Town council implements dual parking system in Kajang

The Star, Saturday June 29, 2013

RESIDENTS in Kajang will get to enjoy a dual parking system in September.

This move was announced by Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) president Datuk Hasan Nawawi Abd Rahman during its sixth full board meeting.

He said the dual parking system was being introduced as some of the parking machines do not accept new coins.

Under this system, the public will get to use parking machines or parking coupons.

“We received many complaints from the public as the machines do not accept the new coins.

“As such, this dual parking system will help resolve this problem,” said Hasan, adding that

the move was to help the public.

“The coupons will be made easily available at shops and MPKj counters,” he said.

Hasan also said that the system would be provided at all places in Kajang with a parking machine.

The price for parking remains the same at RM0.50 per hour.

He said parking machines would also be set up in commercial centres in Bandar Baru Bangi, along with the parking coupon system.

“Many business owners had complained that many car owners left their cars in the parking lots for days and that this had affected their business.

“With prepaid parking, hopefully the problem will be resolved,” he said.

The council also came down hard on a few massage parlours in Damai Perdana, Cheras recently.

During a joint operation with the Immigration Department, a male was among the 26 female illegal workers who were detained for working despite coming into the country on a tourist visa.

Hasan said six massage parlours, a cybercafe and an entertainment centre were raided during the operation, with their licences revoked.

The council also seized mattresses, sofa sets, massage equipment and computers during the operation, the first this year.

Exclusive restaurant revamps its menu to attract the younger crowd

The Star, Tuesday June 25, 2013

Story and photos by YIP YOKE TENG

Fortuna Palace Seafood Restaurant,
17-20 Jalan 1/2,
Taman Kajang Prima,
43000 Kajang.
Tel: 03-8739 3388
Business hours: Daily;
lunch (10.30am-2.45pm),
dinner (5.30pm-10.45pm).

The posh decor and premium delicacies offered may have made Fortuna Palace Seafood Restaurant in Kajang seem a little intimidating to younger patrons.

This has raised the concern of the operators, who feel that they need to bust the misconception. The Chinese restaurant is all geared up to lure the young crowd in various ways, including monthly special menus, modern food presentation and a cellar filled with hand-picked New World wines.

Executive chef Oh Ah Poh is respected for his culinary mastery gained through 40 years of experience. He is always proud to have learned his skill from sifus who worked at the most famous restaurants in Petaling Street. On the other hand, he is a young-at-heart andloves to explore new things.

Restaurant owner Datuk Low Chin Meng also often gives his input. With all these combined, patrons can be certain that they are in for a treat, one that is flavoured with creativity and sincerity.

Kicking off the new special menu is Farm Duck Salad, which reminds one of Chinese New Year Yee Sang because of sauces used.

This salad brings together five types of fruit, tossed with plum sauce, apple and pineapple jam, and sprinkled with shredded roast duck that adds a robust aroma and firm texture to the dish. With this dish, anytime of the year can be as joyous as the festival.

Lobster Dragon Ball is a new way to savour the crustacean, and Low assures that the price is not as out of reach as one would think.

Three musketeers: (From left) director Keith Goh, Oh and Low are the men behind the special monthly menus.

 

“The price is almost like a prawn dish. Usually, lobster is either baked or served sashimistyle. This is a different approach that can retain the lobster’s natural taste,” Low said.

Exotic Taste Organic Jade Perch is a must-try as the fish is from the restaurant’s own fish farm in Broga.

The price is thus about 30% lower than other restaurants. The Omega 3-rich fish has a firm, moist texture and served in a sweet, slightly spicy sauce.

Mirror Pairing Scallop Plate is a dainty way to savour the chunky scallops. Half of the serving is pan-seared with a hint of wasabi while the other half is fried and served with potato shreds.

Padi Field Crab is an unforgettable delight, attributed to the chef’s creative marriage of common ingredients such as lemongrass, screwpine leaf, margarine, ginger and crab. The moist, aromatic and flavourful rice transports one back to the pleasant simplicity of a paddy field, leaving behind a calming aftertaste.

Triple Green Treasure Vegetarian Dish stands out with the use of water chestnut that weaves traces of light sweetness into the greens. Black fungus, kailan and golden needle mushroom make an unusual but harmonious combination that is also healthy.

