NEW PARTY ELECTION FOR CC?

The much anticipated MCA Central Committee meeting on the 15th. October 2009, Thursday, commenced at 2.00 p.m. and ended four hours later. But this time, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Kiat called for another EGM under Article 30.1 of the MCA Party Constitution, to be put before to the Central Delegates whether to have another party election for the Central Committee. The Central Committee meeting ended at the death lock where more than 2o of the Central Committee did not agreed to have another fresh election dued to reasons only known by themselves. In the end, the President invoked Article 30.1 that stated that an EGM may be held at any time if directed by the President. The meeting also elected MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai as the new Deputy President.
Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat was using the presidential power to call for an EGM as he believed it was the best solution to resolve this leadership crisis. He wrote in his blog www.ongteekiat.net. that he had proposed another EGM to seek a new mandate from the Central Delegates as the outcome of the recent EGM was inconclusive and divided. He proposed that a fresh election to be conducted as the disciplinary action was a collective decision of the Central Delegates and Presidential Council. "Hence, the onus and responsibility is not on me alone, but collectively." he said. He wrote in his blog that he still had unfinished business involving party and public interests. He was heartened by calls urging him to stay on as President and thank the people and the chinese community for giving undivided support and encouragement to him. Datuk Seri Ong wrote, "To my aspiring MCA colleagues, I must apologise if I stand in the way of your ascendency. That has never been my intention."
To those that Datuk Seri Ong described as genuine party members and workers, he urged them to continue to strengthen the Party and not to play into the hands of manipulators and opportunists.

SPRING AND AUTUMN PERIOD OF MCA

The Spring and Autumn period of MCA has begun with various contenders or should I say, Warlords of each respective camps, jostling for the ultimate positions in the rarified world of party politics after the inconclusive results of the EGM on 10-10-2009. Each group, old and new, was trying to outmanoeured or out flanked the other party just two days after the EGM by giving various suggestions and proposals as to how to overcome this problem. Some of the leaders called for fresh Party elections while others want the current leadership to take over the leadership should Datuk Seri Ong Tee Kiat vacated the Presidency. Some of them even suggested that the MCA President to stay on until the next Party election. The world of MCA plunged into deeper crisis following the shocked decisions of the Central Delegates which saw no clear-cut winner. It has thrown MCA into total confusion while the top leadership might denied it to the press.
I am of the opinion that MCA is in the Spring and Autumn period of her political life where many schools of thought to contend for power under this uncertained circumstances and that the various contenders are stalking the winners crowns in this transitional period and it might be the demise and dead knell of her political life after 60 years of upholding and safe guarding the legitimate rights and interests of Malaysian Chinese and also the legitimate rights and interests of all other communities as provided under the Malaysian Constitution under Article 6 of the Party Constitution. I would suggest that the MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Kiat, helm the Presidency under Article 35 of the Party Constitution until the worsening situation or crisis returns to normal. Then, he can call a fresh Party Election when he and the Central Delegates believe that the situation is right for fresh Party election. The Party must emerge intact and stronger after this crisis in order to have the support of the Chinese community again.

THE MCA PARTY CONSTITUTION IS SUPREME

I was confused and dumbfounded that RESOLUTION NO. 1 & 2 was adopted and RESOLUTION NO. 3 was rejected by the MCA Central Delegates at the EGM on 10-10-2009. I immediatedly turned the pages of the MCA Contitution in search f0r answers whether the MCA President need to resign. ARTICLE 35 states that "The General Assembly may dismiss any Party Official (Whether the said Party Official is elected at the General Assembly or Otherwise appointed) If approved by at least two-third of the delegates to the General Assembly present and voting at the meeting of the General Assembly." It's specifically stated that the General Assembly needed at least 2/3 of the delegates votes in order to oust the President. Therefore, the President need not resign based on ARTICLE 35 as he received 1141 votes (49.69 % ) out of a total of 2296 votes for RESOLUTION NO. 1. In this case, it was way below 2/3 of the votes to oust the President. ( 66.66% ).
What would happen should the President resigned? Should we call for another Party election which some commentators put forward to the public. Let's look at ARTICLE 23 - "Subject to Article 40 hereof, in the event of any elected Party Officials ceasing to hold office due to any reason whatsoever the Central Committee shall have the power to fill the vacancy until the next election of Party Officials by the General Assembly." and ARTICLE 40 - " If the President shall cease to hold office for any reason whatsoever, the Deputy President shall hold that office as President until the next General Assembly in which general elections of Party Officials are to be held. The vacant office of Deputy President shall forthwith be filled by the remaining members of the Central Committee electing one of themselves to be Deputy President who shall hold that office as Deputy President until the next General Assembly in which general elections of Party Officials are to be held." ( NOTE ; The Deputy President does not applied here because he was rejected under RESOLUTION NO. 3 during the EGM on 10-10-2009 ).
Therefore, ARTICLE 23 & ARTICLE 40, conclusively stated that we need not have another Party election to resolve the succession problem. The Central Committee have the power to fill up the vacancy until the next Party election.
In conclusion, I agreed with Datuk Ti Lian Ker' blog ( http://tilianker.blogspot.com/ ) that the MCA Party Constitution is SUPREME and that all members must abide to the Constitution or otherwise, we will be made a laughing stock among the public. We shall resolve to settle this internal problem among ourselves without any interference or pressure from any party or outsiders so that MCA will emerge intact, stronger and united in order to serve the community under ARTICLE 6.

