Author Archives: wcw

Oh dear, it fits me to a V, uh, T

Occasionally, I like to put on a pair of pointed shoes, a throwback to the John Travolta days of the late 70s/ early 80s. Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin tweeted, in jest, that I must be suffering from a post-midlife crisis.

But I am concerned whether my fashion taste, or lack of it, would be included in the outrageous guidelines on tackling the issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LBGT) recently drawn up by two organisations.

According to reports, the guidelines have warned parents to be wary should their sons start wearing tight-fitting, sleeveless or V-collared shirts or colourful attire to show off their muscular bodies.

I did an immediate check of my wardrobe and found, to my horror, that I have tight-fitting jeans, V-collared shirts and an assortment of purple, pink and maroon shirts and ties. Then there are a couple of floral shirts with colourful designs.

No, I am not talking about batik but last summer’s metrosexual shirts, which were fashionable then.

If I strictly go by the guidelines drawn up by the Yayasan Guru Malaysia Berhad and Consultative Council of Parent-Teacher Associations, I am already classified as gay or at least suspiciously one. I do not know how a person’s sexual orientation can be expertly classified by his choice of clothes, but that’s what most Malaysians have been reading over the past few days.

A lot of shrinks will be out of work soon if the simplistic classifications drawn by these two unheard of organisations are to be taken seriously.

I am worried now because there are at least two colleagues – in their 50s but they like to think they are at least a decade younger – who are always wearing tight shirts. I know they want to show that they have no bulging bellies, even at their age, but I may be having the last laugh because they are now under suspicion of being gay.

To the guys at the office gym, please do not show off your well-toned bodies and do keep your V-shirts in your closets, no pun intended.

Thanks to these two groups for their discoveries, which I am sure must have medical backing, I will know for sure who is what from now on.

According to the news report, the guidelines also advised parents to be wary of boys – or men, I assume – who have a penchant for carrying big sling bags.

There you are, I am guilty. I can only blame my wife for buying me this bag, and convincing me that men these days do not carry brief cases any more. I am wondering what the guys in the two organisations carry in their bags.

I know for a fact that some fat cats carry small bags, which resemble ladies’ cosmetic pouches, for their pistols. Yes, concealed weapons, if you prefer, but no one says the firearms are gay objects.

But there’s more. Parents have also been advised to pay attention to daughters who are inclined to hanging out only with their female friends.

Now this is confusing. I have always thought I had little to worry about if my one and only precious daughter does not hang out with dangerous, nasty, hormone-raging teenage males. But now, I am told, I should be losing sleep if she only hangs out with the girls!

Seriously, this is all very confusing. For a start, I have to buy a new set of clothes because I do not want any whispering behind my back when I visit government offices. Dull, black and white shirts and jackets should be safe for sure.

I am also going to continue with my diet of nasi kandar and char koay teow and keep on watching football. These preferences surely are guaranteed as signs of manhood and manliness.

We can only advise the state authorities not to send boys with effeminate behaviour to boot camps. Real men never really go to Outward Bound type camps. We are found at the mamak shops, warung kopi pak cikand pubs, watching football matches on weekends.

If we need to pay attention to any guidelines, it should be to those in the education transformation blueprint.

A blatant show of disrespect

Never mind the fact that the event included a march past by 56 contingents from various state agencies. The police and the military were also asked to attend. But on learning at around 5pm that Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah was not invited, the police and army made the right decision to pull out from the event.

The VVIP for that night was none other than Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He may be the Opposition Leader but the point is he has no business being there.

He is not a Member of Parliament from Selangor, nor is he a state assemblyman. The only claim he has to the state is that he is an economic adviser.

Surely, the police and army cannot be expected to salute Anwar at the march past. He may want to be the prime minister but he has to exercise some patience. Win the elections first.

The entire protocol was wrong. In fact, it is not wrong to believe that the state government had no intention of informing the Sultan. An invitation, even in verbal form, did not come from the Mentri Besar or his office.

There was no such courtesy extended and this was further compounded by a subsequent suggestion that the Sultan is good enough to be invited only for religious functions.

