The Datuk Bandar of Kuala Lumpur is a much sought after job. It has prestige, glamour and more important, power. It is a hot seat and recent developments prove there is no shortage of ambitious people who cannot wait to see him fall.

Just a year ago, Datuk Mohamed Shaid Mohd Taufik ended his term in a most unceremonious way, after just three years.  He found out about it from the press, several hours after the Federal Territories Ministry issued a statement announcing his director-general Ruslin as successor.

At a press conference to announce City Hall's 2004 Budget, Mohd Shaid told newsmen that he did not know about his termination and that no one had called to inform him.

But he must have known it was coming. He had rubbed certain powerful politicians up the wrong way and his relationship with then FT Minister Tan Sri Mohamed Isa Abdul Samad was said to be bad.

According to supporters of Mohd Shaid, he, too, was a victim of a plot to oust him using political pressure. What has happened to Ruslin is certainly the result of a power struggle in City Hall.

Interestingly, Isa has also quit from the Cabinet following his suspension from Umno after he was found guilty of money politics in the party elections.

In 1992, the media-savvy mayor Tan Sri Elyas Omar stepped down after a controversy whereby it was revealed that City Hall planned to buy a fleet of 22 Volvos for its department heads at a cost of RM2.3mil.

The problem was that only the director-general was entitled to a Volvo, so the knives were drawn when the other department heads got to enjoy the same model. The situation was made worse because the cars were turbo-charged automatic models costing RM8,000 more than the normal ones.

Just months earlier, Elyas found himself in the soup when he was questioned for leading a 100-member delegation to Casablanca on a trip which cost ratepayers RM800,000. But Elyas maintained it was only RM240,000.

Elyas was also accused by the media of using a doctorate from a non-existent university, to which he retorted that it was the media which had used the Dr title. But the powers-that-be already had had enough of Elyas. In the end, he was dumped too.

Ruslin has admitted that "there must have been those who were unhappy with changes and decisions implemented over the past seven months since I assumed office".

The fact is that the rumblings of dissatisfaction have been heard along the corridors of DBKL and soon various rumours began circulating.

The hottest was the allegation that a police report had been filed about a nurse being fondled by a senior DBKL official. But police said there was no such report.

Ruslin, it is said, was once put in "cold storage" for eight years by his rivals who gave him the unglamorous position of coordinating waste collection in Cheras. But he managed to work his way back to the top.

Now, Malaysians have learned through news reports that a group of senior officials, known as the Group of Seven, could be linked to the conspiracy to topple Ruslin. The plot certainly gets thicker.

But Malaysians also want to know whether the Anti-Corruption Agency will dig deeper into the allegations of corruption in the DBKL, irrespective of the level of officials involved.

The ACA has taken the first step of investigating the allotment of temporary licences for the fasting month in Jalan Mesjid India.

One newspaper reported rumours of DBKL officials demanding rental from Sri Hartamas traders.

The authorities should not just dismiss this as hearsay but to check with the traders there.

From the way events have unfolded in City Hall, things are not going well. A big clean-up must be undertaken and Malaysians hope the ACA will be allowed to do its job, without fear or favour.

They inched their way into the house patiently, despite the discomfort of the huge crowd, just to have a final look at Kak Endon.

I spoke to a few of these people to find out what were the qualities they admired so much about Kak Endon although they professed that they had never met her, let alone talk to her.

All said, they were deeply touched by the love showed by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Endon. Their open display of affection touched the hearts of many Malaysians, who saw them as model husband and wife.

On Friday, I received a telephone call from Zainah Anwar, an advocate of Muslim women rights for Sisters in Islam. Zainah, a former New Straits Times journalist, had covered many assignments with me. She had the privilege of getting to know Endon and family members well, and was still in grief.

Kak Endon had always been supportive of the non-governmental organisation's cause while her daughter Nori, too, plays an active role.

Zainah suggested that I read a speech made by Endon at a function organised by the group in 2003. Endon had told her listeners that a "happy family is one that is not taken for granted, and a happy marriage is one that cannot be taken for granted".

She spoke of her 40 years marriage with Pak Lah, saying their bond grew stronger each day because they placed great priority on their relationship and their family members.

She said everyone in the family understood their responsibilities and support for each other at all times. It was well known that she did not tolerate polygamy and at one time, her views upset some people, but her focus on the family as an important institution earned the respect of many of us.

There will be Malaysians who asked whether Pak Lah would be able to cope with the loss of someone he loves greatly. The loss, as in the passing away of someone so close, would surely be felt. The loneliness would certainly be there. Pak Lah would need plenty of support from his family members, especially Nori, and close friends.

