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KL is 48th most global city

October 9th, 2010

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Got this from Malaysian Insider’s report:

In terms of liveability, KL ranks just 79th out of 130 cities in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2010 ranking of easiest places to live and was stagnant at 75th in the Mercer study of best places to live from 2006-2009.

The city also failed to make the list of the top 100 most innovative cities with strong cultural and human infrastructure and global links as assessed by Australian innovation consultancy firm 2thinknow.

In terms of liveability, KL ranks just 79th out of 130 cities in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2010 ranking of easiest places to live and was stagnant at 75th in the Mercer study of best places to live from 2006-2009.
The city also failed to make the list of the top 100 most innovative cities with strong cultural and human infrastructure and global links as assessed by Australian innovation consultancy firm 2thinknow.

… The next few years will be critical for KL’s ambitions to be a world class city as the AT Kearney report notes that the gap between the top cities and those who rank at the “tail” end is increasing.

KL’s 48th position puts it behind Bangkok – 36 and Taipei – 39 but slightly ahead of Manila – 51, Jakarta – 53 and Ho Chi Minh city – 61.

AT Kearney noted that global cities are the urban elite and are shaping the future with new deals and ideas.

“Global cities are where you go to do business, yes, but also to see the greatest art, hear the greatest orchestras, learn the latest styles, eat the best food and study in the finest universities,” said the report.

“They have global corporations. But they also have think tanks, jazz bars and broadband. In a word, they have clout.”

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Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags: Statistics

Blame the Monkey?

October 7th, 2010

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Firstly, condolences to the family who lost a newborn baby (just 4 days old). Its indeed sad and tragic to read news like this, especially when a life is lost for no reason. As Hindus, we can only take it as karma and move on with life. God has other plans for the baby.

Anyway, my opinion is about blaming the animal (monkey of macaque type). According to one expert Dr S Vellayan, its one of the two species as mentioned below:

If a monkey killed the infant in Seremban, the perpetrator was likely to be either the long-tailed macaque (macaca fascicularis) or pig-tailed macaque (macaca nemestrina), said an expert.

Associate professor Dr S. Vellayan, one of the country’s pioneers in primatology and based in Universiti Teknologi Mara, said the two species were aggressive and had bitten human beings.

“We can determine whether the baby was bitten by a monkey by looking at the bites and scratches,” he said in an interview, adding that it was usually the males which tended to be aggressive.

“If the monkey had carried away and killed the baby, it could have entered the house following development encroachment into its habitat,” he said.

He advised the public to not make direct eye contact with monkeys which might feel threatened and become aggressive.

“To ward off the monkeys, people could keep dogs, use small fire crackers or laser pointers to cause fright,” he said.

Malaysian Nature Society head of environment education division Shan Mugaraj said long-tailed macaques were persistent and could turn aggressive when they did not get what they wanted, such as food.

Pig-Tailed Macaque from www.sabah.gov.my

Long-tailed Macaque from travel.mongabay.com

While its easy to blame the monkey for the death and kill it, I believe that’s just a symptom of a more serious underlying problem. We are talking about animals with their own basic survival instincts. They don’t differentiate babies from food. When development happens and animals get displaced, this is one of possible outcomes. We heard about snakes, boars, bats, monkeys, etc entering houses before this. Why? Why the development process didn’t consider relocating the animals? Is it because these are not endangered species? Or just for convenience sake and to reduce red-tape in order to develop the land? Its time to talk about relocating the animals when redeveloping land. It must be supervised by a certified NGO and relevant government department, to ensure developers don’t take easy way out by culling animals.

I notice more monkeys around the Cyberjaya-Pulau Meranti road nowadays. Maybe same story is recurring. The jungle is being cleared for more development. Where are the animals going to go? Don’t be surprised if you find monkeys roaming in Lim Kok Wing Uni or causing accidents when crossing the roads.

Also, the news mentioned that the family kept a monkey as pet. Maybe this is an added attraction to the macaque?

Here’s the sad story:

In mere minutes, a young woman turned from a happy mother to a grieving one when she lost her four-day-old baby to a wild monkey that was shot dead several hours later.

