The Star Online: Metro: South & East
The Star Online: Metro: South & East |
| Posted: 03 Mar 2013 04:59 PM PST THE recently concluded 18th World Kite Festival at Bukit Layang-Layang in Pasir Gudang, Johor saw a mix of old and new participants from Malaysia and 35 other countries. Ukraine, Russia and Zambia were the three new countries taking part in the festival bringing the total number of foreign participants to 236 - and increase of 11 from last year's total. One of the regular faces at the event was New Zealander Peter Lynn, 66, who had taken part in the event since it was first introduced in 1995. "Friendly Malaysians and the kite flying culture are the two things that keep me coming back to Johor every year,'' he said. Lyyn said he had witnessed tremendous changes taking place in Pasir Gudang over the years since coming here for the past 18 years. He added that praises should be given to the organisers for successfully organising such an event as it had helped forge strong bonding among kite flyers from different countries. For Austrian kite flyer Ronald Artzmann, 62, it was his first visit to Malaysia and he decided to attend the event after being coaxed by his friend. He loved the variety of Malaysian cuisines especially the spicy food and looking forward to come back again next year for the same event. Another first timer to the event Alex Shramko, 29, from Ukraine found that the hot weather was challenging for him as it was now winter in his homeland. "But, meeting fellow kite flyers from different countries and sharing ideas and knowledge about kites help me to forget about the heat,'' he said. Shramko said he had made friends with Malaysian kite flyers and was particularly amazed with the wau bulan (local kite) which produced sound when flying high. Apart from watching kites of different shapes, sizes and designs hovering over the Pasir Gudang skies, other side activities organised at the event include kite making competitions, kite making workshops and colouring contest for children. Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar attended the opening ceremony on Feb 23. Also were Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman and the Johor Tourism committee chairman Datuk Hoo Seong Chang. |
| Posted: 03 Mar 2013 05:01 PM PST JOHOR BARU: Business premise such as entertainment outlets, spas, goldsmiths, DVD shops, industrial activities, food and beverage outlets, hotels, petrol kiosks, and even kindergartens that are categorised as "sensitive" and operating under the Johor Baru City Council's (MBJB) jurisdiction, no longer need to get pre-approval for renewing their licences. MBJB mayor Burhan Amin said the move was made after receiving complaints from business operators and owners who claimed there were too many hassles in getting their licences renewed. He said the procedures also involved advertisements including promotional banners and posters promoting their businesses whereby the advertisements would no longer need to be checked by the MBJB. "Many of the business operators had procrastinated in renewing their business licences as they found the procedures too troublesome,'' Burhan said at the MBJB full council meeting recently. He said with the new move, both sensitive and non-sensitive businesses could renew their licences for their operations and advertisements immediately after the expiry date. However, Burhan reminded that the council would not hesitate to revoke their licences if they were found misusing the leniency or did not adhere to the terms and conditions imposed on them. "We hope with the new ruling, businesses will not have any more excuse not to renew their licences on time,'' he added. On a separate note, Burhan said he was confident that the interactive kiosk with panic button installed along Jalan Station in the city centre launched on Feb 25, would help to reduce the crime rate in the city. "We have proposed that more of such kiosks be set up at hotspots around the city centre including at Jalan Trus and Jalan Ungku Puan. "We also suggested to fix a siren at the current kiosk, for when a victim press the panic button the siren should go off and alert members of the public that a crime had just occurred," he said. He also said other than the interactive kiosk under the Safe City initiative, MBJB would brighten up areas here and the housing estates with more high-watts lightings as a crime prevention measure. |
| Posted: 03 Mar 2013 05:03 PM PST JOHOR BARU: The buzzing Tebrau parliamentary area here has gone through massive changes since it first started as a rubber and oil palm plantations in the 1900s. According to local folklore, Tebrau gained its name from "Rumput Tebrau" or "Tiger Grass" plants, which predominantly grows in the area. The whole constituency used to be an active ground where tigers used to roam. Some even say that the late Johor Ruler Sultan Sir Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar himself used to hunt for tigers and other wild animals there. Between 1910 and 1940 however, most of the forest areas were cleared up and replaced with vast rubber plantations introduced by the British colonial authorities. Increase in the trade of rubber, herbs and black pepper also made way for the creation of a mini port in Kangkar Tebrau here. Back then, traders from India and China used to