PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

The address I delivered during the Swan Song-handover Night on 30th June 2009 is my Message to the Rotarians of the Rotary Club of Petaling Jaya in the first issue of the PeeJay Pos, as we commence a new Rotary Year.

This is an auspicious evening. It marks the handing over of the responsibility of the RCPJ from the old to the new. It is also Dato’ Kevin’s last day as the President of the RCPJ. There are sentiments that all good things must come to an end but the fact remains that Kevin and the Board of Directors have done a great, great job.

Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you this evening to serve the Rotary Club of Petaling Jaya. It is indeed a privilege and honour to be the 50th President of this prestigious Club. And I’ll carry out my duties with much humility and respect for the traditions of this Club. 

Please allow me briefly to outline the vision for Rotary Year 09/10.

I’ve compassion and sympathy for the less advantaged in our community. I’ll reach out and continue to do so for these children and adults. My compassion is the result of the financially difficult times when I was a university student in Australia. With this in mind, my Board of Directors and I will seriously embark on two projects associated with humanity. One is called ‘Redeeming Human Dignity’ in which people, who have lost their jobs, will be trained with culinary skills and open up food outlets. We intend to partner with the NKF in this project.

Every human being must have the right to clean water. With this human justice in mind, a project called ‘Water and Sanitation’ will commence soon in an Orang Asli Kampung called Kampung Chawang near Sungkai. We intend to lay pipes from a well and connect them to the 30 homes.

We have not forgotten the disabled. Called the ‘The Disabled People’s Band’, this project will bring joy and creativity to the physically challenged who have often been ignored in society. This project is the brainchild of Dr Low Teong. Another project associated with children is the Special Child Project where a group of physically challenged children will go on an outing with Rotarians, Anns and Interactors.

Education has always been close to my heart. ‘Read-a-book’, a project that encourages reading to combat illiteracy and also provide publicity for Rotary will start soon in two different locations in Petaling Jaya. I must acknowledge that this idea has its beginning with the Inner Wheel of Petaling Jaya.

With these 5 new projects and 14 existing projects and activities, we have our hands absolutely full. Rotarians and Anns, I cannot do all these alone. As Kevin has said, the President is a first-class beggar. I beg my Directors, Rotarians and Anns to assist and advise me so that we can together bring about a better world for all.

On Fellowship
My predecessor, Kevin, has done a fabulous job in bringing about a closer rapport among our Rotarians and Anns. I’ve observed there’s greater solidarity and friendship. I must say that Kevin is brilliant in his PR. I‘m learning from him. I strongly believe that fellowship leads to greater understanding among Rotarians, thus removing any hiccups as we commit ourselves to projects and activities.

On Attendance
I must applaud the initiative taken by PP Balram Menon on attendance. Balram and his Board of Directors had emphasized the importance of club attendance at luncheon meetings. Rotarians in the Club are now fully aware that they need to comply with attendance requirement. The awareness of attendance compliance is essential in boosting our Club and our Immediate Past President has followed up with this move. My Board and I will continue to do the same. However, I’ll convince my Board to continue to reach out to the Rotarians by assisting and advising them on how to be attendance savvy. It is my stand and belief that consideration must be seriously taken into account on matters related to Rotarians’ careers, work commitment and family matters.

On Traditions
The RCPJ has a rich tradition. It has been around for almost 50 years. Traditions must be upheld. Without them, a club has no history and therefore quite meaningless. My Board and I will maintain and uphold the traditions of the RCPJ.

On Our Friends and Well-wishers
Our RCPJ depends immensely on our friends and well-wishers. We raised RM131,000 at the beginning of this year through such friends. Through our Public Relations and Membership Committees in the new Rotary structure, we will endeavour to reach out to our corporate and alumni friends. We can see some of them here this evening. We will spread the good word of Rotary all around.

At this point, I must sincerely thank one particular person. His passion for Rotary has not wavered these years. I first met him in the early 90s in the ASA – the watering hole of the academics from the University of Malaya. Whenever he talked about Rotary, I just listened without much commitment. A few years later, perhaps one too many, I took the giant step to accept the invite from him to attend a luncheon meeting of the RCPJ. It was in 1997 when I was inducted as a Rotarian. And this man has made this possible. He is PDG Dato’ Dr Low Teong. Thank you, Low Teong.

As Shakespeare said in King Henry IV ‘Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown’, Rotarians and Anns let it be ‘easy’ for me. I would like to enjoy Rotary with you. My Board of Directors, I need your absolute support. Past Presidents, advise me. Tell me if I’m wrong. I’m a good listener. Rotarians, help me in whatever way you can. Anns, introduce me to the feminist approach in Rotary. David, continue to be my Rotary dictionary. And finally my wife, Ann Irene, give me the emotional support.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. 

The formalities are now over. It is time for the task of getting on with the job that we in Rotary are committed to. Whilst the President and Board of Directors are responsible for overseeing the successful implementation of the various projects, all members of the club must play their part to ensure the mission is accomplished.

The Rotary Year 2009-2010 will be an important milestone in our history as we adopt the Club Leadership Plan (CLP) in the administration of our club. It involves new mindset, new organization of our activities, new budgeting and so on. RCPJ will be 50 years old on 6 January 2011. We must assume a leadership role in the district. Lets show the district the way in the implementation of the CLP. And I am sure we can.

President Dr Eric Wong has outlines his mission, vision and projects for this Rotary year in his address during the Handover and on the first meeting today. President Dr Eric and his Board have undertaken a major reorganization of the club projects. There will be several new projects, medication of some projects and retained some projects. All these have been made possible, as the CLP does not restrict the club to projects under the old five avenues of services.

