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Uncomplete Chedang Interchange

By Matt Siow - October 20, 2010

Construction on Chedang Interchange has come to a halt (The Star)

Story and photos by Charles Fernandez
charlesf@thestar.com.my

Wednesday October 20, 2010

MOTORISTS on the Seremban Middle Ring Road (MRRS) will have to continue going in circles and making U-turns to reach their destinations because the Chedang Interchange will not be completed any time soon.

The Chedang, KGV and Hospital Tuanku Jaafar (HTJ) interchanges and radial roads will only be completed under the 10th Malaysia Plan.

While work is being done on the KGV and HTJ interchanges and the new RM26mil Taman Permai-Jalan Sungei Ujong link, the Chedang interchange linking the Rasah New Village has come to a halt.

Go the distance: One of the two U-turns on the unfinished stretch of the MRRS near the Bukit Chedang- Rasah New Village link.

Motorists heading to the Rasah New Village and the town centre from Seremban 2, Bukit Chedang, Senawang and Kuala Pilah are now forced to drive to the Bukit Chedang roundabout and make two U-turns before reaching their destinations.

The bridge to link Seremban 2 to Rasah New Village is also not completed because there is not enough allocation. If the bridge is completed together with other projects, traffic dispersal in Seremban will improve.

Bukit Kepayang assemblyman Cha Kee Chin said motorists wanted the Seremban 2-Rasah New Village link completed instead of concentrating on the Taman Permai-Jalan Sungai Ujong link.

He said because of this there was a bottleneck at the Bukit Chedang roundabout and at both the U-turns during rush hours.

He added that the matter was brought up at the last Negri Sembilan state assembly sitting.

Long way: Motorists from Senawang, Kuala Pilah and the town centre will have to take this roundabout to Seremban 2, Bukit Chedang and Rasah New Village.

“The Taman Permai-Sungei Ujong link can wait and the allocation could be used to complete the Seremban 2-Rasah New Village stretch because it will help ease traffic flow on the highway,’’ said Cha.

However, it is learnt that the Seremban 2-Rasah New Village stretch will cost much more than the Jalan Permai-Sungei Ujong link as it involves widening the Kepayang river and land reclamation at the new village.

“So until that is sorted out, projects that have been started will continue while motorists will have to bear with the inconvenience,’’ added Cha.

The RM500mil MRRS, which is a 28.8km two-lane dual carriageway, is toll-free with 16 interchanges.

The highway project, undertaken by Konsortium Temokin Vila-Jelas JV Sdn Bhd (KTVJSB), will be able to cope with traffic for up to 20 years.

Modifications will be done if the highway is unable to cope with the traffic within the stipulated time.

The first phase of the MRRS started in 2004 with the Rasah-Bukit Tembok stretch and the second phase from Taman Bidara to the Rasah Interchange.

Ongoing: Land clearing in progress at the Permai Interchange to link it to Jalan Sungei Ujong.

The first part of Phase 2 is the Bukit Chedang-Permai-Jalan Sungei Ujong stretch which was completed last year.

The only missing link to this stretch is the Seremban 2-Rasah New Village link.

The second part of Phase 2 includes the Taman Bidara Interchange connecting part of Bukit Chedang and the Permai Interchange.

Now, the project is in its first part of Phase 3 which includes the three interchanges at Chedang, Tuanku Jaafar Hospital and KGV.

All the missing links at the interchanges in Bukit Chedang and Permai as well as the link to Jalan Sungei Ujong will be completed in the final phase.

The final stretch from Taman Mutiara Galla to Temiang which cuts through an abandoned quarry is the only part of the ring road system with a 15% gradient.

Designed in 2002, the entire MRRS was under the Seremban Structure Plan 1975.

JKR (Federal) senior general manager Nor Azman Ismail had said that he was unable to give an exact date of the completion although some stretches of the MRRS were already open to traffic, giving motorists a faster and an easier access from the PLUS highway to link Kuala Pilah, Mantin and beyond by avoiding the traffic congestion in Seremban town.

Metzelder says: Time has passed by for about 8 years, stretching into three Malaysian Plan.

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Entertainment

5 Awards for The Iron Lady

By Matt Siow - September 29, 2010

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Entertainment

Golden Awards

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Sosilawati murder

By Matt Siow - September 24, 2010

CID chief: Sosilawati and 3 others killed and burnt (Updated)
By Edward R. Henry

BANTING: Cosmetic millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya, 47, and three others were murdered, burnt and their ashes strewn in a river near Ladang Gadong, in Tanjong Sepat, here.

