Malaysian Venture Capital Association Talk

I've been invited to give a talk around the topic of entrepreneurship at Malaysian Venture Capital Association's (MVCA) Networking Breakfast. ;) Hence for those who are interested in me discussing non-political issues for a change, you may join the event.

The details are as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Time: 8.30am – 10.30am
Venue: Coffee Pavilion, Securities Commission, Persiaran Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur

For those interested in attending, please contact Pn. Maizatul Ain at (+603)20962094 or via email @ admin(at)mvca.org.my to confirm your seats. The Breakfast session will cost RM30 for MVCA members, and RM50 for non-members.

The programme for the event is as follows:

0830: Registration & Buffet Breakfast
0850: Welcome Remarks by Azam Azman, Chairman MVCA
0900: Presentation by David Fong, CEO, iSpring Venture Management Sdn Bhd
0930: Presentation by Tony Pua, former CEO and founder of SESDAQ-Listed IT company
1000: Q&A & Networking Session
1030: Ends

So for those interested in business and meeting potential venture capitalists, feel free to drop by! See you there! ;)

Hanoi Scenes (I)

Ah, it was in March when I had a short holiday with the family in Hanoi, but heh, heh, I've just only "processed" the pictures we took ;) So here's a selected first set of photos of the scenery in and about Hanoi. The next set will have more pics of me and the family. Enjoy ;)

Legend has it that in the mid-15th century, Heaven gave Emperor Ly Thai To
a magical sword which he used to drive the Chinese out of Vietnam

Thap Rua (Tortoise Tower) in Ho Koan Kiem (Lake of the Restored Sword)
where a tortoise restored the sword to its divine owners

Hanoi Old Quarter, or 36 Pho Puong (36 Streets), with over a thousand years of history
remains one of Vietnam's most lively and unusual places, where you can buy anything
from a gravestone to silk pyjamas

Ho Chi Minh Residence

The neo-Gothic St Joseph's Cathedral (1886)
takes you back to medieval Europe

Buddhist devotees praying at a quaint little temple sandwiched
by a little path between 2 shops along P Nha To. Blink and you'd miss it.

The busy and crowded streets of Hanoi Old Quarter

A dragon-guarded incense holder at the Temple of Literature

The renown Halong Bay was just a tad too far to travel for a short trip to Hanoi,
especially with a 2-year old, so we settled for a day trip to Tam Hoc.

While Halong Bay has huge rock formations jutting out of the sea,
Tam Coc has them jutting out of the rice paddies.

The best way to see Tam Coc is by row-boat on the Ngo Dong River.

A villager tends to the paddy fields. Tam Hoc is a.k.a.
Halong Bay on the rice paddies.

It was a great day for 3 hours of boating as well!

Tam Coc means "3 Caves". The boats actually rows
through the caves, the longest being 127m.

Village houses by the river

Children playing by the river. Tam Hoc is a village near the
town of Ninh Binh, 2 hours south-west of Hanoi.

Dikir Barat

Can you find me? I'm the only Chinese in the picture.
(But I'm certainly not the fairest of them all ;-))

Haven't managed to find the time to blog properly, what with the many Hungry Ghost Festival dinners all around Petaling Jaya being held these two weeks ;-)

But I've just reconnected with a friend from school in Singapore via Facebook and he had some old photos that certainly brought back some sweet memories. The one on top is after a Dikir Barat performance, probably on a cultural performance night(?) in Raffles Junior College while the one below is the combined team photo of all the inter-faculty Malay language debating teams. ;-)

You'd hardpressed to identify me in this photo as the faces are quite small.
I'm sort of the back row, 4th from the left.
I was representing the Arts Faculty which won that year ;-)

Moral Courage

It is of great relief that there are at least ministers with moral courage left in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration. As reported by Malaysiakini, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Bernard Dompok has received rare support from the opposition for breaking ranks on the Islamic state issue.

He argued that the nation’s founders did not have in mind an Islamic state when the Federation of Malaysia was formed in 1963.

“I think my colleagues in the government will forgive me for saying that I will not agree that we are an Islamic state,” added Dompok, who is leader of Sabah’s United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation.

Dompok is the first minister to speak out on the controversial issue after a gag order was issued in wake of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s ‘Malaysia is an Islamic state’ remark two weeks ago.

I must certainly voice my support to Bernard whose demonstration of tremendous moral courage suffered the ignominy of being unreported in any of the muzzled mainstream newspapers.

Malaysia is a "secular state with Islam, the official religion of the country" and not, as otherwise proclaimed as an "Islamic State". And it must remain so until the day our Federal Constitution is amended, if at all.

It is of great regret that the leaders of other major component parties of Barisan Nasional, in particular Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting and Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon have had absolutely nothing to say against Datuk Seri Najib's declaration.

It is clear to me that despite the oft-repeated rhetoric that MCA and Gerakan are parties who will present the conscious of the people to their UMNO counterparts from within BN, they have failed to do so. And if they did indeed make "whispers" to the UMNO leaders, they had shown no moral courage to stand up for the rakyat when their "whispers" are brushed aside with absolute ease. In fact, for even attempting to make "whispers", the 2nd tier leaders in UMNO will reward MCA and Gerakan's effort (if any at all) with stern threats and warnings.

The lack of response to the issue of such importance from Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon and Datuk Seri Samy Vellu, reflects either their agreement with UMNO, or a total lack of moral courage and conviction to stand up for the very rakyat they claim to represent. They are a disgrace to their party, and definitely a disgrace to the people.

