Hari Raya Aidilfitri in Malaysia brings many happy memories visiting friends in their homes and enjoying ‘lemang-with chicken rendang or-beef rendang’ - which I always felt to be one of the most delectable festive food in the country. I’ve had the special food in different parts of the country and they all sing the same tune - Delicious.
Chicken Rendang and Beef Rendang are available everywhere at all times, but when it’s accompanied with lemang (usually cooked during festival) - glutinous rice, coconut milk and salt - wrapped with banana leaf and cooked in a bamboo stick over charcoal fire - it’s lips-smacking savory.
Tomorrow (21 March 2026) Malaysian Muslims will celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Eid Al-Fitr) after having fast for 30 days.
Hours of bubbling simmer turns chicken or beef protein soft and tender, taking on an intense aromatics of coconut, chilli, and spices, and in the process the coconut milk dissolves into a nutty, buttery sweetness - ‘the best food in the world’.
During the Open-House function usually held during this Hari Raya Aidilfitri festivity, lemang will surely be served to the guest who visit these homes. - mk
As usual, we remind you to take your Memo Plus Gold daily. It will help to keep you alert and mentally sharp. For more information or to order for Memo Plus Gold, please visit : https://oze.my
A Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) spokesperson said that as of 8am, congestion was concentrated on the East Coast Expressway (LPT) and the North-South Expressway (PLUS), while southern routes remained under control.- BERNAMA PIC
KUALA LUMPUR: Traffic flow on several major highways slowed this morning as the Aidilfitri exodus began ahead of tomorrow's celebrations.
A Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) spokesperson said that as of 8am, congestion was concentrated on the East Coast Expressway (LPT) and the North-South Expressway (PLUS), while southern routes remained under control.
"On the LPT, traffic is slow between Lintang and Bentong due to a surge in vehicle volume. Congestion has also been detected on the KL-Karak Expressway heading east, with a 9.8km crawl from KM48.1 to KM57.9 near Bukit Tinggi.
-Advertisement-
"This is due to a broken-down vehicle obstructing the fast lane along the stretch", he said.
On the PLUS highway, traffic is slow from Kuala Kangsar to Changkat Jering following a trailer breakdown at Km264.4 northbound.
The incident, located between Ipoh Utara and Kuala Kangsar, has blocked the left lane, though traffic remains manageable.
Motorists are advised to plan their journeys and obtain the latest updates via the LLM toll-free line at 1-800-88-7752 to avoid prolonged congestion. - NST
BOOK REVIEW | Some memoirs written these days are not worth the paper they are printed on or the effort made to get it into an e-book format for sale because they are largely self-aggrandisements.
Many writers fail to rise above a flattering tale of how they rose in the world, and let all the experience that they have had - good and bad - fall by the wayside, their handiwork being of no interest or benefit to the reader.
A good memoir has key ingredients. Above all, it must tell a worthwhile story, true to the author’s recollections. It needs to be vibrant, interesting, and captivating, told with candour and honesty to say what most others will refrain from touching. What’s the point, otherwise?
One additional thing which is important to me - it should take you back to times when you have not been around and places you have not visited, and track the changes that have taken place along the way over the years. It’s a tale of recent history - often it’s fascinating.
Umasuthan Kaloo’s book has succeeded on all counts, tying his own story of life, love, and work to the myriad things that were happening around him, going one step further by drawing upon historical facts to flesh out and give substance to his views.
A vivid nostalgic view
He excels in painting a vivid - and often nostalgic - picture of a bygone Malaya where a common bond for the betterment of the country, which united us leading up to and following independence in 1957, has slipped past, largely due to political machinations and neglect.
The author, an engineer and academic turned management consultant, laments the weakening of this glue made of centuries-old mutual respect, lived experience together, and care that held Malayans and subsequently Malaysians together from well before independence.
At 87, he is at a vantage point where the whole development of modern Malaya was unfolding before him.
The value that he brings to the book is to go beyond lamentation and to express how the changes took place, drawing upon his own personal experiences, and how we can change for the better again.
