Here's wishing all my Muslim friends a Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir & Batin.

An auspicious day for DAP - the launch of the first Malay-led and Malay majority branch

It was a momentous day for DAP for on 09/09/09, the first all Malay DAP branch was formed in Kampong Lembah Kinrara. Our sassy MP, Tony Pua [MP for PJ Utara] and the DAP councillor from Majlis Daerah Kuala Selangor, Sdr Azli Idris, were there to grace the occasion.

For more information on the occasion, please read here.

Negara Ku [My Country]

The last time I sang the "Negara Ku" was during the last school assembly of the year in 1965 when I was in Form 5. After that I went on to sit for the Senior Cambridge exam and then left school. It was during my school going years that so much pride was felt whenever the song was sung, and I always felt that we could do no wrong as a nation because my classmates came from all races and religions. The only race we often talked about was the human race. Since then, I have never sung the song, not because I didn't want to but because there was no inspiration to.

However, September 16 2009 changed everything. To celebrate Malaysia Day, many bloggers have taken the liberty to include in their blogs video clips of "Negara Ku". Such camaraderie made me feel good to be a Malaysian again.

So let's hear our Negara Ku again.

A Christmas wish

"Dear God, this Christmas, please send clothes for all those poor ladies in Daddy's computer,

Amen."

The Launching of the Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia initiative

Blogger and lawyer, Haris Ibrahim, wrote in his blog, "The People's Parlament" :

On Wednesday, 16th September, 2009, Hari Malaysia, my friends and I who have been working on the Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia initiative will launch the same.

At the Rumah Anak Bangsa Malaysia, No.66, Lorong Setiabistari 1, Bukit Damansara.

Don’t know where that is?

No problem.

The map is HERE.

We’ll share with you what took us almost two months to put together : the Anak Bangsa Malaysia Charter.

We’ll launch our website.

And we’ll share with you our plans to take the message of One People, One Nation far and wide.

We’d like to see you at the launch.

If you’re joining us, please note that registration of attendees starts at 6pm.

The launch presentation is slotted to take off at 6.30pm, followed with a press conference and thereafter the sharing of a simple buka puasa meal with all those present.

We’re catering food.

Not a whole lot of food because, quite honestly, we haven’t got much money.

Truth is I’m hoping that we won’t have enough food for all of you who turn up, because that might mean we underestimated the numbers who care.

Should that happen, I’m banking on the love, tenderness and respect that I am certain you will all bring to the Rumah more than making up for any lack of food.

SABM T-shirts and badges and buttons will be on sale so don’t forget to bring your money which, I will shamelessly tell you, we need to push our programs forward.

Please treat this post as a personal invitation from my friends and I to you.

Happy Malaysia Day!!!!

Today is Malaysia Day. From the north of Perlis to the south of Johore, and to the east of Sarawak and Sabah, we stand together as one nation. We are anak bangsa Malaysia. Let's stand and sing our national anthem, Negara Ku.

A glimpse into the future of a united nation.

Good news for the disableds

[Please click on image to enlarge. Picture courtesy of The Star]

This is another effort by the Selangor state government, this time to ease the burden of the handicaps.

Special stickers for the disabled, enabling them to park their vehicles for free in public car parks all over Selangor can now be obtained from their respective local authorities. The state government has printed 500 of these stickers for each local authority in the state.

It is issued free to those with various types of disabilities, nerve disorders, those with children with learning disabilities and those with a combination of several disabilities. However, the blind and deaf do not qualify.

Kajang municipal councillor, Lee Learn Eng, clarified that the disabled could approach only one local authority for the special sticker and its validity would expire at the end of 2010.

"There are two types of stickers - one which can displayed in vehicles, and the other, a mobile sticker for them to use if they intend to travel in other vehicles."

"The stickers have multi-coloured dots visible only under utlra-violet rays to prevent forgery, " he said said at a press conference at Menara MPKj on Friday.

"To register for the stickers, we need a photocopy of the individual's MyKad, OKU card issued by the Welfare Department, driving licence and two passport-sized photographs.

Lee said the free parking facility was applicable only to the disabled and not their family members and friends. Misuse of the stickers will result in the respective local authority issueing parking summons.

So far, 10 of the special stickers have been issued by the MPKj. Those intending to apply for the stickers are urged to visit the council's Community Service Department on Level 6.

Also present at the press conference were councillors Ong Seng Peng and P Narayanan.

[Source: The Star, Sept 12 2009]

Samy Vellu and the RM9 million Telekom shares

Want to know what happened to the RM9 million Telekom shares which were meant for the impoverished Indians? Read here and here.on how the shares were hijacked. I just feel so sorry for the Indians in MIC who are led by their noses by a leader they considered God.

The great Samy Vellu

And still MIC Indians listen to this man ... aiyoh-yoh

The Hindu temple demolition, so who is lying, Samy or Khir Toyo?

