perfect Mom for the boy who cried wolf, Hansel and Gretel
who nibbled into an old lady’s house, Goldilocks who tres-
passed into a furry animal’s property and broke Baby Bear’s
chair and ahhh… not forgetting those boys and girls in Gossip
Girls (don’t you just wanna slap them?). These children obvi-
ously need more than just good old fashion spanking but
Ask Lord Bobo is a weekly column by
LoyarBurok (www.loyarburok.com)
where all your profound,
abstruse, erudite, hermetic, recondite,
sagacious, and other thesaurus-
described queries are answered!
tonnes of hardcore discipline.
Ah, but you see, homo sapiens are supposed to be
complex higher beings with extremely sophisticated
thought processes, and their behaviour still baffles even
the most genius of all genius scientists every day!
Each individual is supposed to be unique and
therefore a one-size-fits-all theory or method of any-
thing that relates to humans is laughable and the
thought that there is only one, guaranteed, right way of
raising children is ludicrous.
All children need to have some form of discipline; some
perhaps more than others but there is such a thing as child
abuse disguised as discipline. Not allowing your child to pee
on someone else is discipline. Not allowing your child to pee
in between piano lessons is child abuse.
It is hard to judge mothers (or anyone for that matter) un-
less you are put into their shoes. We all carry our own baggage
and tend to externalise our hopes, dreams, fears and disap-
pointments onto those we have close relationships with,
including our children. We can only summarise that
mothers like Amy Chua did the best they could with
what they had, and no child can ask for more.
If we have children or plan to have children, we
ought to remember what it was like growing up, and
be the parents we wished we had. We are sure that
our parents had the same hopes when they had us,
so fret not when we make the same mistakes as long
as we are conscious enough to not repeat them.
After all, a child needs more than food and oppor-
tunities, the child needs to feel loved, and be loved.
As for Amy Chua, for an American Ivy League
graduate and professor, unfortunately she doesn’t seem
too bright. She has oversimplified parenting and we all
know that it is by far one of the hardest jobs in the world!
If it works for one child, it doesn’t mean it will work for
all children. Just because she’s Asian, it doesn’t mean all
Asian mothers discipline their children the way she does.
After some media backlash, she has backed down a bit, and
claims that she isn’t saying that her way is the best way at all,
and was just telling her story.
Whatever it is, surely the more relevant question should be
who actually raised her children. Let’s get real, it almost defi-
nitely wasn’t her – her job seems like one which requires full-
time commitment. So instead of harping on about the Tiger
Mother, perhaps someone should give a book deal to the
Hispanic Nanny or Part-Time Babysitter instead.
Although Lord Bobo already knows your question before
you even knew you had a question, as a practical display of
your true desire to have your query answered, His Supreme
Eminenceness has graciously allowed you to communicate
your questions by –
• emailing asklordbobo@loyarburok.com, stating your full
name, and a pseudonym if you wish the question to be
published anonymously (and a good reason for anonym-
ity).
• tweeting your questions by mentioning @LoyarBurok and
using the hashtag #asklordbobo. The first 100 questions
published will receive LoyarBurok’s ONLY merchandise
you ever need (worth a lot for humankind) courtesy of
Selangor Times. Now, what the hell are you waiting for?
Hear This and Tremblingly Obey (although trembling is
optional if you are somewhere very warm)!
Liberavi Animam Meam! I Have Freed My Spirit!
 news 15
January 28 — 30, 2011

Guarded entrances to MP wants MBPJ

stay, for now
By Alvin Yap

PETALING JAYA: The Petaling to understand

Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has
postponed a directive for all
Residence Associations (RA) to
remove their gates and entr y
barriers, likely an unpopular move
with rate-payers concerned about
security.
Mayor Roslan Sakiman said he
told the MBPJ full-board meeting
that he wanted the city council to
conduct further studies on the
effects of using such barriers in
residential areas.
“The issue is complicated. On
one hand, there is the law [against
causing obstructions without local
authority approval]. But I’ve heard
from the police that in some
residential areas, crime is down
some 19 percent,” said Roslan,
explaining the postponement.
State assemblyperson Elizabeth
Wong who was present at the
meeting said she had received
complaints about the directive from
the Residence Associations of
Yeoh
(extreme
right) with the
children as
Loh (second
from left) and
Tiang look
on.
Bandar Utama, Damasara Jaya and
Sri Damansara.
The representatives, Wong said,
told her the residents felt safer and
more secure with the security check
points which they feel have reduced
crimes such as rape, robbery and
snatch theft.
She added the residence associa-
tions told her they were not happy
with the directive from MBPJ.
Wong – also the state executive
for tourism, consumer affairs and
the environment – said MBPJ’s di-
rective could contribute to a rise in
the crime index.
Rate-payers, she said, should be
invited to an open forum or a town
hall-style meeting to have their
views heard.
She called for the formation of a
taskforce made up of state exco
members, assemblypersons, council-
lors and representatives from RAs
to develop proposed guidelines for
guarded entry into townships.
“If the guidelines are comprehen-
sive, the state may adopt it as law. At
the least, other town councils can
benefit from Petaling Jaya’s effort to
come out with the guidelines,” said
Wong.
Bukit Gasing assemblyperson
Edward Lee said the placement of
the guard houses and barriers were
“technical” issues which should be
regulated.
For example, he said gates which
can be lowered and raised by guards
or the residents themselves should
be built.
However, permanent structures
like oil drums filled with concrete
and used as barriers should not be
used to block streets and roads.
“This means, please don’t make
the housing areas look like a fortress,”
Lee said.
Subang Jaya Member of Parlia-
ment Sivarasa Rasiah said ratepayers
were worried that the directive
would be carried out.
“They think that an MBPJ bull-
dozer will come and tear down the
guardhouse and the gate,” the hu-
man rights lawyer said.
Councillors and state assembl-
ypersons, he said, should visit the
areas the MBPJ directive was tar-
geted at to explain the postpone-
ment.
security concerns
By Yasleh Hani Mat Yassin feedback from elected representa-
tives before attempting to imple-
SUBANG: The Petaling Jaya ment the measures, said Sivarasa.
City Council (MBPJ) is being He added that the move
urged to address the security should also have been endorsed
concerns of residents before by MPBJ’s full board meeting.
insisting that security barriers be MBPJ had set out to imple-
torn down. ment the guidelines after some
“Asking residents to dismantle communities reportedly went
barricades would be reasonable “overboard” in beefing up securi-
after measures to deal with the ties in their neighbourhoods.
security issue are in place,” said R This included the usage of oil
Sivarasa. drums as barricades in addition to
The Subang MP was respond- boom gates.
ing to an announcement last week Sivarasa, however, believes
by MBPJ’s Traffic Committee on MBPJ should take into account
the implementation of guidelines that these barriers were placed
on security barricades in the city. because residents were concerned
The new guidelines may result about security.
in the removal of existing barri- In the meantime, Sivarasa said
cades put up by residents, which MBPJ should discuss with neigh-
do not comply with conditions, bourhoods whose roads are un-
and this has resulted in public reasonably blocked by security
outcry among resident associa- barricades to resolve such dis-
tions . putes.
“I call upon MBPJ to put on “I agree that barricades should
hold any implementation of their not obstruct traffic especially for
new guidelines and maintain the emergency services vehicles,” he
status quo. The deadline of 31 said.
March should also be removed However, he believes the con-
immediately as it is causing much cerns of residents must be given
concern among affected PJ resi- due consideration and that a
dents,” he said. blanket ban on permanent struc-
MBPJ should have obtained tures is too simplistic a solution.

