Showing posts with label Shahrum Sayuthi. Show all posts

Saturday, May 17, 2014

A Beautiful Day

A holiday cannot be complete without a body massage. So cousin Moo Lan brought me to this centre managed by the St Nicholas Home in Penang. A 28-year-old masseuse, Liew Yee Kuan, 28, gave my body a top-to-toe pampering.

Yee Kuan was among the six visually-impaired therapists working here after undergoing a wellness course offered by St Nicholas Home, a non-governmental organisation that works with the National Vocational Training Council.

The massage costs RM55. Part of the proceeds go to charity.

Earlier in the day, my cousin also brought me here

1254W, Jalan Paya Terubong for breakfast. I enjoyed a bowl of "bak-kut bee hoon mee". Patrons can choose either the prawn shell based stock or the pork-rib based stock.

And after the massage, I had this bowl of milky fish soup bee hoon at Jalan Burmah in Pulau Tikus. The restaurant is called Restoran Sawara. The dish uses the garoupa fish.

Next, Moo Lan dropped me off at

where I indulged in some window shopping. After that I walked over to Gurney Plaza and the most amazing thing happened!

Johor former bureau chief Shahrum Sayuthi, who is now the NST political editor, spotted me in one of the shops. He was there with our colleagues Balkin Kaur, Predeep Nambiar and Adrian Lai. We later walked over to the Gurney Drive Hawker Centre for a meal. I'm so happy to meet all of them.

I later joined Moo Lan and her daughter, Diane, for a meal at the Namoo Korean Dessert n Bistro. I had a tiny portion of rice and a bit of carrot cake, thinking that that was going to be my dinner.

I found myself hungry again after an hour or so. So I treated myself to a Fish-O-Fillet burger at McDonald's.

I am now a certified Chubby Chinese, no doubt about it!

Monday, March 24, 2014

The Catalyst for MCA Re-emergence

24 March 2014

By-election sees MCA revival

By Shahrum Sayuthi

BACK IN ACTION: The enthusiasm of its members is real

AMONG the first to arrive at the polling station at SK Convent Kajang before it opened yesterday was a group of about 30 MCA members.
   Clad in the blues of Barisan Nasional, they placed themselves not far from the centre and started to chant "Satu Malaysia!" and "Menang BN!", providing some excitement for the early voters, waiting for the school gate to be opened by Election Commission officials.
   A short while later, a smaller group of PKR members turned up and gathered at the opposite site of the road and shouted "Reformasi!" and "Menang, Kak Wan!", in reference to their party's candidate, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
   The enthusiasm of the MCA members was very real as they tried to drown the incessant shouts of their PKR rivals.
   Despite Dr Wan Azizah's win yesterday, it was obvious from the PKR's reduced majority that Barisan Nasional, in particular, the much-maligned MCA, had finally got their work together.
   Dr Wan Azizah's 5,379-vote majority was significantly lower than PKR's Lee Chin Cheh who won by 6,824-vote majority, less than a year ago in the 13th General Election (GE13).
   More telling from the outcome of the poll yesterday was the early estimate by observers that suggested BN's candidate Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, who is also MCA vice-president, had garnered more than 25 per cent of the Chinese community votes.
   It was a relatively huge improvement from the estimated 10 per cent received from the community by the BN candidate Lee Ban Seng, also from MCA, in the GE13.
   Judging from the MCA's new vigour following its leadership change and the apparently positive response in the by-election, the party may probably be well on the recovery process after the nightmare of the general election's Chinese tsunami last year which reduced its electoral representation to merely seven parliamentary and 11 state seats.
   The positive advances by MCA in the by-election should also spell trouble for Pakatan as the die had been cast that the Chinese voters in particular are no longer buying the opposition coalition's sweeping accusations against the government -- lock, stock and barrel.
   Despite the much-hyped call for Reformasi 2.0 to protest against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's five-year conviction for sodomy, this could mean that the public had gone weary of the conduct of Pakatan leaders, in particular, the PKR's engineering of the by-election itself.
   The statistics could not lie. Of the 39,287 Kajang voters, only 28,314 or 72 per cent of them bothered to vote in the PKR's engineered by-election as compared to 88.40 per cent in the GE13.
The percentage of voter turnout in Kajang yesterday was also the lowest among by-elections, post GE13, with Kuala Besut by-election recording 79.76 per cent and Sungai Limau, 85 per cent turn-out.
   It should be noted that the other two by-elections held in July and November last year, respectively, were held on a working day instead of a weekend, as in the case for Kajang yesterday.
   The situation may have been different if Dr Wan Azizah's plea for sympathy for her husband's legal issues was before the last general election, where she would probably receive an avalanche of votes.
   Bear in mind that the Kajang by-election was supposed to be Anwar's watershed moment in his quest for the seat of power in Putrajaya.
   Such a pyrrhic victory by his wife in a constituency which is now the bastion of Pakatan could very well mark the end of his life-long quest to be a prime minister.
   Anwar had obviously overestimated his popularity when he decided to proceed with the so-called "Kajang move", a misstep which in all likelihood will mark the end of his political relevancy.
   It would not be easy for him to retain his stature as the head of the opposition following his miscalculation which had also dealt a severe blow upon his allies.
   Pakatan leaders, such as DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, had during the campaigning period repeatedly expressed his conviction that Chew would be totally crushed and even lose her deposit.
   It was a "loss of face" for the veteran politician for uttering such an arrogant remark as the voters, especially among the Chinese community who had overwhelmingly supported DAP and its allies during the general election last year, proved themselves to be more discerning this time.
   Whether Pakatan may recover from the setback will be a question to ponder for quite awhile, but what is certain is that Anwar's desperate attempt at stimulating his ebbing efforts for power had been dealt with a severe, if not fatal, blow by his own engineered by-election.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

