Selangor Times, March 2

8/2/2019 Selangor Times, March 2

1/20

commnty March 2 4, 2012/issue 63

Don't usemiddlemen,traders urged p 2 p 6

Debate

over PPSMI

p 10 11

A amily o eight, romK a m p u n g T e n g a h ,Puchong, lost their onlymeans o making a livingwhen RM25,000 wortho t rad it ional cake-making equipment wasdestroyed during a relast Saturday. However1 4 - y e a r - o l d N o o rAzzieyati Azmin (let),

her aunts AmaliahKayoon, 44, (centre)and Siti NorhizayahKayoon, 29, who areholding Noor Azzieyatisyounger siblings, hada reason to smile onThursday. Kinrara stateassemblyperson TeresaKok donated RM5,000to help the amily rebuildtheir kitchen and restarttheir business. The amilyalso received RM200rom Subang councillorAzizan Jamaluddin andwill also get a new fourgrinder rom Petalingassistant district ocerIdzahar Rasidi..

Mohd Azam(gesturing)says that watershouldn'thave beendisconnectedover moneydisputes whileIskandar(seated) says heis relieved.

Make a trIPto the toylIbrary

y avin yp

aMPaNG Jaya: Te agony onduring 12 days o dry taps is overor residents o a walk-up apart-

ment at Pandan Utama 2, but theyemain bitter with Syarikat Beka-an Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Sya-as).

"Water is something basic. Teupply should not have been dis-onnected over money andheques," said Mohd Azam Meor,5, a resident o the ve-storeypartment in Jalan Cempaka 1.

He was among 70 residentswhose supply was disconnected on

eb 14 when it was discovered that

he developer had been stealingwater rom a Syabas main and pip-ng it to the two-year-old apart-

ment.Supply was turned on again on

eb 25 aer the developer or-warded a letter o undertakingated Feb 20, promising to urnish

Drought over butresidents still angry

a bank guarantee o RM1.9 mil-lion to Syabas by Feb 27.

Te amount was to ensure thedeveloper completed building in-rastructure needed to supply wa-ter to the apartment within a year.

While relieved to have water,residents remain sore with Syabasor cutting supply in the rst placeas the action had aected childrenand senior citizens.

What i the developer couldnt

promise the bank guar-

antee? Would we stillbe without water?asked the ather o three.

Syabas ocials, during a meet-ing with residents on Feb 20, saidthey had to stop water the romrecurring.

Initially, Syabas demanded the

developer settle a RM185,000 billor stealing water.he company later issued a

post-dated cheque or RM40,000and also hammered out a deal to

pay the arrears in our instal-ments.

But in an about-turn on Feb 23,Syabas slapped the developer withan additional demand or theRM1.9 million bank guaranteebeore water was reconnected.

Resident Iskandar Abu Hatan,44, is relieved that the matter is -nally resolved. Imagine, or 12days we had to carry heavy pails o

water every two to three hours tofush our toilets, wash our dishes

and bathe, he said.Te oce administrator point-ed out the matter was resolved dueto the assistance o Cempaka as-semblyperson Iskandar Samad,

who had called or meetings be-tween the developer, residents andSyabas.


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phone(603) 5510 4566fax(603) 5523 1188

[email protected]

EDITORIAL

CHIEF EDITORKL Chan

COMMUNITY EDITORNeville Spykerman

PRODUCTION EDITORC GunasegaranWRITERSTang Hui Koon, Chong Loo Wah, Gan Pei Ling,

Basil Foo, Alvin Yap, Gho Chee Yuan, Brenda Chng

COPY EDITORJames Ang

DESIGNERSJimmy C. S. Lim, Chin Man Yen

ADVERTISINGTimothy Loh, Samantha Sim, Ivan Looi, Tony Kee,

ADVISORS Faekah Husin, Arfaeza Abdul Aziz

2 March 2 4, 2012news

Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) President Datuk Mohamad Yacob (front, in red tie) posing withcouncillors on the last day of their appointment on Feb 29.

Mog

Friday Saturday Sunday

afeoo

ngh

Selangor WeaTHer

Source: Malaysian meteorological department

Contractors given threemonths to prove themselves

AMPANG JAYA:raders using "runners" to renewtheir business licences with the local council only havethemselves to blame or late renewal nes.

Stop using middlemen to renew business licences asit can result in business owners getting their renewalslate, said Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) pres-ident Datuk Mohammad Yacob on Wednesday.

He said MPAJ has sucient counters and there was noreason or traders to turn to runners.

"In addition, renewals can also be done online. We set

up the system last year but the response has been poor,he said aer MPAJ's ull board meeting.

Less than 10%, or 2,000 licence renewals, have beendone online out o the 9,000 reg istered businesses in Am-

pang Jaya since Dec 31 last year.Some 3,000 traders missed the deadline and were ned

RM200 when they renewed their licences on or aer Jan 1.Mohammad Yacob said traders who renewed their

licences ater yesterday (March 1) would be inedRM700.

Traders warned

against usingmiddlemen

ByAlvin Yap

AMPANG JAYA: Newly-appointed cleaning and garbage con-tractors have 90 days to prove their

worth or ace dismissal by the Am- pang Jaya Municipal Council(MPAJ).

Were serious with the new op-erators. I they do not perorm in

three months' time, we will terminatetheir contracts, said MPAJ presidentDatuk Mohammad Yacob aer acouncil meeting on Wednesday.

Te 47 public cleaning operatorsalong with 36 solid waste contractorsstarted work on March 1.

Mohammad Yacob said the coun-

cil had retained only ve contractorsrom the previous year.

Nonetheless, MPAJs Environ-mental Health Department willmonitor the perormances o thecontractors while the Public Com-

plaints Unit will look into com-plaints rom residents.

We want the contractors to takeaction to solve problems within two

hours o us orwarding the com-plaints to them, he said.Mohammad Yacob pointed out

that two hours was sucient or theoperators to get to the area and rec-tiy the problems.

However, MPAJs in-house back-up teams will be sent to the aected

areas i contractors are slow to act.I this happens, we will dock

RM500 each rom the contractors'monthly claims, he said.

He said ratepayers can call MPAJsPublic Complaints Department at03 4296 8044 (8am-6pm) to lodgegrouses related to public cleaningand solid waste.

Mohammad Yacob said MPAJ

spent RM40 million last year onpublic cleaning and solid waste man-agement.

He said appointing and managingtheir own contractors would save thecouncil RM10 million, which will beused to und corporate social respon-sibility programmes.

MB: KJsappointmenta step backfor BumisSHAH ALAM: an Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who was among theounders o Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Bhd (PUNB), is ques-tioning the appointment o Khairy Jamaluddin as the head o thecorporation.

Te appointment clearly shows that political aliation, notcapability and experience, makes the cut or top positions in gov-ernment-linked corporations, said the menteri besar.

Khalid pointed out that the Unmo Youth chie and Rembaumember o Parliament had not shown the capability nor experi-ence in running a successul corporate body.

Te Oxord graduate was appointed to replace an Sri MohdAbu Bakar Mohd Noor, who was the president o Malaysia Airlinesrom 2002 to 2010, and Oriental Bank Bhd rom 1997 to 1999.

Khalid said Khairys appointment smacked o confict o inter-est.

He noted that PUNBs Board o Directors has always been madeup o corporate proessionals who have no confict o interest ineither being part o a political party or politically-aliated groups.

(Tis) does not augur well or the uture o the Bumiputeracommunity and Malaysia. In building the nation, our leaders haveto look beyond political aliation.

PUNB was set up in 1991 under Yayasan Pelaburan Bumiputrato nurture Bumiputera entrepreneurs rom small and medium en-terprises.

To place your Advert in

Contact:Timothy Loh 019-267 4488,Ivan Looi 014-936 6698,Tony Kee 016-978 2798

Samantha Sim 019-382 7121


3/20

3March 2 4, 2012news

Barisan MP gets

six years for graftSHAH ALAM: Sabak Bernammember o Parliament Datuk Ab-ul Rahman Bakri (pic) and his aide

Mohd Rosli Busro were each sen-enced to six years jail and ned

RM400,000 or gra yesterday.However, the Sessions Court

ranted them a stay o executionending appeal.

Session judge Azhaniz ehAzman eh ound the Barisan Na-

onal lawmaker guilty o eightounts o making alse claimsmounting to RM80,000 and alsoned him RM50,000 or a years jail

or each charge.A b d u l R a h m a n , 4 7 , w a s

harged under Section 11 (c) o theAnti-Corruption Act 1997 and

Discard usedcooking oilresponsibly

CYBERJAYA: An awareness cam-paign has been launched to get res-aurants and stalls to stop discardingheir used cooking oil into Sungaiepang.

We will try the so approach rsty brieng them about caring or thenvironment, said Sepang Municipal

Council (MPSepang) councillor Pivakumar.

He said they had identied morehan 50 outlets in Kg Baru Sepang,

Pekan Sepang, and commercial areaslong the river which have been doinghe dumping.

Night-market hawkers who sellried chicken, pisang goreng, anderopok have also been identied asome o the main oenders.

He said the issue is still being in-estigated urther by the council buthe briengs or ood outlet opera-ors could begin as early as this

month.A layer o oil orming on the

urace o the water has caused man-rove trees along the river to start to

wilt, he said.About 90 tree saplings purchased

y the council and planted along the

iverside two months ago are alsoeing threatened because o the pol-ution.

Sivakumar said the environmentalmpact o the used oil polluting the

river can be clearly seen now as moreshops have been set up over the years.Some shops have existed or 40

years. Te eects werent so bad then.Tere are more shops now since theKuala Lumpur International Airport(KLIA) was built, he said.