By Rahmah Ghazali
SUBANG JAYA: Five lucky under-
previliged students beamed with joy as they
were granted a golden opportunity to be part
of the world-class Taiwanese-based Classical
Mental Arithmetic (CMA) programme,
which just extended its wings to SS19, Subang
Jaya last Saturday.
Subang Jaya assemblyperson Hannah Yeoh
presented the sponsorship, made possible by
Goh Cher Wen and his wife of Rovski Group
of Companies, to the children at a launch
ceremony.
The five children selected to receive the
sponsorship for one year are M Gomaleshwari,
Norfara’ain Azhar, S Tiviya, R Bavani and
Arfaezan Noor Azrin Ahmad, who were
picked based on their interest and potential.
“I love mathematics and (being in this
class) is so much fun!” said jovial eight-year-
old Norfara’in, whose ambition is to be a
“supermodel with brains”.
Her father, Azhar Halim said that he could
not be happier that out of the many students
in Subang Jaya, his daughter was picked to
join the arithmetic institute, which has gained
worldwide recognition.
“This will definitely develop her skills and
unearth other talents that we have yet to see,”
said the 38-year-old technician.
Meanwhile, nine-year-old Arfarezan from
USJ 8 said he was grateful and hoped this
would be a stepping stone to achieving his
ambition as a policeman.
“I would like to study very hard in order to
achieve my ambition,” said Arfaezan, who was
also the only boy granted with the sponsor-
ship among the five.
For 12-year-old Bavani, her beaming smile
showed that he could not contain her excite-
ment to be part of CMA family.
Lucky 5 selected
for world-class
math programme
Study Medicine
“I would like to come to class often...this is
very fun. If I study harder, I could one day,
become a teacher too,” said Bavani, who was At
Kursk State Medical
accompanied by her monther P Magadevi, a
hospital cleaner.
University,
Unversity, Russia
Earlier at the launch, Yeoh said such ini-
tiatives should be lauded as this is an example
other companies can follow.
“Most companies would only initiate this
type of Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) when they are established, but CMA
are sponsoring students even before the com-
pany starts its operations,” she said.
Malaysia CMA chief executive officer,
Ivylina Tiang, said that the CMA programme
is different as it includes right and left brain
Malaysian graduates of June 2010
stimulation that will trigger better concentra-
tion, enhance memory and greater creativity. • Established in the year 1935 (75 years old)
“CMA is the first in the world to use mul- • Recognised by JPA & MMC, GMC (UK), CANADA and 40 countries Globaly
timedia teaching and offers unlimited practice • LISTED IN DIRECTORY OF MEDICAL SCHOOL OF WHO
for faster progress. In addition, CMA is a • Choice of more than 1100 Malaysian students to study in KSMU
pioneer of the ‘two-hand, four finger’ abacus • 420 have graduated since 1999 are employed in government hospitals
system,” she said. • Halal food and Surau for Muslim students
She also added that CMA has produced a • Course fee with Hostel fees for 6 years only RM 121,284.00
world champion in mathematics over the past • Taught fully in English medium since 1994
few years. • Two intakes in a year FEB / MARCH and September/ October
Meanwhile, CMA Subang Jaya principal, • Entry requirements : Students with STPM, A’Level, SAM, SSAM.CPU, Indian PU, UEC
and other equivalent qualification can apply for direct entry to 1st year medicine
James Loh, said that the they opened the
• Assistance for loans and others provided
centre here due to requests from parents.
CMA’s other branches are in the 1Utama For Further Information Contact www.ksmu.com.my
Shopping Mall and Klang.
MAGGARAM SDN BHD (P – 825616) Contact :
CMA Subang Jaya is now offering four free Sole And Exclusive Representative For KSMU In Malaysia DATO’ M.V.RAJU : 019 3520249
classes to parents who register their children C-19-02, Dataran 3 Two, No .2, Jalan 19/1, Seksyen 19, MRS.RENUGA : 017 3661578
46300 Petaling Jaya, selangor Darul Ehsan OFFICE : 03 79568006
before January 31, 2011. For more informa- EMAIL : v_magaram@hotmail.com FAX : 03 79577006
tion, please call James Loh at 019-3990128.
16
news
January 28 — 30, 2011

Residents get thumbs-up

By Rahmah Ghazali
SUNGAI BULOH: The Kg
Baru Sg Buloh residents’ association
has been praised for giving out
personal donations to the poor
without being too dependent on
elected representatives.
Kota Damansara assemblyman
Dr Nasir Hashim told Selangor
Times: “We truly appreciate their
efforts and contributions to the
poor. We also encourage them to
take the initiative rather than being
too dependent on us,” he said.
He said he would personally help
the residents financially but he ac-
knowledged the financial strain
faced by lawmakers. “But we don’t
usually give the full amount to
residents. If they ask for RM5,000,
we will usually give half of it,” he
said.
And this policy seems to be
working like a charm as many resi-
dents’ associations are taking the
lead, including an initiative by Ong
Fook Koong Temple in the new
village.
Village development and safety
committee member Chai Chee
Ngem said many residents had
come forward to give out personal
donations to the poor for the up-
coming Chinese New Year celebra-
tions.
“The goodies comprise rice,
sugar, noodles, biscuits, snacks and
soy-sauce. We also give away  ang
pow,” said the 74-year-old assembly-
man.
One of the recipients, 41-year-
old plastic furniture manufactur-
er  Ong Yen Kim, said he had been
very lucky to be receiving goodies
yearly. “I am very happy and I can’t
wait to share this with my wife and
daughter at home,” said Ong, who
has been suffering from polio since
he was a baby.
Subang Member of Parliament
R Sivarasa and Kampung Baru
Sungai Buloh village head Hoo
Sook Wan were also present. Sivarasa and Nasir with the Kg Baru Sg Buloh residents.