While the restaurant opens its arms to younger patrons, it is still the place for business associates to dine and wine.

Double Boiled Refreshing Soup clears the palate and freshens up the mind with a dose of ginseng.

Australian Wild Abalone and Fish Maw is the restaurant’s star item, wild abalone that is bigger in size offers a better texture while the soft and silky fish maw enhances the overall experience. The abalone has to be cooked for 24 hours for the sauce’s flavour to penetrate fully.

Wines will add dimension to the meal, Low reckoned, and the restaurant’s selection was hand-picked by connoisseurs who personally visited the wineries in Australia. Again, Low stressed, they are reasonably priced so there’s no reason for younger patrons to feel intimidated.

This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.

Developer demands fee arrears before handover of strata title

The Star, Wednesday June 19, 2013 

Stories by JADE CHAN
jade@thestar.com.my

PROPERTY owners of Pusat Perniagaan Desaria 2 commercial centre are unhappy that the developer wants them to pay their fee arrears before giving them their strata titles.

However, most owners of the project located in Seri Kembangan said they had not paid because the developer had not fulfilled its responsibilities to carry out maintenance work since they moved in a decade ago.

Pusat Perniagaan Desaria 2 comprises four blocks of apartments and shoplots.

“The developer has not carried out any maintenance work since handing over the properties in 2002. The maintenance duties still come under the developer as a joint management body was never formed,” said apartment owner Derek Liew.

“In May 2012, we were informed that the strata title for our properties had been issued by the Land Office but the developer demanded that we settle all outstanding payments before transferring the strata titles to us.

“The arrears range from RM7,000 for an apartment to RM10,000 for a shoplot,” he said, adding that the developer had not made any attempt to collect the monthly maintenance fees of RM60 per apartment and RM90 per shoplot.

“We feel we should not have to pay as the developer did not carry out its responsibilities,” he said.
“Our commercial centre has not been cleaned and no other maintenance was carried out.

“Streetlighting was a problem at one point, until we highlighted the matter to the then Balakong assemblyman Yap Lum Chin and Kajang municipal councillor Eddie Ng who helped us to get the issue sorted out.”

Liew said the property owners had sought the assistance of the Kajang Municipal Council’s (MPKj) Commissioner of Buildings (COB) and Balakong assemblyman Eddie Ng to resolve the issue.

“The developer has also been imposing storage fee charges on property owners due to the delay in issuing strata titles,” said Ng.

“However, during an October 2012 meeting, the developer was informed by the Housing and Local Government Ministry representative that they were not allowed to collect any storage fee as it was collected only by the Land Office, as stated in Section 90 (3) of the National Land Code.

Ng said he would bring the issue to the attention of Selangor state exco for housing, building and urban settler management Iskandar Abdul Samad.

Meanwhile, Ng said the COB would be filing a suit against the developer for failing to produce the audited accounts for Pusat Perniagaan Desaria 2.

“The suit will be filed via the Selangor Housing and Property Board, and the developer will be sued under Section 21 (1) of Act 663 [Building and Common Property (Maintenance and Management) Act 2007].”

Developer running at a loss in unpaid service charges and quit rent

The Star, Wednesday June 19, 2013   

THE developer of Pusat Perniagaan Desaria 2 said it had been managing the commercial centre at a loss, as most of the property owners had not been paying their fees over the past decade.

“Despite regular notices reminding them to pay up and even after offering discounts to encourage full payment, most of them failed to pay,” said the developer’s representative.

“They owe us money for service charge and quit rent. This does not include the maintenance fee or sinking fund.

The representative said there were 275 units of apartments and shoplots.

“Based on the monthly service charge of RM60 per apartment and RM90 per shoplot, we should have collected RM2.3mil from January 2002 until March 2013. However, we have only been able to collect RM554,000 thus far. Despite offering a discount, the owners still owe us RM1.6mil.

“We have also sent yearly invoices for quit rent payment, but only a few paid up. The amount from 2000 to 2012 is RM75,000, but we collected RM49,000 thus far.

