A man came up to our office today asking for a cancellation of his local council summon - about RM30.

I told him nicely saying that if we are a good government, we have to honour the law, a crime is a crime and we must pay the penalty. Then he asked for discount, I was thinking if the summon is higher than perhaps it can be considered, but it's only RM30.

I know to some RM30 is a huge sum, but thinking that this guy here drives around in a car (proton), RM30 is probably just a week worth of petrol. He told me he is jobless, but again, I do not think his case warrant a discount. He got upset and walked away angrily.

It's kind of disheartening to know that the council has been directing people up to the EXCO offices to get signatures for discounts (In fact someone came up to our office this week telling us that the police told them to see Lim Guan Eng for a marital abuse case). I think a system need to be put into place for this sort of appeals. One way is for the councils themselves to handle appeal on their summons by setting up a small tribunal/appeal beureau.

And the Rakyat need to know, pls don't expect the MPs or ADUN to help you escape the law. That  may be the old way, but we are in a different age now. We'll look into unfair laws, but once they are laws, pls obey them and if convicted, pls go through the proper channel of appeals.

Signing Forms

Two weeks back, a young man came into our office and asked my boss to sign a recommendation to get a letter of good behaviour from Foreign Ministry to apply for working visa to Taiwan - my boss politely turned down his request because she did not know who is he and when asked to produce documents from work he could not. But none the less, she helped him to make a few calls and spent nearly an hour trying to information for this application to ease his job. Finally the guy got angry coz my boss wouldn't sign for him and stormed out of the office but not before threateningly said "I remember you Ong Kok Fooi!". - applying for letter of good behaviour? I don't think so.

The thing about signing documents by MPs and ADUNs, the people in the old system were used to BN leaders signing documents for them, rightly or wrongly. So now, everyone comes to us to sign their salary forms, their application forms, anything and everything. We would love to serve the people, but please do bear with us and provide proper identification and documenations when asking for certifying signatures and please ensure that you are not making false declaration when you ask us to sign.

Photo courtesy of my friend, Mahin (taken in Penang recently)

Makkal Sakti

It has been a crazy weekends.

First, there was an offer from the new state government to join one of the exco as her "political sexy-tary" or the exco office manager (I still dunno wut exactly is the post, neither did she, we just know it's a lot, and I mean A LOT, of work - we inherited an almost non-functional adminstration 30 years of BN-Gerakan government in Penang). It's pretty confirmed I'll join the exco office to coordinate the youth developement and sports committee, but details will only be known next week when I really submit my CV and go through the employment procedures. I told one of my pastor friends, it's like making a decision to be a pastor...gulp, I mean a pastor in Kampar, not Klang Valley, low pay, lots of work, no big annual bonus. But I am excited with the possibilities and challenges I'll face in my new life with the "gomen".

Secondly, on Saturday, I went snorkelling with JR and my friend Martin from UK. It was a one day trip to Pulau Payar, about 1.5 hours of boat trip off Penang. Got my little tan on the face and upper body, dunno why I can get an even tan though I stripped to my swimming tights to sunbath. Anyway, we had a lot of fun, Martin went scuba diving (which I promise him I'll join him in the next trip if I ever had the opportunity to pick up a diving license) while JR and I went snorkelling, a good part of the morning and a good part of the afternoon after lunch. The trip was kinda expensive even for locals (RM200/person include a not-too-memorable buffet lunch; and RM280 for foreigners include the buffet lunch). Scuba diving is another RM70 for a 45 minutes dive.

I swam in the morning without life jacket - mau jadi hero - but got into some difficulties when JR and I tried to swim from the platform to the beach (close to 1km??). She (didn know how to swim) got panicked halfway when water got into her breathing tube and mask and kicked me and I being very unfit and already exhausted lost balance. I gathered whatever strength I have to "save" here hoping to bounch on her (she was with a life jacket) to swim back to the platform. Fortunately the life guards there were very very sensitive to emergency situations, one of them came swimming towards us with a float, I was really glad. I mean, we tried to maintain calmness but the life guards still managed to smell fish. In our second attempt to cross to the beach after lunch, I wore a life jacket and it was much much easier. Oh, speaking about fish, we saw some sharks, which the locals call "yu bodoh" (stupid sharks, or "you are stupid" depends on how you wanna perceive it). I thought sharks are supposed to be wild predators? But I see ppl swimming around them like they are some little puppies. Martin even told me he was swimming underwater with a FEW sharks. Gulp. dunno.

And on Sunday, I attended DAP's 42nd Anniversary Convention. It was not the huge scale, UMNO general assembly type, but I think almost all the elected representatives came down to grace the events. Our east Malaysian comrades came down as well. I saw Hannah Yeoh up close (but never got to greet her...) but I took picture with someone I respect alot, Dr. Chen Man Hin, one of our founders and one time chairman (now life advisor). I liked what Dr. Chen said, all the leaders and representative must take a vow before god (he's a devoted Catholic) and he quickly added, your respective temples, to serve the people. Wow...that's a strong one. I guess he's probably about 80 if not more, but he still spoke with strength. Also our new YAB Chief Minister reassured the Rakyat and request all DAP members to continue to demonstrate that we are a government for ALL Malaysians, not a racial based government. He wants Penang to be a model state in Malaysia where justice and equity will rule and where our prosperity will be shared by all.