Monday Humour

NO SPEAK DE ENGLISH

A bus stops and two Italian men get on. They sit down and engage in an animated conversation. The lady sitting next to them ignores them at first, but her attention is galvanized when she overhears one of them say the following. "Emma comes first. Den I come. Den two asses come together. I come once more. Two asses, they come together again. I come again and pee twice. Then I come one lasta time. The lady can't take this any more. "You foul-mouthed sex obsessed pig!" She retorted indignantly. 'In this country, we don't speak aloud in public places about our sex lives."

"Hey, coola down lady", said the man. "Who talkin' about sex? I'm justa tellin' my frienda how to spell 'Mississippi".

Bet you're going to read this again!

And to my good friend, Antonio - grazie!

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So, it was revealed on September 10 that Mirzan Mahathir, the eldest son of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, was recently appointed to the board of San Miguel Corp, the biggest food and beverage conglomerate in the Philippines and the owner of San Miguel Brewery Inc.. [A Muslim involved in the beer business? How can that be? It is so so so against the religion, mah!]

Anyway, after the appointment, he decided to make a trip to Hong Kong. In the evening, as part of his market research, he visited a bar to look for himself how the Hongkies consume his product. As he sat at the bar, he ordered a pilsner of San Miguel. The bar tender said, "No problem, boss!" Now you must understand the way the Hongkies speak and understand English. The next thing, Mirzan found a voluptuous girl standing next to him and smiling seductively. He asked the bar tender, "What is this? I ordered a San Miguel beer and you got me this person!" The bar tender quickly apologise, "Sorry boss, I thought you meant 'send me a girl'" [Got it?]

Doesn't our sassy MP look pretty?

Teresa Kok, our sassy MP for Puchong wrote this account of her berbuka puasa at the Masjid Al-Ehsan Mosque in Bandar Kinrara.

Today is 12th September 2009, the first anniversary of my ISA detention due to the false accusations thrown at me by UMNO Selangor members whyo alleged that I had forbidden the azan call for prayer at the Masjid Al-Ehsan at Bandar Kinrara, Puchong.

The accusations were proven false when the chairman of the mosque at the time, Haji Abdul Rahman, stepped forward to deny the accusations when I was under ISA detention. Nevertheless, I was kept in solitary confinement under ISA for a week.

As soon as I was released from ISA detention last year, I had the desire to visit the mosque and express my thanks and gratitude to Haji Abdul Rahman. However, I was told that the committee of the Masjid Al Ehsan was under strong pressure by UMNO at the time due to the courageous and truthful statement made by Haji Abdul Rahman tersebut. Thus, I was not able to enter the mosque.

Last night, on 11 September 2009, I was able to step foot into Masjid Al-Ehsan in Bandar Kinrara for the first time, thanks to the assistance of my PKR and PAS friends in Puchong, and held a break-fast-banquet with the local Muslims.

I was very happy to meet the now former chairman of the mosque Haji Abdul Rahman during the break-fast-banquet organised by Pakatan Rakyat Puchong. Once again, I expressed my gratitude to him.

At this event, I used my DUN allocation to gave financial aid to 15 surau and 4 mosques located in Puchong.

I took a photo with the imam, the mosque chairman and the representatives of the mosques/surau, the councilors of MPSJ and the leaders of Pakatan Puchong after disbursing the aid to the suraus and mosques in Puchong.

In addition, I also gave financial aid to those in need.

In my speech, I said that the use of ISA against me shows that this law can easily be abused by those in power and are irresponsible. I also said that my detention shows that the police had arrested me without having conducted a prior investigation.

This is the YDP of PAS Puchong, Tuan Haji Mohd Sofien Ismail. When I had shared with him that I had not been able to enter Masjid Al-Ehsan, he assisted me by contacting the mosque committee and helped me organise this break-fast-banquet.

The lady on the left is Puan Hanim, the leader of the Muslim women of PAS Puchong. She has been a great help to me in organising break-fast-banquets in Puchong, including this very one at Masjid Al-Ehsan.

Here is a photo of the Muslims saying their prayers after breaking fast.

I am very thankful to the Lord and to my Muslim friends in Pakatan Puchong who have helped me to fulfill my intention to hold a break-fast-banquet at Masjid Al-Ehsan on the first anniversary of my ISA detention.

On this day of the first anniversary, I pray that ISA will not be used by the Barisan Nasional government and police any more. And that this cruel and unjust law will be repealed by the government and our Parliament.

Here are the photos of the event :

Geronimo's Take : Look at how gracious PR leaders are in the way they reach out to community of other races and faith. Last year, after the March GE, Dr Hj Dzulkefly Ahmad of PAS and MP for Kuala Selangor, became the first Muslim MP to attend Sunday Easter Mass at the St Paul The Hermit Church in Ijok [read here], whilst his colleague, YB Khalid Samad, joined the Catholics for a normal Sunday Mass at the Church of Divine Mercy in Glenmarie [read here]. All I could say was “WOW!” In the same token, Teresa too has done the right thing with our Muslim brethren. Congratulations!