A multimedia delight

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If you’re looking for a “good” phone, you won’t find it in the Sony Ericsson Aino. No, the device is actually quite amazing.

Somebody at Sony Ericsson must have thought it would be a great idea to combine the functionality of a phone with the features of a media player and camera, because this is what the Aino is in a nutshell.

And we have to say, we agree — the Aino is perfect for the gadget lover who wants a device that lets her keep in touch with her friends while allowing her to watch a downloaded episode of C.S.I. or listen to Linkin Park during long commutes or intensely boring meetings.

Interestingly, the Aino has two distinct modes. Slide it open and it becomes a typical Sony Ericsson phone with a keypad. And by that we mean that it’s a solid, reliable mobile phone that you can use to makes calls and send/receive SMS/MMS messages.

It’s fairly easy (and responsive) to use, and it has all the standard features you might expect from any phone, such as an organiser and an alarm clock.

Slide the phone close, however, and you’ll see what makes this device so excellent.

Sight and sounds

For one thing, this mode lets you use the Aino as a media player. The capacitive touchscreen — which is mostly disabled in the phone mode — now lets you browse through the albums and playlists you’ve stored in the phone memory or the attached microSD card.

A few quick taps on the touchscreen can then take you to a listing of the videos and movies on the Aino, which you can enjoy on the phone’s wide 3in TFT display.

Honestly, we were quite surprised at the excellent quality of the audio and video that were coming from this little device.

We’ve successfully tested playing MP3, MP4 and AVI files on the Aino, and the pictures were sharp and the sounds were very clear.

You can watch entire movies on this thing, and if you use the wireless Bluetooth headset which comes included in the box, you can do so without disturbing the people next to you. Or alert the boss to the fact that you’re not paying attention during the intensely boring meeting.

You can transfer files directly to/from the Aino via a USB cable, but the easier way would be to plug the phone into the charging stand and firing up the MediaGo software (both also included in the package) to synchronise files with your PC.

Snapshots

Some people might argue that a camera isn’t exactly a necessary feature of a phone, but generally these people also ride pterodactyls to hunt T-rexes for their dinner. No, a camera is an indispensible feature for current handphones, because you’ll never know when you’ll come across your friends doing something hilarious and/or incriminating that needs to be photographed.

The Aino’s 8.1 megapixel camera — another feature only acessible in the “closed” mode — can produce surprisingly excellent pictures, particularly for a camera phone. Sure, it can’t compare to a DSLR, but try to fit one of those into your pocket.

The Aino’s camera also comes with a flash, 16x digital zoom and the ability to record videos.

But more interestingly, it has a feature which lets you set the focus of the image simply by tapping on it in the touchscreen.

Plus, the phone comes pre-installed with a Facebook app, so if you’re near a WiFi hotspot or if you have a data plan, you can immediately share any hilarious and/or incriminating photos with your other friends.

Everything else

While the multimedia capabilities and the camera are the main attractions of the Aino, the phone has a whole slew of other interesting features, like the Facebook app that was mentioned.

Among other things, the phone has (limited but useful) GPS functionality, so if you need to know how to get to nearby landmarks or which neighbourhood you’re currently lost in, you can always consult Wisepilot or Google Maps.

If you have a PS3, you can utilise the Remote Play feature to wirelessly access (media) content on your machine, which sounds pretty cool on paper. In practice though, we store most of our movies and music on our computer, so the Aino’s ability to wirelessly transfer files via Bluetooth is more useful in this respect.

And if you have a thing for those quirky lil’ Java games for mobile phones, you’ll be happy to know that the Aino lets you access the PlayNow arena, Sony Ericsson’s online store for mobile content. But really, gaming is pretty much the only area of mobile entertainment that the Aino doesn’t shine at. May we suggest a Nintendo DS or a Sony PSP instead?

Great doesn’t mean perfect

Of course, this wouldn’t be a proper review if we never found things about the product to gripe about.

The first complaint about the Aino is in regards to its battery life. On average, when we only used the Aino to send SMS messages and make a few calls, we were able to make the phone last for around three days without recharging.

On the other hand, when we went all out and started watching movies, listening to music on the wireless headset and surfing the Net regularly, we were lucky to get a day’s worth of battery life.

Really, you could have seen that coming from a mile away, but the problem is that the phone has such excellent multimedia capabilities there’s little reason for you to NOT regularly watch movies or listen to music on it.

The numeric keypad also feels a little “shallow” to the touch, which is strange considering how the phone features are reliant on this form of input. This doesn’t affect functionality in any way, only the way the phone feels.

However, the final complaint about the Aino is probably the quirkiest — in our experience, the screen lock isn’t entirely reliable.

Keeping in mind that the touchscreen only gives access to the media features (so phew, you can’t accidentally make phone calls when the phone is closed), and that we regularly carry out phones in our trouser pockets, this creates the strange effect where our trousers would randomly break out into song.

We’re not kidding. This happened to us about once a week, and given how clear and loud the audio from the Aino can be, we’ve started to think that we’re either in a Disney musical or a Bollywood film.

Conclusion

All said, these minor flaws don’t detract from the overall awesomeness of the Aino. And heck, if you’re the kind of guy who likes to spontaneously start a song and dance sequence, some of the “flaws” might actually be an added bonus for you.

The Aino is an excellent device for any gadget lover, whether you’re looking for a mobile media device, a compact camera option or simply a phone that’s just plain reliable and responsive.

For the price, you get a lot of great features fitted nicely into a sleek looking phone. (incidentally, we recommend getting the white colour option if it’s available, if only so you can say that you have an Albino Aino.)

After having had the chance to play around with this phone, this reviewer can say one thing for sure: I know I want an Aino now.

Pros: Mobile media player with superb audio and video; excellent camera; solid phone functionality; looks pretty.

Cons: Not-so-reliable screen lock might cause spontaneous outbreaks of song.

AINO

(Sony Ericsson)

3G multimedia phone

CAMERA: 8.1-megapixels with touch focus

DISPLAY: 3in capacitive TFT touchscreen (432 x 240-pixels), 16 million colours

MESSAGING: SMS, MMS, e-mail, instant messaging

MEMORY: 55MB (internal), bundled 8GB microSD

EXPANSION SLOT: microSD

CONNECTIVITY: GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA, Bluetooth, WiFi

OTHER FEATURES: aGPS, video recording, media player, motion gaming, various pre-installed applications

STANDBY/TALK TIME: 380 hours/ 13 hours

DIMENSIONS: 104 x 50 x 15.5mm

WEIGHT: 134g

PRICE: RM1,999

Review unit courtesy of Sony Ericsson Malaysia, 1-800-88-9900.

Not quite picture perfect

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Sony Ericsson is back in the megapixel race with its monster 12-megapixel camera phone.

By ONG CHIN HAN

We have been waiting for this touchscreen Symbian sweetie to arrive ever since it was announced in February this year.

With the standard UIQ user interface gone, we were waiting to see what the Sony Ericsson boys could do with Symbian S60 5th edition.

The Satio is offered in black, silver and maroon. The review unit was a maroon though we would have liked to see a black one instead.

Styling wise, the phone looks more like a camera than a phone. It appears sleek on the front. It also feels sleek in the hand but when viewed from the side, the lens cover that’s jutting out makes the Satio look pudgy.

The Call, Menu and End Call buttons are below the 3.5in screen. Above the screen, you will find the proximity sensor, secondary camera and speaker. At the top of the Satio, you will find the speaker and the power button.

On the left, you find the screen unlock switch, Sony Ericsson’s proprietary connectivity port and the microSD card slot. To your right, you get the volume rocker/camera zoom control, playback button, camera/video mode switch and capture button.

On the back, you find the lens cover which automatically turns on the camera when slid off.

SHARP SHOOTER: The camera on the Satio deserves praise for the range of functions and decent quality of photos overall.

Feature-packed

The processor powering the Satio is an ARM Cortex A8 600MHz with a PowerVR SGX graphics chip which is similar to the iPhone and packs a lot of power.

There’s 128MB of internal memory to store contacts and 256MB RAM. The Satio can support microSD cards of up to 32 B so there’s no worry of running out of space.

The 3.5in touchscreen is sensitive enough that you only need to tap it lightly. It’s also precise so that your taps do not stray.

The screen provides excellent colour and contrast. Outdoors, it performs pretty well.

However, the screen can’t shine through on our super sunny Malaysian afternoons which is quite acceptable as most phones don’t have very good legibility under bright sunlight.

The Satio performs the basic phone functions admirably. Voice quality is clear.

Accessing your address book is made easy with the Symbian’s index name search that minimises scrolling through your entire address book.

You can send and receive SMS and MMS easily. E-mail can easily be set up as well.

Now, normally, Sony Ericsson phones with their Flash UI sort the SMS in a threaded/conversation view whereas Symbian phones have them sorted by date.

Sony tries to bring the threaded view back, but you can only find this feature in the Chat section. It’s not really a big issue to have this feature as long as you know how to do it.

The Satio has all the bases covered when it comes to connectivity. It handles GSM, GPRS, 3G, Wi-Fi, USB and Bluetooth. Lots of pixels

IN A ROW: All the camera control buttons are on the right of the Satio.

The camera on the Satio deserves to be praised and rightly so. Even though cramming in a tiny 12-megapixel sensor does have its drawbacks on image quality, the Satio’s photos turned out pretty nicely.