Wrong
to label
illegals
I write as a fan who is disappointed
to see Selangor Times’ front page
article on the problem of “illegal”
Myanmar traders, which used the
same mainstream approach of “us”
vs “them”, quoting nothing from
the other side and generally fan-
ning the underlying xenophobia
against foreigners who are driven
to Malaysia due to desperate po-
litical and economic conditions at
home.
A few years ago, another news-
paper did a similar thing, only on
a worse scale – a whole series that
lasted a few days; shallow reporting
that did not look at the inhuman-
ity that the illegals have had to put
up with and continue to do so (“il-
legal”, too, is an easy label that casts
an immediate aspersion against
them, when the status of their legal-
ity is another a complex problem
that also involves local authorities,
local employers and corruption).
Most reports just seek to point
the finger at the illegals and do not
look at the bigger picture of how
they came about – i.e. the extreme
poverty and political persecution
that caused them to flee here and
everywhere else is in part due to the
world’s, including Malaysia’s, com-
plicity in accepting and cooperat-
ing with an illegal Myanmar mili-
tary junta (recently made legal by
a sham of a general election, which
again was accepted by other gov-
ernments, including ours).
Even so, migration is a human
right, yet there is the same under-
current of distaste against legal
foreign workers.
I understand it may be beyond
the scope of Selangor Times to in-
clude these aspects in the report,
but I hope they will be borne in
mind so that the next time this is-
sue is covered, it will be tempered
with a less conflict-oriented ap-
proach against an already margin-
alised group.
Dr Xavier giving away a hamper to a recipient.
Siew Eng

Sharing robbery victims’ experience
I have been getting free copies of
this paper from my FGA church
every Sunday for the past month;
and I find this paper very in-
formative.
I would like to suggest a col-
umn where victims of snatch
thefts and robberies can share
their traumatic experience, and at
the same time help people to be-
come more alert.
When I was robbed in a hair
saloon three months ago in Bukit
Jalil,  I became aware of the fact
that most of the shops in the vi-
cinity were also victims of robbers
only after lodging a police report.
As a matter of fact, shouldn’t
police be more alert and try to
catch the robbers rather than stay
silent? Maybe there was no prop-
er channel to highlight these inci-
dents. So, I hope Selangor Times
can make a difference and allow
victims like myself to share our  goodies.
experience to alert the public.
 
Tee Lai Ping
Gifts and ang pow for residents
klang: Chinese New Year ar-
rived early for some residents of
Taman Sentosa in the form of
hampers and ang pow.
For 67-year-old Tan King Hoo,
who has been out of a job for the
past month due to an injury he
sustained in a road accident, it was
the first time he had received such
“I have never received anything
for the past few years. But I am
grateful to have been given this,” he
said, showing off his hamper that
came together with mandarin or-
anges.
“I have two children, but they
are rarely home because of work.
However, I would like to share this
hamper with them,” said Tan, who
used to work as a door carpenter.
The joyous occasion was not
only shared by those who celebrate
Chinese New Year, but by those
who celebrate other religious festi-
vals as well.
Andy Vainamalai, 72, said he
was grateful to be given an oppor-
tunity to share the auspicious event
with others. “This is also my first
time receiving such hampers. I can’t
wait to share this with my grand-
children at home,” he said.
The hampers were given out by
Sri Andalas assemblyman Dr Xa-
vier Jayakumar at a Chinese New
Year bazaar. The recipients com-
prised mainly the elderly, the disa-
bled and poor single mothers.
 FEATURES 17January 28 — 30, 2011

A Long Life
By Ooi Kee Beng

T
he passing of Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu in November last
year threw a challenge to all serious scholars of Malaysian
history.