During the councils ull boardmeeting on Wednesday, he suggestedthat the council contact companies

which collect used oil or recycling.He said the briengs could also

educate ood operators to store theirused oil in containers or these recy-cling companies to carry away.

We will be looking or companiesto come and help, said council

president Mohd Sayuthi Bakar.

But he said it would be dicult toattract companies however, as thepopulation size in the area does not produce enough used oil to makerecycling commercially lucrative.

sentenced under Section 16 o thesame act or making claims oRM10,000 each time between Jan21 and Feb 4, 2008.

Mohd Rosli was ound guilty oabetting Abdul Rahman while he

was the Sungai Air awar statelawmaker beore the 2008 generalelection.

Azhaniz ordered the six-year prison sentence to be served con-currently and the nes, i not paid,

would result in another eight yearsjail.

No by-election is requiredunder the law despite the guilty

verdict because the parliamentarianis more than two-thirds into histerm.

Regulatingroadside

Tom Yam stallsBy Basil FooCYBERJAYA: Popular roadside stalls including those serving up tom

yam throughout Sepang will be regulated under new guidelines beingdrawn up by the council.

By legalising the stalls and creating guidelines, we can regulate theirbusiness practices, said Sepang Municipal Council (MPSepang) presidentMohd Sayuthi Bakar.

Mohd Sayuthi, speaking aer the councils monthly ull board meetingon Wednesday, said illegal roadside stalls were one o the main causes orampant rubbish dumping.

Te guidelines, which are being nalised and slated to be completedthis month, will address issues like land ownership, cleanliness, and rate

payments.It is unair i they dont pay anything but enjoy the services provided

by the council, like rubbish collection, which are paid or by other ratepay-ers, he said.

He added that many om Yam roadside stall owners, who have builtpermanent structures, operate by renting agricultural land in village areasrom the land owners.

By law, these stalls must have their own land titles meant or businesspurposes.

Meanwhile the council is also drawing up separate guidelines to allowcrime-prone neighbourhoods to set up security posts and hire guards.

Councillor Mohamad Azi Mohamad Aris said the guidelines will becompleted tentatively by April and the council hopes the move will helpreduce crime rates across the municipality.

Mohamad Azi said he sympathised with residents living in his zone,especially those in aman Salak Indah, and supported the move to allowthem to place barriers across roads.

As they stay near the main road, Jalan Salak, they are exposed to morecrime. Tere have been three break-ins there so ar this year.

He added that protection provided by guards and road barriers is im-portant as housing areas are le empty during the daytime when residents

leave or work and school.

SHAH ALAM: Application ormsor the states aordable homechemes have been reprinted aer thenitially batch o 2,700 copies werenapped up by the public.

Te orms were sold out aer theaunch o Selangor State Develop-

ment Corporations (PKNS) aord-ble housing project in Bandar Baruangi, said state executive councillor

or housing Iskandar Samad yester-ay.

New orms are available at RM5,which includes the processing ee, athe Selangor Housing and Real Es-

tate Board (LPHS), h foor, Sul-tan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shahbuilding in Shah Alam.

He added that the project inBangi had some 640 applicants orthe 124 units currently being built.

Te names o successul bidders

were listed on LPHSs website begin-ning Dec 16 last year.Iskandar said they had to print

more orms because more aordablehomes would be built in SungaiLong, Kajang, in September.

For details, call LPHS at 03-55447078.

More forms for affordablehousing projects


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4 March 2 4, 2012NEWS

Reprieve

on illegalextensions

EvEnts

(From left): MPKj councillors Ong Seng Peng, Chandra Mohan and DatukNoorshisham Ishak who are part of the task force on illegal residentialrenovations.

Korean Gala

Korean culture enthusiasts are welcome to joina Korean Carnival on March 3 organised byUniversiti Tunku Abdul Rahmans Centre orExtension Education rom 10am-6pm. It will beheld at their premises at PD Block, Level B1,No 9, Jalan Bersatu 13/4, Petaling Jaya. Fordetails, call 03-7957 2818/016-223 3563 (Sia,Syed or Eileen), ax 03-7957 3818, visit www.acebook.com.UTARCEE or email [email protected].

Education Seminar

The Next Hottest Education Destinationseminar will be held on March 3 and is opento those interested in studying in China. It willbe held at Mid Valley City Kuala Lumpur, rom9.30am to 1pm. Admission is ree but seats arelimited, so hurry and sign up now. For details,call 03-7728 7732 or visit www.easyuni.com/

studying.

Adventure Sports Expo

AsiaEvents Exsic Sdn Bhd will be organisingits frst Adventure World Expo 2012, whichshowcases extreme sports and traveladventure activities or those who love a thrill.The expo will be held this weekend (March 2-4)at the Shah Alam Convention Centre (SACC)Ballroom 2 rom 11am-8pm. It will eature air,land and sea adventures. There will also betalks by experienced rock climbing, mountainclimbing and adventure tourism proessionals.

Music Open Day

Yamaha Academy o Arts and Music will beorganising an Open Day on March 3 or qualifedSPM holders interested in getting a Diploma in

Music in their March 2012 intake. The open daywill be held at its Kelana Jaya headquartersrom 1pm-6pm. Admission is ree. For details,call 03-7803 0900 ext:233/264.

Postgraduate Open Day

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) willbe holding its Postgraduate and ProessionalDevelopment Day on March 10 rom 9.30amto 4.30pm at its Petaling Jaya campus at JalanBersatu 13/4. For details, call 03-76250328(Justin or Nigell), email [email protected] visit www.utar.edu.my/ppdd.

Toddlers Gym Class

The Institute o Play (IOP) TumbleTots AraDamansara will be conducting a complimentarygymbabes class or toddlers in March. Registeryour children and enjoy exciting and challenging

sessions in a sae, caring environment. Newterm begins in March and registration is nowopen. For details, call 017-6606285 or [email protected].

ByAlvin Yap

KAJANG: A temporary halt to sum-monses or illegal home renovations in themunicipality has been ordered until newrules and rates or nes are determined.

Tis is to nalise the guidelines on thenes as well as the amount, said KajangMunicipal Council (MPKj) presidentDatuk Nawawi Abd Rahman on uesday.

Councillors in the task orce committeeon illegal residential extension had soughta one-month reprieve until the issues are

worked out.Nawawi said the council would hold a

series o meetings during this time to workout details and procedures.

By that time, hopeully we will have thecategories o nes and the amount we canslap on house owners who carry out illegalextensions. he said aer a MPKj ull boardmeeting.

He added that the legal departmentalong with the building control department

would also utilise the one-month period tostreamline their records.

He pointed out that many ratepayershad pleaded ignorance upon receivingsummonses, claiming that they were notaware that they should have obtainedbuilding permits beore carrying out therenovations.

On claims that some renovations werecarried out by previous owners, he said:Aer we tidy up our records, we should beable to ascertain the claims and look intothem on a case-by-case basis.

Nawawi said that enorcement ofcerswould still carry out site visits next monthto check on residential units that have car-ried out renovations.

Te majority o summonses have beenissued to ratepayers who did not submitrenovation plans to the council.

Nawawi warned house owners that in-

surance companies could decline to paycompensation to unauthorised extensions

Landll proposed for KajangKAJANG: Selangor is consideringbuilding a state-o-the-art sanitary landllnearby Kajang to store solid waste col-lected daily by the local council.

Among the requirements is that thenew landll should be within 20km ra-dius o Kajang Municipal Councils(MPKj) jurisdiction, said president Da-tuk Nawawi Abd Rahman on uesday.

He said the council collects some 500tonnes o waste daily, and almost 30 per-

cent o it is unt or recycling and has tobe disposed o at landlls.Nawawi said currently, MPKj waste

management contractors had to travel to

a landll in Ijok to dump their garbage.He said the council wanted its contrac-

tors to travel shorter distances to landllsto maximise the turn-around time per trip.

Te request, which was put to the statelate last year, was orwarded to wastemanagement concessionaire WorldwideHoldings Berhad.

Worldwide then proposed that thenew landll should be near the Kajanglocal government area, Nawawi said aer

a MPKj ull board meeting.He said Worldwide and Selangor hadagreed that the landll should be at least70 acres in size to accommodate the

growth in waste collected rom MPKjareas.

Another option was or the wastemanagement company to rehabilitate andreurbish an existing dumpsite in SungaiKembung in Ulu Bangi.

Te dumpsite would need to be exca-vated and lled with concrete to preventtoxic waste water rom seeping into theground water.

Nawawi said the decision to either

build a new sanitary landll or rehabili-tate the existing Sungai Kembung dump-site would be announced in a monthstime.

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which are damaged by re.Councillor Chandra Mohan said

some 22,913 houses in the municipalityarea had undergone renovations.

O that number, we have given outsummonses to 3,864 house owners who donot have renovation permits, said theMPKj task orce chairman.


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SELANGOR TIMES March 2 4, 20125


6/20


Subang toy library

promises fun time

By Tang Hui Koon &Gho Chee Yuan

SUBANG JAYA: Families cannow bring their children on Satur-days to a toy library set up by theSubang Jaya Municipal Council(MPSJ) in its Children CreativityCentre (Kompleks 3C) in JalanPJS11/2.

We want the children to playand learn new stu, said Kompleks3C senior assistant director HainiMohd Salleh.

Te newly-expanded and reur-bished toy library is divided into vemain zones: My Home, rans-

port, My Hometown, Role-playing and Scrabble.

