Times Are Changing. Are We?

Not long ago I did something I've been wanting to do since 8 March, 2008. I signed up for DAP membership at the newly-opened Taman Desa branch.

Oh gosh, you're probably thinking, he's getting political now. Not the case really. But I'm going to at least be bi-partisan.

Life was all about work and play until my brother-in-law Anan lent me a fantastic book around late 2004/early 2005. Entitled Natural Capitalism, it sort of awakened me to the world around my family and friends and drew my attention to sustainable living. Since that fateful month of March, I've also felt an urge to donate more time to political causes.

No, I'm not going through a mid-life crisis either. I guess it was just time to act like a concerned citizen.


Something I just had to do: Visit the DAP Community Centre and fill out membership.



First was getting elected to the Casa Desa JMB committee. Then it was the Recycling Fair at Casa Desa which was a great learning and motivating experience for me. Then there was my rally to the DAP cause. And after that, my decision to train Under-18s Australian Football at St John's voluntarily.

Lately, for some reason, I felt compelled to take part in the series of 1Black Malaysia gatherings at Old Town White Coffee - a passive protest where everyone wears black and discusses community issues openly. 1Black Malaysia is also a direct answer to the PM's 1Malaysia vision. Okay, I won't get into details here. Let Raja Petra write about that...

Truth is, the people and old friends I've been catching up with lately in line with these activities have taught me a lot. Just through exchange of information (through discussions) I see flashes of insight, sparks of inspiration and seeds for future ideas and action. I'm not sure yet but I know I need to get involved more with my community.

There's one thing that I still need to do and that is to register as a voter. That's far more important. You can be a member of a political party but you still need to vote to influence any outcome, right? So, I'm going to do that this month.

But I hope that, in this day and age, we can also make a stand about the way we live and how we can improve things. So please register to vote if you already haven't. Then, if you want to be political about it, you can make a stand.

For me, I'm Taman Desa's number 1 supporter and I think I need to improve things in Casa Desa first, and then hopefully in the suburb too. There are still a lot of issues that need to be resolved before this charming, popular suburb becomes a renowned one.

Just the thought of what's achievable is already making me feel better.