Compiled by SIM LEOi LEOI, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN

       TRADERS and shop owners at Melaka’s Little India were disgruntled at not being invited to the opening ceremony for the newly renovated decorative arch at the entrance, Makkal Osai reported.

       Traders’ association president V. Saravanan said they were informed that the event in Jalan Bendahara would take place in conjunction with the Deepavali festival.

       However, the shop owners were surprised to see what appeared to be a hastily arranged officiating ceremony for the arch, as none of them had been notified or invited to the event prior to that, he said.

       The Malaysian-Indian community and business owners in the area were delighted when the arch was given a RM2mil makeover featuring a design representing Indian culture.

       The report also quoted a former member of the Melaka City Council expressing their disappointment in seeing an important landmark being officiated without community representation or any fanfare.

       Others who spoke to the daily said the refurbishment was made possible with the cooperation of the community, business owners and political leaders across the spectrum but the ceremony excluded everyone in the end.

       > Even flood rescue efforts in Tamil Nadu could not escape political division when a group of BJP party members were chased away from Chief Minister MK Stalin’s constituency, the daily also reported.

       The party members were visiting Kolathur, one of the areas affected by the state-wide floods.

       Their leader Annamalai told the media after going on an apparent fact-finding mission that they were prevented from carrying out any rescue efforts and were chased away by Stalin’s DMK party members.

       However, Annamalai’s call on all parties to work together during such disasters instead of politicking received brickbats after videos posted online showed his group posing on the boat as victims were struggling through flood waters, and the photographer was heard telling people to clear the area so he could get a clear photo.

       Many pointed out that Annamalai himself could also have waded through the waters, and some said he had got into a boat with a family, who had already been rescued, for a photo opportunity.

       The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.