As I boarded an Emirates Airlines plane, an air
stewardess asked me whether it would be safe to travel to Jerusalem. Like my
fellow pilgrims, I told her we would be safe as we have faith in God.

Since last month, with the start of the peace negotiations between the Israelis
and the Palestinians, many have felt encouraged by the lull in fighting.
Religious tours have started again.

Through my church, the Emmanuel Methodist Church in Petaling Jaya, a group of
us applied to the Immigration Department to make the pilgrimage to the Holy
Land.

The arrangements were handled by World Discovery Travel Sdn Bhd, a Kuala Lumpur
travel agency which specialises in Christian pilgrimages. The rules are simple
– the travellers must be certified Christians. Approval procedures included
submitting letters from the church to verify membership as well as baptism
certificates. The group must also be accompanied by a pastor or a priest.

The Immigration Department takes about two weeks to vet the applications before
stamping the Malaysian passports to state that permission has been granted for
a single trip to Baitul Maqdis, the Arabic name of Jerusalem.

Malaysians are not allowed to travel to Israel as Malaysia has no diplomatic
ties with the country. But thanks to the understanding, tolerance and
flexibility of the Malaysian Government, restricted trips are allowed to
Jerusalem for religious purposes.

Other Muslim countries, like Indonesia, have similar arrangements which allow
their Christian citizens to perform their religious obligations. The
Indonesians make up the largest number of pilgrims from South-East Asia.

An eight-day trip to Jerusalem and other towns of Christian importance costs
over RM5,000, inclusive of accommodation and food.

Although some might be tempted to make the trip since Israel is out of bounds
to ordinary tourists, the fact is that a visit like this would be meaningless
for them.

It is, after all, a pilgrimage and, as the name suggests, a journey of faith
made up of visits to churches and other religiously significant spots, daily
prayers, hymn singing and religious ceremonies.

Even a Christian who does not know his Bible would find himself overwhelmed
because the names of the characters and places would be lost on him.

Our guides, Muslim driver Ahmad Badawi and Arab Christian guide Jeries Farra,
were superb. They spoke excellent English and in Farra's case, even excellent
Bahasa Indonesia. The Bible-quoting man had taught himself the language as he
handles many Indonesian groups.

The US currency is widely used in Israel. Change given is either in US dollars
or the Israeli shekel, which is slightly less than our ringgit in value. A
visit to the toilet costs a shekel.

For Malaysians visiting Israel, it is indeed an eye-opener. First, many are
able to draw the distinction between a Judaism-practising Jew and a Christian
better. Despite certain similarities, there are vast differences as the Jews do
not accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

The word used by our guide, in modern computer terms, was "deleted" – the ultra
orthodox Jews dismiss Jesus while the secular, modern Jews regard him as
nothing more than an important figure in their history.

Next, the 40 years of unjust occupation by Israel of Palestinian territories
was glaring. Farra was emotional at times when he spoke against the unfair
practices, alerting us to the wall being constructed on the West Bank.

But most frustrating were the checkpoints, manned by Israeli soldiers, outside
towns such as Bethlehem, Jericho and Nazareth – all important Biblical towns –
under the control of the Palestine Authority.

I saw how many Palestinians, including those with children, were sometimes made
to wait for hours as their documents were checked. Hence, the simple act of
entering their hometowns can become a six-hour ordeal, affecting their
productivity and hampering their movements.

Deprived of funds, real autonomy and economic growth, the Palestinian towns are
dirty and poor.

In contrast, the Israeli-run areas are clean, affluent and, in many places,
reminded me of Los Angeles, with its manicured lawns, rolling hills and palm
tree-lined roads.

Then there are the smartly dressed and blonde haired men and women, as well as
the ultra orthodox Jews with their black hats and jackets.

For the Palestinians, they need the dollars of the pilgrims badly. The people
work in shops that produce religious items and many individuals sell these to
eke out a living.

Our Malaysian tour manager, Inbam Solomon, repeatedly appealed to us to buy from
the Palestinians, saying they needed our help and many of us bought more than
what we wanted to lend support to the Palestinian cause.

And in many of our daily prayers, we prayed that there would be peace forever
in this land – the Israelis and the Palestinians alike need it.

