7 Dec 2012

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NATIONAL

OPINIONS

SPORT

Two voices, One coalition

Thinkers and thought shapers

Gareth could learn from Suarez

Hadi Awang and Karpal Singh draw lines in sand over hudud issue that has become thorn in PAS-DAP relations

Varied opinions from Saifuddin Abdullah, Ong Tee Keat, Tunku Abidin Muhriz, Terence Fernandez and Frankie D’cruz

Bale can follow example of Liverpool star in inspiring Spurs before venturing to Europe

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PUTRAJAYA

‘For the good of the nation’ Datuk Seri Najib Razak tells voters and cynics: He will not squander mandate and will bring change desired He is willing to talk to Opposition for greater good 1Malaysia is still work in progress but achievable Corruption a legacy issue but serious efforts being taken to fight it.

Premier speaks candidly to Terence Fernandez, Zakiah Koya and Azril Annuar - Pages 4,6 & 7

EXCL INTERUSIVE VI WITHEW

THE P MINISRIME TER

2 NEWS

friDAY 7 december 2012

THE MALAY MAIL

NATIONAL EDITORIAL Tel: 03-74951288 | Fax: 03-74951229 | E-mail: mmnews@mmail.com.my THE MALAY MAIL IS PUBLISHED BY: Malay Mail Sdn Bhd, Lot 2A, Jalan 13/2, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

national

OPINION

business

entertainment

SPORTS

GE13 Focus: Jelapang

Choose wisely!

Trendsetting with heart

Radio station with thorny flavour

Sir Eric of Old Trafford?

Seat that costs Pakatan Rakyat to lose Perak in spotlight for coming general election

Tunku Abidin Muhriz advises voters to pick candidates who have people’s best interest at heart

Malaysian Building Society Bhd has evolved into financial powerhouse to be reckoned with

DurianFM fast becoming platform for Chinese listeners who want frank, unadulterated views

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Manchester United legend Eric Cantona is game to fill enormous shoes of Sir Alex Ferguson one day  PAGE100

From the CEO and Managing Editor THE Malay Mail is one of the oldest newspapers in Malaysia and an icon in the local newspaper publishing industry. Until late last year, it was a free afternoon paper, distributed in the Klang Valley.

However, under a new management, it was re-launched as a mainstream, morning, paid daily on Jan 30, 2012 and is now circulated throughout Peninsular Malaysia.

The paper you are holding now is one of a million copies that are being distributed free throughout Malaysia today as part of a project we have named The Malay Mail 1

Million Copies (1MMM) campaign.

We believe this is the first time in the history of the Malaysian newspaper publishing industry that a project as ambitious as this is being undertaken.

You could say we are reintroducing ourselves to our readers in a big way.

We have some exciting rewards for our subscribers and readers as part of the 1MMM campaign. In the coming weeks and months, our subscribers and readers stand to win more than RM5 million in rewards in the form

of competition prizes, special offers from our partners and discount coupons.

We hope you will avail yourselves of the great rewards that are being offered. You will be able to get more details of these rewards in the following pages.

When we re-launched the paper early this year, we informed our readers that The Malay Mail’s goal is to provide serious, balanced and fair reporting of issues that matter to Malaysians.

We promised that The Malay Mail would be bold and opinionated, a newspaper

that will spark debate — even organising several — and challenge tradition, norms and conventions. In delivering on this commitment, we have published in-depth investigative reports on issues that impact our readers and Malaysians in general. We have highlighted views from every perspective and let our readers arrive at their own conclusion on issues close to their hearts.

We are also aware that many Malaysians today are turning to online news portals to access the news they need.

We have forged content ar-

rangement agreements with online news portals and blog aggregators and have published selected stories from these sources in our newspaper in an effort to address our readers’ needs.

The Malay Mail has awardwinning investigative journalists. Also on board are columnists from various fields who are among the thought shapers of today.

In other words, The Malay Mail is getting its readers to Phillip Karuppiah

Chief Executive Officer

Gearing up for high speeds Malaysia to enjoy 4G mobile broadband services by next year services which could offer mobile broadband speeds in excess of 100 Mbps.

The technology promises many news services to consumers such as high definition video streaming, enhanced user experience on real-time applications and better connectivity for

mobile and consumer electronic devices.

Since the introduction of 3G and WiMAX technology, the demand for better quality mobile broadband service has intensified. This allocation is in line with similar initiatives in developed countries like the US and

some European states. Market readiness for 4G technology is also reaching its maturity as increasingly, many latest devices in the market support the use of this technology; hence the economies of scale will bring much benefit to the country.

Eight companies ­­-— Celcom

Axiata Bhd, DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, Maxis Broadband Sdn Bhd, Packet One Networks (M) Sdn Bhd, Puncak Semangat Sdn Bhd, REDtone Marketing Sdn Bhd, U Mobile Sdn Bhd and YTL Communications Sdn Bhd — will be allowed access. — Bernama

JAKARTA

GEORGE TOWN

Trees to go, says council THE Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) will go ahead with the removal of 62 trees along Jalan Masjid Negeri despite a public outcry.

Council engineering department deputy director A. Rajendran said they needed to widen the road to ease worsening traffic congestion in the area.

“There is not going to be a postponement. We have already appointed a contractor who will bring his machines to start work soon.”

He said of the 62 trees earmarked for removal, only 18 were in good condition.

Terence Fernandez Managing Editor

kuala lumpur

CYBERJAYA

Malaysians may not have to wait much longer to enjoy higher mobile broadband speeds.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has announced the allocation of the much anticipated 2600 MHz spectrum band, paving the way for Malaysians to enjoy 4G

rethink the news.

We hope you enjoy this special 1MMM copy of The Malay Mail. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our advertisers, advertising agencies, business partners and vendors for helping to make this 1MMM edition a huge success.

Last, but not least, we especially thank you, our readers, for your loyal support of The Malay Mail over the years.

Thank you.

“The arborist told us even if we left them along the road, they would endanger motorists as barks of the infested trees would peel off and fall.

“We will be taking safety measures to ensure the tree removals do not endanger motorists while the 18 trees will be replanted in Air Itam.”

Since MPPP’s announcement on the matter last week, public and environmental bodies had been criticising the council for deciding to widen the road when it could use alternative methods to address the traffic problems.

King concludes Indonesian trip THE Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Haminah Hamidun leave for home yesterday after completing a four-day state visit to Indonesia. The royal couple was accompanied by Indonesian Social Affairs Minister Dr Salim Segaf Al-Jufri (left) at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport before flying off to Kuala Lumpur. — BERNAMApic

‘Taxi service ranking not absolute’ THE government is confident that a report by a UK-based website that ranked Malaysian taxi service as the world’s worst does not give a true picture of the country’s cab industry.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Ahmad Maslan said however, the LondonCabs.co.uk report must be accepted with openness.

“The research was done only on urban taxi services and covers only certain aspects. The report is also independent and the sampling method unknown.

“It was done by one of the taxi companies in London and it did not encompass all aspects of the taxi industry.” he said, answering a question from Datuk Mohammed Najeeb Abdullah.

Maslan said the Airport Limo (M) Sdn Bhd was one of the ‘better’ taxi services in the country with four-star rating since 2003 awarded by Skytrax, putting the company on par with the best in the world.

Maslan said no taxi company had ever received a five-star rating from Skytrax.

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

NEWS

3

NATIONAL Bolder measures must be taken to eliminate entrenched interests and processes that support abuse DATUK PAUL LOW PRESIDENT, TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL-MALAYSIA

BRIEFS

KUALA LUMPUR

Contracts lost to bribery

Billboard of Sultan set ablaze

Half of 101 Malaysian companies in international survey say they are affected HALF of the 101 companies operating in Malaysia that took part in an international survey reported that they lost contracts to competitors due to bribery over the past year.

“Bolder measures must be taken to eliminate entrenched interests and processes that support abuse,” said Transparency InternationalMalaysia president Datuk Paul Low, citing data from the Bribe Payer’s Survey 2011 that covered companies in 30 countries with a high level of international trade and investment.

KUALA LUMPUR

Among other questions, the survey asked: “During the last 12 months, do you think your company has failed to win a contract or gain new business because a competitor has paid a bribe?”

Of the companies surveyed, 39 in Malaysia answered in the affirmative, while another 39 said “no”. The remaining 23 said they did not know, or did not answer the question.

The survey was one of eight taken into consideration when calculating Malaysia’s Corruption Perception Index 2012, which

ranked the country 54 out of 176 — an improvement of six notches from last year.

“I show you this data because it reflects the reality, rather than what people call ‘perception’,” Low said, announcing the index at a press conference on Wednesday.

Low said he was highlighting this to show that corruption had an economic cost.

Malaysia had the highest proportion of companies — 50 per cent — that answered “yes” to the question.

This compares to 47 per cent in Indonesia, 36 per cent in India, 30 per cent in the US,, 27 per cent in China, 24 per cent in Nigeria, 17 per cent in the UK, 10 per cent in Hong Kong, nine per cent in Singapore — and the lowest — two per cent in Japan.

The same survey also found that 75 per cent of Malaysian companies believe that the government’s anti-corruption efforts in the private sector were ineffective, ranking it fourth.

— Malaysiakini

SEPANG

Gold mining company issues legal notices

 BERNAMApic

Aid mission to Gaza takes off

The first batch of 120 volunteers from Aman Palestin Berhad prepares to leave for Gaza on their “Gaza Solidarity Mission” at KL International Airport (KLIA) on Wednesday. The mission to provide emergency assistance, which ends next Thursday, is a show of support from Malaysians for the Palestinian cause. Aman Palestin Berhad is an organisation established to channel humanitarian aid as well as engage in charitable projects, particularly to the Palestinian people.

GOMBAK

Masked man guns down groom-to-be

By G. PRAKASH and THASHA JAYAMANOGARAN mmnews@mmail.com.my

A GROOM-TO-BE was shot dead at point-blank in Selayang Baru early yesterday morning.

M. Siva, a 32-year-old scrap metal dealer, was having a drink at a stall in front of the YTL cement factory with four friends at 12.30am when two men walked

Stinking problem at bus terminal SEREMBAN: A foul problem is permeating the bus terminal here as passengers and traders confront overflowing garbage bins and debris scattered on the floor. Garbage containers are taking in more than they are supposed to as restaurants nearby also throw their waste into the bins on Terminal 1. Devotees of a nearby temple have had to put up with the smell. Nearby stall traders have complained of a drop in business because of the stench. They say the issue can be settled by placing more garbage containers or relocating them. Terminal 1 users hope the Seremban City Council would take immediate action to resolve the smelly and embarrassing problem.

— Makkal Osai

Seven foreign street traders detained SEVEN foreigners were detained by the Immigration Department for doing business without licences and travel documents in an operation against street traders in Jalan Bukit Bintang on Wednesday night.

Kuala Lumpur Immigration (Enforcement) assistant director James Musa Singa said the foreigners, including five women, aged between 18 and 40, were being held at their office in Jalan Duta.

They would be detained for 14 days to determine their status before any decision is made to send them home.

The integrated operation with the cooperation of several government agencies, including Kuala Lumpur City Hall, was held following public complaints.

Those detained were involved in selling pirated watches. — Bernama

KOTA BARU: A billboard operator has expressed disappointment that one of its billboards featuring the picture of the Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan Muhammad V, was set on fire. Gabungan Profesional Menuntut Royalti, Pendaratan Minyak dan Gas ke Kelantan (Royalti) has lodged a police report. Royalti president Nazri Deraman said although the fire was not serious, it was a socially-sensitive matter and, if unaddressed, could incite social disorder. “The incident was noticed by Royalti committee member Khairul Nizam Abdul Ghani, who was told by a friend at 9am on Wednesday,” Nazri told reporters. “When we inspected the billboard in front of the Darul Naim complex, it had burn marks on the Sultan’s picture.” — Sinar Harian

up from behind.

Gombak deputy district police chief Supt Rosly Hasan said one of the men, who wore ski masks, fired at least four shots, hitting Siva on both hands and a right rib.

The men walked to a car parked nearby and fled, Rosly said.

There were no other customers as the owner had closed the stall.

One of Siva’s friends, identi-

fied as K. Sivabalan, 30, took him to the Selayang Hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Rosly said a forensic unit was sent to the scene but did not find any bullet shells.

Police are interviewing Siva’s friends and family to ascertain the motive behind the shooting.

Background checks on the victim revealed that he had a crimi-

nal record.

Rosly said initial investigations suggested the motive behind the shooting could be business rivalry, involving a scrap metal project.

According to friends, Siva, the youngest in a family of four, was expected to get married early next year.

He was living with his family in Taman Laksamana Permai, Batu Caves.

RAUB: Raub Australian Gold Mining (RAGM) Sdn Bhd has issued legal notices to two leaders of the Bukit Koman Anti-Cyanide Committee over what it claims to be defamatory remarks made against the company.

Committee vice-chairman Hue Shieh Lee said she and committee chairman Wong Kim Hong received legal notices, dated Nov 16, from the gold mining company. In the notice, the company, citing news reports and video clips, states that claims made in interviews and press conferences, this year, were not supported by medical reports or reports provided by government agencies. It demands that Hue retract her defamatory statements within 48 hours, and apologies to be published in newspapers and online publications of the company’s choice. — Malaysiakini

4

friday 7 december 2012

NEWS

THE MALAY MAIL

NATIONAL I took a political risk in removing the ISA and amending the Universities and University Colleges Act

putrajaya MUCH wiser after four years, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak did not mince words, saying Umno has to run faster to catch up with him.

"Change, or you will be changed," Najib warned.

Showing the political maturity wanted of many leaders, Najib also threw this challenge to Pakatan Rakyat: "For the good of the nation, set up a formal coalition, put up a shadow cabinet and we can sit down as mature leaders."

Najib said all these and more to TERENCE FERNANDEZ, ZAKIAH KOYA and AZRIL ANNUAR in an exclusive interview which lasted well past midnight in Seri Perdana on Sunday.

The Malay Mail (TMM): After the Umno AGM, are you more confident that you have managed to consolidate the party in time for the elections ... you know, all the various "factions"?

NAJIB: I believe Umno is a much more invigorated party after the clarion call I made, about four years ago, that we need to go through a process of self analysis, self criticism to know what we need to do to overcome the weaknesses and shortcomings that led to the political tsunami of 2008. ... also for us to consolidate ourselves and work on a plan to strengthen and revive Umno. I see that coming to a head, so to speak. All the work we've done over the last four years have come to fruition at this assembly because I see Umno with renewed vigour ... a much more united Umno.

Of course, we still need to look at some of the internal challenges we have. That goes with every political party, there will always be differences of opinion. But, by and large, people want to work together to achieve a big victory for Umno and Barisan Nasional.

TMM: Do you see more seriousness in Umno, this time (in responding to your calls to change and face new realities)?

NAJIB: I do! I do see a stronger spirit, and they're heeding my call. For example we should be more inclusive, Umno should lead the way, we should take care of the Malays as well as the other races in the country.

I think that's gone through the assembly because people didn't ridicule or knock

Agent for change down the other races (this time) and there was none of the sensitive racial statements or terminologies that were used before.

This is a much more balanced and much more matured assembly, an assembly that is primed to go to battle, so to speak.

TMM: You talk about 1Malaysia all the time, and there were factions that were sceptical of 1Malaysia in Umno itself. How do you come to terms with that? Umno and 1Malaysia.

NAJIB: Anytime you choose something, you introduce something new, there will be a period of acceptance, and

I believe Umno is a much more invigorated party after the clarion call I made, about four years ago, that we need to go through a process of self analysis that goes with 1Malaysia as well. I didn't define the concept very clearly, but that was by design.

I decided that there should be an element of strategic ambiguity so that once you introduce a concept like that, as time goes by, the definition could take on board the views of people.

I think we've done exactly that and the concept of 1Malaysia is now clearly understood.

TMM: Outside of Umno, there are still sceptics ‌ the minorities who are still sceptical about 1Malaysia.

NAJIB: They're sceptical of 1Malaysia because of the experiences they've encountered. They may not see 1Malaysia as something that has been practised within the entire government system. But again, people must realise this is a journey.

When you introduce something, it is a journey before you get to a situation where it becomes all embracing.

Because you're talking about people, adjusting people's minds and attitudes, and of course some people have certain interpretations, certain prejudices which are not easily overcome.

You have to allow this and see this as part and parcel of a long journey. What is important is not only that the journey has started, but that we're well on our way. We have not reached our destination, but we are well on our way to getting it embedded as part of our national pysche and as well as our Malaysian way of life.

TMM: 1Malaysia is already being practised by the masses. It is the politicians who are not practising it for (political) expediency. We've been practising 1Malaysia since the time of the Tunku, since the time of your father ‌ NAJIB: During the period of Tunku and my father there was this notion that we must get all the races to work together, but there was no attempt to really define it. There was no attempt to translate that into certain values associated with 1Malaysia.

For example, under the 1Malaysia concept, there are few basic fundamental

principles attached. Number one is that we have to have a principle of social justice, about being inlcusive, practising moderation...

This is the first time that we're trying to really define it in terms of the principles and values associated with 1Malaysia. I think it's a much more comprehensive way of looking at it, so that once you have those, you can translate them into government policies.

Imagine it's a house and the roof of the house is 1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now. Then you have the pillars, the various ETP, GTP, PTP and all. But the over-arching is 1Malaysia.

We needed to define 1Malaysia. In the past, people talked about working together, but there was no real operational definition of what that meant.

TMM: When you first became prime minister, everybody was watching you. Now, you have come out very popular, your rankings are very high. You can be said to be one of the most popular prime ministers, but the same cannot be said about Umno and BN. At the same time, you seem to have surpassed the party and BN and also some of your leaders. How would you convince the voters, especially the urban voters, that it will be a new and improved BN, after you get your mandate?

NAJIB: If I want to reform the party, I need a mandate from the people. Without the mandate from the electorate how can I reform the party?

We have started making the changes, but the process of

change needs to be accelerated and it has to be something that is embedded as part of our political image of Umno and Barisan Nasional.

For me to complete my job, my task, I would require a strong mandate from the people. Then, with a strong mandate from the people I can say: "Look, the people have spoken. They believe in the policies that I propounded and therefore those policies need to be really enshrined and Umno and BN must reflect those policies supported by the people.".

That to me is the final part of the journey. With this mandate, I know people believe in my policies and BN itself will be totally transformed in the final stage to reflect the wishes and aspirations of the people.

With a strong mandate from the people I can say: 'Look, the people have spoken. They believe in the policies that I propounded...'

TMM: How do we know that because of your immense popularity, you're not being used as a conduit to get BN back on track, get back two-thirds and make it strong again. The fear is that once power is regained, to put it crudely, we go back to the bad, old ways.

Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was asked why he squandered a 90-plus per cent mandate. His response was: "Even if I get 90 per cent of the people's votes,

if Umno doesn't want me, what do you want me to do?" Having seen that happen, there is a bit of fear that the same may happen to you.

NAJIB: I think, this time around, it will be different.

I believe we have learned our lesson because I keep saying that the political environment has changed. I don't see this as a simple cyclical change. I see this as a structural change in society.

People are becoming more aware because of access to better education, because of ICT. Obviously, people are becoming more aware and empowered.

Therefore, values have changed and expectations have increased. As a government that wants to stay in power, you must realise that you have to respond to them.

I keep saying that the era of "government knows best" is over. I believe that. I'm reading not only the demographical change, but also a fundamental shift in Malaysian society.

Therefore, if Umno and BN want to stay in power, they must reflect that change.

That change is an irreversible change. I'm committed to making that change happen, because if I'm reacting to it then you might be sceptical or you might be fearful but I already read, it four years ago. If you look back and study my speeches, you will see they reflect a very consistent pattern. I even started saying: "If you don't change, you will be changed."

I said that from day one, I'm very much aware and sensitive about it. With this mandate, a strong mandate from the people, I will deliver what I promised. In the last four years, haven't I delivered?

Isn't real change and progress taking place? People are beginning to see the picture taking shape ... the GTP, ETP, PTP, everything I promised.

Even the ISA which is something that people couldn't imagine removed.

I took a political risk in removing the ISA and amending the Universities and University Colleges Act. It's a whole plethora of changes that we have done that will complete this transformational journey of Malaysia. This is a big transformation agenda. This is not just about GE 13, it's about transforming the nation and I'm committed to it. • Continued on pg6

THE MALAY MAIL

friday 7 december 2012

5

6

friday 7 december 2012

NEWS

THE MALAY MAIL

NATIONAL They are the Opposition. They throw things at you and people sometimes have certain perceptions of people in high office

ďƒ¨ from pg4

Candidates reflecting transformation needed It would be quite different if I think about just winning.

I'm thinking about transforming the country. I'm talking about beyond GE 13.

I'm talking about a new, better Malaysia, a Malaysia that can be at the forefront of other nations.

TMM: You may be sincere about that, but some of your plans have been derailed by those within your party, especially those with skeletons in their cupboards. How are you going to convince the voters that you're going to replace these people?

NAJIB: They must trust me. Based on my track record, I've done my best, but we've not reached there yet.

Based on what I've done in the last four years, I believe that there should be enough evidence that I'm committed in making this happen. With this mandate, the change will be accelerated.

TMM: So, is rejecting the list of candidates recently, sending it back to the drawing board, all part of that?

NAJIB: As I said, I want candidates who will be able to reflect this transformational journey. But, as you know it doesn't mean every single candidate. Maybe a candidate that fits the profile because we're working in a party system. My hands are a little bit tied in some cases, but I think by and large we'll be able to put up a team that will be able to convince the people that we have enough talented and committed people to work with me as a team to deliver the transformation that I've promised.

TMM: How is your relationship with the deputy prime minister?

NAJIB: Good! I have no problems with him. We have different personalities, but he's a loyal deputy.

Whatever we decide, some of the work I have to do, some of the work he does. For example, when we go down to the states, our officers coordinate. He does certain areas and I cover certain areas. If I'm in Kedah, he'll be down in the south, if I'm in Sabah, he will be somewhere else.

So we complement each other. It's an integral part of working in the government.

TMM: Mud has consistently been thrown at you and the people around you.

How are you responding to these allegations which will not go away?

NAJIB: Whatever they throw doesn't stick because there's no truth in any of it. No evidence, no truth. It has been overcome because I've delivered, and they see the sincerity in me ... well, I believe I think they see the sincerity in me because otherwise, as you said, my ratings won't be this high.

If they believe I'm sincere, they trust me. The important thing is trust. Leadership is about trust. People must trust you. But, that trust must be earned. It's not something automatic.

I've worked very, very hard.

As (former DAP vice president) Tunku Abdul Aziz said: "The prime minister that works his socks off."

I've brought this brand that I'm very hardworking and committed. A seven-day week is quite normal for me.

I'm putting my heart and soul in it ... and every sinew in my body is committed towards delivering this massive transformation for the country.

TMM: Did you have to work harder than your predecessors because of these attacks?

NAJIB: Yes. I believe so.

Even in my speech at the PPP Convention,

CANDID MOMENT: The PM shares a laugh with (from left) The Malay Mail's Zakiah Koya, Terence Fernandez and Azril Annuar

I said, partly in jest ... Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was there. I said: "Dr Mahathir announced Vision 2020. He had the easy part. He announced it. I have the most difficult part because I have to deliver. It's only seven years to go."

TMM: Are you confident the Transformation Programmes will hit by 2020?

NAJIB: Of course, I'm confident. The numbers speak for themselves, you see? Our GDP now per capita is almost US$10,000 (RM30,450).

We're getting more than five per cent growth. We're getting the investments in.

Things are happening against a very strong external headwind.

People nowadays, even if you get two per cent, people are overjoyed. But Malaysia is getting five per cent. So it is a testimony to the changes that we've made in Malaysia.

If we didn't have the ETP and GTP, I tell you, we'll be in trouble today.

TMM: Do any of these attacks cow you down?

NAJIB: I don't lose any sleep, but I get very agitated at times because I don't think it's fair ... because there's no truth in it. It's gutter politics.

But, they are the Opposition.

They throw things at you and people sometimes have certain perceptions of people in high office.

I reconcile it with the fact that it's part and parcel, it's the hazard of the job as they say. You have to accept it.

You have the advantages of incumbency but you have some disadvantages as well.

Y o u

Dr Mahathir announced Vision 2020. He had the easy part. He announced it. I have the most difficult part because I have to deliver take it as a whole and should not allow it to deter you. It hasn't deterred me. I'm very very energised to work as hard as I can, to fulfill the promise I've made to the Malaysian people. I cannot let the Malaysian people down.

And don't forget, from my personal perspective, my late father was one of the founding members, founding leaders of the nation. I cannot let him down either.

TMM: What about Sabah and Sarawak? They're finally holding the key to BN's survival, but they're not happy with some of the state leaders. They also believe that their wealth is being siphoned off to Peninsular Malaysia.

NAJIB: Well, that's totally wrong. If you look at the facts, there is more money being pumped in there than the income that we get from oil. We've done a lot for the development of Sabah and Sarawak. Of course those two

states are colossal in size and some of the rural areas are very, very inaccessible. The agenda to bring the development of Sabah and Sarawak to be at par with the peninsula will take time. It is a fact of life. But, it is something that will happen, given time.

What is important now is to ensure we can deliver. The two present chief ministers are close with us, in the sense that they are giving us full cooperation to make it happen for the people of Sabah and Sarawak.

TMM: The perception is that, despite your efforts, not enough is being done to address corruption.

Each time you say "BN has a track record", critics can respond by saying: "Of course they have a track record. Look at the annual Auditor General's Report, PKFZ, NFC..."

NAJIB: Well, let's put it this way ... after a few years now, there are question marks as well in relation to the administration of the Pakatan states.

What are they doing in Kelantan? Although no one has been charged in Kelantan, there are many decisions that have raised a lot of suspicion ... in Selangor as well, Kedah, even ... some of the decisions made in Penang are being questioned now ... and that's only four years.

Look at BN. It's been in ofice for longer and a lot of the problems are legacy problems that I have to deal with, you see? They're not new problems, they are legacy problems.

We have to take it, we have to look forward. Some of these old problems will eventually be settled, but we have to look forward to make sure things will get better. I believe things will get better.

Corruption is something which we will not be able to be resolve overnight. We are serious about it. We have done a lot to fight corruption. A number of people have been charged and the process will continue.

We will tighten up the administration as well. Right now, for example, direct negotiations are very rare.

Most of our purchases are on an annual basis. The MRT project, River of Life Project, Petronas projects... • Continued on pg7

THE MALAY MAIL

friday 7 december 2012

NEWS

7

NATIONAL I would like the Opposition to 1: form a Shadow Cabinet 2: form a formal coalition 3: have a common manifesto. And they must stand on the same banner

ďƒ¨ from pg6

'Mutual respect a prerequisite' The Opposition has not been able to find anything.

There are times when we make certain decisions. We can explain why we make certain decisions, but the Opposition loves to twist the facts. They're very good spinners. That's the problem that we are encountering now.

TMM: Is it accurate to say that your decisions are popular among the people but not popular with people who are supposed to be backing you? Some of your political supporters for instance ... you know, not allowing direct negotiations is not going to sit well with some of them.

NAJIB: Well, they have to come to terms with what the people want. I'm here to serve the Malaysian people.

If that's the wish of the Malaysian people, so be it.

I'm their leader and if they are my supporters, they must also believe in me because what I'm doing is not for me.

It's for the rakyat.

TMM: You have said all this, yet during your transformation programmes, you did have some like Teraju which catered only to the Malays. Would you say that Umno is holding the country back in its economic reforms. You have yet to remove the bumiputra agenda, so the continuation of strict policies that excludes the limited participation of other races is still there.

NAJIB: Let me tell you, we have to work within the Constitution. And the spirit of the Constitution of Malaysia has dictated to us to work towards continuing with the bumiputra agenda. But the policy of implementation is different.

I'm looking at trying to help the bumiputras who can help themselves. Even with programmes like Teraju, they have to go through the mill.

It's not that I can help anyone that I wish to help without having gone through the mill and that they are the best of the bumiputras. By doing that, I'm ensuring that these are the people who deserve the help.

The criticism of the bumiputra policy is they feel that some of the bumiputras don't deserve to be helped but they got help. Through the system, we've become much more objective.

At the same time, it

shouldn't be seen as a zero-sum game. Once we've helped the bumiputras, we must also be fair to the others, and this is what I'm doing. We have never promised to do away with the bumiputra policy. That's never been our promise. Our promise was to be fair to the Malaysian people. And that's what I'm doing.

TMM: How important are the Chinese votes to the BN? Or does the party feel it can make do because the majority of the votes lie with the Malays.

NAJIB: No, I believe every single vote is important. And I'm beginning to engage with the Chinese as well. They're

Once we've helped the bumiputras, we must be fair to the others. We never promised to do away with the bumiputra policy. Our promise was to be fair to the Malaysian people. beginning to realise that all may not be that well with the Opposition.

First of all, their economic policies now are becoming rather dubious in terms of the impact to the economy.

Many businessmen think now that our economic policies are going to benefit them more.

There is this appreciation now, of BN policies under my leadership and we hope to continue engaging with them and, hopefully, we will able to get more support from the Chinese community.

TMM: Having said that, in the battle with PAS, how are you going to win the minds and hearts of the Muslims?

NAJIB: I think people are beginning to see that PAS is not synonymous with what they claim to be. They call themselves Parti Islam but people are beginning to have doubts as to whether some of the actions are based on the Islamic principles of syariat Islam.

Especially, of course, when they are at odds as to the future direction. First of all, they never defined what an Islamic state is. And then they were talking about hudud. And then they decided to change to welfare state

... but they believe in the struggle to have an Islamic state. However they define it, DAP is not the right partner for them. DAP will be a stumbling block.

TMM: Who would the right partner be?

NAJIB: Well, we're not saying they should partner with Umno, but they should have a dialogue with Umno. Because, if anything at all, we certainly will be more receptive than DAP. DAP is the opposite pole. And this leads me to the point that if a coalition which is so loose and fundamentally not constant with one another, can they form a viable government?

Surely, the answer is no.

Even at this stage, they cannot even provide a Shadow Cabinet which, in my opinion, is a precursor to the ability of any coalition to form a workable government, a viable government.

If you can't, even in the Opposition, form a Shadow Cabinet, then ... this is what a wise electorate should ask about. You must indicate that you are able to form a viable government. But, until today, they cannot form a Shadow Cabinet. To me, that is very telling.

If I'm a discerning voter, I certainly will not accept the excuses. And I would like the Opposition to 1: form a Shadow Cabinet; 2: form a formal coalition and 3: have a common manifesto. And they must stand on the same banner. They are not, at all.

TMM: So, you would welcome a Shadow Cabinet breathing down your neck?

NAJIB: Yes! Of course!

I would like them to have a Shadow Cabinet. It's good for the people.

TMM: Would you agree that we are at the dawn of

a two-party system? Would you welcome that?

NAJIB: They claim they want a two party system, but they're falling short of it. If there's a two-party system in the Westminster System, then a Shadow Cabinet is a pre-requisite. This is a challenge to them and they are falling short.

TMM: Do you have objection, sir, to sitting down with opposition members?

Can we one day see all of you come together at one table for the sake of the nation?

NAJIB: Certain issues with a common understanding yes, certainly we can. But, they don't have any cohesive policies as such, you know.

They are a loose collection, a motley crew of three different parties. They don't have any common platform.

TMM: But, that's where you come in, as the bigger man taking the moral high ground, saying: "Guys, look, let's sit down, we can't be bickering like this all the time".

NAJIB: Let's put it this way, I wouldn't preclude the possibility. I'm open. I'm a great believer in engaging people across the spectrum.

TMM: That is the kind of leadership Malaysians are craving for.

NAJIB: But, there must be mutual respect. The problem is sometimes the things they say outside in their ceramah.

If they want to be a constructive opposition, then my message is: "Behave in a constructive way". Then, our respect for them will be much higher.

TMM: Do you dream of the day when the main ruling party of this country is made up not of different parties

with different races, but one party with all races?

NAJIB: I'd like to see that happening, but I think it should be a natural process, an evolution. You cannot force it. It's better for us to do it when we're ready because if you do it too early, the structure will be flawed with a lot of internal problems.

And we have not reached that stage yet. I don't think it's such a big problem now.

What is important is to put in place policies that are fair to all races. That's what I'm trying to do.

TMM: You are so focused on the youth, the 2.9 million new voters. Your hope is for this new generation to bring your dream of 1Malaysia to fruition. This is perhaps because you've given up hope on the present generation?

NAJIB: (laughs) No, I'm not giving up, Don't get me wrong ... you're putting words into my mouth!

I have not given up hope on anyone. I believe this is a journey and for the journey to succeed, we have to talk beyond 2020. 1Malaysia will probably take longer when you reach 2020 for it to be something which is totally part and parcel of the Malaysian psyche.

I recognise the importance of youth because they will provide the continuity. One of the responsibilities of a leader is to prepare for the future. If you don't prepare for the future, then you will not be discharging your duties as a leader who should not be just concerned for the next GE but for the future of Malaysia.

TMM: A reader quipped: "I pity Najib. He's a good man, but he's all alone." Is this the true picture?

NAJIB: (Laughs) I think they're wrong. You could see it in the assembly ... support was overwhelming at the assembly. They wouldn't have reacted that way. It was not orchestrated at all.

TMM: How did you get them to behave?

NAJIB: I was surprised, when they stood up at the assembly, four minutes before I finished my speech.

Usually, you get a standing ovation after you've finished your speech.

TMM: And they cried...

NAJIB: ... and I didn't do anything to make them cry.

I didn't give them any onions to make them cry. The party is with me, but maybe there is a sense that I'm moving very fast and the rest have to catch up. But, that doesn't mean I'm alone. The party is with me.

TMM: ... even if you have to drag some of them kicking and screaming?

NAJIB: (laughs) No, they're with me. But, maybe as prime minister I'm running fast. I don't know whether I'm intellectually faster than anyone. I seem to be running faster which gives the perception that I'm doing it alone.

But, make no mistake about it, Umno and BN are firmly behind me. I am not alone. More than three million Umno members are with me.

8

friday 7 december 2012

NEWS

THE MALAY MAIL

NATIONAL In this regard, we plan to offer RM1 million in financial assistance to subscribers of The Malay Mail or their children who qualify for courses at HELP Datuk Dr Paul Chan HELP University Vice Chancellor and President

advertorial KUALA LUMPUR

RM1 million to HELP deserving students HELP University Vice Chancellor and President Datuk Dr Paul Chan reveals another chapter in the institution's illustrious 26-year history — this time with the paper that rethinks the news The Malay Mail (TMM): Why is HELP collaborating with The Malay Mail?

Paul Chan (PC): We feel there is synergy in what we both do. We provide useful platforms for each other. We also have talents to tap from each other. Our students can also do internships with them. Our share vision and values about CSR are also an important reason why we collaborate.

In this regard, we plan to offer RM1 million in financial assistance to subscribers of The Malay Mail or their children who qualify for courses at HELP. This will start next year and details are being finalised.

The financial assistance will be for undergraduate and post-graduate studies.

TMM: Could you also disclose a competition HELP is initiating?

PC: Yes, we are also starting a monthly competition in essay writing. This is aimed at improving written English. Prizes will be given. Besides the monthly competition, there will be a bi-yearly competition with bigger prizes. This requires a longer essay. The details will be in our respective websites.

TMM: What is your view about Malaysia as a regional hub for education?

PC: Malaysia can proudly say we have pioneered private tertiary education in a comprehensive way. The private sector, with colleges like HELP, KDU, Sunway, and INTI, initiated the momentum and the government (Ministry of Higher Education) provided the policy and promotional support. This has put Malaysia on the world map.

Many, including the Western countries, followed our innovative models. But other countries are catching up. Some offer competitive advantages that we cannot match. We have to consider seriously addressing some of these issues.

International students now have many options. Many choose countries first. For example, students from China look at the US as iconic in many ways. They have many attractive features we

do not have.

The international students want the option to have internships and employment as they study, possible Permanent Residency, safety and security, and many options to choose programmes and colleges or universities.

Getting a visa fast is important.

Ultimately, our education institutions must offer quality programmes that are recognised world wide.

We should not fear to reject poor quality students.

When we produce top class students they become our ambassadors.

Also, in general, we must have a seamless supporting system instead of bureaucratic over regulations.

TMM: What do you think of ranking?

PC: Ranking is helpful in providing a broad guide.

However, this can be misleading. There are many quality colleges and universities in the US that are not known to Asians, for example Reed College, the Seven Sisters (Wellesley, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Vassar, Radcliffe, Smith, Barnard) and so on. They are not research-oriented but teaching focused. They provide excellent learning ambience. These small universities are not in the international ranking. But they send many undergrads to top US universities for their postgraduate studies.

They also win many Rhodes scholarships to Oxford.