Bukit Aman CID director Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin told reporters that the police were awaiting forensic confirmation.

He said that two lawyer brothers, one of them a Datuk, were among the eight arrested in connection with the murder.

The two brothers are 41 and 38 years old, respectively.

The elder brother, who is the Datuk, is also now being investigated in connection to four other cases of missing businessmen from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Bakri said.

The Datuk, who owns the farm where the bodies were burnt, was handling a land deal in Penang for Sosilawati.

It is learnt that that the land in Penang was bought for RM25mil and was to have been resold at RM200mil.

Sosilawati's siblings are in Banting to help police with the DNA confirmation of her death.

Sosilawati went missing on Aug 30 along with her driver Kamarudin Shansudin, 44, her lawyer Ahmad Kamil Karim, 32, and her financial adviser Noorhisham Mohammad, 38.

Bernama reported that the police forensic team was combing the farm area where some of Sosilawati's personal belongings were reported to have been found. Police had also blocked access to the Gadong Farm in Jalan Gadong, Tanjong Sepat, near here from last night and have not allowed the media access to the area.

Meanwhile, Bernama also reported from BATU PAHAT, that news of Sosilawati’s death had shocked residents of the village of her birth, Kampung Seri Menanti, Sri Medan, near here.

Her death was seen as a big loss as Sosilawati was known for her kind and charitable ways.

"This is a big loss as she always assisted anyone in need, for example, flood victims or schools," said village headman, Omar Salleh.

The villagers, he said, had already planned a solat hajat to pray for her wellbeing and safe return.

Omar, 63, also described Sosilawati as an approachable person and described what happened to her as being the will of god.

Bazli Ibrahim, 35, who shared in the sorrow of her tragic demise said she always had an open house on the second day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri for the villagers.

Another resident, Siti Aminah Md. Mukri, 27, when met said Sosilawati's determination in building the Nouvelles Visage cosmetics empire made her a source of admiration among the residents.

She also praised her noble character, saying Sosilawati was never proud despite her success.

A visit to the home of Sosilawati's mother, Yatimi Abdul Rahman, 80 at the village found it all locked up.

It is understood Yatimi and other family members had already left for Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Two lawyer brothers are the prime suspects in the murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others whose bodies were burnt and their ashes strewn in a river near Ladang Gadong, in Tanjong Sepat.

Picture shows the man believed to be the mastermind being led away by police.

Shady duo who put up a generous front

Monday September 13, 2010

KUALA LANGAT: The mastermind said to be behind the murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others is an infamous figure being investigated by police for land fraud and cheating.

Both the man and his brother are from humble beginnings. After graduating with law degrees, they opened a practice, where one of the brothers soon became an active member of the community.

They are known for their show of philanthropy with frequent donations of food and clothing to the poor.

The brothers, who specialise in land deals, had also developed a reputation for “unsavoury tactics” during their negotiations.

“Their methods were frowned upon and most lawyers kept their distance from them,” said a source.

The two, who were suspended from practising law for a year for alleged involvement in land scams, are known to have expensive tastes, being seen driving luxury cars.

Crime scene: The farm where the murders might have been committed.

It is understood that the elder brother, who received a Datukship a year ago, is being investigated by the Commercial Crimes Investigations Department (CCID) in Penang and Bukit Aman for land fraud and cheating cases involving millions of ringgit.

Sources familiar with the case said he had attempted to cheat a businessman of more than a million ringgit over three parcels of land.

“The businessman was shown a power of attorney letter by the lawyer, who collected a RM1mil deposit pending transfer of the land title.

A forensics police officer collecting bone fragments near Banting Sunday.

“When the businessman later did a search, he was shocked to find that the land had already been sold,” they said.

The sources said police were checking if Sosilawati had engaged one of the brothers in a land deal and if she could have wanted her money back after learning about the alleged fraud because there was talk that she had gone to see him in Banting on the same matter.

Federal CCID deputy director Deputy Comm Datuk Noryah Md Anvar confirmed that the brothers were under investigation.

An estate worker said he had sometimes seen luxury cars entering and leaving the farm near where the ashes of the victims were supposedly found.

“However, no one really knows what goes on there as the gates are always closed,” he said.

