In Celebrating A PR Victory at Batang Ai

Ngajat - A traditional Iban warrior's welcome dance - here performed by a Malaysian of Chinese cultural heritage from West Malaysian - this is ANAK BANGSA MALAYSIA!!!

My tribute in honour of PR's upcoming victory at Batang Ai - a Victory for Anak Bangsa Malaysia.

from my older files.....

Last night, I had dinner at a Malay café which was located in the compound of the owner’s home. We were seated right infront of the main door of the house. The owner was having some kind of prayer session.

Anyway, visitors were coming to the house. As each group came, we noticed the way the younger ones would go up to the older ones to SALAM them, clasping both hands and bringing it to their lips. Now, it is scenes like this that makes me really and truly proud to be Malaysian.

My dinner friends who normally had negative comments on other cultures commented on the scene. She said; “see, the Malay community still keeps this aspect of their culture. So sad that the Chinese have lost this”.

How true it is. In our multi cultural society, instead of harping on the negative, let us pick up on the positive aspects of each other’s culture and make it a part of our own blend of intercultural mix that we shall call Kebudayaan Malaysia – The Truly Malaysian Culture! It is this soft touches that will bring us forward.

Let us forget the racial bias’ness, negative racial comments etc. I pray that our representatives in the House of Parliament will take note of this and start showing some respect. As our MP’s, people look up to you for leadership.

Name callings cannot be accepted especially from our “leaders” and more so, when in the Honourable House. I think our MP’s are actually cowards because they use the immunity shield of the house to call each other names.

I took offence last week when one MP compared the nuisance in the house to the market. If only the MP can “turun padang” and walk around the market. He would notice that our market folks are about the most polite people around. Everyone is either a “leng loi”, “leng chai” abang, kak; you hear no beruk or monyet from them!

It is thus my wish that this short write-up will bring our attention to the greatness and beauty of the multi cultures in our society. Let us stick to the positives aspects and promote them instead of comparing the negative.

MP’s, please do not compare our markets to the rowdiness of the Parliament. Instead, learn from the market and apply them in Parliament. There is absolutely no harm to call your fellow Parliamentarian, even those from the opposite bench, Saudara/saudari. I always find it rather “strange” to call each other YB??

from my older files.....

I remember that I used to enjoy going to visit my friends living in the kampong located behind our house in Penang. It was a mixed race kampong. We were living in the government bungalows at Lahad Road; our house help, the trishaw pakcik and others were from that kampong.

All the bungalows in the area including the low rise apartments had no fencing. Similarly, the houses in the kampong too did not have any fencing. Most of the time, the doors to our house, as well as to the other houses both the bungalows and those in the kampong were left open. Perhaps this is what Open House really means.

Everything was peaceful; very few cases of housebreaking and theft. As children, we were running in and out of each others homes. We enjoyed our childhood. We were blessed with the life and soul of community living.

I recall how when my friends went through their passage to adulthood ceremony; the circumcision, the other boys were there to lend our moral support. When they had their religious classes, we were hanging around outside waiting for them to finish so we can go back to being the police or thief.

Today, we still have this kampong, community living atmosphere in the cities. We call them apartments or condominiums. The compound are fenced-up with private security guards on duty. Despite the fencing and guards, most of our doors are kept tightly shut with perhaps two or three sets of high quality locks and latches!

We call this progress and development but in truth we are losing our freedom, we are caging ourselves. Our confined space than contributes towards increasing our stress levels and blood pressure. We hardly know our neighbours; and when we do meet them it is just that pretentious smile and a quick hi-bye routine.

Lets ask ourselves; if you are out and something is being delivered to your home, do you have your neighbours telephone number? Can you call him/her to accept the item on your behalf first? Oh, by the way, do you even know who your neighbour is? Sad isn’t it?

I have been going round many apartments and condominiums meeting owners and residents to share information about the formation on the Joint Management Body to manage these properties. I always have the same feeling in these places be it a middle cost apartment or in a high end condominium.

I always get the feeling that many residents are suspicious of each other. Many residents know the face but do not really recall their neighbours name. Infact, if they bump into each other on the streets, they may not acknowledge each other.

Where is that community spirit – that good old kampong, all neighbours are my family feel? I say the fault lies within each and everyone of us. Lets get out of our shell; bring back that glorious good old days of true My Community, My Family. RUKUN TETANGA, Semangat Muhibbah!

from my older files.....

