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.
