Thursday, March 6, 2014

Fires To Put Out


Phones are ringing off the hook at the operations room of the Johor Fire & Rescue Services Department, says its assistant director (operations) Mohd Rizal Buang (standing)

There are lives to save and fires to put out everywhere. Owing to the current hot spell, Mohd Rizal shared with us that the department receives an average of 110 calls per day throughout Johor since the beginning of the year to now (Jan 1 to March 4). In the same period, there were 49 prank calls.

The telephone operators at the operations room hardly have time to go for their lunch breaks. So, please don't send the firemen on a wild goose chase. The telephone operators are divided into 3 teams of 5 staff each. One team will work from 8am to 8pm, another team from 8pm to 8am while one team gets to rest.

The department's priorities are to save lives, followed by buildings and the environment. Do call the operations room immediately when you spot a fire. Don't call out of boredom to chit-chat with the friendly firemen.

And if your vehicle were to catch fire --- there have been a number of cases of late due to the hot spell --- don't forget to also lodge a report with the fire department other than the police department. The fee for lodging the report, which is essential to claim for insurance, is RM100.

That's all for now. Weather's hot, drink lots of water to prevent dehydration. It's also a weight loss strategy.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Touching Speech by Top Cop

His subordinate had prepared a speech for him, but Johor police chief Datuk Mokhtar Shariff refused to look at it --- not because it was badly written --- but because Datuk Mokhtar wanted to speak from the heart.

And the heartfelt words touched many hearts, mine included. The event took place at the Johor Baru Utara (JBU) police station in Skudai.

It was a ceremony to welcome the new JBU police chief Assistant Commissioner Khamsani Abdul Rahman and to bid adieu to the outgoing police chief Assistant Commissioner Ruslan Hassan, who has been promoted to Assistant Director of Management in Bukit Aman.

It was a bittersweet occasion, a teary day for the boys in blue.

Datuk Mokhtar said: "Policing, the landscape and public expectations have changed over the years and the police force cannot remain stagnant. There has to be transfers; and the sole intention of a police officer is to serve the rakyat.

"We need to remain united as there are plenty of kulit pisang

just lying in wait for the police to fall.

"We work day and night. We work 14 hours a day but when one crime happens, we get a lot of shelling, We just need to do our best, and leave it to Allah to do the rest."

with Johor top cop Datuk Mokhtar Shariff

The current staff strength of the state police force is 8,556. With Iskandar Malaysia undergoing massive development and robust growth, it looks like the police force certainly needs more manpower.

But apart from manpower, the vital ingredients of great performance are teamwork and a competent leader. One that leads by example, and cares about his men, like ACP Ruslan, and Datuk Mokhtar.

Ruslan said: "If you Datuk Mokhtar says I am brave, my men's bravery are beyond words."

Ruslan served in JBU for 7 years 4 months 3 days. He will be heading to Bukit Aman now that he has been promoted to assistant director of management.

All the best Tuan Ruslan and to his successor, Tuan Khamsani.

An Interview with Chew Mei Fun

'I am fighting for a cause'

By Shahrum Sayuthi and Adrian Lai

Chew Mei Fun

Question: You have been away from politics for quite some time after quitting your deputy minister and Wanita MCA chief posts in 2010. What has changed since then?
Answer: My feelings towards politics now are different compared with in 2008. After three years of rest and reflection, I think I have different views on politics. Now, I tell myself that as long as I'm doing something right, why be so worried?
Just say and do what you think is right. At the end of the day, if you are too worried about what people think of you or how they look at you, then you might be compromised.

Question: How do you plan to appeal to the voters in Kajang, as well as your party comrades on the ground?
Answer: We need to be sincere. We need to tell our comrades and friends what we're feeling. What is needed is for us to serve the people without fear or favour. At the same time, we need to take care of the sensitivities of all the ethnic groups.
The truth is, everyone loves peace and everyone wants peace. Everybody wishes that we can live in harmony and respect each other.
Somehow, there are extremists who are doing and saying things that are damaging to the country's unity. We need to face it and find out how to address it. Therefore, I think dialogue among the races is very important.

Question: Political observers have labelled you as the "underdog". Many of them feel that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is going to win. What is your view on this?
Answer: Everyone thinks that about me. I do think I am the underdog but I believe anyone can do it if they are fighting for a cause and deliver their message clearly. With my proven track record and how I have served people in the past, the Kajang electorate may give me a chance.

Question: As Barisan Nasional's (BN) candidate and a senior MCA leader, how well have you been received by Kajang voters since you started making your rounds?
Answer: I have been here (Kajang) for many days now. I shifted here after I was selected as the BN candidate. I walked around and talked to people. Of course, I feel the difference compared with in 2008.
However, even though I found the situation quite encouraging, I will never take this support for granted. All my time was filled up with programmes; I even found it difficult to take two hours off.

Question: In the last general election, there were reports that many Kajang MCA members had voted for the opposition. Will this trend continue?
Answer: This round might be different. I met some of our members during my programmes and they told me that things are different now. They said: "We want to support our party and we want to see our party reform and transform."
And, I believe this is the sentiment of all our MCA members. There are more than 4,000 MCA members in Kajang.
If everybody votes for BN, we will do much better. In the last election, only 18.8 per cent of the Chinese community here voted for BN. Many of our members didn't vote for BN that time. But, now, they are with me.

