It is unbelievable that Wee Ka Siong tried to sound righteous, when MCA itself is suffering from morality probelm

When I read Malaysia Chronicle's "When Jackasses bray, that's when you hear MCA's Wee K S", I told myself, here is a guy who is a nobody, trying to be somebody but ended being a nobody. This CCB [Chinese Chauvinistic Bloke] is not even aware that his party is currently kept alive by respiratory apparatus and come the 13GE, someone will just pull the plug to perform euthanasia.

As expected, MCA has joined the BN bandwagon attacking the DAP for putting on a show trial and letting Pandamaran assemblyman Ronnie Liu off the hook with just a stern reprimand and state Speaker Teng Chang Khim with just a warning.

But the arguments put forth by MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong failed to excite and could not stand the test of logic either.

“If you think that Ronnie Liu is innocent, why issue him a severe reprimand?” Malaysian Insider reported Wee as saying.

“If you sack Tee, meaning he is at fault, are you saying that Ronnie’s role and collaboration in the matter warrants a severe reprimand? These are unanswered questions.”

Some answers for Wee

Let's begin by answering Wee’s first statement with a question. Why shouldn't the DAP reprimand Ronnie even if he is innocent? What's wrong?

DAP disciplinary committee chairman Tan Kok Wai made it very clear on Thursday. The board could not find Ronnie guilty because there was no proof he was guilty. The relevant letters of support were not signed by him.

It was Klang councilor Tee Boon Hock who had accused Ronnie, saying that even if Ronnie did not sign those letters, he had full knowledge of what was going on. Yet at the board meeting, Tee could not raise the proof to back his claims and nail Ronnie.

Then why was Ronnie reprimanded then? Again, Kok Wai had stated this very clearly - because the DAP disciplinary board wanted to punish Ronnie for not being able to control his staff and his office well, resulting in his letterheads being abused and his signature forged.

The reprimand was for his poor management of his office and not for having issued support letters to help crony firms win state government contracts. Two separate issues here. Really, Wee must brush up on his counting skills.

It was Tee Boon Hock that DAP found guilty of having benefited from the support letters and it duly sacked him for it.

Savvy or not

“They have to walk the talk, they have to do as they preach. It is becoming the joke of the century, where no one seems to be interested on finding out the real culprit behind this mess,” was Wee’s next comment.

“If something like this had happened to Barisan Nasional, the culprit would have been fined at least RM2,000 or/and even jailed, in addition to losing his job.”

It is never pleasant to come under public scrutiny but the ‘letterheads Tee’ case is certainly not the stuff of drama and the amounts involved are a million or two ringgit – nothing in comparison with MCA's own RM12.5 billion PKFZ fiasco.

Still corruption is corruption and should be extinguished at all levels and for all amounts. The thing is … to describe it as “joke of the century” ... is way out of proportion. It makes the person who says it the real joker.

There is a way to oppose and a way to exaggerate, a time to be sarcastic and a time to be truthful. If Wee can’t get his pulse on when he should do what, he should try to attract less attention.

Otherwise, he will just come off sounding unimaginative, robotic, stodgy and unintelligent. Not to mention hypocritical.

He is the Youth chief of the MCA and if this is all the savvy he can muster, then OMG, no wonder MCA is in trouble!

His other comment that needs to be scrutinized is that if this happened in the Barisan Nasional, the culprit would have been fined at least RM2,000 or even jailed, in addition to losing his job.

If only DAP had the budget, it should straightaway take full-page advertisements in all the mainstream news;papers, especially the Mandarin ones, and publish this quote. The laughter that will follow will more than justify the cost.

So, Wee should really be a bit more careful with his statements - just like Teng. Don’t let it be said that when jackasses bray … that’s when you hear Wee Ka Siong’s voice!

Remember the saying, when one stays in a glass house, never throw at your neighbours.

Tony Pua receives a M16 bullet

The live M-16 bullet that was sent together with a threatening note to DAP national publicity chief Tony Pua yesterday (Wednesday 11 August 2010) is not simply a cowardly intimidation against the Petaling Jaya Utara MP, but a dastardly dangerous threat to the whole peace-loving citizenry of the country.

