Although the Prime Minister's Department and the rulers
of most states have declared that these titles would not be recognised, we
should not be surprised if these people continue using these honorific.

Another group is made up of people who barely passed their lower secondary
school examinations but shamelessly pay for honorary doctorates from some
Pacific island universities, which regularly advertise the sale of these
worthless papers in newspapers and on the Internet.

The presumption to these people is that these titles will lend them an air of
respectability, prestige and authority. If they cannot or refuse to work for
these titles, the simple way is to buy them. As a result, the shine from these
titles slowly disappears over recent years.

Many Malaysians, I believe, were hardly surprised by news reports that a
high-ranking ministry official was among those who had joined the so-called
Federal Special Forces of Malaysia (FSFM).

They had joined believing that it was a bona fide security or civil defence
movement with links to the government. With the smartly-cut uniform, resembling
the one worn by police officers, many must have been tempted.

In one instance, a member said his hospital registration fee was waived after
he produced the FSFM authority card, said to bear the Prime Minister's
Department logo, while a policeman who stopped him for committing a traffic
offence let him off after looking at the card.

At last count, over 2,000 people were said to have reported to the police that
they had joined the FSFM and they had willingly paid between RM5,000 and
RM25,00 for various ranks.

It may sound costly because the cynics among many of us would say that these
gullible people probably believed they would have to fork out more money to get
Datukships.

For these people, who included many professionals, buying a military rank is
probably a natural progression. But it is also a malaise and a symptom of our
deplorable culture where some section of our society appears to believe, in a
rather arrogant manner, that everything can be bought.

It is, in many ways, another blow to the integrity and credibility of our institutions.

This ''shortcut to success'' sickness, which seems to believe in ''connection
and cable-pulling,'' is probably one reason why these people have been conned
into the buy-a-rank scam. Quite possibly, they could even be willing
participants in this fantasy.

As the Prime Minister said, these people ''might have been deceived by offers
of promotion, to hold certain posts, and they may have felt good wearing the
medals.''

The group's founder, Nor Azami, as it turned out, is not a Datuk nor a Tengku,
does not hold a doctorate, and is not a religious leader. According to a
relative, he is actually a car-wash man.

But he had greater illusions of grandeur. He believed – or rather his followers
believed – that he would be the next Prime Minister, based on the ''Rahman
succession'' theory.

According to the theory, the first six prime ministers were predestined, and
that the first letter of their names corresponds to the name of the first prime
minister. Thus, R is for Rahman, A is for Abdul Razak, H is for Hussein Onn, M
is for Mahathir, A is for Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and N – is not for Najib Tun
Razak but for Nor Azami Ahmad Ghazali.

To get ready for the big time, Nor Azami awarded himself a Datukship and the
rank of general. To put his wacky plan in action, he started building an army.
The exception is that the army seems to have more generals than soldiers.

The fact that there is a large number of non-Malays in his organisation also
suggests that the Chinese, especially, are not averse to joining the army, so
long as they get to be in the top ranks.

In an interview with Singapore's Straits Times, political commentator Shamsul
Amri Baharuddin correctly described the Rahman theory as ''an intellectual
amulet for some people.''

Some people, he said, like to cling onto pseudo-magical ideas but ''that gives
room for others with ridiculous ideas to emerge.''

Greed, as they say, is the root of all evil and, in this case, Malaysians
joined the FSFM because they believed they would have authority and power. With
that, doors will be open to them.

On a micro scale, that also explains why many motorists put stickers bearing
the Bukit Aman logo on the windshields, believing that traffic police would not
stop them.

They also want to show off that they know some officers who work in Bukit Aman.
But not all of us are gullible.

The Government may expect most Malaysians to pick up the booklets
at petrol stations and bookstores but it should be serious about the electronic
version, too.

There are many overseas Malaysians who are following closely the dispute
between Malaysia and Singapore over the water issue, and these people depend entirely
on the Internet to read the contents of the booklet.

To fight the propaganda war in this time and age, the Government would have to
depend a lot on the Internet to reach the widest audience. But to do so
efficiently, it needs people who understand and are able to use computers
effectively.

It is no use setting up a website and then leaving it to collect cobwebs.