Of late, many universities are disenchanted with the various rankings as they become inconsistent. When the criteria change, the ranking changes. But quality universities are quality universities regardless of ranking.

TMM: What do you think of the Malaysian Education Blueprint?

PC: When I visit a country I always visit two places: the best bookshop they have, and their schools, especially primary schools. The first tells me whether the society takes learning seriously; they also tell us what they read.

By looking at primary schools we will immedi-

MILLION-RINGGIT PARTNERSHIP: Chan (third from left) and Redberry Group CEO Datuk Siew Ka Wei seal the agreement at HELP University's main campus in Petaling Jaya, surrounded by the senior management teams from both sides. — Pic: Ashraf Shamsul Azlan

ately know what future the society will have. I visited a primary school in Shanghai.

I was amazed that the teachers have their own journal in technology. No wonder China produces so many engineers, more than the US now. When you find quality teachers in primary schools you will immediately know that the education foundation is a good one. The later years of the students will be solid. They are good in math and science and languages.

So, if the Malaysian Blueprint can do the transformation this is most welcome.

I read that one focus is to retrain all the teachers. This is timely. Quality education must be informed by quality pedagogy. Education is more than knowledge. It is about the mind set. Ultimately, education is about thinking how to think about thinking.

A Blueprint provides a focus and a roadmap. We need one and this is timely in light of the changed global context and the unprecedented challenges we are confronted with.

TMM: What is the roadmap of the HELP Group?

PC: There is a new ecology of education. It has changed in so many ways since we started 26 years ago. If you look at the value chain there is a lot of disruptive innovation going on. The way education is being pro-

vided is changing in terms of technical support, players and even the learning technology.

In light of the above, HELP must adapt to be relevant in order to prevail.

We are thus innovating our expansion, differentiation, and internationalisation. This includes relevant programmes and services, partnerships, new market segments and engagement with the community and alumni.

We have HIS (HELP International School) to provide quality primary and secondary education. This is also a feeder providing HELP and its partners quality students who are grounded in holistic education. We have moved into online education. We are creating more industry driven education programmes.

We are forging new partnerships with industries and partner universities with different specialisms.

We are expanding our infrastructure, especially the new Subang campus.

Above all, we are investing a lot of time and resources in improving the teaching and learning ability of the staff.

TMM: Does it mean you are employing more academic staff?

PC: Definitely. We consider this as a worthwhile investment. This year alone

we have employed an additional seven PhDs besides many Masters. We have academics who are graduates of top universities, including UCL, Oxford, Cambridge, LSE and Imperial.

TMM: HELP is known as the first Choice University. Why? PC: We deliver results.

In our pre-university programmes our students are not only admitted to top universities like Oxbridge, Harvard or Princeton, they are winning scholarships from such universities.

In the undergraduate programmes, our students have been winning numerous scholarships and awards worldwide.

They are doing post-graduate works in top universities.

For those who choose to work they are readily picked by multinationals.

Our graduates are readily employable. They are in all sectors, both GLCs and private corporations that are big names in industries.

I believe Results Matters. We are known to be particular about our academic standards. Students and parents who value this come to us. So, sound academic standards, learning experience, pastoral care, career and academic admission counseling are critical support for every student.

On top of that we provide

leadership education and characterbuilding.

They must know our core values: pride of achievement, the courage to be, sharing success, to be compassionate, to be significant.

TMM: Some top universities are known to specialise in certain areas. What is the aspiration of HELP University?

PC: We have a large and strong business faculty. We also have probably the largest psychology school for a private university in Asia.

These two are complementary in many ways. They provide the pillars for us to specialise in human resource leadership development.

HELP aspires to be the top university for HR and talent development in Asia. Talent is severely short in Asia and all over the world.

HELP staff are wellgrounded in theory and practice. We would focus on competency and practicebased teaching. We have many qualified practitioners from the private sector who are our staff. They also have the academic credentials and are research-driven.

We are working with industries and universities to create specialised programmes for this purpose.

Already, we are working with some major multinationals in their HR transformation.

Our other strong programmes in law, ICT and Communication would form an integral part of the HR Leadership thrust.

Lastly, we are rebranding our large business programme as the ELM Business School. It stands for Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Management. We recognise that these three competencies are integral to the success of any business success. We therefore embed into our teaching and learning the ELM competencies. We are developing models along this line.

The core HR Leadership programme, supported by the business and psychology schools, will be within the ELM framework.

This is an exciting and innovative time for the HELP Group.

THE MALAY MAIL

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THE MALAY MAIL

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

11

12 NEWS

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

THE MALAY MAIL

NATIONAL If you’re desperate enough you will innovate, invent and succeed DATUK SERI DR KAMAL JIT SINGH UNIK AND AIM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

KUALA LUMPUR

Challenging a new generation of inventors Young Malaysians lured out of the spoon-fed culture to find solutions to problems

By AZRIL ANNUAR azrilannuar@mmail.com.my

NECESSITY is the mother of all inventions. Apathy, on the other hand, is the bane of all innovation and progress.

The advent of the Genovasi Challenge, spearheaded by the Special Innovations Unit (Unik) and the Malaysian Innovation Agency (AIM), seeks to address the apathy plaguing the nation, especially among youth.

Unik and AIM chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Kamal Jit Singh describes the main purpose of the challenge as instilling a sense of ownership of the country, mainly among youths.

“My generation are the nation’s caretakers. The ones inheriting Malaysia will be the youth. And in order to progress, our youth cannot afford to be apathetic. So how do we address this? By creating a scenario where we artificially create the feeling of envy,” Kamal Jit told The Malay Mail.

“For instance, in the United States, the venture capitalist convinced the academic scientists who only wanted to do research to commercialise their

inventions not just by giving them money. Those whose inventions were commercialised received a Ferrari.

“It became a status symbol because the scientist drove to work in a Ferrari and his colleagues and peers asked how he got it. This drove them to want it as well. They said to themselves, I can do better than that and worked hard towards the car.

“Similarly, we’re offering RM100,000 as the grand prize for each series in the Genovasi Challenge. And the winner will be publicly announced.”

However the winner must also be part of the team to work on realising his idea.

“We don’t want armchair critics. If yours is the winning entry, you will have to work hard to make it happen together with Unik, AIM and the relevant government agencies.

The problem is Malaysians no longer take the initiative to find solutions for ourselves.

“We’re so used to being spoonfed by the government and complain when things go wrong and expect the government to fix everything. This should not be the case. Rather than complain and do nothing we should find solutions to our

A CHALLENGE FOR A SOLUTION: Najib has a chat with newsmen and university students at the launch of the challenge. On his left is Kamal Jit — Pic: RAZAK GHAZALI

problems,” he said.

Acknowledging that the challenge is English-centric and seems targetted at urban youths, Kamal Jit said upcoming challenges will have Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and Tamil versions as well.

“We will not have a multilingual version. Half the problem in this country is that we bend over backwards, making it too easy for Malaysians. We spoon-feed instead of making them work for the rewards.

“Parents these days offer gifts to their children if they succeed in exams. Let’s be crude about it — what they are doing is bribing their kids. It is a wrong message to send.

“And we brazenly say that the government must wipe out corruption. We have to stop being hypocrites,” he said.

Noting that Malaysians are one of the biggest online social media users in the world, Kamal Jit said if youth were hungry enough to join the

challenge, they will resource online services like Google Translate to understand it.

“Innovation comes from desperation. If you’re desperate enough you will innovate, invent and succeed. Success comes from multiple failures and perseverance, as well as learning from failures.

He said the seven to 10 judges will not consist of “dinosaurs”.

“They are experts in the related fields.

“We will get town planners,

THE first Genovasi Challenge billed Connected Communities was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Nov 14. The challenge calls on Malaysians to: “Improve and enliven Malaysian neighbourhoods.

Propose a way to improve or develop your neighbourhood that enhances the quality of life in the community”.

Najib said the challenge must be “low cost and innovative”.

The first prize is RM100,000, and the first runner-up will receive RM50,000. There are eight honourable mention prizes of RM5,000 each.

For details, visit www.challenge.my. Deadline is Dec 15. social scientists, housing developers who will know if it is realistically workable or not,” said Kamal Jit.  THE full interview with Kamal Jit will be published on Monday.

SEMENYIH

In the name of humanity

By ZAKIAH KOYA zakiah@mmail.com.my

THE women occupying some of the 11 beds have had their share of hardship.

Residing at the Rose Welfare Home, a double storey bungalow in Bandar Rinching, Semenyih, many of these women are too frail to move. Some wear diapers due to incontinence.

The environment that greets you is unlike hospital wards.

It’s a well-ventilated space with no reeking smell of unpleasant odours and an orderly feel emanates from the home.

So much so, the residents, all above 50 (the oldest in her 80s) seem comfortable enough to call this place “home”.

“I have taken care of 45 of them here — abandoned mothers, old women with nowhere to go, converts whose families have banished them, incest vic-

tims, sex slaves and refugees,” says Victoria Michael, 43.

She left her RM20,000 a month job and a good life in California to return home last year to care for her ailing mother — after whom the home is named.

“My brother, Abdullah Noel Michael, runs a home for old Muslim men — Pusat Jagaan Siti Noraini in Kajang. He was constantly asked for a place for abandoned old Muslim women.

“When he set this place up, despite not being a Muslim, he asked me if I could help out,” said the Jehovah’s Witness who is a qualified nurse.

The home received its first resident in July 2011.

“I call all of them mak (mother). I practice my beliefs and they, theirs. The families are only too happy that these women are in good hands. I do get help from the mosque

people nearby who come once in awhile to hold baca doa (prayers) or baca Yassin and talk about Islam to them.

“Even MAIS (Selangor Religious Council) seeks us out once in a while when they need a shelter for someone.”

The home is registered with government hospitals and MAIS. Its registration with the Welfare Department is still in the works, as Rose Welfare Home is still trying to get a permanent place.

“The government hospital takes care of their medication and treatments. I have a cook to help me out,” said Victoria who manages the place with four staff.

Victoria lives in the home with her mother and 14-yearold son, who is schooling online.

“He helps me out ... Tends to the garden. Disneyland used to be his ‘pasar malam’ back in

HOLDING OUT A HAND: Victoria helps one of the residents pin on her scarf at the Rose Welfare Home — Pic: RAZAK GHAZALI

California. When I told him it is about his grandmother, he accepted things,” said Victoria whose husband and daughter still live in California as her mother-in-law is also ill.

The women in the shelter have their own stories.

One 65-year-old was found lost in Sungai Long, apparently having walked from her Bandar Tun Razak home, miles away, with a packet of ikan bilis in one hand and a plastic bag of dried chillies in the other.

“When she was brought here, she did not want to let go of the packets. When we located her family, they said they preferred her to stay here as it was not the first time she had gone missing.

“Maybe she had gone to the shop, wanting to buy things to make sambal and lost her way back,” Victoria says.

(That woman passed away, a few days after this very interview.)

Another was a well-to-do

woman from Kelantan, whose grand-daughter robbed her of her life savings.

Another speaks English very well. Calling herself Ta Jie (elder sister in Chinese) Ros, 73, was a supervisor in Telekom.

When her husband died, she came to the home on her own, after being referred by the Welfare Department.

“She has her money and she pays what she can,” said Victoria.

“My friends said they will come to see me. They also call me sometimes,” said Ta Jie Ros. Once we are out of her surroundings, Victoria says it is all in her imagination.

“They are old people. I do not ask too many questions,” said Victoria whose main priority now is to seek a permanent location for the home.

A German company has offered to build one but Victoria needs a piece of land of about 6,000 sq ft.

“That is all we are asking,” she said.

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

13

14

friday 7 december 2012

NEWS

THE MALAY MAIL

NATIONAL

Two voices, one coalition Abdul Hadi Awang and Karpal Singh respond to an issue that splits them in the middle — the Islamic state

PAS is not as loud as the other parties in PR in voicing their stand.

We are more structured — with more branches than DAP and PKR. We deal with things internally before going public. That is why we have less media presence.

If PAS governs as part of PR, would everything be dealt within the party?

We will use the way of the dominating party in the government. We will ensure the government is run with the party.

If there is an abuse of power?

We will deal with it in the household first. That's the best way.

MCA harps on Islamic state despite knowing they will not be subjected to it as non-Muslims. Why? Pluralistic Islam existed in this region and led successfully, but colonials wiped it out. There are evidences of Hindu and Buddhist worship houses in Merbok, Sumatera, etc. Even though BN tries to pit PAS against DAP and PKR on Islamic issues, we stand united on our common grounds. BN is racist and racism has no place in Islam.

Racism is forbidden.

PAS is also a Malay party.

How will you convince voters it will not oppress other races?

Look at PAS's record — no racial riots in states we ruled.

When we ruled Terengganu, justice was for all. The Chinese and Tamil press reported our success. During the Lunas by-election, where the majority were non-Muslims, PAS's Saifuddin Nasution won — and non Muslims wanted to join PAS although

we are not open to non Muslims yet.

People want the abolition of quotas. Can you guarantee equality?

We follow the constitution — Islam is the official religion but others will be treated fairly and all races are equal. Quota should be with morals — not merely quotas for Malays and Umno takes all. If Chinese need help and we give it to the Malays, it is haram.

If PAS rules, will it abolish quotas?

Yes. We gave away land grants to Chinese residents in new villages in Terengganu.

So, non-Muslims will not be second-class citizens?

No. They will be equal. They might be better off. Muslims have tithe to pay — an obligation, we can never abolish that, but non-Muslims' taxes are man-made and can be abolished.

Why are people afraid of the implementation of hudud?

We are not forcing it on non-Muslims. Hudud laws are threatening and intimidating but preventive and educative. The educated ones are not making noise. The noneducated are being confused

by BN media. Our surveys show Chinese support as current laws have failed them.

It is not easy to implement hudud, why is PAS still talking about it ?

Implementation of hudud is a divine decree, like prayers.

But we have to implement according to the situation.

We tried to table in parliament but there are constitutional constraints. Hudud is not hurting. For example, caning in civil laws hurt but

Implementation of hudud is a divine decree, like prayers. But we have to implement according to the situation.

I can understand the bigger picture theory. But the DAP can be completely annihilated by being silent on issues that affect nonMuslims.

ABDUL HADI AWANG PAS PRESIDENT

KARPAL SINGH DAP CHAIRMAN

in hudud, caning should not scar. Forgiveness by victims is encouraged and capital punishment such as hanging is forbidden.

Will hudud solve drugrelated crimes?

This would be more at the discretion of the judges. Even the mandatory death penalty has not scared off drug dealers.

What about unisex salons not being allowed in Kelantan?

Before we banned gambling in Kelantan we talked to non Muslim leaders and businessmen. We asked what is permitted by their religion.

If pork and alcohol were permitted, go ahead. But if their religion prohibits gambling, then we ban it. It is not true that the Chinese like gambling — their wives don't like it. I think the Chinese wives don't agree with salons.

Would PR's theme to agree to disagree lead to a chaos should you come to power?

We meet on common grounds. There are different opinions. For example, we ban alcohol for Muslims but not non-Muslims. But with Umno, they give licence for alcohol, so that everyone can drink. Then we become confused.

DAP and PAS often disagree. How will you convince voters to vote PR? We are human, with different opinions. Our fights are not as portrayed by the media. We can meet at the table to resolve problems. I blame BN for using the media to pit against us. The intelligent minds of the rakyat will prevail. — By Zakiah Koya and Ram Anand

Why do you make many public statements against PAS and within DAP? Things must be taken into proper perspective. If I don't make these statements our ground may not be as solid as we think.

Can't you resolve them internally? Perception is there is a split.

The problem is they make statements which are public.

So I must make statements to counter (to comfort the electorate). Otherwise, how does it work? But what alternative have I got? Someone has to say it. You just can't keep quiet. Doesn't mean we are in government now in some states and suddenly our principles must change accordingly to suit the position. All principles must be consistent.

You can't sacrifice principles for expediency!

The controversial hudud issue crops up every election season. Why? PAS talks a lot about it. It's their ground.

So you expect them to bring it up every five years?

Not to say we expect, it is something which is out of necessity, that they have to.

It's sort of their attraction towards the ground. It is not in the common manifesto, or for that matter in the common policy framework and Buku Jingga.

How do you propose to administer the country with these differences?

That's why I said you must make it very clear to people even now that certain things will not be accepted.

But strategically is that the wise thing to do — agree to disagree?

Agree to disagree — I think it's a contradiction in terms.

It means nothing in the end you know (chuckles).

If you don't speak up now, issues like the unisex salons in Kota Baru would crop up.

Yes, which is ridiculous. It does not affect Muslims at all. These are not girlie-bars.

These are establishments.

Hadi Awang says the wives of men frequenting these salons were unhappy with the salons.

Where's the evidence?

Frankly, an unkind act!

There are overzealous enforcement officers too! BN uses these as propaganda.

Exactly! This is what happened in 1999. We lost very badly. I was knocked out in Jelutong. Kit Siang also — all because of Islamic state and our cooperation with PAS, and that could be repeated. I keep warning them. This is why I'm steadfast in what I have been saying all along.

No one else echoes your voice. Does that mean you are alone in this?

Well, I'm the chairman of the party and I think I reflect the party's stand.

My conscience is clear as long as I do what has to be done, I am happy with myself and that counts.

Is your unholy alliance with PAS a means to an end?

Well, on the other hand, if that alliance is going to be counter-productive as happened in 1999, how?

What the DAP has to do is to take care of its own house first. I can understand the bigger picture theory. But the DAP can be completely annihilated by being silent on issues that affect non-

Muslims.

Some may think of the bigger picture but because of the bigger picture you lose out completely — your party being annihilated, we can't allow that!

So you are worried it will happen again?

Yes, it happened. Who would have expected Lim Kit Siang to lose? He was the champion as far as the Chinese were concerned, and they knocked him out. Likewise, you know, it can happen, on a very large scale to the DAP, if they are not careful. We should, you know, learn our lesson.

Do the similarities with PAS outweigh your differences?

I think, similarities, much more than the areas where there are differences. On the larger issues I think, of course, we are all united on the economy, laws and all.

So hudud and Islamic state are the only differences?

Yes. There's nothing more than that. Hudud and an extension Islamic law, the salons and etc. Like supermarkets, separate lines, what is all that? (Laughs). It's difficult for us to accept things like that. Other than that there are no differences. I was very happy when at their muktamar last year they said they were giving up Islamic state and were going for welfare state. In fact, that was the impression that I got.

Suddenly it comes back again. But it is their ground, you see, they sort of have to have things like this, they can't help it, that's who they are. — By Terence Fernandez and Ram Anand

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

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NEWS

THE MALAY MAIL

NATIONAL Jelapang has been an opposition stronghold for a long time.

MCA does not have much to lose if Hee stands on a BN ticket Political Observer JELAPANG

PADANG BESAR

Lax baggage scrutiny at border Drug trafficking on the rise, personal belongings not checked thoroughly

By S. ARULLDAS arulldas@mmail.com.my

CURSORY checks on the luggage of train passengers entering Malaysia from Thailand seem to be the norm at the Padang Besar railway station in Perlis as The Malay Mail discovered, recently.

The observation was made after a statement by Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim that the number of drug trafficking cases had increased at the border.

Passengers undergo immigration procedures on the Thai side before walking a few steps to the Malaysian side for checks by the Immigration and Customs Departments.

They are required to take their bags out for Customs inspection at the Padang Besar station where the train would stop for an hour for security clearance.

In a recent observation by The

Malay Mail, however, many passengers of the International Express Train service, formerly known as the Southern Express which serves the BangkokButterworth route, were seen disembarking without their luggage.

The bags were mostly placed under the seats and even these were left unchecked as they are locked by passengers.

Customs officers would ask passengers to open their luggage and display the contents, but would normally leave backpacks untouched.

A 35-year-old cosmetics company executive from Bangkok, said she took the train twice a month to go to her office in Kuala Lumpur.

Acknowledging the ‘casual’ checks in Padang Besar, she said: “The Customs officer asked me to open my bag but did not conduct a thorough check on it. That is convenient and an advantage.”

A 38-year-old Russian engineer based in Koh Phangan, near Phuket, also admitted the

SECURITY CHECK: Passengers board the train after going through Immigration and Customs checks at Padang Besar — Pic: S. Arulldas

Customs officer did not make a thorough inspection.

A 33-year-old Nepali woman from Kathmandu travelling to Malaysia for the first time said she left her bags on the train as they were too heavy to lug around.

“It would be easier if there were enough trollies,” she said, claiming that Customs officers had not asked her to bring her luggage down.

A senior Customs officer at the Padang Besar railway station said passengers were required to take their bags off the train for examination. They would be reminded that the luggage would be confiscated if they did not.

The train leaves Bangkok at 2.45pm and stops in Haadyai at about 7am (Thai time) for 40 minutes to uncouple the Haadyai coaches and refuel be-

fore reaching Padang Besar at 7.55am (M’sian time).

It stops for about an hour at the Padang Besar railway station for Immigration and Customs scrutiny and switches to the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad locomotive, while the State Thai Railways engine remains at the border.

The train then heads for Arau in Perlis, Alor Star and Sungai Petani in Kedah, and Bukit

Mertajam before reaching Butterworth at about 1.45pm, the next day.

Sources at the KTMB station in Butterworth told The Malay Mail that passengers, believed to be syndicate members, who alighted there, had brought in boxes of firecrackers and loaded them onto a lorry waiting outside the temporary railway station during the Hari Raya Aidilfitri and recent Deepavali festivals.

At the 35th Malaysia-Thailand bilateral meeting on Narcotics Law Enforcement Cooperation in Penang on Nov 8, Noor Rashid had said the increase in border drug trafficking had compelled police to strengthen ties with their Thai counterparts, especially with the increasing number of women “mules”.

He had said only one woman was nabbed for drug trafficking at the border, last year, compared to 17 men, but the number had shot up to seven women and 30 men arrested, this year.

IPOH

Fighting for rice bowl in little Jelapang

By REENA RAJ reenaraj@mmail.com.my

THE “unknown” Jelapang state seat shot to “infamy” not long after the 12th general election in 2008 when its assemblyman caused the downfall of the Pakatan Rakyat-led Perak government in 2009.

Datuk Hee Yit Foong had won the seat under the DAP banner, but a few months down the road, quit and declared herself a Barisan Nasional-friendly independent. Her decision caused the state government to collapse.

The Jelapang seat continues to be hot in the 13th GE as Hee has indicated she will be defending it, this time for the BN, but her intentions have been brushed off by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek. Chua, who is also Perak MCA chairman, insisted that without the support of the party and the grassroots, it was unlikely Hee would win. Thus, her candidacy will be dependent on sup-

Perak

N31: JELAPANG

JELAPANG STATE SEAT MARCH 2008 ELECTION RESULTS

Winner Hee Yit Foong (DAP)

NGEH: Logical to field DAP man

Hee: Going for BN ticket

Arutchelvan: Sarasvathy the best

port from the BN leadership.

A political observer said the MCA would not be badly hit if its candidate lost and that the BN stood a better chance of winning if the seat was given to an Independent.

“The seat has been an opposition stronghold for a long time. MCA does not have much to lose if Hee stands on a BN ticket,” he said.

An MCA insider said Hee’s

name was not on the candidacy list.

“At party level, I don’t think she will make it as there are many more names,” he said.

He said one of the most frequently mentioned was Ipoh city councillor Wong Kooi Fong, who is from Jelapang and familiar with the local community.

Another political observer said he foresaw the repeat of a three-sided battle for Jelapang in the coming election. “All the parties are trying their best to avoid such a fight, but the current scenario in Jelapang may make it unavoidable,” he said.

He said the way the DAP state leadership was going all out to field its own candidate and refusing to work together with Parti Sosialis Malaysia which had indicated it wanted this seat, would lead to such a situation.

“After what happened in 2008, the people in Jelapang are disappointed. This time, the DAP has to be extra careful with its choice of candidate and should decide on someone whom the people trust and know well.”

PSM secretary-general S. Arutchelvan said the party was confident deputy chairman M.

12,219 (Majority - 6,707)

Loh Koi Pin (BN)

5,512

M. Sarasvathy (Independent)

1,275

Sarasvathy was the best candidate as she was a local face for the last 20 years.

“We don’t want a three-sided battle but we are not retreating. We are discussing with the DAP national leadership for the betterment of all.”

Sarasvathy contested as an Independent in 2008 but lost her deposit. PSM now runs three service centres in Jelapang, Pusing and Taman Rishah.

A source in the DAP agreed with the PSM recommendation as he said voters’ trend in Jelapang had changed after Hee

declared herself an independent candidate.

The source said the name of water engineer-turned-insurance manager Teh Hock Ke has been identified by the state leadership as the potential candidate for the seat.

Perak DAP chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, while not confirming Teh as a candidate, said it would be logical to field one from the party.

Jelapang, together with Menglembu and Tronoh, comes under the Batu Gajah parliamentary constituency.

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

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NEWS

THE MALAY MAIL

NATIONAL Once a child has switched off, it's like anorexia nervosa. After having been hurt so many times by adults, they say 'I no longer care.' They grow up to become very, very damaged emotionally Dr Pauline Meemeduma child psychologist

KUALA LUMPUR

Tough going for street children Lack of support services leaves minors resorting to vice for survival

By MEENA LAKSHANA meena@mmail.com.my

It is 1am — long after business hours in Kuala Lumpur's financial district are over. Two 14 year old girls has just begun work.

They languidly wait for customers at the junction of Lorong Haji Abu Taib — a street known for night vice.

Clad in pink and canary yellow mini-skirts, they are children, except for the high heels, painted lips and blown hair — calling out to men on the garbage strewn street.

They are two of the many street children for whom night is not a time for respite.

Drug-peddling and prostitution keep them from sleep, as they course midnight roads of the city's entertainment hub.

Voice of the Children — a local NGO dealing with street children — said "street children" do not literally mean hungry mouths on the streets.

"They all live in budget hotels now. Their mobile phones are to carry out their business, peddling drugs through SMS requests. Some of them even work as car park jockeys," says TJ, a volunteer.

Those peddling drugs also use a network of cybercafés to cater to their business.

The roads and alleys around Changkat Bukit Bintang is a business haven for them with cybercafés and night clubs promising good business prospects. Dark areas are easily found for hiding and dealing.

Most times the young drug peddlers are addicted to the substance themselves.

Heroine is sold in tubes at RM20 and they can easily

HEARTBREAK LIGHTS: Jalan Bukit Bintang at night that beckons children to the streets — Pic: Shahir Omar

earn RM60 to RM80 a night, TJ says.

“They shoot up in the back alleys of Jalan Nagasari and Jalan Alor,” said TJ, admit-

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ting there are lesser street children.

Most children are locals from troubled or broken homes while some are stateless.

“Three years ago, there were more children on the streets.

But due to frequent raids by the authorities, they have gone underground or gone back home,” TJ says.

Although raids lowered the numbers, they hamper the work of social welfare organisations, including Voice of the Children, in their task to reach out to these children.

“There is no system in

place. The children caught are sent to the Henry Gurney School but soon they return to the streets,” he says.

HIV screening is not conducted on the children and they relapse into drug addiction even after weeks in school.

In Bukit Bintang, TJ identifies Salim, who lies on the pavement near a bank. His nails yare ellow and slightly curved at the ends due to malnutrition. He was in a deep sleep, rubber slippers by his side, dead to the bustling noise around him — drugged.

He looks nine but TJ says he is about 16.

We catch him later walking dazed along Jalan Alor later.

Driving back from Jalan Alor, TJ said Salim has been in and out of Henry Gurney more than three times.

Outside a hotel on Jalan Tong Shin at Changkat Bukit Bintang, a car with two men and girls drive up.

A middle-aged man walks over to the car and 'checks out' the heavily made up girls in the back seat.

“Whenever there is a request, they bring the girls in the car and customers make their pick," TJ explained the way it works.

There is lack of proper support services for intervention for these children.

“First, we have to admit we have a problem with street children. Second, we have to embarrass their clients or buyers," said TJ. The country also needs a proper facility or shelter to give proper attention and care tfor these children.

“There are no support services. We basically need dedicated experts and caregivers.”  Pseudonym TJ used by request of source.

A child beneath the hard surface Street children survive by not trusting others, not allowing other people to tell them who they are and what their value is as a person. They are like isolated islands in society.

Dr Pauline Meemeduma, who worked with street children for over 30 years in Australia and other countries, said street children psychologically and emotionally drift away from society as they learn how to survive.

Malaysia's problem lay in its fragmented social welfare service for the protection of children.

“We don’t have a continuum of services, but services which react to what is going on the streets.

“Many agencies prefer to be reactive because it is more visual, so you can see the problem communally, because it is there, it is happening right in front of you.

"We need to track it right back and support the develop-

ment of services at the preventive end.”

Malaysia is not alone in the subject of poor planning.

An effective social welfare should identify at-risk families and intervene at the start of the juncture to ensure both children and family can cope with changes.

Trained, competent staff is crucial to building effective services for the long run. Once a child has switched off emotionally, it could lead to a host of other problems, Meemeduma said.

“It’s like eating, it’s a biological thing. Once a child has switched off, it's like anorexia nervosa. After having been hurt so many times by adults, they say 'I no longer care.' They grow up to become very, very damaged emotionally."

These children, she said, might become cold and cruel and end up behind bars. They also have difficulty forming life partnerships and may end

up in domestic abuse.

There should be a holistic programme focusing on preventive measures.

Meemeduma said a system whereby enforcement overpowers the social welfare aspect will lead to more complicated societal problems.

“You need a programme with psychological, emotional and social re-engagement with adults because it’s adults these children don’t trust, and then the transition into family life, whereby you need special types of families if they’ve been harmed so badly.

“They have experienced no love or highly conditional love with ‘I will love you if you go to this street and buy me drugs,’ not unconditional love," said Meemeduma.

She added that street children need to be taught basic things, such as sitting at a desk during school hours, and also to reconnect with the innocence that is a hallmark of childhood.

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

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FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

NEWS

THE MALAY MAIL

NATIONAL To me, it’s all about people appreciating my efforts, doing my work and feeling satisfied ARIF KARTONO THE MALAY MAIL PHOTOGRAPHER

KUALA LUMPUR

Healthy focus for medical sector Ministry making strides in healthcare, while allaying fears on controversial issues Health MINISTER Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai sat down with The Malay Mail’s TERENCE FERNANDEZ and HAMZAH NAZARI to take questions on his ministry.

The Malay Mail: How are you addressing the dire shortage of specialists in the public sector?

Liow: Our target of one doctor every 600 people can be achieved by 2015 instead of 2020. But specialists, we are very short of. We have about 5,000. So what we do first is to attract more specialists to return from overseas.

Second, we give more scholarships to train more specialists. In the past, we gave 400 scholarships, now we give 800.

Third, we must prevent specialists from leaving the government service. We try to give attractive packages, better allowances. We also allow them to serve (locum) in the private sector. (But) I need these specialists in district hospitals. Most of my specialists are in the state hospitals.

I think one of the ways to decongest the big hospitals like Kuala Lumpur Hospital is to

develop our district hospitals.

But it’s not easy to resolve that because when the specialists are in, you need equipment and you need nurses.

LIOW: Health system has improved tremendously in past four years — Pic: Arif Kartono

And medical tourism benefits from having specialists in big hospitals.

Medical tourism is doing well as we have 253 private hospitals in the country. Medical tourism is growing at 35 per cent per annum.

What is the status of 1Care?

I would use the name Health Transformation Programme because some people are trying to put a negative connotation on 1Care.

You can’t help it! It is a profit-oriented scheme proposed by those with vested interest.

If the country is moving towards a high-income nation and the people become highincome people by 2020, they will have high expectations on health so we have to transform now. We are making efforts to improve our delivery system; while we do that, we need a strong financial system

to support it.

We are 100 per cent government budget. When there is government support, our services depend on budget. If there is a big budget there is good service but if there is a ‘no-good’ budget there is less service. So we are studying the best way to ensure health services continue irrespective of budget.

So what is the status?

Discussion stage. We are discussing how to deliver better because before you ask people to pay more, you

must upgrade your services.

At the same time, we are also discussing the financing mechanism that can sustain the health services we are delivering now.

Currently, we are going around the country getting feedback from the public. This discussion state will complete hopefully by next year and we are drafting the blueprint.

Hopefully by 2014, the blueprint will be ready and then we will open it up to the public for debate.

So what has it done over

the past four years?

I’m very happy that our health system have improved tremendously in the past four years. In terms of capacity building, the Health Ministry has done a lot. In terms of number of days, doctors, nurses, in terms of equipment, we have grown in leaps and bounds. We have a lot of programmes to further equip our hospitals and clinics with the latest technology.

I would say communicable disease has been controlled in an effective manner, for example H1N1 and SARS. We are confident that we are able to control the situation in a very short time.

This needs a robust system, a robust network to control communicable diseases and Malaysia has been given a lot of praise by the World Health Organisation. Its health director-general Dr Margaret Chan saw the way we controlled H1N1.

Polio, leprosy and typhoid are under control.

We have a lot of vector disease in this tropical country but we have the biggest team of epidemiologists.

Bird flu at one time was coming here but we man-

aged to stop this. ‘Next door’ (Neighbouring countries) we had a lot of H1N1.

We also need a very good civilian team. They are collecting data for us. Today, immediately I know how many people have the flu, how many people have the fever and in which area.

This is all done behind the scenes. Nobody knows.

Earlier we spoke about medical tourism. Is your ministry also involved in growing the economy?

We managed to generate a lot of interest in the pharmaceutical sector and medical devices. All the time we imported medical devices, now we can build our own medical equipment and produce our own medicine.

But what about middlemen in the pharmaceutical industry?

Nowadays, no. The prime minister has agreed that whatever foreign manufacturer who manufactures locally, the government will purchase directly from them.

ON MONDAY: What Liow is doing about smoking

KUALA LUMPUR

Arif makes it six awards for The Malay Mail THE MALAY MAIL photographer Muhammad Arif Kartono (pic) took home the Maybank Photography Awards in the press category recently, making it the sixth major honour the daily received this year.

The competition, themed Being Human, was an initiative to establish a gold standard for photographic excellence. It was a collaborative effort among Maybank, Leica, Profoto and Hewlett Packett.

“I feel happy and thankful that my photo was selected for this category,” said the 23-year-old, who hails from Petaling Jaya.

“It didn’t occur to me that I could win because I submitted the photo just for fun.”

The winning photograph was about a kite maker in Kuala Selangor.

He said he had taken the photograph a long time ago while on holiday and was delighted it had earned him a Maybank Debit Card preloaded with RM5,000.

“I have no idea what I’m going to do with the money. But it’s not about the money ... you can always find money," he said.

“To me, it’s all about people appreciating my efforts, doing my work and feeling satisfied."

The competition ran

from Sept 3 to Oct 31 with all submissions received shortlisted for final judging and public voting.

The daily’s roll of honour began in January when former senior sports journalist Haresh Deol was named Best Sports Journalist and bagged Best Special Report at the Sportswriters Association of Malaysia (SAM) awards.

In February, former assistant news editor Pearl Lee earned Best Investigative Report award at the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI)-Petronas Malaysian Journalism Awards.

In September, Editor-atLarge Frankie D’Cruz was awarded NPC-Scomi Journalist of The Year, and Hotline was joint winner in the DRB-Hicom Best Media Organisation (Community Service).

THE WINNING SHOT: Arif's picture on traditional kite maker Marnun Mansor, 60, from Kuala Selangor that won him the prestigious award.

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

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friday 7 december 2012

NEWS

THE MALAY MAIL

NATIONAL I wake up around 3am and go to Medan Pasar which is the heartbeat of newspaper vendors for hundreds of years.

R. Muthu Kumaran newspaper vendor

GOMBAK

Sungai Pusu lives again Developer restores river after receiving directive from authorities

By MEENA LAKSHANA and ANDREA MATTHEW mmnews@mmail.com.my

AFTER months of being choked with mud and silt, and exposes by The Malay Mail, Sungai Pusu is finally being restored.

Developer Masgenuine i-Berhad has begun dredging the river to return it to its original depth of 1.8m.

A visit to the site revealed Masgenuine’s contractors had also placed rocks to stop floodwaters from overflowing in the future.

The company elevated a small bridge across the river leading into a resident’s home.

Masgenuine group chief operating officer Rosianiza Rosly said the developer will be monitoring the condition of the river and dredging will be conducted twice a month.

“Our engineers are working on preventing erosion at the land we cleared up the hill. We will be placing

A RIVER ONCE MORE: Sg Pusu has been deepened after Masgenuine dredged and carried out preventive works against future flooding.

Above: Rosianiza — Pix: Firdaus Latif

a coverlet at the cleared land,” she said.

“We are working on creating a flood retention pond and placing silt traps where required.”

She said the company spent RM40,000 so far to restore the river.