"Attack On BN Candidate Shows Desperation"

On March 20, 2014

Shahrum Sayuthi
New Straits Times

‘PATHETIC’: MCA says Pakatan has nothing to use against Chew except baseless allegations

THE baseless attacks on Barisan Nasional candidate Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun are signs of desperation.

MCA deputy president Datuk Wee Ka Siong said accusations that Chew did not care about the interest of Chinese schools, for example, showed that the opposition “have nothing to use against her”.

“This is why they had dug up a 13-year-old issue involving the relocation of SJKC Damansara. I find this rather pathetic of them.

“Their intention is obvious. They want to paint a bad image of Chew.

“They are trying to score some political points despite the issue being resolved in 2008 and the committee, set up to protest the school’s relocation, had disbanded the following year.”

Wee said Pakatan leaders were not telling the truth when they told the Chinese community that the BN government aimed to close down Chinese schools in the country.

“These allegations are nonsense. The government has no intention of closing down Chinese schools. Instead, we are doing our best to assist them through grants and other allocations.”

Pakatan’s campaigning strategy has, of late, shifted to attacking Chew’s personality, including accusations that she did not prevent the relocation of SJKC Damansara that was demanded by some residents in 2001.

Chew had denied the allegations.

Wee yesterday visited the site of two new classroom blocks of SJKC Sungai Chua, which is undergoing construction.

Upon completion in June, the classrooms can accommodate more that 1,500 pupils in single- session classes.

Wee said the project, which cost RM3.7 million, was started in June last year despite BN losing in Kajang in the 13th General Election a month earlier.

“We (BN government) will never go back on our word.

“For us, a promise must always be fulfilled.”

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The Unending Debate

Hypocrisy of playing the racial card in Kajang

By Shahrum Sayuthi

How forcing this by-election could stop BN from employing the so-called racialist tactics has never properly been dwelled into but it is as clear as day that this ploy is Pakatan's way to win over impressionable moderates.

As Pakatan's tired script goes, only those in Pakatan are cool, genuine Bangsa Malaysia, while BN people are devoid of good traits and are just a band of racists.

On the ground, Pakatan's campaigning strategy reflects a totally different scenario.

While BN candidate Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun concentrated her campaign on providing good service as a wakil rakyat, the Pakatan camp had over the past few days resorted to attacking her personality as they tried to convince the Chinese in Kajang to despise her.

PKR vice-president Tian Chua started the ball rolling on Sunday when he resuscitated the issue involving the relocation of SRJK(C) Damansara in 2001, and accused Chew of not even lifting a finger to stop the decision when she was the then Petaling Jaya Utara member of parliament from 1999 to 2008.

Despite Chew's explanation on the rationale for the relocation and what MCA had done to protect the interests of the school and pupils, the attacks against her on the issue have persisted.

Yesterday, PKR's Simpang Pulai assemblyman Tan Kar Hing reiterated the accusation that Chew had not been concerned enough about Chinese schools.

It's a sweeping assumption, especially when Chew herself was educated in a Chinese school and even received her tertiary education in a prestigious university in Taiwan.

