Saifuddin - pejuang belia dulu,kini dan selamanya....

Selepas lebih dari 10 tahun seruan agar ditubuhkan sebuah jawatankuasa Kabinet mengenai belia, akhirnya pihak kerajaan akur dengan kepincangan halatuju pembangunan belia yang ada sekarang dan bersetuju untuk menubuhkan sebuah Jawatankuasa Kabinet Pembangunan Belia. Jawatankuasa ini dijangka akan dianggotai oleh wakil 12 buah Kementerian yang ada kaitan dengan belia.

Semasa Saifuddin Abdullah menerajui Majlis Belia Malaysia(MBM) sebagai presiden dan setiausaha agung dari 1990 hingga 2002, beliau telah memperjuangkan kewujudan sebuah jawatankuasa kabinet yang dipengerusikan oleh Perdana Menteri sendiri untuk menjana pembangunan belia negara ini. Bukan itu sahaja, Saifuddin telah mencadangkan agar belia harus diberi peranan sebagai ahli Dewan Negara dan juga sebagai ahli majlis pihak berkuasa tempatan (PBT) selaku wakil belia di seluruh negara. Saifuddin telah berhujah bahawa walaupun terdapat Senator dan Ahli Majlis PBT yang dalam lingkungan umur belia, mereka ini bukanlah dilantik atas nama wakil pertubuhan belia tetapi berasaskan latarbelakang politik penama berkenaan.

Saifuddin Abdullah semasa pelancaran bukunya "Politik Baru"

Sekarang Saifuddin telah diangkat menjadi Timbalan Menteri di dalam kerajaan selepas memenangi kerusi Parlimen Temerloh pada pilihanraya umum yang lepas. Nampaknya idealisme dan perjuangan beliau untuk mengangkat martabat perjuangan belia masih lagi segar dan kuat di sanubari beliau walupun tidak lagi memegang jawatan penting dalam pertubuhan belia kebangsaan seperti MBM. Kegigihannya demi perjuangan belia dapat dilihat dari keperibadian beliau yang selesa bergaul dengan belia serta wawasan dan  usaha yang diambil untuk mendekati belia. Maka ia tidak menghairankan apabila Saifuddin merupakan ahli politik Umno berjawatan dalam kabinet yang pertama membuka akaun dalam laman "Facebook" sebagai langkah membuka jalan kepada pengguna Facebook untuk "mendampingi" dan berkenalan dengan beliau. Misi 3M "Menyelami Minda Muda" yang diilhamkan beliau telah membolehkannya mendengar pandangan dan rintihan ribuan orang muda secara terus dan telus.

Persoalannya ialah sama ada Jawatankuasa ini berkemampuan menjalankan peranan secara betul dan berkesan seperti yang diuar-uarkan oleh PM Najib semasa mengumumkan penubuhan jawatankuasa tersebut? Adalah diharapkan usaha ini bukanlah setakat melepas batuk ditangga dan hanya merupakan pendekatan untuk mendekati pengundi-pengundi muda dalam perancangan strategi pilihanraya umum ke 13 yang akan datang.

Tiga orang besar dalam Umno sekarang iaitu Najib, Muhyiddin Yassin (yang akan mempengerusikan jawatankuasa tersebut) dan Hishammudin Hussein pernah menjadi menteri dalam Kementerian Belia dan Sukan sebelum ini dan mereka sepatutnya faham dengan peri pentingnya jawatankuasa ini dan diharapkan jangan sekali-kali menjadikan gagasan ini sebagai matlamat politik kepartian.

Penggiat dan pemimpin belia sama ada di dalam mahupun di luar Kementerian Belia memang tahu dari segi hiraki dan protokol, status Kementerian Belia adalah di tahap paling rendah di bandingkan dengan kementerian lain. Ia bukanlah perkara luarbiasa apabila kementerian-kementerian lain hanya menghantar pegawai pangkat jauh lebih rendah untuk menghadiri mesyuarat yang di panggil dan dipengerusikan oleh pegawai tinggi Kementerian Belia.

Disebabkan status Kementerian Belia yang rendah, Muhyiddin Yassin yang suatu ketika dulu amat berpengaruh dan berkuasa besar sebagai Menteri Besar Johor selama 10 tahun (1986 - 1995) telah merajuk apabila ditukar menerajui Kementerian Belia selepas pilihanraya tahun 1995. Kerusi Menteri Besar Johor pula diberikan kepada Menteri Belia sebelumnya iaitu Abdul Ghani Othman yang masih memegang jawatan tersebut sehingga sekarang.