“But we are not too concerned about the money.

As long as the people are

happy,” she said.

Rosianiza said the company has many development projects in the area and it was imperative that they build a rapport with the local community.

“We even hired the contractor from among kampung residents because they know the people and area better. It is also

a source of income for them,” she said.

Restoration works began immediately after The Malay Mail frontpaged the unethical doings of the developer Masgenuine and pushed the Selangor government to investigate the near-disappearance of Sungai Pusu due to illegal land clearing.

Run-offs from the site while preparing the land into housing lots for sale at Taman Muslimin, on the hilltop of Kampung Sg Pusu, in Mukim Setapak, caused mud and silt to deposit in Sungai Pusu, reducing the depth of the river to less than 30cm.

Masgenuine was developing the land for a hous-

ing area of semi-detached houses without the necessary approvals from local authority Selayang Municipal Council (MPS).

A concerted effort between MPS, Selangor Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS), Gombak District Land Office (PTD Gombak) and Selangor Waters Managament Authority (LUAS) saw a directive being issued to Masgenuine to dredge and rehabilitate the river.

Masgenuine then admitted their folly and pledged to restore the river.

A long time resident from Kampung Sungai Pusu said flooding naturally occurs in the area after a bout of heavy rain.

He said the land clearing only exacerbated the conditions.

“I have been staying here for 40 years and we know the rain conditions. Following their repairs, if we face any more problems we will inform Masgenuine,” said the resident, who did not want to be identified.

KUALA LUMPUR

Bringing our 'breakfast companion'

By ANDREW SAGAYAM andrew@mmail.com.my

FOR nearly 170 years and some only having four days off a year, newspaper vendors are still going on strong ... and delivering.

While some of us still lie in bed, newspapers — our breakfast companion — reach our homes before sunrise daily, delivered by a man on a motorcycle, who will be back again the next day.

Even though for some, the business was handed down from their previous generation, the dedication shown surpasses the usual definitions of hard work and commitment.

They continue to deliver in spite of being ill or injured due to the nature of their job as they know their customers are waiting for the newspapers to read with

LOTS OF PAPERWORK: A vendor sorting out the different publications at Medan Pasar — Pic: Firdaus Latif

their morning cup of coffee.

For R. Muthu Kumaran, 33, his day begins before dawn, like most newspaper vendors.

"I wake up around 3am and go to Medan Pasar which is the heartbeat of newspaper vendors for hundreds of years. About 500 other vendors and newspaper wholesalers would be congregating and sorting newspapers.

"We insert the supplements, pamphlets or other addition-

al insertions that need to be placed in each copy.

"The copies are divided into different bundles depending on the individual customers' order. Then they will be sent to shops, office buildings and homes throughout the Klang Valley," said Muthu who now handles his father’s wholesale business which started in 1972.

He said the workload has increased tremendously

over the last few decades due to the increased size of newspapers.

"Most publications have numerous sections and insertions that have to be manually placed every morning before they are delivered," he said, adding delivery time varies due to many factors.

"If the newspaper consignment comes late then it will delay the whole operation.

Some customers want their paper at their homes by 6.30am at the latest so they can browse through it before they leave for work.

"For offices, it’s a different story. They have different opening hours. We might have to make several trips to ensure that they receive all their orders even if they are located in the same building as sometimes the newspapers might be stolen or lost," he said adding most of their work would be done by 10am.

Force behind daily delivery THE life of newspaper vendors of today is unlike that of their previous generation.

R. Muthu Ramasamy, 33 from Hulu Klang, a second generation vendor, told The Malay Mail that profit margin and workload of the earlier generation have changed dramatically for the present crop of vendors.

"In the 70s and 80s, my father used to earn about RM200 which was big money. At times, my father would handle newspapers with only four pages but now we have to handle nearly 100 pages of a newspaper with two or three supplement insertions.

"Due to the newspaper size now, I am forced to take in seven workers to cut down on operation time as compared to my father's days when he and an assistant could handle the workload," he said when met in Medan Pasar on Sunday.

He said as a vendor-cumwholesaler, he handles 15,000 copies daily as opposed to his father who handled several hundreds to 1,500 copies.

G. Rathakrishnan, 57, a vendor for over 30 years from Brickfields said prices of newspapers have increased but vendors’ commission remains the same.

"Prices of goods, petrol and newspapers have risen several times through the years but commission for vendors has not. It has always been 20 per cent from day one.

N.K.S. Theenathayalan, 55, from Sentul, who has been in the business for 48 years echoed Rathakrisnan's comment and said that rising cost of petrol has affected his income.

"When I took over the business from my father, I was making money but rising petrol cost has affected the profit margin we enjoyed before," he said.

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

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FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

NEWS

THE MALAY MAIL

NATIONAL While I don't deny that rent may be steep, at least the areas affected, once left to deteriorate, have come back to life Datuk Jerry Chan Real Estate and Housing Developers' Association Malaysia (Rehda) northern region chairman

GEORGE TOWN

Rent repeal still hitting Penangites hard Increased prices leave households and businesses feeling the heat 12 years on

By A. SANGEETHA and ZALINAH NOORDIN mmnews@mmail.com.my

TWELVE years after the repeal of the Control of Rent Act 1966 came into force, its effects are still being felt by the people of Penang.

George Town World Heritage Inc general manager Lim Chooi Pin said displaced families, originally from the heart of George Town, were now scattered on the outskirts of Penang, such as in Balik Pulau and Paya Terubong, while some familyrun businesses which had been around for generations had to close down after they could not afford to pay the increased rental.

Although the vibrancy of the city was snuffed out when the act was repealed in 1997, and enforced in 2002, as many buildings became vacant, several families and businesses decided to stay put despite the raised rental.

Keat Li Laundry Service operator Ng Wah, 70, said he took over the business from the previous owner two decades ago, who he worked for in 1965.

"I used to pay a rent of RM400 but once the rent control was abolished, I was forced to pay double. However, I decided to remain here as I am old and didn't know where else to go," he said.

"The rent now is at RM1,000.

However, George Town's heritage status has helped a little.

Now our customers are mostly

STANDING FIRM: The owner of The World Optical Co refuses to move from its premises, which it has been operating from since 1936

budget tourists."

The operator of The World Optical Co, on the corner of Muntri Street and Leith Street, who declined to be named, said they have been at the site since 1936 and refused to move.

The shop, sporting dated interior decorations, attracts the same customers who used to patronise it as well as a handful of tourists.

Businessman K. Shanmuganathan, 52, whose family has been living in the house in Jalan Sri Bahari for more than 100 years, said they were paying a rental of RM1,100 compared to between RM50 and RM100 before the repeal.

"We have been here forever.

We don't want to move. I was raised in this house. Three gen-

erations have lived here," he said.

Now, Shanmuganathan lives there with his wife and two children.

Former machinist Chan Poh Yee, 63, is paying rental of RM500 a month now as opposed to RM75 he used to pay before.

"My grandparents were the first tenants at this house. The landlord even allowed us to keep the plaque bearing our family surname on the doorway," said the Klang Street resident.

Chan said due to their long tenure in the double-storey prewar terrace shoplot, the landlord did not increase the rent as he respected their relationship.

Meanwhile, a retired civil ser-

vant-turned-shopkeeper in nearby Acheh Street, who wished to be known only as Zainab, said she pays RM350 a month for her shop owned by her son.

Selling clothing items and handicrafts, the shop is housed on the ground floor of a twostorey pre-war building with the second floor rented out to another tenant.

"It is good that the relevant authorities have taken measures to restore buildings in town so that people can set up businesses in the heritage area but there are other problems which may affect business," she said.

"For instance, there are no proper parking areas for customers and many just drive pass. Others don't even know of our existence."

Khoo: Commercial areas and housing must co-exist THERE are contrasting opinions on the repeal of the Rent Control Act 1966 between heritage conservationists and property owners.

Penang Heritage Trust president Khoo Salma Nasution said several thousands, who lived in the inner-city and surrounding George Town, moved out of their rented properties following the repeal.

"This resulted in a quieter city. The city needs to be repopulated â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and not by businesses catered for tourists only. Local businesses must also exist to attract people," she said.

News reports claim about 60,000 people made up the exodus that filed out of the city due to spiraling rent in the years after the repeal.

A 2001 Universiti Sains Malaysia study states that the act, enacted in 1966, was to protect buildings built before 1948, and was meant to address the issue of social inequity then as a means of protecting poor tenants.

By doing so, the act helped preserve buildings and living heritage in the city.

But Act 572's repeal in 1997, which was enforced in 2000, resulted in the freeing-up of 12,600 units registered as rent-controlled buildings.

Khoo added that George Town has to be transformed into a place for ordinary people.

"There should be ordinary trades and services to cater to ordinary people rather than those made for heritage tourists. Rent in the city is irrational," she said.

"Rational rent should be introduced where objectives of commercial and housing

co-exist for ordinary people.

Buildings must not only be renovated for commercial purposes."

She told The Malay Mail that the issue of inner-city accommodation or affordable housing should also be addressed to allow life to creep back into the city.

On whether the Unesco George Town Heritage Listing aided the city's resurrection, Khoo said it brought about a different accomplishment, including the establishment of hotels and restaurants.

She said in view of encouraging people to use public transport, there should be a move to provide affordable housing close to places of work, thus urging people to live in the city and inadvertently injecting life into it.

Conversely, Real Estate and Housing Developers' Association Malaysia (Rehda) northern region chairman Datuk Jerry Chan said the repeal benefited pre-war property owners.

"The repeal had its pros and cons in George Town. While it is true that many businesses and families were displaced, it did benefit property owners who had been suffering for decades with low rental collection," he said.

"There were some who collected only RM30 a month.

Take a stroll in inner George Town and I'm sure you will notice a hive of activity with new businesses such as boutique hotels and F&B outlets coming up.

"This has fascinated tourists, and while I don't deny that rent may be steep, at least the areas affected, once left to deteriorate, have come back to life," he said.

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

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FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

THE MALAY MAIL

OPINION

Winning the middle ground 2ND SPHERE

By SAIFUDDIN ABDULLAH

ONE of the most important groups in the 13th general election (GE13) electorate is the “fence sitters” or “undecided voters”. They do not declare their support to any political parties, and will usually decide whom to vote for at the last minute. I prefer to recognise them as the “middle ground”.

This is not the first time this group is present. But this time, they are going to play their most significant role in the history of our GE, i.e. as the deciding factor of the GE13 result.

According to a research

by Universiti Malaya Centre for Democracy and Election, led by Redzuan Othman, the middle ground constitutes about 30 per cent of the electorate. This is their biggest percentage ever. Even though majority of the other 70 per cent are expected to vote for BN, but the total is still less than 50 per cent.

Meanwhile, a research led

by Shamsul Amri Baharud-

din of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, projects that BN will win GE13, but with less seats in Parliament compared to GE12. In GE12, BN won 140 of the 222 seats and 51 per cent of the popular votes.

This means that for BN to win GE13, the support of the middle ground is of utmost importance. Their votes will determine two defining outcomes. Firstly, the number of seats won; and secondly, the number of popular votes secured.

In the past, the middle ground comprises of individuals who were not really connected with each other.

But today, there is a kind of collective identity: knowledge/creative workers, highly educated, intellectuals, entrepreneurs, professionals, students/youths, woman, middle class and civil society. They form a cumulative thought that is shared among themselves and with others.

In a way, they have evolved into a social movement.

They are constituents of the three new realities influencing contemporary politics, i.e. ICT and new media, new social consciousness/move-

ment and third phase of democracy.

Their usage of ICT and new media is sophisticated. Most information on politics is obtained from new media.

According to Shaharuddin Badaruddin, a Universiti Teknologi Mara lecturer-researcher, among youth, only 24 and 15 per cent of the information is obtained from mainstream media.

They follow and participate in social movements and networks that are independent and continuous in constructing and sharing of new ideals and meanings, locally and internationally. They want change. They may be critical, but they are not the opposition. Politically, they are non-partisan.

The middle ground is still concerned with conventional issues, which I term as “developmental hopes”.

For example: infrastructure, education, employment and welfare. They want leaders who are people-friendly. But, they begin to question the implementation of things, for example, transparency, accountability, wastage, fairness and corruption.

Besides that, and more im-

portantly, they have started to emphasise on new issues, which I term as “democratic hopes”. For example: rights to information, freedom of expression and media, academic freedom, human rights, rights of the minorities, students and parents’ choice in education, concept of federalism, new perspectives on race, wealth and financial management, student/youth empowerment, gender equality, social justice, participation in decision making, better electoral system and political transformation. They want leaders who drive the political discourse and culture to a higher level.

It is crystal clear that the expectations of the middle ground have changed.

Hence, Umno/BN must also change. We have an excellent track record in fulfilling the developmental hopes.

But GE12 has shown that we have yet to master the democratic hopes. The democratic hopes are going to take centre stage during GE13. So, we must strengthen our capabilities in this area (while continue addressing the developmental hopes).

We have to be more com-

mitted in championing the democratic hopes. If we do not champion it, while others are doing it, we might end up the losing side.

This calls for appropriate approach. We must avoid using any approach that alienates people from us. For example, excessive attacks on the opposition, that is overkill, will not convert their supporters, but might, as a backlash, gain them sympathy from the middle ground.

While excessive attacks on the middle ground, for example, civil society bashing and student/youth belittling, will definitely bring negative impact on us.

People are tired with politics that is too adversarial.

They want smart-thinking, not mud-slinging. They want something healthier. What they are interested in is what we can offer, and how good is our offer, not how bad our rival is. It is not about white vs black. It is about being better.

Therefore, what is really needed is for us to employ a wisdom-based political approach. In this context, I am reminded of the verses of the Quran, an-Nahl:125, which

outlines three principles of inviting people to the cause.

Firstly, wisdom: learn from past mistakes and best practices, and offer better products, for example, new politics (political integrity, new governance framework, innovations in democracy and progressive political thoughts).

Secondly, good teachings: excellent track record, outcomes that are benefiting the people and good example.

And thirdly, debate in the best of ways: do not insult people’s intelligence, trust the people, engagement and consultation, and campaign with good argumentation and rebuttal.

Championing democratic hopes is the right thing to do. Datuk Seri Najib Razak is doing it through various transformation programmes, including politics. Umno/BN must be on the same page with him.

DATUK SAIFUDDIN ABDULLAH is the deputy minister for higher education and MP for Temerloh. He tweets @saifuddinabd. Comments: feedback@mmail.com.my

The challenge of continuity HOT FUSS

By TERENCE FERNANDEZ

THE Genovasi challenge that was promoted in some of the preceeding pages is a good incentive in getting the people -especially the young -- to take ownership of our nation.

Instead of being arm-chair critics, the ball has been cleverly placed at our feet to come up with solutions to problems that effect all Malaysians -- in this case improving our neighbourhoods.

Only difference this time is that the government is putting money where our mouths are!

While there are those who have scoffed at the idea of throwing good money after bad, one must laud the thinking that goes behind the challenge --the government trying to get stakeholders -- i.e the rakyat to tell it how we feel a certain issue should be addressed or a problem resolved.

While the RM100,000 cash prize may be the motivating factor, the onus is on everyone to ensure these good ideas are implemented and bear fruit.

As history has showed us, many good initiatives which are mooted, fall by the wayside due to the lack of commitment or imagination by those entrusted to implement them and to ensure its continuity.

How often has someone quipped that Malaysians are full of ideas but fall short when it comes to execution?

One example that comes to mind is Talent Corp which has been struggling to fulfil its primary role of bringing our best brains back from abroad. Now, due to the shortcomings of the programme and incentives, Talent Corp is incentivising foreigners to prevent them from leaving the country!

Also look at our graft fighting efforts. So much money, blood, sweat and tears have been spent and spilt to rid society of the shackles of corruption that have

been wearing us down.

With the rebranding of the Anti Corruption Agency (ACA) and legislation and more funding, with a top notch team to head it -- as proposed by various parties, have the perception index been any better for us? No. Why? Just take a look at the kids gloves treatment of powerful people who have had their hands caught in the cookie jar.

Many of them can even launch a political comeback, thumbing their nose at the public and its perception over the allegations hurled against them.

It is comical, how one can be so thick skinned with their public face -- perhaps emboldened by the fact that it will be another case of “NFA” (No Further Action); or that some poor civil servant who had the misfortune of having his signature on incriminating documents will be taking the rap -- all because the said individual holds the cards to deliver political backing in the form of votes, divisional support, bringing fac-

tions together, as well as having the resources.

Hence, it is understandable why Joe Public is frustrated at the snail’s pace of progress in this area and would want to vent that frustration at the ballot box.

With the like of the Special Task Force to Facilitate Business (Pemudah), have we truly made strides in improving the delivery system? The worms are still coming out of the woodwork on how dubious land deals were made; temples forced to relocate as land meant for religious purposes were pawned off to the well-connected.

Rome, as officialdom would tell you was not built in a day.

While we acknowledge that change takes time, this mantra cannot be used as an excuse to continue to rape, pillage and plunder.

When the ruling coalition says “we have a track record”, to be fair, we have evidence of this in the progress we have made as a developing and high income

nation. Let’s face it, we have a pretty good life in this country and there are many things to be thankful for.

However, take a look at the annual Auditor General’s Report and the scandals that have come our way such as the trilllions of ringgit in capital outflow, financial mismanagement and downright crooked deals in the form of the Port Klang Free Zone and the mess that is the national carrier.

We have lost many good brains to the private sector and to other countries due to the failures to address the self interest that is the usual obstacle in progress. Be it political expediency or individual concerns, the lot of the majority have seldom been a top priority -- although it says so in the headlines and speeches tucked into Press kits in goodie bags.

Yes, we should have a national challenge to involve more people in deciding what’s best for the nation. I for one encourage our readers to participate.

The fact that we have a prime minister committed to see these initiatives through is cause to be optimistic -- even if he faces obstacles from all sides.

But that has always been the problem in Malaysia -- we are personality centric. For an initiative to be successful, the man at the top must bark first.

I hope those whose responsibility it is to help bring those ideas to maximum fruition will also be on the same page as the PM and those who had painstakingly submitted their suggestions. Hopefully, these ideas are not chucked into a steel box somewhere to collect dust.

Perhaps the real challenge is not to come up with innovative ideas for better neighbourhoods, but to ensure they are implemented and we see the spoils for generations to come.

Over to you, fellow Malaysians!

TERENCE is Managing Editor and can be reached at terence@mmail.com.my. He tweets @TerenceFnandez

THE MALAY MAIL

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THE MALAY MAIL

opinion

Want a peek into future technology? Ask a middle-aged woman A Woman’s Worth Faridah Hameed

YES, you read that right.

If you want to know what the future of technology looks like, stop chasing young men.

Ask a woman, preferably over the age of 40.

Older women have overtaken young men as the key demographic when it comes to early technology adopters.

A fascinating new study by social scientist Genevieve Bell has turned the predominant belief — that young men between the ages 18 and 35 could make or break a new technology product — on its head.

Bell, the interaction and research director at Intel Labs, says her wealth of research shows that women in the 4060 age group that are the real heavyweights when it comes to using the most successful

and most popular technologies.

“Women are more likely to be using the mobile phones they own, they spend more time talking on them, they spend more time using location-based services,” said Bell when she presented her findings at the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association Conference last April.

For many women in their 40s and above, we often feel ignored when it comes to advertising and marketing of technology products. No one really seems interested in us.

Everyone’s busy chasing after the demographic Holy Grail — the 18-35 year olds — leaving us feeling like Methuselah!

But as Bell’s findings show, clearly the herd is heading in the wrong direction, and lost in a time-warp. The old school narrative of young men as lead technology adopters just isn’t the reality anymore.

Among Bell’s findings are women are the vast majority owners of all Internet-enabled

devices including readers, healthcare devices and GPS; are the fastest category and biggest users on every social networking site with the exception of LinkedIn; and are the fastest growing and largest users on Skype.

In a Nielsen study titled “Women of Tomorrow”, data shows that women talk 28 per cent more and text 14 per cent more than men every month; they are also heavier users of social features of phones (SMS, MMS, social networking) compared to men who tend to use functional features more (GPS, email, Internet).

Facebook has gotten into the discussion. It says 57 per cent of its members are female, and that it attracts 46 million more female visitors than male a month.

Social media strategist Brett Greene in July posted an article that outlined the women’s influence on social media quoting Google Ad Planner’s review of Facebook.

Facebook, the numbers

show, is “aging” with 45-54 year olds making up the largest user base.

“As with most media platforms (except Google+), women make up the largest base of users, with 81 per cent having attended college,” he adds.

Checkout, a US-based online retail published a shopper behaviour study conducted by The Integer Group and MARC Research in June which showed that “women are more likely to use mobile shopping tools than men, and parents are outpacing single adults”.

Among its other findings: Men might be the traditional lovers of tech toys, but when it comes to using technology to enhance shopping, women are in the lead.

Households with children are more likely to use digital shopping solutions to save time and get organised.

Even in gaming, which is often referred to as the final male bastion online, women

have overtaken young men.

Zynga, the purveyor of hugely popular online games such as Farmville and Castleville, says 60 per cent of its players are female.

A 2010 study sponsored by PopCap found the average player of online social games is a 43-year old woman, according to an article that profiled the study on Gigaom.com The wave of change is also sweeping through some of the biggest technology companies on the planet, where the Csuite is being increasingly inhabited by women.

Most famous ais Sheryl Sandberg is Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer closely followed by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayers, who is reported to be ready to spend “hundreds of millions” on ad technology soon. Meg Whitman is the CEO of tech giant Hewlett Packard, and Google’s senior vice president of advertising is Susan Wojcicki.

Cher Wang — who co-founded Taiwan’s HTC Corporation

continues to oversee the development of smart phone and mobile technology.

These women not only bring their business savviness to the table; what we will increasingly see I am sure, are new products and services, as well as marketing and branding campaigns, that will target the needs of the older woman.

What a pleasant shift that will be from the constant stream of (often) sexist advertising we have had to suffer when it comes to technology products.

When I first read the Bell findings, it just confirmed what I have felt all along. I fit the profile to a tee, and so do almost every woman I know online Now, it’s time to take a break and play my favourite online game on my Ipad!

Faridah Hameed is a speaker and trainer who specialises in the Language of Power and the Language of Leadership for Women.

Connect with her on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Crapping around with dignity being frank

By Frankie D’Cruz

DRUNK uncles jerk at a wedding, others dance while holding a shopping bag at a party, and occasionally an MP struggles with a bar of soap with a questionable legislative view. You can excuse the innocent uncles but not the double-talk and sophistry of a lawmaker.

We have had a situation in recent weeks. Situation 1: Parliament, where dignity should naturally reign supreme, now weighs a ban on sexist remarks during debates. Situation 2: An independent MP has harrumphed that secret societies be granted non-governmental organisation (NGO) status. I bestow on him the designation, registrar of secret societies.

Detractors went into overdrive over the quality of MPs serving the people’s needs.

Those who hold sexist views are not appropriate for high office. The MP who wants to legalise secret societies — and have them operate on taxpayers’ expense — is a lost-cause soap-box parliamentarian.

The amendment to Dewan Rakyat Standing Order 36(4) has been widely reported. It reads: “It shall be out of order for Members of the House to use offensive language or make a sexist remark.” It’s bizarre that such a ruling has only now come into force – after years of sexist outbursts — to compel lawmakers to respect gender rights and refrain from chauvinistic remarks.

But, it is the “passionate commitment” of Independent Padang Serai MP N. Gobalakrishnan to save gangsterism that bothers me, even if the rules to restrain the guardians of society from spewing offensive language comes across as humiliating and embarrassing to the revered House.

While it wouldn’t be satisfying for recalcitrant MPs to be sent for re-education camps on gender sensitivity courses on the taxpayer’s expense, Gobalakrishnan’s suggestion drives many ballistic.

Gang 04 issued a sharply worded statement condemning the 52-year-old politician who considers himself an authority on gangsterism.

It threatened to take him to court for suggesting that all gangs be registered with the

Registrar of Societies (ROS).

It held that any attempt to legalise gangs and operate on taxpayers’ expense would belittle their reputation as secret societies.

“We disagree with the MP’s suggestion that we be turned into quality citizens. The police will have little to do if we become law-abiding citizens.

People won’t be afraid of us anymore and we don’t need their money to operate. We have our way of getting the people’s money,” the statement read.

Leaders of all gangs huddled in meetings over the weekend to thwart any attempt to establish “direct communication” between the authorities and their members. Sources said gangsters would rather be tied to poles and flogged than be turned into NGOs and depend on taxpayers.

Gang 18 insiders wondered what triggered Gobalakrishnan’s comments to reporters at a press conference outside Dewan Rakyat on Nov 22, and dismissed him as a politician bent on accumulating credit among the underworld.

You almost got out the razor blades didn’t you? Just laugh, because that’s how secret societies would have responded to Gobalakrishnan’s

bawl that’s as dumb as a box of hammers.

Still, Gobalakrishnan — the self-proclaimed water-carrier for the underbelly of society — has to be taken down for his patently absurd suggestion to legalise gangs and have their ill-gotten gains audited.

The man had suggested the ill-conceived stunner to have all gangs registered with the ROS on ground that after legalising them as NGOs, the government can provide support to turn gangsters into quality citizens.

Madcap as it may seem, he urged the government to register criminal gangs with the ROS as he believes that such a move could help “rehabilitate” those involved in gangsterism.

Gobalakrishnan, who became an independent after quitting PKR in 2010, told reporters: “The government should legalise or go and meet these gang leaders. Any gang for that matter — be it 04 or anything — the government has intelligence reports on them. After the legalising, the government can provide support to turn gangsters into quality citizens.”

He argued that not all gangs “are in serious crime”,

and went on to add that the youths were being recruited into gang activities. “Illegal activities are invisible now.

Once it comes under government attention, everything will be scrutinised. Make (the gangs) NGOs and we can train these youths,” he added.

“If the gangs are organised like NGOs, then the police can interact with them. I’m pretty sure every gang would like to be registered,” he said.

The Malay Mail reported his comments on November 23 and when I called him to elaborate his approach to legalising secret societies he dished a doltish understanding of gangsterism: “I know all about gangs.

They call me a gangster in Parliament. I know how to deal with the gangs and make them accountable for their activities ... pay income tax ... EPF ... Sosco ... account for their takings.”

He claimed that a recent case of two Indian youths being killed in a brawl had triggered his proposal to legalise secret societies.

Is it as ostensibly straightforward as that? Isn’t political intimacy with gangsters just as worrying? Don’t certain political parties need gangs to pursue their agenda,

especially during political gatherings?

It may sound like one of those ubiquitous and annoying riddles that actually brook no answer, but clearly Gobalakrishnan’s stance is a display of utter contempt for the public.

As if the not-thoughtthrough release of detainees under the Emergency Ordinance isn’t enough. Now, society has to deal with an under-class of citizens whose disregard of law and order would take colossal efforts to tackle.

I despair of lawmakers like him and the sexist ones. But then, we know already that incoherent politicians lack creative ideas and overrate their own importance, taking themselves too seriously, oversimplifying complex problems and patronising us.

Why do we allow members of the legislative arm that is supposed to ensure the rights of citizens in all aspects to decimate dignity?

Multi-award-winning journalist and editor-at-large of The Malay Mail, Frankie D’Cruz is the National Press Club-Scomi Journalist of the Year 2012. He can be reached at frankie@mmail.com.my

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FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

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friday 7 december 2012

THE MALAY MAIL

opinion

Vote for those who have people at heart WRITERS’ BLOC with...

Tunku ’Abidin Muhriz

FIRSTLY, on this special issue I offer my congratulations to the Malay Mail, one of this country’s oldest established newspapers, but thankfully not the only one.

Sectors flourish when there is competition, and in journalism this means delivering news faster, in greater depth and occasionally with sensationalism. But freedom of the press, far more than being good for business, is the cornerstone of the strong democracy that Malaysia can still be.

In recent years — wearing several hats across think tanks, charities and academia — I have observed a steady expansion of civil society space in Malaysia, a phenomenon that many critics attribute to the administration of former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Badawi.

Fellow citizens of every demographic have something to say about the state of our country and are increasingly unafraid to say it: whether in the mamaks,

articles in newspapers and websites, on the streets and of course on burgeoning social media platforms.

Recent surveys and many anecdotes suggest cynicism and general distrust in our national institutions and leaders.

I have had the additional benefit of interacting with thousands of Malaysian students in schools and universities within and outside the country. For a constitutionalist like me, the opinions they express on bodies like parliament, the mainstream media, the police, the courts and the monarchy are sometimes painful and alarming.

Some openly call for the wholesale abolition or replacement of institutions, bordering on revolution.

These sentiments are undoubtedly deeply felt and have the potential to tear our country apart unless those who occupy these institutions understand and respond to them. For the time being, I am hopeful that most Malaysians have enough faith in the electoral process to believe that the next general elections can pave the way to rehabilitating our damaged institutions. Already, we are

seeing how leaders on both sides are responding to issues as diverse as the environment, transport, corruption, subsidies and taxes in a manner never before seen, even if some parties try to exploit often imagined racial and religious issues.

Indeed, both political coalitions have their share of those who want to encourage open discourse and debate and those who want to shut it down, supporting authoritarian measures to ban, censor or even threaten those who have different political or cultural preferences. While it easy to dismiss and denounce such bigotry, we would do better to address the underlying insecurities and fears.

In the long term, history and citizenship must be much better taught in our schools, so that every schoolchild understands the hardships endured by our ancestors in the fight towards Merdeka, emerging from the horrors of World War Two only to face a prolonged communist insurgency. The vision and legacy of Tunku Abdul Rahman and his allies need to be rehabilitated, repopularised and reapplied to inject hope and

confidence into today’s divisive political environment.

For three years my colleagues and I at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) have been promoting the principles of our Bapa Kemerdekaan to respond to today’s challenges.

Inspired by the ideas of rule of law, limited government, free markets and individual liberty, we produce policy proposals that we hope will be taken up by policymakers – such as protecting parental choice in education, removing distortions in our economy and sharing the fruits of our growth, which are key ingredients in inculcating a shared sense of national destiny.

Often we have enjoyed excellent dialogue with the federal government which acknowledges many shared aims through its Government Transformation Programme. Of course, we also talk to the federal opposition and the state governments too.

However, a more immediate concern is for our institutions to be liberated from those who fail to deliver, who instead use their positions for personal gain, who

desecrate everything that our founding fathers fought for. If this is not done, then distrust in our institutions may reach a point where the argument that they are no longer useful becomes valid. Of course, the act of voting itself is a means of cleansing the most important institutions of all — the State Assemblies and Parliament, or more specifically, the Dewan Rakyat whose 222 members we are asked to elect (the other two components, namely the Dewan Negara and the Yang diPertuan Agong, are appointed by other constitutional means).

That is why I hope that my fellow citizens — when the election is inevitably called — will carefully consider the qualities of individual candidates. If we are to produce good laws, if we are to constrain institutions or organisations that seek to trespass their constitutional mandate, if we are to have champions of democracy, then we must have a legislature of people who understand the constitution and believe that they represent their constituents first.

The Prime Minister’s recent emphasis on “winnable

candidates” exemplifies this urgency.

There already are examples of such politicians rising through the ranks of their parties. They communicate directly to the ra’ayat through traditional and new media, they participate in regular debates and have the courage to face the people. Though we may disagree with them, they are transparent and justify their positions more effectively and honestly than those who have not recognised the changing demographic landscape nor the ra’ayat’s increased demands on their politicians.

You may know some of them, and once the election is called it will be right to recall their names. A parliament full of such characters would be immeasurably better than what we have now, and the institutions that parliament itself creates and checks – including government itself – would improve too.

This, more than anything else, should be the real aim of the next general election.

London, circa end of 2006, I filled in an application for Teach First, an organisation that works to end education inequity within the United Kingdom. I was determined to make a difference, trying to find a way to provide that satisfaction that engineering just wasn’t doing for me.

I didn’t get in. Later, Brett Wigdortz, founder of Teach First, would tell me that it was probably visa constraints that did it. But personally, I think I was unprepared.

Teach First – and in fact, all partners in the Teach For All network – looks for leaders, and I wasn’t in the position to be that leader. I hadn’t found my passion, and I hadn’t figured out what kind of person – what kind of leader – I really wanted to be.

It was over cups of steaming hot teh tarik at a favourite mamak stall, in a conversation about education inequity fuelled by my knowledge of Teach First, a recent article on Teach For Australia, and

the feeling that there was more that we could be doing about the problem, that Keeran Sivarajah first issued the challenge: Why not start Teach For Malaysia? I hesitated, mostly because it had been something I wanted to do, not something I wanted to run. Then I took a moment, and I thought about it: about the power of setting high expectations, about the strength that comes from having a sense of possibility, about passion and once again, about just what kind of person – what kind of leader –I really wanted to be. And I said yes.

I’m not sure I knew what I was in for. The work of finding amazing young leaders willing to take on the challenge of teaching in a high need school in Malaysia for two years is not easy. Each day has brought new challenges, new frustrations, new goals and new roadblocks.

But each day also unearths new achievements: strong

relationships and support within the Ministry of Education, a host of partners and supporters backing us at each step of the way, and most of all, the outstanding young leaders I meet every day who have joined either the staff or the Fellowship.

It’s important to note that passion and strengths – leadership itself – aren’t stagnant elements; they grow and shift to fill needs in different circumstances. In each of the three years that I’ve been part of the management team at Teach For Malaysia, my passion and strengths have grown with each small success. And each day, I become closer to being the leader that I want to be.

Tunku Abidin Muhriz is president of IDEAS. Comments: feedback@mmail.com.my

From passion to action writer’s bloc with...

DZAMEER DZULKIFLI

MY brother is dyslexic.

This seems like an odd way to begin an article, but stick with me. My brother is dyslexic. This was never an issue to us, his family, until we realised that the high performing school he was studying in was labelling him a failure for his inability to perform at the level they demanded.

Some parents coddle their children. Some, like ours, demand the best from them.

They had high expectations, and these expectations are what helped my brother beat the odds, flying through university and into his dream job as a field manager in Danum Valley, Sabah.

Fueled by a passion for the environment, he threw himself into his role, stretching his mind with deep research

on reforestation and stretching his body with the tough, physical demands of living in the jungle. Eventually, he was called up to meet his supervisors, who told him that he was far too underqualified for the job if he wanted to progress. They would fix that, they said, by offering him a full scholarship for a PhD in either Cambridge or Zurich. He chose Zurich (he tells me that this is because they have a greater emphasis on reforestation; personally, I believe it was the snowboarding that swayed him).

Every time I tell this story, I’m struck by how far a person can go with the right combination of high expectations, sense of possibility, and above all, following your passion. The problem is that too many of us are caught up in the race to the finish line without figuring out: a) what that finish line looks like, and b) what is that force that propels us forward

and makes finishing the race even possible. Not all of us are as lucky as Dzaeman.

Thus began my journey: I became an engineer because I was good at Maths and Science, and conventional wisdom dictates that’s what you do if you are good at Maths and Science. When it quickly became apparent that no amount of engineering could make me feel fulfilled, I fell into consulting, working as a management consultant with PwC. Here, I found my niche: I loved solving problems. I loved the challenge of working with organisations, figuring out their issues, unravelling the strands to find the solutions.

Leadership is an interesting beast. In its essence, it can be distilled to two main parts – passion and strengths. Finding my passion and my strengths took me time, and the journey had many detours. In fact, at the beginning of my final year at Imperial University

Dzameer Dzulkifli is the cofounder and managing director of Teach For Malaysia, a non-profit organisation with a mission that one day, all children in Malaysia will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education. To learn more, please visit www.teachformalaysia. org. Comments: feedback@mmail.com.my

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opinion

Pouring cold water on utility debate STRAIGHT

from the heart ONG TEE KEAT

WHAT a paradox. On the one hand, Selangor’s Pakatan Rakyat (PR) legislators repeatedly point at the reservoir-full of raw water, debunking the claim of water distributing concessionaire, Syabas, that the state’s treated water reserve has nearly hit rock bottom.

To the state government , the blame is naturally to be borne by the concessionaire, thus justifying its demand for the full acquisition of Syabas in the name of water asset restructuring. However, it tends to be oblivious of the 30 per cent equity it still holds in Syabas that gives it every right to voice concerns over mismanagement, if any, within the company.

The public has generally been under the impression that the water crisis issue has somewhat been “politicised” by

both sides of the political divide. Nowadays, it is a trendy word but without a clear definition attached.

Any polemic that attracts pervasive public discourse, particularly when its political dimension gets more pronounced, the label of “being politicised” will naturally be adhesive again.

The general connotation imbued is negative but interestingly it turns out to be a convenient face-saving exit for many politicians. The water crisis issue is an exemplary case.