Question: Tell us about your day-to-day activities.
Answer: In the mornings and afternoons, I go to coffeeshops to chat with local residents. In the evenings, I attend Chinese gatherings. From 9pm to midnight, I mingle with Malays and give ceramah. In fact, (Umno information chief) Datuk Ahmad Maslan comes here every night to assist me with my campaign.
My campaign methods are different from Anwar's. He sends (the party's information chief) Tian Chua to the ground. Do you want to vote for his assistant or the candidate himself?
Anwar takes the people's support for granted. He thinks the Chinese community will definitely support him.
That's why he engineered this by-election, which is unnecessary. He is just trying to solve his party's internal problems. I think the Chinese people here are not blind. If you ask me, they are more critical than anyone else, besides being pragmatic voters.

Question: Why do you think it is important for the voters to give BN a chance to wrest Kajang?
Answer: This is a multiracial country. Whether we're in BN or the opposition, we need to adopt a multiracial approach to politics. Currently, the opposition in Selangor does not reflect that.
And, all 12 BN state assemblymen are from Umno. There are also no female representatives. Therefore, the voters here need to give MCA and me a chance to represent them.

Question: What if the Chinese community in Selangor has decided to regard DAP as their sole representative?
Answer: Here, in Selangor, DAP is part of the ruling government. The Chinese may choose to have DAP as their only representative but that's provided DAP does not do anything wrong.
Currently, DAP can't even stop PKR from doing what it wants. One should not put all the eggs in a single basket. You need to split your risks when you make investments. It is the same in politics.

Question: How do you think your Chinese education background will help you win over the voters and safeguard their interests?
Answer: No doubt, I am from the Chinese-speaking circle because I attended Chinese school. I even studied for my degree in Taiwan and pursued my Master in Chinese Studies at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.
So, I understand the feelings of the Malaysian Chinese. But, I do believe that we cannot live in our own bubble. We need to reach out to others. As leaders, we need to bridge the gap between the ethnic groups. We need to bring them out of their circles.
If we don't do that, we won't be able to have a good platform to talk to each other. If you look at Malaysia now, even though we are a multiracial country, many Malays are still living in villages, the Indians in the estates and the Chinese in new villages.

Question: You mention that BN adopts a multiracial approach to politics and that this is the correct formula to govern the country. However, Pakatan, in particular DAP, propagates the same ideology. How are the coalitions different?
Answer: We are different because even though BN has three large race-based parties, we are able to agree to the concept of power-sharing, but at the same time keep our ethnic identities. Officially, we represent our own race and safeguard their interests.
If you look at things this way, BN is actually a multiracial alliance. It means that we can work together but, at the same time, not forget our identity.
However, even though DAP claims it is a multiracial party, it is obviously Chinese-based. That is how different we are. MCA founder Tun Tan Cheng Lock had once said that although we are a race-based party, we are moving forward with other political parties in BN (then known as the Alliance). The same cannot be said about Pakatan.
For example, when Anwar said he was contesting the Kajang seat, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said he was not informed.
I want to win this election not only for MCA but also for BN. If MCA is weak, it won't be good for BN. We need to work together and bring everybody together. Everybody must progress.

Question: That said, how will you rate your chances of winning at this juncture?
Answer: This is a "mission impossible" but we are fighting for a win. Last time, when we had the same dire situation in Ampang Jaya in 1989, we still managed to win the seat there.

Question: Tell us why Kajang voters should give you their votes.
Answer: First of all, you will be voting in a proper representative, not his assistant. Second, you are strengthening the opposition in Selangor. Third, you will be electing a person who can bring a lot of progress to Kajang.
Remember, Putrajaya is just 15 minutes away from here. The development of Putrajaya will spill into its surrounding areas. Besides, the PKR-led Selangor government is beset with problems. Why push the blame on BN when the prices of goods increase?
They (PKR) cannot even rationalise why the state leaders' salaries are higher than the prime minister's. On one hand, you criticise your opponents, but at the same time, you do the same thing, hoping people will not complain.

Question: The so-called Chinese tsunami last year caused MCA to lose badly, leaving it with only seven parliamentary and 11 state seats. Will a win in Kajang prove that Chinese support is swinging back to BN?
Answer: First of all, last year's loss was largely because of an urban tsunami, and not just a Chinese one. And, it has only been eights months since the 13th General Election. Our (MCA) new leadership has been in office for less than four months.
If you use the results of this election as a yardstick, it won't be fair. But a win for MCA will mean a lot for the party as it will receive a much-needed morale boost to continue its transformation. If we win, the Chinese voters in Kajang are sending out this message: "Do your best and don't disappoint us again".

Question: How long do you think is needed for MCA to pick itself out of the doldrums?
Answer: I think we need at least five to 10 years. It is not easy as we are going through a massive transformation.
Actually, we have many young people and all we have to do is make sure they have a platform to perform. We need the support of the younger leaders if we are to get through this process of transformation.