With China having emerged as the world's biggest economy, we realised that our daughter must have good grounding in Chinese studies. It would be different if she were to have just an hour daily of Chinese language class in primary school.

During my primary schooldays at St Xavier's Institution, I signed up for Chinese studies under the Pupil's Own Language programme. As far as I can recall, it was a flop because many of us did not take the lessons seriously – there was no compulsory examination. Until now, I cannot write my name in Chinese.

If we want to study any language well we have to spend time on it, not just an hour or two a week.

My parents, both Chinese-educated, decided to send their three sons to a Christian missionary school during the 1960s also for economic reasons.

England was an economic powerhouse and it was probably the only country then where Malaysians could send their children to university. Degrees from Taiwan were not recognised then and not many school-leavers from Chinese-medium schools could enter British universities because they lacked proficiency in the language.

So, England was the number one choice. In the 1980s, the United States and Canada opened their doors to Malaysians; a decade later, as the strength of our currency depreciated, we shifted our education opportunities to Australia.

Again it was for pragmatic reasons.

Like my parents, my wife and I think about how our daughter will excel in her studies and what she would grow up to be. We think of what she can accomplish for Malaysia.

She, too, wants to stay in Malaysia and help the country that we are all proud of. Irrespective of what schools we go to, we are loyal to Malaysia.

Today, more and more foreigners, including many Westerners, are sending their children to study Chinese in Beijing universities. They want their children to speak Chinese the Beijing way and to understand the locals better. That aside, many value the importance of networking.

Malaysia and Singapore, for example, have a business edge over other Asean countries such as Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia when it comes to doing business with China because of cultural and ethnic links.

Similarly, the Indian business community in Malaysia and Singapore has the advantage when it comes to India, another emerging global player. But in the case of India, English is widely spoken.

The cultural diversity should be regarded as an asset. In a globalised world, multi-culturalism has become the keyword. For some nationalists who want to "keep a round world in their square peg", they would be left behind.

The demand for Chinese mother-tongue education is natural, especially in urban areas like Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Negri Sembilan and Selangor because many Malaysians see its importance in the global context.

The request by the MCA for more mother-tongue allocation under the 9th Malaysia Plan is nothing unusual. It has always been an MCA agenda and Barisan Nasional, through its tolerant leadership, has always supported it.

It is not an issue drawn up by Chinese associations and organisations. I can say, without any prejudice, that this is the sentiment of the majority of the Chinese community.

But we must also examine the importance of quality education in schools.

Learning a language because it is good for business should not be the only criteria. In the past, if many of us studied in English-medium schools, especially the missionary schools, it was because our parents believed that the standard of teaching was good. They were right.

Those who have spoken up against vernacular schools seem to have ignored the fact that almost 90% of Chinese primary school students entered national schools at Form One. Only a small percentage joined private schools.

From the manner in which some reporters posed their questions and the replies from some politicians, I gathered that some of our media and politician friends do not realise this.

I share their concern about our children mixing with one another more and certainly our national education system should reach greater heights. More resources should be channelled into national schools to make them attractive to students of all races.

We must also support the Students Integration Programme, mooted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when he was Education Minister in 1987. Under the programme, vernacular and national primary school students would have joint extracurricular activities to boost interaction and mutual understanding.

Similarly, Chinese educationists should stop talking about building more Chinese schools if there is no corresponding increase in the number of Chinese teachers.

There may be a demand for Chinese schools in urban areas but in some villages, there are more Malay or Indian students than Chinese. In these cases, the schools should be relocated.

Education should not be politicised and our politicians and editors should not be reactionary and make baseless accusations. It would not happen if we see issues from a Malaysian angle.

The F1 is no longer just another race, as other host
countries have used it to network, stage forums and promote tourism.

For example, in Melbourne recently, an international motor show was held
together with the race. In Bahrain, the royal family put protocol aside and
surprised guests by walking to every table at a gala dinner to greet
them.

For the first time in the seven years of hosting the F1, a series of events,
inter-related in many ways, have been strung together in Kuala Lumpur.

Kicking off tomorrow is a gala dinner for over 680 people at the Mandarin
Oriental to be attended by the King and Queen, the Prime Minister and his
Cabinet. The others will be the who's who in Malaysia.

With Sepang, dubbed the "hottest F1 race", the organisers of the dinner have
creatively taken a "cool" theme for a pre-race major event.