The 13-year-old SRJK(C) Damansara issue was again raised at Tan's press conference, with the opposition leader bringing in tow some Petaling Jaya residents who used to oppose the relocation of the school.

Present was Bock Tai Hee, the former secretariat chief executive officer of United Chinese Schools Committee Association of Malaysia, or better known as Dong Zong.

Bock, who is campaigning in Kajang for PKR candidate Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail insisted that the Chinese school system had been discriminated by the BN government.
Ironically, he could not defend his own stance.

When asked if there was any other country in the world with a Chinese school system other than Malaysia and China, Bock gave a resounding "no" for an answer.

Bock also admitted that even Singapore, with a high population of Chinese, had closed theirs down.
Yet, he insisted that the existence of Chinese schools in this country was because of the struggles of the Chinese community and that the BN government's ultimate aim was to close them down altogether.

Most unsettling was when Bock repeatedly referred to the national schools as "Sekolah Melayu (Malay schools)", which were purportedly given preferential treatment by the BN government,

It seems that people such as Bock and the Pakatan leadership had conveniently chosen to ignore the fact that Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also the deputy prime minister, had repeatedly promised that the government would never close Chinese schools.

Also, conveniently forgotten by them were the billions of ringgit spent by the Federal Government annually to assist Chinese schools in terms of teachers' salaries and other contributions for their upkeep.

They evidently will never let go of the Chinese school issue and will use it as fodder to stir up the sentiments of the Chinese community to go against the BN government.

The glaring question then pops up: so who is really playing the racial card?

Saturday, March 8, 2014

David vs Goliah

08 March 2014

A tale of two campaigns

By Shahrum Sayuthi

THE end-lot terrace house near Pearl Avenue in Sungai Chua, which is MCA's main operations centre for the Kajang by-election, is a hive of activity from early morning till late night for the past weeks.    Yesterday, election workers, many in their early 20s, were seen arranging posters and party flags while others were briefing party members in the living room, which had been turned into a makeshift conference hall.
   On the wall outside, there were two buntings which have no direct political element, capable perhaps of attracting the immediate attention of visitors. One promotes an anti-dengue campaign while the other offers of free medical check-ups.
   At one corner of the porch, young party workers man a public services and complaints booth.
   Every few minutes, residents, many of whom are elderly, turn up to ask for help in matters ranging from clogged drains to loss of land title documents.
   The workers record the complaints before channelling them to party officials for action.
Barisan Nasional candidate and MCA vice-president Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun was, meanwhile, busy making her rounds in Kajang.
   Early yesterday morning, she had a walkabout at Pasar Pagi in Taman Ceras Mas, followed by an appearance at the education and career fair at Kompleks Metro Point. Later in the evening till late at night, she had meet-the-people sessions at several locations in Kajang.
   It is a typical MCA style of campaigning -- low key and down to earth with emphasis given to providing services for the people and keeping it all very community-oriented.
Chew's daily schedule mostly consists of visits to public places and functions in the daytime, and meeting voters in small groups in the evening.
   Not known for giving fiery speeches, she is calm and collected when she explains to those present at her meet-the-people functions about her plans if elected.
   She may not have the eloquence of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, PKR's candidate, but Chew holds the advantage when it comes to offering sensible touches to the campaign which is hotting up as nomination day on March 11 draws near.
   Perhaps her lack of aggressive posturing may even turn out to be the crucial ingredient, which could possibly turn the tide come polling day on March 23.
   Still, the underdog tag worn by Chew and the rest of the BN campaign crew seems to be obvious considering PKR's intense activities in Kajang since day one.
   Anwar, on the other hand, has obviously been preparing for the engineered by-election for quite some time as his party workers appeared to be well coordinated, down to the minutest details on how to carry out their campaign.
   Operating from a four-storey building in Sungai Sekamat, they appeared confident, particularly in winning an overwhelming bulk of votes from Kajang's Chinese voters in a repeat of the outcome of the 13th General Election in May last year.
PKR won the Kajang state constituency of more than 38,000 voters in that election by an almost 7,000-vote majority.
   Political observers estimated that up to 90 per cent of the Chinese voters in Kajang had given their support to PKR. Malays make up 48 per cent of the voters; Chinese, 40 per cent; Indians, 10 per cent; and others about one per cent.
   Anwar has, so far, been obvious about his campaign strategy; he is going all out for the Malay votes, believing that votes of the Chinese community are already in his pocket.
   Most of his scheduled ceramah, all the way to nomination day, are concentrated in Malay areas, where they draw a few hundred strong crowd per night.
   PKR's campaign in areas with a sizeable Chinese community has, so far, been led by its vice-president, Tian Chua, during the day.
   Anwar would, on most days, only turn up later in the evening, first for maghrib prayers at one of the mosques or surau in areas where there is a concentration of Malay voters, before proceeding to another venue nearby for his ceramah.
   While Chew may talk about improving healthcare services, traffic flow and basic needs of Kajang folk, the opposition leader mainly focuses on accusing the BN government of being responsible for all the problems afflicting Malaysian society.
   It is a total contrast between the two potential candidates in a contest, which could be dubbed David versus Goliath.
   The outcome, which will have far-reaching consequences, especially for Selangor, could, however, still go either way, depending on what the folk of Kajang want -- a good service-oriented wakil rakyat with a track record of hard work in her previous constituency in Petaling Jaya Utara, or a smooth-talking populist leader who fashions himself as the country's alternative prime minister.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

