Just A Short Note

In conjunction with the Holy month of Ramadhan, the Chairman of the Social and Welfare Committee of PAS, YB Doctor Lo'lo', invites any interested parties or individuals, to contribute towards the needy of, especially, the citizens of Lorong Haji Taib, Kuala Lumpur.

The Committee, Lajnah Kebajikan dan Kemasyarakatan PAS Pusat, or LKKPP for short, will be handing out packages which would include: Rice and Porridge, Guidebook towards a more fruitful Ramadhan, Prayer Mats, and several other items.

Apart from the above, the LKKPP will also be hosting Iftar and Terawih Prayers for the benefit of the people in Lorong Haji Taib, under a program named "Iftar dan Terawih Warga Insaf Lorong Haji Taib", and insyAllah, will last throughout the whole month of Ramadhan al-Mubarak.

The estimation for expenses needed on daily basis throughout the month are:

1. 100 Packed Rice per day - RM500
2. One Large Pot of Bubur Lambuk per day - RM400
Any extra contribution would be appropriated accordingly.


The LKKPP seek your compassion for the citizens there, and your support for these and other programs we may have. Kindly send your contributions to:

1. In Person or by post:
Pusat Khidmat Wakil Wakyat Titiwangsa.
No.10, Jalan Raja Muda Musa, Kampung Baru
50300 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2698 0025

or

2. Dana Kami Prihatin
Bank Islam (BIMB)
Account No: 12113010026150

or

3. Yayasan Prihatin Titiwangsa
Maybank Account N0: 564799106040

or

4. Dr Lo'lo'
CIMB Account No: 14410005980052


On behalf of YB Doctor Lo'lo' and the LKKPP, I thank you in advance. May Allah s.w.t. reward you for your kindness.

Have a Blessed Ramadhan.

Even by 1

During the Visiting Hours of UMMC yesterday, YB Doctor Lo'lo' led a small group of people from the Lajnah Kebajikan dan Kemasyarakatan PAS Pusat (LKKPP), to visit the casualties of a bus accident as in the image above. The visit was ad hoc as the good Doctor wanted to see for herself the condition of the passengers. Of the 28 passengers on the bus, we were informed that 8 were admitted into the various wards, with 2 in critical condition. The remaining 20 suffered light injuries and were released on the same day itself.


On behalf of the LKKPP, Doctor Lo'lo' also distributed a small hamper of fruits to each of the victims warded, along with a token of money in an effort to relieve the expenses the families have to bear. At the same time, the Doctor took the opportunity to get acquainted with several of the staff at each ward, especially in view that she had served in the hospital early in her career as a Medical Doctor.

Soon after the visit, the Doctor was interviewed by reporters from Harakah, touching especially on the recent ManekUrai by-election.

Doctor Lo'Lo', quite like many voices in Pakatan Rakyat, voiced her displeasure on the manner BN conducted their campaign, stooping low with not only the blatant abuse of the government's machineries, money politics, as well as promises which can tantamount to either a threat or bribery, or even both. She also mentioned the selected investigations of MACPA especially on the 2 Pakatan Rakyat ADUN in Selangor, while turning a blind eye to the underhand campaign tactics in Manek Urai, and the RM500,000 DUN allocation which the BN representatives utilised within 2 months prior to the 2008 General Election (at this point of time, the news of Teoh Beng Hock's death was not reported yet).

It was towards the end of the interview that a thought came to my mind.

True, PAS won the Manek Urai seat with a mere 65 count. Many a new portal, conventional media, and even bloggers pointed out to the issues which contributed to the narrow win. And to be honest, almost all of them were right in pointing their views as there was not a single factor, but lots of them, all mixed into one small bowl resulting in a 'masam masam manis' victory for PAS. Nonetheless, a win it still is.

But there is one factor which many seem to forget. Perhaps, we were to look into the past election record of Manek Urai, one might agree that one strong factor that led to the narrow win was, ironically, Allahyarham Ismail Yaakob, the ADUN who passed away.

Were I to read it correctly, except for the 2004 GE and Parliamentary term, Allahyarham Ismail, had been the ADUN for Manek Urak for 5 terms. In 2004, he did not contest the seat and PAS lost it to UMNO. But in 2008 when he was fielded again, Allahyarham won the seat back for PAS. Looking at the trend, the narrow win this time was around was something perhaps PAS should have expected. And along with all the factors many others have pointed out, PAS indeed was lucky to have retained the seat.

