Invitation to AWAM Forum: 'Malaysian Ethnic Identity'

Dear Friends,

PERKASA was formed to protect 'Malay Rights'.

The New Economic Model prioritises the welfare of the bottom 40% of lower income groups BUT still maintains affirmative action for Malays.

The Deputy Prime Minister undermines the 1Malaysia concept by declaring that he is Malay first, Malaysian second.

A leader of a political party insists that they will work for the welfare of all races, yet the party is still race-based.

Ethnic relations in Malaysia is facing a new low.

Very apt was our FT Weekend 1 theme on racism/discrimination, as well as the launch of KOMAS's cartoon book “Sweeping Dirt Under The Carpet: Reflections of Race Issues in Malaysia”.

Now here's another avenue for you to explore ethnicity or racism in Malaysia.


Public Forum: ‘Malaysian Ethnic Identity’


All Women’s Action Society (AWAM) together with the Civil Rights Committee of the KL Selangor Chinese Assembly (CRC-KLSCAH) are embarking on a series of Talk Shows & Forums entitled ‘BERANI BERSUARA’.

This is part of their initiative to promote a democratic space for Malaysians to discuss emerging issues pertaining to the socio-political development in Malaysia.

The first forum in the series is entitled ‘Malaysian Ethnic Identity’ and it is an open space for us to discuss the diversity of our ethnic identities.

Guests are:

1) Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan (Former President of Bar Council Malaysia)

2) Josh Hong (Columnist)

3) Dina Zaman (Writer)

4) Jerald Joseph (Lasallian Human Rights Activist)

The details of the forum:

Date: 21 April 2010 (Wednesday)
Time: 8pm
Venue: 2nd floor, Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, No. 1 Jalan Maharajalela,
50150 Kuala Lumpur.
Medium: English
Admission: FREE

For further information, please contact All Women's Action Society (AWAM) (Lau Shu Shi) at 603-7877 4221.

What more than Earth Hour...

A big thank you to all who coordinated and joined in efforts to do more than Earth Hour. Should you be free on Saturdays between now and October, do sign up to plant some trees as well (please refer to previous post). 


Here are some photos and sharings from La Salle Klang, who helped us kick off our initiative.  


Yumin writes:

Earth Hour in Klang was interesting and different. We got students from various clubs in La Salle Klang to help out, thanks to our school principal Madam Lily Lee who gave us full support. Interact Club, Leo Club, Pembimbing Rakan Sebaya, Prefects, Librarians, and Christian Fellowship joined forces with FT members to make this event a success! Not forgetting the teachers from La Salle Klang who also lend us their hands. 

We gathered at Botanic Park at 4pm and teachers helped to brief the students. We were divided into two groups and began cleaning Botanic Park. When we were cleaning the place, residents approached us and gave us words of encouragement! Among them were:


“Promoting Earth Hour, wow really good. I hope there are more youngsters like you all out there. So how can we help?”


“I hope this program will be carried out every year. And maybe the next time, you can ask the residents to help out”


With support from the residents, we were enthusiastic about our task. Even though it began to drizzle, we continued with our mission to contribute to the community as well as raise awareness about Earth Hour. We managed to collect 5 bags filled with rubbish and 3 bags filled with recyclable items!After that, we went to the housing estate to distribute leaflets about Earth Hour. We ended with a reflection about what had happened and how this event benefited the people around us and ourselves.

More sharing from Sukdhip:

Various clubs from La Salle Klang got together and participated in the awareness project in conjunction with Earth Hour. Students from different forms and clubs worked together with teachers who were willing to spend time spreading the message of Earth Hour to the residents of Bandar Botanic. 

Even though it was on a small scale, it was very meaningful. Simple activities such as collecting rubbish and recyclable items from the park and passing out flyers about Earth Hour brought cheer to the residents of Bandar Botanic.The residents even approached us and expressed their joy at how youth are concerned about community service. This raised the spirits of us Lasallians who were involved in the activity , and made us even more determined to achieve our goal.


Furthermore, this activity helped instil the Lasallian spirit in us - to put into practice La Salle’s message of service to the community. At the end of the day, all the time contributed and spent under the rain was worthwhile.

Looking for dates for Saturdays? Still in the mood of (More Than) Earth Hour?

God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools. ~John Muir

But we can!

A pretty big task is currently going on - planting trees to grow back a peat forest in Raja Musa (Batang Berjuntai)!!

Date: April: 3, 10, 17, 24, May: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, June: 5, 12, 19, 26, July: 3, 10, 17, 24, 31,
August: 7, 14, 21, 28, September: 4, 11, 18, 25, October: 2, 9 16, 23, 30 (Every
SATURDAY)
Time: 8.30am - 12pm
Place: Raja Musa, Batang Berjuntai, Selangor


WHAT??

