A CHINESE friend of mine this week rued the fact that Ramadan is nearly over (Raya falls on 10 Sept) and she has not gone to a single 'Pasar Ramadan' or Ramadan Bazaar.

These are those ubiquitous afternoon bazaars that pop up in Kuala Lumpur during every fasting month selling all sorts of delectable goodies for people to break fast with.

These range from rainbow-coloured drinks to kuih and jellies to murtabaks, kebabs and char kuay teow.

Almost everything under the sun, basically.

It was then that I suddenly realised that I, myself, have only had the opportunity to go twice this year.

I used to go to bazaars quite a lot during Ramadan, as it was so convenient.

You don't have to slave over a hot stove once you get home from work, and there's so much variety of food to choose from.

 My friend's complaint shows that the Ramadan bazaar is not just for Muslims.

A lot of my non-Muslim friends are fans, and they look forward to this time of the year when food seems to be in abundance.

As my friend indicated, they too, can feel deprived, when they haven't had a chance to visit a bazaar!

But sometimes it's hard to tell which bazaars are the best, and which stalls one should go for. There are plenty of opportunists who hawk mediocre food to take advantage of hungry customers.

This year, a group of Malaysians decided to harness the power of the social media by informing the public of good food stalls at Pasar Ramadans in KL on Twitter and Facebook.

They also have their own website at www.paramkl.com.my, and they provide reviews over the BFM Business Radio Station on frequency 89.9 in KL.

Called ParamKL (short for Pasar Ramadan Kuala Lumpur), they scout out the best places to go and put up mouthwatering reviews and photos online, and even remind folks to bring their own bags and not to be wasteful and buy too much food.

ParamKL has been really handy for people to keep up, not just with the usual bazaars, but also with relatively new bazaars in newly-opened residential areas such as Penchala and Kota Damansara at the far edges of KL.

On their first day on Twitter, they had 200 followers. Now they have over 500. They also encourage members of the public to share reviews.

One of the ParamKL scouts, Diyana Shahrum, updating the @ParamKL twitter account on location PHOTO: Hazlin Hassan

Zain HD, one of the creators of ParamKL, told me: "We felt that there was a void in the social sphere... Every year people go to Pasar Ramadans but nobody knows for sure where to find the specifically good stuff, just as how they know of the good restaurants all year round."

He too noted that the Pasar Ramadan is a universal concept which is not exclusive to Muslims.

'Many non-Muslims also enjoy shopping at Params,' he said.

A non-Muslim friend has been meaning to visit a Param with me after work, but we never seem to be able to get our acts together.

Seeing as there are only a few days left until Raya, we'd best make it soon or we'll have to wait until next year!

ACTIVISTS of an ancient Malay dance form in Malaysia want a 20-year ban on it to be lifted by the conservative Islamic government in Kelantan to save it from impending death.

The Makyong dance form was banned in Kelantan 20 years ago. PHOTO: Zulkifli Mohamad

When the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia won control of northeast Kelantan 20 years ago, it banned the Makyong dance drama that has been practised by the locals for some 800 years.

The dance, which some say began as a folk tradition to pay respect to deities and give thanks for the harvest, commonly pays respect to spirits with an offering followed by dancing and acting.

It was also a form of entertainment, especially in the mainly-rural state, where many villagers toiled in the rice fields. After a hard day’s work, they would gather in front of a makeshift stage built of wood and palm leaves and listen to stories of spiteful princesses, kidnapped queens and courageous princes.

Veteran Makyong activist Rohani Mat Zain, pictured above, can only stage performances in Kelantan behind the authorities' back. PHOTO: Rohani Mat Zain

But in 1990, it was banned by PAS due to its animist elements and worshipping, which are deemed contrary to the teachings of Islam.

Veteran Makyong activist Rohani Mat Zain, 56, said she can only stage performances in the state behind the authorities' back.

Most of the time, she performs in other states. "We have to be very careful if we want to stage the Makyong in Kelantan. It's not allowed," she told The Straits Times.

Ms Rohani, who has been performing Makyong since she was 16, feels that it is time for the ban to be lifted.

She said that there are no longer any elements of worshipping in the dance-drama which began before the arrival of Islam to the region, and has roots in animism, Hinduism and Buddhism.

It is said that some performances in the past involved performers entering a trance-like state.