In view of this, Emak and I enjoyed some small fits of laughter when Tok Pa claimed that BN's had won a moral victory, despite all the immoral practices used throughout not only the by-election in Manek Urai, but throughout the history of Malaysia and in all elections, General or By; the result speaks for itself: a win is still a win. Even if it is by a single vote.

LKKPP Seminar February 7, 2009

As mentioned in the last posting, the Lajnah Kebajikan and Kemasyarakatan PAS Pusat organised a seminar entitled 'Perlaksanaan Negara Berkebajikan Dalam Negeri Negeri Pakatan Rakyat', or 'Towards The Realisation of A Caring Nation Within Pakatan Rakyat Administered States'. Steered by its Chairman, YB Doctor Lo'Lo', the seminar was officiated by YB Dato' Husam Musa. Delegates from all over Malaysia attended the half day seminar.


This seminar, the first of its kind, discussed the welfare issues of the rakyat, and how LKKPP intend to assist the Pakatan Rakyat States to address the issues concerned, in keeping to the "Negara Berkebajikan" manifesto of the past GE12. It should be noted that the word 'Berkebajikan' does not translate directly as 'Welfare Nation', but a nation that looks into the real issues afflicting the people, materially and/or otherwise.


In his opening speech, YB Dato' Husam mentioned that the Perak State Government under YAB Ir Nizar, would announce a 5day Pre-Maternity Leave. This would allow the family to be better prepared, taking into consideration a large number of Malaysians would normally head back towards their parents house, or have their parents over to assist. (As I have not been reading nor watching the news these past few days, and even coming online as regularly as before the Gaza War, I beg leave of any knowledge pursuant to the implementation of the matter).

LKKPP, in the coming months, would be holding meets with the LKKP of each states, and assisting them to open clinics in an effort to understand the rakyat's woes within the context of the matter. InsyAllah, Harakah print edition this Friday would have the full story.



More pictures at Pictures-Only here and here.


ps. To my friends and regular visitors, I apologise for the dry tone in this, and several previous entries. InsyAllah, regular entries will be back on air. Or, in a new blog.

No Longer Worlds Apart

Early Saturday morning while attending a seminar organised by Lajnah Kebajikan dan Kemasyarakatan PAS Pusat, I was shown a text message by a colleague by the name of Shamsuddin. Even while reading the message, my heart was beating faster than normal and I could feel the smile growing on my lips, and a joy spreading all over as the coming of the message was totally unexpected by some of us there. (At this juncture, I would like to invite visitors to this humble blog to read this entry 'Worlds Apart' first - just click on the title. Do excuse the spelling and grammar mistakes however, as I do hate to edit or correct).

When I wrote the entry for 'Worlds Apart', I did not have a still camera on hand to capture some of the scenes. Coincidentally this Saturday afternoon, I had a still camera with me even if it be a simple Olympus, one which I was using for the seminar mentioned above. And even though the seminar was supposed to end at 2pm, I left early at 12.15 just to be present at the site where the message came from. The picture below, and more on Pictures-Only here, shows of the condition of the houses I mentioned in 'Worlds Apart', though the present condition has generally improved since that visit. Except for the house or shed as seen below and which resembles the living condition of foreign construction workers in Malaysia, where many Malaysians do not wish to speak of or if they do, speak ill of them only.
Sadly however, the house-shed do not belong to neither the foreign workers, nor of illegal squatters, but of Malaysians who had lived on that land for more than 40years. In a sense, they belong to the pioneers of modern Klang Valley, and a city that came to be the capital of Malaysia. The children of these pioneers, contribute to the growing city as much as anyone would care to admit. And for their contribution as well as their parents, their houses were demolished (including the surau there), and they were nearly evicted from their land by the previous state government.

I believe, many people would still remember the picture of women and children crying, men arrested and some beaten, while they were trying to protect their homes from being flattened and bulldozed in the name of development. In truth, the land that was promised to them by the State Government 40years ago, was being robbed by greedy politicians of the past administration.

Even after their house were demolished, the villagers stood their ground. They build sheds to protect their family from natural elements, and fought their ways in and off the Courts of Law...and won.

More info at Jerit website here.

Precisely at 1pm on Saturday afternoon, a motorcade arrive at Kampung Berembang near Ampang, with VIPs from the Pakatan Rakyat State Government of Selangor. Amongst those present were YB Tn Hj Shaari Sungib, YB Iskandar Samad, YB Dr Nasir, YB Azmin Ali, and several more, accompanying YAB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to a ceremony for the handing over of house-keys to the brave people of Kampung Berembang.


To the people of Kampung Berembang: Syabas! May you and your family live prosper in your new homes.

