An encounter with Anwar under Xpecial circumstance

I had a pleasurable encounter last night when freelunch2020 descended upon "Peyton Plcae" Seremban after maneuvering some 20 minutes through the Furong Maze to track down Desi.

Another half-hour later we arrived at NUBE Training Cnentre, 13th km, Port Dickson, to be "trained" into a dying form of culture. Okay, that's an over-statement. Not "dying" but a rare environment where the standard greAting was "Brother and Sister". The uninitiated lookiing at the formally attireed gentlemen and ladies would be excused if they thought it was a gathering of brethhren of a religious group gathered to pray for thy souls and mine, and freelunch (Offset, let me put on record we didn't stay for free dinner! BUTT we both came away with "handsome" souvenirs which I plan to mount on a golden goblet and demo to my green-eyed Blogger frens at sext Bloggers G7 Meet:)

Now where was I? Oh, yes, at about 10.30pm we adjourned to a coastal Malay restaurant and had sambal fish served on banan leaf, kangkong belacan and some mixed meat dish -- washed down with teh-O eyes-d limau with some ooomph.

Now where was FL0202? She was briefing Desi on how she perceived Anwar Ibrahim now appears a "changed man" -- less arrogant and haughty and aloof from his Finance Minister's dies -- well, Desi remarked wryly that six years in confined space of four grey walls would surely "mellow" a person. But we both agreed that here's one strong willed guy who would make the cut of a "reformist" leader, one sorely required to take NegaraKu out of its present "malaise of gloom and doom". She used the word "messiah": I urged that the word was too "highly spiritual" -- suggested Anwar could be that "beacon of hope" in the Malaysian darkness that BN, mainly UMNO, has plunged us into for decades.

Okay, what was the main points of Datuk Seri (first and only mention when this VIP was called to the stage to officiate) Anwar's address at the
1ST EXTRAORDINARY DELEGATES COMFERENCE 2005-2008?

ON THE TOLLS OF 20-60% INCCREASE AT FIVE HIGHWAYS IN THE KLANG VALLEY FROM JAN 1, 2007

ANWAR said that he had refused to sign the approvals for the Highway Concessionaires' Agreement during his fading adys as Finance Minister. He informed the 200-plus delegates prsent that he had told told off Works Minister then and now: "Samy, you are working more for the interests of the companies which are given such privatised projects with lucrative benefit. YOU ARE NOT WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE."
(NB: Words close to this effect and the EMPHASIS is Desi's, based on Anwar's tone of voice and the ocasional smirk/smile?)

Anwar described the latest increase of tolls as daylight robbery by BN cronies -- robbing the Malaysian rakyat 365 days a year with no end in sight as long as the BN government remains in power.

ON GLOBALISATION AND TRENDS IN MALAYSIA TOWARDS MORE MERGERS OF BUSINESS ENTIITIES

I could not comfortably paraphrase his speech (one reason was my tummy was protesting just as freelunch was anticipating to report from the scene of the Coalition againt Tolls protest tomorrow at 4.00pm at the Sunway LDP toll plaza), so I'm extracting a relevant portion of Anwar's foreword in NUBE's souvenir programme.

"All Malaysians are now undergoing a challenging time. Our company is losing its competitiveness day by day, becoming more and more mediocre and lacklustre. In such an environment, it is the workers who face the most challenging trials and tribulations in the form of a freeze in pay and wage levels, more demanding workload and finally, the loss of jobs. Furthermore, our banking sector now is witnessing the start of a second spate of consolidating among local banks."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DESI takes a natural break so be forebearing, as Miss/Mr Patience is virtuous too! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Resumption after brunch:

ANWAR'S FOREWORD:

"The government should show a stronger and more committed leadership under these conditions. Unfortunately what they are more interested in is play up racial issues in order to distract the attention from their own failings. Any decision for the merger of local banks must be made on the basis of strengthening our local banking sector, not foor the profits of certain people. Corruption must be eradicated without fear or favour. The welfare of the workers too must be an important consideration as they form the backbone of the Malaysian economy."

Other highlights the NUBE FUNCTION included:

* ANWAR's promise that from this year. he will be based in NegaraKu to spearhead the cause of the Opposition (via his role as Adviser to Parti Keadilan Rakyat) after spending the better part past two years abroad, as visiting fellow at a University in London, UK and Washington DC, USA. So Malaysians will hear a lor more "from the horse's mouth" from now till the next General Elections. (If the GE is held after April 2008, Sdr Anwar is eligible to contest... and he has vowed HE WILL CONTEST.)

* His sharing that when he was invitd to speak last month in Penang as a guest of the Academic Staff Association of USM, pressures were applied on the organisers to dis-sociate Anwar from the platform to speak. OR...(You know the rest-lah!)

* SYED SHAHAR SYED MOHAMUD, MTUC President, told the delegates that union members must now actively "enter the arena, go to the ground -- MASUK GELANGGANG" to fight for their rights, implying that the present Government had not been too friendly the workers' cause.

DESI's take from this orator's speech(I was hearing him for first time, and I'm impressed, and Desi's NOT easily impressed unless you lace his FreeMeal with arse-scenic Port Dickson chow!:) is that at the coming General Elections -- highy speculated to be held next year, ONE YEAR before due term-en -- the union movement in NegaraKU would become a more vocal and visual presence in the playing field. And this means Sdr ANWAR and his comrades can look forward to massive troops on the ground to support the Opposition, provided PKR and other allies do their ground work, NOW!


PS: Reading some of my ER' minds,as nudist as some madsally on Port Dickson beach, I can see a lingering Q:

What's the "Xpecial circumstance"?

Well, I am not a selfish person inherently, so I will hand over the kitchen/chicken to Da Horst @2020freelunch.blogspot.com..
I hope she's ready with the dish. Hungry readers are angry ones.
I'm only a messsenger. Don't fry/cook/sauce Desi in sambal belacan.