It excels in taking daylight images. When in a low-light conditions, a steady hand is a must even with image stabilisation on.

The reason why the Satio feels more like a camera than a phone is it has all the wonderful functions found in Sony’s Cyber-shot cameras such as Smile Detect which snaps the picture only when the subject smiles, Best Pic which takes multiple images and suggests the best one for you and finally Touch Focus where the camera will focus upon the area that you tap on the screen and then snap the picture.

The camera captures video in 640 x 480-pixel resolution which is encoded in MP4. Videos were smooth and crisp with excellent clarity.

Media playback

Sony have replicated the Walkman-style Media Centre for the Symbian OS. It organises media into Music, Photos and Videos.

I’ll go through each category. For Music, it works as expected. Songs are sorted by album, artist and title. It would’ve been nice if songs could be searched by the title or artist where you could type it in.

The sound quality is alright, but there is no equaliser function. To me, the Satio could use one as the sound is more high pitched than we would have liked.

The visualisation is interesting and rather hypnotic. Try tapping it when there is a song playing and you’ll see what I mean. Sadly, there’s only one visualisation.

Photos are displayed in a scrolling fashion where you can sweep your finger across the screen to proceed to the next or previous image.

The transitions were smooth and slick. You can access photos from the phone or from an online location.

As for videos, you can access YouTube videos and podcasts.

The video player is nothing fancy and works as expected. Videos play brilliantly on the huge screen but it would’ve been nice to pair it up with decent stereo speakers instead of the mono speaker the phone has.

In addition, you can always turn on Flight Mode to use the media player functions on flights and in hospitals.

Productivity tools

The RoadSync application allows you to link to an Exchange mail server to access corporate e-mail message, appointments and contacts.

As usual, you get the Symbian calculator, calendar and note applications. The QuickOffice and Adobe PDF applications allow you to read Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files.

However, you have to purchase the full edition of QuickOffice to be able to edit files. The Adobe PDF also comes with a 30 day trial and you have to purchase a full license if you need it.

Entertainment

Sony Ericsson has loaded a couple of PlayStation games that they’ve ported to the Satio. You’ll find them on the microSD Card. We got Prince of Persia and Asphalt 4.

We haven’t played the original games on the PlayStation but we are not to happy with the slow speed of the games.

The Satio comes with the WisePilot GPS software preinstalled so you don’t have to install other GPS software.

WisePilot is without doubt a good GPS software with voice directions.

The GPS hardware however is not up to par with the software. It took about two minutes to get a position lock when we were outside on a clear day.

Symbian’s positioning application also suffered from the same symptoms.

It’s rather strange that the Google Maps application managed to get a position lock fairly quickly even when we were indoors.

This leads us to conclude that perhaps the Symbian OS and it’s services have not been properly optimised with the Satio’s hardware.

Battery life is a bit short. If you use it heavily in the course of a day for GPS, photo taking and media playback in addition to your phone calls, expect to charge it by the end of the day.

Moderate usage for phone calls and messaging alone should get you about 2.5 days of usage. There is a supplied charger and the Satio can still be charged via USB.

Conclusion

Actually, with all the hype surrounding the Satio, we felt rather letdown.

The Satio has a habit of auto restarting once in a while (about every tow days). You get a two second lag when trying to unlock the screen, as if the phone was trying to wake itself from sleep mode.

The intermittent lags and hangs failed to convince us that it was running on some really powerful hardware.

The lags and hangs get worse if the theme is changed from the original theme which is quite peculiar.

All of this could be due to the unstable firmware on the Satio. Having said that, Sony has offered an update to improve the performance of the Satio but it seems that update has not been rolled out to the Malaysian market yet as we couldn’t update the review unit.

It looks like Sony Ericsson tried really hard to cram in a lot of features but but it just didn’t manage to optimise the Symbian OS and its apps for the Satio’s awesome hardware.

We still have faith in the company to fix the flaws in future firmware updates.

Pros: Excellent camera; GPS software is good

Cons: Buggy and slow software; no DivX and Xvid support; lacks 3.5mm jack; missing equaliser function; many other small quirks.

Satio

(Sony Ericsson)

3G phone with touchscreen

Camera: 12.1-megapixels with autofocus, touch focus and xenon flash

Display: 3.5in touchscreen (360 x 640-pixels)

Operating system: Symbian 9.4 S60 5th edition

Messaging: SMS, MMS, e-mail Connectivity: GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100, Bluetooth, USB, Wi-Fi

Expansion slot: MicroSD (up to 32GB supported)

Phone memory: 128MB internal memory, 256MB RAM, 8GB mircoSD included

Battery Type: Lithium polymer 1,000mAh

Standby/talk time: 340 hours / 4 hours 50 minutes

Other features: A-GPS

Weight: 126g

Dimensions (w x d x h): 55 x 13 x 112mm

Price: RM2,499

Review unit courtesy of Sony Ericsson Malaysia, 1-800-88-9900

Over 7,000 NKRA activities made public

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PETALING JAYA: Over 7,000 nationwide activities along with over 2,000 projects and 100 programmes identified for the six National Key Result Areas (NKRAs) were showcased to the public at a two-day Government Transformation Programme (GTP) Open Day which kicked off on Thursday.

An “open house” is being held at the Sunway Convention Centre until 5.30pm on Friday to gather public feedback and perception on the six NKRAs -- widening access to quality and affordable education, crime prevention, fighting corruption, raising the living standard of the low-income people, upgrading infrastructure in the rural and interior regions, and improving public transportation in a moderate period of time.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said the Government had made public the activities and programmes for the six NKRAs in line with the policy of greater transparency and inclusiveness for all Malaysians.

”The Government is committed to extensive reform and delivery efforts as we focus on bringing outcomes to the people. Given the public feedback, we hope to enhance our delivery plans in a clear and measurable way,” he said when officiating at the GTP Open Day.

Also present were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and chief executive officer of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) Board, Datuk Seri Idris Jala, and former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The NKRAs and the Key Performance Indicators, launched in July by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, are part of the GTP to ensure that the nation achieves the Vision 2020 target of making Malaysia a fully developed country by that year.

The public will be able to view the action or implementation plans and programmes for each of the NKRAs, which were earlier devised by eight “live” laboratories set up from the best talents in the civil service.

Koh, who is also the chairman of Pemandu, an entity that oversees the implementation and assesses progress of the GTP initiative, said that though it was in its first year, the GTP initiative through the NKRA approach had come a long way considering the scale of the programme, which would be the most comprehensive undertaken by any government in the world.

”The progress made in less than eight months showcases the commitment of the Prime Minister and the concerted effort of all ministers, agencies, departments and members of the civil service.

”The Government is committed to carrying out a transformation programme as its main agenda based on the approaches and philosophy of 1Malaysia ‘People First, Performance Now’,” he said.

Koh said more than 250 personnel from various ministries, agencies and departments throughout the country participated in the laboratories and they have not only identified radical, practical and innovative solutions to realise the NKRAs but have also drawn up the execution plans for many of them.

Later, at a news conference, Koh said the 1Malaysia GTP Roadmap would be released on Pemandu’s website by the end of next month after getting feedback from the public on new ideas or conditions that the Government was not aware of.

”We have an open heart and mind to receive suggestions from the public, whether they are new ideas, new conditions we are not aware of and constructive criticism. As we have pointed out, we are still imperfect and need a lot of feedback,” he said.

The GTP Roadmap will provide members of the public a comprehensive overview of the GTP initiatives, including details on specific programmes, the agencies, target groups, time frame, implementation as well as costs.

However, Koh said, the roadmap was not a final document because it was an ongoing process to get feedback from the public.

”What we plan today may have certain imperfections which will need amendments,” he added.

Following the Open Day here, Koh said, a roadshow of the same event would be held in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu next month.

Meanwhile, as to the decision to showcase the various programmes, Idris said, “Members of the civil service and the people are our partners in this initiative. Thus the GTP Open Day is a platform for them to view the action plans and initiatives drawn up by the lab participants as well as provide feedback and offer suggestions.

”Their feedback will be used to validate the lab findings before implementation commences.”

Idris said the proposed actions plans would see the lead ministries working alongside the other ministries, agencies and the private sector.

Najib had named Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the lead minister for widening access to quality and affordable education, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein for crime prevention, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Aziz for fighting corruption.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil was made responsible for raising the living standard of the low-income people, Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal for upgrading infrastructure in the rural and interior regions, and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat for improving public transportation in a moderate period of time.

4% GST expected to come into effect in middle of 2011

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KUALA LUMPUR: The 4% Goods and Services Tax (GST) is expected to be implemented by the middle of 2011.

The GST Bill was tabled for the first reading in Parliament by Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah yesterday.

He told the house that the second reading of the Bill was scheduled for March next year.

Speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby later, Husni said the GST implementation would be a win-win situation for all, as the Government would receive an additional RM1bil in revenue for the first year while the business and export sectors would save RM4.1bil and RM1.4bil, respectively.

“The Government is proposing GST at a rate lower than the (current) sales and services tax rates, and to allow certain exemptions from GST, especially on essential goods such as padi, vegetables, basic food (rice, sugar, flour, cooking oil), fish, meat and chicken, to ensure it will not burden the rakyat, especially the lower income group.

