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I’m from Klang. My family lived there for 30++ years. I practically grew up in the Tengku Kelana neighborhood. Having bak kut teh with kickapoo (is that how you spell it?) or 7-up once in a blue moon. Buying mee goreng at saraswathy villas. Groceries at Muthupalaniandy Pillai shop. Looking at “game watch” at VGP stores. Bought my one and only bicyle in chinese shop near bus station. Those days, quite a number of shops were owned by the Chinese – cicyle, market, photo studio, restaurant etc. But still known as Little India. Can smell the spices (both raw and cooked) in the air.

Has the words Little India bought any shame to anyone? Is it a despicable disease? A bad word? Something that needs cleansing? Or is it out of fashion?

Just days ago, we read how Klang was hit with flash floods due to garbage in the drains blocking the flow of rain water.

Is name more important than flash floods? Which is more beneficial – changing names or stopping flash floods?

If one can’t make a proper decision, what do we call them? If one is incapable of doing things properly, its not wrong to admit it and ask for help.

If there’s nothing to talk at the meeting, better not have any meeting. It will save the tax payers’ money.

The illogical reason given by a councillor really makes ones’ blood boil.

From what I gather in the papers, the lack of thinking capability and prioritisation seems to point to the Majlis Perbandaran Klang. EXCO Xavier says no to the plan, so it seems he doesn’t know about it.

State exco member Dr Xavier Jeyakumar told The Star the name change would defeat all the hard work that had gone into building Little India into a tourist icon, and that the move would also erase the identity of the area.

The new name, you ask? A brilliant and extremely well thought name – Medan Kelana. The reason? The name was chosen as the main road in Little India is called Jalan Tengku Kelana. Wah.. . we really have geniuses in MPK. Those guys must be top scorers in SPM and in universities. We Klangites must be proud to have such great minds minding the Royal Town.

Klang municipal councillor Ho San Sang confirmed the name change, saying it was part of a “rebranding exercise.” The district tourism committee member did not elaborate.

Rebranding? That’s reserved for political parties lah, you genius! Unless rebranding means to “cleanse” the place.  Makes me think about the “ethnic cleansing” claim by HINDRAF. As one may recall, the word caused an uproar, but the definition of such cleansing is very wide. Simple acts like removing the identity of a community in a place can be easily misconstrued as one such definition. So, one wonders why MPK is giving ammunition for groups like HINDRAF.

Show me one person in Klang who agrees to the name change (let’s leave out political parties and their affiliated NGOs’ members). Those disagreeing are clear:

Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Klang District) chairman N.P. Raman said changing the name would also erase the identity of Klang’s Little India – which had been built into a household brand known all over the world after 50 years of hard work.

American tourist Michelle Smith, 25, and her friend Miyoko Takagi, 23, said it would be a shame to change the name of a place so easily recalled by tourists.

Klang resident Wong Wei Yin, 63, said many people were unhappy with the name change because folks here had fond memories of the area linked to the Indian community.

What’s next? It won’t be long before a online petition appears, Facebook group is created and hate/anger against MPK elevates. “Save Little India” campaign anyone? Those not able to wait till such campaigns start, can voice your dissatisfaction and disproval via email/tel/fax to the council members (their e-aduan is not working, so the councilors have to bear with emails):

List of ahli majlis in MPK (available on MPK website, so its not private data):

Tuan Mislan Bin Tugiu
mislan@mpklang.gov.my
019 – 210 2233
03 – 3371 5882

Y.D.H. Dato’ Setia Diraja Dato’ Haji Abdul Ghani Bin Pateh Akhir
datoghani@mpklang.gov.my
012 – 381 1381
03 – 3372 8481
03 – 3372 3079 (F)

Encik Tee Boon Hock
teeboonhock@mpklang.gov.my
019 – 332 9092
03 – 3166 8706
03 – 3167 8880 (F)

Encik Ismail bin Arsat
hjismail@mpklang.gov.my
012 – 313 3536

Encik Azmizam Zaman Huri
azmizam@mpklang.gov.my
019 – 221 0278
03 – 3166 8642

Encik Tai Teck Chuan
taiteckchuan@mpklang.gov.my
019 – 333 5468
03 – 3344 4872
03 – 3342 2176 (F)

