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]