The hotel ballroom will literally be turned into a snow house, with a full
white colour setting, and the glittering event is expected to be attended by
the hottest names in entertainment, politics and media.

Besides F1 drivers like world champion Michael Schumacher, the celebrities who
have confirmed their attendance are Baywatch actress Carmen Electra,
international stars Jackie Chan, Bai Ling and Datuk Michelle Yeoh, Hong Kong
artiste Nicholas Tse, former Kiss singer Gene Simmons, Black Eyed Peas,
Backstreet Boys and Boyz II Men.

Singing at the dinner would be jazz singer Diana Krall, and Malaysian Idol
Jackie Victor.

Said All Sports Services Sdn Bhd director Hafez Mohamed, who travelled to
several F1 host countries recently: "These are big names and they attract the
media wherever they go. So Malaysia will be on the world map."

ESPN, for example, will be broadcasting the gala dinner with local stations,
TV3 and Channel 8 while CNN presenter Lorraine Han is the emcee for the
dinner.

He said the idea to stage the gala dinner – newcomer Shanghai also did the same
– was mooted by Sepang International Circuit chairman Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir,
and was supported by the Tourism Ministry.

Said Hafez: "Next year, we may have an international fund manager conference in
KL at the same time."

The party continues on Friday, where the Forces of Nature concert would be held
at the Stadium Putra. Besides Black Eyed Peas, Backstreet Boys and Boyz II Men,
soul singer Lauryn Hill and top local singers such as Sheila Majid and Anuar
Zain will also be performing.

As Malaysians set to go stargazing, one popular story going around is that
American Idol judge Paula Abdul is coming. So is media tycoon Rupert Murdoch,
but no one is confirming this talk.

The Forces of Nature Foundation, headed by roving diplomat Tan Sri Razali
Ismail, aims to help victims of natural disasters and its first task includes
helping the victims of the recent tsunami.

Helping to put this gigantic task together without any fanfare are the children
of Abdullah – Nori and Kamaluddin. Then, there are some young corporate
figures, who have used their networking in Los Angeles to bring in these big
names for a good cause.

Abdullah now wears an orange rubber wristband in support of the Force of Nature
concert for Tsunami Aid and has even directed his Cabinet members to wear the
wristbands at the show.

But that's not all. The Star's KL Fashion Week will be held from May 3 to 8. To
promote KL as a vibrant and cosmopolitan city, models taking part in the
fashion event will move around KL tomorrow in special mobile catwalks, in what
is dubbed as "Fashion On The Move". (See page 8)

To wrap up the party with a blast, Astro is holding a free concert on Sunday at
the F1 circuit, immediately after the race.

Blasting the evening away will be rock group Status Quo and Thai diva Tata
Young, where thousands of people are expected to attend.

It's going to be really hot in Kuala Lumpur this weekend and we are not just
talking about the Sepang racetrack.

Last Thursday, I was invited to visit the sprawling Sungai Buloh prison, built on a 10ha site. It has the best electronic system and was built to house prisoners from Pudu Jail, which was built in 1895.

Any corrective facility is meant to keep criminals out of society, but at the same time the humane treatment of its residents should not be overlooked.

In Sungai Buloh, the prisoners are not entitled to electric fans in their cells. From a corrective point of view, there is no justification to have a fan because prisoners are supposed to feel the impact of a jail sentence. From the security angle, the authorities do not want any inmate to use the fan to hurt himself.

The prison has taken great pains to ensure that death-row prisoners have all their meat, whether fish or chicken, de-boned. They are supposed to be hanged, not choked, to death. For ordinary prisoners, they have to eat their meals using their hands because forks and spoons can be used as weapons.

To my surprise, I learnt that they have five meals a day, including a minimum of 300gm of rice each for lunch and dinner. That is according to the United Nations' Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (SMR), of which Malaysia is a signatory.

Preparation of meals by the prisoners begins as early as 3am. There is no difference in the kind of meals served, whether they are convicted thieves or "VIP prisoners" such as ex-politicians, lawyers or police officers, which fall under the "high-risk category".

By high-risk, it means these are prisoners who could find themselves harmed as a result of their previous positions or jobs, especially former police officers or prison warders.

