Saturday, 17 Oct 2009.
First of all I would like to salute Encik Tiles and his team, the Working Committee members of the Ex-Service Association Batu Kawah Branch Dinner for such a brilliant effort in organizing such a memorable dinner. As for myself, after leaving the services for about 10 years ago, this was the first time that I attended the function organized by the ex-service association. The dinner on 17th October 2009, if not because of Encik Jiram (my colleague and one the Committee member of the dinner) I would not had attended. The dinner which was officiated by YB Datuk Seri Mohammad Ali Mahmud who is also the Muara Tuang assemblyman. Also attended the function were Opar assemblyman Ranum Mina, Nangka assemblyman Datuk Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah, and Jepak assemblyman Datuk Talib Zulpilip. I did not see any of the Iban assemblymen(except for YB Ranum Mina who attended as a virtue of he himself a member of the ex-service association) and the rest of the Iban politicians who have been claiming themselves as the fighters of the Iban rights such as the NCR and etc.
Where are the Iban and the politicians from Pakatan Rakyat? PBB Politicians and Assemblymen....I Salute You
If we read the program book for the night, one will see that majority if not all of the PGP/SP recipients listed in the book were Iban. Where were all of the Iban ministers and politicians. Majority if not all of the VVIPs that present that night were from PBB and Malay/Melanau ministers and YBs. To all of these YBs, on behalf of the Iban ex-Service Association members…I Salute You!
But that night will be more memorable if the cost for each of the request songs for that night could be reduced from RM 50 to RM 20 per request. The RM 50 per request was to expensive for the members to bear with the cost.
Some of the activities of the night were the speech by Datuk Awang Tengah which was read by Muara Tuang Assemblymen, presentation of the donation mock cheques by corporate bodies and the presentation of the education Assistance to the children of the members of the association that excelled in their studies.
In his speech , Tengah urged all the 200,000 ex-servicemen in Sarawak to join the association. He described it as a “poor show from the braves of the country”.
In term of the management of the association, he urged those leading at state and branch levels to learn from the strengths and weaknesses of their former leaders so as to be able to bring elements of freshness to the association.
“Only if PBTM is seen as dynamic would more ex-soldiers be drawn to it,” Tengah said .
Urging PBTM members to be sensitive to changing times and life’s reality, Tengah said the association should be re-engineered to be more effective in serving the interest of members.
“For instance, get rid of old ideas because these are like time bombs to the association, and work out a strategic masterplan so that members feel it is worth every minute of the day being members of the association,” he said.
I Agree with YB Awang Ali Tengah. But what about the leaders that has been clinging on to power for more than 20 years shall they be changed also!
Posing with two(2) PGB Recipients
Presentation of the souvenir by Datuk Ali Mahmud
Members of the Association that Attended
Maj (Rtd) Michael Riman (PGB)
Some of the VVIPs Present that Night Cutting the Cake
YB Datuk Seri Mohammad Ali Mahmud
He also called on those who had yet to become members to do so, saying: “If you join the association, yours and your family’s welfare will be better taken care of and you can have a platform to voice your views.”
The dinner concluded at nearly 1200PM. For all the members out there who did not attend the function, I have few photos here taken during the function for you to see.
To all the members of Ex-Service Association Batu Kawah Branch….Congratulation and Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban Mupok Aku
"Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban"
