People and Events

TRK is a small lovely park at the edge of Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. It is popular with the public especially for weekend events as well as for everyday people who go there to exercise and relax. Described as a public open space by the Kuala Lumpur City Draft Plan 2020 it is now in danger. There are plans to build 8 blocks of luxury condos 42 - 54 storeys high which if approved by the Kuala Lumpur City Council, DBKL, would take away about half of the park. With green spaces continually being depleted people have been protesting this project.

Posted 8 June 2018. Bukit Kiara is a hilly green lung in Kuala Lumpur, next to Taman Tun Dr Ismail. Since 2007 the then BN government has promised to gazette 189 hectares as a public green space. In 2016 the National Landscape Department announced that 154 Ha will be gazetted by 2017. Note that they have already reduced the size to be gazetted. But 2017 came and went and it is now 2018 and still no gazette. Why after 11 years still no gazettement? My own suspicion is that the City Hall (DBKL) possibly in league with the Federal Ministry were trying to parcel out more and more of Bkt Kiara to private corporations for profit. For example, to KL Equestrian Club and Berjaya Corp. A few days ago the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission raided DBKL. Hopefully we'll know what happened with Bkt Kiara. And hopefully too the new Pakatan government after GE14 will finally gazette Bkt Kiara and protect it as a green lung.

Event in honour of Dr Syed Husin Ali's 80th birthday held in Bangi. He was a professor at the Department of Sociology, Universiti Malaya till 1990 when he quit to be the President of Parti Rakyat Malaysia, PRM, and to contest the general elections that year. I was his driver, going out meeting PRM members and ex members of the Labour Party, a close affiliate of PRM. He contested in Batu that year. Subsequently, moved to contest in Petaling Jaya Selatan. Later he helped PRM merged with Parti Keadilan, forming Parti Keadilan Rakyat, PKR. Later became a Senator appointed by the Selangor government. A prolific writer he produced many books, never running out of themes it seems.

Event to remember the late Kassim Ahmad, ex head of Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia (Malaysian Peoples Socialist Party) who died 10 Oct 2017. He took over from Ahmad Boestamam, Parti Rakyat Malaysia and added 'Sosialis' to PRM. .He later joined Umno but quit in 1996. He became known for being anti Hadith but discussions agree that he only rejected those that were not in line with the Quran. Also infamous for the line, "Kerana Tuhan Sudah Mati." But this is a line from his poem that condemns the powerful and the corrupt for their ostentatious and corrupt wealth and celebrating as if God was dead. Also the first to shift Malays' perspective of who is a hero, from Hang Tuah who was wronged but remained loyal to the ruler to Hang Jebat who rebelled against the wrong meted out by a cruel and oppressive ruler. Kassim Ahmad too was a major literary figure.

This festival is on 14 Oct 2017 at Kuala Selangor Nature Park, KSNP. It is a yearly affair organised by Malaysian Nature Society, MNS. It celebrates the importance of birds in general and in particular, welcoming migratory birds escaping the approaching winter in the north. It also highlights the importance of mangroves which form the bulk of KSNP. It is attended mostly by school children, the hope of the future.

Went back to Perlis on Friday 27 April to help Indera Kayangan state candidate, Gan Ay Ling of Pakatan Harapan. Nomination day was 28 April. A three-cornered fight against PAS and BN.

Hannah Yeoh's rally 5 May at TTDI with some 5000 people in attendance. And on election day 9 May 2018 at Lower Religious School Ar-Rahah in Kerinchi. The Pakatan Harapan candidate from PKR, Fahmi Fadzil, is there.

Three days after being elected Member of Parliament of Segambut, Kuala Lumpur, and true to her pledge to look at the issue of Bukit Kiara (and Taman Rimba Kiara), Hannah visits Bukit Kiara to see the place for herself accompanied by Friends of Bukit Kiara, FoBK. The former BN government had promised to gazette it as a public green lung way back in 2006 but till now the promised has not materialised. In 2016 the Chief Secretary to the National Landscape Department said the gazette would happen by 2017. That came came and went.

This forum, "Towards a New Progressive Malaysia Post GE14?", is organised by Inpuma, Law Faculty, and Academic Staff Association of Universiti Malaya (PKAUM). Panelists are Dr Chandra Muzaffar of JUST, Dr Siti Mariah of Amanah (ADUN Seri Serdang, Selangor), Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi (Umno, ADUN Layang-layang, Johor), Prof Terence Gomez (Economics Faculty), and Associate Prof Azmi Sharom (Law Faculty, and President of PKAUM). Moderated by Prof Mohd Hazim Shah. It is the first such forum after GE14 in UM.

Posted 23 July 2018. Yayasan Usman Awang was established in Malaysia's national laureate's namesake. A leftist nationalist he fought for progressive ideas. Many consider him as the best poet in the Malay language. Malam Yayasan Usman Awang (Usman Awang Foundation Nite) celebrates his life. Photos here are from two different occasions, 2 November 2017 and 16 July 2018.

Posted 22 August 2018. This is organised by Persatuan Anak Perlis (Perlis Society), based in Kuala Lumpur, a yearly affair. I was kindly invited by my cousin Badriyah who is an active exco member of the society. So for the first time in years I wear my batik, the requirement for attendance (well, not strictly enforced).