Can anyone be blamed for thinking that the state leaders wanted to turn the Merdeka eve bash into a political event? Or, to put it bluntly, a big political ceramah?

When the palace expressed its displeasure, the state claimed that Anwar was merely a guest speaker and not the guest of honour.

But the bottom line is the state leadership has shown utter disrespect and contempt towards the Sultan.

Instead of blaming others for purportedly attempting to exploit the incident, the state leadership must deal with it in a more honest manner.

The impression that this writer gets is that the state leadership feels it has done no wrong and there is no need to apologise nor explain to the Sultan.

Then, in an apparent move to disentangle itself from the fiasco, the state leadership tried to get the state secretary Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi to carry out damage control. And this is the man the state government tried to block from holding the post!

The state had created a fuss when his name cropped up for the job, claiming that the appointment violated the State Constitution because the Mentri Besar was not consulted, even though the Sultan had already approved the appointment.

In Selangor, the Sultan lays down strict procedures when it comes to state-level functions. For example, the mosques cannot be used for politics and the directive applies to both sides of the divide.

No elected representative from outside Selangor will be awarded the state’s Datukship.

And the state’s MPs and assemblymen must serve a second term before they can be nominated for such a title.

The number of Datukships awarded should be less than 40 each year, and the Tuanku has kept it to less than the number stipulated.

The Tuanku is known to be against any wastage for state functions and state agencies have been reprimanded for blowing their budget.

The palace is clear and precise on such protocol. But it would seem that many in the state leadership are still blur or simply refuse to adhere to the rules and practices.

Such political foolishness would not help to strengthen ties between the state government and the palace.

For a start, the Mentri Besar should keep his speech at the Istana during the Tuanku’s birthday short and precise. Stick to the achievements of the state, and even blow your own trumpet, by all means. But please spare us the ceramah part.

Sprouting of overnight greenies

Housing developers, loggers, plantation owners and local authorities have found themselves subjected to greater scrutiny. This writer, being the group chief editor of this newspaper, has had to take angry calls from both sides of the political divide when these politicians deem certain news reports as being negative to them.

Instead of confronting the problems, some preferred to resort to political attacks with the hope of diverting the issue. Some hoped these problems would blow away while others simply accused the messenger of having an agenda.

When this newspaper highlighted the excessive hill development issue in Penang, we were accused by the DAP-led state government of having an agenda. Yet, when a public forum was held, the 500-odd people present passed a resolution asking for a halt to such hill cutting.

It was convenient to accuse us of selective coverage but our records over the years show otherwise.

In recent weeks, we prominently highlighted such stories, which include the destruction at Bukit Kiara in Kuala Lumpur, Tasik Chini in Pahang, attempts to alter the landscape at the Taiping Lake in Perak and the effects of forest clearance to the green corridor in Johor.

Last week, we front-paged the logging activities in a forest reserve in Mersing, Johor. We never spared on reporting the Johor authorities for failing to stop illegal sand smuggling. To put it bluntly, all these incidents are under the Barisan Nasional.

In Perak, we put on the cover the story about uncontrolled exports of limestone. Likewise, we also highlighted the logging near the water catchment area in Kedah, a PAS-controlled state. Going back further, we fought for the Belum and Endau-Rompin forests to be saved – at a time when standing up for such a cause was not fashionable.

But politicians, realising the increasing emotional impact of environment issues on middle-class Malaysian voters, have jumped onto the bandwagon. Last week, the same politicians – who accuse the media of having an agenda when they are questioned over an environment issue on their own turf – will travel to Bukit Koman, Pahang.

Many of these protesters would be brought in from outside to join a protest over the use of cyanide at a gold mine. The irony is that there has been no evidence of medical problems, and this has even been admitted by the NGO involved.

DAP vice-chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw, a dermatologist, has said it is difficult to prove the link between skin problems suffered by some villagers to gold mining activities in the area.

The MP visited Bukit Koman last Tuesday upon the invitation of the Pahang Raub Ban Cyanide Action Committee. He examined about 20 villagers and advised some of those with more serious problems to seek treatment from a skin specialist. But in the news report, he also said the skin problem could be due to many causes, including hereditary.