Diharapkan Jawatankuasa ini mampu memberikan suntikan mujarab ke arah memartabatkan perjuangan dan kepentingan belia. Walau bagaimanapun, sekiranya ketiga-tiga mereka iaitu Najib, Muhyiddin dan Hishamuddin serta  Menteri belia sekarang Shabery Chik menghadapi jalan buntu dan memerlukan wawasan baru untuk Jawatankuasa ini, ikutlah resam padi dan rujuklah dengan  mereka yang pakar mengenai belia. Ini tidaklah susah kerana telah ada orang di sisi di kalangan mereka iaitu Saifuddin Abdullah - pejuang belia, dulu, kini dan selamanya....- Loka

Youth snubs Najib?

At last the Malaysian Youth Council(MYC) held their overdue election to elect a new leadership. As usual the election this time also sees the usual lobbying and horse trading amongst the candidates and their supporters. To many youth leaders especially those linked to Umno, MYC is a platform for them to enhanced their leadership skills and political careers.

Amongst those that has been active and served as presidents in the MYC and later appointed to party and government positions includes Malacca Chief Minister Ali Rustam, Deputy Ministers Hasan Malek and Saifuddin Abdullah. The former Selangor Menteri Besar Mohd Khir Toyo was also president for two terms. Out going president Shamsul Anuar Nasarah was elected as an MP in 2008 during his term of office. Even opposition leader and former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim had helmed MYC as president during mid-70s.

Due to the strong influence of Umno members in the MYC, it is not surpirising that the umbrella organisation for youth in Malaysia is painted as pro-Umno. This perception became stronger in recent years and most obvious of them all was during the leadership of Shamsul Anuar who is also an Umno Youth Exco member. During his term of office from 2006-2010, the MYC was seen as the spokesman for the BN-lead government especially Umno. MYC became to act like a branch of Umno Youth when for many occasions its programs were held together with Umno Youth. Even the MYC's Hari Raya open house during his time were held in conjunction with  Umno's annual general meeting.

During the recent  MYC AGM to elect the new leadership, Shamsul Anuar tried to lobby for a certain candidate  to be elected the new MYC president to replace him.  It was claimed that this candidate was endorsed by the Prime Minister and Umno president Najib Razak. The said candidate was considered an outsider and parachuted candidate by many of the out-going Exco members and affiliates of the MYC. During the final Exco meeting to discuss the next line-up, 2/3 of the Exco members walked out of the meeting when Shamsul tried to push for Noor Azali Bin Sulaiman, a first term assemblyman from Terengganu as the "official" candidate.

After experiencing the last few years of perceived political interference, the grassroot youth leaders just wanted the MYC to stand firm on its principles as an youth organisation without domination of external influence. At last Noor Azali, after failing to convince his challenger Mohamed Maliki to give way to him to win unopposed and also having considered the feelings and rumblings on the ground, decided to withdraw from the presidential contest in the wee hours of voting day. The underlying message is that the lack-lustre support from the youth leaders for the PM's "hand-picked" candidate can be seen as a snub by the youths towards Najib Razak.

Even though the new president Mohamed Maliki is also known as an Umno supporter, he was accepted as the preferred choice due to his background as a serving MYC Exco member and a government servant in an university. The perception is that he will be less political in his approach and able to draw supports from different groups of youth organisations affiliated to MYC. So far, in his maiden press statement in relation to the fire-bombing of churches recently, he at least act like a leader for all races and religion by speaking out strongly against the cowardly act of aggression.

But then only time will tell if he will be able to live to the expectations for those grassroot youth organisations who paved the way for him to lead the apex youth organisation in Malaysia. - Loka

A brother's call

Last weekend I attended a dinner organised by the Young Malaysians Movement (YMM) in conjunction with their 37th AGM. No doubt one of the hottest topic discussed around the dinner table is the tragic death of DAP's Teoh Beng Hock at the MACC Selangor headquarters.