The Raja Musa Peat Swamp Forest Reserve covers 23,000 ha and is part of the North
Selangor Peat Swamp Forest. In the past 10 years, more than 500 ha of the reserve has been illegally cleared and burnt for farming activities. This have released thousands of tones of greenhouses gases, which contributes to the haze problems and ultimately, climate change.

Peat swamp forests are tropical moist forests where waterlogged soils prevent dead leaves and wood from fully decomposing, which over time creates thick layer of acidic peat. They are a significant carbon sink for the planet, absorbing carbon from our atmosphere. As we know, an increase of carbon is said to be one of the main factors causing global warming.


WHO?

GEC (Global Environment Centre) is an NGO undertaking this tree-planting initiative.

80,000 seedlings are going to be planted this year, i.e. a few thousand every single week.


HOW?

They need our help! Every Saturday for the next 7 months will be spent getting these seedlings back where they belong. All we have to do is dig the holes, place the seedlings in and cover it up.

If you have a Saturday morning to spare anytime over the next 7 months , and would like to do something great for the environment, do volunteer!


WHAT TO DO??

We don't have to go every Saturday. To those from other states, if you're visiting family around Selangor, do drop by to plant some trees.

For those who are interested, we invite you to:

1. Comment to this post and say when you plan to go tree-planting
2. Invite others to go with you
3. If you have a car and there's a group of you, do let GEC know that you'll be going so they can organise logistics.
4. If you're alone, do call GEC. They might have a spot for you as they arrange for car-pooling amongst themselves.

* For now, more volunteers are needed on 17 April! Currently there's no one going then.

HOW TO GET THERE?

The site is about 45 minutes drive from KL. For the map and more information, do visit GEC's website.

http://www.gec.org.my/index.cfm?&menuid=145


Our contact from GEC:

Regina Cheah
Sustainable Development Officer
Outreach and Partnerships Programme
Global Environment Centre
Tel: +603 7957 2007
Fax: +603 7957 7003
Mobile: +6012 229 2313

or email

suzana@gec.org.my

niki@gec.org.my


Let's plant some trees!!!

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. ~Martin Luther

So what was FT Weekend about? - The Threequel

Let us all pray for Br Vincent's speedy recovery in our own ways.


On a brighter note, (More Than) Earth Hour will be happening this weekend in Ipoh, Petaling Jaya, Seremban, Malacca and Tambunan.


On a reflective note, here is the last sharing on our FT Weekend 1. We were pleasantly surprised by a visit from two FT members whom we haven't met in a while - Fabian and Shaun. Here is what Shaun thought of the weekend.

I am still in denial over the fact that it has been almost 10 years since the year of my convention. I still remember those jovial and insightful days as if it was yesterday. And the last FT weekend certainly did not disappoint either.

It was great fun dotting, flocking, watching, befriending, mafia-ing, discussing and greeting. However, personally, the weekend was all about reaffirmations, reaffirmations of my beliefs.

Carnegie

Firstly, I have been particularly inspired by the Carnegie spirit of late. For those of you who have not heard of Andrew Carnegie and his essay entitled Wealth, the Carnegie spirit basically believes that ‘the man who dies thus rich dies disgraced’ and urges donors to provide ‘the ladders upon which the aspiring can rise’ and to help others ‘become self-sufficient though training and education’.

I have always been aware of La Salle’s legacy in education. But until I heard the Lasallian song last weekend, I completely forgot about him giving up his privileged background to dedicate his life to his cause. Hence, the significant similarities between the Carnegie and the Lasallian spirit.

For me, it was very reaffirming and reassuring that I was able to integrate my current belief (almost seamlessly) with one which has been instilled in me since I was seven.

Racism

Unfortunately it is real, institutionalised and very much alive in this country. After watching Gadoh and hearing what’s happening in Malaysian universities, it left me angry and frustrated.

However, this has only further reaffirmed my desire to stand up and to speak out against unfair discrimination.

Mafia

And finally, I learnt that you are never too old to play Mafia. Now that’s reaffirming!

For all the above, I thank you La Salle Centre Ipoh, FT organisers, participants and St Michaels. I am most grateful.