I was told that a former police officer was slapped by a fellow prisoner despite being escorted. The culprit was punished for his action but he seemed prepared to take the risk.

Then there are those who are in a position to organise or influence prisoners.

I asked to have a look at the prison cell of former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The front section of the cell has been converted into a medical treatment room.

Despite loose talk that Anwar had special privileges, including an air-conditioned room, what I saw was an ordinary jail cell with an open toilet hidden by a low partial wall, like those used by other prisoners. Neither was there a fan. Ironically, funds for the prison were approved when he was finance minister.

For remand prisoners, an average of 50 people would share a dormitory where they sleep on double-decker beds, minus mattresses. There are three semi-covered toilets for them to share. For convicted prisoners, three to five of them share a cell.

Less talked about is the welfare of the warders. Besides those who operate the prison, 100 more are involved in administration, and driving and guarding remand prisoners to the courts and hospitals.

It is an unhealthy situation. Should a riot break out, the lives of these outnumbered warders would be seriously threatened. In the Suhakam 2003 report, it states that the lack of trained personnel to attend to the health of detainees is not consistent with the requirements of the SMR.

Furthermore, with the increase in the number of inmates suffering serious and chronic illnesses like tuberculosis, hepatitis and AIDS, there is need for medical services to be improved.

There is concern that warders have contracted some illnesses from the inmates, especially tuberculosis. In Sungai Buloh, there are 2,000 inmates with HIV/AIDS.

The warder's job is a tough one. The starting salary is as low as RM553 a month, which is almost poverty level, and many of these warders have to supplement their income by working as part-time drivers or pasar malam traders.

They deserve higher salaries and allowances to meet the demands of current times. Theirs is indeed a high-risk job and surely their working conditions need to be reviewed, especially when they have to work overtime in an overcrowded place.

I was also given the opportunity to give a pep talk to about 40 "young prisoners" below the age of 20. These youngsters had committed crimes ranging from petty crime to rape.

I did not want to sound like a policeman or preacher. My message was short and simple – repent and stick to your religion. As humans, we all make mistakes and continue to do so but we must be remorseful.

I told them they could laugh at me or just ignore my words but I hoped that what I said would be remembered 10 or 15 years from now. It would still not be too late.

Without doubt, the country needs these foreign workers in our homes, estates, construction sites and restaurants. In fact, there are about 500,000 jobs available for these foreigners.

These are manual jobs shunned by Malaysians because the pay and working conditions are regarded as unattractive. If employers were to pay higher salaries to attract locals, it would only increase production costs, which would make Malaysia less competitive from an economic point of view.

Like it or not, the country needs these foreigners even if most of us do not want so many of them. With a population of only 25 million, the huge number of immigrants is certainly not good from a security standpoint.

The number of legal foreign workers outnumber our police force of only 80,000. Their presence, especially Indonesians with families, has put a strain on our medical and education facilities. Some have even posed a security threat.

While Malaysia has become a favourite home away from home for these foreign labourers, we have not been successful in attracting the best brains. The programme to attract Malaysian professionals, launched in 2001, has not taken off as planned either.

It was reported that only 300 doctors and engineers took up offers under the "returning professionals" campaign because many were unwilling to settle for the lower salaries in Malaysia.

Fong Chan Onn said the main snag was the reduced income despite the many incentives offered.

While doctors are easily absorbed by medical centres and private hospitals, information technology engineers say they find it difficult to get jobs that commensurate with their expectations.

The campaign was aimed at filling vacancies in six fields – information and communications technology, manufacturing industries, science and technology, arts, finance and medicine.

The Government, however, should not give up on this push for more professionals to work in Malaysia because their expertise and skills will greatly benefit the country.

The present non-monetary incentives include the right to bring back two cars and two years' income. Their children and spouses, who are non-citizens, would be given permanent residence status.

The Human Resources Ministry has taken the right step but what it needs is the support of the private sector in its promotion campaign. A more concerted programme can be carried out overseas to explain the opportunities and incentives offered. A one-stop agency may be needed to help reduce red tape.

Malaysia needs to create the right environment if we are serious in wanting to attract the best, regardless of whether they are Malaysians or foreigners, to work here.

We also need to find out from these professionals what we can offer to create a conducive and congenial environment to woo top talent to Malaysia.

