New licences for new year

New licences for new year

WITH immediate effect, all hair salons, beauty centres, massage parlours and cyber cafes in Petaling Jaya will have to make fresh applications for licences if they want to continue operations next year.

Instead of the normal annual re-newal of the licences for these businesses this year, the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) now requires the operators to submit completely fresh applications, accompanied by deposits of between RM1,000 and RM10,000. This means that building renovation plans must also be attached to the applications.

Another new requirement is the compulsory registration of customers of their names, identity card numbers, nationality and addresses. The records must be available for inspection by council officers at any time.

Hassle for customers: Customers of hair salons will need to register their names, identity card numbers, nationality and addresses.

Massage businesses operated by the blind are not exempted from ruling. They would have to pay a RM1,000 deposit to get their licen-ces. The normal massage parlours and spa centres have to deposit RM10,000 each for their licences.

Several hair salon and massage parlour owners have approached StarMetro to complain about the financial burden and inconvenience caused by the new ruling. None of them, however, was willing to be identified for fear of being victimised or blacklisted by the council.

“We have been in business for the past 10 years and all this while we have only been paying for our licen-ce. So, why do they want us to pay a deposit now?” a hair salon owner said.

Fresh applications for licences needed: Massage centres will have to deposit between RM1,000 and RM10,000.

He produced a letter from the council dated Nov 23, telling the business owners to comply with the rules before Nov 27.

“If we are renting the premises from the council, then I understand the need to pay a deposit but they don’t even give a reason for the deposit. So now, I will have RM1,000 locked away so long as I’m in business. That’s not fair and it is a burden on my business,” he said.

On the registration of customers, the operators are worried that walk-in customers would find it a hassle to provide all the details required. Some may object to the registration and stop frequenting their shops.

A council licensing department officer said, however, that hair salons would not need to get all the details but just the names and identity card numbers of their customers.

The officer said a more detailed explanation on the requirement would be given to business operators when they send in their fresh applications for the licences.

When contacted, Kampung Tunku assemblyman and MBPJ councillor Datuk Dr Wong Sai Hou said the new ruling was implemented because there were new bylaws passed by the state for all municipal councils to follow.

“The problem isn’t with the policy but with the way the licensing department is implementing it,” Dr Wong said.

Wong said he had received several complaints on the matter, as the department was asking businesses to submit a fresh application, which would require all documents like renovation plans and floor plans.

“The issue is with the circular by the licensing department. The councillors were only involved in debating on the policy. The implementation process is left to the departments,” Dr Wong said.

“I feel there can be some improvement. I will ask for a review of the need to submit the full documentation to the council because all it really needs is the floor plans to calculate how much to charge the businesses,” he said.

On the matter of deposit, Dr Wong said it was to ensure the cleanliness of the business premises as per the new guidelines from the state government.

He said that if businesses found it unreasonable, they could appeal for a review from the council.

What is happening folks?

Malaysiakini Winds Of Change

Ganesan Doraisamy in the letters column of Malaysiakini has some very strong words for S.Samy Vellu and his entourage of super duper politicians who cannot, in good conscience stand the scrutiny of the Indians. The devil must disclose the details, he says in this letter and I think the Superman has conveniently “suthu-raan” (spin) the community he is supposed to protect.
The Indians all along know the devious ways this man holds on to his Presidency. Anyone in his way is sacrificed as a lamb led to be slaughtered. Remember people like Govindarajan, Pandithan and Subramaniam. They were rolled over and crushed.

We had two ministers in Parliament at one time. Samy Vellu could not stomach any MIC stalwart in the august house. Indian representation was reduced. Samy wanted to be the King of all that he surveyed and he got it.

Maika shares, was there any final solution to it, in spite of assurances given.

He can’t be unseated, his backing from his cronies is beyond understanding. All under him are blue-eyed boys of his creation. Any one stepping aside feels the full brunt of his attack. Sometimes, I wonder how his under lings can tolerate him. Tolerate they must, otherwise they are reduced to individual insignificant citizens.

Samy Vellu is never defeated. He will with all the opposition, stand in Sungei Siput and win. The machinery that works behind him well is oiled, greased and kept at a very high level of preparedness. I only pity the under lings wherever they may stand.

Hindraf has arrived to challenge MIC and although the former is a green horn, the highest sympathy the Indians have for them is beyond doubt. They may not shout and scream in Parliament but at the least any Indian can bring forth their grouse to have a decent hearing and work within the law to find a solution. Too much of dependence on this Indian party MIC – MIC is Sami and Sami is MIC, is a waste. In any case whatever power Samy had is in tatters at present. See here and here.

