Burgers, buttocks, thosai! DIGP orders 'thosai telur'!

First, there were burgers, and then buttocks... and on Sunday there will be thosai.

Taking deputy inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar on his word, a group of vocal Indian NGOs has decided to give out free thosai outside his house, from 10am that day at Jalan 2/7G, Taman Bukit Teratai, Ampang.

Assuring Malaysiakini that it means business, WargaAMAN secretary S Barathidasan said the NGOs would meet tonight to sort out costing and logistics but Barathidasan stressed, it would not be a protest event, nor would it be linked in any way with the 'burger protest' in front of Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan's house last week.

When contacted, he said, "It's actually an awareness campaign. Thosai is healthy food and a common Indian breakfast. We want to promote it."

Barathidasan also said that since Khalid had said that stalls could be set up in front of people's houses, they respected what he said - hence the group chose to set up the stalls outside Khalid's house in Taman Bukit Teratai.

Khalid orders ‘thosai telur’

RK Anand | May 16, 2012

However, the deputy IGP says the area outside his house will not be suitable and suggests that the stall be set up at a nearby field so that a 'thosai carnival' can be held.

PETALING JAYA: Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar has welcomed a NGO’s plan to promote thosai in his residential area.
However, he told FMT that setting up the stall outside his house in Ampang would not be a suitable choice.
“I live in a terrace house, so setting up a stall outside my house will disrupt traffic flow and pose an inconvenience to my neighbours.
“Furthermore, the house is located on a slope, so the pots with the curry and dhal may tilt and spill the contents all over the place,” he joked.
Instead, Khalid, who confessed to being a thosai lover, suggested that the NGO, WargaAMAN, erect the stall at an open field located near his house, which would attract more people.
“I can invite my neighbours and I will also ask my officers to join in as well. We can have a ‘thosai carnival’. But the organiser must ensure that the thosai is delicious,” he said.
Making a personal request, the deputy police chief said he preferred the “thosai telur”, which is made with eggs, and hoped that the organiser would be able to serve this on Sunday.
This afternoon, WargaAMAN secretary S Barathidasan invited the public to participate in the event where piping hot free thosai would be available.
However, he said this was not in reaction to the infamous burger protest held outside Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga’s house last week.
Culinary lessons
The burger protest was organised by a NGO called Malaysia Small and Medium Entrepreneurs Alliance (Ikhlas) who claimed to have incurred massive losses as a result of the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28.
Meanwhile, Khalid also pointed out that he previously explained that no action was taken against the burger protesters because they did not commit any “criminal offence.”
WargaAMAN had said that it chose the deputy police chief’s house because of his statement regarding the protest outside Ambiga’s house.
“Since Khalid said what he said, we chose his house. This is the assurance he gave. Moreover he is the number two cop in the country… it would be safe outside his house,” quipped Barathidasan.
He also stressed that it would not be a protest but more of a thosai promotional event since the dish had been declared a heritage food by the Malaysian Heritage Department.
Apart from free thosai, those attending the event would also receive culinary lessons on how to make the popular Indian dish.