The inability of some of our government departments to cope with information
technology is embarrassing. With the help of some friends and colleagues, we
found plenty of dead websites. By that, I am talking about websites that are
not updated.

But there are websites that do not need much updating and one case is the
national archives at www.arkib.gov.my. The department has all the time in the
world but its website is disappointing.

Most of the time, the website doesn't work and most of the important speeches
of our leaders, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, cannot
be found.

In fairness, there are also good and fast government sites such as the Public
Complaints Bureau, the Economic Planning Unit, Statistics Department and
Parliament that are efficient although slow at times in updating. At least,
these websites work.

According to fellow surfers, most government websites suffer from poor
navigation, slow updates and are not user-friendly. Many of them do not install
an internal search engine to enable the user to get their information
quickly.

With the exception of the offices of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister,
the Finance Ministry and Bank Negara, many officers who deal with the media
have not got around to providing information in diskettes or via e-mail. They
still prefer to hand out bulky printed sheets.

The reason why I am talking about IT is because Malaysia has won the right to
host the World Congress Information Technology (WCIT) in Kuala Lumpur
2008.

The event, which is regarded as the most prestigious ICT conference in the
world, is set to put Malaysia on the world map. For a start, we need to instil
in the minds of Malaysians, particularly civil servants, that computers have
become an integral part of society.

The absence of IT culture is also prevalent among many employers in the private
sector, with managers still insisting on written reports when computers are
sitting in front of them. Many cannot break out of their ''black-and-white
mentality.'' Unless we double our efforts to show that we are an e-society, the
only thing for WCIT delegates to see are structures and buildings in Putrajaya and
Cyberjaya.

The congress presents a chance for us to show the world that we have arrived in
the IT age. By that, we mean that delegates must remember KL as a city where
the people have easy access to computers and are able to use IT well.

It is not very encouraging to read about delays in the completion of school
computer laboratories and low safety standards.

Recently, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu disclosed that 487 out of 600
computer laboratories built under phase one of the computerisation of primary
and secondary schools for eastern zone (Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan) were
found to be unsafe, including 87 that were regarded as dangerous.

Under phases one and two of the project, 2,315 laboratories were supposed to be
built nationwide and scheduled to be completed two years ago. To date, only
1,449 laboratories are fully operational. For the record, the Government has
allocated RM762mil for the computer laboratory projects, of which RM507mil has
been spent. Malaysians have every right to ask about the obvious
discrepancies.

The Anti-Corruption Agency should step in to investigate the blunders in the
construction of these laboratories and the purchase of computers for schools.
There have been rumblings in the IT industry over the costing involved but no
investigations have been made, presumably because no reports have been lodged
or no one is prepared to provide evidence.

We have started well in making most Malaysians realise the importance of
becoming connected in the IT age. Equally important is making sure we are
efficient and competent.

Despite its biting spoofs, the group has been tolerated
because it performs to a limited urban crowd of mostly English-educated
liberals who can afford the pricey tickets.

But last week, the ICT got itself into trouble following its sell-out show The
2nd First Annual Bolehwood Awards 2003 – The Director's Cut.

I would have joined my friends, including one who drove from Penang, to watch
the show if I had not had to leave for Ukraine last week to cover the visit of
the Prime Minister.

I know of many Umno leaders who genuinely enjoyed ICT shows, although their
egos may have been deflated by the jokes. Some have even engaged the ICT to
perform at their private functions.

Last week, following a complaint letter in Utusan Malaysia on July 11, KL City
Hall decided not to issue any performing licence to ICT after the group refused
an order to revise the script of the show.

ICT had been ordered to change the script after City Hall deemed parts of the
show ''sensitive'' following the complaint.

City Hall public relations officer Sarifuddin Ibrahim said ICT was asked to
delete parts of the script, and the group was advised to conduct its
performance in a more ''ethical and decent manner and not cause uneasiness
among the public.''

At its final show on Thursday night, City Hall enforcement officers served a
compound notice to the show's producer for performing without a permit.

Such sledgehammer treatment is shocking in Kuala Lumpur. We are not in Beijing,
Teheran or Karachi.