Another resident, who only wanted to be known as Rajes, 30, said one the brothers was the man “you go to see if you need help with something outside the boundaries of the law.”

“Everyone knows that he is connected with certain types of people,” he said, adding that it was rumoured among locals that people who crossed the brothers would mysteriously disappear.

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PTPTN signing agreement

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Festive delicacies

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Festive delicacies

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Johor principal fiasco

By Matt Siow - August 19, 2010

Education DG says Johor principal fiasco settled
By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani

August 18, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom said today it was just a misunderstanding — the allegedly offensive remarks by a Johor school principal — and the matter had been resolved.

Siti Inshah Mansor, the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra principal, allegedly said that “Chinese students... can return to China,” and likened Indian prayer strings to dog leashes during school assembly.

Alimuddin denied that the principal has been transferred from the school.

“There is no change, the issue was only a misunderstanding and the problem has been solved between the principal and students,” he told The Malaysian Insider by SMS.

The police are currently investigating the case under Section 504 of the Penal Code for provocation which carries a maximum imprisonment of two years, a fine or both.

A total of 17 complaints have been lodged with the authorities.

Kulai Jaya deputy OCPD Deputy Supt Mohd Kamil Sukarmi told reporters that the police would be calling for the principal’s statement to be recorded today.

On Thursday, the principal had reportedly made the derogatory remarks during the launch of the school’s Merdeka celebrations.

“Chinese students are not needed here and can return to China or Foon Yew schools. For the Indian students, the prayer string tied around their neck and wrist makes them look like dogs because only dogs are tied like that,” Siti Inshah was quoted as saying in at least one police report.

State Education Department deputy director Markom Giran has also said that the principal was on leave pending disciplinary action.

The school administration confirmed with The Malaysian Insider that the principal has been leave since yesterday and is expected to be back by Monday.

Yesterday Lim Kit Siang called on the government to remove the principal and said that she should be severely punished for the offensive remarks allegedly made during a school

Police report against the principal racist remarks.

BN Youth wants ‘racist’ school principal punished
By Boo Su-Lyn

August 19, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, The Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth today demanded the government punish Johor school principal Siti Inshah Mansor if allegations that she made racist remarks were proven true.

Their call came after angry parents lodged 17 police reports against the SMK Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra principal, whose remarks the Education Director-General Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom dismissed as a mere misunderstanding which has been resolved. But the parents now say it has not been resolved and described Alimuddin’s statement as a “cover-up”.

“BN Youth calls for the government not to take this matter lightly,” said its chief Khairy Jamaluddin in a statement today.

“If it is true that it happened, she should be charged with a severe punishment under Section 504 of the Penal Code or the like as our multi-racial country cannot accept this at all,” added Khairy, who is also the Umno Youth chief.

The police are currently investigating the case under section 504 of the Penal Code for provocation which carries a maximum imprisonment of two years, a fine or both.

Siti Inshah allegedly likened Indian students wearing prayer threads to dogs and ordered dissatisfied ethnic Chinese and Indian students to “return to China or India”.

The principal reportedly made the derogatory remarks during the launch of the school’s Merdeka celebrations last Thursday.

“Did she (Siti Inshah) not consider the students’ feelings, especially the Chinese and Indians, by making comments that appear to insult and chase them out of the country while they were singing “Negaraku, tanah tumpahnya darahku?” asked the Rembau MP.

BN Youth’s censure against the school principal joins a chorus of condemnation against Siti Inshah since MIC central working committee member S. Murugessan has called on the government to mete out the “heaviest punishment” while DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang has demanded for her dismissal.

“Her remarks… are very disgusting and shows her ignorance in citizenship issues and religious rituals in this country. If it is true that it happened, then a severe punishment must be meted out as a lesson and a strong signal that any actions which are not in line with the 1 Malaysia concept, which fosters national unity, must be handled and acted upon accordingly,” said Khairy.

He pointed out that this incident which involved a school head, coupled with another earlier incident which involved the prime minister’s special officer, showed that racial tension was a growing systemic problem in the country.

Datuk Nasir Safar, the prime minister’s former special officer, allegedly said in February this year at a 1 Malaysia event that the “Indians came to Malaysia as beggars and Chinese, especially women, came to sell their bodies”.

He was later asked to resign as the prime minister’s aide and no further action was taken against him. In Parliament, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said that this was because it was difficult to prove if Nasir’s words had any tendency to be seditious.