In the academic world, many feel that our universities lack the facilities and leadership to strive for cutting-edge research. Some even feel that we still do not fully comprehend the looming competition resulting from globalisation.

As for the smaller pay cheques, these professionals must understand that Malaysia has a lower cost of living.

It must be impressed upon them that one can earn a higher salary in Tokyo and live in a cramped apartment, while in Malaysia a lower income could be sufficient for a landed property.

It is heartening to hear Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi give his personal assurance to Indian IT professionals that they are welcome in Malaysia.

During his visit in December, he urged Indian professionals to consider Malaysia as their second base, or even second home, because there was much to gain from working together.

Malaysia needs to attract the best brains – not just the cheapest labourers – to drive forward in a highly competitive globalised world.

Equally disgraceful is the revelation that the corporation given the task of running the scheme has not been able to recover the money effectively. The corporation ran out of funds in 2003 and had to borrow RM2bil from the Employees Provident Fund. In short, the Government had to use our money to rescue the corporation. In total, the PTPTN has disbursed RM7.2bil since its inception in 1997.

The scheme was introduced with the aim of assisting needy students. Almost all students of higher learning institutions, including those from well-to-do families, have enjoyed the scheme.

Last week, corporation chairman Datuk Razali Ismail reportedly said that more than 200,000 reminders had been sent out to the 190,000 defaulters this year. They owed RM420mil, of which RM93mil was recovered.

But something is not right here. The corporation ran out of money more than a year ago. Surely, it must have seen the enormous problem it was heading towards, yet it did not change its approach.

The corporation should be rapped on the knuckles as much as the errant loan holders. The people who have been given the task of running the corporation have obviously failed in their task.

The Prime Minister has bigger things to worry about. Instead, the Cabinet had to spend an entire morning discussing how to handle this financial fiasco brought about by selfish graduates and inefficient officials.

Obviously, one major factor is the poor system of loan recovery. If the reasons given by some defaulters are to be believed, then the corporation must review its method of debt collection.

One civil servant, who graduated from Universiti Malaya, said she took the initiative to go to the PTPTN office to find out about repaying her loan because she did not receive any notification from the corporation.

A family member who sent a cheque for RM150 as monthly repayment related that the corporation only cleared it five months later.

Teacher Betty Tan complained that she had RM197 deducted monthly from her salary for the past two years to repay the PTPTN but its records show that she has only made two payments.

Another recipient complained that she only received part of her loan of RM12,000. She wrote to the corporation but did not get any reply. Her phone calls were also to no avail.

Following press reports of the huge debts, PTPTN has proposed several actions to recover the loans. These ideas should have been thought of before the funds were given out, not after the scheme had almost collapsed.

In the private sector, such poor recovery of debts would not be tolerated and officers in the financial control department would have been dismissed for not doing their job.

Tough words have been used by our politicians and real action should be followed. The warnings would come to naught if no concrete action was taken to recover the money.

The public will not take such sound bites seriously if they think they can get away scot-free. They read about the government wanting to act against those who dodge National Service but no one has been charged in court.

It might be a good idea to link up PTPTN with the Inland Revenue Department. In the income tax assessment forms, it might be necessary to declare whether contributors had taken any government study loans and whether they had repaid them.

The PTPTN loan defaulters may be the news but over 50,000 Mara loan holders owe the agency more than RM209mil and they include senior civil servants and senior executives in private companies. In its bid to recover the amount, Mara has published the names of nearly 3,000 defaulters in newspaper advertisements.

There is a simple reason why many of these defaulters do not bother to repay their loans – they think that as long as it's government money, they need not pay up.

It is time for the Government to stop being lenient if it wants to be taken seriously.

Her watch, money, wallet and other personal items were left intact by the murderer but her mobile telephone was missing.

What is disturbing is that the crime took place at around 10.30am, when she had just opened her shop for business.

According to the shopping complex, its security system had over 250 cameras operating 24 hours but that did not stop someone from committing that gruesome crime and then walking away.

In fact, an initial review of the tapes from the closed-circuit TV cameras did not produce any positive leads.

In an earlier incident, student Li Mingqian was found naked and dead in a ditch in Banting, Selangor.

The 17-year-old student, who had just been in Malaysia for a month to pursue a higher diploma in business, is believed to have been raped and sodomised.

