Ceramah Tonight - Friday

Donate to DAP for PJ here.

Apologies once again for last night's confirmation.

Though the speakers didnt get to speak in the ceramahs, they were glad and encouraged by the warmth shown by many well wishers.

Tonight's Ceramah is as follows:

1. Restoran Busy Corner (Claypot Chicken Rice)
Jln SS22/11, Damansara Jaya

The ceramah start at 8:00pm

Thank You

Read more!

Haris Ibrahim at the SS2 Ceramah

Donate to DAP for PJ here.




videoclip - thanks once again to Malaysiakini

Read more!

Ceramah List for Thursday

Donate to DAP for PJ here.

Update: Please check this page for updates later today as there may be last minute changes. We are still in the midst of finalising the police permit.
Update : We apologise, the ceramahs tonight has been cancelled. However, Tony Pua, Dr Cheah and Lau Weng San will do their walkabouts at the Chow Yang pasar malam


Our ceramah venues tomorrow , 28.2.08 (Thu) CANCELLED
8.00pm
Field opposite OK Restoran, the other end of Kayu Nasi Kandar. Near pasar malam.
between SS2/8 and SS2/21

Speakers:
Tony Pua
Dr Cheah
Lau Weng San
Others to be confirmed

Read more!

Highlights of The SS2 Ceramah

if you missed it, here's a short videoclip,
:D thanks to Malaysiakini

Read more!

Full House At DAP Ceramah - Malaysiakini

Donate to DAP for PJ here.

It was a fantastic ceramah last night. The turn out and the number of calls at the hotline blew us away. Malaysiakini and the evening edition of some of the Chinese papers have featured the talk.

The battle is far from over. Bring your friends who are fence sitters/still deliberating on the issues to come listen to our ceramahs. For more ceramah updates, check out out the events page on our election website.

Full house at DAP ceramah

Soon Li Tsin Feb 26, 08 1:24pm

What do you get when you put three political rookies together on a stage next to a bustling night market?A political rally so loud that the words, cheers and applause bounced right off the walls disrupting traffic.This was the scene at the SS2 night market yesterday when the Petaling Jaya DAP team took the stage to address voters in the area.

Malaysiakini spoke to several people who attended and most said they came to listen to PJ Utara (PJU) parliamentary candidate Tony Pua (right) speak. PJU voter SY Wong, 40, said it was her first time at a ceramah and thought Pua would make a fairly decent MP because he seems "intelligent and credible".

"I want my MP to be intelligent and to talk about issues I am concerned with. Things like crime is definitely an issue," the accountant said.
She noted that PJU would be an interesting fight because Pua is up against incumbent Barisan Nasional's Chew Mei Fun who was "pretty good herself".

Disillusioned voter

Another resident in the area, Karamjit Singh, 42, said he had always voted for BN but would vote for DAP for the first time in the coming general election. "I'm disillusioned over BN's promise to fight against corruption and our security is at stake. All this affects the competitiveness of the nation and it directly affects our children's future," said the father of two.

A government servant and voter from Sabah who stood on the sidelines appeared captivated when Kampung Tunku state seat candidate Lau Weng San spoke, Describing her first time attendance at a ceramah as an eye-opener, the 25-year-old civil servant said: "It is interesting because I get to know things like what the government has done that goes unreported in the newspapers."

Another PJU voter who identified himself only as Ong, 46, said he came to the ceramah with an open mind to hear what the speakers had to say.

"If you look at the official media, we would never get this. I would like to listen to opposition voices since they had been deprived of a chance to speak out.

"This is the only way voters could make an informed choice. These ceramahs serve a purpose and people migh be swayed by them to a certain extent," he said.

Good for fence-sitters Johor voter Brian Fernandez, 37, said the ceramah are informative and it would help fence-sitters make up their minds. "For fence-sitters, it would help but for people like me who have decided already, I'm just here to listen," he said.

Asked what issues he was concerned with, he replied: "Crime, Islamisation, Malay-isation, corruption and lack of national unity."

"The past three years have helped shaped my political views. BN made many promises then but the prime minister (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) had not fulfilled any of the major ones.

"He has not made Malaysia a Malaysia for all," he said.