Another civil servant accused of making racial slurs was a schoolteacher who purportedly made racist remarks but was let off with just a transfer.

School teacher Rusita Abu Hassan who taught in SMK Telok Panglima Garang in Banting had in 2008 allegedly used derogatory remarks on a certain ethnic group in order to “test their level of patience”.

She was later transferred from the school but the punishment was viewed as more of a promotion for she was given a post in a smart school located near to her home.

Parents claimed that Siti Inshah has also made racist remarks in her previous school SMK Kelapa Sawit, where she called Indians Nigerians.

Another student alleged that Siti Inshah gave an example of owning a Proton Saga where a Chinese and Indian are passengers in the car and cannot claim any right to the car, likening it to Malaysia where non-Malay students are mere passengers.

Metzelder says: I hope Government will take serious action against her. At this high level of authority, uttering racist statement is unacceptable to all Malaysians.

Putting in ISA to punish such racist woman is highly recommended by me. If we put words back to ISA, her action justify all requirements; harming country safety and enticing racial sentiments.

Such civil servants should not let off hook because Prime Minister said before they are portraying 1Malaysia.

We must not forget few racist statements made before:

The Ahmad Ismail-Nasir Safar-Siti Inshah incidents are a collective indictment of the failure of the process of Malaysian nation-building.

In August 2008, Bukit Bendera Umno chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail referred to Chinese Malaysians as “pendatang”.

In February this year, the special officer to the prime minister, Datuk Nasir Safar, said that “Indians came to Malaysia as beggars and Chinese especially women came to sell their bodies”.

“It is clear that the Ahmad Ismail-Nasir Safar-Siti Inshah episodes are not isolated incidents but reflect a deeper national malady contributed no doubt by the communal brainwashing perpetrated by Biro Tata Negara over the decades,” DAP adviser, Lim Kit Siang said.

‘Racist’ principal spurs all-out Facebook war (TMI)
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 – What started out as a fan page for Johor principal Siti Inshah Mansor has escalated into an all-out verbal war on popular social networking site Facebook.

Since Siti’s alleged racist remarks were reported last week, a fan page in support of the principal was created on Facebook.

Titled “Support Puan Siti, a political victim (Sokong Cikgu Puan Hajah Siti Mangsa Politik), the Facebook page (picture) has now garnered 1,943 fans since its creation last Saturday, August 21.

Many wall postings were in support of Siti, with many “fans” believing that the allegations against her was “racial and ethnic”.

But the backing for the principal has not sat well with some Facebook users who have also started posting wall posts on the support page.

“Before I unlike this page, this is the last thing I’ll say. As a Malay girl who is sick with the racist attitude of her own race and has experienced racism from her own race because I am mixed, I want to advise everyone on this fan page to take the high road.

“Don’t insult and hurt the feelings of other races please. This is the Holy month of Ramadhan, by doing this you are only gathering sins. Remember other races are also creations of Allah,” said a post by Sharina Shahman.

Hours after The Malaysian Insider carried out a story about Siti’s support page yesterday, a Facebook page condemning the alleged remarks of the Johor principal was also created.

Titled “Do not support Puan Siti (Tidak Sokong Cikgu Puan Hajah Siti) the page currently has 454 followers.

The page said: “A school principal in Johor was recently accused of using racist remarks in describing her ethnic Chinese and Indian wards in her school. A Facebook fan page supporting the principal has been created and garnered 1365 fans in 48 hours. This page exists for the sole purpose of gathering people who do not support such forms of racism and to show that racism isn’t right.

“Go and have a look at how bad is racism,” said the information page. The link for Siti’s Facebook page is subsequently provided.

“We in Malaysia are a family, so please do not use racial issues for personal gain ... it does not matter whether we are Indian, Chinese or Malay, we are all the children of Malaysia. I hope that this country only has one race, a Malaysian race like 1 Malaysia,” said Gevakumaran Rajoo in a comment on the page.

Some of the comments posted urged the government to take strong action against the principal, citing dissatisfaction that nothing had been done as of yet and that investigations into Siti’s alleged remarks were taking “too long”.

A number of commentators felt that a public apology did not suffice, with some even demanding that Siti be charged under the Sedition Act or the Internal Security Act (ISA).

However, the administrator of the page had also cautioned followers against posting any racially-provocative remarks.