"But now we don't do that anymore. We begin the dances with Islamic prayers and we take out all the elements of worshipping spirits," she said.

The Makyong is one of Kelantan's oldest traditions and has been recognised as a world heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in 2005.

But the recognition could be too late.

The art is slowly dying due to the ban in Kelantan as well as a lack of interest among the younger generation and the decreasing number of practitioners. Its use of the Kelantanese dialect also makes it less accessible to other audiences.

Nowadays the Makyong is rarely performed at cultural shows and is almost unknown to ordinary Malaysians.

Asian theatre and Makyong expert Prof Ghulam Sarwar Yousof of International Islamic University Malaysia said that the Makyong has too many elements deemed problematic to Islamists.

The lead male role is traditionally played by a female, and all the 12 stories which make up the original repertoire of Makyong dances are about ancient gods, said Ghulam, who submitted the Unesco application for Makyong. Female performers also tend not to have their head or arms covered.

"Changing just one element will not be enough to satisfy the state government. And when you change all the problematic elements, it will no longer be Makyong," he told The Straits Times.

But some believe that Makyong should be allowed to evolve with the times.

Playwright Zulkifli Mohamad of the KL-based Arts Exchange in Asia (Axia), who grew up watching Makyong as a 5-year-old in Kelantan, also feels that the state should lift the ban, and that the federal government needs to do more to promote the art.

"The government should give the freedom to artists to perform however they like," he told The Straits Times.

Mr Zulkifli, who has incorporated elements of Makyong into contemporary plays, said if Makyong must remain as it was hundreds of years ago, "I don't think anything would survive in the next 50 years. I believe in freedom of creativity."

Certainly his "Gebu Gembira" (Flawlessly Merry) play set in the 1940s about a Makyong dancer who has sordid love affairs with a Japanese spy and a British officer, pushes the boundaries for the ancient art form, by using Makyong dance moves and Kelantanese dialect in a modern play.

But another challenge would be getting the younger generation interested, with the advent of satellite television and the Internet.

"It is part of our heritage and culture. But soon all these stories will be lost forever," Prof Ghulam said, adding that the tradition is unappreciated by youths.

Norzizi Zulkifli, 34, a newcomer to the Makyong scene who started teaching the art in Kuala Lumpur last year, said not many are signing up for the classes.

"Even without the ban, the art will likely die. The authorities should just lift the ban," she said.

Kelantan state assemblyman and chair of the state cultural committee Takiyuddin Hassan said he is willing to discuss the matter.

"I am open to any discussion for the sake of this culture and heritage," Datuk Takiyuddin told The Straits Times.

But the Makyong is not the only art banned in Kelantan.

The Wayang Kulit, a form of shadow puppetry, was also banned by PAS because its stories which focused on folklore and mythical characters were seen as un-Islamic. Due to the ban, and a lack of interest from youths, it too is dying a slow death.

In March, Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat said the 20-year-old ban on wayang kulit could be lifted if its players told stories of historical Malay warriors and religious figures instead of "ludicrous" myths.

Contact the author via email: hazlinh@sph.com.sg

The main subject is Natrah, a Dutch girl who was left in the care of a Malay woman after her father was captured by the Japanese during the second World War.

Born Maria Hertogh, she became the subject of bloody riots in Singapore in 1950, following a highly-publicised legal dispute over her custody.

Her biological parents Adrianus Petrus and Adeline Hertogh said that they never meant for Aminah Mohamed to adopt Maria, and that it was only supposed to be for a few days. Aminah alleged that Adeline had given Maria to her for adoption in 1942. Aminah brought Maria up as a Muslim.

When the High Court in Singapore awarded custody of the 13-year-old girl back to the Hertoghs, the ruling ignited three days of riots. Eighteen people were killed and 173 injured.

Being born nearly three decades after the incident, I will probably never know what really transpired. There are various versions and interpretations, depending on who you want to believe.

My mother who went to watch with me, who was a child at the time, says that the musical seemed to stay true to events, as far as she can remember. She recalls that every house in then-Malaya seemed to have photos of Maria and Aminah, so huge was the issue back then.

It must have been tricky for the musical's director Erma Fatima, to try and strike a fine balance between fact and interpretation.

In 1950, Maria was married briefly to an older Malay man named Mansoor Adabi, right in the middle of the legal wrangle. Some have suggested that it was a ploy to prevent her from being sent back to the Netherlands with her parents.