He can also count on all ordinary Malaysians who pray for him and his family. His work, health and concerns will always be in our prayers which, in the words of Endon, is the greatest gift of all.

Pak Lah's strong faith in God would certainly help him go through this difficult period. Despite his Mr Nice Guy image, he has strong character and will be able to move on, make no mistake about it.

Pak Lah, we can assure you that Malaysians will work with you in leading the country, especially in the fight against corruption. You will never walk alone.

Bureaucracy and undue obstructions from over-zealous middle-ranking civil servants have long been blamed for why Christians have difficulties in building churches although the Federal Constitution is clear on everyone's right to freedom of worship. The size of the Christian population is taken into account before approval can be given in line with religious sensitivity. Thus, if the numbers are wrong, it would have repercussions on followers of the faith.

The liberal policy of the Government and the open-mindedness of our leaders are clear in protecting the rights of all religions, especially the minorities. The Selangor Government, for example, recently allocated and approved land for the construction of churches.

It has not been an easy journey for Christians in Selangor, particularly the Roman Catholics. Unlike Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus, the Christians have a lesser voice, in terms of representation in government. Still, it is encouraging to know that complaints from many Christians that their religion has been wrongly recorded have received the attention of the Government.

I understand that the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili and Deputy Home Affairs Minister Datuk Tan Chai Ho are helping to rectify the problem, together with the ministry's secretary-general Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat.

Aseh, a dedicated and fair-minded civil servant, I honestly believe, would be able to resolve this concern.

NRD director-general Datuk Wan Ibrahim Wan Ahmad was recently quoted as saying that "changes on religion could not be made without proof as the department has to be accountable" while public relations officer Jainisah Mohd Noor reportedly said the procedure of signing a declaration form was necessary for the department's documentation.

I share the concern of these two officials in wanting to ensure accuracy for statistical reasons but their good intentions may not be well received by many. Some may find such requests unacceptable because it is unlikely that those from other religions would be asked to show such proof.

The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship Malaysia said it had received complaints that some NRD clerks insisted that those who wished to make amendments to their religion should produce baptism certificates or letters from their churches as proof of change in religion.

This problem has surfaced because of the NRD's assumption on religion that it is based on the birth certificate, past IC information or simply race. Pastors, for example, have found their religion listed as Buddhists or Hindus. When they sought amendments, they were asked to show proof that they are Christians.

In all fairness, new Christians should also not be too quick to accuse the NRD of wrongdoings if they themselves have not informed the clerks of their change in religion. But what the NRD can do is to ensure some uniformity at the front desk level. For example, a simple form should be sufficient. Unlike Muslims, those from other faiths do not have legal implications if they wish to change their faiths.

In short, non-Muslims have the right to change their religion as it is essentially a personal matter. There is thus no need for non-Muslims to prove their religion and the job of the NRD clerk is to record the information, that's all.The NRD has no legal basis or authority to ask MyKad applicants for baptism certificate or church letters.

Religion has always been treated as a sensitive matter in Malaysia and rightly so too. The NRD must understand and appreciate this concern.

***Comment: CORRECTION : ERROR – In Paragraph 8, the NAME of the NRD director general is INCORRECT. The director-general is Datuk Mohd Abdul Halim Muhammad and NOT Datuk Wan Ibrahim Wan Ahmad. Error pointed out by Royce Cheah Shiou Han and confirmed by Parkaran – 27/12/2005

All the earlier talk of punishing Hattan under the National Anthem Act 1968 must have made Malaysia sound like an intolerant police state.

Malaysians who watched the football final, either at the stadium or at home, hardly noticed Hattan's purported jazzed-up version of the Negaraku.

Many of the VIPs who attended the game went on record to say the same. For them, it was a non-issue until it was brought up in Parliament.

What we noticed were football players and the fans in celebratory mood when the national anthem was played. Instead of standing still to attention, many were seen running and jumping in joy.

And certainly we saw plenty of Indonesian flags for a game between two Malaysian states vying for the Malaysia Cup. Hello, this is Malaysia.

No one, including the Yang Berhormat, seemed to have brought this up. Instead, he was more preoccupied with Hattan, whom many of us thought sang with great gusto and pride.

But Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim instilled some common sense when he said there was nothing offensive about Hattan's rendition of the Negaraku.

After watching the footage, he said, he found nothing degrading in the manner Hattan had sung the national anthem although the last modulation went a bit high. There was no jazzing up whatsoever and neither did he ridicule the national anthem.

Dr Rais correctly pointed out that some of the spectators were seen to be disrespectful.

Following the controversy created by one MP, Dr Rais has now suggested that the Negaraku should revert to the original tempo first introduced in 1956.

