18
speak up!
I’M NOT Rick Blaine who
left Paris for the desert of
Casablanca looking for water.
I left London for tropical Kuala
Lumpur where rain water is
plentiful and traffic jams are
exciting.
A few weeks ago we had
daily doses of heavy late
afternoon rain. As a result,
daily traffic congestion became
more tedious. Certain regions
were revisited by floods while
others experienced flooding
for the first time. I hope this is
not part of the global warming
phenomenon.
We have more often than
not taken rain water for
granted. When I was growing
up, I never gave much thought
to how it came about; only
enjoying playing in the pouring
rain. If it rained cats and dogs,
that would be most welcome,
particularly after a hot humid
afternoon. As kids we played
“muddy football” in the rain.
Rain was my shower from
God, just as I watched in
Psycho at the wooden cinema
hall in my town. The padang
sekolah (school field) was my
bathroom devoid of a curtain.
The eerie background music
was only the thunder and
lighting, but there was no fear
in any of us.
Now, as an aging hippie,
I have come to realise the
importance of water.
Recently I was told not to
indulge in mandi air hujan
(bathing in rain water) in
Kuala Lumpur. Our city’s
rain water, according to the
latest urban legend, is now
contaminated with minerals
and substances that are
harmful to the skin.
In Science class, I was told
by my biology teacher that
water is H2O – one molecule
of water has two hydrogen
A climate of horrors
atoms bonded to a single
oxygen atom. So what could
the harmful substances be?
Eureka! It must be carbon
monoxide from our Kancil,
Kelisa, Kenari, and the rest of
the metallic animals running
wild on our roads.
What an accomplishment
to have successfully altered
the H2O molecule without
much scientific effort. So, has
our water turned into 2H2O
or 1H2HO? If this is the case,
then I would like to apply for
a bumi export licence, ahead
of Scomi Group Bhd, bien sur.
Exporting heavy water to the
much needed Iranian nuclear
plants would be a gold mine.
I would be making loads of
money and probably increase
the percentage of bumiputra
equity.
What about those plants
and flowers whose residence
is just by the side of roads
or along dividers? How are
they breathing? Are they still
absorbing carbon during the
day and emitting oxygen after
sunset as we learnt in school?
For some very strange
reason, I keep seeing almost
weekly, those plants changing.
I see foreign workers busy
planting and replanting them
all over the city. The “job”
must have been contracted
out by Dewan Bandaraya. The
local supplier must be minting
money – after all within a few
days those flowers would be
dead and would need to be
replaced.
It looks like a sweet kosher
“nursery scam”, but I am less
TELLING IT AS IT IS
Acting Editor-in-Chief: Chong Cheng Hai
Consultant Editor: Zainon Ahmad
Executive Editor: Lee Boon Siew
Deputy Editor: Patrick Choo (Production),
Editor: R. Nadeswaran (Special Reporting)
bothered by it. I’m more con-
cerned about the possibility of our
plants and flowers turning mutant
after absorbing carbon monoxide
and drinking modified H2O.
Remember Little Shop of
Horrors – that black comedy about
carnivorous plants and flowers? It
all began with a broken flower pot
and a solar eclipse.
The next soggy question would
be – what is happening to Sungai
Klang and Sungai Gombak. They
must be facing a double whammy
– attacked by modified rain water
and city garbage. Yet every citizen
has accepted the myth that Sungai
Klang must be muddy. She must
be berlumpur or else Yap Ah Loy
would have called our city Kuala
letters
letters@thesundaily.com
Just two accomplished men
offering to serve the nation
KINDLY allow me to comment on
“Obama poised to bring change” (Nov
4) by Johann Hari of The Independent.
I am unable to understand why Hari
refers to Obama’s father as a Muslim
goatherd from Kenya and mother as an
atheist farm girl from Kansas.
Obama Sr. was a Kenyan senior
economist, graduated from the Uni-
versity of Hawaii in June 1962 and was
awarded a Master’s from Harvard in
1965. He served as economist to the
Kenyan Transport Ministry and senior
economist to the Kenyan Finance
Ministry. A brilliant person.
Obama’s mother Ann Dunham, of
Poslaju must
explain
A LETTER I sent through Poslaju on
Sept 23 was returned to me on Nov 4.
The explanation from a counter staff
at the Glenmarie post office was that it
was sent to the address on Sept 25 and
was not collected for two weeks.
When I pointed out that the address
was a post office box, she said the let-
ter was dropped into the box and since
it was not collected within two weeks,
Poslaju had taken it back and returned
it to me. The answer stank to kingdom
come, but knowing I would not get any
real explanation, I walked out, vowing I
would not use Poslaju any more.
The letter was of the utmost impor-
tance, took two days to prepare and
cost close to RM6 to post. I had waited
impatiently for a response and now
know that I missed the boat in trying to
get myself an important position.
A letter submitted by a former col-
league by ordinary mail to the same P.O.
box reached and was acknowledged.
I would like an acceptable explana-
tion from Poslaju.