It is hence no wonder the anybody, particularly the younger generation, with an independent and critical mind, barring those seeking connections to wealth and power, will steer well clear of these parties. It will also explain with little surprise, Jeff Ooi's decision to dump Gerakan for DAP.

I'd strongly recommend that the leaders of the BN component parties, or any of the country's youth leaders contemplating a political party, to read the above book on "Moral Courage: Taking Action When Your Values Are Put to the Test". Or you can buy it cheaper here @ Amazon.com.

Police Brutality

Does this image look familiar? Well, the last time I saw anything like it, it marked the birth of a new political party, Keadilan. However, it appears that police brutality has not been eliminated off the force much less their ability to respect our basic rights.

Mr Tung Ket Ming, through a relative, took his case to the DAP to complain about police mistreatment. On 18th July, I accompanied Tung to Sentul Police Station to lodge his police report on what happened to him. I spent some 7 hours to assist him to draft his report with my rusty Bahasa Malaysia as well as meeting various officers, where Tung was further questioned by investigating officers. His case was reported in the Chinese dailies, as well as Malaysiakini.

As explained in my Chinese column in Oriental Daily, Tung did not have the support of outspoken political parties and non-governmental organisations behind him to ensure that he remained fairly well-treated while in remand. In contrast, without belittling the intimidating experience Nathaniel Tan underwent, Tung suffered serious abuse by his police handlers.

I displayed Tung's photo to the audience during the forum "No Police State in Blogosphere, In Solidarity with Nathaniel Tan" not to make light of Nat's experience, but to emphasis the fact that for everyone like Nat, there are probably tens of others who have been subjected to serious injustice like Tung.

Tung, who allegedly committed an armed robbery in a mobile phone shop, was arrested at his house, taken to 3-4 different locations and beaten senselessly in each of those locations to extract a confession. He was punched and elbowed in the face, he was whipped with a rubber hose on his soles, his legs, his head and his neck. The police handlers even presented him with flying kungfu kicks. See the full police report below.

And twice when he was presented to the magistrate for remand, he was granted his wish to see a doctor, which was denied by the police in clear contempt of court upon his return to the lock up. Instead on his final evening in the cell, he was taken to a room of 6-7 police officers, including and particularly his investigation officer who was apparently in his 20s, assaulted him again for reporting that he was mistreated by the police to the magistrate.

Photo taken the day after he was released on bail

Tung and his wife was frightened out of their wits about making the police report for they feared further retributions. We had to convince them that the best course of action is to ensure that the report is made and the press alerted to ensure that their case will be taken up by the higher authorities and they will be protected from further uncalled for harrassment. For a few nights after he was released on bail, the couple dared not return to their own house for fear of retribution!

I have since accompanied Tung for 2 sets of identification parade at Sentul Police Station and at the KL Police Headquarters (last Friday and this Monday). He has since identified 5 of the perpetrators. We now await for the Police to take further actions.

This brings me to the question of the setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). Informal chats with the officers in-charge of this case have demonstrated clear difficulties they have in carrying out their tasks for the simple reason that they are stuck between a rock and a very hard place. By acting scrupulously against his fellow police officers, it'll only bring about feelings of discomfort while attempting to make light of the offence will bring injustice to the victim.

If not for the fact that a major political party is pursuing the case, backed by reports in the media (particularly the Chinese media), it will not surprise many if the case is just swept under the carpet.

Where is the IPCMC which was strongly recommended by the Royal Police Commission and what has happened to Pak Lah's repeated promise that it will be set up to ensure a disciplined and efficient police force? Nathaniel's some-kind-of-screwed-up-joke arrest and detention, Tung's inhumane beatings while under remand proves beyond doubt that an IPCMC is absolutely vital to ensure that the very people we have entrusted to preserve law and order in this country, our Royal Police Force are themselves competent, law abiding officers.

Or certainly, a police state, both in blogosphere as well as our physical world will be an inevitable outcome.

The Police Report is as follows:

Repot Polis Bertarikh 18/7/07

Saya, bernama Tong Ket Ming (I/C) beralamat () ingin menyatakan yang berikut:

1. Pada 9/7/2007 lebih kurang pukul 8 malam, 3 orang yang tidak dikenali tanpa uniform telah menggari saya dari alamat di atas dengan secara ganas. Mereka juga kata adalah anggota polis dan menuduh saya terlibat dalam satu kes rompak dengan senjata api pada 28/6/2007.
   
   
2. Mereka paksa saya mengaku kes rompak tersebut tetapi saya enggan.
   
   
3. Seterusnya, mereka membawa saya ke Balai Polis Rawang untuk sekejap masa dengan kereta Pajero berwarna putih bernombor WKN 8234.
   
   
4. Selepas itu, saya dibawa ke Balai Polis yang tidak dikenali di mana saya dipersoalkan di dalam bilik. Pada masa itu, saya diminta mengakui kesalahan, muka dan kepala saya ditumbuk secara keras dengan tangan dan siku oleh ketiga-tiga polis. Perut saya juga ditumbuk secara kuat dengan tangan dan disepak dengan kaki. Apabila saya cuba menghentikan seksaan tersebut, saya dipukul sekali lagi. Muka saya bengkak dan cedera parah. Mulut dan hidung saya juga berdarah.
   