“The company had to absorb RM1.9mil in expenditure since January 2002 until March 2013. The expenditure includes staff salary, office rental, utility bills and repair bills.”

In view of the owners’ failure to pay up, the representative said the developer had not imposed any maintenance fees.

“The maintenance of public facilities such as streetlights and roads is Kajang Municipal Council’s (MPKj) responsibility, as they have been handed over to the council.”

On the issue of forming a joint management body, the representative said the developer made three attempts but failed.

“These meetings were held in May, July and November 2010. However, a JMB could not be formed as there was insufficient quorum and those who attended still had service charge arrears.”

The Building and Common Property (Maintenance and Management) Act 2007 states that the quorum for a meeting is at least one quarter of all property owners who have submitted all payments.
Each of the meetings in 2010 was attended by fewer than 35 people, all with payment arrears.

“In April 2012, MPKj sent a letter to the property owners stating that its Commissioner of Buildings (COB) would appoint someone to help hold the first JMB meeting,” said the representative.

“The owners elected their JMB committee in June 2012, and MPKj sent a letter acknowledging the JMBs for Desaria 2 Blocks A, B, C and D.”

Meanwhile, in a meeting at the Housing and Local Government Ministry office in October 2012, it was agreed that the developer would submit the audited accounts to MPKj’s COB the same month and transfer the remaining funds in the property’s accounts to the JMB.

On claims that no audited account had been sent, the representative said the developer had submitted a copy of Desaria 2’s audited accounts until July 2012 to both the COB and the ministry.

Think tank chief rushes home from Qatar due to house fire

The Star, Wednesday June 12, 2013

By M. KUMAR
kumar@thestar.com.my

Charred remains: Wan Saiful inspecting the damage of his burnt house at Bandar Sungai Long in Kajang

 

KAJANG: Think tank head Wan Saiful Wan Jan was about to start a discussion at an international forum in Qatar when a call came in from his brother to say his home, near here, was in flames.

“It took a few moments to sink in. I did not know what to say,” said Wan Saiful, who was in the discussion group on the topic Preventing Economic Collapse and Promoting Inclusive Growth in Egypt and Tunisia at the 10th US-Islamic World Forum in Doha at around 3pm on Sunday.

Wan Saiful, the chief executive of the Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas), had hoped to have dinner with Afghan President Hamid Karzai later but aborted the plan and took the next flight home.

The fire razed most of the upper floor and roof of his double-storey house at Bandar Sungai Long.

“It started above the ceiling of the master bedroom, where the water heater was installed, and burnt most of the roof.

“Thankfully, no one was hurt,” he said, standing among the charred ruins of the upper floor yesterday.

Wan Saiful, who is a columnist with The Star, said his wife and four children were at home during the incident.

“My wife was carrying our seven-month-old son upstairs for his afternoon nap when she noticed the doorknob was warm. She saw smoke coming from under the door and quickly shouted to everyone to get out,” he said.

The Fire and Rescue Department deemed Wan Saiful's house unsafe and the family has to stay with relatives for the time being.

Despite the tragedy, Wan Saiful continues to maintain a positive outlook.

“The main thing is to get the kids back to school and then move on,” he said.

MPKj officers attend Mandarin classes to communicate better

The Star, Tuesday June 11, 2013

By OH ING YEEN and VINCENT TAN
metro@thestar.com.my

We did it: Syazana (left) with MPKj officers who are happy to pick up another language.

 

DO NOT be surprised to hear Ni hau ma (How are you?) when you call the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) Assessment Depart-ment.

The council has been offering Mandarin classes to its frontline staff where they learn useful phrases such as Wo ke yi bang ni ma? (How can I help you?), Ni xiang jian shui? (Who would you like to meet?) and Xie xie (Thank you).

Classes are held thrice a week from 3pm to 5pm.

Council president Datuk Hasan Nawawi Abd Rahman first mooted the idea in 2009 and this was the second batch of students.

He would practise what he preached and occasionally added a few Chinese words during council meetings, such as Wo bu zhi dao (I don’t know) and Yi, er, san (One, two, three).

“In Kajang, we have many Chinese ratepayers, hence we started having Mandarin classes. We want to be people-friendly.

