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The Star Online: Metro: South & East

Simpang Renggam: Down but not out
Government’s housing scheme helps struggling families
Six siblings gaining fame by jamming it out together

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 04:26 PM PDT

KLUANG: For hardcore drug addicts who had undergone rehabilitation process, Simpang Renggam definitely will bring back fond memories.

Many will recall spending their "cold turkey" days at the Simpang Renggam Behavioural Rehabilitation Centre, which is the largest drug rehabilitation centre in Malaysia.

The centre is located along Jalan Renggam, a popular bypass going to Kluang town, opposite the 5th Battalion Royal Malaysia Police General Operation Force.

The old main trunk road in Simpang Renggam used to take the traffic going to through Johor before the opening of the North-South Expressway (NSE) in 1994.

The Simpang Renggam town is easily accessible from the Machap and the Simpang Renggam exits along the NSE as well as via the connecting roads from Ayer Hitam, Kluang and Benut.

Good accessibility aside, bad road condition is one of the problems bogging some villages in and around the Simpang Renggam area such as at Kampung Lapis Hassan.

Cookies making factory worker Samini Omar, 51, said the road upgrading work at the village was best described as "half-baked" as only half the work was done.

"The village road was laid with gravel quite sometime ago but till now the asphalt or bitumen has yet to be laid resulting in uneven road surfaces," she said.

Samini said the uneven road surfaces have caused inconveniences to motorcyclists and children cycling to schools especially on rainy days.

She also wanted more street lights installed at traditional villages as the dark surroundings were not safe especially for women factory workers who leave their houses to work in the night shift.

Samini said the Government should open 1Malaysia shops and clinics in Simpang Renggam for the benefit of low income wage earners.

Samini's workmate Suzainah Samad, 50, from Kampung Parit Salman is more worried of not getting her land title which she has been waiting for over 20 years.

She claimed that about 100 families from the village had submitted their applications for the land title to the Kluang district land office but did not know what happen to them.

"Every time we enquire, an officer tells us that our applications have been forwarded to the Johor Baru land office but until now there is no news," said Suzainah.

She also hoped that more small and medium enterprises (SMEs) would consider setting up operations in Simpang Renggam to create more job opportunities for locals.

Suzainah said Simpang Renggam also needed a public library as locals especially children now have to travel to Kluang library which is about 40km to borrow books.

Photoshop-cum-mobile phone shop assistant Nick Lee, 23, said he was happy living here due to the less stressful environment unlike living in big cities such as Johor Baru or Kuala Lumpur.

He said the presence of foreign workers from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal and Vietnam was good for businesses as they normally patronise mobile phone and sundry shops in the town area.

Separately, Lee said it was timely for Simpang Renggam town to have its own Fire and Rescue station as it is now depending on the fire engines from the Renggam station, about 15km away from the town.

Electrical shop proprietor Ee Ai Lian, 52, from Taman Renggam Jaya wanted the local authority to improve road maintenance in housing estates especially those with potholes.

Apart from potholes, she said criminals now strike even during broad daylight especially targeting housewives while sending or fetching their children from school.

Ee hoped the state government would allocate financial assistance for the building of the new Presbyterian Gloria Church at Jalan Johor-Jalan Simpang Renggam.

"We are grateful to the state government for giving us the 0.40ha state-owned land for the church and we still need between RM800,000 to RM1mil for the project," she said.

Ee said the existing church at Taman Usaha Jaya has been around for 28 years was no longer suitable due to its location in a housing estate.

Lorry driver Subramaniam Arumugam, 35, from the Taman Perumahan Awam Rakyat Renggam said there were not many job opportunities in and around Renggam area.

He said many of Renggam residents either have to go to work in Kluang or Simpang Renggam as Reggam town with 4,000 population is considered a cowboy town.

"Renggam town used to be a vibrant place but now Simpang Renggam town has taken over as there are more economic activities there," said Subramaniam who works in Kluang.

He said the state government should encourage the SMEs to set up operations and developers to build more houses in Renggam which would create economic spill-over to the area.

To supplement the family's income, Subramaniam's wife Rajini Rajendran, 32, is running a stall in front of a Hindu temple selling South Indian savoury snacks such as vadai, magelek and samosa.

She said income from selling the snacks was okay and the stall depended on temple worshippers as well as motorists using Renggam road to go to Kluang.

"Although Renggam is a small town, cases of house breaks-in and motorcycle thefts are quite common here as many drug addicts from outside like to come here due to the laidback environment," said Rajini.

The Simpang Renggam constituency is made up of two state seats – Machap and Layang-Layang with 40,217 voters in the constituency.