Those affected by the water supply disruption were understandably not impressed by the verbal spat. Their respective convoluted polemics and rhetorics provide no solution to the burning issue of dry taps at hand.

But from the arguments put forth by both sides, it appears the PR government has been adamant on denying the federal-funded Langat 2 water treatment plant project an easy passage.

The state coalition’s publicity machinery had first argued Syabas’ claim of a water crisis was unfounded. Conceivably, the repeated portrayal of sufficient raw water supply by state authorities largely serves to contradict the justification of raw water purchase from Pahang.

Beyond all the partisans’ spins, the fact remains Selangor still needs to have a new water treatment plant.

Perhaps knowing its assertion on the raw water adequacy is less convincing, members of public could easily sense a sudden deviation from the state’s course of argument when the latter demanded the handover of management rights of the said plant upon project completion. This was laid as a prerequisite by the state before it could grant the project a goahead.

This is no different from the familiar arm-twisting we experience in our daily life. It is this hard-balling compounded

with the demand for total acquisition of Syabas that had revealed the state’s motive of controlling water assets.

Parallel to the demand, portrayal of the incompetency of Syabas as well as the perks and remuneration enjoyed by the concessionaire’s top management, might somewhat render the state’s move more justifiable in addition to scoring some political points at the expense of Barisan Nasional (BN) for the party had been portrayed as the puppeteer. Any logical mind would certainly raise the common concern: Would Pakatan’s takeover of the water assets contribute to resolving the crisis? Or is it merely a political checkmate against the BN federal government ?

To many Selangorians, the booting out of Alam Flora serves as a good lesson and measurement of the administration’s aptitude in handling the aftermath ensuing the abrupt termination of contracts.

The visual of garbage strewn

in residential communities became the daily complaint of the metro editions of our multi-lingual print media. The afterthought of purchasing garbage compactors months later further revealed the Selangor administration’s lack of comprehensive planning in municipal governance.

How could the ratepayers be convinced of its capability in resolving the water crisis?

If it is merely a pre-electoral checkmate on BN by not granting the Langat 2 treatment plant the approval, then it is tantamount to plunging the state and its subject deliberately to the doldrum of chronic water crisis come 2016 as anticipated.

The consumers would then be made to suffer though the crisis could have been averted had the politicians been more sensible?

To any sensible minds, key determinant of the water issue now lies not in the management of Syabas. The distribut-

ing concessionaire would still be grappling with the same predicament if the new treatment plant is not in place.

I believe the state government has the wisdom to comprehend the necessity of having the plant. Otherwise, it would not have demanded for its right of ownership.

Knowing the heavy bearing the treatment plant has upon resolving the water issue, and yet the state authorities are demanding ownership before granting the project the necessary green light at the critical moment, anybody in his right frame of mind would conclude that the people’s needs have been compromised for the sake of partisan gain, particularly in the run-up to the general election.

Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat is MP for Pandan. He is also the former MCA president and transport minister. He tweets @talk2otk.

Comments: feedback@mmail.com.my

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OPINION

WASHINGTON

|

BEYOND THE BRICS

Breakout nations set to rock economically

By RUCHIR SHARMAV

THE excitement that drove the discovery of “emerging markets” in the 1980s and the easy money that turbocharged growth during the booming 2000s are over.

The most hyped countries — Brazil, Russia, India, and China — are all slowing sharply, taking the average growth rate in the developing world back to the old normal of about 5 per cent.

Today’s global economy is all about moderate, uneven growth, with stars emerging in previously under-appreciated nations. Forget about the BRICs — these seven countries are the real breakout nations to watch: ● The Philippines: This country’s huge wealth in natural resources is still largely untapped, and its long stagnant per capita income is still less than US$3,000 (RM9,100) — but that means it has lots of room to grow.

Since his election in 2010, President Benigno “Noynoy”

Aquino has worked to finally deliver his political dynasty’s promise to restore the lustre of the Philippines of half a century ago, when it was billed as the next East Asian tiger.

Aquino has overseen economic reforms that have made government spending more transparent and pushed for more tax revenue. And thanks to success in the outsourcing industry, the Philippine economy has watched incomes grow and new wealth spread. ● Turkey: The next two members of the club of trilliondollar economies will be large Muslim democracies — Indonesia and Turkey.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has brought to his country both economic orthodoxy, taming the hyperinflation that raged when he took office in 2003, and normalcy, opening up opportunities for pious Muslims who had been shut out of plum jobs by the previous secular regimes.

This was tantamount to welcoming the majority into the commercial mainstream, and Turkey has prospered ever since, riding the success of its

surging auto exports and the boom in the financial services sector. ● Indonesia: Most economies that have thrived mainly by exporting raw materials — think Brazil and Russia — have slowed sharply amid the global financial downturn.

Indonesia, however, is a commodity-fired economy that has achieved balance: between its export market and its healthy consumer economy, between the national capital and increasingly vibrant provincial generators of growth, and in the form of a leader, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who understands the basics of economic reform.

This makes the country the model example of those Southeast Asian tigers that were defanged in the 1997 financial crisis but are roaring once again today. ● Thailand: Like the rest of its neighbours, Thailand suffered during the East Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, when the devaluation of the Chinese currency suddenly made Southeast Asia uncompetitive.

But as the renminbi has ap-

GLOBAL THINKERS 2012

activism into her few short years.

When Islamist militants overran Malala’s native Swat Valley in 2009, banning girls’ education, she penned an anonymous blog for the BBC about the daily horrors of life under Taliban rule.

“My five-year-old brother was playing on the lawn.

When my father asked him what he was playing, he replied ‘I am making a grave’,” she wrote in one entry.

The journal offered a groundlevel view of the creeping totalitarianism in Pakistan — and some soon compared it to Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl, but set in modern-day Swat Valley.

Armed only with her convictions and the firm support of her father, who runs a private girls’ school, Malala refused to be silenced.

She became a celebrity in Pakistan through her outspoken interviews, chaired a “child assembly” that aimed

firmed its status as a model European reformer with a tough pension overhaul that raised the retirement age to 67, at a time when many Europeans still retire in their late 50s. ● Sri Lanka: The outbreak of war has derailed many highgrowth economies, but few for as long as Sri Lanka, where the uprising of Tamil rebels that began in the 1980s did not end until just a few years ago.

It was a miracle that the Sri Lankan economy was able to grow at even four per cent to five per cent during the war years, when nearly 30 per cent of the landmass and 15 per cent of the population had been cut off by the fighting.

Now the country is reincorporating the provinces once controlled by the rebels, and, with its strategic location on shipping routes between India and China and a highly literate population, Sri Lanka is poised to grow much more rapidly. ● Nigeria: In a country plagued for years by corrupt leaders, President Goodluck Jonathan has committed himself to re-

form, encouraging investment in Nigerian agriculture, oil and natural gas, and, most importantly, electrical power.

For now, the whole country generates only as much electricity as some small towns in England, and this lack of a reliable power supply has made Nigeria one of the world’s most expensive markets for operating a business.

But the key in a place like Nigeria is that it doesn’t take much to grow from a very low base, given its per capita income of just US$1,500 (RM4,568). The landmark change from bad to good leadership, now focused on improving basic infrastructure and boosting investment, may be enough to make Nigeria among the world’s fastestgrowing economies over the next five years — and in the process make it the largest economy on the African continent. — Foreign Policy, The Washington Post RUCHIR SHARMA, a 2012 Foreign Policy Global Thinker, is head of emerging-market equities and global macro at Morgan Stanley Investment Management and is author of Breakout Nations

STORIES YOU MISSED — TOMORROW’S HEADLINES

Malala’s courage lesson for all THE Taliban’s most fearsome enemy in Pakistan isn’t US drones or the military’s tanks: It’s a 15-year-old schoolgirl.

Malala Yousafzai’s tool of defiance? Her own bravery in speaking out for the simple idea that girls should have access to the same education as boys.

That shouldn’t be a radical notion in 2012, but even as Pakistan bristles with roughly 100 nuclear warheads, up to 60 per cent of women are still illiterate and two out of every five girls fail to finish primary school.

Challenging the tyranny of those low expectations can get you killed in today’s Pakistan.

In October, as Malala headed home after an exam, a Taliban gunman stopped her school bus and announced that she must be punished for insulting “the soldiers of Allah”. Then he shot her in the head.

Malala, who was grievously wounded but miraculously survived, has fit a lifetime of

preciated over the last few years, while Chinese wages have risen, the region, and Thai manufacturing in particular, is competitive again.

Thailand’s wild card is the seemingly never-ending political tension between capital and countryside. If Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra can contain it, Thailand is in a strong position to prosper as the central trade corridor of the Greater Mekong. ● Poland: Poland, which entered the European Union in 2004, is a case study of a country in the “sweet spot” — the period after a member state enters the EU but before it adopts the euro.

It is stable, attracting investment, and benefiting from EU subsidies, and it has made required reforms to financial institutions and curbed its deficits to meet EU requirements.

At the same time, it suffers none of the instability that comes with adopting the euro (see Portugal and Spain). It continues to grow much faster than the European average and is in no hurry to join the euro.

In fact, Poland recently con-

Island dispute you haven’t heard of

By JOSHUA E. KEATING

MALALA: Inspiring others to stand up to the forces of barbarism — GETTYpic

to expand opportunities for youth in the Swat Valley, and pleaded with late US envoy Richard Holbrooke to help halt the Talibanisation of her country. “I shall raise my voice,” she said last year. “If I didn’t do it, who would?”

It’s a lesson in courage that is inspiring others to stand up to the forces of barbarism.

Too bad it took a tragedy to do it. — Foreign Policy

THE world has focused this year on the feud between Japan and China over a series of small, uninhabited rocks in the East China Sea. But thousands of miles to the west, another island dispute is brewing.

Both Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) claim sovereignty over the Persian Gulf island of Abu Musa, home to about 2,000 people, and two uninhabited islands nearby.

The dispute dates to 1971, when the islands were under the control of the sheikhdom of Sharjah.

The Shah of Iran, seizing on the power vacuum left by the British withdrawal from the region, sent troops to seize Abu Musa and its lesser neighbours.

A deal was eventually

reached under which Sharjah, now part of the UAE, would maintain sovereignty, but Iran would have the right to base troops there.

Now, the UAE claims Iran has violated the agreement by increasing its military presence and building infrastructure, including an airport, on Abu Musa.

This is no mere symbolic turf fight. The islands are located near the massive Mubarek oil field and stand astride a strategically important location at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply passes.

The long-simmering dispute boiled over in April when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad provocatively chose to visit Abu Musa to celebrate Iran’s National Day of the Persian Gulf.

While there, Ahmadinejad claimed to possess his-

torical documents proving that “the Persian Gulf is Persian”.

The Emirati government quickly withdrew its ambassador from Tehran and registered a complaint with the United Nations.

The Emiratis have also asked for a ruling from the International Court of Justice on the issue.

The dispute comes at a time of renewed tensions between Iran and its neighbours across the gulf. With an eye on Iran, the UAE is now the world’s ninthlargest arms buyer, making a US$3.5 billion (RM10.65 billion) purchase from the United States in 2011.

For the Iranian government, stirring up nationalist sentiment over the islands is a handy distraction from economic woes. As in East Asia, the islands may be small, but the stakes couldn’t be bigger. — Foreign Policy

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opinion

Seoul

|

Global Thinkers 2012

Gender gap

‘We’ll break through glass, concrete’

Kim’s Sungjoo Group, which owns German fashion brand MCM, isn’t a publicly listed company. Kim said sales approached US$400 million (RM1.2 billion) last year and may rise to as much as $600 million next year.

Park leads in polls ahead of the Dec 19 election that will determine who leads the nation for the next five years.

Thrust into the role of first lady at 22 when her mother was killed in a North Korean assassination attempt on her father, the late dictator Park Chung-hee, she is one of the 47 female lawmakers in the 300-seat National Assembly.

Her critics contend that because she has never married and is childless, she can’t relate to the problems faced by women trying to juggle work, family and child rearing.

Empathy and experience combating the “machoism” and “deep patriarchy” of South Korean politics will

serve her well, said Kim, who ultimately married a man of her own choice and has a 23-year-old daughter.

Park has also said she would offer incentives to companies to increase the number of women in management roles, double the budget for job training for women and add 30 new employment centres for women seeking to join the workforce.

Government child-support subsidies for single-parent homes would be raised to 150,000 won (RM420) per month from the current 50,000 won.

A “Women Talent Academy” would also be set up to nurture future female leaders in business and government, Park said in a Nov 14 speech.

There are two female ministers now serving in President Lee Myung-bak’s administration and the highest government posts to have been held by women previously are prime minister and justice minister.

Kim, a graduate of Amherst College in Massachusetts who also studied at the London School of Economics and Harvard University, joined Park’s camp on Oct 11. She will return her luxury business and life-long interest in style and fashion after the election.

“Grace does her own hair and make-up every morning because she wants to be herself more than anything,” said Kim, using a nickname for Park the pair use together. “And that is beautiful.”

— The Washington Post

find Filipinos’ speech easier to understand than the Britishinflected English spoken by Indians.

Companies including AT&T, JP Morgan Chase and Expedia have all hired call centres in outsourcing’s emerging power.

Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam and several Eastern European countries are also cutting into India’s market share of the outsourcing

sector, which according to some estimates has fallen from more than 80 per cent to around 60 per cent.

India’s lead appears secure in some types of outsourcing — software coding, for instance — but the signs for the future do not bode well.

Outsourcing giant Infosys cut its hiring from 45,000 last year to 35,000 this year, and Tata

By Sangwon Yoon

KIM Sung-joo, who refused an arranged marriage to pursue her fortune selling luxury goods, says electing Park Geun-hye this month as South Korea’s first female president would help destroy its entrenched gender gap.

“If she becomes the top leader in Korea, we’ll break through everything — glass, concrete,” Kim, 55, a cochairwoman of Park’s election campaign committee, said in an interview. “That will equalise men and women in Korean society.”

Kim, whose business took off after securing the local Gucci franchise in 1990, and Park are exceptions in Asia’s fourth-largest economy, which has one of the world’s biggest divisions in gender equality.

Park is the frontrunner and has pledged to appoint more women to ministerial posts while working to increase jobs and reduce a growing income gap.

“In Korea you have no idea what’s out there because it’s such a male, closed society — a big boys’ club,” said Kim, dressed in black pants, white shirt, and her trademark red scarf and red high-top sneakers.

South Korea ranks 108th among 135 countries surveyed in the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Gender Gap Report. The country is 116th in economic partici-

KIM: Will return to her lavish lifestyle after the elections

In Korea you have no idea what’s out there because it’s such a male, closed society — a big boys’ club

Kim Sung-joo Fashion chief

pation and opportunity for women, 99th in female educational attainment and 86th in political empowerment, according to the report.

The number of women legislators increased to 15.6 per cent after an election in April, from 13.7 per cent in 2010.

There are no female chief executive officers leading the nation’s top 20 business groups, and women make up 6.2 per cent of executives in companies with more than 1,000 employees.

Park: Leads in polls ahead of the Dec 19 election

Right combo for Tunisia AS the spirit of 2011 has faded this year amid religious violence in Egypt and Libya and the bloody sectarian civil war in Syria, Tunisia remains the Arab Spring’s most promising success story, with a contentious but robust political system and an economy that is growing again.

Much of the credit goes to President Moncef Marzouki, who has provided vision and wisdom since taking office in December 2011. At the UN General Assembly meeting in September, the doctor-turneddemocracy-activist called on the United Nations to declare dictatorship a “disease” and launch an official campaign against autocratic rulers, including the establishment of an international court to arbitrate elections and government legitimacy so as to prevent dictators from taking power in the first place.

But Marzouki, a former professor of public health, is no starry-eyed idealist. An admirer of Mahatma Gandhi, he devoted himself to human rights early in his career, traveling to India in his youth and South Africa soon after the end of apartheid.

As head of Tunisia’s leading human rights organisation, he was arrested several times

by Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s regime and was eventually forced into exile in France, where he remained a prominent figure in Tunisia’s liberal opposition but angered many of his cohorts by working with the Islamist Ennahda movement.

Marzouki returned home after Ben Ali’s ouster and was elected president by the country’s Constituent Assembly.

A committed secularist, Marzouki, who is overseeing the writing of a new constitution, insists that Islamist parties must play a role in Tunisia’s governance, though he has also been willing to stand up to them when they overreach.

He describes the country’s ultra-conservative Salafi groups as “extremely dangerous” but outside the mainstream. If anyone can guide Tunisia through its transition to democracy — and hopefully create a model for a troubled region — it’s Marzouki, who just might have the right combination of tenacity and level-headedness to see the country through.

— Foreign Policy

Marzouki: Devoted to human rights early in his career — GETTYpic

Stories you missed — tomorrow’s headlines

End of Indian call centres

By Joshua E. Keating

FOR years, the Indian call centre has been the ultimate globalisation cliche. The armies of young, over-educated Indians providing round-the-clock tech support and customer service have turned up in dime-store editorial

novels in Mumbai, sitcoms in the United States, and blockbuster films like Slumdog Millionaire. But India may not be the king of the call centre for much longer.

In fact, as of this year, more Filipinos than Indians now work in call centres. Operating costs in the Philippines are cheaper, and some US executives say American customers

Consultancy Services cut its recruitment by 20,000.

India’s masses of educated, English-speaking workers once gave the country an edge, but analysts say the outsourcing market has become saturated in the subcontinent even as other countries have figured out how to compete.

Ironically, one possible area of growth for the industry may

be shipping jobs back to the United States: India’s Aegis, for one, this year announced plans to hire 1,000 new workers at a call centre outside Dallas as part of a pledge to add more than 4,000 new American workers.

It may turn out the companies that figure out how to stop “shipping American jobs overseas” are Indian. — Foreign Policy

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Snub of local literary talent

Minimum wage saga

Security services in dilemma WE refer to the letters written by Samsuddin Bardan of the Malaysian Employers Federation, the Secretariat, National Wages Consultative Council and Peter Raiappan on the issue of minimum wage.

Come January, most of us will be concerned as to whether the minimum wages, previously announced by the government, will be enforced on our service industry, eg. security guards, waiters in hotels and restaurants or other workers in similar industries, requiring them to work 24 hours, including Sundays and public holidays.

In the case of security guards, it must be noted that most of these guards work 30 days a month as opposed to most regular employees who work 26 days.

The guards in particular will have to work the extra

four days to claim the four days overtime payment (in addition to the daily fourhour overtime) to obtain that extra cash for a takehome salary of more than RM1,000 a month.

Security service employers are indeed in a dilemma.

Besides the overtime payment, the security companies will have to fork out additional expenditure like the “post allowance” to the guards, particularly for those assignments in isolated locations, transport allowance to guards for the use of their own transport, and the “attendance allowance” as an incentive for guards to avoid unnecessary absenteeism.

There are also cases where a “laundry allowance” is given to ensure that the guards are in their most presentable uniforms while on duty. All this amounts to additional

unavoidable costs to the security companies.

We, the security operators, are most concerned about the take-home salary of the guards and not just the basic salary of RM900 a month (less EPF and Socso deductions).

This is precisely why we encourage the security guards to work 12 hours (with four hours overtime payment daily) for them to earn the extra cash. Even Nepalese guards we employ work the 12-hour shift for the same reason.

We believe that even if we compel the guards to work for only eight hours a day, they will find some other part-time job to earn the extra cash during their time off.

This may not be healthy as they will most likely be too tired to effectively perform their duties as secu-

rity guards in their regular assignments. This may result in them skipping work, which is worse.

Security guards are posted everywhere in the country.

They are not stationed in one place like factory workers.

Some people may not be too concerned about security but the role of these guards should not be taken for granted.

They are important in our society to prevent crime amidst the worrying level of crime in the country lately.

We are indeed in a dilemma over whether we can sustain our security service industry in the face of the above-mentioned escalating operating costs if the government insists on proceeding with the minimum wage of RM900 requirement.

We therefore, urge the government to exclude the

security service industry and other similar industries from the implementation of this RM900 minimum wages scheme due to the extra costs to be incurred from the additional four hours of daily overtime work. They also work during public holidays and Sundays.

These will incur extra double overtime which in return their take home pay is more than RM900.

We hope the government to consider our appeal seriously to postpone the implementation of the new salary scheme which is due on Jan 1.

It is for the good of the security service industry and for the economy in general.

manual vacuum aspiration under local anaesthesia (MVA) and medical abortion using drugs alone (MA), have enabled some of these services to be safely provided by paramedical staff under supervision.

The estimated 90,000 induced abortions performed annually mean it is the commonest of all gynaecological procedures in Malaysia; as it is so in many other countries.

Excluding safe abortion services from our reproductive healthcare programme is like,

as the saying goes, ignoring the elephant in the room!

We hope for greater priority being given improving access to safe legal abortions and disseminating its legal status as part of the process to take the stigma out of abortion services.

Only the the Health Ministry will have the resources to effect this change at national level and to get the support of the NGOs and private sector.

WHILE constantly preaching that the state always puts Penang and Penangites first, in practice it is quite the opposite.

The last two George Town festivals were bad enough with their emphasis on foreign imports, but the just completed George Town Literary Festival takes snubbing of local talent to a new level.

None of the writers headlining this three-day event were from Penang; this inspite of the wealth of literary talent in Penang that include the likes of Shahnon Ahmad, Kassim Ahmad, Zakaria Ali, Latiff Mohidin, Ghulam Sarwar Yusoff, Latiff Kamaluddin, Himanshu Bhatt and Cecil Rajendra who only last year did the island proud when he became the first writer honoured with a Diva (Danish International Visiting Artiste) award by the Arts Council of Denmark.

The story gets even worse when you realise that the festival curator, moderators and emcees were also all parachuted in from Kuala Lumpur.

Is Penang so culturally bankrupt that it cannot find one lecturer, teacher, actor or lay person capable of moderating a literary session?

And how long do you think Penangites are going to put up with these so-called George Town Festivals that have got nothing to do with the real history, culture and people of Penang?

DR S.P. CHOONG CO-CHAIR, REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ADVOCACY ALLIANCE MALAYSIA

FED-UP PENANGITE GEORGE TOWN, PENANG

contribute after the present retirement age of 55 years".

Despite some negative feedback from some employers, there is no reason for the government to delay the implementation.

The bill had been deferred several times and I am sure the government had given a lot of thought to it and had decided finally that it was done in the best interests of the rakyat and in line with international prac-

tices.

Each year, up to 180,000 workers are affected by the delay and if their dependents are included, the numbers will even be greater.

With the year coming to an end, it is appropriate that the Human Resources Ministry make an official announcement as employers need time and make sufficient preparation to implement the plan for employees who opt to continue

DATUK RAHMAT ISMAIL HON LIFE PRESIDENT (INTERNATIONAL), ASIAN PROFESSIONAL SECURITY ASSOCIATION

Abortion stigma

Changing mindset of health providers major task WE welcome Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai’s response to our concerns over unethical practices in private abortion services and his intention to regulate fees and services to prevent such exploitation.

The abortion stigma is a serious obstacle to legal access despite moderate laws, a problem experienced in many countries.

Thus in Malaysia, many doctors and nurses remain unaware of the legal provisions, including those working in the

Health Ministry.

While the adoption of operational guidelines is important, putting them into practice will need a detailed work plan that includes collecting data on clients and abortion providers, the abortion methods used, the quality of services, the fees charged and clients’ personal experiences.

Changing the mindset of health providers who accept conservative cultural attitudes on abortion is a major task.

They often misinterpret the law, ignore the medical and

social implications of unsafe abortion, and tend to be overjudgemental of client’s personal dilemma.

We have case studies where rape survivors seeking abortions have been rejected by government hospitals despite clear evidence to support their claim.

Newer safer technology for abortions, already established worldwide for over 20 years, have still not completely replaced the traditional outdated practice of D&C in Malaysia.

These safer techniques, like

Is Penang culturally bankrupt?

Retirement age

No reason to delay implementation I REFER to the news reports that the MTUC wants to talk with the Human Resources Ministry on the minimum retirement age and urge the government to remain firm and stick with its earlier decision to implement it in January as it has already been gazetted.

In the ministry’s website, it was stated that the bill was to be implemented on Jan 1.

As the bill had been deferred until the June sitting, it would

be implemented immediately after it had been gazetted.

The ministry had also conducted a survey and obtained feedback via a blog and many had written in support of the proposed bill.

I also refer to the Borneo Post online report on Sept 11 with the headline Employees all for minimum retirement age at 60.

In the report, the National Labour Advisory Council committee member Catherine Jik-

unan said: "If the employee attained the age of 55 by Jan 1, 2013 and does not opt for early retirement, then the person will automatically retire at the minimum age of 60 years".

At the public seminar, a participant from the Institute of Approved Company Secretaries also supported the move, stating that, "this will give employees an option as to when they want to retire and it is good because they can still

working another five years.

As someone who is about to retire soon, I look forward to the government's announcement and hope that all private companies will take the lead and announce in advance and support the move to increase the retirement age on Jan 1.

Y.R.R. KUALA LUMPUR

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

37

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friday 7 december 2012

NEWS

THE MALAY MAIL

Business

KLANG

PETALING JAYA

MANILA

SERENDAH

Fast crisis recovery at Westports

Growing demand for local cosmetics

Rapid property boom in Bonifacio

Significant payoff with staff CSR

Even in a worst case scenario, any backlog can be cleared overnight at national load centre to minimise impact on economy

SKCC Laboratories Sdn Bhd tapping into Asian consumer preference for traditional natural herbs like ginseng and Tongkat Ali

Developments in rival to Makati becomes strong draw for foreign businesses seeking lower costs expanding in Southeast Asia

Perodua chalking up major gains with productivity boost and improved job loyalty with its latest focus on employee welfare

 PAGE40

 PAGE42

 PAGE47

 PAGE50

KUALA LUMPUR

PETALING JAYA

Wireless M-M revolution Boom forecast for various connected information services in next five years

Capitalising on chocolate love

By NADYA NGUI nadya@mmail.com.my

By Francis C. Nantha francisnantha@mmail.com.my

WHILE many of us wonder why it has taken so long for the authorities to offer simple information services — like when the next bus is due to arrive — there is a major technological transformation already taking place behind the scenes for the country.

The key to this impending revolution is wireless communications that many of us take for granted with our cellphones and mobile devices, said Packet One Networks (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Michael Lai. “Much of the technology needed for such up-to-date information services are already available today. Problem is, the cost of widely deploying the accompanying devices remains expensive. This is expected to change within the next five years.”

The recent deployment in the Klang Valley of bus arrival times would have been unthinkable just a year ago due to high costs then, but most commuters now can’t imagine doing without such electronic notices.

Another example which Lai cites is the “smart” control of street lights, which can save

TIMELY: An electronic signboard displaying estimated bus arrival times near the Universiti LRT station in Kuala Lumpur — Pic: Ashraf Shamsul Azlan

thousands or ringgit monthly when compared to the preprogrammed switching mechanisms.

“Why should street lights be turned on when the sun’s still up?” he asked. “And why should they be turned off too early and leave the public in the dark? Shouldn’t these lights also be turned on during heavy downpours at need?”

Another advantage would be automatic alerts when a bulb has fused or the street light has some sort of fault, which can then be attended to quickly. “This is what we call machine to machine or M-M intelligence which can reduce inconvenience for all.”

It is the deployment of such M-M systems, especially in the commerce sectors, which will

help drive down the prices of accompanying devices, explained Lai. “For instance, with M-M, you can update the price tags on a hypermarket aisle with just a click. You may choose to run promotion on certain products in certain hours easily and your customers can be informed through mobile apps instantaneously. Communications is becoming live and instantaneous!”

Another example would be ATMs that can be turned into “intelligent” information kiosks that can address each customer’s individual needs based on prior spending or saving patterns. Banks can increase revenues with this form of customised marketing, said Lai.

Still on marketing, he said the biggest revolution would be in billboards. “These are still very manual today. With e-paper, designed to be more environmental-friendly and energy-saving, every billboard will one day become truly connected.

“Imagine advertisements being uploaded from anywhere in the world or the information on billboards being updated instantly anytime and anywhere. It’s a revolution that’s coming as e-paper costs are falling fast.”

Optimistic of the gains ahead, Lai said: “The benefits of an M-M world are unimaginable. There are 50 billion machines and 100 billion devices all over the world waiting to be intelligently connected.”

KUALA LUMPUR

Inflation could be higher next year OSK Investment Sdn Bhd, which maintained its full year inflation forecast for this year at 1.7%, expects inflation to rise by 2.5% next year and added that further upside risks remain.

The research house expects Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM)

to hold the overnight policy rate steady to provide support for the nation’s economic growth.

“But as inflationary pressures start to build up, we believe that BNM would have to start hiking rates by a combined 50 basis points to 3.50% in the

second half of next year,” it said in a research note.

It added that inflation data so far continue to point to benign inflation for the rest of the year.

Hefty government subsidies and price caps on essential products and goods have

helped to keep prices from accelerating.

However, as the government embarks on fiscal consolidation and domestic demand continues to be robust, inflationary pressures should pick up next year, OSK added.

— Bernama

PRODUCING home-made chocolate for family and friends has inspired a mother-and-daughter duo to turn their passion into a growing business.

“We initially did it for fun, incorporating different methods and ingredients, testing it out with family and friends,” said Azaib Holdings Sdn Bhd chief executive Aslinah Aslam — an Information Technology degree graduate who left her job at an established bank to pursue her dream.

“My mother is well known amongst friends and relatives as a person who prepares the best food and candies. And so, I came up with the idea of making it into a business since our homemade chocolates were becoming increasingly popular.”

She said all her chocolates are produced from scratch using Belgian chocolate and a secret family recipe to craft the unique blend of pralines,

truffles and more.

“Our Malsa chocolates are made of actual fruits which are freeze-dried and coated with pure chocolate, just like the way we made it at home.

“We don’t use preservatives, colourings or pastes to enhance the taste and we include local fruits like durians and mangoes in our chocolates so the consumers would get a taste of Malaysia.”

Aslinah said she invested about RM10,000 to start the business and managed to open a small factory with a turnover about RM50,000 a month. “In a short time, we have managed to rapidly grow from a home-based made-to-order chocolate business to fulfilling the travel retail market.”

She said her products are distributed at KLIA and LCCT plus major departmental stores in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. She also plans to market the chocolate products abroad, particularly in China and Singapore.

“It is a niche market we chose to target so we don’t compete with big players.”

Tantalising taste buds FOR Kevin Tan, who started Maison D’Lights purely for the love of chocolates, he simply wanted the public to get used to different kinds of chocolates which are made fresh.

He said it is important for consumers, especially chocolate lovers to know the difference between the ones on the shelves and home-made chocolates — which inspired him to incorporate the freshest and best ingredients to produce premium chocolates.

“I studied culinary arts, so it was only natural for me to go into the industry. Since I have a passion for chocolates, I personally make all the products myself for my customers.”

All his chocolates are made at home using cocoa butter from Belgium and natural Bourbon vanilla — the highest quality of vanilla in the market — to ensure the chocolates remain at their ultimate best.

He said the difference between the home-made and the ones on the shelves are mainly the use of preservatives to prolong shelf lives. “Commercial chocolates mostly use vegetable oil and palm oil whereas home-made chocolates use cocoa butter and I aim to keep it that way.”

Tan believes the best chocolates are home-made and should be eaten within 24 hours of being produced.

THE MALAY MAIL

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THE MALAY MAIL

BUSINESS We find the country to have a secure political environment, a strong motivation by the government to push renewable energy, a qualified workforce DR GABRIEL PETER SALGO PRESIDENT, WIRSOL SOUTHEAST ASIA SDN BHD

KLANG

No shutdown at Westports Backed by own crisis management plan, overnight clearing to commence should there be any backlogs created SAFETY FIRST: Strict compliance has cut the accident rate by 54% between 2008 and 2012 — BERNAMApic

By NADYA NGUI nadya@mmail.com.my

UNLIKE the recent closure of several days at New York’s port — one of the world’s busiest — due to superstorm hurricane Sandy and the aftermath, the same won’t happen at our own Port Klang.

This is the ironclad assurance given by Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd young chief executive Ruben Emir Gnanaligam, giving a glimpse into safety aspects and what goes beyond the ships and the gates of Malaysia’s top port.

“As a national load centre, we will not shut down unless during a severe condition and only upon instruction by the govern-

ment. This was evident during the haze crisis in 2005.

Port Klang was declared an emergency area but ports were instructed not to stop operations.

“During situations of low

visibility like these or in others like severe thunderstorms, we just slow down all operations for safety reasons. Once visibility is restored, operations then go back to normal.”

Explaining how the port will hold up during an emergency state, he said the port is backed up by its crisis management plan which is reviewed periodically, on top of having yearly drills to

ensure it remains relevant.

“The plan addresses disasters such as fire, explosion, haze, H1N1, power outage, IT failures, cargoes falling into the sea, disruption of road links and anything else that could possible happen.

“When earthquake tremors are felt, we just evacuate all personnel from buildings or high equipment structures.

After the tremors stop, we perform safety checks before commencing operations again.”

He said road closures have never happened since Westports started operations in 1994. “Even for maintenance or when accidents happen, we ensure at least one lane is open at all times.

“We could therefore easily open all the lanes at the gate overnight and that should

easily clear the backlog provided the truckers can come at that time. In any case, if there is a rush for the cargo, it could be cleared in less than a day.”

Also, the company has established and implemented the OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 integrated management system, where serves as a useful tool to continuously improve safety, performance, gauge and report on the level of compliances.

“With this programme and also many others in place, we have managed to reduce the accident rate by 54% between 2008 and 2012. This is despite the fact we’ve greatly increased in operation area, number of terminal equipments, workforce, productivity and cargo volume.”

KUALA LUMPUR

German solar focus on Malaysia WITH its eyes trained on Malaysia, Wirsol Solar AG, a German-based solar energy provider, is expanding its footprint into Southeast Asia.

“Wirsol is looking at opportunities in Thailand, Indonesia, and some of the South Pacific Islands, but the main focus at the moment is Malaysia,” said Wirsol Southeast Asia Sdn Bhd president Dr Gabriel Peter Salgo.

“We find the country to have a secure political environment, a strong motivation by the government to push renewable energy, a qualified workforce, and a feed-in-tariff system similar to Germany’s.”

The company has entered collaboration with Enzymeworx Sdn Bhd earlier this year to develop solar power plant projects from its recently established subsidiary Wirsol South East Asia Sdn Bhd based in Kuala Lumpur, he said. Enzymeworx is a local renewable energy consultancy established last year, previously operating a waste paper management plant in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan.

Salgo said the strong partnership with the highly motivated Enzymeworx means "we can bring in our strength and experience and combine it with their excellent local infrastructure and know-how

in engineering, construction, and installation skills.”

Wirsol co-founder and executive board member Stefan Riel had earlier said the firm has planned for several large-scale solar projects in Malaysia over the next four years.

He had added that Wirsol is increasing its involvement in Asia with the new location in Kuala Lumpur to be closer to its clients.

The Wirsol group designs, builds, and operates solar power plants of various sizes and operates internationally including the US, Canada, China, UK, Brazil, Turkey, Italy, and Spain. — The Malaysian Reserve

LABUAN

Tourism to transform Sabah’s Pitas district THE Pitas district in Sabah is set to witness the transformation of its economic landscape and commercial activities through the integrated development of the tourism and fisheries sector.

Pitas’ strategic location, lying in between Teluk Marudu and the open waters of Kudat, known for its marine

resources and pristine nature, can be optimised for tourism activities, said local council member Rudy Awah.

Describing the move to develop both sectors as key to improving the socio-economic status of locals, who survive on subsistence farming and fishing, he said: “The

beautiful beaches, when complemented by good infrastructure, can help woo tourists to the district and open up economic opportunities for the locals.

“The same with the fisheries sector, much effort can be made, including turning the district into a deep sea fishing hub." — Bernama

THE MALAY MAIL

41

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

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42

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NEWS

THE MALAY MAIL

Business Five years ago, few would believe that Iskandar Malaysia will happen the way we see it happening today. We are definitely happy with the results Datuk Ismail Ibrahim Chief executive, Iskandar Regional Development Authority

KUALA LUMPUR

PETALING JAYA

Tapping cosmetics demand SKCC Laboratories offers R&D services

By CYNTHIA BLEMIN cynthia@mmail.com.my

WHILE the subsidiary of KK Group of Companies, SKCC Laboratories Sdn Bhd, began its focus on cosmetic, skincare and toiletries hardly two years ago, it is already expanding its footprint into Europe, US and Japan.

SKCC Laboratories general manager Tee Kok Hiem said the firm has grown rapidly to become a major player in the original development manufacturing and original brand manufacturing sectors while capitalising on the booming halal market within the region.

To date, SKCC has on the list of 20 original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners locally and abroad, he revealed. Further, its products are sold by KK Group at the KK Marts nationwide under the brand “Asianic” — with several ranges of skin care products from cherry

blossom to rice milk.