He said this was to ensure that the tempo of the national anthem would remain the same.

Dr Rais must have good reasons in wanting to protect the dignity of the national anthem, which is a national treasure.

But I do miss the faster, marching version of the Negaraku introduced a few years back. Younger Malaysians felt it was more inspiring and forthright, in comparison to the slower version.

It reminded us of the faster pace of development set by the country and our commitment to marching forward to a developed nation.

The point here is that even the official 1956 version has been changed before. It was set during the 50s.

Music is alive. There is no such thing as the national anthem must remain static, but as of now it appears that only the politicians can have a say in telling us what is right or wrong.

Surely Malaysians, too, would want to have their say. The Negaraku does not belong to just the MPs and Cabinet members.

Let's allow Malaysians, especially the younger generation, to have their say about the tempo of the Negaraku.

It should become a practice for all Malaysians to sing the national anthem and not just stand attentively whenever it is played.

We do this when we are overseas but we are seemingly shy to do so when the Negaraku is played at home.

We have seen how the Americans sing their national anthem, with one hand on the heart, when their national anthem is played before a boxing or football match.

Sometimes a black singer would sing the soul version, and even we non-Americans would find it a delight to the ears.

The point is that the Negaraku must be sung beautifully in a passionate way. The key word is "sing", not just listen – that will be music to the ear then to Malaysia.

Various reasons have been cited why Chinese tourists have been shunning Malaysia but one clear factor must be the order from the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) to its travel agents to cancel group tours to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

That directive hurt Singapore as well. The island republic's number of Chinese tourists fell to 352,000 in the first six months of this year but that was only a 10% drop, which isn't as bad as that for Malaysia.

One area of unhappiness, which is being talked about among Chinese visitors, are reports of Chinese tourists being robbed of their passports and female tourists being hassled at Immigration because of suspicions that they might be involved in prostitution.

MCA public services and complaints department chief Datuk Michael Chong said he had received many complaints from bona fide Chinese visitors, including investors, that they had encountered such difficulties at KL International Airport.

He said one businessman, regarded as one of the richest men in China, had to wait until 5am before he was allowed to enter Malaysia although he had the proper travelling documents including a visa.

Chong said the businessman, who has an office in Kuala Lumpur, had his Malaysian visa on an old passport, which he carried along, but that did not satisfy the Immigration officer. The man was allowed in after some intervention from senior Immigration officers.

But the "loss of face" for the Chinese investor infuriated him so much that he threatened to close down his KL office, which would have meant retrenchment for the Malaysian staff. But Chong managed to calm him down.

That is not all. I have personally heard of a Chinese shipper, with a branch office here, whose 60-year-old wife was denied entry because of some technical problems relating to her visa. The matter was eventually brought up to a Cabinet minister.

To be fair to Immigration, rules are rules. If the officers have reasons to be suspicious, then they must be allowed to exercise their discretion to turn away foreign visitors, irrespective of their nationality.

But Immigration must be sensitive to such complaints, especially from genuine tourists. We should not give the perception, no matter how small, that Chinese tourists are discriminated against.

A few years back, I accompanied then Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen on her tourism promotion trips. She decided to take along a senior Immigration officer to allow him to hear directly the problems faced by Chinese tour agents.

It was an eye-opener for the officer. More interestingly, he was surprised at the development in Chinese cities. Talking to him, the impression I had was that he thought Kuala Lumpur was ahead of these cities.

The situation has improved much but more needs to be done. In fact, there should be more consistency and better coordination between the Tourism Ministry and the Home Ministry, especially the Immigration department.

Bad press such as the recent case in Genting Highlands where Chinese tourists staged a sit-in after they discovered hotel workers had drawn pigs on their pass cards used for restaurants, and the murder of Chinese students in Malaysia certainly did not help.

These are isolated cases, no doubt, but we need to tackle them as every country is fighting hard for the tourist dollar. The competition is no longer from Asian countries but also from Europe and the United States.

In the past, this region attracted many Chinese tourists but as they become richer, they have turned to Europe and the US. In Australia, entertainers from Hong Kong and Taiwan have become major acts in theatres to cater to these Chinese arrivals.

Malaysia needs to review its strategy to win these Chinese tourists and with their interest in eco-tourism, Malaysia will continue to enjoy certain advantages.

Tourists from the southern Chinese cities should be encouraged to visit Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Malacca, because many Malaysians speak in Hokkien and Cantonese, which should make them feel at home.

Tourism Minister Datuk Dr Michael Toyad and his deputy Zahid have worked hard but it will help tremendously if a Chinese-speaking deputy minister is appointed in the next Cabinet reshuffle. The personal touch, coupled with the required social skills, is crucial in doing business in China.