There are two angles that police are pursuing – someone had picked up Li or she had taken a taxi ride.

But it appears to be a crime of opportunity by an attacker or attackers who had probably taken advantage of her after seeing she was alone or lost in the area.

There are enough laws in Malaysia to punish such sick sex predators and many such criminals have been punished but they don't seem frightening enough for some.

Just three days ago, the Sessions Court in Miri sentenced a fisherman to a total of 94 years and ordered him to be whipped 14 times for committing incest with his only daughter, aged 14, on five different occasions. The 39-year-old man will have to spend at least 56 years in jail.

We certainly agree with Judge Azahahari Kamal Ramli who, when passing sentence, said the man deserved no mercy for the heinous crime.

Our criminals seem to be getting bolder, judging from the murders in Mutiara Damansara and Banting. Obviously aware that our police force is short-handed, many seem prepared to commit crimes openly, which is an obvious challenge to our law enforcers.

Last Thursday morning, three men boldly set fire to a pewter shop in Klang in the presence of customers at a nearby pub.

The arsonists warned the pub patrons to "mind your own business or be beaten up" as they broke the padlocked shutters of the shop.

They did not even care if their identities were revealed and when a woman saw them, she was even warned not to report to the police.

I am upset by these criminal acts because a colleague and a friend have fallen prey to these dangerous people.

Just before the Chinese New Year, a colleague was robbed by three armed men in the basement car park of our office building.

He was slashed on the hand by the gang which had followed him in a car from a bank in Section 14 to the office in Section 16.

In the other case, the friend was abducted at an open car park near a shopping complex in Petaling Jaya by a gang of four men, one armed with a long knife.

In the 1pm incident on Thursday, they pushed the terrified housewife into their car and  took her to a bank where she was forced to withdraw money from an ATM machine. Her three-hour ordeal ended when they took her back to the car park, pushed her out and then drove her car away.

We are just thankful that she was not harmed by the robbers. I told her that I was not confident that the car would be found and it would have probably ended up in Thailand by now.

But what irked me is that all these incidents took place in broad daylight. The country has only 80,000 policemen and has asked for more men and facilities.

They need all the support we can give them to carry out their work to prevent crime, especially with an increasing population which includes a huge number of foreigners.

The then Prime Minister cited as examples, the Botanical
Garden and Gurney Drive that had not been well maintained.

He said Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya, in comparison, had become much
cleaner.

Dr Mahathir made the statement after Local Government director-general Lim
Cheng Tatt said that cleanliness and maintenance in the island had deteriorated
in the past few years, so much that it had become the dirtiest place in the
country.

Penang's problems, Dr Mahathir, said, were caused by politicking.

In his usual cynical self, he quipped: "In Kuala Lumpur, we do not have to
worry about winning elections and so we place our emphasis on cleanliness and
beautification."

Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon (now Tan Sri) responded immediately, warning
that heavy penalties would be introduced if the people continued to be indifferent
and that the authorities would be very stringent against litterbugs.

Tough words but after more than a decade, nothing has changed. The same
unhappiness is being heard, the same rhetoric made to the media and almost the
same statements are being reported in the press.

The same state politicians, who had responded then, have remained oblivious to
the promises they made.

There are now younger state leaders and reporters, some of whom were still in
school and too young to remember Dr Mahathir's grouse.

And now fast forward to 2005 – on Sunday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi advised Penangites to keep the state clean.

Unlike Dr Mahathir, who had a sterner tone, the more diplomatic Abdullah asked
the people not to blame the state government for its sad state of
affairs.

The truth of the matter is that there has not been any significant improvement
after a decade, which is certainly long enough for any work and enforcement to
be carried out.

Penangites have either gotten used to the flash in the pan follow-up campaign
after each public outcry or become indifferent to the usual denial by
politicians and their private accusations of conspiracy by the media.

These state leaders, however, appear to only nod in agreement, when the Prime Minister
or his deputy say that the state is dirty.

Then, there would be the predictable gotong royong projects with these
politicians posing for the press to record their work.

A month or two later, it is forgotten and it is back to status quo. That is how
things have worked so far and let's not expect any radical changes now.