Though she was apparently a willing bride, the two reportedly never consummated the marriage. But the musical chose to play up the contentious "love story" between them from the very first scene. It showed them very much in love, with several romantic scenes.

But it also revealed how a parental custody battle exploded into a tense and bitter tussle between Islam and Christianity, between Malayan nationalists and colonialists.

One line which struck me was uttered by Natrah/Maria, played by Malaysian actress Maya Karin, to Adeline and Aminah: "Both of you are just defending your own egos."

The musical left me with much fodder for thought.

The story of Ms Hertogh still resonates today, as Malaysia continues to struggle with maintaining multiracial and multireligious harmony.

There are still many high-profile cases these days involving religious conversions. Some involve husbands who have converted and converted the children without the wife's consent.

In April, the Malaysian government said it would amend civil marriage laws to ensure that children be raised in the religion that both their parents shared at the time of their marriage. If one spouse converts after the marriage, he or she will not have the right to have the children converted.

The musical, in my opinion, tried to strike some balance. The Malay-Muslim director of Natrah, it seemed to me, had not tried to demonise the Christians — in fact, I did not expect to see a large statue of the Virgin Mary wheeled out onto the stage, in a faithful reenactment of the sensational headlines coming up during the custody battle.

And this was done in a country where religious tolerance has seemed to dive to record lows. A large cross was also displayed in one scene.

The musical didn't, however, show what happened to Maria after she returned to her native Netherlands. She died of leukaemia in Huijbergen, the Netherlands in July. She was 72.

Last month I made my way to Rawang, a town some 50 kilometres from KL city, to meet up with the club founder and some of her followers and family members. It was one of the most unusual interviews I have ever done.

When I arrived, I was taken aback to be greeted by dozens of people. It turns out Madam Hatijah Aam, 55, had gathered most of her husband's 38 children to join us!

"To prove to you that we exist," she laughed.

She is married to Ashaari Muhammad, who has had five wives. One wife has died, and one has been divorced.

His huge clan comprises 38 children, 200 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. All of his children who are married, are in polygamous marriages. The club claims a membership of 300.

The close-knit Ashaari family are based in Rawang, where they run a huge empire of grocery stores, restaurants, publishing companies, clinics and other businesses. Mdm Hatijah says they also have businesses elsewhere in the world such as Australia, Syria and Germany, generating millions of ringgit, which funds their activities.

This is not the first time her family has made headlines. Mr Ashaari was previously known for having led a deviant religious sect that was banned in 1994, due to teachings deemed contrary to the Quran. It was believed to have thousands of followers, including civil servants. The government has said it suspects the polygamy club could be a front for the revival of the religious sect, which Hatijah has denied.

Before the cult was banned, followers wore long flowing robes and turbans for the men, and black robes and face-veils for the women.

But when I met them, Hatijah, Noraziah and their children, wore colourful though modest clothes and headscarves. Their faces were not covered. The children laughed and joked with each other during the interview, like any other family.

ST PHOTO BY: HAZLIN HASSAN

Hatijah sounded persuasive enough, saying polygamy could help solve social ills such as prostitution and adultery. But when I pressed her on how a polygamist might be fair and just to all his wives, and how he is able to provide for all of them equally, she was unable to give solid answers. I said that while Ashaari might be able to provide all of them with comfortable lives due to his profitable businesses, other ordinary men earning meagre salaries, might not. Her answer was just that "God will provide." But the club's brochures do highlight a verse from the Quran that says that if a man fears he is unable to be fair and just to his wives, then he must only marry one.

The clan then proceeded to surprise me at the end of the interview by singing two songs extolling the virtues of polygamy, written by Ashaari himself. After that, some of them departed for Indonesia, where they are setting up a chapter. Although I left not altogether convinced that polygamy was for every man (or woman), they did seem earnest enough. And they certainly welcomed me with much warmth and generosity.

Read Hazlin Hassan's report on More wives = less adultery and prostitution? in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.

By-elections are truly becoming a dime a dozen in Malaysia, amid widespread voter fatigue and apathy.

The ruling Barisan Nasional has won only two out of nine by-elections held so far, but with the opposition in a state of disarray, the BN could still end up with the upper hand.