“The main purpose for introducing GST is to make the current taxation system more comprehensive, efficient, effective, transparent and business friendly. The sales and services tax will be abolished and replaced with GST,” he said.

The current sales and services tax is from 5% to 10%.

“Based on the proposed model, businesses are expected to benefit in terms of lower cost of doing business.

“GST will be able to reduce bureaucratic practices in the management and administration of the country’s tax system, and overcome various inherent weaknesses that exist in the sales and services tax.”

He said companies with a revenue of RM500,000 and below would be exempted from GST, and also, about 70% of SMEs would be exempted.

Husni said the Government had done a comprehensive study on the GST.

“Under the sales and services tax system, the burden on the poor is 2.38%, but under the GST, it will be 2.17%.

“For the higher income group, their tax burden will be reduced from 3.13% to 2.74%,” he added.

“The overall savings for households will be between RM14.52 and RM346.92 yearly. On all grounds, we will benefit more from the GST,” he said.

Prince vs prince in Kelantan

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KUALA LUMPUR: Just days after his Syariah Court win over his estranged wife, the Tengku Temenggong of Kelantan Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra is back in the courts again. This time, he’s challenging the decision of his eldest brother – the Kelantan Regent – who revoked his membership in the Kelantan Succession Council on Sept 16.

The council confirms the succession to the throne in Kelantan and determines whether there is a vacancy in the throne by reason of a prolonged absence of the reigning sovereign.

Tengku Muhammad Fakhry, 31, the third son of the Sultan of Kelantan, is third in line to the throne.

The Sultan appointed him to the council in or about 2001.

It was just on Sunday that he scored a victory in Kota Baru when the Syariah High Court judge ordered his 18-year-old wife Manohara Odelia Pinot, a former Indonesian model, to return the RM1.2mil she borrowed from him.

This time, the Kelantan prince has taken his case to the civil courts. He is applying for leave for a judicial review in the High Court here of the decision by the Regent, Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra, to remove him from the council.

Yesterday, Tengku Muhammad Fakhry’s lead counsel K. Shanmuga submitted that the Regent’s action amounted to a usurpation of the Sultan’s powers because, under the Kelantan State Constitution, only the Sultan could alter the council’s composition.

“The Regent holds office only for so long as the Sultan is incapacitated,” he added.

In his statement filed for the judicial review application, the prince said the Sultan had been critically ill since May and his brother was appointed Regent effective May 25. He said the Sultan, who has been in hospital in Singapore since May, now appears to be recovering.

Shanmuga contended that while the Regent was first in line to the throne, his succession was not automatic as the council must first confirm him as the reigning sovereign.

If neither the Regent nor the Tengku Bendahara – who is second in line – were confirmed, Shanmuga said the Tengku Temenggong would be next in line.

In his application filed on Dec 1, the prince had named Tengku Muhammad Faris, 40, the Kelantan Government, the council secretary and five others who had been appointed to the council by the Regent on May 24.

Among others, the prince is asking the court to set aside the Regent’s decision or, alternatively, to declare the revocation inconsistent with the Kelantan Constitution.

Shanmuga argued that allowing the Regent to alter the composition of the council effectively granted him the ability to create a tribunal that would determine his fitness to succeed to the throne.

He contended the Regent’s decision was justiciable , adding that it was of utmost importance for the court to ensure that constitutional mechanisms designed to protect the dignity of the succession operated in accordance with the law.

Senior Federal Counsel, Datin Azizah Nawawi, acting for the respondents, argued that the Regent had absolute discretion to revoke the appointment of any council member and it could not be questioned in an ordinary court of law as it was it was a royal prerogative and was non-justiciable.

Justice Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof will deliver his decision on Dec 31.

MP steers clear of rumour he is getting hitched to Zizie

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PETALING JAYA: Rumours are abuzz that a starlet is getting engaged to Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (pic).

Although the Barisan Nasional MP from Sabah denied that he is marrying actress Zizie Ezette of Kekasih Awal dan Akhir, speculation continues to swirl over the two.

Bung Moktar’s recent makeover — he now sports a new hairstyle after dyeing it black — has only helped to fuel the gossip.

“I am not handsome enough for her,” he said when contacted by phone after he was nowhere to be found in Parliament on the second last day of the Budget sitting yesterday.

Despite his earlier promise to show up in Parliament in the afternoon, Bung Moktar, 50, later said he had other engagements, claming he “was away attending a meeting.”

In an SMS, Bung, best known for his foot-in-the-mouth outbursts in De-wan Rakyat, said: “Sorry, there is no kahwin kahwin kahwin, hahahaha”.

However, the married father of four did not reply to another question asking if he had proposed to Zizie.

The 31-year-old actress, meanwhile, reportedly admitted to Kosmo! that she was considering a marriage proposal from a “Sabah MP” after two months of courtship.

To wed or not to wed: ‘I have to think seriously because I don’t want to hurt another woman’s feelings,’ says Zizie.

She told the tabloid that the MP was “special in her life and she felt that he was sincere in their relationship besides having good leadership qualities”.

“If the proposal is from a single guy, maybe I will be happy. Since this proposal is from a married man, I have to think seriously because I don’t want to hurt another woman’s feelings,” she was quoted as saying.

Zizie declined to reveal the MP’s identity and when asked if the suitor was Bung Moktar, she said the media should probe the matter.

Her “confession” quashed gossip that she had secretly got hitched to the politician.

Meanwhile, word of Bung Moktar marrying Zizie spread fast around the Parliament lobby although most MPs remained tight-lipped on the possibility of any impending nuptials.

His close friend Sri Gading MP Datuk Mohamed Aziz declined comment while Datuk Ismail Kassim of Arau also denied any knowledge, adding that this was Bung Moktar’s “personal matter”.

Heart transplant mum just can’t wait to get back on her feet

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KUALA LUMPUR: Heart transplant mother Tan Geek Koon is looking forward to leading a normal life soon and taking care of her four girls, including a 16-month old toddler who has been living with a babysitter since birth.

“I hope to get well soon and resume a normal life.

“It was like a dream,” said Tan after spending more than a year at the National Heart Institute with a mechanical heart to assist her until she received a heart transplant recently.

On the road to full recovery: Tan is still warded at the heart institute’s ICU and she keeps herself busy exercising and on Facebook.

“I am excited,” she said.

At present, Tan can only speak to her daughters Yun Jie, eight, Yun Han, six, and Yun Tong, four, over the phone but is not allowed to see them.

The children, she said, were excited that they would no longer have to help her change the battery of the mechanical heart device.

Tan’s heart had failed when she gave birth to her youngest daughter Yin Wen. The baby is being cared for by a babysitter while Tan was warded at the heart institute.

While her husband S.L. Foo is working, neighbours have had to take turns to send the girls to school and buy groceries for their domestic helper to cook.

“I am very thankful to have good neighbours,” said Tan, who is still at the institute’s intensive care unit (ICU).

Tan’s new heart came from a 17-year-old male donor and was transported from Hospital Ipoh.

Consultant cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Ezani Md Taib said Tan was doing well but doctors wanted to ensure that she was cleared of the infections she had developed prior to the procedure.

“She is eating and exercising well. She is also busy with her Facebook,” he said.

Ong: Branding the way to go for SMEs

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PUTRAJAYA: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should build strong brands to sustain their competitive advantage, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said.

He said brands were the “currency” of today’s business environment but it was still very much under-utilised by the local business community.

“Today’s consumers are spoilt for choice and the challenge for SMEs is to create, build and retain customer preference. SMEs must strategise to convince consumers that their products and services are superior to others,” he said at the SMI Association of Malaysia annual dinner and SME Recognition Award 2009 presentation last night.

Special honour: Ong (right) presenting the Sahabat SME Award to Star Publications’ executive director Ng Beng Lye at the SMI Association of Malaysia’s annual dinner at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre last night.

Ong, who is the association’s patron, said that although many Malaysian companies have developed world-class brands, their quality of service still needed to be improved.

The success or failure of any brand, he said, depended on consumer satisfaction.

Ong said that through the “Talk 2 Tee Keat” initiative, he had the opportunity to listen to issues faced by the business community and receive constructive suggestions on how to move the nation forward both economically and as a community of entrepreneurs.

Describing the feedback as eye-opening and constructive, the minister said he hoped to assist the business community in resolving their grievances.

Ong added that views and suggestions on what the Government could do to help in the development of SME would be “communicated” to the Cabinet.

A total of 84 SME corporations and four entrepreneurs were honoured for their outstanding achievements and contributions.

Founder president of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology Tan Sri Dr Lim Kok Wing, founder and group managing director of Kumpulan Karangkraf Datuk Hussamuddin Yaacub and founder and chief executive officer of Lotus Corporation Berhad, Datuk R. Doraisingam Pillai, were the recipients of the SME Platinum Award.

President and group chief executive of the Petra Group Datuk Vinod B. Sekhar received the SME Overseas Platinum Award.

Star Publications (M) Berhad was among the recipients of the Sahabat SME Award.

Bajau fishermen save rare dugong

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KOTA KINABALU: Local fishermen have saved an endangered dugong from certain death at the proposed Tun Mustapha Park near Pulau Banggi in northern Sabah.