An Interview with Chew Mei Fun

'I am fighting for a cause'

By Shahrum Sayuthi and Adrian Lai

Chew Mei Fun

Question: You have been away from politics for quite some time after quitting your deputy minister and Wanita MCA chief posts in 2010. What has changed since then?
Answer: My feelings towards politics now are different compared with in 2008. After three years of rest and reflection, I think I have different views on politics. Now, I tell myself that as long as I'm doing something right, why be so worried?
Just say and do what you think is right. At the end of the day, if you are too worried about what people think of you or how they look at you, then you might be compromised.

Question: How do you plan to appeal to the voters in Kajang, as well as your party comrades on the ground?
Answer: We need to be sincere. We need to tell our comrades and friends what we're feeling. What is needed is for us to serve the people without fear or favour. At the same time, we need to take care of the sensitivities of all the ethnic groups.
The truth is, everyone loves peace and everyone wants peace. Everybody wishes that we can live in harmony and respect each other.
Somehow, there are extremists who are doing and saying things that are damaging to the country's unity. We need to face it and find out how to address it. Therefore, I think dialogue among the races is very important.

Question: Political observers have labelled you as the "underdog". Many of them feel that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is going to win. What is your view on this?
Answer: Everyone thinks that about me. I do think I am the underdog but I believe anyone can do it if they are fighting for a cause and deliver their message clearly. With my proven track record and how I have served people in the past, the Kajang electorate may give me a chance.

Question: As Barisan Nasional's (BN) candidate and a senior MCA leader, how well have you been received by Kajang voters since you started making your rounds?
Answer: I have been here (Kajang) for many days now. I shifted here after I was selected as the BN candidate. I walked around and talked to people. Of course, I feel the difference compared with in 2008.
However, even though I found the situation quite encouraging, I will never take this support for granted. All my time was filled up with programmes; I even found it difficult to take two hours off.

Question: In the last general election, there were reports that many Kajang MCA members had voted for the opposition. Will this trend continue?
Answer: This round might be different. I met some of our members during my programmes and they told me that things are different now. They said: "We want to support our party and we want to see our party reform and transform."
And, I believe this is the sentiment of all our MCA members. There are more than 4,000 MCA members in Kajang.
If everybody votes for BN, we will do much better. In the last election, only 18.8 per cent of the Chinese community here voted for BN. Many of our members didn't vote for BN that time. But, now, they are with me.

Question: Tell us about your day-to-day activities.
Answer: In the mornings and afternoons, I go to coffeeshops to chat with local residents. In the evenings, I attend Chinese gatherings. From 9pm to midnight, I mingle with Malays and give ceramah. In fact, (Umno information chief) Datuk Ahmad Maslan comes here every night to assist me with my campaign.
My campaign methods are different from Anwar's. He sends (the party's information chief) Tian Chua to the ground. Do you want to vote for his assistant or the candidate himself?
Anwar takes the people's support for granted. He thinks the Chinese community will definitely support him.
That's why he engineered this by-election, which is unnecessary. He is just trying to solve his party's internal problems. I think the Chinese people here are not blind. If you ask me, they are more critical than anyone else, besides being pragmatic voters.

Question: Why do you think it is important for the voters to give BN a chance to wrest Kajang?
Answer: This is a multiracial country. Whether we're in BN or the opposition, we need to adopt a multiracial approach to politics. Currently, the opposition in Selangor does not reflect that.
And, all 12 BN state assemblymen are from Umno. There are also no female representatives. Therefore, the voters here need to give MCA and me a chance to represent them.