Lived in Politics
Not much has so far been written about him. No doubt
most books on the country’s political history do mention epi-
sodes such as his successful challenge against Tan Cheng Lock
in 1958 for the presidency of the Malayan Chinese Association
(MCA), his failed attempt to gain extra seat allocations from
Tunku Abdul Rahman in 1959, the triumph of the Gerakan
Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) in 1969, him leading the party into
the Barisan Nasional (BN) in 1973, and the Penang eco-
nomic miracle that he facilitated in the 1970s and 1980s. But
further details are rare.
Aside from the need to uncover details, a proper analysis
into Lim’s life is required for several weighty reasons.
His political life was, after all, impressively long – at least
40 hectic years; and through it all, he always played a major
role. His struggles reflected in no uncertain terms major inter-
related dimensions of Malaysian politics which are as relevant
today as they had ever been.
Hastened democracy
For one thing, complications surrounding an electoral
system that was put in place only when colonialism was no
longer a viable option were all too evident. The electoral system
had to evolve under great pressure from British haste to with-
draw, and during inter-ethnic tensions and the communist
insurgency.
The immature democratic culture, along with the social
diversity, saw the growth of a strong tendency towards conso-
ciationalism (power sharing) and coalition building.
The need for Malayan leaders of that time to arrive at a quick
solution that showed sufficient promise for political stability,
inter-ethnic compromise and effective anti-communism, saw
the innovation that was the Alliance Model being triumphant. The Jelutong Expressway which has been named after Lim.
Lim was involved from the very the choice between participating at The Alliance consociation and
beginning in Malaya’s electoral the state or the national arena was its queer brand of “multiracialism”
development, when his Penang The third and is a perpetual quandary. had proved to be an electoral tri-
Radical Party won the first ever dimension in Lim, for example, was asked umph, which put great pressure on
municipal election ever held in the Malaysian politics already in August 1957 to become non-communal politicians to con-
country. This was in George Town the first Chief Minister of Penang. vince a communally conscious
in 1951. evidenced in He refused, giving the reason that population that non-communal
By 1955, he had joined the Lim’s chequered his father had recently passed away, principles were preferable in the
MCA, and became its president by career was the and as a good Confucian, he could long run.
1958. The Alliance Model, con- struggle between not as yet accept high office. The multiracial route Lim
structed for the purpose of gaining communal and This was a valid enough reason, sought before joining the Alliance
independence, had the perpetual but critics suspected that he was and after leaving it ended up com-
problem of seat allocation among
non-communal aiming for higher office at the na- promised under the umbrella of the
its members. party politics.” tional level. BN. Whatever his reasons for tak-
This was clearly seen in Lim’s Dr Lim There is a basis for that latter ing that path, his political arena
attempt to increase the MCA’s This failed, and after Gerakan belief. The following year, he was shrank from the national to the
share. He failed, and soon had to Democratic Party (UDP) and then did well in the 1969 elections, we already MCA president, and if his local, his popularity would slowly
leave the party. the Gerakan after leaving the saw Lim leading it into the Alliance attempt to gain more seats for the diminish, and the universalist prin-
Party politics in Malaysia was MCA. coalition to form the BN by 1973. party had not gone so horribly ciples of Gerakan became effec-
always a knotty affair. Just as Onn The need among small parties to Local versus national wrong, he would have been highly tively subsumed under the com-
Jaafar formed the Independence of form coalitions was always strong, Secondly, the relationship be- influential in national politics after munal politics of the BN.
Malay Party and then Party Ne- and in 1965, the UDP joined the tween local and national politics the 1959 elections. To be sure, in the decades after
gara after being forced out of the People’s Action Party (Pap), the was always a tricky issue. The trend Lim’s attempt at a comeback 1969, the federal government un-
United Malays National Organisa- People’s Progressive Party (PPP) towards centralism was perhaps went via unsuccessful challenges dertook serious measures to curb
tion (Umno) as new vehicles for his and the Sarawak United People’s unavoidable, given the many social through the UDP and the Malay- the power of the states. The central
political career, Lim was instru- Party (Supp) to form the Malaysia schisms that existed in the new sian Solidarity Council (MSC). soon overpowered the local, the
mental in forming the United Solidarity Convention. country. For prominent politicians, However, in the 1969 elections, communal, the non-communal.
benefited from the leftist poll boy- Intra-group versus inter-
cott, Gerakan managed to secure group conflicts
the majority in Penang. Finally, another truism revealed
Lim became Chief Minister of in Lim’s experiences was the divi-
his home state, 12 years after he sions within communal groups.
had first refused that position. The These tended to run as deep as
racial riots changed the country’s those between the groups. The
political equation seriously, and no myth of intra-ethnic unity had the
alternative coalition was possible vital function of sustaining inter-
after 1969. Lim soon took Gerakan group divisions to suit certain
into the federal coalition, together agendas.
with the PPP and the Islamist Pan- One could argue that it was this
Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS). inability to unite on the part of
With that decision, his political small non-communal parties that
role became concentrated at the convinced Lim in the end that if he
state level. Twenty years in na- wanted anything done, he had to
tional politics ended with him be- compromise with the communal
ing the top politician in his home parties, and then hope for the best.
state. To what extent this strategy ac-
Multiracialism versus tually worked in the long run is for
communalism future historians to ascertain.
The third dimension in Malay-
sian politics evidenced in Lim’s This article first appeared in the
chequered career was the struggle January 2011 issue of the Penang
between communal and non- Economic Monthly. Reproduced with
Dr Lim and fellow-Gerakan leader Dr Syed Hussain Al-Atas after the 1969 election victory. communal party politics. permission.
18
Features
January 28 — 30, 2011

The beauty of
fighting fish
By Basil Foo

B
reeding fighting fish has a varied
history in Malaysia and has
drawn many enthusiasts due to
it being a real-life grown up version of
Pokémon.
Like the popular children’s game,
fighting fish square off in duels and
can be bred to accentuate their physical
characteristics.
“There are two types of hobbyists:
those who like the fish’s appearance and
those who like them for their fighting
abilities,” said Betta Society of Malaysia
committee member Michael Soon.
Breeders who use the fish for shows
and exhibitions are more concerned
about the colour, finish, and form of
the fish – its body, fins, and tail. Lee checking on the fishes to see if they are big enough to be kept

Last of a
These fishes are known as ‘show separately.
betta’ with shape variations like the
crowntails which originate from India, cietymalaysia.com.my and over 100 cause the fish there are usually dull col-
short tails, and halfmoon tails. members who also engage in breeding oured and only become more attractive
“The number of different tail shapes for species conservation.
and colours nowadays is because people “We try to conserve some of the
during the mating season.
“This is also a self-defence mecha-
are able to modify them over time breeds because fighting fish species has nism because being colourful in the
through breeding,” said Soon. an unknown number of types as new wild gets you eaten,” he added.
dying breed
For the fish that are used to fight, ones are still being found in the wild,” While people have different reasons Past a pothole riddled dirt road and herds of goats living
more attention is paid to their strength said Soon. for liking the fish, Soon admires the in Taman Utama, Klang one of the last remaining fighting-
and aggressiveness, and less to their Different types of fighting fish breeding process as it involves slowly fish farms hangs on to survival.
colour. include the bettasplendens which origi- coaxing tiny hatchlings into bigger “There used to be six other fighting-fish breeders in Klang
“However, the fish fighting activity nate from Thailand and a local version fishes. who were friends of mine,” said retiree and fighting-fish
has become associated with illegal gam- called betta incillis. “Firstly the fishes would have two breeder Lee Eg Ing.
bling. And with fish fights, cruelty to “There are even different types ways to lay their eggs. One blows many “Now most of them have moved on to do other things.
animals also becomes an issue,” he said. which can be found in Sabah and bubbles to form a nest and then put One of them passed away recently,” he said.
“So while the fighting side is still Sarawak,” he said. their eggs into the bubbles, another In his late 50s, Lee has been breeding fighting-fish here
there, they have mostly gone under- Not many people know how to keeps the eggs in their mouth until they for the past 30 years and reminisced about the heyday of a
ground,” he added. appreciate those found in the wild be- hatch,” he said. forgotten pastime.
One of the big events for The fish are mostly kept in “At the height of its popularity I was able to sell up to
the mainstream fighting-fish small tanks while breeding. As RM1,000 worth of fish per week, but now only friends buy
scene was last November in bettasplendens are more aggressive from me,” he said.
Mid Valley where hobbyists than other species, they require Not many people, he noted, are into fighting-fish any-
and breeders congregated en larger tanks to protect the female more.
masse. from being attacked by the male. The farm has 30 ponds with about 80 fish in each one.
“That was the big one for “Once hatched, the fries are fed The normal ones retail for RM5-10 per fish while the
the year. Now we have smaller baby brine shrimp and infusoria “fiercer” and beautiful specimens can fetch RM15-20. 
meetings every month called which are tiny microscopic crea- Apart from selling to locals, he gets customers from
betta Sunday. We would show tures formed by putting plants in overseas who contact him for his breeding skills and buy
the fishes we have and buy old water,” he said. 10-20 fishes at a time.
from each other,” he said. After a week, when the hatch- “I also export to customers in Thailand by bus and to
Formed five years ago, the lings have grown bigger, Soon Indonesia by ship. Sometimes I deliver through bulk buyers
Betta Society of Malaysia has Upon seeing each other the fishes react feeds them with daphnia, fish of vegetables who transport them for me,” he said.
an online presence at bettaso- aggressively. pellets, frozen and dried worms. He related an occasion when a breeder, who had fighting
fishes worth RM300 each, sought his expertise to spawn
hatchlings.
“I was asked to help because he saw I could breed about
100 at a time, whereas he could only manage to produce
10,” said Lee.
“But I refused because if I only manage to spawn less
than he asked for, he might blame me for selling the rest to
other people. It is better to protect my reputation,” he
added.
His breeding process includes sourcing the males from
fighting fish arenas in the vicinity where he chooses the ones
which have won several battles for their fighting ability.
The fishes are then paired with his own females and
spawn in small plastic tubs which are sheltered from the
elements.
“Once the fries are bigger, they will be put into the ponds
and fed with daphnia which many people call water fleas,”
he said.
“Spawning success is not guaranteed as it depends on
many things like the temperature of the environment. Dur-
ing rainy seasons, more hatchlings will die due to the cold,”
he added.
The fishes are stored in individual jars to prevent them from attacking each other.
 FEATURES 19 January 28 — 30, 2011