Its walls are painted with colour-ul graphics and the 100-sq- spacecan now t around 50 children.

Equipped with the latest toys aswell as traditional games like cong-

Streetmall

proposedfor PJ

kak, it has been opened to thepublic or ree rom 9.30am to 5pmon every Saturday since Feb 18.

However, Haini said the childrenmust be accompanied by adults.

Apart rom the toy library, Kom-pleks 3C also houses a petting zoo,reptiles aquarium, library, art gal-lery and ca garden.

Located on a ive-acre plot oland, the learning centre was openedin August 2006 and only accom-modated three to our-year-old

Longer display for PJ draft plan

SHAH ALAM: Selangor Menteri Besar anSri Khalid Ibrahim criticised Prime MinisterDatuk Seri Najib Razak or not invitingPakatan Rakyat (PR) state leaders to the 114thMeeting o Menteris Besar and Chie Minis-

ters recently.Describing the move as undemocratic,Khalid said such a practice went against the

principles o good governance and the spirito ederalism under the Federal Constitution.

I the ederal government is unding themeeting, how can the prime minister arro-gantly say that its a common practice (to invite

Barisan Nasional leaders only), and that thereis nothing wrong with it? Khalid said lastSaturday.

He added that Najib had set a dangerousprecedent in encouraging civil servants to

discriminate against PR state chies.Najib had said on Feb 24 that the nationalmeeting between ederal and state governmentleaders last uesday was only restricted to men-teris besar and chie ministers o BN states.

He said Putrajaya does invite PR state lead-ers to meetings o the National Land Council,local councils and those involving nancial

committees as required under the constitu-tion.

However, Khalid said i the meeting wasstrictly restricted to BN leaders, then the ChieSecretary to the Government, an Sri Sidek

Hassan, should not have attended it.Te chie secretary should have had thecourage to inorm the prime minister that themeeting was discriminatory and that heshould be exempted, said Khalid.

He added that Najib must set a better ex-ample to civil servants i he is committed toimplementing genuine transormation.

Khalid slams Najib fordiscriminating against PR leaders

children.Over the years, it started a pre-

school programme or ve to six-year-olds and a nursery or toddlersto children aged 12 o MPSJ sta as

well.Now, it also hosts sewing, cook-

ing and ballet classes and otherprogrammes or children and par-ents with partners such as CreativeArts & Design Centre, FIM De-signing Centre and the NationalAutistic Society o Malaysia.

Children playing

a traditionalgame at the toylibrary.

JKR responsiblefor yoverBy Brenda Chng

KLANG: A move by the Public Works Department (JKR) toextend the warranty over the problem-plagued Klang town fyoverhas tied the councils hands rom intervening with repairs.

We arent allowed to x street lights or address complaints rommotorists because JKR is still in charge, said Klang MunicipalCouncil (MPK) acting president Ikhsan Mukri.

Tis extension was announced during the councils monthly ullboard meeting on Wednesday.

He said more than three-quarters o street lights along the fyoverare aulty, leaving the bridge in darkness or over six months.

Tis was caused by stolen street light chokes, which have beenmissing since last year.

JKR was supposed to replace the chokes but their warrantyguidelines stated that they only cover maintenance o aulty acili-ties and not vandalism or missing items.

In addition, the underpass below the fyover foods every time aheavy downpour occurs.

Te food causes more congestion in the area, especially duringpeak hours. However, we cant do anything now because PWD isin charge, said Ikhsan.

MPK will have to wait or another six months beore upgradingthe road and repairing the damage there.

However, this did not sit well with councillors present at the ullboard meeting.

Tey shouldnt have extended their contract as they arent evenmaintaining the fyover properly. Now motorists have to wait sixmore months or repairs, said MPK councillor Ivan Ho.

By Brenda Chng

PETALING JAYA: A proposal to turnJalan Yong Shook Lin into the next out-door entertainment hub was mootedduring the councils ull board meeting onuesday.

PJ Walk will be like Jonker Street inMalacca. People no longer have to travelar to spend a day shopping and eatingoutdoors, said Petaling Jaya City Council(MBPJ) mayor Datuk Roslan Sakiman.

Flea markets, ood stalls, restaurantsand perormances will line the stretch oroad opposite the MBPJ headquarters inront o the commercial area.

During weekends, the road will beclosed or a ew hours to make way or

perormances and street activities.Te concept o turning the street intoan outdoor recreational area was approvedby the councillors present at the ull boardmeeting.

MBPJ is targeting to get this done inJune, in conjunction with the councilssixth anniversary celebration.

PETALING JAYA: More inormation willbe added to the Petaling Jaya Special AreaDra Plan 2020 which will be on display atthe city council headquarters or anothermonth.

Te public is welcome to view the updateddisplay and give their eedback, comments and

objections by the end o March, said PetalingJaya City Council (MBPJ) mayor Datuk Ro-slan Sakiman.

He said at a MBPJ ull board meeting on

uesday that they had received complaintsabout the current exhibition missing perti-nent inormation like road names and oot-notes.

Also, the council has ailed to include ex- planations or certain proposed changes inthe dra plan.

Now, we will include details about thethings we are changing in Petaling Jaya andwhy we are doing it, said Roslan.

MBPJ has already lled in the road names

in the new display and will be inserting expla-nations and ootnotes immediately.

Residents, councillors and lawmakers canview the dra plan and submit their eedbackby March 31.

Once eedback is collected, objections willbe reviewed beore a public hearing is held.

Te plans can be viewed at MBPJs headquar-ters in New own while the plans can be ob-tained rom the councils Planning Department,2nd foor, Jalan Yong Shook Lin,


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SELANGOR TIMES March 2 4, 20127


8/20


SPAD passes buck

over MRT land acquisitionBy Gan Pei LinPETALING JAYA: Questionsover appeals by Jalan Sultan landowners to realign the Klang ValleyMy Rapid ransit (KVMR) proj-ect were swily side-stepped by theLand Public ransport Commis-sion (SPAD) on uesday.

You shouldnt ask us. Were thewrong party or you to ask. Whatweve done is to approve the (line),the rest o it is up to the developerand operator to sort out, saidSPAD chairperson an Sri SyedHamid Syed Jaaar Albar.

He said the commission haddone whats necessary and the

Jalan Sultan traders had threemonths to submit their eedbackon the alignment during the publicconsultation period last year.

Land acquisition doesnt in-volve us. You should speak to MRCorp, Syed Hamid told reportersat the launch o SPADs enorce-ment division building at PersadaPlus on uesday.

MR Corporation had issuedan ultimatum to Jalan Sultan landowners to sign the mutual agree-m e nt with th e c om p a ny by

Wednesday or the governmentwould have to undertake compul-

sory land acquisition.Land owners are worried thattheir properties would be seized orthe project as they had receivedacquisition notices rom the Land

Ailing bus lines toreceive aid soonPETALING JAYA: Te Land Public ransport Commission (SPAD)is at the nal stage o processing bus operators application or nancialaid rom Putrajaya.

Weve processed many applications , including rom Cityliner. Terellbe an announcement (soon), said SPAD chairperson an Sri Syed HamidSyed Jaaar Albar at a press conerence at Persada Plus on uesday.

SPAD is expected to disburse RM100 million in the rst quarter o2012 to nancially-constrained bus companies in Selangor, Negri Sem-bilan and Pahang.

Putrajaya had approved RM400 million last December to bail outailing bus operators nationwide but Prime Minister Datuk Seri NajibRazak said the move was only an interim measure.

Najib said the bus operators must nd a way to make their operationsnancially sustainable and they are welcome to seek help rom SPAD.On Dec 13, Konsortium ransnasional Bhds bus eet, Cityliner,

stopped providing services or unprotable routes in Selangor, particu-larly in rural areas such as Banting, anjong Karang, Sekinchan and SabakBernam.

Consequently, an estimated 80,000 commuters were stranded and hadto scramble to look or a lternative transport.

SPAD enorcement ofcers celebrate having their own operations centre at Persada Plus in PetalingJaya.

SPADembarkson taxicoupon

studySUBANG JAYA: Te LandPublic ransport Commission(SPAD) is conducting a researchon the viability o a standard taxicoupon system to prevent taxidrivers rom overchargingcustomers.

SPAD chairperson an SriSyed Hamid Syed Jaaar Albarsaid universities are carrying outsurveys among the public andtaxi operators to seek their views.

In two to three months time,we should come out with a poli-cy. In the meantime, were still

engaging [stakeholders] to ndout their views, said Syed Hamidon uesday.

He said the commission wasconducting the study to over-come the problem o taxi driversovercharging customers, espe-cially oreign tourists.

We received a complaint re-cently when a taxi driver chargeda tourist RM450 or a trip romKL Sentral to KLCC, said SyedHamid, adding that SPAD was

probing the case.He noted that consumers and

taxi operators are still undecidedover the need or a taxi couponsystem.

Consumers who want thecoupon system think it helps toreduce haggling, but others eelthat it is more expensive than themeter system.

axi operators who are againstthe coupon system say theirmeagre earnings would be ur-ther reduced as coupon opera-tors would skim o as much as20 percent rom the are.

SPAD chie executive ofcerMohd Nur Ismal MohamedKamal said the taxi couponsystem was initiated by premiseowners, particularly shoppingmalls like Kuala Lumpur CityCentre (KLCC).

Its not our initiative [but]were conducting a study on theneed or it and whether its jus-tiable, said Mohd Nur Ismal.

Te public can also submittheir suggestions to www.spad.gov.my.

and Mines Department.However, MR Corporation

chie executive ofcer Datuk AzharAbdul Hamid assured the traders

that they would continue to hold property rights under the mutualagreement.