For some time, artistes have complained of the requirement to submit scripts to
City Hall but the grievances have never been loud because its officers have
generally been cooperative.

Still, such a requirement in this time and age seems out of place. It is just
another form of censorship.

However, the complainant in Utusan Malaysia has valid points. Some of my
colleagues, overseas-educated Malays who regard themselves as liberals, were
offended by the wide use of profanity in the show. They reckon that the use of
vulgarity was unnecessary and added no theatrical value to the
performance.

Many of those who attended the show have been followers of ICT, and certainly
expected a strong dosage of government-bashing. This time, the consensus among
those I know was that the show was too harsh and blunt.

The criticism against bumiputra privileges went a little too far, they told me,
but sportingly admitted there were elements of truth at some points in the
show.

In short, according to my friends, the spoofs could still have been funny and
punchy without creating ill feelings.

Perhaps a sense of caution could be exercised by the ICT, especially on racial
issues, when they next perform.

I see nothing wrong in poking fun at government politicians or opposition
leaders professing to be pious in the manner of their dressing.

Stripping the hypocrisy of Malaysian leaders and the people has been the
trademark of ICT and the fact that we can laugh at ourselves is a reflection of
our tolerance and maturity.

And, certainly, many of us who have been attending ICT shows did not become
rabble-rousers inciting racial hatred. For most of us, an evening of laughter
is what we're after.

A two-hour comedy, despite its anti-government inclinations at times, can
hardly indoctrinate the audience. So what if one or two performers in ICT are
said to be opposition campaigners?

The fuss over the ICT performance is turning into a comedy of errors. It is
becoming a farce – City Hall seems to be the one grumbling, not the Home
Ministry.

There are plenty of complaint letters against City Hall in our newspapers and
city folk know they get no response, let alone action.

We may not agree with the stand taken by ICT on numerous issues but let's
defend their right to perform. That's what democracy is about.

Along Jalan Universiti, there used to be a miniature
waterfall near the roundabout but it longer works.

Such white elephants, erected in the name of beautification, are symbols of
mismanagement and incompetence.

Malaysians have a right to demand that our taxes are properly spent. We
certainly do not want our councils to throw away good money, particularly when
most of us have the impression that they are not performing to our standards.

We may still be a developing country, as Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad
reminded us on our expectations, but we want certain standards of public
facilities such as pedestrian walks, efficient and clean public transport,
pristine parks, pleasant housing and vibrant urban centres.

In short, all we ask for is that our councils focus their attention on
maintaining a clean environment, safe streets, adequate and affordable shelter
and pleasant neighbourhoods.

Of late, our council leaders have come under fire – and rightly so – for not
doing what they are being paid to do.

Last week, the Klang Municipal Council drew flak when newspapers highlighted
its decision to buy its 24 councillors uniforms costing a total of RM95,000 and
a mace worth RM105,000.

The councillors were supposed to wear the attire, in the form of baju Melayu
and songkok, but 10 among them protested, saying it was a waste of taxpayers'
money.

I hope the 10 councillors – seven from the MCA, two from MIC and one from
Gerakan – objected because they genuinely believed that the expenditure was
unnecessary.

There's nothing wrong with the design of the uniform; the crux of the
controversy is its necessity. The point here should not be whether non-Muslims
want to wear baju Melayu and songkok but whether the council should be paying
for these clothes. The contention is whether it is justified for the council to
spend over RM3,500 on clothes for each councillor.

State Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mokhtar Ahmad Dahlan should not
bring in a sensitive dimension to the controversy by saying it does not make
any non-Muslim a Malay by wearing baju Melayu and songkok.

He is right in saying so but the issue is simply about accountability – not
race or custom.

I do not see how the councillors can become more efficient by wearing these
expensive uniforms. Klang may be a royal town, but what is the point of adding
pomp to the council meetings by having a ceremonial mace?

The council should channel its energies into more productive activities.

The Sultan of Selangor, I believe, would rather see the council carrying out
its responsibilities efficiently by keeping Klang clean.

Klang does not have the reputation of being an attractive and pleasant town. It
continues to be haphazardly planned, and maintenance problems top the grouses
of residents.