The dugong was found in a net by Bajau fishermen within the marine sanctuary in Pulau Maliangin Kecil early on Tuesday morning.

The 1.5m-long female juvenile dugong was taken to Pulau Banggi and a rescue team from WWF-Malaysia – with advice from the Sabah Wildlife Department – later arranged for the dugong’s release back into the sea at Kg Pangasaan near Karakit, Banggi.

Catch and release: The dugong being released near Pulau Banggi in Kudat yesterday. The marine mammal was found in a net by a Bajau fisherman on Tuesday.

The marine mammal is a protected species and is rarely seen these days, but sightings of it were common in the past within the proposed Tun Mustapha Park.

Leela Rajamani, a dugong researcher with the Borneo Marine Research Institute in Universiti Malaysia Sabah, said Pulau Maliangin Kecil had been confirmed as a feeding ground for the mammals.

She said the discovery of the dugong further emphasises the importance of protecting the areas within the proposed park – including Maliangin.

Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion Programme Team Leader in Kudat Robecca Jumin said the action taken by the fishermen showed that the local community was aware of the need to protect the animals.

“We hope they will continue to support the gazetting of the proposed Tun Mustapha Park so that they can reap the economic benefits of conserving biodiversity,” she said.

Cops seize 62 pangolins after fortnight stakeout

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MUAR: After keeping watch on the activities of a group for two weeks, marine police here swooped in on them and seized 62 pangolins valued at over RM100,000.

Some 31 live pangolins were found in two cars near a house in Taman Tasik Ria in Tangkak and in the living room of a house while another 31 frozen pangolins were found in a freezer in the kitchen.

Muar marine police officer Insp Mohd Naser Marzuke said the team also seized the two cars used to transport the animals in the 9pm raid on Tuesday.

Rescue mission: Mohd Faizal (second from right), Insp Mohd Naser (third from right) and other officers inspecting the seized pangolins in Tangkak Wednesday.

“Our team was monitoring the movements of suspects believed to be involved with pangolin smuggling and spotted their cars in Tangkak.

“However, when the team followed the cars to a house, the men abandoned the cars and fled,” he told reporters at the Muar marine police jetty yesterday.

Insp Mohd Naser said there were three men in each car but they managed to run to the back of the house and disappeared into the dark.

The team then checked the house and found 13 sacks with live pangolins in the living room and 31 frozen ones in a freezer.

All the pangolins were taken to the Muar marine police jetty before being surrendered to the Wildlife Department.

Meanwhile, Muar Wildlife and National Parks Department chief Mohd Faizal Moin said pangolins were protected animals and smugglers could be charged under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

Singaporean visitors encouraged to sign up for automated immigration service

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JOHOR BARU: The Tourism Ministry wants to encourage more frequent visitors from Singapore to use the Malaysian Automated Clearance System (MACS) for faster and smoother Immigration checks.

Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said that so far, over 500 Singaporeans, who enter Malaysia at least four times a month, had signed up for the service which would enable them to be cleared through the Immigration checkpoints in three seconds.

“However, we want more of them to take advantage of the service,” she told a press conference after a visit to the Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quar­antine Complex here yesterday.

Improving facilities: Dr Ng pointing out that more signages should be put up at certain places in the Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex in Johor Baru Wednesday.

Dr Ng said the ministry would step up its efforts to create more awareness on the service.

“Tour operators have also been instructed to organise seminars about the new system in Singapore,” she said.

Dr Ng also urged the authorities at the complex to improve services including providing facilities for the elderly and children to lure more Singaporeans into Malaysia.

Singaporean arrivals reached 10.5 million in the first 10 months of the year compared with nine million for the corresponding period last year.

“We urged the authorities to deliver high quality services in order to attract more Singaporeans to come. We will also conduct a study on the response time for tourists at the complex during peak and low periods,” she said, adding that traffic congestion problems should also be add­ressed by the relevant authorities.

Dr Ng said Matta had also been urged to assign translators at the complex to help tourists not fluent in English or Bahasa Malaysia.

When asked whether the detention of 23-year-old Singaporean A. Indra on Immigration violations recently would hamper tourist arrivals from Singapore, Dr Ng replied that the Immigration Depart­ment had acted accordingly as the woman had broken the law.

“I feel Singaporeans will understand that law-breakers must be punished,” she said.

Article in National Geographic an exposé on Wong’s escapades

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PETALING JAYA: An online “exposé” by the National Geo­graphic magazine on Asia’s wildlife trade prominently features Anson Wong, the former Malay­sian wildlife trafficker.

The 15-page feature by Bryan Christy talks about Wong’s escapades in the illegal wildlife trade, his 1998 arrest in Mexico by United States undercover agents, and his future alleged trade plans as he lives his life in Penang.

Christy, who is the author of Lizard King, in which Wong was a key character, also wrote in detail about a trip to Wong’s office in Penang back in 2007.

It was then, Christy claimed, that he learned of Wong’s plans to set up a zoo known as Anson Wong Flora and Fauna Village where he would display reptiles and focus on tigers.

The article claimed that Wong was back in business and now “frequents Internet message boards, seeking reptiles from India, Madagascar, and Sudan, insects from Mozambique, and ‘10 tons a month’ of sheep horns.”

“He has offered to sell an array of wildlife, including Malaysian reptiles, mynah birds, parrots, and half a million dollars’ worth of wild agarwood, prized for its aromatic qualities. To a request for dead birds and mammals, he replied, ‘We have always specimens’, ” Christy’s report claimed.

Christy met with Wong after being introduced by Mike Van Nostrand, one of Anson’s customers and owner of Strictly Reptiles in South Florida, which was among the world’s largest reptile import-export wholesalers, the article said.

In a rare interview last August, the elusive Wong spoke to The Star journalist Hilary Chiew about his past illicit operations, the undercover stint that led to his arrest and his current life.

The Starprobe article saw Wong denying that he was the “Pablo Escobar of the wildlife trade”.

He also stressed that he had remained “clean” since his return here in 2004.

In the article, Christy also talked about his allegations and encounter with Perhilitan deputy director-general Misliah Mohamad Basir in 2007 and her thoughts on Wong and on Chris Shepherd from Traffic, which monitors the trading of protected species.

Christy, in the article, also quoted a 2008 Perhilitan statement that Wong had carried out his business legally and complied with requirements under the domestic law and that “he and his business have been monitored closely by this department.”

Wong was convicted in 2001 of trafficking in highly-endangered species by the US government and jailed for 71-months. He was released in November 2003.

Railwaymen’s union objects to KTM subsidiary for ETS

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PETALING JAYA: The Railway­men’s Union of Malaysia has objected to plans to set up a subsidiary company for KTM Bhd’s (KTMB) Electric Train Set (ETS).

Union president Abdul Razak Md Hassan said this was an “unwise move” that would not only affect KTMB’s core business but also liquidate its revenue, as it would be channelled to the subsidiary.

“We strongly object to the KTMB management’s decision to create an ETS subsidiary. It is also not practical as there are only five ETS sets.

“There is no need for a subsidiary. The KTMB management can set up a new department or a new strategy business unit by just appointing a managing director to oversee the ETS unit.

“This will not only save administration costs but also increase KTMB’s revenue,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Abdul Razak also listed 14 reasons and claims why the move should be shot down, including the fact that the government allocation was to KTMB and not to any subsidiary.

The union, Abdul Razak said, was appealing to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to step in and help resolve the issue, adding that an objection letter was sent to the KTMB president, Najib and Members of Parliament.

Giants of the liliput dance

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KOTA KINABALU: Pensioner Sani Daud is at his happiest when he is playing his favourite musical instrument — a set of eight small gongs called kulintangan.

These are played together with larger gongs and produced fast-paced melodious tunes known as cerocop. And the tunes also accompany the traditional liliput dance of the Bisaya community largely found in the southwest Beaufort district.

The 70-year-old, who learned to play the kulintangan and gongs 60 years ago, is filled with a sense of satisfaction knowing that his love for the traditional music has been passed down to his children and grandchildren.

Play on: A group performing with their musical instruments at the Pesta Bergandang at the Tamu ground in Beaufort recently.

As his five sons — Abdul Rajis, 43; Mohd Hasbullah, 42; Mazni, 37; Jamlin and Saripuddin, 30 — were growing up, he taught them to play the musical instruments and saw their skills bloomed. When his sons had their own families, they, too, taught their children.

And now, Sani and his family have formed their own traditional music group, calling themselves Lajau Bersatu.The group also includes his grandson Mohd Aznin and two of his nephews.

They most recently performed at the Pesta Bergandang in Beaufort town on Sunday. The event featuring some 40 traditional musical groups was launched by Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman.

Having learnt to play the instruments, Sani said his grandchildren began incorporating kulintangan and gongs into modern music genres such as rock and ballads.

“It’s a bit odd to hear the gongs and kulintangan in the favourite music of my grandchildren but I am used to it by now,” said Sani.

He said the younger members of his extended family would regularly come and gather at his house at Kampung Lajau in Beaufort for jamming sessions, producing their unique fusion music.

“I am just glad they are playing the instruments so that there will always be someone in the family who will carry on the skills, so that the music will always be kept alive.”

5,000 refugees now beggars in Penang

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MORE than 5,000 refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have flocked into Butterworth to become beggars, reported China Press.