He added that the traders wouldneed to vacate their premises orsix months or tunnelling work butthey would be airly compensatedor the relocation.

Azhar said only two o the own-ers at the historical street had yetto sign the mutual agreement.

Despite that, the Committee orthe Preservation o Jalan Sultan isstill hoping the authorities would

realign the KVMR Sungai Buloh-Kajang line to Jalan un anCheng Lock.

Committee chairperson StanleyYong had said on Monday that they

would resort to physically stop- ping the construction work inecessary.

Several protests and signaturecampaigns have been carried outsince last year to protest againstland acquisition in Jalan Sultanover ears that the historical build-ings would be demolished.


9/20

9March 2 4, 2012views

Tale of two gatherings

Thousands turn up at the MPK 4 feld in Kuantan to rally against the setting up o the Lynas Corp rare earth refnery plant in nearbyGebeng.

Kthxbai!

Fahmi Fadzil

This past week saw several dierent yet,rom my point o view, important gath-erings o people standing up or what

hey believe in. I want to write a little bit aboutwo gatherings in particular, and highlight

what we may (hopeully) learn rom each.Friday, Feb 24 - About a hundred Umno,

N, and Perkasa members gathered outsidehe PKR headquarters at about 4pm, withhe intention o delivering a memorandumo Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim protesting hisecent comments in a newspaper about poli-cs in the Middle East.

he memorandum, handover, was notnnounced to the public, and I mysel hadnly learnt o it via SMSes sent by concerned

ndividuals. Aer veriying the news, I mademy way to the PKR headquarters in Merchant

quare to observe, monitor, and tweet abouthe event (in act, some members o the medianly ound out about the gathering aer read-

ng tweets about it later).It was a rowdy aair. Te gathering began

bout 150m away rom the HQ, and theymarched up to about 30m rom the entrance.

houts o Hancur, hancur!, akbir! and theccasional unsavoury permutation lled the air;anners declaring Anwar to be this and that

were unurled and carried along at the head ohe gathering; even the actual delivery o the

memorandum - which no one ofcially receiveds everyone was in Kuantan or a retreat - wasunctuated with shouts o Ambik lah!.

Ater the memorandum was let at thentrance, some o the hot-headed Umno-BN-erkasa members appeared unsatised, and

tarted calling some o the PKR members whowere present names that is ortunately untor print (clue: something about being a dog,nd your mothers ). Tankully the policetepped in and stood in between them, soothing untoward happened. Not long aer,

he gathering dispersed.Sunday, Feb 26 - Depending on who you

ead, between 5,000 and 15,000 people turnedp at the MPK 4 eld in Kuantan to rallygainst the setting up o the Lynas Corp rarearth renery plant in nearby Gebeng. Teathering, called Himpunan Hijau 2.0 aerhe rst gathering on Oct 10, 2011, was to

maniest the on-going protest o Malaysiansgainst the potentially ecologically-cata-trophic renery, slated to begin operationsn June.

Unlike many previous public gatherings -Bersih 2.0, most notably - Himpunan Hijau2.0 was not barred rom taking place, althoughthe local authorities did mischievously shithe venue two days prior (the original eld wasdug up and enced or upgrading reasons),and the police laid down 12 conditions on theorganisers within 24 hours o the gathering.Nonetheless, the gathering took place withouta hitch and with much anare.

In act, there were multiple HimpunanHijau 2.0 locations: in KL (Maju Junction -2,000 attendees), Penang (Padang Kota - 500),and several others. Only the event in Penang,based on tweets, aced some thuggish obsta-

cles - basically disruptive behaviour by someMat Rempit.

Otherwise, Himpunan Hijau 2.0 tookplace without a single untoward incident toits credit.

Now, what, i any, are the key learningpoints rom comparing the two? While notdenitive, I propose the ollowing:

* Peaceul public gatherings, no matter thepurpose, are a right as declared in our FederalConstitution - as such, all Malaysians irrespec-tive o (political) afliations have the right toexercise this undamental liberty.

* Te act o mobilisation (calling others tothe gathering) is in itsel a political act - do

you declare to the public ahead o time, ordo you send out clandestine SMSes to rally?How the attendees are called out reveals thethinking o the organisers - something last-minute is either an emergency gathering oran aerthought!

* Te language used by the organisers andthe attendees reveals the spirit o the gather-ing - are those in attendance civil or juvenile?

Tose are but some thoughts that crossedmy mind when comparing the two gatherings.Hopeully there will be many more (peaceulones, especially), so that these ideas may berened, corrected, or supplemented in thenear uture.

going thedistance

Azmi ShArom

Nation of idiots in the makingW

e are on the brink o becoming anation o idiots.

An argument is made, and ine disagrees with it, one makes a counterrgument. Tis is the rational way. Te intel-gent way.

Te idiots way is to scream, shout, honk motorcycle horns,t o recrackers, hurl racial abuse and physically attack theerson who is saying things you disagree with. Sometimes the

diots way is loud and obnoxious as in the example above; othermes it can be more measured, or example by countering anpponents point not with reasoning but with that lowest orm wit: sarcasm.Whichever method is chosen, the idiots way does seem to

e on the rise.Te people o this country deserve to be able to listen toierent points o view. Tey have a rig ht to listen to dierentoints o view. It is bad enough that they have to turn to thenternet and alternative media to obtain some semblance oalance, but when mobs can break up peaceul gatherings thene know that any thin acade o a civilised nation that we mayave worn is slipping away.

What makes things worse is that thereappears to be no sense o outrage rom those

who hold the reins o power. Te peoplewho roth at the mouth about how publicgatherings can degenerate into chaos saynothing when those who commit such acts

wear their shirts and are their minions.Developed country by 2020? At this rate we should be

lucky i we are not a ailed state by then. Forget elections, or-get human rights. Whichever group can yell the loudest andthreaten the most harm, they will rule. Tey will determinethe ate o the nation.

I you dont like something, dont bother coming up with acoherent argument against it, just say you will create violence

and the powers that be will skitter and scamper to do yourbidding.Which raises the question, are the p owers that be truly the

powers that be? Or are they now mere playthings o the lout-ish, the crass and the crude? I have to wonder.

I one believes in reedom and human rights, one mustbelieve it holds true or everyone. And as hard as it may be toswallow, nobody must be stopped rom saying what they think,

no matter how disgusted you may eel at what they have to say.It is the burden o those who truly cherish and understand

reedom to not allow personal or intellectual distaste rominringing upon the rights o others. Unortunately such nobleaspirations are not shared by the thuggish.

Yet, not or one second must we be tempted to retaliate andstop others rom expressing themselves or that means we arelowering ourselves to the guttural level within which they lurk.

Tere is a limit to reedom however, and that is when youuse your reedom to inringe upon the reedom o others.

In the past ew weeks we have seen this happening manytimes as the boundaries o reedom are breached again andagain by the mob. I this trend continues, it does not bode wellor the uture o Malaysia.

I said at the beginning o this article that we are on the brinko being a nation o idiots. I stopped mysel rom saying that wealready are because I want to believe, I want to have hope, thatthere are enough o us who will not let it happen. Tat thereare enough o us who will stand up and say that we have notime or those who seek to suppress others by brute orce and

we have no time or those who through inaction and politicalcowardice let them have their way.


10/20

10 march 2 4, 2012InsIght

By Basil Foo

The shi in education policy romteaching Science and Mathemat-ics in English to Bahasa Malaysia

has riled anxious parents who ear themove has jeopardised their childrensuture.

Among the most vocal proponents orthe policy are the Parent Action Groupor Education (PAGE) and ConcernedParents o Selangor (CPS).

Tese non-governmental organisationshave been pushing or the reinstatemento Te eaching and Learning oScience and Mathematics in Eng-lish (PPSMI) policy.

PPSMI was scrapped by thegovernment in avour o the Up-holding Bahasa Malaysia andStrengthening the English Lan-guage (MBMMBI) policy whichbegan this year.

Importance of teaching inEnglish

An argument or keeping thePPSMI is because o the wealth oknowledge in English on Maths andScience.

In higher education, 99 percent o the knowledge is in Eng-lish. Also, the language o theInternet is English, said PAGEchairperson Datin Noor AzimahAbdul Rahim.

She argues the teaching o the subjects inEnglish could be done eectively as youngstudents had more pliable minds which ab-sorb knowledge easier and aster.

Utilising the knowledge acquired with thatlanguage, students could then continuestudying in higher education institutions,

which mostly teach in English.PPSMI would eventually address the

current shortage o children in the sciencestream. We will produce a generation ocreators and inventors instead o consumers,she said.

CPS coordinator Shamsudin Hamid con-curred, saying that the PPSMI policy is thekey to this countrys ability to become a h ighincome nation by 2020.

He said studying Science and Maths inEnglish would not only allow students to ac-cess the global body o scientic knowledgecomortably but help with their uture careers.

Our children, once they have graduated, will be more employable, even overseas, headded.

Interim Measure DistortedSince the start o MBMMBI this year,

there have been complaints regarding discrep-ancies between the ministrys directive andthe schools implementation.

he allowance given to parents to placetheir children in classes teaching Scienceand Math in either English, Malay, or both,has reportedly been ignored by someschools.

he interim measure was slated to lastuntil 2015 when the nal batch o students

who began studying during the PPSMI yearscomplete their secondary education.

We get calls rom parents daily. Tey wanttheir children to be taught in English but theschools come up with many excuses to denythem their rights, said Noor Azimah.