Even the committee’s vice-chairman Shirley Hue reportedly told Malay Mail that they do not have any concrete evidence to prove that people became ill due to the cyanide used to process the gold at the mine.

So the protest is more political than about the environment. If anyone should be protesting loudly, it should be the villagers from Bukit Koman and those living in the surrounding areas in Raub.

This writer does not profess to be an expert in gold mining but we do know that “gold cyanidation” or “cyanide leach mining” is one of the more common ways used to extract gold from the surrounding rock.

As with all processes involving the use of lethal chemicals, there are health and environmental risks involved but there is still no conclusive evidence to settle the debate once and for all.

The Health Ministry has been monitoring the situation in Bukit Koman for years. The state health department conducts regular checks on the ground and have sent mobile clinics to the Bukit Koman village.

Officers from the ministry have even met with members of the action committee, who have claimed that they have on record 383 people who have skin problems due to cyanide.

The ministry, which has met the committee twice in the past two months, has repeatedly requested for the names of the affected so that tests could be done to help them. To date, however, there has been no response.

How can the ministry do its job when the committee, which alleges that hundreds are sick because of cyanide, is not able or willing to provide even one name to the authorities? How are the doctors supposed to do their job when the patients do not show up?

The action committee also claimed that its panel of experts has shown the link between cyanide and skin problems. The ministry then suggested that a joint committee be set up with experts from both sides to investigate the matter further. Again, nothing has come from the action committee’s side.

Signs are emerging that politics and money could be the real motive for the protest. Some grassroots leaders have purportedly talked of wanting a stake in the gold mining company while others see this as an issue to topple the Barisan Nasional in the coming general election.

The ministry has affirmed that even if the slightest evidence is found to support the action committee’s claims, the gold mine will be shut down. But no one has come out with any strong and clear proof and what we have swirling around Bukit Koman are mere suspicion and political rhetoric.

It would not be wrong to suggest that not everyone is really concerned about the health of the people in Raub. Many are more concerned about the political mileage this sort of protest brings.

Some of these politicians have enough environment issues in their own backyard. They should stop pretending to be overnight greenies when their record of speaking up on environment issues is near zero.

Logic and reason no longer seem important in a politically-divided Malaysia these days. Nobody cares about evidence when there are political points to be scored.

Things aren’t all that bad

I should be in Malaysia but I am no longer prepared to skip another vacation, presumably because of an impending general election. There have been too many wrong guesses and I could be appearing in family court soon if the same reason is given for aborting another vacation.

The government has been blamed for everything these days, ridiculous as it may seem, and I have no intention of adding on a new one.

The best part of a long-haul flight is that you get to talk to people – that is, people who want to chat during flights.

One passenger reminded me to be appreciative of the little mercies in Malaysia. The gentleman from Perth complained about the high cost of living in his city.

He believed Brisbane, where we were heading, would be cheaper. Yes, the Australian dollar has gone up but it has done nothing to ease inflation in his country, he said.

A regular visitor to Kuala Lumpur, my fellow passenger was well aware of the many stickers put up blatantly by loan sharks and money lenders.

He said I should go to Greece and Spain – these two countries have more stickers than us. He believed the money lenders there would even put such stickers on the bodies of human beings if they could. That’s how bad the economy of the two countries has shrunk.

Interestingly enough, as I update this article while enjoying myself at the Gold Coast, I cannot help but notice the slew of bad news highlighted in the Australian newspapers. For example, one report cited the plunging prices of iron ore and coal which would result in lowering government revenue by as much as A$10bil (RM32bil). The much talked about boom in mineral prices appear to be tapering off, and the downturn has impacted government forecasts.

And, of course, the reports are already talking about the chain reaction and how the lower-income households would be affected.

At the Gold Coast, I can sense that the Aussies are thankful that tourists, primarily from mainland China, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, continue to visit their paradise on earth.

Sometimes we have to be out of our own country to appreciate the good things that we often take for granted when we are back home.

It was definitely a pleasant pre-Hari Raya surprise when Bank Negara announced that Malaysia was growing at a much faster pace than anticipated.