Penang Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Commit­tee chairman Phee Boon Poh said most of them were from Myanmar and children were used to gain sympathy from the public.

“When they land in Malaysia, the government cannot take any action against them. If they are arrested, the most we can do is to hand them over to the Welfare Department and provide the necessary assistance,’’ he said.

Phee said that under to the law, refugees cannot work in the country and this results in begging.

Meanwhile, MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong said foreign beggars earned more than the white-collared workers in Malay­sia.

“They get at least a few thousand ringgit and even up to RM10,000 a month,’’ he said, adding that the foreign beggars, most of whom were from China, Thailand, Myan­mar, Pakistan and India, were linked to “bogus beggars” syndicates.

The daily also reported that a man infected with AIDS had put up an apology note at an anti-AIDS campaign to beg for his children’s forgiveness.

The anonymous man from Kuching, who is believed to be wealthy, said he regretted his illicit behaviour, which led to his contracting the disease.

He said he had managed to give the best education to his children but did not educate himself. He also apologised for failing to be a good father and for not leaving behind a good name.

14-year-old records sex escapade on mobile phone

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A 14-YEAR-old girl from Kuala Lipis in Pahang, took turns having sex with five men in their 20s — and recorded it all her mobile phone, reported Berita Harian.

One of her family members found out about the recording after going through her phone.

Kuala Lipis district police chief Supt Abdul Razak Hassan confirmed that the girl’s family had lodged a report at Merpoh police station on Tuesday.

He said police had formed a special task force to track down the five men and would investigate them under Section 376 of the Penal Code.

> Beggars at shopping complexes in Puchong are using new tactics to get sympathy, pretending to be sick or unconscious, Sinar Harian reported.

These beggars, mainly from China, apparently earn a lot of money every day by eliciting sympathy from shoppers.

Kuan Chee Heng, special officer to the Seri Serdang assemblyman, said he was shocked at an old beggar’s actions when approached last Sunday.

“He looked like he was going to faint as I was about to approach him, but then ran towards the highway.

“Surprisingly, he was able to run as far as two kilometres although he seemed so weak when I first saw him,” he said, adding that the beggar, wearing clothes in navy blue, crossed the LDP highway and jumped over the divider.

He said he believed the beggar was used by a syndicate and advised the public not to be misled by these beggars who were “very good actors”.

DBKL repairs retaining wall after developer fails to comply

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KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will be carrying out remedial works on a collapsed retaining wall at a plot of private land at Laman Tunku, Kuala Lumpur.

The retaining wall at Lot 8224 started collapsing early this month and the residents association had alerted the DBKL as eight bungalows along Jalan Dataran Tunku are affected by the collapse.

Following the complaint, City Hall issued a notice to the land owner on Dec 7 to begin remedial works within 48 hours. However, the owner had failed to take any action.

Checking it ou: Salleh and Siti discussing Ikram’s initial report during their visit to the site.

According to DBKL director-general Datuk Salleh Yusup, DBKL has decided to carry out the work to prevent a disaster from occuring.

“We have asked Ikram to step in and determine the next course of action and they have already carried out a preliminary study,” Salleh said.

He was speaking during a visit to the site with DBKL Public Works Dept director Siti Saffur.

Siti Saffur said there was a small land slip at the site, which had put pressure on the soil and caused the retaining wall to collapse.

“Our immediate plan is to set up a three-metre buffer zone along the road and we will wait for the detailed report before taking any further action,” she said.

Siti Saffur also said Ikram would determine the type of soil at the site to ensure that the remedial works would be carried out without any problems.

The DBKL has yet to determine the cost of the remedial works but Salleh said the land owner would be billed for the work.

For now, City Hall has removed some of the soil and cordoned off half of Jalan Dataran Tunku.

“We also have our rescue team on standby 24 hours a day, with 12 officers on three different shifts.

“They will continuously monitor the situation,” Salleh said.

A developer had been given permission to develop the plot in 2003 but had failed to do so within a year and the approval expired.

2010 budget focuses on maintenance

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A BULK of the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) budget for next year will go towards back to basics maintenance.

Its president Datuk Adnan Md Ikshan said they have allocated 58.5% or RM116.5mil for road patching, repairing streetlights and cleaning works.

Clogged: The MPSJ will focus more on maintenance of basic amenities like cleaning drains.

Adnan said the 2010 budget would focus on these programmes: back to basics, health, youth and welfare. The MPSJ’s projected expenses for next year are as follows: 20% or RM39.8mil for emolument (staff salary), 16.8% or RM33.5mil administration (office operations), 58.5% or RM116.5mil back to basic maintenance (road patching, repairing street lights, cleaning works), and 4.6% or RM9.2mil development per se (new roads and parks).

“The council has also included in its 2010 budget a RM350,000 allocation to build a crematorium in Puchong,” he said.

“As part of its CSR initative, the MPSJ will have a poverty eradication fund for human development activities, and a natural disaster fund as a contingency plan,” Adnan added.

Each of the 24 JKP Zones in the MPSJ would be allocated RM100,000, which the JKP committee members have to budget based on use for infrastructure and landscaping, community activities and management.

The MPSJ’s 2010 budget has been submitted to the state government, but has yet to receive the latter’s approval at press time.

Meanwhile, Adnan said the council has estimated that its revenue would amount to RM201mil for next year, compared to the projected RM195mil this year.

While the revenue from assessment tax is estimated to increase by RM6mil next year, the additional revenue is projected to come from rental collection (RM1.6mil) and collection from government agencies (RM6mil).

However, the MPSJ has also budgeted a decrease in revenue from service charges (RM4.6mil) and fines/ penalties (RM2.2mil).

“We’ve been able to collect about 90% of this year’s revenue as of the end of October,” said Adnan at the MPSJ JKP Seminar 2009 last month, which was attended by MPSJ councillors and Residents’ Committee (JKP) representatives.

StarMetro spoke to several MPSJ councillors and an assemblyman to get their comments on the MPSJ’s 2010 budget.

MPSJ councillor and JKP Zone 3 chairman Rajiv Rishyakaran

Rajiv said that the 2010 budget is more or less on the same track as 2009, except for the landmark decision to create a provision for a crematorium.

“However, I was hoping that there would be attempts to reduce administrative expenses in next year’s budget.”

Rajiv agreed with Adnan’s announcement with the focus on “back to basics” and welfare.

“If we don’t get the basics - roads, drains, street lights and rubbish collection — done right, the other things that we do won’t be well received and appreciated.

“As for welfare, I agree that as a government we should be there for those in need. While it’s not much at the moment, at least we have started,” he said.

He said the JKP Zone 3 members had been briefed on the budget, and commented on the estimated 38% that would be spent on garbage collection, which is too high, and that more should be allocated for parks and infrastructure maintenance.

On the zone allocation, Rajiv said the RM100,000 is divided into three categories: RM3,000 for administrative costs, RM17,000 for community activities and RM80,000 for small projects.

“For this year, JKP Zone 3 carried out a few projects, namely installing air-conditioning for our only community hall at USJ2, and building several new infrastructure.

“They are two pedestrian bridges over monsoon drains in USJ12 and USJ13, one futsal court in USJ11, an outdoor gym at USJ13, and a reflexology path for USJ3C.

“The zone allocation next year will be mainly for park upgrading purposes,” he said.

MPSJ councillor and JKP Zone 1 chairman Theresa Ratnam Thong

While noting that it is good that the MPSJ’s 2010 budget is focusing on “back to basics”, Thong said there is a need to ensure that the appointed contractors carry out the works with due diligence and not short-changing the council or people.

On the zone allocation, Thong stressed that not all the money is transferred to each JKP’s account.

“The RM3,000 per annum for the JKP’s administrative work will be banked in directly, while the RM17,000 per annum is for community events organised by the JKP, which will be banked into the JKP’s account per half year,” she said.

“While the RM80,000 for small projects are identified by the respective JKP’s and recommended to the MPSJ, this money is dispersed directly to the contractors by the MPSJ and does not come into JKP’s account.”

MPSJ councillor and JKP Zone 2 chairman Chia Yew Ken

Chia said the 2010 budget was definitely better compared to the previous year, as a surplus budget is one that is proposed by the state government.

“The main functions of a local authority do not stray away from roads, drains and garbage collection,” he said.

“I would also like to suggest that the future budgets prioritise the following: resurfacing all roads based on a seven- to eight-year cycle, and installing new drains every 15 years.”

While he welcomed the suggestions for the poverty eradication and natural disaster funds, Chia said it requires the cooperation of the state government to be able to eradicate poverty.

“Guidelines and records, including observations and residential surveys, need to be formed so the funds can be channelled to those who are truly in need and to ensure fairness to the victims,” he said.

Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh

Yeoh felt that despite the focus on going “back to basics”, there is not much difference in terms of the amount allocated for infrastructure, which is still minimal compared to their revenue.

She disagreed with the high costs allocated for the MPSJ’s vehicles, which amounted to almost RM1mil for petrol, and RM3mil for maintenance.

“The MPSJ should minimise on not so important items like the printing of bulletin items (RM200,000) and open house expenditure (RM600,000), which is a lot of money.

“The maintenance of parks, which the council has budgeted for RM9 million, should be given more focus,” said Yeoh.