She said the principals o some schools inCheras, Kuantan, Ipoh and Penang claimed

that only textbooks in Bahasa Malaysia wereavailable.Some principals even announced that the

exam questions would be in BM to discourageparents rom insisting that their children learnthe two subjects in English.

Te questions should be bilingual. Hope-ully the Education Ministry will clariy this,

she said.Noor Azimah said an-

other excuse given byschool principals or notteaching the subjects inEnglish was insuicientEnglish textbooks.

Even students whohave those books now have

been using them since 2003and they are not in goodcondition he ministryshould reprint the Englishbooks, she said.

he interpretation othe ministrys ruling byschools regarding MB-MMBI has also le Shamsudin perplexed

when a school backtracked on its lan-guage policy.

He said the school in Puchong hadclasses teaching Science and Maths inEnglish since the year started but sud-denly reverted to BM aer the ChineseNew Year holidays.

Tis obviously caused a lot o com-plaints rom the parents over the ears o

conusion among their children, headded.Noor Aziamah has rejected arguments

that PPSMI was discontinued because othe inability o some teachers and ruralstudents to cope with Science and Mathsin English.

I teachers cant even teach Year OneScience and Maths in English, somethingis wrong with them, she said.

She added that English should not bedisregarded just because o claims thatthe majority o students are weak inEnglish.

Shamsudin said claims that studentsin the rural areas ound it difcult to learnin English were ar rom the truth.

hat claim is a type o propaganda.

An example to debunk it would be theMARA Junior Science College (MRSM),he said.

He explained that while 90 per cent o theintake or MRSM comes rom rural areas, itsstudents still excel in the courses oered,

which are Cambridge O- and A-Levels.In comparing the PPSMI with the MB-

MMBI, Noor Azimah was alarmed that thenewer policy appeared to be replacing scien-tic English with conversational English.

Te MBMMBIs objective is to improvethe mastery o the Malay and English lan-guages. It has nothing to do with Science andMaths, she said.

She said the MBMMBI should notreplace but work together with thePPSMI which was not intended orchildren to learn English outright but toacilitate the learning o Science andMath.

Actions and demandsFor PAGE, Noor Azimah said they

have been an inormation resource toparents who want their children to study

in English.Weve been telling parents to work ingroups to be more noticed by the schoolauthorities, she said.

She explained that i there weresuicient requests by parents, theschool would have to start a separateclass to teach Science and Maths inEnglish.

Merely moving class would be mucheasier than changing school a process

which would aect children once theyhave grown attached to their peers.

he Education Ministry should beheaded by a non-politician, declaredShamsudin.

He said there has been adequateprecedence when the government took

in an industry expert to assist withpolicy-making.he examples h e gave were an Sri Nor

Mohamed Yakcop who is in charge o theEconomic Planning Unit (EPU) and Da-tuk Seri Idris Jala who helms the Peror-mance Management and Delivery Unit(Pemandu).

Parents protesting the abolitionof the PPSMI policy in front ofSMK USJ 12 on Jan 7.

Shamsudin.

for

Anyone


11/20

EDUCAING young students in their mother tongue isthe best way or them to understand the subject matter andnot just memorise to pass exams, claimed a local youth group.

Research has shown students beneit by using theirmother tongue, said Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement(Abim) deputy secretary-general Muhammad Faisal AbdulAziz.

Abim is part o the Abolish PPSMI movement (GMP).Muhammad Faisal reerred to a United Nations Educa-

tional, Scientic and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

study which ound disparities in the development o mi-norities.Te study showed educational programmes which use

ethnic languages along with national and international lan-guages s ignicantly improved educational achievement.

Te PPSMI caused students not to appreciate what theylearn in school. Te purpose o a curriculum should be tohelp students understand, he said.

He added that students must at least understand the subjectmatter at its most basic orm rst, instead o just memorisingacts, to avoid diculties upon entering university.

He said the PPSMI caused rural areas in Sabah andSarawak to suer rom teacher shortage and some schoolsused English teachers to teach Science and Maths.

Muhammad Faisal said this led to ineective teachingwhich was made worse when students were given Englishtextbooks which contained subpar inormation.

Te textbooks dropped in quality during the PPSMI

years. Beore that, they had better quality content.He also said that as a result o the shif to English text-books, students merely memorised acts without understand-ing as they were rushing to sit or their nal exams.

On the claim that students ound it hard upon enteringtertiary institutes, he said English was not an issue as theycould enrol into matriculation courses.

Tats the point o matriculation. Tese pre-university

courses like A-Levels and O-Levels help improve their English.Te use o English was urther decried as a non-issue when

he said many proessionals came out o the vernacular andvillage schools systems.

He said beore PPSMI came into eect, Malaysia was stillable to produce scientists and doctors.

Based on these reasons, we hope the government upholdsthe Education Ministrys decision to abolish the PPSMI, headded.

On the Parents or PPSMI rally which will be held on

March 10, Muhammad Faisal said the parents have everyright to hold a demonstration.Te GMP previously held an anti-PPSMI rally at the Sogo

shopping complex in the city centre which saw a turnout oabout 100 on March 7, 2009.

Among the protesters was national laureate A Samad Said,poets Dinsman and Pyanhabib, writer Ainon Mohd, andtheatre activist Khalid Salleh.

PPSMI opponents advocate ethnic languages frst

HE eaching and Learning o Science andMathematics in English policy (PPSMI) wasrolled out in 2003 to help prepare students acean increasingly globalised world.

Te policy was introduced during the admin-istration o ormer prime minister un Dr Ma-hathir Mohamad in place o the Bahasa Malaysiamedium used previously.

He reportedly said PPSMI would help keepstudents abreast in the elds o Science and Mathsas most research conducted in the two elds wasin English.

Its not a question o lacking nationalism Inact, it is true nationalists who want their peopleto possess more knowledge, not just be able tospeak in Malay, he said.

Dr Mahathir, who is a trained medical doctor,said the policy would enable students to learn thelatest developments in the two elds withouthaving to wait or translations.

He said new scientic ndings, discoveries andtheories, which are produced everyday, are notrecorded in BM but in English.

He added that the government could stilldecide to reintroduce the PPSMI, despite havingreplaced it with the Upholding Bahasa Malaysiaand Strengthening the English Language (MB-MMBI) policy.

It is never too late. Tese are man-made laws,not Gods laws. Tere is no such thing as xed

laws that cannot be changed orever, he said.Introduced by deputy prime minister an Sri

Muhyiddin Yassin, the MBMMBI policy re-placed the PPSMI to teach Science and Mathswholly in the national language.

Muhyiddin, who is also education minister,said the new policy was already mooted in 2009and its sof-landing was rolled out this year.

Te new policy comes into total eect in 2015 when the inal batch o students who beganstudying during the PPSMI years complete theirsecondary education.

He has rejected calls or the reinstatement othe PPSMI policy.

Te matter is closed. Full stop. People canpush and demand all they want but the govern-ments decision is nal, he said.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Wee KaSiong added that the country would not be lefbehind in the elds o Science and Maths withthe abolishment o the PPSMI.

He gave China as an example where the rap-idly-developing nation emerged as a key player inthe global arena despite its citizens learning Sci-ence and Maths in Mandarin.

Wee added that the transition period romPPSMI to MBMMBI would take time, much like

when the initial medium o instruction shif romEnglish to Malay which he said took 12 years tostabilise.

What the leaders say

(From left): Khoo Phaik Hong from CPS, Mak Chee Kin from Malacca Action Group for Parents in

Education (MAGPIE), Shamsudin and CPS vice-chairman, Nanthakumar announcing their plansat a recent press conference.

Tis way, there wont be a policyhange every time a new education

minister comes in, he said.Meanwhile, CPS along with other

rganisations expects to attract 5,000arents to a rally to push or their de-

mands at Dataran Petaling Jaya onMarch 10.

Shamsudin said parents rom allver the country are expected to con-erge at the Parents or PPSMI (P4P)

ally at Padang imur, opposite Am-orp Mall, at 10am.

(We are) gathering in protest othe deplorable state o the educationsystem in general and with regards tothe abolition o the PPSMI policy in

particular, he said.Other organisations which will be

taking part include PAGE, MalaccaAction Group or Parents in Educa-tion (Magpie) and Herald o PenangEducation (HOPE).

Interested parents have been ad-

vised to ollow updates on the rally onFacebook.


12/20

12 March 2 4, 2012VIews

Ask Lord Bobois a weekly column byLoyarBurok (www.loyarburok.com)

where all your profound,abstruse, erudite, hermetic, recondite,

sagacious, and other thesaurus-described queries are answered!

Damned If You BaduL

ord Bobo, what do you make of theErykah Badu concert cancellation?Surely we cannot allow foreigners

cavorting with Allah tattoos to performhere, right? If it had been allowed, we may

well have seen riots and pure chaos. (VonD, via email).

Te cancellation is ridiculous or many,many reasons.

Uno, it shows that or all the talk, the erao government knows best is most certainlynot over. Tis is a direct example o the au-thorities telling us who we can and cannotsee in concert.

Dos, His Supreme Eminenceness doesnot see who would be upset by the tattoos.It wasnt a derogatory statement, or insultingdepiction. I a handul or small percentage oindividuals would be upset, so what? Since

when is our nation governed based on theeelings o a super-minority?

res, Malaysian leaders like to talk aboutbeing moderates and here we have a con-cert cancelled at the last minute because o

what seems to be the judgement-on-a-whimo an individual, Rais Yatim.

Best o all? Erykah is gonna leave KualaLumpur to perorm in Indonesia, the worldsmost populous Muslim nation. MalaysiaBoleh.