More pictures at Pictures-Only.

ps. For a somewhat insightful picture of Perak, do read Ajijoi here as well as ckcounterpunch here.

Thank you, Mydin!

Addendum 26.12.08:
Apart from the activities involving hospital visits, assisting victims of natural disasters, the LKKPP either together with Kami Prihatin (BAKiP) or by itself, will try to embark on the project quite similar as stated by lanh14 in the Harakah 22-25 December 2008 issue above.

This project has been discussed in previous meetings several times already and insyAllah, when it does take-off, will assist many more parents of school-going children to lessen their burden. The main huddle to this project is more towards the pick-up points of books contributed rather than the distribution of it.

/end.

**************....*************

The Lajnah Kebajikan dan Kemasyarakatan PAS Pusat, today took more than 15 needy and lower income families to Mydin Hypermart in USJ, to assist the families in preparing their children's needs for the coming shool-year 2009. Most of the family were picked from the Titiwangsa Parliamentary constituency in KL, while a few were from outside.

Arriving at Mydin, they were greeted by the Corporate Officers and Executives of the hypermart and were given a small briefing by a Mydi spokesman. The families were then taken into the hypermart where they were given vouchers totaling to RM120 per child, a joint contribution from the LKKPP and Mydin.

The families were then treated to lunch at Nasi Kandar Padang Kota, located within the hypermart building.

InsyAllah, Harakah will print this story. More pictures at Pictures-Only.

Bkt Antarabangsa Sunday 14Nov 2008

Foremost, I would like to highlight a point or two: this posting and any related to it, are not meant to capture the scene of the tragedy, rather, another perspective of the site other than the mainstream media.

Another is that, the mainstream media would only showcase the 'heroic' acts of the Sarkas while rarely or never ever, show the unselfish assistance of the common people, most especially those from the Pakatan Rakyat. An example of how a Sarkas goon was trying to hog the limelight for herself was printed in The Star today.

While visiting the relief and support center, the lady noticed many PAS Muslimat and PKR Women assisting the Red Crescent (PBSM) there. She immediately directed those from PAS and PKR to be sent away. But a PBSM officer told her bluntly "There ladies have been assisting us here since Day1 without any fanfare from the media. Had it not been for them, we could not have managed by ourselves!".


Sincere Assitance.
The members of Unit AMAL were on hand from Day1, providing what assistance they can to the victims, stranded residents as well as authorities. When Wak and I began our coverage, none of them knew we were coming. Nor were they expecting anyone to cover their story.

In an area smaller than Petaling Jaya, AMAL was as elusive as perhaps, the Yeti - we simply could not find them on the first 2 days we were there! Operating without communication equipment except for handphones, we finally managed to find one AMAL unit on the morning of the 3rd day. But by then, Wak and I had to split where Wak made coverage of B Doc Lo'Lo' while I took shots of the AMAL unit in Impiana Selatan Apartment blocks.

Top left: Residents of Bkt A'bangsa in a jovial mood.
Top right: An Amal member (l) with an apartment owner.
Bottom left: A friend of an owner lending his hand.
Bottom right: The owners driving off perhaps, for the last time.

AMAL members in the midst of moving the belonging of an apartment unit.
Bottom left: Whle the truck provided free by MPAJ is equiped with automatic lift platform,
the furniture and other belonging still needed manual labour
which was provided by these AMAL members.

Soon, if not already, the apartment blocks will be left empty, left as a desolate monument
of a tragedy that could have been avoided.
No amount of money or valuable possession such as the (abandoned?) sports car (bottom left),
can equal the treasure of a human life.

The only true possession a Muslim has are: A pious son, sadaqa,

and good knowledge imparted towards the betterment of others.

Road Closure.

Rain or shine, AMAL has come to the fore in many occasions, locally and abroad.
They were there during the Johor Floods, Kampung Berembang,
Kampung Rimba Jaya, and a host of places.
Off course, they were also there during the 10-11 BERSIH March.
Internationally, many of them have been to Acheh, Mindanao, Thailand, Pakistan,
and several more, assiting the citizens with what they could.

YB Doc Lo'Lo', was a difficult subject to capture on camera; everytime I tried,
she would be face another direction at the last minute. Either that, or the lighting were bad.
Limping from the apartment block up the hill towards the tent,
I was caught unaware when she she said
"Why didn't you call AMAL (to assist you)?"
But, what a lady.

Due to confusion in communication, many people were left stranded on the hill
when the authorities closed the only road available for the above reason.