The Central Bank announced a 5.4% growth in economic activities between April and June, spurred by investments in both private and public sector spending. For the first half of the year, the economy registered a 5.1% growth.

The credibility of the news has been backed by the Financial Times, which described the country’s economy as “enjoying a gravity-defying boom that is confounding sceptics”, adding that the “impetus behind the growth comes from an ‘Economic Transformation Programme’ initiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when he came to power in 2009”.

Firm labour market conditions, income growth and improved consumer sentiments have certainly helped to push local demands. Government initiatives such as financial assistance to the lower income households and increase in salaries for civil servants have led to higher consumption, helping to offset the weakness in export growth.

Construction activities led the growth path, recording a sturdy 22.2% growth during the second quarter. No doubt, retail in some sectors has registered lower growth with mixed reactions over how growth would register.

Still, the news of a growth is welcomed when compared to Singapore which registered a 0.7% contraction for the same quarter. More importantly, signs of our inflation index decelerating have been identified.

In fact, the country’s Consumer Price Index is at its lowest level in two years with the 1.4% reading for July, according to reports.

In Europe, the slowdown is continuing and certainly the demand for our exports, especially palm oil, rubber and electronic and electrical products, will be affected.

Given the uncertainties in Europe and talk of an impending attack on Iran by Israel, the next few months will be challenging to everyone in Malaysia.

While the hearts and minds of many Malaysians are on the general election, they must also not forget how much the economy and politics are tied up.

What Malaysians want to hear is how the country can do better at improving our living standards, cutting down on leakage and wastage, making our streets safe, better public transportation and killing corruption.

That is not too much to ask for and we hope the Prime Minister will address these concerns in his Sept 28 Budget speech.

Forgive me for talking politics

As editor of a media group, I am often asked to give my educated guesses on when the elections would be held.

I have to confess that I have got it wrong at least two times. One editor of a news portal predicted the election date three times in one month alone and has become the subject of amusement in the media circles. Most of us have given up predicting now.

The campaign period, or the silly season as the media calls it, has dragged on for far too long it’s safe to say that every party has been campaigning since the 2008 general election.

So we have to treat with great cynicism anyone who still claims that the duration of the campaign period is not sufficient once the polls are called. Political parties have been staging ceramah, forums, dinners, gatherings, and all sorts of functions almost daily. Call it what you may, but the bottom line is these are all political campaigns.

That’s as far as I would want to talk about politics in this season of forgiveness where we show the world that, as in every ethnic and religious festival, we can come together and celebrate as One Malaysia. Please don’t tell me even that description is political.

We shall talk about football, the one topic that, besides politics, can send Malaysians into a frenzy. The English Premier League has started.

Notice that Malaysians just love games that we perform badly in. Take football and the F1 – we are lousy at these two sports but we are still emotional when we talk about them.

Most of us have never heard of 10m platform diving until Pandelela Rinong Pamg won the Olympics bronze medal. But it’s safe to say that most of us won’t be taking up diving, even though there is a heightened interest in the sport at the moment. Then there is squash. Datuk Nicol David is a world champion and while there are many Malaysians playing squash, it is unlikely to be the subject of intense debate over endless glasses of teh tarik at the mamak stalls.

So, it’s not wrong to say that most of us, the ordinary sugar- and calory-loving Malaysians, are not very good at squash. Let’s confess, most of us do not even know the rules.

We will stick to English football. As an emotional Arsenal supporter, I am still unable to accept the decision of Robin Van Persie (RVP) to join Manchester United. That’s Arsenal’s arch enemy!

Every time RVP scored a goal, he rushed to the camera while kissing the Gunners badge on his jersey. He also kept repeating his undying loyalty to the Gunners. But the next thing you know, he has joined Manchester United for RM120mil.

I know, I do not want to talk about politics but this is beginning to sound political. Are the footballers starting to behave like politicians? It’s like those political frogs who may be in a party for decades and then decide to jump. It often happens when they are no longer being considered for party positions. That is when they point out the many flaws in their party, which they have conveniently ignored before. Talk about principles.