The bullet and the note were mailed to Tony's service centre in Damansara Utama in Petaling on the afternoon of Wednesday 11 August 2010.

The note said: “Tony Pua Kiam Wee. You are so brave? What do you want now? You better watch out. We know about your family, your house, your office, your car.”

One of the MP's assistants has lodged a report at the Damansara police station. Tony also gave a statement to the police on the matter.

Tony told a press conference later that the threat was possibly related to his suggestion to the Selangor state government to do away with bumiputera discounts for luxury homes costing over RM500,000 each and for upmarket commercial property in the state, to improve competitiveness and restore investor confidence.

Tony said this at a forum on the Selangor economy last month, but he also said that the 7% discounts enjoyed by Malays and other bumiputeras should be retained for homes costing below RM500,000 each.

The evil death threat against Tony is not the first received by DAP leaders in recent time. In 2008, DAP national chairman Karpal Singh received a 9mm live bullet and a threatening note at his office. The then DAP national publicity chief Teresa Kok’s family home was also attacked in 2008 with petrol bomb. The petrol bomb did not explode, but an accompanying note warned the Selangor senior state executive councillor that she and her family would be burnt to death.

Such despicable cowardly actions are done by people who are obviously evil, malicious, malevolent, demented, and perhaps even mad.

It is even possible that these violent and dangerous maniacs are used by unprincipled and unscrupulous political rivals of the DAP to daunt, discourage and dishearten its leaders, and to sabotage and destabilize the party by creating fear, uncertainty and incertitude among its members and supporters. This is surely very plausible and possible, in view of growing influence and impact of the DAP among the people, including even the Malays.

It surely is a very sad day for our country that, instead of growing towards a more civilized stage of socio-political, cultural, and moral development to become a more advanced civilized society, we have people adopting, expounding and promoting a barbarous culture of racialist and violent politics in our midst.

Tony, for example, was apparently threatened because he had suggested the abrogation of discounts for luxury houses costing more than RM500,000 for bumiputeras.

Note that Tony does not advocate the abolition of special rights and priviledges of the bumiputeras or the annulment of the affirmative policies and programmes for them when he suggested that discounts for luxury homes costing more than half a million ringgit each be rescinded in favour of spreading the subvention on the basis of basic economic needs, rather than a blanket subsidy discount grant which could be abused by the rich and powerful.

Any sensible and honest person would agree that those who could afford luxury homes costing more than half a million ringgit would certainly not be dire need for financial assistance.

In an egalitarian society like our, where the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities, it is certainly right and proper to have affirmative policies and programmes to assist those in our midst who may be disadvantaged by reasons of historical circumstance and economic deprivation.

No one, including Tony, I am sure, would disagree on this. And the non-bumiputera citizens of this country have never questioned or challlenged Article 153 of the Federal Constitution which provides for the protection of the special position of the bumiputeras.

However, when certain members of the disadvantaged group become rich and powerful, then it is their duty and privilege to offer assistance to those in their community who have yet to achieve the quality of life and lifestye that they are now enjoying. They should not join in competing for the subsidy discounts, but should instead allow the discounts to be used to benefit those less fortunate than them.

Tony is not wrong per se to make his suggestion, and his proposal does not invalidate or vitiates the affirmative policies and programmes the federal government has formulated and implemented to uplift the quality of life and lifestyle of the general bumiputera community.

The sending of the live M-16 bullet to threaten Tony and his family members is certainly a dastardly act which should be condemned by all right-thinking and peace-loving people of Malaysia.

Any decent and decorous person with basic moral principles will not simply tolerate and condone such lunatic behaviours and actions, and it is time we stand up visibly and vocally to demand that the authorities concerned should view such threats very seriously and spare no effort in bringing the culprits to justice.

I trust our police will act without fear or favour to bring the culprit to book, even if he happens to be a powerful politician or works for one.

