True Scenario.

09 May 2011 - The current hot spell in the peninsula is only temporary and likely to ease from next week, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department. Rising temperatures of up to 36.2 degrees Celsius were caused by tropical storm Aere in northern Philippines that blew hot air to this country. It has reduced the air humidity and rainfall in the region. Meanwhile, the air-conditioners have become the most demanded product at electrical stores in the Klang Valley.

This evening I summoned the air-conditioner Service personnel to service the bedroom split unit which had ran out of its effective cooling capabilities.

As I stepped in into the Mosque for my Maghreb prayer, all the air-conditioner units were switched off and the switches box were under lock and key. Only one man is authorized to unlock the switches box. Anyway, this particular guy is famous for locking. Even at this kind of weather hot and humid the air-conditioner units cannot be operated for the comfort of the Jemaah. The reason given is to save power consumption as the Mosque Committee is running short of fund. They had even provided a special donation box at Friday prayers solely for “power fund” donations. The Air-Conditioner units were installed during the BN era and the Committee then never short of fund to pay electricity bills. We never heard of such donation box before.

Still on the above subject, I noticed several of the units had screwed up. The problem is - the Committee has never service the units or at least someone to clean the unit filters periodically. There is no SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) to the Mosque Caretaker, the Siak. The windows and doors are wide open when the air-conditioners were switched on. I don’t blame the Siak because they are just simple kampong old man and they surely lack the technical knowledge on air- conditioner normal operating procedures. I presume it’s all about the Committee lacking simple management skill.

Lack of fund? The simple formula is budget control. For the month of May 2011 alone, there are thirty six (36) Religious Lecturers organized in the Mosque including several especially for Muslimah. One can become an “Ulamak” if one sit and follow meticulously to all for one (1) solid year. Assuming the payment for each Lecturer is RM 120, the total would be RM 4320 per month. The monthly collection monthly from Friday prayers and miscellaneous is about 6 – 7 K only. No argument about the religious lectures, it is good to a certain extend and circumstances but the rate they are being implemented as if the kampong residents are all “jahiliyahs”. Reduction is the simple economics. Two (2) Mosque Treasurers had since resigned.

During the BN era only selected qualified, well learned and non political Religious Lecturers were being invited to the Mosque. They were being sponsored by individuals and simultaneously several Philanthropists were ever willing to perform “amal jariah” to top up the Mosque fund. With the extra fund, the Committee then was even capable of purchasing and installing eight (8) units of split level air-conditioners. The kampong Jemaah then was as Allah fearing as now, perhaps then was even better in all respect in term of harmony, cooperation and inter Jemaah relationships. The Committee was jemaah friendly, receptive to opinion and suggestions. Now we the regular Jemaah don’t even recognize the Jemaah unfamiliar faces that crowd the Mosque to attend certain lecture in session. The lecture tone is synonym to a political campaign during election. Not enough within the Mosque, there is also one every Sunday morning at the Kampong Pasar Tani compound. One can go marketing for kampong vegetables and listen to the latest flaw in SPRM, all under the pretext of Religious Lecture.

The current heat (in the Mosque) will prolong until the next General Election or the selection of New Committees General Meeting, whichever come first.

HOT.