Foul!

As published in Malay Mail today   HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol IT was supposed to be another day at work. Instead, I received a rude shock last Thursday from a used car dealer.   “Bro, did you lodge a police report that your car was stolen?” were his first few words on the phone. Car? Police report?   In 2010, I bought a used Mazda RX8. The first owner, a diplomat with the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, shipped the car into the country from Japan. The car was then sold to another man and I was technically the third owner. I had all the paper work, including copies of the AP, and secured a bank loan with ease.   Despite what some may say about the rotary-engine petrol-guzzling beast, it was one of a kind. The annual road tax was only RM70 (due to its 1.3cc engine) and maintaining it was surprisingly cheap. However, I did not do justice to it and decided to let it go in 2014. It was on Dec 22, 2014, when I sold it to a used car dealer. I have been “car-less” since, as I pre

As published in Malay Mail today HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol FOR months they kept him in limbo. Datuk Ong Kim Swee was unsure of his future as his contract with Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was due to end last month. Right after a forgettable outing at last year's Singapore SEA Games, many would have thought it would be the end of the road for the Malacca-born former international.  The Harimau Muda coach, however, remained bullish he was still the best man to coach the senior team. On Monday, the national body named Ong as the new national football coach. He was handed a two-year contract.  It was a dream come true for the 45-year-old who had, on many occasions, declared publicly his desire to occupy the hot seat.  He replaced Dollah Salleh who quit after Harimau Malaya's humiliating 10-0 defeat against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — the worst loss ever recorded by the national team.  Last year was a dark period for Malaysian foo

As published in Mailsport today By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my KUALA LUMPUR — It has been a long agonising wait for Datuk Ong Kim Swee but his dream finally came true after he was named national football coach by FA of Malaysia (FAM) yesterday.   The first person he called to share the good news was his 66-year-old mother, Lee Wee Neo. “She was happy, really happy for me but she quickly reminded me it is not going to be easy and people will have plenty of expectations,” said Kim Swee.   “My family has been my pillar of strength. When things are good, everyone will want to be associated with you but when things don’t go well, the only people you can count on are family.”   The former international, who turned 45 on Dec 11, said it has been a worthwhile wait.  He was kept in limbo for months after FAM remained mum as his contract as the Harimau Muda coach expired last year.   “Yes, I deserve this job. I know some people had called me mad (whe

As published in Malay Mail today By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my KUALA LUMPUR — The government remains unperturbed by negative comments from certain quarters over the country’s economy and is taking steps to improve its coffers, says Deputy Finance minister Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani. Johari downplayed an article by DMS Funds chief executive officer Peter Kohli, which said Malaysia “never really lived up to expectations” and “allegations of rife corruption in the government” were among reasons why investors should steer clear from the country.  The article was published on Nasdaq’s website on Friday. “We’ve heard such stuff from George Soros and other fund managers in the past. We are facing a lot of external factors (contributing to the poor economy), just like many other countries,” Johari said.  “The comment is no different from what we’ve have heard before. It’s a choice of where you put your money.” The Titiwangsa MP said Budget 2016 was presen