In the 1.15pm tragedy yesterday, the macaque stole into the living room; snatched the child and fled up the roof of the house. The baby fell to the ground and died.

The mother, V. Revathy, 26, had left her first-born child in the living room of the single-storey house near Taman Happy Garden to use the toilet. The baby’s body was discovered later outside the house with her face and neck badly bitten. She was rushed to the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital here where she was pronounced dead.

Young mother Revathy and her husband V. Neru at the hospital. Inset: A medical officer taking the baby’s body to the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital mortuary.

Revathi’s father-in-law A. Valayutham, 70, was in the living room with the newborn but had gone to get a glass of water when the tragedy occurred.

“We frantically searched all over the house and saw her body covered in blood lying outside the house,” he said.

Valayutham added that he had noticed a few monkeys outside the house compound at that time.

The area where the family stayed was sandwiched between two residential areas with a foliage of trees nearby where there were monkeys.

Negri Sembilan Wildlife and National Parks director Ishak Muhamad said the macaque was shot dead at 4pm.

“We suspect the macaque was rummaging for food inside the house. It could have taken the baby to the roof thinking the newborn was food.

“The baby died when it fell to the ground. The monkey had apparently released the newborn, probably because it was alarmed by the parents’ shouts,” Ishak said yesterday.

He added that the parents had called the Fire and Rescue Department at 2.15pm, which immediately contacted the Wildlife and National Parks Department.

“We reached the house at about 3pm and set off with the baby’s father to look for the macaque,” he said.

Ishak said department officers saw the macaque in some bushes several metres from the house at about 4pm.

The macaque was shot when it began to act aggressively.

Ishak added that it was the first such case in the state, and believed the male monkey was attracted by a female kept in captivity as a pet by the family.

“This is very unusual. Normally, these monkeys simply steal food or pluck fruit from the yard,” he said.

The baby’s father, lorry driver V. Neru, 29, who was not at home when the incident occurred, said he could not believe that such a thing could have happened.

“I rushed to the hospital only to be told that she was gone.

“She was our bundle of joy and we were looking forward to spending many happy years with her … I just cannot believe she’s gone,” he said.

R. Shanty, 35, who lives nearby said it was common to see monkeys in groups of three or four in the area.

“A while back, my pet dog was attacked by these monkeys. Its badly-bitten body was thrown from a tree.

“I really hope the authorities take action and not wait until another life is lost,” she said.

Rahang assemblyman M.K. Arumugam, who visited the family yesterday evening, expressed regret over the incident.

“I have brought this matter up before but sadly no action was taken. I am very disappointed that something like this had to happen before the authorities took notice,” he said.

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Posted in BornInMalaysia

Workers kill licensed dog in house compound over nuisance

September 30th, 2010

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I was shocked to read this! What if a stray bullet accidentally struck some child in the house?

The dog was purportedly making noise and causing nuisance and these guys just came over, shot the dog, and ran off with the body like thieves. They are also trespassing on private property, another crime.

Guess what, the dog was barking because of Raya time, people playing firecrackers which irritate (most) dogs. Loud noises like sirens, horns and firecrackers makes dogs irritated because for them the noise is much louder.

And the Minister quoting sections in the law which seems to prove the actions of the local council/district council/vet officer workers are wrong!

The dog has license, inside the compound, and don’t seem to have any earlier warning given by council to the owners for noise or nuisance by the dog.

Since the firecrackers caused the dogs to bark, should we shoot those who play firecrackers? That’s how these killers logic seem to work.

The initial story:

SEREMBAN: A 55-year-old security guard never thought a brutal act would take away the puppy he found two years ago at a market near his house in Taman Minang, Tampin.

But this was the ordeal S. Singaravelu had to go through.

Singaravelu, who kept his pet, Johnny, at his son’s vacant house, found it missing on Aug 24.

“Johnny was barking continuously that night. Since it was the Hari Raya season, many people in my area were lighting up firecrackers and I thought his restless barking was due to the loud noise.

“However, at 12.40am, I heard an unusually loud bang and suddenly, Johnny’s barking stopped.

