A 40-strong crowd gathered at a community hall in Seksyen 17, Petaling Jaya last Saturday to participate in a barista workshop, the first of its kind to be organised by Bukit Gasing assemblyperson Rajiv Rishyakaran's office, in collaboration with the Barista Guild Asia.
While some were residents of the area, many had travelled from as far as Shah Alam and Bukit Jalil.
Mimi, a homemaker, told Malaysiakini that she made the journey from Bukit Jalil that morning to attend the workshop after hearing about it from a friend.
"I came because I appreciate coffee. This is my second (barista) course. I'm a homemaker, and my children have all grown up, so I thought it would be good to gain a new skill," said the mother of three.
Others had similarly heard about the workshop, which provided an overview of the practice behind coffee making, through social media or word of mouth.
Several workshop participants told Malaysiakini that Rajiv is a familiar face and often visible within the community - with many recognising him upon his short visit to the workshop.
While the workshop was said to have targeted a much younger audience, Vinay, a 40-year-old risk manager, commented that the workshop drew a good mix of the young and old.
"You have the older aunties being kepoh (nosy) and sitting up in the front while the younger ones are in the back. It's catered to the layman, which is also very interesting," he said.
Sisters Tya, 19, and Nureshaa, 24, said that this was their first time joining such a workshop in Bukit Gasing.
"We didn't really know what to expect, but it was a good experience. I think we will come back in the future," said Nureshaa, who recently finished her A-levels.
The brains behind workshops
The barista workshop is hardly the only innovative initiative seen from the Bukit Gasing representative’s office. A litany of community workshops on composting, mobile phone use for the elderly, as well as car maintenance have sprung up during Rajiv's time in office.
This is evident on his social media where such events are posted.
Just this month, Rajiv initiated a new van-hailing service in Petaling Jaya, allowing passengers to travel around the district for only RM1.
In an interview with Malaysiakini, the DAP assemblyperson describes his constituency, which spans roughly 11km, as affluent and has one of the highest numbers of elderly residents in the Klang Valley.
Despite this significant figure, it does not stop the youth in the area from engaging with and contributing to the community.
He told Malaysiakini that the ideas for his programmes often came from the Selangor Local Youth Movement members on his team including the barista workshop.
Interestingly, many working with the Bukit Gasing representative are below 30.
Covid-19 testing initiative
Rajiv said that some of the other ideas for his community initiatives stemmed from his own frustrations with the way things were run.
For instance, he recalled that Covid-19 testing was charged at astronomical prices at the start of the pandemic.
His own experience of needing to get tested following his travels during the 2020 Sabah election, prompted him to explore alternative solutions.
"That led me to look at what could be done. I talked to doctors, I talked to the suppliers of test kits and understood what the Health Ministry requirements were and how we could shape a solution.
"So, a lot (of our ideas) were driven by the problems we faced. It's a combination of everything," said the former engineer.
He reported that there was no need for his office to subsidise the Covid-19 tests - which Rajiv is known around the Klang Valley for - as it was a matter of rearranging how the tests were conducted and coordinating the medical staff, labs, test kits, and venue required for the procedure.
"By reorganising how it was done, we incurred far fewer overheads than most of the private sector conducting Covid-19 tests back then.
"When I launched the RM70 Covid-19 test, it was actually at cost. We didn't earn money from it but we didn't lose any either," he added.
The two-term assemblyperson clarified that despite this, it was not a charity act as all medical staff were paid to perform their duties.
When asked about the funding for such efforts, Rajiv explained that a portion of his annual state allocation goes to managing his office and staff, while another portion is regenerated into community initiatives.
According to the DAP politician, he receives RM800,000 a year in state allocation. - Mkini
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