THERE IS LIGHT AFTER THE TUNNEL.

Mohd Ridhuan Wong Bin Abdullah @ Wong Ah Fatt and his family might be waiting anxiously for day break 0n 30th. April 2009, in order to bring his 18 months son, Chan Kok Weng, who was born with a hole in the heart, to National Heart Institute (IJN) in order to check whether he could get full subsidy for his son's impending heart operation on August 2009. I had promised him that I would fetch his whole family to Kuala Lumpur on 30th. April 2009 in order to make inquiries concerning about the subsidies for the operation which he couldn't even afford to spare a single cent.
The family arrived early in the morning outside my workplace and we proceeded our journey at about 10.00 a.m. and arrived at the National Heart Institute at about 2.00 p.m. We made enquiries concerning about the Unit Taksiran Khas's office and waited patiently outside the office for there were many patients that day.
When our number were announced over the intercom, we were ushered in the cubicle and started to hand all the relevent documents to the counter personal in order to verify all the documents that he had brought along. Mohd Ridhuan had applied earlier at Pejabat Sosial Perubatan, Hospital Tengku Afzan, Kuantan.
The counter personal was rather rude and asked what was our business in coming to IJN. I replied on behalf of Mohd. Ridhuan that we were requesting a comfirmation letter for the subsidies for his son's operation. She replied that IJN had already gave Mohd. Ridhuan the official letter which he replied in the negative that he was not aware because he couldn't read and write in Bahasa Malaysia.
We were referred to the admission counter in order to get the comfirmation letter from the officer. This officer was rather helpful and proceeded to call the officer-in -charge of the Unit Tindakan Khas by phone and then requested us to go to this counter again. This officer was very helpful after I explained to him about our coming to IJN in order to make inquiries about the subsidies for Mohd Ridhuan's son operation on August 2009.
He proceeded to print the original copy of the subsidy letter and gave it to Mohd Ridhuan. He and his wife were delighted that the MOH agreed to bear the full costs of the son's heart operation which amounted not more than RM 28,000.00.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that Mohd. Ridhuan's son will have a successful heart operation and it was made possible by the generosity of IJN with the recommendation of Pejabat Sosial Perubatan, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Kuantan.

EXTREME POVERTY AMONGST RICHES

Mohd Ridhuan Wong Abdullah @ Wong Ah Fatt, was wondering why life was very harsh to him and his family and that he had to eke out a living just to earn enough to take care of his family's daily necessities such as two meals a day costing less than RM 10.00 a day. He was born poor and known poverty all his 54 years of his life. He had never known luxuries and eke out a living by collecting and selling discarded old newspapers, cardboards, any recyclable items, etc, etc. He could managed to earn RM 500.00 a month before the global economic downturn where the price of old newspapers could fetch RM0.30 sen per kg. but now the price is hovelling around RM 0.10 sen per kg. This 54 years old Muslim convert had tried his best to provide the basics necessities for his family, that is, his wife, Nurul Ain Lam Abdullah and his 17 months old son who barely walks because he was born with a hole in the heart. It was double misfortune, extreme poverty and a son who was born with a hole in the heart. I had great sympathy for his family, especially his son who had a hole in the heart. As a Visitor Board for Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Kuantan, It was my duty to assist him in whatever ways in order to lighten his burden by fetching him to HTAA in order to see the relevent officer for exemption for his son's operation in IJNSB and helping him to apply for "Borang Permohonan Bantuan Zakat" given out by Majlis Ugama Islam Dan Adat Resam Melayu Pahang. We also went to Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan, to apply for the "Program Pembasmian Kemiskinan MPK but unfortunatedly it was freezed in the month of April, 2009, but the Director told us to come back by June 2009 that it may be opened by then. We also went to Pusat Khidmat DUN Teruntum to apply for welfare assistance from Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat. This application form had been endorsed by YB DUN Teruntum and Encik Abdul Rahman Haji Ismail, Ketua Kampung for JKKK Kg.Tengah/Kg. Jawa, Kuantan. The completed application forms were returned back dued to some technical problems and it is in the possession of our Ketua Kampung who will personally hand out to the relevent authorities.
When I visited Mohd. Ridhuan one day outside his shack, he greeted me sweating profusely all around his upper body dued to very hot weather that day. I was shocked when I saw such abject poverty amidst the so called well-to do residential area of Taman Zurina, Lorong Seri Teruntum 96, 25100 Kuantan.
His wooden shack measuring 10 feet x 10 feet which is covered with zinc roof with one simple airless window and a big wooden door with no electricity and water supplies. He had to make do with oil lamp to brighten the interior wooden planks at night and for water supplies, he had to fetch water from the nearby unmetered water pipe which had been abandoned by the previous owner. The family had to cook outside the dirt compound of the wooden shack. He had to buy takeaway food when it rains and the family had to incur extra expenses just to have two meals a day. I personally see with my eyes how poor that he is that he only bought a loaf of large sized bread to take home to feed his family of three during lunch time.
During this hot spell, Mohd Ridhuan had to take out his shirt or tee shirt wearing only long pants when he is in his so called little lovely home for there is no electricity supplies to power the electric fan, (if any), to cool the air in the zinc covered shack.
I reported to the Committee Members of the JKKK Kg. Tengah/ Kg. Jawa during the last meeting and we agreed to pay the family a visit on the 18th. April, 2009, with adequate food supplies and monetery gifts in order for them to survive these difficult months.
Our Ketua Kampung, Encik Abdul Rahman said that he needs help both physically and spiritually after presenting cash and daily neccesities on behalf of the JKKK Kg. Tengah /Kg. Jawa, Pemuda UMNO Kg. Jawa and MCA Cawangan Kg. Jawa.
You can help Mohd Ridhuan's family by contacting Encik Rahman at 016-9349033 or Mr. T.M.Ngoh at 019-9875393. May God bless you all for helping our poor neighbour!