Just a few months ago, The Star and the New Straits Times highlighted the
problems in Penang. Then, came the tsunami tragedy, which also hit Penang, and
for a while, the subject seemed to have been washed away.

But Abdullah has brought up the matter again. He is right in saying that the
people must work with the state government but with due respect, sir, I find it
difficult to agree that the state government should not be blamed.

The state leadership, comprising of representatives from the major Barisan
Nasional component parties, must take the rap as well. That is what leadership
is all about – to lead, plan, and enforce. It must also take responsibility for
the laurels and the brickbats.

Ad hoc action against errant hawkers and litterbugs would have no effect if
there were no comprehensive system of cleaning up the state. Likewise,
enforcement is necessary if Penang is determined to make the state clean
again.

It is good to hear Penang Municipal Council president Datuk Ahmad Phesal Taib
saying the council would soon introduce a rating system for cleanliness in
residential and commercial areas.

He also said the council would work with the Drainage and Irrigation Department
to keep the rivers and beaches clean, step up enforcement against errant
hawkers and those who obstruct five-foot ways and who double park.

A fresh input and renewed commitment is necessary to make Penang shine
again.

Penangites must work with the state leadership even if they have plenty of
complaints.

In short, we should not be negative but to stand up for Penang. Let's be
different this time.

We were wrong. Much more than that, what we saw was shocking. The crowds were massive in many parts of the city.

Kuala Lumpur looked like it had been taken over by foreigners from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal and Vietnam.

I wish our politicians, who talked about using the soft approach of persuading illegal immigrants to go home, could have been there to see it for themselves.

Irene Fernandez, who heads Tenaganita, the non-governmental organisation which fights for the rights of illegal immigrants, should have been there, too.

There must have been thousands of foreigners, who didn't look like they were expatriate professionals, congregating in areas such as Kota Raya, Central Market and Suria KLCC.

I called up the news desk to send a reporter to do a story on it.

On Friday, the New Straits Times published a similar report.

But what disturbed me most was the obvious lack of police presence at these places despite the unusually large number of foreigners.

There is nothing wrong in foreign workers taking time off and enjoying themselves during the long holidays but it is a security concern.

It was reported on Saturday that police had detained up to 120 Indonesians, Bangladeshis and Nepalese over the previous two days following a clash between a group of Indonesian workers and a group of Bangladeshi and Nepalese workers.

The fighting took place at the Kota Raya shopping complex on Thursday, where I saw the thousands of foreigners gathering.

It was hardly surprising that a fight had broken out.

Dang Wangi Acting OCPD Deputy Supt Abdul Rahman Khalil said about 300 police personnel, including Federal Reserve Unit personnel and members of the dog unit, were monitoring places usually frequented by foreign workers.

He said that in the clash at Kota Raya, seven foreign workers were injured and were sent to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for treatment.

The thousands of foreigners obviously outnumbered the 300-odd policemen on duty that day, hence their presence was not felt.

There are an estimated 1.2 million legal foreign workers while authorities believe there are another 800,000 illegal immigrants, half of whom were supposed to have left under the amnesty programme.

I have my doubts, like many Malaysians. Our security enforcement along our coasts is so weak that many of the Indonesians who left would probably be back by boat once the crackdown quiets down.

As it is now, we have been made to look silly with our decision to "advise" them to go home after the big talk of a crackdown against the illegal immigrants.

Worse, Indonesian Manpower Minister Fahmi Idris even had the audacity to come to Kuala Lumpur with threats of lawsuits against Malaysian firms, saying his government had engaged 10 Malaysian lawyers to prepare to sue Malaysian employers for allegedly not paying wages to Indonesian workers.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, have correctly told Indonesia to think twice because "it involves the status of workers who came here illegally".

The Malaysian Government, if you ask most people, has been overly nice.

Not many Malaysians have taken well to its move to backtrack on its decision to carry out the operation against illegal immigrants following the expiry of the amnesty.

The reasons are simple – there have been three postponements and most of us are quite fed up with the seeming ease with which foreigners come into Malaysia and sometimes, as easily, in securing permanent residence status here.

There is no need to list our frustrations because our politicians and security personnel know what they are. Many have become victims themselves.

We were told to postpone the operation against illegal immigrants indefinitely because many of them are from Aceh.

