Chow Kon Yeow: 曹观友

Date: Saturday, Nov 17.
Time: 19:30hr
Venue: North Malaya Cheah Si Chong Soo, 22 Pangkor Road, Penang
Speakers: Lim Guan Eng, Lim Kit Siang,Zulkifli Mohd. Noor, Jeff Ooi and others

Enquiries: call 04-2288482 or 017-4729990 (Teh Yee Cheu)

The familiar banner “Screenshot” at Malaysiakini (English edition) has been taken off! Is it related to Jeff’s official entry into the DAP this morning? However over at the Chinese edition, the link to Screenshot is still there.
I hope Jeff realise that he is different from today henceforth. He is an Oppositionist now and will be treated as one.
Jeff has a new blog at http://parliament.jeffooi.com

Hope Jeff will find it purposeful in the DAP.

Malaysiakini has the following report:

Opposition party DAP has issued an open invitation to bloggers to enter into active politics in the wake of its efforts to recruit potential candidates ahead of an anticipated early general elections.

The call was made by DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang at a tea party held in Petaling Jaya this morning to welcome Malaysia’s leading blogger Jeff Ooi .

“I will like to see more politicians taking up blogging and more bloggers entering politics,” Lim told about 70 supporters, bloggers and media representatives who were present.

The Opposition leader also stressed that socio-political blogging is not an end by itself.

Ooi, who is considered the father of Malaysian blogging, was one of the first Malaysians to take to the blogosphere with his ‘Screenshots’ weblog four years ago.

I know I have not been blogging. It is not easy to keep up the pace. So I took a breather to pursue other interests. Last Friday, the Penang court complex was packed with people who came for the Ying Ying’s murder case. I was there before nine but for another purpose. Wong Hon Wai had invited some of us to join him on the occasion of his calling to the High Court as a advocate and solicitor. Hon Wai is presently the publicity secretary of DAP Penang. For over five years, he burnt midnight oil to complete his law. It was amazing how he and his wife managed their time. He was working full time. His wife is a primary school teacher. While the husband was studying law, the wife was also studying for a off-campus degree with USM. Heard she is graduating in August. And in these five years, they had three children! Wow! Such amount of energy, tenacity and love for their works.
I can say Hon Wai is a candidate material for the coming general election.
Read, A.Tanasekharan’s speech when he moved the petition for Hon Wai to be called to the Bar. (more…)

Speech by DAP Penang Sate Chairman and MP for Tanjong Chow Kon Yeow at the DAP Penang State Annual Convention held on Sunday, 3rd. December 2006 at the Tanjong Bungah Beach Hotel, Penang.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, TIME FOR CHANGE IS NEAR!

The party celebrates its 40th. Anniversary this year and at this critical period of nation-building process, the DAP is still very much dedicated to the political mission for a Malaysian Malaysia.

Even as the country prepares itself for the 50 years of Merdeka next year, we are reminded of the harsh reality that national unity is still fragile.

While there may be significant socio-economic development in the country since Merdeka, her citizens are still very much divided according to race, religion, culture and languages as a result of 50 years of Barisan Nasional’s hegemonic politics of divide and rule.

We cannot be happy that despite all the abundant natural and human resources, Malaysia is still unable to occupy her rightful place among the rank of developed nations of the world.

Malaysia is found at the bottom of a list of flawed democracies in a new Democracy Index because of its poor ratings in political participation and civil liberties.

This year, Malaysia also found herself lower down in the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index and the World Competitive Yearbook on Foreign Direct Investment.

Worse still, the country is embroiled in a serious dispute over ethnic equity distribution of wealth and the constitutional rights of freedom of religion for non-Muslims. (more…)

Ucapan Aluan oleh Chow Kon Yeow, Pengerusi DAP Negeri Pulau Pinang merangkap Ahli Parlimen Tanjong dalam majlis jamuan makan menyambut ulangtahun ke-40 penubuhan DAP di Dewan Perhimpunan Cina Negeri Pulau Pinang pada 8 Jun 2006.