Hindraf My Response

Have you read the Malaysiakini interview of Uthayakumar.

The explanation given by Uthayakumar can be satisfactory or not, depending on which of the fence you are in.

But what I can I do? Being one in the group, what reaction is politic. Have I to join the majority so that I can be saved from criticism? 35 people are languishing in prison cells and will be there until January next. Can I in sincerity disown everything and feel smug that I have done the right thing. Do I say that this is not my battle and divert my attention to other matters.

Before I go on, this is an imaginary conversations via the new telephone line that MIC has promised us. I find it worth quoting.  This comes from Avacado Gado-Gado another blogger.

Caller 1: My son got 5 A’s in his SPM, but failed to get place in UTM for even a diploma course. My neighbor, a non-Indian, managed to get a place in a degree course although he got only 2 A’s. How is that possible?

Caller 2: Sale of samsu is rampant in our estate. Many families are suffering when the head of the family becomes addicted to this poison. Can the MIC urge the government to take this issue seriously and ban the sale and consumption of samsu, similar to what they have done for ganja and other illicit drugs?

Caller 3: I just graduated and would like to join the public sector. However, I don’t see any Indian director-generals anywhere. This has demotivated me from joining the government sector. I want to work hard and reach the top. What can MIC do to remove this glass ceiling that discourages me and other Indians from joining the public sector?

Caller 4: I am in Form 6. I miss my Malay friends who were with me in Form 5. Most of them are now pursuing their studies overseas with government loans or scholarships. Can the MIC urge the government to send me also? I want to be with my friends again. Don’t worry, my SPM results are as good as theirs.

Caller 5: I will be sitting for my PMR examinations next year. I live in an estate where the electricity is generated using a generator. The power goes off at 9 p.m., just when I am about to do my homework, and study for my exams. After school, I need to take care of my siblings and do household chores since both my parents work as rubber-tappers and are not home. Can the MIC do something to extend the power up to 12 midnight, so that I can study hard for a brighter future than my parents?

Caller 6: Whatever happened to M. Magendren and N. Mohandas, the first Malaysians to conquer Mt. Everest? Abdul Malik Mydin was made a Datuk for swimming across the English Channel. Why weren’t these two heroes given the Datuk title? Don’t tell me swimming across the channel is more difficult then reaching the Everest summit. Please right the wrong, MIC. It is better late than never.

Caller 7: My mom was born in Malaysia before 1957. She still has a red IC as she is only a permanent resident and not a citizen. I heard the government has been giving citizenships to Indonesians who not only came here recently, but were also not born in Malaysia. Is this true? If yes, what can MIC do to help? She sent her application 9 years ago, and until today, nobody has touched her file.

Caller 8: I am calling from Malacca. It is insulting to have a place named Tg. Keling here after 50 years of independence. The government has changed many street and town names which hint that we were once colonized by the Mat Sallehs. Why not change the name of Tg. Keling too since the “K” word is disrespectful to the Indians?

Earlier on I was talking about Hindraf, but now, the telephone conversations come to bread and butter issues of everyday happening. Do I, afraid of repercussions, sweep it under the carpet and pretend it did not happen to me. What about Revathi, Francis Udayappan and others. What if they are my kin and neighbors. Still adamant, do I say, it is not I or my family.

What next. I shall migrate. Where do I go. This is my country. Isolate, run away, pretend, do anything but don’t get involved. It gets risky.

The more I find excuses to divert my attention the more I am losing my identity. How are my descendents going to fare.

No Sir, no. I am an Indian and that is it. I cannot change. What my people go through affects me. I am not doing this to win fame but this is a duty I have to perform.

I am not violent, never was. I can only convince my fellow Indian friends, of the plight, and how we can unite not to go against and do anything illegal. Word must spread wide and far where every Indian is convinced changes must come and we cannot depend on our present leaders. There is no guarantee this will be a bed of roses, but the least, I can I say I tried. My conscience is clear.

Uthayakuma in his conversion had this to say.  Anybody and everybody can criticise. They should have come up with constructive criticism saying ‘don’t walk on a Sunday,” this is what you should do.

Comments are welcome. Complimentary or otherwise. I won’t be offended.

The Sri Periyachi Amman Temple Malacca

There was some buzz going around that another temple had been torn. This was during the last 2 days. The temple referred to was the Sri Periyachi Amman Temple in Tambak Paya Village, Malacca.

Malaysian Indian Net had reported this on 1st August 2007 i.e. 6 months ago. After this there was silence. Can Malacca folks confirm,.