Now up to eight Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers and two state representatives are likely to lose their seats if they are charged over their participation in illegal assemblies in the past.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat MP Tian Chua was found guilty this month of biting a police officer during an illegal assembly two years ago.

He was fined RM3,000 and jailed for six months. It is unclear if he will be disqualified as a parliamentarian pending an appeal which he has filed.

Any elected representatives jailed for more than a year or fined more than RM2,000 has to vacate their seats and cannot contest in elections for five years after serving the sentence.

Seven of Tian Chua's colleagues could also face similar charges, warned Bersih, a coalition of political parties and NGOs which campaigns for free and fair elections.

They include Azmin Ali (PKR), Sivarasa Rasiah (PKR), N Gobalakrishnan (PKR), Tony Pua (Democratic Action Party), Dzulkefly Ahmad (Parti Islam SeMalaysia), Hatta Ramli (PAS) and Lo' Lo' Ghazali (PAS).

If they all get stiff fines or big jail sentences from the courts, although these perhaps are just a remote possibility, it would mean a big disaster for the opposition.

On paper at least, this means PR could be left with only 74 seats in Parliament, enabling the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) to regain its traditional two-thirds majority. PR currently has 82 seats in the 222-seat Parliament.

Getting back the two-thirds majority - or at least 148 seats - would be a big morale-booster for BN, which is still struggling to win back voter support lost to the opposition in last year's general election.

BN has, in the half century of Malaysia's independence, always won two-thirds majority in Parliament, until the 2008 general elections, which threw up shocking results.

Additionally, an ongoing crackdown by Malaysian graft-busters, which began this week, may also lead to more charges against politicians, and eventually lead to even more by-elections if those involved are found guilty and forced to give up their seats.

On Tuesday, an Umno MP and five others already witnessed corruption charges filed against them by the Malaysia Anti Corruption Commission.

While by-elections have already fatigued Malaysians, the thought of more to come would make them numb.

A NEW system to be implemented here soon could see more Singaporeans paying fines for traffic offences.

Rightly or wrongly, Singaporeans have the unfortunate image of being notorious drivers while on Malaysian roads.

During the long weekend of the Hari Raya celebrations last month, Malaysians took to the roads, to head back to their kampungs and for mini-breaks.

And so did many Singaporeans.

Whether you were on the highway heading north to Penang, or south towards Malacca, one could not help but notice the many Singapore-registered cars alongside the Malaysian ones.

While the sight of Singaporean cars in the country could only mean that Singaporeans were helping in some way to boost the Malaysian economy, not all Malaysians were happy with their presence.

A few complained angrily in the blogosphere, saying that the Singaporean drivers drove like demons, went over the speed limit, tailgated dangerously, and parked at their whims and fancies. This seems to be a perennial problem, and not just exclusive to the Hari Raya period.

Many Malaysians see Singaporeans as driving badly every time they cross the Causeway.

One public relations executive complained on his Facebook account during Hari Raya: "Whenever Singaporeans enter Malaysia, they drive like mad, don't respect our traffic laws at all, especially on the North South Expressway (NSE). Shame on you!" he added.

A fund manager who drove from Kuala Lumpur to Malacca over the Hari Raya holidays said he saw Singapore-registered cars using the emergency lanes on the NSE to avoid the crawl. In Malacca, he saw them parked illegally, taking up an entire lane, while Singaporeans tucked into local specialty "satay celup" at a nearby restaurant.

One Singaporean who works here even admitted to me that he'd driven his car here last week with an expired road tax.

Some say Singaporeans drive badly here because they are unable to do so at home, due to strict enforcement.

Indeed it is hard to enforce traffic rules here, mainly due to a shortage of resources. Even Malaysians tend to flout traffic laws as they think they can get away with it. Drivers who park illegally, speed and sometimes even run a red light are common here. And that's just the cars. The motorcycles are even worse, with cyclists going the wrong way down a street, making illegal turns, not having working lights at night or even donning a helmet.

In any case, some Malaysians feel it is time to act tougher on errant Singaporean drivers. But it is not easy to enforce fines once they cross the Causeway back into the republic.

A traffic police officer who declined to be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media, said that the Malaysian authorities were unable to post summonses to Singaporean addresses. "We haven't got authorisation to obtain the addresses of Singaporean offenders," he told The Straits Times.