travel all the way to the port in Kangkar Tebrau, which also had its own customs office, immigration centre and police station to keep check on all the tradingactivities. Now, not many residents recall the past times but many are enjoying the repercussions of the steadily growing area. Although many are happy with the developments, residents also hope that the authorities will look into some minor issues to ensure that the area continues to advance in a positive manner. These days the positive growth economically has also brought in a lot of foreigners especially Cambodians, Vietnamese and Bangladesh nationals in the Ulu Tiram area due to the many industries located at the Tebrau Industrial Estate. The Tebrau parliament is carved out of the state seats of Tiram and Puteri Wangsa. Factory worker, Ngoi Chew Foong, 50, said she was happy with the vast developments especially near Mount Austin and Desa Tebrau areas but urged the authorities to ensure that the older housing estates were also upgraded. "I stay in Taman Putri Wangsa and when I first moved in, the place was well managed and clean. "Now I notice several spots which have become unofficial dumping grounds for residents who have no where else to dispose of their trash," she said adding that this could be because rubbish was not collected in time in the area. Ngoi also hoped that more would be done to improve the general condition of the area as the trees were outgrown and the grass growing wild. Shopkeeper, Mohd Nazrul Khaled, 45, said that cleanliness was a major worry especially in the older housing estates within the Tebrau constituency. "Housing developments such as Taman Gunung Emas, Taman Sri Tiram, Taman Ros, Taman Mutiara and Taman Nora are more than 40 years old and not much has changed within those housing estates. "Many have narrow roads, bad drainage systems and lack general facilities such as playgrounds or sport facilities," he said adding that this was why only the older generation continued staying there. Petrol station attendant, Suharti Rahman, 65, said he had noticed that more shops have blossomed in the Tebrau area and this was good as it attracted more people to visit and invest. "We are also happy as we have a new general hospital (Hospital Sultan Ismail) and a major shopping complex (Aeon Tebrau City) which is very convenient for us," he said. He however, said a major issue which needed to be addressed wasto improve the roads which run through the area. "The main road leading to Kota Tinggi is notorious for fatal accidents and although the road has been tarred and widened, potholes and sharp corners continue to be a problem to road users," he said. He added that the authorities also needed to put up more traffic lights and create U-turns for motorists who always end up in major traffic jams along the stretch. Retiree C.S. Benedict, 83, said improvements needed to be made especially with regards to public transportation in the area. "I live in Taman Gunung Emas and find it difficult to get a bus and I'm forced to take a taxi whenever I need to get to the main Tiram town. "Unfortunately, many of these taxi drivers refuse to switch on their meters and I end up paying as much as RM10 for the less than five-minute trip," he said adding that it was a frustrating fact. Benedict said since the last five years, he had seen some positive changes in the Tiram area but these were only minor changes. "The main Tiram town still looks fairly the same for the past 20 years and the town is getting too cramped with people," he said adding that parking was also a nightmare for residents in the area. Accountant, Chua Mei Feng, 32, said she was happy with the new developments near her house in Desa Tebrau here. "I notice that we have many new shops including Tesco Extra and Sunway College Johor Baru which have brought in more young people to the area. "I am also happy with the wide array of high-end restaurants, boutiques, and other shops that have mushroomed here," she said adding that the price of properties near her housing area had also shot up recently. Chua said the only area that still needed to be looked into was the rampant robberies there. "Theives are also attracted to the area because it is buzzing with people and I hope that there will be increased police presence and maybe more police CCTV cameras installed to reduce crime," she said. Auxiliary police officer Lucburn Rajput, 25, said traffic was a major worry especially in the last few years. "I always get stuck in jam and the situation only worsens whenever it rains," he said adding that some of the major roads were also proned to flash floods, which were also a danger to motorists. Lacburn said more needed to be done to improve the bus services within his housing area in Desa Tebrau as there were many residents who rely on public transport there. "I am happy that the whole area has developed over the last five years but I also think that these small things need to be looked into as it causes major inconvenience for the thousands of residents who reside here," he said. The Tebrau parliamentary will be hotly contested by both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat in the coming general election as it is a mixed seat. There are a total of 88,447 voters in the constituency. |
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