Some spend their time tweeting away their frustrations while a few, despite their crony records, decide to change their political affiliations. One can be expected to grow a goatee and wear a robe soon at ceramahs.

Okay, RVP is 29 years old, prone to injury, and his heart really isn’t with Arsenal. Business sense dictates that both RVP and Arsenal can part ways with both sides making money out of the deal.

The Gooners hate MU but the reality is NO other club can afford RVP at that price. As a public listed company, Arsenal is doing the right thing but it’s hard for us fans to stomach.

That’s like politics here too. It’s becoming difficult to be reasonable and logical to hardcore fans. Everyone is accusing each other of being biased when they are biased themselves.

Oh no, I meant to skip politics and stick to football but it did not end that way. Please learn to laugh at ourselves and keep Malaysia sane. Maaf zahir batin and Selamat Hari Raya to all.

The unifying factor of sports

Unlike badminton or football, diving is very much an individual activity and does not generate the same kind of emotions compared with other popular sports.

In fact, many had asked why 19-year-old Pandelela, and not Datuk Lee Chong Wei, was given the honour of being Malaysia’s flag bearer at the opening of the London Games.

But since she became the first Malaysian woman to win an Olympic medal, this Bidayuh lass has become the darling of Malaysians. She is also the first Malaysian to win an Olympic medal in any sport other than badminton.

Many of us are guilty of not giving the diver the attention she deserves as she has achieved other victories. At the New Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, she won the gold medal in aquatic sports in the 10m platform. And recently, at the World Diving GP in Montreal, Canada, she won gold in the 10m platform. I have also just discovered that she is the first woman flag bearer in the Olympics for Malaysia.

In the early hours of Friday local time, while most Malaysians were sound asleep, this gritty woman created history for the nation.

I believe that not many here stayed awake to see her win the medal. A few of my colleagues had alerted me about this possibility and coaxed me to watch history being made. I now regret not taking their advice.

After all, the team had failed to win in the last six events and hers is a competitive sport we know little about. Besides, after our huge expectations of Chong Wei, we were not expecting anything more.

And without any promise of monetary rewards or other awards, and no leader turning up to cheer her on, Pandelela did what she had to do and went on to stun the nation in the most pleasant way. It was simply incredible!

On Friday, many of us woke up to SMS texts and tweets of her sensational win. It was a truly wonderful way to start the day. Thank you, Pandelela.

At the Seoul Olympics in 1988, national female taekwondo athlete M. Vasugi won a bronze medal. However, taekwondo was just a demonstration sport then, and the medal was not counted as an official Olympic medal.

Pandelela’s victory is important because it will spur greater interest in this, at the moment, obscure sport among Malaysians. She is also very young and that means there are bigger prospects ahead for her.

There is also a lesson for our sports officials to learn, that is we should not just concentrate on a few sports as we can excel in others, too.

Both Chong Wei and Pandelela have demonstrated to us what Malaysia can do. They also did what many politicians couldn’t do – bring Malaysians together.

No one looks at Chong Wei as an ethnic Chinese or Pandelela as Bidayuh but simply as Malaysians who have done the country proud.

Unfortunately there are some, and luckily only a few, who have asked why we are celebrating silver and bronze medallists. These people are missing the point.

Malaysia is short of heroes. To put it bluntly, we are desperate for heroes in whom we can rejoice and who can unite the country.

We have spent enough time living in the glory of the past, watching re-runs of the late P. Ramlee’s movies and the old, black and white shots of soccer legend Mokhtar Dahari as we crave for new heroes whom we cannot seem to find.

While Chong Wei did not beat his archrival Lin Dan, he did his best. Pandelela did the unexpected by delivering a medal in a sport we least anticipated.

It certainly is a wonderful gift for all of us as we look forward to the Hari Raya and Merdeka Day celebrations. I am sure their medal-winning performances will be a great topic of conversation over satay and lemang. By now, most of us would be pretty tired of discussions about politics anyway.

The ultimate smackdown

There are high expectations for Chong Wei as this will be his last chance to win that elusive Olympics gold medal. But Malaysians have never given up on him and have always believed in him.