Youth learning
By William Tan and Rahmah Ghazali

P
olitics has always been harsh and Machi-
avellian. One moment you are in, and out
the next.

politics first-hand
Expectations are high and occasionally met
with harsh criticism. Especially, if one considers
the political landscape in Malaysia.
Yet, more and more youths are choosing to
enter politics, tossing themselves willingly into
the political machine with a common mindset.
For some, it is to serve the nation and to learn
first-hand the nature of the beast known as poli-
tics.  First of all
“I want to serve the nation, whatever it may because I got less
become” said Michelle Ng Mei Sze, 20.
She has completed a month-long internship pay and they didn’t
with Petaling Jaya Utara Member of Parliament see any future
Tony Pua, and she has found out that the life of in it. And if there
a politician is filled with sacrifice and requires was a change in
utmost dedication. government, that
There was a time where she had to wake up at
5am for a 7am flight to Kuching. There she
would be it for me.”
rushed from a press conference to a meeting on — Izhar.
election strategies which she had to present her
own research.
She later joined the delegates for dinner before
attending another meeting on various issues. She
was finally placed on a flight late at night and
reached home at 2am.
The aspiring judge said she loved every mo-
ment of it and wishes that more youths would
take up similar opportunities to learn more about
politics.
“I learn there is a severe lack of initiative in
today’s generation towards politics. This attitude
is detrimental to the nation” she said.
Vivian Kuan Hui Xian, 20, shared the same Izhar applied to join Pemandu.
sentiment, saying she brought it Hannah Yeoh.
onto herself to be part of something If anything , she believes
bigger in life.
 She aided Hannah more and more youths are en-
She went up to Subang Jaya as- by drafting letters, tering politics because they no
semblyman, Hannah Yeoh at a town handling complaints longer want to be denied the
gathering and told her of her desire and conducting opportunity to be exposed to Tan Sze Ming
to be just like her (Hannah). Hui research. She also the political world.
Xian was later offered a two-month followed Hannah on “With the growing pop-
internship with Hannah. ularity of online media,  She helped
She aided Hannah by drafting her political rounds, an youths are becoming more organise numerous
letters, handling complaints and invaluable experience aware of what they have environmental
conducting research. She also fol- for aspiring politicians..” been shielded from and campaigns such as the
lowed Hannah on her political curiosity is what leads them
rounds, an invaluable experience for in the country, in my short time with to intern with politicians; to Selangor No Plastic
aspiring politicians. Elizabeth Wong, I learnt how to witness first-hand how the gov- day campaign but that
The work proved to be varied communicate, and to have proper ernment works,” she said. was just the tip of the
with something to learn every day. strategic meetings with party lead- It is a different case for iceberg.”
She also found there was one crucial Vivian Kuan ers” she said. 26-year-old overseas architecture
element that should be embodied by However, her real passion is to go graduate Izhar Moslim. looked back since.
all politicians. “To always listen and for four months with state executive down to the grassroots and work He applied to become a special “I never regretted joining poli-
be sensitive towards the needs of the councillor for environment Eliza- with the people such as educating officer to Minister in the Prime tics, even for one second when the
people. To always carry out your job beth Wong. them about their own rights, par- Minister’s Department Datuk Seri pay was low, and I have a daughter
with integrity and fortitude.” she She helped organise numerous ticularly as voters. Idris Jala a year ago under the Per- whom I hardly spend time with and
said. Hui Xian is on her way to environmental campaigns such as Interestingly, Breda Ch’ng, 22, formance Management Delivery also a supportive wife. When you
completing her degree in law. the Selangor No Plastic day cam- said she never liked politics while Unit (Pemandu) despite parental are young, just make full use of it ...
Tan Sze Ming, 23 found herself paign but that was just the tip of the growing up, finding it messy and objections. especially in this highly competitive
deeply involved in environmental iceberg. dirty. She merely became an intern They wanted him to work in an world when there are so many capa-
matters while working as an intern “Besides the environmental issues because of her association with architecture firm “which holds more ble youngsters,” he added.
certainty”. But the pressure of working for a
“First of all because I got less pay minister is overwhelming as “we are
Hundreds rally against new SS appointment and they didn’t see any future in it. working to transform the country”.
And if there was a change in govern- “I think the pressure to deliver is
ment, that would be it for me,” said very high,” said the former Mel-
By Rahmah Ghazali Fair Elections chairperson Datuk S Ambiga, who was Izhar, adding that he had never bourne Umno Club president.
also at the rally, said the low turnout would not stop
KELANA JAYA: About 200 people braved a heavy them from continuing their efforts to educate the
downpour at the Kelana Jaya Stadium last Sunday to public.
join a rally against the appointment of Datuk Mohamed “People cannot just register their views once in
Long wait for a public clinic
Khusrin Munawi as the new state secretary. five years [through elections]. They have to voice SUBANG JAYA: Subang Jaya the clinic in mid-2010, but to date,
Dubbed “Hormati Suara Rakyat Selangor” (Respect out whenever there is something affecting them,” she has long been without a public nothing has materialised. Yeoh
the Voice of Selangor People), the rally was led by the said. clinic, and its assemblyperson is said she had gone on a site visit
Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) and Also present were International Islamic University now reminding the Health with ministry officials then.
organised by civil society groups. Professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari, Shah Alam Member of Ministry of its plan to build one   She also said her office had
Although the number of those in attendance fell Parliament Khalid Samad, Subang MP R Sivarasa, state here. helped the ministry to look for
short of the organising committee’s expectation of executive councillor Teresa Kok and political secretary “The nearest public clinics are suitable spots in existing shop lots
10,000, MCLM’s Haris Ibrahim said this would not to the Selangor Menteri Besar, Faekah Hussin. in Puchong and Kelana Jaya, there as the land office had difficulty
deter them from staging more rallies in the near The rally came in the wake of an on-going dispute should be one in Subang Jaya so the finding vacant land for the clinic.
future. with the federal government which controversially poor can access it easily,” Hannah “It’s been months. I would like
“We will continue to create platforms for the people appointed Muhammad Khusrin as the new state Yeoh said. to remind them Subang Jaya
to voice their unhappiness,” said the lawyer. secretary without consultation with the Selangor She said the ministry had residents are taxpayers, too,” said
Meanwhile, Bersih 2.0, or the Coalition for Free and government. scouted for a suitable site to build Yeoh.
20
FICTION
January 28 — 30, 2011