[Source: MySinChew]

And to think that this thing could happen on the eve of the Holy month of Ramadhan. True Muslims will not resort to sending bullets in the mail to threaten somebody. Quite frankly, greed has gone to the head of these fellas. If they can afford to buy a RM1m bungalow, surely they don't need the 7% discount. Do they realise that the non-Malays have to pick up the tab for them? What a shame, really.

The true meaning of the universal 'hero' compared with UMNO's.

Writer, Mariam Mokhtar, wrote the following article which is a must read for every one who wants to know what a true 'hero' means.

The former chief of Bukit Bendera UMNO, Ahmad Ismail, was honoured with titles and proclaimed a Malay 'hero'. He was conferred two heroic titles, the Wira Bangasa Melayu and Bintang Perkasa Melayu Jati.

After an hour long wait, typical of people who have little respect for others, the arrival of the 'hero' resembled a wedding procession complete with bunga manggar and the drum-beat of the kompang. The only thing that appeared to be missing was the bride.

The night's jollity which was attended by around 150 delegates from 23 branches included a silat performance and the obligatory sheathing and unsheathing of the keris.

Boys will be boys and they will show off their weapons in an act of assumed bravado.

To the uninformed, the controversial Ahmad Ismail, our new 'hero', was suspended by UMNO in 2008, for three years, after he referred to non-Malays as 'pendatang' (foreigners).

He described Malaysian Chinese as 'squatters' and cautioned them not to emulate the 'Jews in America'. As expected, the suspension was later lifted by UMNO, last December.

His racist comments aroused the memories of inter-ethnic tensions and threatened the government led by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, at the time. Badawi suspended Ahmad and barred him from any political posts as punishment.

There were protests from members of the BN coalition who threatened to withdraw their membership. Even the armed fo4rces chief warned that 'stern action must be taken to prevent' racial conflicts.

As a consequence of Ahmad Ismail's ill-timed and unacceptable comments, the journalist who reported the comments was taken away by the police under the order of the Internal Security Act (ISA), ostensibly for her personal safety.

The supposed hero, Ahmad Ismail, managed to threaten the security of the country, challenged the authority of the Prime Minister at the time, almost wrecked the BN coalition, caused strife and anger in the Malaysian public, caused the army to be on possible alert, insulted various people (Jews, Americans, Chinese, Malays), rekindled horrific memories of racial riots, threatened the fragile peace and security of a nation, exposed the hypocrisy of the police actions and the political abuse of the use of the ISA.

Is this Bukit Bendera's idea of a hero? Someone who divides, insults and unapologetic in his actions? Someone who has no respect for others? Someone who was prepared to hold his leader and his country to ransom? Someone who is ignorant of history?

Please allow me to show an example of a 'true hero'.

My choice of a hero is Dr Karen Woo, a British doctor who was murdered by the Taliban and the Hizb-i-Islami group last Thursday. She was killed, with eight other doctors as they returned from months working in the Nuristan region, a remote area in the north east of Afghanistan. They had gone to set up a clinic and provide free medical help to the people there. They did not have a 5-star accommodation or even luxury cars. They lived a spartan life and conducted part of their journey on horse back.

Dr Woo gave up a lucrative career in private medicine to join a humanitarian aid effort. She combined her love of travelling with her medical work. Before Afghanistan, she had also worked in hospitals in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Trinidad and Tobago.

Although she joined the International Assistance Mission, a Christian charity, Dr Woo found time to make a documentary about Kabul, a city which she grew to love. She even started the Bridge Afghanistan charity with Firuz Rahimi, a journalist, to improve the live of ordinary Afghan people.

According to Dr Woo's family, whe was "a humanist and had no religious or political agenda. Her motivation was purely humanitarian. She wanted the ordinary people of Afghanistan, especially the women and children to receive health care."

Dr Woo, who once dreamt of being a professional dancer, was briefly a model and even joined a flying circus performing stunts strapped to the wing of a biplaine.