Chong Wei and Lin Dan are both Hokkien speakers. Chong Wei was born in George Town and moved to Bukit Mertajam. Lin Dan was born in Fujian province.

Chong Wei is 30 years old and Lin Dan is just one year his junior. Both have already reached the climax of their badminton careers.

As a child, Chong Wei preferred to play badminton but his mother did not like her son to spend the day under the scorching sun, according to reports.

As for Lin Dan, his parents reportedly wanted him to play the piano but he preferred to play badminton.

Comparing their styles, our Malaysian hero is the cool type while Lin Dan is an aggressive character with his reputed killer instinct on court. In 2008, it was reported that Lin Dan hit Ji Xinpeng, the men’s singles coach, in front of his team mates and reporters ahead of the Thomas Cup preparations. He was reportedly unhappy with Ji’s choice of the line-up.

It has also been reported that during the 2008 Korea Open final, he exchanged harsh words with South Korea’s Chinese coach Li Mao after a disputed line call, “threatening him and raising his racquet. Then after losing, Lin Dan scuffled with winner Lee Hyun-il.”

Even his marriage to Xie Xingfang, a two-time world badminton champion and Olympic silver medallist, was kept secret. When the media asked him for confirmation, he reacted angrily, saying it was a private matter.

Lin Dan, who now sports a tan and tattoos, has been branded by the British press as the “rock star of badminton”. His right arm bears a tattoo of his wife’s nickname along with the Chinese words “until the end of time”. His left forearm is inked with five stars that, he has said, each represents the major titles he has won in his badminton career so far. To date, however, he has not explained the significance of the cross tattoo on his left arm.

Many Malaysians still cannot forget – or forgive – his antics after he defeated Chong Wei in the All England championship last year where he ripped off his shirt and let off a yell.

Worse, he reportedly said he wanted to finish the game against Chong Wei early because he “wanted to go shopping”. No wonder the press has labelled him the “bad boy” of badminton.

Without doubt, on paper Lin Dan seems to have the edge over Chong Wei. But the Malaysian is in top form too. He finished off Chen Long, who is said to be the successor to Lin Dan, convincingly in straight sets during the semi-final match and showed how his experience gave him the upper hand.

Unlike the Beijing Olympics, where Chong Wei lost to Lin Dan, the latter would not be able to enjoy the advantage of a home crowd support in London.

But no matter what the outcome, Malaysians will cheer Chong Wei, who has already secured the first Olympics medal for the country.

This time, more than ever, we believe that this could be it. We trust that he will wage the fight of his life both for himself and for Malaysia.

As the tweets are already saying, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, make your initials stand for “Don’t Let China Win!”

Excitement over landmark project

Lancaster House is a mansion at the affluent St James district in London. It is a landmark that has gained prominence in recent years after it was used as a location in the award-winning British movie The King's Speech.

The building has now become the British Business Embassy and an Olympics investment conference is being held there until the Games are over.

While the Olympic Park will see men and women in track suits, the British Prime Minister is hoping to see more people in business suits visiting Lancaster House.

There are good reasons the fact is that Britain is in the longest double-dip recession in 50 years and official figures released recently showed that the number of inward investment projects has fallen for the third year in a row.

An estimated 4,000 top businessmen are expected to watch the games and David Cameron is hoping they will take time off to do some business.

If the athletes are looking at gold medals, the PM is looking at £1bil in new deals.

He is well aware that the Olympics have bankrupted some host cities.

The Olympic Park is located in East London, regarded as the downside of London, and the naysayers have questioned whether the location could be transformed after the security fence of the Games comes down.

But of all the business deals that have been spoken about, the biggest eye opener is the £8bil development of the Battersea power station.

On the day that I arrived in London last Thursday, I switched on the television in my hotel room to watch Cameron talking about the Battersea project, Pink Floyd and Malaysia.

He had spoken about his trip to several countries including Malaysia on an investment tour and he singled out the importance of the development of Battersea which involved a consortium comprising SP Setia Bhd, Sime Darby Bhd and the Employees Provident Fund.

The same day, London Mayor Boris Johnson hailed the project, which he described as a regeneration scheme, where an estimated 16,470 homes would be built.