“I opened the window and saw three vehicles, including a van and a lorry, moving away from my son’s house. When I went out of my house, which is just beside my son’s house, Johnny was no longer there,” a sobbing Singaravelu told The Malay Mail during a telephone interview.

“I decided to follow the vehicles on my motorbike. After frantically looking for the vehicles, I found them parked in Taman Batu Belang and upon closer inspection they turned out to be the Tampin Municipal Council’s vehicles.

“When I approached the vehicles, I was shocked to see my two-yearold Johnny lying lifeless in a pool of blood inside the lorry.”

Singaravelu then questioned the 10 men, including one who had a gun, whether there was a new law which allows for shooting of a licensed dog inside a house compound.

“They said Johnny was a nuisance to many people and they had to shoot him due to the numerous complaints received.

“They even challenged me to make a police report. They did not allow me to bring back Johnny’s carcass and in the end, I just removed his licence. I then lodged a report at the Tampin police station at 2am.”

At 11am the next day, Singaravelu was shocked when he found the carcass of his dog at a jungle in Taman Batu Belang.

“I brought his carcass back and we had a small funeral for him. My wife, who loved Johnny like her own child, was also traumatised by his death,” said the father-of-three.

Singaravelu, who wants justice for his dog, travelled all the way to Ampang to meet up with officials of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Selangor on Aug 26.

The next day, SPCA animal inspectors Danny Thang and V. Murugan visited Singaravelu to investigate the incident.

“We also contacted the Seremban Municipal Council but we were told that they stopped shooting dogs in 2002. We are trying to meet up with them to resolve this matter,” said Thang.

The Paper That Cares also contacted the Seremban Municipal Council but we were told that Singaravelu’s house falls under the Tampin Municipal Council.

When contacted, a spokesman for the Tampin Municipal Council said they would be investigating Singaravelu’s claim.

And feedback from the officers, minister and NGOs:

There is no guideline that the authorities assigned to shoot stray dogs can do so inside the compounds of people’s houses, the Tampin Municipal Council said yesterday.

Its secretary, Zulhilmi Marzuki, told this to The Malay Mail when contacted for comments on the brutal shooting of S. Singaravelu’s dog, Johnny, inside the compound of his son’s house in Tampin, Negri Sembilan, on Aug 24.

Singaravelu alleged the council staff were responsible for the death of his two-year-old pet.

“We are only allowed to shoot dogs which are wild and are threatening the safety of our staff. We are not allowed to shoot such dogs inside the compound of people’s houses,” said Zulhilmi.

He said the shooting orders were only carried out if the council received complaints from residents about dogs which are a nuisance.

Zulhilmi, who was surprised to learn about the incident from The Paper That Cares, said three bodies were involved in executing the dog-shooting orders in the Tampin district.

“These are the Tampin Municipal Council’s enforcement department, Tampin district veterinary department and Tampin district office,” he said, adding that he would liaise with the council’s enforcement department to investigate Singaravelu’s allegation.

When contacted by The Malay Mail, the council’s enforcement and safety division chief, Endy Dzulkarnaen Ariffin, also promised to investigate the matter.

Meanwhile, Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Wira Chor Chee Heung cited the Local Government Act when asked to comment on the issue.

He said Section 9 of the Local Government Act stated any dog over the age of three months found at large or in a public area not wearing its current metal badge and any diseased ones not under treatment by a vet, may be destroyed by the authority.

“The person authorised by the local council can enter any land or premises other than dwelling houses for the purpose of securing, impounding or destroying the dog.”

Chor said one of the Sections of the by-law also stated any dog, whether licensed or not, whose owner is not found, may be destroyed in a manner as directed by the council.

He said further checks were needed before he could comment further on the issue.

Charge the killers, say NGOs

PETALING JAYA: Charge those who “illegally” killed Johnny the dog in the house compound, say non-governmental organisations (NGOs) whose views were sought by The Malay Mail.

Said Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) administrative coordinator M. Mala: “The local councils are the worst animal abusers in the country and this has been proven again and again. What happened to Johnny is reflective of this.

