PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Man is a social creature. Our happiness is often measured by our relationships with other people, and by comparisons with each other. We may be tribal but we also tend to be competitive. Throughout life we derive satisfaction, indeed pleasure, at achieving rankings above others. It means a lot to us to be first in school, in the sports field, in studies, in business and in the professions. We feel great if we are first among equals. Society has named us President, Prime Minister, Chairman, CEO or boss. We feel great because we have been recognised.

But not everyone can be primus inter pares. Most organisations have only one top dog. We therefore have to do with less powerful titles like Director, Manager and Supervisor. And this is where politics plays its powerful and often unproductive role. Some of us derive satisfaction from hurting others so that we are perceived to be the important person in order to feel good. This is the Achilles’ heel of the species called homo sapiens. Fortunately, there are also a few others who are generous and support the good work of their fellow men. 

Conceptually, there are four states of mind in our response to the wellbeing of others. First is mudita, with origins from Buddhism and yoga, which expresses happiness at another’s good fortune. Second is envy, a sin in Christianity, which expresses unhappiness at another’s good fortune. Third is schadenfreude, of German origin, which expresses happiness at another’s misfortune. And last is empathy, a most desirable trait, which expresses unhappiness at another’s misfortune. Which state of mind describes our relationship with others?

In Rotary we see all four states of mind manifest from time to time. We can be most compassionate at the death of a Rotarian or his/her relative. We yamseng at the wedding of the offspring of a fellow Rotarian. We contribute generously to disaster relief. And we do work hard to help improve the quality of life of our fellow men. Yet, we are also plagued with discord, outbursts, threats and lawsuits. Why is this so? 

Our DNA is the same. But in personality we are all different. Those with huge egos fuelled by arrogance and jealousy will likely embrace envy and schadenfreude, while those with sensitivity and humanity will more likely show mudita and display empathy for others. Unfortunately the majority of humans belong to the former category! All religions and faiths condemn the former and subscribe to the latter. That is why it has indeed been an uphill task to gain converts.

For a Rotary club to be great we do need more members who genuinely are happy at the good fortune of others and sad at the misfortune of others. We need to prosper our neighbours so that we can also eventually share in the prosperity of the community. Indeed we welcome Rotarians whose mudita and empathy will show us the way forward and whose positive disposition will spread joy and happiness among the Rotary family. Rotarians with such a state of mind will be the ones who will be the prime candidates for embracing and practising the 4-Way Test, and will be the moderating voice in the affairs of the club and in the intra-personal relationships of its members.

The guest-of-honour was Mr Jan Soer, the Deputy Head of Mission. Ms Jacoba Bolderheij, the Head of Economic & Trade Section, was also invited as a VIP guest. Three other officials of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands were also present. Rotarians, Anns and guests, numbering 80, had a great time enjoying pre-dinner drinks and cheese. The cheese was in great demand and it went well with the white wine. And of course, there was Heineken. Throughout the evening, there was the continuous presentation of Holland on CD.

Mr Soer, who speaks excellent English, took us through the land of windmills, tulips and cheese. With a population of more than 16m., the Netherlands is a Constitutional Monarchy with the seat of government in Hague. The Netherlands is a prosperous country with an open, healthy and resilient economy and it ranks as the 16th largest economy in the world. The Netherlands boasts of its formidable force in water management in draining water from the land with the windmills. The country is one of the world’s largest exporters of agrifood products. It is, in short, a dynamic country to work and live in.

The evening also saw the Embassy officials preparing the ‘poffergist’ a Dutch dessert that was an instant hit among the guests. The guest-of-honour took time to speak to every one. He went from table to table with the President.

The President, in his speech, thanked the Dutch Embassy for agreeing to participate in this International Night. He thanked the Embassy officials for the fine arrangement in the supply of wines, cheese and beer. The President also thanked the Organizing Chair, PP Goh Seng Chuan, and the members of the committee for a great effort in this Dutch Nite.

There was no fine session and no Rotary information for the evening.

My Fellow Rotarians,

Please note that I have just moved to my new office. My new address and contact numbers as follows:

DG Leslie Salehuddin
SUITE NW-03A-15, COVA SQUARE
JALAN TEKNOLOGI
KOTA DAMANSARA, PJU 5,
47810 PETALING JAYA
SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN
Dir Tel No: 603-6142 4628 
Fax No: 603-6142 4058
Mobile No: 012-227 6176
email address: dgles0910@gmail.com / stsbc@streamyx.com 

Kindly re-direct all the correspondence to the new office address.

Thank you and regards,
DG Les

RI Board Lower Age Limit for Interact Clubs

The following Highlights of Action taken by the RI Board is forwarded for your information.

One item that is of significance to us is the lowering of eligible age for Interact from 14 to 12 years. This means that students in Form I can now join Interact. The New Gens Committee should perhaps look at the impact of this Board decision on our Interact activities.

Interest Meeting of Provisional Rotary Club of Langkawi

Dear Fellow Rotarians,

RC Langkawi 2nd Interest Meeting was successfully organized on the 6th February at 3pm at Bella Vista Hotel, Langkawi. Amongst those attended are PP Shah (RC Kampung Bharu) and Rtn Eric Ong (RC Penang) with 10 other potential members.

Rtn. Peter Holzer (012-603 3636) has been appointed as the Protem Chairman with Shaiful Affendi (019-5900 155) as the Protem Secretary and Siti Suraya (017-3471 203) the Protem Treasurer. Other protem committee member will be decided at the later stage.

Next Interest Meeting has been proposed on the 21st February (Sunday) at 1300 hrs at Bella Vista Hotel, Kuah Town. For a better rate of the hotel, please liaise with Shaiful Affandi for his assistance. 

More names has been proposed and extended by other fellow Rotarians but unfortunate their attendance has not been able to materialize on unforeseen reasons during last meeting. Permanent venue has been identified as it’s owned by one of the potential member. Advance booking through Firefly (Subang) and Airasia (LCCT) will reduce the flight cost. Regards.

CP Razali Rahmat
Deputy Chairman
District Club Extension Committee

Spring Cleaning at Beautiful Gate Home

Teaching Interactors to do community service is one of the tasks the RCPJ has set out to do. On Saturday, 6th February, 15 Interactors from the Interact Club of Sri Aman, led by President Su-Ann, spent 4 hours cleaning the home of The Beautiful Gate in SS 2. Armed with brooms, mops, rags, gloves and detergents, they cleaned the home from the top to the bottom. The ceiling and fans were cleaned of cobwebs and dust. The door and window grills were wiped. The floors were mopped with detergent. The Interactors also helped the home to remove boxes meant for recycling. They also arranged the old wheel chairs and put them in neat tidy places. Thanks to the Interactors. For all the hardwork and appreciation, IPP Dato’ Kevin Yong gave them a treat of pizzas. The cost of RM160 towards the cleaning materials and detergent was generously paid by PDG Dato’ Dr Low Teong. He also paid for the cost of RM500 for the transport of the 53 wheel chairs 3 weeks to the home. Thank you PDG.