Question: What would be your message to the voters in Kajang, especially those who feel that you are being used as BN's sacrificial lamb in this by-election?
Answer: People keep asking me, Mei Fun, why do you let yourself become the sacrificial lamb?
Well, I tell them, you don't have to worry about me. I was a normal party member, then I became a member of parliament, then I almost lost my life (in an accident), became deputy minister, and then quit everything. I led an ordinary life, came back as an MCA vice-president and now, I'm going up against a titan like Anwar Ibrahim.
I think I've been through quite a lot and I just want to go in knowing I'm fighting for a cause and doing what I think is right. You don't have to worry about me. After many years in politics, I've learned that there's no point stressing over winning or losing. Just let things be.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Thistle A Gem In The City


At BodyWork Spa at Thistle Hotel

At the BodyWork Spa in Thistle Johor Bahru, I shared a light moment with the spa's executive director Lynda Eunos (right) while having a foot bath before my body massage.

A Resort In The City

I never took the time to explore Thistle till yesterday. Wow! It took me so long to discover this little gem of a hotel in the city. The room I stayed in offered an astounding view of the Dataran Bandaraya.

The view from the 16th floor of the hotel

The landmark clock tower was built to commemorate the proclamation of Johor Baru as a city in January 1994. That was 20 years ago.

Dining at the Oasis, a food and beverage outlet by the poolside that features Italian and Japanese cuisines, was a heavenly experience and an amazing gastronomic journey.

I had the Wagyu Beef Sirloin Steak, which is Oasis' signature dish. It was just exquisite. Other notable dishes on the menu --- the Mix Furai To Unagi Bento, Risotto Al Funghi Di Bosco, Grilled Fish and Seafood Platter, Selected 5-Spiced Glazed Australian Lamb Fillet and the Supremo Pizza baked in a wood fired oven.

After dinner

Before breakfast


with Thistle's director of marketing communications and public relations M.S. Bobby

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Action Taken

Johor Baru MCA division public complaints bureau chairman John Cheah at the site of the water leak.

Work-in-progress to repair water leak. Contractors visited the site after the matter was highlighted

Can You Solve This Mystery?

It's Still Flowing

It also appeared in Johor Streets on Feb 25. Please go to
http://www.nst.com.my/streets/johor/water-leak-causing-problems-1.492223#ixzz2uIVogkjf

Life's Transience

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Life's Transience

shake belly sashimi

ebi an chawan mushi

Decided to treat myself to "shake belly sashimi", which is one of my favourite indulgences, and a "ebi an chawan mushi".

Felt the craving for sashimi after reading this from the "Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Chapter 2"

"What is our life but a dance of transient forms? Isn't everything always changing: the leaves on the trees in the park, the light in your room as you read this, the seasons, the weather, the time of day, the people passing you in the street? And what about us? Doesn't everything we have done in the past seem like a dream now? The friends we grew up with, the childhood haunts, those views and opinions we once held with such single-minded passion: We have left them all behind. Now, at this moment, reading this post seems vividly real to you. Even this page will soon be only a memory."

Also, would like to share my commentary which came out in Johor Streets, a pullout of the New Straits Times on

Water leak causing problems

By Chuah Bee Kim

I READ with much concern the front page report "3 States on Alert" in the New Straits Times recently.The article was about how water supply from dams and rivers nationwide were drying up.

Johor is one of the three states on alert.
   After reading the article, I stumbled upon a puddle of water bubbling up from a road in Susur 1, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak in Johor Baru. The water was overflowing into a nearby drain.
   I talked to office workers who work in the neighbourhood and found out that this has been going on for more than a month, maybe even two.
   One of them was former State Tourism and Environment committee chairman Freddie Long, whose legal firm is in the vicinity.
   Long told me he had reported the matter to Syarikat Air Johor (SAJ) Holdings Sdn Bhd which told him that the water samples taken from the site did not contain chlorine and thus, could not have been from a broken water pipe.
   N. Usha Devi, 55, a secretary in an engineering firm there, said she, too, was concerned as well as outraged because of all the water which could have been saved if the relevant authorities had looked into the matter sooner.
   Usha even brought the matter up to the Johor Baru MCA division public complaints bureau chairman, John Cheah, who said the incident occurred after workers from Tenaga Nasional Bhd had dug up a stretch nearby to lay some cables.
Cheah, who is also part of the Communication for Behavioural Impact (Combi), said not only does the wastage of water bother him but also the fact that some parts of the road may become a breeding ground for the Aedes mosquito.
   No doubt the water is flowing into the drain, but there are some areas with stagnant water.
I feel that this is another cause for concern and if this is allowed to continue, it could cause the road to sink.
   I have also checked with the local municipal council which said no public complaints have been lodged so far.
   With dengue cases mushrooming all over the country and the possibility of taps running dry, can the authorities please do something about this?
   If SAJ claims that the leak is not from a water pipe then which department should look into this?
   Sometimes, the public is at a loss when it comes to matters like this.
   They just do not know who to turn to.
   In the end, the issue goes viral and on social networking sites like Facebook.
   In fact, people have already started posting the issue on Facebook with various comments