More importantly, new shops and businesses could create 33,000 jobs 13,000 permanent.

That is the sort of excitement Malaysia has created in London as the city has an unemployment rate of 8.9% but thanks to the Games, there was a 1.2% dip.

The Battersea power station is located on the south bank of the River Thames on a 15.82ha site and represents one of the last few opportunities for an important development in London.

An extension of the Northern Line tube network will see a ride of eight minutes from Westminster and 12 minutes from the City.

The Malaysian consortium, it is understood, managed to beat Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich to it for the site because the local non-governmental organisations were unhappy with his plans to set up a stadium there along with other mixed development.

Residents in the area feared that the prices of their properties would drop if a massive stadium was built, as it would result in horrendous traffic congestions.

The British press has given positive coverage to the Battersea project.

For the EPF contributors, a property investment project in London not in the other parts of England is a guarantee for getting investment returns.

There are many property buyers but little land or properties for sale because of the strict rules against high-rise buildings in London.

The reality is that land does not grow in London and it has proven to be recession-proof as far as properties are concerned because the City is an international hub.

Well, Cameron like the actor Colin Firth who portrayed King George VI in the movie delivered a fantastic speech to the listeners which comprised of investors and businessmen.

But Cameron will be judged by how many medals he can collect before his term is over. That's what counts finally.

Raising the bar on golden incentives

MALAYSIA has made it into the front page of the respectable Sunday Times newspaper here our plan to reward our badminton players with gold bars if they win the gold medal is featured in this week's edition.

Headlined “A gold can be worth £600,000 (RM2.9mil)”, the article by James Gillespie began, “If you spot a particularly steely determination among Malaysia's badminton players, or notice athletes from Chelyabinsk Oblast in Russia putting in extra effort, do not be surprised they have more reason than most to give their all.”

It added that Malaysia will pay its Olympic champions about £400,000 (RM1.96mil) but if victory comes in the country's strongest sport of badminton, they will get an additional gold bar worth £380,000 (RM1.87mil).

Citius, altius, fortius and richer: The report about Malaysia in The Sunday Times front page.

“However, if you are British, the rewards are rather more modest a postage stamp,” it reported, adding that “virtually all the national Olympic committees have established a financial incentive scheme except Britain, whose Olympic association insists it is not necessary.”

The Royal Mail reportedly will begin designing a stamp of each British gold medallist the moment the event finishes and deliver them to the 500 post offices for sale the following day.

Gold producer Datuk Seri Andrew Kam, who is in London to lend support to our badminton team, in particular Datuk Lee Chong Wei, has been enjoying some unusual attention since he made public his glittering challenge to our badminton heroes.

Whatever the form of reward, in the case of the Brits, the first gold medal has been elusive and pressure is mounting on the Olympic host.

World champion Mark Cavendish finished 29th in the 154-mile cycling race, dashing Britain's hope of the first gold.

On Monday, cyclist Lizzie Armitstead finally put the host on the medals table by winning the silver.

Her picture was splashed on the front page of almost every local newspaper.

Swimmer Rebecca Adlington, who took a bronze in the women's 400m freestyle, too shared the limelight.

The Brits were bound to win gold medals but as host nation, the media has started asking what has been done to encourage their athletes and whether more should be done as the bottom line is “money does talk”.

Russia is paying £85,000 (RM417,958) for a gold medal and this excludes other bonuses from their regional governments.

“Still if Team GB gold medallists feel cheated, they could always send begging letters to their peers in Russia. At least they will have the stamp,” the report said sarcastically.

But this writer is optimistic that our badminton players will get more than the RM2mil worth in gold bars if they make history by winning our first ever gold medal.

Imagine the national euphoria they will create if they just bring home one gold medal.

The timing couldn't be better as we celebrate National Day.

I even think it will be perfect timing for the Prime Minister to call for general election as an elated nation celebrates Datuk Lee Chong Wei's victory.

Sorry if I get carried away with placing such high expectations on Lee, but we have waited too long.

This is his only chance and our best hope in a long, long time. We will definitely put Lee's face on our stamps, that's hardly an issue.

Our politicians cannot unite us but over the next few days, Lee will.