In a given salary slip, there are the fol-lowing deductions EPF employer, EPFemployee, SOCSO employee, SOCSOemployer. I have a friend whose prospec-tive employer mentioned that there willbe no EPF & SOCSO contributionsthroughout the probation period. Is this

legal? Ive contactedthe EPF and was giventhe opinion that con-tributions from bothemployee and employerare compulsory as longas salary is paid by em-ployer to employee. Isthere any proper blackand white on manda-tory EPF and SOCSOcontribution by bothemployee and employeras long as the employee(permanent, contract,temp, probation) ispaid a salary? (wistedMind, via email)

What shenanigans arethese!? Te short answeris that your riends em-

ployer cannot withholdEPF and SOCSO payments during the pro-bationary period.

For the EPF, the obligation lies in Section43 (1) o the Employees Provident Fund Act1991 which states that every employee andevery employer o a person who isan employee within the meaningo this Act shall be liable to paymonthly contributions on theamount o wages or the month atthe rate respectively set out in the3rd Schedule.

he only exception is wherethe employer has established itsown pension und which has beenapproved by the Board as an ap-

proved und under Sec-tion 52.

Te employer shoulddeduct the employeescontribution rom theemployees wages and thenactually pay the amountdeducted, together withthe employers own contri-bution, to the EPF underSection 45 o the EPF Act.

Crucially, the EPFAct makes no distinctionbetween a probationaryemployee and a conrmedemployee. Te only peo-

ple who do not have tocontribute are those whoare not considered em-

ployees under the EPFAct (dened in Schedule1 o the Act, and including

nomadic aborigines (unless the DirectorGeneral o Aborigines species otherwise),most domestic workers (except i they

work in an embassy or high commission)and certain oreigners temporarily working in

Malaysia.Probationary employees are thereore

still employees.I aer all this, your riends employer still

reuses to pay up, you can tell your riend thathis employer will commit an ofence underSection 45(4) o the EPF Act. Better yet, tell

your riend to get a copy o this delectablenewspaper and read this or himsel. Or togo over to www.selangortimes.com or www.LoyarBurok.com to read the online version!

All the directors o the Company will beliable to be prosecuted under Section 45(4),and to a civil suit under Section 65 by the EPFBoard or recovery o contributions. Te pen-

alty is a jail term up to three years,or to a ne up to RM10,000, orboth. Lord Bobo might also senda plethora o purple bananas up theemployers posterior.

he same principles apply toSOCSO payments, and the cor-responding provisions in the Em-

ployees Social Security Act 1969(the SOCSO Act) are Sections 6,9, and 94?

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Have a question for Lord Bobo? Call on His SupremeEminenceness by emailing [email protected],stating your full name, and a pseudonym (if you want), ortweeting your questions by mentioning @LoyarBurok andusing the hashtag #asklordbobo. What the hell are youwaiting for? Hear This, and Tremblingly Obey (althoughtrembling is optional if you are somewhere very warm)!Liberavi Animam Meam! I Have Freed My Spirit!


13/20


Pay JMB fees and get

a free coat of paint

Timmy the Clown leading the children in games during the Sunway PJS7/15 low-cost fat amily day

SUBANG JAYA: Repainting or ree - thats the promise toesidents o Subang Mutiara low-cost ats here who pay their

management ees.Te RM100 per household painting costs will be waived or

nits that have settled their Joint Management Board (JMB)ees, said Subang Jaya assemblyperson Hannah Yeoh during aamily day event last week.

Te state will bear 80 per cent o the RM300,000 cost to re-aint the 22-year-old lats at PJS7/15 which leaves some

RM60,000 to be shared among the residents there.Each unit will have to pay RM100 or the repainting but Yeoh

nnounced that residents who have settled their JMB ee arrearsill not have to pay the amount.

Yeoh said the developer, Sunway Group, had stepped in andaid the remaining amount rst to paint the 10 blocks o walk-upat, which they will bill the residents later.

Te at was chosen by the state government under the Pang-apuri Ceria scheme to undergo a aceli and other maintenance

work.JMB chairperson Kok Kim Swee, 59, said the waiver was an

ncentive or residents to settle their ees.Te ees are used to pay or maintenance o the inrastruc-

ure, Kok told residents during the amily day event, which sawimmy the clown entertain children with a magic show.

Residents were also treated to an aernoon tea buet spon-ored by the state.

Later, Kok handed out a token o appreciation to MohamadWahad, 53, who was appointed the contractor to handle theaceli at the ats.

He said the repainting, which started on Feb 8, will continueor three months and was slated or completion around early

April.

RM1.5m boost for schoolsexpansion project

By Brenda Chng

KLANG: One o the oldest Chinese schools here willoon be able to cater to more students thanks to thenancial assistance o the community and state.

I would like to thank all the donors or contributingnd making it possible to build the double-storey activ-y centre, said SMJK (C) Chung Hua Klangs board governors chairman Lee eng Kee

Lee was speaking during the 50-year-old vernacularChinese secondary schools anniversary and undraising

inner on Monday.A total o RM1.5 million was collected during the

dinner and the school needs another RM1 million be-ore upgrades can begin.

Te school has 1,400 students.With the expansion, which includes an additional

canteen, multi-purpose hall and three extra classrooms,

the school expects to increase enrolment by 100.Also present to launch the undraising was state As-sembly Speaker Datuk eng Chang Khim.

Ive contributed RM10,000 rom my ofce undsto help this school build new acilities, said eng.

He added during his speech that the state would alsobe contributing RM50,000 towards the activity centre.

Selangor targetsbetter results in2012 SukmaByAlvin Yap

SHAH ALAM: Selangors con-tingent at the upcoming SukanMalaysia (Sukma) is aiming or a

better medal haul than at the lastgames two years ago.Te state, which has emerged

champions seven times since thenational sporting event started in1986, wants to bring back moregold and silver medals rom the26 categories it is taking part inat the Pahang event rom July7-16.

We want to be champions inthe 2012 Sukan Malaysia. We

will improve our medal tally thisJuly, said state executive council-lor or youth and sports Dr Ah-mad Yunus Hairi (pic).

He said Selangor had allocat-ed RM30 million in this years

budget to improve the peror-mance o state athletes.Tis includes the cost o ull-

time sports trainers and physio-therapists to help athletes per-orm better.

He said this when addressingrepresentatives rom 26 sports

associations at a dialogue at BlueWave Hotel here on Monday.

Te Sijankang assemblyper-son said Selangor wanted itsathletes to compete in the worldsporting arena as well as developthemselves academically.

On a related matter, he saidthe state would use part o thebudget to maintain sporting hallsand complexes under local gov-

ernments.Te places are or our youngto play utsal, squash and bad-minton. Tey deserve the best(inrastructure) we can give, hesaid.

Tey are, aer all, our uturesportspersons.

Well-wishers and donors at the undraising dinner at the Klang Hokkien Association Hall.


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14 march 2 4, 2012news

By Brenda Chng

SABAK BERNAM: Dilapidated homes in villagesin the district were repaired by the Selangor State De-

velopment Corporation (PKNS) as part o its Corpo-rate Social Responsibility last Saturday.

Te state subsidiary has allocated RM396,000 torepair and upgrade leaking roos and aulty toilets or22 homes and the work is scheduled to be completedby April.

Im so grateul or this help as without it my broth-ers and I might not have a roo over our home soon,especially with the requent thunderstorms, said Baganerap villager Zamri Sakiman.

Zamri, 39, said their belongings have also b een de-stroyed by the rain which seeps in through the brokenroo almost every night.

Living with his three disabled brothers, Zamri explained the diculties in supporting them and thehardship o saving money or repairs.

I earn RM600 a month as a security guard and themoney is only enough to eed us. We dont have moneyor repairs, he said.

He also pointed out that his disabled brothers triedhelping by planting palm trees on an empty plot besidetheir home.

By selling palm oil to a nearby village, they get anadditional RM200 a month.

However, this is still insucient as everything in theirhome is alling apart one by one, including electricalappliances like lights and ceiling ans.

PKNS will be building them a new roo, constructing

a new bathroom with proper acilities, repairing thepiping in their kitchen and painting the exterior walls.

All these repairs will cost about RM18,000 and arescheduled or completion on uesday, said PKNSadministration and development deputy manager No-raida Mohd Yuso.

She said the 22 amilies were chosen based on reer-ences by the Selangor Zakat Board and village headsrom six villages in Sabak Bernam.

Among the villages involved are ebuk Pulai, BaganNira, Sepintas, Kampung ok Khaliah, Jalan Masjidand Bagan erap.

We chose the amilies who really nee d help, like thedisabled and those with a monthly income o aboutRM300, she said.

PKNS hopes to improve the lives o these less ortu-nate amilies with the repairs.

Noraida pointed out that PKNS will be helpingother villagers in other districts to repair their homesaer this project in Sabak Bernam is completed.

Also present to launch the event was state executivecouncillor or housing Iskandar Samad, who was please d

with PKNS move.I will also be pushing or the state to set up a und

to help repair more homes in the other Selangor dis-tricts, he said.

During his speech, he explained that there were manymore villages in the rural parts o Selangor whichneeded help.

I hope PKNS will consider adopting this village andgive them the guidance they need to improve their livesand social development.

Houses in villages repaired,

thanks to PKNS

Iskandar launching the CSR programme last Saturday.

SUBANG JAYA: ransparency International Malaysia (I-M) aimsto enlist 1,000 committed volunteers this year to help monitor theorests in the country.

