03/10/2026

LYFE SATURDAY | OCT 3, 2026

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(From left) Saksit, theSun general manager of advertising & marketing Irene Tan and Lotus’s Malaysia executive director of corporate services Azliza Baizura Azmel at the event. – THESUNPIC

A record turnout of 5,000 runners gathered at Lotus’s Ara Damansara for the fourth edition of the Lotus’s CCR.

Runners take off at the starting line of CCR’26, competing across the new 21.1km half marathon, as well as 5km and 10km categories.

Lotus’s run raises record RM500,000

S TA R TING with about 1,000 nipah palm trees on a 0.3ha muddy swamp, a local entrepreneur has successfully transformed the difficult-to-cultivate land into a gastronomic destination showcasing nipah sap and traditional Malay heritage. The project, founded by Jamaludin Abd Rahman, 63, in Kampung Bunga Emas Barat, began in 2019 after he found the area unsuitable for paddy cultivation due to its deep, muddy and unstable soil, locally known as jerelus . “Previously, this was abandoned L OTUSS Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Lotus’s Malaysia) last Sunday hosted the fourth edition of the Lotus’s Ceria Charity Run (CCR’26) at Lotus’s Ara Damansara, bringing together 5,000 runners in support of education. This year’s run raised a record RM500,000 for the Lotus’s–Pintar Smart Up School Programme, its highest amount collected since the run’s debut in 2023. Lotus’s Malaysia has partnered with Pintar Foundation since 2016 under its School Adoption Programme, as part of the #KitakanJiran education pillar. Smart Shopper Plus is one of the education programmes under the Lotus’s– Pintar Smart Up School Programme, o Advancing goal to empower 50,000 students nationwide with Pintar

swamp land. If you walked through it, you could easily sink into the mud, so machinery such as tractors and rice harvesters could not enter. Initially, I only dug a pond to rear catfish, but after considering the potential of the land, I decided to gradually plant about 1,000 nipah palms,” he told Bernama during the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia Surreal Experiences Perlis Media Visit Programme organised by Tourism Malaysia. From the initial number, the nipah plantation has now grown to more than 5,000 trees, providing the father teaching students practical money management, and CCR’s proceeds help make these programmes possible. Launched in August 2025, Smart Shopper Plus has since reached 2,394 students across 21 Lotus’s Adopted Schools in seven states, achieving a 96% programme goal completion rate. The one-day workshops on practical financial literacy include modules on needs versus wants, smart budgeting and smart spending. Together, Lotus’s and Pintar Foundation aim to empower 50,000 students nationwide by 2030, with CCR’26’s proceeds helping to accelerate the goal. Each CCR’26 registration contributed RM20 toward the programme, while runners could further support the cause by purchasing a special edition CCR’26 jersey for an additional RM30, with proceeds from both channelled directly into the same cause. Marking a new milestone since its debut in 2023, CCR’26 introduced its first ever 21.1km Competitive Half

Saksit (fourth from right) and team during the symbolic cheque handover of RM500,000 to Pintar Foundation general manager Norzalina Masom (centre) at the Lotus’s CCR’26. – HANDOUT PICS

opportunities for students. Four years later, we’ve raised a record RM500,000 and are one step closer to our goal of empowering 50,000 students nationwide by 2030,” said Lotus’s Malaysia CEO Saksit Panurach.

“What makes CCR special is that every kilometre completed today contributes to a larger purpose. “When we launched this run in 2023, we wanted to create a platform that brings communities together while supporting better

Marathon featuring Men’s and Women’s Open and Veteran categories. The new addition complemented the returning 5km and 10km Shop & Run categories, offering runners of all levels an opportunity to participate.

Nipah transforms wasteland into gastronomic destination

of six with an opportunity to turn land that was previously difficult to cultivate into a new source of economic activity. Jamaludin, who hails from Jerlun, Kedah and is also an artist, said nipah palms take about five years to mature before they can produce sap. He said extracting nipah sap was not a simple process as it required skills and traditional techniques that are increasingly unfamiliar to the public. The process requires meticulous attention, involving techniques such as twisting, wrapping and “tapping” the stalks or fronds at specific intervals and rhythms to allow the sweet sap to drip into collection containers. “Many people assume that the rainy season produces more sap but in fact, nipah sap flows more abundantly and tastes richer and better during the dry season. This is because its deep-rooted system allows it to draw water from deep underground even when the surface soil dries out,” he said. Apart from providing economic value, Jamaludin said planting nipah palms in the area also played a role in conserving the swamp ecosystem, including helping to stabilise the muddy soil and prevent bank erosion, as well as serving as a natural barrier against water overflow.

Jamaludin showing nipah vinegar at his establishment.

The restaurant, which he operates together with his family, also gives visitors the opportunity to enjoy their meals surrounded by nipah palms, while witnessing a demonstration of the traditional nipah sap-tapping process. He said the initiative demonstrated that swamp areas unsuitable for conventional commercial agriculture could still be developed into environmental assets, heritage conservation sites and catalysts for the local economy when managed sustainably.

The nipah harvest is not only used to produce fresh sap but various parts of the palm, particularly its leaves, are also traditionally used by villagers to make roofing and leaf-wrapped cigarettes, helping to preserve aspects of Malay heritage from the past. At Nipah Klasik, the produce and surrounding nipah landscape have been transformed into a gastronomic experience featuring various local dishes such as popiah, keropok lekor and fish otak-otak, which can be enjoyed with fresh nipah sap.

A worker harvests nipah palm flower clusters. – PICS FROM BERNAMA