“With the growing industry for beauty and skin care products, we are confident of achieving RM10 million sales by end of 2013,” said Tee — who is no stranger to the industry, with vast knowledge and experience from having set up four cosmetics manufacturing plants in Malaysia and China in his career spanning nearly 20 years in this sector.

SKCC Laboratories has a plant in Taman Desaria equipped with its own research and development (R&D) facilities that is ISOcompliant and able to develop, design and manufacture products suitable for local and international clients, he noted.

Using traditional ingredients and extracts of ancient concoctions, including ginseng widely used by the Chinese community to the ever popular Tongkat Ali, in their products, Tee is confident the firm is able to tap local firms wanting to start or ex-

Taking care with credit card debt transfers

USED wisely, a balance transfer credit card can save for both local and foreign players you a fortune in interest.

But, there are some pitfalls you need to watch for like extra fees — so read the fine print carefully.

Some banks advertise low or 0% interest rates but will charge you a one-time upfront “fee” instead. Other banks have legal or administrative fees hidden in the terms and conditions.

Also, there are charges when it comes to early repayments. Some will charge you an early settlement fee of up to RM100 if you repay the balance transfer before the programme officially ends.

For interest charges on the BULLISH: Tee and R&D manager Suzirawati Ibrahim outline some products manufactured at its Taman Desaria plant -- Pic: ARIF KARTONO balance transfer, some banks will want you to repay all Unlike other skincare rang- the monthly interest as if pand their range of products es of hair shampoos and foam you had maintained the balfor the Asian market.

“We are using only the baths in the market that use ance transfer until the profinest, natural and safe in- sodium laureth sulphate — a gramme ends.

As an example, even if you gredients formulated while mild form of sodium lauryl the production is adminis- sulphate that gives lots of repay a 24-month balance tered by a team of chem- bubbles or a “rich creamy transfer deal after only 18 NEPAL months, you may have to reists and microbiologist lather” — SKCC products BANGLADESH headed by an R&D manager uses natural ingredients not pay the interest from months HONG KONG MYANMAR 19-24. So, call the bank to with over 10 year of field considered harmful INDIA to use in LAOS confirm. the long run, Tee explained. experience.”

THAILAND

VIETNAM CAMBODIA

JOHOR BARU

Note that you can enjoy the special rate only for the original balance transfer amount. Promotional rates are not extended to new purchases on the same card.

Further, don’t miss any repayments on the balance transfer deal as the low interest rate applies only if you repay to the agreed schedule.

Any such failure will usually lead to the bank applying normal charges of up to 18% to the outstanding balance.

Note that the biggest mistake people make with balance transfer credit cards is continuing to use the cards for other purchases or payments. If you’re considering a balance transfer to help you pay off current credit card debt, stop using that card! Forget it exists until you’ve paid off the transferred debt.

Why? Credit card companies channel payments to debts with the greatest interest first, and so, these will go towards your purchases and not to the low or no interest-rated balance you transferred from your old card. — RinggitPlus.com

PHILIPPINES

SRI LANKA BRUNEI

Iskandar Malaysia a game changer2005 down south Visible progress can be MALAYS I A

BASED on a comprehensive development plan, Iskandar Malaysia has 20 years to transform into a global metropolis three times the size of neighbouring city state, Singapore.

The gush of tipping points projects continues to roll off the line in the second fiveyear development phase spanning 2011 to 2015, said Iskandar Regional Development Authority chief executive Datuk Ismail Ibrahim.

“Despite the uncertain global outlook and the euro crisis, we have been doing well and we will leverage on the momentum we have now.

“We are targeting RM73.3 billion worth of investments during the next five years to achieve around 8% economic growth towards our goal of RM385 billion by 2025.”

The British-trained town planner and board member of the national conservation trust Badan Warisan Malaysia is very happy with growth of the 2,217 sq km

corridor to date.

“2012 is an exciting and tipping point year for us because several catalytic projects have been realised.

Five years ago, few would believe that Iskandar Malaysia will happen the way we see it happening today.

We are definitely happy with the results.

“I am always tempted to say we have crossed the first bridge. We have been able to demonstrate that this strong collaborative effort between the public sector and private sector is working and Iskandar Malaysia is bearing fruits even at this early stage.”

IRDA is not rushing the ground, said Ismail, “but we do have a lot on our plate because we are trying to meet the aspirations of the people and government to turn Malaysia into a fully developed nation by 2020.”

Investment commitments in Iskandar Malaysia are barrelling towards the RM100 billion mark against a RM385 billion target by

seen in Nusajaya S I NGAPORE

Population (PPP) GDP per capita Employment the GDP respective sovereign 2025. By the second quarINDONESIA wealth funds of Malaysia ter of 2012, the cumula1.4 20.0 14,790 0.61 and Legoland, nestled withSingapore, unmillion and USD (billion) (PPP)jointly in USD million DRIVING along a key coasttive sum has hit RM95.45 dertake two wellness proj- al highway that opened in in Nusajaya are Educity, billion.

Afiat Healthpark, Medini Such major achievements ects in Medini for which April this year from Johor central business district, two parcels of land have haven’t gone unnoticed.

Baru to Nusajaya provides a Puteri Harbour and Southalready been earmarked.

The Financial Times-owned bird’s eye view of the devel“The tourism, healthcare, opments dotting the Danga ern Industrial and Logistics fDI magazine has ranked Clusters.

Iskandar Malaysia as the education and creative sec- Baya waterfront and a manBy 2015, Educity willl tors are coming along fine. fourth best investment desmade island, before rolling have at least 10 institutions In the next few years, we tination of Global Free Zone past modern residential remain2025 blocks, Legoland and on- including four British uniof the Future 2012/2013, will be building the By versities, namely NuMED, oleo- wards GDP (PPP) GDP per capita Employment behind the Dubai Airport ing sectors, finance,Population to Kota Iskandar, the Marlborough College, Unichemicals, food and agro Free Zone, the Dubai Interadministrative seat for the versity of Southampton and 3.0 93 31,100 1.428 processing, electrical and national Financial Centre state government. million USD (million) (PPP) in USD million University of Reading. and Shanghai’s Waigaoqiao electronics, and logistics.”

Apart from Kota Iskandar The others are Netherlands Free Trade Zone.

Maritime Institute of TechFrost & Sullivan global nology, Raffles University, president Aroop Zutshi deSingapore Management Declared the development of velopment Institute, Johan its Global Innovation CenCryuff Institute for Sports SENA NA A I S KUDA K UDA DA A I tre would be a “real game Studies, Raffles American changer” for the company School and Multimedia and also create new knowlUniversity. edge-based activities and JOHOR BA BAH BAHRU AHR RU RU In healthcare, a 300-bed EA ASTERN A ST TERN GA GAT AT TE CIT IT TY C CENT NTR RE specialised skills to support DEV EV VELO LOPM MEN ENT NT NT Gleneagles Medini Hospital Malaysia’s goal of becomNUSAJA NU USA U SAJ SA AJA JA AYA YA with 150 suites, rehabiliing a high value and high WE ES ST TERN RN GAT ATE DEV DEV VELO LO OPM MEN ENT NT T tation centre and nursing income nation by 2020. home among its facilities is SINGAPORE Ismail said the investment being constructed in phases community will get anothafter Columbia Asia Hospier strong signal next year tal which was the first to set when Khazanah Nasional up in 2010.

Bhd and Temasek Holdings,

OVERVIEW OF ISKANDAR MALAYSIA

CAUSEWAY

SECOND LINK ACCESS TO SINGAPORE

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NEWS

THE MALAY MAIL

Business If applicants can prove to us their capability to manage their finances better, we should help them out. Who else knows better how to manage your own finances?

Datuk Ahmad Zaini Othman president and chief executive officer, Malaysia Building Society Bhd

KUALA LUMPUR

MBSB trendsetting with heart Entity has evolved over past three years into a financial powerhouse to be reckoned with

By Francis C. Nantha francisnantha@mmail.com.my

FILLED with renewed vigour, Malaysia Building Society Bhd (MBSB) is ready to further make inroads in the local financing arena while still keeping its focus on maintaining profitability amidst a caring outlook in relation to customers.

Flush with its burgeoning portfolio of personal loans to civil servants, MBSB is eyeing expansion into other areas of opportunity after already venturing into private

financing initiatives (PFIs) to support government efforts and also aiding local small and medium enterprises.

“For starters, we want to relook our mortgage offers in the same way we chalked up a huge success after transforming personal loan packages back in 2009,” said president and chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Zaini Othman in an interview.

“Rather than simply quoting interest rates, we want to ask the customers what they’re ready to commit themselves and then work out a package for them.

TIME FOR CHANGE: Ahmad says rather than being a follower, MBSB will set financing trends with a heart due to its focus on consumers first

This should hopefully make them more committed to repayments because they know better what they

can afford.”

He fully expects such an approach to likely shake up the local financing industry,

Addressing the imbalance COMING from a family of civil servants, Malaysia Building Society Bhd (MBSB) president and chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Zaini Othman has first hand experience of just how much of a daily struggle it can be to make ends meet.

When he took over stewardship of MBSB on Feb 22, 2009, he vowed to use the opportunity to help civil servants as it was already a major part of MBSB’s focus.

“The salaries are very low and some civil servants would usually need personal loans to start up some side businesses to get extra income. But they’d get screwed with high interest rates of 8% or more.

I felt that to be very unfair to those who are already giving so much to the country.”

Aiming to address the imbalance, the answer proved to be quite simple — lower interest rates on personal loans without compromising too much on profit.

“MBSB was already providing personal loans then but gave it very little attention.

We were then doing about RM18 million loans a month.

After we starting pushing our lower interest schemes, we now handle RM50 million a day!”

Ahmad is very proud of how the lower interest caused a spillover effect onto other financial institutions to make personal loans more affordable to all.

“With lower interest, civil servants no longer have high monthly repayments and they can afford to breathe a

little and struggle less. It’s a positive development for the country because there is so much for everyone to gain.”

With a bigger kitty backed from personal loans portfolio, MBSB then began to venture into private financing initiatives and chalked up some success there as well.

“There are a lot of other government-linked contracts we can now finance at very competitive rates. Hopefully, our venture into this arena will also have the same impact on the financial industry like our personal loans.”

Ahmad also acknowledged the need to review the way mortgages are offered because the peg to salaries doesn’t always benefit the consumer.

“If applicants can prove to us their capability to manage their finances better, we should help them out. Who else knows better how to manage your own finances?”

He insists that MBSB is not be seen as too much of a risktaker as prudent checks are in place to ensure loans are given out according to proper reviews.

“We operate on a commercial basis with no grant from the government or from our main shareholder, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).

We can’t afford to be making unnecessary losses.”

Looking at how well MBSB’s profit growth has been over the past three years, Ahmad said with a smile: “The EPF isn’t complaining about our performance as they’re getting very good dividends from us.”

based on the past experience with personal loans.

“While everyone was charging interest of 8% and higher before, we reduced ours to only 4% for personal loans and yet made a decent profit. The overall default risk is minimised because we can tap into the civil service salary deduction schemes for the borrowers.”

MBSB is also able to venture further into PFIs because it is no longer the dowdy entity which previously only looked at basic mortgages.

“Our focus is on building educational facilities like

campuses for UiTM because it serves a much greater purpose while also providing us with decent earnings,” he explained.

Ahmad is especially proud of how far MBSB has evolved over the past three years into a financial powerhouse to be reckoned with.

“Apart from probably being the largest player for personal loans, we’re also very big in Islamic financing. We are now in the position to be setting trends rather than just being followers and we’ll do it with a heart with our focus on consumers first.”

ACCOMMODATIVE: MBSB feels customers are in the best position to manage their own finances

Growing portfolio of loan segments TRACING its origins back to 1950 when it was first known as the Federal and Colonial Building Society Ltd, the loan portfolio for Malaysia Building Society Bhd (MBSB) has grown significantly from just providing mortgages.

Its biggest earnings contributor now is made up of personal loans to civil servants and it has since expanded into financing retail businesses, corporate outfits, wholesale banking and treasury products.

One important area MBSB has stepped into recently is to fund the revival of the nation’s biggest abandoned housing project, located in Bandar

Baru Salak Tinggi, Sepang with NTC United Engineering Sdn Bhd. “It is only right for us to participate in this project,” said MBSB president and chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Ahmad Zaini Othman. “Many of those homes were bought by civil servants and some had even passed away, leaving the legacy problem with their descendants.”

Further foreseeing the stuck buyers could likely face problems in securing financing from banks, he added: “So we are also put together an end financing package to support purchasers too.”

REVIVAL AID: Ahmad (left) exchanging documents with NTC CEO Zulkifli Saidin, witnessed by Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussain

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THE MALAY MAIL

Business Despite the odds stacked against us, I’m happy to note today that as a brand, TMR has a credible reputation as a niche business newspaper Syed Mohamed Fazilla Syed Hussain Chief executive officer and managing director , The malaysian Reserve

PETALING JAYA

TMR charting growth beyond Klang Valley Also reaching Penang, Johor and Langkawi, daily is one of Top 3 preferred reads for managing directors

By John Gilbert news@themalaysianreserve.com

BUSINESS and finance daily The Malaysian Reserve (TMR), which celebrated its fifth year anniversary in May this year, aims to boost its market presence via strategic initiatives and coverage beyond the Klang Valley by next year.

The daily plans to double its circulation and increase its revenue by 50% and establish its presence throughout Peninsular and East Malaysia.

In January 2011, TMR partnered with International Herald Tribune (IHT), the global edition of the New York Times, where readers were offered a two-in-one deal, getting both the copies of the TMR and the Asia Pacific edition of IHT.

“This exciting alliance with the IHT marks another milestone in our unwavering commitment to be a key source of reliable business and financial news to a steady but growing number of the Malaysian business community,” said TMR chief operating officer and group editor Abdul Halim Wahab.

Further, TMR was ranked as one of the Top 3 preferred reads for managing directors and C-suite category in the recent annual newspaper ranking survey by Lighthouse Research.

TMR’s circulation stands at 11,000 at present, with the lion’s share of subscribers in the Klang Valley and others in Penang, Johor and Langkawi.

Moving forward, TMR plans to bump up the print run to between 15,000 to 20,000

copies on Thursdays and Fridays as the sectorial pages during these days — Green Growth, Transport, Talent/ Human Capital and Enterprise — attract a lot more readers.

“We fully understood then it was a name to be built from scratch and despite the odds stacked against us, I’m happy to note today that as a brand, TMR has a credible reputation as a niche business newspaper that caters to the public and private sector as well as the business circle,” said TMR chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director Syed Mohamed Fazilla Syed Hussain.

TMR has recently formed an alliance with Federation of Investment Managers Malaysia (FIMM) to jointly organise an investment contest next year to promote the de-

velopment of investor education in the country.

It is part of TMR’s initiative to embark on an investor education programme

on investment opportunities in the stock market and unit trust industry including the recently launched private retirement schemes.

SEALED DEAL: FIMM CEO Ahmad Zakie Ahmad Shariff (left) with Syed Mohammed Fazilla shake on the alliance — Pic: ISMAIL CHE RUS

THE MALAY MAIL

friday 7 december 2012

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47

Business We are now experiencing the best real estate market in the Philippines in the last 20 years Rick Santos Chairman, CBRE

BRUSSELS

MANILA

Best property boom in two decades Strong draw for foreign businesses seeking lower costs expanding in Southeast Asia THE changing skyline in the capital of the Philippines Manila demonstrates a city coming up in the world as it is in the throes of a property boom described as the best in two decades — reflecting the increasing confidence in an economy that only recently began shedding its image as one of the region’s basket cases.

Nowhere is it more obvious than at Bonifacio Global City, a commercial and residential property development on a portion of land carved out from Manila’s biggest army base.

A 30-storey tower due to be completed by the yearend is soon to be home for Nickel Asia Corp and local conglomerate Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc, NAC Tower is just one of several tower blocks under construction.

Located near Makati, the main business district that grew up in the 1970s, Bonifacio is a project in progress but rents are already catching up with its older, established but saturated rival.

Though rents paid in Makati have recovered almost 30% in the last three years, they are still way below the peak paid before the global financial crisis hit in 2008, data from property manager and consultancy Jones Lang La Salle Leechiu shows.

That makes renting in Manila’s business districts far cheaper than Hong Kong, Shanghai or Singapore. The primary driver of demand for office space comes from business process outsourcing firms catering for European and American multinationals that want to cut costs.

Low inflation, low interest

RISING COMMERCIAL CENTRE: Bonifacio is catching up with Makati — its older, established but saturated rival

rates, and a ready supply of reliable, English-proficient labour are strong draws for foreign businesses seeking to reduce costs by expanding in Southeast Asia.

With one of the region’s fastest growth rates, GDP grew 6.1% in the first half, the Philippines has shown

resilience in the face of falling demand in the West and China, that other more export-driven economies must envy.

Strong private and public consumption has underpinned growth, while inflows of foreign capital have driven the stock market to

new peaks and the peso to near five-year highs.

Two hours to the south, at First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP), in Batangas province, land prices have jumped up to 60% from two years ago, while lease and rent rates have climbed a modest 10-15%.

B/E Aerospace Iinc, the world’s top supplier of aircraft cabin interiors, opened its first Asian manufacturing plant there last month. Japanese firms led by Canon’s Philippine unit also moved in this year, and FPIP president Hector Dimacali expects revenue to double this year.

Rick Santos, chairman of CBRE, said: “We are now experiencing the best real estate market in the Philippines in the last 20 years.”

— Reuters

Eurozone turning dynamic UNDER pressure from debt markets, the eurozone as a whole is turning into a much more balanced and potentially more dynamic economy.

The 2012 Euro Plus Monitor report prepared by Brusselsbased Lisbon Council thinktank said Greece is now the leader in economic reforms towards healthy economic fundamentals, followed by Ireland, Estonia, Spain and Portugal.

The three-year-old sovereign debt crisis, started by unsustainably high debt in Greece, has forced Athens, as well as Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy to embark on ambitious economic reforms to win back market confidence.

“If the eurozone gets through the current acute crisis and stays on the reform path, it could eventually emerge from the crisis as the most dynamic of the major Western economies.” — Reuters

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spotlight It does not matter how big or small the assistance is as long as we know we are making a difference towards an individual and the community BEH SWAN SWAN HEAD, MAGNUM GROUP CSR, MAGNUM CORPORATION SDN BHD

KUALA LUMPUR

Magnum continues community outreach From crisis response to engaging youths in aiding the underprivileged, firm has 15 teams ready to act immediately THE community focus for Magnum Corporation Sdn Bhd began in 1969 in the form of giving cash to the underprivileged and former vice president, the late Tan Sri Mohd Khir Johari, decided the gaming company should be doing more to benefit society.

With this shift to focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, Magnum has now been giving back to society for 42 years — with various campaigns for the community, youths and education as well as assisting in medical, welfare and cultural activities.

“Magnum has been helping the needy since the company first got listed and we have never looked back since,” said Head, Magnum Group CSR Beh Swan Swan in an interview.

“It does not matter how big or small the assistance is as long as we know we are making a difference towards an individual and the community.”

There are 15 teams nationwide and each is responsible to conduct programmes and identify those who are in need. The company gives a lot of focus to youths — getting them to contribute, encouraging them to assist the community by identifying poor homes and providing them with any means of assistance.

“We encourage youths to take part during their spare time and weekends. We want them to see the need for their role in helping the community. This will also be a life lesson for them to be thankful with what they have by knowing that there are people who are less fortunate.”

Beh said Magnum Youth In Action (MYIA) also work with other partners like TLC in their Project Watts (Where Aid Turns To Sustainability). Its objective is to raise funds to provide identified charity homes with environmental-friendly electrical appliances by changing the high energy consumption appliances to energy efficient devices — thereby reducing their high electrical bills and simultaneously reduce global warming.

HELPING HAND: Magnum staff with deserving underprivileged during a Chinese New Year ang pow giveaway

ENERGETIC: Participants of Magnum’s youth programmes

The latest two beneficiaries for this campaign are the National Stroke Association of Malaysia and Hospis Malaysia.

Besides getting youths involved in community services, Magnum also awards students who show academic excellence. The Magnum Academic Excellence Awards has been in existence for 18 years since 1995, with over 36,000 top students nationwide having gained financial aid.

The company strives to encourage the pursuit of academic excellence amongst youths — RM350,000 was

contributed to 2,400 top students from 59 Chinese secondary schools in the country this year.

To further encourage students to do better in education, Magnum is now giving out a new “Most Improved Students” award which aims to motivate and encourage average students to work harder and perform better in their studies.

The company CSR team also aims to gain more reach by conducting campaigns and programmes such as “Cepat-Cepat Tolong” where the company’s entire workforce is on the lookout

BRINGING SMILES: Beh with a family aided by Magnum Cares

for any immediate need for assistance such as missing children, fire and flood victims and those who are in urgent need of medical aid.

Beh said the programme provides immediate response and assistance during times of emergency. “Some people are told to wait for aid and they would only get it after a long period of time.

But our team will try to help soonest possible.”

She said the company also identifies homes which need more public acknowledgement and to make sure they are not overlooked. “Some corporates only focus on

certain homes but we try to recognise those that are well managed but not well known yet.”

She said the teams go to great distances to identify these homes and even ventured out to the rural areas to offer help and assistance.

Beh urged other organisations to come out and contribute as much as possible for the good of society.

“With our endless task of helping the needy, we hope it will also inspire other organisations and Malaysians to take a bit of their time to provide aid for the underprivileged.”

She said Magnum has come a long way in getting involved intensely in helping the society and the CSR teams are well divided out throughout Malaysia to realise the company’s efforts of making the community better.

The company’s diverse and well spread CSR projects are manned by employees and volunteers who have helped the needy by the hundreds of thousands since 1969.

Magnum also pledges to continue its support in helping the community and providing relief for those who need it.

50 NEWS

l friDAY 7 december 2012

THE MALAY MAIL

SPOTLIGHT Highlighting key developments in advertising and corporate community outreach General Line 03-7495 1288 | BUSINESS desk 03-7495 1015 / 1017 Classifieds 03-7495 1273 / 1282 | Circulation Tel: 03-7495 1068 Fax: 03-7495 1226 ADVERTISING SALES Tel: 03-74951273 (Classifieds)

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Tel: 03-74951262 (Display)

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E-mail: ad@mmail.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR

SERENDAH

Payoff with staff CSR

Bedat expansion driven by inspiration

Perodua gains with productivity boost, job loyalty with focus on employee welfare

THE leap-of-faith acquisition of Swiss watchmaker Bedat & Co by Malaysian husband and wife entrepreneurs Frank and Charmaine Low is starting to pay off — with their recent opening of a boutique outlet in Resorts World Bhd’s Newport Mall in Pasay City, Manila.

The story of how Low acquired the Swiss watch brand established in 1996 by the late Swiss watchmaker Simone Bedat is already a Malaysian corporate legend.

When PPR Gucci Group, the company behind Bedat, finally decided to sell the brand, including its operations in Geneva, Switzerland, one of the first people they asked was Low. Before that, Low was content selling watches for them.

But after investing so much in Bedat, including opening a huge flagship store in Kuala Lumpur in 2008, he couldn’t bear to see the brand go through an uncertain future.

Apart from not wanting to lose face in Malaysia, Low and his team at Luxury Concepts — a chain of luxury timepiece boutiques in Kuala Lumpur’s prestigious Starhill Gallery — really believed in

WHAT others might view as a disadvantage has been turned into a major positive factor by Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) — turning its focus to staff welfare which has in turn, boosted productivity and quality of its products.

And the main reason why this local firm has inadvertently become transformed into a shining example of what staff corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be is largely due the relatively remote location of its main production facilities in northern Selangor.

To ensure it could operate the plant round-the-clock, Perodua hired whatever homes available in the vicinity so that staff didn’t need to travel far. Then, because many had families with young children, it also gave help to ensure there were day care centres were available.

But, it got stuck with regards to Friday prayers because its many Muslim staff went to different mosques where the sermon lengths varied and couldn’t always return to work on time, said managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh.

To address this problem and other related staff CSR matters, Perodua is undertaking an effort over and beyond the ordinary — this year, in May, it bought 64 acres of land adjacent to its headquarters in Rawang and this is to be largely dedicated to its employees.

Aminar said Perodua plans to complete by end-2014 on this plot a mosque, a day care centre, a mini gymnasium and other utility infra-

APPRECIATION: Aminar presenting gifts to Perodua staff who had donated blood during a recent health campaign

structures for the benefits of its workers, who number 11,000 strong as of last month. Staff quarters are also in the pipeline.

The mosque, which can hold up to 4,000, is also meant to serve as community centre with the surrounding populace — acting as a venue for assisting those less fortunate, holding annual religious celebrations as well as other activities.

The day care centre also addresses a clear need, explained Aminar. “This centre will employ certified child care professionals who can also perform first aid in

case of emergencies.”

He said this facility will also assist in increasing the company’s productivity as Perodua sometimes needs its staff to do an unexpected project or attend after-hour meetings.

The gymnasium further underlies Perodua’s focus on staff health. “In line with the purpose of the mini gymnasium, we have also embarked on a Health Watch Campaign for our staff to educate them on the need to stay healthy,” Aminar said.

This campaign include a health check of blood pres-

sure, body mass index ratio, blood sugar test, cholesterol test and for those who smoke — a carbon monoxide analysis. “We want to our people to actively participate in keeping healthy.”

Acknowledging the unusual extent the firm is giving focus to staff CSR, he said: “Staff retention is a challenge in any organisation and Perodua is no different.

This project will also assist us in keeping our talents.

“This project goes well beyond staff benefits as we also look inwards as I believe that the act of giving should start from home.”

the brand. It has pedigree, heritage and artistry, three elements in Low’s book that set Bedat apart from most watch brands.

His company also ended up hiring the brand’s experienced designers and craftsmen, many of whom are sons, grandsons and even great grandsons of experienced Swiss watchmakers, to ensure that they stay true to the brand’s DNA. “Bedat may be Malaysianowned, but it remains very much a European brand. Actually, it’s not an issue to us. I just want to clarify and share the information with the public.”

When friends first heard of Low’s decision to acquire the brand, they thought he was crazy, because making watches in Switzerland can be very expensive.

“They suggested that we just make them in China where it’s cheaper and better. I told them that it’s not about being cheaper and better. It’s about remaining pure and honest. We’re just custodians of a fine Swissmade watch brand, and we intend to keep it that way.”

— Adoi magazine

CHARMING: Hong Kong actress-singer Kathy Chow Lai-kei with Low

SEPANG

Smile ambassadors hunt at KLIA

SMILES: Engaging frontliners at airport terminal outlets will be awarded pins by mystery shopper judges

AIMING to boost customer service excellence, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is conducting a search for two Smile ambassadors among staff of all retail, services plus food and beverage outlets at KL International Airport (KLIA) and the Low Cost Carrier Terminal.

This “Touch” campaign

underpins MAHB’s focus on transforming our international airports into lifestyle destinations, said commercial services division senior general manager Faizah Khairuddin.

The campaign runs till March 2013 with a panel of three judges posing as mystery shoppers to judge frontliners based on communications skills, product

knowledge, customer service level, demeanour and overall appearance.

“Award pins will be presented to frontliners who excel in a particular category.

A total of five different pins will be given out,” explained Faizah.

“A frontliner who collects all five pins will win RM500 as prize money and be in the

running for the champions league where they stand to win RM5,000 upon receiving the highest public nomination for excellent customer service delivery.

“At the end of the campaign, two Smile ambassadors will be crowned — a female and a male. Each Smile ambassador will win a cash prize of RM1,000.”

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LIFESTYLE&ENTERTAINMENT

Book REVIEW

THE MALAY MAIL

The rise and rise of Syed Mokhtar Albukhary

A newly-released biography captures the life and career of this Malaysian entrepreneur par excellence

By HABHAJAN SINGH The Malaysian Reserve executive editor

“ The pen is mightier than the sword ”

The Malay Mail and UNRESERVED search for the

PELIKAN WRITER of the month January 2013

Topic of the month : My Choice of “Malaysian of The Year”

The Pelikan writer of the month contest is open to all Malaysian resident non-professional writers. All pieces should not be more than 1000 words, hand written and sent to: The Editor The Pelikan Writer of the month contest The Malay Mail, Lot 2A, Jalan 13/2, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan.

(Please include your phone contact details and email address) Entries will be judged by the editors of The Malay Mail and UNRESERVED. Closing date for the Pelikan Writer of the month for January is the 11th of January 2013.

This writing competition is open to all readers of The Malay Mail and UNRESERVED. Participants must attach 5 The Malay Mail mastheads with their entries. (Monday to Friday)

PRIZES TO BE WON : 1st Prize - A Pelikan pen worth more than RM 2,000 + RM500 and a certificate 2nd Prize - A Pelikan pen worth more than RM 1,000 + RM300 and a certificate 3rd Prize - RM100 and a certificate All winners will be given an opportunity to be a paid guest writer of The Malay Mail and UNRESERVED.

1951: Born in Kedah.

1960s: Helping his dad in cattle trade. 1972: Registers first company, travels around Peninsular Malaysia to sell rice. 1981: Already a millionaire.

Today: Lord of some of the largest corporations in Malaysia.

This is the story of Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary.

It’s a story of rags to riches.

It’s about how a cowboy — he was assisting his dad with the cattle — made it big by sheer hard work and a relentless zeal to succeed.

At 30, Syed Mokhtar was already a millionaire. Today, he commands a corporate empire that includes three major public listed companies: Tradewinds (M) Bhd, MMC Corp Bhd and DRB-Hicom Bhd. Among others, his corporations control ports, power generation, engineering concerns, rice trade, sugar refinery and car-making. Put together, he is worth in the billions.

Despite the tremendous success, Syed Mokhtar had always remained below the radar. The media rarely got him to speak. He remained reclusive, caring for his business empire, managing his contacts, but ever streering clear of publicity.

Hence, there was a little stir in the corporate world when a book came out on Syed Mokhtar based on a series of interviews. Syed Mokhtar Albukhary: A Biography was a good scoop for author Premilla Mohanlall.

“Many people had approached him on the subject. Perhaps my timing was good. He was somehow good karma to me,” said Premilla who is into public relations and contract publishing.

In the easy-to-read book, the author has tried to capture the life and career of an “entrepreneur par excellence”.

“A beneficiary of the New Economic Policy (NEP), the

government’s affirmative action programme to build up Bumiputera entrepreneurs, Syed Mokhtar made full use of the opportunities available to him. But he refused to adopt the ‘Ali Baba’ approach to doing business with successful Chinese traders,” the book says.

Not content to be a passive investor, it noted that Syed Mokhtar had insisted that he be taught the ropes and become fully involved in running the business.

“His gratitude towards the NEP kept him from selling off his shares, even in times of crisis. But it was his insistence on being a true businessman, rather than a rentier, that allowed him to weather the tough times and emerge as one of the biggest names in Malaysia’s corporate landscape today,” the book noted.

The book suggests that Syed Mokhtar is no crony.

From the word go, it is clear that the tall lad from Kedah worked hard for his money.

From helping his father with cattle trading to selling leftover meat, and later to rice trading. “Nothing was given to me on a silver platter,” he tells the author.

When Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad assumed prime

ministership in 1982, Syed Mokhtar, then 30, was already a self-made millionaire. At that time, his dinner buddies included Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, now deputy prime minister, and lawyer Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas.

The book says Syed Mokhtar first met Muhyiddin in 1976. Muhyiddin was then managing director of Sergam Bhd, a Johor state agency handling government procurement. They became good friends and “remain close till today”, it adds.

Another key aspect that comes across from the book is the drive in Syed Mokhtar.

In the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, its author Stephen Covey describes luck as the meeting point between preparation and opportunity. Glimpses from the authorised biography of Syed Mokhtar tells us one thing: he made his luck.

Accounts from his early days talk about a man who had done his homework, someone who worked hard. He is said to call some 100 people a day! Now, that is part and parcel of preparation.

Another interesting trait is how he developed his contacts and connections, inherent in any businessman worth his salt.

A Lembaga Padi Negara (LPN) official Syed Mokhtar had met, while Syed Mokhtar was in his 20s, had connected him to some Chinese businessmen. This led to Bukhary Sdn Bhd, a joint venture with him holding a majority stake.

Along the way, his parents had to mortgage two plots of land to enable Syed Mokhtar to secure a loan from United Malayan Banking Corp (UMBC).

He needed the money to retain his controlling stake when his partners decided to double the company’s paid-up capital to RM400,000.

How did the author find Syed Mokhtar in person? Premilla says: “He doesn’t put on the garb of ‘I’ve made it’.”

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54

Hyundai Veloster — From fantasy to reality!

By DANIEL FERNANDEZ clutcheditorial@gmail.com

CONCEPT cars are useful means for car makers to showcase general styling directions for their future models, but they also rarely see the light of day after the motor shows which they are built for come to a close. Even if they do, the final product that hits the market is very often a watered-down compromised version of the original where aesthetic beauty makes way for practical feasibility.

One of the highlights in the 2007 Seoul Motor Show was the Hyundai HND-3 concept, which was designed to attract buyers in their 20s and 30s, and subsequently cultivate brand loyalty. As such, the vehicle was built around core values and images that appeal to this age group, namely Advanced, Iconic, Robust, and Good Value.

After settling on the concept’s general description and target audience, the designers went through four

subsequent design phases going from rough sketching, to computer rendering, then clay modelling, before detailing and sculpting of the final full-sized model to go on display. It was only at the final phase where minute details such as the headlamps, mirrors, clusters were fine-tuned, and it was here that any functional or design problems were corrected before the motor show.

When the HND-3 finally broke cover at the motor show, it attracted considerable attention from the media and visitors, resulting in its selection as the motor show’s ‘Best Concept Car of the Year’. The HND-3’s successful reception at the Motor Show emboldened Hyundai to keep as much of its defining details as possible as the concept car made the transition from motor show to production as the Hyundai Veloster.

Kim Yong-Chil, Hyundai’s Head of Vehicle Development Centre 1 said of the Veloster’s birth, “If I’m to define Veloster development in one word, it

would be ‘challenge’. It was a challenge against the stereotypical view that the world has of Hyundai Motors as well as a challenge against impossibility that tests one’s limits.

Nobody believed, nobody was sure of the success when it was announced that the concept car will be commercialized.”

Indeed, the designers were faced with a number of challenges in maintaining the concept car’s proportions whilst not sacrificing day-today practicality and also production feasibility. There were structural feasibility problems to consider, and also the need to get the door openings and luggage opening heights correct to facilitate ease of use.

In the face of these obstacles however, came opportunities for innovation. The Veloster’s unique asymmetric 1+2 door design that has become the vehicle’s signature cue was actually a solution to overcome the vehicle’s packaging constraints.

Exterior researcher Chae Dong-Hyuk said of the Ve-

loster’s design process, “Normally, the design is devised on a given platform but this time, it was different in a sense that the design was presented before a platform was determined. So the problem of realization was encountered at the verification stage. In this case, this would act as a limiting factor for design but for Veloster, other teams put in a lot of effort to retain the design concept.”

At the second evaluation, the project’s focus was then shifted to achieve a unique look for the vehicle. Its side character line was smoothened, and an edge was added to its appearance with a more aggressive eagle eye-style headlamp and multi-dimensional rear LED combo lamps that resemble the shape of an eagle’s wings. The overall process created a uniquelooking sporty coupe with a bold and multi-dimensional appearance.

Inside, the Veloster’s cabin was the brain-child of interior researcher Song Ji-Hyun, a proud Generation Y youth

who took on this project with the idea of ‘designing my own ride’. Song recalls how on one occasion where she persevered through objections of the majority to his proposal of a circular TGS indicator which she believed is an iconic element with a youthful sensation. Despite being told that it was impossible to construct as ultimately unnecessary, Song pressed on, and her idea was eventually accepted.

More than just a beautiful car to look at, the Veloster is a useful statement of intent and confidence booster for Hyundai Motor Company. As Kim Yong-Chil puts it, “We earned confidence that we can develop and present a car of any style. We acquired the ability to produce not just a simple car, but a car with unique personality and appeal.”

To find out more about the Hyundai Veloster or to place a booking, head over to the nearest Hyundai showroom or call its Customer Careline at 1-300-13-2000.

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RADIO

THE MALAY MAIL

Online radio station with thorny flavour DurianFM caters to Chinese-speaking listeners who want to voice their frank views

By Jenilyn Alexia jenilyn@mmail.com.my

DURIAN is acknowledged by many in Asia as the king of fruits due to its distinctively supreme, if pungent, flavour.

And it has been adopted as the name for the local Chinese language online radio station DurianFM which began on March 8, 2011 and, since July 6 this year now comes under the Redberry media group.