At one time, there was a police unit in the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore, for Singaporeans to pay their summonses. But it only managed to last for one month. Singaporeans demanded photographic evidence of their offences but at the same time, did not want to go through the hassle of requesting and paying for the photos.

Still, Singaporeans who are determined to pay their summonses, can go to any police station in Johor and check their records, he said. And offenders who re-enter the country will be screened and stopped at Customs if they have any outstanding summonses.

But the system is evidently not perfect.

An estimated four out of 10 offenders from Singapore actually bother to pay their fines, he said.

But thanks to a new system, Singaporeans may not have to wait until a return trip to Malaysia, to be slapped with a summons.

"We are now starting to implement a new system, the Automated Enforcement System, that uses CCTV on the highways. So if you violate any laws, you can't escape," said the traffic cop.

With the CCTV, it will be easier to catch errant drivers, whether they are locals or foreigners. The cameras will zoom in on your registration number. And while a decision on the method of issuing summonses hasn't been finalised yet, fines will either be issued on-the-spot or on the way out of the country.

According to reports, the unmanned cameras will be located at at least 800 spots around the country.

The system, which is estimated to cost more than RM300 million (S$123 million) can detect drivers who beat traffic lights, overtake on the left or across double lines, tailgate, drive on the emergency lanes and even overload. At present, police use laser digital cameras which have to be manually operated. The drawback is that they cannot be used when it rains. And if three vehicles are speeding at the same time, the device can only capture one vehicle.

The AES has apparently already been used in the US, Britain and Australia.

But most Singaporeans probably need not worry, as they are generally civic-minded, and use seatbelts, said the officer.

"It's just that when they come here, they tend to drive a bit fast because the NSE is 966 kilometres long. In Singapore, they can't go that far on their highways."

IN KUALA LUMPUR

Property prices in Malaysia are too high.

This is the sentiment expressed by the majority of Malaysians surveyed by top property website iProperty.com.

Out of a total of 110 respondents in a first survey, 84.5 per cent felt there was a property surplus.

In a second poll, 39 per cent of 100 respondents said they might buy properties but would wait for prices to fall further. Only 27 per cent felt it is a good time for bargain hunting.

In a third survey of 275 respondents, 58.9 per cent felt that current asking prices were unrealistic.

The results of the three separate polls, undertaken between February 11 and April 14 this year also showed similar results when conducted in Singapore and Hong Kong.

While I can't speak for Singapore nor Hong Kong, I can vouch for the fact that property prices here do seem unrealistically high. Speaking purely from a consumer's point of view, of course.  And I don't feel that this is something new either.

Prices for properties in KL’s most prestigious and desirable locations like Damansara Heights, U-Thant-Ampang, Kenny Hills, Bangsar and in recent years, Mont Kiara – a high-rise luxury condominium enclave on the city fringe - have always been stable and continue to perform well even during economic downturns.

While I was house-hunting just over a year ago, the market was already softening, but I noticed that house agents and home owners were still loathe to adjust their asking prices in tandem with the lack of demand, even in less prestigious addresses.

Case in point. Among the houses I viewed was one 30-year-old semi-detached house in the Taman Tun Dr Ismail suburb. While somewhat upmarket, it was not quite in the same league as Damansara Heights et al, so I could still fantasise about buying a nice bit of property with a decent-sized garden there. Maybe.

The owner's asking price was a little bit higher than what I was willing to pay. Plus the bathrooms desperately needed re-doing and there were some leaks in the ceiling. But the owner, a businessman, was not ready to lower his price. I hear that the house is still on the market today.

OK, so that was before the global economic crisis sparked by the credit crunch fiasco late last year.

But even in late-December last year, property prices still had not fallen by much, with many house buyers prepared to sit it out until prices plunged further. It would seem they are still sitting it out, five months down the road.

A young executive who has been looking for a landed property in KL and neighbouring Selangor for the past few weeks says she feels prices are indeed too high.

"The trouble is that prices have gone down but some house owners still think they can sell their properties at prices at levels before the economic crisis," she complained.

One owner wanted to sell an unrenovated single storey terrace house in the well-established Petaling Jaya suburb at RM410,000 (S$169,693), even though the potential house buyer thought it was only worth about RM300,000. "She is still waiting and no one is interested," she said.

So it would seem that while buyers are waiting for house prices to fall, home owners  are waiting for the one buyer that is willing to pay the price that they are asking for. And they don't seem to mind waiting for one or two years.

