Grandfather story 2: Risk sponsored US trip for free and fair elections

Hi grandchildren,

Tomorrow at Padang Merbok, there will be a Black 505 rally to protest the frauds and the cheating in the recent General Election. It is also to demand for free and fair election and to demand that the Malaysia Election Commission Chairman and Deputy Chairman resign for wasting RM6 million on useless "indelible" ink that was supposed to last at least 7 days but found to be easily washed off within the same day of application.

There were many other failures on their part that has caused the public to lose confience in the EC (their existence is dependent on them being able to have the confidence of the public). Further, Ambiga of BERSIH (a civil society to press for free and fair election) said that this failure of the EC alone is sufficient to ask the EC Chairman and Deputy Chairman to resign. In fact, she said, any EC worth their salt would have resign in shame without being asked.

Grandpa read news that a few Penang Members of Parliament and State Assembly representatives are not only willing to risk their elected positions and privileges, but will also sponsor a bus each to bus their supporters from Penang to KL for the rally.

Your grandpa missed the BERSIH 2 rally  held on 9 July 2011  to demand for free and fair election because grandpa didn't want to risk arrest and thus miss the trip to California for the Global Top Contributor Summit fully sponsored by Google which was slated for September that year.

Well, grandpa is blessed to have been invited again for the second Top Contributor Summit this year September to October.

However, if MPs and ADUNs are prepared for arrest and loss of elected positions and privileges, how can grandpa not participate too. If grandpa get arrested and missed the sponsored US trip, what is that compared with the sacrifices of elected representates?

Thus grandpa is committed to participate in the rally tomorrow. However, I don't think they will arrest grandpa. If any, they will probably only arrest the leaders and perhaps trouble makers. Grandpa certainly don't intend to cause any trouble.

So here it is. Here is grandfather story no. 2.

Update: DAP (Democratic Action Party Malaysia has issued a letter to its members stating that the party fully support the Black 505 Rally tomorrow and encouraging its members to turn up in full force:

Saudara/Saudari,

Untuk makluman, DAP menyokong sepenuhnya Perhimpunan 505 pada hujung minggu ini sebagai hak rakyat membantah proses PRU13 yang tidak bersih dan tidak telus. Hak berhimpun merupakan hak asasi dan pihak polis sepatutnya membantu dan bukannya menghalang ekspresi kebebasan rakyat ini.

Pada Sabtu ini, terdapat beberapa tempat berkumpul dan untuk ahli-ahli DAP, tempat berkumpul kita adalah di Jalan Sultan (depan Hotel Lok Ann)  bermula dari pukul 12 tengahari, dan semua ahli akan berjalan ke tempat berhimpun di Padang Merbok pada pukul 2 petang.

Para ahli parti adalah digalakkan memakai baju hitam dan menyertai himpunan rakyat penuh bermakna ini secara aman.

Dari:Ibu Pejabat Kebangsaan

致：

各报／电 子媒体新闻主任

民主行动 党全国署理主席兼蕉赖区国会议员陈国伟21-6- 2013（星期五）于吉隆坡发表文告，请刊 登，谢谢。

（吉隆坡21日讯）民主行动党全国署理主席陈国伟指 出， 民主行动党率领的“622黑色集会” 队伍集合地点为吉隆 坡苏丹街与茨厂街交界处的乐安酒店（Lok Ann Hotel）前面，而非早前所指 的半山芭。

他说，民主行动 党员丶支持者和民众，可以在6月22日中午时分， 前往该处与党领袖 们会合後，一起步行至吉隆坡默布草场（Padang Merbok）。

他吁请警方和市 政局，共同协助维持交通和黑色集会的秩序， 而不是“千方百 计”加以阻挠 ，毕竟宪法赋予人民自由参加和平集会的权 利。

也是蕉赖区国会 议员的陈国伟今天发表文告说：“因此， 我对全国内部安全与 公共秩序总监拿督斯里沙烈指倘若反对党坚持本 周六在首都主 办黑色集会而引发状况的话， 警方不排除寻求军方协助应对问 题的谈话，感到非常遗憾。”

他呼吁所有参与 者身穿黑衣黑裤，以便以这一类形式的集会， 强烈抗议选举舞 弊。

他说，这个集合 地点除了他本身， 民主行动党全国组织秘书陆兆福丶绿色盛会 主席黄德和全国青年团结 阵线（SAMM），也将于下午 2时 一同率领民众启步至默布草场。

Grandfather story 1: the "House" that grandpa help build

Hi grandchildren,

Grandpa's classmate suggested I tell grandfather stories to you all, so here it is, Grandfather story no. 1: the "House" that grandpa help build:

ACS Harvard House sports day booth

Nice? Don't know but if grandpa's memory is OK, then I remembered this ACS (Anglo-Chinese School) Harvard House won first prize for the booth decoration (plus design?). And that "handsome" boy just directly under the letter V of the signboard HARVARD, that is your grandpa.

Also, if grandpa remembered correctly, grandpa also design the booth. However, grandpa is not very sure because a schoolmate (TLM) mentioned in a Facebook comment in our private ACS Facebook that her House was also Harvard and she had been involved in the booth design, so perhaps it is TLM who designed it.

More grandpa stories. Look at this AutoCAD drawing of the above booth (of course during grandpa's schooldays, AutoCAD have not been created yet. Anyway, look at the drawing:

ACS Harvard House design drawn with AutoCAD

 Compare the 2. However, there is every possibility that I remembered wrong and those straight lines (rafia string) that together forming a parabola was not done for the booth but for another sport event at the Kelab Shah Alam Selangor and it was actually grandpa's schoolmate TLM who did the original design.

This event grandpa cannot forget - while constructing the booth, grandpa fell from a ladder and the sharp bamboo cut grandpa's left hand from near the elbow to near the base of the palm which needed not a few stitches.

The scar is still visible on grandpa's left hand, starting from the elbow and becoming faint as to render it not visible as it nears the palm.

So thare you are grandchildren, that is grandpa's first grandfather story to write down here for when you grow up further to be able to understand what grandpa is writing about.