   
5. Selepas itu, saya dibawa ke Balai Polis Selayang, di mana saya dipersoalkan sekali lagi dan diminta mengakui kesalahan. Apabila saya enggan mengakui, saya diseksa sekali lagi. Kali ini, selain daripada ditumbuk, ketiga-tiga polis yang sama memukul kepala, leher, kaki dan tapak kaki saya dengan saluran paip getah berpuluh-puluh kali.
   
   
6. Selepas itu, saya dipindah ke Balai Polis sentul dengan kereta yang sama. Di Balai Polis Sentul, saya diserah kepada pegawai siasatan (“IO”) dan seorang lagi anggota polis. Saya dipersoalkan sekali lagi, diseksa dan dipukul secara keras seluruh badan dengan tangan, siku, saluran paip getah dan kaki terutamanya oleh IO. Saya juga ditendang dengan cara “kungfu” - “flying kick”. Kesemua ini dijalankan di dalam bilik tertutup.
   
   
7. Selepas itu, saya dibawa ke bilik membuat laporan awam dan diminta duduk di atas lantai di hadapan orang ramai. Satu pegawai polis menaip satu laporan (statement) dan selepas itu menyuruh saya menandatangi laporan tersebut. Saya enggan menandatangani laporan tersebut kerana saya langsung tidak boleh membaca dan tidak faham kandungan laporan tersebut. Pegawai tersebut naik darah dan menendang saya secara kuat di hadapan orang ramai. Oleh kerana saya dalam keadaan kesakitan teruk, saya menandatangani laporan tersebut.
   
   
8. Pada pukul lebih kurang 3 pagi, saya dibenarkan menelefon bini saya oleh pihak polis.
   
   
9. Pada malam itu, saya tidur di atas lantai dalam lock up.
   
   
10. Pada pagi 10/7/07 saya dibawa ke mahkamah majistret Jalan Duta dan di remand polis selama 7 hari. Di hadapan hakim, saya meminta saya dapat menjumpai doktor kerana saya kesakitan teruk. Muka saya pun bengkak blue-black dengan teruk sekali. Hakim berkata bahawa dia akan memerintah pihak polis supaya membawa saya ke hospital untuk rawatan. Akan tetapi, saya tidak dapat menjumpai seorang doktor pun.
    
    
11. Pada 16/7/07, sekali lagi saya dibawa ke mahkamah yang sama di mana saya di remand sehari lagi. Apabila hakim menanya kenapa muka saya bengkak dan cedera, saya kata saya dipukul CID. Saya meminta supaya saya dapat menjumpai doktor dan sekali lagi pihak hakim setuju meminta polisberbuat sedemikian. Akan tetapi, sekali lagi, permintaan saya tidak ditunaikan.
    
    
12. Sebaliknya, pada petang 16/7/07, IO membawa saya dari bilik lock up ke sebuah bilik yang lain di mana ada lebih kurang 7 orang lagi anggota polis sedia menunggu. Dalam bilik tersebut, saya dipukul, ditumbuk dan ditendang sekali lagi dengan keras oleh pihak polis dalam bilik tersebut, terutamanya IO dan seorang lagi anggota polis yang tidak dikenali nama. Mereka kata bahawa saya dipukul kerana mengadu ke atas pihak hakim tentang kelakuan polis. Selepas saya dipukul, IO membagi amaran kepada saya bahawa dia akan menyuruh orang luar (bukan polis) mengancam saya bila saya keluar balai polis.
    
    
13. Pada malam tersebut, isteri dan brother-in-law saya tidak dibernarkan berjumpa dengan saya.
    
    
14. Pada petang 17/7/07 lebih kurang pukul 4, saya dijamin oleh isteri saya, ().
    
    
15. Saya meminta supaya pihak polis dapat menjalankan kawat cam (identification parade) dengan segera.

Sometimes I wonder, if he had gone to any of the BN component parties to ask for assistance, what would have been the response they would have received. As I highlighted during my little speech at the forum, it is doing "little" things, helping those suffering from injustices such as this that makes my total switch to a political role a most fruitful and rewarding one. No amount of cash can buy that sort of sense of fulfilment.

Overwhelming Welcome for Jeff

Well, given the "last minute" nature of this announcement (well, it has to be kept in the bag for a while), and the fact that it was a working day, I had expected a turnout of about 30 people for the welcoming party at Food Foundry today. Even late last evening when a few additional people confirmed, I thought the max turnout will be 50 persons. My 30 pax booking for food and coffee should still be able to cope.

Well, the cafe burst at its seams by 10.30 am this morning mostly from fellow bloggers and many many well-wishers. There must have been at least 120 people squeezed into the cafe, or to put it literally, spilled over to the five-foot way and road side as well (thank goodness for the good weather ;)). Foreign and local press turned out in full force as well, with more then 3 TV cameras. Jonathan Kent from BBC was present to tape the event as well.

There was real excitement in the air. The decision to hold the welcome party at the cafe, instead of the party headquarters, which might have been too intimidating for some certainly was a wiser one albeit, a more costly one for the pocket ;)

At the event, DAP Selangor State Chairman, Sdr Ean Yong Hian Wah gave the opening welcome address followed by the party's Secretary General, Sdr Lim Guan Eng. Jeff then gave his much anticipated address, which he did with much aplomb. Finally, Parliamentary Opposition Leader and fellow blogger, Sdr Lim Kit Siang asked for more politicians to blog, and for more bloggers to join the fray.

Following that, Jeff launched his new blog, Jeff 4 Malaysia, which focuses on politics, distinct from his current Screenshots.