Keeping the town clean is still a major issue and the poor services rendered by
contractors have not helped to improve the image of the council.

There can be no arguments or amendments to these laws. However, in an effort to
win non-Muslim votes, PAS is saying – without spelling out the details – they
can have a place in government.

We can be sure that the social and cultural atmosphere of
Malaysia will never be the same if PAS comes to power, even if we are promised
that the status quo remains.

The Islamist party has already served us enough notice with its actions in
Kelantan and Terengganu.

Last week, PAS published a photograph of Entrepreneur Development Minister
Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz dancing with a dangdut singer at a charity night to raise
funds for Iraqi war victims.

There is no need for Nazri to feel apologetic and he has rightly said there was
nothing wrong in him dancing for a good cause.

But we should not be surprised. Unless moderate Malaysians speak up against the
actions of this misguided minority, they will impose their views on our
moderate way of living in the name of religion.

There are religious zealots not only in PAS but also among many levels of
government officers who seem preoccupied with these minor issues.

I say this because it was brought to my attention recently that a headmistress
of a convent school decided to ban singing and dancing classes, which had been
conducted for years.

When she was confronted by angry parents, she defended her actions, saying that
she decided to stop these classes because the students had not excelled in
singing and dancing. It's a weak excuse.

The teacher, who had carried out other controversial actions in the
predominantly non-Muslim school, was eventually referred to the Education
Department.

We have also heard of school principals who have decided to replace Bahasa
Malaysia writings on school walls with Arabic.

Previously, there have been complaints that teachers had issued ''advisory'' to
students to wear certain attire in school.

We know how students react to such ''advisory'' because they want to conform
and wish to be in the good books of their teachers.

There have also been complaints that students are ''advised'' to wear long
pants instead of shorts when taking part in games, which is not just
impractical and uncomfortable but unhealthy.

Instead of pursuing academic excellence, these teachers seem to be more
concerned with other minor matters, which can lead to unnecessary
discontent.

In Kelantan and Terengganu, many aspects of Malay culture have been banned by
PAS because it deems these practices as un-Islamic.

The inability of these people in positions, particularly at the implementation
level, to come to terms with the fact that Malaysia is a multi-religious,
multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society is disturbing.

Over the past decade, we have found such extremism creeping into our society in
subtle ways.

We see council officers in Ipoh arresting non-Muslims for holding hands and,
recently, Bahasa Malaysia newspapers rightly highlighted the case of a Malay
youth who was manhandled by religious department officers for simply putting
his hand on the shoulder of his girlfriend.

In Selangor, the Kajang municipal council banned the sale of pork in a
predominantly Chinese area and this ban was lifted only after the MCA
intervened.

In these cases, the moderate Barisan Nasional government has stepped in and
taken steps to rectify the error.

Middle and low-level bureaucrats have been giving the Government a bad name by
misinterpreting the rules.

As for PAS, we have been told what they want to do should they come to power.
That should give non-Muslims enough time to ponder whether they wish to be
adventurous with their votes.

The
authorities may say that Ong was at the wrong place at the wrong time, in
assuring us that it was an isolated case.

They
may be right but the public demand that shopping complex owners wake up and
provide better security for those who spend money at their premises.

Consider
this: It was reported on Nov 30 last year that a 47-year-old business executive
was brutally raped in her car after being tied up with her bra at a parking lot
in Damansara Uptown in the evening.

The
mother of two adult children, who works with an international cosmetics
company, was getting into her car when a man grabbed her from behind before
pulling out a knife and forcing her into the car.

The
man then drove to a secluded spot in the basement car park and robbed and raped
her.

There
were more reports this year. On March 13, it was reported that a 15-year-old
policeman's daughter was allegedly raped by a friend in a woman's toilet at a
shopping complex in Ampang.

The
stunned Form Three student tried to put up a fight but was overpowered and
threatened by the man. The report said that it was the fourth rape involving
young girls in the city in recent weeks.

On
March 3, it was reported that a Form Four student who befriended several youths
at a shopping mall in Jalan Sultan Ismail was gang-raped at a rooftop parking
lot.

And
on May 30, a 19-year-old girl was molested and assaulted by a group of youths
at a shopping complex while having dinner with her boyfriend.