A Tall Fence Story

Fiction by Lee Ee Leen

M
y grandfather stayed at the police
station for five hours. Maybe the
police had trouble believing him and
prolonged his stay. Grandfather often told tall
stories for my entertainment. His latest yarn
was of an elderly Australian corporal hiding Grandfather’s drinking buddies swallowed hillside and assembled piles of steel rods and Grandmother snorted and drained her
in the thick undergrowth near the neighbour- his stories along with their breakfast at Lee cement bags into low-rise, high-cost studio cup: “Don’t be naïve!”
hood drainage pond. Hong, the neighbourhood coffee shop. It was apartments. Granddad frowned at the site as “You know I’m not!” snapped granddad.
On Sundays, grandfather left packets of hard to predict who would turn up today; Lee if he were the foreman spotting a distant Grandmother raised her hand to signal her
biscuits and cans of baked beans for the soldier Huat Hong was empty for a Sunday morning. infraction. retraction of the last statement.
by the wire. When the charity continued for Grandmother greeted granddad and I. He “You don’t know about the break-ins?” she “It’s different. Not like when you worked
a month I asked grandfather: “Does this ordered two soft boiled eggs. continued, “The couple three houses down in restaurants in London.”
Australian have a family?” “Only you today?” granddad asked her. from mine lost 10k in jewellery!” Grandmother placed money on the table.
“He has no family. He told me.” “Who asked them to keep so Granddad pushed the notes and coins back to
“You speak to him?” much jewellery in the house?” her, who then pushed them back.
“He’s not crazy.” Granddad waited for grandmother countered grandmother as she “It’s on me,” she said, “Since your friends
“He still thinks there’s a war!” I
said: “He needs to see a doctor. to walk away before he said to me “let’s shrugged egg yolk.
to clean his saucer of aren’t here.”
Granddad waited for grandmother to walk
What if itrains? What about snakes go.” We trudged uphill and passed the “I bumped into the husband away before he said to me “let’s go.”
and mosquitoes? What does he drainage pond. Grandfather read the this morning. He told me he We trudged uphill and passed the drainage
eat?” sign on the fence that warned in English, t h o u g h t t h i s w a s a s a f e pond. As grandfather read the sign on the
“He lives off the land.” Malay, Chinese and Tamil, ‘Trespassers neighbourhood.” fence that warned in English, Malay, Chinese
“What if he comes into our This stuff was great material and Tamil, ‘Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted.
garden to attack imaginary enemy Will Be Prosecuted.” for English class when we had to Through the fence I spotted an empty can
soldiers?” do reports. of beans among the lallang. Grandfather saw
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” “ Yo ur f r i e n d s w o n’t c o m e o ut .” “How do they know it was the workers?” I the can and strode back into the house.
“No we won’t because he would have blown Grandmother scratched the side of her nose asked and jotted down in my notebook, “Let me handle the soldier. Now go to your
up the bridge. What if he comes into our house with her screwdriver, an untrimmed little N E I G H B O U R H O O D B R E A K-I N . room!” grandfather commanded me before
and scares grandma while she’s taking a bath?” fingernail. CONTSTRUCTION WORKERS. he picked up the phone.
“Anyone will surrender if they see your “Are they sick?” “The burglars climbed in through the When grandfather returned from the
grandmother naked!” Grandmother shook her head as she bathroom window and tried to pick the master police station, grandmother rebuked him as
Grandfather found this image so funny that cracked eggs into the saucer, “They are scared.” bedroom lock. When they couldn’t, they if the Australian had really interrupted her
his tea shot out of his nose. After wiping away Grandmother lowered her voice. “Of those hacked it open.” bath. Grandfather believed he was doing some
the splashes of tea on the kitchen table he workers.” Grandmother said: “Who else has access good in leaving biscuits and beans by the fence
closed our discussion: “The Australian is “What workers?” Grandfather choked on to such tools around here?” for a group of men living around the pond.
harmless. Let me handle him.” he reassured his tea. “Think of people who come to another When I read out grandfather’s case in
me. “Don’t tell grandma and don’t go near the With her screwdriver, grandmother country to work...” grandfather let his sentence English class, my teacher told me report-
fence.” pointed to the construction site. trail off. He focused on the menu, as if the writing was about sticking to the facts and not
“Enough! Promise me!” Men and machinery had scoured the missing words were written there. telling “tall stories”.

Happy and
Prosperous
Chinese
New Year
from

There will be no publication on Feb 4 .

We will be back on Feb 11.
 Travel 21
January 28 — 30, 2011

There are small towns

that are just like Tucson,
Arizona, in the Wild, Wild
West days. LIN ZHENYUAN
“rides” into Ijok on his
horse called Wira and
takes a look.