An Open Letter to All Candidates of PRU-12

It has now been over one month since the PRU-12. The Federal and State governments have been formed. However, it is sad to note all kinds of blaming and excuses, analysis and explanations on why some have lost and others won. We read this everyday in all the main stream media as well as in the alternative media in cyberspace.

Whether it is the Barisan National or Pakatan Rakyat ruling, one thing remains; we are still an Asian community with great and admirable culture. One of these is the fact that our culture teaches us to learn from our mistakes. Our culture also teaches us not to gloat over our victories.

Therefore, it is sad to read the news of how our politicians still refuse to admit defeat and learn. Instead, some choose to live in denial. I quote Marina Mahathir in her column: Living in Denial

Denial is a dangerous trait to have because it blinds us to problems we need to confront in order to solve them

To those who lost, dare to admit it, dare to fail. There is absolutely nothing wrong in failure but everything wrong when we do not learn from it. It is only when they learn and change that they may win at the next election!

Similarly, for those who won, that victory comes with a lot of responsibilities. All eyes are on you to perform and deliver. The priority is to deliver first and than to correct the previous mistakes; not fault finding to punish and gain political mileage. The same people that voted you in can also vote you out; and it is these same people who voted you in, who is watching you. You owe it to the rakyat to perform and deliver.

Therefore, I urge all parties to practice our Asian culture; learn from our mistakes and be humble with our victories.

Most important of all, let us move ahead. We cannot afford to have our country to remain on election mode and be static, whilst the rest of the world moves ahead. When this happens, it actually means that we have gone backwards. We cannot afford for this to happen.

So to all elected representatives – even when you have not been sworn-in yet, you have a duty to perform. And you were elected to represent the people, not your political bosses. Get a move on; proof your worth. To those who were not elected this time round, remember, during your campaign, you promised to serve; even in defeat, you can still serve!

Hidup Malaysia, Maju Malaysia! Malaysia-ku Gemilang!

from my older files.....

Mengenai AIR , hak asas warga Kondominium dan Pangsapuri.

Menyediakan bekalan air yang bersih, selamat dan pada kadar yang berpatutan kepada Rakyat adalah menjadi tanggungjawab kerajaan. Di Malaysia, tanggungjawab ini adalah di bawah kerajaan negeri.

Sebagai satu keperluan asas, maka semua perkara berkenaan dengan bekalan air seharusnya disediakan sama rata kepada semua Rakyat. Oleh itu, warga Kondominium dan Pangsapuri berasa kecewa kerana mereka dikehendaki membayar air pada kadar yang lebih tinggi berbanding dengan warga perumahan bertanah (landed property residents). Justeru, mereka telah menubuhkan satu jawatankuasa kerja (CAHC) untuk menyeru dan bekerjasama dengan pihak berkuasa untuk mengatasi masaalah ini.

Sebagai kerajaan yang prihatin dan berjiwa Rakyat, Kerajaan Selangor telah bersetuju bahawa Warga CAHC boleh membayar air pada kadar yang sama dengan warga perumahan bertanah. Walaubagaimanapun, beberapa masaalah pengurusan masih harus dipertimbangkan.

Kerajaan Negeri mencadangkan bahawa Warga CAHC mesti memohon sebagai Individu mengikut Jawatankuasa Kondominium / Pangsapuri berasingan kepada SYABAS untuk akaun individu mengikut unit-unit perumahan berasingan di Kondominium / Pangsapuri tersebut. Tetapi, permohonan ini perlu dipersetujui dan dibuat oleh Syarikat Pengurusan Kondominium dan Pangsapuri itu.

Soalan yang pertama: Mengapakah seorang rakyat perlu memohon untuk mendapatkan HAK ASAS-nya? Kedua: Mengapa pula hak asas ini perlu dipersetujui oleh pihak ketiga (Syarikat Pengurusan Kondominium/Pangsapuri)?

Kami mencadangkan supaya Kerajaan Negeri yang prihatin ini seharusnya, melalui Akta Kerajaan Negeri meluluskan undang-undang supaya semua rakyat tidak kira jenis tempat penginapan persendirian mereka membayar bekalan air pada kadar yang sama. Bagaimanapun, kadar yang lebiih rendah untuk penghuni rumah murah boleh terus diberikan kadar rendah yang sedia ada.