The crowd of about 200 had gathered when newcomer Dr Cheah Wing Yin who was the Damansara Utama state seat candidate spoke about making local councils accountable.
The crowd swelled to about 500 when guest speaker lawyer Haris Ibrahim took the stage and drew applause after almost every sentence as he called for equality and an end to racial politics.
Next was Lau who presented a bilingual speech highlighting crime and corruption being the main focus of DAP's campaign.

The much-anticipated Pua then charmed the crowd with his wit and toothy smile as he pointed how the country's economy is ailing and the quality of Malaysian education dwindling compared to our neighbours.
By then the crowd spilled over to the nearby parking lot, hundreds packed into the tiny corner of SS2 awaiting DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang to arrive.
When he did, the atmosphere was almost concert-like as the DAP election campaign song 'Just Change' blared from the huge speakers and the crowd clamoured to shake Lim's hand.

It was DAP's night at the SS2 corner as the voices echoed across the buildings with a single message - it is time for change.

Read more!

DAP Ceramah Monday 25th Feb SS2

Donate to DAP for PJ here.

The PJ Utara team has been greatly encouraged by the show of support shown so far.
Last night, we had 2 ceramahs, and the attendance was fantastic!
Tonight, our ceramah will be held at SS2, in front of MJ Cafe
The location is near the SS2 market. There are two entrances to the market, one from McD, and the other is from MJ Cafe, behind Hong Leong bank.

for tonight's ceramah, we have an excellent lineup.

The speakers are

Lim Kit Siang

Haris Ibrahim

Tony Pua candidate for Parliament Petaling Jaya Utara

Dr Cheah Wing Yin candidate for State Damansara Utama

Lau Weng San candidate for Kampung Tunku

Thank You

Starts at 8:00pm

Parking can be a bit of a problem on Monday nights as there is a pasar malam there.

Come early to find a place to park OR park at the open-air carpark. I think it's RM4, a bit price, but helps saves on your stress level.

It would be good if you could carpool cos it saves the environment and takes up less parking space.

Thanks

Read more!

Tony Pua for Parliament

Donate to DAP for PJ here.

It's now officially confirmed. I will be standing as the DAP parliamentary candidate for Petaling Jaya Utara. I will be contesting against a very strong opponent, Datuk Paduka Chew Mei Fun who is not only the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry for Women, Family & Community Affairs, but also MCA Wanita Deputy Chief designated for higher positions.

It will be a tough battle, and I dare say that the BN candidate has an edge having been the incumbent for two terms. Particularly, we lost by a massive 13,000 votes in the 2004 elections. However, with greater awareness among the PJ electorate of the deteriorating national cirumstances - from crime, to inflation, to integrity, to governance and to leadership, there is a fighting chance of making it - but if and only if, discerning Malaysians turn up in force to vote.

The following are 5 important reasons why voters should opt for me and DAP candidates in the Petaling Jaya. Spread the word and vote for change.

1. The role of a Member of Parliament (MP) or State Legislative Assembly (SA)

We are committed to the principle that a member of Parliament's ultimate responsibility is towards the national policies and legislations to be debated and enacted in parliament. At the same time, the role of a state assemblyman is to enact state laws in the state assembly.

Where there have been areas of unjust policies or even bad legislation which needs to be updated or reformed, it is the duty of the MP or SA to propose the necessary changes. You can be assured that in this regard, DAP MPs and SAs will do so without fear or favour.

A good MP does not hide from responsibility to its constituents in the parliament. Examples are aplenty, with the disgraceful episode(s) of BN MPs insulting women ('bocor', 'terowong') and the handicapped ('Tuhan dah ajar dia'). MPs across the divide must unite to reprimand such atrocious behaviour, instead of being conspiciously absent from the Dewan, despite being in the vicinity when a vote is called.

Other BN MPs cannot escape blame for the persistence of such behaviour and more, among their colleagues over the years.

2. Serving the Constituency

At the same time, it cannot be denied that it is very important for an MP, particularly in Malaysia to serve the specific needs of the local constituency.

However, serving the constituency cannot be limited to issues such as mending potholes, fixing street lamps and unclogging drains, or for that matter, 'donations' in kind and cash to local residents' associations and societies. It also doesn't mean that an elected opposition MP or SA does or cannot not play the role of improving roads or street lamps – Teresa Kok and Tan Kok Wai are perfect examples of dedicated MPs who keep their constituencies ticking.