Oh, and a BIG thank you to Lulu who treated us to lunch. Eased the expenses for the day a little ;) Thanks also to the staff of Food Foundry who were extremely patient with us as we "turned" the place upside down for 2 hours. ;)

Well, I won't bore you with more details, but I've taken the liberty to quote Jeff's maiden political speech ;)

Beratnya mata memandang. Berat lagi bahu memikul.

TODAY, on the eve of the month we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Merdeka, I am making a political stand by joining the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Looking back at our last 50 years as an independent country, if Malaysia had been a great nation, we should make it greater in the next fifty.

As a Malaysian, as a parent for a school-going child, and as an advocate of New Media who blogs, monitors, and analyses the trends in digital governance and global competitiveness, I have grave concerns for Malaysia.

It is my wish, in the years to come, to participate in the legislative process of Parliamentary Democracy in Malaysia, to share my ideas and to collectively contribute towards making Malaysia a greater country. I hope you, too, will join our clarion call for MALAYSIAN FIRST through DAP.

THINK “MALAYSIAN FIRST”. Counting on the audacity of hope, Malaysia will be a greater nation if only all of us can come together -- irrespective of race, religions and cultures – and share a common will to forge forward globally. We are Malaysians. In things we do, we should place MALAYSIAN FIRST as the top priority.

FOSTER REAL RACIAL INTEGRATION. However, this is not the case for us. The major portion of our first 50 years of nation building, and more so since 2004, has been discoloured with perpetual race-based politics. The term Bangsa Malaysia is but a rhetoric that is overly verbalized, but seldom practiced. We should break down the devil of race-based politics from this Merdeka.

GIVE US GOOD GOVERNANCE. The 2004 Barisan Nasional Election Manifesto had failed to address corruption and tainted governance as there are no Big Fish being caught; it had also failed to redeem the damaged reputation of the Police as there is no IPCMC. We are also faced with judicial verdicts which were questioned by the legal fraternity, at best, for being religiously divisive, and at worse, for going against the Federal Constitution.

WAKE UP TO KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY. Emphatically, in the last four years, the nation has regressed into the pre-Internet Dark Age where repressive tactics and draconian laws, such as the ISA and the OSA, had been arbitrarily used to intimidate proponents of dissenting –- but not necessarily unworthy – views expressed online and via the traditional media. It’s a state of fear, and it curtails people’s rights to foster collective intelligence which is recognized worldwide as the bedrock for a Knowledge-based Economy.

OVERHAUL EDUCATION SYSTEM. The education system, together with the ill practice of talent segregation mooted by imposed discrimination rather than meritocracy, could not help us produce competent human capital that can meet global benchmark relative to the advanced countries. We need a total overhaul of the system, reform the salary structure of the teaching and academic staff, and introduce syllabi that cater for the competitive needs of a globalised economy. We need to nurture professionally-skilled human capital that connects to the outside world, not jaguh kampung.

UPHOLDING DEMOCRACY. Malaysia as a Parliamentary Democracy, Constitutional Monarchy and constitutionally-enshrined Secular State has but eroded over the years. The separation of power that enables the Legislative, the Executive and the Judiciary -- the three pillars of government and governance -- to operate independently is being compromised. The Executive can now nominate candidates to sit on the Bench. This is the recipe for chaos that we should avoid at all costs.

EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF NATIONAL WEALTH. More importantly, national wealth including those generated through Petronas has not been equitably distributed to benefit the rakyat -- comprising the bumiputras and bona fide citizens -- while cronies and parties close to Umno skimmed it for their own benefits. Before the oil wells dry up, it’s time we take steps to ensure the rakyat, the actual stake-holders of this country, become the beneficiaries of our national wealth. We have been hopelessly drowned in an infrastructural-development economic model that overly relies on unskilled foreign labour force. This should stop.

ENRICH THE JOE PUBLIC. The worst financially-hit among the citizenry are the unskilled labour, average wage-earners and low ranking public servants serving in urban centres besieged by escalating cost of living. They are the direct victims of long-term rent-seekers who chipped away their earnings through highway tolls. We owe them an improved quality of life while we allow the AP Kings to take helicopter rides from golf-course to golf-course.

That’s primarily the reasons I have decided to offer my services to DAP, to help them and fellow Opposition Parties to right the wrongs of Barisan Nasional. It’s a tough struggle for all of us as we face the might of Barisan’s 3M – Money, Machinery and mainstream Media.

That’s what jolted me whenever I recall the Malay saying, “Beratnya mata memandang, berat lagi bahu memikul”.

Don’t give up my fellow Malaysians. Let’s bring in new talents and new ideas to run this country.

You may be disappointed if you fail. But you are doomed if you don’t try.

That’s how we should observe this 50th MERDEKA. Hidup Malaysia!

If you share the same feelings for Malaysia, as always, please WALK WITH US!

Yes, please walk with us. You know how to reach me ;).

Jeff Set to Join DAP!

Yes, Jeff Ooi, Malaysia's foremost blogger is indeed set to join the Democratic Action Party (DAP). I believe that it is great news for Malaysia that he has decided to take his battle to the next level. I believe that many critical thinking Malaysians will be more than happy to see Jeff in Parliament after the next elections, jousting with the many incompetent Ministers ;).

We have organised a welcoming tea party and press conference for friends and party members. So, if you are free or if you can curi ayam for an hour or two, feel free to drop by to celebrate the occasion.

At the event, Jeff Ooi is expected to make his statement on his decision to join the DAP to fight for a better Malaysia.