While many understood and relented, a few bickered with the security personnel
for blocking their road and even hurled abusive words at them.
Someone then came up with a bright idea to use AMAL's whiteboard to convey
the message of road closure.
Bottom right: Asri(l) and Farhan - the good Doc's assistant and son respectively
- helping to carry supplies to LKKPP's tent.

During the heavy downpour on that day, many had to huddle in this small tent which lay some 200meters from the landslide path. It was also where LKKPP and Unit AMAL used to distribute food.
Top right: Unit AMAL members performing the Zohor prayers within a small confine.

Soon after performing Zohor prays, only then did they have their lunch.

Shamsul of LKKPP beside the AMAL whiteboard which had another use later.

The Man of the Day! Nik Shahrul was a very busy man throughout the days on and after the tragedy.
He however accredited OCPD Ampang, Tuan Khalid (if I am not mistaken of the name),
for allowing him to assist.

To many people I met and spoke, the tragedy here is not in the event itself. Rather, the development of a hill which is largely made of soft earth. That, is beside the fact that the whole area is a water catchment area.

Due to the road closure, I did not get the chance to take any pictures of the volunteers at the support center.

News Bits

Due to time constrain, this is a hasty entry and some parts may jumbled up.

The Lajnah Kebajikan dan Kemasyarakatan PAS Pusat held their monthly meeting last night which your truly was able to attend. One of the meeting agendas was the landslide in Bukit Antarabangsa which certain quarters are trying to hijack the media attention and portray themselves as heroes. The truth is however, uglier than the scene of the tragedy.

When I first heard then read about the tragedy, my heart cried for the victims. Then, when the media began displaying charitable acts (of courage?) by namely the Sarkas, I turn my back and refuse to read anymore. However, an account by Athirah Aliman, one of the leaders of PAS Muslimat in Harakahdaily made me think twice. Then in the meeting last we were presented with first hand report of the situation there which I think is best for me to put in point form.

* One of the first person to come to the rescue is a certain Nik, a well-off youngster who seem to dedicate his time to welfare works. It was he who went up the hill and began assisting the victims there. Doctor Lo'Lo' gave this account as she is close to Nik.

* The so called 'Pesta Makanan' may have been exaggerated slightly. True, many people have come forward with all sorts of food and what not, but they remain at the bottom of the hill and seem for the rescue parties, volunteers and 'volunteers'. Precious little of the food prepared from this place made it to the victims.

* Many PAS volunteers were there from the early stages of post tragedy. But since many of them do not wear identification such as vests, hats or badges, the media either did not know or were told not to report. PKR volunteers were also at hand to assist the victims.

* YB Azmin Ali is there daily in his bid to provide assistance but have to 'fight' his way in as Sarkas and certain people in uniform tries to hamper his every move. YB Zuraidah is currently in Mekah performing her Haj. Many PR YBs are also giving what assistance they can from behind the scene. YB Khalid Samad of Shah Alam is in the midst of preparing further assistance and volunteers from PAS Shah Alam.

* Unit AMAL and many other organisations from PAS are there daily to provide food and assistance to the victims directly instead of through parties there. Some 'Volunteers' from Sarkas do try to prepare food for the victims, but get their materials from Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, which is then packed in Sarkas bags - how so very kind of them.

* Without electricity, one 8month pregnant lady walked down from her 11storey apartment and was met halfway by Doc Lo'lo'. The Doc helped her down and took her to a helicopter nearby. The crew initially refused but the backed down due to the Doc's persistence.

* YB Iskandar suffered a mild stroke due to media's lie - it was reported that the relief centers were packed to the hilt! When he went to the center, there were actually only 2 families seeking shelter there.

* Hj Zainal of LKKPP cooks and pack about 300 rations twice a day which is sent directly to the victims. Several other organisations under PAS are doing likewise as there are still a sizeable number trapped. This is in contrast to Sarkas food which a media report was thrown away - food meant for the victims with raw materials from Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat.

* Soon after the either the pontoon or bailey bridge and temporary road was built by the army, a long queue of vehicles was formed in a bid to move out. At one point of time, a vehicle veered off the bridge and into the small ravine. It was very soon after that a Sarkas Aman vehicle tried to jump the queue but was forced back AMAL volunteers under the orders of Doc Lo'lo'. The Doc mentioned that the PGA (auxilary unit) had only 3 personnel there to mainain order.


InsyAllah, I will try to write more as and when I receive the news. Wak Kasiran and I will try to give coverage through webtv8 so that Malaysians can get a truer picture instead of the distorted news from mainstream media which is mainly for the benefit of the Sarkas and not the victims.