Let's cheer for Malaysia!

It’s hot, hot, hot at the beach

THE downside after watching the grand opening of the Olympic Games is that you now have to be content with watching the qualifying stage of most of the events, where the excitement is not quite at the pulsating stage.

For most of us who believe that Malaysia can only win medals in badminton and our fervent hope is that this is the Olympics where we will finally clinch our first-ever gold medal there are no real options for us to cheer for anyone else.

With only a few days left to spare in London, and without the press credentials that would have allowed me free access to all the events, my friends and I decided early on that beach volleyball must be on our must-watch list.

It is certainly a brilliant choice as the tickets are apparently the most sought-after for the Games. While the organisers may be worried about empty stands at some sports, beach volleyball is playing to sell-out crowds daily.

Even Paul McCartney and Prince Harry are reported to have snapped up tickets for the matches which are being played at the Horse Guards Parade, located on the Prime Minister's doorstep in central London.

The parade ground lies at the heart of London's ceremonial life and still hosts the Trooping of the Colour event that takes place on the Queen's official birthday each year.

The temporary arena has a capacity similar to Wimbledon's Centre Court. Interesting enough, a total of 5,000 tonnes of sand was being brought in from a quarry in Godstone, Surrey, to create the capital's very own “beach”.

When you are there, you really feel the presence of No 10, Downing Street, Buckingham Palace, the Big Ben and the London Eye in the backdrop.

But these scenic spots are not likely to be real reasons why many of us have bought tickets for a sport few of us have ever seen up close and personal.

Dubbed the sexiest sport, there are plenty of good reasons why many Londoners, the group of us Malaysians, and we presume the rest of the world, want to watch the matches.

For a start, the women players are in bikinis. The sun has been kind almost daily despite earlier weather forecasts that the weather may turn chilly and the players may have to cover up.

There are no other events in London where pop music is blaring out from the huge loudspeakers in between points and during the players' break.

And there are dancers, in skimpy beachwear, gyrating their hips and even rolling suggestively in the sand, as part of the routine. So there can never be a boring moment at the matches.

In fact, one suspects that the spectators look forward to these breaks more than when the games are in progress. No wonder the UK press has aptly described the atmosphere as “sexually charged”.

Those of us who love popular music will enjoy the music break as the Queen's We Will Rock You is played every few minutes and the fans are encouraged to stomp their feet and clap their hands in unison.

From Mas Que Nada the samba-inspired song from Black Eyed Peas to LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem, the sporting spectators are always on their feet, dancing away to the music being played during the breaks.

And the announcer is practically playing the role of a disc jockey, giving witty comments and sometimes, the crowd is asked to dance to the Conga beat of the Miami Sound Machine.

It doesn't seem like a competitive sport at all; it's more like a beach party, where plenty of booze is being passed around.

Volunteers are placed among the spectators to engage with them and even cajole them to dance. Occasionally, handsome hunks are seen chasing after blondes to the theme song of the classic comedy TV show of Benny Hill, another British icon.

Beach volleyball, which was introduced only at the Atlanta Games in 1996, is fast gaining the “resentment” of indoor volleyball players. One newspaper reported that “with the skimpy outfits, the glamorous sun-and-sand backdrop, beach volleyball has been attracting more than its share of the limelight.”

Interestingly, the BBC has reported about the many empty seats at indoor volleyball games. Soldiers, teachers and students have been invited to fill up these empty seats to save the organisers the embarrassment.

Beach volleyball is certainly more newsy. According to an interactive survey by the Metro newspaper, most men would prefer to go on a date with a beach volleyball player than any other athlete.

One in two males would like to take the famous scantily clad athletes for dinner. Women, on the other hand, prefer a date with a tennis player.

So it comes as no surprise that beach volleyball has been given extensive coverage by the BBC.

I think my colleague from our sports desk, S. Ramaguru, who is covering the Games primarily from the Malaysian angle, is missing out on one of the best parts of the Games.

Oh yes, the beach volleyball games only begin at 2.30pm, which means the fans need not wake up early! And I am sure Malaysians back home find the time just about right for them to watch the games live.