DAP bertekad mencapai kemenangan pilihanraya untuk menjayakan perjuangan “Malaysian First”

DAP ditubuhkan 40 tahun dahulu oleh satu kumpulan rakyat yang amat mencintai Negara Malaysia. Mereka percaya bahawa Negara Malaysia yang terdiri dari pelbagai kaum, agama dan budaya boleh disatupadukan oleh satu identiti bersama yang bukan berdasarkan kepada pertimbangan kaum dan agama tetapi berdasarkan kepada nilai-nilai demokratik sosialis.

DAP merasa bangga kerana perjuangan Malaysian Malaysia yang diperkenalkan adalah cita-cita yang murni dan masih relevan pada hari ini.

Oleh sebab itu DAP menawarkan perjuangannya kepada semua rakyat Malaysia sebab kita semua mempunyai satu masa depan yang sama.

Sebagai Negara yang majmuk, Malaysia tidak dipunyai oleh satu-satu kaum dan tidak ada satu kaum harus menganggap mereka sahajalah rakyat Malaysia.

Sepanjang 40 tahun ini, DAP cuba mengembangkan impian Malaysian Malaysia ini walaupun parti menghadapi pelbagai cabaran dan rintangan.

Walaupun begitu, DAP tidak pernah merasa sunyi dalam perjuangan ini kerana ia mendapat sokongan dari jutaan rakyat Malaysia yang juga berkongsi aspirasi kami.

DAP mengucapkan jutaan terima kasih kepada rakyat Malaysia dari semua lapisan masyarakat, bangsa dan budaya yang mengorban bersama DAP demi mencapai impian Malaysian Malaysia.

Selepas hampir 50 tahun Negara kita mencapai Kemerdekaan, kerajaan yang memerintah masih gagal menyatupadukan rakyat kerana dasar-dasar mereka masih memecah-belah rakyat. Ini tidak akan membawa Malaysia ke mana-mana, khususnya dalam zaman globalisasi yang semakin mencabarkan.

Sempena ulangtahun ke 40 ini, DAP telah membawa kesinambungan perjuangan Malaysian Malaysia dengan memperkenalkan “Utamakan Malaysia” sebagai pendekatan untuk mencapai matlamat perpaduan nasional dan kemakmuran ekonomi bagi semua rakyat Malaysia.

DAP masih menganggap bahawa perpaduan nasional tidak akan dapat dicapai berdasarkan unsur kaum dan agama tetapi atas identiti bersama berdasarkan kepada prinsip-prinsip demokrasi, kebebasan, keadilan, integriti dan martabat insan.
Sudah sampai masanya, kita mengembeling tenaga rakyat semua untuk menjadi jaguh dunia dalam kecemerlangan akademik, persaingan ekonomi, kemajuan teknologi dan pengetahuan pengurusan demi mamastikan kemakmuran Negara yang diwujudkan dapat dinikmati oleh semua rakyat.

Kita semua masih perlu berkerja lebih kuat lagi untuk menjayakan matlamat-matlamat ini.

Lebih pentingnya, DAP perlu mendapat sokongan rakyat dan mencapai kemenangan pilihanraya untuk menjayakan perjuangan “Malaysian First”.

Yesterday evening I drove Sec-Gen Guan Eng to a dinner organized by a branch in Nibong Tebal, Penang to celebrate DAP’s 40th anniversary.

He was busy handling SMS and his hand phone did not stop ringing, almost. Results and updates from Sarawak were coming in and Sec-Gen was so excited with the first-hand reports.

By the time we reached Nibong Tebal at about 7.30pm, we knew DAP had achieved its best ever electoral success in Sarawak, winning six seats.

The dinner attended by over 1000 supporters, somehow turned into a celebration dinner as all speakers welcomed the good news from Sarawak.

The people of Sarawak had spoken and their choice must be respected.

As someone who have won and lost in general elections, I want to say to those who won, “Cherish your victory”. Take a few days off and rest. Then start working for the expectation is high.

The BN and SUPP would throw everything at the DAP representatives to win back the seats.

See today’s report, SUPP have started, “See what type of service the DAP can provide”.
They will be very vengeful.

You have succeeded to win over the people to your sides with the issues you had raised during the campaign. Speak up firmly and do not be intimidated by the BN huge majority at the Dewan Negeri.

Cherish the opportunity to serve the people. Cherish your victory, comrades.