Yeoh said that the RM1mil allocated for health-related issues like dengue and rats is insufficient, because this has implications on life and death, while the RM2mil allocated for the council’s libraries should come under the state library’s purview to allow the MPSJ to focus on its delivery system.

“There are no provisions for pedestrian bridges. I think construction of each new school in the future should come with funds for a pedestrian bridge, especially if it is built along major roads,” she said.

Construction noise drives residents up the wall

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CONSTRUCTION work at a school in Sierramas West has been going on late into the night and nearby residents are feeling frustrated.

According to resident S. Gandhi, 42, who moved to the area in June, the construction would be going on seven days a week, even on public holidays.

“We can even hear them carrying out piling works after 6pm and the houses by the river suffer the most,” he said.

The gated neighbourhood has about 50 houses and there is a river running along the back of a row of houses.

The construction site is located across the river, about 200m away from the houses.

Gandhi said he had even recorded the noise levels coming from the site and believed they were above the permissible level.

He said that the area used to be filled with trees which had been cleared for the project that began in August.

“When it rains, the mud from the site flows into the river, causing siltation,” Gandhi added.

He added that the residents had lodged a complaint with the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) on Nov 5 yet construction still goes on at night.

When contacted, MPS public relations director Mohd Zin Masoad said officers had inspected the site after the complaint.

“We have told the contractors to limit construction work to between 8.30am and 6pm. A generator is used at night to supply power to the workers’ quarters,” Zin said.

He said that they had also asked the contractor to ensure that water from the construction site was channelled into a retention pond before being allowed to flow into the river.

When contacted, KUB Malaysia Bhd group business development general manager Haniza Ros Nasaruddin said the construction of the school was behind schedule due to the inconsistent weather conditions.

“Our work schedule has been affected and, at times, we have to work past 6pm and on weekends.

“We apologise for the inconvenience.

“It’s a federal government project for the community and we hope to finish on time,” she said.

She added that the piling works would be over within the next few days

“There has been a long wait for the school and we only want to deliver it as soon as possible,” she said, adding that she hoped the residents would understand.

LRT plan gets the nod as residents feel it will ease traffic

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A FEW residents associations and organisations in Subang Jaya and USJ have given the thumbs up to the LRT extension plan.

They feel that the LRT would be a convenient alternative for residents who have had enough of traffic congestion and poor bus services in the townships.

Subang Jaya Senior Citizens Club president Yeong Teik Boon believed that the extension would shorten the travelling time between Subang Jaya and the city centre.

“Buses here are not punctual and the Komuter station is not easily accessible by all,” he said.

Hear us out: Ong (second from right) stressing a point during the meeting.

Jamaludin Ibrahim of the USJ 5 residents association welcomed the LRT extension as it would help the people save money and time, while Subang Jaya Consumers’ Association secretary Gan Meng Foo believed that it would alleviate traffic congestion.

However, they hoped that the feeder bus services would be well-planned.

Persatuan Poh Toh Subang Jaya chairman Koay Teng Koon added that the car park facilities must be sufficient to encourage car owners to use the LRT to get to their destinations.

The Subang Jaya Coffee Merchants, Bars and Restaurants Association, meanwhile, urged the authorities to look into the environmental and health aspects when implementing the extension.

Kelana Jaya MCA chairman Ong Chong Swen, who is also the USJ 5 residents association deputy president, is hoping that the LRT extension would change the people’s travelling habits.

“They can take the trains to work and use their own cars for leisure on the weekends,” she said.

Ong added that she was informed by Prasarana that it had received 92% positive feedback on the project.

JKP Zone 4 deputy chairman Shafiee Shariff Abdullah also hoped that construction work would commence as soon as possible.

Subang Jaya resident M. Vivekananda, on the other hand, was concerned about the efficiency of the LRT in solving the traffic problem in the Klang Valley.

“Using the proposed LRT extensions can result in having to travel in a rather circuitous route.

“Additionally, if the existing LRT lines have not solved the transport problem in Kuala Lumpur, how can they be expected to solve the transportation problems in the other areas such as Subang Jaya and USJ?” he asked.

He suggested the authorities look into transport woes in a holistic manner to overhaul the traffic management system.

“By extending the LRT, Prasarana cannot bring about a magical transformation to end the transportation woes. A colossal amount of taxpayers money is involved in this project.

“The authorities need to make a judicious decision in the name of progress and sustainable development,” he said.

Another Subang Jaya resident G. H. Goh suggested that an independent loop be formed along the Damansara-Puchong Expressway for travellers heading to Petaling Jaya to save the time of LRT users who are heading to Kuala Lumpur.

Three evicted from houses in Sentul but cannot afford to shift to Puchong

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IT WAS a day of anxiety for residents of Sentul as a major part of the squatter homes in the area were under siege by both the local council and the developers.

Just moments after the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) officers had retreated from Kampung Tanah Lapang yesterday, political party representatives received a call from three distressed women in Lorong 15, Jalan Sentul Pasar.

The women were being evicted from their houses pending a court order from developer YTL Land and Development, the owner of the land they live on.

Financial reality: Thanaletchumy (front, left), Jayanthy (second from left, back) and Letchumi (front, right) say they do not want to shift to Puchong because the financial burden would be too much to bear.

The eldest, a widow with 10 children, said she had unknowingly signed an agreement form to shift to the DBKL flats in Kampung Muhibbah, Puchong.

“I have no problem shifting, but I did not want a home in Puchong. I live off the RM400 welfare money I receive each month and the donations from organisations in Sentul,” said Thanaletchumy Marimuthu, 41.

She and her married daughter R. Jayanthy, 24, live in one house and each has been offered a unit in Puchong but they refuse to shift there as the move would affect their livelihood and their children’s education.

Another resident, K. Letchumi, 39, works in Batu Caves and has an ailing mother, a disabled sibling and her children, as well as her own child to care for.

Developer’s promise: This document clearly states the developer has agreed to build low-cost units for residents in the area.

She has to manage this with a monthly salary of RM1,000 and if she shifts to Puchong, a huge chunk of the money would be spent on travelling alone.

Their one question remains unanswered: What happened to the low-cost flats that were promised to them by the previous developer, Taiping Consolidated?

The new developer, YTL, denies the promise but residents have proof to claim otherwise.

Documents agreeing to the requests bearing the Sentul Raya Sdn Bhd letter head and several other documents from Taiping Consolidated have been unearthed.

This new turn of events has raised the morale of the people, as they have finally found grounds to fight their case.

The entire Sentul area is slowly being transformed, with high-end condominiums cropping up everywhere. However, this would mean that the original residents of the famed area will have to leave their homes.

“The developer should build low-cost and medium-cost flats, and practise their corporate social responsibility here in Sentul,” Batu MIC division chairman Ramanathan Chinnu said.

For now, Ramanathan and the Batu MIC Youth chairman D. Pala Kumaran will seek the assistance of Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Well Being Minister Datuk M. Saravanan to find three units in the Batu Muda flats near by for the three women and their families.

The women are scheduled to shift out today.

Marching to the tune of unity

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SEVENTEEN international and local marching bands are pitting their skills, creativity and musical talents to outbid each other for the championship title of the inaugural KFC-Malaysia World Band Competition 2009.

The competition is jointly organised by ZI Production Sdn Bhd and Yayasan Di Raja Sultan Mizan offering a total cash purse of USD28,000 (RM95,956) ( for the three main categories – marching bands, drum battle and national division (local) championship.

The event has attracted seven international marching bands from Australia, Indonesia, South Africa and Thailand, while Malaysia is represented by 10 marching bands.

Colourful and vibrant: The South Africa Marching Show Band Association in action.

It is recognised as Asia’s premier marching band competition with the participation of more than 1,200 international and local musicians.

Themed “Hear the Colours of the World”, it is endorsed by the international body for marching band, Drum Corps Europe (DCE), Malaysia Bands Association (MBA) and Tourism Malaysia.

DCE is the international organization that regulates the European drum corps activity.

It organises the annual European Drum Corps Championships, with corps from Great Britain, The Netherlands, France, Belgium, Sweden, Italy and other countries.

The competition kicked off with the Wind Orchestra Competition 2009 in Johor Bahru on Dec 5 and 6 which was organised by Johor Corporation.

A street parade and the preliminary round were held in Kuala Terengganu last week and hosted by the Terengganu state government.

According to organising chairman Datuk Sulaiman Mohd Yusof, the event has successfully achieved its principal objectives and was given the thumbs-up by the international participants and DCE judges to make it an annual competition.

“We are grateful for the support from DCE and MBA which had given us the strength to pursue our main objective of taking the future series into the regional and international arena.

“Moving forward, it is our vision and mission to further promote marching band and its music as a healthy hobby and activity among the younger generation. Marching bands or music, in general transcends all racial and religious barriers,” added Sulaiman.

Ballet shows at Istana Budaya

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TWO delightful dance repertoires featuring award-winning international dancers will debut for the first time in Kuala Lumpur for charity.

Ballet dance fans and enthusiasts should not miss the productions Carmen and Paquita, which will be showing on Jan 9 and 10 at 8.30pm at Istana Budaya (IB), Kuala Lumpur.

The shows are being presented by non-profit organisation Danceworks Production in association with Ena Ballet Studio Company of Nara City, Japan, with the main sponsor being Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd.