One
of the youths had grabbed her breasts after making lewd suggestions to her. Her
cries caught the attention of five security guards but instead of arresting the
youth, they advised her to let the culprit go.

These
incidents get reported because they are serious offences but cases of car
theft, mugging and burglary probably go unreported because victims do not want
to go through the hassle of making police reports when the chances of
recovering their goods are low.

But
the series of murder cases over the past few weeks are certainly of great
concern, if not alarming.

Malaysians
have a right to ask what the police are doing about the recent spate of crimes.

And
what are the owners of shopping complexes doing next to ensure public safety
beyond installing closed-circuit television and hiring security officers to go
on patrol regularly?

Surveillance
cameras need to be installed, not just at exit points to see whether we have
paid our parking fees, but also in lifts, at staircases and corridors.

Deserted
areas need to be actively patrolled, particularly after 9pm, to give a better
sense of security to patrons of cinemas, food and beverage outlets.

More
women security guards should also be hired to patrol basement car parks.

Greater
surveillance, more security personnel and better lighting may mean higher costs
but they will go a long way in establishing the reputation of a shopping
complex among its customers.

Owners
of hotels and commercial buildings should also take similar precautions as
they, too, have huge basement car parks which are often poorly lit and
deserted.

The
owners of hotels, commercial buildings and shopping complexes should also
consider hiring women guards who are prepared to accompany women to their cars
on request.

Crime
prevention often gets little attention from politicians but it has certainly
become a serious concern and they had better listen more attentively from now.

Take
the classic case of Petaling Jaya Utara MP Chew Mei Fun. Aware that PJ has the
highest crime rate in Selangor, she launched a crime prevention campaign with
the help of the police.

But
on June 5, she ended up being a victim when burglars broke into her house and
stole two VCD players, her piggy bank and prizes for a charity event she was
organising.

A
total of 11,856 criminal cases were reported in PJ between January and August
last year. In KL, 9,312 cases were reported followed by Klang (8,325) and
Sentul (7,339).

We
are aware that there is a shortage of policemen in Malaysia. According to Chew,
there is only one policeman to every 3,000 residents in PJ whereas in most
cities in developed countries, the ratio is one officer to every 250 residents.

One
way to attract more people to join the police force is to ensure that they get
better salaries. With better perks, the force will attract better educated
people and also prevent them from succumbing to corruption.

We
will get to see a higher level of commitment in fighting crime instead of
seeing them stopping motorcyclists and lorry drivers for minor traffic offences,
arousing unnecessary suspicion on our part as to their intentions.

In
Singapore, youths have to either join the army or the police force under the
compulsory national service.

We
should seriously adopt this method if we want to boost the numbers of the
police force.

Our
police have done well in fighting crime in this country but we can certainly
make their job easier if the Government and public do their bit as well.

Hishammuddin, as an afterthought, then asked whether the
delegates would interrupt proceedings if Dr Mahathir cried, for this would be
his last general assembly as party president.

A more confident Idris assured Hishammuddin that the Umno members would control
their emotions better this time because they were prepared for Dr Mahathir's
exit.

An hour later, supreme council member Datuk Syed Hamid Albar walked in and told
pressmen that ''Dr Mahathir will cry.'' The Foreign Minister said this had been
an emotional meeting for everyone because ''it is a prelude to a long
goodbye.''

But their fears were proven wrong. Dr Mahathir began his speech at 5.55pm with
a stinging attack against PAS, the archrival of Umno.

He went on to blast the West, in classic Mahathir style, and wrapped up his
speech with another advice to the Malays before calling the spirit of unity in
Umno to be maintained.

Not a teardrop was shed throughout the almost hour-long speech.

After all, the shock had come a year earlier when Dr Mahathir dropped a
bombshell at the end of his winding-up speech by announcing he was
quitting.

There were tears of shock and disbelief then, as Umno leaders including
Hishammuddin rushed to the rostrum, putting a stop to proceedings. Dr Mahathir
never got to finish his speech.

On Thursday, when Dr Mahathir came to the end of his presidential speech, where
he thanked Umno members for their support and apologised for his shortcomings,
he was overcome with emotion.

