GE13 - on my mind.

As a responsible citizen, a man who spent half his life living outside the country, (not by choice really), but loves this country "Tempat tumpah darah", I have only voted once in my life. I voted for Pa' Lah, the first time I decided to vote I voted for a man I thoguht would bring a little sense of "slow down, take it easy...don't be too greedy, too much in a hurry, lets find the middle way kind of guy; I shook his hand w after he gave his first 'ceramah' at the Primula Hotel, Kuala Terengganu. At the time I was having my first solo exhibition in Kuala Terengganu, at the Hotel foyer. One evening the manager then a close friend told me to go home and put on a batik shirt. When I asked why, he said Pa'Lah is coming, go see what he has to say. I did.
I arrived early and there were many empty seats up front, so I sat right up front and later joined by a couple of bouncers who I latter learned, after half an hour of chit chatting belonged to the Army Intelligence, or Pa'Lah's body guards, could have been. I told them I was from Penang and had grown up twelve years of my life in Terengganu and that i lived overseas for..yada...yada..ya! The Pa' Lah gave his talk and along with him on the stage were Dato'Idris Jusoh and an old childhood friend from Penang, Dato' ?? Zainol Ariff. After his short speech Pa' Lah and the floor was open for questions. Somewhere in the far back of the hall a young man shouted his question, "Pa'Lah, NI Melayu Pulau Pinang pun ta'mampu na' jaga, macam mana na' jago Melayu Tngggsanu!?" The question asked had the three individuals on stage nailed to the floor with their heads bent and nodding and swinging sideways. The deputy Primeminister was speechless but gave a brave smile and I never felt a more humbling experience, I felt very sorry for all three of them. I voted for Pa'Lah and the Barisan Nasional swept back the carpet on the state of Terengganu; Pass was almost wiped out, that was a Tsunami of 'Change!

At the urging by my table mates with a nudge in my rib, "Orang hang kena hentam ni, Pi la sat bagi buah sepatah dua." Go break the ice. I did. I walked up to the mike and told the hall that they were not to worry about Penang Malays, we will survive, the problem you have is here and why the Terengganu people almost unanimously voted you out in the last four of five years ago was because they were, "Merajok", disappointed to put it mildly at your poor performances as caretakers. I told them that it used to be a symbol to ride your bicycles into the rural areas to discover how the people are doing, but today you refuse to step out of the government sponsored Pajarro for fear you might dirty your shoes...'turun padang konon!" During the Monsoon season so much suffering for those fishermen and their families, all I ever heard from them is the lack of support from people like you, ( I assume I was addressing UMNO members). I went on and on about loosing the valuable assets like Redang and Perhentian to outside investments, what do the Malays own on those Islands?
Pa'Lah spoke after telling the crowd that he was willing to spend the whole night there if need be, to listen to all the problems the Young Malay Entrepreneurs had to share. The whole event ended at about 2 am. As I shook his hand, Dato'Idris Jusoh shook my hand and asked me "Mu Kerje Pende karang?" What are you doing now? He later became the Mentri Besar when BN took the state. That was my first involvemnt in Malaysian politics as I signed up to vote and thought then that Terengaanu needed a change, big time! The richest state in terms of resources and man power, the poorest in terms of everyday living. I knew this as I was a Health and Safety Officer at the Petronas construction site building the Refinery at Kerteh and Gebeng for three years, informations came firsthand from experience and personal observations. On one the meetings I told the young Petronas Site Officers the same thing about "turun padang" and  airconditoned Pajarros: the affect it has on those working out in the hot noonday sun, or slip sliding in yellow mud during the rainy seasons.
I love Terengganu, spent my teen years there hunting, fishing , diving off the coast on the islands in the early sixties. My house was across the street from Istana Badariah and used to run around the palace grounds with Raja Baharin playing cowboy asnd Indians. I used to caddy for The late HRH Sultan Isalmail Nassiruddin Shah, he talked to me and I listened on many quiet moments along the golf course surrounding the palace, I was more than fortunate. I used to caddy for the late dato' Arrifin Zakaria who later became personal adviser to Sultan Mizan, who at one time became the King for a period, the younngest I believe, of Malaysia.. What I am saying is I had very great teachers in my childhood years.
 The children most of whom are adults now on Pulau Duyong called me .Sir as I used to volunteer teach them English along with my late wife Nancy. Terengganu deserves better; most politicians there were myopic except for Dato'Idris Jusoh back then, but his dreams for the State was short lived through - Politics.When the Teremgganu state Stadium roof collapsed twice it wass not a good omen, we cannot just hope to change we must fully understand to change for the better...we have to be able to stop saying, "what's in it for me?"
 I hate to quote J. F.Kennedy as it is so well used but..."Ask not what the country can do for you...but what you can do for the country." I hope in all my heart that we are all asking the right question as we step into this next General Election.