Instead of being mean, cynical and nitpicking, the Government has obliged although we could have just asked the rest of the Indonesians to go home.

What really makes us sore is that Malaysians have been threatened with lawsuits and attacked by the Indonesian media.

Next year, I think I will go back to Penang. It doesn't look like these foreigners will ever go back home at all.

This young man has certainly stirred great interest in the academic world, at
least among local historians, with his claim that there is a lost city known as
Kota Gelanggi in the jungles of Johor. His claims are based on references in
the Sejarah Melayu and on aerial photographs that show vegetation with unusual
patterns. Raimy has also offered to share his information and provide
assistance to the Department of Museums and Antiquities.

The ancient site, he theorises, could be at least 1,000
years old and even possibly older than Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in
Indonesia. If indeed the site is that of the lost city, it is set to revise our
understanding of our region's historical landscape.

But Raimy is a cautious man. He chooses his words, either in conversation or in
his articles, carefully. He is aware that he has stumbled onto something big
but also realises that nothing is proven until a serious expedition
begins.

He has been open to admit that his first one-week expedition in 2003 did not
produce any results and that his team did not see any tracks, which could lead
to the lost city.

The orang asli who live around there talked of "ghosts and tigers" in the place
which they knew as Kota Batu Hitam.

Raimy doesn't quite fit the image of Indiana Jones, the archaeologist-adventurer
played by Harrison Ford – the Hollywood hero who is ever in search of lost
cities in jungles and deserts.

Nevertheless, he has stirred tremendous interest in Malay history. Students,
who used to find the subject a bore because their unimaginative teachers only
force them to copy notes, have been inspired by the more exciting treatment of
the subject by the media.

Like pioneers in all fields, Raimy is ready to take his share of pot shots.
There will be disputes and counter-claims. There will be triumphs and
frustrations. But that is supposed to be normal in all historical or scientific
discoveries.

Since The Star broke the story, there has been much interest in the subject.
Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim has said the
Federal Government will give top priority to the search for the lost city of
Kota Gelanggi in Johor and will provide the necessary funds to unveil what
could be the biggest historical find in the country.

On Monday, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the state agreed
that there was a lost city in the state but it was disputing its name. They
claimed it was not known as Kota Gelanggi but was called Kota Klang Kiu or
Ganggayu, based on findings by the Yayasan Warisan Johor.

The Star had reported on Feb 4 that the Kota Gelanggi cave complex existed in
Pahang, a site known for its pre-historic links, about 30km from Jerantut. Six
years ago, a team of archaeologists unearthed artefacts there believed to be
more than 1,500 years old in one of the caves. The relics included pottery,
hunting tools, weapons and ornamental pieces.

In Sejarah Melayu, Tun Seri Lanang pinpointed the city, saying it was built of
blackstone and lay far in the upper reaches of Sungai Johor. He called it Kota Gelanggi
but others have said that the city could have been called Klang Kiew in the 9th
century AD.

The Malay rendition, as Raimy pointed out in his article, resembles the Siamese
word Khlang kaew (jewel) and could have been mispronounced as "klang kiu."
There has been suggestion that the word soon became "glang giu" or "gelanggi"
or even the more familiar "linggui."

Raimy's article in the Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic
Society is well written and well argued. Even if one may dispute his theories,
those interested in this subject must read his work before responding. This
would include politicians, researchers and journalists – who may be happy or
unhappy with his work for one reason or another.

He has, in fact, devoted a large section to the Kota Gelanggi cavern in Pahang,
providing details of the cave complex including the limestone formations.

It is good to know that the Johor Mentri Besar is showing great interest in the
issue but more importantly, there appears to be a consensus that there is a
lost city in the state, whichever name we call it.

In the search for the lost city, the nation needs the support of leaders like
Dr Rais, Ghani and historians like Prof Datuk Dr Nik Hassan Suhaimi Nik Abdul
Rahman of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and the Department of Museums
and Antiquities director-general Datuk Dr Adi Taha to lend their push and
expertise.

We need to work together for the common interest of wanting to make our history
and heritage richer. This could well be the missing piece in the historical
mosaic of the South-East Asian region. As Dr Rais put it correctly, it is a
national priority. And who said history is boring?

n: This writer is deeply interested in the subject as he
studied political science, history and Malay literature at UKM.