The station’s motto Not for Anyone is a good way of describing what listeners can expect from its political and current news.

“Durian is a popular fruit among Malaysians and once you get past its thorny exterior and open up the fruit, the flesh inside is delicious and that’s the public’s perception of our radio station that we

want,” said DurianFM managing director Jamaluddin Ibrahim who also doubles as one of the station’s four resident announcers.

“DurianFM originated from radio station 988 and while I was there in 2009 and 2010, I was an announcer on its daily programme Good Morning Malaysia but it was banned because of the thorny topics we discussed on air. So, that led to our building another platform, DurianFM where Malaysian society can share their frank views and comments.”

Due to its online format on the Internet, DurianFM, which operates from an office at Paramount Garden in Petaling Jaya, has a compact team of four comprising Jamaluddin, video producer and director Mic Hoo, video editor Ving Lee and videographer Frankie Foo, supported by about 40 volun-

teer announcers who handle various slots on a rotating basis.

“We believe the public here want a platform which caters to freedom of speech and is not controlled by any political party,” said Jamaluddin when interviewed

by The Malay Mail Lifestyle at his offices.

“Malaysians should be able to give their input on what they want and need and DurianFM provides that opportunity to do so.”

The core programming on DurianFM is their daily morning talk show called Soaring Pegasus which, as a reflection of its popularity, attracks about 80 per cent of their listenership.

The remaining 20 per cent of their listeners tune in to programmes such as All About Dynasty Ming, underground music talk show Tell It Like It Is, also Tanda

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HAVING FUN DOING IT: Jamaluddin Ibrahim (left) amused with the antics of his colleagues (from top to bottom) Frankie Foo, Mic Hoo and Ving Lee. — Picture by FIRDAUS LATIF

Tanya, and Durian Gang for the younger generation.

Being online, DurianFM can be accessed by people around the world, and a survey has shown that 71 per cent of its listeners are Malaysians, seven per cent from neighbouring Singapore, and a considerable 22 per cent — or one in five — spread out across the globe.

“The biggest benefit of going online is that listeners can all interact at the same time, and we have listeners in the US, UK, Australia, Japan, Taiwan and China,” said Jamaluddin, adding that listeners connect with DurianFM through the radio station’s Facebook page.

“Another great thing about going online is that we have more freedom in picking our topics and we can discuss it on air without the fear of being taken

down. We are free to discuss whatever is of concern to our nation and have views from different political parties.”

Jamaluddin said their biggest challenge is attracting radio listeners to switch to listening online.

“Traditional radio is free and people can listen to it in their cars, whereas for online radio, listeners need to pay Internet access fees,” said Jamaluddin who was born in Beijing and raised in Hunan.

“We are the first media to broadcast issues and events live directly from different areas. Whenever we have ‘live’ programmes, listeners would flock to us.”

How did joining the Redberry media group — which also owns The Malay Mail — come about for DurianFM? “We were looking for investors and Redberry was

looking for an alternative media. Our needs are compatible and that’s how the collaboration happened,” said Jamaluddin.

“So far, feedback to DurianFM has been great. Although there have been some negative feedback, we don’t mind as what’s important is the participation of our society. As online social media keep growing, DurianFM hopes to grow along as more and more people switch from traditional radio to online radio.”

DurianFM is available in both audio and video format.

“Listeners can tune in to us from their cellphone, mobile devices and wherever there’s Internet access,” said Jamaluddin.

Those still unfamiliar with DurianFM can get a taste of it by tuning to http://www. durianfm.com.

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events

THE MALAY MAIL

Monsoons of the soul AkashA inspired artist finds comfort putting brush to canvas

Happenings Stand-up at Heritage NEED a good laugh on auspicious 12-12-12? The Heritage Club at the Royale Chulan Hotel will showcase a a night of stand-up comedy, featuring our very own Andrew Netto and Phoon Chi Ho and Tom Wigglesworth from the UK, taking you on an epic journey of laughable antics in everyday life. The offer here is that men pay RM50 for the show and a complimentary drink, while ladies walk in FOC and pay happy hours prices, all night long.

When? 8.30pm, Dec 12.

Where? Jalan Conlay, KL. For more, call 03 2688 9604 or 03 2688 9614, email info@theroyalechulan. com.my or log on to www. theroyalechulan.com Amir at La Bodega THE Amir Yussof Project is on at La Bodega, Jalan Telawi Dua, Bangsar Baru, KL. This time around, it a guitar trio project with Badar Fawzy on cajon and percussions. The guitarmen are Amir, Sirimal Albert and Jamie Wilson. When?

9pm, Saturday, December 15 December 2012.

Mrs Jones, Malacca HAWK, a veritable veteran plays piano, guitar and harmonica at this bar on Jonker Walk that serves beer and cocktails for RM10-20 RM. If you like cosy, informal places and great, unpredictable live music, this is the place to visit. Hawk is Malacca born, very talented, once the leader of Summer Strawberries.

Unpredictable, because you can belt out your numbers with Hawk on keyboards. Unpredictable, also because Hawk’s students drop in regularly to experience playing for a live audience. Where? Jalan Hang Kasturi, Malacca. Call 016 234 4292.

Lazio livens JB BAR Lazio at the Marina Club on the waterfront at Danga Bay, Johore Baru, features a host of musicians from all over the country. An Italian-styled place, famous for its pizzas and western food, it showcases the talents of Big Game, Alvin Fletcher and Alya, Project N9 Band, Gerard Singh and Wan, Mark, Megan and Sarah, Body N Soul, Mary Jackson and Raymond Chia, Vijay David and Vishnu Shakti.

Photo: Vishnu Rajendran Amboo

What’s Up Errol de Cruz errol@mmail.com.my

IT all began when thirtysomething Marisa Ng found life falling apart and took her troubles to Pulau Kapas to soak in some salt, sand and surf at the beach side home of a close friend.

Always acing art at school, she found herself doing just that and soon realised that she was losing herself in her paintings.

“I was always a misfit, growing up was different,” Marisa said. “Coming from a staid, normal family, I was the one who ran zigzag among those who walked a straight line.”

“I realised I had never been one to conform, but in those times, I questioned - worse doubted myself.”

Marisa’s journey began unexpectedly, at a time when she was at her lowest point.

“It’s cliched to say ‘artistes are tortured souls’, but the truth is we are able to reach into our deepest depths to express how and what we — and others — feel inside.”

The trip to Kapas Island in Terengganu proved that true, and inspired by the essence of Kapas, she found herself painting.

“A world of wonders revealed its soul to me. I realised that not operating like ‘normal’ people or society at large, doesn’t make me wrong.

“I am a dreamer - compulsive, emotional, delusional (maybe), obsessive, chaotic, impulsive and (of course) impractical.”

Marisa found that the qualities that made her so different fit perfectly in the world of art. “Here, I have absolute freedom to thrive on those qualities and be true to my-

self. I found my playground — and in it, myself.”

Her vision, she says, is to be an artist who contributes significantly to the global community by inspiring change and championing creative thinking and living as a way of life, empowering people to have faith in their potential, so that when they tap into their creative power, they create rather than take or fight.

“That way, we can live in harmony instead of embroiling ourselves in war and destruction.

“I want to cause love, love for ourselves, love for people around us, love for the environment because with love comes care, respect and happiness,” Marisa said.

“Whether or not I sell a painting, I still create art. I thrive on being able to create something from nothing and, truth be told, I happen to take great pleasure in admiring my labour of love, having

full freedom to play with my thoughts.”

Marisa first began with figures and very gradually evolved into abstract art.

“I spent years learning about art, sketching the human figure, but found working with figures rather restrictive and that I relate better to the spontaneity of the abstract spirit.

“Abstract is the purest form of art. It comes from our soul or state of mind,” she offered.

“Working with charcoal reminded me of the barks of trees on Kapas, the debris that washes up on its beach after a storm, bitumen reminds me of the raw richness of the island,” she said about the mediums she uses.

“I begin by creating the layers of under-painting and from those layers I see accidental patterns, and from the patterns I construct forms. This process has a profound effect on me.”

“I know a piece is done when I feel good about it.

When my eyes and heart say ‘ok we are done’, and when my work is going well, I’m filled with a sense of joy, an exhilarating high from within.”

Having found her calling, Marisa felt still compelled to explore and reach within herself. It took some time and she found it in the unlikeliest of places — YouTube — and the music of Malaysian world music fusion group AkashA. “AkashA fuelled my inspiration and spoke to my soul. Its music fused cultures, making me feel at home with my own mixed Chinese-Malay heritage,” she said.

“Exploring and experimenting beyond common boundaries excited me and surprised me. When you see my work, you see the forms you want to see in the abstract, how non-lyrical music frees your imagination.

“The music of AkashA inspired me to tell my story,” Maris acknowledged. I find the process liberating. It’s challenging as I practise how to trust myself better, to let go and be free, to be present in the moment and embrace all my senses. Each piece is a discovery in itself.”

“I hope it reminds you that we often discover our true strength in the turbulent times of our life.”

Marisa Ng’s latest series, entitled Monsoons, will be previewed at 7.30pm on Dec 12 at Mansion Art Bistro, Ground Level, Jaya One, Jalan University, PJ. AkashA, in collaboration with the US Embassy, will host and partner Grammy winning bluegrass artists Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer and Barbara Lamb on January 14 and 15 at the MAS Auditorium in Kelana Jaya.

Marisa’s Monsoons series will go on exhibition for this event.

New feather in AkashA’s cap MALAYSIAN world music fusion band AkashA is really excited over being invited by the US Embassy to perform with bluegrass specialists Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer and Barbara Lamb, next month because this would be the band’s first experience with Grammy award-winners “It’s an honour,” said mrindhagam player, vocalist and bandleader Sivabalan Shanmuga Sundram. “To be invited to perform with artistes from such a different genre is

another feather in our cap.”

You could say that AkashA was selected due to its wide repertoire and position as a premier fusion band.

AkashA (which means ethereal, bountiful space) is a band that traverses beyond tradition and culture. It’s a septet that plays straight from the heart, astounding audiences wherever they go, as they did in the US, not very long ago.

It was probably the reputation it created there that

prompted this invitation.

Other stars here are Jamie Wilson (guitar), Vick Ramakrishnan (percussion and tabla), Mohamed Shah Nizam Aziz (percussion), Kumar Karthigesu (sitar), Eric Li (piano) and Greg Henderson (bass).

The band — with two albums, Into AkashA and Karakoram Highway, to its credit — has done well in the short time they’ve been together, pulling off heady concerts in Thailand. India, South Africa,

China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Romania, Germany, Greece and Australia.

This collaboration with Fink, Marxer and Lamb is part of the American Music Abroad programme under which artistes represent a new echelon of musical ambassadors, reaching beyond concert halls to interact with other musicians and citizens around the globe.

With this, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

sends 10 American roots music groups to conduct public concerts, interactive performances with local musicians, lecture demonstrations, workshops, and jam sessions with diverse audiences.

Fink, Marxer (both Grammy winners) and Lamb are trailblazers in creating new sounds using old instruments. Keep Jan 14 and 15 free, because it will be interesting to see how bluegrass fuses with the band’s Indianinfluenced world music.

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THE MALAY MAIL

A haven for bumiputra entrepreneurs Offering a wide variety of products, services and activities, PKNS has right strategy for its shopping complexes

By NADYA NGUI nadya@mmail.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: The PKNS Complex in Shah Alam is a safe haven for bumiputra entrepreneurs for 36 years now, with the oldest store dating back some 30 years ago.

The complex, which was the first of its type built in Shah Alam in 1976 was initially to cater for offices.

It was, however, converted into a retail mall due to high demand from entrepreneurs who were looking for small spaces to conduct their businesses.

Building manager Sabrina Sulaiman said in the 80s there were very few tenants but the mall was quickly filled up after a few years.

“In the early 80s, people were not aware of entrepreneurship because there wasn’t enough support for small businesses at that time.

“However, once the public knew of the potential they have in the complex, plus the minimal rent that PKNS charged, businesses started to come in.”

Ninety per cent of the tenants are bumiputra.

“You could say that clothing items have always been the top choice for the ven-

dors here.

“During Hari Raya especially, the complex remains as “the place” for customers to visit to purchase their baju kurung, baju melayu and muslimah wears.”

“We have many tenants who stayed put and passed on their businesses to their children with the main reason being low rent and the fact that they are already established in the complex.

“The rental starts at RM2.50 per square feet where it is way below the market price,” said Sabrina.

Asked on the future prospects of the well-seasoned complex, Sabrina said they are currently welcoming prominent restaurants to open their outlets there and is planning of converting the top floor into a sports arena.

“Many families and the older population come in and do their shopping here but we really want to cater this complex to all the demographics which is why we are targeting youths in our future plans.”

“We believe that food and entertainment will appeal youths to visit this complex.

If the plan commences, the top floor will have a futsal arena and a paintball area.”

She added her team came

up with numerous ideas to upgrade the almost four-decade complex but was put on hold due to time constraints and received ill responses from the existing tenants.

“Of course, we would like to give a face-lift to the complex but we would also have to consider the tenants’ overview, as this is a place for the bumiputra tenants to better their financial standings,” said Sabrina.

Businesswoman Sharina Salleh who has been operating her English inspired interior decoration boutique for seven years in PKNS. She said she is able to sell her products at a much cheaper price due to the complex’s low rent.

Sharina, who was once a in the banking industry for 25 years said she was fond of travelling and had always dreamt of having her own English inspired boutique.

“I easily make up to RM70,000 in sales a month

HAVEN FOR US: Abdul Wahab Nan Abidin and his wife Sharina Mohd Salleh in their shop — Pic: ARIF KARTONO

because most of my customers are my regulars.”

She said customers are always looking at items on bargains and she was able to put up a much cheaper price compared to other shops who are selling her kind of products at a much higher rate.

She added PKNS has helped her acquire a lot in the complex and she is now helping other bumiputra

dealers to get involved in entrepreneurship.

Zaleha Yusuf, another businesswoman who was assisted by the complex management board said her business improved once she acquired a lot in PKNS. “Before this, I sold wedding hampers, handmade crafts and gifts at flea markets with my husband.

“PKNS had helped me promote my business and made

sure that micro entrepreneurs like me gets a share in the market.

“I was a housewife with two working sons, and I decided to venture into business eight years ago, and I have never looked back since,” said Zaleha.

The complex currently houses 297 retail stores, with much focused on assisting micro bumiputra businesses.

Continuous focus on tenants and customers AS some of the first floor outlets do not get many customers passing by due to the isolated location within the shopping complex, PKNS and its business committee will let such affected businesses open kiosks at the complex foyer to promote the store to shoppers.

“Every month, the first floor tenants get 15-18 days to sell their products at the main area on the ground floor,” said building manager Sabrina Sulaiman.

“For the rest of the month, we get organisers to showcase outside exhibitions.

For example, the complex recently had a car exhibi-

tion and art displays from the Ministry of Information Communications and Culture.”

She said the mall management aims to maximise the potential of the complex and bring in variations to attract more shoppers.

“Besides catering for shoppers, we would also like to expose them to various assortments of activities such as having lucky draws during Ramadan weekends.”

She added that the complex

usually chalks up the highest sales during Ramadan as it is then the complex conducts the most activities.

“Every year, this is what we look forward to. We usually provide 32 tents for hawkers to sell their food products, especially delicacies only available during Ramadan.

“This year, we have all been looking to our yearend sale where customers SINCE 1976: The complex still going strong after 36 years

get to enjoy products at a much discounted prices every weekend.”

She said the complex also promotes its tenants’ products through Facebook, where users are also informed on the activities and the going-ons at the complex.

“This complex receives very high interest from entrepreneurs wanting to set up their businesses here. We are still processing about 180 applications received from January till October this year.”

To be more consumerfriendly, she said among the approaches the management

SPOILT FOR CHOICES: Some of the products being showcased at the lower floor

had taken include providing disabled-friendly facilities.

Such an effort began over

the last two years and some more modifications are now being done in the building to ensure comfort within for shoppers.

“We aim to reach out to everyone and also cater those with disabilities. We also provide sufficient facilities to make it easy for them to move about in the complex.”

There are now three malls under the care of PKNS — located in Shah Alam, Bandar Baru Bangi and another in Kuala Selangor. Besides being retail centres, all three also house government offices and banks.

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THE MALAY MAIL

‘Autumn Rhythm’ by Jackson Pollock

JACKSON POLLOCK ‘The Urinal’ by Marcel DuChamp

Drawn Out With Sophia Halim

SHORTLISTING my personal list of favourite artists into the top three is never an easy task. As nonsensical as it may sound, it’s like being asked to choose your favourite strand of hair from your head.

It’s no secret that I love art and painting is something I’ve been dabbling in since I was little. There have been many artists and artworks that have inspired and influence my journey, and just to name a few, they are David Bowie, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keefe, Gustav Klimt, Ibrahim Hussein, Vincent Van Gogh, so how do you pick the top three?

Thinking back to my teenage years, painting was my form of (for a lack of a better word) “rebellion”. I saw art as a place where there’s no right or wrong – you are free to express yourself in any creative manner and dub it a “masterpiece” regardless if anyone agrees or not.

I discovered the works of French surrealist and Dada pioneer Marcel DuChamp (1887-1968) whose 1917 masterpiece The Fountain was voted as the most influential artwork of the 20th century by 500 art professionals from the UK in 2004.

Many thought this was absurd as, after all, how is it that a toilet with a fancy title — which is furthermore not even constructed by DuChamp himself — considered “art”? To pile up my disgust, how is it that this is now worth millions?

In all forms of art, includ-

ing music and theatre, there will always be that grey area where the viewer questions and attempts to interpret the artist’s intention behind his work.

Looking back to 1917, DuChamp planted the seeds of the Dada art movement which rejected the prevailing standards in art and propagated nonsense and irrationality through anti-art cultural artworks.

He anonymously submitted his scandalous toilet signed “R.Mutt” at New York’s Society of Independent Artists exhibition which caused an uproar in the art community and led many to question, what exactly is art?

In his book The Blind Man, Duchamp explained that his intent was to shift the focus of art from physical craft to intellectual interpretation in order to challenge conventional thought about traditional artistic processes.

DuChamp’s urinal demonstrated that there really are no rules in art such that in modern times, Damien Hirst gets away with exhibiting a dead stuffed shark in a tank and calling it The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living in 1991.

And so, in my journey to follow the footsteps of those who redefined what it means to produce art, I rediscovered the works of celebrated American abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock (1912–1956), famous for his uniquely defined style of drip-painting.

For some artists, painting is a journey and Pollock’s paintings were his form of expression. His technique of pouring and dripping paint allowed him to achieve an immediate means of creating art in which he defied

My favourite artists, sort of

‘Imitation Master — After Caravaggio’

by Ali Nurazmal (pic left)

They are Marcel DuChamp, Jackson Pollock and Ali Nurazmal

My local favourite

MARCEL DUCHAMP

the convention of painting on an upright surface by laying out his canvas on his studio floor to which he was able to view and apply paint from all directions.

Looking at Pollock’s artworks, there are no formal techniques, design elements or principles and as a result, you get no sense of what he felt during his artistic

process. Pollock demonstrated that sometimes the best artworks are not those that illustrate your level of skill, but your ability to successfully translate what you feel to your viewer.

While I have already mentioned two artists who have pioneered contemporary art, traditional skills will always be prized.

Here in Malaysia, Subang Jaya-based full-time artist Ali Nurazmal, 34, has painted impressive and massive realistic oil paintings which blends traditional expression with modern surreal elements to showcase his theatrical imagination, humour and wit.

Ali has been the talk in local art circles since his Renaissance-style Imitation Master — After Caravaggio series in 2009 catapulted his reputation. His most recent solo exhibition which displayed 13 art pieces were all immediately sold even before the exhibition was launched at Core Design Gallery in Subang Jaya, Selangor in September this year.

What struck me most about Ali, who I have previously interviewed for this column, is that while he has skill in traditional art techniques, he also demonstrates maturity as an artist and determination — he will spend up to a year

just to complete a painting to ensure that it meets his personal standard of perfection.

While I feel that many artists here tend to be selffocused in just creating art, Ali said he feels the need to constantly push himself to create great artwork that will forge an identity for Malaysian contemporary art.

He said: “Young artists here tend to always refer and follow what’s happening elsewhere and outside our country, which is cool but art shouldn’t be about following others. You can be inspired by others but you should try to create your own path.”

It’s the kind of attitude, drive and passion which makes artists such as DuChamp, Pollock and Ali great — although they are not my top three, they are indeed three inspiring artists who strive to be better by being unafraid to push the boundaries.

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column

outlasts Reflecting on the childhood joys of reading these two British comics famous Every Wednesday With daniel chan

NEXT Tuesday, Britain’s longest-running comics weekly The Dandy will toast the 75th anniversary of its publication since Dec 4, 1937 and on the same day cease to exist in print form but continue in online format. As such, The Dandy has lost to its junior partner The Beano which began on July 30, 1938 and after seven more months of print publication will become the new longest-surviving comics weekly in the UK. The Dandy is now selling at a meagre 8,000 copies worldwide, whereas during its hey-days in the 1950s and 1960s, two million copies were sold each week.

While sales of The Beano has dwindled drastically too, obviously it continues to enjoy circulation figures

GENERAL JUMBO

which their Dundee, Scotland-based publisher D.C. Thomson & Co — which produces both titles — are satisfied with not to resort to online format, yet.

This writer’s favourite strips in The Dandy were unlucky Korky the Cat (the cover feature from 1937 to 1984), amiable cowpieeating Desperate Dan (who took over cover status from 1984 to 1999), resourceful but trouble-making schoolboy Winker Watson (his strip started in 1960 and lasted almost a halfcentury), buffoonish sol-

dier Corporal Clott, and especially action-adventure strip The Iron Fish.

Over at The Beano, there were much, much more strips to like, notably, warm-hearted Biffo the Bear (enjoying cover status from 1948 to 1974, before being replaced by the pesky Dennis the Menace which this writer never took a fancy to though Dennis and his similarly-dispositioned dog Gnasher were very popular with most readers), naughty boy Roger the Dodger, nasty girl Minnix the Minx, the rascally Bash Street Kids who constantly made life miserable for their long-suffering Teacher (this strip began in 1954 and continues to this day), Lord Snooty and his Pals (a motley group of childhood friends of various social stratas), and especially action-adventure strips General Jumbo and Billy the Cat which, like The Iron Fish, featured heroic youths.

General Jumbo is a stocky

schoolboy (thus, his nickname Jumbo) who saved Professor Carter from being run over by a speeding bus.

Carter, a brilliant scientist and engineer, then mentors the boy, whose real name is Alfie Johnson, providing him with a radio control gadget worn on the wrist which can remote-control an army of toy soldiers and a whole range of miniature military hardware such as tanks, planes and ships, all with firepower that could stun. Jumbo would use his private army against criminals and bullies, going to the rescue of those in distress.

Billy the Cat is teenage schoolboy William Grange (Billy is the usual nickname for William) who applies his acrobatic skills as a crimefighter who wears a black helmet resembling the eyes of a cat and an allblack costume, in the town of Burnham in England. He would catch crooks and help police solve crimes,

THE IRON FISH

and in his later outings, he would have a sidekick in Katie alias his cousin Kathleen.

The Iron Fish is a small swordfish-shaped submarine which can also leap out of the water and fly in the sky like a mini-jet plane. Created by scientist Professor Gray for his son Danny to help the authorities combat criminals and terrorists, the professor would subsequently build a similar one for his daughter Penny. The thing about

superheroic fantasy is not to ask too many questions about why a scientist would risk his adolescent children to be crimebusters, or to wonder how school-going siblings Danny and Penny could be so adept at piloting such state-of-the-art submersibles with deadly firepower... so, just enjoy!

This writer has long harboured hopes of big screen versions of General Jumbo, Billy the Cat and The Iron Fish... hello, Hollywood, is anybody listening?

billy the cat

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FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

THE MALAY MAIL

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

LIFESTYLE&ENTERTAINMENT

Designer ‘Doubles’

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FEATURE

While they may be nice to look at, the sale and purchase of designer fakes is a crime.

DAZMAN MANAN takes an in-depth look at the horrors behind the phoney Pradas and faux Fendis.

NOWADAYS, not many would frown upon or give a double take on a ‘Made in China’ tag since big names like Prada, Coach, Alexander Wang, Zac Posen and DKNY have some of their goods made in the country.

Even Hermes, the premiere French brand, has launched luxury label Shang Xia (“up down” in Mandarin to convey the yin and yang harmony concept) in cosmopolitan Shanghai. Its fine products that include cashmere, jewellery, apparel and home accesories are designed and crafted in China mostly by artisans in small quantities at a high quality.

“Sooner or later, it will happen to everyone because (Chinese manufacturing) is so good,” Prada designer Miuccia Prada was quoted as saying in a Wall Street Journal interview. Ironically, the renowned fashion guru who hails from Italy, home to heavenly heels, observed

that the Chinese are particularly good with shoes.

Coming from a reputable name like hers, she’d only be right. However, there is a growing concern with regards to the ever-escalating production of designer fakes.

With China becoming the destination for some topnotch names to manufacture their wonderful wares, even with high-security and stringent quality control, it’d make it somewhat easier for counterfeiters to close in on the real deal.

Let it be know that these counterfeiters are crafty and their luxury lookalikes these days are hard to spot, even for a sophisticated shopper.

“I had the misfortune of finding out that my beloved Jackie hobo by Gucci was a knock-off when I brought it to the boutique to have the zipper pull fixed. The SA (sales associate), who at first did not notice anything

FAKES ON SALE

wrong with it, whispered to me afterwards the bag was fake,” said Amanda Abdullah who purchased the bag on an online site. (Another trading outlet to be wary of is the secondhand marketplace where counterfeiters sell imposter items to

unsuspecting clients.)

She added that the SA admitted that it was rather well-made, fooling his trained eye even for a while, until he touched, felt and caressed the leather — not as soft, supple and superior as a genuine Gucci hide. The leather’s grain, interior lining and dust bag were also a tad off. Such replicas are mostly made in China, Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and, surprise, surprise, word has it that some, especially the coveted Birkin bag by Hermes, in France!

These new generation super fakes look convincingly genuine that they’re rumoured (I repeat rumoured) to be made from home by ex-employees of Hermes. The coveted carriers are said to be completely handcrafted using the same hand-stitching technique and method adopted by the label but with a slightly inferior leather and hardware.

It does not stop there.

You can even find designer mocks in the form of timepieces, jewellery, shoes, accessories and clothes.

At least three shops in Sungei Wang Plaza, Kuala Lumpur, sell poor imitations of Rolex, IWC and Panerai watches, Bvlgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Tiffany & Co baubles, Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin heels, and ready-to-wear bearing the names Herve Leger, Marc

by Marc Jacobs, BCBG Max Azria and more.

What’s shocking too is that these vendors even

have a selection of fakes resembling rare and coveted labels like Goyard, Roger Vivier, Balmain, Dior Homme, Helmut Lang, Maison Martin Margiela and Ann Demeulemeester to name a few. Limited-edition Louis Vuitton bags in “exotic” leather have also been cloned.

“These are first-grade(s) from Korea,” a salesgirl at one of these small stores noted. “Buy la. Not many know this brand. Very exclusive and high class one you know,” she added.

SHOPPING FOR FAKES

Has your shop ever been busted, I ask. “No. Don’t know. Maybe,” she replied hesitantly after which she said that she had only been working there for less than a year.

While law enforcement officers conduct raids every once in a while, especially when luxury retailers report of having seen shops selling designer copies, somehow these stores would pop up yet again not long after the swoop.

It could either be that the penalty is not enough to

deter these counterfeiters or, “they have strong links with the ‘underworld’ and they have a way of escaping the law,” as suggested by an insider, insinuating bribery and organised crime.

Logic and economics would say that anything with a high demand and potential to be forged would attract infringers to reap profits by producing similar items, which would then be sold to ignorant consumers.

But did you know that there are horrifying stories behind the faux Fendis and phoney Pradas? It is mostly helpless children and young adults who are forced into working at small factories producing imitation items under appalling conditions in Third World Asian countries. Not only do they have to endure extremely long working hours but it has been reported some of them are chained and maimed so that they’d concentrate on work and not play outside.

The International Chamber of Commerce in the US estimates that the value of fake and pirated products worldwide is a staggering US$600 billion (RM18 trillion). It projects that the figure would double by 2015.

This also means more lives of children will be at stake, all for the thrill of owning some cheap, imperfect and feeble “extravagance”.

A study by the International Labour Organisation revealed that about 45 million children aged 10 to 14 were working in Asia a decade ago and the number is said to be much higher now. Suffice to say, if we support the illegal trade by buying or selling, we are also condoning child and slave labour.

It may not be easy to stop the flood of fakes, but by boycotting them we can put an end to their production, and more importantly, save a child’s life.

So, whether you’re a big spender or a penny pincher, purchasing a designer double IS a crime. After all, where is the satisfaction in owning something phoney that would fall apart within a couple of months?

THIS article is courtesy of UNRESERVED, the fortnightly magazine on culture, life and current affairs released every other Friday with financial newspaper Malaysian Reserve. UNRESERVED is also available at newsstands at RM6 per copy.

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LIFESTYLE&ENTERTAINMENT

column

THE MALAY MAIL

How to strike 4D using Bazi The day you buy the 4D must be on your Wealth Day

bazi With Aunty Ling

EVERYTHING is all about life. Life is about destiny.

Destiny is our life in yin and yang to see our ups and downs.

Why are the rich so rich,

The Day Stem (Yang Water) is called the Day Master, which represents you.

From your Bazi chart, you will know if you have the ingredients to be rich. Not everyone can become a millionaire, it depends on the ingredients you have and what role they play.

The world is not fair, we are all born unequal. But we are not talking about fairness, we are talking destiny. There are people who are born with wealth and there are those who are born without wealth elements in their chart. But it is not fatalistic or carved in stone that those born without wealth cannot be rich.

In the study of Chinese metaphysics, wealth is the element we control.

If you are wood, earth is your wealth as wood controls earth.

If you are earth, water is your wealth as earth absorbs water.

and the poor so poor? Have you ever thought why the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer? Anyone born in the month of wealth will be rich.

There are three types of people in this world who are rich.

They are the “born rich”, “marry rich” and “strike rich” — either one of these categories will get you there.

If you are water, fire is your wealth as water puts out fire.

If you are fire, metal is your wealth as fire melts the metal.

If you are metal, wood is your wealth as metal chops wood.

There are two types of wealth elements based on the yin and yang of the five elemets.

If you are a Yang Day Master and control a Yin element, you have Direct Wealth.

If you are a Yang Day Master and control a Yang element, you have Indirect Wealth.

If you are a Yin Day Master and control a Yang element, you have Direct Wealth.

If you are a Yin Day Master and control a Yin element, you have Indirect Wealth.

Direct Wealth represents stable and regular wealth such as day-to-day wages,

First, we must understand our own chart, which comes from our date and time of birth. The Year, Month, Day and Hour forms four pillars, and each pillar has two (Chinese) characters. The top row forms the Stems, the bottom the Branches.

4 Pillars X 2 characters — Bazi (8 characters) Below is an example of a Bazi chart:

and monthly salaries. It also represents the home and wife for males.

Indirect Wealth are fast money, gambling gains and money made from opportunities or investments such as stocks and shares, also lotteries and 4Ds. Indirect Wealth can be termed as Gambling Luck.

Thus, anyone with Indirect Wealth in their chart has the seeds to be rich, depending on where Wealth sits in your chart.

By decoding your chart, you can know more about yourself, your life and its path. And you can use this information to become a better/richer person.

• Anyone born in the month of wealth is rich.

• Anyone born in the day of wealth marry rich.

• Anyone born in the hour of wealth will work and grow rich.

• Anyone walk in the luck of wealth will strike rich.

Do you have this Destiny?

WEALTH CHART (Based on your Day Master)

How to strike 4D using Bazi.

Some people simply strike 4D for a living.

First, you must have an Indirect Wealth element in your chart — it can be on the Stems or in the Branches (the 12 Zodiac Animals).

Best is to have it on the Month Branch.

The Day you buy the Lottery/4D must be your Wealth Day, and the time you buy the Lottery/4D must be the wealth hour of your Wealth (see chart giving example on how to see Wealth Days).

If you are buying 4D, the numbers must be related

to you. (Numbers on your Identity Card, your home number, your telephone number, your car number, etc). Heard of people out there who strike lottery by buying their own car numbers?

It is not advisable to have someone share this purchase with you, as she or he may not have the wealth luck. It would help if you can purchase from the 4D outlets that is in your wealth direction. (See wealth direction the same way as you see Wealth Chart).

You may also check if you know anyone whose month of birth (Branch) is your Indi-

rect Wealth, and you can request him to buy the lottery for you, but the numbers should be your numbers as explained above. Of course, you need to pay him back for the purchase.

Note: If you like to have a copy of your Bazi chart, please log on to www.chinesemetaphysics.com and send me an email, and your chart will be forwarded to you advising on the presence of your wealth stars, if any. The website also displays wealth days for the month of December for each Day Master.

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

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LIFESTYLE&ENTERTAINMENT

Health &Beauty

By ANDREA MATHEW andrea@mmail.Com.my

FEELING vulnerable and unprotected?

Ladies, you are not alone in your struggle to preserve intimate hygiene.

For those familiar with these encounters, it seems to be a never-ending cycle.

The fight against infections ends and a new one begins as many anti-fungal products kill off the good and bad bacteria.

Without the good bacterium that acts as a protective seal to your intimacy, you are exposed and prone to further infections.

The solution is to treat the infection while protecting the vulnerability that is unique to a woman.

Gaea, a colourless and odourless gel recommended for use inside the vaginal area, helps to restore the natural environment after an infection.

Gaea is distributed and marketed locally by Microviva Marketing (M) Sdn Bhd. Microviva Marketing director Kim Fong said Gaea is a gel that mimics the body’s own natural lubrication and helps alleviate dryness that often causes bacterial and viral infections such as thrush.

“Gaea promotes a natural pH environment which in turn encourages natural flora to thrive in the vaginal tract,” she said. “Since it promotes natural selection, it leads to self-purification, the barometer of a woman’s health.”

The condition of the reproductive system determines the general health of a woman, but is disrupted by the stress of city lifestyle, said Fong.

“City lifestyle can be stressful, and our research shows that even women in their mid-30s are experiencing dryness, and the health issues that follow,” she said.

“We believe Gaea offers a simple and effective solution to common discomforts suffered by women in silence.”

Gaea can also be used for love-making by those who experience dryness, especially by matured women.

Gaea’s dual action of mois-

• FRIday 7 DECEMber 2012

Safe solution for an intimate problem

turising and lubrication is perfect for this situation.

As Gaea is formulated with a viscosity mimicking the body’s ‘natural lubrication’ resulting in a moist environment.

“We are sure sex can be more comfortable and enjoyable with Gaea as it helps

your body produce more natural lubrication,” said Fong.

Gaea intimate lubricant is pre-filled and hygienically packed with precise dosage for easy application. It’s a non-greasy water-based gel which does not cause any friction or discomfort.

It contains natural active ingredients: coconut oil extract and carrageenan which act as natural lubricants with anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties that effectively lubricates and maintains the natural pH of the vagina and preserves the normal vaginal flora.

Carrageenan is a deep-sea red algae, a commonly used nutrient thickener for baby food. Gaea contains no synthetic compounds or hormones. It also contains Aloe Vera that calms, soothes and promotes healing of scarred tissue.

Gaea comes in a box of 10 gel dispensing applicators at a price of RM380.

Gaea is a colourless and odourless gel

KIM FONG: Microviva Marketing director

THE MALAY MAIL

Testimonials by users of Gaea

ROZI ANNIE, 31, BUSINESSWOMAN: “During a pap smear after my third child, the doctor told me I am prone to cervical cancer. Last year I contracted a sexually transmitted disease called Chlamydia and my intimate area has been very uncomfortable as it was itchy. I knew I had to find a solution to maintain my intimate hygiene to preserve the health of my uterus and overall health and so in November last year, I started to use Gaea.

“I am also prone to vaginal infections due to my hectic lifestyle, frequent dampness and using g-string underwear.

My intimate area seems to be very sensitive that I even avoid using public toilets. I am very sensitive to various antibiotics and vaginal cleansing products, and frequently breakout into rashes if I use these products.

“Since using Gaea, I have not had any such allergic reactions.

In fact, I find it very soothing and it gives me a comfortable feeling. Gaea is packed in a small and portable applicator, making it easy to carry in my handbag and its hassle-free method of application makes using it fast and easy.”

JANET YEW PENG ENG, 41, MARKETING AND SALES PERSONNEL: “I work in the beauty and skin care industry, and ageing has always been my concern. In addition, I need to maintain healthy skin in order to be able to sell beauty products. I have used many products in the past and have never been able to solve my problem of pigmentation and ageing. I am aware that ageing is a hormonal related issue.