T
here are more cowboy towns in the west coast
of the Peninsula than there are cities, and Ijok
is one of them.
Ijok would have remained in the backwaters of
Selangor for a while if not for a by-election that took
place in 2007. Suddenly, almost everyone who reads
a newspaper knows about Ijok.
  Today, the media attention has long left the
town of about 20,000. Along the Ijok trunk road
are several rows of new shophouses. The people here
probably didn’t know what the big fuss was about
then, and they probably still don’t. No parking space means the
  The Malays make up about half the population Ijok pasar malam is crowded.
here.  Many of them can trace their roots back to

Cowboy town Ijok

Java more than 100 years ago. Apparently, their
forebears who found old Malaya a pleasant place to
live settled down in sizeable numbers in Ijok.
  Thus, it is an unverified claim by the descendants
of ancient Javanese that Ijok was “discovered” by

sheds its boots

their great-grandfathers.
  The Indians are the second largest racial
community. They make up of 28 per cent of the
12,372 voting constituents, and the Chinese lock
in about  21 per cent.
  The Indians in Ijok have bragging rights to
having the largest percentage of
Indian voters in any parliamentary
constituency in the country.
  Thus, it is not surprising that
rubber estates were once a very
common sight around the district.
In fact, there are still lots of rubber
trees, if anyone cares to look.
  The Chinese have since branched
out to other businesses from agricul-
tural farming which was once their
livelihood. There are only about a
dozen eateries and coffee shops here.
 One of the more famous ones has
a reputation for its beggar’s chicken
which has crossed state boundary
lines. Personally, I haven’t tried that
specialty but anything that’s
wrapped with lotus leaves and clay All kinds of running and walking sneakers are ingeniously displayed. The young man who put on quite a show selling the fancy belts.
and cooked over charcoal can’t be  It would be a shame if that young food items like fresh fish, chicken,   The breeding of leech-
bad. man didn’t move on to bigger entre- onions, anchovies, etc seemed to be es apparently is big busi-
  Today,  Ijok is part of a trilogy preneurial ventures later in life be- the busiest among the hawkers. ness as far as cosmetics and
of settlements that make up the area. cause he was such a superb salesman.   Housewives come to haggle, medicine are concerned.
The other two are Batang Berjuntai,   When I tried on the belt with chit-chat and buy limited amounts How? Please refer to the
sometimes known as Bestari Jaya, the outrageous buckle, he put on an for their homes. Unlike their coun- experts.
and the Saujana Utama township. exaggerated expression and said: terparts in bigger towns and cities,   Ijok will continue to
 Logging in at about 60 kilome- “Wow! Saya tak boleh lihat. Gaya there are no trolley loads of grocer- take its time to join the
tres away from Petaling Jaya city, nya terlampau!” (I can’t look. It’s ies. rest of the world. In this
Ijok also hosts about 5,000 students simply too stylish.)   Here in Ijok, people buy only part of Selangor, it is per-
who are enrolled at the Universiti   Both of us knew he was lying but what they can consume. There is no petually summer and the
Industri Selangor in Bestari Jaya. he had such a congenial personality question of wastage or unnecessary living is somewhat easy.
  Those who know abundance. Perhaps city   Since Unisel (Univer-
this area called it an es- folks can learn a thing or siti Industri Selangor)
tate town. Once you are Pasar malam are great outings two from these country came into being, cycling
here, you will under- in small towns like Ijok. The goods people. enthusiasts have mapped
stand why. The signs are on sale are sometimes outdated but   Since Kuala Selangor out a 64km (40 miles)
everywhere. the prices are always competitive. ing destinations, and Teluk Intan are fish- route which encompasses
 At 4pm daily, part of seafood Bestari Jaya, Kuala Selan-
Ijok comes alive when There’s probably just a nominal fee like crabs, squids, prawns gor, Ijok, Batang Berjun-
the pasar malam site at imposed on these hawkers so their and a big variety of fish tai.
Simpang Tiga Ijok kicks overheads are pretty low.” are readily available.  In a way, the terrain of
into high gear.   Long   The stalls which sell Ijok offers adventurous
lines of hawker stalls selling just that we parted as friends, and I, a these aquatic edibles are ample proof loops for outsiders who are
about anything and everything cater small portion of my hard-earned that Ijok is definitely not lacking “rough riders”.
to the residents living far and near. cash. when it comes to fresh stocks of   Already there are signs
  I was there one afternoon and     Pasar malam are great outings seafood. that Ijok will continue to
came upon a belt buckle which I in small towns like Ijok. The goods   It was brought to my attention keep pace with its more
fancied. The Malay youth made me on sale are sometimes outdated but that somewhere in Ijok there’s a developed sister towns.
an offer I couldn’t refuse. At RM20 the prices are always competitive. leech breeding farm. Since I am not The town is still very much
per belt, my resistance broke down There’s probably just a nominal fee particularly fond of leeches, I de- alive but the “cowboys”
completely. In KL, it costs about imposed on these hawkers so their cided to let this matter of interest seem to have left for green- The dried stuff also finds ready buyers
RM30. overheads are pretty low. Sellers of slither pass me. er and wilder pastures. among villagers.
22
Gallery
JANUARY 28 — 30, 2011

WHERE’S MY SCHOOL? A child at a tree-planting function last Friday with a balloon

bearing the message “Where is the Chinese primary school?” standing in front of a
billboard with a similar message about the Sg Long Chinese Primary School, which
the Federal Government pledged to build during the 2008 General Election.

Kota Damansara assemblyperson Dr Nasir Hashim presents mandarin oranges to a resident

of Kg Baru Sg Buloh last Sunday in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebrations next
week.

Menteri Besar Selangor Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim helps a motorcyclist wear a safety vest during
the Road Safety Campaign at the 11th Mile Toll Booth in Cheras on Wednesday.