The full-length neo-classical ballet Carmen will have the role of the same name reprised by Ena Hirose, who is founder, director and co-artistic director of the Ena Ballet Studio Japan.

In sync: Two dancers from Japan, aged 15 and 16, who achieved first and second places at an international classical ballet competition in Australia recently, rehearsing for the upcoming performance at Istana Budaya.

Paquita is a classical ballet with a Spanish flavour, to be led by Lei Zhao, the first soloist of the prestigious Birmingham Royal Ballet (UK) and Connor Walsh, the principal dancer of Houston Ballet, the fourth largest dance company in the US.

Walsh will also partner Hirose for the Carmen production, playing the role of Don Jose.

Danceworks 2010 organising committee chairperson Dr Chen Wei said this show marks the fourth by Danceworks Production since the organisation was founded in 1998.

“Various beneficiaries have benefited from our previous shows where all 100% proceeds are donated to charity,” said Dr Chen Wei during a press conference of the upcoming production at Istana Budaya.

“This time, all box office proceeds will be channelled entirely to these four beneficiaries - namely Sin Chew Foundation, Lions Lyfe-Line Leukemia Fund, Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), and Living Home Malaysia.”

Carmen is an original choreography by Choong Wan Chin which premiered in Japan last year and was well-received by the audiences there.

Choong, who is also Dr Chen Wei’s daughter, joined Ena Ballet Studio, Japan, in 2001 as a resident choreographer before co-founding and co-directing the Ena Ballet Studio Company in 2006.

She has created numerous short pieces and full-length works, and is being invited to present two choreographies at the International Ballet Festival of Columbia in June next year.

At the press conference, Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd also presented a cheque of RM40,000 to Danceworks Production.

Tan Chong Motor Holdings Berhad corporate communications head Datuk Cheah Sam Kip said the company was launching its 2010 corporate social responsibility by coming on board as main sponsor for the shows.

“We are continuously finding ways to communicate with the diverse communities in Malaysia that will provide us with the understanding to expand our company in overseas markets,” said Cheah.

The shows will see some 18 international dancers from the US, UK, Japan, Thailand and Singapore, and more than 40 Malaysians.

“It will give Malaysian dancers the opportunity to perform with renowned dancers, besides learning from their counterparts,” said Dr Chen Wei, adding that tickets are already selling fast prior to this press conference without media publicity.

Township as students’ canvas

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THE arts scene in Malaysia received a boost from I&P Group Sdn Bhd with a special showcase of Gandingan at Alam Impian, Shah Alam, Selangor recently.

Gandingan is I&P and Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) collaborative effort in involving the community around by making arts enjoyable and experiential.

Batik-painting, mimes, acoustic band renditions, art gallery, caricatures and face painting were among the activities that greeted visitors and residents.

Dream homes: Roszali at the newly launched Nukilan 2 of Alam Impian.

It was also held in celebration of the launch of two-storey Canting and Nukilan terraces design in Alam Impian.

I&P chief operating officer Datuk Roszali Othman said that the inaugural Gandingan marked the start of their collaborative efforts.

“Through Alam Impian - Township of the Arts, I&P is providing a dedicated platform for creative activities to come alive.

“I&P will continuously support UiTM’s aspiration of bringing arts out beyond lecture theatres and into practice in the industry,” he said.

Gandingan will see UiTM students from the Faculty of Artistic & Creative Technology, Faculty of Art & Design and Faculty of Music, manage, stage and perform various genres of the arts as part of their curriculum, using the township as their canvas.

Work of art: Children enjoying batik painting at the Gandingan showcase at the newly launched Alam Impian Phase2.

With Gandingan, the students brought the concept of “Township of the Arts” through managing the activities, applying practical to theory and showcasing them to everyone.

He also said that the launch of the new phases underscored their market confidence.

“As Alam Impian matures, we are confident that more home owners will seek out this township that is modern, self-contained and offers a distinct difference.”

“The new Lebuhraya Kemuning-Shah Alam (Laksa) will also be fully opened in early 2010 and will give residents a link between the township and Shah Alam city centre,” he said.

The plan for the Township of the Arts of Alam Impian in itself features arts in every possible manner.

This range from art pieces installation, landscape and street art, graffiti walls, an art gallery, linear parks, to an amphitheatre and a 31-acre central town park.

Streets at Alam Impian will be installed with decorative art pieces as well as creative street furniture.

Alam Impian homes will include innovative artistic highlights such as a wide selection of designs and facades that call out to different lifestyles.

During the kick-off ceremony for Gandingan, Roszali put his own creative touch on the 10ft long batik displayed at the Nukilan show unit.

Launched in December 2006, Alam Impian sits on 1,235 acres of freehold land. The township is anticipated to be fully completed in 15 years.

For more information on the event and the developer’s portfolio of products, visit www.inp.my.

Magazine honours ten men best in their respective fields

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MEN’S magazine August recently presented the inaugural issue of its annual Men of the Year edition with a cocktail soiree at the Jaguar Showroom in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

The term August is derived from the Greek term ‘Augustus’, which means ‘to inspire’. It was based on this that August Man Malaysia embarked on its first ever Men of the Year issue, concluding the year with the celebration of 10 distinguished individuals from various industries who have made significant achievements over the past year.

These 10 men represented the best of their field.

Celebrity sightings: Some of the guests posing with Caunter (second from right) and Flizzow (right) at the event.

Among them who attended were Joe Flizzow for Music, Bob Chua for Entrepreneur, Casmad Sanuri for Style, Hans Isaac for Theatre, Ivan Lam for Artist, and Niki Cheong (of The Star) for Social-networking; others were Afdlin Shauki for Film, Ragunath Kesavan for Activist, Henry Golding for TV and Sazali Samad for Sport.

“We believe that it is the right group to launch what we hope will become a yearly affair,” said Rubin Khoo, editor of August Man Malaysia.

Each of the participant walked away with a RM1,000 voucher from Thomas Pink, a special custom-made trophy with his name inscribed on the metal plate and a framed photo of the August Man Men of the Year cover.

Hot wheels: The event was held at the Jaguar showroom.

Throughout the black-carpet event, over 250 guests, including the who’s who of KL society, industry movers and celebrities such as Marion Caunter, Camilia, Hansen Lee, Daniel Tan and Daphne Iking (who was the event emcee), were treated to delectable cocktail food and champagne.

It was indeed a night to remember when Joe Flizzow pumped up the crowd with an energy-filled performance of Do It, Do It from his latest album, President.

As a token of appreciation, a lucky draw was held where a guest won a luxury watch from Edox.

Gorgeous ladies: (from left) Alison Teoh, Kelly Khor and Michelle Koh pose for a picture.

The event instantly became the talk of the town. Computers and mobile devices were provided for guests to send their comments and messages to the August Man Twitter page, which was instantly shown on the screens. At the same time, cigar connoisseurs were indulged with premium cigars sponsored by Trinidad while lounging in the gentlemen’s corner. Guests continued to rock the away with pulsating music provided by DJ Johan Nasir.

Mee rebus with a kick

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HELLO folks!

And welcome to this week’s edition of the Food Trail.

Reader Abdul Razak Abdullah asks: “Dear Samo, where can I find mee rebus in the city centre other than the one you mentioned near Lorong Bunus?”

Thick gravy: Jalan Dang Wangi’s mee rebus.

Razak said since the article was published, he had been a regular customer at Rosli Mee Rebus and wanted to know if there were other stalls within the vicinity that can match the taste and quality ofRosli’s.

Well abang Razak, the closest mee rebus to Rosli’s would be a stall behind Yut Kee coffee shop at Jalan Dang Wangi.

It’s managed by two brothers and you can find it at the backlane behind this well-established food outlet.

To further verify this, I had engaged two of my old-time makan kakis: Rahmat ‘Mat Pisau’ Osman and Saifudin ‘Din Ninja’ Mohd Ali to check out the stall.

According to Mat, the mee rebus gravy is not as punchy as compared to Rosli’s.

Thriving: Jalan Dang Wangi which was formerly known as Campbell road, is a busy business district in the city centre.

Din, the more outgoing food lover of the lot, said he preferred the stall’s gravy as it is rich in flavour.

“Alamak, Mr Sam, you cannot compare apple and oranges lah. Pak Rosli uses meat stock and this makan place has more ubi keledek (sweet potato) in their gravy,” explained Din.

Both Mat and Din concurred that the meat-free gravy appeals more to non-beef eaters.

Price-wise, said Mat, a plate will set you off at RM4.50.

In my humble opinion, the taste of this stall’s mee rebus gravy is much stronger.

It is also much thicker as sweet potatoes are used as a thickening agent for the mee rebus gravy.

Otherwise, everything there in terms of ingredients and garnishing fulfils the criteria of a decent plate of mee rebus.

Spare the strong curry taste, the portions served here are generous.

What goes well with this rendition of the stall’s mee rebus, are some sliced green chillies and fried shallots.

For all the hardwork, I would like to thank Mat and Din for their valuable input.

To locate this stall, find Yut Kee coffee shop at Jalan Dang Wangi. It opens daily from 9am - 5pm except public holidays.

Coffee Bean staff spread Christmas cheer at Rumah Hope

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IT was a day of fun and laughter for about 40 children aged six to 19 when staff of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf celebrated ‘Christmas @ Rumah Hope’ with them recently.