Ahmad Navi Abdullah
Shah Alam
I sing not for accolades
I AM deeply touched by “In a tizz
over Datukship” (Down2Earth, Oct 12),
where Terence Fernandez says I am a
deserving candidate for a Datukship.
As for me, I am thankful for what
I have. Singing Malay Asli songs and
Dondang Sayang is a lifetime hobby. I
will still sing them if invited to, if not,
sing them to myself, at home.
All these years, since my participa-
tion in the finals of Bakat TV in 1972,
General Manager, Advertising and Marketing: Charles Peters
Production Manager: Thomas Kang
Distribution Channels, Senior Manager: Joehari Abdul Jabbar
Puteh. Should we all
blame Yap Ah Loy or
Sutan Puasa for creating
the myth and naming
the city Kuala Lumpur? RaisWhine
I have no clue, by Hishamuddin Rais
fair dinkum. I’m not
a historian nor a born again
evangelical ecologist, but every
so often as I walk along the
Sungai Klang embankment, I
see many a “thing” floating on
her. Poor Sungai Klang, she must
be sick and unhealthy just like
those flowers and plants on the
roadside.
I wish the day would arrive
when I could shower in the hot
tropical rain water again, and
then jump into Sungai Klang. I
Cherokee, Irish and English descent,
was an anthropologist with a PhD and
had studied mathematics at the Univer-
sity of Hawaii. She was not an atheist
but agnostic. Another brilliant person.
Why is it so surprising that a son of a
black Kenyan is at the threshold of such
prominence ?
Hari’s remark in Transformation Two
that Bill Clinton’s deregulation brought
about financial collapse is not true.
When Clinton concluded his second
term as president, America’s reserves
were in the surplus bracket.
In Transformation Four, it was also
not accurate to categorise Egypt, Israel
No short cut to success
I REFER to the letter, “Sharing the Eco-
nomic Cake” (Oct 31), where Halimah
Mohd Said urges Chinese businessmen
to share trade secrets and connections
with other Malaysians.
She suggests Chinese businessmen
are duty bound as responsible citizens
to share their secret formulas with all.
As a Malaysian of Chinese descent,
I agree with her observation that many
Chinese are clannish and tend to do
business only with other Chinese who
share the same dialect or surname
group. These businesses tend to be
small and family-run especially restau-
rants or food-related businesses.
In these types, the prosperity or
survival of the enterprise is often
dependent on a particular food item
or dish. Is it any wonder then that the
recipes become jealously-guarded
secrets that are passed on only to
close family members with the intent
of carrying on the family business? If
the Chinese treat even other Chinese
like this, I suggest that ethnicity is not
the only consideration in sharing their
so-called know-how with others.
Other than this, perhaps Halimah
could give us specific suggestions so
that her statements will be more mean-
I have been blessed with all sorts of
praises which I don’t deserve. And
I owe my “popularity” to mainly the
media.
I remember one day when I was
window-shopping, and a voice called
out to me “Andre Goh”. I turned to see
a guy on an escalator, shouting to me as
I waved my hand in acknowledgment.
He continued: ”You are the only non-
Malay who sings Malay Asli songs in
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might be dreaming,
but I have read about
“deadly” rivers in other
parts of the world that
have been resurrected.
Maybe with the
current economic
downturn, there could be less
carbon monoxide, no heavy water
and less plastic thrown into rivers.
Our flowers and plants could
grow healthier. With no work and
more free time, we could all go
fishing in Sungai Klang.
Hishamuddin Rais is a non-
governmental individual.
Feedback: letters@thesundaily.
com.
and Columbia as thuggish.
Hari seems to have a mindset.
Please, my learned friend, please get
out of the box.
McCain is an exemplary son of
America, an outstanding officer and
a gentleman from a family of naval
admirals. Obama is another exemplary
son of America, an outstanding person
from a family of academicians.
Two great persons wanting to offer
their services to the nation. What an
amazing country.
Eric Manuel
Kuala Lumpur
ingful and not merely stereotyping.
I can offer three main keys to the
success of the Chinese in accumulating
wealth – diligence, thrift and persist-
ence. They are generally more likely
to plough the immediate profits of the
initial deals back into the business
instead of spending them on externals
like flashy cars and mansions.
They use resources prudently and
are conditioned to endure long hours
and menial tasks if called to. These are
time tested and fail-safe principles used
by successful people of all ethnicities,
not just the Chinese. Onlookers cannot
or perhaps choose not to believe it
can be that simple, preferring instead
to look for shortcuts, magic formulas
and special connections.
On the other hand, let me point out
that there are very capable and success-
ful Malaysians of other ethnic groups.
Azizi Ali is one such example, having
distilled the secrets of his success in
self-help books. And in lists of success-
ful insurance and multi-level marketing
agents in press announcements, one
notes Malaysians of every colour.
Dr Rick Koh Hong Ping
Malacca
this country ...”
As he reached the top, he said:
“Sorry, in fact you are the only one in
the world to do so.”
All I could do was watch him
disappear to the top floor. He left me
surprised and I wondered if what he
had said was true!
Andre Goh
Via email