Kini, SYABAS akan mengeluarkan satu bil untuk bekalan air seluruh Kondominium / Pangsapuri kepada syarikat pengurusan. Syarikat itu pula akan menghitung pengunaan bekalan air oleh setiap unit penginapan dalam Kondominium / Pangsapuri tersebut. Perbezaan antara, unit air yang digunakan oleh semua unit individu dengan bil SYABAS menjadi penggunaan bersama (Common Use) dan dibiayai secara purata oleh semua warga tempat tersebut melalui Bayaran Pengurusan Bulanan.

Dalam garis-panduan kerajaan untuk Warga CAHC berhijrah kepada Meter Individu, kadar untuk bekalan air gunasama (Common Use) adalah pada kadar Perdagangan (Commercial Rate). Mengapa pula?

from my older files.....

I refer to the report by Chia Ying in today’s STAR Metro, Lee: Application Not The First. http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/6/25/central/21624396&sec=central

I am absolutely surprised that an ADUN and / or Local Councillor carries so much authority in local governance. The former Subang Jaya assemblyman was quoted as saying; “There was no need for a public hearing as I had rejected it outright then, because it's a waste of public funds and time…….” He was referring to a developer’s proposal to develop a piece of land in USJ6.

My concern is the fact that an Adun / Councillor can make such a decision with no respect to laid down laws and procedures. Is a developer not entitled to a fair hearing also, if his application is submitted according to laid down guidelines?

In the same way, if an Adun / Councillor can reject outright, as boasted by the ex Adun, then he can also approve an application. Perhaps this answers the question on why there is an apparent over-development in Subang Jaya, especially in the Taipan area. Perhaps, Mr Lee could also explain why a development in USJ11 was approved without the affected residents given the opportunity of voicing their concerns in a Public Hearing. Was it also a waste of public funds, since the ADUN believes in the project?

Now I can understand why we have a local council, MPSJ in particular that seems to have little regard for public interest. Their hands are perhaps tied because we had a bunch of “napoleans” breathing down their necks. When the PM mentioned about these Little Napoleans, we had assumed it was the civil servants, but now it seems it is the BN politicians.

May the newly appointed councillors to be sworn in soon, carry out their duties with due respect to the procedures as laid down. No one; residents, developers or investors are above the law – transparency, accountability and good governance are all we ask for – is that too much to expect?

from the files....

Demi Bangsa dan Negara Ku…..

Yes indeed, like many other Malaysians out there, young and old, I am willing to give up my life to defend my country. This is “tanah tumpah nya darah-ku”. This is where I was born, and this is the land I will protect and defend.

When I say, “Saya rela mengorbankan nyawa-ku untuk mempertahankan Bangsa and Negara ku..” the bangsa I mean is BANGSA MALAYSIA! Having been born after 1957, I am a Malaysian in and out. I am ANAK MALAYSIA – 100%, full stop.

Therefore, I make special reservations when we fight for the freedom of the Hindraf 5. I cannot see myself supporting the cause when it is about 5 Indian guys! However, I support the cause that we should get rid of the ISA completely. Therefore, it is not the 5 Hindraf guys freedom but all detainees held under ISA.

In the same way, I fully support Raja Petra – and the fight to abolish the Sedition Act – not for any racially motivated objectives. We defend our rights to Freedom of Speech; the rights of all of us as Bangsa Malaysia living in a free Malaysia. I will lay down my life to protect our rights for the law to protect us, the citizens of this democratic country. I will fight abuses, where politicians from whatever party it is, abuse their positions for their own goals. We as Bangsa Malaysia, cannot accept any situations where the laws are bended or short-circuited for individuals interest as is obvious in the Raja Petra case.

As a proud Bangsa Malaysia, I will not accept when parliamentarians abuse their position of immunity in the house. The people’s representative cannot and must not insult the handicapped and get away with it. Likewise when they are disrespectful to our royalty, they too should be admonished. However, if they use their position and knowledge to advise on the rights of citizen, on the provisions of the constitution; it is their duty. The parliamentarians who instead harp on and turns it into a racial issue, should be “sent to hell” (meaning to have the full extent of the law on them).

Therefore, I laud the call of the Minister to Drop the ‘ketuanan’ issue unless of course the ketuanan is followed by rakyat; ie ketuanan rakyat. Indeed, as Bangsa Malaysia, we defend our rights, Ketuanan Rakyat is paramount – we are the masters of our own Malaysian Race.