“Expressing your views is encouraged, but please be civil about it,” said the administrator of the “Do not support Puan Siti” page.

Last week, the Johor school principal sparked national outrage when her allegedly racist remarks were reported, following a failed initial attempt by the Education Ministry to placate parents.

The SMK Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra principal had reportedly made the derogatory remarks during the launch of the school’s Merdeka celebrations.

“Chinese students are not needed here and can return to China or Foon Yew schools. For the Indian students, the prayer string tied around their neck and wrist makes them look like dogs because only dogs are tied like that,” Siti Inshah was quoted as saying in at least one police report.

The police are currently investigating the case under Section 504 of the Penal Code for provocation, which carries a maximum imprisonment of two years, a fine, or both.

A total of 20 complaints have been lodged with the authorities.

On Friday, Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin also directed Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom to set up a committee to investigate the matter.

Alimuddin had earlier said it was a misunderstanding that had already been resolved.

However, on the same day, another principal, this time from Sungai Petani, Kedah was similarly accused of racism for allegedly telling her Chinese pupils to “return to China”.

The Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bukit Selambau head was said to have accused the Chinese pupils of being insensitive towards their Muslim peers by eating in the school compound during the fasting month of Ramadan last Friday, and ordered them to return to China if they could not respect the culture of other races.

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Food

Buka puasa fare

By Matt Siow - August 18, 2010

On the bazaar beat

Sunday, August 22

By Aida Ahmad
sundaymetro@thestar.com.my

ADILA Shakir is on a food hunt. The 34-year-old RedFM DJ, better known as Dilly, is on a mission to suss out the best Ramadan bazaars in the Klang Valley, and today she is at the Pasar Ramadan in Shah Alam. With her is Jason Desmond, aka JD, the other half of the RedFM Breakfast show duo.

Since the start of Ramadan, they have both been visiting the food bazaars specifically set up to cater for the breaking-fast crowd. They will later share their findings with their listeners through the radio show which airs from 6am to 10am.

Both have taken on the job as a seasonal addition on their show and have developed a ranking for the places they visit. They call it the “Lemang Scale”, and the bazaars are ranked on a scale from one to five.

Favourite dish: RedFM DJ Dilly getting some putu piring, her favourite dessert for breaking fast at the Ramadan bazaar in Kampung Sungai Penchala, Selangor.

“For the past week of Ramadan, JD and I have been getting recommendations from our listeners on which are the best bazaars to go to. So we’re going to try to visit as many of them as we can,” says the petite lass from Johor.

The aroma of different types of food permeating the bazaar is enough to make one salivate. “Suffice to say, we are spoilt for choice. But since there are still so many days left in Ramadan, JD and I have agreed to try different types of food slowly so we don’t end up wasting them,” explains Dilly.

So does she have a favourite bazaar? “Not really. The ones I’ve tried in the past have been in Bangsar, Penchala Link and TTDI. Recently, I went to Section 14, PJ, and I was very impressed! This one in Shah Alam is huge and there is so much to choose from.”

Dilly says her favourite food during Ramadan are ikan bakar and ayam percik.

“I usually make a beeline for the Roti John too. I also love murtabak but the lines are always so long. And I also love kuih lopis and putu piring for dessert.”

With all the food around, it must be difficult to remember that it is fasting time and one should actually be cutting down on the amount they eat.

“I make it a point to not go overboard at the bazaars because when you’re hungry you want to buy everything,” Dilly says. But she did confess to buying more food than she should have during the first few days of Ramadan. “The eyes are always bigger than the tummy,” she says, chuckling.

The first bazaar they visited was the one in Bangsar. This one, unfortunately, did not score well on their Lemang scale, managing only 1 out of 5.

“It did not have much variety, to be honest,” explains Dilly. “They have the usual fare like Roti John, nasi campur, ayam percik, murtabak, etc. But the murtabak line was so long that we decided not to go for it.”

Ayam Percik is one of the popular items in all the Ramadan bazaars that Dilly and JD have checked out.

Acting upon the recommendation of their listeners, both DJs visited the bazaar in Section 14, Petaling Jaya, on the second day of Ramadan. “It was as good as our listeners said it was. At the end of the day, I walked away with a packet of laksa utara (RM3), ikan pari bakar (RM5) and soya milk (RM2). I was very happy with everything I bought.”