Together with their mascot Ice Blended, they organised games, sang Christmas carols, shared presents and a scrumptious lunch together as they get to know the children and wardens better.

Since 2002, they have been donating money and gifts to the children of Rumah Hope, a home for neglected and abused children in Petaling Jaya.

Hello there: Ice Blended the mascot getting acquainted with four kids from Rumah Hope.

This year, they presented a cheque of RM10,000 as contribution to the running cost of the home.

Among the core principles at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is a commitment to the concept of social responsibility reflected through a broad range of their ‘Caring Cup’ initiatives.

These include building schools for children in the Narino region of Colombia, funding the construction of a community centre at Bogawantalawa Sri Lanka, supporting the “Aid Lanka Kids Foundation” in response to the devastating 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka and many more.

Foundation launches education centre for Sg Way community

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THE GAB Foundation, in partnership with the Global Environment Centre (GEC), recently launched a dedicated River Care Education Centre in Desa Mentari for the Sungai Way community.

The centre is part of the W.A.T.E.R. (Working Actively Through Education and Rehabilitation) Project, a three-year environmental project initiated by the foundation to clean and rehabilitate the Sungai Way river that runs through the heart for three major townships – Desa Mentari, Kampung Lindungan and Desa Ria.

The RM40,000 River Care Education Centre is the first-of-its-kind resource centre and houses a library of reference material on water rehabilitation and conservation, a laboratory equipped with test equipment to conduct water quality test and a discussion room.

All together now: Department of Environment director-general Datuk Rosnani Ibrahim together with Saw releasing local fishes into the river model located in front of the River Care Education Centre.

The centre is open to the local communities for them to continue monitoring the water quality of the river which they have worked so hard for the past two years to clean.

The centre is also open to students and members of the public who wish to utilise it as a resource centre for river rehabilitation research.

During the launch, GAB Foundation chairman Tan Sri Saw Huat Lye said, “We believe the River Care Education Centre will be an asset to the Sungai Way community. As they say there is no better place for us to start than in our own homes, and in this case, our own backyards.

“As such, we would like to encourage both residential and business communities residing along the Sungai Way area to come visit the centre to learn more about river rehabilitation and how cleaning our local rivers will benefit the environment.”

“We look forward to engaging the business community upstream to ensure that the residents of Desa Mentari, Kampung Lindungan and Desa Ria continue to see a cleaner river and enjoy a healthier living environment,” he added.

The foundation engaged various government agencies such as the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), Department of Drainage and Irrigation (JPS), Selangor Water Management Board (LUAS), Department of National Unity and Integration (JPIN), Jabatan Alam Sekitar, Alam Flora and Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) together with the residents of Desa Mentari, Kampung Lindungan and Desa Ria for their support and commitment.

To date, the foundation has channelled over RM480,000 towards this project.

Funds were used to conduct numerous training sessions for the residents, business partners and GAB employees to educate them on recycling, composting waste and set up rubbish and grease traps along the Sungai Way river.

Confident Veronica wins contest to chaperone international tennis star

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THE Island Bistro at Pavilion was a flurry of excitement as a celebrity panel of judges made up of Jay Menon, Vanessa Chong, Ferhad, Vince, Jojo Struys and Yew Han Baker, voted for the best among four finalists in The Glam Slam Liaison Officer Search.

Veronica Rajandra, 22, who is currently pursuing a Bachelors in Business, served an ace with her self-confidence, bubbly personality and her ability to speak well.

All set: Veronica (front row, fourth from left) with (back row, from left) Vince, Ferhad, Jay Menon, Yew and Vanessa Chong and Struys.

She won a three-night stay at Royale Chulan, the showdown’s official hotel and RM1,000 in spending allowance.

Veronica will be accompanied by the appointed celebrity Liaision Officers – Jay Menon and Vanessa Chong, to chaperone one of the international tennis stars, namely Elena Dementiva, Maria Kirilenko, Zheng Jie and Sania Mirza who will be in Kuala Lumpur for the Showdown of Champions 2009 exhibition match this weekend (Dec 19 and 20) at Stadium Malawati, Shah Alam.

Tickets to the showdown can be purchased online at www.tickethotline.com.my

Hotel offers to foot food bill for kids aged seven and below

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PARENTS do not have to worry about paying a hefty bill for Christmas dinners this year when you take your children out to celebrate the occasion.

For the first time, Armada Hotel in Petaling Jaya would be footing the children’s bill.

Yes, you read it right! Children seven years old and below will be eating for free at the buffet dinner this festive season while it will be a kid’s rate for domestic helpers.

Helping animals: For every Baked Christmas Goodies sold, RM1 will be donated to the Furry Friends Farm.

“Christmas is the time of the year where everyone in the family gets together and with this special offer, parents can bring their children and domestic helpers out to celebrate without worrying how much they have to spend,

“We want everyone to get out of the house and just have fun,” said its public relations manager Myza Nordin.

The hotel’s year-end celebration begins with the Christmas Eve Buffet Dinner with special delights such as the Traditional Christmas Turkey, Mousseline Potato, Christmas Fried Rice, Mussel Florentine and Deep Fried Oyster with Remoulade Sauce prepared by executive chef Chew Teik Chye.

Time to indulge: Chew with the Christmas turkey.

While on Christmas Day, patrons can opt for the Buffet Hi-Tea or the Buffet Dinner where they will be dining on traditional Christmas and local dishes like the Roast Chicken Roulade with sage Nut Stuffing coated with Giblet Gravy and Cranberry Herb, Christmas Pizza, Mushroom Chicken Pie, Chicken Lasagna, Chicken Teriyaki, Potato Leek Soup, Stir Fried Crab with Thai sauce and Fish Head Curry.

To welcome the New Year, the hotel’s Utara Coffee House aims to give diners a night to remember with a different line-up of delicacies for its buffet dinners on Dec 31 and Jan 1, from Fresh Oyster with Lemon Wedges, Cream of Pumpkin Soup to Lamb Tagine, Louisiana Baked Crabs, Roast Beef Wellington with Shallot sauce, Steamed Siakap, Mexican Lasagna, Ayam Kapitan and Salmon and Snapper Sashimi.

None of these buffets would be tantalising without desserts and worry not as Chew has prepared some interesting delicacies such as Panetonne, Stollen, Minced Meat Pie, Ginger Bread, Yule Log cake and fruit cake.

Those who fancy a laid back afternoon can enjoy the New Year’s Day (Jan 1) buffet hi-tea with Roti Durian, Seafood Pot Pie, Steamed Lotus Rice, Lolo Rosso and the special­ly prepared New Year’s Day Cookies.

In the spirit of giving this Christmas, Myza said the hotel would be donating RM1 for every Baked Christmas Goodies sold to the Furry Friends Farm, a non-profit organisation dedicated in providing shelter for homeless cats and dogs.

Take a pick: Christmas Yule Log Cake priced at RM85 comes in five flavours; Chocolate, ButterCream, Black Forest, Coffee and Vanilla

“We also a have our very own wishing tree where members of the public can leave gifts such as rice, pet food for the homeless animals at our hotel,” said Myza a pet lover herself.

Buffet Dinner for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are priced at (Adults RM60++, Child RM35++)

Buffet Hi-Tea for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are priced at (Adults RM45++, Child RM22.50++)

Buffet Dinner for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are priced at (Adults RM50++, Child RM25++)

The free dining promotion for children age seven-years and below is limited to four children per family and is available throughout Christmas and New Year’s buffet dinners.

Fans get up close with drift cars and driver at pre-race roadshow

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ESPN STAR Sports in partnership with Goodyear recently launched the inaugural Goodyear Formula Drift Malaysia 2009 with CIMB Bank as the official bank sponsor.

Happening for the first time in Malaysia, the event will be held this weekend (Dec 19 and 20) at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park in Serdang.

Fifty competitive drivers from the Asia-Pacific region will push their rear-wheel-drive cars to the limit by demonstrating impeccable driving precision and vehicle control.

Drift king: Tengku Djan posing with his car

The drivers are from as far as Japan, New Zealand, Philippines and Hong Kong, as well as Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and of course, Malaysia.

Top drivers to look out for are Mad Mike Whiddett, winner of the Thailand Formula DRIFT leg, Malaysian drivers Sean Khoo, Ee Yoong Cherng and Ariff Johanis, Singaporean Ivan Lim, and even female drivers like local girl Jane Cheah.

Leading up to race day, a pre-race roadshow was held on Dec 5 and 6 at 1 Utama shopping centre in Petaling Jaya.

Visitors had a closer look and feel of three drift cars on display, but the highlight was a special appearance by Tengku Djan, Malaysia’s home-grown drift king, at the CIMB Prime Plan booth.

CIMB Prime Plan is the bank’s lifestyle product designed to address the needs of young professionals, managers, graduates and entrepreneurs. Sponsoring the event is part of an effort to create awareness on the bank’s Get Used to Getting More concept, which brings extra privileges and benefits to Prime Plan customers.

One benefit is getting up close with Tengku Djan, popularly known as Tandem Assassin, and receiving autographed Federation D (a drift organisation founded by Tengku Djan) merchandise.

Other benefits are priority queu­ing, dedicated phone banking and additional relationship rewards.

For details, call 1-300-880-900, visit any CIMB branch or log on to www.cimbprime.com.my.