Question: What if the Chinese community in Selangor has decided to regard DAP as their sole representative?
Answer: Here, in Selangor, DAP is part of the ruling government. The Chinese may choose to have DAP as their only representative but that's provided DAP does not do anything wrong.
Currently, DAP can't even stop PKR from doing what it wants. One should not put all the eggs in a single basket. You need to split your risks when you make investments. It is the same in politics.

Question: How do you think your Chinese education background will help you win over the voters and safeguard their interests?
Answer: No doubt, I am from the Chinese-speaking circle because I attended Chinese school. I even studied for my degree in Taiwan and pursued my Master in Chinese Studies at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.
So, I understand the feelings of the Malaysian Chinese. But, I do believe that we cannot live in our own bubble. We need to reach out to others. As leaders, we need to bridge the gap between the ethnic groups. We need to bring them out of their circles.
If we don't do that, we won't be able to have a good platform to talk to each other. If you look at Malaysia now, even though we are a multiracial country, many Malays are still living in villages, the Indians in the estates and the Chinese in new villages.

Question: You mention that BN adopts a multiracial approach to politics and that this is the correct formula to govern the country. However, Pakatan, in particular DAP, propagates the same ideology. How are the coalitions different?
Answer: We are different because even though BN has three large race-based parties, we are able to agree to the concept of power-sharing, but at the same time keep our ethnic identities. Officially, we represent our own race and safeguard their interests.
If you look at things this way, BN is actually a multiracial alliance. It means that we can work together but, at the same time, not forget our identity.
However, even though DAP claims it is a multiracial party, it is obviously Chinese-based. That is how different we are. MCA founder Tun Tan Cheng Lock had once said that although we are a race-based party, we are moving forward with other political parties in BN (then known as the Alliance). The same cannot be said about Pakatan.
For example, when Anwar said he was contesting the Kajang seat, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said he was not informed.
I want to win this election not only for MCA but also for BN. If MCA is weak, it won't be good for BN. We need to work together and bring everybody together. Everybody must progress.

Question: That said, how will you rate your chances of winning at this juncture?
Answer: This is a "mission impossible" but we are fighting for a win. Last time, when we had the same dire situation in Ampang Jaya in 1989, we still managed to win the seat there.

Question: Tell us why Kajang voters should give you their votes.
Answer: First of all, you will be voting in a proper representative, not his assistant. Second, you are strengthening the opposition in Selangor. Third, you will be electing a person who can bring a lot of progress to Kajang.
Remember, Putrajaya is just 15 minutes away from here. The development of Putrajaya will spill into its surrounding areas. Besides, the PKR-led Selangor government is beset with problems. Why push the blame on BN when the prices of goods increase?
They (PKR) cannot even rationalise why the state leaders' salaries are higher than the prime minister's. On one hand, you criticise your opponents, but at the same time, you do the same thing, hoping people will not complain.

Question: The so-called Chinese tsunami last year caused MCA to lose badly, leaving it with only seven parliamentary and 11 state seats. Will a win in Kajang prove that Chinese support is swinging back to BN?
Answer: First of all, last year's loss was largely because of an urban tsunami, and not just a Chinese one. And, it has only been eights months since the 13th General Election. Our (MCA) new leadership has been in office for less than four months.
If you use the results of this election as a yardstick, it won't be fair. But a win for MCA will mean a lot for the party as it will receive a much-needed morale boost to continue its transformation. If we win, the Chinese voters in Kajang are sending out this message: "Do your best and don't disappoint us again".

Question: How long do you think is needed for MCA to pick itself out of the doldrums?
Answer: I think we need at least five to 10 years. It is not easy as we are going through a massive transformation.
Actually, we have many young people and all we have to do is make sure they have a platform to perform. We need the support of the younger leaders if we are to get through this process of transformation.

Question: What would be your message to the voters in Kajang, especially those who feel that you are being used as BN's sacrificial lamb in this by-election?
Answer: People keep asking me, Mei Fun, why do you let yourself become the sacrificial lamb?
Well, I tell them, you don't have to worry about me. I was a normal party member, then I became a member of parliament, then I almost lost my life (in an accident), became deputy minister, and then quit everything. I led an ordinary life, came back as an MCA vice-president and now, I'm going up against a titan like Anwar Ibrahim.
I think I've been through quite a lot and I just want to go in knowing I'm fighting for a cause and doing what I think is right. You don't have to worry about me. After many years in politics, I've learned that there's no point stressing over winning or losing. Just let things be.