The journey is long and winding but it can be reality when we can stand up and walk the talk. Let’s join hands in this long difficult journey for a better tomorrow for our children and their children.

from the files....

I refer to your article in the Metro today:
Councillor questions Hannah Yeoh seating at place reserved for councillors
By STUART MICHAEL

It saddens me that the newly appointed councillor, refered to in the article does not really understand his role and responsibilities. As a councillor, he should concentrate more on his job within the council and community during the meetings than picking on such irrelevant matters.
The fact that an elected representative of the people had taken the effort to sit-in as an observer should be applauded. As a guest at the meeting, the YB or for that matter any other concerned resident, that attends the meetings, should be treated as a guest. In our culture, we treat our guests with respect and will provide them with all necessary necessities to make their visit comfortable.
Therefore, when staff members of the council gave her the seat where a socket is available for her laptop, there is nothing inappropriate about it.
The fact that the councillor brought up the matter, either for reasons of embarassing the YB or whatever reasons, is most inappropriate.
I pray that such incident will not happen again, and that councillors will concentrate on more important matters. The MPSJ council is not a place for playing politics and the role of the councillors is to serve the community. If any councillor feels that they cannot accept such a role and responsibility, ie serving the community; than they should do the right thing and resign. The council is not an avenue for the councillors to glorify themselves or be used as a platform for political advancements.

from my older files.....

(sometime in second quarter 2008)

And finally the Selangor State Assembly members have been sworn in. They are now officially the elected members – the Wakil Rakyat.

Congratulations to all – specially to the New Speaker and Deputy Speaker. Indeed, history has been created. This truly is the change that the Rakyat is looking for when we exercised our vote on 8th March 2008.

The new State government must also remember their role is to serve the Rakyat. Thus it is the welfare of the Rakyat that comes first before anything else. Therefore, the appointments of individuals to positions of responsibility should have this as its priority over and above the political loyalty.

It is therefore most commendable for the Penang Chief Minister to appoint a member from the opposition coalition into some of the state’s agencies. It is putting the people’s welfare first – putting the best man, in his opinion, - for the job.

I sincerely hope the Selangor State Government would also be doing this. Even having a member from BN as councillor in the local governments would be a good thing. It can automatically be a check and balance; good governance and transparency!

We must not forget that we are all human and have our own individual weaknesses. Power can corrupt as we have seen it happen before. We cannot allow that to happen again in our community. Therefore, the new State Government should put in place measures to self-check themselves and what better way than appointing even BN members into the state agencies.

Ultimately, and I repeat it again – it is the welfare of the Rakyat – that is paramount.

It is thus very sad and disappointing to read about the seating arrangements in the Johore State Assembly. Opposition ADUNs were given seats right at the back. We must not forget that Opposition and the Ruling Party, jointly become what we call and respect as Democracy. The Opposition must be given the due respect being a component of Democracy.

The Opposition’s role is the check and balance in the system of democracy. They should rightly be placed right in front, opposite the leaders of the ruling party. If the Johore State Assembly cannot even respect this basic principle, than they have not respected the principles of Democracy: they have not respected the rights of the Rakyat.

Even after 50 years, there is yet so much more for all of us to learn. I am sure I speak for the Rakyat when I say, all is not lost yet! Let’s keep on moving ahead after that giant leap we took on the 8th of March 2008.

BN, PR and the Rakyat, to paraphrase a quote from the Prime Minister, Let’s not work for anyone, but let’s work together; for our nation, our Malaysia.

of Taxis and Call a Cab Services..

Today I did not have a car - out of service.

I planned to use the services of a cab. I needed to get to PJ Sec14 by 2pm so I started to call for a cab from 12:30.

I called two companies, but no cab available and I kept trying both companies for over an hour. Each time I called, I would be put on hold for at least 2 minutes than to be told that there is no cab in the area.

I got really mad so I told the cab company I will add on RM20 to the fare.......immediately, they told me there is a cab available! That made me even more angry....of course I cancelled it! And they keep calling back saying they have cab available now.

Gosh, is this how our cab services work? The worst is that we always see taxis parked at the bus stops waiting for customers and when approached they will not use their meter and ask for an exhorbitant fare!

And no one can or is doing anything about it......!

The best is yet to come...