Encouraged by her mother, a psychiatric nurse, she turned to medicine and worked in various places around the world. She returned to London and worked as a surgeon and as a medical director in private medicine, before embarking on the humanitarian work in Afghanistan.

Her life was full of inspiration, adventure, travel and charity. She, like her other colleagues who died alongside her, were committed, caring, compassionate and courageous. She helped women and children who were in need of medical attention.

Shed bridged the gap between the sick and the healthy, the east and west, the criminals and caring people. Dr Woo, who I am assuming is possibly a non-Muslim, helped the Muslim people in Badakhshan and Nuristan provinces.

In two weeks time, 36 year-old Karen Woo would have been married to her fiancé. His last act of love was to identify her body, which had been shot twice, and then to bury her.

She leaves behind her parents, an English mother and Chinese father, and her two brothers to mourn their loss, in England. A whole nation which depended on medical programs, provided by humanitarian workers like her, is in jeopardy. Thousands of people are now, unable to receive a continuation of her medical expertise.

The tragedy of this young woman was that in helping to save lives in remote, Taliban infested Afghanistan, she made the ultimate sacrifice.

If you ask me, Dr Karen Woo is my 'true hero'.

A "Watergate" in the Selangor state secretariat building

Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim made a shocking revelation today - he said he found a 'hidden video camera' in his office yesterday afternoon. The video camera was hidden behind a window curtain in the MB's office, which is located on the 21st floor of the state secretariat building in Shah Alam.

According to Khalid, he discovered the camera at about 6pm yesterday when it made a beeping sound due to a low battery.

However, he said that he will not be lodging a police report as yet because he wants to conduct his own “investigations” first. “We're going to get experts to look into the system and we're going to review all the recording from the CCTV in my own office. It will probably take at least a week,” he said during a press conference after chairing the state exco meeting this afternoon. When pressed further on why he would not lodge a police report immediately after such a security breach, he said that he wanted to “save the police time” by doing his own snooping. Khalid said he was unsure how long the device had been in his office, but added: “There is a recording of me in my office for the whole of yesterday”. He also said that when he queried the other exco members as well as the state secretariat building's security department, they said that they are not aware of the device and system. Khalid also said he will be reviewing security measures following the incident.

Security breaches 'not uncommon'

Security breaches at government offices are not uncommon in the country. Last Monday night, there was a “minor attack” on Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng when a man hit him on the shoulder in the driver's room of the VIP car park at the Komtar building. Aides for Deputy Minister in Prime Minister's Department T Murugiah also found a parcel containing a threatening note and two bullet casings in front of his office at the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya in May last year.

It is the sign of the times

An opposition party poster hanging in a Penan tribal chieftain's wooden longhouse deep in Sarawak's rainforests signals winds of political change blowing across Borneo island.

The Penan are among the most disadvantaged of Malaysia's indigenous people, and have for decades fought a one-sided war against the powerful logging and plantation firms that are obliterating their ancestral land.

But a political transformation, which threatens to unseat the coalition that has ruled for half a century, has put Sabah and Sarawak in a powerful position.

And the poster in the Penan longhouse, promoting the leaders of the Democratic Action Party - one of a trio that make up the opposition alliance - is the sort of thing that has the government worried.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak made an historic visit last month to the interior of Sarawak to visit the Penan and other "Orang Ulu" - tribal groups known as "River People" as their homelands are located along remote waterways.

The premier, who arrived with senior ministers by helicopter in the village of Long Banga, made multi-million-dollar pledges to fund projects including a long-overdue road, a mini dam and a mobile medical clinic.

He also announced a plan to survey native lands, a move he said would give indigenous people ownership of their ancestral territory - the holy grail they have been campaigning for in vain.

"The response is great. It was very spontaneous. The promises will be delivered," an ebullient Najib said before flying out of the jungle.

Vote for the opposition

Women and Community minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil also flew into Sarawak last month, to take charge of an investigation into allegations of rampant sexual abuse and rape of Penan women at the hands of logging workers.

"The Penan community should know that now they have someone to champion their cause and that is us," she said.