On the other hand, an MP or state assemblyperson in Malaysia has the extra heavy responsibility of monitoring and check the all-powerful local councils. Malaysia has no democratically elected local government, but instead has one which is based on a system of political patronage where local BN party leaders are appointed councillors.

As a result, we read of all kinds of abuses by the local councils with MBPJ being a prime culprit. Examples of corruption, abuse and sheer arrogance are once again aplenty, and you would probably have read the various columns in The Sun over the years. Some of the recent examples are the illegal siphoning of “donations” to an illegal “sports club”, attempts to develop open spaces and green lungs by consipiring with developers, official launching of a mega-PJ Exchange project by the Selangor Menteri Besar without the necessary approvals and traffic analysis, illegal privatisation of billboards etc.

The BN MPs and state assemblymen have unfortunately “closed one-eye” and maintained “an elegant silence” over the entire period either by claiming ignorance, or providing convenient and non-committal empty promises of “looking into the issue”.

3. National interest and the future of our country

Most importantly, your vote represents not only that of your constituency but also that of the nation.

It is not necessary to elaborate here on the issues affecting the nation today such as an crime, declining real income, weak and poor governance, racial disintegration, corruption, Islamic state etc.

While DAP would not have an opportunity to form the government in the next elections, it is critical that there should be a much stronger opposition to check the abuses by a hegemonic government, in our case, one with 91% control of the Parliament. Only when the voices of the people are heard, will the government of the day be more sensitive towards the needs of the Rakyat.

What makes the situation more dire politically, is the fact that constituencies have been gerrymandered extensively to make it ultra difficult for DAP to make major headway in terms of actual seats increase, despite a possible hefty increase in votes. Former opposition strongholds such as Kota Melaka or Bukit Bintang has been redelineated nearly beyond recognition.

Petaling Jaya Utara, despite DAP losing by a massive 13,000 votes the last elections remains one of a handful (literally) of seats in which we have a decent chance of wresting from BN. This is because, being a largely educated urban constituency, the number of swing voters who are attuned to national issues, is very high. Many constituents are contemplating or have already decided that their children's future should no longer be in this country which we so love.

As such, we are making a serious concerted effort to win in this constituency.

4. Position on key issues and more importantly, actions taken

With so many disturbing events affecting the country, what are the MP or state assemblymen's positions on these issues? Are they in agreement with UMNO's “ketuanan Melayu” approach or the statement by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak that “Malaysia is Islamic state,... it was never, never a secular state”, which the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi himself concurred?

More importantly, if the MP or SA disagrees with such policies and practices, what are the concrete actions he or she has taken to improve the state of affairs? An MP or political party's responsibility to the rakyat is not to disagree “privately” with the major wrongs in this country, but goes along with it anyway. The President of MCA goes to the extent of publicly declaring that “UMNO is our best partner.... why end such a beautiful friendship” less than six months ago!

On the other hand, the DAP leadership as well as the team in Petaling Jaya, have put ourselves under public scrutiny by placing our opinions and policies for public scrutiny, e.g., in a regularly updated website or blog. When the Government does the right thing, we won't hesitate to commend them, and likewise, if something's wrong, then we won't hesitate to censure and provide alternative constructive proposals. Without the pressure applied by the DAP on the Government over the years, I dare not imagine the state the country will be in today (yes, it can still get worse).

5. Conclusion

To conclude, the DAP candidates including myself, have nothing to gain (and much to lose) from offering ourselves as candidates in the General Elections besides hoping that we will be given the opportunity to serve the community and make Malaysia a better country for all Malaysians.

In the coming general elections, the primary consideration for Malaysians must be to vote for both the future of our children and country.

We certainly look forward to your support! ;-)

Read more!

Come Join Us On Sunday Nomination Day

all,

I'm very thrilled and excited to invite you to join DAP on Nomination Day this Sunday.
Our nomination center is at SRJK(C) Puay Chai SS2/53.