For a while, it appeared as if tears would roll down but he controlled himself.
He took a few sips of water in an obvious effort to calm down.

But many could not control themselves. They wept openly even as Dr Mahathir
tried not to show his sadness, a point he was to make at a press conference
later, emphasising to reporters he certainly did not cry.

For the many mak cik and pak cik who sat at the lobby to watch the proceedings
via a huge screen, tears flowed freely.

These simple folk, including some who said they had never used an escalator,
had come all the way from their villages to bid farewell to their hero.

Without the status of a delegate or observer, they had no passes to enter Dewan
Merdeka, where the assembly was held, and certainly they would not benefit from
their display of emotions. No contracts or datukship will come their way. They
were there because they believe Dr Mahathir had done wonders for Umno and
Malaysia.

Many of these village folk, in their 60s, had lived through the previous three
prime ministers and could easily relate how Dr Mahathir had done what his three
predecessors could not do during their tenure.

They speak in great admiration of Dr Mahathir and how he had brought so much
change to Malaysia in his 22 years as Prime Minister.

And these people came to the PWTC by the thousands, wanting to cry at the last
general assembly where Dr Mahathir will talk to them as Umno president.

Even as Dr Mahathir walked into the hall in the morning, tears had started to
flow among the delegates. The emotional atmosphere remained even when delegates
took part in the debates. Many of them stopped speaking briefly each time Dr
Mahathir's name was mentioned.

Most of those present at the PWTC over the weekend accepted that Dr Mahathir
would stick by his decision to quit, mindful of the fact that he had served
notice a year ago to the three million members and the people of
Malaysia.

But we can be sure that we will continue to see and hear of Dr Mahathir even
after he steps down in October.

''God willing, I will be here next year as a delegate and sitting down below
with the others,'' he said.

It has been a nostalgic weekend for Umno members and for other Malaysians. More
than that, it has a happy ending.

As Dr Mahathir said, the party leadership will be passed onto the good hands of
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

From all of us, we can only say thank you very much Dr Mahathir for your
inspiration, understanding and leadership – and a very good 22 years.

Just
outside the porch of his Putrajaya house, however, is a small pond where he
keeps Japanese carp. Pak Lah makes it a point to briefly look at the fishes
each time he comes home from work.

For
visitors to Abdullah's house, they know the symbolic difference – there are
fish that fight among themselves and those that know the meaning of
togetherness.

Abdullah,
as he has consistently done, sent a loud reminder to Umno members yesterday
evening when he opened the Youth, Wanita and Puteri general assemblies at PWTC.

''Today,
Malays do not prioritise unity. Anything can divide them. Jostling for
positions in the party, unfounded accusations against the leadership, disappointment
for not receiving business opportunities, incitement by opposition parties, and
a false sense of security.

''That
is not all. There are the small fry, or low-level leaders without any record of
service to the party and country but who behave like big fish. Then, there are
others who constantly complain their containers are too small for them.

''These
are the members who feel the party membership is a passport, even a right, to
contracts, positions and titles. The culture, unfortunately, has become
entrenched in Umno,'' he said.

''Umno,
formed to fight for the country's independence, is in danger of becoming a rich
man's club if urgent steps are not taken to re-invent itself.''

Abdullah
said that this included renewed commitment and dedication to the party's cause.

''For
how long does Umno want to tolerate having members with such shallow
attitudes?''

These
are certainly strong words from a politician regarded as mild-mannered.

Umno
members, used to the niceties of Pak Lah, must have been taken aback by his
unusually harsh words.

Those
close to him offered reasons for such a speech. One was the constant
politicking among party leaders as the leadership transition took place.

Over
the past week, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah voiced fears that
party leaders would jostle for the deputy president's post after the latter
took over the party leadership.

The
bitter experience of Umno being deregistered in 1988 after Tengku Razaleigh
Hamzah fought Dr Mahathir is fresh in the minds of party members.

Unless
Umno members take the wake-up call seriously, the party will find its clout
seriously eroded if members continue to put personal interests above that of
the party.

But
there is hope. With its voice of moderation, Umno is looked up to, not just by
Malays, but by Malaysians of all races and religions, who believe there is no
place for extremism and fanaticism.