But despite the flurry of high-level attention, and promises of action on issues critical to the future of the Penan, there is widespread scepticism over the intentions of the BN government.

After 2008 elections that transformed Malaysia's political scene by handing the opposition alliance a third of parliamentary seats, the BN must retain Sabah and Sarawak in the next elections if it wants to stay in power.

A long journey by boat and car into Sarawak's rugged interior found that, far from being hopeful that the new focus on Borneo will finally aid their cause, there is a strong sense of frustration and betrayal among the Penan.

Many feel cheated by promises made and broken in the past half-century since independence, and are feeling emboldened to vote against the government for the first time in elections that could come later this year.

"I will advise my villagers to vote for the opposition," Abeng Jek, a 67-year-old former village headman told AFP as other Penan nodded their heads in agreement.

"All this while I have voted Barisan Nasional. We will no longer accept promises. We want change," he said as children peeped out of their longhouse rooms to hear the elder's frustration.

"Twenty years ago I asked for a rice machine, new zinc for the roof and concrete pavement in front of the longhouse. They said: yes, yes. I voted the ruling party. Now my stomach is empty," he said.

'PM not in charge, Taib is'

There are at least 10,000 Penan in Sarawak, but their way of life is under threat from extensive logging of their traditional hunting grounds, as well as the spread of palm oil and timber plantations.

The tribespeople, armed with spears and blowpipes, continue to set up blockades to stop powerful companies from wiping out the remnants of their ancestral land, but often meet with a violent response.

The plight of the Penan people was made famous in the 1990s by environmental activist Bruno Manser, who campaigned to protect their way of life and fend off the loggers, before he vanished in 2000 amid suspicion of foul play.

Lukas Straumann, director of the Bruno Manser Fund which campaigns for the people of the rainforests, is pessimistic that the new focus on the region will benefit the Penan or other indigenous tribes.

He said that Najib was not able to deliver the critical promise of land reform, which lies in the hands of long-serving Sarawak chief minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

"The problem is, the prime minister is not in charge. Taib is in charge," he said. "So we do not believe they will give over the land unless there is a change in government or unless they are forced to do so by the courts."

Further along the Baram river in the village of Long Lamai, some Penan complained that while Najib came with new promises of dams and roads, earlier pledges for drains and home repairs had not yet been fulfilled.

"The trust has been damaged. Look, our longhouses are falling apart. They promised a drain but it has not been built," said 50-year-old Richard Jengan. "Now I will vote anyone who can help us."

Cheated by hollow words

Bulan Teko, 40, said she and many others were disappointed that no action has been taken against the perpetrators of the rape epidemic, including loggers who preyed on girls forced to seek lifts to reach far-flung schools.

"Now the women and children are afraid to venture out alone," she said, adding that it had added to long-standing hardships caused by deforestation.

"Logging has polluted our rivers, the only source of clean water and we continue to live in darkness at night," she said.

"Our children read with oil lamps. And when we have no money to buy fuel, we live in darkness."

Daud Sedin, a 35-year-old Penan who walked five hours through the jungle from neighbouring Data Bila village to meet Najib at Long Banga said he desperately hoped the prime minister would resolve the land issue.

"Logging companies encroach our land - cutting down our trees and running over our dogs. We are frustrated. We feel cheated by the government's hollow words," he said.

"All the Orang Ulu, especially the young, are talking about voting for the opposition."

James Chin, political science professor at the Monash University campus in Kuala Lumpur, rubbished the prime minister's initiative as a "pre-election ploy to win native votes."

But he is not convinced that their grievances will overcome the vote-buying that is a staple part of elections in Sarawak, perpetuating the dominance of powerful, cashed-up ruling parties.

"Come polls, the natives will be swayed to vote the ruling party via vote buying. Remember they are poor, money will cool their frustrations," said Chin.