“If it’s true that the council officers shot Johnny on private property, then we urge Johnny’s owner to take legal action against those who shot his dog.”

She said MDDB is also prepared to provide free legal assistance to Johnny’s owner in this matter.

“This incident also raises the question of how much knowledge council employees have about canine behaviour and proper enforcement,” said Mala.

“MDDB is upset with the abuse of animals by local council staff in the guise of enforcement. Dogs have a sense of hearing which is many times sharper than humans and when exposed to loud explosive sounds like firecrackers during festive seasons, they understandably would bark loudly.”

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Selangor chairman Christine Chin, said the incident was a brutal act by brutal men.

She said all local councils have adopted standard by-laws regarding dog ownership as outlined by The Local Government Act 1976 and Licensing of Dogs and Kennel Establishments By-Laws 2007.

“Any contravention of these by-laws penalises the owner with a fine and/or prison sentence. Johnny was licensed and in a compound owned by the owner’s relative, so the 10 officers from the Tampin Municipal Council had no legal right to harm or take the dog away,” said Chin.

“SPCA strongly urges the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) to charge the killers using the Animal Act 1953 for cruelty to animals and also urges the police to charge the killers for trespassing and destruction of property.”

Said Paws Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) Petaling Jaya marketing and communications director, Dave Avran: “To shoot a licensed dog in a private compound, also without issuing a letter of warning to the dog’s owner or carrying out an appropriate behavioural assessment of the dog, amounts to high-handedness by the Tampin Municipal Council officers.”

Avran said if there had been multiple complaints against the dog, the proper procedure would be to issue a letter of warning to the owner.

“If the owner fails to comply, the dog should be sent to a registered shelter or animal welfare organisation,” he said.

“PAWS is against brutal actions against animals and calls for an end to highhanded attitudes which seem to be occurring with alarming regularity in Malaysia whenever the welfare of animals is involved.”

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” ~Gandhi (1869-1948)

“I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man” ~M. Gandhi (1869-1948)

“The measure of a society can be how well its people treat its animals.” ~Mohandas Gandhi

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Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags: Crime

PM Najib dinner for Online Friends on Deepavali eve!

September 30th, 2010

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I was eagerly waiting for PM Najib’s next tea time for his “online friends” since I missed the one held last March. When a statement came out that a dinner is being organised, I told myself that I won’t miss it this time. Alas, it turned to a big time disappoinment as the dinner is being held on eve of Deepavali! Talk about being insensitive! Surely someone in his team should/could/would have advised that the Hindus have prayers, shopping, house cleaning, etc on the eve. Imagine if such dinner is held on eve of Chinese New Year or Hari Raya.

Maybe his team already surveyed and found out that not many of PM’s “online friends” are Hindus, so the majority wins. We just have to console ourselves with this assumption.

Anyway, still doesn’t seem to resonate with his 1Malaysia calling. Sounds like done in bad taste and puts all the good work earlier in the shade. It just takes one small wrong move to undo all the earlier good work. Remember, its how you take care of the minority and the poor that shows your human values.

Hopefully some common sense kicks in and the event can be postponed to a more suitable date. After all, this is not some political party function where newspaper vendors are blamed for not delivering newspapers.

As for me, still thinking how to attend without incurring the wrath of Then.

The excerpt article:

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will host a special dinner for his online friends at Seri Perdana, Putrajaya on Nov 4.

He said the dinner function scheduled to start at 8pm, was organised following the success of the tea party he hosted in March for his online friends to get to know them and have a dialogue with them.

“Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of hosting a special event for my online friends, and I had stated that there would be more of such events to come.

“I am happy to announce the next event, which will take place on the evening of 4th November, details of which can be found here. Registration for an invitation is now open, and I encourage you to sign up and be a part of the event,” he said in his blog, www.1Malaysia.com.my, on Wednesday.

Najib said he thoroughly enjoyed the last event and hoped they would have the same open and sincere dialogue at the upcoming one.

“The beauty of this event is that it enables me to connect with Malaysians of all backgrounds, particularly because my guests are randomly selected from the registrants,” he said.