As he says in the preface to the book, tongue in cheek: “My life so far has had its share of great happiness, many disappointments and some modest achievements. I am writing this book to enable those of my vintage to compare notes with my experiences and be happy they did better or be unhappy that they did worse.
“This book is also aimed at those who are younger to have some idea of what could have been and perhaps work towards regaining the ground lost to widespread corruption and greed and ‘make Malaysia great again’”.
Insightful history
I might add here that the young may get an unconventional but insightful history lesson, very different from the textbooks on how the country got here, and how it could have been much better than it is now.
Of particular interest are three main incidents, starting with the Japanese invasion, when Umasuthan was a mere toddler, and then the communist insurgency from 1948 to 1960 and beyond, and the May 13, 1969, engineered (by some accounts) riots, which changed everything through poor and even corrupt implementation of subsequent policies.
Even as this is told, other stories develop in between. In the personal realm, Uma, as his friends call him, is not squeamish and talks about courtship’s pain and pleasures, love and the complexities of falling for a Scottish lass from family and friends on both sides, and how they won out to create meaningful lives for each other.
Umasuthan’s wife, Margaret Ann Kaloo, was one of the founders and the prime moving force for the successful development, despite many hurdles and obstacles, of a private, affordable school which continues to operate to this day, elc International School.
Sadly, Margaret passed away some two years ago.
He talks of his many experiences overseas and how life was in the US and UK then, much of which was positive and hopeful.
A book authored by Umasuthan and his late wife
He describes briefly an overland trip from the UK to Malaysia, getting as far as Bombay (now Mumbai) where it had to be aborted because of time, and the Beetle he drove was shipped to Malaysia.
I first met Umasuthan in 1989 - he was lecturing us in operations research in an MBA external course with the UK’s Cranfield Institute of Technology.
I renewed contact with him a few years ago through a mutual friend.
I found out from this book that he pioneered the external MBA programme in Malaysia about five years earlier, when he was heading management consultants PA. The company ran the Cranfield MBA programme in Kuala Lumpur then.
Umasuthan’s writing style reflects him - direct and straightforward. He neither minces his words nor needlessly embellishes them.
His messages are clear and unambiguous. He has a wry, dry sense of humour which comes through in the book as well.
Lest we think him too critically, he ends the book on a measured, optimistic note. I will end this review by quoting some excerpts from his final chapter.
Not a biography
“This is a memoir, and although it records my life, unlike a biography or autobiography it is not the story of my life.
“It is more to do with the events and environment which have influenced and shaped my life from the years before WWII hit us in Malaya up to the present.”
He talked about what was good: “ …Then came a glorious period of some 20 years of university and employment in a beautiful country where race and religion were not prerequisites for study or work and only ability and effort counted.”
And the change that was taking place: “...It was in the second half of my life that things changed and the country and its people I loved became something to be wary of. This was the beginning of an age of greed, where the pursuit of more money and more power ruled.”
And he ends with a note of cautious optimism: “...The story of our nation is not unique. Civilisations have risen, stumbled and renewed themselves over the centuries. What feels permanent today is often only a passing shadow.
“We were once seen as a model for others, and we may yet surprise ourselves. Perhaps not in my lifetime. If this memoir serves any purpose at all, let it be a reminder that nothing is fixed - neither triumph nor failure.”
“Growing Up In Post-War Malaya” is published by Gerakbudaya Enterprise and sold online and in bookstores for RM68 a copy. - Mkini
P GUNASEGARAM hopes that more golden seniors in a position of knowledge will step up to write their memoirs for the benefit of all Malaysians - honestly, with candour and courage.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
Boxing and football may seem worlds apart, but boxing parlance aptly describes the barrage of blows suffered by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
Two left hooks left the boxer staggering, and despite the trainer’s insistence that there was more fight left, the uppercut sent him crashing to the canvas - a knockout that would end his career.
If the Malaysian football saga was reported like a bout, the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa)’s two blows would have been enough to warrant a strategic retreat.
Yet, FAM’s leaders refused to throw in the towel and instead chose to “go to war” at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), only to be met with an uppercut that left them sprawled on the canvas.