Involvement and participation in the activities and projects of the club is an important retention tool in Rotary. This year all Rotarians in the club are involved organising at least one project or activity of the club. Every Rotarian is assigned to host two board or committee meetings this year.

The first meeting of the year under President Dr Eric Wong’s leadership on Tuesday 7 July 2009 went on perfectly. Our Assistant Governor PP Farouk Nurish was in attendance. The members turned up in almost full force to show their support. We had an attendance of 77.7%, which is the highest for a long time. Lets hope the Rotarians will continue the new trend.

According to the CLP and club tradition the President Elect is the Editor of the PeeJay Pos. However PE Yeng Kit has stepped down due to work commitment. In his place I have agreed to take over the job together with the Club Administration Director PP Balram Menon and a group of Rotarians as an Editorial Board. The Editorial Committee will be announced soon. We are also inviting members of the club to write Guest Editorials for each issue of the newsletter. I will be coming to each one of you personally. Please accept the invitation as this will ensure your involvement in our club Newsletter and allow you to express your views on the club, the district, RI, Rotary in general and any other topic which is of interest to us.

THE FUTURE OF ROTARY IS IN YOUR HANDS

Dr Eric Wong began by sharing with the members his vision for the Club and his sentiments about our members. He said that his Board of Directors and he will serve the Club without any personal or self-interest. He remarked that the RCPJ must be member-oriented. In the tradition of IPP Dato’ Kevin Yong, he will continue to listen to all members. He and his Board will reach out to the members in a friendly and caring way.

The President said,” Every member has his or her strengths or weaknesses. We must ride on the person’s strengths to bring out the best in him or her.” In a Club like the RCPJ, our members are matured, experienced, dedicated, professionally-oriented who work towards the cause of the disadvantaged in our community.

In his year of Presidency, Dr Eric said that he would focus on two important aspects of the Club: projects and fellowship among members. There are 5 new projects in the pipeline: Redeeming Human Dignity, the Water & Sanitation Project at Kpg Chawang the Disabled Band, Ree-da-book and the Muhibbah Cheer. The existing projects such as the Golden Child, the ICC Concert, the ICC SuperCamp, the SingleMum and others will continue as they have impacted our community. 

The projects on Redeeming Humanity and the Water & Sanitation are close to my heart. In the midst of economic challenges today, we have seen workers being laid off. Their dignity is shattered because of this. The human dignity in a person is so utterly important that we need to assist them to become useful humans again. We will jointly establish this project with the NKF. The Water & Sanitation Project is one of the priorities of our RI President, John Kenny who has identified four areas that Rotary Clubs should concentrate on: water & sanitation, poverty and literacy. We have made a recce to Kpg Chawang in Sungkai and the primary need for the 30 homes is to have clean water, a human right. We intend to provide a pump and water storage tank and lay pipes to the homes for the Orang Asli.

Fellowship is important and necessary for understanding about our members. It is a time to appreciate the differences or even to respect them. We cannot run a club like a machine. It is the human aspect that needs to be injected. For a start, the RCPJ is organizing a ‘Durian Picnic’ on the 12th July. It is a Sunday outing in Bentong for members and friends. They will be more such fellowships.

I greatly appreciate the members who have come forward with ideas to serve the club. The club cannot be a one-man show or run by the Directors of the Board. It is the members that play a significant role in taking the club to a greater height.

I pray that all the projects in my year will be accomplished. I also pray that our members will be more caring and have greater solidarity and commitment towards the wish of John Kenny, ‘The future of Rotary is in your hands.’ Thank you, Rotarians.

Rotary quote of the day:

“So long as there is one hungry child, one ignorant man, one discouraged youth, so long as there is misunderstanding or conflict anywhere, so long as there is a choice friend who has not been found yet, there is reason for Rotary.”
Past Rotary International President Richard L Evans, President RI 1966-1967

ATTENDANCE: 28/36 = 77.77%

My fellow Rotarians:

It is traditional in Rotary that each Rotary International president is given the opportunity every month to write a message to all Rotarians in the pages of this magazine. I am grateful for this tradition, which gives me the opportunity to communicate with every one of you directly, for it is my firm belief that The Future of Rotary Is in Your Hands.

It is a great honor to have been chosen as the first RI president from Scotland in the 104 years of this organization, and to have the privilege of serving the Rotarians of the world. Because there is no RI - no Board of Directors or president, no world headquarters or Rotary convention - without the ordinary weekly meeting of Rotarians in our own home clubs.

In Rotary, everything we are, and everything we aspire to become, lies in the hands of Rotarians in their clubs. If our clubs are congenial and our meetings well run, if our service is carefully planned and competently carried out, if our members are qualified, honest, and respected in their vocations and communities, then all of Rotary will thrive. This is why I say The Future of Rotary Is in Your Hands.

Water, health and hunger, and literacy will be our emphases in the year ahead. In this Rotary year, I ask Rotarians everywhere to continue to learn from our experiences and to build upon our successes. I ask you all to continue to work for the health and well-being of not only children but their families and people everywhere. I ask you particularly to focus on water and sanitation, as the scarcity of clean water is an increasingly serious issue in many parts of the world.

In Scotland, we have a saying that I'm fond of quoting: "We must look beyond our own parish pump." It means that we must look beyond our own home and our own community. We must be aware that ours is only one community, of one country, of the many communities and countries in this world.

In every one of those communities, there is work to be done. As Rotarians, we will not stand idly by. As Rotarians, we will accept our responsibility. We can, and we must. For we know that Rotary is only as great as its clubs - and our clubs are only as great as the members within them.

THE FUTURE OF ROTARY IS IN YOUR HANDS

John Kenny
President, Rotary International
2009-2010