Date: July 31, 2007
Time: 10:30am
Venue: Food Foundry, BG-8 Happy Mansion Jalan 17/13, Petaling Jaya

Above is the Map to the venue. An RSVP will be much appreciated to estimate the amount of food which needs to be made available.

Come join us for a morning of history-making, food, fun and network. We hope to see you there!

DAP's Next Big Catch?

When I joined DAP earlier this year, Jocelin Tan of The Star labelled me as "a real catch" for DAP, although, I'm pretty much just a rookie. But now, rumours are running on overdrive that DAP is reeling in the next big catch, the godfather of blogging in Malaysia himself, Jeff Ooi.

All these, thanks to a comment piece by Oon Yeoh which was just published by Today newspaper in Singapore entitled "DAP Gets New Blood".

The first major coup happened in February when Internet millionaire and Oxford graduate Tony Pua joined the DAP as economic adviser to Mr Lim. Although a political newbie, Mr Pua will be contesting in the next general election.

"People like Tony are not the kind of people who you'd normally expect to join the DAP," Mr Lim says matter-of-factly. "This is an indicator of things to come."

In the coming weeks, the party will be introducing a fresh line-up of candidates for the next general election to complement the old guard.

It's widely expected that Mr Jeff Ooi, the country's most famous social-political blogger will soon be joining the ranks of new DAP election candidates. Mr Ooi, who declined to comment, is currently a member of Gerakan, a component party of the Barisan Nasional government. If the rumours prove to be true, a high-profile defection like this would generate a strong positive buzz for the DAP.

Ah... the last time Jeff was queried on this possibility by Jocelin in November last year, "seems neither as willing nor as ready." He insisted "it’s too premature at that point."

In fact during the Ijok by-elections, there were also strong rumours of Jeff joining KeAdilan (PKR). So strong was the rumour that apparently one of the Gerakan bosses contacted him personally to seek the "truth".

This time round however, Jeff appears a little more coy about the "rumour". He even asked, shall I say, cheekily, "You think I have a cause to join them?"

Well, until the day he makes the official announcement and submits his membership application form, anything goes, I suppose. But I would absolutely welcome with both arms (and legs), his entry into politics and in particular into DAP.


One of the recent additions was a Dr Cheah Wing Yin, who does not have the online brand name of Jeff, but is a most respected professional in the medical profession. He was formerly the President of Private Medical Practitioners Association of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur and the President of the Malaysian Mental Health Association. I have found him to be one of the most prolific party volunteers in recent months.

After having joined the party for a short 7-8 eight months, I've certainly enjoyed my time taking part in as well as organising party activities. Are there shortcomings in the Party? Sure, there are. Many are as bright as daylight. But I'm certainly not going to sit around and whine about the Malaysian opposition parties and their weakness, and not instead play my part in strengthening them so as to better serve the Rakyat.

(Starting a brand new party or standing as an independent as some have suggested, are absolute non-starters, so I wouldn't even dwell into that)

In the little time I've spent with the Party, one of the most acute weakness is the clear lack in talent and human resource. The handful of headquarter staff has to perform everything from statement translations to office organisation to newsletter publications to attending meetings to running political events (e.g., forums) to maintaining a website to yes, even being the occasional drivers. And I heard it was even worse before.

Since I've joined and started working for the Party on a pro-bono full-time basis, and I would like to think that I've contributed a little bit to all of the above to make DAP a better party. And I strongly believe that if and hopefully when Jeff joins, he'll make the party even stronger.

I used to tell all my new recruits during interviews at my ex-company. "Don't let me tell you how the company works or what the culture is, besides the goals that the company sets for itself. Play your part to mold the company into one which you'd like to work in".

Well, I share the goals and ideals of the Party which I have joined - which I've roughly categorised as democracy, equality of opportunities, integrity and social justice.

The party leadership has also played their part in promoting and giving space to the young 'uns. Now, I'll play my part to make sure that the Party can better achieve its goals. And I certainly hope more talented Malaysians will do the same, for only then, will we be able to build a better Malaysia.

Furry Friends Farm Charity

This is a charity public announcement post, particularly since I'm also a dog lover. ;-)

THE founder of a dog sanctuary is worried that the farm's latest fund raising efforts may be in vain. According to Furry Friends Farm (FFF) founder Sabrina Yeap, only a handful of tickets have been sold for a performance held to raise money for FFF.

"The Operafest Children's Choir, Kuala Lumpur and The Nyonya-Baba Golden Voices will perform at the The Royal Lake Club, Kuala Lumpur on July 25 to raise funds for FFF as well as another animal shelter in Taiping, Perak, but the response has been very slow,'' said Yeap.

She added that besides buying food for the dogs at the farm, the funds raised at the performance was also needed for the medical care of the almost 100 dogs at the sanctuary.

So, kind people out there, please help out by taking your entire family to the performance which is scheduled to start at 8.30pm. Tickets are only priced at RM30.00 each.

For reservations please call:

1. Tracy Ho : 016- 3323382
2. Wong Huai Chiing : 012- 2021008
3. Chris Ng : 012-3112257
4. Chris Chan : 019-3803650
5. Sabrina Yeap : 016-6319018

@ Nathaniel's Vigil

Thanks to Malaysiakini who recorded the event, my little impromptu speech at the vigil for Nathaniel Tan on Saturday evening seeking his release was captured on video ;)

Before me, you can hear Nathaniel's sister, Cheryl sing, and Nik Nazmi addressing the crowd. You can also catch other Malaysiakini on the vigils as well as his release on Malaysiakini.tv.