Since
the formation of the Alliance and its successor the Barisan, the country's
three main parties – Umno, MCA and MIC – have committed themselves to the
politics of consensus and proven that the sharing of power has worked well.

Many
Umno members, particularly those in the rural heartland, have remained true to
the struggles of the party, believing the party remains the best choice.

''I
believe there are many Umno members who do not hold titles, who do not hold
positions, who do not have any special standing, who have never set foot in
this hall, let alone meet the prime minister, who possess the greatest loyalty
to the party, and a pure and profound belief in our struggle,'' said Abdullah.

The
ocean is big, and with over two million Umno members, there is plenty of good
talent to choose from, but the troublemakers, who put personal interests first,
will need to be contained.

The complainants argue that the columbarium would not fit
into the environment because Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, formerly Northam Road,
has been promoted as a tourist district.

Among the landmarks in the area are the E & O Hotel, City Bayview Hotel, the
Homestead, which was the home of the late Yeap Chor Ee who founded Ban Hin Lee
Bank, and the late Loh Boon Siew's mansion.

The protesting businessmen and residents want to know why the council did not
bother to seek their views as adjoining property owners and whether an impact
study was carried out.

Regarded as the Golden Mile of Penang, the businessmen there fear that property
values would drop once the columbarium is built and the area might eventually
be known as the Memorial Mile. They want to the columbarium to be sited
elsewhere on the island or the mainland preferably near a crematorium, in line
with the environmental character of such areas.

A memorandum, which includes the signatures of some well-connected businessmen
in Kuala Lumpur, has been sent to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi.

Those who feel that these businessmen are over-reacting have said the
columbarium would, in fact, be merely an extension of the Christian cemetery
where the founder of Penang, Captain Francis Light, is buried. The tomb of
Thomas Leonowen – the husband of Anna, the tutor of King Mongkut's children,
who was portrayed in the movie Anna and The King – is also at the
cemetery.

Critics of the project say that although the cemetery is rich in history, the
state government has failed to exploit its tourism potential. They add that it
could not be regarded as an extension of the columbarium because the last
recorded burial was in 1894.

Defenders of the project point out that the columbarium – to be known as the
House of Remembrance – would not affect the aesthetic beauty of the area
because its facade looks like a five-star hotel.

From artist impressions, the columbarium certainly looks classy with shiny
marble floors and fountains at the lobby and other parts of the building. Under
the project, the old Shih Chung school would be incorporated into the new
building and thus help stop heritage buildings from being torn down.

The columbarium, argue the defenders, would not affect the cultural value of Penang
and may even become a tourist attraction if it was properly maintained, like
the Nirwana Memorial Park in Semenyih, Selangor.

The council can expect plenty of questions from Penangites: would hotel guests
want to see funeral services conducted near the columbarium, no matter how well
maintained it would be? That aside, during the annual Qing Ming (All Souls'
Day) festival, the area would be jammed with traffic, even with an underground
car park.

Last week, state executive councillor Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan said the project
had been approved and the question of review did not arise. Earlier, the
council's planning and development chairman Tan Hiap Seng said the developer
had complied with the requirements to build the vault to hold the urns and that
approval was given last year.

The developer, Stamford Raffles By The Sea Sdn Bhd, has not commented on the
project despite its magnitude.

The site was originally owned by Cheah Tek Soon, a prominent 19th century
figure after whom Tek Soon Street was named. The island's first four-storey
private residence was built there before 1893 and later acquired by businessman
Tye Yee Koon who turned it into a hotel. It has appeared in old postcards as
''Bellevue Hotel'' and ''Raffles By The Sea.'' The site was later occupied by
Shih Chung school which was founded in 1908.

For the council to keep silent on the project when a controversy is raging is
poor urban management. If it feels strongly that it is right in approving the
columbarium, then it should explain the rationale to Penangites.

Surely there must be merits to the building of a columbarium, given the
shortage of land on the island. Despite the negative perception of such a
project, it certainly fulfils the needs of the people.

However, the council should not give the impression that it does not owe
Penangites an explanation. The trouble with many state and council leaders is
they forget that their salaries come from taxpayers.