DAP supporters, and I know there are many of you out there :P, are invited to show support to the PJ Utara team who will lead Malaysia forward.
Come in your DAP t-shirts, caps, badges, umbrellas .... and if you dont have any of these, you can get them at the DAP Selangor @no77, Jln 20/9, Paramount.

remember,
Date : Sunday 24th Feb
Time : 8:00 am
Venue : SRJK(C) Puay Chai SS2/53

The meeting point for DAP supporters is at the playground between SS2/54 and 19/40.

Please take note that the Puay Chai road, SS2/53 is closed to traffic.
Enter from SS2/57 (and the roads after that) or from Jln 21/3 on the other side.

Also, The Bukit Gasing candidate and his supporters will meet around Menara Choy Fook Onn, which is just before the Civic Center turn-off.
Subang Jaya DAP supporters will be meeting at the MacDonald's SS15 drive-in, and make their way to the Pejabat Daerah next to Subang Parade.

See you there on Sunday!

DAP for PJ election website http://www.dapforpj.com/

Read more!

Po Kuan's Back!

Breaking News!

After days of persuasion by members of the public as well as all the party leaders, I have received (yet-to-be-confirmed) news that Sdri Fong Po Kuan has agreed to retract her decision to step down and pick up the gauntlet to stand as a candidate once again in the parliamentary constituency of Batu Gajah! ;-)

Hooray! ;-) (Still keeping my fingers crossed!)

Read more!

DAP 2008 General Elections Theme Song

Yours truly adapted the lyrics. Enjoy ;-)

Click here for the Malay and Chinese versions. Or better still download it as your ringtone and handphone video (3GP).

The lyrics for the sing-a-long are as follows:

Just change for Malaysia
Just change for Malaysia
Just change we will over come
Just change we will see the sun

Together all races stand as one
Together we will never run
Together it's like never before
Together what we're fighting for

Just change for Malaysia
Just change for Malaysia
Just change we will over come
Just change we will see the sun

Corruption
We will stop the drain
Senseless crimes
We will end the pain
Inflation
We will also tame
Together
We will rise again

Just change for Malaysia
Just change for Malaysia
Just change we will over come
Just change we will see the sun

We will fight for our rights to be free
For equality
Justice we will defend, leaders
must have integrity

(Forever)
Malaysians must come first
(and never)
will we be coerced
(remember)
if we vote wisely
(together)
We will make history

(everyone of us must make that change)

Just change for Malaysia
Just change for Malaysia
Just change we will over come
Just change we will never run

Just change for Malaysia
Just change for Malaysia
Just change we will over come
Just change we will see the sun

Just change...

Read more!

DAP for PJ Website

Yes! After much delays and heartaches, the website for the DAP for PJ Rocket team is finally ready for public viewing.

The website introduces the Rocket Team members for the constituencies in Petaling Jaya, which includes the Petaling Jaya Utara parliamentary seat, encompassing Kampung Tunku and Damansara Utama state seats, as well as the Bukit Gasing state seat.

There's still work to be done on the website, but it is at the very least functional.

Most importantly, we have set up a credit card, Maybank2U and other online payment system and have provided detailed information for cash and cheque donations, which is much needed! We definitely need funding to fight a good election battle and have a winning possibility. ;-)

And if you are unable to contribute much in terms of funding, your effort and assistance as a volunteer (however little) will be just as valuable.

Have fun. The site will be further updated once the actual candidates are announced for the respective constituencies! ;-)

Read more!

Volunteers Required

As you know, we, in DAP, depend very much on our supporters to help us in our campaign. We do not have the luxury that BN has for machinery and media.
We hope that you can help volunteer in some areas for this campaign.

These are some areas where you can help

Posters and buntings

Lots and lots of buntings to be stapled onto rafia strings
and by thursday, we expect to start work on the posters. Posters are printed on paper, and need to be put into plastic sheets before hanging them out. Volunteers are needed for this.

These tasks are carried out at 77, Jalan 20/9, Paramount Garden,46300, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. (This is the row behind Seaview Restaurant, and near O&S Restaurant.)

Polling Agents and Counting Agents

Well, for those who may not be able to assist for a large part of our campaign in Petaling Jaya, but are available nevertheless to assist on voting day, we need you to become polling and counting agents for the day.
A short brief on the roles can be found here
We will be conducting a training tomorrow Tuesday, 8:30pm at DAP Damansara Utama (map here).
Please come!

Read more!