One year on……
March 8th 2009, what would have been a significant date for Malaysians in general, passed as quietly as it had come. To many Anak Bangsa Malaysia, it was just another day.
The anniversary of the 8th March 2008 Political Tsunami was not celebrated as much as I would like to have seen. Than again, there was not much to celebrate.
During this year, we witnessed the death of democracy and the voice of the rakyat in Perak. This is particularly sad as I am a proud Perakian. However, I still believe that Democracy can and will be “resurrected” .
Many of my fellow Malaysians have over the many months lamented that “things are not happening even with the Pakatan Rakyat government – what’s happening?”
I questioned the same in the early months after March8th 2008. Than I realized that it is not enough just to complaint – get into it and help get things moving! Initially, I was determined that PR does not keep using the excuse of “we just got in – give us some time” Thus I got myself in and volunteered myself to help in Selangor.
I can honestly state that the PR government is doing their best to get things moving and bring in changes. This is despite the frustrations and sabotages that they have to face even from amongst the civil servants. Nevertheless, one thing is for sure happening – that things are being done in the best interest of the Rakyat in general, with transparency.
Change management is not an easy task to handle. We have a mindset that has developed for over at least one generation – it takes time.
Some of the PR leaders themselves are products of the past 50 year’s thinking and methodology of doing things. All of us,also grew up in this same culture – thus we cannot just expect changes politically. We as concerned citizens and Anak Bangsa Malaysia must also make that commitment within ourselves to change.
From the governance point, PR has appointed a mix of people, both party and from amongst the professionals into the local councils. This is perhaps the first step towards re-introducing Local Government Elections.
Many of us, may not even know of this or understand what it means. The councilors, at this lowest level of governance are doing the best under difficult circumstances. In some local councils we see better results than in others but we keep moving forward.
The politicians at the state and executive levels – some still have the “mind-set” as mentioned above. Instead of allowing the councilors to do their job, they try to “influence” and exert their authority. Can we blame them: they were approached and pressured by the rakyat (their voters) and they must be seen to do something? So it goes back to my earlier argument that we ourselves must change our mindset.
We must put in the effort t o do things in the proper way. That “kau tim” mentality must no longer be practiced. We can and must use our influences in a positive way. More importantly, we must educate others within our circle of influence to do likewise.
Changes must come from the people and not just from the politicians. The rakyat must have the political will to change, we must walk the talk.
First we put our crosses in the ballot paper for change; now let us walk that talk and begin the walk for change.
This is just the beginning, better things are in store; let that change begin with ourselves!

Thinking Malaysians

A blog is supposed to be for one to write his thoughts. However, from time to time, I do the "copy and paste" thing when I read something that reflects what I am thinking. It is an easy way out but for me it is because I have high respect for the fellow blogger and more so the way he has put his thought (our thoughts) in words.

So today, I am copying what RPK has written about education (I confess this is done without his approval). Well, you post it in the blog than it belongs to everyone else now, especially if it is for a fellow blogger and Anak Bangsa Malaysia.

Anyway, thank you Yg Mulia :-)

""On the second news item about the English language, Lam Thye was only half-right. He only spoke about the weak implementation of teaching English for science and maths. Actually, we have a weak education system, full stop.When we stifled the education system by banning students from thinking that was when our education system started going downhill. The Japanese learn in Japanese, the Thais in Thai, the Indonesians in Indonesian, and so on. If you want to go to France to study you need to first learn French. Has using languages other than English ever been a problem for non-English speaking countries?However, in these countries I quoted, they allow students to think. In Malaysia, we do not allow the same. We even have laws that make it a crime for students to get involved in politics.Students must be allowed to think. They must be allowed to dissent if they wish to. Only through activism will students develop. Telling students what they can and cannot think does not help them develop. This is where the problem lies.They can speak Swahili for all I care. But as long as they are allowed to think and can think for themselves then they can develop into the type of people we would like them to. But to treat students as if they were children would mean they would grow up to become children.Innovation can’t be stifled. By stifling the freedom to develop means we are stifling growth itself. And that is why Malaysian students can’t develop. It is not about the language. It is about what we have not allowed them to become.""

Anak Bangsa Malaysia - One Nation, One People

This is one of the cultural events that I enjoy attending.

Inter racial mixes......and more importantly, continuing with our cultural heritage.

Here Anne, wife of YB Sivarasa lighting the oil lamp to launch the Harvest Festival, Ponggol.