TANJUNG AGAS OIL AND MARITIME INDUSTRIAL PARK,PEKAN, PAHANG.

Our Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced a multi-billion ringgit industrial park by the name of Tanjung Agas oil and gas and maritime industrial park project in Pekan, Pahang. This industrial park covers an area of 1,639 hatares and will begin in the second quarter of this year and to be expected to be completed in 3 to 4 years. This will provide vast opportunities for locals, especially, the population in the east coast states of Pahang, Trengganu and Kelantan to be employed in industries such as maintenance and services in the petrochemical and logistic industry, supplies and services for the oil and gas industry and all other related trades. From the report, an estimated 5,000 new j0bs will be created during the initial phase of this project which is scheduled to commence this year. Overall , this project will create 30,000 new jobs over a period of 10 years.
This oil and gas and maritime industrial park will definitedly benefit the people who reside around this industrial park, especially the folks in Pekan, Rompin and Kuantan Districts. The people around these area must be mentally prepared and to seize this once in the lifetime opportunities for the boom time that will definitedly come in future. This will create a vibrant and modern complexes in these area which will definitedly enrich the people. The economic multiplier effect for this project would be enormous at this moment of global economic crisis in order to stimulate the eastern corridor economic activities which of late, had slowed down with fewer vehicles on the roads and lesser crowds in the shops and malls.
We have to thank the Federal government for speraheading this multi-billion ringgit industrial project to bring more economic benefits and development to the people in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

WHY FIX IT WHEN IT IS STILL GOOD

I don't agreed with Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir statement which was published in all major newspapers on 2nd. December 2008, that the vernacular schools in the current format to be closed. I believed that there is nothing wrong with the present education system as this system had been around for more than 50 years. Eventually, the students will go on to study in the national schools at the secondary level.
I would like to share my experience as a student from the english medium school in the 1970's which had given me an all rounded and liberal education. I could mixed around with all races during my school days. There was no polarisation in those days. I still remembered some of my best friends are malays who used to cycle together to school from our kampung which was about 5 kilometres away. We conversed in English and Bahasa Melayu and we had many nostalgic experiences together. These successful malay classmates of my are still my buddies after so many years. Whenever we meet, we lamented the state of today's education system which had brought in racial polarisation and disharmony faned by politicians like Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir who aspire to be the UMNO Youth Chairman. Datuk Mukhriz, please leave politics outside the gates of all the schools in Malaysia and try to improve the education system which we inherited from the british. Mind you, you were one of them who had the same experience to benefit from this liberal education when you were young. Please try to improve the present education system, that is, the national school system, in order to attract more non-malay parents to send their children to these national schools. I promised you that I would encouraged my grandchildren to attend the national schools when I perceived that these schools are at par with the vernacular schools in term of discipline, high standard of teachings and dedication from the teachers. Multi- languages such as BM, BI and mother tongue languages are taught in schools. If possible, one foreign language for every child.We must have the will to improve the education system so that every students will have a global perspective and marketable when they leave the school system.