They have also checked out the Ramadan bazaar in Kampung Sungai Penchala, and it was there that Dilly found her favourite putu piring. For this, the bazaar scored a 3 out of 5 on the Lemang scale.

Born in London, Dilly spent her childhood growing up in Saudi Arabia and, from the age of 13, she lived with her family in Johor Baru.

“They didn’t have big bazaars in Saudi Arabia like we do here during Ramadan,” she recalls. “My mother usually cooked at home for us. Otherwise, we met up with other Malaysians at the Malaysian embassy to break fast together.”

These days, Dilly lives by herself in KL, her family having opted to stay put in Johor Baru. “I find that I miss my family even more during this month than any other,” she muses.

Dilly says it usually takes a few days to get used to fasting during Ramadan but her daily schedule keeps her occupied. “After the first week, I don’t really notice it as much. Work is such a whirlwind anyway that time passes by pretty fast for me and by the time I get home, I need to take a nap.”

I’m done: There’s lots of food to be had but Dilly makes it a point to buy only what she requires.

During Ramadan, she spends most of her leisure time at home, she adds. “I focus on my prayers and recite the Quran to make the most of this holy month.”

Her co-host, JD, is not Muslim but he has been observing Ramadan for the past 13 years. “I actually look forward to it,” he says. “It changes your perspective in the long run.”

Ipoh-born JD admits it was tough for the first few times. “But it’s second nature to me now. The best feeling is when you break fast and realise how fortunate you are to have all these delicacies in front of you,” he says, pointing towards the food laid out in front of him.

Lawyer Zuhaida Zakaria Merican, 29, a fan of the RedFM Breakfast Show, made her way to the bazaar in Shah Alam especially to meet the DJs. “I knew they were coming here after catching their show in the morning. My favourite food here is the Roti John and lamb murtabak,” she says.

Ramadan bazaar in SS18, Subang Jaya.

Bursting with buka puasa fare

Wednesday, August 18

By Tho Xin Yi
thoxinyi@thestar.com.my Photos by Sam Tham

Wafts of charcoal smoke fill the air as visitors arrive at the Ramadan bazaar in SS18, Subang Jaya.

Traders can be seen busy fanning stick of satay and chicken wings on skewers while calling out to passers-by to try their delicacies.

On sale at the stalls are mouthwatering drinks in different hues and kuih-muih in assorted shapes. The offerings include roti bom, roti john, char keuy teow and chicken rice.

A rare find: Fragrant steam billowing from Aminah Isnin’s nasi lemak kukus stall.

What sets this bustling bazaar apart from the rest in town is the number of stalls and the variety of buka puasa fare offered.

The many interesting goodies to be found at this largest bazaar in Subang Jaya include Putu Bambu and jacket potatoes, which sell like hot cakes.

Mohamed Kamisan Buang’s stall is a particularly busy one.

A worker moves swiftly from lifting the cooked Putu Bambu from the steamer, to refilling the steamer with bamboo moulds brimming with a mixture of ground rice flour, grated coconut and palm sugar.

Uncle Jilli’s jacket potatoes, wrapped in foil, are arranged neatly on charcoal pits.

They come with six different toppings — beef, cheesy cheese, corned beef, cheesy chicken, chicky island paradise and chicken sausage — although Mohd Razali Jaafar said he had about 15 varieties that he would rotate during the month.

Plenty of choice: Ramlah Jaafar (left) offers more than 40 dishes a day at her mixed rice stall.

Zainal Abidin makes a living by selling nasi lemak but during Ramadan, he switches to kebab.

“There are many stalls offering nasi lemak here, so I decided to make something unusual,” he said.

Other than chicken, mutton and beef, he also offers chicken liver kebab.

While the ubiquitous nasi lemak is sold at every other stall, nasi lemak kukus is a rare find.

Fragrant steam billows from Aminah Isnin’s wooden rice steamer that can hold up to 15kg of rice.

“It’s the traditional way of cooking rice. Other than the taste, we believe nasi lemak kukus contains less cholesterol than the usual variety,” she said.

Unusual buka puasa fare: Mohd Razali (right) has 15 Jacket Potatoes recipes to be rotated throughout the month.

Situated in the middle of the bazaar, Faisol Ahmad Tajudin’s stall stands out with a long queue of customers.

He manages a book store normally but has been putting his murtabak-making skills to use during Ramadan for the past six years.