[Source: Mkini]

An event to warm your heart: MAIS visits Catholic Church

Officers from MAIS

Several officers from the Majlis Agama Islam Selangor (MAIS, also known as the Selangor Islamic Religious Council), the official religious authority of the Malaysian state of Selangor, paid a historic visit to the Catholic Church of the Holy Rosary on July 26. On hand to receive them were Fr Michael Chua, the Ecclesiastical Assistant of the Archdiocesan Ministry of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs (AMEIA) and Dr William Lau, the chairman of the Parish Ministry of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of Holy Rosary Church, and former chairman of AMEIA. The contingent from MAIS had initiated this visit through IIS (Islamic Information Services), an Islamic Dakwah NGO that has been actively engaged in interreligious activities with leaders from other non-Muslim religions. IIS was represented by its Secretary General, Mrs Sabariah Abdullah and its Chief Dakwah Officer, Mr Shah Kirit.

Ustaz Abdul Halem Hapiz bin Salihin, the Deputy Secretary of MAIS, in his opening remarks before the dialogue session between MAIS officers and Fr Chua, said that this courtesy visit was part of MAIS efforts to promote interreligious harmony with non-Muslim religions. in answer to the call of HRH, the Sultan of Selangor, for the state religious body to be more accessible to the Malaysian public, including adherents of other religions. He also said that MAIS was planning visit to other religious places of worship and to initiate dialogue with other religious leaders in order to promote harmony and mutual respect.

Ustaz Halem noted that Islam had a history of religious tolerance, citing the example of Ummayad Caliphate. He also said that Islam forbade the destruction and desecration of places of worship of other religions.

The visit began with a tour of the historically and aesthetically significant Church of the Holy Rosary. The tour was led by Dr Rozalini, a former member of AMEIA, who gave detailed explanation of the stained glass windows, stations of the cross, and other architectural features of the Church's interior.

After a short tea break, Dr William Lau, gave a brief presentation on the historical background of AMEIA, its foundation, goals and activities. Thereafter, Fr Chua took questions from the officers, which ranged from matters such as the significance of holy water, the discipline of priestly celibacy, the ethnic composition of the Church in Malaysia to deeper theological issues such as inspiration of the scriptures and the Trinity.

The session ended with an invitation from Fr Chua to MAIS to consider other avenues of cooperation. He also invited them to visit churches in the state of Selangor and also mentioned the possibility of attending Mass at a Church on Sunday.

[Source: The Herald]

I wonder why this piece of good news did not appear in the Utusan or other msm.

New Feature Next Sunday

Starting next Sunday, I will be running a new column featuring local musicians from the sixties and seventies. These were the people who made a name for themselves whose works were mainly recorded in English. They had a huge following and there isn't one household which did not have at least one album from them. The artistes featured will be from both sides of the Causeway since Singapore was part of Malaysia then. For those who longed to hear them again, this is the time to take a trip down memory lane.

I am a musician myself who started to learn to play the guitar when I was in Form 2. It was a rave then in the sixties when it was like a kind of a must for each school to have at least two or three bands, all playing cover versions of music by The Shadows or The Ventures. One of the pieces we must know how to play before one can actually be accepted in a band is The Shadows' "Apache".

I formed my group "The Larrikins" when I was in Form 4 to start earning my keeps, and although we were not rated as a top band, nonetheless we performed frequently on weekends either at Chinese weddings or Malay weddings, @ RM50 which was not bad considering the time we were in then.

The group broke up the following year, and after that I went free-lancing with other groups. Today, I still perform at corporate functions and you could see the smiles on some of the guests to be able to hear those guitar pieces again. Yes, it was nostalgic alright.

That's me on the right with The Larrikins performing at a Chinese wedding dinner at the Mak Yee Restaurant, BB Park, where Bukit Bintang Plaza/Sg Wang Plaza now stand.

Thank you YB Khalid Samad and YB Hannah Yeoh. You have done us proud!

As the week came to a close, tw0 news items caught my attention. The first one was about YB Khalid Samad's visit to the Carlsberg factory, which I don't believe any of the msm has reported on this event; and the other, the restoration work on the Millennium Park in Subang Jaya, headed by Hannah Yeoh. Well done!

Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad went against conventions and broke taboos when he organised a working visit to the Carlsberg brewery in Shah Alam recently.