Everyone loves a winner - the sweet taste of glory, the rewards of victory. But failure? Failure flips the script. Friends vanish. Reputation crumbles. Authority is stripped away.
Suddenly, you are the villain. The same fans who cheered now tear you apart. The scrutiny intensifies - especially when the truth about breaking the rules comes to light. There is nowhere to hide.
The entire FAM committee has resigned. But who is really taking the fall?
On March 17, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) found that FAM had violated the rules by fielding ineligible players in two 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers matches last year.
Following the finding, the AFC slapped FAM with a fine of US$50,000 (RM196,000) and nullified Malaysia’s wins in the two matches, which ended with the scores: Malaysia 2-Nepal 0 and Malaysia 4-Vietnam 0.
The AFC disciplinary and ethics committee decided that Malaysia lost 3-0 for both matches, based on Article 25.1 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code.
Govt’s role in citizenship scandal
Even political leaders joined the chorus. PKR Youth chief Kamil Abdul Munim vented his feelings on social media.
“Penyudahnya ‘cekelat angin’,” he said on X, which roughly translates to “We got nothing in the end”.
But Kamil is barking up the wrong tree. He should have sought answers from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whom FAM thanked for “facilitating the citizenship papers” for the seven foreign players.
PKR Youth chief Kamil Abdul Munim
Was it not his party stalwart and Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail who aided in getting citizenship for the seven?
The prime minister also allocated RM30 million for the national football squad. Shouldn’t he and Saifuddin be providing answers instead of maintaining stoic silence, Kamil?
The government was also complicit in the issuance of the false birth certificates and other documents, as confirmed by National Registration Department head honcho Badrul Hisham Alias.
Royal rebuke
But the issue has not ended. They say it never rains, but it pours.
On the heels of the CAS decision two weeks ago, Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim or TMJ, as he is known, has made startling allegations against certain FAM officials - past and present.
The regent claimed he is being made a scapegoat in the scandal and is instead blaming FAM insiders who he claimed had an axe to grind with him over financial matters.
In a post on X, Tunku Ismail claimed that some in FAM had approached him for projects, and to avoid MACC investigations, among others.
These individuals, he claimed, were also unhappy that the government channelled funds directly to the national football team - implying it was because they did not get a cut of the funds.
Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim
In a series of social media posts, he alleged misuse and abuse of power and money. In one, he wrote: “Ask him to explain where the TV rights money and sponsorship money that should have gone to each team that competed for years went? Whose pocket?
“Is he still disappointed that his son does not work for FAM anymore because there were issues with the staff?”
In another post, he slammed a former manager of Harimau Malaya.
Those named have retreated into a cocoon, refusing to comment on the allegations.
Due for an overhaul
Football in Malaysia is not just on the ropes; it’s down for the count. It is a multi-million-ringgit enterprise with large amounts flowing through ticket sales, TV rights, sponsorship, allocations from Fifa, etc.
Rightly, it should be run like a commercial organisation, but this is not the case. It is being run like a family-owned business.
Accountability cannot stop at resignations because they risk becoming a convenient exit - a way for those responsible to slip quietly into the shadows without ever answering for the roles they played.
We need a forensic audit conducted by an independent, third-party body with no ties to FAM, no political affiliations, and no vested interests.
This audit must trace the flow of every single ringgit - from broadcasting rights and sponsorship deals, to government allocations and development funds. It must ask the hard questions: Who approved these deals? Who benefited? And who tried to silence those who raised concerns?
Transparency is not just about opening the books; it is about restoring the faith of millions of Malaysians who love this sport. The fans who pack the stadiums, the children who dream of wearing the Harimau Malaya jersey.
Reforms must follow. Not cosmetic changes, not a reshuffling of the same faces, but a fundamental overhaul of how Malaysian football is governed.
That means stronger oversight, stricter conflict of interest rules, and real consequences for those who abuse their power.
The time for an independent audit is now. Not next month. Not next year. Now.
Because every day we wait, the rot deepens, and the trust of the nation erodes further. Malaysian football has been knocked to the canvas - but whether we get back up depends on whether we dare to clean house, once and for all. - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is an award-winning journalist whose journalistic career has spanned more than five decades. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