And as he has been released from detention by the police, he has graciously agreed to speak to us about his detention tomorrow evening @ KL & Selangor Assembly Hall ;) So see you guys there!

Doing My Little Part

I've been granted a short weekly column with the Chinese newspaper, Oriental Daily which will be published on every Monday. ;) This has started since they "revamped" the paper into tabloid size last week. Yes, it's a Chinese paper, and I wrote in Chinese, although whatever I wrote goes through "heavy" language editing by colleagues. I'd post here my columns a week after they have been published ;)

So, here's my debut piece, a little introductory piece on doing my part for the country ;)

虽千万人吾往矣！
潘俭伟

人家时常问我：既然您的条件这么好，又何苦要加入政界呢？我所给的答案很简单，就是马来西亚是个资源丰富及人口充满生气的国家，但是我们却无法释出最大的潜能，而且还浪费许多宝贵的机会。当中的最大因素就是执政当局无能！

近年来，我国所拥有的最珍贵资源，即人文资本相继流失到国外去。我国最优秀的人才，不论哪一个种族，从12岁开始就给其他国家吸引去了。譬如，新加坡每年提供数百份东协奖学金，给我国学生到新加坡顶尖学府及大学深造。我有好多朋友如今都在新加坡落地生根。他们当中计有专科医生、大学讲师，有些甚至进入新加坡顶尖公司的管理层。

至于其他人有些则移居香港、伦敦或纽约，而他们的技能、智能与才能一般都受承认及获得赏识。像我这种要返回祖国并为国家贡献者，可说是少之又少。

近几年来，我国的人才相继离国，外国投资者亦对马来西亚趋之避吉。我国曾经是个最吸引外商投资的据点。1996年，我国外来直接投资额高达73亿美元。然而在短短10年内，这个投资额遽跌45.6%至39.7亿美元。若跟新加坡相比，新加坡同一时期的外来直接投资则从97亿美元增加超过一倍至209亿美元。

正当我们的邻国及竞争者相继茁壮，反观我们却一直被抛落人后。早前，我们能够很骄傲地跟新加坡、香港、韩国及台湾相比较；如今，我们则只能苦苦地跟泰国、越南及印尼相互竞争。

两周前，欧盟驻马来西亚大使蒂里·隆梅尔(Thierry Rommel)发表如何加强马来西亚吸引外商投资的建设性意见，尤其是有必要消除保护性及歧视性的政策。我国政府领导人不但没有感激隆梅尔所发表的逆耳忠言，反而还警告他别干涉我国内政。

追根究底，这个问题又再一次扯到人文资本的基本问题。随着越来越多人才对马来西亚失望而离国，我们是否还有具备足够资格的人才领导马来西亚呢？

Wedding in Bali

Congratulations to Sophie & Adi

Ting Fong and I were attending our friend's wedding in Bali last weekend, my fourth trip to the island destination, and I must say, it's a great place to hold your big day if you can actually afford it. And it's certainly the destination, if you actually have family, colleagues and friends that cuts across some half a dozen nations - Malaysia, India, Singapore, China, UK, US and more.

The party decor being set up at the Villa

Sunset Dinner @ Villa Atas Ombak

The wedding was held at the luxurious Villa Atas Ombak by the Seminyak beach. The villa comprises of only 5 bedrooms, where the newly wed as well as their closest relatives stayed. The rest of some 150 guests stayed at the various villas and hotels all around Seminyak.

The newly weds, the best men, the bridesmaids as well as the flower girls

And for those who are contemplating getting married, whether locally or at exotic overseas destinations, you can contact Ng Shen Yi of "I Do Weddings" wedding planner. She planned and coordinated this "international" wedding, which was not only held overseas but brought together 2 families from India and Malaysia, while the bride and groom were crisscrossing London and Singapore. It's certainly no mean feat!

The flower girls: Megan, Xin Ying & Isabella

That's a kite flying by the beach

That's the missus, the princess and the one with a lot of grey hair ;-)

And for those of you heading towards Bali for a holiday, in need of a trustworthy and reliable driver (Kijang), do give Wayan Lena (+62 812 3961705) a call. I've been using his services since 2002. ;-)

Comment Moderation

It is with great regret that I have decided to switch on comment moderation with immediate effect. If you have followed my blogs, I have allowed plenty of alternative views as well as criticism (directed at me or my views) in the comments.

However, for the past 2 weeks, a few incorrigible brats (under whose payroll, I have to wonder) have decided to vandalise this site to incite unconstructive name calling, racist remarks and other better-left-unmentioned responses. I have been patiently and diligently deleting these comments but it becomes difficult to maintain when I'm running all over the place.

We know that these offenders are in the minority, and hopefully after a short while, I will be able to return the blog to a unmoderated status.

In the mean time, I can only ask for our regular and loyal readers to be patient as your comments will not appear immediately on this blog. I'll try to access as frequently as possible to "process" these comments. And certainly, I'll apologise for any inconvenience caused. But don't worry, constructive criticisms, personal or otherwise, continues to be welcomed. ;)

Lost My Phone

Sigh. My brains must be getting totally scrambled. Lost my wallet which contains everything I had, IC, passport, cards etc. 2 months ago, and now I just lost my phone as well. Thank goodness I did a sync with my notebook about 2 weeks ago, which means that the bulk of my data remains intact.

Took a flight out to Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate the missus' birthday for the weekend after returning from the trip to Hong Kong. I must have dropped my phone in a taxi earlier. Anyway, I'm now "stuck" here in Saigon, and I'd be incommunicado til Tuesday morning after I get myself a new SIM card.