Amongst the guest was Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai (3rd right) and many YMM former leaders and advisors. Even though Liow Tiong Lai did not comment on the tragic incident in his speech, the link between Teoh Beng Hock with some of us present at the event is always there. Liow, YMM president Ng Chin Long (2nd right), former president Lim Joo Kiat (3rd left) and myself were educated at UKM, just like the deceased.

The YMM during their AGM supported the called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the shocking death of Teoh Beng Hock. Many groups has been calling the government to establish the Royal Commission of Inquiry. Liow Tiong Lai being a Cabinet Minister and also a university senior of Beng Hock should use his good office to press for the commission and to uphold justice for his fallen junior, disregards of political affiliation. - Loka

Youth Day for who?

Today is the day to honour all youths in this country. It is the National Youth Day which is officially recognised by the government.

Although it is not a public holiday like Labour Day the grand celebration in Melaka today will be participated by thousands of youth from all over the country. I was previously involved in the month long celebrations, handling various events at the same time including the mammoth rally.

As per the Youth Act 2007, youths are defined as those between age 15-40 but no one will stops you from behaving or acting like one even if you have exceed that age.

Many people still claim they are still youth even when if there is only few strands of hair left on their head. Some even already in their grandfather age category but still holding positions in youth organisations.

Some will delay their anual general meeting to as long as possible to enable them to stay in office. if they calls the AGM now, they will be ineligible to stand for election due to the age limits governs by the Youth Act.

For some, positions in youth organisation are every important as it it the stepping stone towards higher political office while some must hold on to it because once they leave the youth organisations, they have no other place to go.

As for me, I retired from elected office in the Malaysian Youth Council few years ago when I am no more within the youth age bracket.

The latest I heard about the Malaysian Youth Council which current leadership includes the president and deputy president who are sitting lawmakers, two Umno MPs from Perak and Melaka respectively, their long overdue AGM has been postponed again to the end of the year. This is the umpteen times the AGM has been postponed since last year without any concrete reasons other than prolonging the office of those that already overage!

It is Youth Day today but does the real youth really celebrating their day? - Loka

Is your blood Red too?

The guy who was local ethnic politician and community leader was showing his displeasure that the venue of the youth program was to be held at the town centre community hall which was built and managed by the Chinese community. He wanted to shifted the venue to another hall which was out of town and will not attract the public to participate due to transportation limitation. His proposal was clearly not supported by all in the meeting including officers from government agencies who attended the meeting.

His confrontational attitude has been very obvious and can be clearly felt the moment my colleague and I arrived from Kuala Lumpur to attend the program's local organising committee meeting. It came to our realisation later this sort of behaviour coming from a local community leader with a Datuk title in front of his name was due to his mental block in coming to terms with the whole set up of the program.

Since it was a program for the youth, the Ministry of Youth and Sports had assigned the task of hosting and managing it to a Chinese-based national level youth organisation. The launching ceremony of the program was decided by the youth organisation to be held in a town which they are confident to have good response and also manpower to organise it. Since it is a Chinese-based youth organisation naturally the head and committee members are mostly Chinese.

This guy must be shocked when the representative who showed up from the Malaysian Youth Council (MYC)who are tasked to monitor and advised on the program is also a Chinese youth leader who is also a vice president of the MYC. This guy was so "irritated" by this situation that during the meeting he blurted out his narrow-minded thought when he commented that the program is "too Chinese"!

My goodness! I said to myself. Where does this guy comes from? Where has he been living all this while? We were trying to organise a program for the youth and community and this guy couldn't accept that the people who are running it are mostly Chinese youth leaders and starts to throw racialistic views into the meeting. The biggest joke of all is that the purpose of the program itself will be 100% purely non-racial. It was a blood donation campaign!

Is the color of the blood of a Chinese, Malay, Indian, Iban and a Kadazan is of any difference? NO! All our blood are RED irrespective of our racial origin, state, country or continent. Maybe I can't say much for those beings from other planets whose blood, if they have any, are red in color.

I would like to think this guy attitude is not due to his blood color is any different from any of us but is cause by the colors he sees in his heart. He just can't accept the reality that the whole government organised and sponsored program was run by youth leaders who happens to be Chinese.

Most in this country has been accepting leadership by people of different background with an open heart, color blind and warm embrace. Why certain people can't behave the same without any tinkle of domination, narrow-mindedness, myopic view and making judgment based on colors of the skin?