While this may seem like a lose-lose chicken and egg sort of scenario, iProperty.com executive chairman Patrick Grove is more optimistic.

"Sellers will eventually lower asking prices when properties have been on the market for too long and the more desperate sellers will definitely do so to realise case for other needs," he said.

"On top of that, there is a huge supply coming onto the market and this will put downward pressure on property prices. Bargain hunters will definitely snap up good deals during this period."

Some industry players however say that from the investors’ point of view, this shows that the property market here is solid.

"For example, there has been no change in the price of terrace houses in Petaling Jaya from before the economic crisis," said property consultant Ho Chin Soon.

He reckons it is still a good time for Malaysians to buy property and that prices could go up.

"During tough times,  investors normally see mountains and cliffs. But there are only undulating hills in Malaysia,’ he said.

THAT TIME of the year has just passed again. The time to hand over a chunk of your salary to the Inland Revenue Board with a heavy heart.

For employees, the deadline was April 30. But for businesses, the self-employed and other independent contractors, they still have until the end  of June.

Many Malaysians, or at least law-abiding tax-paying ones, were shocked to learn recently that at least 900,000 Malaysians are guilty of not paying their taxes.

There were an estimated 2 million people with taxable earnings in the country, but only 1.1 million are currently paying, Deputy Finance Minister Kong Cho Ha told parliament in late March.

He said the IRB was carrying out stricter audits on workers and companies to track down these tax dodgers.

Last year, the country's tax collection reached a record high of RM 90.792 billion, reports said.

But with huge annual income taxes in Malaysia, perhaps it's not surprising that so many try to avoid paying, even if it means risking fines and being barred from travelling overseas.

And many Malaysians do not even qualify to pay taxes. Those earning less than RM2,500 are not taxable, which probably forms the bulk of Malaysian workers.

But back to the tax evaders.

Rightly or wrongly, some people do not like paying their taxes because they feel their tax dollars will be misused by politicians.

Scandals alleging misuse of public funds are aplenty in Malaysia.

This week, the audit report will be out on a white elephant project, the Port Klang Free Zone, which has swallowed billions of ringgit worth of tax monies.

The news is sure to spark anger among the public. The government is due to reveal the audit report on the matter very soon.

Recently, allegations emerged that a politician had squandered public funds to take his family and maid on a first-class holiday to almost every Disneyland theme park in the world, barely-disguised as working trips.

Reports claimed that he blew RM1.7 million on these supposed work trips between 2004 and 2007.

When news of this broke, there was widespread anger expressed by ordinary Malaysians. It was hotly debated on the Internet.

Hafiz Noor Shams, columnist at the influential Malaysian Insider news website wrote a long piece questioning "Why Should We Pay Income Tax To BN?"

He appeared to suggest that Malaysian tax dodgers did so probably because they did not trust the Barisan Nasional-led government.

"Corruption is seen as rampant. Observe the Auditor-General reports highlighting multiple suspicious dealings, which include screwdrivers bought for hundreds of ringgit. Has any action been taken to allay such suspicion? Have any culprits been taken to task? The answer is a resounding no," he wrote.

He goes on to list further examples, including Umno politicians convicted of corruption within their own party but yet still allowed to contest top posts and remain in power.

"So, given the corruption, the abuse of power and disrespect for individual rights, why should taxes be paid by many who are not aligned with the policy of BN?"

I personally know people who, after obediently filing their taxes in April each year, methodically work out the amount of taxes they have to pay for the current year, and pay it in Islamic tithes, widely known as zakat here, instead, so as to avoid paying the government the said amount come next April.

Muslims are already obliged under Islam, to pay tithes annually, depending on how much they can afford to pay.

And in Malaysia, Muslims have the option to deduct their tithe payments, with official receipts from the recognised religious bodies of course, against their total taxes due.

So if you were to owe the government RM3,000 in taxes for example, and worked it out earlier, you then pay RM3,000 in tithes to avoid topping up what to some is "the Barisan Nasional's coffers", rightly or wrongly.

These people feel it would be more honestly spent by the religious authorities instead of the government, as only certain strict categories of people are entitled to receive zakat, including the poor and needy.

Most Malaysians I know do seem weary of paying their taxes like the good citizens they are, and then having to stomach the money scandals that seem to keep cropping up.