For those who needs to reach me urgently, email will now be the best method.

Hiatus

Hi guys, first of all I must apologise for neglecting my blogging duties of late, both here and at the Education in Malaysia blog. One reader even commented on the education blog that "this site is dying". Please be comforted to know that it is not my intent to neglect them, nor will I neglect them permanently. ;)

Unfortunately, after Machap and to a much lesser extent Ijok, compounded with internal (non-bloggable) party work and research (not to mention, travelling the country a bit), the energy is drained a bit. And certainly, with whatever balance of time left, the missus and the kid will obviously get the priority above all else ;) But with the by-elections over, and having just completed writing and editing for the upcoming latest issue of the English Rocket, the work schedule seems to have eased a little bit. So hopefully I can get back up to blogging speed. ;)

There are also a few speaking engagements, forums and dinner functions coming up, so will update accordingly in subsequent posts ;) Thanks everyone for being patient ;)

Bird Park

Family Day @ The KL Bird Park today ;-)

Short update (5/5/08 Mon):

Thanks for the remarks in the comments below ;-) Some response here:

I didn't write anything for this post, I just thought a picture would be good enough. Don't have to comment on everything ;-)

The picture looks jaded because it's a photo of a photo. We didn't bring a camera yesterday morning, so took a RM10 instant photo short with the birds ;-). Well, instead of scanning the picture, I did the lazy way out by taking a photo of the photo to put up, hence the lack of sharpness ;-)

As for the orange shirt - well, orange/orange-bronze-red is my favourite colour, at this point of time anyway, hence the choice of colour of my car, my bag, and even some of my ties! heh... and of course, I just don't have that many shirts!

The bird park is a big place, plenty to walk and see, especially for kids, hence I'd certainly recommend it for families with young kids. Go early though to avoid the sun!

Poison Letter (Update)

I wrote a couple of days back when my name was used in an email circulating very widely to defame a well known restaurant in Sri Petaling.

I have lodged a police report at the Damansara Police station on Thursday. The investigation officer have updated me to let me know that the case is now in the hands of the Multimedia Commission. I have of course provided all the necessary detailed email headers for their investigation purposes.

I called a press conference at the police station and the news have been reported in all the Chinese press as well as the Malay Mail. Other press that turned up were Harian Metro, Utusan Malaysia and Kosmo! Of course, I can't expect The Star or the NST to be present. ;-)

Came out on Page 3 of the Malay Mail on Friday:

TONY Pua, of Medan Damansara, never had lunch at this particular Chinese restaurant in Sri Petaling.

He said he only had dinner at the restaurant a long time ago. So it came as a shock to him when friends asked if he was boycotting the restaurant over an unpleasant experience he had during lunch.

“I received SMSes and e-mails from some 20 relatives and friends on the matter,” he said yesterday.

Pua, who is economics adviser to the DAP secretary-general, said he did not know why he was asked about the matter until he came across an e-mail defaming the restaurant. The e-mail, purportedly written by him, asked its readers to boycott the restaurant, which is popular for its mooncakes.

“I was shocked to discover the e-mail, which I had not written, on Dec 6 after a friend who asked about it forwarded it to me,” said Pua.

“Initially, I ignored it, but after I was questioned by many of my friends, I decided to lodge a police report.”

Pua lodged a report at the Damansara police station over the e-mail yesterday. He said the writer had defamed him for writing the e-mail and defamed the restaurant by alleging poor service. He said he lodged the police report with a view to protecting himself from being sued by the restaurant.

“People thought it was me who wrote the e-mail.” Pua hoped that police will fi nd the writer of the e-mail to clear his name and that of the restaurant.

Til today, I still get a few phone calls, emails and sms'es checking if I were the real author of the email. Sigh.

It's a pain lodging police reports and I certainly don't enjoy the exercise. Spent some 4 hours at the police stations, first at Damansara, then subsequently with the investigation officer at Petaling Jaya HQ. The officers were pleasant enough, plenty of small talk as well, but it just takes a really long time.

I do hope that the idiot gets tracked down. ;-)

V Ganabathirau

(Update II: Donation mechanism is ready. See post here.)

(Update: Due to numerous requests for information on how to donate to Gana's family from DAP Damansara branch members to fellow supporters, I'll be announcing details soon here on this blog this weekend when the mechanism gets ironed out)

Today is another sad and black day for Malaysia. You would have read that 5 Hindraf leaders have been arrested without trial under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA), exactly two decades after the last Operasi Lalang.

There appears to be plenty of such sad and black days in recent weeks. Who would have thought that the seemingly genial Prime Minister, Pak Lah, when he took over the reigns of the Government could have been such an incompetent, uninspiring, sleeping and heartless leader?

But enough about Pak Lah, I've ranted enough 2 days ago here. Now, I'd just like to provide a little more insight to one of those arrested, a little known unsung hero, 34 year old lawyer, V Ganabathirau, who hit the limelight recently as one of the core leaders of Hindraf.

As you may have read from the New Straits Times (NST) yesterday, Gana is a DAP member. What makes the whole ugly episode we saw today close to me, is that Gana is a member of DAP Damansara branch, of which I'm the chairperson. Gana joined me in March this year, and subsequently helped form the Taman Muda branch in Shah Alam, of which he is the advisor.

Having known him for the past 8 months or so, I can't claim to know him inside out. But there are somethings which I will vouch for him with my life.