We need to be far-sighted, magnanimous and big-hearted if we want's to develop and continue living peacefully in this colorful country. - Loka

Youth Act not in action

The Youth Organization and Youth Development Act 2007 was adopted by parliament end of last year. This Youth Act which requires all organization using the word 'youth', 'young' and any other similiar wordings need to be registered with the Registrar of Youth(ROY) of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Existing youth organizations which are currently registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) are given a one-year grace period to re-register with the ROY with a year.

The announcement by the new Youth Minister Ismail Sabri that until 21 May 2008, there were only 112 youth organisation applying for the registration with ROY and of that number 16 applications already been approved.

The figures provided by the minister in his keynote speech during the National Youth Consultative Council meeting on Saturday shocked many members of the council, myself included.

During the meeting I asked the minister why this can happened when there is an estimated existing 8,000 youth organisations registered with the ROS. Why the youth organisations are not forthcoming to register their organisations?

The Youth Act took more than 5 years to materialised and most of the youth organisations should be aware of this Act and the need to be registered with ROY. Many issues were already discussed, adjusted, changed, dropped and settled during the many meetings, discussions, consultations and drafting sessions between the ministry and all the stakeholders especially with the Malaysian Youth Council.

Are the youth organisations not taking this Act seriously or having a wait and see attitude? Some may have to adjust the structure of their organisation set up to adhere to the Act but for whatever reasons , it will not help if these youth organisations procrastinate or taking a "tidak apa" attitude on a government policy which affects all their members in the long run. It's better for them to look into this matter seriously rather than pressing the panic button when the ROS takes their organisation names off from the ROS register while they are still not registered with ROY.

The 16th Floor

The so-called MCA "snoop squad" was alleged to be based in the 16th floor of the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Putrajaya. Interestingly the 16th floor is the office for the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports which current and previous occupiers were Wee Jeck Seng and Liow Tiong Lai respectively. Both were implicated as members of the snoop squad. The third member was alleged to be Tee Ann Chuan, a colorful figure who was a former president of the Gerakan Belia Bersatu Malaysia, a chinese-based youth organisation with strong link with MCA.

The "youth" link seems very strong here. All the alleged snoop members are linked to youth organisations. Hopefully no other current or previous youth leaders names will be smudged as I knew quite a number of these chinese-based youth leaders in this country.

About the 16th floor, I has been there countless times since Ong Tee keat was the youth deputy minister. Don't get any fancy ideas, I was not there to snoop around. As a youth leader and vice president of the Malaysian Youth Council, I visited the 16th floor often to meet up with the deputy minister or his officers to discuss on youth programs. When Liow Tiong Lai replaces Ong Tee Keat as the Youth deputy minister in Feb 2006, I met Liow quite regularly to discuss with him on youth related matters especially on the drafting of the Youth Act since he was new to the portfolio. Now, after retiring from the Malaysian Youth Council, I rarely drop in the 16th floor.

All visits to the 16th floor are recorded at the Ministry lobby reception counter since visitors need to obtain the specific 16th floor security pass to enter the 16th floor office. So, if Tee An Chuan has been there often, isn't his name will shows up in the registry of the security tag? Not too difficult to check isn't it?

End of Lavish Functions?

The Second Finance Minister recently asked all government departments to avoid spending lavishly for functions and ceremonies. At the same time the new Youth and Sports Minister was reported to have said that he prefers not to use event organisers for his ministry programs.

Both the statements is indeed refreshing but I hoped it will be sustained for long. I had seen programs which can be easily organised by the Youth Ministry and the youth NGOs but were contracted to event organisers to the tune of millions. And some years ago I attended a HIV and AIDS prevention launching program organised by a government agency which I was told costs closed to a million ringgit.

I am not doubting the intention of the minister concerned but time will tell whether this instructions will becomes a reality. Basing on the tenure of the previous youth minister which by now are well known to be a big spender, either renovating the minister office or in over glorified promotional programs and activities and entertainment expenses, the ministry really need to re-ignite the passion of youth work by putting the trust to the youth themselves to run minor and major programs. If these major programs are contracted to the event organisers, how can the youth gain experience? It will benefit them if given the opportunity to run the show themselves?

The National Youth Day are celebrated on 15 May each year and I hoped for the coming Youth Day celebration next month, youth organisations will be given the task to run it. Good or lousy, at least the youth are given the opportunity to learn and improve themselves.