DAP PJ Chinese New Year Open House

You are cordially invited to the DAP Petaling Jaya Chinese New Year Open House!

The details are as follows:

Date: 17 February 2008 (Sun)
Time: 10.00 am
Venue: Damansara Utama Community Centre, Jalan SS21/9, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya

Halal food will be served. Bring along your family and friends! We certainly hope to see you there! For a map, click here. ;-)

Gong Hee! Gong Hee!

Read more!

Parliament Is Dissolved

Yes, the Parliament is dissolved and elections will be held soon, speculated to be on the 1st March, given the Prime Minister's superstitious nature favouring the number "13". Here's the immediate reaction by the Parliamentary Opposition Leader for your view at a press conference this morning.

We need volunteers urgently in Petaling Jaya. You can help us just on election day (which is usually held on a weekend), or better still, you can take leave between now and election day to help us full-time. ;-)

With your support, we can certainly do much better. Please email directly to ericahew(at)gmail(dot)com or call/sms our Hotline @ 016-2208867. We will get back to you soonest! ;-)

Read more!

Malaysian Income Rose by 40% over 3 years?

The Star reported that Malaysia's per capita income rose by 40% in 2007 compared with 2004 according the Second Finance Minister, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop in Penang. He said that per capita income was now RM22,345 compared with RM15,819 previously.

Nor Mohamed Yakcop must either be completely out of his mind, or can no longer perform simple Mathematics or worse, attempting to insult the intelligence of ordinary Malaysians.

Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 5.0%, 5.9% and an estimated 6.0% in 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively according to the Government's official statistics.

Based on the above growth rates over the past 3 years, Malaysia's GDP grew by approximately 17.9% from 2004 to 2007.

Income or GDP per capita is calculated by dividing the GDP with the total population. Therefore, it is completely inconceivable that our per capita income increased by 40% when our GDP grew by only 17.9%. Unless of course, the honourable Minister believes that our population shrunk by some 16%!

To achieve 40% growth, Malaysia must be growing in excess of 12% per annum. Hence, to grow by 40% over 3 years, with a population growing at just under 2% per annum, that will actually make Malaysia the fastest growing economy in Asia, outstripping even China and India.

The Second Finance Minister should refrain from getting intoxicated by the general election fever, in the attempts to paint a heavenly picture of the Malaysian economy. He must instead make an official public apology for his outrageous claims.

Read more!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Hopefully it'll be a great Year of the Rat for Rats like me! ;-) Gong Hee! Gong Hee!

Read more!

Malaysia Belongs To The People

DAP has launched its official campaign videoclip tied to the campaign slogan
"Just Change It" announced a week earlier. (Click here for the Bahasa Malaysia version)



It's time. For a better Malaysia, Just Change It!

(p.s., if you like this clip, please distribute and share it with friends)

Read more!

Vote for MCA = Vote for UMNO

MCA denies being an UMNO 'agent' used to mollify the unhappy Chinese community in Malaysia. Can you believe them?


As you can see, the President of MCA was overjoyed with the recent announcement of 6 new Chinese primary schools and 13 schools to be relocated.

It is unfortunate, that the community's needs have been made into a political circus show whereby we are held at ransom by the infamous Minister of Education, Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein. (I wonder if OKT managed to whisper into (Keris)ham's ears as to what he thought of his annual keris-defying acts)

Just before elections are called, the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional government will dish out small portion of the community's needs (it is estimated by DongJiaoZhong that the overcrowded Chinese vernacular primary schools today will require some 130 new or relocated schools to resolve), and obviously, these 'agents' of UMNO will dish out Oscar winning performances to demonstrate how magnanimous Barisan Nasional is (re: above pictures).

Is this not "beggar politics"? Can we accept subservience to UMNO and it's race supremacy politics? After all, the MCA president have publicly declared that UMNO's MCA's best partner... "why end such a beautiful friendship?"

Doesn't it mean that a vote for MCA, or for that matter, Gerakan is indeed a vote for UMNO?

Read more!

Emperor's New Clothes

This must be one of the most truthful reports by New Straits Times! Check it out on Page 2 today. Read the caption accompanying the picture below. ;-)

(Click picture for a larger view)

I couldn't stop laughing. How ominous! And I blogged about his "new clothes" just about a year ago! ;-)

Read more!