Government’s housing scheme helps struggling families

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 04:38 PM PDT

GELANG PATAH: The Federal and Johor Governments will continue to come out with programmes or initiatives to assist Malaysians in the poverty eradication efforts.

Nusajaya assemblyman Datuk Aziz Sapian said reducing the poverty level in the country was an on-going process and not only done when general election is around the corner.

He said since independence, Malaysia had successfully reduced the poverty level in the country and improved the standard of living of many Malaysians.

"Reducing poverty is not an overnight job and while some of the countries are struggling to do it, Malaysia's achievement is quite commendable," said Aziz.

He said this after presenting house keys to poor families in the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat who received new houses or their existing houses had been rebuilt.

At the event, three families from Kampung Baru Muafakat here were selected by the Housing and Local Government and the Village Development Committee (JKKK) to have their houses renovated.

Aziz said as of to date, about 35 families from Kampung Bukit Tempurung, Tiram Duku, Kampung Wawasan Muafakat and Sungai Arang here had benefited from the home improvement scheme.

He said among the agencies involved in the scheme include Risda, the local authority, Orang Asli Department and Mentri Besar's Office.

"Selection of recipients of the programme is done by the JKKK which will forward their names to the participating agencies," added Aziz.

He said among the criteria in choosing the recipients that the household family income should not exceed RM750 monthly and the houses they were staying in were situated on their own land.

Aziz said for those who did not own the land or sitting on someone's land, they would be relocated to the state-owned land where the houses would be built for them.

One of the recipients, fisherman Mohd Salleh Jelani, 64, said he was fortunate to be chosen for the scheme as he could not afford to build a better house for his family.

The family of seven now lives comfortably in a three-room single storey house rebuilt at the cost of RM40,000 on a land belonging to them.

"The new house is much better than our old house which have seen its better days," said Mohd Salleh.

Six siblings gaining fame by jamming it out together

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 04:31 PM PDT

MALACCA: Music runs in their blood. Six sibling who formed a musical group are slowly gaining fame in the local music scene.

The budding and young from Bukit Katil here have called themselves "The Siblings Band" has been rendering mixed repertoires of Malay evergreen to English oldies, modern and rhythmic pop songs.

During their performances, the audience also take interest in twin sister, Aimi Najihah and Aimi Nabihah.

Their older sister, 17-year-old Aimi Zulaikha takes the role of the lead vocalist and at times alternating between younger brothers Muhammad Ariff Haikal, 14, and Muhammad Ariff Hazim,11.

The youngest of the siblings Aimi Batrisyia, 10, is also no novice and bravely struts her talent by playing the ukulele.

The siblings also are multi-talented.

They can play various musical instruments like the double bass, guitar, ukulele, violin and maracas and this captivates the interest of the audience who applaud them for their multi-skills.

The siblings' mother, Noorismazatulaqtar Ismail, 40, said her children, who have been active in music since 2010 never had the inkling of forming a band or performing in front of audience.

"It was Aimi Najihah who first approached her musician father to teach her music.

"Maybe it was curiosity, from there the rest of them also expressed interest in music and started learning together from their father," she said when met here.

Suhaimi Ismail, 38, a self-thought musician who used to be active in the early 90's said in jest that he initially found it noisy and frustrating when all his children came together - all eager to play something from his instruments.

"Being children they were all hyped, excited and even argued who should play which instrument.

"However, I managed to make them realise that they should take music seriously if they really wanted to learn with the condition that they should not neglect their studies and school work," he said.

The siblings made their first public appearance as The Siblings Band in December 2011 at a wedding reception.

Now equipped with some 80 songs in their repertoire, the siblings have embarked on a unique musical journey, taking part in competitions and winning many titles and awards, apart from performing by invitations.

With music arrangement by Suhaimi himself, songs that the siblings sing were very much set apart by their soothing vocal harmonies.

Aimi Zulaikha said their music journey had been fun and was probably the best education and exposure any parents could give outside a home or classroom.

Aimi Nabihah, who often plays the double bass, said she enjoyed every moment performing together with her sisters and brothers.

Violinist Muhammad Ariff Haikal, who performed in an orchestra for the annual Festival Mutiara Seni in Sarawak in December 2012, said he enjoyed doing band gigs and jamming with his siblings, both at home and outside.

"It feels great that other people are happy and amazed with what we can do on stage.

"Music has made our life so different and colourful," said Haikal, who is a student in Sekolah Seni Malaysia Johor Baru, the first art school in Johor.

A shy Aimi Batrisyia who plays the ukulele often gets the most attention from the audience due to her small physique.

"I love it when I get to play the ukulele," she said.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Jumaat, 5 April 2013