Anybody can join our Forest Watch Project and become a orestranger, said I-M Forest Governance Integrity Programme projectmanager Victor Soosai at a conerence at Grand Dorsett Hotel lastTursday.

He said members o the public can sign up to be a volunteer via theForest Watch Project website (www.timalaysia-orestwatch.org.my).

Launched on Feb 1, the website enables the public to report illegaldeorestation using Google Earths real-time satellite imagery and aerial

photography.Soosai said the volunteers would be classied based on their degree

o commitment and participation.He added that I-M would roll out more public engagement pro-

grammes this year to publicise the initiative and train citizens to becomethe eyes and ears o Malaysias orests.

He said I-M targets to process 500 cases this year.I-Ms monitoring and advisory team would review the complaints

submitted via the website beore passing the inormation to the relevantgovernment agencies or action.

Public agencies taking part in the project include, among others,Peninsular Malaysia Department o Wildlie and National Parks andthe Department o Survey and Mapping Malaysia.

Te three-year-long Forest Watch Project is part o I-Ms ForestGovernance Integrity Programme (FGI).

Te FGI has also been implemented in Indonesia, Papua New Guin-ea, China and the Solomon Islands by ransparency International tostrengthen orest management in these countries.

By Gan Pei Ling

SUBANG JAYA: Te Forestry Department o Pen-insular Malaysia is expected to complete its nationalorest inventory by this year.

Our ocers have been going to the ground to ver-iy our orest cover since last year, said the departmentsdeputy director-general Datuk Nik Mohd Shah NikMustaa.

Te national inventory is carried out every 10 years.

Nik Mohd Shah added that Peninsular Malaysia wasestimated to have 44 per cent orest cover, includingrubber plantations located within orest reserves.

He explained that a certain amount o orest mustbe preserved as it provides essential ecological servicessuch as acting as carbon sink, water catchment area and

wildlie habitat apart rom supplying timber, medicineand other orestry products.

He was speaking to a 60-odd audience attendingthe Regional Conerence on Sustainable Forestrythrough Good Governance at Grand Dorsett Hotellast Tursday.

Nik Mohd Shah said Malaysia targets to maintain atleast 50 per cent orest cover in each state but Selangor- the most developed state in the country - only has 30

per cent orest cover due to rapid development pressure.However, Nik Mohd Shah said Sabah and Sarawak,

which are governed by separate orestry laws, conduct

their own orest assessments.Dr Afendi Suhaili rom the Sarawak Forestry De-partment said there was currently around 70 per centorest cover, including plantations located within orestreserves, in Sarawak.

Sabah Forestry Department senior ocer on sustain-able orest management Mashor Mohd Jaini also saidthere was more than 50 per cent orest cover in Sabah.

Inventory of forest underway

Wanted - 1,000volunteer forestguardians

Nik Mohd Shah says Malaysiatargets to maintain at least 50

per cent forest cover.


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Montfort Boysexpertise soughtyAlvin Yap

SHAH ALAM: Montort Boys own has beenrged to consider allowing its students to help out

n the maintenance o low-cost ats in Selangor.an Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who visited the voca-

onal school on Monday, said he wanted to seetudents apply their skills by helping to maintainnrastructure or leading gotong-royong initiatives.

Tink o it as internship. We have the nanceso maintain the ats but we dont always havenough people to assist us, said the Menteri Besarn reerence to the states Caring Government or

Residents Aid Scheme (Ceria).Te scheme unds initiatives to repaint and

eurbish older low-cost ats in the state.Khalid said students could contribute towards

pliing the well-being o residents at the low-costats by helping to repaint the units and maintain-

ng the amenities there.Montort director Brother John Albert said the

ocational school would consider Khalids request.Khalid also lauded Montorts eorts in produc-

ng highly-skilled workers or the manuacturingnd service industries in Selangor.

As I understand it, Montorts students have

obs waiting or them at various corporations andompanies even beore they graduate, he said.

he Ijok assemblyperson also said that hewanted INPENS International College, a voca-tional training centre in Kuala Selangor, to cooper-ate with Montort Boys own on various curricu-lum and syllabus issues, especially in weldingcourses.

He added that the oil and gas industry, in whichMalaysia aspires to be a key regional player, was in

need o specialist welders.Montort Boys own is among a ew voca-tional learning centres with oil and gas industryaccredited welding courses in Malaysia.

He later presented a mock cheque orRM100,000 on behal o the state government toits chairperson o the Board o Governors, an SriCliord Herbert and Brother John Albert.

He said the state was aware that the vocationaltraining school, which is celebrating its 53rd an-niversary, operated through public unds.

Herbert said the donation would be used tomaintain and upgrade the sports acilities at Mont-ort.

He said many o the acilities spread out amongthe 13-acre land were in need o rehabilitation dueto 40 years o wear and tear.

Te ormer civil servant said some 5,000 stu-

dents have graduated rom Montort armed withskills training, since it was ounded in 1958.

halid (second from right) presenting the cheque to Herbert (second from right) as Bro Johnlbert (left) and state executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar look on

Help for re victims

SEPANG: Having a drain outletinstalled at aman Arked to preventstagnant water and oods is one o themain priorities councillor Dr eo LianSang has on his list.

For over seven years now, residentsat the neighbourhood have to live withmuddy water and rubbish clogging thedrains outside their homes.

Water cannot low out o theneighbourhood because the developerdidnt built a drain outlet here, saidthe Sepang municipal councillor(MPS).

Te two-term coun-cillor has been pushingor the developer tobuild a proper outlethere or almost two

years, but nothing per-manent has been doneso ar.

eo, 41, said the de-veloper only dug a holeor water to ow out othe neighbourhood, asa temporary solution.

However, the devel-oper had promised tobuild a proper drainageoutlet soon, which willlead to a nearby river.

Tey promised todo this beore theirnew development project nearby iscompleted. Te outlet will have to beinstalled beore they can get the CF

(certicate o tness) rom the coun-cil, said the kindergarten owner.He hopes the developer will keep

their promise and upgrade the drain-age system as soon as possible to pre-

vent Aedes mosquitoes rom breedingin the neighbourhood.

In addition, oods happen oen inthe area as the water is trapped in thesmall drains around the neighbour-hood.

here isnt a way out, so wateroverows and travels down towardsthe houses located on lower ground,said eo.

In the meantime, MPS has assignedcontractors to dig up rubbish and clearthe clogged drains.

Apart rom that, eo is also pushing

or MPS to create an online system tomonitor and track cleaning and rub-bish collection contractors.

Tere have been numerous complaints about uncut grass, areas notcleaned according to schedule andrubbish uncollected at times, he said.

With this online system, which willbe open to the public, contractors willhave to clock in their working hoursand the tasks they have completed.

By doing so, both the council andresidents will be able to track the work

contractors do andensure they are notslacking.

Currently, this sys-tem is already beingcarried out in hisarea, involving a logbook and the coop-eration o residentsassociations.

Contractors hadbeen told to sign inthe log book everytime they do cleaning

jobs or collect bulk waste. Complaintshave been decreasingever since, said eo.

However, MPShas rejected his pro-

posal to have the on-line monitoring system to be imple-mented or the whole o Sepang.

For the uture, eo wants to oster

closer ties with the Public WorksDepartment (PWD) and get them torepair roads and street lights which arein bad condition.

Its been a tough ride trying to getPWD to work with us. hey seemreluctant to cooperate with us no mat-ter how hard we try, he said.

Tere are stretches o winding roadrom Dengkil to Banting which areull o potholes and aulty street lights,making it dangerous or motoristsdriving at night.

Also, some potholes are lled withsand with grass growing in them.

I they dont x this, soon the roadwill be gone and be replaced by moresand and grass, he said.

Know Your Councillor:Dr Teo Lian Sang

By Khaulah Azwar

KLANG: wo amilies whose rentedhome at Jalan Yadi was burnt down onFeb 15 have received nancial assistancerom Selat Klang assemblyperson DrHalimah Ali.

We hope all re victims stay patientand calm while overcoming this misor-tune. In the meantime, my ofce will be

assisting them as well, said Halimah.he hal-wooden and brick houseswere razed at 7.45am, leaving the victimshomeless.

Te cause o the re is still unknownand the police are still investigating , shesaid.

Residents living in the neighbour-

hood had sought the assistance oHalimahs assistant, Kamaluddin Rah-mat.

Aer receiving the news, I called thepolice and re department immediatelyto put out the re which was getting outo control, said Kamaluddin.

Te re was brought under control at8.20am and put out a ew minutes later.

I it werent or the quick response,

Im sure the re would have spread to theother neighbouring houses, he said.Te victims also received help rom

the Welare Department, Klang Mu-nicipal Council (MPK) and SelangorZakat Board.

Besides money, they were also givendaily necessities like ood and clothing.

Dr HalimahandKamaluddinmeeting the

victims


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16 march 2 4, 2012focus

There is a club o sorts that draws hundreds, i notthousands o shoppers, grandathers, retirees, treasurehunters and collectors, e very Sunday.

It takes place on Saturdays and Sundays at the AmcorpMall in Petaling Jaya. Te ea market, which started around1997, has since grown to become arguably the biggest andmost successul ea market in the sprawling district o PJ.

According to an ocial o the Amcorp Mall management,about 200 people come to set up their stalls as early as 8am onSundays. Te Saturday ea market is less crowded but never-theless it still takes place.

Te mall management puts a strong emphasis on antiquesand collectibles.

But it is on Sundays that everything and almost anythingunder the sun is sold on our levels o the shopping complex.Te lower ground level has the greatest mix o stalls.