“We want our officers to learn more languages,” he said, adding that he was contemplating the feasibility of having Tamil class too.

Teaching for free

The classes are conducted by Syazana Hasan Nawawi, who learned the language in kindergarten and primary school.

While she did not continue learning the language in secondary school, she continued speaking the language with her friends.

Committed: The students asking Syazana (right) to come up with Chinese versions of their names.

 

The 25-year-old took a six-month course at the College of International Exchange, Shanghai University.

Upon graduation, she worked at a travel agency and was put in charge of the China market due to her language skills.

She is now a full-time teacher and gives private tuition.

Syazana is also Hasan Nawawi’s daughter and agreed to teach MPKj officers when her father mooted the idea.

“First, I introduced them to the meaning of Chinese characters, why some words are written in that way. It got them interested!

“I mainly teach them basic conversational skills, starting with numbers and greetings.

“I also teach them tongue twisters once a week so classes are not boring,” she said.

Hasan Nawawi said the council did not pay her anything except a small amount to cover her travel expenses.

Eager students

Among the students were MPKj Assessment Department officers Mazreen Faris Mazbar, Noridayu Yusoep and Mariam Bibi Abd Rahman.

They have to deal with the public daily, some of whom can only speak Mandarin.

Mazreen, 33, said he loved speaking in Chinese.

“I get discounts when I go shopping. I got a very good price when I bought the Musang King durian from a Chinese vendor!” he recalled.

He added that it was easier to make friends although his Mandarin proficiency was limited.

Noridayu has taken Chinese as a third language in university.

They all feel that starting a conversation in Mandarin helps them build rapport with the ratepayers.

Mazreen now listens to Mandarin songs to improve his skills. His favourite is Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin (The moon represents my heart), a Mandarin classic song.

“I need to improve my vocabulary,” he said.

Noridayu and Mariam Bibi both felt that practice would make perfect and watching Chinese movies help.

While only beginner’s level classes are offered, all three have expressed an interest to continue learning the language.

At other local councils

Aside from MPKj, Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) staff members are also encouraged to pick up another language.

MBPJ has its staff members taking up Arabic language classes in their free time.

Currently, there are five staff members learning Arabic, although according to the council’s Public Relations and Corporate Depart-ment, the number used to be higher.

Classes are conducted every Thursday by Shafie Abdullah, an Arabic language tutor at Universiti Malaya.

Meanwhile, police officers in Ampang have been learning Korean with help from the Korean Association. There are about 5,000 South Koreans living and working in Ampang and it will help ease communication.

“We have a few officers who can speak Korean. We will send them for more classes so they can converse better to serve the large number of Koreans in the area,” said the then Selangor police chief Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, who is now the Inspector-General of Police in a StarMetro’s story entitled “Police beat base with Korean link” (Feb 25, 2010).

MPKj councillors to take over duties of those who have resigned

The Star, Thursday May 30, 2013

By OH ING YEEN

ingyeen@thestar.com.my

FIVE councillors in the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) will temporarily take over the duties of

the five who resigned as councillors to contest in GE13.

Lee Shim Moi, Mohd Adram Musa, Mazwan Johar and Bryan Lai will take over the zones formerly under Eddie Ng, Mohd Shafie Ngah, Razaly Hassan and Lee Kee Hiong.

Ng won in the three-cornered fight for the Balakong state seat, Mohd Shafie won the Bangi state seat, Razaly wrested the Umno-stronghold Dusun Tua state seat while Lee won the Kuala Kubu

Baru state seat.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Ali Kair Abdul Ghafar will take over the zone formerly under S. T. Chandra Mohan, who was made a senator early this year.

S. Arutchelvan, who contested for the Semenyih state seat and lost, also tendered his resignation from the council last week.

It has yet to be decided who will take over his zone.

Council president Datuk Hasan Nawawi Abd Rahman said despite being short of six councillors, the council would not be affected.

“In 2008, we managed without councillors for about three months.

“Also, the five councillors will not only take over the zones but also sit in the committees that the previous councillors were in.

“We are awaiting instructions from the state government on how to fill the vacancies,” he said.

On another matter, he said the council would also study the possibility of neutering and spaying stray dogs to reduce the number of strays, as suggested by councillors.