BURGEONING constituencies of fi tness buffs – souls with passion for the great outdoors – could well reduce quantities of negative energy generated by the flawed conduct of politics and strains of city life.

This is in contra-reference to the ‘entrapment’ that plagues collective consciousness in teeming malls, stalled traffic as well as those endless speculations on “imminent” defections of Members of Parliament. So, meet the Frim-landers, a term this column is coining to characterise in one hyphenated word, the growing legion of strenuous outdoor fraternity – those dogged joggers, jungle trekkers, marathon runners, mountain bikers, and by association (although mainly played in converted warehouses) futsal ‘exponents’. The last description takes cognizance of the requirement of very nimble feet and ever gesticulating arms, especially when one is completely drained and wishing for the ball to just go away. Frim is the famed acronym of the Forest Research Institute, Malaysia which is guardian to a 600-hectare enclave of wonderland in Kepong. From 5.30am, individuals with stout lungs and, I dare say benefi ciaries of a refreshing worldview, would be streaming in. They jog past some of the fi nest tree clusters on fl atland, clamber up jungle paths to summits that reach heights of 489 metres, ride their bikes along pretty tough terrain, or just have a picnic or a joyful saunter. On those more torturous walks, one often comes across smiling 70-year-olds politely pausing to create space for you and family to puff and pass, suggesting this geriatrics have been doing this for ages. Overall, the Frim-lander spirit could also be found in the virtues and guts emanating from the likes of 48-year-old Pak Lan, a rotund bank offi cer turning up for futsal at 11pm in PJ on Tuesdays, with the sole intention of bursting the net in spectacular fashion. As a segment, Frim-landers are possibly the fastest growing constituency. Last week, I overheard tales of more women being drawn to futsal – and the attendant aches which, they should be comforted, is nothing more than a healing crisis. A 31-yearold woman accountant and two 25-year-old head turners had gamely made up the numbers when some people could not make the appointed date. More heard. A 38-yearold super busy lady boss had acquired a nice, pronouncedly ladylike bicycle and was joining the “7.30am Group” which schedules to meet at that hour every Friday morning. Members include a 46-year Frim-lander, who is also a twice-a-week futsal player and a CEO who could combine all these and more, like a cycling trip to Bagan Lalang in a day. Whether these wonderful people behave in their eternally energetic manner on the other turfs in life is not immediately known, but the common strands should be good enough a motivation for marketers, pollsters, and political operatives to bookmark this constituency. It is safe to assume that Frim-landers will most defi nitely punish governments that cut hill slopes, or the authorities who are slow in cleansing our rivers or not building huge parks fast enough. It would also be interesting to fi nd out whether the more irascible parliamentarians lead this sort of life or at least are aware of it before making some sweeping deductions on the co-relation between fi tness, outlook and words uttered in distress. Consider this – Frimlanders are highly successful in their careers; the types who start Mondays mapping out weekly goals and key performance indicators neatly, and set off home just after 5 so that they can get started on their exercise regimes. Slices of economic trends can be similarly infl uenced. It makes jobs both with defi nitive hours and fl exi hours as well as those for part-timers most attractive. It is a travesty to suggest that civil servants are all able to disappear before the traffi c gridlock begins as my former colleague Nik, a thoughtful individual, now back at the Economic Planning Unit humbly complains. However, some civil servants do start work at 7.30, opening an opportunity to be home sooner and to join the Frim-landers. It is time parents promote idea of the civil service as a fulfi lling career to their university-going children. They could begin by applying for Public Service Department scholarships. The combined visions of government town planners, forestry offi cers, architects, landscape designers, keepers of our rivers, and parks, have an important part to play in determining the future conduct and patterns of politics, arts, tourism and general discourse, whether they know it or not. I am wondering if they could get together to plan huge parks throughout the country in the fashion that spawns wonderful cities – like Central Park of New York. What about building university towns, ringed by low-rise apartments, populated by high-energy individuals with easy access to beaches, mountains, rivers… The fruits of such thinking will be reaped 100 years from now. The fi rst step is for the Government to acquire land before it gets too expensive. Imagine having 10 Central Parks in Malaysia, a country already blessed with amazing tree cover, webs of rivers and beaches. Ah yes, Frim-land. ● Rashid Yusof, on sabbatical from 24-hour journalism, is looking to dredge up a range of arguments and a smattering of ideas for the public domain. He is a Frimlander, abviously

Source: Malay Mail – May 26, 2008