“Since I started using Gaea in December last year, my body does not have to concentrate its efforts on fighting infections at my vagina area, and it can help fight off infections in other parts of my body. I also started to see my skin texture improve.

I notice my skin getting fairer and firmer.

“Gaea also acts as a defence mechanism against my hectic lifestyle that causes my immune system to drop. It’s sterilising, balancing and cleansing process has helped keep pathogens and bacteria at bay.”

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

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LIFESTYLE&ENTERTAINMENT

THE MALAY MAIL

ENTERTAINMENT horoscope

PUZZLES

CAPRICORN

DEC 22 - JAN 19 Line up your preferences and take steps to put your plans into motion. You will command attention and attract partnerships that will improve your life, wealth and physical wellness. Love is in the stars, and a promise will be honoured.

AQUARIUS

JAN 20 - FEB 18 Ride out the storm. Keep your thoughts a secret and stand on guard to protect your assets, reputation and future prospects. Don’t let personal relationships cause you to falter when you need to stand tall and be strong.

Play to win.

PISCES

FEB 19 - MARCH 20 Tie up loose ends and make the year ahead free and clear of deadweight. An agreement you make will ensure that you get to follow your heart and a dream you’ve been trying to live for some time.

ARIES

MARCH 21 - APRIL 19

Closing a deal or finishing what you start will be crucial as the day progresses. Your reputation will be directly linked to what you do and how well you do it. Appeal to the undecided peers and clients. Financial improvement is apparent.

TAURUS

NEW SERIES

APRIL 20 - MAY 20

Take a huge step forward and you will be respected for your actions and your self-confidence. A partnership will enable you to progress faster and position you for an employment opportunity. Shoot for the stars.

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 20

Stick to the facts. Underestimating or overestimating will get you into trouble. Being concise will play out in your favour when you reach your destination in good time and with finesse. Making a good impression will be your endorsement.

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 22 Get out and meet new people or take on a responsibility that will ensure someone in need gets the help required to make the festive season bright. Anything is possible if you are diligent about making it happen. Love is in the stars.

LEO

JULY 23 - AUG 22 Troubleshooting will be your middle name. You must act fast and without complaint. It’s getting things back on the right track that will count, not who did what. Put your ego aside and do what’s best for everyone you love.

VIRGO

AUG 23 - SEPT 22

Put your priorities in a row. Make time for friends and family. Festive cheer or getting together with colleagues will bring you closer to goals. New friendships will help you see your situation in a new light. Love is highlighted.

LIBRA

SEPT 23 - OCT 22 Prepare for the future. Set up an interview or answer online job postings that interest you. The end of the year is fast approaching and setting a direction that better suits your needs personally and professionally should be put in place.

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOV 21 You’ve got the ability to capture a piece of what will be in demand. Focus on your talent and how you can turn what you have into something lucrative. A favour offered should be taken with gratitude and a consideration for future collaboration.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV 22 - DEC 21 Keep a secret. Your future will depend on how willing and able you are to do just that. Put more into your work and completing what you’ve been asked to finish and you will prove that you are trustworthy and reliable.

TV PICKS

Cinemax Astro Ch 412 11:00pm to 12:50am Hunted In this new eight-episode series, two episodes will be screened back-to-back each Friday.

This crime actioner revolves around Samantha Hunter (played by Melissa George, pic) who’s an espionage operative for Byzantium, a private intelligence agency. Samantha survives an attempt on her life, which she strongly suspects was orchestrated by members of the company she works for. After recovering and returning to active duty, she goes back to work undercover as a nanny, not knowing who tried to kill her or who to trust. It soon becomes evident that the attempt on her life is tied into a horrific event from her childhood. In the first episode Mort, a pregnant Samantha is a member of a team which succeeds in their mission of rescuing a doctor imprisoned in Tangier, Morocco. But soon after that, Samantha is ambused and badly wounded. After recovering in Scotland and nursing a determination to find out out who betrayed her, she returns to London where her boss reluctantly reemploys her and tasks her with infiltrating the home of a criminal tycoon Jack Turner (Patrick Malahide in the role). And in the second episode LB, a Byzantium team member, Hasan, is kidnapped by Turner and Samantha is ordered to kill Hasan to prevent him from being tortured and comprising details on the team. The other six episodes are titled Hourglass, Kismet, Ambassadors, Polyhedrus, Khyber and Snow Maiden. Hunted, which premiered in the UK on Oct 4 this year, and in the US on Oct 19, has been renewed for a second season.

TLC Astro Ch 707 9:00pm Now Boarding: Korea

This six-episode series showcases South Korea’s diversity and culture which is more than just kimchi, taekwondo and Gangnam-style. Hosting are Ian Wright, Janet Hsieh, Andrew Zimmern, Anthony Bourdain and Jamie Aditya. Starting in Seoul, Wright learns a thing or two about taekwondo, then goes on a tour of the Korean Demilitarised Zone, rides through the scenic viewers while mountain biking, and also stopping by the port city of Busan.

Each episode has encores at 8am on Saturdays and 1pm on Sundays.

HBO Astro Ch 411 4:00pm How Do You Know

When everything she’s ever known is suddenly taken from her, Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) begins a fling with Matty (Owen Wilson, a major league baseball player and self-centred ladies’ man. Before their relationship takes off, Lisa meets George (Paul Rudd), a straight-arrow businessman facing his own serious issues, both with his father and the law. This 2010 romantic comedy, directed by James L. Brooks, also stars Jack Nicholson. Brooks had earlier directed Nicholson to Oscar glory in 1983’s Terms Of Endearment and 1997’s As Good As It Gets.

Cinemax Astro Ch 412 2:00pm Green Lantern: Emerald Knights

Through six interlocking chapters, this 2011 feature-length animated straightto-video movie explores the mythological universe of the DC Comics superhero group Green Lantern Corps. While awaiting a battle with their ancient enemy Krona, the Corps, as the guardians of the universe, recount their greatest adventures to new recruit Arisia (voiced by Elisabeth Moss), everything from tales of the first Green Lantern to the ominous events that led to the Corp’s Blackest Night. Featuring the voices of Nathan Fillion (as Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of Earth) and Jason Isaacs (as Sinestro the renegade Green Lantern).

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

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ROLLING INTO A CELEBRATION Play with polka dots and stripes for a pretty swiss roll cake

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FRIDAY 7, december 2012

THE MALAY MAIL

SWEET DOTS AND STRIPES SWISS ROLL Patterned swiss rolls are in vogue with the bakers who have been emblazoning their sweet creations with leopard prints, cute Hello Kitty and even Angry Bird pictures. Our approach is something simpler with just a play of pastel colours

for the dots and stripes. Stack the cut swiss rolls, playing with their patterns and you’ll find it makes an adorable cake that is easy to whip up. Fiddle around with the colour and flavour combinations until you find your perfect one.

butter cream filling 160g butter, softened 40g icing sugar, sifted 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

ingredients B 4 Grade A egg yolks 30ml vegetable oil 30ml UHT milk

ingredients A 100g caster sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 Grade A egg whites

ingredients C 70g plain flour, sifted 1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted

½ teaspoon cream of tartar, sifted

Electric Green Americolour food colouring.

Light Pink Americolour food colouring

Preheat oven to 190C. Grease a Swiss roll tin measuring 36cm x 25cm. Line with greaseproof paper. Cut another piece of greaseproof paper the same size.

Chocolate Swiss Roll

To prepare butter cream: Using an electric beater, cream all the ingredients together until fluffy. Set aside.

In the Kitchen with Eu Hooi Khaw EDITORIAL NOTE

by Lee Khang Yi

|

Crave Editor

Today marks an important occasion for The Malay Mail with its 1 million copies. Momentous occasions call for celebratory cakes and our easy-to-assemble swiss roll cake is perfect for this. Not only does it look stunning, the swiss rolls are light and fluffy. Play around with your favourite flavours and you may just find the perfect cake for the occasion.

In this issue, we also have regular columnist Eu Hooi Khaw sharing the health benefits of wolfberries or kei chee. For those who love to dine out, a must-try is the BIG group’s latest venture, Hit and Mrs. It’s been love at first sight for this intimate eatery with its inventive food. The upstairs bar area also makes a great hangout in Bangsar with a nostalgic kick. You’ll be channelling P. Ramlee and Saloma with the retro setting and songs.

In the Food Bites section, we explore the bistro Mezze’s menu offerings. Tucked in Medan Damansara behind Victoria Station, this place whips up a menu of tapas eats, pies, pasta and decadent desserts. One is amazed at how everything is made from scratch by the French Chef Yves Renou down to their sauces.

Email me at khangyi@mmail.com. my for any feedback.

Happy baking and bon appetit!

ADVERTISING SALES Rajan Gopal Senior Manager, Direct & Classifieds Direct line: 03 74951282 rajan@mmail.com.my

We have been always told as a child to eat up the kei chee, those little red berries floating in our soup or in steamed chicken as they are good for the eyes. Modern research has borne this out. Kei chee or wolfberries contain more betacarotene than carrots, as well as zeaxanthin and lutine which contribute to healthy eyes.

As early as 1,000 AD, the Chinese were eating kei chee, also known as Lycium barbarum. They took them regularly for better eyesight, and their anti-ageing properties. Wolfberries are native to Inner Mongolia and it is said that the people there eat wolfberries daily, and they seldom suffer from arthritis, cancer or diabetes. Besides betacarotene, studies have revealed that wolfberries also contain 500 times more vitamin C than oranges, weight for weight, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B6, and E. According to the Beijing Nutrition Research Institute, which did a chemical analysis of wolfberries in 1988,

they also contain germanium, a rare anti-cancer agent almost never found in food. They are an eminent immune booster, nourishing not just the eyes, but also the liver, kidneys and blood, and help enhance memory too.

Wolfberries have also been found to have extremely high levels of immune-stimulating polysaccharides. The most potent wolfberries are said to come from Tibet, Xinjiang and Ningxia provinces in China. In the West, kei chee is known as goji berries, which is marketed as a health product. The berries are sold as snacks, juices and even capsules.

In daily cooking, you could also add kei chee to any double-boiled soups, braised chicken or other meats. You can also sprinkle the berries on fish before steaming. They are also good in sweet broths too, together with snow fungus, red dates, lotus seeds and magnolia petals (pak hup). Keep a bag of kei chee in your office drawer to munch or give them to your children to take to school as a snack. It sure beats eating junk food, and their eyes will be all the better for them too.

STEAMED CHICKEN WITH KEI CHEE 600g chicken thighs, skin removed and cut into pieces 1 tablespoon fresh ginger juice 1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce 1 tablespoon brandy (optional) 2 teaspoons sesame oil 1 teaspoon salt 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in water till soft and sliced 1 1/2 tablespoons kei chee

Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl, covered with cling film. Leave to marinate in a refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Remove from the refrigerator.

Place the chicken with the marinade in a heatproof bowl. Steam over rapid boiling water for 45 minutes. Remove and serve with white rice.

To prepare batter: Using an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whisk attachment, whisk ingredients A till fluffy. Add in the sifted cream of tartar and continue to whisk until the egg whites reach stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, combine ingredients B together with a wire whisk, making sure the eggs are mixed properly and there are no small bits. Add ingredients C to the egg yolk mixture and mix to combine.

Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the beaten egg whites. Set aside 50g of batter and mix with Electric Green Americolour food colouring to get the light green colour. Mix the Light Pink Americolour food colouring with the balance of the batter to get the light pink colour. Fit a Wilton nozzle #11 with a piping bag and place the light

green coloured batter inside. Pipe the light green batter into dots onto the half of the lined tray. For other half, pipe lines diagonally. Bake for 2 minutes to allow the dots and lines to set.

Remove the tray from oven, and pour the pink coloured batter over, making sure its level. Quickly return the tray into the oven and bake for further 10 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before rolling up.

To roll: Flip the cake onto another clean piece of greaseproof paper, cut into two. Roll the cake from the short side and leave to cool completely.

Unroll the cake & spread buttercream filling over and roll up. Cut into pieces and place on top of each other to resemble a cake. – Recipe by Debbie Teoh. Photography by Kenneth Lim, Gray Studio.

Chocolate Swiss Roll

Follow the above recipe but leave 50g batter untouched, while the balance of the batter is mixed with chocolate emulco to the desired brown colour.

Using the plain batter, pipe into dots on the paper and bake for 2 minutes till it sets. Pour the chocolate batter over the set dots and lines and bake.

Roll and fill with buttercream like the Sweet Dots and Stripes Swiss Roll.

Taster Comments: The swiss rolls were easy to make and I would definitely want to bake it again. It also looks pretty stacked up.”

Desiree Loke Student

et og s t s re he s swi ng w r Fo liciou e Kla gital de in th ur di . o w ls rol , see in ww y y .m n lle Va editio il.com a mm

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PROMOTION PR MO OTION

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FRIDAY 7, december 2012

INDUSTRIAL CHIC FRONTAGE

HITTING US WITH ITS BEST SHOT WHEN word emerged that the BIG group (BIG) was coming up with a new restaurant concept, Hit and Mrs, everyone just assumed it will be another mall eatery. But this time, BIG’s head honcho Benjamin Yong threw the Kuala Lumpur diners a curve ball, opening his new place in a hidden corner in Bangsar. Where’s Lorong Kurau everyone asked as they scrambled for their GPS? Most people would not have even heard of this hidden spot nestled in suburbia, far away from the busy epicenter of Bangsar Village.

Like BIG’s stable of eateries, it had us talking from its name already. Hit and Mrs plays on the words, hits and misses, the latter being every restaurateur’s nightmare for their eatery. It’s not a surprise since BIG does stand for Bright Ideas Group. Walk into the restaurant to discover industrial chic in the essence of architect Sek

“Hit and Mrs playS on the words, hits and misses, the latter being every restaurateur’s nightmare for their eatery.”

BEEF TENDERLOIN, BBQ GNOCCHI

CHICKEN TRUFFLONDAISE LAMB, BARLEY AND PEAS

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San. The group worked together with Farah Azizan from Sek San’s firm, who installed his signature look of raw cement, red bricks and tall thin trees in the restaurant. The dining space is compact, with seating for around 20 to 30 people. There’s a touch of vintage with the hanging antique perfume bottle-like lights. Across the tables is a view of the chefs’ on-goings in the open kitchen. The unfinished cement counter has room for diners to sit and enjoy the busy kitchen up close and personal.

On the end of the eatery, a courtyard opens up to allow you al-fresco dining complete with recycled pipes as a water feature. Venture upstairs and discover the bar area all decked up in nostalgia.

Obvious care has been taken to give the place, a distinct look with retro wooden furniture, old photographs and even cut glass brandy decanters. Tiny details matter in Hit and Mrs down to your table settings. We love the whole ensemble on our table, from the Muji wooden plates to the antique cutlery.

Even your drinking glasses are Dutch artist Rob Brandt’s famous crinkled cups, a design classic. Old school coffee cups commonly found in the local kopitiam give our tea and coffee a retro look.

Unlike BIG’s outlets that run on items from the central kitchen, Hit and Mrs is more private and intimate, as cooking

FOIE GRAS PARFAIT

is all done here. The approach here is experimental dining by young Chef Mashad Emran Iskandar Pino who cut his teeth in kitchens around Europe.

The dinner menu is compact and divided into small, big and sweet plates.

Prices range from RM25 to RM65 for the items. There is also an eight-course tasting menu for RM175 per person, where you choose six items from the menu and the chef surprises you with 2 items. The menu changes on market availability of items. In each plate, the chef plays culinary alchemist, as it is a clever play of flavours and textures that work like a symphony.

Our meal kicks off with a refreshing amuse bouche of watermelon, goat cheese, basil with a hit of olive oil. Decadence then rolled in the form of Foie gras parfait (RM35), a creamy gelato with the taste of the buttery liver served on a slice of brioche and cranberry

“Tiny details matter in Hit and Mrs down to your table settings.” sauce. Next is a chilled Rock melon soup laced with port wine (RM35). The light refreshing soup with the fruits is enhanced with a touch of the sweet red wine. Chicken is often pushed aside for other meats. But don’t miss out the Chicken trufflondaise (RM55) with black quinoa. The juicy succulent chicken pieces are drizzled with a rich creamy hollandaise sauce topped with a piece of black truffle, which makes every bite to be relished. The grain fed beef tenderloin (RM65) is cooked to tender perfection, perhaps with the magic from the sous vide machine. The plating is interesting, as the beef is precut and scattered with cherry tomatoes, garlic slices. Joining the delicious plate is BBQ gnocchi, smooth potato dumplings with slightly charred edges that pairs well with the tender meat and the onion toffee sauce.

In Chef Mashad’s hands, even the humble barley grain is polished to resemble delicious white pearls firm

to the bite. The al dente barley is a delightful contrast with soft melting brie cheese and mushroom slices, the surprise dish from the chef for the tasting menu. It was anointed with a soy based sauce that worked to give it a savoury yet light taste. Those pearls also popped up in our Lamb, barley and peas (RM55) main plate. The fork tender lamb cutlet worked well with the combination that resembled a light risotto minus any heavy starchiness.

Think peanut butter jam sandwiches and you have a sophisticated version of pan-fried foie gras served with peanut crumbs and raspberry jam that has you licking your lips. One would be quick to strike off this tasting menu item as a childish invention but the proof is in the taste, and it works as we tuck into our second helping of the foie gras.

Desserts or sweet plates are a play of textures, scattered around on the plate, beckoning you to dig in. The chilled lemon custard (RM25) is light and refreshing with the fresh raspberries,

“Think peanut butter jam sandwiches and you have a sophisticated version of pan-fried foie gras served with peanut crumbs and raspberry jam that has you licking your lips.” raspberry puree, tapioca pearls and crumble. The Peanut butter dessert (RM25) may not look the prettiest but it is definitely the tastiest, with all those yummy flavours of cold peanut butter ice cream, chocolate soil and the chocolate sauce mingling on the plate.

It is early days yet but so far, a taste of Chef Mashad’s food has us hoping this place is here to stay and the kitchen manages to maintain its momentum. Another plus point is the relaxed atmosphere here, akin to your friendly neighbourhood joint with no stuffy dress code. With its intimate dining space, well thought out design and Chef Mashad’s culinary genius, we reckon BIG definitely deserves a pat in the back for a dining concept that ticks all the right boxes. Next on the agenda is weekend brunch that is rumoured to be filled with eggs and foie gras. Lunch is still a work-in-progress that is set to roll out in a month’s time.

Hit & Mrs, 15 & 15A, Lorong Kurau, Taman Weng Lock, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Tel:03-22823571. Open: 6pm to 10.30pm. (Tuesdays to Sundays).

Closed on Mondays.

LEMON CUSTARD, RASPBERRY

Crave pays for all its meals and all its reviews are conducted anonymously.

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FOOD bites

BISTRO BITES

INSIDE THE COSY MEZZE

DUCK AND CHICKEN SPRING ROLLS

CARBONARA

LAMB PILAF PIE

SINCE it opened its doors in Daman- topping is made from a variety of sara Heights about two years back, cherry and sundried tomatoes that Mezze’s Mediterranean menu has gives you a sweet taste. Another good evolved to also incorporate Asian fa- bar snack, popular with regulars is the vourites to suit diners’ palates. Mez- Duck and chicken spring rolls (RM21). ze’s owner, Datin Shantini Sabapathy You get an appetizing crunch followed also has culinary input in the menu, by a generous filling of aromatic pulled adopting dishes she sampled from roasted duck and chicken, mixed with overseas, working together with Mez- feta cheese and mushrooms. And for ze’s Chef Yves Renou. The restaurant a local twist, dip it with a mild sambal also prides itself from making every- relish served on the side.

Hungry tummies can tuck into the thing from scratch like sausages, pickLamb pilaf pie (RM38), the proud inles and sauces.

The casual bistro serves tapas plates vention of Datin Shantini. Dig into the like the Trio of bruschetta (RM18). flaky crust to discover fluffy basmati The crunchy baguettes are topped rice layered with cashews, raisins and with three flavours: a moreish pureed hidden treasure in the form of tender spinach with mozzarella, roasted to- chunks of lamb cooked with aromatic matoes with basil, and a light tasting spices. A cooling raita topped with on the funghi au truffle.

The roasted tomato pomegranates is also served RinggitPlus1MMMCompetition_MalayMail_(18cmx26cm)_Teaser_2012-11-26.pdf 1 14/11/2012

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side. Laden with smoky bacon strips, the Carbonara (RM26) makes a comforting creamy dish with raw egg yolk you mix with the spaghetti strands.

For Fridays and Saturdays, lunch is served up to 5pm. One of the menu items includes the Vietnamese Pho Beef noodle soup (RM26.90). According to Ling Ang, Mezze’s restaurant manager, their broth is heartier and more robust with the addition of oxtail.

Chef Yves credits this version to his father who lives in Vietnam. The smooth rice noodles, is served with a generous portion of tender oxtail and rare beef slices, with a side of basil and mint leaves, and bean sprouts.

Leave room for desserts, like Mezze’s signature Sticky toffee pudding (RM17), a moist sponge cake with 7:44:09 PM

a thick caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream, said to be Datin Shanti’s family recipe. There is also decadent chocolate in the form of a Chocolate Royale cake (RM18). For Christmas, the bistro also does takeaway for their duck liver pate and sausages.

A popular takeaway item is their homemade hams served with raisin sauce. Upstairs, you can relax in their lounge or at the bar with its range of cocktails, beer on tap and a selection of over 50 single malt whiskies.

Mezze Bistro, Wine Bar & Lounge, 132, Jalan Kasah, Medan Damansara, Kuala Lumpur Tel:03-20950122. Open: 3pm to 1am (Monday to Thursday), 12 noon to 1am (Fridays and Saturdays).

Closed on Sundays.

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING

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friday 7 december 2012

NEWS

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world A horse can reflect the owner’s wish to have swift changes, or to enhance business quickly Hong Chen feng shui master

SHANGHAI

Jade horse for better fortunes After collapse of deal and arrest of executives, company asks feng shui master for guidance AFTER weathering the col- managing director, Ian Baulapse of a US$19.5 billion ert, said in an interview.

“So the good qi comes in, (RM59.3 billion) deal in 2009 and the arrest of four the good spirit comes in to executives, Rio Tinto Group recirculate and makes us a did what you do in China prosperous and happy comto court better fortune: It pany in China.”

While Rio has lost share bought a jade horse.

Standing at 1.2m, the stat- to arch rival BHP Billiton ue cut from the gemstone in China since the trouble has a prime view of Shang- welled up in 2009, it nevhai from the company’s of- ertheless increased Chinese fice on the 40th floor of the sales 72 per cent to US$19.5 Wheelock Square building. billion (RM59.3 billion) It is meant to help avoid in the three years through any repeat of the rocky rela- June 30.

BHP boosted Chinese sales tionship the world’s secondbiggest mining company has 119 per cent to US$21.6 bilhad with China, its largest lion (RM65.7 billion) in the period. customer and shareholder.

Since the fallout from “When we designed this office, we asked a feng shui 2009, the company has “immaster to give us some guid- proved its position substan- including Rio shares.

He credited Rio’s efforts ance and he said it was very tially,” said Tim Schroeders, important to have a jade who helps manage $1 billion without commenting on horse in a pool of water,” (RM3.1 billion) at Pengana any potential luck from the RinggitPlus1MMMCompetition_MalayMail_(18cmx26cm)_Secondpage_2012-11-26.pdf 1 14/11/2012 6:37:31 PM London-based Rio’s China Capital Ltd in Melbourne, horse, which was built from

BAUERT: ‘Good qi comes to recirculate and make us a prosperous and happy company’ SYMBOL OF WEALTH: The running jade horse in the offices of Rio Tinto in Shanghai — BLOOMBERGpix

white jade.

Rio, the world’s secondbiggest iron ore exporter, competes with BHP and Brazil’s Vale SA to feed China’s

US$82 billion (RM249.6 billion) a year appetite for the steel-making material.

With stakes that high, any help Rio can get to main-

tain smooth relations with China’s government is welcome, after the jailing of company executives.

The running jade horse, designed by Beijing-based Taiwanese artist Huang Zhiyang, is 1.6m long and 0.35m wide. It has steel frame set with jade pieces and stands in a pool of water. In China, water is a symbol of wealth and when spoken the word has a similar sound to “cai,” a word for money or wealth.

“A horse can reflect the owner’s wish to have swift changes, or to enhance business quickly,” Hong Chen, a feng shui master, who did not participate in the consultation for Rio Tinto, said in a phone interview from Beijing.

“Jade is valuable and noble.” — Bloomberg News

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world

PARIS

WASHINGTON

RIFU (Japan)

Onion Johnnies set sail again

Herbal remedies can be harmful

Yuzuri brings back the smiles

Producers of Brittany’s celebrated pink onions set out to seduce new generation of British housewives

Reports underscore need for improved oversight on marketing of dietary supplements

Sport is being used as healing process in a region struck by earthquake and tsunami to get back on its feet

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BRIEFS

SINGAPORE

Lee: Baby boom vital for S’pore Encouraging citizens to have more children continues to be biggest challenge PRIME MINISTER Lee Hsien Loong says encouraging citizens of Singapore to have more children is the biggest challenge confronting the island if it wishes to remain an economic juggernaut in the developed world.

The government has not succeeded in impressing on citizens that “this is going to be a retirement home and not a vibrant city” if the population is unsustained, Lee, 60, said in an interview.

“We’ll be dealing with it over the next 10 years, and longer,” he said of the legacy of a falling birthrate.

Lee, in his ninth year as

prime minister, plans to unveil a package of measures in January aimed at boosting the fertility rate from 1.2 per woman.

At stake is maintaining the achievements of an economy transformed by the embrace of free trade, fostering of higher-value manufacturing and nurturing of businesses and services such as gambling and health care.

“You have to be able to institutionalise what we have achieved,” Lee said of the most important tasks for the country after its development under the leadership of former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, his father.

LEE: ‘Retirement home if population unsustained’

While developed nations from Germany to Japan have struggled with falling birthrates, Singapore’s size — at 5.3 million on an island smaller than New York

City — means it lacks the domestic demand that larger economies can stimulate to sustain growth. Non-oil domestic exports are equivalent to more than half of the country’s gross domestic product.

“It’s an issue which many countries are dealing with.

“None of them have come to any very satisfactory solution because the trade-offs are difficult ones,” Lee said.

More than four decades after independence, women here are barely producing enough children to replace one parent.

Policymakers have tried and failed to reverse the

declining trend since 1987, and handouts of as much as S$18,000 (RM45,000)) per child, extended maternity leave and tax breaks have done little to sway Singaporeans to have more babies.

The government will debate its population policy in Parliament in January, Lee said in the interview.

Areas being considered include priority housing for couples with young children, paternity or shared parental leave, the defraying of childhood medical expenses, better pre-school and improved cash benefits for having children. — The Washington Post

MUENSTER (Germany)

WASHINGTON

Rule of law report pinpoints room for progress in Asia EAST ASIA scores well when it comes to keeping a lid on crime, but it still has work to do on other key factors that constitute the rule of law, a study suggests.

The non-profit World Justice Project’s third annual Rule of Law Index takes stock of the development of the core legal concept in 97 countries and jurisdictions, based on interviews with 97,000 citizens and 2,500 experts.

It quantifies such factors as limited government powers, absence of corruption, order and security, fundamental rights, open government, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice.

Worldwide, the Nordic nations — Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden — as well as the Netherlands scored best across all nine

factors, according to the 228-page report.

In terms of order and security, Singapore and Hong Kong scored the highest of all countries, with regional neighbours Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam and South Korea also placing among the top 30. China was at 32.

But with the exception of Japan and Hong Kong, East Asian nations lagged in other areas.

China’s criminal justice system was compromised by political meddling and dueprocess violations, while its limits on freedom of speech and assembly put it near bottom for fundamental rights.

Indonesia ranked last in East Asia in terms of corruption, and police abuses and harsh prison conditions were deemed to be significant problems, according to the report. — AFP

2012 likely to be warmest on record NEW YORK: The years 2001-2011 were among the warmest on record, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said in its latest provisional annual statement on global climate. “The UN agency says the first 10 months show 2012 will most likely be no exception despite the cooling influence of La Nina early in the year,” deputy UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey said. — Reuters

Thailand biggest rice exporter BANGKOK: Thailand is set to overtake India as the world’s largest rice exporter as the nation accelerates sales from state stockpiles, adding to record global supplies, the International Rice Research Institute says. Shipments from India may drop to 7 million metric tons that began on Oct 1, said Samarendu Mohanty, a senior economist. — Bloomberg News

‘Casablanca’ piano up for auction NEW YORK: The piano used as the prop for the key flashback scene between Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca will go on sale next month. Sotheby’s says the auction should raise between US$800,000 (RM2.4 million) and US$1.2 million (RM3.6 million) for the piano on which movie character Sam plays As Time Goes By for Rick and Ilsa. — AFP

Family drowns trying to save dog

Whale of a time Taxidermist Werner Beckmann poses with a pot whale skeleton at the Natural History Museum in Muenster, northern Germany. The whale stranded a year ago on the German island of Pellworm. The 650kg skull as well as vertebra and jaws of the 15m-long mammal exhibited until November 2013 — AFPpic

SAN FRANCISCO: A California mother and father and their 16-year-old son were swept out to sea after a deadly chain of events set off when the teenager jumped into the waters to save the family dog. The dog escaped on his own from the water. But Howard Kuljian, 50, and Mary Scott, 54, died while their son remain missing. — Reuters

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world Coffee can be beneficial and the caffeine does not appear to have a positive or negative effect on diabetes risk Frank Hu Harvard University

BRIEFS

WASHINGTON

Caffeine-diabetes link unresolved US study finds coffee does not have effect on risk of developing disease SUGARY drinks are linked to a heightened risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, but a large US study that confirmed this shed little light on whether caffeine — suggested in past studies to have a link to sugar processing — helps or hinders.

Among more than 100,000 men and women followed for 22 years, those who drank sugar-sweetened drinks were as much as 23 per cent more likely to develop diabetes than those who did not, but the risk was about the same whether the drinks contained caffeine or not, according to the study that appeared in

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

“We found that caffeine doesn’t make a difference at all,” said lead author Frank Hu of Harvard University.

“Coffee can be beneficial and the caffeine does not appear to have a positive or negative effect on diabetes risk.”

Numerous past studies have linked regular consumption of soft drinks, both sugarand artificially-sweetened, to an increased risk of diabetes.

Research over the past decade has also suggested that caffeine temporarily prevents the body from processing sugar efficiently, a problem

JUBA (South Sudan)

that those who live with diabetes deal with all the time.

That at least suggests that caffeine in conjunction with sweetened drinks might raise diabetes risk even further.

However, other research has found a protective effect from coffee and tea, suggesting caffeine does the opposite.

Hu and his co-authors wanted to know if people who regularly drink sugary and caffeinated beverages might only be exaggerating their risk of developing a disease that affects nearly 26 million adults and children, or about 8 per cent of the US popula-

tion, according to the American Diabetes Association.

They examined the health habits of 75,000 women and 39,000 men involved in long-term health studies that began in the mid-1980s.

Compared to people who did not consume sugary drinks, the likelihood of developing diabetes over the years for those who did was higher by 13 per cent for caffeinated sugary drinks and 11 per cent for decaffeinated among women, and by 16 per cent or 23 per cent among men, respectively.

Caffeine-free artificially sweetened drinks were also

linked to a 6 per cent increase in risk among women.

However, coffee drinkers showed slightly lower risks compared to non-drinkers.

The chances of developing diabetes were 8 per cent lower among women, whether they drank decaf or regular coffee, and for men, 4 per cent lower with regular coffee and 7 per cent lower with decaf.

Hu and his team used this same dataset, which contains the health habits of mostly white health professional, to suggest that regular coffee drinking in general is tied to a lower risk of diabetes.

— Reuters

ROSCOFF (France)

’Allo ’Allo! Onion Johnnies set sail for Britain again

GLOBETROTTER: Hughes at his last stop, South Sudan, after completing his journey which took him to 201 countries in almost four years — AFPpic

Itchy-footed Briton visits every nation without flying A BRITON has claimed to be the first person to have visited every sovereign nation on the globe without flying, after he crossed into the world’s youngest country, South Sudan.

Graham Hughes, 33, took almost four years to tick 201 countries off his list, including all 193 members of the United Nations, as well as destinations including Kosovo, Palestine, Taiwan, Vatican City and Western Sahara.

“I’ve been travelling now for 1,426 days, that’s 203 weeks, almost four years,” said the cowboy-hat wearing globetrotter as he quaffed warm fizzy wine in the tropical heat, soon after crossing the border from Uganda.

“I started in Uruguay on Jan 1, 2009, and I’ve been travelling pretty much nonstop since then to try and be the first person to visit every country in the world without flying, and today, I

just have.”

Hughes based his journey on four key rules: he could not fly, must not drive his own transport, must take “scheduled ground transport” and to qualify as a visit to a country, he “must step foot on dry land”.

“The main highlight.has been the reaffirmation of my faith in humanity and the fact that people I’ve met on the road have been so friendly,” he said.

Hughes, who comes originally from Liverpool and who also raised money for WaterAid, a British charity that works to provide clean water, had already visited northern Sudan.

South Sudan, which won independence from Sudan in July 2011, was not a country when he started his travels.

“Most people thought that I was a bit mad, a lot of people thought it was impossible,” he told AFP in Juba. — AFP

ONION JOHNNIES, the travelling salesmen whose berets and bicycles inspired Britain and much of the world’s classic image of the archetypal Frenchman, are setting sail for England once more.

Beset by tough market conditions at home, the producers of Brittany’s celebrated pink onions have decided it is time to seduce a new generation of British housewives with their Gallic charm and strings of eye-watering produce.

The Etoile du Roi (Star of the King), a replica of an 18th-century sailing ship, set off from the Breton port of Roscoff last week, weighed

LONDON-BOUND: Workers load the pink onions destined for Britain aboard the Etoile du Roy (Star of the King) — AFPpic

‘Titanic’ iceberg photo under the hammer WASHINGTON: A rare original photograph of the iceberg suspected of sinking the Titanic in the icy North Atlantic in 1912 is coming up for auction next month. RRAuction of Amherst, New Hampshire, said on its website the towering iceberg seen in the mounted black-and-white image is “eerily similar” to the one depicted in sketches by two crew members of the ill-fated liner. “The photo shows a massive iceberg with a very distinctive elliptical shape,” added the auctioneers, who estimated its value at US$8,000 (RM24,300) to US$10,000 (RM30,400) ahead of the sale that runs from next Thursday to Dec 16. — Reuters

Firm claims biggest jet engine advance LONDON: A small British company with a dream of building a re-usable space plane has won an important endorsement from the European Space Agency (ESA) after completing key tests on its novel engine technology. Reaction Engines Ltd believes its Sabre engine, which would operate like a jet engine in the atmosphere and a rocket in space, could displace rockets for space access and transform air travel by bringing any destination on Earth to no more than four hours away. — Reuters

Father blocks Winehouse play

HAVE ONIONS WILL TRAVEL: Close-up of the pink onions destined for Britain — AFPpic

down by a hefty cargo of onions that it will deliver to London after stopovers on the Channel island of Jersey and at Portsmouth, on England’s southern coast.

It was from Roscoff in 1828

that the first French onion salesman to try his luck in England set sail, the trip across the Channel being far shorter and less hazardous than an overland journey to the markets of Paris.

Having returned with tales of how quickly he had sold his cargo, he established a tradition that was to continue well into the 20th century, according to Francois Seite, a former salesman himself who is now the president of the local ‘Johnnies’ association and Chamberlain of the Confraternity of the Onions of Roscoff.

“From Roscoff to Plymouth, it is the same as Roscoff to Rennes (in southern Brittany), except that there is the Channel in between them,” explains the 72-year-old former farmer who, like his father, spent years on the highways and byways of England, first by bicycle then with a little van. — AFP

COPENHAGEN: A play on the life of late British singer Amy Winehouse has been blocked by the singer’s father, the Danish copyright collecting society said. The show, titled Amy, was due to open at the Royal Danish Theatre in January but was cancelled because KODA, a society that administers music copyrights in Denmark, withdrew its permission to use Winehouse’s songs in the play.