Some of the key points of the speakers (I paraphrase)

Dr. Ramasamy: We are in for a new politic. We will now crush the lies of the UMNO led BN government who said that the DAP cannot rule without facing racial riots and political anarchy.

Chong Eng: No social equality without gender equality.

YAB Lim Guan Eng: We believe the only person able to lead this new era of Malaysia is our alternative Prime Minister, Saudara Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim. (wow!)

After Chow Kon Yeow's speech, JR and I took off to a local mamak at Tanjung Tokong where we met with a bunch of very very cool and enthusiastic Malaysians. We have been communicating for a few months now since before the election through the bangsamalaysiapenang google group. Now we finally meet up to discuss the exciting opportunities for us to further our agenda of a new Bangsa Malaysia with the new politcal climate we are in. Ong Boon Keong wrote about it and some photos can be found here

We realized that our current representation is not ideal. There were no Malay in the core group and all of us are committed to invite our Malay friends to join us. Hopefully this will kick off and will steer our nation into realizing the dreams of Dato Onn Jaafar of seeing a trully bangsa Malaysia. We have made plans with the task of defining bangsa Malaysia highest on the list, promoting our googlegroup forum, and plans to create a blog and hold another big scale gathering (the last was well attended with 200 plus participants), dialogues with the civil society and the state government etc. These are huge ambitions we realized, but even with our baby steps, we believe in the power of the people. Especially since after March 8th. Makkal Sakti!

We ended today with a short meeting with Chong Eng and Lydia (my future boss, the only lady state exco!) in our BM office. Both looked very tired and they need to go into office very early tomorrow. I think I will have a tough job keeping up with Lydia, she's hyper. Super duper hyper.

No photos on the Pulau Payar trip and the 42nd Anniversary yet...wait lah till i can sort them out.

JR wanted to start a photo blog and she needed money to buy a good camera. If anyone wanna sponsor, contact me through facebook. ;)

What an experience!

The result has yet to come out but so far, the news is on the Net. We have won Penang! Barisan Rakyat; DAP-PKR-PAS. I hope the official result will come out soon.

All the struggles of BERSIH, HINDRAF, all the sweat and blood of our civil right leaders and our Barisan Rakyat leaders paid off. The People's voice is loud and clear, we want Change!

Throughout the last two weeks, I have experienced many news things, from strategizing on internet campaign to campaign visits at wet markets to party meetings (wow! the realpolitik is eye opening) to giving political ceramahs gulp (up to three ceramahs a night!) to becoming a polling agent and counting agent. Too many thoughts now to digest, the excitement is overwhelming me as we are all kept in suspense of the official results.

My amateruish political ceramah - this one is at Tmn Permata

Check out me guest blogging at chongeng.org on polling day stuff:

Poll Day 1: The Day http://chongeng.org/wordpress/?p=138

Poll Day 2: Clean and Fair http://chongeng.org/wordpress/?p=139

Poll Day 3: On Duty http://chongeng.org/wordpress/?p=140

Poll Day 4: Show Me the Money... http://chongeng.org/wordpress/?p=141

Poll Day 5: Back to the Battleground http://chongeng.org/wordpress/?p=142

Poll Day 6: Waiting for the Curtain! http://chongeng.org/wordpress/?p=143

Some photos of Bkt. Mertajam DAP soon-to-be wakil rakyats:

With Lydia Ong, Berapit soon-to-be ADUN at a ceramah

With Michael Tan (right), soon-to-be Padang Lallang ADUN

With Chong Eng, the comeback MP of Bkt Mertajam

Ah...Nomination Day!

May peace, justice and truth prevails...

Pray hard for those of you going to Church this morning.

I am off now...

Rah Rah Rah! Chong Eng for Bkt. Mertajam (chongeng.org). DAP for Bkt Mertajam!

I am touched by Uncle Kit's passionate and yet no-nonsense defence of DAP's and his personal stance against the mindless political rhetorics "Lim Kit Siang-Lim Guan Eng father-son dynasty" of Gerakan heads.

The full text is available on his blog here. It was part of his speech at the DAP Penang CNY open house last Sunday. Please read it, never have I seen anything more genuine from a politician in Malaysia.

I think this summarized the not only Lim Kit Siang's struggle, but also the struggle of DAP membership, top-down:

First of all, I do not want to use the word “proud” but let me state that Guan Eng and I have nothing to be ashamed in dedicating the best part of our lives to the betterment of the nation and people to promote democracy, forge international competitiveness, fight injustice and inequality regardless of race, religion or region.

Although both of us paid a heavy price for our political beliefs and convictions, this is the expression of our love and loyalty to Malaysia!

We are not like other father-and-sons in the political arena as we are not in politics for wealth, position or titles.

We are not in politics for wealth, position or titles.

Ten years down the road, I may perhaps change my mind about DAP, but today, I put my heart and my hand with the Party because I strongly believe that "we are not in politics for wealth, position or titles" is indeed the deep sentiment of DAP's leaders and members.

Never a Party so consistent in its struggle for a better Malaysia. Never a Party so crowded with people who believe in politics for the goodness of everyone instead of self interest. Never a Party so committed to fighting "injustice and inequality regardless of race, religion or region".

I pray that I will have the courage, determination, high moral and intellect of Lim Kit Siang.

Hidup Lim Kit Siang!