“A friend shared his recipe with me and I assume it’s the extra eggs that makes it so popular,” he said, busy scooping a ladleful of filling onto the flattened dough on the hot plate.

Nasi campur is also easily available but Ramlah Jaafar’s offerings attract more customers than the rest.

The secret of her success is in the number of dishes available — which can easily be about 40 trays of Malay delights.

“It only takes me two to three hours to prepare all the dishes,” she said.

Her loyal customers, retirees Hapsah Zakaria and Abu Bakar Ahmad, were seen choosing their favourite buka puasa dishes at the crowded stall.

“We are her regular customers for the variety of dishes she has,” Hapsah said.

The husband and wife, who live in SS14, would walk to the bazaar every other day to buy food for buka puasa.

With Ramadan, bubur lambuk is back (TMI)

By Melissa Zavier

The first day of Ramadan and hundreds have already started queuing at the Masjid Jamek Kampung Baru, not so much for prayers but for its famous bubur lambuk or rice porridge with meat and herbs.

Most Malaysian states have their versions of this Malay rice porridge which is specially prepared for the break of fast or iftar or buka puasa as it is known in Malaysia during Ramadan.

The aromatic spices used in preparing the porridge makes the porridge taste delicious and includes cardamom pods, star anise and cumin seeds are added to the boiling pot of rice. Meat is then added and boiled for hours before it is ready.

The rice porridge is usually distributed after the Asar or evening prayers at the mosque where it is prepared by volunteers. Outside the mosque, stalls line the streets during Ramadan selling their versions of the bubur lambuk.

It is also available at the numerous Pasar Ramadan or bazaars that spring up in the evening across Malaysian towns and cities, catering to those who want a taste of delicacies to break their fast.

Muslims fast from dawn to dusk for the entire month of Ramadan before celebrating the Eid or Hari Raya Aidilfitri as it is known in Malaysia.

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Food

Kuih with only 10 sen

By Matt Siow - August 18, 2010

Fauziah takes the cake

Saturday, August 14

By Derrick Vinesh
derrickvinesh@thestar.com.my

KULIM: Despite the recent increase in sugar and petrol prices, a kuih seller can still afford to sell her delicacies at what can be described as a steal — 10 sen per piece.

And Fauziah Ismail has been maintaining that price for the last 17 years.

The 35-year-old housewife-turned-kuih seller admits that her profit margin is extremely low but she can still earn between RM60 and RM80 a day selling up to 4,500 pieces daily during the Ramadan month.

She feels it is also her social responsibility to sell at the cheapest price possible, especially to those who cannot afford a decent meal.

“When a little child or an elderly person comes to my stall with only 10 or 20-sen in their pockets, I am glad he or she can have something to eat,” she said at her stall on Jalan Kilang Lama.

Sweet treats: Fauziah (left) attending to her customers at the Pasar Ramadan in Jalan Kilang Lama in Kulim Friday

Fondly called “Kak Gee Kuih 10 sen” by her customers, she has been selling her kuih under a tree next to the Kulim Mall since 1993.

Among the 10-sen kuih offered are doughnuts, curry puffs, ketayap, samosa, masalodeh, baby burger, onde-onde, lepat liat, tepung bungkus, lopes pulut, cocoa cake, banana cake, buah melaka, bengkang lenga, baby keria and abuk-abuk.

Fauziah said her bite-size kuih is particularly suitable for children to avoid wastage.

She usually sells about 2,000 pieces from her spread of 15 to 20 types of kuih daily. But during Ramadan, both sales and variety shoot up — to 4,500 pieces a day from the 30 types at her stall at the Ramadan Bazaar nearby, which opens from 2pm to 8pm daily.

Fauziah said she ventured into the business to earn extra income after noticing that her neighbour could make additional money selling economy rice.

“So, I’ve been selling kuih since then,” said the mother of three school-going children aged 16, 13, and seven,

Fauziah said she wakes up as early as 5am and starts preparations to make the kuih, adding she turns down bulk orders of up to 6,000 because she cannot meet the demand.

She is also looking for someone to sponsor a keropok lekor machine because it is tiring for her to roll the batter manually into long strips before cutting and frying them.

A customer, Tengku Nurul Asyikin Tengku Shamsuddin, 26, said she heard from her office colleagues about the 10-sen kuih and wanted to try them.

“I think it is dirt cheap and I am amazed by the operator’s ability to cover her costs,” she said.