"I wish I had a zakat option too!" said one of my non-Muslim friends.

IN KUALA LUMPUR

ASIDE from the daily political drama, there was a slight reprieve today, with some of the focus spotlighted on the top scorers of the Sijil Peperiksaan Malaysia (SPM), or the equivalent of a 'O' Levels examinations.

This year, as ever, there continued to be stars who scored more As than one could shake a stick at.

Nik Nur Madihah Nik Mohd Kamal from the northeastern state of Kelantan is this year's top scorer with 20 As.

The 18-year-old student, whose father is a fisherman and her mother is a cleaner, obtained 19 1As and one 2A.

She credits her success partly to her not missing any tuition classes and group studies organised by her school as she could not afford to take private tuition.

Besides her, there were many other high scorers, including Akira Wong Neng Chun who scored 16 As.

And she is not the first. Previous years have seen many such "stars", including last year's Azali Azlan, who scored 20 1As and one 2A.

But while many look to their success for inspiration, opinions remain divided over how successful they really are, and if the craze over scoring a string of As should be encouraged.

Critics say the scramble for As is unhealthy, and they point out that academic qualifications alone do not quarantee success and that there is more to being a genius than a string of As.

Some think that the government should limit the number of subjects that students can register for, to make more time for extra-curricular activities and to develop soft skills like teamwork.

But others, including parents, believe that the environment has become so competitive that they have no choice but to encourage the children to cram in as many qualifications as they can, in order to have the upper hand, when it comes to applying for scholarships, university places and later on, jobs.

I expect impressive qualifications such as 20 1As would certainly open more doors for you than if you'd only scored a string of mediocre Bs or Cs. Hence the dilemma facing parents and students today, over whether they should jump on the bandwagon at the risk of sacrificing their childhood and youth.

WHAT is the most dangerous occupation in Malaysia? Is it firefighter, construction worker or elephant trainer?

Judging by the past year, the answer seems to be lawmaker.

Since the March general elections last year, there have been three deaths among lawmakers, paving the way for three by-elections, in addition to a seemingly endless wave of other by-elections that have come about for various  reasons apart from death.

The Member of Parliament for Kuala Terengganu in Terengganu state, Datuk Razali Ismail, 59, who was also the Deputy Minister of Education died in November after collapsing while playing badminton in Genting Highlands.

Opposition legislator Roslan Shaharom, 50, of Perak's Bukit Gantang seat, died of a heart attack in February, as he attempted to cycle to a pharmacy after complaining of chest pains. His car was being washed.

The latest death was that of Sarawak assemblyman Datuk Dublin Unting Ingkot, 55, of the remote Batang Ai constituency. He died early on Tuesday due to a stroke after having been in a coma for many months.

The large number of deaths since March seem rather unusual, prompting internet chatter that the last general elections was cursed or jinxed in some way.

Indeed, this would seem to be the most prolonged election campaign ever, stretching out for more than a year by the time the Batang Ai by-election takes place.

A by-election must be held within 60 days of a seat being declared vacant. The Sarawak poll must be held by April 24.

Politicians, political aides and journalists alike are suffering from election fatigue while hotels and restaurants are laughing all the way to the bank due to the block-bookings every time there is a by-election in an otherwise sleepy little nook or corner of the country. 

Over the past four years, there have only been an average of 1.5 by-elections every year. In total, there have been six by-elections between 2004 to 2008.

In contrast, three deaths in one year is double that figure. One can only wonder, somewhat morbidly, as to who will be next.

One reporter remarked to me: "I bet there are lots of MPs out there rushing to get health checks."

Indeed, it might be a good idea for them to avoid strenuous exercise such as tennis and rock-climbing.

Other by-elections that have taken place in the last year or are scheduled for later this year include that of Permatang Pauh in Penang in August which was called after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's wife Wan Azizah Ismail stepped down to make way for him.

In Kedah, Bukit Selambau, a by-election will take place on April 7 after Parti Keadilan Rakyat assemblyman V Arumugam quit over accusations of bigamy.

Two other by-elections could take place in the remote seat of Pensiangan, Sabah amid a dispute over the results last year, and in Bukit Lanjan, Selangor after PKR assemblywoman Elizabeth Wong resigned following the emergence of photos of her in the nude.

Malaysians are bracing themselves for more by-elections to come.