On behalf of Doc Lo'Lo and Lajnah Kebajikan dan Kemasyarakatan PAS Pusat, I invite Malaysians to give their small contribution to the victims; it may not be in monetary form as many times has proven your time and energy may prove to be more valuable. Should one wish to give monetary assistance, the account number for LKKPP is as below:

Bank Islam 12113010026150

If you do, please do inform the Treasurer, Puan Raja Rozita at 019 357 5857

Merdeka Day Stroll

The backstreet behind Jalan Raja Laut is small, and littered with discards, organic or otherwise. The drizzle that fell that Sunday afternoon was a mixed blessing; while it helps to wash away some of the dirt, it also help the decaying organic matter to release a greater stench. But in a backlane such as this, such sights and smell are part of the life here. A life where many ordinary people would turn their sights away and would rather not know, or really do not know.

Its been nearly a year now since Lajnah Kebajikan dan Kemasyarakatan PAS Pusat(LKKPP) held an outdoor activity. Apart from assisting the PR in the past General Election, many of the committee members too each have a schedule of their own. And while many of the 20 odd commitee members are from KL-Selangor area, a sizeable few are from outside. Alhamdulillah, for today though, members of the LKKP-Wilayah Persekutuan was able to assist in this Ramadhan activity.

Aje followed the last of the 3 groups that moved out from Bangunan PAS, and made its way to the road connecting Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Raja Laut. Along the short distance, several men sat by themselves in clothes that were ragged and dirty. One particularly, was happily having a conversation with a concrete pillar. Most though, have the sad dejected look on their face. And when they try to smile, their lips looked too heavy for them to do so. They, are the outcast of the society. Some, are old people with no jobs or income. More than a few though, are drug addicts. Yet some, are sex-workers who ply their trade, initially for want of a better life, but now more for mere survival as the dreams they once had has long been discarded, maybe quite like the latex condoms that can surely be found in the dustbins of the rooms on the 1st and 2nd floor of these back lanes.

Sometime back in the 1980's, an issue of Times magazine tells a story of an Imam in Surabaya, Indonesia. While there are lots of Imams throughout the world, the story of this Imam came as surprising (perhaps shocking to some), as he chose to live an the red-light district of that city - all around the Imam's house were the homes cum pleasure rooms of the many prostitutes there. The Imam, in his bid to bring these ladies of pleasure back to a decent life, never admonished them. Rather, he invited them to his house where he and his wife (an Ustazah) gave free lesson in Quran reading and the teachings of Islam. Alhamdulillah, the magazine reported several successes the Imam had in leading these ladies out of their 'pleasure' ways. I believe, this story gave inspiration to a quite recent Malay movie.

Moving in and out of the lanes can be quite a culture shock to many people. Life, here, is a world of its own, with its own distinct culture and social norms. For the many who lives there, the sight of a group of men and women wearing kopiahs and tudungs, and walking towards them, can be quite a scary sight. And it maybe likewise for many of the volunteers at the sight of thick lipstick, multi-hued hair, and short revealing clothes of the people there. Perhaps worse still, is the naivety in ascertaining the gender of the sex-workers, where some can be stunningly beautiful, if not for the deep husky or shrill-like voice they have.

Before leaving the surau in Bangunan PAS, the group of volunteers were given a short talk on what to do and expect when they meet the sex-workers, where the target group for this day are the transvestites. The main idea for today is to break the ice with these people, so that future meets will be more casual and welcoming. Apart from handing out packed food, the sex-workers were also given phamplets containing some friendly words as well as a hadith. To lure them into accepting, a paper rose were tied to each phamplet.

As the group Aje was with approach the night market there, several men stared at us with one having a rather menacing look in his eyes. A quick thinking Cikgu Saleh (actual names not given), one of the streetwise volunteers, quickly put them at ease as he briefly mention of our intention. Perhaps they were legitimate traders, perhaps not; we were not there to judge.

In between the 2 sections of the night market, 2 of the 3 volunteer groups bumped into other. The 2nd group, led by the Chairman of LKKP Pusat, Doctor Lo'Lo' Ghazalie, had covered a shorter but busier route than ours. It was at this same time which Aje decided to retire as he was still recovering from his flu. The 2 groups however, went on with their objective which was scheduled to end by maghrib. InsyAllah, LKKP Pusat will be conducting more meets and outdoor activities quite similar to the one today.

Anyone interested in giving financial assistance for LKKP activities, may do so through BIMB accout number 12113010026150. Alternatively, one can write to my email where I will forward it to her, with a cc to the original sender.

* The actual report of this stroll can be read in the next issue of Siasah, and insyAllah, in the Pemuda Wilayah's website here.