The PAS central political bureau member had gone to the beer factory yesterday afternoon on a 'fact-finding' mission on whether the brewery can move elsewhere.

Being one of the rare Muslim politicians to organise an excursion to the factory - where most of its products are haram - Khalid took even the Carlsberg people by surprise.

According to the lawmaker's blog, Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd deputy managing director Chin Voon Loong said that in his 30 years experience of working with the company, there had never been a visit like this.

Accompanying Khalid were 12 other Shah Alam councillors from various other parties and NGOs.

"Maybe the previous MP and councillors were happy to leave the brewery there and collect quit rent," he said when contacted byMalaysiakini.

He was at the 38-year-old factory to 'survey' whether the site would be a good alternative for the proposed Shah Alam bus terminal.

Klang move not viable

He had apparently proposed to Chin to move the factory to a bigger lot in Klang, since it would be closer to the port and that all their malt have to be imported, as well as half of their products being produced for export.

"Although there would be some savings in transportation cost, it doesn't seem to be commercially viable for them to move," said Khalid.

"And after listening to (Chin's) explanation, it is clear that the chances of them moving is very small. Even if they do move, it will cost too much and will have to be borne by the state government.

"So although the spot is the most strategic, we will have to think of another spot for the bus terminal, somewhere close to the highway and commuter train station," Khalid wrote on his blog.

'Poor town planning in the 1970s'

The brewery sits in the suburbs of the Malay-majority Shah Alam. When it was first opened in 1972, it was nestled in the middle of a leafy forest area right next to the Federal Highway.

However, being the first recognisable building from the highway upon entering the capital of Selangor from Kuala Lumpur, the brewery has become a landmark of sorts for Shah Alam.

And despite its low profile - except for a one-storey-high signboard of the company's logo visible from the highway - it has been the centre of attention for politicians from across the political divide, daring each other to move the factory away from Shah Alam.

"There was an evident lack of town planning when the factory was allowed to be built there. At first it seemed like the right spot since it was surrounded by forests but who would've known that the brewery would become so prominent after Shah Alam became more and more developed," he said.

When contacted, he also said that the Muslim workers in the brewery also should not be shunned by other Muslims simply because of where they work.

"Granted, it is not the most ideal place to work, but we still have to accept them as our brothers," he said of the Muslim staff who make up a 'sizeable' amount of the 300-strong workforce.

The issue of alcohol has also been a bone of contention even among the Pakatan Rakyat politicians themselves.

[Source: Mkini]

Now, let's see UMNO do something like this.

=================

The Complete Restoration of the Millennium Park

Year 2008

This was how Millennium Park looked like when we first took over the State Government in 2008. The former Barisan Nasional government spent millions decorating this open space with silver birds and trees which disappeared soon after and then they allowed this valuable open space to become an eatery, which was also abandoned.

In 2008, my office wrote to MPSJ and requested for the abandoned structures to be demolished.


Year 2009

On World Environment Day in June 2009, a huge tree planting exercise was carried out together with JKP Zone 1, SJRA, USJ RA, BSRA, corporate sponsors and MPSJ.

Residents participated in restoring the Millennium Park into a green area.

Year 2010Now that the place is restored, I organised a healthy living campaign for my residents. A qualified trainer will lead the residents all over DUN Subang Jaya every Saturday from 7:30am to 8:00am in an exercise session. This program will be on-going for half a year and is sponsored by my office using the annual allocation given by the Selangor State Government for less than RM10,000.

Early sunrise

Residents from all races and all ages (see kids in the pic) come out every Saturday for this exercise program. Last week, the group has grown to a size of 60 people. Most of them come from the SS13 flats nearby. Others from all over Subang Jaya, USJ and Bandar Sunway. Join us if you can!

I am a firm believer that taxpayers funds must return to the people for their benefit. BN spent millions and benefited only the recipient of the contract. We spent RM10,000 only for this exercise program and the residents walk away happy and healthier every week!

[Source: Hannah Yeoh's blog]