Tere are numerous stalls that sell stamps, First Day Covers,coins (oreign and local) and items relating to numismaticsand philately. Everything that is on display can be bought -- ata price, o course.

Recently, I came upon a irst edition book by FrankSwettenham entitled Te Real Malay. It was a rare occasion

when such a book is seen and put up or sale. Te only problem,at least or me, was the price -- RM1,200. I decided to give ita miss because I wasnt carrying that amount o spare change.

Tere are also traders who specialise in various types oMalay keris and other ancient weapons that have rusted overthe decades or perhaps centuries.

One trader candidly admitted that he sometimes journeyedout o state and into kampungs to look or the collectibles thatothers might have missed. Tis included spear heads and blades

without handles that have been accidentally dug up by armerstilling their felds.

It has become the norm or tradersand ea market specialists to book ta-bles or two days. he charges areRM80 per table or two days.

I you want to sell your grand-mothers clothes or only one day, thenit will have to be Saturday and you haveto pay RM30. able cloth is not pro-

vided. You will have to bring your own.Individuals representing companies

who have proper credentials can booka table or outdoor business or threedays. Te ee is RM250. For the so-called outdoor lea market activity,table cloth is provided.

Registration or ea market tables,I understand, takes place on uesdaysat 11am on the frst oor o the Am-

corp Mall oce.Te people who come to AmcorpMall to peddle their wares are a mix-ture o proessionals, part-time tradersand houseowners. Regular Amcorpea market visitors usually know whichstalls to approach i they seek objectso their desire.

Tis streetwise trait comes rom years o banter withcertain stall owners who only specialise in selling certainitems. I have been told that several ordinary-looking unclesmanning stalls are actually PhD holders who work ull timeat tertiary institutions during weekdays.

Te visitors and shoppers who throng the our-level eamarket comprise mainly o adults, mostly men, and amiliesout to have a good time.

It is obvious that this particular ea market has becomean unocial meeting place or retirees who fnd that yes-

teryears keepsakes and souvenirs bring them much joy andnostalgia, even i they do not take home with them any o theitems.

Who would be able to appreciate an old cangkul or a vinylrecord that has sound tracks rom an era long orgotten. een-agers are a rare sight at Amcorp Mall on Sundays.

Te word is these youngsters wouldnt want to be caughtdead browsing through somebodys grandathers discards to

decorate their upbeat rooms.

Permanent shoplots ound on the variousoors o Amcorp Mall do enjoy better businesson Sundays. Tus, most o these shops, includ-ing the restaurants and small eateries, are alwaysin ull swing when the ea market is operatingat ull throttle.

Books are among some o the avourite itemssought by collectors and avid readers. Te ea

Collectors

and collectibles

Beyond that rusty and dusty realmof discards, hand-me-downs andstorage junk, there are somethings that are deemed preciousby others. LIN ZHENYUAN checksout a market that specialises in

the antiquated and archaic.

Thomas Tan (let) and Che Mat are tactical gear stalwarts at the Amcorp Mall ea market.

Old bottles,tifn carriersand even abicycle seatfnd their wayinto the eamarket.

Shops like this one attract more customerson Sunday at Amcorp Mall.

The ea market operates on our levels at Amcorp Mall.


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17march 2 4, 2012focus

market traders o course have to compete with theook Xcess outlet on the third oor because o thearrow price dierence.

Personally, I have ound some out-o-print rstdition books o great personal value at Amcorp

Mall in the past. A consequence o nding and buy-ng too many o such books has earned me the ire amily members complaining o shrinking walk-

ng space in the house.Goods sold at the ea market all under several

ategories. Tey are over-priced, over-rated, under-ppreciated and under-valued. In past years, I hadpotted some well known univer-ty proessors scavenging or rareooks that might have missed theirroper and nal destinations like

museums and university libraries.Sometimes, it is that inexplica-

le urge to possess a relic o the past

hat seems to conjure so many pre-ious memories. As a result o suchmpulse buying, I have on occasionsked mysel while driving home,why am I lugging that piece ounk home?

I you like 30-year-old CocaCola bottles with their metal capstill attached or some rusty oldcissors o mysterious origin, you

may develop a strange love aairwith the Amcorp Mall ea market.

I have a riend who collects onlyems rom a particular brand oeer. He has gone to ea markets abroad and domesti-ally in search o these items. So naturally, when heomes to Amcorp Mall on Sundays, his eyes are pe eled

wide or any elusive item that might have escaped his

yes on an earlier outing.Sometimes while walking along the corridors o therst oor, you may catch rerains o old songs that pluckt your heart-strings. Hold on to your aching heart, it just that vendor who only sells music CDs with ever-reen songs by Bobby Vinton, Pat Boone, Cli Richard,

Neil Sedaka, Johnny illotson, Frankie Avalon, LouisArmstrong and Johnny Mathis.

Tis is one o the reasons why the older generationlikes this ea market so much. It reminds them that thememories rom their past still live on through objectsand arteacts that some diligent person has dug up rom

his backyard, ound in his grannys trunk or discovere dwhile clearing the storage room.Tere is no denying that the Amcorp Mall ea

market has a large ollowing in PJ and KL. Lie is suchthat although we constantly plan or the uture, wealso hold on steadastly to the past because they re-mind us so much o the things and people we miss inour daily lives.

Motivational books and audio tapes fnd buyers every weekend.

Families like to browse through the hundreds o objectsat the scores o stalls.

Old postcards and stamps represent aiche market among discerning philatelicollectors.

Ordinary trinkets and ornaments may attract selected visitors withspecialised interests.

PETALING JAYA: Everyone loves a good story, and better yet,society has always appreciated a good stor yteller who is able to holdthe audience by the way they tell the narrative.

From March 15 to April 1, theatre group PJ Live Arts is bringingback the lost art o storytelling at the upcoming Story Fest 2012.

Story telling is the most primitive and basic perorming arts insociety, said PJ Live Arts executive director Diong Chae Lian attheir premises in Petaling Jaya recently.

Highlights at the event include A Home is not a Fairy ale, where narrators read our locally written and highly acclaimedchildrens storybooks that ocus on issues ace d by vulnerable chil-dren.

Tese include Cats in the Rubbish, about street children, andTe Little Dancing Bear, about child labour .

Readings o Fin the Brave and Kailash deal with the issues ostatelessness and reugee children.

Te estival will also see the Asian debut o a musical stage adap-tation o Te Owl Who Was Araid o the Dark by bestsellingchildren author Jill omlinson.

Renowned perorming arts group Blunderbus Teatre Companyrom the United Kingdom will perorm the musical, which issuited or children aged three to seven.

According to Diong, the art o storytelling is not totally lostamidst the hustle and bustle o the digital age.

elling ales is an all-day workshop or adults to hone their s to-rytelling skills and is suited or teachers and parents who want

to sustain the attention o a child during class or at home.Led by Judith Shaik and Anne Ooi, the interactive workshopwill make participants into better storytellers.

Diong explained that by becoming a better storyteller, adults cancreate in children a love or reading and stories.

Story Fest 2012 has something or everyone, children andadults alike. Weve drawn up a amily-riendly programme and hopeit will bring out the inner storyteller in ever yone, she said.

Te estival will also revisit and reminisce about our primaryschool essays.

Malaysian storytellers consisting o writers, stage and televisionactors will present the Saya Se batang Pensel reading o essays whichinclude I I were a Billionaire, Cita-cita Saya and My Family.

Among essay readers lined up are Amir Muhammad, SusanLankester, Dina Zaman, Bernice Chauly and Fahmi Fadzil.

Admission is re e or A Home is not a Fairy ale reading s whilethe rest o the estival programmes is priced rom RM40.

For more inormation and updates on the programmes, call PJ

Live Arts Box Ofce at 03- 7960 0439 or visit www.pjla.com.myand www.acebook.com/pjlivearts.Te event is presented by PJ Live Arts, in partnership with Jaya

One, Gardner & Wie Teatre, and childrens advocacy gro up Voiceo the Children.

It is also to celebrate World Storytelling Day, which alls onMarch 20.

Story-telling feastat PJ Live Arts

Playwrights, actors, writers, activists and media personalities:A roundup o the Saya Sebatang Pensel essay readers. (romlet) Alfan Saat, Elza Irdalynna, Sharaad Kuttan, SharonBakar, See Tshiung Han, Susan Lankester and Uthaya SankarSB.


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18 March 2 4, 2012Media

Healthy Lifestyle

Expo in June(From let) Hamirul, Faizal, Hasan, Zulkifi and Mohd Rawi at theMoU signing ceremony.

By Gan Pei Ling

SHAH ALAM: Selangors irstHealthy Liestyle Expo, eaturing140 booths, will be held rom June22-24 at the Shah Alam ConventionCentre (SACC).

SACC signed a memorandum ounderstanding with the expo organ-iser, SMV Associates Sdn Bhd, onuesday to hold the health expo atthe convention centre or the nextve years.

Temed Go Green & Be MoreHealthy!, the expo will showcasehealth, tness and beauty productsand packages rom local and multi-national companies.

We want to raise the publicshealth awareness and encouragethem to adopt a healthier liestyle,

Hugeturnoutat NZ

educationfairSUBANG JAYA: Students seeking academic guid-ance or their tertiary education made a beeline or theNew Zealand Education Fair 2012 held at a hotel herelast Sunday.

Accompanied by their parents or riends, studentsaged 17 to the early 20s came looking or advice on theirtertiary studies rom academic advisers.

I think I want to study in New Zeal

Selangor Times, March 2

Documents

Transcript of Selangor Times, March 2