Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Some Things Are Beyond Politics - a wonderful and meaningful address by Mybloggercon Chairman, Jeremiah Foo (politicical blogger, please read this!)

About Us, A Disclaimer.
Mybloggercon is made up of Malaysian bloggers who truly believe in working together for a common good. We have raised funds for old folks homes, help the quake victims of Sichuan, victims of the Haiti tragedy, and we constantly work on projects to bring people together so we can all communicate better.

We respect every member’s rights to party, but we, as a group, is beyond party politics. Kopi, a friend I have known for years, used to be a DAP member, but he doesn’t call himself a “DAP blogger”, KK is now a member of PKR and actively campaigned for PKR candidate Jin Wen.

Our good friend Elizabeth Wong needs no introduction, and she too has helped us in many ways, last year, Dr Chua has generously donated money to us to help us organise our event in Kuala Lumpur. The platform is neutral, and we are an enemy of nobody, as we respected everybody’s right to a political idealism.

About Respect.
I have known the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for many years, he may not remember me, and I may not consider him a friend, I believe we must respect his position as an elected leader, by simple majority, it is by the same principle we respect our Prime Minister.

Respect is earned, and often cherished by those who have worked hard to gain the trust and respect from his peers. I respect Vincent, a friend I have come to know since 4 years back, he is one of those few who stood by his words and kept his promises. Calling someone you know by his name is respect.

I will be the last person to use “Fat Blogger” to describe Vincent, his weight and body size does not make him a lesser person. And I caution those who throw insults at people with limitations that he or she cannot alter, because the same may be used on you. I don’t believe anyone chooses to be ugly or fat, but I believe it is by choice that people refuse to learn.

About Our Language.
Mybloggercon Awards was setup to honour and promote those who excel in their various fields using the Chinese language as the means of expression. It is our effort to preserve this beautiful language among our peers.

I am writing this in English because some people who claim to uphold the integrity of Malaysia’s largest Chinese party has failed to learn the Chinese language.

Learning is a choice made by individuals who want to become part of the fabric of the society. My friend Elizabeth Wong has worked hard to learn Mandarin (and maybe a little bit of Hokkien) because she wanted to communicate better.

I therefore challenge this individual to learn Mandarin and hopefully be able to debate with yours truly in Mandarin, one day. And I eagerly await that day, because when one stops to learn, one stops to grow.

About Enemies.
Who is our enemy? In the email shared by Vincent, the Chief Minister, who is the leader of the Penang state was named an enemy. Sometimes, I really wonder if some people are so blinded by politics or hatred that they have missed the ball totally.

Our common enemy is poverty.
Our common enemy is inequality.
Our common enemy is the lack of social justice.
Our common enemy is he who abused the power and violates the basic human rights that we all cherished.


Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng cannot be our common enemy, because he is our elected leader.
Very much so, in the case of Dr Chua who should be respected as the elected leader of the MCA.

About Leadership.
Human err. No matter how perfect or imperfect the person is.
A leader leads, not scandalise.
A leader heals, not pour salt on wounds.
A leader sees beyond the gapping hole between gender, race, religion or bank accounts.


Some Things Are Beyond Politics.
Some things are beyond politics, and if we are going to rely on a leader who cannot see beyond politics to lead our way into the future, then I must say this person is not fit to lead, nor take the podium and cast the first stone at those who have looked beyond politics for the common good of the people.

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