Tourists
appreciating
plants for
sale as
part of the
Chinese
New Year
festivities
at Sunway Selangor executive councillor Elizabeth Wong looks at
Pyramid on potted plants during her visit to the Sg Buloh Leprosy
Monday. Hospital last Friday.
 culture 23
JANUARY 28 — 30, 2011

ARTS ❚ COMPILED BY ZEDECK SIEW

Reconstruction:
Works by Hilal Mazlan,
Anniketyni Madian
and Syafiq Hariz
Exhibition
MAP KL, Publika, Dutamas
Jan 18 — 30
free admission
03-6207 9732
www.mapkl.org
This triple-bill show presents
mixed media (paintings, sculpture,
etc) works by Hilal Mazlan,
Anniketyni Madian and Syafiq
Hariz, sophomore artists in the
midst of revising their preferred
forms and techniques — hence
“reconstruction”. The art
looks competent enough. The
accompanying curatorial essay
is grandiloquent to the point of
silliness. It says things like: “Art
usually needs to be made in order
for it to be recognised as art”.
Does anyone need an art curator
to tell us that?
Readings
January Readings@Seksan
Seksan Gallery
67, Jalan Tempinis Satu, Bangsar
Jan 29
free admission
017-2644 956 (Sharon Bakar)
The Readings@Seksan platform
is perhaps the longest-running
live writers’ platform in town; it’s a
public afternoon where scribblers
and readers gather to hear newish
work being read by their authors.
The thing has seen enough
excellent stuff that its stewards —
Sharon Bakar and Bernice Chauly
— have seen fit to put together an
anthology of short fiction by writers
who’ve read at Readings. Said
book — called, naturally, Readings
from Readings — will be launched
in late February.
Meanwhile, January is Readings’
sixth anniversary, so go expecting
cake. Also enjoy fun stuff by Nizam
Zakaria, Fadli-Al-Akiti, Damyanti
Ghosh, Jamal Raslan Abdul Jalil,
and garrulous columnist Patrick
Teoh — who, incidentally, also has
a book out.
Editor’s
Pick
Exhibition
The Annexe Gallery
Central Market
Jan 25 — Feb 13
free admission
03-2070 1137
www.annexegallery.com
Remembering a
Journeyman — Tribute
to Teh Leong Kwee
Artist and academic Teh Leong Kwee
passed away in 2008. He taught
many design and art institutions in KL,
like the Malaysian Institute of Art, The
One Academy, and CENFAD; he was,
by all accounts, an inspiring lecturer,
sharing questions about music,
travel, philosophy and typography
in ways that would engage young
minds. Teh left in his wake a body of
students who today are at the reins of
Malaysian creativity. He was a mentor
to young artists, including the vital
arts collective Lost Generation Space.
This tribute exhibition presents
Teh’s paintings, drawings and “a
display of unorthodox musical
instruments handcrafted by him”,
and intends to provide an insight into
the creative explorations of a man who helped many
embark on their own artistic journeys. Includes Teh’s
experiments in using rust as a painting medium, and
Chinese-ink drawings of the Ouroboros.

REVIEW
Model Citizens
S
ingapore’s The Necessary Stage (TNS) is a very
productive organisation, as befits a theatre company
from our island-republic neighbour. It produces an
average of two plays a year, invariably about pressing socio-
political Issues. At a “Meet The Necessary Stage” event two
weeks ago, TNS in-house playwright Haresh Sharma re-
vealed a merciless work ethic: “If you are not producing
work, any reason you might give for not doing work is an
excuse.”
Goodness knows that Malaysian English-language
theatre, susceptible as it is to faffing about, could use that
emphasis on output. But the TNS process, to me, is uncom-
fortably product-oriented, almost factory-floor-like: pick
a topic, research it, workshop it with actors, write a play,
stage, applause. Listening to Haresh, I couldn’t shake the
feeling that his primary aim was to put together a produc-
tion, and less the effective and human exploration of a
headline subject.
The two previous TNS productions I’ve seen, Good
People and Gemuk Girls, appeared to suffer from this:
funny, witty and spiced with powerful moments of human-
ity — but with characters who were all too prone to
monologue about medical marijuana/the death penalty (in the rules, and forced me to get sterilised. Now Karen Tan despairingly asked. “Why me?” was the
the former) or detention without trial (the latter), with the you want more children,” — and in her newfound If you are unsaid follow-up.
same depth of a newspaper op-ed. power she imagines vengeance on the Anglo- not producing The play was excellently acted, with all three
Model Citizens ( Jan 19 - 22 , KLPac; a restaging of its centric status quo. “Mandarin will be compul- work, any performers (veterans of the Singaporean stage) doing
March 2010 debut in Singapore) is similarly un-gestated. sory for all Singaporeans!” she writes in a speech as well as their material allowed them to. But as ac-
It has an arresting premise: a Malay cleaner knifes an MP for Parliament.
reason you tion began to centre on Wendy’s existential travails,
(PAP, of course; is there any other kind?) at a “Meet the Melly is the untrustworthy Indonesian maid might give I couldn’t help but read Model Citizens as an apolo-
People” session. But we never get to see that bit of action; stereotype: she abuses her freedom by working as for not doing gia for the comfortable, English-educated, theatre-
the play cleverly decides to dwell on three characters: the a prostitute; her boyfriend, Zul, is a way to gain work is an going middle class. Wendy’s fault is entirely justifi-
attackers fiancée, Indonesian domestic maid Melly (Siti Singaporean citizenship. But Zul’s arrest unmoors excuse.” able inaction; her tragedy is the result of an uncaring
Khalijah); the stabbed MP’s Chinese-educated wife, Mrs her and forces her to examine why she wants to society filled with Others: Chinese-ed politicians,
Chua (Goh Guat Kian); Melly’s employer, a middle class live in Singapore. By the end, she decides that Indonesia is home, Indonesians.
Peranakan, Wendy (Karen Tan). The stabbing is a catalyst and is determined to return. Why us, the play asks its viewers. Why are we having prob-
for all three to entertain their anxieties. Wendy is, presumably, Model Citizens’ audience-surrogate. lems with immigrants? Why are the mainland Chinese taking
Mrs Chua is galvanised by her husband’s absence: she She has no obvious faults. She is forward-thinking in terms of over? Why are our children killing themselves? We did every-
starts speaking to the press and clearing up his work. An parenting and employment, espouses liberal views about race, thing right! But victimhood is not a helpful notion. It makes
authoritarian, interventionist Singapore has made her bit- language, and politics. She is also persecuted by grief. First her it too easy for the sort-of liberal middle class (of any society)
ter — here, Goh was movingly, convincingly angry: “You Aung San Suu Kyi-obsessed poet of a son commits suicide — to absolve itself of responsibility. Good art about the Big Issues
wanted me to stop having anymore children. You changed now this stabbed-MP business. “But I did everything right!” is honest: to its subject, to its characters, to ourselves.
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