Penang has lost its shine over the years because of poor urban planning and
lack of vision. The people of Penang deserve to have a say in how they want the
city to be run.

Thus, some officials have treated their municipalities as
their fiefdom, subtly reminding the Local Government and Housing Ministry that
it only has a policy-making role despite being a federal entity.

As minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting says, the rules are there but the problem
begins at the implementation stage especially when rules are interpreted to
suit the council, or the officials.

In fact, at one time, many municipal council presidents' posts were held by the
mentris besar or chief ministers themselves.

Unlike other government agencies, the local governments have plenty of cash as
they collect revenue in various forms such as assessment rates, parking fees
and summonses.

In affluent areas, we sometimes see these councils spending taxpayers' money on
so-called beautification projects but which actually brought the
opposite.

The Subang Jaya Municipal Council, one of the richest councils, spent RM3mil to
build the Millennium Square, with some steel replicas of palm trees and a pond
squeezed into it — hardly the tourist attraction the council tried to spin to
justify this wastage.

But the main complaints of ordinary Malaysians are basically the failure of
councils to do a decent job in keeping their residential areas clean.

They want their rubbish collected, the streets properly lit, the grass properly
cut, the wet markets clean and playing fields available for our children to
spend their time.

For traders and businessmen, they want the enforcement officers to be fair.
Many of us must have, at one time or another, seen how high-handed these
officers can be in dealing with unlicensed traders.

We must have wondered why no action was taken against restaurant owners who
placed their tables on parking lots when motorists, just down the road, are
fined when their meters run out of parking time.

No one can fault ordinary Malaysians if they suspect these officials of being
corrupt. The saddest part is that councils are acting against these errant
restaurateurs only after a fatal car accident in Petaling Jaya.

We are talking about making Malaysia a developed nation but our city officials
are certainly not doing what they are supposedly paid to do.

Forget about living in well-managed cities like those in Australia and Canada.
You can choose to live in Putrajaya, where 70% of the land is earmarked for
parks, gardens, open spaces and lakes if we want quality of living.

For the rest of us, we have to live with our councils which are doing a lousy
job in grappling with problems like flash floods, illegal building extensions,
cleanliness, maintenance, traffic jams and the ubiquitous hawkers.

Even the cleanliness in affluent Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur, billed as the
alternate Bangsar, is fast deteriorating as its popularity grows.

You only have to stroll along the sidewalks to see rubbish strewn around, the
stench and the rats in the back lanes. Parking is, of course, a serious problem
and it makes us wonder how so many buildings can be approved when there is
insufficient parking space.

Our council officials can expect Malaysians to check on them. With Malaysians
travelling more and becoming more educated, our councillors would have to
reinvent themselves to meet rising expectations.

They should be prepared to be questioned over their actions. Their legitimacy,
accountability and transparency will always be the basis by which we judge
their ability to manage urban problems.

There have been suggestions that councillors should be elected instead of
appointed. It may be democratically attractive but it may not necessarily be workable,
especially if the Federal Government is run by another political party.

Let us also not assume that opposition politicians are angels. In Kelantan and
Terengganu, we have seen how the PAS-run councils have imposed outrageous rules
such as segregation of the sexes in supermarket checkouts, cinemas and even
Ferris-wheel rides.

According to urban planner Dr Goh Ban Lee, the Penang Island City Council,
under the Socialist Front in 1963, refused to celebrate Malaysia Day because it
considered the formation of Malaysia a form of neo-colonialism.

The council was subsequently suspended by the Alliance government and the state
secretary took over the council's administration. The two parties also spent
their time fighting each other instead of solving the people's problems.

It's time the Federal Government take away some of the powers of the councils
as well as lift the shroud of secrecy surrounding council meetings.

If parliamentary and senate meetings are open to the press, why should the
councils be exempted? If some mentris besar are now opening their doors once a
week to the people, why should council presidents be exempted?

If the telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of elected representatives in
Selangor are put up on billboards, why can't the senior officials and
councillors follow suit?

The job of running a city now no longer just require officials with urban
management background but those who will not be tempted to put their hand into
the kitty.