“It is Amy Winehouse’s father who has thrown a spanner in the works,” KODA spokesman told AFP. Mitch Winehouse had contacted KODA via his music publisher within the past few weeks, he said. — AFP

Young unaware of HIV infections CHICAGO: More than a quarter of new HIV infections in the United States strike young people aged 13 to 24 and 60 per cent of those do not know they are sick, health officials said. An estimated 12,200 youth were infected with HIV in 2010, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a new study. Young gay and bisexual men and African American youths were hit hardest, and the study found a variety of reasons for risky behaviour that increases the risk of contracting the virus. — AFP

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Even when the agency [FDA] identifies an unsafe product, it lacks authority to mandate its removal from the market because it must meet the very high legal requirement to demonstrate a ‘significant or unreasonable’ risk Donald Marcus physician-scientist

BRIEFS

TOKYO

NEW YORK

Warning on herbal remedies

Seas rising faster than UN forecast PARIS: Sea levels are rising 60 per cent faster than the United Nation’s climate panel forecast in its most recent assessment, scientists reported. At present, sea levels are increasing at an average of 3.2mm a year, a trio of specialists reported in the journal Environmental Research Letters. This compares with a “best estimate” by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007, which projected that by today, the rise would be 2mm a year. The new figure converges with a widely-shared opinion that the world is heading for sea-level rise of around a metre by century’s end, co-author Grant Foster of US firm Tempo Analytics said. — AFP

Reports underscore need for monitoring dietary supplements THE office of the inspectorgeneral of the Department of Health and Human Services has issued two reports underscoring the need for improved oversight on the marketing of dietary supplements and improved surveillance of their effects.

The reports add to a mounting body of evidence documenting a serious public-health problem. Use of dietary and herbal supplements has grown dramatically in recent years in the United States.

In 2007, according to the National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, US$14.8 billion (RM45 billion) was spent on non-vitamin, non-mineral, natural products, such as fish oil, glucosamine and Echinacea.

Of that total, US$4.4 billion (RM13.4 billion) was spent on herbal supplements.

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey for 2003 to 2006 indicate that one-half of American adults use dietary supplements and 20 per cent

use a supplement with at least one botanical ingredient.

Many people think that because herbs are natural, and because they are being marketed and sold legally, they must be safe and effective.

Furthermore, surveys of the public indicate that most people believe these products are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration. Both assumptions are mistaken.

In 1994, Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, with heavy backing from the dietary supplements industry.

By defining herbal supplements and botanicals as dietary supplements, the act exempted them from the more rigorous standards used by the FDA in regulating food, drugs and medical devices — essentially leaving it up to the industry to regulate itself.

This single piece of legislation opened the floodgates to a rapid expansion in the sale of dietary supplements.

Between 1994 and 2008, the

number of dietary supplement products on the market increased from 4,000 to 75,000.

In the first 10 months of 2008, the FDA received nearly 600 reports of serious adverse events (including hospitalisation, disability and death) and 350 reports of moderate or mild adverse events.

However, the FDA believes that these reports are drastically under-reported and estimates that the annual number of all adverse events is 50,000.

Two highly respected physician-scientists, Donald Marcus of Baylor College of Medicine and Arthur Grollman of Stony Brook University, have been drawing attention to the dangers of herbal supplements for more than a decade.

“Even when the agency [FDA] identifies an unsafe product, it lacks authority to mandate its removal from the market because it must meet the very high legal requirement to demonstrate a ‘significant or unreasonable’ risk.

— The Washington Post

Bacteria thrives without oxygen

Food from ‘Santa’ A DIVER wearing a Santa Claus costume swims with dolphins as he feeds fish in a large fish tank during a Christmas show at the Kakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama, sururban Tokyo. The show will be held daily to attract visitors until Christmas Day. — AFPpic

WASHINGTON

White House dresses up for holidays THIS year’s official White House holiday gingerbread house is grey. But don’t panic — it wasn’t recycled from the deep freeze of White House Christmases past.

The 136kg replica of the presidential mansion, made for the first time of rye-, wheat- and white-flour gingerbread, replicates the original sandstone used in the building of the White House.

“I went to the first lady’s office to present my idea, and they liked it,” says Bill Yosses, White House executive pastry chef.

“We made it to look like it did when it was built with stone from Aquia, Virginia, before they painted it white in 1798.”

First lady Michelle Obama welcomed military families at the annual unveiling of glitter-

WASHINGTON: Researchers have found bacteria thriving beneath ice, in the dark and without oxygen in a lake in Antarctica, pushing the boundaries of what was thought necessary to sustain life on Earth. It is an extreme environment that also could exist elsewhere in the solar system, suggesting the possibility of conditions for life to exist somewhere that is not this planet. “The discovery of this ecosystem gives us insight into other isolated, frozen environments on Earth, but it also gives us a potential model for life on other icy planets that harbour saline deposits and subsurface oceans, such as Jupiter’s moon Europa,” said Nathaniel Ostrom, a Michigan State University zoologist who co-authored Microbial Life at -13ºC in the Brine of an IceSealed Antarctic Lake. — Reuters

School trains ‘Santa-sans’

BO AND THE KIDS: Children flock to the Obama family dog Bo, as first lady Michelle Obama greets military families at the White House in Washington— WashingtonPostpic

ing holiday decorations that opens the season of entertaining at the White House. More than 90,000 people are expected to visit the public rooms during this holiday season for tours, receptions and dinners.

The year’s theme — drum roll, please — is “Joy to All,” and in the execution, the Obamas use some things old and some things new.

“Joy” joins the Obamas’ previous official themes in White House: 2009’s “Reflect, Rejoice, Renew” (trees trimmed

in dried root materials from the White House garden); 2010’s “Simple Gifts” (wreaths of recycled newspapers); and last year’s “Shine, Give, Share” (recycled aluminum trees) .

Speaking of history, there’s a lot of it on view hanging on the 54 live Christmas trees and the many mantels, tables and windows that have been beautified by 85 volunteers during a fiveday decor-a-thon. More than 60 per cent of the ornaments displayed are repurposed; others were commissioned for this

CHRISTMAS JOY: Olivia Marlow, six, and her friend Lauren Ray, seven, admire a tree at the White House entrance hall. Both are from military families stationed in northern Virginia — WashingtonPostpic

year’s festivities.

On the Blue Room’s 18-foot6-inch Fraser fir, known as the official White House Christmas tree, dangle ornaments decorated by children of military families who live on bases around the world.

First lady Jacqueline Kennedy is credited with selecting the first White House holiday theme and starting 50 years of presidential traditions of ribbons and bows, lamb chops and eggnog. And don’t forget all those White House pets that

are honoured at the holidays, including Laura Bush’s Scottish terrier, Barney, and the Obamas’ Portuguese water dog Bo, who has been depicted made out of pipe cleaners and had holiday cookies made in his likeness.

New for 2012: “Boflakes,” large round snowflakes featuring the popular pet. Visiting children will be given bookmarks with a checklist of eight rooms with hidden Boflakes and challenged to find them all. — The Washington Post

TOKYO: Magic tricks and straight answers are all part of being Santa in Japan — at least according to Tokyo’s Santa Claus Academy, which trains St. Nicks in a country with little Christian tradition and a Christmas that’s far more retail than religion. On a recent weekend, 88 Santa wannabes packed the school in Tokyo’s fashionable Roppongi district for a crash course in how to behave as “Santa-san,” as the man in red is known in Japan.

— Reuters

Astronauts to spend year in space CAPE CANAVERAL: Two veterans of the International Space Station will return for an experimental year-long stay aboard the orbital outpost, a test run for future missions to the moon, asteroids and Mars, Nasa said. Former US station commander Scott Kelly, 48, who last flew in 2011, will be paired with Russian Mikhail Kornienko, 52, for a 12-month assignment beginning in 2015. — Reuters

THE MALAY MAIL

87

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THE MALAY MAIL

world I think one of the most beautiful things about ice dance is that it can really move you emotionally Meryl Davis American ice dancer

WASHINGTON

Comeback bugs GUINEA worm may be down and almost out, but doctors worry that the following nasty diseases are poised to pick their heads off the mat: Tuberculosis TB has been treatable for decades through a sixmonth antibiotics course.

But poor-quality diagnoses, treatment, and medicines contributed to the rise of 8.7 million new cases in 2011.

Leprosy In 1991, the WHO set a goal of eliminating the disease by 2000. Yet 219,000 new cases were reported last year, mostly in Africa and Asia.

Gout The disease of medieval kings has returned to hobble average Westerners who now have a king’s capacity for indulging in rich diets.

BEIJING

Chinese records FROM airport terminals to golf resorts, China is home to some record-breaking projects.

Fastest train The bullet train from Shanghai’s western suburb of Hongqiao to the lakeside resort city of Hangzhou, unveiled in fall 2010, can reach speeds of up to 418 kilometres per hour.

Longest bridge across sea The six-lane Hangzhou Bay Bridge, in Haiyan, is 35km and crosses Hangzhou Bay on China’s east coast.

Largest airport terminal Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital International Airport, opened just before the 2008 Olympics, was built by 50,000 workers, is 2.8km long and has floor space 17 per cent larger than the London Heathrow airport.

Largest golf resort The Mission Hills resort, outside the industrial city of Shenzhen across the border from Hong Kong, has 12 golf courses spanning 6.8 hectares.

RIFU (Japan)

Yuzuru brings back the smiles Figure skating victory raises roof in tsunami morgue as sport helps in healing process LOCAL schoolboy Yuzuru Hanyu’s emotional figure skating victory in an arena pressed into service as a morgue after the Japanese tsunami was a tonic for an area struggling to get back on its feet.

Sport is being used as part of the healing process in the region of northeast Japan devastated by the earthquake and tsunami that struck in March 2011, destroying whole communities and leaving more than 18,000 people dead.

The NHK Trophy, a Grand Prix event staged at the 7,000-seat Sekisui Heim Super Arena, is the latest in a list of sporting fixtures brought to the area, including under-20 women’s football World Cup matches and an international triathlon.

The arena itself has already been used for concerts and other sports events, including the national handball championships in July, after it was refurbished and blessed by a Shinto priest when its emergency mission ended.

The Japan Skating Federation said it picked the region for the NHK Trophy to “send a message about our recovery, in response to support

EMOTIONAL VICTORY: Yuzuru’s performance at the NHK Trophy brings welcome cheer to home fans

from around the world”.

“Thank you from Tohoku, Japan,” read a message projected in several languages onto the ice, referring to the region battered by the disaster, as medallists skated at a gala exhibition.

The success in the men’s competition the previous day of Yuzuru, a 17-year-old high school student from the adjoining city of Sendai,

brought welcome cheer to the home fans.

“He is helping us stay strong,” said Yukiko Yonezawa, selling fried noodles at a stall outside the venue.

Yuzuru, whose home and local skating rink were damaged in last year’s disaster, was ecstatic after his second career Grand Prix victory, stroking the ice and admitting: “I talked to the rink,

STANDING OVATION: Spectators applaud participants of the figure skating event at the Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Rifu, northern Japan. In the background is a mosaic art piece expressing gratitude in different languages to countries for their support following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami -- AFPpix

saying ‘I thank you very much’.”

The 2010 world junior champion broke his own world short-programme record and topped the free skate, refusing to be put off even by two moderate earthquakes that brought back dark memories.

American ice dancing pair Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who won the ice

dance title, were also caught up in the emotion of the occasion.

“I think one of the most beautiful things about ice dance is that it can really move you emotionally,” said Davis.

“So it’s an honour for us to be able to perform for the audience and hopefully lift their spirits in some sort of way.” — AFP

SYDNEY

PARIS

Australian wildlife taught to shun cane toads

‘1001 Nights’ cast spell in Paris expo

AUSTRALIA’S native animals are being fed nauseating sausages of cane toad meat in a bid to train them against eating the foul, toxic species as it spreads into new areas, researchers said.

Cane toads, a warty, leathery creature with a venom sac on their heads toxic enough to kill snakes and crocodiles, are advancing across northwestern Australia at a speed of 50km a year.

They were first introduced to Australia from Hawaii to control scarab beetle populations in the 1930s and have now reached pest proportions, breeding prolifically and with few predators.

Native animals, particularly small marsupials and lizards, will die if they eat

SPREADING FAST: Cane toads, such as the one above, have now reached pest proportions — AFPpic

a full-grown adult and conservationists are attempting to give them a repellent first taste of toad to train them against seeing it as food.

Tiny sausage-shaped baits made of cane toad flesh with

the poison removed have been laid out in native quoll, dingo, snake and lizard habitats, laced with a salt that induces instant nausea, forcing the animal to spit it back out.

“The animals are therefore likely, if they encounter anything and they bite it and it tastes like a toad, smells like a toad, they’re going to remember back to that horrible experience,” David Pearson, from Western Australia’s Department of Environment and Conservation, told AFP. Field trials were already showing success, with motion-sensitive cameras at the bait sites recording animals eating and then spitting out the sausages. — AFP

FULL of flying carpets, genies, love and battle, a Paris show just open here lifts the curtain on One Thousand and One Nights, exploring the roots of the folk tales and their powerful influence in the West.

Through some 350 manuscripts, artworks, artefacts and film clips, the show at the Arab World Institute traces the tales’ journey from their origin in Indian and Persian folkore, to their translation into Arabic in the eighth century.

And it highlights how the French Orientalist Antoine Galland brought the “Nights” to Western audiences in 1704, translating a manuscript of 35 original tales, and weaving in

35 others gleaned from his studies of the region.

Aladdin, Sindbad and Ali Baba — figures today entrenched in Western popular culture, as illustrated by a 19th-century lithograph advertising a London play on Sindbad — all owe their glory to Galland’s creative reworking of the tales.

“The Thousand and One Nights cast their spell over all the arts, from theatre to fashion, music to cinema, painting to opera, photography or literature, generating more images than any other work of the mind,” write the curators Elodie Bouffard and AnneAlexandra Joyard in their introduction to the show.

— AFP

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

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FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

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FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012

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In modern architecture, the importance of a connection between the interior and exterior reflects this philosophy of connecting with the land, and is increasingly prevalent in residential design all over the world. With this philosophy in mind, the design and concept of this development took shape under the capable hands of the multi-award winning y. architects- the illustrious winner of FIABCI International Prix d’ Excellence 2008 & 2012, amongst other numerous awards.

Nestled in the guarded enclave of Perdana Lakeview East, Cyberjaya, TRILLIUM’s 55 units of 2-storey semi-d link freehold properties have been designed with a multi-generational family household in mind.

“The most compelling quality of Trillium is its safe and fun accessibility to the great outdoors,” says Marketing Manager, Ms Yap LY. She says that it is vital for children to experience playtime that does not comprise of electronic devices, especially when it is difficult to monitor ageappropriate content on TV and the internet. Studies show that children require twice as much unguided free time as they do structured playtime. Physical activity promotes motor development and balanced mental health; combined with Trillium’s communal concept, it provides wholesome interaction through play.

Ms Yap hopes for Trillium to bring community connection and values back into this modern, and sometimes impersonal day and age. “Even so, each home maintains a sense of seclusion and privacy. No two homes face each other, offering generous views that open up to the beauty of the surrounding panorama.” Situating the parks at the back of the house provides easy access to nature, allowing free passage into a day of play for children, or a leisurely evening stroll as a family.

The grounds are encircled by an interconnecting jogging track and bicycle trail, cutting a path through the three very unique themed parks.

Water Wonder hosts a variety of water features- the play pool and playground will prove to be an irresistible attraction for the young ones.

An expanse of rolling lush greenery make up the Earth Park, where its multipurpose court for sports and a meandering maze feature will appeal to the active and adventurous family. Sleek and modern shelter structures are scattered throughout the project, presenting comfortable resting spots with the best scenic views.

The Wood Land forest trees and bamboo groves offer a cool, secluded sanctuary of nature. It is the perfect setting for the family to enjoy a myriad of outdoor activities- from camping, barbecuing and picnicking amidst the sprawling wilderness, to an invigorating fitness routine on the par courses and reflexology paths.

“It is quite rare for a development to allocate so much land for recreational purposes- that is the unique characteristic of Trillium,” Ms Yap notes. “This liberating notion of space and openness is reflected in our design of both the outdoor landscaping and also within the home.”

Each unit is designed with an open plan concept in mind- beginning with the spacious and airy courtyards and four-car parking bays, right into the light-filled double volume living room and then to the parkview dining and kitchen area. Both the ground and upper floor feature high ceilings and large windows. Daylight analysis demonstrates excellent natural light penetration to the habitable areas, reducing the need for artificial lighting during the day and in to the early evening.

Truly a realisation of modern resort concept living, Trillium offers a home environment for those who aspire to a more harmonious lifestyle.

For details, call 03-8318 3900 / 012-483 3114 / 017-3390123 / 017-2995275 or visit GPS coordinates N2 55.357 E 101 40.200 and www.trillium-cyberjaya.com.my / genesisprop@gmail.com

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That was a hellish period especially considering I knew nothing about basketball at that point. Fortunately, both Robin and Wira are big basketball fans which certainly helped in choosing the squad RUBEN EMIR GNANALINGAM WESTPORTS MALAYSIA DRAGONS CO-OWNER

KUALA LUMPUR/ BASKETBALL

Dragons the key The first season in 2009 was hectic

By T. VIGNESH vigneswaran@mmail.com.my

WESTPORTS MALAYSIA DRAGONS co-owner Ruben Emir Gnanalingam believes that basketball is the second most watched game after football in the world.

He said an average basketball match was far more entertaining than an average football match and that was what prompted him to form the Dragons team along with Datuk Robin Tan and Datuk Wira Dani.

“Our aim is to win the league one day and also build a strong basketball fan base in Malaysia. Another key target is also to develop the quality of Malaysian basketball in general. It would be a great boost if

we could help Malaysia win gold at the Sea Games and also compete at the Asian Games,” said Ruben.

He said that it was not an easy task setting up a basketball team and before the start of Season 1 in 2009, there were only six weeks to form a team of coaches, players and also management.

“That was a hellish period especially considering I knew nothing about basketball at that point. Fortunately, both Robin and Wira are big basketball fans which certainly helped in choosing the squad.

“I then roped in another old friend Yakub Husaini who used to manage a Super League football team to come in to help with management. All these things put together along with the

STAY AWAY: Dragons’ captain, Guganeswaran Batumalai, escapes from the defense of Froilan Baguion and Nick Fazekas of the San Miguel Beermen

RUBEN

ever generous help from the Malaysian Basketball Association (MABA) allowed us not only to compete but actually reach the playoffs in our first season,” added Ruben.

Ruben said he and his partners were happy with the progress of the team as the Dragons have reached the playoffs every season so far and almost reached the

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final last season.

“We were only one point away and should have been there if a couple of calls went our way instead. This coming season which starts in January will be tougher but we are looking to compete as usual.

“I believe we are at a level where we can compete with any team in the league on our day. Our locals have progressed very well and we will continue to bring in better imports.

“With the great coaching staff and support from MABA, we look to develop future Dragons and Malaysian basketball stars so we can continue to compete going forward as well,”

he said.

Ruben is not only involved with the Dragons as he also has a stake in Queens Park Rangers which is owned by Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.

He said the English Premier League was the most exciting league in the world and believed QPR were the right choice of club to invest in.

“QPR somehow just felt right when Tony brought up the opportunity to me.

We had been looking for a club for a while by then and when he said QPR, it just clicked. It is also a long term plan and we are only at the beginning stages of that venture too,” added Ruben.

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SPORTS london I FOOTBALL I ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Succeed Sir Alex?

Why not?

I would say, ‘United is special, of course I would do it’. Today I’m with the New York Cosmos

Like diving into sea, speaking to octopus, crabs, journalists, says Eric Cantona

eric cantona man united legend

Infamous: Cantona jumps into the crowd with his infamous Kung-Fu kick on Crystal Palace supporter Matthew Simmons after being sent-off

ERIC CANTONA has urged Sir Alex Ferguson to stay on as Manchester United boss “forever”.

The Reds legend has insisted such is Fergie’s stamina and ­enthusiasm for the job, he cannot see the day coming soon when he will step down — even if he deposes Manchester City as champions next summer.

With United now clear at the top of the Premier League, Ferguson, 71 in December, needs his players to re-establish their dominance, and Cantona is backing his former boss against Roberto Mancini’s ­challenge.

The mercurial former star, admits one day he would love to take the hot-seat at Old ­Trafford — a job he reckons no one could turn down.

But Cantona, who won four Premier League titles in five years at United, including two league and FA Cup doubles, said: “Alex Ferguson is young, has so much energy, so much love of the game, so many things to give, more and more and more.

“And I love to watch them

winning things and I want Ferguson to be manager for ever.

“He’s a winner, that’s why he has won so many things.

“It’s what is incredible with him, next game is like the first game of his career, and he gives you that — his passion, his love of the game, love of winning things.”

Asked if he would accept a chance to boss United, Cantona responded using a phrase that rekindles ­memories of his famous quote, “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.”

He said: “I would say, ‘United is special, of course I would do it’. Today I’m with the New York Cosmos.

“But if one day there is an opportunity, why not? Like diving from here to the sea, watching, speaking to the fish, octopus, crabs, journalists.”

In an interview to be aired on ESPN on Thursday night, Cantona, who netted 64 goals in 143 league appearances also spoke of his amazement that former team-mates Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are

still going strong.

And he also talked about Wayne Rooney’s recent comments about being asked to play “the Eric Cantona role” at United.

Does he regret retiring in 1997 when he sees the longevity of Giggs and Scholes?

“Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are different to me.

“When I was 20 I gave interviews and said if I lose the passion, the fire, I will stop and try to do something else.

But those that still play and still have the fire, it’s good. I would have loved to have this fire forever and try to play forever. But I lost it and retired.”

And on Rooney’s role at United being similar to his creative spark, he said: “It is not the kind of thing you ask for. You have to earn it, but you need someone to drive you.

“I’m very proud of playing that role, it’s great. Alex Ferguson gave me freedom on the pitch, but I needed time.

He created this role in what he had seen in me, in the player I was and personality I had.

— Daily Mirror

Mad for it: Unlike Cantona, Giggs (left) and Scholes never lost their passion for the game

Giggs hails Gunners legend, and Liverpool as toughest opponents Ryan Giggs is surrounded by team-mates at Manchester United who were barely a bead of sweat on their father’s forehead when Giggsy first started strutting his stuff at Old Trafford.

The United legend is 39 tomorrow, and is now the only player still active in the Premier League who was in at the start of the revamped topflight 20 years ago!

But according to a Press Association report on a Giggs Q&A with premierleague.com the wizened Welsh wizard hasn’t lost his power

to surprise — and has dropped a bombshell in naming his toughest opponent ever.

It’s Lee Dixon — now just some bloke on the telly in a shirt he didn’t try on before buying, but once an Arsenal superhero at left-back, and according to Giggs the best ever.

Naming his toughest opponent, Giggs told premierleague.com: “I think Lee Dixon was always tough to play against, especially at Highbury where it was a tight pitch and it was that famous back four and (David) Seaman in goal.

“It was always tough to find

that bit of space which normally I can find but he had that experience, knowing whether to go tight or whether to come off, and it was always a test to play against him.”

Giggs goes on to pick a few more star turns out of history — starting with United pals Paul Scholes and Roy Keane, then David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He said: “I think the two midfielders that stand out are Scholesy and Keaney, the year we won the treble (98-99).

“And then it would be close between Becks and Cristiano but what Cristiano has done in the last couple of years probably just pips him. In my view, along with Messi, he’s the world’s best player. So, I wouldn’t mind being in that midfield, if I can get in!”

Pop-mobility! Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes keeping nimble Pop-mobility!

Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes keeping nimble In terms of greatest fixture in the calendar, Giggs goes for the red-blooded joys of Manchester United-Liverpool, preferably at Anfield.

— DM

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SPORTS Wouldn’t it be refreshing, though, to see Bale stay and follow the example of Suarez at Liverpool, in leading Tottenham to where they want to go first?

LONDON I football I english premier league

Don’t Bale out Spurs star Gareth could learn something from Luis Suarez His name is often mentioned in the same breath as Luis Suarez when it comes to diving.

But Gareth Bale has a chance to be aligned with Liverpool’s Uruguayan striker for far more positive reasons.

The more Bale produces his mercurial skills — as he has done for most of this season so far — the more the talk

grows that he could yet start next season at one of the biggest clubs in European football.

The feeling is that his latest deal probably has some sort of agreement allowing him to leave next summer if the club and the conditions are to his liking.

Wouldn’t it be refreshing,

though, to see Bale stay and follow the example of Suarez at Liverpool, in leading Tottenham to where they want to go first?

Forget the controversies of last year, forget the diving, forget the handshakes that never were.

Suarez has been simply outstanding on the pitch this sea-

son, a magnificent antidote to the players who claim they are far too good — or too big — for the underachievers around them.

The Reds frontman is among the most relied-on strikers in Europe with ten of Liverpool’s 19 League goals so far this season and a hand in several others. — Daily Mail

AVB in wonderland Amid the verbal carnage that surrounds London’s Big Two, the impact of Andre Villas-Boas at Tottenham has been somewhat under-stated.

On the face of it, it was a risky appointment. Sacked at Chelsea, there were rumblings that Villas-Boas would be greeted like a Stamford Bridge reject when he turned up at White Hart Lane.

In fact, he has been largely accepted and his efforts have been acknowledged. To be fair, the events at Arsenal and Chelsea have helped his period of acclimatisation.

While Arsenal have hit a bad patch of Premier League form that provoked a demonstration by a disaffected section of support and Chelsea continue to implode, Villas-Boas has quietly led Tottenham into contention for a Champions League spot. If there was to be a show

of discontent, it would have come after defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal.

Chelsea, you may recall, won 4-2 at White Hart Lane. Arsenal — aided and abetted by Emmanuel Adebayor’s flash of indiscipline — won 5-2 at The Emirates.

Yet the problems are not at Tottenham — the ill-feeling is at the clubs who beat them.

Rafa Benitez could win the Grand National as well as the Champions League and the Premier League and he will clearly never be accepted by Chelsea fans.

Two miles down the road from Tottenham, manager Arsene Wenger finds himself — for the first time really in his 16 years at the club — the victim of personal abuse after the 2-0 home defeat against Swansea. — DM

No way Jose Manchester City have sensationally ruled out a summer move for Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho — even if Roberto Mancini gets the sack.

Mancini must now retain the Premier League title to safeguard his job following City’s shambolic Champions League campaign, according to senior figures at the club.

City failed to win any of their six games in the competition and amassed just three points, missing out on a Europa League spot as they finished bottom of Group D — the worst groupphase display by an English club in the competition’s history.

That failure has increased the pressure on Mancini to hold on to the title City won last season, with the 48-year-old Italian’s future once again the subject of fresh scrutiny.

But even if Mancini does lose his job, City have ruled out a move to appoint Mourinho — despite the likelihood of the Special One leaving Real Ma-

FIXTURES Tomorrow Arsenal v West Brom (11pm) Aston Villa v Stoke (11pm) Southampton v Reading (11pm) Sunderland v Chelsea (11pm) Swansea v Norwich (11pm) Wigan v QPR (11pm) Sunday Man City v Man United (9.30pm) Everton v Tottenham (11pm) West Ham v Liverpool (11.55pm)

drid at the end of this season.

City’s chief executive Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain chose not to appoint Mourinho as Barcelona boss in 2008 when they worked for the Nou Camp giants, after interviewing him for the vacant role.

The pair cited the former Chelsea manager’s aggressive attitude as their reason for not hiring him and instead chose Pep Guardiola, who led the club to 14 trophies in his four-year spell in charge. — DM

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SPORTS The main thing with Fernando Torres is that if we create chances, he will score goals Rafa Benitez Chelsea manager

LONDON I FOOTBALL I CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

The only way is Europa Chelsea crash out despite thrashing Nordsjaelland League with the West London aristocrats unlikely to be celebrating passage into Europe’s second-tier competition.

Galatasaray and Celtic claimed the other two knockout stage places decided in the final round of group matches.

Chelsea finally found their stride following two draws and a defeat under Benitez, but the Spaniard was still subjected to occasional jeers by fans still unhappy at popular Di Matteo’s exit.

Fernando Torres scored twice in an entertaining clash that featured three penalties, all awarded for handball and two of which were saved, in six first-half minutes.

David Luiz, Gary Cahill, Juan Mata and Oscar also netted to leave Benitez optimistic that brighter days lie ahead.

“It was important to win but also the way we won and the way we played.

We saw character, attitude, commitment and intensity

LESS than seven months after celebrating a first Champions League triumph to satisfy owner Roman Abramovich’s thirst for continental dominance, Chelsea became European chumps yesterday despite a rip-roaring but irrelevant finale.

A 6-1 rout of Nordsjaelland at Stamford Bridge handed beleaguered interim manager Rafael Benitez some respite but it came with the unwanted distinction of becoming the first Champions League holders to exit at the group stage.

Chelsea’s victory, their first since the Spaniard replaced the sacked Roberto Di Matteo a fortnight ago, mattered little with Juventus reaching the last 16 thanks to a 1-0 win in Ukraine over Shakhtar Donetsk.

A second-half own goal was enough for the Italians to secure top spot in Group E and progress alongside Shakhtar.

Chelsea, who needed to win and hope Juventus lost, head into the Europa

RESULTS AND STANDINGS Group E Shakhtar Donetsk 0 Juventus 1 Chelsea 6 Nordsjaelland 1 P W D Juventus * 6 3 3 Shakhtar * 6 3 1 Chelsea ++ 6 3 1 Nordsjaelland 6 0 1

L 0 2 2 5

F A Pts 12 4 12 12 8 10 16 10 10 4 22 1

Group F Lille 0 Valencia 1 Bayern Munich 4 BATE Borisov 1 P W D Bayern Munich * 6 4 1 Valencia * 6 4 1 BATE Borisov ++ 6 2 0 Lille 6 1 0

L 1 1 4 5

F A Pts 15 7 13 12 5 13 9 15 6 4 13 3

Group G Barcelona 0 Benfica 0 Celtic 2 Spartak Moscow 1 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona * 6 4 1 1 11 5 13 Celtic * 6 3 1 2 9 8 10 Benfica ++ 6 2 2 2 5 5 8 Spartak Moscow 6 1 0 5 7 14 3 Group H Man United 0 CFR Cluj 1 Braga 1 Galatasaray 2 P W D L F A Pts Man United * 6 4 0 2 9 6 12 Galatasaray * 6 3 1 2 7 6 10 CFR Cluj ++ 6 3 1 2 9 7 10 Braga 6 1 0 5 7 13 3 * Denotes qualified for knockout stages ++ Denotes qualified for Europa League last 32

so I’m pleased for them, for the fans, and for me,” he told reporters.

“Tonight was the confirmation of everything I was watching in the training sessions. The main thing with Fernando Torres is that if we create chances, he will score goals.”

Juventus ended Shakhtar’s unbeaten home run stretching to 16 games in all competitions with Olexandr Kucher, trying to stop Sebastian Giovinco meeting a cross from Stephan Lichtsteiner, putting through his own net for the only goal on 56 minutes.

Celtic struck a blow for Scottish football by reaching the last 16 for the first time since the 2007-08 season thanks to a 2-1 home victory over Spartak Moscow which secured runnersup spot behind Barcelona in Group G. Kris Commons won it for Celtic with an 81stminute penalty after Spartak’s Ari had cancelled out Gary Hooper’s opener.

— Reuters

all smiles: Rafa reacts after Chelsea hammered FC Nordsjaelland 6-1 at Stamford Bridge

BARCELONA

MUNICH

Injury woes for Barca

Bayern boss Bate LAST SEASON’S beaten finalists Bayern Munich finished top of Group F yesterday after a 4-1 rout of BATE Borisov, ending level on points with Valencia but with a better head-to-head record against the Spaniards who beat Lille 1-0 in France.

Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri scored one and set up another for Bayern,

BENFICA, who began yesterday’s match level on points with Celtic, could not find the breakthrough they needed in a 0-0 draw away against below-strength Barcelona, who will be more worried about Argentine World Player-of-the-Year Lionel Messi’s injury.

Messi, a second-half substitute, collapsed to the ground clutching the back of the knee after colliding with Benfica goalkeeper Artur and looked to be in severe discomfort as he was taken from the pitch.

Barca said on their Twitter feed he had suffered bruising on the outside of the knee and would undergo further tests to determine the

extent of the damage.

Second-half goals from Burak Yilmaz and Aydin Yilmaz helped Galatasaray come from behind to win 2-1 at Braga and go through as Group H runners-up behind Premier League leaders Manchester United.

The Turkish side denied Romania’s CFR Cluj, whose consolation for an upset 1-0 victory over former champions United at Old Trafford, was a Europa League place.

Brazilian Luis Alberto’s fine 55th-minute strike won it for Cluj against a United side featuring wholesale changes.

— Reuters

who exacted revenge for a shock defeat in the reverse fixture in Belarus.

Both sides finished with 10 men, Bayern having Jerome Boateng dismissed early in the second half while Denis Polyakov was ordered off for BATE. The draw for the last 16 takes place on Dec 20.

— Reuters

ROUT UP: (From left) Bayern Munich’s midfielder Thomas Mueller celebrates scoring with striker Mario Gomez, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Belgian defender Daniel van Buyten during the match against FC Bate Borisov in Munich — AFPpic

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THE ELEPHANT WHISPERER BUKIT JALIL I FOOTBALL I ASEAN CUP

Can Rajagobal neutralise a rejuvenated Thai side?

THE war drumbeats and the stampede of marauding el- FIXTURES ephants are deafening.

Semifinals (1st leg) The Tigers are lurking TOMORROW in the shadows, conniving Philippines v Singapore -- 8pm to separate the tuskers (as SUNDAY male elephants are some- Malaysia v Thailand -- 8pm times referred to) from the Semifinals (2nd leg) WEDNESDAY cows. And then to deal the Singapore v Philippines -- 8pm killer blow.

THURSDAY Will it be as easy as that? Thailand v Malaysia -- 8pm Will Datuk K. Rajagobal be able to devise a plan allowing the Tigers to round up the Elephants towards the cliff, and line them up for the slaughter?

Let’s put it this way. It would be a mammoth task. Pun intended.

Rewind.

Comparatively, Malaysia were lucky to be drawn in an easier group comprising Singapore, Indonesia and Laos.

Only Singapore more than matched us. The others were thrashed.

Laos were simply there to make up the numbers.

There were critics aplenty after the opening defeat by Singapore, including the bunch of football illiterates who harassed the team, and especially Rajagobal, at the stadium with their seriously flawed tone and tune, singing “Apa kau buat, Rajagobal?”, or something to that effect.

And so there it is. It’s time to make these critics eat humble pie on Sunday night at Bukit Jalil Stadium.

Lightning can strike twice for the Malaysians. They won the title convincingly two years ago.

Let’s hope the stripes on the Tigers will be bolder.

The Thais have no injury problems and will be coming with a rejuvenated squad.

The Tigers have been moaning and complaining about fatigue and injuries. All that talk did not paint a positive picture. It only spelt gloom and doom. Hopefully, it was just a strategy to throw the opponents off the scent.

But be reminded — the match on Sunday is only one battle.

There will be another in Bangkok, for the return leg. And if these battles are won, the mother of all battles — the final.

This war is only done when Malaysia retain the title.

By JOSEPH FERNANDEZ joseph@mmail.com.my

FOOTBALL

Kung-Fu fighting

JEMPOL I MALAYSIAN RALLY

They don’t come tougher than this

United legend Eric Cantona would love to take on the hot-seat at Old Trafford but urges Alex Ferguson to stay on ‘forever’  PAGE100

RALLY cars are built like tanks.

Competing cars are divided into several categories, based on engine capacity and levels of modifications according to rules set by the sport’s governing body, FIA. There are different classes for standard production cars, modified cars and different drive trains (2wd and 4wd). To ensure the cars survive the extreme conditions, reinforced rally tyres, undercarriage protection and heavy duty shocks and springs are used.

For spectators and fans, rallying is a form of motorsport which allows them to touch the cars as it passes. Unlike circuit racing where you have to buy a ticket and are confined to the grandstand, rallying can be watched by the roadside or you can walk into the estates to find the best possible spots. You may be bitten by insects, covered in mud and coloured in dust but that’s the thrill of rallying.

Then there is the service park, an area

where at times rallies are won and lost.

There are times when cars come into the service parks battered and damaged but after 20 minutes it’s ready to be driven flat out again. The combination of driver and co-driver, car and crew with the least cumulative time wins a rally.

The final round of the Malaysian Rally Championship 2012 in Jempol tomorrow has attracted some 22 competitors. The rally will cover 150km of highspeed rallying stages divided into 12 special stages around the Felda Serting and Felda Raja Alias plantations and will be flagged off (11am) by Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Besar Seri Menanti, Tunku Ali Redhauddin ibni Tuanku Muhriz.

Don’t miss the final round of the Malaysian Rally Championship 2012 in Jempol, Negri Sembilan and to log onto the MRC official website http://www.malaysianrally. com.

Published and Printed by Malay Mail Sdn Bhd (239512V), Lot 2A, Jalan 13/2, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

FOOTBALL

Adios Chelsea

Champions League holders end campaign in style but slip into the Europa League after finishing third in Group E  PAGE104