Encik Selvadurai a/l Subramaniam
selvadurai@mpklang.gov.my
019 – 223 9053
03 – 3168 2743
03 – 3166 4194 (F)

Haji Razali bin Hassan
hjrazali@mpklang.gov.my
019 – 221 6417
03 – 3342 6473 (F)

Encik Ho Sang San
hoss@mpklang.gov.my
019 – 216 2622
03 – 2078 9271 (F)

Encik Ang Mah Chye
angmahchye@mpklang.gov.my
019 – 662 9146
03 – 3168 2978
03 – 3168 2978 (F)

Encik Haidar bin Taslin
haidar@mpklang.gov.my
019 – 239 1141
03 – 3393 4877
03 – 3393 5877 (F)

Encik Jamuliddin bin Elias
jamuliddin@mpklang.gov.my
019 – 664 4796
017 – 241 3006

Encik Ganasan a/l Macholai
ganasan@mpklang.gov.my
012 – 694 1548
03 – 3371 5888
03 – 3371 5888 (F)

Encik M. Sunthararajoo a/l Murugan
sunthararajoo@mpklang.gov.my
016 – 284 4557
03 – 5162 4890
03 – 5162 4890 (F)

Encik Lim Lip Suan
limlipsuan@mpklang.gov.my
016 – 380 8493
03 – 3341 7368

Encik Mohd Termizi bin Ismail
hjmizi@mpklang.gov.my
019 – 260 9273
03 – 3393 4877
03 – 3393 5877 (F)

Encik Maneyvannan a/l Velue
maney@mpklang.gov.my
016 – 286 0615
014 – 608 1257
03 – 3290 6690
03 – 3341 2709 (F)

Puan Hamidah binti Mat Som
hamidah@mpklang.gov.my
013 – 364 3492
03 – 3392 1902

Puan Noriah binti Abdul Rahman
noriah@mpklang.gov.my
019 – 355 5555
03 – 5638 2288
03 – 5621 1516 (F)

Encik Segaran a/l Ladasamy
segaran@mpklang.gov.my
016 – 251 0752
03 – 3324 0752

Puan Wong Siah Ping
wongsiahping@mpklang.gov.my
017 – 212 9020

Puan Nor’ain binti Eusoff
norain@mpklang.gov.my
012 – 217 2024
03 – 3169 5513

Encik Raju a/l Veerasamy
raju@mpklang.gov.my
012 – 310 1958
03 – 3343 7433
03 – 3343 9433 (F)

Encik Tee Beng Lee
bltee@mpklang.gov.my
017 – 395 8201

source:
http://www.mpklang.gov.my/main.php?Content=sections&SectionID=249

I can only think of few reasons why the name change is planned – MPK has lots of money but lacking the ideas to use it properly OR they want to highlight the “malayness” (Tengku Kelana is a historic figure – go read your Form two/three sejarah books) in the name of “malaysianess”.

I also wonder if it got anything to do with the absence of Kota Alam Shah ADUN – YB Manoharan who is in ISA detention. Perhaps to force another by-election here?

I wonder if the councillors are aware of the plans to change the name in the first. if they are aware, then the state govt MUST take blame for it because they are the ones who picked the councillors. They must apologise publicly, sack the councillors, reprimand the MPK president and staff, and compensate for indian community for the mental/emotional stress. The MP for Klang (Charles Santiago) must resign. As for the ADUN, can’t do much as he is in ISA. Ronnie Liu (ADUN-Pandamaran) who is helping to look after Manoharan’s constituency also must resign. The Indian community cannot simply forgive all the time. Someone must pay for this.

However if this was done without the knowledge of councillors and ADUN/MP (as in the Ampang temple case), then the YDP of MPK’s head must roll. Public don’t want to hear another “internal inquiry” and after that semua senyap. Until today, i never get reply from Xavier, Teresa, or Ronnie on the outcome of the investigation on the MPAJ deputy president.