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Posted in BornInMalaysia, Events

Tags: discrimination Najib Tun Razak

be friends with Si Mata Sepet and Si Botol

September 27th, 2010

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Yet another seditious statement? I’m not sure if the program is a government event or if the person is speaking in official capacity (God help him if he did!).

At the very least, the person mentioning (implying) a religious places in bad faith, is not fit to be a person of any faith.

I’m really not concerned on who rules the country, as long as its the best person(s) for the job. That’s what right-thinking person would think, I suppose.

National Civics Bureau (BTN) deputy director Hamim Husin today proclaimed Malay rights as a mandate to rule the country amid a spike in Malay rhetoric.

Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad recently warned Malays that they would lose power if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) took control of Putrajaya.

“The rights of Malays, is to rule the country. Simple,” Hamim told Puteri Umno delegates in a closed-door function today.

“Malays must unite in the face of threats,” he added.

The BTN Federal Territory deputy director cited an example where the Malay ruling party failed to act during a purportedly seditious demonstration by non-Muslims in Kuala Lumpur a few years ago.

“The Hindus marched to Parliament to send a memorandum. They, like Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force), are groups that spread sedition,” said Hamim. [is marching to Parliament to send memorandum seditious????]

“Where was the political party then?” he asked.

About 30,000 protestors from the Hindu non-governmental organisation Hindraf had rallied in the city in November 2007 to submit a memorandum to the British embassy, where they demanded for the Queen’s Counsel to represent sidelined Malaysian Indians.

Today, Hamim underscored the importance of Malay unity in view of a possibility that snap polls may be called as early as next year.

“The general election is coming soon. If there is still disunity, we cannot have events like this… where we can say what we want,” he said.

Last Tuesday, Dr Mahathir said the Malays were not aware of the political threat facing them as they were divided into three groups (PAS, PKR, Umno), where no one group could obtain a percentage of Malay votes that can secure power for the community.

He also claimed that the political marginalisation of the Malays had already become a reality in PR-controlled states even though those administrations were led by Malays.

The former Umno president, who still commands widespread influence among party members and the larger Malay community, pointed to the former PR mentri besar in Perak Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin as an example of how Malay politicians had been sidelined by PR.

Dr Mahathir also implied that a Chinese or an Indian could become prime minister if PR took federal power because there was no constitutional restriction on race for the position.

Today, Hamim also urged Puteri Umno to make sacrifices in a bid to defend Malay rights.

“In the context of Malay rights, don’t just demand for your rights. You must ask, ‘what must I sacrifice to defend my rights?’” he said.

Hamim stressed that the Malays could not rule the country without co-operating with the non-Malay communities as each citizen only carried a single vote.

“Malays cannot rule the country by themselves. That’s why we make friends with the MCA and MIC,” he said. [Wow! call them names, and yet want to be friends???]

“The ‘si mata sepet’ that has never gone to a mosque or surau only has one vote. The ‘si botol’ that only knows how to go up to Batu Caves up and down only has one vote,” said Hamim, using apparently derogatory terms to describe the Chinese and Indian communities in Malaysia. [This is racial profiling. It can be also constituted as hate crime because inciting the audience against some particular race. Racism essentially means you claim your race is the best (or better) and/or denying others their rights based on race. So, not sure if the statement is racist. However it can be seditious because it mentions Batu Caves, a religious place for Hindus. Also, I know of some “mata sepet” who goes to mosque and surau. Hekc, there are few hundred millions of them in China! This guy may be in very, very deep trouble]

“So Puteri Umno must make friends with youths who are not Malays,” he added. [false friendship? can we generalise and say, steer far away from Puteri UMNO now?]

He also exhorted Puteri Umno to recruit youths born from marriages with foreigners into their party.

“There are many foreigners who have children here. Their daughters and sons who have turned 18 should be in Puteri and Putera Umno,” said Hamim. [you mean those married to Indonesians, Bosnians, Pakistanis, Indians, Iranians, Nigerians, Middle East folks, Americans, etc.? Looks like the “Malay” blood becomes quite diluted.]

“You are losing them… thousands of them. You should be collecting them and network with them,” he added.