Gana is not a racist. He is not a religious fanatic and neither is he in anyway at all, a terrorist as he is insinuated to be. Having known him well in recent months, he is the complete opposite of what the Pak Lah administration, through the mainstream mouthpieces will like to paint him to be.

Gana is a full-blooded Malaysian, who strongly believes that all Malaysians regardless of ethnicity must have equal opportunities to succeed. While some may quibble over the fact that Hindraf could have taken a greater multi-racial outlook in its position, no right thinking Malaysian will deny them the fact that the overwhelming majority of Indians in this country are severely marginalised and lives below or near the poverty line.

The way politics in Malaysia are framed at this point of time, it is unsurprising that the ethnic Indians found themselves having to stand up and be counted. They really have nothing else to lose.

Some will argue that I can afford to spend some time on politics today because I've made some money after having sold my company. However, Gana, despite having just started his own fledging law firm, found himself travelling frequently (i.e., at least weekly) between Teluk Intan, his hometown and Shah Alam where he now stays, in order to provide his community services to the needy and unfortunate. He even rented and refurbished a service centre in Teluk Intan with his own money, to carry out his services.

When I received cases at my own service centre in Damansara Utama, and was in need of legal services to assist the complainants, Gana offered his with absolutely no hesitation. For example, there was a group of 7 contractors who failed to receive payment from a housing developer, Gana took up their case and offered legal advise pro bono. When legal actions were required, I actually had to convince him to accept some payment from these contractors! Guess what, these contractors were all Chinese but race, as should be the case for all right-thinking Malaysians, never ever came into the picture.

Gana, the youngest of 3 brothers, is a son that would have made any family proud. He belongs to the Indian Telugu community and grew up in a poor family which just about made enough to survive. Gana never manage to have the privilege of completing his education at one go. After finishing Form 5, he had to take up various odd jobs to help support himself and his family.

That however, did not prevent him from investing his earnings and taking up part-time courses to pursue his ambition of becoming an officer of the court. His dream came true in his late twenties when he graduated with a law degree from the University of London external programme. He plied his trade as a legal assistant with a law firm in Teluk Intan before saving sufficiently to set up his own firm, having moved to Shah Alam late last year.

But all these while, he held political ambitions, ambitions not to further enrich himself by illegal and unethical means, but ambitions to help play a part in the betterment of his marginalised community as well as Malaysians in general. Having set up his own firm, it provided him, for better or worse, the flexibility to spend time on social and political causes. And he did it with all his heart and soul.

Gana was married not too long ago to a school teacher. And only just on Merdeka day this year, his first, now barely 4-month old baby daughter, was born. If Pak Lah has his way, by the time Gana is released from ISA detention, his daughter would be more than 2 years old. When Gana first pointed out his wife to me sitting in the court stands when he was being charged with sedition in Klang sessions court, you could visibly see tears in her eyes. Her fears have unfortunately come true.

Gana told me that his wife was a former Tamil school debater and is very politically aware. In fact, in the earlier years, she used to tease him that he only knew how to "talk" politics but never got his hands dirty. More recently however, she will half-jokingly tell him that she regretted having ever encouraged him to join the fight for a just cause.

Gana is a good man. He has sacrificed selflessly to help create a better Malaysia for all Malaysians, particularly for the underprivileged and marginalised community. He has rose quickly to prominence through sheer tenacity, hardwork, eloquence and dedication to the cause. 30,000 Indians from all parts of Malaysia walked the streets of Kuala Lumpur not because they had nothing better to do, but because they shared his cause, and they believed that "enough is enough!"

For that, Pak Lah who is clearly unable to hear, accept and deal with the truth, invoked the draconian ISA in the hope of sweeping all under the carpet.

Thankfully, Gana has a kind and loving family members who will help take care of the needs of the mother and child. The DAP, as announced by the party secretary-general, will be setting up a fund to assist the families of those who have been detained without trial.

My eyes were moist as I wrote this post. I firmly believe that Gana will be a stronger man post-detention. You would not have heard the last of him for a long time yet. I expect him to be a future leader of this country, a rare breed of the much needed righteous, caring, intelligent and dedicated kind who will only contribute immensely to creating a better Malaysia for our future generations. His personal sacrifices must not, and will not be in vain.

Share this story with others who need to see the other side of the coin.

(Footnote: I've been corrected that he is actually the middle and not the youngest son of 3 brothers. ;-))

Siem Reap

After a hectic 6 months of election preparatory work and election campaign, I've finally found some time to take the family out for a short holiday (before Parliament starts) at Siem Reap, Cambodia, the access to the world renown, Angkor Wat. This place has certainly changed a great deal from when I was last here with Ting Fong, back in 2001. ;-)

Will blog more soon after I return ;-)

(Can't get my phone to work the entire day... my SIM card is having roaming issues... Ting Fong is pretty happy about it...)

Poison Letter

I had wanted to delay writing this post til have made the necessary police report and press conference. However, due to the number of people who called and emailed me to check if the said "poison letter" which was allegedly written by me was real, I thought its best that I make my position clear here.

For those who are not aware of what I'm referring to - there has been an email circulating relatively widely, severely criticising and possibly defaming the Kum Lun Tai restaurant in Sri Petaling. The letter was signed "Tony Pua, A Concerned Consumer".

Let me state clearly that I am not the author of the letter, and the perpetrator is clearly up to mischief, with clear intent to defame me. At this point of time, I will not reproduce the letter here. However, if you were to receive it, please inform the relevant recipients that it is not written by me.