The dots

As I journeyed through the administration the last 4 years, I see many dots within my life being connected. I am sure these dots meant nothing to many but to me, it came with different shades of colors and shapes. I see the darkest dots for being the most difficult and challenging part of my life. The colorful ones are the ones that guided me through the most interesting part of my life. It was through these enlightenments, I began to see the best in me and the worse so vividly clear. My late father was the biggest role model of my life. Being an ex-serviceman, he continued to focus on rebuilding his father's autioneer business at 13 Church Street under the name Key Sales Room. He brought so much into my life and I only managed to spend less than 18 years of my life with him. I miss him at times and the most difficult moment was when the party he so dearly admire and love became government. I remembered in 1986 when he said this to me after his first heart attack "I don't think I will ever live to see DAP become a government but if it does, you will be there and I am sure..."

I guess the only thing to understand how I became so involved in politics was to look back at my past. I joined my father to almost all the ceramahs at the famous Halomon Restaurant and various other places. It was clear that the influence came from listening to Lim Kit Siang, Gooi Hock Seng, Karpal Singh, Peter Paul Dason - giving speeches after speeches. That was 30 years ago and I believe it was the most interesting part of my life. What I intended to do in my book is to let you peer into those dots of mine. The dots may seem to be trivial at times but I am sure you will enjoy the journey of me putting the dots together and focus on the journey I have wanted to embark on. The final big picture is to be at Putrajaya with all the dots connected and making changes to the country that has lost its soul along the way.

24 years journey and continuing

I left Malaysia in 1989 to pursue my tertiary studies at The Wichita State University. The journey of getting there was long and winding as I did not do that well in my STPM. My late father was not there to see how disasterous my results were as he passed away a year before. Nevertheless, it was by sheer determination that I approached my maternal family in Thailand for financial assistance. Without their help, I would not have gotten myself to finish my Marketing degree in the US. That journey enlightened me about the importance of staying connected. Back then, newspapers were scarce and I have always kept the party I loved in my heart and soul.
I joined the party on 11/9/1988. Not that I have not been a party member since then, I decided that it was time to exercise my duties as a Malaysian who believe so much in its philosophy - Malaysian Malaysia and now Malaysian First! It was a journey that took me into the grassroots politics but it was my career that gotten into my way alot. Working at a Multinational company then, I moved up the ranks much quicker than expected. However, some colleagues and immediate bosses warned me about my affliation with DAP - an opposition that holds no future for the people, state and country. I did not agree with many of them and I believe they actually accepted my involvement in the party. I met many of the young comrades then - Saudara Wong Hon Wai and Saudara Lai Hon Meng. Both were young and aspiring. I knew I can't be like them because I was always the reluctant one. Always putting political consideration in my thoughts and actions, I helped out in the 1996,1999 and 2004 elections. I have never volunteered to run but sees myself been the backroom boys. I grew within the ranks of the party and in 2008, my life would have changed all together.

Preface

During dinner with Scott Rush, NI VP of R&D, CM made an interesting comment about reconnecting the dots. He referred the old Penang vs the new Penang. Depending on which sides you are from, it is clear that Penang has indeed transformed itself from being in a graceful decline situation to a potential powerhouse of Malaysia. I took this opportunity to start my first preface for my book since I have the priviledge to work with the Chief Minister of Penang. Being the fourth elected Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng has indeed brought milestone changes over the last 36 months. I do not know Guan Eng when I joined his office but I have been a DAP member since 1994. I joined the party after having worked with my fellow comrades over the years and I have always been considered the potential persons within my family to embark into the world of politics. My late father, Chew Hock Chye, was a founder member in 1966 and he has never stopped talking about the importance of a truly Malaysian Malaysia. He kept me reading books after books - one of which was Time Bomb in Malaysia by Lim Kit Siang.

Since March 2008, the country has indeed embarked into the possibility of a 2 party system - Barisan Nasional vs Pakatan Rakyat coalition. I have always seen March 08 as the date of opportunity where the country takes a step closer to a real democracy. When I decided to take the offer to help the Chief Minister, I consulted my wife and family as there are the ones that stood behind me all these years. What you read in these book will be the reflection of my journey and how I start to reconnect the dots - politics, family and the country.My hearfelt thanks to Tay Joe Boy, James Chuen and Joshua Tan for being the ears and helping me make the most difficult decision ever. I left the corporate sector and joined the Chief Minister's Office in September 2008. I wish to also take this opportunity to thank Liew Chin Tong for giving me the opportunity to come back to the mainstream politics. This book is fully supported by friends and relatives and I wish to take this opportunity to also thank Quah Seng Sun and Alexandra for continuing their efforts to critique the content I have written. I wish to thank Carol, Jefferson and Cornelius for enduring the missing time we have always had. Lastly, I wish to dedicate this book to my parents especialy my late father for without him, I will never understand the concept of Malaysian Malaysia. The journey is never ending. In fact, it has just started.