Shaun

The forgotten La Salle Brothers

Ref: http://english.cpiasia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1891:the-forgotten-la-salle-brothers&catid=211:koon-yew-yin&Itemid=156 Written by Koon Yew Yin

Wednesday, 31 March 2010 13:11

CPI Note In all the talk about becoming a high-income country and belonging to the league of developed nations, Malaysians should realize that they are still painfully lacking in the attributes and values that make a nation truly developed. These missing attributes and values are not only the high ethical and moral norms that we incessantly talk about but seldom seem to practice, but also the common decencies of compassion and gratitude to those that are loyal or have sacrificed for us. Absence of these common decencies is especially prevalent among various government agencies where unless the spotlight of public scrutiny is on them, the agencies basically give the bureaucratic run-around or even worse, play games based on a hidden agenda (including racial and religious) on those that have the misfortune to deal with them. We hope that the publication of this piece arouses public indignation and leads to the rapid resolution of Brother Vincent Corkery’s plight. ******************************* Brother Vincent Corkery, age 82, the former principal of St. Michael Institution, Ipoh, was admitted to Fatimah Hospital just before Christmas last year and was discharged after a three-week stay. He had a rare bacterial infection between the toes of his left foot. Before this problem could be cleared up, his right foot developed the same problem. Unable to afford the high hospital charges given his modest financial position, he decided to seek treatment in the Ipoh General Hospital. He was admitted on March 1 and was discharged a few days ago after a 27-day stay. Now he has go back daily for treatment as an outpatient. I have been visiting him quite frequently and almost on all occasions I was the only visitor. It seems that the La Salle Brothers have been forgotten. Brother Vincent Corkery, who comes from Ireland, has served in Malaysia since 1948 or a span of more than 60 years. Several years ago, he applied for Malaysian citizenship after having obtained the necessary pass in written and oral Malay, but his application was rejected without explanation. His main contribution has been to St. Michael’s Institution in Ipoh where he served since 1958. In addition, he took an active interest in Malaysian education. In the 1960s, he was the state supervisor for oral English, and served in the early 1970s as secretary-general of the national conference of the Heads of Secondary Schools. For some years he was an active member of the Malaysian Historical Society. As with other Brothers who taught in Malaysia, the financial remuneration provided to him has been barely adequate. His last drawn monthly salary as Principal was RM1,000, and when he retired in 1988, he did not qualify for a pension or for other retirement benefits. Since retirement, the La Sallian communal fund has provided him RM1,000 a month for his food and car maintenance. In retirement, he heads a centre for programmes for student leadership and for staff groups at La Salle Centre in Ipoh, and serves as secretary for the Brothers Councils for Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. The La Salle Brothers made their first appearance in Asia in 1852 when they founded St Xavier’s Institution in Penang. Since then a network of Lasallian schools has developed throughout the country. When the British left Malaya, the Lasallian Brothers stayed on to manage their schools. During the Japanese army occupation of the country all the foreign brothers were imprisoned. My old teacher, Brother Lawrence Spitzig, a Canadian was imprisoned in Changi, Singapore. Brother Lawrence retired as principal of my alma mater, St. John Institution and died last year on August 18 in Assunta Hospital, Petaling Jaya at the age of 92 after long service to the nation. These Catholic schools have continued to flourish even when the Brothers have greatly diminished in number. The foundations were well laid, and Lasallian education continues to be an important part of our education system even in these changing times. Several of our important leaders of the nation, including our Prime Minister Abdul Najib Razak, Hishammuddin Hussein, the Sultan of Selangor, the Raja Muda of Perak Raja Nazrin and many others have had their education in my alma mater St. John Institution, Kuala Lumpur. I am sure that if they are aware of the plight of Brother Vincent, they will act promptly to remedy it. During the Japanese Occupation St Michael Institution, Ipoh In terms of their service and loyalty to the country and the various communities, the Brothers hold a torch that is second to none. Their dedication and commitment to the country was perhaps most evident during the Japanese Occupation period. Despite the warnings of many friends that they would be perceived as enemy aliens by the Japanese and of the dire consequences following, the Brothers opted to stay with the people. They paid a horrific price for this loyalty. The consequences included incarceration in Changi prison where 15 Brothers were held; Taiping and Pudu jails where 12 were held; and at Bahau, in Negri Sembilan, where some 30 were held under primitive conditions in a mosquito-infested jungle settlement, surviving only on the food they managed to grow. Once the Japanese surrendered, in spite of what they had endured, the Brothers returned to their posts and reopened their schools without delay. The fact that they had not run away but had chosen to stay with the people and share their pain, greatly enhanced their standing in the post-war years but this seems to count for little today. I urge the authorities to do the right thing for Brother Vincent and for all other LaSallian and missionary educators who have sacrificed so much for our country. Provision of a gratuity and a pension, automatic approval of citizenship, appropriate medical and other civil service benefits – surely the country can afford this minimal humanitarian assistance.